So this morning, our study will be on the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which means we are nearing the end of the historical books of the Old Testament. In fact, uh, in our English Bibles canonical order, there's only one historic book left and we'll cover that in two weeks, which is the book of Esther. Um, but that's, uh, Esther is kind of something of a, of a, I don't want to be diminutive cause it's the word of God. But it is a side story. This is the end of the main chronology of the people of God. And so it's a cap, if you will, on the narrative that really has been unfolding from the call of Abram in Genesis 12 And it comes up to the New Testament. So Ezra and Nehemiah is an important end to this chronological story. And Ezra and Nehemiah, we tend to think of them as two separate books. In fact, when you say there's 66 books in the Bible and 39 in the Old Testament, when we make those claims, those are true. It's under the assumption that the two separate books historically going back to when they were written and received they were received actually as as one book as it may be a two part. anthology, if you will. It's one book, collectively, told from two different perspectives. What they're chronicling here, as you'll see in the outline, is the restoration and the rebuilding of the people of God after the Babylonian captivity. We spent some time last week discussing the Babylonian captivity, and it comes up also in Dr. Phillips' sermon today in Jeremiah 37. Does anyone remember what it is about the Babylonian captivity that makes it such a significant event in the history of redemption. What kind of things does the Babylonian captivity show? Should be one really on the surface thing that the Babylonian captivity shows us about God. He's just. He's just. He punishes sin. And more than that, he is faithful to his covenant. He's told them at the outset, if you do not believe, if you do not continue to cherish me as your only God, I will bring judgment on you. And so he has, it shows God's zeal for his own holiness. God's holiness matters. It is significant. And his just punishment on his people shows that. And it also provides the historic backdrop for all of the prophetic writings. All of the prophets, in one way or another, are trying to explain how God's people wound up in Babylon. Jeremiah has been a great opportunity for you guys to see, from his perspective, the buildup to that event. Prophets like Ezekiel and Daniel are writing during that event, during the captivity, and then there are several others that will write after. But the Babylonian captivity is the historical context that makes up all of the prophetical writings from Isaiah to Malachi. And just to kind of give you a perspective for how significant that is, I took these page numbers from my Bible, so it'll be different in yours, but the overall breadth of things should speak to us. The page count for the Pentateuch is 325 pages. The page count from the historical books is 421 pages, so a little bit longer. The entire New Testament is 431 pages. The collection of the prophets from Isaiah to Malachi is by far the biggest section in your Bible. It actually takes up, and you can do this in your own Bible later, 473 in mine. That is to say, it is bigger than the entire New Testament. So this event that they're trying to explain, God obviously thinks is very important. And why would this Babylonian captivity be such a big deal for the people of God to understand? Well, they're trying to work out some very important questions. Such as, how can God keep the promises that he made to Abraham and to David in this present situation? How did God describe the covenant that he made with Abraham in Genesis 17? What's the duration of that covenant? Everlasting. How long did God tell David that he would have a son to sit on the throne in 2 Samuel 7? Forever. But he also promised that he would punish the sins of his people. How can both of these things be true? How do both of these things work together? Did we wind up in Babylonian captivity because God failed to keep his promises? No, that answer is taken off the table right away in pretty much any of these books that you want to read. We wound up here in Babylonian captivity because we were faithless and yet God remains faithful. Most of the Old Testament prophets, as I've said, are in the immediate lead up, but many are writing during and after. Ezra and Nehemiah is written to chronicle the period after the Babylonian captivity. And they're generally paired with the books of Chronicles that we looked at last week. They're paired together canonically, they're always next to each other, whether you're reading in the English order or in the Hebrew order, they're always next to each other. And they're paired thematically, that's to say they cover a lot of the same ground. Now, why would they, why would God give us four books that essentially between first and second Chronicles and Ezra and Nehemiah essentially are telling us the same thing? Because we need that. We need repetition. We need to have this point hammered home. And does anyone remember what kind of, we gave the subtitle for the book of Chronicles? If the book of Kings and Samuel was, how did we get here? What's kind of the subtitle that we worked with? What's the point that the chronicler is trying