Reclaiming What Was Lost

Sermon from CCM Heatons

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LISTEN

This sermon was preached by Paul Basson from South Manchester Family Church at the CCM Heatons site of Christ Church Manchester on Sunday 17th October 2021.

BIBLE VERSES

This sermon was based on Ezra 1:1-7.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lordstirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

2“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. 3Whoever 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. 4And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

5Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lordthat is in Jerusalem. 6And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. 7Cyrus 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.

KEY POINTS

Israel / The people of God coming out of Captivity.

  • Israel had been in captivity for 70 years but God was still with them.

  • God had always promised them freedom.

  • Freedom came through an unbelieving King prophesied of by Isaiah 150 years before his reign started.

  • The King called on all those who still followed God to go and rebuild.

  • All that had been hidden away during the captivity was restored to them

  • In Ezra 2 it lists all those who rose up and built

  • We can feel like we have been in captivity or hidden away but God is with us, in the gaps, in the dark places.

  • It can seem like certain things have been last or mislaid along the way but God is wanting to restore to us that which was lost.

  • His answer will come and it will be His initiative

  • Will we rise up again to rebuild/restore.?

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