1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,800 Before we even go into the the book of Ezra, you know, as we 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,560 were singing, I was reminded of an interesting phrase that Paul 3 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:08,280 the Apostle made to the Galatians. 4 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,200 He rebukes them. I mean, Galatians is an intense 5 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,000 book because usually when Paul writes his letters, he commends 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:16,880 the believers no matter what their situation is. 7 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,640 He thanks God for them. He highlights certain things 8 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,360 about them. But when it came to the 9 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,280 Galatians, he went straight for the jugular. 10 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,200 He didn't waste any time because they were tampering with the 11 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,320 gospel. They were messing with the 12 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,720 fundamentals of the faith. And so he went straight to 13 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:34,920 correction. And he says something so 14 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:36,120 interesting later on in that book. 15 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,040 He says, was not Christ crucified before you? 16 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,280 Do you know that phrase? Do you remember that phrase? 17 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:45,640 I always wondered what Paul meant by that because there was 18 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,800 no way that the Galatians were there on Calvary witnessing the 19 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,360 crucifixion of Christ. But he states it as though they 20 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,760 did. And the only explanation for 21 00:00:55,760 --> 00:01:00,200 that is that Paul preached the gospel to the Galatians so 22 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:05,080 clearly, so accurately, so powerfully. 23 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,480 It was as though the Galatians witnessed the crucifixion. 24 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,520 And walking up to this platform, I said, Lord, please may that 25 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:19,760 same grace rest upon our services here, that when Christ 26 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,000 is preached, when these truths from his words are declared, it 27 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,640 would be so real to us. It was, it would be as though it 28 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:27,480 was happening right before our eyes. 29 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,120 That's possible. And the only way we can access 30 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:32,600 that as we're about to learn is through prayer. 31 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,040 And so I hope you didn't come here just to hear a lecture. 32 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,840 I hope you didn't come here mechanically understanding how 33 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:41,880 the order of service functions on these evenings. 34 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:45,280 But let's pray with expectation and believe that God can open 35 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:50,080 our eyes really and make Christ so vibrant and so actual to our 36 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:51,880 reality. Lord, we thank you for this 37 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:56,840 night. We pray that you would purge us 38 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,440 from any obstruction to the truth, anything that would 39 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:01,000 hinder us from receiving your voice. 40 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,680 Lord, please rescue us. We pray that you would relieve 41 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,280 us of any distractions, anything that would sabotage what you 42 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:14,040 want to do this this night, Lord, all the cobwebs of 43 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,120 indifference and compromise. We just pray that you would blow 44 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:21,440 it all off and that we would be clean vessels, empty vessels, 45 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,320 ready for a fresh filling of truth and of your Spirit. 46 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:31,680 And Lord, as Paul even mentioned over and over again the 47 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,720 necessary power to deliver the Word, We pray for that same 48 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,960 grace. Let this be more than just 49 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,280 words. Let this be more than just 50 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,120 interesting connections and scripture quotations. 51 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:44,480 Let there be. True power. 52 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,000 True power. And we believe that you will 53 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,520 meet us here because we believe you're the living Christ. 54 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,160 We ask these things in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, 55 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,800 Amen and Amen. You came to a very important 56 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,120 Bible study tonight because we have reached the final chapter 57 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,760 of the book of Ezra. And so I invite you now in your 58 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,160 Bibles to turn with me to Ezra chapter 10. 