1. Ezra God In Control Of The World
Look At The Book!
Ezra
God In Control Of The World

2. One Book or Two?
Ezra and Nehemiah joined together into one book very early in history.
Separated again in the late second or early third century.
Today we’ll consider Ezra, and next week Nehemiah.
We won’t look specifically at Jesus, today.
We will consider God as He moves events in the world to His chosen conclusion.

3. When God Moves Things
Jeremiah 25:11-12 – “This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”

4. God’s Chosen Man
Isaiah 44:28-45:3 – “It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be build,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’ Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.”

5. Cyrus Destined To Act For God
2 Chronicles 36:22-23 – “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia – in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah – the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, ‘Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!’”

6. Individuals Moved to Act For God
Ezra 1:4, 2:68-69 – “Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem….Some of the heads of fathers’ households, when they arrived at the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, offered willingly for the house of God to restore it on its foundations. According to their ability they gave to the treasury for the work 61,000 gold drachmas and 5,000 silver minas and 100 priestly garments.”

7. Hearts Moved With Joy/Sorrow
Ezra 3:12-13 – “Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away.”

8. God Moves All Things
Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Why does God raise up leaders?

9. When People Resist God’s Impulse
Hymn: Take My Life And Let It Be
“Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love…”
Our desire must always be to move according to the impulse of God.
What happens when people resist God’s impulses?

10. Subterfuge
Ezra 4:1-2 – “Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the Lord God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”
They lie, and are rebuffed.

11. Discouragement
Ezra 4:4-5– “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

12. Legal Attacks
Ezra 4:6, – “Now in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem…. let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding the rebellious and evil city and are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, custom or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the kings.”
Results in 22 year delay in building the temple.

13. Even Sin In The Camp Ezra 9:1-2. 14-15
People approached Ezra to confess that they had joined themselves again to the wives of foreigners, “…so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands….”
Ezra is mortified and greatly grieved.
People agree to repent and send their foreign wives away.
Real problem was idolatry: “…shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations?”

14. God’s Will Be Done Sooner or later God’s will is accomplished.
Ezra 8:33, 35 – “On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest….The exiles who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel….”

15. Darius Makes A Decree
Ezra 6:8-12 – Moreover, I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay. Whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be given to them daily without fail, that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons….

16. ….And I issued a decree that any man who violates this edict, a timber shall be drawn from his house and he shall be impaled on it and his house shall be made a refuse heap on account of this. May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”

17. ….And I issued a decree that any man who violates this edict, a timber shall be drawn from his house and he shall be impaled on it and his house shall be made a refuse heap on account of this. May the God who has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”

18. God’s Will Always Wins Out
Matthew 6:10 – “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”