Caught between a Laugh and a Cry
Ezra 3:10-13
10And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.
11And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
12But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
13So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
1. Somehow I feel that satisfaction is the greatest enemy of the church and good church people.
a. Too many times we stop to celebrate the fact that we are SAVED and never resumed the pursuit of God.
i. We celebrate the fact that
1. we don’t cuss
2. we don’t drink
3. we don’t smoke
4. we don’t go to the casinos
5. we don’t run around on our spouse
2. We have turned our focus from His face to the memory of great experience of yesterday.
a. Jesus commanded us to take our cross and follow him daily
i. NOT when I feel like it
ii. Not when it doesn’t interrupt my schedule
iii. Not when it doesn’t interfere with my plans
3. We have an adversary that will do whatever he can to stop the advance of the church.
a. He has caused some great people to fall and lose out with God
4. I think his focus has turned in this day and age from causing us to sin, to making us feel satisfied with where we are.
5. Satan may not be able to temp you or I to
a. Murder
b. Steal
c. Commit adultery
d. Embezzle
e. Drink alcohol
f. Smoke
g. Do Marijuana
h. Cocain
6. He may have realized that I don’t have to keep them from the House of God all I need to do is
a. Steal their heart felt worship and replace it with going through the motions
b. Give them a sense of accomplishment when they simply make it to prayer meeting, (considering all you have to do)
c. Replace hunger and passion for God with the satisfaction that I am baptized in Jesus name and I spoke in tongues
d. Rob them of a desire to do something for God and replace it with the satisfaction that I did my part when I was younger, let somebody else do it.
7. We have satisfied our hunger pains through the performance of minor religious duties such as
a. Going to church 2or 3 times a week
b. Praying a little prayer on the run
c. When someone asks us where we go to church, we tell them
d. Waving our hand in the air on slow songs
e. Clapping on the fast ones
f. Paying our tithes
g. Giving offerings
h. Playing an instrument
i. Teaching in SS department
8. Hunger has become a ugly word that we don’t use
a. It is reserved for the lowly & destitute
b. It is only for those who cant afford much
c. Those in the projects of life
9. Hunger has ceased to be a part of our religious vocabulary, because it is “Undignified” to those of us who have arrived
a. We who “have been in the way” for 20 or more years
b. The spiritual elite
c. We dignified folk
d. Those of us who have been in this thing long enough to know how much it takes to soothe our conscience.
10. DEMONSTRATE hunger vs. dignity
10. How can you attract God?
a. Prayer – not impressed with your kneeling down for 5 minutes (he prayed till his sweat became as great drops of blood)
b. Faithfulness – He’s not impressed with what we call faithfulness, attending church 3 or 4 times a week
i. We think that attendance is all there is to faithfulness
1. Are you faithful to worship
2. pray
3. give
c. praise and worship – he has angels who worship 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (we get tired of worshipping if the song goes over 3 minutes)
11. What you don’t realize is that HUNGER is one of the most attractive things we have to offer God.
Matt 5:6
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Luke 6:21
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luke 6:25
25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
12. Lovers are attracted by their beloved’s passion, NOT by casual disinterest
13. I am in no way saying not to be grateful.
14. But what we need to learn is how to be grateful and desperate at the same time.
15. Too many of us have stopped at being thankful for where he has brought us.
a. Too many people have died in a fulfilled dream
b. Although we must be thankful, ..Jesus did not come to those who were full he came to the empty
c. Woe unto you that are full!
16. For some reason his blessings upon us, has caused us NOT to be desperate for what he CAN DO.
a. Oh, I’m still desiring what he can do
b. (Food) here’s the way some of us want it, YOU MUST HUNGER FOR IT.
17. Book of Ezra tells of an unusual account of the day the Jews dedicated the rebuilt foundations of the temple in Jerusalem.
Ezra 3:11-13
11 …And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
12But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
13So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.
18. The younger men never saw the temple of Solomon built before Jerusalem was overrun by Babylon.
a. They were children born in captivity
i. Born in a world where they saw no hope of ever breaking the bonds of sin
ii. Held captive in their own addictions
b. Who had never seen revival
19. But the older men who were there began to weep when they saw the rebuilt temple.
a. Not because of sadness, but a cry of a made up mind, “I will not be satisfied with a new building”
b. Some of us that were born in this thing , and have seen the way God has moved in the past, we need to help those who have never seen it the way it used to be.
i. Brush arbor meetings
ii. 6 week revivals
iii. 20-30 getting the HG
c. no padded pews
d. no AC
e. no carpeted floors
f. no sound system
g. only music was a flat top guitar
i. Back then there was a hunger
20. At some point we must say we’re thankful but not satisfied
21. “Lord I thank you for what you’ve done but I’m desperate for what you can do”
22. God promised us that the latter house would be greater than the former house.
a. God we wont be satisfied until we see it
b. The thought that the condition of the church today is greater than it was the Bible is not true.
i. Miracles
ii. Healings
iii. Dead raised
iv. Blinded eyes opened
v. 3,120 get Holy Ghost in one day
23. This kind of hunger and desperation and brokenness will pull God from where he is to the need of this church
24. You want to know our problem, We’re too fixed, we need more brokenness
a. We have it together
b. We are well to do people, we can’t act undignified
c. We are influential
d. We have class and dignity
25. If it ain’t broke BREAK IT
26. Bible says the noise of the weepers and the noise of the rejoicers could not be distinguished from each other
27. I say this is the proper place for the church “Caught between a laugh and a cry”
a. Excited and thankful for what He’s done but desperate for His next move.
28. I’ve seen a lot of people looking for a more powerful service. One man said, “perhaps there will be more powerful services when there are more passionate servants.”
29. One man said, "There are no dry services just dry SERVANTS"
30. We must learn that we must have a mixture of laughter and weeping for true revival to take place.
31. Even the greatest human worshipper known left God’s presence HUNGRY.
a. He set the standards for worship
32. David said as the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after YOU.
