WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.140 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:04.820 Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Ezra. 00:00:07.299 --> 00:00:10.259 This morning we're looking at Ezra chapters 5 and 6. 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:13.780 If you're looking in the Pew Bible, it's page 364. 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:19.519 I'm going to start by reading the last verse of chapter 4, 00:00:19.660 --> 00:00:23.539 chapter 4, verse 24, and the first five verses of chapter 5. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:29.699 So feel free to follow along. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.899 And Ezra, I'm going to read the last verse starting at chapter 4, verse 24, 00:00:38.259 --> 00:00:42.759 which tells us the situation that introduces chapters 5 and 6. 00:00:44.179 --> 00:00:48.320 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:54.679 and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:59.560 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:03.260 prophesied to the Jews who are in Judah and Jerusalem 00:01:03.260 --> 00:01:05.659 in the name of the God of Israel who is over them. 00:01:06.740 --> 00:01:10.900 Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Josedach, 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:15.120 arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, 00:01:15.460 --> 00:01:18.359 and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:22.799 At the same time, Tat and I, the governor of the province beyond the river, 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:27.219 and Sheethar, Bozenai, and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus, 00:01:28.219 --> 00:01:31.439 Who gave you a decree to build this house and finish this structure? 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:31.519 Sure. 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:34.000 They also asked them this, 00:01:34.939 --> 00:01:37.599 What are the names of the men who are building this building? 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:42.079 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:46.519 and they did not stop them until the reports had reached Darius, 00:01:46.739 --> 00:01:50.560 and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:56.180 Last month, a new movie was released based on John Bunyan's classic, 00:01:56.600 --> 00:01:57.460 Pilgrim's Progress. 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:04.060 Written in 1678, Pilgrim's Progress is the second best-selling book of all time 00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:05.640 following the Bible. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.500 It's an allegory of the journey of a man named Christian 00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:13.560 with his companions faithful and hopeful from the city of destruction 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:15.099 to the heavenly city. 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:20.019 And along the way, Christian and his companions face several obstacles. 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.500 And at a few points, they get stuck. 00:02:24.219 --> 00:02:27.579 They get stuck in the slough of Despond. 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.400 They get stuck in Doubting Castle. 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:32.680 They get stuck in the Flatterer's Net. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:38.259 And in each of these situations, they need God to help them and rescue them, 00:02:38.659 --> 00:02:42.840 to get them unstuck so they can resume their journey. 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:48.180 Sometimes along the way of following Jesus, Christians get stuck. 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:54.120 In other words, we stop making progress in our journey with Jesus. 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:57.120 What might that look like? 00:02:57.180 --> 00:02:59.920 Well, many people have set out to grow in their knowledge of God 00:02:59.920 --> 00:03:02.020 by reading through the entire Bible. 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:04.539 And then they get to Leviticus. 00:03:06.259 --> 00:03:10.500 And they think, why are all these regulations in there? 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:12.719 And sometimes people get bogged down, 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.780 and they fall behind whatever schedule they're following, 00:03:15.900 --> 00:03:18.080 and pretty soon they give up reading the Bible entirely. 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:23.060 Others have set out to build a strong marriage, 00:03:23.419 --> 00:03:26.680 or strengthen a strained marriage, or rebuild a broken marriage, 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:30.500 and then they face obstacles, distractions, misunderstandings, stressors, 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:34.199 and it's tempting to just settle for coexisting. 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:37.000 Growth and change is hard. 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:40.680 It's often tempting to disengage from that process. 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:43.080 Or churches. 00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:47.419 Sometimes churches set out with a great mission of actively engaging their community 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:50.199 with the love of Christ and the word of the gospel. 00:03:51.460 --> 00:03:53.759 But then over time, they gradually turn inward 00:03:53.759 --> 00:03:57.180 and settle for maintaining a comfortable status quo 00:03:57.180 --> 00:04:01.379 and trying to keep differing factions at bay. 00:04:01.379 --> 00:04:06.939 When I was in college, I lived in a house with eight other Christians for a summer. 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:11.799 And the house had begun with lofty ambitions of deep Christian community 00:04:11.799 --> 00:04:13.759 and extensive Christian hospitality. 00:04:14.039 --> 00:04:18.459 But the initial tenants took on an ambitious renovation project, 00:04:18.459 --> 00:04:20.279 even though they were only renting the house. 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:22.759 And that consumed their energy for about a year. 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:26.779 By the time I moved in, the living room was completely unusable 00:04:26.779 --> 00:04:32.179 because it had become summer storage for everyone and who knows who. 00:04:32.899 --> 00:04:37.179 So much for the vision of community and hospitality 00:04:37.179 --> 00:04:40.099 when you don't even have a functional living room. 00:04:41.959 --> 00:04:47.919 Sometimes Christians, individually and corporately, we can get stuck. 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:56.960 We set out with godly goals and then we face obstacles, we face distractions, 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:01.460 we face challenges, and we take a detour or we sit down by the side of the road 00:05:01.460 --> 00:05:07.639 and we fall into complacency, apathy, procrastination, making excuses, 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:11.759 holding on to misplaced priorities, and effectively going nowhere. 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:17.660 Now, it's very rare that someone makes a self-conscious decision to do this. 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:20.819 I don't know many people who have said, 00:05:21.540 --> 00:05:25.120 I'm just going to be lazy and not make any more spiritual progress. 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:29.740 Most often, our complacency, our stuckness, 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:33.240 is the result of frustration, discouragement, and fear. 00:05:34.400 --> 00:05:37.460 And that's exactly the situation that God's people, 00:05:37.580 --> 00:05:40.780 the Jews in the book of Ezra, found themselves in. 00:05:40.779 --> 00:05:48.959 They had embarked on this project of rebuilding the temple as God had commanded them. 00:05:49.819 --> 00:05:54.099 They faced various forms of opposition, as we saw last week in chapter 4. 00:05:54.919 --> 00:05:57.000 And the end of chapter 4 tells us the result. 00:05:57.139 --> 00:05:58.639 The work stopped. 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:00.479 It ceased. 00:06:01.459 --> 00:06:05.979 Now, I've included a timeline in the bulletin, in the center page, 00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:10.580 that you can sort of keep track of the events that we're looking at in Ezra and Nehemiah. 