59 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,680 And as we approach this final text, I I think it will help us 60 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:22,960 to be reminded of why Ezra left Babylonia to return to Jerusalem 61 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,960 the way he did. It's plainly stated for us in 62 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:29,800 the very chapter that we are introduced to this man, Ezra. 63 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,080 So you're there in Ezra 10, but take a peek quickly at Ezra 64 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:38,960 Chapter 7, verse 14 in Ezra 714. It reads, For you are sent by 65 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:43,000 the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries 66 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,840 about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your 67 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:53,600 God, which is in your hand. Ezra's burning concern and 68 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:57,880 packing his bags and making his way back to the Holy Land was to 69 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:01,400 investigate and see if the Exiles who preceded him we're 70 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,120 still abiding according to God's law. 71 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,160 You've heard this before. Allow me to repeat it again 72 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:09,360 since we have such little time left in Ezra. 73 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,320 When Zerubbabel led the first wave of exiles, his mission was 74 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,600 to rebuild the House of God. When we're going to learn in 75 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,560 Nehemiah about his leadership and his calling, it's going to 76 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:27,600 focus on the erecting of the city walls to protect the people 77 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,680 of God. But when it comes to Ezra, we 78 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:35,240 know that his callings to fashion the people of God and to 79 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,360 ensure that they are molded and shaped by the law of God. 80 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,480 You see, Ezra had a revelation that the psalmist had in Psalm 81 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,360 93, verse five. You don't have to turn there, 82 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:49,800 but listen to this one part of that verse in Psalm 93 is this 83 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:56,360 holiness benefits your house. Benefits is not a common word 84 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,840 enough vocabulary, but it helps to know the original. 85 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:03,600 The original word more accurately means beautify, and 86 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:05,760 that's why some translations re render it. 87 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:10,720 Holiness adorns your house. In other words, there is 88 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,400 something about holiness that makes the house God, and not 89 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,400 just something about it. It is the very factor that makes 90 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:23,160 God's house delightful and ravishing and attractive. 91 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:26,000 So Psalm 93, what? What? 92 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:27,760 What's essentially being communicated there is. 93 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,800 More than the. Gold embedded in the structure 94 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,880 more than the artistic carvings in the walls, more than the 95 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:39,080 furnishings. It's the piety, it's the 96 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:43,080 holiness, it's the purity of those who represent God's house. 97 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,440 And that's what Ezra understood. We can have a building, but if 98 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,600 the people are not holy, then the House of God is not truly 99 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:55,440 beautiful. And so his mission was to ensure 100 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,200 that God's people were set apart. 101 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,480 That they were. Living according to his precepts 102 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:03,480 that they were loving his word in a. 103 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,840 In a way that translated into their transformation. 104 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:08,960 But here's the problem. You know this because you were 105 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:13,480 with us last week, the last couple weeks actually, after a 106 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,560 little bit of four months being in Jerusalem, Ezra received the 107 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,680 tragic news of the true condition of the people of of 108 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,480 Judah. They were living in compromise. 109 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,480 They were living in deep sin. And the main crime that was 110 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:30,320 committed was that many of the men had married Pagan wives. 111 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,920 And this was. A grave concern, and we talked 112 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:39,120 about why that was such a serious problem briefly, but we 113 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:41,760 spent more time looking at Ezra's response to this. 114 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:46,240 The man broke down, he lamented, he cried out to God. 115 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,920 He was overcome by pain. He could not believe that even 116 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,280 after all these years in exile, it would be so short of time 117 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:57,640 before the people would come back to the very sin, among 118 00:06:57,640 --> 00:06:59,840 other sins, that would kick them out of the Promised Land. 119 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:07,560 And so this man, Ezra, he seeks God, He tries to process it in 120 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,000 his emotional state, and then he goes on to pray about it. 121 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:12,360 And when he prays about it, it's. 122 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,320 Recorded to us and for us in great detail in Chapter 9. 123 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,960 But what we're going to see in chapter 10 is that Ezra does 124 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,720 more than feel pain and he does more than pray. 125 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:25,200 He's actually going to act. He's going to do something about 126 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:27,320 it. And even in that observation, we 127 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:29,280 have a wonderful example in Ezra. 128 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,520 There's a pattern here that should be replicated because 129 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,840 there's going to be times for the serious Christian where you 130 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,480 will be disappointed. You will be disappointed by the 131 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:42,840 failures of others. And when that time does come, 132 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,640 whether you're the object of somebody's sin, whether you are 133 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:50,880 the one who is offended or you're witnessing it, you have 134 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:56,200 permission to mourn. You have license to sit there 135 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,760 and try to process it, But you can't stay there. 