1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,880 So let's turn in our Bibles now to Ezra Chapter 7. 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:08,800 And if you're already there, place your finger at verse 11 of 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:14,200 that chapter. As you know, Ezra Chapter 7 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:19,240 introduces us for the first time, the man Ezra. 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,040 The man Ezra, we know that he's the author of this book, but we 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:29,040 are now seeing him in action for the first time in this section 7 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,080 of scripture. And we learn much about Ezra in 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,480 the 1st 10 verses of this chapter. 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,520 If you were there a couple of weeks ago, you will remember. 10 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,400 And one of the main things that are highlighted about this 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,400 significant individual redemptive history is that he is 12 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,680 from the line of Aaron. The Holy Spirit records for us 13 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,440 in great detail his ancestry. And the reason why we are 14 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,960 supposed to know his lineage is because the author wants us to 15 00:00:54,960 --> 00:01:00,320 be certain that there is divine approval behind Ezra's spiritual 16 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,720 leadership, especially as he is now planning to make his way 17 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,360 back to Jerusalem and guide and instruct and inspire the remnant 18 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:13,320 who had preceded him. And so Ezra wants us to know 19 00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:18,360 that God has called them to be a priest and that God has called 20 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,560 them and given the authority to operate as a spiritual leader 21 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,320 for this moment. But that is not the only 22 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:28,760 approval that Ezra wants us to know about for the remainder of 23 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,280 this chapter. He's about to inform us that he 24 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,840 also received commendation. He also received consent from 25 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,360 the king of the Persian Kingdom, who's known as Arctic Xerxes. 26 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,880 In fact, that's really what's going to be found here. 27 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,120 And the rest of these verses. It's going to be a decree, yet 28 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:54,080 another letter from a foreign king who is going to spell out 29 00:01:54,560 --> 00:02:00,960 his significant support for this man, Ezra, as he is planning to 30 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,360 make his way back to the Holy Land. 31 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,440 Now here's a question I have. Why do we need to know about it? 32 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,200 Why is it important for us to see a copy of the letter that 33 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,800 King Art Exertes gave to Ezra the priest? 34 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:16,040 And I believe the answer is quite obvious. 35 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:22,480 The Holy Spirit, through Ezra, wants to show us, especially the 36 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:28,760 immediate audience, the extent of God's approval of this man's 37 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:33,360 mission and ministry. In other words, more than Ezra 38 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,800 informing us that he comes from the priestly line, he wants to 39 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:44,480 also show that the king of the Persian authorities is backing 40 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:46,920 him up as well. That. 41 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,720 God sovereignly working on behalf of Ezra to this extent. 42 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,160 And the result of that, at least the desired outcome, is that the 43 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,760 people of God would have greater confidence in Ezra's leadership 44 00:02:58,920 --> 00:03:00,760 as they hear about this testimony. 45 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,440 Oh, not only is he coming from Aaron's line, but even 46 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:10,760 Artaxerxes is offering generous support and a grant and, and all 47 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,760 this backing for him to do exactly what he hopes to do. 48 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,800 And I'm aware that up to this point in our study, we've looked 49 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:24,600 at a couple of decrees from royal individuals, right? 50 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:27,640 We saw Cyrus's decree, the opening of the book of Ezra in 51 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:32,880 chapter 1, and then we saw Darius's edict in Chapter 6. 52 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,320 And so now we come to another one. 53 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,880 And the temptation is that this is quite similar as you're about 54 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:42,080 to read to what we've already discovered. 55 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,120 And so maybe we'll just skimp Passover it. 56 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,560 And you've been here at this Bible study long enough to 57 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,320 understand that you should never, ever do that, even with 58 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,840 texts that seem repetitive because there are unique 59 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,200 qualities in this specific charge. 60 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,240 And I want to highlight at least one major difference between 61 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:04,880 this one and the ones that we've already looked at. 62 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,520 So if you're there in Ezra 7, I told you to plant your finger at 63 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,320 verse 11, but scroll back to verse 6 for a moment. 64 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,240 We've already covered this couple of weeks ago, but let's 65 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,600 look at it again. Ezra 7, verse 6 reads this. 66 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:20,640 Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was ascribed, skilled in the 67 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,120 law of Moses, that the Lord the God of Israel had given, and the 68 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,840 king granted him all that he asked for. 69 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:31,960 The hand of the Lord his God was on him. 70 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,280 So this summary is extremely helpful in clarifying the 71 00:04:35,280 --> 00:04:40,280 background of this edict. Unlike the decrees of Cyrus and 72 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:47,440 Darius, Artaxerxes letter is a response to the prompting of a 73 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:53,400 request by a man, namely Ezra. In other words, when it came to 74 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:59,480 Cyrus and Darius, what moved them to move favorably for and 75 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,800 on behalf of the people of God was a direct work of God. 76 00:05:04,840 --> 00:05:09,080 God himself intervened, and he did something in their inner 77 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,840 being to move them into action, right? 78 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:17,600 It was a clear sovereign thing. But when we come to this point 79 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:19,960 and and this letter and this king, we see something a little 80 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,080 bit different. Not that God is not at work. 81 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,800 We're going to see that God is at work here, but more than 82 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,200 that, everything that it's about to unfold and be set into motion 83 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:32,840 is due to the courage and the conviction of a single 84 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:38,200 individual. In other words, Ezra approaches 85 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,840 Artaxerxes, and what Artaxerxes is going to give him permission 86 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:45,360 for is a response to this man's faith. 87 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:48,840 So here's what this means for us. 88 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,040 There are going to be moments for the church and for 89 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:56,880 individual believers where God will sovereignly intervene in a 90 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,040 situation apart from our initial involvement. 91 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,560 And in those moments we have to recognize that He is opening a 92 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,160 door and He is creating an opportunity to advance His 93 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,560 purposes. And we as believers have to 94 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:13,320 develop the alertness and the discernment to seize those 95 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,160 moments when they come right. We have to recognize that God at 96 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,960 times will pave a way, and we have to step on it and walk 97 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,600 ahead lest we forfeit an opportunity. 98 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:29,920 But then, on the other hand, there are times when the Lord 99 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:32,520 will only move when we move first. 