WHO IS THERE?
Ezra 1:1-4 (KJV)
Now 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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Who is there 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 the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
This Chinese Virus has given rise to about as many opinions to about as many things as anything I have ever witnessed in the ministry. And it has created some very unique challenges for pastors.
I have already told you about a pastor back east who, for a time, was excited because he was on his governor’s committee to develop a plan to re-open churches in his state.
The week before he was scheduled to re-open his church, he received a notice in the mail that his county had determined to ignore the governor’s plan and require that churches remain closed.
That pastor has made the national spotlight several time in the last few weeks because he has defied the orders and has now received several citations and accompanied fines.
Large churches around the country developed detailed and carefully crafted re-opening plans. Many of them used beautiful graphics and shared them so other churches with less resources could modify them and use them in their own ministries.
Those plans have again and again been shot through with holes and state governments refuse to grant any leeway into their own plans for churches.
Pastors in California are outraged that their state has mandated that, for the Independence Day services, there can be no singing whatsoever.
In the midst of all of this one pastor[1]wrote this
3 weeks ago:
Church member #1 “Pastor, why I the world are you reopening church services so soon?”
Church member #2 “Pastor, why in the world did you ever shut down church services in the first place?”
2 weeks ago:
Church member #1 “Pastor, you don’t seem to care about the struggle of minorities.”
Church member #2 Pastor, why haven’t you been more supportive of the police?”
1 week ago:
Church member #1 “Require masks! Pastor clearly you don’t care about human lives.”
Church member #2 “Require masks? Pastor clearly you don’t care about human liberty.”
This week
The pastor asks, “Lord, are you sure you don’t want me to sell cars for a living?”
I use that to illustrate that people can have very different views about very many things.
I don’t think it is our job to change their minds about most of them.
In fact, I would just as soon, leave people to their opinions about all of those things.
All I really want is the liberty to proclaim the Word of God as I believe the Holy Spirit reveals it to me.
I notice that even a man with the influence and authority that Cyrus King of Persia did not force people to do that which they were not individually led to do.
The Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus and convinced him that it was his duty to build God’s house in Jerusalem.
What I think I see in verses 3 and 4, is a missionary message.
Notice
I. WHO IS THERE AMONG YOU?
Ezra 1:3-4 (KJV)
Who is there 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 the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
Clearly, Cyrus understood that, even among the people of God and even with such a clear message from God, the people would have different opinions.
A. Who is there among you… let him go.
It wasn’t everyone who felt the burden, the calling the necessity to leave what they had developed during the Babylonians captivity and return to Jerusalem.
You and I can debate that all we want to:
· Whether they were just being lazy
· Whether they were being afraid
· Whether they were being worldly
But Cyrus didn’t make all the Jews go back to Judah.
Cyrus was an unusually wise leader.
He only released those who wished to return to do so.
He understood that to make them all go would not have helped the cause of building the House of God.
B. And whosoever remaineth …help him
I can personally see all sorts of warnings with the Jews remaining.
· It seems worldly
· It seems lazy
· It seems fearful
I think I have witnessed a lot of missionaries express frustration because they are so convinced that God has called them to be missionaries that they assume God must have called others also.
And I think what has happened more often than any of us care to admit, is that some people have been guilted into going where God never intended them to go.
The plain, biblical truth is that:
· God calls some to go and
· God leads the others to help
This same principle is seen in
II. DAVID, STAYING BY THE STUFF
1 Samuel 30:8-10 (KJV)
And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
David and his six hundred men had just returned from battle to discover that while they were away their village had been attacked and their wives and children captured.
David enquired of the Lord and determined to immediately take after the thieves but two hundred of his men were just to weak to keep up.
David left them behind at the brook, Besor.
He and the four hundred that went with him were successful in their mission.
They not only recovered their wives and children, but also the other spoils from the Amalekites.
But when they returned to the two hundred, the Bible says that some of those four hundred were “wicked” and “men of Belial.”
They didn’t want to share the spoils of their exploits with those who had not gone with them to the battle.
1 Samuel 30:23-25 (KJV)
Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
Why the two hundred were too weak to pursue isn’t told us.
Perhaps they were the ones who had done the most fighting in the previous battle.
The principle David set was that those who remain to care for things are just as important as those who go to the front lines.
And both are to share the rewards equally.
Paul taught that too.
Philippians 4:16-17 (KJV)
For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
There is one who goes.
There is another who remains and supports
It is up to the Lord to call each to his place and each receives fruit equally to their account.
When the Christians in Jerusalem were persecuted
III. SOME WERE SCATTERED AND SOME REMAINED
Acts 8:1 (KJV)
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Bible teachers are quick to point out that it was never God’s intention that the Christians remain centered in Jerusalem.
Jesus had told them,
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Bible teachers have estimated that, by the time this persecution began, there may have been upwards of 50,000 Christians living in Jerusalem.
And they claim that God brought the persecution to scatter them and make them witnesses unto the uttermost parts.
It is true that the Bible says,
Acts 8:4 (KJV)
Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
But notice who stayed behind,
Acts 8:1 (KJV)
…; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Somebody had to stay by the stuff there in Jerusalem.
Some of those that were scattered went to a city called Antioch.
A great church was planted there which eventually had
IV. A HOST OF PROPHETS AND TEACHERS
Acts 13:1-4 (KJV)
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
I count five of these “prophets and teachers”
· Barnabas
· Simeon
· Lucius
· Manaen and
· Saul
But the Holy Ghost sent out only two of them to be church planters.
Those who stayed behind to serve in the local church were every bit as vital to the work of God as those who were sent.
The Point of all of this is that:
· Whether you are the “who is there?” or the “whosoever”
· Whether you are the one burdened to go and build or the one who stays back to help
Whichever one you are is the leading the Lord and
Whichever one you are is as important as the other
· We have no business making heroes out of those who “go and build” and
· We have no business looking down on those who “stay back and help”
What we ought to do is
· Thank God for both and
· Be faithful to whichever God has called us to be
Conclusion
I have just one other passage of Scripture I would like to point you to
Revelation 22:17 (KJV)
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
No man can make another person come to Jesus Christ and be saved.
But I can tell you this,
· If you have never confessed to Him that you are a sinner
· If you have never repented of your sin and
· If you have never called upon the name of the Lord to be saved
The invitation is open from Jesus
“Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Come.
Come to Jesus today. Come right now.
Let us show you from the Bible how to be saved from your sins forever.
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