The Return to Worship

Road to Revival

Text: Ezra 3:10–13 (ESV)

How do you rebuild back after you’ve been broken?

That’s the story at the heart of Ezra and Nehemiah…It’s the rebuilding of a nation after returning from exile.

Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the return from that exile. The exiles came back in three migrations, each with three purposes:

  • Zerubbabel led the first return to rebuild the temple.
  • Ezra led the second return to rebuild the law.
  • Nehemiah led the third return to rebuild the city.

Lesson: Restoration isn’t about rebuilding old systems; it’s always been about reviving souls. 

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 31:32–33 (ESV)

It was never about structures or systems; it was always about souls!

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David, king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. Ezra 3:10–13 (ESV)

Three Lessons on the Road to Revival

1. Revival always begins with rebuilding the altar.

Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. Ezra 3:2–3 (ESV)

The altar always comes first.

The altar represents three things for us:

  • Repentance
  • Release
  • Reset

Restoration Always begins with rebuilding the altar.

2. Revival will always encounter resistance. 

“Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel…” (Ezra 4:1–2).

Two tactics of the adversary: Infiltration and Intimidation 

  • Infiltration – “they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do.” (Vs 2)
    Be careful who you build with!
  • Intimidation – “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build… and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose” (Ezra 4:4–5).

    Opposition is an indication of progression. 

When you face opposition, focus on the future!

“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4:9–10 (ESV)

Why did they rejoice?

  • Because they saw movement.
  • Because they saw alignment.
  • Because they saw fulfillment.
    • They didn’t just say finish was what was started, finish for the future… when the walls started going up, your dreams on paper began to take shape!

When you face resistance, keep your eyes focused on the future.

3. Revival carries the sound of rejoicing further than regret

…old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. 

The past gives faith an anchor to hang on.

The future gives faith a dream to hope on.

But the present gives faith a moment to act on.

“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former” (Haggai 2:9, ESV).

We want God to do a new thing, but do it in an old way.

The sound of revival was both weeping and rejoicing…But the sound that carried furthest was the sound of joy.

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