Ezra Ch4v1-24 - When The World Hates You!

Thanks.

Thank you.

And on that, if you haven't yet received a copy, this little summary of what Ezra and Nehemiah, the book next to it, they go as a pair.

You can pick up your copy at the table this morning.

It's on page 475, I think. Is that right?

Yeah, 475.

So let's hear God's word.

So Ezra chapter 4, starting at verse 1.

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

And then just go to the very end of the chapter, verse 24.

Thus the work of the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

We're going to have a second reading, and that comes in Philippians chapter 1, which is on page 1178.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

Philippians chapter 1, verse 27.

Philippians 1:27

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Then whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel,

without being frightened in the one spirit, and that you are in the one spirit.

Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.

This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, and that you will be saved, and that by God.

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.

Since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Well, we can go back to Ezra chapter 4, which is on page 475.

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

So let's pray together.

Our Father God, we thank you so much for your truth.

And we pray that your word, written so many centuries ago, would speak to us afresh.

Because you are the living God, and it is your living word that changes lives.

We pray that it will form us and shape us to be the kind of people you have called us to be.

So that we may be ready to live life in this world for your glory and for our good.

Amen.

Well, we had just moved to Carigaline.

We had only been here a few months.

And I was really keen to get to know people in the area.

And a flyer came through the door, looking for people to join the Residents Association.

Perfect opportunity, I thought.

So I rang the number, and I was invited to go to the house of the chairperson.

And we would meet and have a chat.

So off I went a week later.

I knocked on the door, and there was a wonderful welcome.

He and his wife were very friendly.

Tea and biscuits, and we had a great chat.

Then all of a sudden, the atmosphere changed.

You'll have to stop those Bible studies in your house.

I was embarrassed.

I was taken aback.

I gently pushed back, but was informed that there were too many cars around the place,

and it wasn't the place to conduct church activities.

And to that, I soon left.

What began as a very warm and friendly welcome suddenly turned to opposition.

I came home upset.

I was unsettled, wondering what on earth was going to happen.

Well, if you are a Christian here today, the reality is you will face opposition.

Life in the world is filled with hostility.

That was certainly the case for God's people back in Ezra's day.

Look at verse 1, chapter 4.

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord,

you see, plans had been drawn up.

Foundations had been laid.

Building had begun.

But objections arose.

Not everybody in town was happy that the temple was being rebuilt.

We don't want no God folk around here.

You see, this may come as a surprise to us this morning,

but it's normal Christian living.

Jesus put it bluntly in John, chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

You can turn to there.

Keep a finger in Ezra, chapter 4.

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

And go to John's gospel on page 108.

103.

1-0-8-3.

John, chapter 15.

John, chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

John, chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

John, chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

So this is Jesus' words to his disciples.

John 15, verse 18.

John 15:18

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

If you belong to the world, it would love you as its own.

As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

That is why the world hates you.

Go back to Ezra, chapter 4.

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

Strong words from Jesus.

Now, I'm not saying that on your way home you're going to get rocks thrown at your car,

or that you'll find a protest outside your house.

But if you lived in parts of India or Kashmir, or as this little book from Church and Chains tells us about Iran,

you can pick up a copy on the table.

If you live in these places, that is the sort of thing that will happen.

You see, what God is saying to us and to his church is,

opposition will come in one way or another.

So two things we're going to look at this morning.

The church will endure opposition,

but the church will overcome the opposition.

The church will endure opposition,

but the church will overcome the opposition.

So first, the church will endure opposition.

In Ezra, chapter 4, there are at least three ways we can expect opposition to come.

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

First, it will be subtle.

When the locals heard that the temple was being built,

they wanted in on the action.

So look at verse 2.

They came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said,

Let us help you build,

because like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him too.

Seems pretty helpful and friendly, doesn't it?

Perhaps these neighbours around abouts aren't so bad after all.

Isn't it great that they want to help out with the temple?

And who knows, they might even join in with the worship.

Praise the Lord for such great people.

Well, not so fast.

The author won't allow us to baptise them and welcome them into membership just yet.

He dropped a massive hint for us in verse 1.

He calls them enemies of Judah and Benjamin.

Enemies of God.

You see, there is an appearance of godly goodness.

We might call them seekers.

