Ezra 4:24
“Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”
One of the saddest statements you will see in the Scriptures is the statement in the verse above, “Then ceased the work of the house of God…” It didn’t say they finished the work of God, but they ceased. In other words, this was either a choice or a result of something. Something caused the work of God to cease.
One must ask when considering the work of God, what is the work of God? We oftentimes only consider the church to be the work of God, but that is a very small view of God’s work. I look at the Scriptures and I find that God’s work involves the church, home, marriage and a person’s life. God is the giver of life; therefore, a person’s life is His work. God is the One Who instituted marriage and the church; thus, every marriage, home and church is the work of God. In each of these works, there are some things that can cause them to cease. They will either cease by choice, or they will cease as a result of an action. Let me show you some things that cause the work of God to cease.
First, joining up with wrong associations will cause God’s work to cease. In verse 2, Ezra was presented with the opportunity to yoke up with the heathen for a common cause. If you are not careful, you will think that yoking up with people for a common cause is okay to do for the sake of the bigger picture, but you must always understand this will cause God’s work to cease. God never blesses unholy unions, and when a church, marriage, home or an individual yoke up with wrong associations, God will immediately cease His part in that work. When God ceases His part in a work, then it ceases to be the work of God and becomes the work of man.
Second, becoming sidetracked from our purpose will cause God’s work to cease. In verse 5, they tried to frustrate God’s people so that they would be sidetracked. Be very careful that you keep your focus on the purpose of God’s work. In the home and marriage, God’s purpose is to serve Him together. In your personal life, you must find God’s will and not let anything pull you from it. In the church, we must be careful that we don’t lose the purpose of the church, which is to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. Don’t let unimportant things sidetrack you from God’s work.
Third, battles can cause the work of God to cease. Verse 13 shows that they were falsely accused, but they kept on building. Friend, don’t let battles pull you away from God’s work. You must be careful to keep your marriage and home strong during a battle. During a battle, you must not personally stop doing what God’s called you to do. During a battle, the church must keep trying to reach the lost for Christ. Don’t let the battle pull you from what God wants you to do.
Finally, quitting will cause the work of God to cease. In the verse above, a combination of everything together finally drove them to quit. Don’t let the attacks of the world against God’s work overwhelm you and cause you to quit His work. Always remember that God has given you the strength to carry the burden of His work. He will never allow you to face or carry more than you are able. Whatever you face today, let me encourage you to keep going. Quitting is not the answer. Allowing God to help you carry your burden is the answer. Don’t let your choice to quit be the thing that stops God’s work. Keep doing God’s work, and eventually you will find that the work of God will accomplish its purpose.