136 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,640 You have to pray. At some point, you have to bring 137 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,720 it before the Lord. And as important as prayer is, 138 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,400 if the situation calls for it, prayer may not be enough. 139 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,280 There might be some kind of intervention on your part. 140 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,560 There might be a time, a moment for you to get up and actually. 141 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:24,480 Confront it yourself and that's exactly what this man of God is 142 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:26,480 going to do. And we will not complete this 143 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,120 chapter. We're going to look at the 1st 6 144 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:31,680 verses together and let's begin by reading it before we look at 145 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,520 it closely. Ezra 10 verse one. 146 00:08:36,799 --> 00:08:41,320 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting 147 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,320 himself down before the House of God, a very great assembly of 148 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,120 men, women and children gathered to him out of Israel. 149 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:54,720 For the people wept bitterly, and Shekinah, the son of jail of 150 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:56,680 the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra. 151 00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:00,080 We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign 152 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,560 women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope 153 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:07,160 for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant 154 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,960 with our God and put away all these wives and their children, 155 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,600 according to the counsel of my Lord and of those who tremble at 156 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,120 the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the 157 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,760 law. Arise, for it is your task, and 158 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,920 we are with you. Be strong and do it. 159 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,840 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and 160 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:32,120 all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. 161 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:36,480 So they took the oath. Then Ezra withdrew from the 162 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:40,000 House of God and went to the Chamber of Jehonan, the son of 163 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:44,560 Eli Asha, where he spent the night neither eating bread nor 164 00:09:44,560 --> 00:09:48,320 drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness 165 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,400 of the Exiles. You know what's so amazing about 166 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:58,120 the verses that we just read? That before Ezra said or did 167 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:05,400 anything directly to the people, the people were stirred with 168 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:11,480 conviction. We read it since Ezra heard this 169 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:14,000 tragic news about what the people were doing. 170 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,560 He didn't, He didn't engage with anybody until verse 5, where he 171 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:22,000 made the nation take an oath that they would obey moving 172 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,800 forward. But before that, Ezra took the 173 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,680 brokenness and the sin and the failure of the people, and he 174 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:37,400 brought it before God himself. And as he sought the Lord, 175 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:41,320 something miraculous happened. The hearts of the people were 176 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,040 beginning to be drawn to the Lord. 177 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:46,800 And it's at this point where I realized something. 178 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:50,520 That Ezra provides an illustration how it is totally 179 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:55,560 possible for any of us to make an impact on others indirectly. 180 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:01,600 There is an influence that we can have as we deal with people, 181 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,960 but there is a way of drawing people to the Lord and for the 182 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,120 Lord, though we may not directly engage with those people. 183 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,720 And in verse one alone, we have three ways that's possible. 184 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,080 Three ways that your witness, your testimony, your walk with 185 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:23,800 God can be a fragrance unto others to want the God that you 186 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:27,400 serve and love. 3 and verse one, you ready. 187 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,480 The first one is obvious. It's through our praying. 188 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,040 Look again at the first words of verse one. 189 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:39,800 While Ezra prayed, while he sought God, he didn't preach A 190 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,960 sermon. Yet he didn't rebuke anybody he 191 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,440 didn't correct. He understood that this was a 192 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:51,760 time where I must speak to God about men instead of speaking to 193 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:56,880 men about God. And so he spent this time 194 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,160 looking to the. Lord, and as he was doing this, 195 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,480 we should believe that God is answering the prayer while it is 196 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,960 being prayed because a crowd gathers around this man, Ezra, 197 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,840 and they're hearing his words and they begin to weep bitterly. 198 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,760 They begin to be stirred and realize the sin that is plaguing 199 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,440 the people. God is moving in the spirit. 