December 31, 2023
Part # 1 Introduction
From The Series: When God Builds…
Ezra-Nehemiah
Mountain View Evangelical Missionary
Church
I hope everyone is rested and
recuperated from the holidays. I hope you all had a chance to visit with family
and/or friends over the holiday season.
Today we are going to have something
more like an adult Sunday School lesson, rather than a traditional sermon.
This morning we are going to embark
on a bit of an adventure through another Old Testament book of the Bible, two
books, actually. I was going to have us go through just the Book of Nehemiah,
but doing the research for this series it became evident that the two books are
intricately linked.
As a matter of fact, in the earliest
Jewish traditions, they are presented as one book. It wasn’t until the time of
Origen and then Jerome when he wrote the Latin Vulgate that the Christian
church accepted the separation into the two books of Ezra and Nehemiah. I have
named this series of messages, “When God Rebuilds…”. We will be tempted to
think that men like Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah were the ones doing the
building, but we shall see that it was God who was at work the whole time.
Lord willing, as we go through these
books over the next year, I would like us to absorb how these texts apply to
our situation in this church here in Mountain View County. I think that it is
fair to think of this church as being in a rebuilding stage in its
lifecycle. Churches do have lifecycles; did you know that? A church is not
simply a building or an institution. It is an organism. It is a living creature
made up of living creatures, its leaders, its members, and its adherents.
A church is born, or planted as the
term is used, then it grows as it attracts not only new people but usually
young people with young children. A church then matures as it develops stable
leadership and as the members grow in their maturity level in their faith. This
growth is critical for the long-term sustainability of the church. This growth
and maturing are what is needed for stability as this knowledge and traditions can
be passed on to the younger generations thus ensuring continued existence.
Other factors can affect the growth
of a church as well. I think the instability in the denomination can also be a
large factor. Even the merging of denominations can affect church growth. No
two denominations rarely agree on every point of doctrine and so in the name of
unity, some things or traditions are left behind in the name of progress. Church
splits also affect the long-term health of a church body, as well as schisms
appearing inside a denomination will affect a church. The inability or
unwillingness of a church to withstand the changing pressures of culture will
also cause a church or even a denomination to stumble or fall.
I have noticed in the past ten years
or so, several large churches and even denominations have had severe problems
when they started to allow culture too much influence inside the church.
Leaders would often abandon biblical teachings in an attempt to lure people
inside their walls. The whole “seeker” movement was a danger to Christianity,
and we are seeing the fruit of those times today.
Foundational Biblical teaching has
been replaced by storytelling in an attempt to be relevant. Movie illustrations
or even movie clips are shown instead of scriptural examples being given in
trying to teach God’s Word to God’s people. This past summer I watched clips of
several large churches in the US doing sermon series around the movies Barbie
and Toy Story in an attempt to reach the lost. Instead, those churches lost
their way.
The topic of sin is avoided so as
not to offend anyone. People need to know that they are accepted and welcomed,
and repentance is never discussed. Instead, church leaders leave their people
wallowing in their sin and a watered-down version of the Gospel is presented.
If we do not need to be rescued from
our sin, then we do not need a Saviour.
But, even if a church is doing
everything right, sometimes a decline in attendance is inevitable. People age
and move away. Entire neighborhoods change in their demographics and that is
why evangelism and outreach are so critical for the continued health of a
church. Sending missionaries to far-off regions is admirable, but it is never
to take the place of reaching one’s neighbors for Christ.
Another reason for the decline of a
church is the rebuking and correction of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Revelation starting
in chapter two, Jesus appears to the Apostle John and gives Him warnings that are
intended for seven churches of that day. These warnings also apply to churches in
our day, and we should always compare our church and our path to those in the
Book of Revelation to see if we need to make any course corrections.
