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Transcript

Ezra 6 (Part 1) Bible Study (The Decree of Darius) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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The book of Ezra, chapter 6. You know this very well.
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I hope that the book of Ezra begins with a royal decree, but
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it is not the only decree in this story.
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As we approach this new chapter, we will be examining the edict
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of yet another king by the name of Darius.
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King Darius, who is the king of Persia at this time, will be
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responding to a letter that he received from some of the
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governors who are beyond the river and we're overseeing the
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Judean province and reported on the rebuilding of the temple
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that commenced yet again and had some concern about it.
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And one of the main concerns when these governors approached
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the Jews as they rebuilt the temple, were pursuing the
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reconstruction of this dwelling place for God, was that Cyrus, a
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former king, gave them permission to do so.
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And they wanted to verify that claim.
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And so they made a plea to Darius, asking him to do a
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search to try to verify if this warrant is actually valid.
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And what we're going to discover in this new chapter is that what
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Darius has to say will not only affirm what Cyrus decreed, but
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we'll also accelerate the rebuilding of the temple until
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its completion. It's a fascinating chapter in
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this story, and it truly serves as a reminder that the Lord is
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not only sovereign over a king, he is sovereign over all kings.
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That is the main take away from this chapter that has been
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preserved for us in our Bibles. But there is a deeper message to
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be conveyed, and I believe that we can see more glorious truths
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in this new chapter if we begin by looking at the last verse of
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this chapter. And so I want us to consider how
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this section of Scripture ends. Look at verse 22 of Ezra chapter
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6. And they kept the feast of
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Unleavened bread 7 days with joy.
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For the Lord had made them joyful, and had turned the heart
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of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the
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work of the House of God, the God of Israel.
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This verse captures the essence of this chapter.
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The Lord made His people joyful because He did a powerful work
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in the heart of the king of Assyria to aid them in bringing
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this reconstruction to its completion.
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Now, some might be troubled and some are troubled by the fact
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that Darius is identified as the king of what in that verse?
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Assyria. He's the king of Persia.
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Is this a mistake on the author's part?
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I want to tell you right away, absolutely not, and for two
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reasons. Number one, it's likely that
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Darius is labeled as the king of Assyria because he is currently
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ruling over the territories that Assyria once governed.
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Because you have to remember Assyria has been toppled as an
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empire some for some time now. So for Assyria to be mentioned
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here is a little bit concerning. But what Ezra seeks to do, I
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believe, is that he wants to show that the government in this
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account is a sort of continuation of the empire and
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previous empires. In other words, since Darius is
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essentially ruling over the same land that the Assyrians and
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Babylonians once controlled, he can rightly say that he is, in a
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sense, the king of Assyria. Plainly put, this is more of a
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regional designation than a literal identification, if that
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makes sense. But there is a second way and
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another way of explaining this, and it's the following that
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while Ezra is primarily referring to Darius in his
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passage, he mentions Assyria in order to emphasize how God
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sovereignly has been working in and through his people across
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all empires, especially the ones that played a role in the
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oppression of his people. The Assyrian Empire played a
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major role in a new era for Israel, specifically in their
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persecution and their exiles. It all started with Assyria, did
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it not? And the Bible shows us that in
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more than one way, how the Assyrians were a new starting
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point for Israel's history. And I want to show you that in
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another place. We're in Ezra, but flip over to
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the next book in Nehemiah. Look at Nehemiah Chapter 9,
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verse 32. And the reason why I'm doing
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this right at the outset is because I, I want you and I to
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be able to defend what some would use as contradictions or
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historical errors in our Bibles. So look at Nehemiah Chapter 9
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and verse 32. It says here, now therefore our
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God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome, God who keeps
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covenant and steadfast love, Let not all the hardships seem
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little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our
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Princess, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all
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your people since the time of the kings of Assyria until this
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day. So even Nehemiah recognizes that
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the Assyrian Empire was a significant starting point in
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the history of the people of Israel.
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So you see, this may be why Ezra refers to Assyria rather than
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Persia in his summary and that last verse of Ezra chapter 6.
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He wants to remind us that the all powerful God of Israel was
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always at work and always in control, even from the very
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beginning of Israel's downfall. Hopefully that clarifies the
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issue because what I really want to do is highlight a different
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point from that last verse. If we really understand what
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Ezra 622 is saying, we can understand from the beginning of
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Ezra chapter 6 that all Darius is going to say and all Darius
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is going to do is ultimately by the guidance and influence of
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God Himself. Remember what that verse said,
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that the people rejoice because they recognize that the Lord
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worked in Darius's heart to aid them to rebuilding the temple.
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And if we keep that in mind, I can tell you with absolute
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certainty we will be blown away by what we read in this new text
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as you recognize and understand what God is able to accomplish
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on behalf of His people. So let's look at this mandate
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slowly. Let's go back to Ezra chapter 6
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in the 1st 2 verses. Remember Darius is responding to
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the letters of some of his governors who are reporting on
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the people rebuilding the House of God.