100 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:39,280 That's exemplified by Ezra. His example reminds us that 101 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,520 there are certain things that will not happen unless we 102 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:46,040 initiate, initiate prayerful, scripture, informed and wise 103 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,760 actions that demonstrate what our faith that manifests what 104 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,760 our eagerness. So listen very carefully. 105 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,400 There are going to be times where you and I have to wait on 106 00:06:58,400 --> 00:06:59,800 the Lord because there's nothing else you can do. 107 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,720 Like I've done everything. I've exhausted all my options. 108 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:08,360 And so God, you have to come through and they're going to be 109 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:13,280 other times where God is actually waiting for you and 110 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:17,880 things will not take place unless you understanding who God 111 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,200 is and what he asks of you. Step out. 112 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:24,560 In obedience, step out trusting the Lord. 113 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:28,280 And what we're about to witness in the rest of this chapter is 114 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:32,880 God honoring the faith of this priest who had a desire that was 115 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:37,560 awakened by his study of the Scriptures to play a part in 116 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,880 God's work in Jerusalem. So I hope that one observation, 117 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,720 we'll excite you to explore the rest of this letter. 118 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,960 And we're going to seek to do that by reading it in sections. 119 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,200 It's a fairly long 1. So what we're going to do is 120 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:54,000 just take it bit by bit, stop, meditate and reflect as we go 121 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:55,840 through. So let's begin in Ezra Chapter 122 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,360 7, verse 11 down to verse 16. Engage your minds, don't allow 123 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,320 yourself to be distracted at the reading of God's Word. 124 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:04,240 And let's see what the Lord will say to us. 125 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:09,880 Now this is a copy of the letter that King Arctic Xerxes gave to 126 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:14,120 Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the 127 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:18,520 commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel, Artaxerxes, 128 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,400 king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of 129 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:24,200 the God of heaven. Peace. 130 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,200 And now I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or 131 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:32,200 their priests or Levites in my Kingdom, who freely offers to go 132 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:36,240 to Jerusalem, may go with you. For you were sent by the king 133 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:39,799 and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and 134 00:08:39,799 --> 00:08:44,360 Jerusalem, according to the law of your God, which is in your 135 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,840 hand. And also to carry the silver and 136 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,520 gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered 137 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:52,200 to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem. 138 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,560 With all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole 139 00:08:55,560 --> 00:08:58,960 province of Babylonia and with the free will offerings of the 140 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,760 people and the priests vowed willingly for the House of their 141 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:06,800 God that is in Jerusalem. So we're going to learn that 142 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:11,480 Artaxerxes make several demands in the case of Ezra and the 143 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,880 people of God, and many of them are very familiar to the ones 144 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,840 that we've already explored in previous decrees. 145 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:23,960 But there is one that stands out from the verses that we just 146 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,600 read, and it's highlighted there in verse 14. 147 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:30,440 Look at it one more time, Artaxerxy says. 148 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:35,520 For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make 149 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:38,800 inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law 150 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:41,680 of your God, which is in your hand. 151 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:43,320 Here's how this translate translates. 152 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:48,440 Ezra, I'm commissioning you and whoever wants to go with you to 153 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:53,920 go and investigate those who preceded you into Jerusalem. 154 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,160 And I want you to figure out their spiritual condition. 155 00:09:57,160 --> 00:10:01,680 I want you to see if they are living up to the standard of 156 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:06,960 God's revealed will. Now we have to remember that Art 157 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:12,520 Exertes is giving permission and approval to what Ezra had 158 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:14,160 requested. Remember that, right? 159 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:17,080 Verse 6, That's how we're going to have to frame this letter 160 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,600 with that as our basis. This is Art Exertes responding 161 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:25,720 to a list of requests that Ezra himself made, which tells us 162 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,400 what is Ezra's top priority as he seeks to go back to Jerusalem 163 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,440 before anything else. What Ezra longs to do is to 164 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,400 determine that after all these years, if the people who went 165 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,360 ahead to Jerusalem are still abiding in God's law. 166 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:49,000 And this already tells us what Ezra's main mission is. 167 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,280 When we looked at Zerubbabel between chapters one and six, 168 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,560 who went with the first wave of people from Babylon back to 169 00:10:56,560 --> 00:11:00,520 Jerusalem, He was called by God to focus on the rebuilding of 170 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:02,120 what? The temple. 171 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:04,480 Good. We're going to study Nehemiah 172 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:06,200 after we finish Ezraim, we're almost done. 173 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:07,960 What's Nehemiah's calling? What? 174 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,520 What was it laid upon his heart to focus on the rebuilding of 175 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,280 the walls? Ezra, the one in the middle, his 176 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:17,880 concern, his passion, his drive is to build the. 177 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:23,080 People, the people of God. And that shows here in this 178 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:26,800 letter. Go and inquire and see if the 179 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,720 people are still abiding by the law, if they're still observing 180 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,960 it. And this actually teaches us 181 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,120 what true spiritual leadership looks like. 182 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:36,600 There. There is a characteristic here 183 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:40,840 that reveals the heart of a true leader in God's house. 184 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:44,680 Conforming to Christ like this is not just a personal goal for 185 00:11:44,680 --> 00:11:47,640 a leader. They also possess the ambition 186 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:52,240 for others to pursue it as well. They have this this drive, 187 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:57,840 desire, passion that those who are under their care would grow 188 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:04,240 consistently in Christ likeness. And with that concern there is a 189 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:06,480 commitment to help them pursue that. 190 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:10,840 And I was looking at this and thinking about Ezra, who not 191 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:12,800 just had a passion for God's Word, but had a passion for 192 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:18,800 others to love it. And I began to just survey the 193 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:22,280 New Testament especially. Is there any trace of that in 194 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,840 spiritual leadership found in the New Covenant? 