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The Number One Priority

Sermon Transcript

The following is a lightly edited transcript generated from the audio; it may contain small errors.

Scripture Reading

The book of Ezra, starting in chapter 1, verse 1.

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

(Ezra 1:1–11)

Opening Prayer

Let’s pray. Father, we thank you that you are a good and righteous God. We thank you that you rule over the nations of this earth. Lord, we do come before you and ask for mercy upon our nation, Lord. Many, many amendments and propositions passed, not just in Missouri but throughout this nation, that are awful and horrible. God, forgive us for that. May we be a people that endeavor to enact and pass laws that please you, that protect life, that go before you and honor you, Lord. So forgive us, forgive the church, forgive this nation for failing in that respect this past Tuesday.

We thank you, Lord, that our hope is in you and no other. We thank you, Lord, that kingdoms will come and be risen and kingdoms will fall, Lord, but your word will remain forever. So may our hope be in you, the one true God, and in your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray as we begin this book that you would help us to see clearly in your word what you have for us in the book of Ezra. We pray, Father, that you would bless our time now. We pray, God, for a blessing upon our children, that you would be with them regardless of their age, that you would bless their children. They would be quick to know you, have hearts to serve you, Lord, and be first to put you above all. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

Placing Ezra in History

All right, we’re starting our third book in like two months, all right? So don’t ever say it can’t be done, not here, all right? So we’re in the book of Ezra. Let’s put this in the chronology of the last few books that we’re going through, and in the biblical chronology.

So this is the first wave of the exiles that return from being in captivity. And so Zerubbabel, we saw his name mentioned, and Jeshua. I know the NIV says Joshua; that’s fine. But Jeshua is what most versions say. They’re the ones that are really the leaders that bring the people back, and they have a mission: rebuild the temple. The prophets at the time are Haggai and Zechariah. We just went through Haggai a couple months ago, so some of this will sound a little bit familiar. And it is between this first wave and the second wave that the book of Esther occurs. So basically the first six chapters of Ezra occur, then the book of Esther, chronologically speaking, occurs, and then the second wave occurs. Ezra is part of the second wave, so he actually doesn’t even get mentioned in his own book until chapter 7. All right? Go figure.

So in the biblical order, it means Ezra 1 through 6 occurs; that’s the first wave of exiles. Then the book of Esther, then Ezra 7 through 10, and then Nehemiah. So from the time the first wave returns to the time of Esther, just to kind of help you out, are we talking hundreds of years, are we talking shorter? From the time the first wave returns, which is what we’re looking at today, to the time of Esther, it’s about 55 years. Okay, so not too long. From the time the temple is rebuilt—remember it takes them some time to rebuild the temple; they’re disobedient, which is what we looked at in the book of Haggai—it’s about 33 years. And then, just so you can have it, from the end of Esther to the second wave, which Ezra leads, it’s about 15 years.

So it seems in all likelihood, though it’s not mentioned, that Zerubbabel and Jeshua likely would have been alive and would have defended themselves and defended Jerusalem when the events of Esther occur and they get to take up arms and defend themselves. It also is almost certain that Ezra would have been a part of the group. He would have actually been still in the Persian kingdom, but he would have been there, and he would have been part of the group of the Jews that picked up arms and defended themselves and killed their adversaries.

Let’s talk just briefly about the kingship. There’s a king mentioned here. This is Cyrus the Second, also known as Cyrus the Great. He’s the one that issues the decree for the exiles to return. Then you have about an eight-year reign of Cambyses, and then there’s a very short reign of six months by what most call an imposter. I believe it’s pronounced Bardiya. And then you get Darius the Great. So Cyrus issued the decree for them to return. It’s once we get to Darius that they actually start rebuilding the temple, and that’s when you get Haggai prophesying. After that you get Xerxes, which we know very well by his Hebrew name, Ahasuerus; that’s the book of Esther. And then after that, when Ezra returns, that’s actually under another king, and that’s Artaxerxes. You’ve probably heard of Xerxes and Artaxerxes, so that’s when Ezra returns.