Of the seven churches listed, four
are condemned for their behavior, two are commended for their actions and
faithfulness, and one is on the verge of a cliff, yet it still has the chance
to change its ending. Turn with me to the book of Revelation and the third
chapter of Revelation and let’s look at what words Jesus warned one of the
churches with. I know, I know, I said we are going to go through Ezra and
Nehemiah, but we are going to start today here in Revelation 3, verse 14.
Turn to Revelation, the last book of
your Bible, to chapter three starting at verse 14, which you will find on page
993 of the Pew Bible. It really is important that you have your Bible open in
front of you as we go through these lessons. Not just for your sake, but to
also keep me accountable as we go along.
While you are turning to the spot in
Revelation, let me give you a quick recap of the other six churches that Jesus
has mentioned so far. Ephesus was condemned for they had forsaken their first
love, namely Jesus. This may have been the first church influenced by culture.
Pergamum was also condemned for they had let false teachers in among them to
mislead them away from what Scripture taught.
Next to be condemned was Thyatira (thee-a-tie-ra)
who allowed the immoral Jezebel to be a false prophetess among them. Her sinful
ways were causing others to fall as well. The church at Sardis was condemned by
Jesus for although they had a reputation of being alive, the Lord knew better
and accused them of being spiritually dead.
The churches at Smyrna (smerna) and
Philadelphia were praised for their faithfulness despite being afflicted they
were holding strong to Christ.
Which leads us to the church at Laodicea.
Let’s look together at what God’s word has to say about this church.
READ REVELATION
3:14-21
A
couple of things to note here: First, notice that God is aware of exactly what
the church was doing. Their deeds were not going unnoticed by Jesus. Why?
Because it was His church. Every church is His church. All those that gather in
His name are His Bride. But notice what Jesus accuses them of being, “neither hot
nor cold”. He called them lukewarm. What is it about lukewarm that is so
terrible? Well, cold is refreshing on a hot day, and hot is comforting on a
cold day, but lukewarm fails to satisfy no matter what kind of day it is.
Lukewarm is neither refreshing nor comforting. Lukewarm is just sort of… is! It
is not memorable. It is not desirable. It is not
attractive.
Look
at verse 17 for what Jesus identifies as the problem. “17 You say, ‘I am rich; I
have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you
are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” The church at Laodicea thought
that they did not require anything. They thought that they were self-sufficient.
They had riches, so therefore they needed nothing. They were so self-reliant,
they didn’t even need Jesus.
Look at verse 19, Jesus
is warning them that they are about to walk off a cliff. He’s telling them that
He still loves them, and those whom He loves, He rebukes and disciplines. “19 Those
whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” Jesus is
calling the Laodiceans to repent, to turn from their current ways, and to
become hot for Jesus again.
Verse 20 makes it clear
that this church was without Jesus. “20 Here I am! I stand at
the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with that person, and they with me.” Jesus is speaking to the church as
a whole; the pronoun is in the plural in the original Greek. The entire body
was gathering, and Jesus was out in the cold. He was not among them.
So, these are questions
I want us to ask ourselves as a church in the coming year. Are we lukewarm for
Jesus? Is He here among us on Sunday mornings, or have we left Him out in the
cold? As a church, are we welcoming to those that He brings to us? For several
weeks, we have been praying for Jesus to call His people here, to help them
find a home here among us. What kind of home are we presenting to those who
walk through the door?
Last Sunday, we had twenty
guests. An amazing answer to our prayers! What kind of hosts were we? I will
not answer that question for you. I want you to ask Christ to use the
Holy Spirit to speak to each of you individually and look to the Lord for that
answer. Are you being convicted of anything by the Spirit?
What about in your
homes? Is Jesus welcome there, or do you just meet with Jesus on Sunday
mornings? Are you spending time during the week in His Word? If you are not
reading Scripture during the week, how can you expect Jesus to speak to you?
Don’t tell me you are too busy, or you don’t have time to read the Bible. Fine,
do you have time to listen to the Bible? It is a ten-minute drive to
town, what are you listening to on the way in? What about on the way to work?
What about on the way home?
It is a new year. This
is a perfect time to set a plan for how you can read the Bible for yourselves.
