Faith Presbyterian Church - Birmingham
At Faith Presbyterian Church we are seeking to exalt Jesus Christ the King and to exhibit and extend his Kingdom through worship, community, and mission.
Faith Presbyterian Church - Birmingham
Ezra 3:7 - 4:6; A Foundation for Perseverance
Martin Wagner August 31, 2025 Faith Presbyterian Church Birmingham, AL Bulletin
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A few weeks ago, we began a series in Ezra and Nehemiah.
Speaker 1:These are two Old Testament books that recount the story of exiles leaving and returning back to Jerusalem where they are going to rebuild the temple, rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem. These are a group of people who are undertaking something significant, something costly, something that's going to require sacrifice and time and energy from them, and we are in a season, as a church, where we're undertaking something significant, something that's going to require time and energy and sacrifice from all of us as well. And so in this series, we're looking at what can we learn from Ezra and Nehemiah as a church in this season. We said that a few weeks ago that we needed a foundation of hope. Jason preached from Ezra 1 and talked about that. We needed to remember that God was going to be faithful to all that he had promised to His people, and last week it was a foundation of worship. When the people returned to the land, they set up the altar, they reinstituted the feast. They knew that there was nothing more important than the worship of God. And so this week we're going to pick up in the middle of chapter 3. The bulletin begins in verse 7. I'm going to begin reading in verse 6. I couldn't decide which verse. You know you had 6, 7. You didn't know where to start, so we are going to start in verse 6 today.
Speaker 1: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 masons and the carpenters, and food and 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 Shealtiel, 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 captivity. They appointed the Levites, from 20 years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the Lord, and Jeshua, with his sons and brothers, and Cadmel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Hinnadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord. The priest and their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, 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 many of the priests and Levites and heads of the father's houses old men who had seen the first house wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundations of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy so that the people could not distinguish the sound of 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.
Speaker 1:Now, when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel in the head of the father's houses and said to him Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do of the father's houses, and said to him let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, but we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Ezerhaddon, king of Assyria, who brought us here. But Zerubbabel, jeshua and the rest of the heads of the father's houses in Israel said to them you have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God, but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as Cyrus, king of Persia, has commanded us and the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build, and bribed the counselors against them to frustrate their purpose. And all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king of Persia, in the reign of Assyrius. In the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah in Jerusalem. Let's pray, our Lord. We confess that we need your help. This morning, as we look to this passage. This can seem so far away from us, removed from what is going on in our lives today, but we pray that, by your Spirit, that you would make this word to us living and active, that it would be sharper than any two-edged sword, that it would divide us, that it would expose our need and that you would remind us again of the sufficient and steadfast love that you have for us in Jesus. And so, lord, come now, give us ears to hear your word. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:If you've ever visited Barcelona, you have no doubt gone to La Sagrada Familia. Familia, it is the famous basilica in Barcelona. Many pictures taken of it, but one of the interesting things about this place is that it's still under construction. Construction on the basilica began back in the 80s, which seems like a really long time ago, until you realize that it began in the 1880s. They've been building this place for over 140 years. They've run out of money several times. The Spanish Civil War halted progress, they lost the plans and they had to redevelop them. There's been economic and political and technological issues they faced all along. For 140 years they've been building this thing, issues they faced all along. For 140 years they've been building this thing. Can you imagine the amount of perseverance it took to make it 140 years and still keep the vision alive?
Speaker 1:The exiles that are rebuilding the temple. They are experiencing opposition, beginning in chapter four, and this opposition that begins in chapter four will continue until the end of Nehemiah. That begins in chapter 4 will continue until the end of Nehemiah. Time after time, they are going to face this opposition and challenges to the progress that God has called them to. And there's no doubt that our church, that we need the same kind of perseverance in this season we are in as a church, and you and I need perseverance in the challenges that we face in a fallen world, need perseverance in the challenges that we face in a fallen world. And so what does this passage have to tell us about how you and I can build a foundation of perseverance? In order to build a foundation of perseverance, this passage shows us three things. First, it shows us that opposition is normal. Secondly, that honesty is needed. And thirdly, that God's love will last. So I actually want to work through the passage backwards. We're going to start in chapter 4 and work our way back to chapter 3. But the first thing we see is that opposition is normal. In Ezra 3, they began this building process. They're very zealous, they're full of energy. As they began, they rebuilt the altar, they laid the foundation of the temple. They've joined together in celebration and the worship of God. But almost immediately they collide with a harsh reality of opposition.
