SERMON - Caesar Is Not Enough | The Need For Christian Princes & Pastors
The NXR Podcast
NXR STUDIOS
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 14 January 2024
⏱️ 65 minutes
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Summary
Leaders from the families of Judah and Benjamin took the initiative. The priests and Levites were also among the first to head back to Zion. When God inspired Cyrus to proclaim freedom, the same divine influence moved both the political and pastoral leaders among the people of Israel to seize the opportunity (Zechariah 4:6). Despite tempting reasons to stay in Babylon (familiarity, connections, and the challenging journey) some overcame these obstacles. Their spirits, uplifted by God, were fueled by a desire for freedom and love for their homeland – a love for their heritage. In order to achieve the rebuilding of Israel's heritage, God not only stirred up the heart of a foreign king (Cyrus – likely an unbeliever), but he also divinely inspired a native leader of Israel, one who had despised Babylon from his youth (Zerubbabel – a believer).
“Judah had a prince, even in captivity. Sheshbazzar, supposed to be the same with Zerubbabel, is here called prince of Judah; the Chaldeans called him Sheshbazzar, which signifies JOY IN TRIBULATION; but among his own people he went by the name of Zerubbabel—A STRANGER IN BABYLON; so he looked upon himself, and considered Jerusalem his home.” -Matthew Henry
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right, let's stand for the reading of God's Word. |
| 0:03.6 | Our text for today is Ezra chapter 1. |
| 0:06.1 | We focused on this last Lord's Day, so this is going to be a part two of sorts on |
| 0:11.1 | Ezra chapter 1. |
| 0:12.6 | I'll read our text in its entirety. |
| 0:13.9 | When I finish reading the text, I'll say this is the word of the Lord, at which point |
| 0:17.7 | I would appreciate very much if you would respond by saying thanks be to God. |
| 0:21.2 | One final time, our text for today is Ezra chapter 1. The Bible says this, in the first year of |
| 0:27.0 | Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, |
| 0:33.0 | the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, |
| 0:39.4 | and also put it in writing. Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord, the God of heaven, |
| 0:45.2 | has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, |
| 0:51.2 | which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, |
| 0:56.8 | and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of |
| 1:02.7 | Israel. He is the God who is with, he is the God who is in Jerusalem, and let each survivor in |
| 1:09.8 | whatever place he sojourns be assisted by the men |
| 1:13.0 | of his place with silver and gold with goods and with beast besides free will offerings for the house |
| 1:20.1 | of God that is in Jerusalem. Then rose up the heads of the father's houses of Judah and Benjamin |
| 1:27.3 | and the priests and the Levites, |
| 1:29.9 | everyone whose spirit God had stirred up to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. |
| 1:37.3 | And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, |
| 1:43.5 | with beast, and with costly wares, |
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