Worship When Weak

The convicting truth to me, men and women, as I observe how we today are even able to worship is the fact that today on this Lord's Day, there are Arab believers who've been thrown in jail because of their faith. And today they will sing quiet hymns to their Savior from their cell. Some of the sweetest, most sacred moments of worship occur in the most simple environments. You can worship at the kitchen sink. You can worship in the nursery room. You can worship when you're stuck in traffic. Worship is often far more simple than we make it out to be.

It doesn't require an elaborate service with lights and sophisticated sound systems. It can involve those things, but it's often in the simple things where God is most worshiped. Have you found that to be true? Have you experienced the worship of God in simple and ordinary settings? As we continue through our study of Ezra, you're going to observe the people of God gathered for worship. There's an important lesson for you regarding your own worship. Stephen's calling this lesson, Worship When Weak.

Well, what I want to do is take you to a worship service where nearly 50,000 people are gathered to praise God, and I can guarantee you nobody here is sleeping. It is in Ezra chapter three. Let's go back to our study through this powerful little book and look just at the first verse to begin with. Ezra three, verse one.

Now, when the seventh month came, the sons of Israel were in the cities. The people gathered together as one man at Jerusalem. That's a significant phrase, by the way, one man as one man. In fact, it sets the stage for the student of the word for this entire chapter, which is you call it camaraderie.

You could refer to it as unity. You could refer to it as I am doing for this morning study fellowship. Verse one, they stand as one man. Verse nine, look down there, they stood united together as they oversee the work of the workmen. Verse 11, the people shout together and they sing praise together. There is a strong sense of unity and fellowship here. I read a definition of fellowship several months ago that came back to me as I was studying and I couldn't remember the exact word, so I went digging and found it. And it is this. Fellowship is the oneness of heart that comes when two friends are on the same side of a struggle.

I like that. Maybe it's like two couples who have mortgaged their homes and they have gone together to start a little business. It's all or nothing.

Or like a couple of men who've emptied their life savings to begin manufacturing their invention. It is do or die. There is a special sense of camaraderie and unity and fellowship that is shared by people who have the same risk, who are on the same side of the battle. We as a church are like that as we battle, as it were, the unseen forces of the underworld for the glory of God. Well, here the Israelites stand in this broken down city.

It's overgrown with 50 plus years of brush, weeds, no stone sits upon another, scattered remnants of a once great temple are all around them and they are risking everything. And there is this unique fellowship that emanates out of this chapter. And I want to give you three areas of fellowship as we divide our study along those lines this morning. First of all, there was the fellowship of giving.

If you go back to chapter 2, you'll notice in verse 68, you see the first signs of generosity as the heads of fathers households contribute. Verse 69, according to their ability they gave to the treasury for the work. The key phrase there is according to their what? Ability. They didn't all give the same thing.

They couldn't. But they all shared in giving, though the amounts were different. In chapter 3 verse 5, then it's implied in verse 7, you see them paying the subcontractors, the masons, and the carpenters here as they're building.

All of the people are involved, but they're not all giving the same amounts. There is fellowship in giving even though the amounts given are different. We've seen the same thing, by the way, happen over the course of our brief history as we have sought to build buildings for the glory of God.

The hell is our worship as we collectively come and worship. And one of the sound bites that we continually throw out is not equal giving but equal sacrifice. That is the principle that is taught here.

It is the principle taught in the New Testament. We give according to our ability. For a child, $10 might be a significant, tremendous offering to God. For a college student, $100 would be a significant sacrifice of trust in the provision of God. For a business owner or a leader or some well-paid individual, perhaps it's $100,000 that would equal the $10 sacrifice of a child.

You see the point? It isn't equal amounts. It is equal sacrifice. Is it any wonder then since unity is such a key here in Ezra 3, as we'll see as we move next Lord's Day perhaps or whenever we get back to Ezra in chapter 4, that the enemy seeks to divide their unity, the oneness of spirit that comes when friends are on the same side of the struggle. Is it any wonder that the enemy seeks to divide the family, to turn unity of purpose and passion into something more like forced companionship because we show up at the same address on Sunday morning.