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And this is what we read next in Ezra 6 verse one.
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Then Darius the king made a decree and search was made in
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Babylonia, in the House of the archives where the documents
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were stored, and in Ekbatana, the citadel that is in the
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province of Medea, a scroll was found on which was written a
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record. Let's stop there.
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Let's pray, Lord, we pray that You give us the Spirit of wisdom
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and revelation to help us understand every portion of this
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portrait of Your Word, and that we would not master it
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intellectually, but it would master us.
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It would do something in our hearts as we sang about so
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frequently tonight. Lord, we pray that you would
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breathe fresh life into our souls, that You would renew our
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faith, that You would sharpen our discernment, that You would
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chisel away anything in our character that is out of line
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with Your desire for our lives. We submit this time to You,
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believing that You will lead us. May the delivery of this Bible
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study be filled with Your power and glory.
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In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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So right away we recognize something.
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We recognize that Darius seems to be very diligent and finding
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out if what Cyrus said about the Jews rebuilding the temple was
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so, so much so that he doesn't give up so easily.
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Evidently from the first verse we learned that Darius could not
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find this scroll where you would expect to find it in this
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archive of historical decrees and edicts.
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It's not there, and you would think naturally that if you
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wouldn't find it where it's supposed to be that you would do
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what? Give up?
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Why continue? Why waste my resources, my time,
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the energy of my men to go on about this?
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Why don't just end it here? Why don't we just cancel this
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endeavor, Move on? What did the Jews have to do
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with us anyway? But it's not what happens.
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Instead of calling off the search, he charges his men to
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continue this pursuit. And in verse 2, we realized that
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as he pressed on, they finally found it in a different province
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of all places, and a place called Ektabana.
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And when they looked, they realized it was this in the
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central city of this province. And all that they've been
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searching for has been realized and uncovered.
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And here's the thing that I have to ask, why such determination
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on Darius's part? He's not a Jew.
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He has his own empire to rule. You can say it's part of his
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empire. Maybe he's concerned.
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OK. But there seems to be something
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else at work here. And the only explanation that
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we're given for why Darius put so much effort into this is that
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last verse of this chapter, That God did something in his heart
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that God was working deeply in this man for him not to give up,
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not to quit until he saw it through.
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And I want to let you know that we should expect the same sort
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of commitment when God works in our hearts as well.
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What do I mean? There is a type of devotion to
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God and to people that is stimulated by divine conviction,
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divine constraint. I'm speaking about a Holy Spirit
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compulsion that moves you and keeps you in the will of God in
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a certain way, regardless of the challenges that might arise
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along the path of that commitment.
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Darius heart at this point is harnessed by an invisible force
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which we know to be God, moving him in this direction and
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keeping him in that direction. And he shows us that there is a
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level of concrete certainty, immovability on our part as a
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result of God working in us. This is good news for us at this
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Bible study tonight. He didn't throw in the towel.
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He didn't become selfish. He didn't get so lazy.
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And I want to tell you and remind you today, dear
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Christian, that we've been given heavenly resources to no even
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greater resilience in our involvement for the cause of
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Christ. Whatever your involvement looks
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like, Paul highlights us in more than one way throughout the New
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Testament. One of the my favorite things
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that he says about why he was so committed, why he was willing to
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endure so much suffering, why he was willing to stay pure, holy,
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dependable. Do you remember these words when
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he says the following in Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 14?
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For the love of Christ controls us.
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For the love of Christ controls us.
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And he goes on to say, because we have concluded this, that one
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has died for all, therefore all have died, and he died for all,
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that those who live I no longer live for themselves, but for him
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who for their sake died and was raised.
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So why was Paul willing to die to himself and live for Christ
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completely wholeheartedly? Because he realized something
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about the love of Christ. Notice he doesn't speak about
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his love for Christ. He speaks about Christ's love
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for him, and this is the profound truth of this
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statement, that there is a way of comprehending Christ's love
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for you that energizes you, then only energizes you, compels you,
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controls you, constrains you believer.
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If you go by your emotion on a daily basis to determine your
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fidelity and your commitment to your ministry, your marriage,
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your work, your sacrifice, you will not last very long.
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But if you tap into the great affection of crisis set upon
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you, oh, you will know something of longevity.
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You will have true fuel in that. And this is what Paul is saying,
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for the love of Christ controls us.
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You know what that word control action means in the original?
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It's beautiful, holds us together as if they say the love
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of Christ holds me in place. Another way of thinking about it
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is the love of Christ is what keeps me in this course of
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action. Doesn't let me go left and
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right, doesn't let me backslide so easily.
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It controls me. It contains me.
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It keeps me and this is what you and I have to understand.
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Paul's only giving one motivator.
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He's only including here one factor actually in the same
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context earlier, a few verses back, he speaks about the fear
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of God knowing the terror of the Lord.