Do you see it there in the middle of verse 2?

We seek your God.

It's so very subtle.

They're not carrying placards or forming a protest.

They say they want to be part of God's community.

But pull back the layers and you discover their true heart.

They are, verse 1, enemies.

You see, history records for us what they were like.

No need to turn to it.

But in 2 Kings chapter 17, you can read it when you get home,

2 Kings 17 · chapter mention

gives a complete record of what these people were like.

And it can be summed up in one verse from 2 Kings.

They worshipped the Lord, but they also served their own gods.

You see, they were breaking the very first commandment.

You shall have no other gods before me.

Because God demands exclusive loyalty and devotion from his people.

It's not the worship of God plus my own idols.

It's love God and worship God full stop.

You see, it's so very subtle.

I mean, wouldn't church growth be so much easier if we could say,

come and join us.

Worship God and worship anything else that you like.

I mean, it would be just so easy to fill a hall like this.

Come and join us.

Worship God and worship anything else that you like.

But no, verse 3.

Sir Rubbabel, Joshua, and the rest of the heads of the family of Israel answered,

You have no part with us in building the temple to our God.

We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel.

You see, opposition will come.

And sometimes it's very subtle.

Second, it will be sustained.

Sir Rubbabel's response didn't mean the opposition stopped.

In fact, it continued on and on and on for decades.

Look at verse 4.

Then the peoples around them, showing their true colors,

set out to discourage the people of Judah

and make them afraid to go on building.

They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans.

Discouragement.

Fears.

Frustration.

It's a lethal combination.

You put in so much effort into Carigalline Baptist Church.

But what's the point?

I mean, it's not exactly the most popular place to be on a Sunday morning.

People won't like it if you keep on with that God talk.

Just keep quiet.

Or you may find you lose your friends or your job.

Are you still meeting in that community center?

Forty years.

You still haven't got your own building?

Now maybe we could cope with comments like that if they were every so often.

But discouragement and frustration don't take holidays.

Opposition is sustained.

Notice the mention of the kings.

The opposition continued.

Look at the end of verse 5.

During the entire reign of Cyrus, king of Persia.

All the way down to the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

Now if you were to look up the history records, that's about 20 years.

20 years of opposition.

And if you think that's a long time, look at verse 6.

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

And more than that, verse 7.

In the days of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithridus, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates,

wrote a letter to Artaxerxes.

Which was a letter of opposition we'll see in just a moment.

Now the time between Darius and Xerxes, again if you look up the history records, is about 30 years.

And the time between Xerxes and Artaxerxes was about 60 years.

So if you do all the sums between these four kings, we have a sustained opposition for over 100 years.

In other words, opposition to the people of God and the work of God never ever stops.

We have an enemy, Satan and his minions.

And he will use every tactic possible to halt and disrupt the work of God and the building of his church.

Alex referenced it earlier, that he heard of stories within the Christian Union where they were facing some opposition.

There are CUs in the UK who have been refused the opportunity to set up a Christian Union.

If it happened there, why can it not happen here?

Maybe you're going through a trial or a time of suffering.

And there's that whisper in your mind.

What's the point of being a Christian?

It only brings trouble.

Year after year.

Decade after decade.

Generation after generation.

It's constant.

It never ends.

Opposition keeps coming.

It's not only subtle.

It's sustained.

But third, it will also be sinister.

Ezra, the author, begins chapter 4 talking about opposition to the rebuilding of the temple.

But now he inserts a thing about the building of the city.

He jumps forward in time but brings it to us now.

And he talks about the opposition to the rebuilding of the temple.

Local authorities are taking God's people to court.

Have a look again at verse 7.

And in the days of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithridus, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes.

But what was in the letter?

Well, have a look at verse 11.

To king Artaxerxes.

From your servants the men of Trans-Euphrates.

The king should know that the people who come to you, who have come up from us from you, have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city.

They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.

Verse 16.

We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

Wow.

It all sounds so very sincere.

Oh, king Artaxerxes, we would hate for anything bad to happen to you or your kingdom.

Even though he has them oppressed in another land, not their own.

You're such a good king.

Well, the truth be known, they are stroking the king's ego to get what they want.

Look how the king responded in verse 21.

Now issue an order to these men to stop work so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order.