to make in Chronicles? Does anybody remember? Where do we go from here? Not just how did we get here, but now we're back in the land, we're post-exile, what do we do now? And Ezra and Nehemiah are going to address that same concern, and they're going to tackle these big themes across the four sections that I have here outlined on the board. But the big themes are the rebuilding of the house of God, the rebuilding of the people of God, and the primacy of the Word of God, the rebuilding of the house of God, the rebuilding of the people of God, and the primacy of the Word of God. And we'll cover those themes across these four key sections. For those of you who like structural outlines, the first is the return of a group of exiles and the rebuilding of the temple of God, that's Ezra 1-6. Second is the return of Ezra himself along with the rebuilding of the people of God that's getting them back together as a community and that's the rest of the book of Ezra chapter 7 to 10. The third section is the return of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the walls surrounding the city of God. That's Nehemiah 1, 1 to 7, 3. And fourth is the return of another group of exiles and the continual rebuilding of the people of God. So you see the themes here that come out from just a structural outline, what God is showing us here is the return of his people and the rebuilding of the temple, the rebuilding of the holy city, the rebuilding of the people of God, the return to the land that he promised, and the rebuilding of them as the offspring of Abraham. One insight that we gain from the shape of the book is the emphasis on rebuilding the people of God. While the rebuilding of the temple of God and the city of God are important, the author spends more time on the people than anything else. He is intentionally focused on the people. And so with that, the table is really set for our study of these books in the first three verses of the book of Ezra. Would somebody please read Ezra 1, 1-3? Ezra 1, 1-3. Ms. Babington? 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. Thank you, Ms. Babington. And so we see here the primacy of the word of God written right on the surface of this passage. All of the events that are going to transpire for the rest of Ezra and all of Nehemiah are a direct fulfillment of God's prophecy through the prophet Jeremiah. It is through the word that God spoke through Jeremiah, we're told, in chapter one, verse one. Specifically, Jeremiah tells the people of Judah, that they will go into Babylonian captivity, but after 70 years, he will bring them back. Jeremiah 25, 11 to 12 says exactly that. And we'll continue to see the importance of scripture develop as a theme throughout the book. But for right now, where else does Ezra introduce a key theme? Look at verse two. He speaks of the building of the temple, the building of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. And in verse three, we see that this would be the restoration of the people of God. And so in this post Babylonian exile world, the people of God are called to worship their God. in the temple according to the Word of God. And in a very real sense, that's where we are now. This is all in the lead up to a greater culmination, a greater fulfillment, and we'll talk about that later. But they're awaiting a Messiah. They're awaiting the one that would come to set all things right. They're awaiting the return of the Davidic king. Because even though they're back in the land, they still don't have a king. They're waiting for these things. We sang this morning, Joy to the World, which is a wonderful Christmas hymn. I love it as a Christmas hymn, except that's not what Isaac Watts had in mind when he wrote it. I see Duncan nodding, and now he's going to pay for that. What's Isaac Watts thinking when he wrote Joy to the World? What's he writing about? If he's not writing about the first coming of Christ, he's writing about the second coming of Christ. When no more will sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground, but he will make his blessings known as far as the curse is found. That's what we are waiting for. And so as we await the coming of the Lord, we also will worship the Lord at the house of the Lord, according to the word of the Lord. The rest of chapter one, would record the preparation for the return. And it's a big deal to go back to the land of Jerusalem. And notice how all of this is done with the aim, not just to their own pleasure, but with the aim to worship God. Look at verse seven. He says, 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. the vessels of the house of the Lord. You guys remember probably in Daniel chapter six, when not Darius, forget the name of the King. I'm blanking. Anyway, he throws a big party in his, in his palace and he mocks the God of Israel by what bringing in all of the vessels from the temple of Jerusalem and drinking and celebrating his own glory with them. And what does God do? He judges him right there on the spot. Cyrus is making special care to put those things back where they belong. Put them back in the temple of God that he's also decreeing will be rebuilt. That's an important theme in this book. The temple is also being restored and rebuilt by ordinary people. There's no one special or person or man of great renown that's listed