This is the introductory sermon in this four sermon series. Links to other sermons in this series at the bottom of this article.

Series summary:

Millions of Americans find themselves facing the greatest struggles of their lives today, squeezed financially by rising energy costs, rising unemployment rates, fears of a national recession – or even a depression. The housing market has changed dramatically, dramatic stock market losses have taken huge bites out of once-healthy retirement accounts, and credit that was once easily obtained is suddenly in a lock-down mode. In addition, a new presidential administration means more change is on the way, and no one is certain where the change will lead. It adds up to a shocking new way of life: These are “Lean Times.”

Naturally, “lean times” might apply to some other areas of life, too. Relationships can hit hard times, grief can leave a person in emotional ruins, and disease can attack with the fury of an armed enemy. The faith challenge is simple. If you face “lean times,” you’d better have a good foundation on which you can “lean.” The miracle? By leaning on your relationship with Jesus Christ, a person won’t just survive in lean times. He’ll thrive in tough times. She’ll find victory, even in an atmosphere of loss. Ezra and Nehemiah provide the biblical background, for they led a people facing far more difficult circumstances to a point of great success – in their work, in their national identity, and in their new understanding of faith.

Illustration:

Drive through Atlanta, Georgia today, and it’s nearly impossible remember the worst days in the city’s history. Today, more than 5 million people live in the metro-Atlanta area, fighting gridlock as they drive among the gleaming skyscrapers, past the great sports stadiums, college campuses, and the state’s gold-domed capital building.

It’s nearly impossible picture the aftermath of the Civil War, when the city smoldered after a relentless, 36-day shelling from Sherman’s Union troops. Not a building stood untouched by the battle, and those left behind were there only because they were too poor, or too wounded, to leave.

The shelling finally stopped on Aug. 9, 1864, and a handful of people sorted through the burned-out embers, wondering how in the world they might possibly rebuild the city. In the early days, it must have been impossible to think that within a century, Atlanta would be one of the largest cities in America, and on its way to becoming one of the best-known cities in the world.

No, the heady days of the 21st century were far beyond the imagination of those living in the lean times of Civil War Reconstruction. For them, finding enough food, and finding good shelter, took all their work, all their time, and all their emotional energy. In those days, imagining a mega city in its steel and glass glory was simply not possible. And yet Atlanta would rise from the ashes, bigger and more fantastic than could have ever been imagined in just 14 decades ago.

Biblical background:

Ezra and Nehemiah, two of the Bible’s more famous men, faced a similar reconstruction project. Instead of Atlanta, it was Jerusalem that had been destroyed. The great city had lain in ruins for decades. Those who had been left behind when Judah had been taken away into exile were those deemed the least of the bunch, those not worthy even of capture.

Lean times? When Ezra and Nehemiah returned, they found that no one had attempted to rebuild either the Temple, or the city. The task was simply too big. The stones were overturned, the gates were burned, and anything of value had long ago been taken by the scavengers, or eaten by the rats.

Jerusalem was ruined, and no one had the energy to rebuild it.

When they arrived home, Ezra and Nehemiah changed all of that. One man was a Bible teacher, and the other was a motivator. One knew the law, and the other one knew people. One was committed to preaching, one was committed to action. Together, the two men were used by God to rebuild the city, rebuild the Temple, and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Inspired by Ezra and Nehemiah, there were other leaders rising from the ashes. Men like Zerubbabel came to be household names in Israel, because they followed in the courageous footsteps of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The Bible tells us of the heroic actions of Jeshua, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. There were also Shealtiel, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mispereth, and Nehum. There were others, but here’s the point. Every one of the new heroes Jerusalem came to know did their work in the hardest times they had ever known.

Lean times? They were desperately short of food, national security, and sleep. They had to move stones weighing two tons at the short end of the scale, and build gates that would withstand the attacks of well-trained armies. They worked with a sword in one hand, and a brick trowel in the other. They worked in an environment that was overwhelmingly negative, with each day’s news reports explaining why they couldn’t do … exactly what they were doing.

In the heart of lean times, they succeeded. In the worst of all the bad days, they were victorious. When people insisted they couldn’t make it, they did more than simply survive. They thrived.

Connection with today:

The news reports tell us that we’re in hard times, right now. House prices have fallen dramatically, and still aren’t selling. A tank of gas feels like a major purchase, and everything from food prices to basic supplies have seen dramatic increases.

For most Americans, it creates “lean times.”

