1 00:00:00,060 –> 00:00:07,060 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 2 00:00:07,060 –> 00:00:13,120 To contact us, Call us at 1-877-OPEN 365 or visit our 3 00:00:13,120 –> 00:00:17,719 website openthebible.org Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,719 –> 00:00:22,440 Here is Pastor Colin Please, open your Bible at Ezra, Chapter 5 00:00:22,440 –> 00:00:24,620 3 that has been read for us. 6 00:00:24,620 –> 00:00:29,820 We’re following the story of the return, that is the return of God’s people to 7 00:00:29,900 –> 00:00:35,119 Jerusalem after the long years of their exile in Babylon. 8 00:00:35,660 –> 00:00:42,119 And we began last week, seeing how King Cyrus made a proclamation that all who 9 00:00:42,119 –> 00:00:46,560 wanted to return and rebuild the city of Jerusalem and especially its temple, 10 00:00:46,799 –> 00:00:53,639 were free to return and God stirred the hearts of 50,000 people. 11 00:00:54,020 –> 00:00:58,799 And in this series, we are following the story of their return, and we’re 12 00:00:58,880 –> 00:01:04,860 seeing that it’s a story that actually speaks very directly to all of us today. 13 00:01:05,379 –> 00:01:12,260 It is a story about a new beginning after a long period of disruption. 14 00:01:12,919 –> 00:01:15,779 And we asked the question, now, why does this return matter? 15 00:01:15,820 –> 00:01:17,400 Why is it so important in the Bible? 16 00:01:17,440 –> 00:01:22,580 Why are there two whole books of the Bible devoted to the return, Ezra and Nehemiah? 17 00:01:23,180 –> 00:01:26,760 After all, God’s people in Babylon were still able to read the scriptures, they 18 00:01:26,760 –> 00:01:31,440 were still able to pray, they could bear witness to those who did not believe where they were. 19 00:01:31,440 –> 00:01:33,199 Why does the return really matter? 20 00:01:33,459 –> 00:01:39,599 And we saw this answer that in the Old Testament it was God’s clear and stated purpose that 21 00:01:39,599 –> 00:01:46,480 there should be a place on earth where God’s people would gather, where God’s name would 22 00:01:46,480 –> 00:01:49,959 be exalted and where God’s presence would be known. 23 00:01:50,720 –> 00:01:55,540 And in the Old Testament, that place was the City of Jerusalem. 24 00:01:56,540 –> 00:02:03,620 And we saw that for us today, in the New Testament era, it is God’s purpose that there should 25 00:02:03,620 –> 00:02:12,500 be in every community places where God’s people will gather, where God’s name will be exalted 26 00:02:12,500 –> 00:02:15,240 and where God’s presence will be known. 27 00:02:15,240 –> 00:02:19,000 And that is the calling of the Church. 28 00:02:19,880 –> 00:02:22,199 And we saw how that speaks to us today. 29 00:02:22,300 –> 00:02:29,119 It would be very, very easy for us in these days where we’ve become used to meeting online 30 00:02:29,119 –> 00:02:34,479 to somehow get the idea that gathering for worship doesn’t really matter. 31 00:02:34,479 –> 00:02:36,919 But it does. 32 00:02:36,919 –> 00:02:43,759 And I want to say again, I really understand that people will choose to return to worship 33 00:02:43,759 –> 00:02:48,759 at different times just as God’s people in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah returned 34 00:02:48,759 –> 00:02:51,160 to Jerusalem at different times. 35 00:02:51,160 –> 00:02:57,320 But please, please don’t fall into the trap of thinking that gathering for worship doesn’t 36 00:02:57,320 –> 00:02:58,320 matter. 37 00:02:58,320 –> 00:02:59,320 It really does. 38 00:02:59,320 –> 00:03:04,000 And that’s why it’s a wonderful thing that we are gathered here together this morning. 39 00:03:04,000 –> 00:03:10,300 It matters because God’s purpose is that in every community there should be places where 40 00:03:10,300 –> 00:03:15,339 God’s people will be gathered, where his name will be exalted, and where his presence will 41 00:03:15,339 –> 00:03:19,580 be known as we gather for worship. 42 00:03:19,580 –> 00:03:26,320 So this is a story about a new beginning after a long period of disruption. 43 00:03:26,320 –> 00:03:34,000 But it’s also a story that speaks to us very directly today because it is about a new passion 44 00:03:34,000 –> 00:03:37,320 after a long period of discouragement. 45 00:03:37,320 –> 00:03:44,179 We saw in chapter one, in verse five that God stirred the hearts of his people. 46 00:03:44,259 –> 00:03:50,419 And when their hearts were stirred, God’s people had a stronger faith, they had a brighter 47 00:03:50,440 –> 00:03:53,679 hope, and they had a greater joy. 48 00:03:53,679 –> 00:03:56,979 They had a new sparkle in the eye. 49 00:03:56,979 –> 00:04:00,100 They had a new spring in the step. 50 00:04:00,100 –> 00:04:04,940 And the book of Ezra really describes a great spiritual awakening. 51 00:04:04,940 –> 00:04:09,580 And we ended last time with the desire that God would stir our hearts, that he would awaken 52 00:04:09,779 –> 00:04:16,160 us in new ways as he did these 50,000 people so long ago. 53 00:04:16,160 –> 00:04:21,640 Now, that’s where we’ve got to, and today, we take up the story in the book of Ezra, 54 00:04:21,640 –> 00:04:23,760 in chapter three. 