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:15.840 And that will sort of help orient you to some of the historical background of the book. 00:06:17.080 --> 00:06:21.520 But what we've seen so far is that in 538 B.C., 00:06:21.520 --> 00:06:25.120 the exiles had returned, according to Cyrus' decree. 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:29.379 They had rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple, 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:33.139 right there in 538, 537, in the first year or two. 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:39.199 But then, for about 16 years, no further progress had been made. 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.939 The work had been at a standstill. 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:45.300 They were stuck. 00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:51.740 And what we're looking at today is how God gets them unstuck. 00:06:51.740 --> 00:07:02.519 And how God can get us unstuck when we have fallen into a similar situation. 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:07.139 So, we're going to see three things today in chapters 5 and 6. 00:07:08.340 --> 00:07:12.460 First, God's Word wakes us up. 00:07:13.340 --> 00:07:15.180 Chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. 00:07:15.980 --> 00:07:18.759 Second, God's eye sees us through. 00:07:18.759 --> 00:07:22.300 Chapter 5, verse 3 to chapter 6, verse 15. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:25.300 And third, God's joy fills our hearts. 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:28.759 Chapter 6, verse 16 to 22. 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:30.219 God's Word wakes us up. 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:31.800 God's eye sees us through. 00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:34.060 And God's joy fills our hearts. 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:37.539 So, let's look at these three themes in turn. 00:07:38.019 --> 00:07:39.920 First, God's Word wakes us up. 00:07:39.980 --> 00:07:42.199 This is verses 1 and 2 of chapter 5. 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:45.560 It says, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied. 00:07:46.099 --> 00:07:48.259 They delivered God's message to the people. 00:07:48.259 --> 00:07:51.139 In the name of the God of Israel who is over them. 00:07:51.180 --> 00:07:56.039 In other words, Haggai and Zechariah weren't just speaking on their own initiative, on their own accord. 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:01.399 They were speaking under God's initiative, under His authority, and with His authority. 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:03.379 And under God's direction. 00:08:03.539 --> 00:08:08.839 And the result we see in chapter 2 is Zerubbabel, the governor, and Yeshua, the high priest. 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:10.560 Sort of the two main leaders. 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:13.360 They rose up and they began to rebuild. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:20.280 And Haggai and Zechariah, verse 2 tells us they didn't just get them going and run. 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:22.259 But no, they stayed with the people. 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:30.840 They were present and intimately involved beside them, supporting and helping and encouraging them throughout all along the way. 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:38.139 So after 16 years of inactivity and no progress, God's word woke His people up and got them going again. 00:08:39.059 --> 00:08:46.039 Now we know more about Haggai and Zechariah because there's a book about each of them in the minor prophets in the Old Testament. 00:08:46.839 --> 00:08:48.159 So a little bit about Haggai. 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:51.000 We read Haggai chapter 1 earlier today. 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:52.799 Haggai came on the scene first. 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:58.839 First, his prophecy was in the sixth month of Darius' second year. 00:08:58.979 --> 00:09:00.199 That is 520 BC. 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:03.279 And Haggai was a straight shooter. 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:04.939 He was down to earth. 00:09:05.339 --> 00:09:06.279 He was in your face. 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:07.639 And he was confrontational. 00:09:08.259 --> 00:09:09.259 He might have been Italian. 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:12.240 I can say that because I'm half Italian. 00:09:12.959 --> 00:09:19.259 No, he wasn't just living by his cultural, what was comfortable for him. 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:22.259 But this is what God had given him. 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:27.419 His gift was a challenging prophetic word. 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:29.159 And he's, you know, what did he say? 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:33.059 You people say it's not time to build God's house. 00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:37.539 But look at all the money you're spending renovating and decorating your own houses. 00:09:38.359 --> 00:09:41.939 God's house lies in ruins and your houses have fancy wood paneling. 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:43.279 Consider your ways. 00:09:44.199 --> 00:09:45.059 What are you up to? 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.639 Your life is not going well. 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:50.459 You're crazy busy all the time. 00:09:50.460 --> 00:09:53.759 And the reason is because your priorities are all out of whack. 00:09:55.680 --> 00:09:57.080 Now the people listened. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:09:59.639 They listened to Haggai. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:01.680 And they obeyed. 00:10:02.540 --> 00:10:04.120 And Haggai reassured them. 00:10:04.660 --> 00:10:07.400 And encouraged them of the Lord's promise. 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:09.040 I am with you. 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:13.299 And then seven weeks later, Haggai chapter 2. 00:10:13.860 --> 00:10:15.360 Haggai gives another message. 00:10:16.159 --> 00:10:17.159 Another word of encouragement. 00:10:17.379 --> 00:10:20.299 Be strong and work for I am with you. 00:10:20.399 --> 00:10:22.779 My spirit remains among you. 00:10:22.839 --> 00:10:25.740 So Haggai was an exhorter and an encourager. 00:10:28.659 --> 00:10:30.039 A straight shooter. 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:33.279 Now the next month, Zechariah comes on the scene. 00:10:33.379 --> 00:10:35.199 The eighth month of Darius' second year. 00:10:35.299 --> 00:10:38.299 So after Haggai's first two messages, Zechariah comes on the scene. 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:41.559 Zechariah prophesied over the course of at least two years. 00:10:42.219 --> 00:10:44.919 And Zechariah had a different style. 00:10:46.059 --> 00:10:49.079 Zechariah was a heavenly-minded visionary. 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:51.700 His style was different. 00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:54.320 But the overall direction of his message was the same. 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:58.360 God gave Zechariah visions in the night. 00:10:58.560 --> 00:11:01.740 Visions of God's judgment and mercy and glory. 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:06.540 And his visions were vivid and intriguing and mysterious. 00:11:08.180 --> 00:11:11.540 One of Zechariah's visions, if you look in Zechariah chapter 3, 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:14.980 he had a vision of Joshua the high priest. 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.180 Or Joshua the high priest wearing filthy clothes. 00:11:18.179 --> 00:11:22.819 This would have been sort of an absolutely horrifying vision. 00:11:23.379 --> 00:11:26.899 The leader of God's people, the one who would represent them before God, 00:11:27.179 --> 00:11:30.219 the one who was supposed to be the holiest man of them all, 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:34.639 was clothed in garments that had been dragged through a sewer. 00:11:35.719 --> 00:11:37.079 That's the vision he had. 00:11:38.779 --> 00:11:42.759 And it represented the spiritual pollution and corruption of the people. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.079 And so it was a horrifying vision at first. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:55.560 But then he sees the high priest's filthy garments being removed and replaced with pure and clean garments. 