Castle Oaks Sermons

Have you ever embarked on a self-improvement project? Have you ever become frustrated at your inability to change into a better version of yourself? You are not alone. A second group of Exiles return to the Promised Land under the leadership of a priest named Ezra. The Law takes center stage in the restoration efforts.

For a couple of weeks we will take a break from the exile's return and focus on a couple of chapters from the New Testament that speak to our current circumstances.

For a couple of weeks we will take a break from the exile's return and focus on a couple of chapters from the New Testament that speak to our current circumstances.

We are made for the Garden, and longing for home.

While the exiles are rebuilding the Temple, some dramatic events are unfolding in Persia. God's hand of providence is always at work, even when the odds are stacked against us.

When we have a big project to complete, we usually don't mind a little help. But, when a group of people offer help to the returning exiles, Zerubabbel refuses their offer. What happens after that creates all sorts of problems for the team rebuilding the Temple.

Once the rebuilding of the temple begins, the reactions are quite interesting. Additionally, there is significant opposition to the work. Just when you think we're all on the same team, something goes awry.

When the Exiles come home one of their key tasks is to reconstruct the Temple. The job they had before them is really the same task that is before us. But, translating their efforts into our own lives will require us to see our church with a new and fresh perspective.

The people of Israel begin the hard work of rebuilding. The tasks before them cause a wide variety of reactions from the people.

After a long and very eventful stay in Babylon, some of the Jewish exiles begin to make the journey home. It is the fulfillment of a specific prophecy that God gave to the prophet Jeremiah. As you might imagine, the journey home is a strange mix of fulfilled hopes and frustrating disappointments.