200 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,680 God is moving in the spirit of these people. 201 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,160 And it is totally because of this main thing Ezra prayed. 202 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,920 And any true man of God, any true woman of God, understands 203 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:34,960 that prayer contains that kind of power. 204 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:40,120 Not to say that prayer replaces preaching or that it substitutes 205 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,960 personal confrontation, but what prayer does, and we see this 206 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,960 throughout the Bible, is that it prepares the hearts of God's 207 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,240 people and even the lost in order to accomplish something. 208 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,120 Look at Paul's rare prayer requests throughout his letters. 209 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,200 One that comes to mind is in 2nd Thessalonians 3. 210 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:03,160 One in that brief verse he says, pray for us. 211 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:06,880 Listen to these words. Finally, brothers, pray for us 212 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,960 that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored as 213 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:14,640 happened among you. Pray that there would be some 214 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,400 grace on our preaching, on our evangelism, on our missionary 215 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:20,240 work. And I love this part as happened 216 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:23,640 among you. Do you know why I love that 217 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:25,480 part? Because we know exactly how the 218 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:28,200 Word of God was received among the Thessalonians. 219 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,920 This is Second Thessalonians 31. But when you go to 1st 220 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,720 Thessalonians chapter 1, you read where Paul says, look, the 221 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:40,880 Word came to you in the Holy Spirit in full power with 222 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:43,440 conviction. And then when he comes to his 223 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,840 2nd letter, he goes, I'm asking that that same experience that 224 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:51,600 you had with the gospel would be copy paste in our next adventure 225 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,360 and preaching the word of God in our next expedition. 226 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:59,480 But here's the main point. Paul understood that prayer 227 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:03,000 prepares hearts. Prayer does something 228 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,240 preemptively, even before preaching. 229 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,800 Paul had this conviction and this truth embedded in his 230 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,000 convictions. There has to be prayer. 231 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:20,320 Ezra prayed and it worked. But there's a second thing. 232 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,520 There's a second observation here in how Ezra indirectly 233 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,600 draws the people to the Lord. It's not through his praying 234 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:28,640 only, it's also through his passion. 235 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,840 Look again at verse one. While Ezra prayed, yes, and made 236 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:38,800 confession, absolutely weeping and casting himself down before 237 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:43,160 the House of God. What is that? 238 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:48,960 Can you imagine a dignified priest with his garments, this 239 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,320 teacher of the law, this well respected man, weeping, not 240 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:55,600 crying, not wiping away tears from the corner of his eye, 241 00:14:55,600 --> 00:15:00,400 weeping and more than weeping, casting himself down. 242 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:06,400 Imagine somebody pounding the ground with their fists, getting 243 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,720 up on their knees and throwing themselves again, doing that 244 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:14,160 over and over again. Clearly, this display of raw 245 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:20,840 emotion says something about how he felt, about the sin, about 246 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,960 his deep concern. For the people of God and the 247 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,720 holiness of God. Now we have to be careful here. 248 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:33,000 Passion is more than emotion. Primarily, it is about 249 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:34,960 conviction. And there's a difference. 250 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:37,640 You can be emotional about many things. 251 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:39,560 It doesn't legitimize your passion. 252 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:43,040 It doesn't even necessarily mean you're passionate about 253 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:46,720 something. This is just the manifestation 254 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,600 of something. That is so rooted in this man. 255 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,560 He had conviction. He had this all consuming 256 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,400 understanding of what God deserves and what the people of 257 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,560 God are called to. And so he's broken. 258 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,840 He's broken because he has this conviction and he is reflecting 259 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,480 the sincere concern. And listen, when a man or a 260 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:15,800 woman possesses this kind of godly ambition and drive, it 261 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:19,680 will not go unnoticed. It's going to show up in one way 262 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,120 or another. It's going to it's going to be 263 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,760 demonstrated through one's compassion. 