195 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:32,080 And I mean Paul alone. And this verse sprung up in my 196 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:33,200 heart. Do you remember what he said to 197 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,440 the Galatians? In Galatians 4, verse 19, it 198 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:41,160 says, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish 199 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,760 of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. 200 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:48,760 What a remarkable thing for somebody to say. 201 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:57,040 This man, Paul, had this unbelievable sense of turmoil in 202 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:02,080 the depths of his soul to such a degree that the only way that he 203 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,520 he can explain it is by relating it to one of the most painful 204 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:07,760 things a woman can endure physically, and that is 205 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,880 childbirth. And what was the reason for this 206 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:16,400 inner pain, emotional distress, this spiritual angst? 207 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,920 What was the reason for it? Well, he learned that the 208 00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:23,840 Galatians, the people that he led to Christ, have now pushed 209 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:28,120 the Lord aside and have made other pursuits more central. 210 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:31,000 And in their case it was legalism. 211 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:35,080 You know, there are some professing Christians, even 212 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:39,160 genuine Christians, who will venture off into lawlessness, 213 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:41,880 others into lukewarmness. And there are some, like the 214 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:43,360 Galatians, who become attracted to. 215 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:48,440 Legalism, and this was the problem with. 216 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:53,080 With this church and here, here's the core concern for Paul 217 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,480 as revealed in that one verse. The formation of the truth and 218 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:02,760 the character of Christ came to a standstill among these 219 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,320 believers. And he he's, he's being very 220 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,400 transparent here. Up to this point in Galatians, 221 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:11,720 he was very theological. He's making all these different 222 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,760 arguments and cases about justification by faith and 223 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:17,480 trusting in the finished work of Christ. 224 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:20,760 And then he he gets very personal here. 225 00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:25,800 And what's remarkable is that the reason why he felt this pain 226 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,360 is because he related to these Christians as a father with his 227 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:30,720 children. Isn't that how he identifies 228 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,840 them? My not just children, little 229 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,680 children. I mean, if your children are 230 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:38,480 grown, you relate to them differently than when they were 231 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:40,280 young. So he's very specific. 232 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:45,240 He says, my little children, Can you imagine a spiritual leader 233 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:48,680 addressing those who he ministers to in such a way? 234 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:52,960 My little children, why is he speaking this way? 235 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,280 Because he wants to convey something. 236 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:00,760 You don't have to be a parent to know that when somebody has a 237 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:05,600 child, everything in their life revolves around that child. 238 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:11,120 And all the parents said, Amen. Any loving mother, any loving 239 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,120 father understands that all their activities, all their 240 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,560 responsibilities, all their plans orbits around the 241 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:21,160 well-being of their child. And what Paul is saying here to 242 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:22,840 them is that's how I feel about you. 243 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:28,080 Listen, I saw you come to Christ and it's as though he's saying 244 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:33,560 through my preaching, my ministry, you were born again. 245 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:35,520 And I want to let you know something when you were born 246 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:40,160 again, something was born in me. A love and a care for you as a 247 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,600 father would cherish their own offspring. 248 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:50,840 And listen, any loving parent can also testify that they would 249 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:54,840 not remain settled. They would be deeply disturbed 250 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:59,840 if their child never grew at a proper rate. 251 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:01,720 Well, let's think about it physically. 252 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:07,960 How would you feel if your son, your daughter never developed in 253 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:10,800 their stature? They remain at the same height, 254 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:17,040 the same weight, the same eating habits, at a fifth grade level 255 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,640 or at five years old. Then when they were five months 256 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,840 old, wouldn't that shake you? Wouldn't that keep you up at 257 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,920 night? Wouldn't that spring you into 258 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,280 some kind of action? Well, let's let's think about it 259 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:35,920 mentally. What, what would you do if one 260 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,120 of your children who was supposed to be in the eighth 261 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:40,440 grade class is still in the third grade class sitting at the 262 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:45,800 same desk because they show little interest, no interest in 263 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,000 education and studying and developing. 264 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:49,920 That would do something to you as well. 265 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,000 And here's what Paul is saying. I'm concerned because the 266 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,400 formation of Christ that should be developing in you is not 267 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:02,240 something has stunted your growth, and it is the spiritual 268 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,920 diet of false teachers who have crept into your churches. 269 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:08,160 So you see what he's saying here? 270 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:12,800 He's showing that he deeply loves them. 271 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,200 He deeply cares for them. He's concerned not just with 272 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:19,680 their salvation, but their growth. 273 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,839 And I'm saying all of this for you and I to be able to properly 274 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:27,920 identify who who is a true biblical godly leader, because 275 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:30,960 there's all these strange ideas of what a leader in God's house 276 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:36,800 should be. And one of the marks of a true 277 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,000 leader is found in the same context where Paul says my 278 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,600 little children. So just a few verses back, he 279 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:46,800 says in Galatians 416, have I then become your enemy by 280 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:51,200 telling you the truth? That's the same breath. 281 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:57,160 That's the same context. So Paul, if you put this 282 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,280 together wants to let them know that him confronting them in 283 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:04,440 their error to them they translated as you don't you 284 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,640 don't love us and you don't care for us and you're not gentle 285 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:09,960 with us. And a few verses later he goes 286 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:14,320 you're you're my children. And any loving parent would 287 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:18,400 prescribe what is beneficial to the health of their children, 288 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,560 even if they're flesh doesn't enjoy it in the moment. 