Be careful not to neglect this matter.

Why let this threat grow to the detriment of the royal interests?

As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Raham and Shimshai, the secretary and their associates,

they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

You see, sometimes opposition is blatantly sinister.

They just want to see the work of God stop.

And we need to take this seriously.

Sometimes there will be appeals made to governments and to courts to ensure that God's people have no more influence in society.

It's already happened to some degree in some parts of the island.

And it's happening in many places in the world today.

The appeal to a higher authority to act so that the work of God and his kingdom would stop.

If it happens in other places, it will happen here.

Opposition will be sinister.

So having jumped ahead in time, the author now brings us back to present day and refocuses our attention on the rebuilding of the temple.

Opposition seems to have got the desired effect.

Look at verse 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.

It seems the opposition has won.

And isn't that how we can so often feel?

What's the point?

I mean, no one's interested.

You're wasting your time.

Book clubs, Bible stories, they don't work.

Keep with the times.

Get with it.

The Bible is outdated.

Church is irrelevant.

Christianity is over.

Let's just pack our bags and go home.

But not so fast.

Because, second, the church will overcome the opposition.

Look again at verse 24 with me.

Because there is hope in this verse.

Look how it starts.

The work of the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill

until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

It's a comment from the author reminding us that a king is coming called Darius

who will ensure that the temple of God is going to be built.

And in case we don't believe it,

just look at chapter 6, verse 15 over the page.

Chapter 6, verse 15.

The temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar

in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

You see, the opposition will come,

but God's work continues.

It's easy for us to become discouraged,

fearful, frustrated.

But don't we have a better king and a greater promise?

You see, if God could work through a pagan king like Darius

to see the temple rebuilt,

how much more can we expect God to work through his son,

the promised king called Jesus?

Remember what King Jesus said.

I will build my church,

and the gates of Hades or the gates of hell

will not overcome it.

You see, opposition will come,

but the church will overcome.

You cannot defeat the church

because the church is God's people.

Now, we might be in the business today

of building temples with blocks and stone,

but as a church,

that image,

we are like a temple.

Come with me, please,

to 1 Peter.

It's on page 1218.

1218.

1 Peter.

1 Peter.

1 Peter.

1 Peter.

This is a letter written by the Apostle Peter to Christians

who have been scattered all around the place

because of their love for Jesus.

They've been kicked out of their homes,

and they are living far from home.

And he writes to encourage them

in the midst of great opposition.

So, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 4.

1 Peter 2:4

As you come to him,

as you come to Jesus,

the living stone,

rejected or opposed by humans,

remember,

he was crucified and put to death on a cross,

but chosen by God and precious to him,

you, the church,

also like living stones,

are being built into a spiritual house

or a spiritual temple.

You see,

Jesus is not building physical temples.

He is building a spiritual temple.

And as we come to Jesus,

and as we place our trust in him,

so we become part of the true temple of God,

like stones being built together.

As we trust in the death of Jesus for our sins,

his resurrection from the grave,

so we are brought together to be a temple of God,

his people.

But it's going to be costly.

Just as Jesus was rejected,

so will his church.

As we live for Jesus,

as we tell others about Jesus,

as we go about our workplace,

as we share the gospel,

opposition will come.

But,

verse 6,

for in scripture it says,

see,

I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen and precious cornerstone,

that's Jesus,

and the one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.

Here's the encouragement of this verse,

that those who trust in Jesus

will never be put to shame.

In other words,

it will be hard,

you will face difficulties and struggles,

but we will overcome.

Opposition will end,

and the church will last.

So then,

1 Peter chapter 5,

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

or chapter 4 verse 12,

follow with me,

chapter 4 verse 12.

He says to them,

chapter 4 verse 12,

Dear friends,

do not be surprised

at the fiery ordeal

that has come on you

to test you

as though something strange

were happening to you.

You see,

it's normal.

But rejoice

inasmuch as you participate

in the sufferings of Christ,

so that you may be overjoyed

when his glory is revealed.

He's saying to these scattered believers,

opposition will come,

but the church will overcome.

Let's go back

to Ezra chapter 4.

Ezra 4 · chapter mention

So how should we live

in response to these things?

Opposition will come,

but the church will overcome.