55 00:04:23,760 –> 00:04:27,940 And sometimes, when I’m reading the Bible, I just find it helpful, before I start reading 56 00:04:27,940 –> 00:04:34,959 a chapter, to say, if it’s a narrative story, what would I expect to find here? 57 00:04:34,959 –> 00:04:39,660 And after chapter one, where they’re given permission to return, and then the long chapter 58 00:04:39,660 –> 00:04:45,059 two that gives the list of all of the names of the people who actually did return, I think 59 00:04:45,059 –> 00:04:50,760 in chapter three, I’d expect a description of the journey, a description of the ruins 60 00:04:50,760 –> 00:04:55,799 that they found when they got back, something about how they had to all build their own 61 00:04:55,799 –> 00:05:03,540 homes and so forth and so on, how they managed to gather food, and there’s nothing on any 62 00:05:03,640 –> 00:05:11,220 of these subjects in chapter three whatsoever. In fact, in chapter three, Ezra draws our 63 00:05:11,220 –> 00:05:20,559 attention to three things that have one focus. The three things are the altar, the feast, 64 00:05:20,559 –> 00:05:28,239 and the temple. And the common focus of each of these is that they were all elements of 65 00:05:28,320 –> 00:05:34,899 Old Testament worship. The one thing that Ezra brings before us immediately after telling 66 00:05:34,899 –> 00:05:42,440 us about the return is that when they returned, their priority was worship. And the three 67 00:05:42,440 –> 00:05:48,920 elements for them of that worship were the altar, the feast, and the temple. And what 68 00:05:48,920 –> 00:05:55,980 we’re going to do today is to see the significance of these three elements of Old Testament worship 69 00:05:56,079 –> 00:06:05,140 for all of us today. First of all then, the altar, which speaks to us about offering yourself 70 00:06:05,140 –> 00:06:14,140 to God. Notice chapter 3 verse 2. They built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt 71 00:06:14,140 –> 00:06:24,799 offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. Now, the altar in 72 00:06:24,799 –> 00:06:33,299 the time of the first temple, Solomon’s temple, was a high elevated platform. In the first 73 00:06:33,299 –> 00:06:41,480 temple, can you imagine this? It actually measured 30 feet square and 15 feet high. 74 00:06:41,480 –> 00:06:48,100 It had a huge ramp that gave access to it. Imagine all these animals being dragged up 75 00:06:48,359 –> 00:06:55,380 and down it. It was an extraordinary structure. And of course, the altar was the place where 76 00:06:55,859 –> 00:07:02,859 sacrifices were made. And that points to the central truth of all of the Bible, that one 77 00:07:03,739 –> 00:07:09,440 day the son of God would come and that he would be slaughtered, that he would be placed 78 00:07:09,440 –> 00:07:15,779 on the altar of the cross, and that by the shedding of his blood, God would make the 79 00:07:15,779 –> 00:07:22,260 way for us to find peace with him. Now in the Old Testament of course, there 80 00:07:22,260 –> 00:07:28,779 were many different kinds of sacrifices or offerings that were made on the altar. And 81 00:07:28,779 –> 00:07:34,859 here we are told that God’s people offered burnt offerings on the altar. You can read 82 00:07:34,859 –> 00:07:41,859 about these in Leviticus in chapter one. And what was distinct about the burnt offerings 83 00:07:42,540 –> 00:07:48,880 was that the whole of the offering was given to God. You see with some of the other sacrifices, 84 00:07:48,880 –> 00:07:53,200 some of the meat was kept in reserve for the priests. But not the burnt offering. With 85 00:07:53,200 –> 00:07:58,320 the burnt offering, the whole of it was given to God. So you see for example in Leviticus 86 00:07:58,320 –> 00:08:04,640 chapter one and verse nine, if it is a bull, the priests shall offer all of it on the altar. 87 00:08:04,640 –> 00:08:10,839 Or verse 13, if it is a sheep or a goat, the priests shall offer all of it. The point is 88 00:08:10,940 –> 00:08:17,880 with the burnt offering everything is given and nothing is held back. And of course that 89 00:08:17,880 –> 00:08:25,339 points very wonderfully to our Lord Jesus giving himself without holding anything back 90 00:08:25,339 –> 00:08:31,980 when he died for us on the cross. And so when God’s people were giving a burnt offering 91 00:08:32,239 –> 00:08:39,239 and what they were saying was, Lord you are our God and we are your people and we are 92 00:08:40,599 –> 00:08:47,599 giving ourselves afresh to you and we are holding nothing back. And if you want to know 93 00:08:47,900 –> 00:08:53,820 the significance of the burnt offering in new testament terms you need look no further 94 00:08:53,820 –> 00:08:59,760 than the words of Paul in Romans chapter 12 verse 1 where he says this I appeal to you 95 