I invite you to take your Bibles and to turn with me to our text today, as it's found in Ezra 1, verses 4-11. Now, verse 4, which I'm reading as a part of our text, is actually part of the decree of Cyrus. But I didn't really cover this verse in the sermon last time we met, and so I wanted to include it as a part of our text this Lord's Day so you'll understand that as we begin reading verse 4, it's a part of what precedes it. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered. Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods. Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithradath, the treasurer, and numbered them unto Shesh-bazar, the prince of Judah. And this is the number of them, thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, and nine and twenty knives, thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Shesh Bezar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. There are givers and there are takers in this world. And that is true in the family and in the church and in the state. There are those who see their mission in life to serve Christ and others. And there are those who see their mission in life to use Christ and others to serve themselves. Just as the Christian, dear ones, loves God because God first loved him, according to 1 John 4, 19. So it may also be said that the Christian gives of himself or of herself because God first gave his only begotten son to be the propitiation or satisfaction for our sins. as his people. Dear ones, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the response of faith and obedience in the life of the Christian may be summarized by that one word, give. Consider the words of Christ in Matthew 10.8, freely ye have received freely give. Or in Acts 20 verse 35, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Although it is Christ who as head of the church builds his church, clearly according to Matthew 16, 18, Jesus says, I will build my church, I will build it, Jesus says. and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Nevertheless, it is you and I that Christ uses as agents to build his church and to advance his kingdom. In fact, I submit to you, dear ones, one of the most distinguishable evidences of the work of God's grace in the life of a Christian will be our earnest desire and prayer to give ourselves wholeheartedly to Christ, without reservation, to give ourselves wholeheartedly to Christ, and to give our time, to give our talents, and to give our treasures to building the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ and advancing the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now believe me, friends, Satan and his agents have dedicated themselves, have dedicated all their time, all their talents, and all their treasures to building the kingdom of every false religion and to destroy the true religion of Jesus Christ. That's what they are dedicated to, and they've dedicated all that they are to accomplishing that. I wonder, dear ones, where have we allowed the cares of this life, a giving of ourselves to our own mere kingdom, a passive neutrality in advancing the kingdom of Christ in our lives and in our families and in the church and in the state. God have mercy upon us and raise up a spirit within us to give ourselves wholeheartedly in advancing a holy reformation in all areas of life as we shall see the Lord did for his people in Ezra chapter 1. This Lord's Day We shall consider from our text in Ezra 1, verses 4-11 how the Lord delights to stir up the spirit of people to freely give of themselves to build His church and to advance His kingdom. The main points from the text are the following. The first main point, the giving of the people in building the church in Ezra 1, verses 4-6. The second main point, the giving of the fathers and the ministers in building the church in Ezra 1.5. And the third main point, the giving of the king in building the church in Ezra 1.7-11. Let us consider our first main point, the giving of the people in building the church. Look with me once again at Ezra 1, verses 4 and 6. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things besides all that was willingly offered." Dear ones, there is a role for all Christians to play in building Christ's church and in advancing Christ's kingdom. Whether young or old, whether male or female, whether scholars or students, whether rich or poor, everyone has a place in advancing the kingdom of Christ. Dear Christian, you cannot excuse yourself because you do not have the training because you do not have the gifts or because you do not have the resources needed to build Christ's church and to advance Christ's kingdom. You are qualified because you have heard and believed the gospel of salvation, God's gift to you. And because God has given to you, you are to give to others. you are qualified, if you have received by faith alone God's gift of salvation. Consider how the Lord chose common, ordinary people to give in building His church. Actually, His temple, which according to the New Testament, the temple was simply a prefiguring of the New Testament church of Jesus Christ. You'll recall that from the previous sermon that King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree at the command of Jehovah God for the scattered Israelites throughout his kingdom to prepare themselves to leave their Assyrian and Babylonian captivity in order to return to the land of promise and to rebuild the temple of God as we see in Ezra 1 verses 1-3. But many of those whose spirits were stirred up by the Lord to return to Palestine and to begin rebuilding the Temple of the Lord were those who were not able to financially afford this long extended trip from Babylon to Jerusalem. According to Ezra 7-9, this was a 120 day journey. four months. It's estimated that going by means of the trade routes that this was an 800 to 900 mile journey. And those who were just common ordinary people didn't have the financial means to be able to make such a journey. And once they arrived there, among the ruins to be able to survive and to live without the help of others. Thus we read within the decree of Cyrus the following words in Ezra 1.4, with silver and