God’s Redeemed Treasure
Ezra 1:5-11 - Victory Fellowship
April 14, 2024 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
I. Introduction:
a. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Pete says, “Do NOT seek the treasure”
b. God does seek His treasure. Throughout Israel’s history God used His resources to establish Worship and restore and redeem His people.
c. God, through Jesus Christ, continues to do so. We are in fact God’s Redeemed Treasure.
II. RELATING THE TEXT
a. Every Tabernacle or Temple building in the Bible finds the structure built with victory plunder.
b. Moses Building the Tabernacle in Wilderness
i. Exodus 3:21-22; 11:2-3; 12:35-36
21 "I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 "But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians."
2 "Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold." 3 The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.
35 Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36 and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
c. Building Solomon’s Temple
i. 1st Chronicles 26:26-27
26 This Shelomoth and his relatives had charge of all the treasures of the dedicated gifts which King David and the heads of the fathers' households, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the commanders of the army, had dedicated. 27 They dedicated part of the spoil won in battles to repair the house of the LORD.
d. Ezra/Nehemiah (Ezra 1:6-7)
6 All those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. 7 Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;
III. Application
a. Jesus took captivity captive. Ephesians 4:7-16
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift 8 Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN." 9 (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
b. The exodus from Egypt brought the Tabernaclec. The exodus from Babylon brought the rebuilding
c. Jesus’ exodus from Earth brings the Holy Spirit
i. (Luke 9:31; John 14; Acts 1:11)
IV. Conclusion
a. As God stirred the hearts of Pharaoh, Cyrus and the people of Egypt and Babylon to facilitate the building up of His church and the restoration of His people, so the Holy Spirit stirs up our heart to build up God’s Kingdom until Jesus returns.
b. Everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ participates in His exodus and are delivered from sin and bondage. The faithful are God’s Redeemed Treasure.
PRAYER
SONG: Red Letters
Ezra 1:5-11 NLT
Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And all their neighbors assisted by giving them articles of silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock. They gave them many valuable gifts in addition to all the voluntary offerings. King Cyrus himself brought out the articles that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his own gods. Cyrus directed Mithredath, the treasurer of Persia, to count these items and present them to Sheshbazzar, the leader of the exiles returning to Judah. This is a list of the items that were returned: gold basins 30, silver basins 1,000, silver incense burners 29, gold bowls 30, silver bowls 410, other items 1,000 In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and silver. Sheshbazzar brought all of these along when the exiles went from Babylon to Jerusalem.