in the first half of the book of Ezra. It's just normal people. And this same list that's in Ezra chapter 2 would be repeated in Nehemiah chapter 7 to underscore that God uses regular people. to do his work. Not what's special is not degrees or titles or notoriety or books or anything like that. What's special about the people of God is that they are the people of God. And I hope you understand that. What's special about the people of God is not what they accomplish in their own name, but that they are the people and the God who worship under the name of Jesus. And what's the very first thing that we see this people do after they rebuild the temple? What's the very first thing they do? The rebuilding of the temple is completed in Ezra chapter six. You see, it starts in verse 13. The temple is finished and dedicated. What's the very first thing they do? The next section, they celebrate the Passover. They observe the Lord's Supper in their time, in their way. And what's the Passover doing? It's looking back on God's faithfulness, but it's also looking forward to what will come. The Passover is ultimately fulfilled in the Lord's Supper, and I hope you realize that at your point in time, you also observe a meal that looks back on God's faithfulness. What did Jesus say when he gave the bread and the cup? He said, do this, what? In remembrance of me. But in that same night, when he instituted that, in Matthew 26, 27 to 29, Jesus says, and I will partake of this with you again in the new heavens and the new earth. So when we observe the Lord's Supper, much like the Jews observing the Passover here, we're looking back on God's faithfulness and we're looking forward to the consummation of all things. Both are happening at the same time. Then in chapter seven, we begin to see the next major section when Ezra is sent to the people. And what are Ezra's qualifications to do this? Ezra chapter seven, verse six. Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe, skilled in the law of Moses, that's the scripture, that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked. Why? For the hand of the Lord, his God, was on him. Ezra's qualifications are, he knows his Bible, and God has anointed him to this task. That is what is needed to lead the people of God. And we see this theme continue to be unpacked. If you want to flip over to Nehemiah, would somebody else please read Nehemiah 8, 1-8. Just to see how important the word of God is to this restoration and rebuilding. Nehemiah 8, 1-8. And all the people he gathered was one man into the square before the water gate, and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all who could understand what they heard on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the water gate from early morning until midday in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand it. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. Can I pause you right there honey? Thank you. So they tell him, Ezra, when you come, the important thing is that you bring the word of God. And he reads it from the morning to midday. It's like Dr. Phillips opens the Bible at, probably in this case Deuteronomy chapter 1 and he just starts reading at 8 in the morning and goes till 2 in the afternoon and the people are attentive and listening because he's not just reading it but he's also explaining it and giving them a sense of the meaning you see in Nehemiah 8 8 he says They read from the book of the law of God clearly and they gave the sense so that the people understood the reading. And this shows us just how important the word of God is. It's more than important though. It's essential. You, you cannot rebuild, you cannot restore the people of God. You cannot live a faithful Christian life without the word of God, but it's, it's even more than essential. It is also sufficient. What's the difference, what's the distinction being made between those two terms? It's essential and it's the only thing that's sufficient. Essential means you can't do it without it. And sufficient means the Bible is so important, Jack. It's more than enough. It's literally all you need. Now there's lots of other things that are helpful, right? Having someone to explain it and give you a sense of the meaning, very helpful. But the word of God, is alone sufficient for the Christian life. It is the only rule of faith and practice. And so, because we're running up on time, I'm going to skip to the end of the book. Actually, before we get to the end, would somebody please read Ezra 3, 10-13. Ezra 3, 10-13. Ms. Duncan? And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel, trumpets and the Levites, the son of Esau, with cymbals to praise the Lord after the ordinance of David, king of Israel. And they sang together by chorus and praising and giving thanks unto the Lord, because he is good, for his mercy endureth forever towards Israel. And all the people shouted with great shout, and they praised the Lord because of the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and the chiefs of the fathers who were ancient men had seen the first house when the foundation of this house was laid, before their eyes wept with a loud voice, and many shouted aloud for joy. So the people would not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping, and the people for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. All