Jeshua: A man that stood

Ezra chapter 3 and verse number one. And when the seventh month was come, that was a big month in Israel's history, the blowing of the trumpets and the different feasts and so on. It was often a start-off month.

When the seventh month was come and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Verse 2. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Josedek and his brethren the priest and Zerubbabel the son of Shelteel and his brethren and builded the altar of God of Israel to offer burnt offerings thereon as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his bases for fear upon them because of the people of those countries and they offered burnt offerings and thereon unto the Lord even burnt offerings morning and evening.

They kept also the feast of the tabernacles as it is written and offered daily burnt offerings by number according to custom as the duty of every day required and so on. Over to verse number nine for the sake of time. Verse number nine.

Then stood Jeshua, same man again, with his sons and his brethren. Now notice who else comes along here. Cudmeal and his sons and the sons of Judah together and if you look into your margin most margins will give it as one man or as one to set forward the workmen in the house of God and the sons of Hanadad with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord they set the priest in their apparel with trumpets and the Levites and sons of Asaph with symbols to praise the Lord after the ordinance of David king of Israel. Verse 11. And they sang together or in the context they sang as one man by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord because he is good for his mercy endureth forever.

Now they had a lot to do yet. There's a tremendous herculean task before them but listen the content of their song for he is good for his mercy endureth forever toward Israel. All the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because of the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid and they were just at the foundation and so on.

Second reading please back in 2nd Samuel chapter 23. I am not sure just if I'll get back to this but I want to read it to you. 2nd Samuel chapter 23 please.

Verse number 8. 2nd Samuel 23 verse number 8. These be the names of the mighty men whom David had. The Taqbanite that sat in the seat chief among the captains. The same was Adino the Esanite.

He lift up his spear against 800 whom he slew at one time. I want to speak to you this afternoon about two men. First man I want to speak about is this man Jeshua.

He was a man that stood up because he had to. The second man that we read about at the beginning of David's list of mighty men and I would rather just refer to him as the Taqbanite because it's a much easier pronouncing that than it is his real name and the and the name that follows but it says concerning this man of the Taqbanite that sat in the seat chief. Chief it says among the captains and he lifted up his spear against 800 men.

Why don't you just notice here is a man that sat down and he didn't have to. So putting the two together we have a man stood up because he had to. We have another man that sat down and he didn't have to.

If I don't get to the last let me say this. Sometimes it takes as much energy and power and wisdom and maturity to keep my seat than it does to leave it. This man had every reason to stand up and say wait a minute now, wait a minute.

Who around here took on 800? Who among here rose to what I did chief of the captains? He was a man that was deeply respected. Listen dear brother, dear older brother, let me encourage you this afternoon. What I teach here I would teach everywhere.

Because of physical or obvious responsibilities of moving among God's people is no longer apparent in you doesn't mean you've lost your usefulness. Because in your wisdom you have stepped back and said now here's a younger man here. Let him be helping here.

Let him be doing this. Does not mean you will be less appreciated, maybe less seen, just as much used of God. I came in in the latter part, I didn't intend to mention this, I came in in the latter part of Mr. Lennon McIlwain's labors in Nova Scotia.

I still think of myself as Joe Junior but as Joe Junior Mr. McIlwain used to look me out at some of those large conferences and he'd say we expect to hear from you this afternoon. I said Mr. McIlwain these are your converts. This is your work among others.

No, no, no he says I will be keeping my seat. When Lennon McIlwain moved to Toronto to the the home there in Bethany I can tell you there was a tremendous presence that was missed by a man that hadn't been on a platform for years. Nobody told Lennon he had to sit down.

Now my children have gone different. They've told me listen, you don't have to worry dad, you haven't a worry in the world. We see something coming up we're gonna sit you down and we're gonna, kindly they said staple your suit jacket to the chair you're going nowhere.

So there you know where I'm coming from. But I'm saying that to encourage you. I am looking into brethren that I've stood on this platform and ministered before for years.

You're not young men today. I'm not quite as young as I used to be even though I like to think at times I am. I want to encourage you from the bottom of my heart today that your presence here, your presence in that assembly of which in which God has used you, even it means retiring from responsibilities and moving among the people of God is a wise move.

Let's come back to this man Jeshua. I say a man that stood up because he had to. It's interesting, just interesting to notice the order that is given in this chapter.

I want you to notice that before a man could stand up and be a man like Jeshua there had to be unity amongst these people. That's why I emphasized in verse number 1 and verse number 9 and verse number 11 they were gathered together as one man. It's interesting that when it comes to the deliverance of God's people from slavery out of the land of Egypt it is God giving the commandment and the commandment coming down from Moses and Aaron to his people.

