Transcript

Lessons From The Book of Ezra-Part Four

Ezra 3:8-11
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Pastor Randy Smith

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Before we go to the Lord's Table, I'd like to spend about thirty-five minutes with you in the continuation of our series regarding biblical principles that pertain to a building project. This is no doubt the biggest venture our church has ever sought out to accomplish. We need God's power. We need God's resources. And we need God's wisdom. And fortunately for us, everything we need to know from a spiritual perspective is contained for us in the Word of God. It is our responsibility to understand the Scriptures and apply its instruction to our personal lives.

This is now the fourth of seven sermons in this series. Using the book of Ezra I have presented to you thus far 8 principles. First we said that God will always accomplish His purposes. We have the confidence that when God wants to do something, His will will never be thwarted. Then in the second sermon I presented 4 priorities of a building project. Again, using the book of Ezra, I said we must prioritize purity, the Bible, obedience and worship. In other words, we must be clean vessels useful to the Master. We must love the Scriptures and seek to understand them. We must be eager to do what the Scriptures say. And we must seek to honor and glorify God in everything. These are the priorities during a building project and the primary reasons we are engaged in this project. Then last week I shared with you three expectations. I mentioned that all building projects contained in the Bible are met with opposition, dissatisfaction and joy.

Today as we prepare for the Lord's Table, I would like to present 5 more principles all centered on the word "needs."

1. NEED TO BE UNIFIED

The first need is the need to be unified.

Look at Ezra 3:1: "Now when the seventh month came, and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem" (cf. Neh. 8:1).

The Israelites just traveled 900 miles on foot. Their resources were limited. Their opposition was fierce. And their task was enormous. The only hope they had to overcome these obstacles was to bind together. As the Scripture says, "The people gathered together as one man."

Unity is essential if we wish to succeed. And all the resources to have the unity our Lord expects are within our reach if we walk in the Spirit and follow His Word. Our unity is not dependent on one's social status, skin color, gender, age or wealth. Our unity is simply based on the fact that we are children of the living God, equally saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and equally loved by our heavenly Father. We all want the same will. We all have the same priorities. We all follow the same playbook. Therefore we must not allow the minutia of disagreement to override the greater and more weighty points of agreement.

You might be wondering, when do I cross the line? When do my comments and attitudes begin to disunify the church?

There is nothing wrong with general questions. Just because you have a concern does not mean you are part of the opposition that we studied last week or the disunity we're studying this week. Since the banquet I have been asked several wonderful questions that were in no way a hindrance to the church. Problems come when we begin to sin; when we have a critical spirit or a nagging spirit or a complaining spirit or a bitter spirit or a slanderous spirit. Questions are fine. Disagreements are fine. Sinful dispositions are wrong.

It is God's will that we be unified. These projects can easily divide us. When I mentioned our building project, one pastor asked me how many had left the church. I said, "None!" I recently heard of one church where 10% walked out the back door almost as soon as the building project was suggested. The horror stories are there, but these projects, when responded to correctly, can also bring unity. And as of now I have been so encouraged with the unity we have experienced. Thank you and praise God! Psalm 133:1 says, "How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!" And to that I say, "Amen."

2. NEED TO BE ORGANIZED

In addition to the need for unity is the need to be organized.

The Bible says our "God is not a God of confusion" (1 Cor. 14:33). He is opposed to chaos. He is a God of order. For instance, elders and deacons are unqualified if they are not good managers of their homes (1 Tim. 3:4-5; 12). God expects order in our homes and in our church (Tit. 1:5).

Some of the darkest times for Israel were during the period of the Judges when "every man did what was right in his own eyes" (Jud. 17:6; 21:25). Probably the most dysfunctional church and the one that received the greatest rebuke in the entire Bible was that church in Corinth with their circus-like Charismatic tendencies. To that church Paul said, "All things must be done properly and in an orderly manner" (1 Cor. 14:40). A building project is no different. If we wish to honor Him and have any success, it is necessary that we have a well-organized building project.