00:09:00,239 –> 00:09:07,239 brothers to present yourselves as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which 96 00:09:11,940 –> 00:09:18,940 is your spiritual worship. You see what he’s saying. This is where worship begins. We gather 97 00:09:19,460 –> 00:09:25,219 together and we sing and we pray and we hear the reading of scripture and the word of God 98 00:09:25,559 –> 00:09:31,640 preach. What are we actually to be doing in and through all these things? Answer number 99 00:09:31,640 –> 00:09:38,640 1, we are in worship giving ourselves to God. in the light of his mercy, give yourself to 100 00:09:39,880 –> 00:09:45,440 him that’s the significance of the burnt offering and notice that God’s people did this verse 101 00:09:45,440 –> 00:09:52,179 4 daily In other words, this was baked into the rhythm of the daily light. In fact it 102 00:09:52,340 –> 00:09:57,840 morning and evening. Every morning. Lord, I’m giving myself to you without reservation. 103 00:09:57,840 –> 00:10:03,219 I’m here to do your will. at the end of the day. Lord, I am yours. Watch over me this 104 00:10:03,219 –> 00:10:10,219 night and if you shall give to me another day, it will be a day in which I am your servant. 105 00:10:13,780 –> 00:10:20,780 then Ezra makes what to me is a really surprising statement. Always good to look in the Bible 106 00:10:21,700 –> 00:10:28,700 for what’s surprising. And I think verse three is really surprising because Ezra describes 107 00:10:29,719 –> 00:10:36,719 the motive that they had for giving themselves to God. Now, there are many motives that we 108 00:10:37,599 –> 00:10:41,219 have for giving ourselves without reservation to the Lord. I mean, we give ourselves to 109 00:10:41,219 –> 00:10:46,500 the Lord because we love him, right? We give ourselves to the Lord because it’s our joy 110 00:10:46,700 –> 00:10:53,700 to serve him. We give ourselves to the Lord because we can never outgive him, and he has 111 00:10:54,700 –> 00:11:01,179 done so many marvelous things for us. Our hearts are simply filled with gratitude. But 112 00:11:01,179 –> 00:11:08,179 I want you to notice what Ezra tells us here. They set the altar in its place — why? For 113 00:11:09,179 –> 00:11:16,179 fear was on them because of the peoples of the land. Now, who are these peoples of the 114 00:11:21,479 –> 00:11:28,479 lands? Well, remember that the Babylonians and the Assyrians in earlier years had followed 115 00:11:29,179 –> 00:11:36,179 a policy of relocating the peoples they conquered to other lands. And so, when God’s people 116 00:11:37,179 –> 00:11:44,179 were moved out of the promised lands, other conquered peoples were moved in. And of course, 117 00:11:45,659 –> 00:11:50,000 when God’s people then returned, the 50,000 came back to Jerusalem, the peoples of the 118 00:11:50,000 –> 00:11:54,580 lands, the ones who had been resettled there, and who later by the way became known as the 119 00:11:54,580 –> 00:12:01,580 Samaritans, they were not at all happy. And we will see, next week, that the peoples of 120 00:12:02,479 –> 00:12:09,479 the lands actually were very powerful. And they opposed the work of rebuilding Jerusalem 121 00:12:09,820 –> 00:12:16,820 relentlessly for years. And God’s people at this point, remember, were just a very, very 122 00:12:17,239 –> 00:12:23,440 small community, just 50,000 people. And we read that because of all the peoples of the 123 00:12:23,440 –> 00:12:29,159 lands who relentlessly opposed them, fear was on them. 124 00:12:29,859 –> 00:12:35,239 Now do you notice in this verse, it is very significant, Ezra is telling us how God’s 125 00:12:35,239 –> 00:12:42,239 people dealt with their fears? They built an altar, and they offered themselves to God. 126 00:12:44,739 –> 00:12:51,039 You see what that’s telling us? They found strength to face their fears in knowing that 127 00:12:51,039 –> 00:12:58,039 God was their God and that they were his people. Now that speaks so directly to us today. Do 128 00:12:59,039 –> 00:13:06,039 you find yourself battling fear? When fear is on you, what do you do? Well, we’re being 129 00:13:07,320 –> 00:13:14,320 told here when fear is on you, you offer yourself to God. 130 00:13:14,559 –> 00:13:21,559 The harder life becomes, the more we need to know that God is our God and that we really 131 00:13:22,559 –> 00:13:28,619 are His people. And Matthew Henry makes this point I think, very beautifully. He says, 132 00:13:28,619 –> 00:13:35,619 difficulty and danger should always stir us up to seek the face of God. He says, if you’ve 133 00:13:36,619 –> 00:13:43,619 got enemies, you need all the more to know that God is your friend. And he says this, 134 00:13:44,580 –> 00:13:51,580 I quote, this good use we should make of our fears, we should be driven by them to our 135 00:13:54,539 –> 00:14:01,059 knees. That’s absolutely right. These people made good use of their fears. Are you making 136 00:14:01,059 –> 00:14:07,159 good use of your fears? The good use of your fears is that it drives you to your knees 137 00:14:07,419 –> 00:14:13,919 that you give yourself to God because in your fears you realize more deeply how much you 138 00:14:13,919 –> 00:14:20,919 need to know with assurance that God is your God and that you are indeed among his people. 