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We persuade men, he says earlier, and that's not the only
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place in our Bibles where we understand what God has granted
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to us to know a longevity and serving Him, and we can consider
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others, but we have to move on and read the next few verses in
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our main text. So let's go back to Ezra chapter
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6 and see what happens in verse 3 down to verse 5.
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So they find the scroll, they discover it, and now it's quoted
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to us in verse three. In the first year of Cyrus the
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king, Cyrus the king issued A decree concerning the House of
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God at Jerusalem. Let the house be rebuilt, the
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place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations
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be retained. Its height shall be 60 cubits,
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and its breadth 60 cubits, with three layers of great stones and
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one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the
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royal treasury. One might wonder what purpose
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there is in having Cyrus's decree repeated to us.
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We've already seen it in the opening of this book.
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It's referenced in part in Ezra chapter 5, verse 13 down to
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verse 15. So why does it revisit us?
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Why is it necessary? And here's yet another reminder
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that when you encounter A paralleling Scripture in your
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Bibles, it is never in vain. God doesn't waste real estate in
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His Word. So when something seems to be
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repetitive, the way to go about it is don't just skim over it,
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don't glance over it, dig deeper.
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And one of the ways that you dig is look for the differences,
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compare it to the other places where it is found, and that's
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where you're going to find answers.
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And so a lot of things are similar here, but in this case,
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something new is revealed about Cyrus's decree, namely, he
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actually orders for the dimensions in detail and the
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layout and the material of the temple, as well as the funding
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for it. This is what stands out.
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Looking at the end of verse 3 and 4, its height shall be 60
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cubits and its breadth 60 cubits.
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That equates to 90 feet with three layers of great stones and
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one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the
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royal treasury. Now, it's important to
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understand that what's happening here, this version of Cyrus's
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decree is not a newer one or different one.
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Ezra is a historian. Ezra is led by the Holy Spirit.
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Ezra knows when to include certain details and when to omit
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others. And it all depends on his
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purpose in the context that he is writing.
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So it wasn't necessary to include these additional details
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early on. Now it is important for him to
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bring up and to under score these elements of Cyrus's
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decree. And one reason for that is
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because these are the very things that the governor's
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targeted as a problem when they sent their report to Darius.
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Do you remember this? If you don't go back to Ezra 5,
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look at verse 8. This is part of the report that
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these governors wrote and they said, be it known to the king
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and Ezra 5/8 that we went to the province of Judah to the House
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of the great God. It is being built with huge
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stones and timber is laid in the walls.
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This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.
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Do you see? This is the historical and
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political context which helps us make sense of why this version
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of Cyrus's decree is brought to our attention.
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But what does it reveal about God?
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Have you wondered how does that help me in my worship?
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Remember in Ezra 11, the very first verse of this whole book,
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we learn that the Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus to make this
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proclamation, not just in a general sense, but with every
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single detail. So ultimately, it was the Lord
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through Cyrus who determined the dimensions of the temple.
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It was the Lord through Cyrus who wanted these specific
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materials to be used for the temple.
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It was the Lord through Cyrus who wanted it to be paid for by
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this government. It was a Lord.
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And that means that the building and the work of God's house, God
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is concerned with every element of it.
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Every detail matters to the Lord, every feature.
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In fact, when you read this decree carefully, you'll notice
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that Cyrus's instructions are much more meticulous than
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before. Look at Ezra 6, verse 5.
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And also let the gold and silver vessels of the House of God,
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which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem
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and brought to Babylon be restored and brought back to the
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temple that is in Jerusalem. Pause.
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Have we seen that before? Have we seen in this book before
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that the vessels that were once in the temple taken by
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Nebuchadnezzar was to be restored into the temple?
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We've seen this before, right? Here's a little difference.
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Look at the next part. Each to its place.
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Each to its place. You shall put them in the House
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of God. So notice what's what's
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mentioned here, what's highlighted as a difference.
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Now only did the Lord through Cyrus want the vessels to return
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to Jerusalem? No, no, no, I want them in the
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House of God. And more than that, in Ezra 6,
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we realized that God wanted each of those artifacts, every single
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one of those furnishings, to be relocated in their designated
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place within the House of God. This follows what God spoke to
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Moses and later to David and Solomon.
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I want every single thing in my house to be in a specific spot.
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I want the table of showbread there.
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I want the lamp over here. I want the brazen altar over
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there. I want the Ark of the Covenant
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in there. Everything was covered by the
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Lord's will. And here's the thing, after
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decades of exile, God's instructions haven't changed.
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And although, listen, you and I are under the new covenant,
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praise God and a greater covenant, a better covenant, a
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covenant that's been prophesied by the prophets.
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God's house is now the church in this covenant expressed in local
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assemblies like this. But I want to make the case
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tonight that God's heart for His house in this regard has not
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changed. It hasn't changed.
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He wants specific things to be in specific places in His house.
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Here's proof of that. Let's go to the New Testament,
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first Timothy, chapter 3. I want you to look at verse 14
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and verse 15. First Timothy 3 verse 14 to
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verse 15. Paul is writing to Timothy and
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this book is primarily about giving this young pastor
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instructions of how to govern the church.
