Listen, Jack, c'mon man, this is a pretty crazy story: it all starts when King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree that the Jews could all go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Literally, I'm not joking, he said all the Jews who wanted to could go back to their homeland and start all over again. →

Listen, Jack, here's the deal: Ezra Chapter 2 is all about the people who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. So many of them, folks! We're talking over 42,000 people strong, no malarkey! And they each brought their own offering with them: silver, gold, livestock, and all kinds of supplies. →

Listen, Jack! There was the deal: Ezra and the people of Israel were back in Jerusalem, and they were ready to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. So, they got all the materials they needed and they started laying the foundation of the Temple. →

Listen, Jack, here's the deal: Ezra 4 is all about the folks who are trying to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and they're getting a lot of pushback. C'mon, man! These builders are literally running into all kinds of trouble- the local leaders are trying to stop them from finishing the job. →

Folks, here's the deal. My father used to say, "No malarkey!" and that's what I'm preaching today. See here, Jack, the prophet Haggai and the governor Zerubbabel were working hard to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. →

C'mon, man, see here, Jack, Ezra 6 is about the rebuilding of the temple. You know, the one that was destroyed by the Babylonians. Listen, Jack, it's a pretty incredible story. It was literally impossible to rebuild, but here's the deal: the king of Persia gave permission for the Jews to rebuild, and even gave them money from the royal treasury to do it. →

Folks, here's the deal. Ezra 7 is all about King Artaxerxes sending some of his people to Jerusalem. He sent Ezra, who was a priest and teacher of the law of God, to help the people of Israel learn the law and follow it. →

Folks, listen up. Ezra 8, here's the deal. No malarkey. My father used to say, "When God gives you an assignment, you better get it done!" And that's just what Ezra did. He assembled a group of leaders - about a thousand of them - and said, "Let's go! We're headed to Jerusalem!" So they loaded up their donkeys and camels and set off on their journey. →

1-15. Folks, let me tell you something. This chapter is about Ezra, and it's a real doozy. Ezra was a priest. He was literally in tears, crying out to the Lord, c'mon man! He was so broken, he took off his robe and put on some sackcloth. →

Folks, we gotta talk about Ezra 10. Literally, this is a chapter about repentance and confession. Now, c'mon man, it starts off with a call to action. See here, Jack, Ezra and the leaders of the people are gathering, and they're talking about how all the people were intermarrying with foreign women. →