John Haggai illustrates the difference in those two thoughts this way. He said, two chickens tied at the legs and thrown over a clothesline may be united but they don't have unity. Well, here there was unity and how do you discover that? And one of the most critical ways you can discover unity is a person really with you. Are they really on the same side of the struggle? One of the greatest challenges and evidences of that is they are giving and here they are giving.

Then secondly, I want you to notice their fellowship in the building process even though their individual functions are different. Verse 2, then Jeshua or Joshua the son of Josadak and his brothers the priests and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtael and his brothers arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, burnt offerings on it as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. Look at verse 5, afterward there was a continual burnt offering also for the new moons and for all the fixed festivals of the Lord that were consecrated and from everyone who offered a free will offering to the Lord.

You talk about simplicity here. This is a far cry from Solomon's magnificent temple and that altar where they offered sacrifices some 70 years ago. In the past they had a magnificent temple that took a generation plus to build and the equivalency of millions upon millions of dollars and here they have this simple altar surrounded by rubble and they are worshiping God.

And out of this context comes so much truth. I want to suggest two truths about God and the worship of God if you're following along. Number one, God never refuses worship even when it's simple or simplistic. Worship does not depend upon the environment on stained glass and padded pews. The convicting truth to me men and women as I observe how we today are even able to worship is the fact that today on this Lord's day there are Chinese believers worshiping in the woods. There are Arab believers who've been thrown in jail because of their faith and today they will sing quiet hymns to their savior from their cell.

There are Sudanese believers today that in this past year have been sold into slavery because of their faith and they will be singing and worshiping from their slave shacks. Some of the sweetest most sacred moments of worship occur in the most simple basic environments and for us today that means you can worship at the kitchen sink, you can worship in the nursery room, you can worship when you're stuck in traffic. Sweet worship.

I want to show you something else. Look at verse 3. So they set up the altar on its foundation.

For they were terrified because of the peoples of the land. Now stop. Now if I were writing the book of Ezra I would have left that part out. It doesn't make you look very good. It doesn't sound spiritual. Whoever was proofing Ezra's manuscript I imagine said Ezra you know you really want to put that part in there?

That doesn't really make us look all that hot. Leave it there. Which by the way reveals then for us another wonderful truth and it is this. God never rejects your worship even when your faith is small. God doesn't say to his child I'm not going to listen to your prayer until you get it all together.

As soon as your knees stop knocking you come to me and I'll give you my ear. No God accepts their offering here. He accepts their praise even at the same time.

He knows full well they are running to him like scared children. Terrified to God he accepts this worship. Even though they were weak with fear they worshiped God and it gives us pause to ask the question today what what is it in your life that has you rattled?

