II CHRONICLES AND EZRA

It's Sunday!  How I love Sunday mornings! I'm finishing up II Chronicles and looking into Ezra today, and here are a few thoughts: 1) WHAT IS THE PROFIT?  In II Chron. 24:20, the question is asked:  "Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper?"  Why would any Christian go against God's Word, knowing that it will not be blessed?  Well.... there are several reasons:  a. We are deceived!  (the Devil is a deceiver and does just that.  If we are not careful, we forget that.  He tells us it doesn't make that much difference.... a little sin here, a little sin there...But, it does!) b. We are flesh! (We have a constant pull on us away from God because of our flesh, and all we have to do is let our guard down a little, and we just messed up!  The Bible says: "be vigilant".  The flesh is our reason to keep our guard up all the time.  It's hard, but we must develop that ability..) c. We are forgetful.  (We forget what tripped us up last time, will try again and again.  We forget to put on that whole armor of God.  Let us not do that!) 2) DON'T LET YOUR DISTRESS DESTROY YOU.  In II Chron. 28:22, we see:  "And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD:"  Ahaz sacrificed to other gods while distressed, and verse 23 says:  "they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel."  We all get distressed from time to time, but let us respond like David:  "What time I am afraid, I will remember the name of the LORD my God."  3) Cyrus says:  "All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.  Who is there among you of all his people?  The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up."  This is Cyrus, the king of Persia who God commands to build the temple of Jerusalem.  Now this is found in II Chron. 36:23, the last verse in II Chronicles!  The book of Ezra, is all about this one verse.  The ups and downs and final completion of the temple. 4) OPPOSITION AND GOD'S OVERCOMING OPPOSITION- The children of Israel started building the temple in Jerusalem.  But in Ezra 5:9, the question was asked:  "Who commanded you to build this house?"  The opposition did everything they could to stop it's construction.  But in chapter six, the Israelites asked Darius, the king of the Medes and Persians to check out the record, and in verse three we find:  "In the first year of Cyrus the king, the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded,.."  Wow!  God came through!  And.... He still does today.... let us never forget that great truth! Have a blessed Sunday!   Pastor Mike Mutchler