Sermon by Bruce McCallum 12 November 2017

2. Isaiah 45:3 (NIV)
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places, so that you may
know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.

3. Ezra 1:1-4 (NIV)
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in
order to fulfil the word of the LORD spoken by
Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus
king of Persia to make a proclamation
throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 2
"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The
LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the
kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me
to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

4. 3 Anyone of his people among you - may his God
be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in
Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the
God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4
And the people of any place where survivors
may now be living are to provide him with
silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and
with freewill offerings for the temple of God in
Jerusalem.’”

5. Ezra 6:3-5 (NIV)
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued
a decree concerning the temple of God in
Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place
to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be
laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet
wide, 4 with three courses of large stones and
one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the
royal treasury.

6. 5 Also, the gold and silver articles of the house
of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the
temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon,
are to be returned to their places in the temple
in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the
house of God.

7. Isaiah 45:4 (NIV)
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my
chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on
you a title of honour, though you do not
acknowledge me.

8. 1. God is God and you are not 😊

9. 2. God’s Kingdom includes
EVERYTHING.
Psalms 24:1 (NIV)
1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

10. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
33 But seek first His kingdom and His
righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well.

11. 3. It’s time to come out of exile.

12. God lets us pick how long your tough
journey to spiritual maturity will take. The
length will depend on 2 things – how
quickly you obey Him and how deeply you
trust Him when it doesn’t make sense

13. 4. Your gifts and your call are
irrevocable
Romans 11:29 (NIV)
29 for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable.

14. 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to
show that this all-surpassing power is from God
and not from us.

15. 5. Why does this even matter?

16. Plant churches
Equip servant leaders
Assist the poor
Care for the sick
Educate the next generation