There are a variety of Bible reading plans that you can find for free online. I
have set for myself a new goal this year and I got lazy and bought a new Bible
to accomplish it. I asked Marilyn to buy for me for Christmas the One-Year
Chronological Bible for me to read through this year.
The editors laid out the
readings in chronological order, as the events occurred in history. I plan to
read through the Bible this way this year, to reinforce the fact that the Bible
is a historical document, and it is trustworthy. If you wish to read the
Bible chronologically, I printed out some reading plans and put them on the
back bench, take one home if this appeals to you.
Regular reading of your
Bibles and spending time with Christ and the Holy Spirit immersed in God’s Word
is essential to you maturing as a Christian. I desire that Mountain View be
known not just as a praying church, but also as a Bible-reading,
Bible-believing church. I feel that this is an essential step in the rebuilding
process of this church. I do not want the Lord to be able to accuse us of being
an Ephesian church, one that has forsaken its first love. Being immersed in
God’s Word is the easiest way to stay connected and avoid being led astray by false
teachers. Mature Christians develop their discernment and are not to be led
by the hand of others.
One thing I know for
sure is that only God can rebuild His church. That does not mean that we sit
idly by while He does all the work. What it means is…, this is His church, you
are His people, and any glory that is due for any growth that this church experiences
goes only to God. Growth is not measured only in an increase in numbers. That
is why I have been mentioning maturing as Christians. Growth and movement in
our sanctification is also a desirable goal and a sign of a healthy church.
Anyway, that is my goal
and desire for the coming year, that we grow and mature as a church, we remain
open to the leading of our Lord, and remain obedient to His teachings.
Well, with all that being said, why
don’t I finally get to the heart of today’s message?
This message is meant to be an
introduction to the series that we are about to embark on together. A way to
set the scene, if you will, of what we will be studying in the coming weeks. I
want us to take a few minutes to understand where we are concerning the timeline
of the Old Testament.
As I mentioned earlier, the Bible is
not just a collection of stories, fables, or myths. It is a collection of 66
books written by over 40 different authors, over 1,500 years covering more than
6,000 years of history, all telling the same redemptive story. It uses several
different genres of literature including narrative, poetry, prophecy, and
parables. It is a historical text where events described in the Bible have been
confirmed with numerous extra-biblical sources from ancient historians to
present-day archeological digs.
The two books that we will be covering
do not contain any records of miracles, but that does not make them any less
inspired. The lessons that we can extract from these texts will be timeless
because all truth is God’s truth and His Word contains truth even for us today
in our sophisticated modern society.
It is when, we as a society, begin
to think that we no longer need God, nor can we learn anything from God and His
Word, then we will begin to decay as a society. I think we can see that in our
country today. Our federal leaders, seem to have little regard for God and His
teaching. That is why we must pray for our leaders that they may come to a
saving knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for them. I know
that seems like a daunting task, that our Prime Minister may soon start
listening to God the Father, but we will see in the coming weeks that God does
work through pagan leaders.
So, where exactly do the Books of
Ezra and Nehemiah fit in the timeline of human history as recorded in the
Bible? If you were reading the Bible chronologically, here is what you would
have covered by the time you reach these books.
Starting in Genesis and the creation
of time, we would have read about:
- Creation. The exact date that the Creation
happened is not recorded in the Bible. For the record, yes, I believe in
the literal six-day creation as outlined in the first two chapters of
Genesis. When scientists claim that the Earth is millions or billions of
years old, that’s not what the Bible says. I’m old enough to remember… not
the actual creation event, I’m not that old, but when I was in elementary
school, the earth was only a few million years old, but now the date has
been pushed further and further back to give evolution time to work its
magic. According to Google the age of the Earth is now set at 4.543 billion
years old plus or minus 50 million years. Really?
- The next major event in Genesis is the Flood.
Again, no date is given.
- About the year 2091 BC Abraham is chosen by God
to be in covenant with the Creator and he is promised to be a father to
multitudes.