289 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:26,200 So how do you know if a spiritual leader truly loves 290 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:27,320 you? How do you know if a true, a 291 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,760 spiritual leader is truly committed to your sanctification 292 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,000 and your walk with Christ? They're going to speak the truth 293 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,720 to you. They're going to they're going 294 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:41,760 to develop an understanding of God's Word first for it to be 295 00:18:41,760 --> 00:18:45,400 developed in them and then for it to be communicated to you. 296 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:49,280 And it's amazing that Paul, even in this, we can't get into it. 297 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:53,480 He contrasts himself with the false teachers and he admits 298 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,200 that the false teachers were the Galatians were very invested in 299 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:58,400 them, but for a different purpose and a different motive. 300 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,760 Listen, there are false teachers out there who will intentionally 301 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:08,320 avoid the truth and they may come off as loving and gentle, 302 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,720 compassionate by doing so. And I want you to hear me very 303 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:15,560 carefully. A person who manipulates, who 304 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:19,520 massages, who avoids things that will benefit God's people in the 305 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:21,800 name of a pseudo love. They don't really love you. 306 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,920 They love themselves. They care about themselves. 307 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,920 They they don't care about Christ being formed in you. 308 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:31,960 They want you to benefit them. And if they have to avoid the 309 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,000 truth, sometimes the hard truth in order to achieve it, they 310 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,560 will do it to win an audience. And Paul, you're reminding them, 311 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:42,480 listen, I love you enough to speak the truth to you, to wield 312 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:48,320 the scriptures, to apply the the truths of the gospel and holy 313 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:53,560 writ, even if it disturbs you in the moment, if it shakes you, it 314 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:55,520 convicts you. If it cuts you, so be it. 315 00:19:55,920 --> 00:20:00,480 I care for you. And so I bring up Paul because I 316 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,720 see something similar in Ezra. I see Ezra who is requesting 317 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:06,680 something of the King of Persia. And one of the top things is, 318 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:10,480 oh, let me go back to check on them, on their growth. 319 00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:14,960 According to the law, here's Paul saying, you belong to me 320 00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:18,240 and I care for you and am I now your enemy because I speak the 321 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,320 truth to you? You want to know who who really 322 00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:22,160 loves you? Who's really called by God for 323 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,400 your benefit? What do they do with the truth 324 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,200 in your life? A leader is more than somebody 325 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,760 who just spends time with you. A leader is more than somebody 326 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,240 who just answers the phone at the late hours of the night. 327 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:34,600 Those things are wonderful, but sinners can spend time with you, 328 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:38,920 and sinners can help you in a time of need. 329 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,440 But sinners don't care about Christ being formed in you. 330 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,920 True leadership does. And they will always use the 331 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,880 word of God first in their own lives and as a reflection of 332 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,720 their own encounter with it into the lives of those around them. 333 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,640 But Ezra is not just going back to examine the spirituality of 334 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:00,440 the Jews in Jerusalem. He's also returning with an 335 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:04,720 outstanding financial aid signed off by Artaxerxes. 336 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,040 We already read it in verse 15 and 16, but he continues. 337 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:09,360 So come back to the main text in Ezra 7. 338 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:11,840 Look at verse 17. We'll read down to verse 20. 339 00:21:17,590 --> 00:21:21,750 He goes on to say, with this money then you shall with all 340 00:21:21,750 --> 00:21:24,710 diligence buy bulls, Rams, and lambs, with their grain 341 00:21:24,710 --> 00:21:26,990 offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer 342 00:21:26,990 --> 00:21:29,630 them on the altar of the House of your God that is in 343 00:21:29,630 --> 00:21:31,790 Jerusalem. Whatever seems good to you and 344 00:21:31,790 --> 00:21:33,950 your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you 345 00:21:33,950 --> 00:21:35,790 may do according to the will of your God. 346 00:21:36,390 --> 00:21:39,350 The vessels that have been given you for the service of the House 347 00:21:39,350 --> 00:21:42,110 of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 348 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,360 And whatever else is required for the House of your God, which 349 00:21:46,360 --> 00:21:50,000 a fault which falls to you to provide, you may provide it out 350 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,520 of the King's treasury. So this seems almost like an 351 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:55,040 echo of the previous decrees, right? 352 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,120 Whatever you need financially, whatever you need for your 353 00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,760 offerings, whatever need for your worship, we'll back it up, 354 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,560 we'll support it, We'll provide the means for it for you to be 355 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:04,920 able to worship. But like what we just read 356 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:10,720 earlier, there is something that stands out and it's in verse 18. 357 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,480 Look at it again, Artaxerxes says. 358 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,800 Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the 359 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:22,480 rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of 360 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,200 your God. This is amazing. 361 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:29,600 Artaxerxes tells Ezra that any surplus remaining from the 362 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:31,960 donations is left to the discretion of him and the 363 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,400 leadership of how it should be spent. 364 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:38,400 That's what he's saying here. He's really trusting in Ezra and 365 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:40,520 you get the sense that he's developed a relationship with 366 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:43,000 Ezra for him to be able to do this. 367 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:45,600 So we're just going to give you all of this and whatever is 368 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:47,720 extra. Well, we just trust that you'll 369 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:49,160 be able to know what to do with it. 370 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,080 But there's an important caveat. What is it? 371 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:56,280 The last part of verse 18 according to the will of your 372 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:00,240 God. So those are the guardrails. 373 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:06,120 Those are the boundaries. Now remember, art exert sees as 374 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:07,360 we're about. To find out by the end of this 375 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:09,960 letter he's being moved by the Lord. 376 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,640 To give these commands. So that's just something about a 377 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:17,160 principle that God is laying out. 378 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:21,000 And one of the things that we can take from this is like the 379 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,560 redeem in Ezra's day. We must be mindful of the will 380 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:30,560 of God even in our finances. And when Christians think about 381 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:37,920 the will of God, seldom does money become a consideration. 382 00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:43,000 So many other factors rush into our minds when we think about 383 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:46,920 what is God's will for my life. But I see a reminder here in 384 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:51,040 this story with Ezra. I see that God not only has a 385 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,800 revealed purpose for our purity, for our worship, for our 386 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,800 relationship, for our spiritual gifts, He actually has a plan 387 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,840 for what you and I should do with our possessions. 388 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,080 And it's very simple. Know what God's will is, right? 389 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:10,040 That's all Ezra and his brothers needed to know. 390 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:15,520 What, what would God have us do with how God sovereignly and 391 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,920 kindly and providentially places into our pockets, places into 392 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,240 our bank accounts? And so you and I, I take this as 393 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:29,760 a cue to develop and to train ourselves to be mindful of God's 394 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,880 will. In that area, in that area, let 395 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,880 me just offer a very. Practical point of discipleship. 