Speaker 1:In verse 1 of chapter 4, the text says that the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard about their building plans. You know, you can read in Ezra up to this point and assume that they're going back into this land and the land was desolate, that there was no one living in the land. But this text reminds us that they had neighbors. They moved back into the land and the neighbors weren't very happy about them moving back. And so the nosy neighbors come out and they want to know about the renovation project that is going on down the street. And the neighbors approach with kindness. They say we would love to help you. We've got a lot in common. We worship the same God. Why don't you let us help you build? And the Israelite leaders see through their offer and they tell them thanks, but no thanks. We alone will rebuild the temple to our Lord.
Speaker 1:And then verse four says that God's people were discouraged and afraid. And you read in the rest of chapter 4, read chapter 5 and chapter 6, it's discouragement after discouragement, story after story of the people around them rising up to discourage them and to frighten them in the rebuilding of the temple. The dreams that they had of a smooth path back to the glory days of Solomon's temple were met with the harsh reality that this what God had called them to, that it was going to take more than they had. It was going to take more than just zeal. But isn't that the way it so often goes in our lives we step out in faith, we're full of energy and zeal and we expect the fact that we're doing this for God. And if we're doing this for God, what that means is it's obviously going to be smooth sailing, that whenever we encounter unexpected resistance, when the opposition comes, when we have setbacks, when there are voices of fear and discouragement, we think well, god, why have you left me? If you're in this, then obviously things should be going easier than they are now.
Speaker 1:Every spring, I am renewed with great zeal to grow a vegetable garden in my backyard. Every spring, I am convinced that this is going to be the year. And so you plant the vegetables, you get everything ready. Spring is there, it's lovely weather, lots of rain, lots of sunshine. Things begin to grow. But then summer comes and weeds begin to grow from every possible direction. Every bug known to man is swarming around the vegetables, animals or eating the vegetables, and I eventually give up and I just go to the grocery store and buy them, with a greater appreciation for farmers and those who work in agriculture.
Speaker 1:And like the exiles in Ezra 4, I find myself faced with my own limits. You and I, in life, we need more than we can supply, and opposition that we faced is not a sign that God has left us. It's not a sign that God has failed. Ezra 4 shows the same truth that runs throughout the whole of Scripture that opposition does not equal abandonment. Think about the Apostle Paul. Nearly every city he went to he faced opposition. There was a riot in Ephesus, he was run out of town. In Thessalonica he was in prison multiple times. Everywhere he went, the spirit moved, but the enemy moved as well, and Paul's path was never smooth sailing. But that did not mean that God abandoned him. It actually meant that God was at work in his ministry, and this is exactly what we see in the life of Jesus. The sinless son of God healed the sick and preached good news to the poor. He lived blamelessly and righteously in every way, but yet he was slandered, he was betrayed and he was ultimately crucified. So if the perfect obedience of the Son of God led to opposition and led to a cross. What are you and I, as sinful human beings, to expect?
Speaker 1:Martin Luther said that our hearts are always tempted toward what he calls a theology of glory. A theology of glory is the idea that if we just have enough faith, if we obey hard enough or we give enough, then God is going to bless us with health and protection and moral improvement and steady progress. Life is about moving onward and upward. Life means more success and more strength and more glory. More glory not for God, but more glory for you and me. But that is not the story of the Bible. Instead, jesus calls us to a theology of the cross, and it is the opposite of the theology of glory. To follow Christ is to die with him.
Speaker 1:Faith in Christ does not mean, does not guarantee, that our life will go easy, but what it does guarantee is that, even in our weakness, that God has promised to do his greatest work. The theology of the cross means that resurrection will only come after death, and that's exactly what Ezra 4 reminds us of. God does not call his people. The projects that we can finish in our own strength, our insufficiency, our discouragement and even our failures are a reminder to us that God has not abandoned us, that our failures, our weakness, our suffering actually preaches the need for a Savior. What we see is that the cross always comes before the crown, that for the Christian, good Friday always precedes Easter Sunday, and so if you and I are going to persevere in what God has called us to, we need to first remember that opposition is normal. But the second point in building a foundation of perseverance is that honesty is needed.
Speaker 1:Let's look back at chapter three. The scene shifts again. There's a time of worship that they're having. We saw that in chapter one, but again in chapter three they get in the land, they rebuild the altar first and the second year it says so they've been back for about a year and they began to rebuild the foundation of the temple. And I want to give just a bit of Old Testament history to show the context of what is going on here. You could argue that the pinnacle of the Old Testament, in terms of the people of God, was the dedication of Solomon's temple. People had finally made it into the land that God had promised. They built this immaculate, majestic temple under the reign of Solomon, and it was a sign of God's blessing, of God's favor upon his people, a sign that God wanted to keep his promises, that God wanted to dwell with his people, and this was grand beyond all that we could imagine. But as a result of the people's rebellion, as a result of their disobedience, they were exiled and the temple, this beautiful temple, was destroyed. And so these people have come back. They've come back to rebuild this magnificent temple and we often call what they're doing they're rebuilding the second temple. They come and come back and this is the temple that will remain in Jerusalem until the time of Jesus. So as they complete the foundation of this second temple, they begin to worship the Lord.