What is it what is being shaken loose from your perfectly nailed down life where you find yourself most weak? It is in those rough waters where your prayers are refined where they're sort of boiled down to what really matters to its purest form as it were of worship. Kind of like Matthew 14 and we could spend the rest of our time there but we won't only want you to turn but it's where that story that you may remember the storm is is raging and the disciples are on the boat and and and they see a form walking toward them and suddenly they identify that man walking across the water as Jesus and Peter says Lord if that is you bid me come to you. It looks like fun can I do it too and the Lord says Peter come on and so Peter climbs over the boat and he begins to walk toward Jesus on top of the water and I imagine at that moment Peter's thinking something like this Christianity is great this is living look at me mom where are you when I need you to see I'm on top of the water and then the text says but seeing the wind he became afraid so at some point in there as he's walking on the water suddenly he realizes where he is and what he's doing and then he thinks what in the world got into me to ever try this and he begins to sink and at that moment he says Lord save me that's about as basic as it gets that is one of the purest forms of worship you'll find in the New Testament Lord seeing the wind he became afraid and beginning to sink he cried out saying Lord save me he didn't say Lord thou who created all there was in six days thou who rule ist over the heavens and the seas thou who even made us these rough waters in which I now will die no Lord I'm going to die save me and what I love is the Jesus Christ reaches out and takes Peter by the hand he doesn't go up and say now look Peter a little faith now and I'll respond come on show me some he picks him up by the hand and then bringing him up he says oh thou little faith you have a lot to learn Peter and this is going to be one of those experiences that teaches you what faith is but I love it most as they go back to the boat and they climb in that it says and those who were in the boat worshiped saying truly thou art the Son of God you learn some of the most profound truths about your Lord when you're in the storm the Israelites are terrified by the enemies around them they don't have a wall around their city but do you notice ladies and gentlemen the significance that the first thing they begin to build is not the wall around the city but the altar worship came first you do not pursue security you pursue God and you find in him security this is a living application of what the church has been given in Matthew 6 33 seek first the kingdom of God and all these things those provisions he talks about in that chapter food clothing and shelter all these things will be given to you I have never seen the righteous begging bread we do not pursue protection we pursue God and we find in him the protection we need even if the storm never leaves we have found all we need in him I say all that to basically say the best time to worship is when you're weak you see ladies and gentlemen the Israelites were in as it were the center of God's will and they were terrified when I am afraid what I will trust in thee trust is often the deepest when the storms are greatest so worship when you are we God will never reject that kind of worship or he will accept and embrace that kind of praise now there's another moment of fellowship within this Israelite camp it's it's the fellowship they experienced as they praise God look at verse 8 now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem in the second month Zerubbabel the son of Shealtah El and Jeshua the son of Josadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the Levites and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem began the work and appointed the Levites from 20 years and older to oversee the work of the house of the Lord skip to verse 10 now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets and the Levites the sons of Asaph with symbols to praise the Lord according to the directions of King David of Israel and they sang praising and giving thanks to the Lord saying for he is good for his loving kindness is upon Israel forever and all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because why the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid the word translated praising in verse 11 is a key word to circle it comes from the Hebrew verb halal it means to boast about someone it means to extol the virtue of someone it means to praise the character of someone it is the root form from which the word is constructed halal luya halal luya means and it came to mean we boast of God we extol the character of God most often translated praise or praising in the Old Testament when they praise they were boasting of their great and faithful God that's what halal luya means I boast about you oh Lord I lift up the honor of your glory I praise your virtue later in the text you discover there literally as I read verse 11 shouting their praise they were shouting hallelujah let's try it together you ready one two three we got everybody in this that's great now if you look at the last phrase of the chapter it tells you that the sound was heard far away how do you think we did I bet the nursery didn't even know we'd done anything let's try it again ready one two three again shout it louder that's exciting can you imagine 50,000 people shouting hallelujah to the glory of God and it said that all the people around them heard this shout and why are they shouting they dug some trenches and poured them in the temple isn't finished hardly begun and yet they had reason to boast of the faithfulness of God now there is fellowship in their praising even there though there was a difference in emotion I want to show you that in verse 12 yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers households the old men who had seen note this who had seen the first temple wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes while many shouted for joy they're crying they're weeping others are praising they're sobbing others are singing their sorrow was only to be expected by the way did you notice it said that these men had seen Solomon's temple that was magnificent one of the commentators I read said that they were replacing the Taj Mahal with a log cabin and those old men knew it they knew now what their disobedience had cost the nation they were the ones that had failed they had been warned and warned and warned and warned and and now they were back praise God but they saw the foundation laden they knew this would never match the splendor of their potential and that is the thing about sin my friends