Good evening. It's always a blessing to bring God's word to us. We continue our study in the book of Ezra. So I would ask you please to turn there, Ezra chapter three, and we're gonna be reading verses one up to 13. Ezra chapter 3 verse 1 up to 13. Let us hear the word of the Lord. When the seventh month came and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. Then arose Jeshua, the son of Josedach, with his fell priests, and Zerubbabel, the son of Sheatel, with his kinsmen, and they built the order of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. They set the order in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands. And they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. And they kept the Feast of Booths as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required. And after that, the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon, and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. From the first day of the seventh month, they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. So they gave money to the Mansus and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus, king of Persia. Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel, the son of Sheatel, and Jeshua, the son of Josedach, made a beginning together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites, and all who had come to Jerusalem from their captivity. They appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward to supervise the work of the house of the Lord. And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Cadimeo and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Hanadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets and delivered the sons of Asaph with cymbals to praise the Lord according to the directions of David, king of Israel. And they sang responsibly, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever 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. But men of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid. Though many shouted aloud for joy so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout and the sound was heard far away. That is the end of the reading of God's Word. Thanks be to God. Let's pray. Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, that in the midst of all the news, all the things going on around us, we can come and focus our attention upon your word. Lord, we pray that may we hear your voice. May you speak to us this evening as we open these pages and as we hear today from you. Be gracious to us and help me as well as I articulate your word that it will be clear, understandable, and that the Holy Spirit, Lord, will be gracious to all of us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And so this is our third sermon since I started going through this book. We have looked at the children of Israel as they are returning from exile. And now we see that they are starting life in the land. And as our summary statement says, this is how life begins. And they find themselves in a difficult situation with the presence of the people around them. Why? They're afraid. What are these people going to do to us? But instead of withdrawing from God, they chose to trust in him as they rebuild the altar as an important element of their worship and lay the foundation of the temple. Perhaps you've heard this statement continually being said, if there is a God, why all the bad things happen? But here, we can say that that question has an assumption underlying that that means if there is a God, bad things are not supposed to happen. But here, as believers, we kind of like have that perspective, being in this world that is full of evil, that we should expect to encounter challenges around us. And that doesn't mean God doesn't care. He cares for us. But those are opportunities for us to exercise our faith and trust in God. And here we come to this passage where the Israelites, instead of withdrawing from God because of their fear, they run to God. They go to Him. Or think perhaps of a newly married couple. they have been on a honeymoon, and now the honeymoon is over, they have to go back to their home. And life begins there. It's not rosy as it was maybe in their honeymoon. Now they have to face the reality of figuring out things. And that's what we see here in this passage. The people are excited about their new life back in Israel, When they had been coming and thinking about it, because of this, now reality is hitting that they have to start working in the land. And there are all these people around them. It's not just that they're coming into a land that is without problems. They face this challenge. And so, in terms of the sections in this book of Ezra, chapter three is beginning a section of some of the things that are going to be taught about the life in this land. The remnant community starts their first and primary mission, which they had been thinking of, coming to rebuild the temple. They knew their need for God and their dependence on him to survive and thrive in the land. Without God, they could not thrive. They could not survive. And so here, they are setting the order to be an occasion for them to offer sacrifices to God. And so we're gonna look at two things that are happening in this passage as I have looked at it. I see kind of like there's a worship foundation and we also see the temple foundation, which are kind of like put together side by side. The Worship Foundation is showing what they have to do in relationship to God. They have to offer these sacrifices. They have to trust in this God. But we also see them that they're building the temple. which is kind of like an interesting way of putting it. For those of us like me who do church planting, you don't start with this church building, I mean, like physical building. You first of all train the people, reach out to the people, and make sure that they understand this. So that's kind of like what is happening here. So first of all, if we look at this worship foundation from verses 1 up to 7, we see that they are putting an order first. If you read with me in verse three, they set the order in its place for fear was on them because of the peoples of the land, and they offered bent offerings on it to the Lord. Now you might wonder, why do they have to put this order? Because they're afraid of the