When the Jews rebuilt the temple, it is amazing how orderly the people were. Buildings don't fall from the sky. God uses preparation and delegation and organization. And obviously it is important because Ezra used up a lot of space to record for us these details in Holy Scripture.

A few observations:

First in Ezra 3:8. We read that the Israelites immediately sought leaders to oversee the work. All chiefs and no Indians spells disaster. All Indians and no chiefs also spells disaster. The Israelites knew they needed leaders. And this verse says they did not just appoint anyone to oversee the work. Verse 8 says they assigned this responsibility to the Levites. I am sure there were many who were more trained and gifted in construction and finances and politics, but they chose their spiritual leaders to be their building leaders. This was ultimately a spiritual work, and they wanted to be sure it was under spiritual leadership (cf. Ez. 3:9; Neh. 7:2).

And as a footnote, did you notice the age of the Levites? "Twenty years and older." Twenty-year-olds overseeing 50,000 Israelites building the house of God! Parents and youth leaders, are we coddling our kids too much or would they be able to rise to this occasion? That's a sermon for another day!

In addition to organizing in place the proper leaders, Ezra organized people to teach the "law of…God" in chapter 7 verse 26. We learned in Ezra 7:10 that "Ezra [himself] had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." In the midst of all the commotion, it was ensured that God's Word did not take a back seat.

And when we talk about organization, it is also fascinating to see how careful they were with their records. In 8:34 we read, "Everything was numbered and weighed, and all the weight was recorded at that time." Nothing was willy-nilly - rather, precision, attention to details and accurate calculations. They knew their needs and were faithful stewards of the resources God entrusted to their care. None of this can come without faithful organization.

Steven Anderson said, "One could successfully argue that most of the problems experienced by churches in building programs have their roots in poor planning and preparation. Poor preparation fosters a lack of unity and confidence, can ruin pastors, increase building costs, and in general, make an already difficult task much harder. Poor preparation will result in more confusion, wasted time, increased stress and effort, and at worst, cause a church split. A key part of proper planning is to first correctly understand your needs, abilities and limitations" Preparing to Build, p. 15).

3. NEED TO ENCOURAGE

We need to be organized and now for a third need, we need encouragement.

I will start where we left off last week. Ezra 6:22, "And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel."

According to this verse the Lord not only gave them joy, but He also encouraged them with His providential hand. Yet this encouragement is beyond the favor of the king to support their work. This encouragement was ultimately in the fact that God can even move the heart of a pagan king (Darius) to submit to His purposes. I think of Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes."

God knows we need encouragement during a building project. And the greatest encouragement we can receive is the knowledge of God working on our behalf. Flattery and shallow words of praise accomplish very little for the edification of our souls. But to see people committed to sacrificial giving and sacrificial service and sacrificial submission is evidence that God is certainly among us. And knowing that God is among us encourages us to press on for His purposes.

I encourage you to look for the signs that God is working and then make every effort to be blessed yourself and make every effort to bless those He is presently using. Let those specific people know in a deliberate and creative way how God is using them to accomplish His purposes and bless your heart.

When the Jews took those 16 years off from building the temple and devoted their resources to beautifying their houses, God sent them His Word through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. As we learned, their comments met the disobedience of the Jews head-on. But it is also important to note that while they brought strict instruction, Ezra 5:2 also says, "[The Israelites] arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them supporting them" (cf. Hag. 1:13; 2:4-5).

God knows we need encouragement (see Ezra 6:14)! That's why He commands us to provide it to our spiritual brothers and sisters. So let's go out of our way to observe the God-driven efforts of others. Any fool can critique. Any rock can keep silent. But loving and wise hearts know how to bring encouragement.

4. NEED TO GET PEOPLE INVOLVED

We need unity, organization, encouragement and number 4, we need people to get involved.

