During the past few days, when we gathered
and waited upon the Lord, it
impressed upon my heart some words from the
book of Ezra.
So will you please turn to the book
of Ezra.
We'll read from the first chapter, beginning with
the first verse.
Ezra chapter 1 verse 1.
And in the first year of Cyrus, king
of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by
the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of
Persia, and he made a proclamation throughout his
kingdom, and also in writing, saying, Thus says
Cyrus, king of Persia, All the kingdoms of
the earth hath Jehovah the God of the
heavens given to me, and he hath charged
me to build him a house at Jerusalem,
which is in Judah.
Whosoever there is among you of all his
people, his God be with him, and let
him go up to Jerusalem, which is in
Judah, and build the house of Jehovah the
God of Israel, he is God, which is
at Jerusalem.
And whosoever remains in any place where he
sojourns, let the man of his place help
him with silver and with gold, and with
goods and with beasts, besides the voluntary offering
for the house of God, which is at
Jerusalem.
And the chief fathers of Judah and Benjamin
rose up, and the priests and the Levites,
even all those whose spirit God has stirred,
to go up to build the house of
Jehovah, which is at Jerusalem.
I believe that we are all familiar with
the history of it.
The people of Judah, the Jews, were taken
into captivity, and they were in Babylon for
seventy years.
And when they were fulfilled, God stirred up
the spirit of King Cyrus to make a
proclamation to allow the Jews to go back
to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of God.
During those seventy years that the Jews sojourned
in the land of captivity, they gradually had
settled down to their life.
They began to build houses for themselves, they
built up their businesses, they had their lands,
and they were given quite a high degree
of liberty in every respect.
I believe we all know that the great
system of synagogues was instituted during that period.
Of course the temple in Jerusalem was utterly
destroyed.
Jerusalem was in ruin.
But those people who were in captivity, they
were still allowed to continue their worship of
the Lord.
So there they had many synagogues.
In the synagogues they could read the Bible,
they could pray the Bible, they could sing
their praises, they could pray, they could do
a lot of things to satisfy their heart
of worship towards God.
But after seventy years, the call came from
God.
Return to Jerusalem and rebuild.
When the call came to rebuild the house
of the Jews, only a remnant responded in
their spirit, and returned to build the house
of God.
Most of the people were well settled in
Babylon.
They felt quite comfortable there.
It wasn't their native land, but they were
used to it, they were rooted in it,
and they lived in the land.
And if they were not given any religious
liberty, I believe most of them would go
back.
But they were given a great degree of
liberty.
They had synagogues everywhere.
It was even more convenient than the days
when they were in the land of Judah.
Because at that time they had to travel
a long distance to Jerusalem if they wanted
to worship, to sacrifice, to offer.
But now within walking distance, they could just
gather together and there they had their time
of worship.
So most of them were quite happy with
their lives.
Most of them were quite contented, satisfied.
Materially they were very well, prosperous, and spiritually
they had that amount of worship that was
quite satisfying if their religion or religious life
was centered upon themselves.
So when the call of God came, very
few were stirred in their spirit to go
back.
Jerusalem was in ruin.
The neighboring nations were not friendly.
The temple was utterly destroyed, and to be
uprooted from the place that they had sojourned
for 70 years, to travel that dangerous journey,
and to settle down in a ruined place,
and to build from nothing, wasn't a very
appealing thing.
Why couldn't they just settle down in the
land of captivity?
Could they not worship God as they did
before?
It wasn't perfect.
That was true.
There was no temple, therefore they could not
offer sacrifice.
Yet they still could worship God.
They could still read the book, the Torah,
and sing songs, and pray to God.
Why not just settle down, and make the
most out of it?
Why must they go back to Jerusalem, and
to rebuild?
To those who live for themselves.
The life in the land of captivity was
good enough.
The synagogue was good enough for them, in
their relationship with God.
But for those few, not many, whose spirits
God has stirred, they could not sit there,
and watch Jerusalem in ruin.
And the temple, it
was a call from God.
It was not a cry from men, crying
for Jerusalem, crying for...
It was a cry from God.
God's heart was crying.
He was not contented with what synagogues could
offer to him.
Synagogue was a human invention.
A very ingenious one.
It was a great invention.
It was a good substitute.
A very good imitation.
Not the perfect, not the best, but the
best that man could offer.
Quite satisfying.
Quite convenient.
A matter of expediency.
And it seemed to meet the need of
many.
But God was not satisfied.
God was not satisfied with that ingenious human
invention of synagogue.
He wanted one thing.
His own house.
The temple.
In which the sacrifice could be offered.
In that house he could put his name
and rest there.
There he could be worshipped as he desired.
Dear friends, it was not a call from
man.
Not a cry from man.
It was a call from God.
A cry from the heart of God.
Go back to Jerusalem and rebuild.
Why could they not build the temple in
Babylon?
It would be much easier.
But the temple could only be built in
one place.
Jerusalem.
Babylon, which means Confucian.
On the ground of Confucian you can only
build synagogues.
But not temples.
The temple, the house of God, could only
be built in Jerusalem.
The city of peace.
Peace with God.
Harmony with God.
The ground of purity.
Humanly, many would argue and say why not?
It was more convenient.
And they would not be in hostile surroundings.
It could be built easier and quicker.
But the call of God was go back
to Jerusalem and build my house there.
