Home Improvement Sermon Notes

A Place To Call Home Series

Ezra 1:1-3 - (1) 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 also 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. (3) Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them.

Ezra 3:3 - (3) Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.

Ezra 3:11-12 - (11) With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. (12) But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

Ezra 4:1-2 - (1) When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, (2) they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

Haggai 1:2-9 - (2) This is what the LORD Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the LORD’s house.’ ” (3) Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: (4) “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (5) Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. (6) You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” (7) This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. (8) Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the LORD. (9) “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.

Ezra 5:1-2 - (1) Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. (2) Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Ezra 6:11 - (11) Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble.

Renovation are ____________.

Renovations are needed due to ____________ ____________.

Renovations usually involve ______.