Revival in the Book of Ezra - Part 5 — Roy Hession

Zechariah and the Panorama of Revival

Will you turn to the Prophet Zechariah? This is the second book of the Old Testament, the second from the end. The last one is Malachi, and Zechariah is just before Malachi. Before we look at the particular book of Zechariah we have open before us, I think it is appropriate to give a little recap of the panorama we've been looking at, and it has indeed been a panorama.

We have been considering this lovely record of how the Jews were permitted to rebuild again their ruined temple, and also their ruined city. And we have seen it to be a picture of revival. It's not the building of the temple, but the rebuilding.

We've seen that the saints of God are builded together to be an habitation of God by the Spirit. As living stones are added to Jesus, so this temple grows, in which he himself dwells and from which he expresses himself to the world.

But just as that temple of old was reduced to ruins and rubble, so has the house of the Lord, in some measure, lain waste. Corporately it's only too true. The house of the Lord is nothing what it was intended to be, and all because of man's sin, and above all, man's unbrokenness, the accumulation of the centuries.

But not only corporately, but individually, in one degree or another, we have to confess, I'm no temple of God, as I should be. This old temple, in which the Spirit is meant to dwell, in all to a greater degree, has been lying waste.

But the Jews were taken captive, they were told, for only 70 years. Now that's a long time. They hoped it was only going to be two full years and they'd be back. No, Sir Jeremiah, it's going to be 70.

And during that 70 years, as the generation died off in Babylon, they gave up all hope. It was a vague thing, they vaguely remembered, but they could see no possibility of that thing ever happening. But it did.

And on God's clock, the time to wave his arm, and even the set time had come. And sure enough, as that 70 years drew to an end, Daniel was set a-praying, and maybe others too, wise men who understood by books what that 70-year prophecy was.

And above all, the Babylonian Empire was overthrown, and the Persian Empire took its place, and the first emperor was Cyrus. Somehow or other, he'd come under divine influences, and I rather think it was due to the testimony of that wonderful man, Daniel.

And the Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus, and he began to realise that if he was on the throne, it was only because the God of Heaven had put him there. And he had the astonishing revelation that the God of Heaven was the God of this little nation, Jehovah.

And he conceived the desire to build again God's house, and he issued the edict, and all who would were permitted to return to that ruined land, taking with them the vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple, and also gathering silver and gold from other Jews that didn't feel right at that particular stage to return.

And under Joshua the high priest, and Zerubbabel the governor, there was that first return of the exiles, some 50 ,000. And what a sight confronted them as they saw it. It was enough to make their hearts sink, but they set to work, and the first thing they did was to establish the altar of the Lord again.

And the burnt offerings, and they did it for fear of the people round about, they had to know that their relationship with the God of Heaven was right, and there was the indication, the altar, the burnt offerings going up every day, that they were now in relationship with God again.

And then they proceeded to dig the foundations, and a great day it was when they got those foundations dug, they'd really begun on the work for which they'd returned. And then it was the enemies round about came and tried to harry them, and eventually they sent up to Babylon, and I imagine by that time perhaps Cyrus had gone, another king was there, and they said, this city is a rebellious city, you search the records and see, and your kingdom's going to suffer damage if this goes ahead.

And they searched the record, and sure enough, there was a bad record there. And the message came through that they were to cause the building of that temple to cease. And so it was they came by force and with power, and compelled them to give up.

And it remained unbuilt for 13 years, just the foundations. And so it would have remained. They felt they couldn't go forward, because of this great mountain of opposition, this authority, this force and power against them.

And it never would have been built, but for the ministry of two prophets that God raised up, Haggai and Zechariah. We shall look at what they had to say in a moment. And because of their ministry, and it was mainly a ministry not only of challenge for having left that house for 13 years, because God held them responsible, although they had a good excuse.

You haven't got to lie down to opposition. And if perhaps for a year or two, but not for 13 years. Well it was very convenient, they could get on with their own houses. And Haggai challenged them about that, and likewise Zechariah.

