Build the House of God and Rejoice
8.10.08
Even though this book is called Ezra
this section (chapters 1-6) has nothing to do with Ezra the man
What we read this morning begins in 539 BC and ends in 515 BC
57 years before Ezra arrives in Jerusalem
this book concerns the Jews who had been carried into exile into Babylone
in the years 605 BC, 597 BC and 586 BC
they are still in exile as this book begins
this book describes how they are released from exile and allowed to return to Judea
Ezra 1:1-7
3:1-13
4:1-5, 24
Haggai 1:1-11
What does this have to do with us?
We are not Jews
We are not under the law of Moses
grace and truth has come to us through Jesus Christ
We have no temple
God does not want us to build one
it was destroyed in 70 AD and we have no need of it ever again
Jesus was the final sacrifice
and we do not worship by sacrifices anymore
we do not have priests
Ephesians 2:21-22
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
the temple of God is now his church
the people of God united by love,
where God lives by his Spirit
Haggai 1:9
my house remains a ruin while each of you is busy with his own house
God’s people today still fall into this same sin
We often get busy with our own houses
building them, living in nice houses,
and not building the temple of God
“building your own house”
means focusing your life and attention on your own personal advancement
your job, your career, your house, your interests, your ambitions, your desires
“while the house of God remains a ruin”
or the work God has for you is in ruins
What are we neglecting while being so busy with our own cause?
1 Peter 2:5, 9
You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house (temple) to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light… live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Peter says here we are the temple itself
we are the priests
we offer spiritual sacrifices
what are these spiritual sacrifices?
he mentions two
1) declaring the praises of God
2) living good lives among the pagans so that they glorify God
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You can’t do this by direct effort
you must first go to God in prayer (indirectly to action)
this will lead to action
do not directly try to fix this problem
but instead go to God today
ask him to show you where you are too busy with your own house
your own personal advancement
ask for his help to be the temple and to offer him spiritual sacrifices
ask him to show you the building
the work that he has for you to do
Haggai 1:12-15
Ezra 5:1-2; 6:13-22
notice they celebrate the Feast with great joy
they celebrate what God has done in
“assisting them in the work on the house of God”
and rescuing them from exile
today we eat communion
let us celebrate with great joy what God is doing today, the way he has helped us in doing the work of God
this is not a somber time
but a spiritual feast
as the Jews rejoiced in their new temple
this morning
lift up your head and rejoice in the work of God
