GET UP AND GO

GET UP AND GO

Ezra 1:1a (NLT) In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah.

What was this prophecy?

Jeremiah 29:10a (NLT) This is what the LORD says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years.”

Judah in captivity in Babylon... It was their fault... Rejected God, worshipped idols, no Sabbatical years for 490 years... This added up to 70 Sabbatical years for the land to rest...

Jeremiah 29:10b-14 (NLT) "But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

God had not forgotten His people...

Ezra 1:1b (NLT) He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:

Now who is this Cyrus?  He is the king of Persia who conquered Babylon.

Isaiah prophesied his coming:

Isaiah 44:28 (NLT) "When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’ he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’”

Isaiah 45:1-4 (NLT) This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never to shut again. This is what the LORD says: “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. “And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name when you did not know me? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one."

Isaiah 45:13 (NLT) "I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people— without seeking a reward! I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

Now the question, "How did a pagan king come to learn God’s plan for him?"

When Babylon took Judah captive, Nebuchadnezzar took some young men to be servants in his court. One of these men was Daniel!

Daniel 1:21 (NLT) Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.

Daniel 6:28 (NLT) So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel served at least six kings over a period of some 70 years. Although not specifically not mentioned in Scripture, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote that Daniel shared with Cyrus the prophecies of Isaiah written over 100 years before he was born! He response Cyrus accepted his destiny.

What was the proclamation?

Ezra 1:2-3 (NLT) This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you!”

God places before His People an open door to return to the promised land, the land of blessing, their land, their home!

Brothers and Sisters: God is saying to you, "The door is open; the bondage is broken. Walk out and go free!"

Jesus declared in His hometown of Nazareth,

Luke 4:18-19 (NLT) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”

You may feel trapped today, and it may be a cell of your own making. The enemy tells you that this is your life, all you can hope for, make the best of it!

But remember what Jeremiah promised...

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Yes, there may be a time of correction, just like for Judah, but there is a day of release coming!

Micah 7:8-9 (NKJV) Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.

You may feel like nothing is happening but God is moving. Think about this:

God spoke to Isaiah about a king named Cyrus, sent a boy named Daniel to wait 70 years in a pagan country to deliver a message to a man who had conquered the entire world by God’s power, then God stirred the heart of a pagan king to set Judah free, then commanded their neighbors to pay for it, then brought out all the treasures Babylon had taken and restored it to Judah!

What a God we serve! He will not only set you free, He will make others pay the bill, and give back to you all the enemy has stolen!

Joel 2:25-26 (NLT) The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced."

Now what do we do?

Ezra 1:5 (NLT) Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the LORD.

You gotta get up and go!

Do you feel a stirring?

You gotta get up and go!

Are you longing for freedom?

You gotta get up and go!

You want your stuff back?

You gotta get up and go!