- About the year 1870 BC the famine hits and
Abraham and his clan move to Egypt and into slavery for the chosen people.
·
At
Approximately, 1446 BC Moses was raised as a leader and God used him to deliver
His people from slavery in what is known as The Exodus.
- About the same year, God gives The Ten
Commandments and a new pattern for living is given by God. A way that will
separate His people from the surrounding cultures. A way for them to be
set apart by God, for God. A chosen people who are to live differently
than their neighbors.
- Around 1405 BC- Moses dies after wandering for
forty years in the wilderness and Joshua leads the Israelites into the
Promised Land.
- Approximately 1375 BC we see the time of Judges
and those events are recorded in the book of the same name.
- The ladies will be soon studying the time of Ruth
which takes place around the year 1100 BC.
- Circa 1050 BC we read about the prophet Samuel
and the choosing of the first king Saul. This would be known as the
beginning of the time of the United Kingdom.
- Forty short years later in 1010 BC we see the
reign of King David begin and then the reign of his son, King Solomon.
This is where the Kingdom of Israel begins to come off the rails. For all
his wisdom, Solomon allows his many wives to lead him astray from
exclusively worshipping Yahweh, the God of his father and ancestors.
- In the year 966 BC- The first Temple is built by
Solomon. After building it, Solomon soon desecrates it by dedicating it
himself instead of leaving that to the Levitical priests as instructed in
the law.
- In 930 BC the Kingdom of Israel splits after the
death of Solomon fulfilling a prophecy from the LORD.
- ca. 870-848 BC- Elijah’s ministry occurs and
Yahweh uses Elijah to not only warn His people of their impending doom but
also as a means to call them back to Himself.
- 722 BC The Northern Kingdom falls to the
Assyrians as a punishment from God.
- In 605 BC Habakkuk’s prophecy occurred, which we
studied from September to November.
- Habakkuk’s prophecy is fulfilled in 586 BC when the
Southern Kingdom falls to the Babylonians.
- From the years 586 to 536 BC, Daniel’s ministry
occurs while he is in the Babylonian captivity.
- In the year 539 BC King Cyrus allows God’s people
to return to begin to return to Jerusalem in preparation for the
rebuilding of the temple.
This is where the book Second
Chronicles ends in chapter 36 in verse 22, with the following words. Turn there
in your Bibles with me or page 373 of the Pew Bible
READ 2
Chronicles 36:22-23
Now turn the
page and look at how the Book of Ezra begins.
READ EZRA
1:1
Because of the similarities of these two passages, it
was originally thought that the Book of Ezra was just a continuation of
Chronicles. The placement of the books within the Hebrew Bible, however, does
not support this idea. In the third division of the Hebrew Bible known as the
Writings, Chronicles is listed after Ezra-Nehemiah. In other editions,
Chronicles is placed at the beginning of the Writings and Ezra-Nehemiah is
placed at the end with other books in between. These placements lend credence
to the thought that the books are separate.
The books of the Kings and the
Chronicles set the scene for the events that we are about to study. In his
commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah, Derek Kidner writes the following, “The chequered
story of the Kings, a matter of nearly five centuries, had ended disastrously
in 587 BC with the sack of Jerusalem, the fall of the monarchy and the removal
to Babylonia of all that made Judah politically viable.
It was a death to make way for a
rebirth. A millennium before this Israel had been transplanted to Egypt, to
emerge no longer a family but a nation.”
This point is driven home in
Deuteronomy 26:5-8, “5 Then you shall declare before the Lord
your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with
a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But
the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. 7 Then
we cried out to the Lord, the God
of our ancestors, and the Lord
heard our voice and saw our misery, toil, and oppression. 8 So
the Lord brought us out of Egypt
with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs
and wonders.”
Back
to Kidner, and what he has to say in his commentary, “Now her long night in
Babylon was to mark another turning-point, so that she emerged no longer a
kingdom but a little flock with the makings of a church.”