139 00:14:23,000 –> 00:14:28,400 Now here’s why worship matters. This whole chapter is about the priority of worship. 140 00:14:28,400 –> 00:14:35,400 Why does it matter? Because in worship we offer ourselves to God. In worship God assures 141 00:14:35,719 –> 00:14:41,659 us afresh that we are his people and that he really is our God, and therefore in worship 142 00:14:41,659 –> 00:14:48,659 we gain the strength we need to face our fears. It’s so practical. 143 00:14:49,500 –> 00:14:56,500 Now that’s the first thing, the altar, it speaks to us of offering yourselves to God. 144 00:14:57,000 –> 00:15:04,000 Second, the feast, which speaks to us about rejoicing in what God has done. Look at verse 145 00:15:07,960 –> 00:15:14,960 four, they kept the feast of booths as it is written and offered the daily burnt offerings. 146 00:15:15,840 –> 00:15:22,840 Now this feast of booths, which was also known as the feast of tabernacles, was a celebration 147 00:15:27,859 –> 00:15:33,859 of all that God had done in bringing his people through the wilderness after the Exodus. He 148 00:15:33,859 –> 00:15:40,859 brought them through the wilderness and brought them into the promised land. And of course 149 00:15:41,840 –> 00:15:46,460 during all these years in the wilderness, what did God’s people live in? Well they 150 00:15:46,460 –> 00:15:53,460 lived in tents or booths, temporary structures, they were always on the move. And so when 151 00:15:54,539 –> 00:15:59,900 they came into the promised land, there was this great annual celebration of what God 152 00:15:59,900 –> 00:16:05,000 had done in bringing them into the land and what God’s people did was that they left 153 00:16:05,059 –> 00:16:12,059 their houses for an entire week, they built these temporary structures, or booths, and 154 00:16:12,640 –> 00:16:19,640 lived in them for a week while they celebrated all that God had done. The kids must have 155 00:16:19,640 –> 00:16:23,140 absolutely loved this, I mean it really was a great occasion, I mean it was something 156 00:16:23,140 –> 00:16:29,520 to look forward to, it was a celebration, it was kind of summer camp out rejoicing in 157 00:16:29,520 –> 00:16:34,460 all that God had done. And of course, when the exiles came back from Jerusalem they must 158 00:16:34,559 –> 00:16:40,619 have even greater joy in this feast because well, it was not only what God had done for 159 00:16:40,619 –> 00:16:45,880 others bringing them to the promised land, God had brought these people back to the promised 160 00:16:45,880 –> 00:16:50,039 land, and they were rejoicing not only in what God had done for others, but in what 161 00:16:50,039 –> 00:16:57,039 God had done for them. God saves and keeps his people and we are among them. 162 00:16:57,099 –> 00:17:03,460 Here’s what I want you to ponder with me, it’s been very striking to me this week. 163 00:17:03,460 –> 00:17:09,859 The feast of Booths lasted seven entire days. Whole week. 164 00:17:12,560 –> 00:17:18,199 Now think about how much God’s people had to do when they arrived in Jerusalem. I mean 165 00:17:18,199 –> 00:17:25,199 these 50,000 people arrived and they have rubble to clear, they have food to supply, 166 00:17:25,500 –> 00:17:32,500 they have houses to build, they have a whole community to structure, and yet what we’re 167 00:17:33,119 –> 00:17:39,800 being told here is that their first priority, with everything that was on their plate, their 168 00:17:39,800 –> 00:17:44,739 first priority was to build the altar and then spend seven days celebrating the feast. 169 00:17:44,739 –> 00:17:50,800 And I don’t know about you but I can imagine that if I had been there I just might have 170 00:17:50,800 –> 00:17:57,079 been asking some questions. You know, with everything that needs to be done, can we really 171 00:17:57,079 –> 00:18:00,859 afford to take an entire week off right now? 172 00:18:00,859 –> 00:18:05,699 Let’s get the work done first, and then when we’ve done what we need to do, well then 173 00:18:05,699 –> 00:18:09,739 we can enjoy the feast, and then we can celebrate what God has done. I don’t know about you 174 00:18:09,739 –> 00:18:15,400 but I can imagine my mind going down that track. 175 00:18:15,400 –> 00:18:20,780 Your mind’s probably gone down that track at times. Do I really have time for worship 176 00:18:20,780 –> 00:18:26,380 right now because my plate is absolutely overflowing, I am overwhelmed by everything 177 00:18:26,380 –> 00:18:30,800 that I’ve got to do. 178 00:18:30,800 –> 00:18:37,579 And here of course, God’s people get it exactly right, and the reason that they get it exactly 179 00:18:37,579 –> 00:18:45,459 right is beautifully stated by Nehemiah who came to Jerusalem some years later. Do you 180 00:18:46,339 –> 00:18:53,540 He said, the joy of the Lord is your strength. 