One Story of Redemption

But I want us to notice a couple things as we start to dig into this book just a little bit. It’s individual stories, but these individual stories comprise one big story. So you might have missed this before. Are you guys in Ezra? You got your Bibles open? Go back one page to 2 Chronicles 36. Right at the very end of 2 Chronicles 36, let’s read those two verses, starting in verse 22.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

(2 Chronicles 36:22–23)

So notice that Ezra, the first three verses of Ezra chapter 1, begin by essentially repeating the last two verses of 2 Chronicles. Well, what’s the idea? It’s like this story is being woven, and it’s just continuing on and on and on.

We saw this a while back when I spoke a couple months ago, and I want to point it out again in Leviticus chapter 1, because I bet some of you missed it. Hold your place in Ezra, but go to Leviticus. Are y’all there? Good. So Leviticus 1 starts, “The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting,” right? Well, here’s the interesting thing: that word “Lord” in the first part of the verse, it’s actually not there. It just says, “He called Moses and spoke to him.” Well, why would you begin a book with “He”? Like, what’s the subject? Well, we actually find out the subject one page before, in the previous book, Exodus. So if you again turn back one page, in Exodus chapter 40, starting in verse 34:

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

(Exodus 40:34–38)

If you just keep reading, it would make sense: “He called Moses and spoke to him.” Well, what is it? Well, we just talked about what’s going on in the tent of meeting. And then it gives us some parenthetical information in 36 through 38; it’s like, hey, if the cloud doesn’t move, the Israelites don’t move. But the context there is what? In verse 34 of Exodus 40: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, and Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Then going to Leviticus 1, “He called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting.” I mean, it’s just this continuous flow that’s going on from Exodus 40, boom, right into Leviticus 1.

There’s a cohesive message that God sends over and over again. It’s one story that has many, many stories within the one story, but the cohesive message is God looking to redeem a people for his own pleasure. And the story goes on and on and on and on. And here we are.

That’s the challenge sometimes when you have your Bible reading program, and it’s like, oh, today you’re going to read Exodus 39 and 40, right? Rarely does it have you go into the next book in your same little Bible reading time, right? Well, then you kind of miss that. Our translators in Leviticus don’t help us out much either by inserting “the Lord.” They should at least have—and I don’t think it has it—yeah, they should at least have a little footnote or something, but at least my version doesn’t.

But why is that? So that we can see that God’s working a plan that he had from the beginning of time, and really before the beginning of time. So it’s just one continuous, one cohesive message. So here’s the problem that we have sometimes. We think the story of redemption starts in Matthew, or Mark, Luke, or John. That’s not where the story of redemption begins. That’s where it just picks up and continues on. The story of redemption begins in Genesis.

Keep in mind, a lot of times we’re just like, oh, Old Testament, that’s for the Jews; New Testament, that’s for the Gentiles. No, the story of redemption is not just for Gentiles. It’s not just for Jews. It’s for all believers, starting not in Acts. No, this story predates Acts. The church did not begin in Acts chapter 1 or Matthew 28. I mean, the church began in Genesis. God establishes the family, he establishes the state, he establishes the church. So God has had a plan from the beginning. And what’s the plan been? To redeem people from every tribe, from every tongue, from every nation. And everyone should say amen, right? Because if he didn’t, we wouldn’t be included in the covenant. None of us are Jewish.

No, this blessing comes from God, pointed initially and primarily for the Jews, but it’s not just for the Jews. Even in the Old Testament, you can look at the prophets. The command to Israel is actually to go be a blessing to the nations. It’s not just for Abraham. And now the Jews, they lose the message. They lose sight of it. But they were supposed to go. They’re supposed to be a light. They’re supposed to be a lamp. Are people supposed to be drawn to them? Yes, the Scripture talks about that, but there are some very clear verses that talk about them going out. So they had a mission and a mandate, just like we have a mission and a mandate.

The Promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

So the blessing comes from God. And where does it begin? Well, even in Genesis 3. I want you to see this. I know I’ve referenced it before, and I’ll reference it again. But look at Genesis chapter 3. Y’all in Genesis 3? Right, so this is after they’ve eaten the forbidden fruit, from the tree that they’re not supposed to. Then look what it says in Genesis 3, verse 14:

The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

(Genesis 3:14–15)

This is the first glimpse that we have of the gospel. There’s going to be enmity. There’s going to be a war going on. There’s going to be a fight, a fight of fights. And what happens? Oh, but the Lord adds this: he shall bruise your head; you shall bruise his heel. Like, you’re going to take your best shot. The best you’ve got is striking his heel, but he’s going to bruise your head. He’s going to take you down. Well, “he,” right, singular. Well, who’s the he? Jesus. So this is the first glimpse that we get, and then what do we see? On and on and on. Since you’re in Genesis, we can just look at it together. Genesis chapter 12, starting in verse 1:

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

(Genesis 12:1–3)

Right? All the families of the earth. Well, what happens again? Go a few chapters later, Genesis 18. The Lord repeats it almost like in parentheses, because it’s not even really the main topic here, but he says in verse 17—Genesis 18:17—“The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?’” Right? I mean, he repeats it. It’s really not even the main subject there, but he repeats it.

Go a couple of chapters later, Genesis 22. This is when he’s called to sacrifice Isaac. So the Lord provides the ram. Verse 15:

And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

(Genesis 22:15–18)

Right? So over and over again, that’s what Abraham’s told, right? Yes? Right? Well, then what happens? Abraham has—who does he have? He has a son, but what’s the first son’s name? Ishmael, right? Then he has a second son, Isaac. Okay, well, look what happens a couple chapters later, Genesis 26, verse 1:

Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

(Genesis 26:1–5)

So the promise is to whom? Isaac, right? Okay, so then keep reading. Isaac has how many kids? How many does Isaac have? We’ve got two, right? What are their names? A little Bible quiz here, right? You should know this. This is like Bible 101. How many does he have? Two. What are their names? Jacob and Esau, right? Go two chapters later, Genesis 28. We’ll pick it up in verse 10.

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

(Genesis 28:10–15)

So who is the promise made to now? Jacob, right? I mean, why repeat the blessing over and over? Isn’t Abraham enough? Why repeat the blessing to Isaac and to Jacob? Because it’s to a specific line. Yes, it’s to Abraham, but think of this: Abraham had brothers. You know how many brothers Abraham had? That’s Bible 102, okay? Nahor and Haran. But God chose Abraham. Right? I mean, we just read it, right? The Lord spoke to Abraham. Doesn’t look like he spoke to Nahor or Haran. So he speaks to Abraham. That’s who he chooses.

And from there, it’s to the chosen line of Abraham, which is Isaac, not Ishmael. Is Ishmael Abraham’s blood? Yeah. But it’s to Isaac. And then it’s to the chosen line of Isaac, which is Jacob. It’s not Esau. It’s Jacob. And once the promise is given to Jacob, it’s actually not repeated again. Why? Because it doesn’t have to be. How many sons does Jacob have? You’ve got 12. Why isn’t the promise repeated? Because all of Jacob’s progeny are part of the chosen line. There’s no distinction. All 12 of the men, all their progeny, they’re under the divine blessing of God, all 12 tribes.

So you have Abraham, and from him come Isaac and Ishmael, but the chosen line stays with Isaac. And then Isaac has Jacob and Esau, and again, there’s the distinction: it’s Jacob, not Esau. One of the prophets has some pretty blunt words, right? “Jacob I loved, and Esau I hated.” But then the blessing continues on and doesn’t go with only one son, but rather with the entire line, all 12 sons.

And what is the blessing? Or should we say, who is the blessing? I mean, really, it’s Jesus, right? It’s Jesus. That’s the blessing. It is through him all the nations are ultimately blessed. Salvation comes through him, right?

God Does Not Forget His People

So God—listen to this—God doesn’t forget his [audio unclear] …to forget him. So he didn’t forget them here in exile. They’ve been in exile how many years? Seventy. That was the punishment. That was the discipline. And what does he do? He protects them. We saw that in the book of Esther. God protects his people providentially. He protects them. He provides for them. He looks out for them. Listen to this, in Isaiah 49:

But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”

(Isaiah 49:14)

That’s what some of them were saying. And here’s what it says right after that:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”

(Isaiah 49:15–16)

And this is God speaking to his people. And what is he speaking? He’s speaking words of reassurance to them. He’s with them. That’s why we get in Hebrews where it says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” but he’s really quoting from Deuteronomy 31. And this is for us too. God remembers you. He does not forget his covenant people. Are you part of the covenant? If you’re part of the covenant, he doesn’t forget his covenant people. He never has. He [audio unclear]

So God brings the people back. He’s faithful to bring them back. He doesn’t forget them, and they have a mission. What’s the mission? Rebuild the temple. Look back, go back. Verse 3, at the end: “rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel.” That’s the mission. That’s the mission.