That his people are going to be with a strong hand taken out of this land. They're going to be delivered from this terrible, terrible captivity. Slavery rather.

But when you come to the to the captivity there's no such commands that are given. So what is it that brings a man like Ezra and a man like Nehemiah and a man like Jeshua here and and men of the house of Judah and men like Cadmeal, what is it that brings them here? In a book that likely spans a period of 90 years this would be traced back to a man by the name of Daniel reading God's Word just exactly what we've been hearing at this conference and coming to the realization that God is going to bring people out of this captivity and they're going to go back to the place of the name and they're going to build on the ruins of what is left. You know we read through it and I say speak for myself we read through it so casually, so comfortably.

We're not standing with this dear man. He didn't have the tools, the equipment that we have today. And I'm talking about in a modern world of building and rebuilding and construction.

And to look over the ruin and the devastation of this city and to have the heart to even think of rebuilding it. But he would do it. Am I speaking to someone today and you say but the ruin that's been done in our company.

Maybe you're like a sister that came to me one time at a conference miles from here and she said you know we used to be a very good number here brother McCandless but our brethren couldn't get along. That's sad. I know nothing.

I'd only been there once, never had the occasion to go back there. That was her commentation, commendation. That far as what I saw, what I would witness there.

But here's a man, Ezra. And Ezra has taken the lead. This man, Jeshua, and that's the man I want to speak out, speak about today.

A man that stood up that didn't have to. Could have said well listen now Ezra's doing it all. He's really handling things here and whatever.

If he stands, I'll stand. Is that how you feel brother? Is that how you feel sister when it comes to your your assembly? That well you know if someone would stand up and say hey listen, in a very practical way, on Lord's Day morning, how about standing on your feet with a few words to worship God? When last did you do it brother? When last sister did you encourage your husband to take part like that? Don't set before your children a dumb priest. Let them see an active priest in the home and in God's house as well.

But so often isn't that really the order of the day? Come on young brethren you know. And we've got young brethren, thank God they're right here in the audience today. And they have, whatever others may think or may not think, they have rose to the moment.

They have arisen to the moment. They said no. There are men like Jeshua.

But there was a condition, there was a unity that was produced here. Now you'll notice that these people had gathered themselves together. Now I have not questioned that God by the power of His Spirit had not brought them back, had not delivered them from that terrible captivity.

But there was a responsibility on their part, on their part as we have in the Corinthian epistle, to be gathered together. It's one thing to be gathered together, it's another thing to be gathered together as one man. You got a company that is gathered together as one man, it will produce, it will produce men that can stand up.

When the scene is difficult and even dangerous, you will scare our young brethren. You won't encourage them to stand up. Notice what this meant.

Jeshua, by doing that, the Son of Jesus, and His brethren, and the priest, and Zerubbabel, one man that stands up. Others did the same thing. I buried, sorry, I shared the funeral of my aunt, Jean McCandless, 92 years of age, less than a month ago, and the only girl in the family.

What's she gonna do? You're not gonna go against your parents, are you? Surely, if they're going, wouldn't it be the natural thing to go? No. No, she didn't. You know what she did? She's close to six foot, but I'll tell you what she did.

She did what a lot of sisters have done that are in this audience this afternoon. She stood up. She didn't contradict her parents.

I heard nothing of a home conflict. I was likely maybe even too young to know about it than a good thing. As far as I know, and I have not checked it out, I don't think any of her brothers tried to influence her either.

Mom and Dad went one direction. She stayed in the other. At her funeral, aged veteran overseers from the Highbury Assembly came to me at the grave with tears in their eyes, and you know what they said? Thank God for your aunt, Jean.

Good for you, sister. Come on, brethren, let's admit it. Would the family really be here if you had your way? Got out of sorts with the brethren? Once you stood up, but Mom stood up.

Oh, she kept her place, and she said, my dear, we can't leave. This assembly needs us. God's placed us here.

We can't leave. Have you ever expressed that thanksgiving to your wife? If you haven't, please do it. You say, well, that's never really happened.

Well, listen, brethren, could you today—my, what a day this would be, what a memorable Garneville Conference—if tonight before you retire, if your wife is with you, you could turn to her and say, thanks, dear, for standing with me. Times when you felt your runover roughshod by others. Times when likely you would have had justifiable means for leaving.

Pack it in and go on. But you couldn't. And somebody stood up in the family.