people. Instead of putting a wall, perhaps, to protect themselves or to defend themselves, I think here, we kind of like have a glimpse of what it means. You might have the walls around you, but if God is not protecting you, it's not gonna work. And so here, we see an example of trusting in God, trusting in what he can do for them in the midst of the surrounding enemies that are there. And so if I may just look at this term, the order, what is this order? If we go to any dictionary that is to try to understand this word, the basic meaning will be the structure which was erected or put and used for offering sacrifices to God. And we are told that when the seventh month came and the children of Israel were in their towns, the people gathered together as one man. They gathered together as one man. That means they were united in their purpose. And if you notice here, the seventh month that is mentioned, roughly September, this was the month of the great day of atonement. And so, as it is explained in Leviticus chapter 23 verse 26 up to 32. And this was followed by the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles, which was celebrated, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt. And so here, in the first year of their return, they want to make sure that this is clear, that we are reminded of this deliverance that God has been showing to us throughout the years. And here, the Feast of Booths, which is coming alongside the Passover, or the Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Weeks, is one of the great feasts that was being celebrated by the Israelites. And so here we see that God is not simply starting to work among them. They have this realization that God has been working in the past through our forefathers. God has delivered them from exile as he also delivered their fathers from Egypt, the exile in Egypt. And so here, as they celebrate God as their creator, God as their redeemer, they rejoice in this, that God has blessed them, that God has secured them and brought out a people for himself. And that is why they are offering these bent offerings. We are told that they did it in the morning and in the evening. Now, as I had already talked, this building of an order is showing their faith in God. Psalm 20 verse 7 says, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 127 verse one, unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. And so here we see that this is going to be the basic pattern of true believers in God. And as we can see, the construction that is happening here, because they had this fear of the people, we are also told of something similar in the lives of Abraham, Joshua, and the patriarchs as they are entering Canaan. Each of these area buildings occurred in the context of real and potential enemies around them. This shows us that in the present time, God's people must carry on their mission, God's people must carry on their worship of the true and living God, but in so doing, we must not only expect conflict, but trust the Lord through it. Conflict will come, challenges will come, disappointments will come, but we have to trust in this Lord. We do not live in an ideal world. We do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world that is full of sin. And perhaps the season that can be most hurtful for a believer is this season of elections. There's a lot. I mean, the news is just like, I can't wait for this season to be over. But as believers in Christ, we know that our hope is in God. It's not in the political affairs of this world, but it is in God. And so here, they put that forward. They trust in this God. They're burning these offerings almost every day. And so here, we see this also as a picture, as we realize that these sacrifices which were being offered are a picture of the sacrifices, a sacrifice that Christ is going to bring forward. And then we also giving our lives as a sacrifice. So here, God is restoring the people through this worship as they set up this order. God's Word, as it is written in the Law of Moses, was the guiding principle, was the rule of their worship. And here, they are motivated to do that because this is what their fathers have been doing. The priority of rebuilding the altar according to the Word of God shows us what is to be the shape of the Israelites' worship and life. That it should be centered around the Lord God, listening to His Word, and offering up to Him morning and night the sacrifices He desires. And so in the Old Testament, it was the lamps, the grain, and the drink offerings. But here in the New Testament age, we have to think about Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself up for us. A fragrant offering, a sacrifice to God, as Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 2, chapter 5, verse 2. And we who are united to Christ, who gave himself for us as the perfect sacrifice, are called now to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And so we're not offering these physical sacrifices again, but spiritual sacrifices in our love and obedience to God. And so secondly, look with me, the Temple Foundation. The Temple Foundation beginning in verse number eight. Now in the second year, after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel, the son of Sheatel, and Joshua, the son of Josedach, made a beginning together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. And so here we see that they start this building of the foundation of the temple. The foundation laid here was laid in the second year after they had returned from exile. And those who are returned are one in purpose, as we have already been told. And you will also notice that there's the mention of the second month, which is supposed to be a reminder to us of the time that Solomon also laid the foundation of the previous temple. It was also in the second month, which is called Ziv in Hebrew. And so here, it's kind of like a connection of that. This is a continuity of that. And we are told that this is laid in the same place as well as the previous one. The burden of restoration resides not only with the leaders, but also with the people. All the people are together. They are unified in purpose. Everyone is involved. The priests, the kinsmen, All the brothers, the whole community is involved in the construction of the temple. And here we are shown that this