We know that certain ones who were living in Babylon after Cyrus came to reign were touched by God to leave Babylon and go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city that had been torn down seventy years before by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. God had prophesied of this over two hundred years before it ever happened and even prophesied the name of the king that would let them return (Cyrus). Now the seventy years has gone by and these men have returned to the ruins of the city of Zion. These men had been charged by Cyrus to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and especially the Temple. More importantly, I believe these men heard from God on what they needed to do. God had shaken them and woke them up from the sleep of Babylon to go and fulfill His will. They were not content to stay in Babylon like the vast multitude of the Jews for they had been touched by God. My prayer for this church is for men and women that are willing and hungry to be touched by God. God needs to raise us up, to shake us to awaken us, for like these Jews, we have a great destiny to fulfill in the plan of God.
What I want you to see here in Ezra 3, is that after they arrived sometime in late September, before they begin to rebuild the city, and even before they begin to rebuild the Temple, they first rebuilt the altar of God. The Bible says in verse one, that they gathered together as one man to Jerusalem where they rebuilt the altar of God. I believe that they were prepared to seek the face of God. They did not come with their own agendas, they did not come to see who would have the most power or the most prestige, they did not come to get their own way, but they came to rebuild the altar of God. Now altars in the Old Testament are somewhat interesting. You know that patriarchs built altars of stone, usually just by gathering stones out of a field and piling them together. Instructions are given for building these altars in Exodus 20:24-25 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. In Exodus 27, the command was given for building the altar that was to be used in the tabernacle. It was to be made of shittim wood covered with bronze. It was to be five cubits long by five broad and three high. The four corners were to have horns of one piece with it. A network of bronze was to reach halfway up the altar to a ledge. In some way that is defined only by reference to what was shown to Moses in the Mount the altar was to be hollow with planks, and it was to be equipped with rings and staves for facility of transport so it could be carried by the Levites. When Solomon built the Temple, according to 2 Ch 4:1, the altar was enlarged to twenty cubits by twenty by ten. However, under Solomon’s reign, idolatry was brought back into the kingdom and in the Temple, idols were set up in the kingdom. We find that in 2 Kings 16:10, that king Ahaz went to Damascus and saw an idol altar that he liked so much that he copied down the design and went back to Jerusalem and redesigned the altar of the Lord. Remember that God had given Moses the design for the altar but now Ahaz seeks to improve (?) it by re-fashioning it like a pagan altar. As Jerusalem and Judah continues in their downfall away from God, we find that later on, the altar of God had to share space with idol altars. 2 Chronicles 33:4 (Manasseh) Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. Finally, Nebuchadnezzar in the destruction of Jerusalem, destroys the altar. Note the progression, or better said, the de-gression. First the altar according to God’s plan, with God being the Lord. Then the methods of outside influences begin to reshape the altar of God, and then, the altar of God is made to share space with idol altars, and then, finally the altar is totally removed. What a great warning to the church. God will not share His space with anything else. What a great warning to us individually as well. Where is our heart concerning our relationship with God?
Now after seventy years, the Jews have returned. The very first thing that they do is to rebuild the altar of God. Then notice verse three, here the scriptures state that they set the altar upon its base. Apparently, they discovered the old foundation and they “set” the new altar upon the old foundation. This word “set” in the Hebrew is the word "kuwn" {koon} which means to be firm, be stable, be established, to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring, to be fixed. They established or re-established the altar back in Jerusalem. Remember that this was done before the Temple was rebuilt. Altars are meeting places between the divine and the human. It is the place where God meets with man. What these Jews were saying was that their relationship with God was more important than anything else. The altar was established in their lives. Here they could gather together, offer their sacrifices, communicate with God and give Him praise and worship. What I want you to see from this chapter this morning is the effects that came about due to first of all, establishing or setting the altar.
I. FIRST OF ALL, PROPER PRIORITIES WILL BE ARRANGED.
1. I believe that when you get the number one priority right, it becomes a lot easier to fit the others where they need to be.