Rebuilding the Altar and the Temple

You pick it up. We’ll keep reading. Go to chapter 3, starting in verse 1.

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 Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar 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 altar 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 masons 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 Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak 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. 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 Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad 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 the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, 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 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.

(Ezra 3:1–13)

So they lay the foundation. They’re getting ready to rebuild it. You’ve got to start with the foundation. What did the temple represent? I mean, it represented God. It represented God’s presence. Not just that, the temple is a visible symbol of the covenant relationship that he has with Israel.

So what was the reason the Jews were brought back? Rebuild. Rebuild the temple. Right? The exile is over, and God is showing them that he is still with his people. That’s what the temple symbolizes. He’s still there. He’s still with them. And that was the most important thing to show: God was still there in their midst. He’s still with them. He still has covenant with them.

Make God the Priority

Why were they sent into exile in the first place? Well, they put idols and other gods before Yahweh. They removed him from being number one. So the first thing they needed to do on returning to the land was make it clear to God and to themselves that they were putting him back number one. All attention focused. Where? On rebuilding. All attention focused on rebuilding the temple, getting it back to what it needed to be.

So that really is a question, brothers and sisters: Is God number one in our life? We need to make God not just a priority; we need to make him the priority. They were commanded, rebuild the temple. As we saw in Haggai, they stall out for quite a while. We need to make God the priority. He should be number one in your life.

Who Belongs to the People of God

Well, how do you start to do that? Where does that begin? Well, notice something back in chapter 2. I want you to see this. Go back. Most of it is really just laying out who returns and all the numbers that return with them. If we pick it up, though, in verse 59 of chapter 2, it says:

The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers’ houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652. Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a priest to consult Urim and Thummim. The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers.

(Ezra 2:59–65)

So as they head back to the land, they’re basically asking, are you us? I mean, look how important the genealogy is to them. Chapter 2 is all about tracking who comes back, what sons come back. The lineage was important. That established if you were part of the covenant. You’ve got blood, you’ve got the Jewish blood, you’re part of the covenant, name after name. Genealogies are important. You go through the Old Testament, genealogies are important. Very important. To the Jews in the Old Testament, super important.

So the Jews checked ancestry to see who was one of them. That’s one way to define them as a nation. They belong because their grandparents and their great-grandparents and their great-great-grandparents belonged; therefore they belong. But what does Romans tell us? It tells us it’s not about the physical lineage. It tells us it’s about one’s faith. Even the prophets talked about that. Habakkuk: “The righteous shall live by faith.” But in Romans chapter 9 we see:

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

(Romans 9:6–8)

Paul here is arguing that mere physical descent from Abraham or Israel does not make someone a true child of God. True offspring are those who share in the promise. The same principle he develops earlier in Romans 4, right?

So there are signs in the Old Testament that you’re one of the people of God. If you wanted to identify with them, how would you do that in the Old Testament? Circumcision. And how does it show that you continue on? What is it? Passover. That’s still just Bible 102. We haven’t gotten to Bible 103 yet, all right? That shows that you’re continuing on. What happens if you don’t observe the Passover? I mean, you’re cut off; you’re excluded. It’s a big deal not to observe the Passover.

But what happens now? What shows that you’re one of the people today in the new covenant? What is it? It’s baptism. And what shows that you continue on? It’s the Lord’s Supper. So now entrance is not cutting of the flesh, but cutting of the heart. Colossians 2:11:

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.

(Colossians 2:11)

And then in Romans chapter 2 it says:

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.