Speaker 1:What's interesting is the responses that the people have. I'm going to read verse 12 again, but many 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. The text stresses that there are two different emotions present on opposite ends of the spectrum. You have the old timers, those who remember the first temple, weeping with a loud voice, and then you have others who are shouting aloud for joy. But it's interesting that you have the same event. You have the same experience, but you have diametrically opposed emotions.
Speaker 1:It doesn't say exactly why they were weeping. They could have been weeping because they remember the first temple and they knew that the second temple wasn't going to be as grand. They could have remembered all the exile, all what they had lost, everything that led to their being exiled. We don't know exactly, but for whatever reason, we had both joy and grief in this worship service. Whatever reason, we had both joy and grief in this worship service and it seems as though God was pleased with both emotions.
Speaker 1:I can imagine if I were one of the happy people in that worship service I would have looked at the sad people and said what's wrong with you? I mean the temple's being rebuilt. Why are you sad? I might've even said I laid some of that foundation. You seem really ungrateful of the work that I've been doing for the last year. Why are you sad? God has kept his promises. We're not in exile anymore, we're in the land. Why are you so sad? I would have interpreted their sadness as a fact that something might be wrong with me or something was wrong with them, but I love that the text says that the sounds of joy and the sounds of grief were so mixed together that you couldn't distinguish one from the other. God didn't rebuke the weepers and he didn't shame the shouters. Both emotions belonged in the worship of the people of God. Their grief and their sadness was not appalling or discouraging to God or the people around them. They were being honest about how they felt in that moment. Some were happy, some were sad, and that seemed to be okay.
Speaker 1:So I want to take a minute to talk to the old-timers at Faith. Those who have been around for a while maybe even remember the old building next door. You have seen and you have experienced a lot at our church. A lot of memories that you have in life are connected to years spent at this church, and a new sanctuary is a great thing, something that we've prayed for, that we have longed for for decades now, and God has been immeasurably more kind to us beyond what we could ask or think or imagine to our church. But even with that, it would make sense that you might feel some sadness as you think about a new sanctuary, not because you're sad about where we're going, but you're sad about what we're leaving behind, because this room, this room, is significant to you.
Speaker 1:You know I've spent the last 20 years of my life worshiping in this room. All three of my kids were baptized here. I stood right there, took my ordination vows and knelt up there at the front, and elders and pastors in our presbytery laid hands on me to ordain me to gospel ministry. I've had some of the most transcendent, blissful moments of my life amongst the people of God, here in worship. I've been in this room for some of the worst, lowest, darkest days of my life, and this room means a lot to me because of the experiences that I've had in this place.
Speaker 1:And change can be hard, because change always involves some kind of loss. And so I am over the moon excited about our new sanctuary. I can't wait to be there. I can't wait for everyone to have a reasonable amount of leg room as they get in and out of Rose. That's going to be really great. But there's also a part of me that's sad. Sad to leave this room because of the memories that it holds. But I've got to be able to hold both of those things at the same time. One doesn't invalidate the other, and so I want to free you up as much as I can. To be sad. I can imagine you might think that sadness is a sign that something's wrong with you or something's wrong with the church, or something's wrong with the people around you, or something may even be wrong with God. But sadness might just mean that something you love is changing, and that's okay.
Speaker 1:The people of God in Ezra. They were able to persevere because they were willing to be honest about their emotions. They didn't hide their grief, they didn't mute their joy. They brought both of them into the presence of God, and God was gracious to meet them there. John Cox is a psychologist. He's spoken at our church on a few occasions before and he likes to say that grief and sadness are transitional emotions, that we can't be sad forever, that God somehow uses sadness that we have in order to heal us, that sadness is one of the things that God gives to us in order to heal us, that sadness is one of the things that God gives to us in order to heal us from the pain that we are experiencing. And so, if we are to persevere, we need to remember that opposition is normal, that honesty is needed and the last thing in verses 8 to 11, we see the deepest foundation for perseverance, and that is to remember that the love of God will last.
Speaker 1:So the exiles have been back in the land for two years now. They rebuilt the altar, they have re-established daily sacrifices and finally the foundation of the temple was laid. You can imagine that this is a day that they thought would never come. They've been in exile for a long time, and so what do they do first? What's the first thing they do after laying the foundation of the temple? Verse 11 says they sang responsibly, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. First words that they sang within the bounds of their new temple were not words about themselves. They were not words about how great this place was going to be. They were words about the faithfulness of God.