264 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,280 It's going to speak loudly through a steadfast commitment 265 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:33,120 to the work of God. It's going to show up through 266 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:38,080 bold confession of the truth. It's the same thing that you 267 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,360 find. And anybody who possesses what 268 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,720 Ezra has here, he's the real deal. 269 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,280 This is everything to him. Being a priest was not a job, it 270 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:50,240 was his calling. Being a teacher was not about 271 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:52,240 impressing people. It was about helping people 272 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,840 really come to the truth. And when he saw something that 273 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:01,480 challenged his ministry, that caused people to drift away from 274 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,760 the truth, it genuinely shattered him. 275 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,359 You know, Jesus was the most profound teacher. 276 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:12,400 He was the most authoritative preacher. 277 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:14,920 That's what many people said over and over when they heard 278 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:16,960 him preach. No one speaks like this man. 279 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,920 There's authority. He grips you. 280 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:29,040 When He speaks, there's power, and that is an indication surely 281 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,760 of a zeal that He had. Do you remember what happened 282 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,040 when Christ entered into the temple for the first time and 283 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:38,640 flipped tables and made an impression on the disciples? 284 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:44,840 So much so that they reference Christ's demonstration of a zeal 285 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,200 for the purity of God's house to a verse in Psalms. 286 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,120 This is in John 217 where it says that the disciples 287 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,600 remembered, where it said, Zeal for your house has consumed. 288 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:01,480 Me. Jesus Christ had zeal. 289 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,280 Jesus Christ had passion, and that passion was contagious. 290 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:14,320 That passion carried a perfume. And this is something for you 291 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:19,480 and I to consider as well. Ezra had passion. 292 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:22,400 But there's one more thing worth highlighting apart from his 293 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,560 praying. Apart from his passion, one more 294 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,600 element that contributed to the hearts of those who are watching 295 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,840 Ezra in this moment and caused them to melt was his piety. 296 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,800 His piety. So what you have here is in 297 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,840 verse one. The subtle part of the verse in 298 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:46,560 the middle where it says after the people witnessed him doing 299 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,960 this says they gathered to him out of Israel, they gathered to 300 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:54,840 him. Ezra has been in Jerusalem for 301 00:18:54,840 --> 00:19:00,480 about four months, a little bit more than that, and we should be 302 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,120 absolutely certain that he wasted no time doing what he was 303 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:06,040 called to do. That was to teach, to teach the 304 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:11,200 law. And the fact that if you go back 305 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:15,400 to verse 1 of Chapter 9, the officials approached them, the 306 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:17,800 leaders approached, it means that he developed a reputation 307 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:23,800 very early. He was respected and more than 308 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:26,680 just respected. He was somebody that could be 309 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:32,360 trusted, somebody that could be relied on, somebody that these 310 00:19:32,360 --> 00:19:35,240 leaders believe could actually deal with this sin problem 311 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:39,080 rightly. And so Ezra is new to the scene, 312 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:46,400 but Ezra was somebody who won the admiration of many which. 313 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaks about his virtue, which reflects his. 314 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:55,480 Righteous character. And so the people understood who 315 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:58,960 Ezra was, and when they saw him weeping and casting himself down 316 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,440 like this, it meant something. You see, it's more than just the 317 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,240 weeping and the wailing and the casting. 318 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:12,360 It's who is weeping and who is. Broken. 319 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,880 And who is crying out publicly like this? 320 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,800 This isn't a random fellow, this is somebody that they knew. 321 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,920 This is somebody that they understood to be a true priest, 322 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,320 a true man of God, and that gave him authority. 323 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:40,200 All of us should want authority in our witness and the secret. 324 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:44,000 To having. A compelling force to our 325 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,840 testimony as followers of Jesus Christ is authenticity. 326 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:53,840 Let me say it again, Ezra was no fraud. 327 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,480 He was the real deal. Ezra was committed. 328 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:02,920 Ezra was consistent. Ezra was careful with his walk 329 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:07,440 of the Lord. And so when he did weep and when 330 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:13,120 he did cry out, people took it seriously because they took Ezra 331 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:17,520 seriously, because Ezra took his walk with God seriously. 