181 00:18:53,540 –> 00:19:00,280 In other words, if you’re going to sustain what you are doing for God, you have to cultivate 182 00:19:00,280 –> 00:19:08,719 joy in what God is doing for you. Joy in what God has done will sustain you. If you lose 183 00:19:08,719 –> 00:19:17,439 your joy, you will lose your strength. And that is why when your plate is overflowing 184 00:19:17,439 –> 00:19:21,780 and you feel absolutely overwhelmed with everything that you’ve got to do, you know what your 185 00:19:21,780 –> 00:19:30,439 first priority should be? Worship. Because how else are you going to find the strength 186 00:19:30,439 –> 00:19:37,000 to do everything you’ve got to get done? And you see, this is why God’s people gave themselves 187 00:19:37,079 –> 00:19:42,640 to us to worship. Worship renews our joy in all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ. 188 00:19:42,640 –> 00:19:48,959 We come here to worship. We sing and we pray and we hear the Scripture, we hear the preaching. 189 00:19:48,959 –> 00:19:53,640 What’s to go on in it? Well we’re offering ourselves to God but we’re also taking in 190 00:19:53,640 –> 00:20:00,959 all that is ours in Jesus Christ. We’re filling our minds with what He has done for us. And 191 00:20:00,959 –> 00:20:10,800 how rich we really are. God has made you His own. You are a new creation in Jesus Christ. 192 00:20:10,800 –> 00:20:16,040 He’s given you new birth and you have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ 193 00:20:16,040 –> 00:20:22,260 from the dead. He’s adopted you into His own family. He’s brought you the Scripture says 194 00:20:22,260 –> 00:20:30,180 into His banqueting house and His banner over you is love. He has delivered you out of the 195 00:20:30,180 –> 00:20:34,780 kingdom of darkness. He has brought you into the kingdom of His own dear son and He has 196 00:20:34,780 –> 00:20:42,819 sealed you as His own forever by giving you the gift of His Holy Spirit. And all these 197 00:20:42,819 –> 00:20:50,020 things are true of you on your worst day every bit as much as they are true of you on your 198 00:20:50,319 –> 00:21:00,359 best. Do you see why worship matter? Where this is? The priority that God’s people give 199 00:21:00,359 –> 00:21:05,520 themselves to. Here they are facing an overwhelming task and the first thing they do is they give 200 00:21:05,520 –> 00:21:10,880 themselves to worship. Why? Because in worship, we take in what God has done for us. That 201 00:21:10,880 –> 00:21:17,280 renews our joy and that’s the way in which strength is sustained for everything that 202 00:21:17,540 –> 00:21:23,520 needs to get done. So again, this is so practical, friends. I say 203 00:21:23,520 –> 00:21:30,520 to you, when life is hard, when you find yourself saying, I don’t know how I’m going to get 204 00:21:31,760 –> 00:21:37,900 everything that I need to do done in the next week or month or year or whatever it is. When 205 00:21:37,900 –> 00:21:44,900 you face an overwhelming task, when sorrow is heavy on your heart, when your energy is 206 00:21:45,619 –> 00:21:52,619 low, here’s what you do. You give yourself to worship. You rejoice in all that god has 207 00:21:58,479 –> 00:22:04,900 done for you in Christ and you will find very wonderfully that your strength is renewed 208 00:22:04,900 –> 00:22:11,900 for all that you need to get done. God’s people returned to Jerusalem. Worship was their number 209 00:22:12,640 –> 00:22:17,500 one priority. It was expressed in building an altar that speaks of giving yourself to 210 00:22:17,500 –> 00:22:24,500 God. It was expressed in the feast that speaks of rejoicing in all that God has done. And 211 00:22:26,260 –> 00:22:33,260 then thirdly it was reflected in building the temple which speaks to us of trusting 212 00:22:33,579 –> 00:22:41,579 the promise of God’s presence. Verse ten, the builders of Jerusalem 213 00:22:42,219 –> 00:22:49,219 laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord. Now let me try and explain the story here 214 00:22:52,300 –> 00:22:59,300 so that we can see what I think is a very powerful application and a very practical 215 00:22:59,739 –> 00:23:06,719 one for each and every one of us today. The significance of the temple was that this 216 00:23:06,760 –> 00:23:13,760 was the place where in the past the glory of the presence of the Lord had come down. 217 00:23:16,439 –> 00:23:22,000 You can read about it in first Kings and chapter 8 when the first temple, Solomon’s temple 218 00:23:22,000 –> 00:23:28,959 was dedicated. The priests brought the Ark of the Covenant into the most Holy Place, 219 00:23:28,959 –> 00:23:34,699 the room that was right at the center of the temple and when they did that the Bible tells 220 00:23:34,880 –> 00:23:49,380 us that when the priests came out of the Holy Place a cloud filled the house of the Lord so 221 