Actually, our version of “hard times” won’t sell very well in the rest of the world, or in the past pages of history. And we’re thankful for that. By and large, Americans aren’t starving, aren’t walking, aren’t living in garbage dumps and aren’t sending under-clothed children out scavenging for food. Some people are facing such circumstances today, in other places around the world.

Nevertheless, we’ve got a lot of people hurting. Every community has seen slow-downs, layoffs, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and angry tears among the end of countless dreams. The down-turn in the economy has affected everyone, every industry, every organization, every church.

It shouldn’t surprise us that the Bible has a message for lean times, for the Bible has a relevant word for every season, for every people. Here, says the Bible, is an opportunity to thrive. Here, says the Bible, is an opportunity to grow your faith. In fact, says the Bible, lean times might be the very best times, ever, in which you can take major steps forward in your faith.

Ezra and Nehemiah wouldn’t be impressed with our version of hard times, but they probably would have a simple message for us. Lean times, they would tell us, will demand either defeat, or a victory. Their path to victory? Faith.

The history that takes us into the story of Ezra and Nehemiah is pretty simple. After seeing its best days ever under David, and then Solomon, Israel foolishly divided with a Civil War. The northern kingdom became known as Israel, and it had almost all of the natural resources, and the very best cash flow. The southern kingdom was known as Judah, and its best claim to power was Jerusalem, its capitol and the spiritual center of the people.

In time, the northern kingdom was completely destroyed by the Assyrians. The writers of the Bible blame that destruction on ungodly leadership. There wasn’t a single king in the north that was godly, they say. And evidence of that claim could be centered in two new places of worship, complete with their golden calves. One was just 15 miles from Jerusalem, and the other was far to the north, at the very top of Israel’s boundary.

Once the northern kingdom was gone, the southern kingdom was a sitting duck. The Babylonians finally took the people captive, 136 years later, and transported the whole lot of them to the area of the world we now know as Iraq and Iran. History better knows the area as Persia, but the point of the Bible is that the entire Jewish people – the people of Judah – were taken into a 70-year exile.

Miraculously, the people were given permission to return to Judah. They were allowed to go back to Jerusalem. And this is Ezra and Nehemiah’s story, for they were the men who inspired those who had returned to re-build. They were the men who decided to thrive in very difficult circumstances, and lead the reconstruction of Jerusalem, of the Temple, and of God’s people.

Ezra 1:1-11 (HCSB)In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The LORD put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and [to put it] in writing: This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. Let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem." Return from Exile. So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone God had motivated—prepared to go up and rebuild the LORD's house in Jerusalem. All their neighbors supported them with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the LORD's house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods. King Cyrus of Persia had them brought out under the supervision of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. This was the inventory: 30 gold basins, 1,000 silver basins, 29 silver knives, 10 30 gold bowls, 410 various silver bowls, and 1,000 other articles. The gold and silver articles totaled 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought all of them when the exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Can we comprehend it? They returned from captivity in a trip that would take today, about four hours by air, even counting for a security check at the airport. They needed four months. They walked, they carried their supplies, they made very slow time. Those who chose to leave were also leaving a fairly comfortable environment, and headed toward a very tough one. They willingly headed straight into tough times.

Here’s where this gets important. As they went back to Jerusalem, they were making a huge faith statement. They were trusting God to take care of them, they were accepting God’s challenge to do something great, and they were confident that they were in the heart of God’s will as they took action.

Or, if I could put it this way, they were leaning on God.

Lean times might be all about a tough financial season. It might be a time when a person’s physical health turns sour. Maybe a loved one is struggling. Or sick. Or dead.

Maybe you’re one of the rare ones who doesn’t know the experience of lean times. Rest assured, sooner or later, we all know tough times. Somehow, some way, this is a part of life. Ezra knew it, Nehemiah knew it, Jesus knew it, and you either have known it, are knowing it now, or will know it.

To make the connection with a play on words, when lean times come, you’d better have a secure foundation on which you can lean.

I. Lean times are tough. (Ezra 3:12)

When Ezra returned to Jerusalem, he knew that some exiles had already made the trip home. Others from Judah had been there the entire time. There had been time for the city to have made a bit of progress. But Ezra was shocked to see the ruins and the shocking lack of progress.

Another key leader of Jerusalem’s rise from the ashes was Zerubbabel, who took the leadon re-building the temple. Workers cleared the Temple Mount, quarried new stones, cleaned old stones, and finally, they laid the foundation for the Temple.

This was a really, really big day, and there was lots of music, and lots of celebration. But there was also this:

Ezra 3:12-13But many of the older priests, Levites, and family leaders, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this house, but many [others] shouted joyfully. The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shouting from that of the weeping, because the people were shouting so loudly. And the sound was heard far away.