Speaker 1:And think about what these people had endured 70 long years in exile, decades of uncertainty, of wondering if God had forgotten them. They'd seen Jerusalem destroyed. Their temple had been reduced to rubble. Some of them had been carried away as children. Their entire lives were spent as strangers in a strange land, and can you imagine the doubts that must have filled their hearts? Maybe they thought the covenant had been broken. Maybe they thought that they had sinned too much that God had given up on them. But yet here they are. They are back in the land, the altar is restored, the foundation is laid and the first words that they sing for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever. Do you see what they're saying? Do you see what it is that they are confessing? The exile didn't last forever. The steadfast love of the Lord did Our failures. Our sin and our failures did not outlast the faithfulness of God. Our sins did not break God's covenant with us. What is going to allow you and me to persevere in what we are facing in life? It is to remember that the steadfast love of God will outlast whatever we are facing today.
Speaker 1:Maybe for you it's a diagnosis. Maybe for you it's a chronic illness that has stolen your strength, that has changed the plans that you thought you would have for your life. It's a disease that's robbing your memory and your cognitive function. Maybe it's a broken relationship that you have doubts that will ever heal, or the heaviness of grief that never seems to loosen its grip. Maybe it's a besetting sin or some addiction that you have and you wonder is God going to finally grow weary of me? Is God going to regret ever getting involved in my situation. And in these moments you wonder, just like the exiles must have has God forgotten me? Is this suffering going to last forever?
Speaker 1:Ezra 3 is a reminder to us that no, it won't.
Speaker 1:God's love will last forever and your suffering will not.
Speaker 1:Your suffering has an expiration date.
Speaker 1:Your depression has an expiration date. Your cancer has an expiration date. Your addiction has an expiration date, but the steadfast love of the Lord will never expire. It will last every diagnosis, every heartache, every sin, every death, every grave. We know that God hears us when we pray to him. Today, psalm 56 is a reminder to us that God bottles our tears for us, he counts our tossings, he knows our sleepless nights and sometimes, in the kindness and mercy of God, we receive what we've prayed for. We receive a reconciliation or remission or a prodigal child that returns home. But sometimes those answers don't come this side of heaven. Sometimes the healing and the restoration and the redemption that you and I long for will only be received when Jesus makes all things new and one day, in a new heavens and a new earth, you and I, and all of the people of God, we will join together with the people of Ezra 3 and we will sing the same song. For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. And you and I, on that day, we will know in full what we only know in part right now that every tear we cried, every season of waiting, every long night of doubt was carried by the unshakable love of God for you in Christ, because here's the good news of Ezra 3. All of this the temple and the foundations and the altar and the sacrifices, all of what's going on in Ezra is pointing us to Christ, who is the true and the final temple.
Speaker 1:The temple, as glorious as it was, as glorious as what they were building, this second temple had an expiration date. Like Solomon's temple before it, it would one day be destroyed. It was never meant to be the ultimate meeting place of God and his people. It was a signpost pointing them to something greater. The temple is the place where heaven and earth met, where God chose and showed that he would dwell with his people. The temple was the enduring sign to the people that God was with them, that he desired a relationship with them.
Speaker 1:But in Jesus we see the true and better temple. In Jesus we see the one in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. He is now. Jesus is now where heaven and earth meet for us. He is the one, john 1, who says, tabernacled among us. He is the one who said destroy this temple. And speaking of his body. And he said three days. I will raise it up For this passage, for Ezra 3 and 4, to be more than just sentimental optimism for you and I one day.
Speaker 1:For this to be true for us, christ had to die. Jesus had to die for our sins. Jesus endured the full weight of our exile, of our sin and our shame and our judgment, so that you and I could be brought home to God. Jesus is now the temple where you and I meet God, not in a building made by human hands, but in Christ. You and I draw near to God. His is the sacrifice that covers sin, the foundation that will never crack or crumble.
Speaker 1:And so in Romans 8, when Paul says that nothing will separate us, when he says that nothing, not tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ, he meant it, because not exile or opposition, or suffering or even death can separate a child of God from their Savior, jesus Christ, and so that is why you and I can persevere when we have nothing left is because the love of God will last for us as well. God's love for you does not rise and fall based upon circumstances or your performance, but it lasts forever. We can persevere because Christ is the one who persevered first. He endured the cross, he scorned its shame and sat down at the right hand of God, and his perseverance guarantees that you and I will make it home one day. And so, whatever you are facing today I want you to hear this it will not outlast the love of God.
Speaker 1:One day, your exile will end, your tears will be wiped away and your voice will join that eternal chorus around the throne of God, and we will sing. For he is good, his steadfast love endures forever. Let's pray, our Father. We pray that you would help us to believe this word, that you would take it and that you would multiply it by the work of the Spirit in our hearts. Lord, we pray that, whatever we face, that we would remember and believe that your steadfast love endures forever. And so we pray for your mercy to us as we come to the table. Feed us again. We pray in Jesus' name Amen.