396 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:42,800 I would encourage you to regularly pray and tell the Lord 397 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:47,000 in that time of fellowship that all you have belongs to Him. 398 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:53,480 Say it, confess it, admit it, and if you're married, do it 399 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:54,880 with your spouse from time to time. 400 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,880 Lord, all that we have is yours. Every piece of furniture, every 401 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:02,440 corner of this house, every dollar in our bank account, 402 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,080 everything that we're saving up for our children, it's all 403 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,360 yours. I'll tell you something that 404 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:11,760 will overtime give you the proper perspective of your 405 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,640 materials, of your possessions and go beyond that. 406 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:17,760 Once you acknowledge that joyfully and with excitement, 407 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:21,560 with faith, ask Him from time to time, OK, Lord, what would you 408 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:25,120 have us do? With our money, what would you 409 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:28,920 have us do? And this is just. 410 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:34,240 One simple act that will help you and I detach ourselves from 411 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,200 the things that want to grip our hearts and our affections. 412 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:40,480 And more than that, you'd be amazed to know how the Lord will 413 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,600 impress your heart to invest in His Kingdom and for eternity. 414 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:48,680 If you're serious about this, if you want to excel in this grace, 415 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:54,560 also invite the Lord into it. Invite the Lord into it and you 416 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:59,480 will know a holy joy and delight in an area that you thought 417 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:01,120 might have been stressful or tempting. 418 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:07,320 Oh, it can become glorious. So even Ezra here was told by 419 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,000 the king who ultimately is being instructed by God. 420 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:13,520 I'm giving you this. And there are some things that 421 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:16,920 you have to with non negotiables, confront and deal 422 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,520 with. But even what's extra, keep 423 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:25,200 God's mind and will in your mind and in your will, and that will 424 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:29,520 make you and I that much closer. To being conformed to all that 425 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,120 God has for us. Well, we would think that our 426 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:36,160 observities will not move on from these orders regarding 427 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:38,080 financial support, but he still has more to say. 428 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:40,600 In fact, it's the majority of this letter. 429 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,760 So let's read from verse 21 down to verse 23. 430 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,600 And I, art exerxies the king, make a decree to all the 431 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:49,560 treasurers in the province beyond the river. 432 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,680 Whatever Ezra the priest described of the law of God of 433 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:57,160 heaven requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, up 434 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:01,520 to 100 talents of silver, 100 cores of wheat, 100 baths of 435 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:05,960 wine, 100 baths of oil and salt, without prescribing how much. 436 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,280 Whatever is decreed by God, by the God of heaven, let it be 437 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:12,280 done in full for the House of the God of heaven, lest his 438 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:15,400 wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons. 439 00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:20,680 Now again, this seems repetitive. 440 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,160 We've seen this with Cyrus, we've seen something similar 441 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:26,800 with Darius and this is impressive. 442 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,160 For a Gentile to be this generous should move us. 443 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:33,760 You would wish if you were there when we were studying 1st and 444 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:36,000 2nd kings, that this would be the pattern for the kings in 445 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:37,960 Jerusalem and Israel, but that wasn't the case, right? 446 00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:42,400 You actually have more kings bankrupting the House of God, 447 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:45,760 withdrawing from the House of God, then investing into it. 448 00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:50,800 And here you have a Pagan and he says let's support this, let's 449 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,360 get behind this. However, that's not what we're 450 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:56,960 supposed to take from this. I think what's worthy of 451 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:05,560 meditation is Artaxerxes motivation for his contribution 452 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:08,960 to the House of God. The last part of verse 23 look 453 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:15,560 at it again, lest his wrath be against the realm of the. 454 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:20,160 King and his sons now. Some will look at this and 455 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:25,840 applaud Artaxerxes. Here's a man who understands 456 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,520 that if a nation, if a government, if a land rebels 457 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,480 against a true God, then they open themselves up to his 458 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:34,840 discipline, which is true in many cases. 459 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,480 But I don't think that's what we're supposed to take from 460 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:42,920 this, at least primarily. I believe Arctic Xerxes is 461 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:49,400 revealing what's stimulating him to do this, and he has a very 462 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:52,320 narrow, limited understanding of the God of Israel. 463 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,080 He does acknowledge that he is more powerful than all these 464 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:58,640 other deities. You can debate if he had his 465 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:02,760 faith and trust in this God, but there's actually greater 466 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,480 evidence that he probably sees Yahweh as a local deity more 467 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:11,800 than anything else. But notice he sees his 468 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:15,840 contribution as an insurance policy more than anything. 469 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,320 So he understands this. This God is powerful. 470 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,560 I even admit that he's the God of heaven. 471 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:27,160 He says that more than once. And so just to play it safe and 472 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:31,960 just to protect me and my Kingdom and my family, I'll do 473 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:37,840 what I can to show my support. In other words, Artaxerxes is 474 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:42,200 ultimately moved by fear, fear of punishment. 475 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:45,960 Can I tell you something? There are a lot of professing 476 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:51,400 Christians. Who serve, who give, who abstain 477 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:59,080 with similar thinking. They do what they do for God 478 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,720 because they fear they will be punished by God if they don't. 479 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:08,120 And that's all that gets them going. 480 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:14,640 That's all that keeps them. That's all that holds them back. 481 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:21,520 From venturing into this or into that dread, this looming sense 482 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,880 that at any moment God will press that red button and he 483 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:27,040 will strike my life with some kind of plague, some kind of 484 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:31,640 disaster. And so day in and day out, week 485 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:36,840 after week, service after service, they're afraid. 