(Romans 2:28–29)

All right, that’s why baptism is for believers. Entrance is by faith in Christ. That’s how you enter. What does baptism show? That you’ve entered. It shows a changed heart. It shows a renewed spirit. It shows a soul regenerated entirely, through and through. And that’s why baptism comes before the Lord’s Supper. We talked a little bit about it at the members meeting. But baptism shows entrance into the covenant, and partaking of the Lord’s Supper shows continuance in it.

That’s why, really, parents, if you’ve got kids, baptism needs to occur first before they take the Lord’s Supper. Because if they’re taking the Lord’s Supper, I’m saying that my kids are believers. Well, the sign of that is baptism. That’s the sign. That’s the public declaration. Coming up with everyone to the table that we normally have right here, that’s easy to do. Anyone can just file up as we’re all filing together. But baptism, you’re standing on your own. It’s just you in the water with one of the pastors next to you, but that’s you coming into the water. You’ve got to stand before everyone and declare that Jesus is yours and that you are Jesus’. That’s what you have to do. So the order is baptism, then the Lord’s Supper.

Laws Don’t Change Hearts

So make God a priority—but not a priority; make him the priority. It’s really like that’s the first thing. And God’s like, man, if they don’t get this first order of priority down, they won’t get the rest. So what’s the focus? Establish God at the center. Ezra’s going to come along, and he’s going to basically have a renewal, a revival of sorts, of the law. But if you don’t have God there, then what do we know happens when you just have laws? I mean, you can have external obedience, but there’s no inward change. I mean, laws are good, but if you just have laws—laws don’t change hearts. God changes hearts.

So you’ve got to have the temple. Why? Because that’s God’s presence. It shows God’s with them. That’s the covenant relationship; it’s there. Then Ezra is going to come along to renew them in the word of the Lord. That’s why the first commandment—what’s the first commandment in the Ten Commandments? Kind of tricked you a little bit. The Ten Commandments, the first commandment of the Ten Commandments: no other gods, right? No other gods. That’s the first commandment. Make God number one. It’s that simple. Make God number one.

And then he’s like, hey guys, just in case you forgot, what’s the second commandment? No idols. You’re kind of like, those kind of go together. They do, but they’re different. But he’s like, hey, in case you forgot the first one, I’m going to kind of say the first one again a little bit differently: no idols. So no other gods, and no idols either.

God Is Still Working

And so what do we see here in Ezra that we saw in Esther, and we’ll continue seeing in Ezra? We see that God’s still working. The story, the big story, is still being woven, and it’s still going on, really from the beginning of Ezra. Then Esther comes, and the rest of the book of Ezra picks it up. But think about it. Do you believe that God can still [audio unclear] …I mean, do you believe that he can move them to make such a decree, even from a godless, unbelieving, pagan leader? I mean, if you believe that, then guess what you need to do? You need to pray to that end. We need to pray to that end. You should be praying.

That’s why 1 Timothy chapter 2 says:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.

(1 Timothy 2:1–2)

Right? So he says for all people, but then he specifically mentions the kings and all those in authority. We should be praying for them regularly, routinely. Pray for our leaders. Why is that? Because God’s still working. He’s still working.

I think for the first time ever, on October 31st, a president made a presidential proclamation regarding the Reformation. That’s pretty crazy. He proclaimed, you know, Protestantism. Yeah, right. I mean, that’s what he did, right? There are a lot of Catholics in the US, but what’s he championing? The Reformation. Right? I mean, God’s working. He can touch kings’ hearts. [audio unclear] In John 5, he’s like, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” Of course, they hear it, and what’s their response? They want to stone him, because he equates himself with God. Like, God’s working, and I’m working.

I mean, the unbelieving Jews back then were way more intelligent than most progressive liberals today, because they understood what Jesus was saying. He’s claiming to be God. Those unbelieving Jews in the New Testament, they weren’t stupid. [audio unclear] …what’s going on. It’s right there. He made himself equal with God.

So the triune God is still working, and God’s kingdom does not rest—listen to me—on how well the US does. Many nations have come before and fallen. Many nations will come after and fall. God’s kingdom doesn’t rest on how well the Republicans perform in midterm elections. God will have his way. He always has his way, always has his way. You know, Haman thought he was going to wipe out the covenant people, and God had other plans.