with gold and with goods and with beasts beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. In other words, everyone wants to have a part in rebuilding the temple that lay in ruins 800 or 900 miles away from Babylon there in Jerusalem. There were those who were to actually make the journey and to use their hands in very tangible ways to rebuild the temple. These same ones would no doubt be more likely to face the assaults of the enemy along the way and once they arrived there. They would face dangers that those who remained in Babylon would not face. And there were also those who were to financially contribute, not only those who were to go, but those who were to financially contribute to their journey. Those who would fund them as their representatives in going forth to rebuild the temple. We might say it this way, no one was to sit back in the bleachers as a mere observer and watch this redemptive drama play out from a distance. Everyone was to be involved in some capacity, in some way. This is also made clear in what is stated in Ezra 1.6 where it says, And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things beside all that was willingly offered. So you see, dear ones, from Ezra 1.4 and from Ezra 1.6 we see that there were two stated purposes and uses of the money and material gifts. The first purpose and use had to do with the needs of the people in general who were making the journey and doing the hands-on work of rebuilding the temple and advancing God's kingdom. And then there was a second purpose in use in giving. The second had to do with the needs of the temple itself and of its ministers, which was the purpose of what is called the free will offering that's mentioned in these verses, Ezra 1.4 and Ezra 1.6. says in Ezra 1-4, besides the free will offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. You see the free will offering was a gift given to God for the support of the temple worship and for the support of God's ministers who led the temple worship, the priests and the Levites. According to various passages in Exodus and in other places of the Old Testament. Even though those who gave their free will offerings to the support of the temple and its ministry were to remain in Babylon and elsewhere in the Persian Empire and would not directly benefit from a face-to-face ministry in their immediate location where they lived. They gave to the support of the church and to the advance of God's kingdom in lifting up the hands of the ministry who would serve the Lord there in Jerusalem, a four month journey away from Babylon. Dear ones, likewise, in our offerings that we offer unto the Lord in the New Covenant age. There are offerings made with a view to helping those who have a legitimate need, whether they are near or whether they are far away, as the churches helped supply the desperate needs of Christians that endured the famine in Jerusalem, as we see in 1 Corinthians 16 verses 1-3. Not only are there offerings to be given for the support of those who have legitimate needs, but there are also to be given in our offerings that which goes to be toward the support of the ministry, whether it is near or whether it is far away. We read in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verses 13 and 14 1st Corinthians chapter 9 verses 13 to 14 do you not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. Likewise we read in Galatians chapter 6 verse 6 Galatians 6 verse 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate that is share unto him that teacheth in all good things. That is, communicators share with him by way of material benefit. Likewise, we see that Paul's needs were supplied by various churches even while he was ministering in other locations. You'll maybe want to consult 2 Corinthians 11 9 and Philippians chapter 4. verses 10 through 18. Not everyone, dear ones, is certainly able to give what others may offer or give to the Lord. We can only give from what we have and not from what we do not have. But the Lord looks more, and this is so important, the Lord looks more upon the heart of gratitude and thanksgiving, from which offerings proceed than upon the specific amount that is given." Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9, verses 6-8. But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart shall let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. So I ask you, do we give to the Lord's work cheerfully, or do we give begrudgingly, or do we give it all? Since giving is a grace, giving is a grace bestowed upon us by the Holy Spirit, that giving, that is the work of God's grace within us, will proceed from a free, gracious, and cheerful heart for all that the Lord has freely, graciously, and cheerfully given to us in Christ. We give because he's first given to us. Our second main point is this, the giving of the fathers and the ministers in building the church in Ezra 1.5. There we read, "...then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah, and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem." In addition to the common ordinary people whose spirit the Lord raised up to give of themselves in rebuilding the temple and in advancing the kingdom of God as we noted in Ezra 1 verses 4 and 6. The Lord also worked in the hearts of the chief fathers of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. These were the heads of the chief families of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. These men held a particularly significant role as the patriarchs of the families who descended from Judah and Benjamin, the sons of Jacob. The reason that fathers are mentioned here among those whose spirit the Lord had raised to go up to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem is because, I submit to you, because of the chief leadership role that fathers have in families. That is not to diminish the important role that a mother has in the family in supporting the father and in representing the father when he is not present, but the scripture recognizes that it is primarily the role of the husband and of the father to lead his family. Husbands and fathers cannot trample upon and dishonor their wives and the mothers of their children by their harsh words, by their anger, by their selfishness and self-centeredness, and yet look upon themselves as the leaders God will use to promote reformation in their families or in the church. To the contrary, wives and mothers are to be honored as, quote, the weaker vessel, end of quote, and as, quote, being heirs together of the grace of life, end of quote. And if a husband and a father does not bestow such honor upon his wife and the mother of his children, the Lord will cut off his prayers. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Note here how Christ as head of his church gave himself for her. The Lord did not treat his bride as a doormat, but willingly laid down his life for her in order to save her, in order to protect her, in order to purify her, and in order to sanctify her. Where a man rules his family without giving himself in service to his wife and children, but rather expecting them to give of themselves to serve him as the head of the family. That man will not likely lead his family to Christ, but will more likely drive them away from Christ. For those who are led, mark it down, for those who are led must know their leader loves them and is willing to give his life for them. and has their best interests at heart in the decisions that are made. That he's not thinking of himself, but he's thinking of those whom he loves. Dear ones, God has not established a matriarchy in the God-ordained institutions of the family, church, or state, but rather he has established a patriarchy Notice in 1 Peter 3 verses 5 and 6. 1 Peter 3 verses 5 and 6 with regard to the family. Who is the leader in the family? There we read, In the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves being in subjection unto their husbands, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. Likewise, we see in the church that God is established, that it is male leadership that is to guide in the church. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 12, 1 Timothy 2.12, the Apostle Paul says, But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence within the church. And finally, in the state We find in Isaiah 3, verse 12, these words from the prophet. As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths. Here, the Prophet, speaking on behalf of God, says as shameful that their children are leading the leaders and that their wives or their daughters are really the strong hand behind the men. That it's really the children and the women who are leading and not the men who are leading. He says it to their shame and to their reproach that this is the case. Obviously, where there is no husband or father in the home, a mother must lead her children in being willing to lay down her life for them. However, the absence or abdication of loving, self-sacrificial male leadership in the home is a huge contributing factor to the breakdown of the family and to the aimlessness and spiritual vacuum of children who innately, by God's design, look to fathers for loving leadership, biblical guidance, and godly examples in their lives. Well, what should single mothers do where there is no godly father in the home? Well, I would suggest they encourage their children to look to the help and guidance of proven, faithful, loving, godly fathers in the church who may provide some example of male leadership in their lives. Dear ones, one of the stated promises and purposes of the ministry and preaching of John the Baptist, whom Christ called Elijah, who was to come, as we see in Matthew 11, 14, was to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, as we find in Malachi 4, 6. In the preaching of John the Baptist, both the fathers and children were restored to a biblical faith and living out their biblical faith in the context of the home. They were obviously first shaken in their hearts in turning in faith to Christ and repenting of their sin at the personal level. but that affected how they related to one another in the family. Dear ones, faithful preaching turns needy sinners to Christ and the gospel, which not only transforms individual lives, but also transforms then the family and transforms from the family, the church. and from the church transforms the state by the mercy and by the power of Jesus Christ. I submit to you, dear ones, if our covenanted, reformed doctrine is not turning the hearts of husbands to your wives and vice versa, and the hearts of fathers to your children and vice versa, than it is, I submit to you, a knowledge that merely puffs up, rather than a knowledge that edifies, even though it may be the biblical faith, and though it, I believe, is the biblical faith. It is a knowledge that lacks love and is the mere loud noise Here we see in Ezra 1.5 that God raised up the spirit of the fathers to lead their families and tribes by their willing example to endure the hardships they would face in seeking to build the Kingdom of God. These fathers were willing to give their lives in leading their families in advancing the kingdom of God and promoting the reformation of the one true biblical religion. The church will only have, dear ones, the godly, biblical, capable leadership of ministers and elders to the degree that the family has such. Dear single men, dear young men, are you working diligently by God's grace to be the godly and biblical leader that God calls you to be long before you are married? Dear single women and young ladies, Do you earnestly desire and pray for, by God's grace, to wait for such a godly and biblical man to lovingly and faithfully lead you and the children God gives you? This is why an extended courtship, rather than a few dates, is necessary to evidence such qualities in a man who is prepared to lead a family. How about you? Dear Christian husbands and fathers, how important is it to you to give yourself to the Lord and to give yourself to your families and lovingly leading your families to trust, to love, and to obey Christ and whatsoever he has commanded us to believe and to practice. But the Lord also raised up the hearts of the priests and Levites, our text says, in giving themselves to rebuild the temple and to restore the faithful ministry of doctrine and