right, so we've got, we're building the foundation, and people are rejoicing because God is good. That's true and appropriate. But at the same time, there are people that are weeping. And it's not tears of joy. Weeping, why? Because it's not, this isn't it. And they know it. They've seen the first temple, they know earlier glories of the Lord. And they know that this isn't it. And then also, uh, Nehemiah ends this whole, this whole collection, uh, on this note, I'm just going to read a couple of verses from the last chapter of Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter 13. Nehemiah says, I also found out that portions of the Levites had not been given to them so that the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled each to his field. We've got this glorious return and restoration, and yet the Levites, who are supposed to be taking care of things, aren't there. And then he says in verse 15, in those days I saw in Judah people treading the wine press on the Sabbath and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought in Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. People aren't honoring the Lord's day. Why end on this? Because true restoration, true redemption is found in the true temple of God, which is the Lord Jesus. He says in John chapter two, verse 19, destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." And John fills in the aside there. He was speaking of the temple that was his body. Jesus is the true temple of God, and we ourselves are being made into a temple of God. 1 Corinthians 6, 9 says, do you not know that your body is a temple for God, a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit? So you, as an individual Christian, are a temple to God. And also, the Bible says, in Ephesians 2.22, that we are all being built together, the Church corporately, into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 2.22. And yet, does anybody here want to lay claim to being a pure, pristine temple for God? And yet, As much as I love Second Presbyterian Church, and I hope you do too, it is not a perfect, pure, pristine temple of God. We are not yet there. This is all preparation. This is all awaiting and anticipating the New Jerusalem in the New Heaven and the New Earth. All roads in Scripture will lead you eventually, one way or another, to Revelation 21. where the voice cries from the throne, behold, the dwelling place, the tabernacle of God is with man, and God himself will be with them as their God, and they will be his people. It all leads there. We are in very much the same path. That really concludes the meat of the lesson. I do want to deal briefly with one apologetics issue. So if you have questions later, please see me after class. But just briefly, you'll hear and you may have heard, there are lots of people that will make controversial claims about, especially the book of Ezra. And they'll say that if you look at Ezra chapter nine, verses one to four, that Ezra is Essentially is essentially racist because there's some stuff in here that seems to condemn interracial marriage Let me just read this After these things had been done the officials approached me and said the people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations from the Canaanites the Hittites the parasites the Jebusites the Ammonites the Moabites the Egyptians and the Amorites and For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the people of the lands. And in this faithlessness, the hand of the officials and the chief men has been foremost. As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and my beard and sat appalled. Here's the deal is you're going to see people who hate the Bible and hate God say, see racism. And then you're going to hear people who actually are racist say, see the Bible supports my view. Both of them are wrong. Because the issue in the Bible has never been primarily about ethnicity. If you look at this passage and several other places in the scripture, what's the problem? The problem is the faithful leaders of God's people are mixing with the abominations, mixing with the false religion, taking to themselves foreign gods through these unions. The problem is not the union itself, but what is brought in to it. That's, that's actually what he says. He says, they have not separated themselves from the people of the lands with their abominations, and then they have mixed their holy faith with these false religions. In other words, what they're saying is, the very same process that got us into Babylon is starting again, because that's the way the people are. And I would just add that, briefly, because I know we're coming up on time, and honey, I know you gotta go. The issue is a mixing of faith. The issue is a polluting of pure religion and the issue is actually still binding on us. The Bible would say that Christians are only to marry what? In the Lord. We don't mix faiths, we don't mix beliefs, we don't compromise the truths of God's word. We're to be committed to the Lord above all and faithful to him. Let me pray for us. God in heaven, I thank you Lord for these dear young people. I thank you for your word. I pray that as we await the return of the Lord Jesus, that you would keep us worshiping you, in your house, and according to your word, in all of life. In Christ's name we pray, amen.