2. Life is a lot like a jig-saw puzzle, if the biggest piece is not in place, rarely will the others fit either. I heard the story of a time management expert who once was once speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration. He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered.
"Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that’s not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all."
3. God must be the biggest rock that we have. If He is not put first, then nothing else fits right. When your relationship with God is strained, most likely your relationship with other people will be strained as well.
4. First, I want you to note their unity. Verse one tells us that they came together as one man. Even though the altar had not yet been built, the priority was already there and as a result, unity was enjoyed.
5. I’m going to say something now that might make some of you mad. It probably isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last time. If you can’t get along with someone, it’s a good sign that your relationship with God is out of sorts. You can not maintain a right relationship with God and be out of relationship with others. When I hear you say that you don’t like this person or you can’t get along with that person, you have just testified to me about your relationship with God. “Oh now preacher, you don’t know what this person has done to me or my family.” It doesn’t manner. If you are holding grudges from the past, you are out of relationship with God. There is no if, ands or buts about it.
6. These people gathered together in unity for God was first and foremost upon their minds. The early church in Acts 2, gathered together in unity as well and the Spirit of God was poured out upon them and they turned the world upside down.
1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
7. The one thing that will hinder this church more than all the demons of hell, is grudges that you are holding from the past, that will/is breaking the unity that God desires of you to have.
8. Next, I want you to note their worship. Verses 3 and 4 tell us that they offered burnt offering every day, mornings and evenings. The law of Moses prescribed that this be done.
Exodus 29:38 Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:
9. Now remember that these were refuges returning back to their homeland. Even though they had been provided for by Cyrus’ decree, this was being taken from their food supplies. They had not yet planted crops, the land was fallow. However, this was part of the Old Testament way of worshipping God.
10. Also note that they kept the feast of tabernacles or Sukkot. This feast was celebrated (even still today) by dwelling in tabernacles or booths.
Leviticus 23:42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
11. Leviticus 23:34-36 tells how this feast should be observed. It was a calling together of the people of Israel, in which they came to seek the Lord. They made small booths, or huts to live in during the week. All the conveniences of the home were laid aside, and each day was spent seeking the Lord. During this time they offered more sacrifices, and they did not work the whole week. It was a solemn assembly for God’s people.
12. Here’s what I want you to see from all of this, the outward manifestations of worship are clearly seen, when the heart is right with God, when God is first priority, when the altar is set in the heart. Early Pentecostals came together to worship God, for the altar was set in their lives. You didn’t have to prompt people to worship, you didn’t have to stir people up for them to worship. Their relationship with God was more important than work, than family, than anything else, there fore worship was a priority to them. This leads me to my second point.
II. PROFOUND PRAISE WILL ABOUND.
1. Notice that verse three tells us that “fear was upon them because of the people of those countries”. I like the way that the New American Bible translates this verse. “Despite their fear of the peoples of the land, they replaced the altar on its foundations and offered holocausts to the LORD on it, both morning and evening.”
2. Not everyone was happy to see them back in Jerusalem. Not everyone was happy to see them begin a work for God. We are told in Ezra 4:1 that there were adversaries that opposed them rebuilding the Temple of God and sought to hinder them.
3. Not everyone will be happy to see you serve God, you will have adversaries. Now remember that essentially these Jews were unprotected. They had no standing army, nor did they have any walls around the city of Jerusalem to protect them. However, in spite of their fear, God still came first. Folks, courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is steadfastness in the face of fear. Their enemies wanted them destroyed so that the work would stop and they lived in constant fear of being attacked, yet they still said that God must come first in their lives.
4. How many times do we the very opposite? We allow fear to put God way down the list somewhere. Our fear becomes our priority and we forget about God.