I am not appealing just to younger men, although I'm doing that, to the middle-aged, although I'm doing that, or older. I'm appealing to every heart here today. If there was ever a day where we needed men of Jeshua character that would literally influence men like Cadmeal.

Notice when you get there, not only does Cadmeal stand up, but his son stand up with him. That must have been a tremendous thing. It's a wonderful thing when you can see that in a family.

I hope some of you that have seen that joy don't look critical, and others maybe that haven't had the same joy, but you're just so thankful to God. People say to me sometimes about children, and I say, well, they say, I say, well, they're not all in heaven yet. You know what they said? One brother said it twice.

They said, you aren't either. He's right. Better men than I'll ever be.

I believe this, brother. Better men than I'll ever be that once stood, I thought would never go down, aren't among us anymore. I'm sorry that I have to come as close to home as I am right now, but I break bread with their wife, and the man's been gone for 15 or 18 years.

Once an overseer in the assembly, but mom said, no. She stood up. Come back to this man Jeshua for a minute.

So, you know, could you just stop for a minute and somehow capture heaven looking down on this scene? I mean, as far as God is concerned, here's 42,000 people, precious to him. So few, so insignificant amongst the numbers and the nations of the earth. How true the words of that prophet, as we call him, when he said, from the top of the rocks I have seen him, and I behold him.

And he says, lo, the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations. They will be a distinct and different people. And really, as Ezra gives us the list here of 7,000 and so on servants, and horses, and mules, and camels, and donkeys, and so on, can I say to you that the unity, the unity, the oneness of this company was as important to God as that foundation ever being laid.

The work that God was doing in them was far greater than the work that they were going to do for God. I find it significant that the focus here is put upon the altar. Notice they set the altar upon its bases.

What? You'd say, hey listen, come on, let's get on with this, this building here, this is, what about the wall? Well, that's Nehemiah's work. And really here's two men that are, I mean, Ezra a scribe, and Nehemiah a butler, and they're trying to rebuild. You say they're totally out of their class.

Not God's class. They weren't out of that. And they're going to work together, but why the emphasis upon the altar? Brethren and sisters, you don't need me to tell you today, the altar spoke of divine presence.

And it was the appreciation of divine presence that forged this company together. And their appreciation of it would fix them together, and keep them together. I want to say something, that if the appreciation of divine presence among us as those that gather to the name of the Lord Jesus will not keep me there, the capable tongue of a well-meaning overseer or preacher won't do it either.

Just be a matter of time and I'll be gone. That's what they had to get a hold of. That was the site that there was appreciation of the one that that altar spoke of, and all that it represented.

It kept them there, spoke of the sacrifice they were hearing about this morning, and what they were going to do. Notice the thrust. You see brethren and sisters, that's our difficulty.

The real issue at times has got diffused. When the Apostle writes to the Ephesian believers and he says endeavoring, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, interesting that that word endeavoring is you speed, make effort. Don't allow something to come in that will divide it.

It goes further than that. The word keep, it's watch with care, watch with care. Interesting when the psalmist speaks of the behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, he starts with that anointing oil that will flow down.

He says the head to the beard. Notice it starts in the head. You see that's what will bring disunity amongst God's people, wrong thinking.

How very quickly and unwisely and wrongly in my mind and in your mind we form assessment of other believers as to what they're thinking about us, or what they think of us, and we're just so wrong. We're just so wrong. Jimmy Durant, likely one of the best entertainers in his day a few years back, very well-paid, very capable entertainer, was asked to go and entertain for some World War II veterans.

He didn't want to go. He said he didn't want to come out and say I'm just not interested in going before those old men and trying to make them happy or make their day. He didn't know how to get out of it.

He said listen, finally he said I'll go, but it's going to be short, okay? Just tell them I can only be there for ten minutes. That's all I can give them. Well, they agreed.

They said fine, if you can come for ten minutes, Mr. Durant, you come. That large number of World War II veterans gathered together. Mr. Durant came out on the stage, and those that could stand, there was a standing ovation that they could hardly get stopped, and he hadn't done anything yet.

He just looked at them. They kept clapping and cheering, and he went well beyond his ten minutes. When he came backstage, some of his entourage said to him, hey what's up? What happened to the ten minutes? Maybe he's like some preachers.

Anyhow, we just won't go there. He said listen, just come out here and see, and let me show you what I saw. They said what did you see? They were still clapping.

He said see that front row down there? Down there on two seats were two aged veterans, both missing the opposite arm, and in unison, arms, the arm they had left, raised over their head, were clapping together. Jimmy Durant broke down and cried. That's unity.

