It's Time To Build Part 2 Series

"IT IS TIME TO BUILD"

LAST WEEK WE BEGAN OUR STUDY ON BUILDING THE HOUSE OF GOD... OUR TEXT IS THE BOOK OF EZRA -- A BOOK THAT IS ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE RETURNING FROM A 75 YEAR EXILE IN BABYLON -- RETURNING TO JERUSALEM TO BUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD.... AND AS WE WILL SEE, THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL IN BUILDING THE HOUSE OF GOD...

AND THERE ARE AT LEAST 17 PRINCIPLES THAT THEY EMPLOYED THAT WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THAT SUCCESS.... AND WE ARE GOING TO SPEND OUR TIME IN THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS DISCUSSING THESE PRINCIPLES... AND I AM CONVINCED THAT IF WE AS A CHURCH TRULY EMBRACE THESE PRINCIPLES (IF WE UNDERSTAND, ACCEPT AND LIVE THEM OUT) WE TOO WILL BE SUCCESSFUL AT BUILDING GOD’S HOUSE, RIGHT HERE IN EAST TAMPA.

LAST WEEK WE ABLE TO DISCUSS ONLY ONE PRINCIPLE, BUT AS WE SAID IT IS THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLE, AND IT IS FOUND IN EZRA 1:5;

C:\Documents and Settings\smalone\My Documents\Sermons from EZRA\EZRA3

IF WE ARE TO BUILD GOD’S HOUSE WE MUST BE A PEOPLE WHOSE HEART GOD HAS MOVED.

WE MUST BE A PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRULY GIVEN OUR HEARTS TO GOD -- PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVED BY THE CROSS, MOVED BY GOD’S LOVE, MOVED BY CHRIST’S SACRIFICE -- MOVED BY GOD’S GRACE.... AND WHO ARE MOVED BY OUR ADOPTION AS CHILDREN OF GOD....

AND WE MUST BE A PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVED TO TAKE ACTION... REMEMBER WE SAID LAST WEEK, THAT GOD’S MOVING SOMEONE’S HEART IS MUCH MORE THAN A WARM FUZZY FEELING ON SUNDAY MORNING (AFTER A MSG OR SONG) - YOU SEE, IF THE MOVEMENT OF YOUR HEART DOESN’T RESULT IN REAL, CONSISTENT, COMMITTED ACTION FOR HIS CHURCH. GOD DID NOT MOVE YOUR HEART. HE TRIED/HE SENT THE SEED... BUT YOU SHUT THE DOOR BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T WANT HIM TO COME IN AND REALLY CHANGE YOU....

AND IT TAKES WORK AT TIMES TO OPEN A SHUT DOOR...(BUT WITH PRAYER, STUDY AND REPENTANCE IT CAN BE OPENED....

NOW BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT MORE PRINCIPLES FOR BUILDING GOD’S HOUSE LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT I MEAN BY BUILDING GOD’S HOUSE:

BECAUSE BUILDING GOD’S HOUSE IS MUCH MORE THAN BUILDING A PHYSICAL BUILDING THOUGH THAT IS A PART OF IT, BUT THERE IS MORE..

IT IS TO BUILD THE CHURCH AND THE CHURCH IS THE PEOPLE... IT IS TO BUILD MARRIAGES, FAMILIES, PEOPLE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST, IT IS TO DISCIPLE PEOPLE AND HELP THEM TO GROW IN CHRIST SO THEY CAN HAVE STRONG FAMILIES AND MARRIAGES..

IT IS TO BUILD A PLACE OF REFUGE

A HOSPITAL FOR THE SIN SICK. A SANCTUARY FOR THE TRIED, WORN AND WEARY.

IT IS TO BUILD A PLACE THAT IS REALLY REACHING OUT INTO THIS WORLD; IT IS TO PUT OUR LIGHT ON THE LAMPLIGHT STAND -- TO BE A BEACON OF LIGHT IN THIS WORLD...

IT IS TO BUILD A PLACE WHERE WE LOVE ANOTHER, ENCOURAGE, ONE ANOTHER, BUILD UP ONE ANOTHER, PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER, BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER, AND CARRY THE BURDENS OF ONE ANOTHER...

AND IT IS TO BUILD A PLACE OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP -- WHERE JESUS CHRIST IS LIFTED UP HIGH IN ALL HIS GLORY FOR ALL MEN TO SEE AND BE DRAWN TO....

THAT IS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY IT IS TIME TO BUILD GOD’S HOUSE -- IT IS A WORTHWHILE PROJECT -- IT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT PURSUIT... A PURSUIT WORTHY OF ALL YOU HAVE, AND ALL THAT YOU ARE....

BUT ONLY THOSE WHOSE HEART HAS REALLY BEEN MOVED BY GOD -- WILL EVER EVEN GET UP GET BUSY AND BEGIN TO BUILD....

YES A HEART MOVED BY GOD IS THE FOUNDATION, BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE PRINCIPLES FOR US TO LEARN -- LET’S LOOK NOW AT :

PRINCIPLE NUMBER TWO TO BUILD GOD’S HOUSE WE MUST BE A HOLY PEOPLE -- EZRA 2:61,62

WHEN IT CAME TIME TO DESIGNATE MEN TO THE PRIESTHOOD, THOSE WHO WERE CLASSIFIED AS UNCLEAN, WERE UNABLE TO SERVE AS PRIESTS.. GOD WANTED ONLY CLEAN/HOLY MEN TO SERVE HIM...

NOW THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACHES THAT WE ALL ARE PRIESTS -- PETER SPEAKING TO CHRISTIANS WRITES;

"BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION A PEOPLE BELONGING TO GOD....." -- 2 PETER 2:9

THEREFORE CHRISTIAN’S BY DEFINITION ARE PRIESTS... AND GOD IS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT TODAY’S PRIEST, ABOUT THOSE TAKING PART IN THE BUILDING OF HIS HOUSE TODAY, -- GOD IS CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR CLEANLINESS/THEIR HOLINESS...

PETER WRITES;

"THEREFORE (IN LIGHT OF WHAT YOU HAVE AND WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST) PREPARE YOU MINDS FOR ACTION; BE SELF CONTROLLED; (HOW DO WE DO THIS --HE CONTINUES) SET YOUR HOPE FULLY ON THE GRACE TO BE GIVEN YOU WHEN JESUS CHRIST IS REVEALED.... AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN, DO NOT CONFORM TO THE EVIL DESIRES YOU HAD WHEN YOU LIVED IN IGNORANCE. BUT JUST AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, SO BE HOLY IN ALL YOU DO; FOR IT IS WRITTEN: `BE HOLY, BECAUSE I AM HOLY..." -- 1 PETER 1:13-16