486 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,080 They're afraid of God. And you know, I was looking at 487 00:30:40,080 --> 00:30:43,320 this and I thought about even the numbers that are registered 488 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,520 here of what Artaxercis gave to the House of God. 489 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:49,240 And I thought back to another person who gave to the House of 490 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:53,360 God, but with a completely different ambition in mind, with 491 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:56,760 a completely different motivation in mind, David. 492 00:30:56,920 --> 00:30:58,800 Now we study first and Second Kings. 493 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,000 We didn't look at the entirety of First and Second Chronicles. 494 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,040 But one of the things that stand out of at the end of First 495 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:08,960 Chronicles is you have this extensive display of David's 496 00:31:08,960 --> 00:31:11,840 investment before he dies into the House of God. 497 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:14,800 And when you look at some of the verses, especially in chapter 498 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:19,240 29, it so stands in contrast with what we find here with 499 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:20,960 Artaxerxes. Let's go there. 500 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,720 First Chronicles 29, look at verse 10. 501 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:34,640 I mean, we're just getting a sample in First Chronicles 29. 502 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:44,120 Look at verse. 10 It says here, therefore David blessed the Lord 503 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:46,320 in the presence of all the assembly. 504 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:51,160 And David said, Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel, 505 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:55,880 Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness 506 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:59,440 and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. 507 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:03,000 For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. 508 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:05,880 Yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as Head 509 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,480 above all. Both riches and honor come from 510 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:13,640 you, and you rule over all in your hand our power and might, 511 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:16,880 and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to 512 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:20,760 all. And now we thank you our God, 513 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:25,560 and praise your glorious name. A different tune, wouldn't you 514 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:28,960 say? Whole different perspective, 515 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:31,320 wouldn't you say? Well, let's look at it a little 516 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:32,800 bit more. Look at verse 17. 517 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,320 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure and 518 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:39,920 uprightness in the uprightness of my heart. 519 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,400 I have freely offered all these things and now I've seen your 520 00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:47,760 people who are present here offering freely and. 521 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:55,360 Joyously to you, why is David doing what he's doing? 522 00:32:55,440 --> 00:33:04,320 Oh, it's gratitude, pleasure, freely, with a revelation of who 523 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:06,880 God is and what He has done, how He is the fountain. 524 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:09,560 Of all the blessing that David has enjoyed. 525 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:12,280 And you see what David is saying here? 526 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,880 Me giving back to God isn't anything. 527 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,680 It's all from him anyway. So yet he has this deep 528 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:26,080 awareness that God is the source of everything good and this is 529 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:31,280 his response to God's goodness. And you and I will never know 530 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,440 the joy and delight that Christ wants us to have in our walk 531 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,960 with him. If anxiety about judgement is 532 00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:43,880 the grounds of your godliness, is there a place for us to have 533 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,160 a holy fear of God? Yes. 534 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:52,120 But for you to live in this trepidation, in the sense of I 535 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:55,560 don't know if God loves me today and you're more convinced that 536 00:33:55,560 --> 00:34:00,720 God is wanting to judge you, then love you and embrace you 537 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:04,800 and bless you. Things got to change, my brother 538 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:08,600 and sister. The misery that you're managing 539 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,520 is not the will of God. That is not Christianity. 540 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:16,719 And there's something else that I find in this chapter. 541 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:21,760 We actually have the detailed account of what David gave when 542 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:23,560 he contributed to the first house. 543 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,719 Look at verse three of First Chronicles 29. 544 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,520 Moreover, in addition to all that I've provided for the Holy 545 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,960 House, I have a treasure of my own gold and silver, and because 546 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:39,280 of my devotion to the House of my God, I give it to the House 547 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:46,000 of my God. 3000 talents of gold of the gold of offer, and 7000 548 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,960 talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the 549 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,840 house and for all the work to be done by Craftsman. 550 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:54,199 Gold for the things of gold, and silver for the things of silver. 551 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,760 Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to 552 00:34:57,760 --> 00:34:59,640 the Lord? I don't want to read too much 553 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:03,040 into this, but I wonder if there's something to be said 554 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:06,520 about the grandeur and the extravagance of David's giving 555 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:09,760 because he was operating under a different revelation than Arctic 556 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:14,600 Xerxes. And if that is true, then what a 557 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:19,680 profound lesson for all of us, that desiring to please God 558 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:24,320 because of who He is, because of what He has done first, will 559 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:30,600 produce more worship and more sacrifice and more obedience 560 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:33,160 then you and I simply being in dread of Him. 561 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,560 We love because He first loved us. 562 00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:49,880 I mean, that's the order we are responding to what God has done 563 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:54,280 first, that He set His love upon us while we were sinners, while 564 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,280 we were dead, while we were enemies. 565 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:00,440 And you constantly have to remind yourself of that. 566 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:05,120 You and I, as much as we should express our love to the Lord, 567 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,760 our contentment in the Lord, our desire to please Lord, that's 568 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:10,320 all wonderful. That's biblical. 569 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,440 But we should find greater satisfaction in singing about 570 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:20,400 Christ's love for us, what he's performed on our behalf, and how 571 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:25,800 he has pursued us. You know, I was speaking with a 572 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,880 friend the other day and we were having a conversation about this 573 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:34,000 very thing, about how to arrive to a place in your walk with 574 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,640 Christ where you can shake off the condemnation once and for 575 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:40,120 all. And then you can live under the 576 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:44,480 light and the truth and the glorious reality that I am truly 577 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:48,400 loved by God. He loves me. 578 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:54,160 He died for me. He actually has affection set 579 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:56,480 upon me. It's not just this contract. 580 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:58,520 It's not just this mere. Duty. 581 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:03,360 And although God is motivated ultimately for his glory, yes, 582 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:07,480 don't cancel out the glorious truth that He actually loves you 583 00:37:07,480 --> 00:37:13,400 and He loves me, and He wants us to be fueled by that, not just 584 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:14,920 in accepting it, but living for Him. 585 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:20,440 Yes. Do you remember the last words 586 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:23,800 that Jesus said to the woman who was caught on adultery in John 587 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:25,520 chapter 8? Does anybody remember what was 588 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:26,880 that statement? It's very famous. 