That's using what's left, brethren. That might be using what we don't have, but it's using what is left. How important it is to God, but you know, you notice these people? I came from a conference not that long ago, and the man that was preaching, I think 50% of his message was telling us about all the things he could tell us, but he didn't have time to tell us.

It was driving me nuts, so I'm not going to do that any further. These men are interested in building up, building up. I wouldn't be here, nor would these men, nor would you be here, if there hadn't been a generation in Iowa and other states, Wisconsin and across the country and around the world, if there had not been men that knew what it was to build up.

No, they didn't have the tools that we have today, but they knew God, and they built up. I stood in the Ottawa Airport last time I was through it. Like most of our major airports on this continent going through major reorganizing and renovating, I watched a crane operator operating a large crane, sitting there with a wrecking ball on the end of it, with hydraulics, and literally bashing down those brick walls.

Hey, he knew nothing of a plumb line. He knew nothing of picking up individual bricks and placing them where they belonged. He knew nothing of the mixing of the mortar and even the construction of the place.

There he sat with his little ponytail in the great big caterpillar crane, and he was just bashing it down. You know all he was operating was a joystick. You know some that have known what it is to labor a in the building up, using the plumb line when it comes to the assembly.

Those difficult tasks at times are so slow to even tear it down. It breaks their heart. Someone that knows nothing of it, nothing about it, they can come in and say, yeah, yeah, they've got a new way of doing things.

They'll knock it for whatever, and they know nothing about the labor of it, nothing about it. What can they do? I mean, I watched that. Boy, I don't know how long it took him to learn how to operate that piece of equipment, mortar and all that.

He was knocking it down. It took long for it to stay, but the next day it was clean, flat. That's sad when that happens.

So many ways that it can. Which crew are you working with? Oh, you say, well, I'm kind of neutral. No, you're not.

Oh, you say, I'd never think of tearing it down. I know this is the place of divine presence. This is the place that I appreciate.

I know we're very simple, and I know I'm very conservative, and I know I'm this, and I know I'm that. Brethren, I'm going to say to you very plainly this afternoon, and you may not all agree, tough. This book here that I'm reading to you out of, I have nine other translations and versions that I will read from and I will quote from.

This is the book I'm content to use, that we know to be the authorized version. When it goes out the door, you can send this great little hymn book right out the door with it. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but listen, if we are as spiritual as we might think we are, where's the hymns of worship we wrote in the last 50 years? How many were written in the last 100 years? We thank God for His Word.

We appreciate it. Let me say that if you're reading a version or translation that is making you a better Christian, keep at it. I'm talking about something public.

I'm talking about when we're gathered together. But we appreciate this, and the truth of it, and the simplicity of it. We're not broke down, so why does it need to be fixed? It doesn't.

You say, well how'd you weave this in? Notice what they're doing in verse number nine. They're singing together. Singing together.

I know that you thank God for His Word. I know that. Can I ask you something else? What would be wrong with bowing your knees and thanking God for some of the dear people of God that often with a broken heart gave us this hymn book and the hymns that are in it? Take time to read some of the history of them.

You'll appreciate that book like maybe you didn't before. We thank God for men like Yeshua, men like Cadmeo. This thing spread as God wants to build.

Singing. And they've got a foundation and an altar. You say, well I couldn't sing until it was finished.

Then you never would have sung. You never would have sung. Do you know what these people saw? They had vision.

They saw something coming back here that was God's mind for God's people. And they couldn't stay any longer. And the result of it is that they would stand up.

That's what this man, Yeshua did. And they would build together. And then in verse number eleven it says, and they would sing together.

Now just this. Notice that first of all you've got, they gathered themselves together, verse one, as one man to Jerusalem. That was something they did.

When you come down further we've got verse nine, then Yeshua with his sons and his brethren and Cadmeo, they stood up. That's something others would do. And when we come to verse number eleven and they sang together, it was something they were all doing.

How did it start? How did it start? I said start with Ezra. Yeah? Start with Ezra. Do you know how else it started? It started with a man that wasn't afraid to stand up.

Listen, I'm not encouraging anybody to go home and be a difficulty to their brethren. I'm not encouraging you to go back to your local assembly and say, yeah right. Brethren are all sitting on their hands here.

I'm standing up. Listen, not at all. You know me better than that.

You know this book better than that. I am asking you, I'm challenging your heart today to be a Jeshua. To have spiritual desire to work in unity with your brethren and your sisters, and I'm encouraging sisters too if you have to.

Let the moment come. Stand up for his honor and for his glory.