So we should work with the Lord in what he’s doing. God uses leaders. He uses godless leaders time and time and time and time again. We see it in the Scriptures. He uses them to accomplish his purposes. Just like in the book of Esther, we see God’s providence. Was Cyrus forced to make the decree? No. Was Cyrus going to make that decree? Yes; God decreed it, because God had him do so. Cyrus made the decree. Was he forced to? No. He’s not sitting at his desk when all of a sudden his hand starts moving, like, I can’t stop it. No, he makes a decree. God has him make the decree.

I mean, you think about it: what a strange request coming from a pagan king. He’s like, yeah, that God, Yahweh, who actually kind of is the reason I’m here and established me, he wants me to rebuild his temple in this foreign, far-off land. Not in my own backyard, not next to the other temples, but in that far-off, despised land that we conquered way back when. And I’m going to make the decree. And not only that, I’m going to let his followers go back there and help out. And not only that, I’m going to make sure they have whatever supplies they need. I mean, the ESV uses the word “grant,” right? They’re giving this money. Hey, whatever resources you need to make this happen, right? His advisors had to be looking at him like, you sure about this? Yeah, but God’s working.

We Serve a Big God

So who do we serve? We either serve a big God or we don’t. We either serve a big God who can touch pagan kings’ hearts or we don’t. I mean, did he part the Red Sea? Yes. Listen, here’s kind of how I view it. If he created the universe, then anything else he wants to do is like a piece of cake. Right? He creates it all. So if he wants to part the Red Sea, if he wants to have the sun stand still, no problem. Virgin birth, no problem. Multiply a few loaves of bread and fish and feed thousands, no problem.

But if you don’t believe that, then listen. I’ve talked to people before; they struggle with some of that stuff. Repent of your unbelief. Repent of it. Be like the disciples. What did they say? They just said these three simple words to Jesus when they were struggling, three simple words: “Increase our faith.” Increase our faith. What a short prayer that you can pray: increase our faith.

Or be like the dad. Remember the dad who fell before Jesus because his son was demon-possessed? I mean, I can relate to him at times. What does he say? “I believe; help my unbelief.” I can relate to him at times. But what is it? I mean, it’s a prayer. He’s praying. “I believe; help my unbelief.” There’s your prayer. There’s another prayer: increase our faith. I believe; help my unbelief.

And listen, I’m just going to be honest. Some of you struggle. You struggle because you don’t see this in the Scripture, but it’s not because it’s not there. It’s because you’re not reading your Bibles. And so you wonder why you’re struggling. Well, it’s not because it’s not there; it’s because you’re not in the Word. If you’re in the Word, I mean, you’re seeing these things over and over and over and over. You’re seeing God be faithful. You’re seeing him fulfill his promises. You’re seeing him do these things. So you need to get in the Word so you can see these stories for yourself, so you can be ready for Bible 103.

[audio unclear] …the Lord, he can strengthen your faith. He can encourage you, and you can walk by faith. Listen, the antidote to faithlessness is not just “be faithful.” No, no, you do need an antidote, but it’s something that’s given to you, and that’s the Holy Spirit, God’s grace. So you fall before the Lord, you confess your unbelief, you repent of it, you ask for help. Right? Maybe this is the dragon that you need to slay.

Living Like He’s on the Throne

But the first step is putting God first, number one in your life. At the top, on the throne. And it’s not just saying he’s on the throne; it’s living like he’s on the throne. And this affects everything. If you put God number one, it’s going to affect everything. It’s going to affect how you think about things. God has something to say on any and every subject. You name a topic, God has something to say about it. He’s got a view on it. Well, our view should be his view. That’s called a worldview. God’s laid out a biblical worldview, and we should want to follow that.

So it affects everything, all right? It should affect your thoughts. It should affect what you do with your time, what you don’t do with your time. It should affect your words. If God’s really number one, that should impact how you treat your spouse. It just should. If God’s number one, that should affect how you treat your children. It should affect how you treat your coworker. It should affect how you treat your boss. It should affect everything. God is the priority. He’s number one.

