Sermon Tone Analysis

There are times we have to tear down old things, things that were broken or already torn down to rebuild the new things.

I have watched over the years how that developers will buy up old dilapidated building, tear them down and rebuild something beautiful.

They have to get to the core or ground level to rebuild a structure correctly.

This evening we will be talking about rebuilding our Worship.

Some times we have this idea in our heads that we can only worship deeply to certain songs.

Oh, if we only had the old songs or if we only had worship like this group or that group, this leader or that leader.

You know God can use even the most unworthy of people and situations to bring about His Glory.

We will take a look at King Cyrus.

Ezra give a pretty detailed account of King Cyrus allowing those held in bondage to be released back to Israel.

King Cyrus was playing both ends against the middle.

He was telling the pagans that he had full authority to rebuild Jerusalem by their god Marbuk and the Jews he was saying he had the authority by The God of Heaven.

I truly believe that God was changing the heart of King Cyrus because it was time for the Jews to head back to Israel.

The first thing to restore worship was to restore the ground or the foundation if you will.

Ezra 1:1 (NKJV)

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

Rebuilding the ground – allowing change in our heart

As a kid I would watch as my Grandpa and my Dad would take the 8N Ford Tractor.

They would hook up the plows to the back of it.

I remember being somewhat mesmerized as that tractor could turn up big chunks of ground.

It would slowly move in straight lines as it turned that ground over.

I asked my Dad why he would do such big ruts in the ground.

His answer was so logical “Son, you have to plow up the hard ground, to soften it before it can be turned again before planting the seeds.”

He turned that ground a few times before he would take that planter down through.

Many times the planters were all of us kids and cousins and sometimes it was a machine that planted for us.

You see it wasn’t that King Cyrus had anything or any skin in this game.

It was clearly that God was softening his heart so that he would allow the rebuilding of the worship.

God was doing about to us a stone heart to rebuild a temple of worship for His Glory.

There are times we have to plow up the soil of our hearts to prepare it for the seed God wants to plant.

There are times we have to plow up the hardened soil, the soil that has had all of the weeds beginning to grow in it.

It is that very same soil that only you can begin to repair like Ezra is writing about as the people who returned to Jerusalem are about to repair the temple.

We are the ones who like those former refugees have to be determined to allow God to change our hearts.

You see, God has been flashing signs in front of us.

Hard Heart Soil?

No Problem!

I have the right plow for all types of soil.

Hard Heart due to not knowing God?

I have the plow for that.

Hard Heart due to being drug to church as a kid?

I have a plow for that.

Hard Heart due to “Church People”?

I have a plow for that.

Hard Heart due to “You are mad at Me? I have a plow for that.

Whatever the problem with your hard stony heart God has a plow for that.

When we allow God to plow up the hardened ground, we move toward restoring the altar of our heart.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV)

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

When we allow God to plow up that hardened soil of our heart, then the rebuilding process can take place

Rebuilding the altar – making a place for God

When we put everything else before God our hearts become as the destroyed temple.

Everything is out of place.

I have been amazed at how many times we put things of this world before the things God has for us.

I have been amazed at how gracious God is when we do this.

As a parent I would have probably said.

Fine, you don’t want to walk in relationship with me.

Be gone with you!

You are the weakest link goodbye.

You don’t want to rebuild the relationship?

See Ya!

When we talk about rebuilding the altar of relationship and our own desires.

I go back to what King David said and it is the best example of God loving us.

In Psalm 23

Psalm 23:1–6 (NKJV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

Regardless God, you God are still with me.

You take care of me!

You want to rebuild that relationship with me.

You want to rebuild that altar of Prayer with me.

It is at the altar that all things are consecrated.

It was at the Altar that Abraham sealed his covenant with God.

It was at the altar that Elijah had his greatest victory.

It was at the altar that relationship with the people was restored.

It is at the altar of the cross that Jesus gave up His life so that we may have life everlasting.

When we learn to rebuild the altar of prayer:

Our Relationship with God changes

Our Relationship with our spouse changes

Our Relationship with our children changes

Our Relationship with our friends’ changes

Our Relationship at our job changes.

We must rebuild the altar of prayer we have with God in order for us to be victorious.

In order for us to live the life that is pleasing to God, which is our reasonable service.

Ezekiel 11:19 (NKJV)

Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,

Rebuilding our Hearts – Allowing God to mold our hearts to hearts that worship

When we allow our heart to change, God begins to write his laws on our heart