My, Cyrus, Old Man Hankins

7-11-10

Ezra 7-8
Lesson 4a
“My Cyrus,
Old Man Hankins”

I knew him as “old man Hankins.” He was an elderly deacon in my home church that wore stark black suits, walked somewhat stooped over, and as long as I can remember, had walked with a cane. I don’t remember if I ever had a conversation with him until that day I sat in his living room as he discussed the terms of our agreement. He had decided to send one student from my small high school, to Louisiana College for one year, tuition and fees paid in full. My principal had called me into his office just a couple of weeks before graduation letting me know of this man’s offer. Of course, I was ecstatic, and although I had never knew of Louisiana College, I told Mr. Lilley, my principal, that I would take it. I had always wanted to go away to school, but I knew my parents would struggle to pay for my tuition and room and board fees. So, I had accepted the fact that I would commute to Northwestern. This was an answer to a young girl’s prayers and dreams though I wonder if Mr. Hankins fully grasped his involvement in my future life.

Mr. Hankins’ responding to God’s stirring of his heart to send a student to school, would forever change my life. I went on that summer to the orientation weekend where I would room with a girl that was to be on the Lady Cats Basketball team. Since she was always at the gym, I too hung around there and started playing “pick-up” games as we called them every afternoon that early Fall. I then decided that I would walk onto the team. I had played basketball all my life and was recruited by Northwestern, but that did not work out; so, why not try to play for this newly formed program? Well, I made the team and really enjoyed feeling a part of the school. But we all know what was fast approaching – the end of the full paid year. As the spring semester came to a close, I had resolved myself to transfer to Northwestern to finish out my schooling. Yet, wouldn’t you know that Coach Billy Allgood called me into his office and offered me a half athletic scholarship, and he told me with my good academics and my southern Baptist background I was eligible for enough scholarships that my schooling would be full paid. WOW! God had once again stirred a heart on my behalf.

I would go onto to graduate and play four years of basketball making some lifetime memories and friendships. A young girl from a graduating class of 15 students would graduate 10th in her class of two hundred or so. She would meet her husband her senior year and walk away from a high school relationship that was never right from the beginning. God had a plan and purpose the entire time and He always came through even if it seemingly was always at the midnight hour.

As I look back, it humbles me to know how God weaves His plan in the lives of those around us, some we know and some we do not, but none the less, He is sovereign over it all. I don’t like to play the "what if" game, but please allow me to do so to make a point. What if Mr. Hankins had not responded to the stirring of his heart to pay a student’s way to Louisiana College? What if Mr. Lilly had not chosen me to be the recipient of that scholarship? What if I had not been raised to be a good student to help with the future academic scholarships? What if I had not spent many hours playing basketball and practicing so to be good enough to make the team and help fund my schooling? What if God had not closed the door of the Northwestern basketball program? What if – what if – what if? Oh dear one, God is sovereign over the steps of our lives, but we are also responsible as men and women with free wills to choose the paths we take. We must, as we have seen in the book of Ezra, rise up and willingly obey the stirrings of our heart. Esther was obedient to the calling of God on her life – she resolved herself to rise up for “such a time as this.” “If I perish, I perish” was her statement before she approached the King. The Levites in the second return with Ezra had to willingly and obediently decide to return to Jerusalem to do the work. We must realize that obedience is NOT about not sinning – it’s about DOING the will of God and responding to the stirring of our hearts. The Christian life should NOT be obsessed with the drudgery of trying not to fall short, but should NOT WANT to fall short of the standard God has given us. Remember, “His yoke is easy, and His burden is light” Matt. 11:30

“This Ezra” was a skilled scribe and priest of the Law of Moses. He had set his heart to seek God through His Word and to practice and teach it so that others might also understand . As we saw in 1 Peter 2:9, you too are a kingdom of priests, a chosen race and royal priesthood, a people of God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” SO… you fill in the Blank –

“This _______”(your name).

What is your lineage? What forefathers or mothers are in your family history that have impacted your life? What “Mr. Hankins” do you have that totally changed the course of your life because they were obedient.? What is your journey like? Do you need provision or protection? Fast and pray as Ezra did. What successes have you had that you now realize God had His hand on the entire time! Though perhaps you were wondering if He had abandoned you – you now know that He was simply carrying you on His back.

I still have copy of the letter Mr. Hankins sent me letting the College know of my impending attendance and his plans to pay my entire first year. He signed the letter with His feeble hand and under it placed this verse reference:

“For my God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Phil. 4:19

This verse has been my life verse since that day in 1978 when I received that “decree” regarding my future. Little did I know how many times I would recall and lean on this promise of God. Yes – He had supplied my needs and my very heart’s desire. And it all rested upon men responding with willingness and obedience to the stirring of their hearts.

I forgot to close today with the last verse of Ezra so I will do so now.

In 8:36, it says, “Then they delivered the king’s edicts to the king’s satraps, and to the governors in the provinces beyond the river, and they supported (furthered = KJV) the people and the house of God.”

The KJV word for supported is furthered – “nasa” – to lift up the face, the voice, the eyes, or the soul of another. Those that did not or were not willing to go obeyed the king’s edict and supported and furthered those that did go. Where are you today? If you decide to go and respond to the stirring of your heart, know that God’s hand of protection and provision is upon you, but you still have to do the work. If you cannot go, for whatever reason, please lift up and encourage those that do! Many of you are perhaps the “Mr. Hankins” to someone out there that needs to know that God’s hand is upon them. So, how is He stirring your heart today? The decree has been issued – arise and go up!