589 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:35,280 What did he say before that? Neither do I condemn you. 590 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:39,360 Go and sin no more. What came first? 591 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:43,840 The revelation that Christ no longer condemns her, that Christ 592 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:46,880 doesn't condemn her. And from that understanding she 593 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:53,680 would be able to sin no more. You're not condemned. 594 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:58,080 If there was anybody in that moment who is worthy and 595 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:01,640 authorized to pick up a stone and Stoner, it was Christ. 596 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:05,640 He had no sin. Everybody in that crowd was a 597 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:07,600 Sinner. Christ wasn't. 598 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:11,600 And yet in that moment He gives her grace. 599 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:15,720 And from that experience says, now go and sin no more. 600 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:19,320 Is that why you don't sin? Is that why I don't sin? 601 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:23,240 Because I realized that I'm forgiven, that I'm redeemed, 602 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:28,880 that He paid my debt, that he, he set his love on me when I was 603 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:36,600 rebelling against him. Only then, only then will you 604 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:42,920 know new heights of holiness and adoration and ministry and 605 00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:48,120 dedication. Artix, Xerxes, Look, I'm we're 606 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:52,000 doing this just so we don't want trouble with this guy. 607 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:55,760 And that's how some Christians live. 608 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,360 You're doing what you're doing just so you don't get in trouble 609 00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:03,440 with God. No sense of fellowship, no sense 610 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:06,640 of endearment, no sense of relationship. 611 00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:11,080 Oh, that's not God's will for you. 612 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:15,440 Run away from that. Don't settle for that. 613 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,640 Ask God through His Word to help you live in the light of His 614 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,640 life. His Majesty, yes. 615 00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:30,000 His Holiness, yes, His purity, yes, but his kindness and his 616 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:31,920 goodness toward us who don't deserve it. 617 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:34,280 Oh, I can go on and on, but there's still more to this 618 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:37,760 letter that we have to explore. So let's come back to Chapter 7 619 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:47,800 and let's look at verse 25 as Arctic Xerxes concludes his 620 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:51,160 thoughts here he gives his final remarks addressing Ezra directly 621 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:53,280 again. So he says in verse 25. 622 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:57,640 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in 623 00:39:57,640 --> 00:40:03,040 your hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all 624 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:05,880 the people in the province beyond the river, all such as 625 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:09,120 know the laws of your God. And those who don't know them, 626 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:12,160 you shall teach. Whoever will not obey the law of 627 00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:13,520 your God and the law of the King. 628 00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:16,280 Let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for 629 00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:19,840 death, or for banishment, or for confiscation of his goods, or 630 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:23,400 for imprisonment. Interestingly. 631 00:40:24,360 --> 00:40:28,120 Artaxerxes highlights how Ezra possesses the wisdom of God in 632 00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:29,600 his hand. Did you see that in verse 25? 633 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:34,400 It says here that he has the wisdom of God according to the 634 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:35,760 wisdom of your God that is in your hand. 635 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,480 That should remind us of what he said earlier in verse 14 when he 636 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:42,400 highlighted the law of your God, which is in your hand. 637 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:48,840 Artaxerxes understood that the law of God was an expression of 638 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,600 the wisdom of God. I mean, he had that 639 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:53,880 comprehension. And I think that's amazing. 640 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:58,560 I think there is wisdom to be found in the Old Testament law. 641 00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:03,760 That's at least a nudge. It's no less true today. 642 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,800 And if anything, this should be an encouragement for us to look 643 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:10,320 at the mind of God in every. Portion of his word I mean you 644 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:12,840 look at Psalm 119. What is the psalmist rehearsing 645 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:14,840 rejoicing in the law, the law, the law he's not talking about 646 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:18,760 Ephesians, right he's not talking about the gospel of 647 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:20,920 John. We have the privilege of, you 648 00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:23,560 know, the completion of God's revelation, but the law even in 649 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:26,560 the law. Yes, don't don't avoid those 650 00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:30,720 things. Seek God's mind principles in 651 00:41:30,720 --> 00:41:32,920 God's law even and you'll be wiser. 652 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:37,080 But we we must move on. Look at verse 27. 653 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:41,200 This is interesting because in the same chapter that introduces 654 00:41:41,200 --> 00:41:44,000 Ezra, we find them writing in the first person for the first 655 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:49,440 time. Blessed be the Lord, the God of 656 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:51,400 our fathers. So the letter is done. 657 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,440 It's it ended at verse 26. Now Ezra speaking, blessed be 658 00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:58,520 the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as 659 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:02,240 this into the heart of the king to beautify the House of the 660 00:42:02,240 --> 00:42:05,920 Lord that is in Jerusalem and who extended to me his steadfast 661 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:08,720 love before the king and his counselors and before all the 662 00:42:08,720 --> 00:42:13,040 kings mighty officers. I took courage for the hand of 663 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:15,600 the Lord. My God was on me, and I gathered 664 00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:18,720 leading men from Israel to go up with me. 665 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:23,560 So this is strong evidence that Ezra is the author of the book 666 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:26,600 of Ezra. He's writing in the first 667 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:28,480 person. He is now giving his own 668 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:31,840 commentary and he chooses to give it at this juncture of this 669 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:35,160 account. I love it. 670 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:40,040 The first time Ezra speaks in the first person in this book, 671 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:44,520 he's praising God. And all that we know about him 672 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:46,760 up to this point is that he studied the law. 673 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:49,760 He did it, he taught it. I mean, he was immersed in the 674 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:52,880 scriptures. He was a diligent scholar. 675 00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:57,080 He, he, he found this to be his ultimate treasure and delight. 676 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:00,520 And then the first time he speaks in the form of writing, 677 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:07,480 he is worshipping One of the ways, you know, the word of God 678 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:09,120 is working in you. That is that it will lead you to 679 00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:14,280 worship. I know some people who have an 680 00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:17,200 incredible handling of the scriptures, but they're not 681 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:20,360 worshippers. They just have big heads. 682 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:24,720 But there isn't a tenderness about him, there isn't an 683 00:43:24,720 --> 00:43:28,320 excitement in them, there isn't a passion, there isn't a sense 684 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:31,120 of song. It's just information stored up 685 00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:33,240 here. And they know how to argue and 686 00:43:33,240 --> 00:43:35,080 they know how to debate, and they know how to file these 687 00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:42,680 things and connect these truths. Ezra, He spent years looking 688 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:44,640 into the word of God, and the first thing that we see about 689 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,360 him when he starts speaking is praise. 