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And the church that he was pastoring at this time was a
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church in Ephesus. And notice what he says in First
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Timothy 3 verse 14. I hope to come to you soon, but
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I am writing these things to you so that if I delay, you may know
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how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the
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Church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the
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truth. Listen, in the New Covenant, God
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is no longer concerned with the dimensions of a sacred building.
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He's not preoccupied with the positions of again, the lamp or
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the table of showbread or the altar of incense.
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That is not in his mind anymore. He's concerned with different
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vessels. We are called vessels in the New
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Testament, and he wants his vessels to be in the right place
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in his house. Or in the words of Paul, how one
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ought to behave in the household of God.
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What is Paul's desire in conveying this?
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What's the context? What kind of behavior does he
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have in mind? Let's ask it that way.
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Well, immediately before this, Paul speaks about the
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qualifications of deacons and elders.
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He also speaks about the role you ready for this one of woman
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in the church. Not just the role you ready for
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this one their appearance in the church.
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He also speaks about who should be leading the worship services
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in the church. And after giving these various
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types of commands and exhortations, though he is not
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finished, he tells Timothy, look, put these things in order
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in case I delay. Because you ought to know not
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just the Church of Ephesus, but Maranatha Bible Church and every
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Bible believing church, how one ought to behave in the household
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of God, where the vessels of God should be placed in his house,
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their function, their responsibility, their roles.
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And you know what breaks my heart?
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We are living in an age where more and more people take
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liberties and ignoring or misinterpreting God's rules for
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his own house. Yeah, yeah.
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Let me ask you something. How would you react if this is
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not in this text, but if we were to read of a Jew in Ezra's time
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who received the clear instructions from Cyrus's decree
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about how each of these instruments in the temple should
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be in the rightful place, and that Jew, presumably a leader,
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totally ignores it. And he says, you know what
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actually I want, I want the table show right over there and
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I want the lamp back there. What would your reaction be?
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You, You would say this is offensive.
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You would say this is careless or many cases this is blatant
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rebellion. We would be disturbed by such a
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response to such instructions. And yet for some reason, when it
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comes to the positions and practices within the church, the
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household of God today, we are far more willing to accept
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personal interpretation based on emotion rather than biblical
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fact. And one of the common
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justifications for different ideas of roles restricted to men
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and how women should flourish in the church is, well, is it
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really a big deal anyway? Is it really a big deal?
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Let me ask you this. Is it a big deal for the temple
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to have the furnishings in its rightful place, as God decreed?
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If you fear God, you would say, yeah, it is a big deal.
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So why is that a big deal and not this?
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Why is that important? Why does that seem more holy and
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sacred than the vessels of God being where they're supposed to
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be in the House of God in 2026? We have to ask these questions.
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And more than that, we have to humble, humble ourselves to the
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truths that are presented to us in this regard and remember that
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it's about what God wants from his house.
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Now, what you feel like it's fashionable or effective?
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What does God want? That's all that's asked of me.
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That's all that's asked of you. What does the Lord want?
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This is not my church. This is not your church.
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This is the temple of God. And so let's tremble again and
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remove from our vocabulary things like, well, I just think,
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what does God say? Well, it's offensive.
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We'll let him deal with it with God.
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It's his house. And you and I are called to
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steward what he has asked us to steward in his house.
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And so we see here that even God says, I, I want these things
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exactly where I've asked them to be.
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Maybe be the same in our response of obedience in the
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House of God today. Well, let's come back now to our
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main text. This is the summary of Cyrus's
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decree that was uncovered. But as we read on now, there's a
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transition. Now Darius is going to give his
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own decree to Tatanai and the other governors, in addition to
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what Cyrus asked. So let's read from verse 6.
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Now. Therefore, Tatanai, governor of
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the province beyond the river Sithar Bazani and your
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associates, the governors who are in the province beyond the
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river, keep away. Let the work on this House of
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God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and
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the elders of the Jews rebuild this House of God on its site.
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Pause. I love this.
28:27
Keep away, Stay back, Don't harass, don't intimidate, don't
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inquire, don't investigate. The matter is finished.
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You have nothing to do with this.
28:38
It's been settled and he's not done yet.
28:42
But I just want to show how he confirms what Cyrus says.
28:45
But if you actually look more carefully as we read on, there
28:48
are two official decrees that Darius is going to make.
28:54
This is just a confirmation. But after after this, between
28:58
verses 8 and 10, we have the first decree that Darius is
29:02
going to make. And the second one is issued in
29:05
verse 11 down to verse 12. And so I want us to look at the
29:08
first decree, the first decree that Darius makes from verse 8
29:13
down to verse 10. So he tells them to back off,
29:16
but that's all he all he has in mind.
