God is working behind the scenes to have you rebuild as He wants. Spiritual and physical manifestations of God's hand. Series on Ezra and Nehemiah

1. Rebuilding: Seize the
Initiative
Ezra 5, Haggai 1, Zechariah
1:8–17

2. Work halted
Ezra 4:24-Then work on the
house of God in Jerusalem
ceased, and it was stopped
until the second year of the
reign of Darius king of Persia.
For 16 years work stopped

3. Ezra 5:1–2
When the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah
the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in
Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel,
who was over them, then Zerubbabel the son of
Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and
began to rebuild the house of God which is in
Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them
supporting them.

4. Needed a jump start
We all need
encouragement and
support
 Some had given up
 Some had lost interest
 Life took over

5. Haggai 1:3–14
[The LORD said] “Is it time for you yourselves to
dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies
desolate?” 5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of
hosts, “Consider your ways! 6 “You have sown
much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not
enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not
enough to become drunk; you put on clothing

6. but no one is warm enough; and he who earns,
earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” 7
Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!
8 “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and
rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it
and be glorified,” says the LORD. 9 “You look for
much, but behold, it comes to little; when you
bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the
LORD of hosts, “Because of My house which lies
desolate, while each of you runs to his

7. own house. 10 “Therefore, because of you the sky
has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld
its produce. 11 “I called for a drought on the land,
on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine,
on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men,
on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.” 12
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua
the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the
remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the
LORD their God and the words of Haggai

8. the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him.
And the people showed reverence for the LORD. 13
Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by
the commission of the LORD to the people saying,
“ ‘I am with you,’ declares the LORD.”

9. It’s all about you!
 Your houses
are fine and
mine is in ruin
 They were
called to
repent

10. Think about
it…
Sown much and gathered little
not enough to eat
not enough to drink
not warm enough
save money but lose it

11. If everything is going wrong
Check your heart
Check your head
Check your hands
Check your habits

12. Set your heart on
“Go up to the mountains,
bring wood and rebuild the
temple, that I may be pleased
with it and be glorified,” says
the LORD.
Finish what you started!

13. Your priorities are out of whack
I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on
the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the
ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the
labor of your hands.
God chastens those He loves

14. Proper response to
God’s Word
 Everyone obeyed
 Showed reverence for
the Lord

15. The Spirit’s impact
Haggai 5:14…So the LORD stirred up the spirit of
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and
the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high
priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people;
and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of
hosts, their God

16. The Samaritans…again!
Ezra 5:3…At that time…the governor… and
their colleagues came to them and spoke
to them, “Who issued you a decree to
rebuild this temple and to finish this
structure?”

17. Seizing the advantage
Ezra 5:5…But the eye of their God was on the elders of
the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report
could come to Darius, and then a written reply be
returned concerning it.
INTIMIDATED

18. Where did this courage come from?
They listened to God’s Word
They answered the call to repentance (Zechariah 1:1-7)
Do not fear their intimidation 1 Peter 3:14
Do not fear what you’re about to suffer Revelation 2:10

19. Where did this courage come from?
Hebrews 13:5b–6- He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER
DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we
confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE
AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”
MAN

20. God had a dream for them
I will pour out my Spirit
God has the same dream for you

21. Zechariah 1:8–17
8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a
red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle
trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel
and white horses behind him. 9 Then I said, “My
lord, what are these?” And the angel who was
speaking with me said to me, “I will show you
what these are.” 10 And the man who was
standing among the myrtle trees answered

22. and said, “These are those whom the LORD has
sent to patrol the earth.” 11 So they answered the
angel of the LORD who was standing among the
myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the
earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and
quiet.” 12 Then the angel of the LORD said, “O LORD
of hosts, how long will You have no compassion
for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which
You have been indignant these seventy years?” 13
The LORD answered the angel who was

23. speaking with me with gracious words,
comforting words. 14 So the angel who was
speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying,
‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “I am exceedingly
jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15 “But I am very
angry with the nations who are at ease; for while I
was only a little angry, they furthered the
disaster.” 16 ‘Therefore thus says the LORD, “I will
return to Jerusalem with compassion; My house
will be built in it,” declares the LORD of hosts,

24. “and a measuring line will be stretched over
Jerusalem.” ’ 17 “Again, proclaim, saying, ‘Thus
says the LORD of hosts, “My cities will again
overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again
comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”

25. Gracious and
comforting words
 God is aware of everything
 God is not angry with you
 This is a time of peace
 I am with you
 You will succeed

26. Samaratans send a letter
Ezra 5:8-9…Let it be known to the king that we have
gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the
great God, which is being built with huge stones, and
beams are being laid in the walls; and this work is going
on with great care and is succeeding in their hands.
“Then we asked those elders and said to them thus,
‘Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to
finish this structure?’

27. Chose wise words
Ezra 5:11-12…they answered us, ‘We are the servants
of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the
temple that was built many years ago, which a great
king of Israel built and finished. But because our fathers
had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave
them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported
the people to Babylon.

28. Owned their
history

29. Factual Information
Ezra 5:13; 15…in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon,
King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
‘He said to [our governor], “Take these utensils, go and
deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem and let the
house of God be rebuilt in its place.”

30. Explained how they got to this point
Ezra 5:16…Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the
foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem; and
from then until now it has been under construction and
it is not yet completed.’

31. Darius the king

32. God works behind the scene
Daniel 6:1–2…It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120
satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge
of the whole kingdom, and over them three
commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these
satraps might be accountable to them, and that the
king might not suffer loss.

33. All according to God’s plan
Daniel 6:3…Then this Daniel began distinguishing
himself among the commissioners and satraps because
he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king
planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom.

34. Remember Daniel in the lions’ den?

35. The result
Daniel 6:26–27…I make a decree that in all the
dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble
before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and
enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not
be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. He
delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In
heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel
from the power of the lions.

36. Guess when the letter
arrives?

37. Our take away
Rebuilding can take time-don’t get discouraged
Listen, understand and follow God’s Word
God is working in way you cannot understand
Faith is belief walked out in the natural