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:01.759 And then Zechariah tells him God's promise connected to this vision. 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:06.000 God promised, I will bring my servant the branch. 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:11.519 And that's a reference to the sort of a king arising out of the line of David. 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:12.460 My servant the branch. 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:16.840 And I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:24.200 In one day, I will remove all of your pollution and corruption. 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:30.300 And then he says, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and fig tree. 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:34.879 A vision of peace and prosperity and wholeness and love. 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:45.039 So Zechariah had these amazing and intriguing visions of God's coming judgment and also his coming mercy and forgiveness and restoration. 00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:50.600 And Zechariah's visions pointed the people to the greatness of the God they were serving. 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:57.279 To the majesty of his unfolding plan which they had only begun to glimpse. 00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:06.860 If Haggai was the one who got in the people's face and who was down to earth and showed them this is the next step you need to take of repentance. 00:13:07.120 --> 00:13:09.879 Zechariah was the one who showed them the grand vision. 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:16.159 The long-term vision of the path that they were on. 00:13:18.779 --> 00:13:22.980 Zechariah wanted them to see that what they were doing right then and there was important. 00:13:22.980 --> 00:13:29.960 But it was only laying the groundwork for a future manifestation of God's glory to come when the Messiah himself would come. 00:13:30.420 --> 00:13:37.899 In fact, much of the book of Zechariah is prophecies related to the coming of Jesus that are picked up in the New Testament. 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:50.700 Jesus who would be the promised king, the high priest, the final sacrifice, and the true temple of God where God and humanity would forever meet. 00:13:50.700 --> 00:14:01.000 So God used these two preachers, Haggai and Zechariah, different as they were, to wake up his people from spiritual slumber. 00:14:01.640 --> 00:14:05.600 And to stir them out of their lame excuses and misplaced priorities. 00:14:05.920 --> 00:14:09.560 And to give them a vision of the glory of God. 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:17.740 His word set them in motion and equipped them for the work he had for them to do. 00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:27.740 And God still awakens and equips and sustains and encourages his people through his powerful word. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:35.200 Have you experienced God's word waking you up? 00:14:37.560 --> 00:14:39.560 Setting you in motion? 00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:47.559 Sometimes God sends a straight talker like Haggai to call us to repentance. 00:14:50.579 --> 00:14:51.859 Consider your ways. 00:14:52.739 --> 00:14:59.399 You're running after houses and cars and careers and sports teams and vacations and video games and your body image. 00:14:59.459 --> 00:15:03.679 You're running around like a chicken with your head cut off, but you're not seeking after the Lord. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:07.839 And your priorities are out of line and that's part of the reason why you're not flourishing. 00:15:11.139 --> 00:15:13.019 Come and seek God. 00:15:15.179 --> 00:15:17.000 And put him first once again. 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:23.139 But God also sends heavenly-minded visionaries like Zechariah. 00:15:24.139 --> 00:15:27.159 Who lift us out of our petty day-to-day concerns. 00:15:27.779 --> 00:15:31.959 And fix our eyes on the beauty and holiness of God. 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:35.540 The apostle Paul says in the New Testament, 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:39.660 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:44.800 How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out. 00:15:46.400 --> 00:15:47.820 And he prays in Ephesians, 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:51.060 May you have power together with all the Lord's people 00:15:51.060 --> 00:15:57.280 to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:00.759 To know this love that surpasses knowledge. 00:16:01.199 --> 00:16:04.120 That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 00:16:04.199 --> 00:16:09.059 You see, when we stand in awe of God's greatness and when we revel in his goodness, 00:16:09.339 --> 00:16:12.220 the whole world looks different. 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:19.059 When we see the God that Zechariah was showing us. 00:16:19.059 --> 00:16:25.919 That's the first thing God does to get his people unstuck as he wakes them up with his word. 00:16:26.519 --> 00:16:30.159 But second, he not only wakes them up with his word, 00:16:30.259 --> 00:16:33.519 he also, God's eye, sees us through. 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:38.439 This is chapter 5, verse 3 to chapter 6, verse 15. 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:44.080 The Old Testament commentator Derek Kidner wrote this, 00:16:44.300 --> 00:16:48.360 Like every spiritual advance from Abraham to the book of Acts, 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:52.080 this venture to rebuild the temple began with a word from the Lord. 00:16:53.040 --> 00:16:55.900 And in common with the rest, it was quickly tested and threatened. 00:16:56.160 --> 00:17:02.500 But what God's word had set in motion, his watchful eye would see through. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:08.619 What God's word had set in motion, his watchful eye would see through. 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:12.240 That's what we see in this middle section. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:15.200 The prophets stimulate the people to action. 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:19.240 But verse 3, at the same time, the governor comes around and starts asking some questions. 00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:22.500 Who gave you permission to build this temple? 00:17:22.700 --> 00:17:23.799 Where is your building permit? 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:26.940 And what are all y'all's names? 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:31.259 Now, when the governor shows up and starts asking those questions, 00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:34.619 you might start feeling a little intimidated. 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:38.200 Okay, what's going to happen to us? 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:42.359 Now, the government officials were most likely concerned 00:17:42.359 --> 00:17:44.779 by this sudden flurry of activity in Jerusalem 00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:48.579 because the first two years of Darius' reign were marked by revolts 00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:50.379 throughout the Persian Empire. 00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:54.740 And so the governors wanted to make sure that they stayed on top of what was happening. 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:58.640 Their inquiry likely had a legitimate purpose. 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.759 It was not necessarily fueled by any personal hostility, 00:18:02.320 --> 00:18:07.040 but still for the Jewish elders, it would have been unsettling and intimidating. 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:12.080 But verse 5 gives a wonderful word of assurance. 00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:15.540 The eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, 00:18:15.640 --> 00:18:17.780 and the government officials did not stop them 00:18:17.780 --> 00:18:19.960 until the report should reach Darius, 00:18:20.100 --> 00:18:22.420 and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. 00:18:22.460 --> 00:18:26.200 In other words, the officials did not issue a stop work order. 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:30.840 Immediately, they let the work go on until the inquiry was resolved. 