God forgives but there are sins there are actions there are behaviors there are habits where potential is lost we don't like to hear that but they were experiencing this temple would not be what it was but I want to go on and say that that was right and those tears were well cried and those old men knew it well but it just kind of went on and on let me let me read you what Josephus wrote in the first century we're gonna go a little over time hang with me here Josephus said this they recalled to mind the former temple which had been very great and costly and seeing this one fell short of the old one because of their poverty and and considering how far they had fallen below their ancient prosperity and a state worthy of the temple were downcast and being unable to master their grief were moved to lamenting and weeping the words here unable to master their grief struck me the grieving started out as one would appreciate and only expect they grieved over the loss of the temple glory they grieved over the loss of the nation's potential they grieved over the loss of what could have been but it goes on Haggai the prophet who lived during this time had to eventually go and grab those old men by their shirt collars and say okay stop it because the work had actually ceased they had so discouraged the new generation that had come out they were the ones that sat around and said oh if you could only have seen it when this is nothing why build it and Haggai has to come along and excoriate those old men and then infuse with encouragement these younger men and women who are risking everything who were praising God that something was happening for his glory let me give you two quick things about grief that's good good grieving good weeping good crying is when we grieve over our burden without becoming bound to our past my friend what do you cherish the most your memories or your dreams good grieving is when we grieve over pain without avoiding God's perspective these elderly men should have had the focus that God had indeed been faithful to his word and yes it wouldn't be like it was in the past but it was what it was and God could be glorified among the nations so rejoice in that I think a healthy perspective was written by an author friend who talked about his mother's experience with death when we think of grieving we often think of this seven years ago he wrote my father died my mother continued to live in that house they shared together for 30 years and recently she has made necessary and beautiful changes in that house she's replaced curtains that she and my father picked out together imagine that that would be so so painful wouldn't it she removed wallpaper that they had hung together while my mother weeps again over the loss of her husband at fresh times especially each time she makes such changes she has not allowed her grief to keep her in a house with dilapidated furnishings in contrast to the grief by these elderly men of Jerusalem we need to find like my mother right ways to grieve even as we move ahead with our lives one more thought I made the comment that they were praising God after the foundation was laid not the entire temple finished they held the celebration the older men notwithstanding we've made a little progress we're gonna praise God now let's not wait until it's finished and I want to make the application this way we are prone we are tempted to basically do the same kind of thing unlike them we do the opposite Lord whenever I get my life together I'll worship you Lord whenever I can arrange my life neatly I'll serve you whenever there are just fresh chunks of empty space on my calendar then I will make a difference for you when I make more money Lord I'll give some to you now in the middle of your life like mine which could be characterized by a sign over our heads that says something like work in progress all we have is a little foundation doesn't seem to be much happening Oh Lord I wish I'd grow up faster I wish there was more that I could look at to see your hand in my life but I will praise you for what you are doing now Christians under construction that's who we all are we praise him now pack your things away and I'll tell you one final illustration from my own life which I hesitate to do because I don't want to be misinterpreted but I want to tell you about a couple of months ago I was very discouraged so many things were and are wonderful about the ministry but yet I was so discouraged especially over our building process that was just going nowhere that was my perspective and it had so burdened my heart there were delays with rezoning that exist even today there were problems with financing which at least now is completed but there are all of these things happening and I was out in the pickup I was running around somewhere one evening and I was near the land now my wife's version of near the land for me is I'm in Cary but I did what I've done many times and I just pulled in totally despondent and I sat there and looked out over the land and God began to convict me I was taking a responsibility that wasn't mine you've been there and and began to remind me of my wrong perspective and I was sitting there under his tutelage which is an uncomfortable place to be and you've all been there and are there and and then I had this impression I didn't feel like it it was kind of strange but an impression to begin singing just saying praise God from whom all blessings flow praise him all creatures here below praise him above he heavenly hosts praise Father Son and Holy Ghost didn't necessarily feel like singing but I can tell you that in the middle of that song and afterward that my heart was warmed and my focus redirected that God was at work this this is his responsibility and I want to challenge and encourage you friends to sing that sometime this week when you're when you're at your weakest moment say the verb halal hallelujah it's built basically into that song praise you extol the honor and glory of a God who is faithful even though at the moment you don't think he might be and you don't see the evidence of it at that moment you say praise God from whom all blessings flow worship him when you are weak you'll discover that if you put this lesson into practice and worship even when you feel weak it'll completely change your perspective as you direct your thoughts and attention to God Stephen called this lesson worship when weak it comes from our current series through the book of Ezra Stephen has a booklet from this series called people of the word one free copy of that resource is our gift today to everyone who contacts us for the first time all you have to do is call us today our number is 866-48-bible or 866-482-4253 Join us next time for more wisdom for the hearts.