29:18
Moreover, verse 8, I make a decree regarding what you shall
29:22
do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of the House
29:26
of God. The cost is to be paid to these
29:29
men in full and without delay, from the royal revenue, the
29:33
tribute of the province from beyond the river, and whatever
29:37
is needed, bulls, Rams or sheep for burnt offerings to the God
29:42
of heaven. Wheat, salt, wine or oil, as the
29:44
priest at Jerusalem require. Let that be given to them day by
29:49
day, without fail, that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the
29:53
God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
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The script has been flipped, the tables have been turned.
30:05
Tatani and his friends thought that they could potentially put
30:09
a stop to the rebuilding of the House of God.
30:12
And now, after reporting it, Darius says, actually, I'm going
30:15
to ask you to help them. And this is a marvelous example
30:20
of how you and I should remain patient through trials and
30:24
challenges and roadblocks in obedience to the Lord.
30:31
Who would have thought that Tatani's investigation would
30:33
have led to this? You know, there's a pattern in
30:37
Scripture that when persecution or inconveniences arise, though
30:43
frustrating in the moment, they often lead to God's people
30:47
knowing greater freedom and fruitfulness.
30:51
Doesn't happen all the time, but it happens enough for us to see
30:54
in our Bibles that it's possible in our own lives for harassment
31:01
and persecution to come our way as we're seeking to obey God and
31:03
thinking that it's only going to get more dreadful and difficult
31:07
from here is not always so. God is a master at changing the
31:13
story and this is what we find here.
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It's testimonies like this in Ezra chapter 6 that we have to
31:20
remind ourselves that I, I can endure this.
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I can, I can remain faithful and Worshipful because God can
31:28
change things in our favor. God can change things in our
31:30
favor for His glory in a moment. In a moment.
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I have testimonies of that in my own life.
31:38
I'm convinced. I want you to be convinced.
31:42
It's in the Bible. But with that being said,
31:45
there's another remarkable element to this first decree
31:48
that Darius makes, and it's in the last part.
31:50
Remember what he says in verse 10.
31:51
Look again. He wants the House of God to be
31:53
rebuilt. Why?
31:55
Well, yes, Cyrus decreed it, but notice this, that they may offer
31:58
pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life
32:03
of the king and his sons. To a certain extent, Darius, a
32:10
Gentile king, believe in the power of prayer when it was
32:19
prayed by God's people. Or else why request it?
32:25
Whether he was superstitious, because you can be superstitious
32:28
about prayer or he he genuinely understood and was convinced of
32:33
the effectiveness of the intercession of those who belong
32:37
to God does not matter. Darius reminds us that there is
32:41
great benefit in having people pray for us.
32:47
Read the epistles that Paul wrote and you will not be able
32:51
to deny that he believed that wholeheartedly for himself.
32:56
And Paul not only asks for prayers as a footnote, no, they
33:02
were passionate. Please pray for me, seek God on
33:06
my behalf, strive in your prayers for me.
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And you know what I learned about Paul?
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I mean, this man was absolutely consumed with his ministry.
33:17
Anything that he prayed for, even when he was in prison was
33:19
not about being free. It was give me the boldness to
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preach while I'm in here. Things like that.
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You know, that's how Paul thought.
33:25
That's how he lived. But, but I I believe that Paul
33:28
believed that he didn't think prayer was just about big things
33:32
like missionary opportunities or, or preaching effectiveness,
33:38
even small things. One of my favorite examples of
33:42
this is in that little letter to Philemon or Philemon.
33:45
Do you remember what he said to his friend near the end of his
33:49
letter? Let me remind you in verse 22,
33:53
no chapters Philemon 22 listen to these words that Paul wrote
33:58
to a great friend, a ministry partner, yes, but a friend he
34:01
says in Philemon 22 at the same time, prepare a guest room for
34:05
me for I'm hoping that through your prayers I will be
34:10
graciously given to you. So seems as though Paul
34:15
anticipated to be set free from prison.
34:17
Philemon is one of his prison epistles.
34:19
He's writing this from jail, but he expects to be liberated at
34:23
some point, maybe in the near future.
34:25
Because he says, hey, Philemon, can you prepare a guest room for
34:27
me? Planning to come over soon.
34:32
But Paul also understands that there may be unforeseen
34:35
obstacles that may hinder him from actually being reunited
34:38
with Philemon. So what does he say?
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Brother, pray, Pray that God would allow me to be graciously
34:47
given to you. Isn't that beautiful that God
34:54
would even hear our prayers when we want to be reunited with a
34:56
brother or sister that we haven't seen in a while?
35:00
That He can open doors? That He can put favor in your
35:04
boss's eyes because you have packed schedule.
35:07
That he can clear the weather. That the tickets for that flight
35:10
would be cheaper So that you can find encouragement and give
35:16
encouragement to another brother in Christ, another sister in the
35:20
Lord. Paul believed that.
35:23
Paul believed that God would answer Philemon's prayer for
35:26
this request. In my books, that that doesn't
35:29
seem like an emergency. That just seems like a gift.
35:34
That's why Paul says that I would be graciously.