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:34.500 And Ezra reminds us that this was the Lord's doing. 00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:39.819 God prevented the Persian officials from immediately stopping his people, 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:43.140 and he prevented his people, who are sometimes fearful, 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:48.500 from immediately giving in to their fears and stopping again. 00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:53.980 Now, I think if we're honest, 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:59.960 most of us don't pay much attention to what we might call God's preventative providences. 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:05.839 In other words, all the bad things that could happen in this fallen world, 00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:08.079 but God doesn't let them happen. 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:13.660 Here, we see God preserved the people. 00:19:13.660 --> 00:19:18.340 He didn't let the government officials force them to stop. 00:19:19.420 --> 00:19:21.779 And so, he didn't let them give in to their fears, 00:19:22.840 --> 00:19:26.960 and he permitted them to go on. 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:31.259 You see, every day God's watchful eye is upon us. 00:19:32.340 --> 00:19:36.779 And he preserves us, often in ways that we don't even see and hardly ever recognize, 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:41.240 by holding back things that could overwhelm us from the outside, 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:45.559 and holding us back on the inside from giving in to our worst motives. 00:19:48.380 --> 00:19:49.380 Isn't that encouraging? 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:51.500 The eye of our God is upon us. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:57.940 And he protects us from things that he knows we are not ready for, 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:01.940 that would completely overwhelm and crush us spiritually, 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:06.799 so that he can sustain us in the work that he's given us to do. 00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:09.880 So, God's watchful eye was upon his people. 00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:12.780 He kept them going as they awaited a response from the king. 00:20:13.560 --> 00:20:17.140 Now, the rest of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:22.220 is the governor's letter to the king and the king's response to the governor. 00:20:22.340 --> 00:20:25.840 I'm not going to read this all because it's long, but I'll summarize it. 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:32.040 Verses 6 to 17 of chapter 5 are a copy of the letter from Governor Tatnai to King Darius. 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:39.359 Just a side note, this whole section from chapter 4 verse 8 to chapter 6 verse 18 is written in Aramaic. 00:20:40.220 --> 00:20:45.480 Most of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew, the language of the people of Israel. 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:49.940 But this is written in Aramaic because that was the trade language of the Persian Empire. 00:20:50.619 --> 00:20:53.779 So, that was the language that government documents would have been written in. 00:20:53.779 --> 00:20:57.579 And most of this section is records of government documents. 00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:05.460 52 out of the 67 verses are simply copies of letters or records of government communication. 00:21:05.639 --> 00:21:11.139 So, again, that's another indication of the reliability, historical reliability of Ezra's account 00:21:11.139 --> 00:21:14.539 that these official documents were preserved in their original language. 00:21:14.539 --> 00:21:20.720 But governor's letter, verse 6 to 17, basically what he says is, 00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:22.720 these people are building their temple. 00:21:23.859 --> 00:21:27.779 We asked them if they had a building permit and they said they had one from King Cyrus. 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:29.839 Can you check and see if that's true? 00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:35.700 Now, an inquiry like this could have received a relatively quick reply 00:21:35.700 --> 00:21:43.680 because one of Cyrus and Darius' main projects as Persian kings was road improvements. 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:45.799 And a postal service. 00:21:46.620 --> 00:21:53.700 So, the Persian royal road eventually stretched 1,700 miles from the capital of Susa in the east 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:55.180 to Sardis in the west. 00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:59.560 And there were post stations where the horses could be changed every 15 miles. 00:22:00.420 --> 00:22:04.000 And according to Herodotus, a letter could be delivered from one end of the empire 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:06.920 to the other within one week. 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:10.560 Now, that's pretty amazing express mail for the ancient world. 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:13.859 By the royal couriers. 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:18.240 So, likely, it was possible for a letter to be sent like this 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:22.399 and to receive a letter back within a reasonable period of time. 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:27.059 In chapter 6, verses 1 and 2 tells us that that's what happened. 00:22:27.159 --> 00:22:30.779 Then Darius the king made a decree, searched the archives. 00:22:31.299 --> 00:22:36.500 Verse 2, in Ekbatana, the citadel in the province of Media, a scroll was found. 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:40.599 Now, Ekbatana was the summer residence of the kings of Persia. 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:41.660 It was up in the mountains. 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:44.920 They'd go up there because it was nice and cool in the summer. 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:47.740 And then they'd come back to their capital in the winter. 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.559 So, they had sort of a couple, two or three different places where they spent the year. 00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:56.519 And so, the record was found in the summer archives. 00:22:56.779 --> 00:23:02.019 The record of the building permit from Cyrus and the administrative memo was found, 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:05.359 including details about the dimensions and building materials. 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:09.059 Now, if you read closely, chapter 6, verse 3, 00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:14.000 you might notice that the height and length of the building are specified, but not the width. 00:23:14.460 --> 00:23:18.619 That's a bit unusual, but the general practice in the region was to build temples, 00:23:19.259 --> 00:23:23.079 rebuild temples on the foundations of ones that had been previously destroyed. 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:26.419 So, most likely, the dimensions were not a matter of dispute. 00:23:28.879 --> 00:23:37.819 And so, that's perhaps we only, perhaps the length dropped out of the edict or something happened to that. 00:23:37.939 --> 00:23:40.299 But likely, that was well understood. 00:23:41.639 --> 00:23:45.639 So, verses 3 to 5 summarize Cyrus' decree, in other words, the building permit. 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:49.859 And then 6 to 12 summarize Darius' directive and conclusion. 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:52.539 And Darius basically says three things. 00:23:52.539 --> 00:23:56.579 In verses 6 to 7, he says, keep away, leave them alone. 00:23:57.740 --> 00:24:01.200 In other words, don't interfere with their project. 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:11.920 Then verses 8 to 10, he says, moreover, pay their costs in full and without delay from your provincial revenues. 00:24:12.700 --> 00:24:13.819 Now, Darius is very clear. 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:15.599 It doesn't come from the capital. 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:17.299 It comes from your provincial taxes. 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:20.920 So, you know, it's on you to raise that money. 