332 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:25,440 We damage our authority, our ability to actually compel 333 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:29,600 people to Christ, when we are not cautious about our 334 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,960 consecration. And as I was meditating on this, 335 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,480 you know who I thought about Lot. 336 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:42,080 If it wasn't for the New Testament, if I just had 337 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,920 Genesis, I would think that Lot was unsaved. 338 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,600 But Peter comes in by the Holy Spirit and calls Lot righteous 339 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,600 more than once, and it's like, really he is. 340 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:53,400 So he's a picture of a worldly believer. 341 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:58,640 Because of Abraham's praying, angels are sent to rescue him 342 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:05,000 and his family. But Lot still had a choice, and 343 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,400 so the angels tell Lot. Do you have any relatives here? 344 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:08,920 Do you have any family left here? 345 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:12,120 Take this time now to warn them of what's to come. 346 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:15,840 Some of you know where I'm going with this, but listen to these 347 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:20,360 words in Genesis 19 verse 14. So Lot went out and said to his 348 00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:25,400 sons in law who are to marry his daughters up, get out of this 349 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,080 place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city. 350 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:33,040 But he seemed to his sons in law to be jesting. 351 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:39,360 Did you catch it? How did the sons in law 352 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:42,760 interpret their future father in law's warning? 353 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:46,160 Oh, the Lord's going to destroy the city, huh? 354 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:50,720 OK lot, there's a long day at work for you at the gate. 355 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:56,680 Have a meal, sit down, relax. And many people focus on the 356 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,920 ungodliness of the sons in law for not taking this warning 357 00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:01,760 seriously. And we can't. 358 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:05,880 Forget to factor in that Lot is partially guilty in this. 359 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:10,040 Why did they take him as a joke? Because he took his walk with 360 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,480 God as a joke. You're living in Sodom. 361 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:19,800 You're giving your daughters off to these men who don't fear God, 362 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,800 who don't love God, and all of a sudden now you're serious about 363 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:23,760 God. All of a sudden now you want to 364 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:27,280 warn about God. You've lost credibility, lot, 365 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,840 and that's why there's no weight to your warning anymore. 366 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:34,160 You're a leader in Sodom, and now you're talking about this 367 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:38,640 Yahweh, and now you're trying to get us to believe this message. 368 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:48,160 Ezra was no such man. Because of this man's piety, 369 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,800 there was power. There was power behind his 370 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:57,600 words, behind his praying, behind his concern, and, as 371 00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:59,400 we're about to find out, behind his correction. 372 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:06,760 And one of the ways that you and I can secure that authority in 373 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:11,160 our lives is provided in Ezra's example, actually. 374 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:19,800 If you and I want to evade artificial Christianity, there's 375 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:22,360 only one thing you have to do. Come back to Ezra. 376 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:28,400 Look at chapter 10. We read it in verse 6, Ezra 10, 377 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,880 verse 6. This moved me when I understood 378 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,680 the implications of it. Then Ezra withdrew from before 379 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:40,160 the House of God and went to the Chamber of Jeho Hanan, the son 380 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:44,480 of Elias ship, where he spent the night neither eating bread 381 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:48,640 nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness 382 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,920 of the Exiles, saying what's the big deal with that? 383 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:55,160 Here's the big deal. Up to this point, Ezra was 384 00:24:55,160 --> 00:25:01,280 fasting and tearing his garments and seeking the Lord publicly. 385 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,280 And when he had opportunity to get alone, guess what? 386 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,120 Nothing changed. What does that show? 387 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,000 That he wasn't putting on a show? 388 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:16,240 What does this mean? That who he was publicly, he was 389 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:21,000 privately. What he said and what he did 390 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,400 before men was totally in alignment with who he was when 391 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:29,560 he was by himself. That's how you and I possess 392 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,680 authority with our testimony. It's real to us. 393 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:36,640 It's not something you just flip on and turn off depending on 394 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:42,520 your environment. No, Ezra was the same whether 395 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:45,800 people are watching or not. And when people were watching 396 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,160 and when they were listening because of who he was, when 397 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,080 nobody was watching or listening, oh, there was 398 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:53,880 something behind his praying. There was something behind his 399 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:55,520 passion. There was something about his. 400 00:25:55,520 --> 00:26:01,600 Piety, it all had authority because he was authentic. 