By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, December 13, 2009 · Third Sunday of Advent
Sermon Text: Matthew 1:12-16
Sermon Theme
Zerubbabel is given a difficult and challenging task. He leads the people of Israel back from seventy years of captivity in Babylon. They return to a Jerusalem in ruins. Their task is to rebuild the temple. Zerubbabel faces indifference, delay and outright opposition. His enemies first attempt to deceive him and then they denounce him in a letter to the king. The king commands him to stop the rebuilding. The work comes to a complete stop. Zerubbabel faced huge obstacles. He could have given up and walked away from the whole thing. He never did because the word of God came to him saying, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit.” Zerubbabel ultimately is not building a temple of stone. He is laying the foundation for the Lord Jesus Christ, the living temple. The example of Zerubbabel both convicts and encourages us.
Sermon Outline
- Difficult. Cyrus, the King of Persia, issues an edict allowing the Jews to leave their captivity in Babylon after seventy years and return to their homeland to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Zerubbabel is given the task of leading them as their governor. They return to a city in ruins. The task of rebuilding the temple appears overwhelming. They begin the work but they are afraid of the neighboring people who oppose their effort. After a positive beginning they start to turn away. They ignore God’s house and spend their time and money on their own houses. Zerubbabel is left alone. He must have felt like a failure. Many Christians today feel like Zerubbabel.
- Desperate. The prophets condemn the self-centeredness of the people. God’s word comes to them asking, “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4). The work begins again. Yet they face opposition from the people “Beyond the River” who use deceit, bribes and intimidation. The people become discouraged. Their adversaries send a letter to the new King of Persia complaining about the rebuilding effort. The King sends back a reply ordering them to stop. The work stops for several years. Yet God commands Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple. He is obedient. Only the prophets and elders help him. The work is not easy and it is not popular.
- Dedicate. No sooner does this third effort begin and the opposition reappears. They confront Zerubbabel and his co-workers with the question, “Who gave you the authority to rebuild the temple?” They intend to send yet another letter complaining about the work. Once again the entire effort is in danger of collapsing. Discouragement has followed discouragement. In the darkest hour the word of the Lord comes to Zerubbabel saying, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). The king discovers the original edict of Cyrus. He sends back the word that the rebuilding should continue “with all diligence.” The opposition ends. The temple is rebuilt. Zerubbabel’s temple foreshadows a different temple. A descendent of his will be the living temple of God. That temple will also be destroyed and rebuilt (John 2:18-22). All this is “not by might, nor by power” but by the Spirit of God.
Questions for Us
- What are some of the ways we can identify with those who return to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel? How do we, like them, turn away from the Lord"s work because it is too difficult and we simply want to take care of our "own houses" (Haggai 1:1-9)?
- What lessons can we learn from Zerubbabel's faithfulness when the whole project he was working on came to a complete stop? Why do you think God allows the opposition to keep interfering with his work?
- God's promise to Zerubbabel is, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit." What does this promise mean for us today?