00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:24.560 And the people probably were taxed for that. 00:24:25.060 --> 00:24:28.640 But he says, give them whatever is needed day by day without fail. 00:24:29.900 --> 00:24:36.779 Verse 10, he expresses his hope that they may pray for the king and his family. 00:24:36.779 --> 00:24:45.980 So, Darius' hope, like Cyrus, was that his subject would offer sacrifices and prayers in the various temples that he rebuilt throughout his empire. 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:54.380 That they, that basically, that all the gods, wherever they were, and all the empire would be on his side. 00:24:55.180 --> 00:24:56.740 That's Darius' motive. 00:24:57.259 --> 00:24:58.360 And he did the same thing. 00:24:58.460 --> 00:25:01.500 We have records that he did the same thing in Greece and in Egypt. 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:12.119 Verses 11 to 12, Darius basically threatens anyone who doesn't comply with death and instructs his decree to be carried out with all diligence. 00:25:13.579 --> 00:25:14.880 So, what do we see here? 00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:21.920 In the end, the returned exiles end up in a better situation than they were at the beginning. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:32.340 So, God turned this intimidating inspection into a favorable outcome. 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:36.740 And isn't that often how God works? 00:25:38.039 --> 00:25:46.920 God brings us through trials that at first seem intimidating and unwelcome and we don't want them. 00:25:46.920 --> 00:25:55.440 But on the other side of those trials, he makes us stronger and more courageous in the end. 00:25:57.300 --> 00:26:02.860 And in the midst of our trials, God wants us to know his watchful eye is upon us. 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:11.019 If he stirred us into action by his authoritative word, he will preserve us all the way through with his watchful eye. 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:16.320 Again, Derek Kidner put it this way. 00:26:16.319 --> 00:26:26.059 This venture of faith begun in hard times and continued in a day of small things and of ominous investigations ended in triumph. 00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:30.779 Verse 14 or verse 13, 00:26:30.779 --> 00:26:35.220 Then according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tatani the governor of the province, 00:26:35.379 --> 00:26:39.079 Shethar Bozani and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:43.419 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah. 00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:51.400 They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes, king of Persia. 00:26:52.600 --> 00:26:55.539 Artaxerxes is looking forward to what will happen in chapter 7. 00:26:55.640 --> 00:26:56.660 We'll see him appear there. 00:26:57.120 --> 00:27:01.980 And this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:08.660 So, the temple is not only resumed, it is completed. 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:16.660 And notice the various means that God uses to accomplish his purposes here. 00:27:16.660 --> 00:27:23.220 He uses the diligent work of the Jewish elders and people. 00:27:24.580 --> 00:27:29.000 He uses the prophetic preaching of Haggai and Zechariah. 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:33.279 He accomplishes this, verse 14 says, 00:27:33.340 --> 00:27:39.180 By his own sovereign decree and through the decrees of the Persian kings. 00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:43.220 Now, isn't that interesting? 00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:47.360 God uses all those things to accomplish his own purposes. 00:27:48.060 --> 00:27:49.420 So, it's not an either or. 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:54.039 Some people say, well, was God accomplishing this in his own sovereignty? 00:27:54.340 --> 00:27:57.920 Or were people acting within their own human responsibility? 00:27:58.400 --> 00:27:59.720 Yes and yes. 00:27:59.720 --> 00:27:59.820 Yes. 00:27:59.819 --> 00:28:04.980 And those can be happening at the same time. 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:07.859 So, both and. 00:28:07.980 --> 00:28:11.779 God accomplishes his own purposes through human agents. 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:15.359 We see the same pattern in the New Testament. 00:28:16.679 --> 00:28:18.619 For example, if you look at the book of Philippians, 00:28:18.740 --> 00:28:20.599 Paul begins with the wonderful word of assurance. 00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:24.679 He who began a good work in you or among you 00:28:24.679 --> 00:28:28.839 will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 00:28:29.819 --> 00:28:33.659 What God has begun, he will carry to completion. 00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:35.899 Wonderful reassurance from God. 00:28:36.339 --> 00:28:37.679 His watchful eyes upon us. 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:42.000 What he's begun in Christ Jesus, he will bring to completion. 00:28:42.139 --> 00:28:48.039 But Paul doesn't say, so just sit back and let God do what he's already going to do 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:50.659 and it doesn't matter what you do anyway. 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:55.700 No, he says, let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. 00:28:55.700 --> 00:28:59.880 Strive side by side for the faith of the gospel. 00:29:00.080 --> 00:29:02.500 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 00:29:03.620 --> 00:29:08.259 But then he reminds him again because it's God who's at work in you. 00:29:08.920 --> 00:29:12.740 To will and to work for his good pleasure. 00:29:14.620 --> 00:29:16.819 See, everything that God calls us to do, 00:29:17.080 --> 00:29:19.559 he will also equip us to carry out. 00:29:19.559 --> 00:29:22.879 By his spirit at work within us. 00:29:24.619 --> 00:29:27.440 Isn't that encouraging, church? 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:30.419 God's watchful eye is upon us. 00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:32.359 His spirit remains within us. 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:36.279 Jesus has promised that he would send us his spirit. 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:42.639 So he encourages us to persevere and not give up. 00:29:43.639 --> 00:29:46.359 That brings us to our third and final point. 00:29:47.700 --> 00:29:49.019 God's word wakes us up. 00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:50.920 God's eye sees us through. 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:54.240 And finally, God's joy fills our hearts. 00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:58.700 Let's read starting at verse 16 to the end of the chapter. 00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:02.640 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:04.059 and the rest of the returned exiles 00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:07.759 celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 00:30:08.980 --> 00:30:11.740 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:15.180 a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs 00:30:15.180 --> 00:30:17.960 and as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:20.259 according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:23.180 And they set the priests in their divisions 00:30:23.180 --> 00:30:24.580 and the Levites in their divisions 00:30:24.580 --> 00:30:26.180 for the service of God at Jerusalem 00:30:26.180 --> 00:30:27.900 as it is written in the book of Moses. 00:30:28.700 --> 00:30:30.900 On the fourteenth day of the first month, 00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:32.660 the returned exiles kept the Passover 00:30:32.660 --> 00:30:34.880 for the priests and the Levites 00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:36.220 had purified themselves together. 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:37.299 All of them were clean. 00:30:37.960 --> 00:30:39.600 So they slaughtered the Passover lamb 00:30:39.600 --> 00:30:40.920 for all the returned exiles 00:30:40.920 --> 00:30:42.940 for their fellow priests and for themselves. 00:30:43.759 --> 00:30:45.259 It was eaten by the people of Israel 00:30:45.259 --> 00:30:46.519 who had returned from exile 00:30:46.519 --> 00:30:49.059 and also by everyone who had joined them 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:51.059 and separated himself from the uncleanness 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:52.200 of the peoples of the land 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:54.620 to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:57.220 And they kept the feast of unleavened bread 00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:58.779 seven days with joy 00:30:58.779 --> 00:31:01.440 for the Lord had made them joyful. 