And this is the idea. Listen, the Jewish nation here put God first. The focus was on the temple. It shows everyone that this came first. Why was this so important? Because their priorities had to be straight. They needed to be on the right track from the beginning, and that track was this: God comes first. So what do you do? You rebuild the temple; you put action to words. The idea is from God himself. He speaks through Cyrus. But God orders his economy in such a way that he is honored in all areas.

Psalm 72, I love this: “May all kings fall down before him.” Right? Just think of that, this past week, right? This is going to happen. “May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him.” But also—I mean, the nations, that’s going to happen—but we’ve got to make it a little more personal. And I like how John the Baptist says it in John chapter 3: “He must become greater; I must become less.” In a very real way, that should be the life verse of every single believer. He must become greater; I must become less.

Remember, the return from exile, the rebuilding of the temple, it wasn’t about the bricks and mortar. It was about a God who does not forget his people, who restores his presence among them and calls them to put him first once again. It’s the same God who moved a pagan king’s heart to issue a decree, engraved his people on the palms of his hands, and he promises to never leave or forsake. I mean, he kind of makes it easy for us to put him number one. Why? Because he is. I mean, he’s number one whether we acknowledge it or recognize it; it doesn’t matter. He’s number one. Really, the question is, will you acknowledge that he’s number one? Will you make him number one in your life?

And that’s going to affect everything. It will affect your finances. If knowing Jesus doesn’t affect how you spend your money, something’s wrong. It’s just true. We’ve got a money problem in America. Don’t be like the world [audio unclear] …when it comes to money. If God is number one in your life, that affects your money: how you spend it, what you do with it, how you give it, where you put it, all those things, on and on and on. If he’s number one, it’s going to affect stuff. Your time, what you decide to spend time on, what you decide not to spend time on. It affects all those things. Right?

And a lot of us have this naive belief. It’s like, oh, we get saved, and we’ll put God number one in terms of salvation, but all the other areas are just kind of free game, free flow, do whatever you want, do your own thing. Brothers and sisters, Romans tells us that we’re a living sacrifice. We’re a living sacrifice. It’s a lot harder to be a living sacrifice. The dead sacrifice is one time: slit the animal’s throat, and it’s done. It’s a lot harder to be a living sacrifice, because we’re continually going and going, but the point is we’re a sacrifice.

So that means all of us—all of us meaning our entirety, our entire being, body, soul, spirit, heart, strength, all of it—is the Lord’s, and we’re dedicated unto him. And that means that he calls the shots, and if he has a thought on a subject, we should want our thought to be his thought. So he has a whole lot to say on money. He’s got a whole lot to say on time. All sorts of things, all sorts of areas, he’s got a whole lot to say, and that’s what we should think. Biblical worldview really is—kind of paraphrasing a well-known theologian—we’re just thinking God’s thoughts after him. Just thinking God’s thoughts. I mean, he already thought it. We’re just, okay, what has he thought on this subject? What has he thought on this subject? And we’re thinking that.

So put him number one, on the throne of your life. Make him number one, and live as those who know that if he created the universe, if he raised the dead, then moving kings, restoring the broken, keeping every promise, that’s not a problem. He’s the King of kings. So then we can come before him and bow down, and we can say like John the Baptist, “He must increase, and I [audio unclear]”

Closing Prayer

Lord, I do pray. I pray for, one, anyone who might not know you here. Maybe they haven’t even made that initial decision to trust in you, to repent of their sin, to realize that Jesus paid it all, that his death on the cross wasn’t just a historical act, but it was a salvific act for them, to save them from an eternity in hell, and that they can be forgiven of those sins. I pray, Lord, if that applies to anyone here, may they trust. Don’t let this word get snatched away by Satan. Let it be planted deeply and truly in the hearts of all here. Let them hear the message, the good news of salvation, and not just believe it, but truly believe it; not just say it with words, but live it.

And I pray for others, Lord, that are saved, that are walking with you, Lord. There are areas maybe they know—they know they’re not putting you number one. And may they do so, not by pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps, so to speak, but by coming before you, humbling themselves, repenting, crying out for your help, and saying, “Increase my faith, Lord. Help me in this area. I believe; help my unbelief.” So may you shine, Lord, in all areas—not one area, not just a couple areas, but in all areas. May you shine brightly, and may you be number one in our lives, we pray, for your glory. Amen.