worship to God's people in Ezra 1.5 where we read, Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites. Beloved, if there would be a reformation in restoring the temple, that is the Church of Jesus Christ, that has fallen into great disrepair due to heresy and schism and idolatry, the Lord must raise up faithful ministers to give themselves to preaching the gospel, yea, even the whole counsel of God, and leading God's people into pure worship. and in correcting God's people in love when the sheep go astray. The fields, Jesus says, are white unto harvest. It's ready to be reaped. And what is needed, dear ones, are faithful gospel officers to go forth and to reap the harvest by means of faithful preaching of the gospel that turns the hearts of people away from their sin and their own self-righteousness so as to look by faith alone upon Christ as their only righteousness and only hope of eternal salvation. Such gospel preaching will indeed focus on the needs of individuals to turn to Christ, but it will also focus on the need of the family and of the church and of the nation to turn to Christ. For dear ones, there is a moral person to a family. There is a moral person to the church, and there is a moral person to the nation, just as there is a moral person to the individual. The family, the church, and the state can't simply do what they want to do, they're all bound by the law of God, just as the individual is. And wherever there is a moral person that has been instituted by God and is bound by God's moral law, there is a moral person that needs the gospel of Jesus Christ through faith in Christ and sanctification by the Spirit of Christ in illuminating God's will by means of God's moral law in the hands of the mediator. A love and desire for Christ will issue forth in a love for a faithful gospel ministry to rebuild Christ's church and to advance Christ's kingdom. It can't be any other way. If you really love Christ, you're really going to earnestly desire and pray for God to raise up faithful ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Is it your constant prayer, dear ones, that God would stir up the hearts of faithful ministers to trumpet forth the true gospel that proclaims to men a Savior who is ready and willing to save even the chief of sinners, who look not to their own faith, who look not to their own repentance, who look not to their own love, who look not to their own obedience as the ground of their salvation, but who look to Christ and His perfect righteousness as the only ground for their justification and sanctification and glorification. Beloved, it is a popish faith that looks inside for the qualification to come to Christ. However, it is a saving faith that looks outside oneself to Jesus Christ alone as he is freely offered in the gospel as being that and that alone qualification to come to Christ. We need gospel officers to be willing to lay down their lives for the pure gospel, for the pure gospel worship of God, for pure Presbyterian church government, and for the pure covenant of reformation of Christ's church. Is this, dear ones, your constant prayer and earnest desire that burns within you? Third and final point. is this, the giving of the king and building the church. In Ezra 1, verses 7 through 11, where we read, Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods. Even those did Cyrus king of Persia, bringing forth by the hand of Mithridath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Shesh-bazar, the prince of Judah. And this is the number of them, thirty charges of gold, a thousand charges of silver, nine and twenty knives, thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort, four hundred and ten, and other vessels, a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazer bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. Cyrus not only issues the decree to set God's people free from Babylonian captivity in order to rebuild the temple, but he also gives unto God's people the sacred vessels that had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple in Jerusalem, according to Ezra 1.7, and also gives the financial support to rebuild the fallen Temple of God from his own royal treasury, according to Ezra 6.4. You'll have to jump ahead to see that actually Cyrus commanded that funds be taken from his own royal treasury, not simply restore the vessels that were taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the temple in Jerusalem, but that funds be taken from his own royal treasure to fund the trip and to help him establish the rebuilding of the temple. Dear ones, I submit that we see here the duty of the civil magistrate to actively promote the reformation of the one true religion of the Lord. Whereas the sacred vessels that had been used within the temple of the living God were stolen and hijacked by Nebuchadnezzar, placed alongside the objects of worship within his pagan temple, and profaned in a blasphemous and drunken gathering by Belshazzar, Cyrus actively restores to God's people the sacred vessels of God's worship as holy ordinances to be used in the worship of God there in Jerusalem. The civil magistrate, we are told in Romans 13.4, has been instituted by God to be the minister of God for the good of God's people. As such, the civil magistrate is not to be neutral when it comes to the only true religion of biblical Christianity. For in Ezra chapter 1, Cyrus, a Gentile king, is moved by God and by God's word to provide for and preserve God's true religion and pure worship of Jehovah God. You see, there was the role of a civil magistrate in promoting the one true religion taught in Scripture. It was not simply the role of those Jewish kings and princes, but was the duty of Gentile kings and princes as well. So for all of those who would say, well sure, if we go to the Old Testament, we're going to find how God commanded the the Jewish kings to support the temple and the ministry and the worship of God because it was a theocratic Nation and and you know, you can go on and fill in the blanks, but here we find That God commanded a Gentile king To provide of his own royal treasury to build the temple of God to establish the faithful