00:31:02.180 --> 00:31:04.880 And it turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them 00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:07.019 so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, 00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:08.059 the God of Israel. 00:31:08.579 --> 00:31:10.120 You might say, why does it say the king of Assyria, 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:11.039 not the king of Persia? 00:31:11.460 --> 00:31:13.039 Because Persia had taken over Babylon, 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:14.140 had taken over Assyria. 00:31:14.740 --> 00:31:16.140 And the king of Assyria had been 00:31:16.140 --> 00:31:18.019 sort of this menacing figure 00:31:18.019 --> 00:31:19.600 who had come against the people of Israel 00:31:19.600 --> 00:31:20.839 over and over and over again. 00:31:20.839 --> 00:31:23.439 And so Ezra's sort of reminding them 00:31:23.439 --> 00:31:25.279 that the king of the same place, 00:31:25.819 --> 00:31:27.480 God has now turned his heart to be favorable. 00:31:27.799 --> 00:31:31.399 So God is in charge of even the king of Assyria, 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:35.339 Darius. 00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:37.720 But what do we see in this section? 00:31:38.939 --> 00:31:39.980 This last section. 00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:43.019 It begins and it ends with joy. 00:31:44.279 --> 00:31:45.839 They celebrated the dedication 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:48.160 of the house of God with joy. 00:31:49.259 --> 00:31:51.220 And they kept the feast of unleavened bread 00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:53.039 seven days with joy. 00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:55.640 For the Lord had made them joyful. 00:31:59.240 --> 00:32:00.220 Now, remember, 00:32:01.120 --> 00:32:03.460 these returned exiles 00:32:03.460 --> 00:32:05.059 hadn't yet reached the end of the road. 00:32:06.860 --> 00:32:07.620 Rebuilding the temple 00:32:07.620 --> 00:32:09.700 was only the first step in the process. 00:32:09.700 --> 00:32:10.900 We've come to the end here 00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:12.559 of the first major section of Ezra, 00:32:12.759 --> 00:32:14.279 but the next major section, 00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:15.400 chapters 7 to 10, 00:32:15.860 --> 00:32:17.980 we'll see the task of rebuilding the community 00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:19.920 under God's word. 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:22.120 And then in Nehemiah, 00:32:22.340 --> 00:32:24.120 we'll see the task of rebuilding 00:32:24.120 --> 00:32:25.759 not just the temple and the community, 00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:29.039 but the city and its walls and its culture. 00:32:30.539 --> 00:32:33.279 So there is still plenty more work ahead 00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:35.059 of God's people. 00:32:37.680 --> 00:32:39.279 And they're feasting here 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:42.299 paled in comparison to the past. 00:32:43.299 --> 00:32:45.319 When Solomon dedicated his temple, 00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:48.019 he sacrificed 22,000 oxen 00:32:48.019 --> 00:32:49.599 and 120,000 sheep, 00:32:49.700 --> 00:32:51.940 according to 2 Chronicles 7, 5. 00:32:52.819 --> 00:32:54.339 Here they offered 100 bulls, 00:32:54.420 --> 00:32:55.200 200 rams, 00:32:55.259 --> 00:32:56.359 and 400 lambs. 00:32:57.700 --> 00:32:58.960 A modest feast 00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:01.099 with a motley crew 00:33:01.099 --> 00:33:03.240 compared to what their ancestors 00:33:03.240 --> 00:33:04.339 had experienced. 00:33:04.339 --> 00:33:07.699 Though the temple was rebuilt, 00:33:07.819 --> 00:33:08.799 the ark had been lost, 00:33:08.859 --> 00:33:09.799 and the king was gone, 00:33:09.879 --> 00:33:12.019 and there was no glory cloud 00:33:12.019 --> 00:33:13.419 of God's manifest presence 00:33:13.419 --> 00:33:14.779 as there had been in the past, 00:33:14.980 --> 00:33:17.099 not all had yet been restored. 00:33:18.500 --> 00:33:19.319 But still, 00:33:20.179 --> 00:33:21.439 they had joy. 00:33:23.379 --> 00:33:25.199 They hadn't reached the end of the road. 00:33:25.279 --> 00:33:25.579 In fact, 00:33:25.639 --> 00:33:27.179 they weren't even near the end of the road. 00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:28.859 They hadn't even ascended to the heights 00:33:28.859 --> 00:33:31.079 that they had ascended to in the past, 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:33.419 but this was one more milestone 00:33:33.419 --> 00:33:34.740 along the path 00:33:34.740 --> 00:33:37.139 that God had laid out for them. 00:33:37.859 --> 00:33:39.960 One more Ebenezer. 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:43.960 One more stone of help 00:33:43.960 --> 00:33:46.139 that the people could look upon 00:33:46.139 --> 00:33:48.579 and see the ever-present kindness 00:33:48.579 --> 00:33:50.240 and faithfulness 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:52.319 and provision of God. 00:33:55.220 --> 00:33:56.319 See, there's three things 00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:57.419 that people do in this section. 00:33:57.559 --> 00:33:58.859 They dedicate the temple, 00:33:59.019 --> 00:33:59.539 verse 17. 00:33:59.539 --> 00:34:01.659 They purify the Levites in verse 20, 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:03.240 and they celebrate the Passover 00:34:03.240 --> 00:34:04.119 in verse 21. 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:07.519 It's the exact same sequence 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:08.239 that they followed 00:34:08.239 --> 00:34:09.579 when they came out of Egypt 00:34:09.579 --> 00:34:11.739 in Numbers chapter 7, 8, and 9. 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:14.420 Numbers 7, 00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:15.900 they dedicate the tabernacle, 00:34:16.440 --> 00:34:19.400 and they offer the same sacrifice, 00:34:19.500 --> 00:34:20.079 a male goat, 00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:21.279 for each of the tribes of Israel 00:34:21.279 --> 00:34:22.099 as a sin offering. 00:34:23.219 --> 00:34:23.840 Numbers 8, 00:34:23.940 --> 00:34:25.199 they purify the Levites. 00:34:26.079 --> 00:34:27.079 They set apart the leaders. 00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:28.279 Numbers 9, 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:29.679 they celebrate the Passover, 00:34:29.840 --> 00:34:31.679 the feast of covenant renewal. 00:34:33.719 --> 00:34:34.440 You see, 00:34:35.079 --> 00:34:37.500 it's the same God 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:38.500 who brought them out of Egypt 00:34:38.500 --> 00:34:39.420 a long time ago. 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:42.579 He's doing the same thing 00:34:42.579 --> 00:34:43.440 all over again. 00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:46.340 He's the same God 00:34:46.340 --> 00:34:46.779 yesterday, 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:47.319 today, 00:34:47.420 --> 00:34:47.980 and forever, 00:34:48.199 --> 00:34:49.639 and they can count on Him. 00:34:49.699 --> 00:34:49.960 And you know, 00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:50.960 it's actually here 00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:53.420 that the 70 years of exile 00:34:53.420 --> 00:34:55.059 finally come to an end. 00:34:56.720 --> 00:34:57.519 If you notice, 00:34:57.639 --> 00:34:59.099 586 B.C., 00:34:59.099 --> 00:35:00.579 the temple had been destroyed. 00:35:00.720 --> 00:35:01.900 They were exiled to Babylon. 00:35:02.420 --> 00:35:03.340 70 years later, 00:35:03.460 --> 00:35:04.159 516, 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:06.280 the temple is completed. 00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:08.579 The sign that God 00:35:08.579 --> 00:35:10.119 has come to dwell 00:35:10.119 --> 00:35:11.539 among them once again. 00:35:13.320 --> 00:35:14.320 It was a sign 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:16.280 that God hadn't left His people. 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:17.940 He hadn't forsaken His promise, 00:35:18.019 --> 00:35:19.639 and He wouldn't leave them now. 00:35:19.639 --> 00:35:20.799 And so, 00:35:21.099 --> 00:35:21.900 there was joy. 00:35:24.019 --> 00:35:24.440 Yes, 00:35:24.519 --> 00:35:24.980 there was still 00:35:24.980 --> 00:35:25.779 a long road ahead. 