And as a result, the people resorted to building again. And with them were the prophets of God helping them. And they defied the opposition. And then you remember that extraordinary story of how the opponents came again, and they gave a rather different testimony this time.

They said, oh, we're a decimated people, it's our own fault. The God of heaven who had provoked him to wrath, that's why we've been captive. But Cyrus, years ago, gave the edict. And so it was, they searched, and they sent, and they found indeed there was the old time record.

And those enemies got an answer they didn't expect, that they were to let those Jews alone. Indeed, they were to go further, they were to provide everything they needed, out of the king's taxes. And if any man opposed them, let his house be pulled down, and him hang on gallows on it, and let the whole place be made a dunghill.

And so they had to obey. And the unbelievable thing happened. And in no time at all, the house was completed. And we read, and they prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah. They were the crucial ones in the rebuilding.

Then we passed on to see Ezra come on the scene, and the new king Artaxerxes was as favorable as Cyrus, and he came with great wealth to beautify the house of God, with authority to the people the other side of the river, only to discover the grievous sin to which they had fallen.

He was told that the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, had not separated themselves from the people of the land, but had intermarried with pagan women, and were doing according to their abominations.

That was our subject last morning. And you remember the broken-hearted Ezra, and the tremendous prayer he prayed, and the effect of his broken-heartedness upon the people, they began to weep too, and they were willing to put that matter right.

And we saw that we've got to look at our Ezra, Jesus, him whom we have pierced, and mourn for him, not for what our sin might have cost us, but what it's cost him. And thus it is, these things that can come, and we try to apply it all, that could absolutely wreck any little revival we may have experienced, can be dealt with before God.

And there the book ends. That's it. With the putting right of this thing. But the story doesn't end there. The story then goes on to Nehemiah. And twelve years later, he comes from Babylon, and likewise with royal authorization.

It's a wonderful story. The time to favour Zion, even the set time has come. And Nehemiah's concern is not the temple that's been rebuilt, but the walls, the walls, the walls. The walls were still broken down, and the gates still burnt with fire.

And so the story, the same story, goes on into Nehemiah. And the natural thing would be for us to follow the story into Nehemiah. It's as helpful and as full of application for us as that part in Ezra.

And twelve years ago, when I took these passages, in the tent at Clevedon, I remember I did just go into Nehemiah a little bit in order to give us the completion of the story, the rebuilding of the walls.

But this morning I don't want to do that. It really is another study altogether. I remember Bill Butler took Nehemiah years ago, also at Clevedon, but not Ezra. But we don't want to do that just now. That's another wonderful study.

Haggai's Challenge and Zechariah's Encouragement

But I want to go back to that period in the story we've already considered. When having built the foundations, their enemies opposed them and got that authorization from Babylon to cause them to stop.

And they came with force and power to stop them. And they had no force or power with which to match their force and power. And so the work on the house of the Lord ceased for thirteen long years. And as I've already said, it was only through the ministry of Haggai and Zechariah that they ever started the work again.

And that is what I want to consider. Not so much the ministry of Haggai as the ministry of Zechariah. We've dealt a bit, I think, with Haggai. And his was a ministry of challenge. He said, You run everyone to your own house, building for yourselves sealed houses, while the Lord's house lies waste.

Therefore, the heavens over you are stayed from dew and the earth from fruit and you're having the difficult condition you have because my house, says God, is still lying waste. It was a very important challenge.

They had to see how illogical it was to look after number one when they'd come back to rebuild the house of God. And that was enough to get them moving in the right direction. But Zechariah's was different.

Zechariah's ministry was a ministry of encouragement. You know, there was everything to discourage the Jews, and especially their leaders, Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor. What they were faced with was just rubble and hostile nations around and they could well not give up.

I know they'd had encouragement, they'd got means up to a point, but it was a very hard time and all the time they were being harried by their opponents. And as I say, they had everything to discourage them and to cause them to think meanly of themselves in the light of the work that they had to do.

And I want to tell you, if you're discouraged, the devil's got you. He doesn't need to do much else, just depress you, just to get you discouraged and he knows he's put you out of action. And these men had to be lifted out of that.