It is obvious that a project of this size will only come to fruition if everybody is a participant. We have a diverse blend of gifts represented in this church, and every gift is necessary. Case in point, the banquet we enjoyed a week ago. From the decorations to the music to the set-up and take-down to the food preparation to the hospitality to video preparation to the administration, everybody had a part to play and what beautiful harmony we witnessed when the body of Christ came together!

We see the same in the life of Ezra. Chapter 7, verse 7 describes the crew he assembled for the project. He had "the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants." Was it Ezra doing all the work? No! Was it Ezra's shrewd leadership to assemble the workers? Partly! Once again the ultimate source is revealed. Verse 6 says all this happened "because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him" (cf. Ez. 8:15-20).

Not a whole lot of people line up to use their talents and time without any financial compensation. The only way we will be motivated is not through gimmicks, manipulation or guilt. The only way is if God works in our hearts individually to find our greatest joy in serving our great King!

It is also seen with Nehemiah: "'Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.' I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, 'Let us arise and build.' So they put their hands to the good work" (Neh. 2:17b-18). Two chapters later Nehemiah said, "For the people had a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6).

God-honoring service will only come when God inspires His workers to faithfully use the gifts He has given them for this purpose.

Moreover, not only is our service needed and required, it is also the greatest boost to preserve our unity. The more people get involved, the more they will take ownership for the project. And the more they take ownership for the project, the less they will complain and critique. It has been said, "People tend to throw water on other people's ideas, but not their own." And when people do get involved, the more they will give of their time, finances, efforts and prayers to see everything turn out successful.

Ezra and the other leaders set the example, and then the people gave their hearts to this project as well. Julie and I have seen this played out in the life of our family. We have been praying about this new building for several months. It has been a common topic of discussion and tool for instruction. Our excitement and desire to sacrifice has infected our children as well. Just this last week our second grade daughter came down with $28.00 that she on her own has decided to give to the building fund. It is not about the money - $28.00 won't get us very far. It is about the heart!

For your own joy and the example to others, get involved in the project. Praise God for the many who have volunteered to be on our present committees and continue to pray for additional involvement in the committees to come. Praise God for all your prayers. And by all means, pray that God moves hearts to give financially when our love offerings will be presented on Mother's Day.

5. NEED TO SEEK AND PRAISE GOD

The final need I wish to present this morning is the need to praise and seek God.

Apart from the Lord's blessing we labor in vain (Psm. 127:1). Ezra knew this. Before their journey back to Jerusalem he said 8:21, "Then I proclaimed a fast…that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions." Two verses later he says, "So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty" (Ez. 8:23; cf. Ez. 10:6; Neh. 1:4).

Our excellent building prayer committee has not been established to pray on our behalf. They are in place to motivate us as a church to pray more for the project. They have provided special prayer sheets available in the back of the church (that are updated every other week) and did a wonderful job organizing our day of prayer and fasting that so many of you participated in last week. We need a lot from the Lord. We need to make a commitment to fervently seek Him.

And as we see the hand of the Lord moving, we need to make it our commitment to fervently bring Him praise.

Ezra 3:10-11, "Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD according to the directions of King David of Israel. They sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, saying, 'For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.' And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid" (cf. Ex. 7:27-28; Neh. 9:5-38).

CONCLUSION

The Israelites were able to accomplish an amazing project in building the temple. Just years later, they completed the Jerusalem walls in only 52 days. And what is so amazing is that there is no record in either Ezra or Nehemiah that I observed of God performing one miracle. All this was completed through the work of God working on the hearts of His people and then, despite the opposition and discouragement, their joyful desire to serve Him faithfully. And that is the same way I have seen God operate in this church as well.

This is God's project not ours! But that does not negate the responsibilities and needs He has placed before us. By His grace we need to stay united, be organized, encourage each other, involve everyone, seek the Lord and bring Him praise.