God put Israel in time out…for 50 years.

The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem & the Temple of God

Ezra 1:1 (NIV) 1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing.

page 263 of The Story

It is the Lord. He moved the

heart of a pagan king.

Ezra 1:2 (NIV) 2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “ ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

Sometimes we can look around

and despair. We ask, “Where is God? Can God fix this mess?

Does God have a plan?”

Trust in God. He can even use

secular Governments to

finance and promote God’s

work.

Ezra 1:3 (NIV) 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.

They were sent with an express

purpose: To rebuild the

temple.

Ezra 1:4 (NIV) 4 And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ”

Ezra 1:5 (NIV) 5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

Restoration, renewal, and

revival—begins with God stirring

a heart.

What do you see in your world

that needs the movement of God upon our

hearts to change it?

Ezra 3:1 (NIV) 1 When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem.

Ezra 3:2 (NIV) 2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

Renewal begins with worship.

Restoration begins with

worship. Revival begins with

worship.

Ezra 3:3 (NIV) 3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.

Ezra 3:11 (NIV) 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.

Ezra 3:13 (NIV) 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

Return of Israel from exile back to Jerusalem

The foundation of the altar is rebuilt by Zerubbabel

Ezra 4:4–5 (NIV) 4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. 5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra 4:24 (NIV) 24 Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Opposition came, and

they gave up.

Haggai 1:1 (NIV) 1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:

Haggai 1:2 (NIV) 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’ 

Haggai 1:3–4 (NIV) 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

Haggai 1:5–6 (NIV) 5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

Haggai 1:7–8 (NIV) 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD.

Haggai 1:9 (NIV) 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

They had forgotten the

mission.

The reason God stirred their

hearts was IN ORDER TO BUILD

THE TEMPLE

Haggai 1:10–11 (NIV) 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Haggai 1:12 (NIV) 12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.

When God rebukes you,

through circumstances, through direct instruction, or

through moving your heart—our response must

be to move with Him.

Haggai 1:13 (NIV) 13 Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,” declares the LORD.

Haggai 1:14 (NIV) 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God,

Key Point: God will not be left on the back burner,

while you “get on with your life.”

He will pursue you until you

return to Him.

God can never be put into the closet

of lost passion. God is either the big thing or he is

nothing.

C. S. Lewis wrote:

“If we put first things first, we get the second things thrown in; but if we put second things first, we lose both the first and second things.”

Revelation 2:4–5 (NIV) 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.