And that was the great ministry, these two prophets and in particular of Zechariah. D .L. Moody said that he'd read the Bible through from cover to cover and he had discovered, he'd never discovered, how did he put it, that God could do anything with a man who were discouraged.

And if God's going to deal with you at all, he's got to deal with that. Especially those of us engaged in the work of the Lord. There are mountains of discouragement among Christian workers, among our ministers, in their churches, in their parishes, just what the devil wants.

And for that reason, God's house is not being rebuilt again. He's allowed a minister to us in that need and he did it through Zechariah. Just a glance can see the type of positive message that this man came with in chapter 1, 14 to 17.

Zechariah's Promise of Restoration

Chapter 1. So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy and I'm very displeased, I'm sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease, for I was but a little displeased and they help forward the affliction.

Therefore, thus saith the Lord. Now you listen, you Jews that are so down and think, well, there's not much hope. I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies. My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem, the plummet line.

Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, My city through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion and shall yet choose Jerusalem. You don't think so. I want to tell you it's going to happen.

And I'm telling you that. I'm full of hope if you aren't, says the Lord. I can see it all rising again. And prosperity coming to this decimated level. That was wonderful. Oh, let it go on, Zechariah. Tell us a bit more.

Oh, I've got a lot more to tell you. And he piled it on, and he piled it on. In chapter 8, verse 6, there's a lovely little bit. Chapter 8, verse 4. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem.

And every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it be also marvellous in mine eyes?

If it's more than you can believe it could ever happen, and it's not more than I can. And so it is so often God wants to come to those that have begun to be Christians, begun to rebuild the temple, workers, or just fulfilling their allotted course in life, to tell you you're on something bigger than you realise.

And as far as God's concerned, the issue is never in doubt. Indeed, he likes to start with a situation like that. There's a very dear friend of ours in America, a young evangelist and his wife, beautiful brother, I love him to come over.

His wife is one of the most glorious pianists you've ever heard. And he's a beautiful singer and song leader, but above all he's an evangelist. And they go round taking missions in one of these mobile car homes with their children.

A few years ago he heard the words of love. He gazed upon the blood and, evangelist that he was, he got a new peace with God and his whole ministry changed and there was a new fruitfulness. But, luckily, the doors for evangelism, strangely, seemed to be closing.

And there wasn't quite that special touch from heaven upon his evangelistic work and he became greatly discouraged and he wondered if God had forgotten him. He was still in the old ground as far as he knew with God and yet, there was a sort of diminution of the work that God was giving him to do.

And then he had a terrible internal illness, a tremendous surgery. But he was spared. But it took him a long time to recover and that further discouraged him. God had finished with him, so the devil told him.

And then he had a most extraordinary sort of word from the Lord. Very specific. Didn't tell his wife, he just kept it in his heart. You are to go to Colorado. He was living in Louisiana, in the deep south.

He'd been through Colorado, had a meeting or two up there, but nothing more. And the Lord spake other words of encouragement for his little wife. And his mother, they were so thrilled. And just as soon as he was well enough, they went to Colorado.

He knew one minister. The minister was delighted to hear that they were coming there to live and lend a hand. But he said, I've got a little church over there in the mountains. It's a log church and I'm really supposed to do that and it's too much for me.

Would you take on that? A log church with a congregation of seven. He was thrilled to miss. It was a man who was an evangelist, who didn't like large crowds. And he never would have accepted a congregation of seven but for the fact that God put his hand upon his work and then permitted that very serious illness.

I know it's not going to remain a congregation of seven. I know God, the time to favor that little bit of Zion has come. And if he doesn't see the potentialities, God does. He can see. The place changed.

And doubtless words have come to his heart to indicate that's God's intention. And this is what Zechariah, how he spoke to those people in that terrible, powerless situation. You need encouragement. That's why the Holy Spirit is called the comforter.

I believe that word can be translated encourager. The devil is a discourager of the brethren. The Holy Spirit is the encourager. That which discourages doesn't come from the Holy Spirit. He searches. He convicts but never discourages.