That
is one of the first similarities I wish for us to identify with. As we read
these accounts of what the people went through as they returned to their
country, to their capital, and to their relationship with God with the freedom
to worship Him as they were required by their God, I want us to identify with
their struggles and see how God was walking alongside them through the whole
process.
The
Father was clearing the way, removing obstacles, and even causing delays, all
with the intent of His plans being carried out in His perfect timing. The
people of Yahweh remained faithful throughout. Just like this faithful remnant
has in this church. Lord knows you have had your struggles and hurts, but you
have resisted the temptation to just pack it in and close the doors. Why? To paraphrase
a contemporary of Ezra and Nehemiah, in the words of Mordecai to Esther, “You have
come to this position for such a time as this.”
If
we believe that God is sovereign and in control of all things, as I do, then we
must be aware that God has a purpose for this church. A purpose, for this time,
with these people, for them to grow, mature, and further His Kingdom. Does He
desire that this body should grow in numbers? Probably!
The
great commission tells us in Matthew, “ 19 Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age.” Making disciples causes churches to grow and multiply. That is
why the Lost are referred to as a harvest. When you plant a seed, do expect to
get one seed back? Of course not. God multiplies that seed as the crop grows.
For every seed you plant, you harvest six or eight seeds or more depending on
the crop. Growth results in multiplication.
How
do we multiply? How do we grow this church? What are the practical means and
actions that we are required to do to assist God in His work? As an adherent
and a member, as a follower of Jesus Christ here are a few things.
Things I can
do to help God grow this church:
- Share the Gospel Message of
Jesus. Share with your friends, family, and neighbors the Great News of
the Gospel, the message of Jesus Christ. Explain to them how they are
currently separated from God because of the sin in their lives. They don’t
have to have committed huge sins to be separated. Things that culture
deems as acceptable such as lying or taking small things are no big deal
in society, but they are sins in the eyes of God and are a sign of rebellion
and rejection of His teachings. But the good news is that Jesus, who was
God, took on human form and lived a perfect and sinless life so that He
would be deemed a perfect and spotless sacrifice suitable to the Father.
Jesus was an echo of all the sacrifices that had proceeded Him and pointed
to Him. Jesus was arrested, beaten, and died a terrible death on a Roman
Cross, hung between two criminals, humiliated by those who walked by, all
to repair the relationship with the Father for those who accept that gift
that we call Grace. If we repent of our ways and confess with our mouths
that Jesus is Lord, we will be forgiven and we will become adopted
children of the Father. That is the Good News of Jesus Christ, that is the
Gospel.
- Now if that is too scary for you
to do. Or, if you feel that you don’t yet know the person well enough to share
with them the Gospel, then simply do action number 2 on the screen and invite
them to church to hear the Gospel. Invite them here, and I will present to
them the Gospel message. Have you noticed that yet? Every Sunday, I have
been giving a Gospel presentation somewhere in the message. You are
probably thinking, “Why does he do that?”, “We are all Christians here, we
are all saved”. Well, let me ask, are you? I have heard countless stories
of people who have been going to church all their lives and have not yet
accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. Heck, I have even read accounts of
Pastors coming to a saving faith in Jesus after being in the Ministry for
years. Just because you are sitting in that seat on Sunday morning, I will
not take the chance with your eternal soul and assume that you are
saved. Besides, if you are saved, then hearing the Gospel message every
week should be like a salve for your ears. The Gospel should warm your
hearts and remind you how blessed you are for what Jesus has done for you.
If hearing the Gospel irritates you, friend, then maybe you are still an
enemy of God and don’t yet know Him. I will continue to present the Gospel
because that is what is expected of me as a Minister of the Gospel. Not
expected by you, or the Board, or even expected by the denomination. The
expectation is from my ultimate boss, Jesus Christ. I am not willing to
take the chance of standing before my maker on the day of judgment and to
try and explain to my Lord when He asks, “Paul I put Timothy in front of
you that particular Sunday and you neglected to tell Him about me. Why?”