How do we live,

and how do we encourage one another

in these things?

First,

three very simple applications

to take away.

First,

protect the church.

Did you notice

in chapter 4

the role

that the leaders played

when opposition came?

Did you see it

in verse 2?

Remember,

they came to Zerubbabel

and said,

let us help you

build a temple.

We worship God too.

Include us.

But,

verse 3,

Zerubbabel

and the rest

of the leaders said,

you have no part

with us

in building the temple

to our God.

You see,

the leaders

led the people.

They protected

the people

from those

who subtly

tried to join

God's people.

You see,

they didn't believe

the same things

and they needed

protected.

Now,

while we all

should be looking out

for each other,

the elders

of the church

have a special

and primary

responsibility

for protecting

the church.

And you are

to hold them

accountable

to protect

the unity

of the church,

to protect

the purity

of the church.

You see,

the church

isn't a club

for any belief

and none.

No,

the church

are the special

treasured

people of God

who Jesus

died for

and those

who trust

in Jesus

and worship

him alone

are part

of his people.

That's one

of the reasons

why we have

a membership.

It clarifies

who are the

true believers.

It protects

the unity

of God's

people

and the purity

of God's

people.

So first,

protect

the church

and elders,

this is your

primary

responsibility.

Second,

not only

protect the

church,

but let's

together pray

for boldness.

Did you see

in verse 4

and 5

the opposition?

Discouragement

and fear

and frustration?

Now how

are we

going to

respond

when those

sorts of

things come

our way?

Well,

here's how

the disciples

responded

when people

opposed them.

You might

remember this

prayer

in Acts 4.

It's on the

screen.

When the

opposition came

and the

persecution

was fierce,

they prayed,

Sovereign

Lord,

you made

the heavens

and the

earth

and the

sea.

You're in

control of

everything.

You rule

everything.

Now,

Lord,

consider their

threats and

enable your

servants to

speak your

word with

great

boldness.

You see,

opposition

doesn't mean

we stop

and pack up

bags and

go home.

It means

we gather

to pray.

But notice

what they

pray for.

They don't

pray for the

opposition to

stop,

but they

pray that

they would

be enabled

to speak

the word

with great

courage.

courage and

boldness.

And if you

were to

read through

Acts,

we see how

the word

of God

was spoken

in opposition

and the

church began

to grow.

We pray

for courage

to speak

out the

truth of

the gospel.

So come

on Wednesdays.

That's why

we gather.

Yes,

we will be

learning to

speak God's

word to

one another,

but I'm

sure as part

of it,

there will

be times

of prayer

as we

encourage

one another

to keep

on with

the work

of God.

So protect

the church,

elders in

particular,

and as a

church together,

let's pray

for boldness.

And then

lastly,

remember the

promise.

Remember that

in verse

24?

The opposition

meant the

work on the

house of

God came

to a

standstill

until the

year of

King Darius.

You see,

if God can

work through

a pagan

king,

how much

more can

he work

through his

treasured and

special people,

the church?

People like

us who are

gathered here

today.

You see,

the church

belongs to

Jesus.

It's his

church,

and he has

promised that

the gates of

hell will

not overcome

it.

And today,

all over the

world, the

church is

growing.

We mentioned

Iran, one of

the fastest

growing churches

in the world

today, in

such great

opposition.

people are

coming to

Jesus and

trusting in

him in

our towns

and on

campuses and

in our

families.

And you

being here

today is

living proof

that God

keeps his

people and

that the

church is

growing.

Opposition

will come to

the church,

but the

church,

because of

Jesus,

will overcome

the

opposition.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

Our

Father God,

will you

strengthen

us and

encourage us

as your

people

together to

stand strong

in the face

of opposition,

that together

we would run

to Jesus,

that he may

fill us with

courage and

boldness to

keep on

proclaiming the

good news,

trusting your

promises that

you will build

your church,

and the

gates of hell

will not

overcome it.

We pray for

our leaders,

for our

elders,

for Ralph

and Jonathan

and Alex.

Fill them

with your

spirit,

that they

may protect

and guard

and keep

the church

as they

look to

Jesus too.

Father,

send us

out with

your

blessing,

with

courage,

and with

assurance

that you

are with

us.

In

Jesus'

Amen.