He is the great encourager of the saints and he gives them solid ground for comfort because he points to Jesus and so it was this message came. And it never would have moved forward but for the fact that that message did come.

And I want to tell you you're not going to get moved forward and yet unless you too are open to receive like messages of encouragement. It isn't a favor that God does for you. It isn't you who's all please encourage me.

He takes initiative. You think he's finished with you. You think he's got no more for you. It's he who takes initiative and presents you possibilities and prophecies. And yours it is to believe them and to begin to cooperate with the God who's thought it all out.

Joshua's Cleansing and Imputed Righteousness

Now there are two chapters here along this line. Chapter three and chapter four. Chapter three is the message of encouragement that was sent to Joshua the high priest. And chapter four the message of encouragement that was sent to Zerubbabel the governor.

And if the people were discouraged their leaders were even more discouraged. Leaders? What are we leaders of? Who are we? And they were really down. And so Zechariah brings to them the prophecy of how God saw them.

They saw them as one sort of person themselves as one sort of person. God saw them quite other and they'd either got to accept their own mean view of themselves or God's. Chapter three. And he showed me, this is Zechariah speaking Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

Yes, he's called the accuser of the brethren. Revelation tells us of Satan accusing the brethren before their God day and night. And here he is doing it in the Old Testament. And this is the vision that Zechariah has which he communicates to them.

And the Lord said unto Satan The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan. Even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel.

And maybe it was those filthy garments that Satan was accusing him of. But as Jehovah himself says he's a brand plucked out of the fire. It's not surprising his garments are filthy and got fire stains and much else upon them.

But he's a brand that I plucked. And thus it is Jeremiah saw Jehovah rising to the defense of this high priest whom Satan was accusing. And I believe he accused himself. He said, I'm no high priest. In the old times you used to have garments for beauty and glory but I haven't got it.

I've only got this. And he felt so unworthy. High priest, don't for goodness sake call me high priest. I'm no high priest. And he had a mean view of himself but his hands were weak to prosecute the work.

And so this vision was given to Zechariah to communicate to him. And he was given to see that Jehovah was not joining in the accusation. He probably thought Jehovah was. He was doing the very reverse.

What though the accuser roar of ills that I have done I know them all and thousands more. Jehovah findeth none. What a message. And there's Jehovah rebuking the one who's pointing out the deficiencies of Joshua which he knew only too well.

Now Joshua, as I say, was clothed with filthy garments that stood before the angel. And the answer didn't speak unto those that stood before him. Take away those filthy garments from him. And he said unto him, Behold, I've caused thine iniquity to pass from thee and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment.

And I said, Let them set a fair mitre, a turban upon his head. He hadn't got one up to then. So they set a fair turban upon his head and clothed him with garments and the angel of the Lord was standing by simply delighted.

Simply delighted. Look at him. There's a high priest for you. That's how God sees him. He doesn't see himself like that but that's how God sees him. He's not to go on with filthy garments. Yes, there's some truth in what Satan may say but after all he's a bran pluck from the burning.

He's only in process of being made what he's going to be. But he's mine. Take him away and you clothe him with a change of raiment. Please turn the cassette over now. Do not fast wind it in either direction.

Clothe him with a change of raiment. And so that's how it is with us. Oh my dear friend, you stand before the Lord and Satan is there to accuse you and you get a reflection of that accusation in your own conscience of what he's saying up there.

You have a mean idea of yourself of the low possibilities. They don't love you and perhaps you don't love them very much and the work I'm called to very little is happening. Nothing much but I want to tell you Jehovah's on your side.

Jehovah is on your side and he would tell you to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly his faith is counted to him for a righteousness which he doesn't otherwise possess.

If you've got the weeniest little bit of faith that God is the God that justifies the ungodly that he's the friend of sinners in Jesus that teeny weeny bit of faith in grace is counted for you didn't you but know it for a righteousness before God which is unassailable.

God says I'm not looking at those dirty rags take them off him. I'm choosing to impute to him righteousness apart from the law. Righteousness bought with the precious blood of my son and you cannot be better arrayed more right with God than what the blood makes you when you take a sinner's place.