- OK, if you can’t do steps one or
two, then the very least you can do is step three. As a matter of fact,
even if you are doing steps one and two, you should still be doing step
three. Demonstrate the Love of Jesus to others. We can demonstrate and
share the love of Jesus in countless ways. Included in them are the simple
steps of just being friendly. Simply going through life nowadays with a
smile on your face and being friendly to others will set you apart. You
will be a beacon in this world.
Be hospitable.
Invite someone to your house for coffee or supper and get to know them better.
If you don’t know them well enough to invite them to your house, invite them to
Timmies or a coffee shop and chat. Hospitality is becoming a lost art. A couple
of months back, a couple was traveling through the area talking with several
churches in our area about their ministry. I agreed to meet them here at our
church and hear what they had to say. When they arrived, I offered them coffee and
when we sat down, they commented that of all the churches that they had met
with the previous couple of days, we were the only one to offer them coffee.
Never underestimate the impact that hospitality can have on the person you are
talking with.
Lastly, and most
importantly, be open to God’s leading. Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy
Spirit when you are interacting with others. This is an area where I lean
heavily on the Holy Spirit. My wife will be the first to tell you that I often
miss social cues from others. I often miss veiled messages of hostility or
deceit in people. I prefer to think only positive things about others. But,
when I feel that God has placed an individual in my path, I try all the harder
to listen to the Spirit and be aware of the unspoken things that are happening.
It’s not easy, and it does take practice, it will cause you to lean heavily on
the Lord, but that is a good thing.
These are all
practical steps that you all can take to help the Lord in the rebuilding of
this church. There are other steps that the leadership team will need to have
in place to be prepared to handle that growth, and we are taking steps now to
accomplish those things.
As usual, I am running out of time
here. I had also prepared this slide to show you in a bit more detail the
historical timeline of the books that we will be covering in the coming weeks.
But it looks like we don’t have much time to deal with this, so I will just let
you know that there will be copies of this on the backbench as well, next to
the Bible reading plans, so please take one home to study. This will be your
homework for this week. If we run out let me know and I will make some
additional copies.
CONCLUSION
As we go through these two books of
the Bible over the coming weeks, I would really like us to keep in mind the
title of the series, “When God Rebuilds…” because that truly is who is doing
the rebuilding here. This is God’s church, we are the Bride of Christ, we are
the gift that was given to the Son by the Father as a reward for the Son’s
faithfulness to the Father. If it be His will, God will rebuild this church
also.
We are to assist the Father in His
work. Just like we will be reading in the coming passages, God used people to
be His hands and feet to first rebuild an altar, then the foundation, then the
Temple itself, and finally the walls and city of Jerusalem. God used people of
varying skills and income levels to accomplish these tasks. There was a plan,
an order to the events. There were also resistance and difficulties to
overcome. Faith and perseverance, as well as unity, were required of those
participating in God’s work. Each person was assigned a task, an area of
responsibility and they were expected to complete that task, to “tend to their
own knitting” if you will, and not to worry about… or to do the jobs of others
that were not assigned to them.
Working together, they rebuilt
something that eventually became even larger and grander than was previously
there. That Temple was considered one of the most amazing and beautiful
structures of its day.
Herod’s Temple which was the Temple
in the day of Jesus. Lord willing, we will cover the issues of that Temple when
we get to the life of Jesus. It was bigger and grander than Solomon’s, but it
was also corrupt and had lost its purpose. Like the church in Ephesus, it had forsaken
its first love. But that is for another day.
The temple that we will be learning
about is far more modest than either of these structures, but it was faithful
to the purpose that God intended for it. That is my prayer for us, here at
Mountain View Evangelical Missionary Church, that we remain faithful to the purpose
and the task that the Lord has in store for us.
Let me close
us with this Doxology:
From the ESV, Numbers 6:24,
“24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord
make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord
lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Thank you and have a blessed week.
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