In the Name of our Lord of Hosts – the Sovereign Lord over all,

He Died to Make Men Holy

7-4-10
Ezra/Haggai
Lesson 3b
Haggai

"He Died to Make Men Holy"

Today's class met on July 4th, 2010 - some two hundred and thirty four years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence of this great nation. Freedom came to us all and continues to come at a cost. It has many times been said freedom never comes cheap. We, as Americans, can do and say the things we do because many others shed their blood on our behalf. Let's talk about another type of freedom - the freedom from eternal death because of our sins. That freedom was costly as well, but it would not and could not be paid by mortal men, but by the blood of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I sat in the pew of my home church, listening to the Battle Hymn of the Republic, that precious verse was sung: "He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free." Tears whelped up into my eyes as I truly reflected on the cost of freedom, both my national and my heavenly. Since Jesus has paid the cost of my freedom from the slavery of sin and death, I can truly live to make men free. I can lead them to the same Redeemer I encountered years ago - to the same Mount Calvary we must all go to if we are truly to be set free.

He died to make men holy - set apart. So too, in our lesson from Haggai, God speaks clearly to the people to consider their ways. He exhorted them to examine their lives and the focus there of, to become holy and clean before even one stone of the temple is put into place. Jesus died to make us HOLY not HAPPY! We must examine our own temples and do the work to restore the very dwelling place of our Lord. Yet, if we are to follow the instructions of Haggai, we should drop to our knees, confessing before our God any hurtful way in us. Don't even lift one stone of repair before we have set ourselves apart!

The word tabernacle means, to dwell. God wants to dwell with YOU! Yet, He is holy, and He desires for your heart to be holy as He is holy. Your body, His tabernacle, is His dwelling place, and if it needs some re-building, the writings of Ezra and Haggai are extremely beneficial to guide us toward that restoration. Here is a list of applications from the writing of Haggai which came in 520BC to a people who had STOPPED the repair of the temple for fourteen years. Have you stopped the work? Prayerfully read the list below and ask God to reveal to you any areas that need some repair.

Life Lessons from Haggai

1. When “droughts” come in my life – stop and remember two things:

a. God is sovereign over whatever the “drought” is and has you and the situation in His hands

b. Consider your ways = set your heart upon God’s Glory –Then confess it before Him

2. Am I a procrastinator? When God stirs the heart of His children, He is calling them to DO something. Like the story of Jonah, don’t make God ask you a second time to do the task

3. Am I a quitter when opposition comes? Do I use opposition as my excuse perhaps saying God has closed the door? [Opposition may mean that we doing something RIGHT... in God’s will]..

4. Am I too busy with my own personal life and all its comforts to respond to God’s stirring of my heart? The remnant of Israel was “paneling” their own houses while God’s house was desolate.

5. God is a “with us” God = Immanuel. Two times in Haggai He reminds them saying, “I am with you.” Remember when He stirred Moses to deliver His people, and Moses was more concerned about opposition, and what the people would say and who he was to respond to the task? How did God deal with Moses? He reminded Him that: 1.He was God and 2.That He would be with Him, and 3.To tell them that Yahweh had sent him, and 4.He would equip him to do the job. In other words, IT IS NOT ABOUT US!

6. God is sovereign, but we are responsible to do the work. God stirred them to not fear and to rise up and do the work. David had to go down to the river and gather the stones and had to sling one of them in the name of the Living God. God parts the sea, but we have to be willing to walk through it!

7. Beware of temple comparisons. Sometimes, we like to live in the “glory” days and never move forward. We need to know that God is going to do something new among us. We need to know and remember that the latter glory will be greater that the former.

8. Do not fear. Take courage or be strong and do the work.

9. Better days are ahead – there is always hope in Christ and the future. His Holy Spirit is within us! He is not only WITH us, but He is IN US! SO……restore and rebuild your temple!

10. Obedience brings blessing! From Genesis to Revelation, we see this over and over! To obey is better than sacrifice.

11. Hanging out with holy people will no more make me holy than being ill and hanging out with healthy people will make me well!

12. BUT – when the well hang out with the ill – they will become sick. Uncleanliness and sin spreads like leaven within the bread. Be set apart, holy unto the Lord. Live in the world, but not of the world.

13. God is a promise keeper. He kept His promises to Israel and will keep His promises to us as well. He promised that the Lamp of David would never go out. Zerubbabel was placed in the lineage of Jesus Christ; though he never sat on the throne as a king, he is in the lineage of a King – King Jesus!

14. God’s plans will NOT be thwarted. He is sovereign over kings and kingdoms – over peoples and nations – over life and death – over the rain and the drought...and finishes his building projects right on time (70 years from it’s destruction)

15. Remember that opposition can bring discouragement. Comparing “temples” also brings discouragement.

16. Why did God want them to rebuild the temple? Because He wants to “tabernacle or dwell” with us! From Genesis 3, the story is all about a holy God who calls to Himself an unholy people. He provided atonement with death and blood, and He provided our atonement with the death and blood of Christ. He wants to tabernacle with you! His Spirit dwells within your body, His temple, when you invite Him to reside there and become Lord of your life. Have you done this? Maybe He is stirring your heart to become His child and rebuild your temple for His occupation.

17. Finally, Haggai boils down to two exhortations:

a. Consider your ways (Re-set your priorities, passions)

b. Take courage and be strong ...in order to FINISH the WORK that GLORIFIES HIM!


Those who know their God will display strength and take action! Daniel 11:32b



In the Name of OUR SOVEREIGN AND GREAT GOD,