35:36
It would be a manifestation of God's grace that you and I can
35:40
sit face to face across from one another and drink from one
35:44
another's faith and be built up like these men, Darius and Paul.
35:52
I wonder if you believe that God would honor that act of faith
35:57
and humility by you asking for someone else to pray for you.
36:01
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time, not as a
36:07
Christian reflex, not as a knee jerk reaction, but genuinely
36:12
with your faith, with your heart thought out, asked somebody else
36:18
to pray for you, believing that God would honor that prayer,
36:23
believing that God would somehow work through the prayers of both
36:27
you and that friend or friends as you combine your faith
36:30
together for a specific request, listen, in 2026, some of us in
36:35
here might need to ask the Lord to help us in our prayer lives,
36:37
which is wonderful. But others it may be to help us
36:41
believe in the prayers of other people for us and to be like
36:45
Paul and actually vocalize our neediness to send a little bit
36:51
more texts to others that you trust.
36:52
Have a walk with God and say, brother, I need you to pray for
36:54
me about this. These men believed, even Darius
37:02
with all his limited knowledge, that when God's people pray,
37:06
things can happen. But Darius's humble request also
37:10
teaches us another thing. It reminds us that one of the
37:11
best things that we can do for others is pray for them.
37:16
He believed this. He believed that the prayers of
37:18
God's people not only bless him, but his sons.
37:21
It can have generational consequences.
37:25
So don't just pray for me. Pray for my descendants.
37:28
You know, according to First Timothy 2, you and I have been
37:30
commanded, not suggested, commanded as a church to pray
37:34
for kings and to pray for those who are in high positions.
37:39
Why? Just so that we can do something
37:41
else on a Wednesday night because we're not busy enough.
37:44
No, because clearly our prayers in that same context can make an
37:48
impact on what society, those who have the ability and the
37:54
prerogative to actually do things in culture.
37:56
Our prayers can do something in their hearts.
37:59
And what they do from that place can impact the city, the nation,
38:03
and, and more than that, Paul says, pray for these rulers so
38:07
that the church can exercise its ministries with freedom and then
38:12
peaceableness. Pray, Pray for those who are not
38:18
asking for it and pray for those who asked for it, because prayer
38:21
actually changes things. And so Darius makes that request
38:27
in this first decree. But that's not the only decree
38:29
he makes. There's a second and last one.
38:31
Come back to Ezra 6. Look at verse 11 and verse 12.
38:36
Also, I make a decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam
38:45
shall be pulled out of his house and he shall be impaled on it,
38:52
and his house shall be made at Dunkhill.
38:54
Do you know what that means? It's not a pretty image.
38:58
Some translations like the King James, the new King James say to
39:00
be hung on it. The Hebrew word has some
39:04
flexibility, I guess. So if anybody edits Darius's
39:10
first decree, here's the punishment.
39:12
Take a beam out of their house, put it into the ground, and let
39:18
it Pierce somebody through their flesh from the inside out.
39:23
That was the punishment, emphasizing the severity of such
39:25
a crime. Don't you dare touch the order
39:28
that I made concerning this house.
39:32
If that wasn't clear enough, that wasn't a deterrent.
39:36
He adds something else. Look at verse 12.
39:39
May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow
39:44
any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this or to
39:52
destroy this House of God that is in Jerusalem.
39:55
I, Darius, make a decree. Let it be done with all
39:59
diligence. So not only does the Darius say
40:03
I'm going to do something about this in my lifetime if anybody
40:06
dares to change what I said. They'll be severely punished.
40:10
I mean, it's a gruesome death penalty.
40:13
But he also invokes the name of God, and he asked that God would
40:17
intervene if anybody were to not just change or alter this edict,
40:21
but in the future touch the House of God and seek to destroy
40:26
it or defile it in any way. May God do something about it
40:29
himself. Remember verse 22 of this
40:36
chapter? It was the Lord who was working
40:39
in Darius's heart to aid the people.
40:45
Ultimately, this is God and it shows just how precious His
40:49
house is to him. Now we know that Jesus Christ,
40:53
our Lord and Savior, the promised Messiah, prophesied the
40:57
destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
41:00
It was an act of God. He used natural means.
41:05
The Roman Empire, yes, but it was an indictment against His
41:09
people for rejecting the Messiah.
41:12
And now we are in the New Covenant as the same Christ
41:14
inaugurated it. And in the New covenant, as I
41:17
said earlier, the House of God is His church.
41:22
And just like what I said earlier about how God is
41:26
concerned about where His vessels are situated and how
41:29
they function within His, within his house, God is equally
41:32
concerned as we see here, about the destruction of His house in
41:37
the New Testament. His house is different.
41:41
God's heart to protect it, to preserve it from danger, hasn't
41:46
changed. In our final passage tonight,
41:51
turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 3.