unified effort of the Levites was what encouraged the work to keep going. They appointed to supervise the work, young men heading the Levitical families, all they stand together to supervise the work. And so there's a renewed interest in this task. And verse 10 tells us that, and when the Buddhas laid the foundation of the temple, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets and delivered the sons of Asaph with cymbals to praise the Lord according to the directions of David, king of Israel. And so here, we see kind of like, they also want to follow this pattern which was laid by King David in temple worship. The song that is used here, it's also the song that was used when the ark was brought into the temple in 2 Chronicles 5, verse 13. And it was also sung when David brought the ark into Jerusalem. with the climactic request to gather and to deliver us from among the nations. First Chronicles chapter 16, verse 34 to 35. And so here, the returning of the remnant now sings the same song, rejoicing in the privilege to see this prayer answered. Verse 11. And they sang responsibly, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His steadfast love endures forever toward Israel. The goodness of the Lord is on their lips, and they know this endures forever. The Lord has brought them back from exile. They were there many years, but they are finally back, showing the goodness of the Lord And here, we learn that worship often brings different responses, as we can see here. Reflecting human emotions, for some, the shout signals great joy at the arrival of this moment, which was long desired. They shouted, they praised the Lord, because the foundation was laid. But others are crying, because they are looking back And they do not think this temple which is being constructed, this foundation which is being laid, will not match with the previous one. And so that brings sadness to them, the memories that they had. But we see here that the people are together. And actually we see that the shout was even greater than the weeping. Perhaps that shows that there were very few people who were really old at this time. And so here, the temple's foundation is laid. And the chapter ends the way it began. The people of God gather together. They are gathered together. What a blessing when people of God gather together to celebrate a common cause. The laying of the foundation here brings praise, which echoes the celebrations of King David when he prepared for the building of Solomon's Temple. Sadness is mixed with this rejoicing for some They couldn't bear it, but the glory of the Lord was among them. Now, as we think about this temple building, we should also think about the true temple, as I had already alluded to in our first sermon when I started this passage, that Jesus Christ is a true and living temple. Destroy this temple, and in three days, I'll raise it up. All of that was pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is why today we will not find, like to say, we're going to build another temple. Everyone has to take a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It's not happening. So here, the physical return of the people and the building of this temple is looking forward to the spiritual realities of their relationship with God. God desires our repentance under submission to his word. All people must repent and believe in the gospel, in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true and living temple. And as we enter his presence, God requires purification, requires a sacrifice, and it is not the sacrifices of animals, but it's a sacrifice of his perfect and holy son. With the coming of Christ, God himself finally and fully provides for our purification, for the purification of all who trust in him and enter us into his throne through embracing this once-for-all sacrifice, Jesus Christ. True worship is centered in Christ and not in a church or in any place. And remember Jesus when he was talking with the Samaritan woman. In John chapter three, verse 21 to 24, this is what Jesus says. Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know, we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. And so we rejoice in the victory of Christ. We rejoice in Him. True worship is the worship that is focused upon the Lord Jesus Christ. But here we must also sorrow for our own sins. We must cry for our own sins which led Him there on the cross. And so as I conclude this passage, the exile here brings some times of discouragement as they think about the people around them. But they also see the goodness of the Lord. They realize that God is sovereign and gracious to them. And this is what will happen in each and every age of believers. There will be times of discouragement and times of encouragement. But no matter our circumstances, we must respond in worship as we remind one another that God's faithfulness endures forever into eternity as our sure hope. We might have real and continuous fears, times of uncertainty, times of confusion, times of darkness, times of tribulation may come to us as individuals but also corporately. As we heard in prayer, you know, we thank God for this time that we're able to worship freely. But we don't know how long that might be. But we thank God. But even when that time of tribulation comes that we're not able to worship freely, we still give thanks to God. And so we should not take for granted the things that God provides for us. We endure under God's protection, knowing that through the greatest son of David, the Lamb, who is also our shepherd, tribulation will give way to enter us into the throne room of God, where there will be no suffering, no sorrow. And one day, one day, He will rule forever, eternally, and there will be nothing that will come against Him. Let's pray. Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, our sure and living hope. the true temple, true living temple. We thank you for the sacrifice that he offered for our sins. And as your word also commands us that we give our bodies a sacrifice to serve you, Lord, because of what Christ has done. And as we are all being built together into this true spiritual living temple, Help us, Lord, to constantly reflect upon your goodness and your mercy. Be gracious to us and forgive us our sins, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.