Ezra 3: 10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.11 And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever 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.12 But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that 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: 13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. Nehemiah 8: 5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. 10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
This is how the children of Israel accomplished the impossible. They had just been released by the King of Babylon to go back to Jerusalem. They were captured because they left the Lord and didn’t listen to the preaching of the prophets. This is where we live spiritually today. Israel prospered and was blessed. Instead of giving God glory they turned from him. They did evil in God’s sight. There was a great disinterest in serving the Lord. We’re there today.
The temple of Solomon was a wonder of the world in its day and was a glory to God. Israel got further and further from God and the glory of God departed. They lost the church in the church house. Think of churches in this area and across the U.S. Is there church in the churches? The Bible says that in the last days there will be a famine of hearing the Word of God. His people must be on alert for God to bless. If we be the church in the church that God wants, he will bless us.
Because of backsliding the temple was allowed to be torn down. The king’s eyes were put out. People were taken hostage to Babylon, the cradle of evil. Don’t think that the devil can’t take you down. You must be alert. It was 70 years after the captivity started. Many were very young when it began and innocent in the reasons it happened. Many remained true to God. Among those were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The land of Israel was a mess, and they knew why. Somehow along the way the church was lost in their hearts.
God put on the heart of Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of the city. Others, among them Ezra and Haggai, had a heart to rebuild the house of the Lord. When finished it wasn’t as grand as Solomon’s temple in earthly eyes, but it was by the plan of God. They took what they had and put it back together. It may not have been a wonder in the eyes of some, but who cares? The devil doesn’t want you to have church in your heart. He doesn’t want you to have church when you come to church.
In order to have revival, we have to get busy. Pick up. Rebuild what is broken down. If we’ve lost church in our heart we need to repair and rebuild. By doing that—repent and repair—we give our heart back to God. He will put church back in this old heart. We know if the Lord is in our heart. It’s according to what we do with him. It doesn’t take fancy services or a flashy show; it takes getting back to the Bible.
When the Bible was read before the people, they respected it. They said “amen.” They began to weep. The more they wept, the more they began to shout. The joy of the Lord was in their heart. God was back in the church. The temple lasted 400 years. Herod built a little onto it. It was the same one that Jesus entered in his day. When the Lord comes, I want him to be familiar with my church, this church.
What will we do? The Word has been opened. Are you ready to receive it?
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 