00:35:25.900 --> 00:35:26.039 Yes, 00:35:26.099 --> 00:35:27.019 they might be discouraged 00:35:27.019 --> 00:35:28.239 if they just compared 00:35:28.239 --> 00:35:29.179 their present condition 00:35:29.179 --> 00:35:30.480 to some time in the past, 00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:31.199 but still, 00:35:31.319 --> 00:35:31.900 they could stop 00:35:31.900 --> 00:35:32.480 and look back 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:33.420 and praise God 00:35:33.420 --> 00:35:35.440 for what He has done. 00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:36.859 Can you do that? 00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:40.440 Can you look back 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:41.519 in your own life 00:35:41.519 --> 00:35:43.039 and praise God 00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:43.839 for what He has done? 00:35:45.900 --> 00:35:46.559 John Newton, 00:35:46.659 --> 00:35:47.920 the author of the hymn 00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:48.659 Amazing Grace, 00:35:48.659 --> 00:35:49.179 once said, 00:35:49.179 --> 00:35:50.779 I'm not what I should be, 00:35:51.379 --> 00:35:53.219 I'm not what I could be, 00:35:53.859 --> 00:35:54.659 but praise God, 00:35:54.739 --> 00:35:56.119 I'm not who I once was. 00:35:59.319 --> 00:36:00.419 Can you look back 00:36:00.419 --> 00:36:02.019 to when you first saw Jesus 00:36:02.019 --> 00:36:03.599 for who He really is 00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:06.299 and when God's light 00:36:06.299 --> 00:36:07.419 shined in your heart? 00:36:09.960 --> 00:36:10.919 Can you look back 00:36:10.919 --> 00:36:11.419 to a time 00:36:11.419 --> 00:36:12.399 in your Christian life 00:36:12.399 --> 00:36:13.679 when some sin 00:36:13.679 --> 00:36:14.359 or temptation 00:36:14.359 --> 00:36:16.099 felt utterly overwhelming 00:36:16.099 --> 00:36:17.319 and life dominating, 00:36:17.699 --> 00:36:19.079 but by God's grace, 00:36:19.420 --> 00:36:22.059 you've made some progress? 00:36:24.159 --> 00:36:25.099 Maybe you're still 00:36:25.099 --> 00:36:26.239 fighting the same thing, 00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:29.539 but it's not quite as, 00:36:30.679 --> 00:36:31.759 it doesn't have quite 00:36:31.759 --> 00:36:32.500 the hold on you 00:36:32.500 --> 00:36:33.839 that it did five years ago. 00:36:36.039 --> 00:36:37.199 Or can you look back 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:38.539 on a dark time 00:36:38.539 --> 00:36:39.400 when God's ways 00:36:39.400 --> 00:36:40.960 seemed completely inscrutable, 00:36:40.960 --> 00:36:42.900 completely incomprehensible 00:36:42.900 --> 00:36:43.440 to you, 00:36:43.559 --> 00:36:44.519 and even now 00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:45.380 you may not know 00:36:45.380 --> 00:36:46.679 why God brought you 00:36:46.679 --> 00:36:47.720 through that severely 00:36:47.720 --> 00:36:48.480 hard season, 00:36:48.619 --> 00:36:49.840 but now you can see, 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:51.079 you can at least see 00:36:51.079 --> 00:36:53.260 that He's still with you 00:36:53.260 --> 00:36:56.820 on the other end of it. 00:36:56.820 --> 00:37:00.039 He walked with you 00:37:00.039 --> 00:37:00.900 through it all the way. 00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:03.880 Even when you didn't feel Him 00:37:03.880 --> 00:37:04.720 and didn't see Him, 00:37:04.780 --> 00:37:05.380 He was there. 00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:08.720 Can you look back 00:37:08.720 --> 00:37:09.580 and praise God 00:37:09.580 --> 00:37:10.420 with joy 00:37:10.420 --> 00:37:11.860 for what He has done 00:37:11.860 --> 00:37:13.700 in your own life, 00:37:13.760 --> 00:37:14.440 in your own heart? 00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:17.960 You know, 00:37:17.980 --> 00:37:18.680 we can do this 00:37:18.680 --> 00:37:19.500 as well, 00:37:19.500 --> 00:37:21.059 we can also consider this 00:37:21.059 --> 00:37:21.920 as well as a church. 00:37:24.220 --> 00:37:24.680 You know, 00:37:24.700 --> 00:37:25.460 there's much work 00:37:25.460 --> 00:37:25.960 ahead of us 00:37:25.960 --> 00:37:26.559 as a church. 00:37:26.820 --> 00:37:30.280 Right? 00:37:30.360 --> 00:37:31.140 This building project 00:37:31.140 --> 00:37:32.019 we've committed to 00:37:32.019 --> 00:37:33.400 as the members 00:37:33.400 --> 00:37:33.960 of the church 00:37:33.960 --> 00:37:35.539 is not a small undertaking 00:37:35.539 --> 00:37:36.780 for a church of our size, 00:37:37.100 --> 00:37:39.420 and we still have a ways 00:37:39.420 --> 00:37:40.039 to go in order 00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:41.700 to reach our goals. 00:37:43.720 --> 00:37:44.880 A project like this 00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:46.220 will inevitably be disruptive 00:37:46.220 --> 00:37:46.860 and inconvenient 00:37:46.860 --> 00:37:47.740 for a time, 00:37:47.800 --> 00:37:48.519 and this is a project 00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:49.480 that calls for all of us 00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:49.940 to pray 00:37:49.940 --> 00:37:52.220 and to give sacrificially 00:37:52.220 --> 00:37:53.080 and do what we can 00:37:53.080 --> 00:37:54.220 as God enables us. 00:37:54.219 --> 00:37:56.919 And of course, 00:37:56.959 --> 00:37:57.759 even more important 00:37:57.759 --> 00:37:59.359 than seeing a physical building 00:37:59.359 --> 00:38:00.799 to facilitate our ministry 00:38:00.799 --> 00:38:01.759 and outreach 00:38:01.759 --> 00:38:03.019 is continuing to see 00:38:03.019 --> 00:38:04.500 our church grow spiritually 00:38:04.500 --> 00:38:06.359 at every step along the way 00:38:06.359 --> 00:38:07.019 in holiness, 00:38:07.619 --> 00:38:08.339 in unity, 00:38:08.619 --> 00:38:09.480 in love, 00:38:10.219 --> 00:38:11.179 in patience, 00:38:11.599 --> 00:38:12.159 in kindness, 00:38:12.559 --> 00:38:13.259 in humility, 00:38:13.259 --> 00:38:17.719 in loving other churches 00:38:17.719 --> 00:38:19.179 and working together 00:38:19.179 --> 00:38:19.719 with them 00:38:19.719 --> 00:38:20.859 to love and serve our city 00:38:20.859 --> 00:38:21.959 and carrying out our mission 00:38:21.959 --> 00:38:23.019 to share the good news 00:38:23.019 --> 00:38:24.619 of Jesus with the world. 00:38:26.179 --> 00:38:27.459 But brothers and sisters, 00:38:28.000 --> 00:38:29.699 even if there's much work 00:38:29.699 --> 00:38:30.319 ahead of us, 00:38:30.399 --> 00:38:31.239 even if some of it 00:38:31.239 --> 00:38:32.279 may seem daunting, 00:38:33.339 --> 00:38:34.299 can we look back 00:38:34.299 --> 00:38:35.439 and praise God with joy 00:38:35.439 --> 00:38:36.559 for what He's already done? 00:38:36.559 --> 00:38:41.279 Almost 50 years ago, 00:38:41.360 --> 00:38:42.400 this church was planted. 00:38:43.980 --> 00:38:44.960 It was planted 00:38:44.960 --> 00:38:45.639 by a pastor 00:38:45.639 --> 00:38:46.559 from East Hartford 00:38:46.559 --> 00:38:47.900 and two students 00:38:47.900 --> 00:38:48.940 from Yale Divinity School 00:38:48.940 --> 00:38:50.880 with the goal 00:38:50.880 --> 00:38:52.360 of reaching university students 00:38:52.360 --> 00:38:52.980 and families 00:38:52.980 --> 00:38:53.519 in New Haven. 00:38:54.659 --> 00:38:55.900 They started small. 00:38:57.199 --> 00:38:58.119 We don't even have 00:38:58.119 --> 00:38:58.719 many records 00:38:58.719 --> 00:38:59.940 from that time. 00:39:00.019 --> 00:39:00.619 They first met 00:39:00.619 --> 00:39:01.299 in a motel 00:39:01.299 --> 00:39:02.539 and later 00:39:02.539 --> 00:39:03.340 in a dance studio. 00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:05.840 Things went well 00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:06.440 for a while, 00:39:06.559 --> 00:39:07.120 but then the church 00:39:07.120 --> 00:39:07.920 nearly collapsed 00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:09.260 in the 1990s. 00:39:10.680 --> 00:39:11.960 And for five years, 00:39:12.380 --> 00:39:13.400 it went through a phase 00:39:13.400 --> 00:39:14.019 that the people 00:39:14.019 --> 00:39:14.860 who were there 00:39:14.860 --> 00:39:15.320 at the time 00:39:15.320 --> 00:39:15.700 would call 00:39:15.700 --> 00:39:16.920 the wilderness years 00:39:16.920 --> 00:39:18.920 when they had no pastor 00:39:18.920 --> 00:39:22.079 and about 20 or 30 people. 00:39:23.559 --> 00:39:24.539 20 years ago, 00:39:24.760 --> 00:39:25.280 1999, 00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:26.600 the church had 20 people, 00:39:26.680 --> 00:39:27.200 no pastor. 