00:23:49,380 –> 00:23:55,859 that the priests could not stand – these guys were on the floor – couldn’t stand 222 00:23:55,859 –> 00:24:05,579 up because of the sheer intensity of the glory of the Presence of the Lord, like John in 223 00:24:05,579 –> 00:24:11,839 the book of Revelation where he sees the glory of the Lord immediately present and he falls 224 00:24:11,839 –> 00:24:19,660 on the floor as if he was dead. That’s what was happening right here. They could not stand 225 00:24:19,660 –> 00:24:28,439 because of the cloud. For the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Now friends 226 00:24:28,439 –> 00:24:37,380 obviously this was absolutely miraculous. These people didn’t need to trust the promise 227 00:24:37,380 –> 00:24:45,500 of God’s Presence they could see it with their own eyes. The visible cloud of the glory of 228 00:24:45,760 –> 00:24:53,339 the Lord. And what happened actually on that day, that is the dedication of the First Temple, 229 00:24:53,339 –> 00:24:58,380 Solomon’s great and glorious Temple, what happened on that day was actually an anticipation 230 00:24:58,380 –> 00:25:03,699 of the last day, the day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return in power and in glory, 231 00:25:03,699 –> 00:25:10,819 where the great judgment will take place. And then faith will be turned to sight. And 232 00:25:10,819 –> 00:25:16,619 for all who did not believe, they will be confronted by the undeniable reality of the 233 00:25:16,619 –> 00:25:21,300 sheer power and presence and glory of the Lord they have denied and defied all their 234 00:25:21,300 –> 00:25:30,260 years. And God’s people knowing that that had happened. Longed that it would happen 235 00:25:30,260 –> 00:25:36,180 again. I mean, you have that so clearly in Isaiah chapter 64, in verse one, that heart 236 00:25:36,420 –> 00:25:43,420 cry, Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down that the nations may tremble at 237 00:25:45,420 –> 00:25:49,699 your presence. Lord, if you would come down as you did on the day of the dedication of 238 00:25:49,699 –> 00:25:54,540 Solomon’s temple so that people could see with their own eyes, your immediate presence 239 00:25:54,540 –> 00:25:59,180 and your glory, well, then we would have a testimony to the nations and people would 240 00:25:59,180 –> 00:26:09,300 believe, oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that’s what had happened once. 241 00:26:09,300 –> 00:26:12,719 And so it’s not surprising, of course, that when they were pouring the foundations for 242 00:26:12,719 –> 00:26:19,500 the new temple, that was now to be rebuilt, there was great expectation, great hope amongst 243 00:26:19,500 –> 00:26:27,939 many, we are building the place where the glory of the Lord will come down. 244 00:26:27,939 –> 00:26:32,459 And Ezra tells us verse 10, that when the builders laid the foundation of the temple 245 00:26:32,459 –> 00:26:37,540 of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets. 246 00:26:37,540 –> 00:26:39,300 Can you picture this? 247 00:26:39,300 –> 00:26:44,560 Priests dressed in these marvelous robes, and they’re sounding these trumpets and then 248 00:26:44,560 –> 00:26:50,160 there’s Levites with the sons of Asaph with cymbals and they’re praising the Lord and 249 00:26:50,160 –> 00:26:55,780 we read, and they sang responsibly, that’s 50,000 people singing responsibly, that’s 250 00:26:55,780 –> 00:26:57,800 quite a marvelous noise. 251 00:26:57,800 –> 00:27:03,500 Praising and giving thanks to the Lord for his good, his steadfast love endures forever 252 00:27:03,500 –> 00:27:04,900 towards Israel. 253 00:27:04,900 –> 00:27:10,699 And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation 254 00:27:10,699 –> 00:27:13,339 of the house of the Lord was laid. 255 00:27:13,339 –> 00:27:17,479 You see what is happening, is a marvelous moment. 256 00:27:17,479 –> 00:27:21,060 We have offered ourselves to God. 257 00:27:21,060 –> 00:27:27,119 We have rejoiced in everything that he has done for us and now we are preparing for the 258 00:27:27,560 –> 00:27:31,579 glory of his presence to come down. 259 00:27:31,579 –> 00:27:38,719 I want you to notice the scripture tells us that not everyone was rejoicing. 260 00:27:38,719 –> 00:27:46,400 Some of the old men who had seen the first temple were told here wept when they saw the 261 00:27:46,400 –> 00:27:49,560 foundation for the second. 262 00:27:49,560 –> 00:27:56,319 Old men, verse 12, who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw 263 00:27:56,319 –> 00:28:00,819 the foundation of this house being laid. 264 00:28:00,819 –> 00:28:08,719 See here were some older folks who could remember Solomon’s magnificent temple that had been 265 00:28:08,719 –> 00:28:15,439 destroyed 50 years earlier and it was absolutely vast. 266 00:28:15,439 –> 00:28:22,040 And people came from all over the country in vast numbers to worship there. 