5. Fear did not keep them from worshipping God. Note what happens in this chapter. We are told in verse 11 that after a year had went by, that as they were entering into their 2nd year there, all this time, worshipping God and putting God first, that they begin to rebuild the foundation of the Temple, and as they rebuilt it, they sang and praised God.
6. Folks, this was hard work. They were having to cut and more huge stones as the foundation floor for the temple, but they sang and praised God. I wonder why it is that when we are faced with hard work, that we usually grumble and complain about it. When priorities are right, remember that everything else falls into place.
7. These Jews had placed God first and as they thought about Him, they praised God. They shouted with a great shout. Were their enemies still about? Yes they were. But they had set the altar, it was established in their lives that God was coming first, and in spite of their fear, they were trusting in God, they remembered God’s faithfulness, and profound praise abounded in their lives.
8. Some of you are facing things in your lives that cause you to live in fear, maybe it’s uncertainty, maybe it’s family, maybe it’s finances, or sickness. Let me ask you, have you set the altar in your life? Is God first and foremost? If you will put God first, He will take care of these other things and you will be able to praise and worship God. You can not truly worship God if He is not first. Your worship is just a mockery if there are other things that you are putting ahead of God.
Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
III. A PENETRATING PERSPECTIVE WILL BE APPRECIATED.
1. The Bible states here that as they worked, they thought about the goodness and mercy of God. Remember that they and their fore fathers had been punished for unfaithfulness, yet they were praising God for His goodness.
2. Have you ever seen a child when he/she is punished? They usually sulk up, get mad and talk about how unfair the punishment is. However, when God is first, we can acknowledge His goodness and mercy. Our perspective is changed. We are not filled with bitterness and anger.
3. What has happened is that their perspective has changed. I call this perspective penetrating for when the altar is set, you are able to see through your fears, you are able to see though your troubles, you are able to see through your problems, the goodness and mercy of God penetrates everything else.
4. The relationship with God must be first. When God is sought above everything else, life is sweeter, even in trouble and trials.
5. Remember that the walls of the city had not yet been rebuilt. That’s what Ezra’s contemporary Nehemiah comes upon the scene for. Here they are, in the ruins of Jerusalem, with the city of Zion torn down around them, with 70 years of dust from the destruction under their feet, but instead of being bitter, they praise God. Verse 12 says that they “shouted aloud for joy:” In the midst of their affliction, in the midst of their fear, they still shouted aloud for joy.
6. You see, what I want you to understand is that generation after generation had failed God, generation after generation turned away from God and compromised their faith, so much to the point that God removed their altar. The Jews who lived before the captivity never thought that this would happen to them. They, even while living in open idolatry boasted of having God’s temple with them. They felt that as long as the Temple was in Jerusalem, that no one would be able to destroy their city. Listen to what God said through Jeremiah the prophet.
Jeremiah 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. 5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. 8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; 10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? 11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. 13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; 14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim. 16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
7. We Pentecostals say the same thing. Well, we have the fullness of the Gospel, we believe in the fullness of the Spirit. We’re the big shell on the beach. We cite our statistics about being the fastest growing movement on the planet and we cite all that we have done for God the last century. All that has came about because we had people who set the altar in their hearts, who put God first. If we think that we can continue to go along, just resting upon what they have done and still be blessed of God, we’ve better look again. We are just like the sons of Eli, who thought that if they carried the ark of the covenant with them into battle, that they could not lose.
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:
8. Imagine the shock that they must have felt when Nebuchadnezzar’s armies began to tear down the walls, imagine the shock they must have felt when they saw their Temple on fire, with it’s walls being torn down. Josephus tells us that the armies were commanded to levy the city to the very ground and that the heads of the priests were cut off.
9. Now 70 years have passed. There is no more temple. This day, in Ezra 3, is a day of rejoicing for now they recognize that it’s not the Temple that’s important, it’s the God of the Temple. They sing of His goodness and mercy for God has given them a second chance. There is liberty in knowing that God is the most important thing, you are freed from all the fuss of trying to keep up the other things, and you can praise God