It says that Christ who of God is made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption. Behold him there we said we sang the risen man my perfect spotless righteousness. That's how dear John Bunyan got out of darkness when he thought for two years he committed the unforgivable sin.

He was getting right with God being able to hold on to the promises and then the accusations came upon him again. And he was in his garden and he heard a voice almost audible thy righteousness is in heaven.

He's wondering am I really right with God? Am I right with God? Your righteousness is in heaven. He said where's that come from? He went into his house turned his Bible tried to find where that was written and the nearest he could find was who of God Christ of God is made unto you wisdom righteousness.

He's my righteousness. As another hymn says now we see in his acceptance but the measure of our own. So dear so very dear to God dearer you cannot be the love wherewith he loves a son such is his love to you.

Christ is your righteousness clad in him you can't be better arrayed. He is counted to you for righteousness that little bit of tiny confidence in grace is counted you for a righteousness which you don't otherwise possess.

If God says that's true it's true and you need to have this message of the gospel applied to you as a believer and so do I. Wonderful verse in Jeremiah 50 verse 20. Jeremiah 50 verse 20. In those days and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

Oh Joshua needed to hear that the iniquity of Joshua shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found so you see this great gospel truth is to be found in the old as well as in the new testament.

Turn back to Numbers chapter 23 verse 21. Numbers 23 21 you know this is the story where Balak has hired the false prophet Balak to curse the people of Israel who were coming into his land and he took him up to a high vantage point and said have a good look at them now Balak a great big whopping curse upon them because they are too big for me.

But he found he couldn't curse them could only bless them. Verse 20 he says behold I have received commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it. Balak he hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel.

The Lord his God is with them and the son of a king is among them. I want you here to curse them not to bless them. He said I can't help it. This is what God says. But we've had such a story of their behaviour those Israelites.

They provoked him to anger again and again in the wilderness. But that didn't change the grace of God toward them. And when this man wanted to curse them he had to confess he hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perverse in Israel.

And the one who's always telling you what a failure you are and how weak how ineffective is a liar. It's the devil the accuser of our brethren. And you've got to welcome into your heart this positive message of grace.

What though the accuser roar of ills that I have done. I know them all and thousands more. Jehovah findeth none. And you get busy. You move as one who is in that relationship to God. And he says if you go on like that walking close to me I'm going to give you places to walk among them that pass by stand by.

You're going to have access into the holy of holies. You're going to be my servant. Wasn't that a wonderful message that was given him. In other words grace wants you to see yourself bigger than you think you are back of you.

There are all sources of heaven. So often grace needs to tell us that we are smaller than we think we are. And you're so excellent. You think and you don't. You're no candidate for grace in that case.

But there are other times when grace presses upon you. You're bigger than you think you are. You're joined to Christ just as the branch is to the vine. I'm joined to Christ. I know he's mine. Oh you say apart from him.

I'm nothing. Yes I know that's true. But you're not apart from him. It's very good to tell yourself apart from him. I can do nothing. And you've got evidence of the nothing that comes when you're in any degree apart from him.

But listen in actual fact you're not apart from him just as the branch is to the vine. You are joined to Christ. You and you may know he he is mine. And if you don't know it the devil does he doesn't want you to know it.

And that's the reason why he pours in his accusation. Dear John Newton. Oh what a man. I know we always think of him only as the author of amazing grace. But there are equally other great hymns. Be thou my shield and hiding place that sheltered in thy side.

I may my fierce accuser face and tell him thou hast died. You go up to that pulpit. Dear man you could get so thrashed. And there's old Snooks frowning away your arch critic. And all the time you're looking at him out of one eye and all the time you're listening to your sermon through his ears we've got to get out of this.

You've got to know if God before me none could be occasion. And my dear friend fellow minister if you are in a parish which seems so hard preach evangelistically. Preach the lost. Now I know in Baptist churches they're more what we call eclectic the gathering out of the saved.

And very often pretty well on a Sunday morning at least they're all the saved ones there. But not in our state church I don't care how evangelical it is. There are always some of the anomals go for them sweetly.