Before we get started on the challenge, let us take a moment and admit this. Lean times hurt. Lean times, tough times, are difficult. If your health starts to disappear, weeping is OK. If your mother or father or brother or sister or friend gets sick and requires constant care, that’s tough. If they die, it’s unbelievably tough.

And frankly, when one part of our economy spikes, everything follows. When the price of fuel goes up, an increase in grocery costs isn’t far behind. Other costs start climbing. Even the cemetery will raise prices … and call it a “cost of living” increase.

The only thing that doesn’t go up in lean times is the income we have to spend on things that suddenly cost more.

And that’s not fun. Lean times hurt.

Nothing in the message of Ezra and Nehemiah comes free of pain. In fact, it’ll all be immersed in pain, in hard work, in disappointment and discouragement, and in exhaustion.

Just don’t get stuck in the pain.

Let’s also consider one of the major lessons Ezra and Nehemiah taught us …

II. World leaders are under God’s control. (Ezra 1:1)

The very first words of Ezra’s story are these:

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill 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. (Ezra 1:1)

Cyrus, ruler of the world, doing something just because God had chosen, years before, decades before, to speak a promise to his people through a thin, aging, powerless prophet who made his mark on the Bible in part by crying so much.

The most powerful world leader of Ezra’s day was under God’s control. Same is true today. No matter how powerful, world leaders are as puppets in the hands of God. From Pharaoh of Egypt to the top world leaders of today, all of them are under God’s control. In the history covered by Ezra and Nehemiah, several world leaders work to carry out God’s plan.

The Greeks conquered their world, including Israel, and their swords dripped with blood. The Romans followed, and the land flowed with blood. There was much pain associated with the world leaders of those eras.

However, from the vantage point of history, we understand that because the Greeks conquered the world, the world suddenly had one common language. That would be a vitally important reality when God decided it was time to share news of the Messiah with the whole world. And the Romans? They secured roadways, built super highways, improved shipping and transportation, and even volunteered to transport missionaries from the Middle East to Europe (via persecution) … spreading that message faster than could have ever been done, if the first followers of Jesus hadn’t had the unintentional help of the Romans.

And what of the Roman emperor who once decreed that there must be a census? It was a terribly inconvenient process for millions of people, but also a logical way to get a young couple to Bethlehem in time for the birth of the Messiah, in exactly the place where the prophets said the Christ would be born.

No world leader ever tried to destroy the Jews more than Adolf Hitler. But after the world comprehended his acts of insanity, there was just enough sympathy to re-establish Israel as the homeland of the Jews, just as the Bible had prophesized. As cruel as it sounds, even the unspeakable actions of Hitler were used by God for good.

Are world leaders still under God’s control? Absolutely. We may not understand it, but you can count on it. God is in control. Complete control.

III. Of all the problems in “lean times,” dealing with sin is Issue No. 1. (Ezra 3:1-2, 8:35)

At two key moments, two key leaders built altars in Jerusalem, and offered burnt sacrifices there. Zerubbabel led the first effort, recorded in Chapter 3, and Ezra led the second sacrifice, recorded in Ezra 8.

In both cases, the entire nation – all of those people living in the midst of lean times – gathered around the altar and worshipped God. They saw animals being killed, right in front of their eyes, and they saw the blood collected. They saw rituals that would be very strange and very repulsive to us, but in their minds, in their hearts, they knew exactly what was happening.

The blood of those sacrificed animals was the symbolic moment when God was forgiving the sins of His people. As the people gathered with repentant hearts the blood shed on such an altar provided cleansing for sin.

The word used in the Bible to describe this is “atonement.” “Atonement” can be defined as being “at-one-ment,” or being “at one with God.”

The priorities must stay in proper order. There might be famine, hardship, bankruptcy, national emergencies or personal crisis. But without the sin problem being solved, all of the other problems will pale dramatically, in comparison.

If you don’t know the power of forgiven sin, you’re more bankrupt, more in trouble, more destitute, more stricken, than any other kind of human being. For if the Bible is right, and life lasts forever, then being in a right relationship with God is critically important. God is going to make the call as to whether one goes to heaven, or one goes to hell. God is going to be the ultimate judge.

And we believe the Bible’s message is crystal clear. We believe that when Jesus died on the cross, he was the ultimate offering, the final sacrifice, needed for the forgiveness of sin. The Bible says having your sin forgiven by God is priority No. 1. Frankly, today’s a great day to deal with that problem. God is always ready to hear the prayer of someone who says, “God, I’m sorry for my sin. I’ve been wrong. I accept the gift of salvation, the gift of forgiveness, that Jesus gave me on the cross.”