267 00:28:22,079 –> 00:28:26,619 And now when they saw the footprint of the foundation of this new temple that was so 268 00:28:26,619 –> 00:28:33,300 much smaller I mean they’re looking at it and they’re saying is this it? 269 00:28:33,300 –> 00:28:39,459 I mean this is only a shadow of what we had before. 270 00:28:39,459 –> 00:28:43,579 And there was a bigger problem. 271 00:28:43,619 –> 00:28:53,180 The temple was built first of all to house the Ark of the Covenant and it was to the 272 00:28:53,180 –> 00:29:00,219 Ark of the Covenant that God had said He particularly would come down. 273 00:29:00,219 –> 00:29:08,420 And the Ark of the Covenant had been lost when Jerusalem had been destroyed and to this 274 00:29:08,520 –> 00:29:14,260 day it has never ever been found. 275 00:29:14,260 –> 00:29:19,880 So how could the glorious cloud of God’s presence come down without the Ark of the Covenant, 276 00:29:19,880 –> 00:29:26,479 without the Ark, the most holy place was simply an empty room. 277 00:29:26,479 –> 00:29:32,099 Well it’s not surprising that the old men wept. 278 00:29:32,099 –> 00:29:39,140 What was the point of the temple if the cloud of God’s glorious presence would not come 279 00:29:39,140 –> 00:29:41,359 down among his people. 280 00:29:41,359 –> 00:29:50,540 Now there was great joy and there was great celebration when the second temple was complete, 281 00:29:50,540 –> 00:29:59,540 but the glorious cloud of God’s presence never came down to the second temple. 282 00:29:59,579 –> 00:30:07,699 God’s people did not experience the miraculous as they had done in the days of Solomon. 283 00:30:07,699 –> 00:30:12,540 It must have been for them a huge disappointment. 284 00:30:12,540 –> 00:30:16,859 And of course it raised this most obvious question. 285 00:30:16,859 –> 00:30:25,579 If we don’t experience the miraculous does that mean that God has left us? 286 00:30:25,619 –> 00:30:28,939 It’s a real question. 287 00:30:28,939 –> 00:30:36,540 And God answered that question directly through the Prophet Haggai who as we’ll see again next week, 288 00:30:36,540 –> 00:30:39,979 comes on the scene at just this moment. 289 00:30:44,579 –> 00:30:50,140 Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? 290 00:30:50,140 –> 00:30:55,099 He’s speaking to the older folks who could remember the glory of earlier years. 291 00:30:55,300 –> 00:30:58,180 How do you see it now? 292 00:30:58,180 –> 00:31:01,459 Is it not as nothing in your eyes? 293 00:31:01,459 –> 00:31:05,099 Here are people saying, well, is there really any point at all? 294 00:31:07,300 –> 00:31:11,099 And God says to them through Haggai, now be strong. 295 00:31:11,099 –> 00:31:18,099 Work for I am with you declares the Lord. 296 00:31:18,099 –> 00:31:24,979 My Spirit remains in your midst. 297 00:31:25,000 –> 00:31:26,219 Fear not. 298 00:31:26,219 –> 00:31:28,459 Do you see the point? 299 00:31:28,459 –> 00:31:34,479 You are not going to experience, God is saying to these people, you are not going to experience 300 00:31:34,479 –> 00:31:40,380 the cloud of my presence coming down in the miraculous way that happened in the time of 301 00:31:40,380 –> 00:31:41,380 Solomon. 302 00:31:41,380 –> 00:31:48,199 You are not going to experience my presence as a burst of power and of visible glory. 303 00:31:48,199 –> 00:31:53,859 But I, the Lord, am with you. 304 00:31:54,800 –> 00:31:59,859 My presence remains in your midst. 305 00:31:59,859 –> 00:32:06,420 Now, trust the promise of my presence. 306 00:32:06,420 –> 00:32:10,900 Now friends, this is so important for us. 307 00:32:10,900 –> 00:32:16,260 One day our faith will be turned to sight. 308 00:32:16,260 –> 00:32:21,819 We will see the Lord in all of his glory. 309 00:32:21,819 –> 00:32:24,900 But that day has not yet come. 310 00:32:24,900 –> 00:32:27,140 We walk by faith and not by sight. 311 00:32:27,140 –> 00:32:34,199 And it’s also true we worship by faith and not by sight. 312 00:32:34,199 –> 00:32:36,699 And when we worship, this is what we do. 313 00:32:36,699 –> 00:32:43,339 We trust the promise of the presence of God. 314 00:32:44,300 –> 00:32:48,500 Now let me try and apply that specifically. 315 00:32:48,500 –> 00:32:55,140 Is there someone here who has longed for a miracle that didn’t happen? 316 00:32:55,140 –> 00:33:03,380 And, you had, perhaps, a loved one who was sick. 317 00:33:03,380 –> 00:33:10,780 And you prayed with everything within you for a miraculous healing, but that gift was 318 00:33:10,780 –> 00:33:11,780 not given. 319 00:33:11,859 –> 00:33:15,760 And so you’re left with this question and it nags in your mind. 320 00:33:15,760 –> 00:33:20,900 Now, where is God in this? 321 00:33:20,900 –> 00:33:28,400 Or someone else, you have a loved one who has been far from God for years and you have 322 00:33:28,400 –> 00:33:30,020 prayed, oh you have prayed. 323 00:33:30,020 –> 00:33:32,459 You’ve prayed every day for God to intervene. 324 00:33:32,459 –> 00:33:36,800 Lord, do to him, do for her what you did with Saul of Tarsus. 