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FULL WRITTEN TRANSCRIPT THE STORY: Chapter 19~ Ezra & Haggai -- The Long Way Home INTRODUCTION ~Just as He Said Over more than a century, God said Israel would be restored, and it was. But in the lower story, in the current events of the times, it came about in an unexpected way. Mighty Babylon fell to King Cyrus of the Persian Empire. Then God puts it into the heart of this pagan king, to honor The One True God. 2. Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. 3. Who is there among you of all His people? May his God be with him! Now let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. 4. And whoever remains in any place where he sojourns, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.
THE STORY ~Restoring the Temple Return Who would’ve imagined! Not only does a pagan king do the unprecedented, by letting a vanquished people return home; he finances the restoration of their faith. …We say “God works in mysterious ways” but why do you think God used a pagan king in his plans instead of raising some super-leader among Israel’s own people? One thing is certain, God was sending a message. The message was stating a number of things: -God is above all, and He can, and does use any thing or person of His creation to accomplish His purpose. -It was an indictment against those who should be accomplishing this purpose; but because of their rebellious hearts, they were now in a position they could not. It was a way of driving home the point, even as He restored them. -It was God showing He is always true to His Word, because He foretold this is how and what would happen. -By using such an unlikely person in such an unlikely way, it left no other explanation but this had to be God working. Can you imagine the excitement as the decree went out and Hebrew people, now a thousand miles from home, started the trek back? Can you imagine the conversations along the way; the plans that were being made? They were going to rebuild God’s Temple! But we might wonder, why restore a temple at all? In our New Testament mindset, we take for granted “we are the temple.” Even so, there is an important point to remember. God enters our “lower story” with physical reminders to let us know; He wants to be present with us. -The Temple was a reminder that God was still with His people, and He wanted to be present with them in an even fuller way. -The Temple was an educational tool for a lesson that wasn’t finished yet. God was ingraining His economy of holiness. And in that economy-- sin costs. Sin costs life. Human dignity, understanding, hope, even creation itself, dies under sin; and ultimately people die. Breaking free cost precious sacrifice from that which does not deserve to pay. From the Holy of Holies in the heart of the Temple, they were learning that sin dare not approach God. They were still learning the only real hope, had to the Messiah. …The Temple was an educational tool in all these things, and… -Like the Temple, God sends us physical reminders by times. In so doing; relationship with God becomes more than intellectual belief, or abstract theology. It becomes immediate and tangible, right here and now. The lesson of the physical in our faith isn’t old or new, it is simply timeless : 27. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. God, in our physical lives, means: Along with the affirmation of God, there is something else: accountability. Our faith is accountable to physically do things.
The Call Loses Its Luster And this is where the joyful story starts to lose its luster. All those enthusiastic re-patriots began restoring the temple, but putting stones together is hard menial work. Even in the most glorious cause, the day to day labor is seldom glorious. It’s usually dusty hands and a lot of blisters. And one by one, people stopped showing up at the worksite until; there was no one there at all. No one came until God sent a message through one of His prophets: 3. Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4. "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?'' 5. Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!” It wasn’t that anyone planned to ignore the “big picture.” They had been working for a time; they just wanted to take time off for personal needs. After all, they had their own lives, right? They had houses that needed maintenance. They had to mow the grass and get their kids to Hebrew school band and sports. They just wanted to get some personal things in order and then they’d get back to it. But a week off, turned into a month; a month turned into a year; and before they knew it, sixteen years whizzed by. And God’s call wasn’t simply postponed, it was abandoned. Weeds had long overtaken the footings that had been started. Piles of stone had not been touched for over a decade. Anyone looking could tell in an instant: God’s Temple had been abandoned. The Temple was the focal point of the Jewish religion! As the focal point of their faith lay in ruins, what was the message they were sending? -To the neighbors around them, to their own children now growing up: I guess their God isn’t very important. I guess He isn’t worth taking too seriously. They say they believe, but their actions, or lack of, are stating; He is very forgettable. No one starts in a relationship with God planning to abandon Him. It happens one day at a time. And before we know it, we are telling our children and our world, the God we follow is very forgettable. God’s people are physically accountable. So God sends a powerful message: Consider your ways! The direct Hebrew translation is actually “Set your heart on your course.” That is to say: Look into the core of your inner-most self and look at the course on which it is taking you. The Cost of Abandonment And according to God; where had that course been taking them? 6. "You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.'' 7. Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways! 8. "Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,'' says the Lord. 9. "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?'' says the Lord of hosts. "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. 10. "Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. 11. "For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.'' The Temple is no longer stone, but within our hearts in the Holy Spirit; but the principle is the same. Many of us say we believe in God, but perpetually leave that inner Temple in neglect. Here’s the thing: Just because we back away from the work of God doesn’t mean the working of God backs away from us. We may withhold financially, materially, in time, opportunity, or in abilities which God has given us. We feel justified on personal grounds. –But it results in: a hole in our wallet, our accomplishments, …or hearts… that we just never seem to fill. …And it seems to become more severe with each generation! Yet, for all the expended effort and dissatisfaction; it seems we never stop to seriously ask: Why is life happening this way? What’s the root cause?
God’s Answer God answers in a three-word sentence: CONSIDER YOUR WAYS! We pick on those poor Hebrews, but let’s consider ourselves for a moment. Just to gain a glimpse into our own reality: Take a peek at the budget section of our own bulletin. It is almost always running in the red; and honestly, it is for a very conservative budget. …We are not saved by acts, but the quality of our faith does show itself in the physical world, and it lives out in physical consequences as well as spiritual. (i.e. No budget, no church.) Here is a timeless principle from this chapter of THE STORY: When we ignore our accountability to God, our lives become marked by futility. That’s really something to chew on: A person can have a personal relationship with God, and still have a sense of meaninglessness in their lives! Consider your ways! -Things not going quite right? God says restore “the Temple.” -The one inside you. When we reverse our neglect, the effects are reversed. What does it mean to reverse futility? It means: Even our little becomes much. As we give to God, there are no holes leeching away our lives. There is satisfaction instead of frustrated desire. We are moving with God instead of struggling against Him. (Which yes, many believers do.)
CONCLUSION ~Consider Your Ways You know, there is always a “good” reason to skip the assembly of God’s people. There is always a good hobby, ambition, or concern to divert our passion away from Christ. There is always a reason to reduce our tithing to little more than tipping; our time or focus in serving; always good reason for a little more “personal time.” But God says, consider the course on which your heart is taking you! For all our great reason, the reality still remains; neglect of God and God’s call, comes with heavy consequences. …And in a nutshell, that consequence is losing out in what really matters. When Haggai gave this message, God’s people were wise enough to listen, and it changed the course of history; spiritually and physically. ….What difference might it make if we resolved before God this day: Heavenly Father, whatever comes; I will not neglect You.
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