That is a sweet, sweet offering to the heart of God, and in return, God removes all your sin from his record. It’s being at-one-ment … with God, through Jesus Christ.

IV. Only those who hear – and obey – God’s instructions will thrive in lean times.

Every year, about the time April 15 rolls around, there are a lot of news stories about income taxes. One of the most amazing stories? Each year, thousands of people forget to claim refunds the IRS has waiting! For the 2006 tax year, for instance, the IRS still has about $100 million in refund checks waiting on the rightful owners to claim. The average, unclaimed refund, they say, is $953. And more than 100,000 taxpayers have let it go.

If you’re going to get your refund you have to be aware of the rules, or read the stories, or visit the web sites … and then take action. Hearing that there are refunds available isn’t enough. Reading about the refunds won’t do it. If you’re ever going to benefit from money that is rightfully yours, you’ve got to fill in some forms, mail the information to the IRS and eventually, cash a check!

Are you in the middle of lean times? This is a faith opportunity. However, in order to capitalize on the opportunity, you must follow the instructions of the Bible. Hearing about the instructions won’t be sufficient. Only obedience will take us to a point of thriving during lean times.

Nothing significant about faith is learned in good times. Every lesson of value seems to come in the midst of difficult circumstances. It’s the lessons learned in the “Classroom of Suffering.” So here we are, a group of committed followers of Christ, all taken, against our will, back into the Classroom of Suffering.

How will we react to difficult times?

Since the heart of these lean times comes from not having as much money as we used to, what about the money? The most obvious application point deals with our offerings at church. Will we take money away from our gifts to the Lord so we can keep putting the same amount of gasoline in our vehicles? Will we cut our offerings because groceries are higher?

What if tough financial times were actually a test from God? The Bible has told us that God can provide for all our needs. The Bible has told us that our first fruits are to be given to the Lord. The Bible has told us that we are to be cheerful givers, and to not give under compulsion. What about all the instructions in the Bible related to handling money? Could it be that God is calling us back to a state of biblical, fiscal responsibility?

Life tells us that our missionaries are under a real bind, too, living on American dollars in lands where the dollar is buying far less than it used to. Our ministries at the church deal as much with energy costs as any business in town. So if we have fewer funds for missionaries and ministries, there will be hardships and challenges that will have to be faced.

But not if individual Christians and individual families say: “You know what, the first thing I’m doing with my money is what I’ve always done with it. I’ll give the first portion to the Lord, and figure out how the rest of life’s expenses are sorted out after I’ve done that.”

What about another point of application? What about the environment? We’ve known for years, for decades, that burning fossil fuels is bad for the environment. What if God is forcing us into a corner where we’ve got to make use of renewable energy? What if God is forcing us to become “green,” as the term is, these days? Are we going to flatly refuse to look for new options, or will we keep blindly paying more and more and more for something that’s bad for the environment, and something that literally funds terroristic activity in the Middle East?

And what about basic courage? One of the reasons America is in Lean Times, frankly, is that the news media keeps telling us how bad things are. In reality, we live in the best environment in the world, we have the greatest wealth in the world, and the greatest opportunities in the world. Our definition of “lean times” usually means we’ll buy smaller cars instead of SUV’s, we’ll eat out one less meal than we used to, and we’ll buy a less expensive brand of golf ball than we once did.

Don’t take our sad stories to the rest of the world and expect a sympathetic ear.

And don’t take our version of “lean times” to ancient Jerusalem, either. Ezra and Nehemiah would hand you a trowel and a sword, and point to the area of the city where you could go to work.

In our lean times? We’ve still got the world’s finest national defense system, the world’s most powerful economy … and we’ve got freedom. Part of that freedom, literally, is the freedom to choose to obey God, right now, and soon thrive in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Conclusion

Illustration:

Sometimes it's just a matter of thinking clearly. Like the small businessman whose clothing store was threatened with extinction when a national chain store moved in and acquired all the properties on his block. This one particular businessman refused to sell. "All right then, we'll build all around you and put you out of business," the new competitors said. Surely -- you might think -- here is a case for warranted anger. If a hothead ever had an excuse, this was it. The day came when the small merchant found himself hemmed in with a new department store stretching out on both sides of and above his little retail shop. The competitors now opened shop. Their banners unfurled, "Grand Opening!"

The merchant in the old store, the little store surrounded by the big bully, had a banner of his own. His banner reached across the entire width of his little store. It read, "Main Entrance."

And just when others thought he wouldn’t survive … he thrived.