325 00:33:37,260 –> 00:33:43,160 step in, as you did on the road to Damascus, stop him in their tracks, turn him around. 326 00:33:43,160 –> 00:33:47,160 You can bring him to yourself. 327 00:33:47,160 –> 00:33:53,359 But that miracle, after all these years, has not happened. 328 00:33:53,359 –> 00:33:59,180 You say now where is God in this? 329 00:33:59,180 –> 00:34:01,619 Or you launched out on a new venture of faith. 330 00:34:01,619 –> 00:34:09,020 You put everything on the line, and you looked for God to bless it abundantly. 331 00:34:09,020 –> 00:34:14,399 But you know what, from the beginning, it has been one struggle after another. 332 00:34:14,399 –> 00:34:21,219 And you begin to wonder, does this mean that God has left us? 333 00:34:21,219 –> 00:34:27,379 Where is he in this? 334 00:34:27,379 –> 00:34:35,179 Now these are real questions, and to those who have not seen the miracle that they hoped 335 00:34:35,179 –> 00:34:48,439 for, God says, I am with you, my presence remains in your midst, fear not. 336 00:34:48,800 –> 00:34:58,739 Until, for us, faith is turned to sight, we trust the promise 337 00:34:58,739 –> 00:35:05,120 of God’s presence, and that’s the lesson of the second temple. 338 00:35:05,120 –> 00:35:13,040 Friends, we have looked today at this very important theme of the priority of worship. 339 00:35:13,040 –> 00:35:17,860 What we’ve seen, very clearly, is that worship matters. 340 00:35:17,939 –> 00:35:25,800 For these people, worship revolved around the altar, the feast and the temple. 341 00:35:25,800 –> 00:35:31,780 And we have seen by way of application from the Old Testament scriptures what we actually 342 00:35:31,780 –> 00:35:34,239 are to do in worship. 343 00:35:34,239 –> 00:35:39,500 We sing and we pray and we read and we hear the word of God proclaimed. 344 00:35:39,500 –> 00:35:43,939 And what we’re doing, in and through these elements of worship, what we’re doing in them 345 00:35:43,939 –> 00:35:44,939 is this. 346 00:35:44,939 –> 00:35:53,540 We are to offer ourselves to God and we are to rejoice in all that He has done for us 347 00:35:53,540 –> 00:36:01,540 and we are to trust the promise of His presence. 348 00:36:01,540 –> 00:36:05,280 And we’ve seen today how very, very practical this is. 349 00:36:05,280 –> 00:36:11,239 Because the scriptures themselves apply it to some of the toughest circumstances of our 350 00:36:11,239 –> 00:36:12,239 lives. 351 00:36:12,239 –> 00:36:18,340 But if you are afraid, here’s what you do. 352 00:36:18,340 –> 00:36:20,540 You give yourself to worship. 353 00:36:20,540 –> 00:36:27,419 You make the best use of your fears that they drive you to your knees. 354 00:36:27,419 –> 00:36:32,560 You offer yourself to God and as you offer yourself to God, you gain a new and fresh 355 00:36:32,560 –> 00:36:39,300 assurance He really is my God and I really am one of His people. 356 00:36:39,600 –> 00:36:45,139 And that’s how you’re going to be able to face your fears. 357 00:36:45,139 –> 00:36:48,860 And when you face an overwhelming task, the person who’s here today, and I don’t know 358 00:36:48,860 –> 00:36:52,419 how I’m going to get through what lies ahead of me. 359 00:36:52,419 –> 00:36:59,260 When you face an overwhelming task, here’s what you do, you give yourself to worship. 360 00:36:59,260 –> 00:37:03,800 Because as you rejoice and everything that God has done for you, your strength is going 361 00:37:03,840 –> 00:37:07,560 to be renewed, and that’s going to be the key to getting through all that needs to 362 00:37:07,560 –> 00:37:10,679 be done. 363 00:37:10,679 –> 00:37:17,719 And when you are disappointed, give yourself to worship. 364 00:37:17,719 –> 00:37:25,760 Because as you believe the promise of God’s presence, I am with you, and I remain in your 365 00:37:25,760 –> 00:37:27,239 midst. 366 00:37:27,239 –> 00:37:29,179 Fear not. 367 00:37:29,280 –> 00:37:34,080 As you believe the promise of God’s presence, you’re going to have hope. 368 00:37:34,080 –> 00:37:40,959 And we worship, brothers and sisters, in anticipation of the glorious day, when Jesus Christ will 369 00:37:40,959 –> 00:37:52,580 return and faith will be turned to sight, and we shall be forever with the Lord. 370 00:37:52,580 –> 00:37:55,439 Let’s pray together. 371 00:37:55,699 –> 00:38:07,419 Father, thank you for the privilege and the blessing of worship. 372 00:38:07,419 –> 00:38:16,459 Grant that more and more our lives may be marked by this rhythm of giving ourselves 373 00:38:16,540 –> 00:38:29,620 to you, of rejoicing in all that you have done, and of trusting the promise of your 374 00:38:29,620 –> 00:38:37,479 presence, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, in whose wonderful name we pray, amen. 375 00:38:37,479 –> 00:38:43,560 You’ve been listening to a sermon with Pastor Colin Smith of Open the Bible. 376 00:38:43,560 –> 00:38:46,340 To contact us, call us at 18777. 377 00:38:46,340 –> 00:38:52,959 Open 365, or visit our website, OpenTheBible.org.