00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:27.980 It had been that way 00:39:27.980 --> 00:39:28.700 for five years 00:39:28.700 --> 00:39:29.400 and many people 00:39:29.400 --> 00:39:30.120 were ready to close 00:39:30.120 --> 00:39:30.860 the doors for good 00:39:30.860 --> 00:39:32.820 and trust that God 00:39:32.820 --> 00:39:33.760 could carry on His work 00:39:33.760 --> 00:39:34.480 in other ways. 00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:36.920 But people prayed, 00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:38.460 people confessed 00:39:38.460 --> 00:39:39.680 their sins to each other 00:39:39.680 --> 00:39:40.820 and reconciled 00:39:40.820 --> 00:39:41.400 with each other 00:39:41.400 --> 00:39:42.059 where there had been 00:39:42.059 --> 00:39:43.220 previous conflict 00:39:43.220 --> 00:39:44.120 and dissension 00:39:44.120 --> 00:39:46.700 and God brought 00:39:46.700 --> 00:39:47.300 a new pastor 00:39:47.300 --> 00:39:48.460 and began to revitalize 00:39:48.460 --> 00:39:48.900 the church. 00:39:51.059 --> 00:39:52.200 And then 14 years ago 00:39:52.200 --> 00:39:52.920 in 2005, 00:39:53.400 --> 00:39:54.980 we had 150 people, 00:39:55.100 --> 00:39:56.019 we were renting space 00:39:56.019 --> 00:39:56.620 and our landlords 00:39:56.620 --> 00:39:57.880 told us we had six months 00:39:57.880 --> 00:39:59.380 to find somewhere else 00:39:59.380 --> 00:39:59.780 to meet. 00:39:59.780 --> 00:40:01.980 And we looked 00:40:01.980 --> 00:40:02.780 all over downtown 00:40:02.780 --> 00:40:05.120 and this was the one place 00:40:05.120 --> 00:40:06.220 that we found 00:40:06.220 --> 00:40:07.200 that would meet our needs 00:40:07.200 --> 00:40:08.740 where we could meet 00:40:08.740 --> 00:40:09.640 on Sunday mornings 00:40:09.640 --> 00:40:10.920 within walking distance 00:40:10.920 --> 00:40:11.900 of the downtown area. 00:40:13.940 --> 00:40:15.120 And it seemed daunting. 00:40:16.240 --> 00:40:17.780 Would the Roman Catholic Church 00:40:17.780 --> 00:40:18.880 really sell to us 00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:20.040 when the phone company 00:40:20.040 --> 00:40:21.440 certainly could have outbid us? 00:40:22.920 --> 00:40:24.400 Could we really raise 00:40:24.400 --> 00:40:25.680 the cost of the building 00:40:25.679 --> 00:40:27.179 1.25 million? 00:40:27.679 --> 00:40:27.899 Ooh! 00:40:29.539 --> 00:40:30.759 Our annual budget 00:40:30.759 --> 00:40:31.739 was nowhere near that. 00:40:32.679 --> 00:40:33.859 Not even half of it. 00:40:33.940 --> 00:40:35.299 Not even a third of it. 00:40:36.199 --> 00:40:37.379 But God's people gave. 00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:39.719 And we paid half 00:40:39.719 --> 00:40:40.460 the cost up front. 00:40:40.559 --> 00:40:41.279 We paid off the rest 00:40:41.279 --> 00:40:41.659 of the mortgage 00:40:41.659 --> 00:40:42.319 in three years 00:40:42.319 --> 00:40:43.759 by God's grace. 00:40:45.139 --> 00:40:45.859 And this space 00:40:45.859 --> 00:40:46.799 that God provided 00:40:46.799 --> 00:40:48.259 has been a wonderful location 00:40:48.259 --> 00:40:50.500 for our church's ministry, 00:40:50.619 --> 00:40:51.759 to the university community, 00:40:51.760 --> 00:40:52.520 to families, 00:40:53.220 --> 00:40:54.420 to internationals, 00:40:54.580 --> 00:40:55.480 and to the poor 00:40:55.480 --> 00:40:56.180 in New Haven. 00:40:57.160 --> 00:40:57.960 And over the past 00:40:57.960 --> 00:40:58.480 several years, 00:40:58.580 --> 00:40:59.780 God has built us 00:40:59.780 --> 00:41:01.180 into an increasingly 00:41:01.180 --> 00:41:02.060 multi-ethnic 00:41:02.060 --> 00:41:03.360 and intergenerational church. 00:41:05.400 --> 00:41:05.640 You see, 00:41:05.720 --> 00:41:06.560 God has been good 00:41:06.560 --> 00:41:07.160 and kind 00:41:07.160 --> 00:41:08.160 and faithful to us 00:41:08.160 --> 00:41:08.820 in the past 00:41:08.820 --> 00:41:10.860 in more ways 00:41:10.860 --> 00:41:12.440 than we can imagine 00:41:12.440 --> 00:41:14.240 or even know about. 00:41:15.320 --> 00:41:16.720 Far more than we deserve. 00:41:18.040 --> 00:41:18.840 God certainly 00:41:18.840 --> 00:41:19.600 could have carried on 00:41:19.600 --> 00:41:20.320 His work in New Haven 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:20.980 in other ways 00:41:20.980 --> 00:41:21.760 and He is working 00:41:21.760 --> 00:41:22.559 through other churches. 00:41:23.940 --> 00:41:24.619 But God 00:41:24.619 --> 00:41:25.800 has a purpose 00:41:25.800 --> 00:41:26.519 for us to be here. 00:41:28.280 --> 00:41:29.440 And we can trust Him 00:41:29.440 --> 00:41:30.400 to carry us on 00:41:30.400 --> 00:41:31.139 into the future. 00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:33.619 As the Apostle Paul 00:41:33.619 --> 00:41:34.420 wrote to the church 00:41:34.420 --> 00:41:35.000 in Philippi, 00:41:35.119 --> 00:41:36.880 forgetting what lies behind 00:41:36.880 --> 00:41:38.019 and straining forward 00:41:38.019 --> 00:41:39.059 to what lies ahead, 00:41:39.940 --> 00:41:40.780 I press on 00:41:40.780 --> 00:41:41.579 toward the goal 00:41:41.579 --> 00:41:42.760 for the prize 00:41:42.760 --> 00:41:43.699 of the upward call 00:41:43.699 --> 00:41:44.240 of God 00:41:44.240 --> 00:41:45.219 in Christ Jesus. 00:41:45.880 --> 00:41:47.059 Rejoice in the Lord 00:41:47.059 --> 00:41:47.840 always. 00:41:48.240 --> 00:41:48.659 And again, 00:41:48.760 --> 00:41:49.360 I will say, 00:41:50.019 --> 00:41:50.380 rejoice. 00:41:50.980 --> 00:41:52.119 Let's pray. 00:41:59.619 --> 00:42:00.240 God, 00:42:00.280 --> 00:42:00.900 we thank You 00:42:00.900 --> 00:42:02.039 that when 00:42:02.039 --> 00:42:03.800 we 00:42:03.800 --> 00:42:05.480 fall into 00:42:05.480 --> 00:42:06.380 complacency, 00:42:07.380 --> 00:42:09.659 when we fall 00:42:09.659 --> 00:42:10.159 into 00:42:10.159 --> 00:42:12.619 misplaced priorities, 00:42:12.940 --> 00:42:13.519 when we fall 00:42:13.519 --> 00:42:14.059 into 00:42:14.059 --> 00:42:16.440 apathy 00:42:16.440 --> 00:42:17.059 and a lack 00:42:17.059 --> 00:42:18.099 of spiritual progress, 00:42:18.099 --> 00:42:18.619 we thank You 00:42:18.619 --> 00:42:18.839 that You 00:42:18.839 --> 00:42:19.239 do not 00:42:19.239 --> 00:42:19.980 leave us alone. 00:42:21.579 --> 00:42:22.380 We thank You 00:42:22.380 --> 00:42:22.940 that You do not 00:42:22.940 --> 00:42:23.400 leave us 00:42:23.400 --> 00:42:24.500 to restart ourselves. 00:42:24.719 --> 00:42:25.239 We thank You 00:42:25.239 --> 00:42:25.579 that You 00:42:25.579 --> 00:42:26.759 have given us 00:42:26.759 --> 00:42:27.219 Your Word 00:42:27.219 --> 00:42:28.059 to wake us up. 00:42:28.559 --> 00:42:29.159 We thank You 00:42:29.159 --> 00:42:30.199 for Your watchful eye. 00:42:31.460 --> 00:42:31.639 Lord, 00:42:31.699 --> 00:42:32.380 Your provision 00:42:32.380 --> 00:42:32.440 compassion, 00:42:33.320 --> 00:42:35.640 even behind the scenes 00:42:35.640 --> 00:42:36.980 in ways 00:42:36.980 --> 00:42:38.980 that many times 00:42:38.980 --> 00:42:41.039 we don't even see 00:42:41.039 --> 00:42:42.720 and perhaps 00:42:42.720 --> 00:42:44.019 can only recognize 00:42:44.019 --> 00:42:45.079 much later on. 00:42:45.079 --> 00:42:48.460 we thank You 00:42:48.460 --> 00:42:49.779 for Your watchful eye 00:42:49.779 --> 00:42:50.559 that sees us through 00:42:50.559 --> 00:42:51.259 and we thank You 00:42:51.259 --> 00:42:52.019 for Your joy 00:42:52.019 --> 00:42:53.259 that fills our hearts 00:42:53.259 --> 00:42:53.900 that we can 00:42:53.900 --> 00:42:55.259 praise You 00:42:55.259 --> 00:42:56.400 for what You 00:42:56.400 --> 00:42:56.840 have done. 00:42:57.779 --> 00:42:58.420 Praise You 00:42:58.420 --> 00:42:59.119 for what You've done 00:42:59.119 --> 00:42:59.880 in us individually. 00:43:00.039 --> 00:43:00.599 We praise You 00:43:00.599 --> 00:43:01.340 for what You've done 00:43:01.340 --> 00:43:02.759 among us as a church. 00:43:02.900 --> 00:43:03.679 We pray that You 00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:04.319 would continue 00:43:04.319 --> 00:43:06.679 the good spiritual work 00:43:06.679 --> 00:43:07.679 that You have done 00:43:07.679 --> 00:43:10.079 and are continuing 00:43:10.079 --> 00:43:10.579 to do. 00:43:12.480 --> 00:43:13.719 We pray that as 00:43:13.719 --> 00:43:15.419 Haggai encouraged 00:43:15.419 --> 00:43:15.779 the people 00:43:15.779 --> 00:43:16.819 that we would be strong 00:43:16.819 --> 00:43:18.579 and that we would 00:43:18.579 --> 00:43:19.599 know that You 00:43:19.599 --> 00:43:20.539 are with us. 00:43:22.139 --> 00:43:23.179 That we would take up 00:43:23.179 --> 00:43:23.679 the calling 00:43:23.679 --> 00:43:24.500 that You have given 00:43:24.500 --> 00:43:24.960 to us 00:43:24.960 --> 00:43:25.940 to be Your people, 00:43:27.139 --> 00:43:28.319 to be Your representatives 00:43:28.319 --> 00:43:30.319 in this city, 00:43:30.699 --> 00:43:31.460 in this region 00:43:31.460 --> 00:43:34.419 for the glory 00:43:34.419 --> 00:43:35.739 of our King Jesus. 00:43:35.739 --> 00:43:37.599 I pray this 00:43:37.599 --> 00:43:38.279 in Jesus' name. 00:43:38.599 --> 00:43:38.879 Amen.