Hebrews 1019Brothers [and sisters],

since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a

new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we

have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart

Deut 31:6(The Message)

Hebrews 10in full assurance of faith,

having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us

from a guilty conscience and having our bodies

washed with pure water.Hebrews 13

15Through Jesus, therefore, let us

continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Deut 31:6(The Message)

When God seems far away

My life

Everything I have to do

God

My life

Everything I have to do

God

My life

Everything I have to doMatthew 6:3333Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

When God seems far away

Ezra 11In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfil 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 to put it in writing: 2This 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. 3Anyone of his people among you - may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah

When God seems far away

Ezra 1and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ 5Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites - everyone whose heart God had moved - prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

In times of ‘exile’ my temple can fall into disrepair

My spiritual well-being

Representing...

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (1 Cor 3:16)

In times of ‘exile’ my temple can fall into disrepair

My spiritual well-being

My physical well-being

Representing...

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

In times of ‘exile’ my temple can fall into disrepair

My spiritual well-being

My physical well-being

My corporate well-being

Representing...

In [Christ] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Eph 2:21-22)

In times of ‘exile’ my temple can fall into disrepair

My spiritual well-being

My physical well-being

My corporate well-being

Representing...

And so God “moves my heart” to take stock and rebuild/repair

In times of ‘exile’ my temple can fall into disrepair

And so God “moves my heart” to take stock and rebuild/repair

Ezra 15Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites - everyone whose heart God had moved - prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

Ezra 31When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled as one man in Jerusalem. 2Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3Despite 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.

They began by rebuilding the altar

Ezra 34Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the LORD. 6On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, though the foundation of the LORD's temple had not yet been laid.

They began by rebuilding the altar

They began by rebuilding the altar

...they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it... (Ezra 3:3)

They began by rebuilding the altar

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (I Jn 4:10)