Oh let the others criticize you. And I would suggest you do something. Why don't you ask God to give you a soul the first Sunday you get back from here and go a little further. And Lord. And another one the second and another one the third.

I mean to say they're delivered into your hands for half an hour. And there's someone innocent of all those people that don't like what you've been doing and criticize you. They're just fumbling their way.

They have no assurance. And you've preached the word of the grace of the gospel. And you know you'll find you're building the house of the Lord again. So this was the message that was given to Joshua by Zechariah.

Zerubbabel and the Mountain Made Plain

But he had another message of great encouragement for Zerubbabel. Go back to Zechariah one from the end of the Old Testament chapter four. And the angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man that is wakened out of his sleep and said unto me what seest thou.

And I said I've looked and behold a candlestick all of gold with a bowl upon the top of it and his seven lamps thereof and seven pipes to the seven lamps which are upon the top thereof and two olive trees by it one upon the right side of the bowl and the other upon the left side thereof.

So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me saying what are these my Lord. Then the angel answered knowest thou not what they be. I said no my Lord. Then he answered and spake unto me saying this is the word of the Lord unto whom.

Not to Joshua unto Zerubbabel. He's in charge of the building side. Who art thou. O great mountain. This is God saying it. He sees it done. If Zerubbabel doesn't before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.

And he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings crying grace grace unto it. And all that is going to be done. Going back to verse six. Not by might the might of many the might of an army.

That's what it means in the Hebrew. I got it in my margin not by might of many nor by the power of one superman. But by another way altogether. That mountain that's been in the way stopping you going forward is going to be sunk into a plain not by might or power.

You've been complaining. You haven't got any might and power to match their might and power. You don't need any might and power. I'm going to do it in another way altogether by my spirit. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto thee.

The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands shall finish it. And thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you who hath despised the day of small things. Don't you despise the day of small things.

Small things can go into great things. But it was pretty small what was happening in Israel. Don't despise it. Who hath despised the day of small things. For they shall rejoice and she shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven.

They are the eyes of the Lord which run to and throw through the whole earth. There are all sorts of obscurities as is usual with apocalyptic prophets. You know ones that have these visions and speak of the end days.

Well it doesn't matter if you don't understand. The seven eyes by the way is the Holy Spirit. The seven eyes are the seven spirits of God. And because it's seven it's meant to indicate the ubiquitousness of the Holy Spirit's operations.

The everywhere-ness. The seven eyes. And they're looking around and they're working on your behalf. Zerubbabel now. Isn't this great. Yes they had a mountain in front of them. They came by force and power to stop them.

And they said well that's it. And you've got a situation like that. There's a mountain in your way as a Christian as a Christian worker. And you say well we just can't go forward. The time to build the house of the Lord is not yet.

We've got to wait for a more propitious time. Well how long are you going to wait. Thirteen years? They did. And he was told oh to encourage his faith and to get him moving. Who art thou. Oh great mountain before Zerubbabel.

Not even before the Lord. Before Zerubbabel who had such a mean view of himself. You're going to become a plague. And he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting grace grace into it. Amazing grace.

The thing is being done. And it was done not by power or might but by God's spirit. You know the story. We thought about it. They gave the right testimony this time. The sinner's testimony. Oh we're a chastened people.

But grace has been shown us. And Cyrus gave that edict. And they said Cyrus gave that edict? We'll search and see. We will. They got what they didn't expect. It was there and every conceivable help was dispatched to them from Babylon.

And these very men had to implement those gracious designs. And sure enough before Zerubbabel. It became a plague and the house was built. There's a Methodist hymn. Give me the faith. How is it Wesley?

Now stand up and say it Wesley. Wesley's an inveterate Methodist. And he knows every one of Charles Wesley's hymns. Recite that little bit for us. No, no, just that first bit. And sink the mountain to a plain.

Give me the childlike praying love that seeks to build thy house again. And that in spite of mountains. And I want to say don't you think this is a prophetic word for you? You know your situation. I'm going home in the south world with this.