41:53
I want you to consider 2 verses as we seek to close First
41:58
Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16. Darius's warning, moved by the
42:07
Lord to issue it, reminds us of what the Holy Spirit said
42:10
through the apostle Paul about what would happen to anyone who
42:12
would seek to destroy God's house today.
42:15
Do you know it's possible to destroy God's house today?
42:18
Do you know what God's house is today?
42:21
Paul reminds US First Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16.
42:25
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's
42:29
Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple,
42:35
God will destroy him, for God's temple is holy, and you are that
42:42
temple. Now he's speaking in the plural.
42:43
He's addressing the local church in Corinth and labels them as
42:49
the temple of God. Do you understand the the
42:54
implications of this are enormous.
42:56
And one of the things that it signifies is how much the church
43:02
manifested in local bodies like this is sacred in God's eyes.
43:09
The church is holy to our Lord. It's it's a treasure to him.
43:19
It's pure, it's meaningful. It's his heart.
43:28
And Paul here says that you are the temple, and God so values
43:34
his temple that he promises to punish anyone who attempts to
43:40
destroy the temple of God. Now, how does one attempt to
43:46
destroy God's temple in this age, in this covenant?
43:49
How does that work? Is Paul referring to vandalizing
43:52
the church building? Is he talking about taking an
43:55
instrument and damaging pews or bricks?
44:00
Paul is not concerned about any physical sanctuary.
44:04
He's concerned about the sanctification of God's people,
44:08
the spiritual condition of his church.
44:12
So that helps us understand that there is a spiritual destruction
44:16
that can take place in the church.
44:20
But still, OK, now that that's made known, what does that
44:24
actually look like? And I believe Paul gives us at
44:28
least one reason in the immediate context.
44:29
There are many reasons to destroy God's house.
44:32
But what's this chapter about in First Corinthians 3, if you read
44:36
earlier, Paul laments and he rebukes this church for one main
44:41
thing, at least this at this point, divisions, divisions.
44:46
You have some of you here saying I'm of Paul, I like Pastor Paul,
44:50
another you saying I like Pastor Peter, another you saying I like
44:53
Apollo's his preaching the most. And and now there's, there's
44:57
friction, there's tension, there's division.
45:02
And in that same train of thought, he says, hey, do you
45:04
not realize that you are God's temple, that if anyone destroys
45:08
God's house, God will destroy him.
45:11
So one way a person can destroy God's house is by being the
45:17
cause for the disintegration of unity, of having believers turn
45:25
on one another, factions, distractions to the point of
45:33
destruction, where people are now looking at one another
45:38
instead of Christ. We're not missional anymore, but
45:40
are now petty and are now harming one of those reputations
45:44
and their names. And you're eroding the harmony
45:50
of God's church, his house, and you are ripping that community
45:56
apart because of your mouth, because of your decisions,
46:01
because of your attitude in the House of God.
46:06
And Paul warns them you're treading on dangerous territory.
46:13
The lesson is clear. Harming the spiritual life,
46:17
disturbing the loving bond of God's people is dangerous.
46:25
And my prayer, looking at this warning from Darius and the
46:29
warnings of the New Testament, is that may none of us ever be
46:36
the cause for defiling the House of God ever.
46:40
You know, sometimes people, especially the leaders, will
46:45
express concern about the potential work of troublemakers,
46:50
people who sow discord in the assembly and all these
46:56
different, you know, nightmarish scenarios that that happens
46:59
sometimes. And sometimes people ask,
47:05
brother, are you ever worried? But who can emerge from within
47:10
or come from the outside in and cause havoc?
47:15
And you know, I can say with a clear conscience, I'm not, I'm
47:19
not afraid of troublemakers. Based on what I find in my
47:23
Bible, I've determined that I'm afraid for troublemakers.
47:28
You know why? Let me say it again.
47:31
This isn't my church. This isn't my church.
47:35
It's not your church. It's God's.
47:39
This is God's church. This is his temple.
47:42
And if anybody seeks to destroy it, God will deal with them.
47:48
So my duty and yours is to maintain a clear conscience, to
47:52
live a holy life, to walk in integrity, to walk in obedience.
47:59
Because Jesus promised to not only build his church, which is
48:03
a relief for me and I'm sure to you, but also to protect it.
48:09
He'll protect His church because it is precious in His sight.
48:14
You are precious in His sight. And this is what we learned so
48:19
far in Ezra chapter 6. But it's not over yet.
48:23
But we'll have to come again next week to see what else the
48:26
Word of God has to say to us. For now, let's respond to the
48:29
Lord in prayer. Father, you have reminded us of
48:55
how much you care about your house, and Lord, we admit that
49:01
it is difficult to grasp and fully comprehend how we, because
49:06
of Christ, because of this new covenant, are your house.
49:14
We thank you for these lessons from the past with that physical
49:20
building known as a temple in Jerusalem and how we can apply
49:23
them today. We thank you and we ask that
49:27
Lord we would not forget them. So much was said tonight.