worship of to the living God in that temple, to provide for the ministry in doing so. And for this reason, dear ones, the religious pluralism and national polytheism established within this nation today, I submit to you, is to strike Christ in the face with our national fist. rather than to kiss Christ with our national lips as we were commanded to do in Psalm 2 verses 10-12. The civil magistrate, dear ones, is not to usurp the place of Christ for sure. He is not to take the place of Christ who alone is the head of the church, nor is the civil magistrate to exercise the keys of the kingdom which belong only to Christ's ministers and elders. However, the civil magistrate is to be a national father in protecting and promoting the one true religion of biblical Christianity and in suppressing heresy, idolatry, and blasphemy within his national family. If the Christian father in a family is bound to do so, to protect his family, to suppress to suppress heresy, to suppress a blasphemy within his own family. I submit to you that likewise a Christian national father is bound to do the same thing within his national family. That is why we pray for, or that is what we pray for, and that is what we hope for when Christ returns by way of His glory, not physically, but by way of his glorious manifestation spiritually pouring forth his blessing as he sits at the right hand of God and we see the nations coming to Christ and even Israel restored unto the Lord Jesus Christ at the time of the millennium. I simply note in passing here that Cyrus not only restored to God's people the sacred vessels of the temple that had been taken and profaned, but he also gave from his own royal treasury to support the reformation of true biblical religion. I noted that earlier, but I simply want to emphasize that once again. Finally, in conclusion from our text, Cyrus also gave to God's people their own faithful prince. their own faithful prince to rule over them in Judah, Sheshbazer, the prince of Judah, who I submit is one and the same with Zerubbabel, mentioned in Ezra chapter 2 verse 2, very first person mentioned in verse 2, as those who came from Babylon. Sheshbazer is not mentioned at all, Zerubbabel is. And just as the Babylonians gave to Daniel a Babylonian name, you'll recall Belteshazzar in Daniel 4.19, so I would submit Zerubbabel was likewise given a Babylonian name, Sheshbazer. But both Sheshbazer and Zerubbabel are identified as the governor of Judah just after the return of God's people from Babylonian captivity. Shesh Bazar is mentioned as the governor in Ezra 5.14 and Zerubbabel is mentioned as the governor in Haggai 1.14 and 2.21. Furthermore, both Shesh Bazar and Zerubbabel are identified as the one who laid the foundation of the temple. Shesh Bazar in Ezra 5, 16 and Zerubbabel in Ezra 3, verses 8-11 and in Zechariah 4, 9. Now we'll have much more to say about Zerubbabel in future sermons, but suffice it to say at the present time that he was a royal descendant of King David and within the royal line from whom the Lord Jesus Christ himself descended. The Osiris gave to the people of God a type of Christ to come to be their governor and their ruler. Dear ones, a national reformation of biblical Christianity as the one true religion of that nation will require individuals to give of themselves to give of their resources wholeheartedly to build Christ's church rather than sitting back in the bleachers or watching the game on TV. It will require fathers to give of themselves to lead their families in righteousness and truth. It will require ministers and elders to give of themselves in faithfully sending forth the gospel and the whole counsel of God and leading God's sheep. regardless of the persecution and opposition they may face. And it will require civil magistrates to promote and establish biblical Christianity as the national religion. This is what the Lord accomplished, not only in this reformation in Ezra, but this is what the Lord also accomplished in the reformations in Europe, and especially in Scotland, in the first and in the second reformations. in the 16th and 17th centuries. Well, where do we begin? We begin, dear ones, today by giving ourselves. Giving ourselves and from there we move to giving our families, giving our church, and giving our state to the Lord. We begin by embracing through faith alone the gospel of Jesus Christ and expressing our thankful hearts for God's unspeakable gift to undeserving sinners like you and me by giving ourselves our time, our talents, and our treasures to promoting reformation in the family, in the church, and in the state. For Jesus Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 9.15, is that indescribable, unspeakable gift that God has given to us. Dear ones, a thankful heart, a thankful heart for all that Christ has given to you and me will be evidenced in a heart that cheerfully gives to promote Christ's kingdom in the family, in the church, and in the state. Let us stand in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we do praise Thee and thank Thee for the unspeakable gift of Thy dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. For that gift, O Lord, has made us rich. That gift, O Lord, has given to us all that we need in this life and in the life to come. If we have Jesus Christ, O Lord, we have all. We have everything. And Lord, that ought to produce within our lives such joy and cheerfulness that we are willing to give of ourselves, to give of our time and talents and treasures, to build the kingdom of Christ within our families, within the church and within the state. Oh God, we pray. that Thou would minister to us by Thy Spirit, that Thou would forgive us, Lord, of our laxity, of our indifference. Forgive us, O Lord, our God, of our neutrality and our lukewarmness, and grant to us a holy zeal, O God, for the kingdom of Christ. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Still Waters Revival Books is now located at PuritanDownloads.com. It's your worldwide online Reformation home for the very best in free and discounted classic and contemporary Puritan and Reformed books, mp3s, and videos. 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