690 00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:51,440 Enthralled. Moved. 691 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:56,120 By who this God is. But more than that, we learn in 692 00:43:56,120 --> 00:44:02,760 verse 6 that all of this was a response to Ezra's request to 693 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:06,920 the king, that he had the audacity and he had the boldness 694 00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:12,000 to say, I see. God's plan for His people, I 695 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:14,680 want to play a part of it. And so he goes up to the king, 696 00:44:14,720 --> 00:44:19,920 and this is the result of it. And yet He gives God glory for 697 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:25,600 all of it, so he glorifies God. There is human agency at play 698 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:28,680 here, but He lets us know in the beginning of verse 27. 699 00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:32,040 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a 700 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:35,240 thing as this into the heart of the king. 701 00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:42,040 This wonderful marriage between our ability to do things in 702 00:44:42,040 --> 00:44:45,320 God's working sovereignly and providentially. 703 00:44:46,600 --> 00:44:49,920 And there's so much that we can unpack from Ezra's personal 704 00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:51,160 comments. I want to just leave you with 705 00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:54,400 one inspiring and hopeful insight. 706 00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:59,840 Think back to Artaxerxes attitude towards the things of 707 00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:02,960 God and the people of God. I mean, if you were to summarize 708 00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:05,560 it, it would simply be this. He respected God's appointed 709 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:07,960 service servants in it and supported them. 710 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:11,240 He didn't look down on the priest. 711 00:45:11,240 --> 00:45:12,840 He didn't look down on the Levites. 712 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:15,040 He actually revered them to a certain extent. 713 00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:19,040 He acknowledged the God of Israel and His law being 714 00:45:19,040 --> 00:45:24,600 profitable and worthy to teach. He was generous and he was 715 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:29,320 willing to invest and beautifying God's house. 716 00:45:29,920 --> 00:45:32,960 He recognized the value of worship and contributed to it in 717 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:36,960 his own way. And he saw disobedience as a 718 00:45:36,960 --> 00:45:41,440 serious thing that he even put things into law for those who 719 00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:45,760 would choose to turn away from God's word. 720 00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:51,680 This is moving for a Gentile like Artaxerxes. 721 00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:57,080 And the question I have is how did these concerns and 722 00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:00,280 convictions captivate Artaxerxes heart? 723 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:02,920 Ezra gives us the answer. God. 724 00:46:02,920 --> 00:46:07,760 Put him in there, God, put him in there. 725 00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:12,200 Do you believe you can put it in your heart? 726 00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:17,120 Think about it this way. If God was willing to deposit 727 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:22,720 such things in the heart of a Pagan, how much more for the one 728 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:30,160 who yearns for the Holy Spirit to rewire and realign? 729 00:46:30,280 --> 00:46:34,680 And inspire. Your heart of mine. 730 00:46:36,040 --> 00:46:41,280 Is he reluctant to do so? Is he hesitant to do so or is he 731 00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:47,480 willing to do so? Oh, he is more than willing, if 732 00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:51,920 God is willing to do such a thing in this. 733 00:46:51,920 --> 00:46:55,920 Kind of a heart. What about the one who longs for 734 00:46:55,920 --> 00:47:00,600 Christ? And longs for godliness and 735 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:03,400 holiness to become a greater reality. 736 00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:08,400 He can listen. He can put it in your heart. 737 00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:12,160 If you think that's just too good to be true, if you think 738 00:47:12,160 --> 00:47:17,000 it's that simple, listen. It is more of a reality than you 739 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:21,400 have imagined. So again, I'm sitting back and 740 00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:23,360 I'm meditating on New Testament examples of this. 741 00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:26,760 And there's a simple verse in Second Thessalonians in chapter 742 00:47:26,760 --> 00:47:31,840 3, in verse 5. It's a prayer that Paul prays 743 00:47:31,840 --> 00:47:33,640 for these believers. You know what he says? 744 00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:39,640 He says, may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God 745 00:47:40,440 --> 00:47:42,000 into the steadfastness of Christ. 746 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:47,760 What does that mean? I'm praying that God would 747 00:47:47,760 --> 00:47:55,520 maneuver your heart and mold it and shape it and clean it so 748 00:47:55,520 --> 00:48:00,760 that it is more set on the love of God and on the steadfastness 749 00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:02,920 of Christ. People debate. 750 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:07,040 Is Paul asking for their hearts to be more set on God's love for 751 00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:09,760 them or their love for God? What about both? 752 00:48:10,840 --> 00:48:12,840 Can he do both? He can do both. 753 00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:19,440 And what I want to say to you and me at the end of the study 754 00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:22,040 is, do not underestimate the power of coming before the Lord 755 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:28,200 regularly and asking Him to place His will, His desires, His 756 00:48:28,200 --> 00:48:32,720 wisdom, and His affections in your heart. 757 00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:37,480 He's willing to do it. He won't give you a stone if you 758 00:48:37,480 --> 00:48:43,840 ask for bread. He won't give you a scorpion if 759 00:48:43,840 --> 00:48:46,800 you ask for a fish. And if you want more of the Holy 760 00:48:46,800 --> 00:48:49,080 Spirit, He's going to give you more of the Holy Spirit. 761 00:48:50,120 --> 00:49:20,120 Let's ask Him for it, shall we? We thank you, Lord, that yet 762 00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:24,360 again on another Friday night, You have convinced us that all 763 00:49:24,360 --> 00:49:26,000 Scripture is breathed out by God. 764 00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:35,880 So much was said, so much was read, and we trust that as we've 765 00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:40,400 done all that we can for this study, You will do abundantly 766 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:47,200 more than we can ask or imagine. And Lord, though many points 767 00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:53,600 were made, we take that last one and we bring it before you as a 768 00:49:53,600 --> 00:49:56,840 church. And we ask you, Lord, that if 769 00:49:56,840 --> 00:50:02,560 you so worked in the heart of Arctic Xerxes to look favorably, 770 00:50:02,720 --> 00:50:06,440 favorably upon the things of God and the people of God, though 771 00:50:06,440 --> 00:50:11,400 limited in His own way, would you do more work in our hearts? 772 00:50:12,360 --> 00:50:17,480 May you direct our hearts to the love of God for those in this 773 00:50:17,480 --> 00:50:23,480 place, Lord, who struggle to believe that you cherish them 774 00:50:25,760 --> 00:50:31,480 and that you care for them, and that you love them to the point 775 00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:35,680 of dying for them, whatever obstacles stand in the way of 776 00:50:35,680 --> 00:50:38,680 experiencing that love. We pray that you would use this 777 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:43,960 Bible study to shatter every light, to destroy every 778 00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:49,800 hindrance, and for their understanding of who you are to 779 00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:55,840 expand. So we pray that all unholy fear, 780 00:50:56,280 --> 00:51:02,720 all ungodly dread, all terror and anxiety regarding judgement. 781 00:51:04,160 --> 00:51:09,160 We pray that all that would wash away and we would realize that 782 00:51:09,160 --> 00:51:13,000 the price Christ paid was far too great for us to live in such 783 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:16,480 a way. But convince us, Lord, our 784 00:51:16,480 --> 00:51:23,160 hearts are deceitful and we fluctuate, so bring us to the 785 00:51:23,160 --> 00:51:31,040 place where we are confident. And Lord, like Ezra, as a result 786 00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:33,080 of studying Your Word, we now worship You. 787 00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:38,280 We will now give you our voices and sing your praises. 788 00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:44,880 Help us every single week to leave here with greater 789 00:51:44,880 --> 00:51:48,320 adoration and love for you as a result of what we learn about 790 00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:51,840 you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 791 00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:55,480 Amen. All right, Church, let's stand 792 00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:57,760 together and let's rejoice in our God. 793 00:52:13,680 --> 00:52:13,800 Yeah.