49:34
Help us retain it. And Lord, where conviction needs
49:40
to be felt, let it be felt. And where comfort is needed, let
49:45
it overflow. We pray that you would protect
49:50
this house. We pray that you would protect
49:53
every church that's represented here, every ministry that is
49:57
represented here. We pray that we would not be any
50:02
cause for harm to your assembly, but that we would be a blessing
50:07
to any church that we are a part of as we honor the place that
50:12
you have positioned us. For, that we would trust Your
50:16
word with every command, with every blueprint that you have
50:19
set, no matter the tides of the culture, no matter the pressures
50:22
of other churches that are bending the knee to modern day
50:27
philosophies. Help us honor your word no
50:32
matter what, Lord. There are so many other things
50:36
that we can ask for, but for now we say thank you Lord, and we
50:40
pray that as we sing this song and as we reflect it, you would
50:45
pull on our hearts even more and draw us closer to you.
50:50
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
50:52
Amen. If you want to stay seated and
50:54
reflect and pray and just offer more words to the Lord, you can
50:58
do that. If you want to stand and worship
51:00
with the rest of us, you can do that as well.
51:02
But let's just commune with Christ before we conclude this
51:04
Bible study. You've heard me speak about the
51:28
Puritans before. The Puritans were a group of
51:32
Christians who felt the need to see the Anglican Church reformed
51:39
further purified because it had divorced from the Catholic
51:42
Church, and it still brought a lot of their practices into
51:46
their own ideas and polity. And so the Puritans felt as
51:52
though, no, there's needs to be more purification here.
51:55
And some were separatists. They said, it's a lost cause.
51:58
We're going this way, you guys deal with it.
51:59
Others said, no, no, we're going to preach and we're going to
52:02
pray and we're going to believe that God can, can still do some
52:05
more purifying. And out of that came a lot of
52:09
literature, sermons, yes, but even books that have been
52:11
preserved over the years from their, from their talks and
52:14
their, their messages. And if you've ever read the
52:18
Puritans and you would know that they are very precise.
52:21
They're they're, they're very methodical and how they explain
52:25
things and break open certain verses and chapters of the
52:27
Bible. And one time a modern theologian
52:30
was asked by a curious Christian who was just being introduced to
52:36
the Puritans brother, why are the Puritans so precise?
52:44
And the response of this theologian was because we serve
52:47
a precise God. And there's a lot of truth to
52:51
that. God does give us liberties.
52:54
He's a God of grace when it comes to the church.
52:56
We know that we're supposed to sing, but does he tell us to
52:58
sing 3 songs before the message and two songs after?
53:01
No, he doesn't. I believe that's his grace.
53:03
He gives us freedom to determine that.
53:05
Each local assembly, seeing what's the best fit for their
53:09
church. He tells us to preach the word,
53:11
but does he give you a curriculum, preach these books
53:13
and this time of the year? No, He doesn't just preach the
53:15
word, handle it rightly. And so it really, really
53:20
disturbs me in the day and age that we live in, where the clear
53:24
things that are in the Word of God are being interpreted
53:27
differently or being massaged to me means something else.
53:30
I mean, God has only given us so many things.
53:32
He's gave us 2 ordinances, 2, not 22.
53:37
He gave us all these instructions about men and women
53:39
and pastors and members and all these things.
53:41
And even those things, though not many are being dishonored.
53:45
So what God has revealed clearly, what is black and
53:48
white, may we stand with conviction upon and fight for
53:52
because we know that our God is a precise God.
53:56
There's no confusion with him. May we not be confused.
53:59
In 2026, keep your face in the Bible more than ever.
54:05
Mark my words. We're going to see more and more
54:08
tests coming to the local churches, to the church at large
54:12
that's going to test us on different things.
54:15
And you need to be able to know your Bible to be able to
54:17
withstand what's coming our way. It's already happened and many
54:21
different doctrines are being challenged and revisited, and
54:25
that's not going to stop anytime soon.
54:26
So brother, sister, get your roots deep in the Bible.
54:31
If you want to be able to stand firm with the deceptions that
54:35
will come like a tidal wave. The only hope you have is the
54:38
Word of God. Stay there.
54:42
Lo, we ask that you help us stay there.
54:45
Help us be mighty in the scriptures on Friday, mighty in
54:48
the scriptures on Sundays. Help us know the old and the
54:51
new, not so that we can boast in our knowledge, so that we can
54:55
prove ourselves right, that we can be self-righteous.
54:58
No Lord, so that we can honor you, please you, love you, and
55:01
worship You the way you deserve. Give us right understanding.
55:06
May the anointing that resides with and according to First John
55:08
2 be more real to us in 2026 than ever before to teach us
55:13
these things that need to be taught.
55:15
We give you thanks Lord. Thank you for this night.
55:18
In Jesus name we pray, Amen, Amen and Amen.
55:21
Finish Ezra chapter 6 for next week.
55:24
Look forward to that time together fellowship with one
55:26
another. God bless you.
55:27
We'll see you should the Lord tarry next week.
55:29
Bye, bye now.