A remnant rose up.
They were willing to be uprooted.
They were willing to face all the dangers
and perils of the road.
They went back to that ruined city because
their spirits were still there.
They were a people.
The only reason for their going back was
to rebuild the house.
Not for their own comfort.
They were quite comfortable in the land of
captivity.
They went back for just one reason for
God.
For His satisfaction.
For the fulfillment of His will.
That God might have His heart desire.
And in order to let God have His
heart desire, they were willing to go through
many heartbreaks and pains and sorrows.
They were a people living for God.
And for God's sake.
They didn't care what happened to them.
Nothing could hold them back.
Their hearts were holding.
And it was this people that finally rebuilt.
Of course the story of the rebuilding of
the house of God is very interesting.
But I don't think we'll go into that.
The thing that is on my heart is
very simple.
Dear friends, what is
the purpose of our being today?
I often feel that from time to time
we need to go back to God and
reconsider, or better word, re-examine our position.
Why are we here?
Why are we here on earth in the
first place?
Why are we here in this way in
the second place?
What's the reason of our existence?
What is the explanation of our existence?
For our conduct?
For our way of life?
Is there any purpose?
Many of God's children today are living in
the land of captivity.
That's spiritual battle.
Many of God's people are settled down in
the land of confusion.
I think the confusion in Christianity is the
confusion in Christianity today.
It's so great that many do not feel
it anymore.
If you are just a little bit confused,
you are confused.
If you are too much confused, you are
not confused at all.
You think that that's what it is.
What else do you have?
What else can you expect?
Those who were born in the land of
captivity, that's what they experience every day.
And what more do you want?
You have food, you have business, you can
carry on, and you can worship.
And what's good is you can worship in
the way that you want to.
There is great opportunity there.
Dear friends, many children of God today live
in the land of confusion.
Many children of God today live for themselves.
They are the Lord's.
True children of God.
But they live for themselves.
Yes, they worship God.
Worship God in a way that is.
Worship God in a way that is satisfying
to human desire.
You know there is within man an instinct
for God.
Man must worship.
And sinning God is the best invention.
People today go to church, read the Bible,
sing praises, sing hymns, and pray.
And what more do you want?
You have your religious life, and you are
worshipping the true God.
Everything is convenient for dear brothers and sisters.
The question is, are you really satisfied?
Are you really satisfied with the situation you
are in?
Have you forgotten Jerusalem?
Have you forgotten the house of God?
Your need may be met.
Your heart may be satisfied.
Your heart may be fulfilled by God's love.
Is that all life is?
What is the purpose?
From God's viewpoint, you live even if you
go to sin.
From God's viewpoint, it is without purpose.
There is only one purpose.
And that purpose is God's purpose.
If your life is linked to God's purpose,
you live a purpose.
If not, your life is purpose.
Sooner or later, you will feel its emptiness.
Sooner or later, you will be frustrated.
Sooner or later, you discover there is no
meaning in it.
What is God's purpose for His people?
What is God's purpose for His people throughout
the ages and the generations?
What is God's purpose from eternity to eternity?
Is our life related to that purpose?
If your life is to be related to
that purpose, you have to be uprooted.
God does not allow us to settle down.
God will destroy that He may teach us
how to live.
The call has come.
Go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.
Return to purity.
Return to the simplicity of Christ.
Life in Babylon is very complex.
That is the center of the world civilization
at that time.
Return to Jerusalem, the place of simplicity, of
purity.
I think there is nothing more important than
this today for God's people.
Return to simplicity.
Away from all the complicity and complex of
life of so-called Christianity.
Go back to purity.
That oneness, unity, life with God.
As we leave everything and return to that
simple life with God, you will find there,
dear friends, are we willing to, from
everything that we are familiar with, from everything
traditional to us, convention and community, are we
willing to let go of everything and just
return to the simplicity of Christ?
To live for God, for God's purpose and
nothing else.
It is costly.
Whenever the call of God comes, it is
costly.
God never requires us to achieve it.
But are we ready?
Has the spirit of God stirred us?
We must.
Out of Babylon into Jerusalem.
Out of Jerusalem into Jerusalem.
Out of confusion into peace.
Out of complicity into simplicity.
Do we respond?
And dear brothers and sisters, it is there,
it is over.
Not just to meet the need of man.
That can be met in the synagogues.
But something to be built that can meet
the heart.
Something which is complete.
There you will find the preeminence.
King takes the first place as the head.
And there you will find a spiritual house,
the holy priesthood, where all the members of
the body are free to function as the
spirit to serve.
When the people that remnant returned to Jerusalem,
you will find that the first thing they
did was to offer themselves.
The first thing they built was to offer.
And the first thing they kept was to
offer burnt offerings and so forth.
In other words, the whole picture was of
people dedicated for one thing.
They all were there just for God.
Dear brothers and sisters, so this is upon
my heart.
After these days of prayer, I do not
know if it will come as a confirmation
to your heart that as we re-examine
our position before God, both as individuals and
also as a company of God's.
May the Lord lead us back to examine
ourselves in this way.
Have we been lost in that?
Are we now?
What are we building?
Are we building synagogues that can partially meet
the need of man, but certainly not God's
need?
Or are we here by the grace of
God, building this house that will satisfy God
first and of course.
So may the Lord lead