401 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:07,840 It's not a mystery. Just let this thing called faith 402 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:12,440 and worship and obedience be your life. 403 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:15,600 Let it be your life, not a part of your life. 404 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:20,760 All of your life, and only then. Will you exude the fragrance of 405 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:22,880 life and people? Will. 406 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:25,800 There's something. This is real to you, isn't it? 407 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,240 That's one of the greatest compliments you can get from 408 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,200 unbelievers. This is real to you. 409 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,000 Yes, it's real to me because God is real. 410 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,800 And he did a real work of my life, and I love him with a real 411 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,400 love. Oh, Ezra teaches us so much in 412 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:40,760 verse one alone. But we better hurry up. 413 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,760 The spotlight now shifts from Ezra to someone else, someone 414 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:50,520 that we've never met before and we know very little about with 415 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,960 what we have of him. Look at verse 2 again, and 416 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:59,200 Shekinah, the son of JL, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra. 417 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:02,640 We've broken faith, faith with our God and have married foreign 418 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:04,080 women from the peoples of the land. 419 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:06,520 But even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 420 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,800 Therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put 421 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:10,800 away all these wives and their children according to the 422 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:13,560 counsel of my Lord and of those who tremble at the commitment of 423 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:15,360 our God. And let it be done according to 424 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:19,560 the law. No detail is wasted. 425 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:22,520 You know this very well. Here's what stuck out to me. 426 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:25,120 Evidently the Holy Spirit wants me to know about this man's 427 00:27:25,120 --> 00:27:30,880 family lineage. Shekinah, He's the son of JL, of 428 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:34,880 the sons of Elam. That's an invitation for us to 429 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:38,840 explore further, but we'll pause here and consider what we have 430 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:41,240 first with these verses that we just looked at. 431 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,200 If you were to just work with what we have here, then Sheikh 432 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,640 and I seems to be among the guilty party of those who 433 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:49,720 married foreign wives. How do we know that? 434 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:51,080 Because he says it here in verse 2. 435 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:54,280 Again, we have broken faith with our God and have married foreign 436 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:58,040 women. So he includes himself, but more 437 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,000 than that, he's clearly repentant. 438 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:04,400 He's broken about this, and in his brokenness, in his 439 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,920 contrition, he offers a solution. 440 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,760 And more than offering solution, he actually extends 441 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,560 encouragement to Ezra. Look at verse 4. 442 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:16,200 Arise, for it is your task and we are with you. 443 00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:20,360 Be strong and do it. And you read in verse 5. 444 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:22,640 Then Ezra arose 3 important words here. 445 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:24,360 He arose. There was something about 446 00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:31,040 Shekinah's immediate motivation and exhortation that set into 447 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:33,520 motion a wider repentance in the land. 448 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:38,640 This is a significant moment and initially, again at face value, 449 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:40,240 would say, look at the grace of God. 450 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:43,400 Here's a man who was in sin. He turns from his sin and God 451 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:46,960 immediately uses him to help others come out of sin. 452 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:50,240 But there's something deeper going on here. 453 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:57,240 Can you look at verse 18? It's about the halfway mark of 454 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,880 chapter 10, and don't read it just yet, but look at the rest 455 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:01,160 of the chapter. What do you find there? 456 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:04,880 Another list of names in the book of. 457 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:09,760 Ezra But this list is different. The reason why it's different is 458 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,080 because what we've seen prior to this are the list of names and 459 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:17,800 families who have left Babylonia to come back to Jerusalem. 460 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:19,960 That's not what we have here in chapter 10. 461 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,560 This record conveys a different message. 462 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,240 And it's in verse 18. Look at it with me now. 463 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,480 There were found some of the sons of the priests who had 464 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,080 married foreign women. And then he lists the names. 465 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:34,960 And then there are more names and more names. 466 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:39,840 What is this list about? It's a list of the names who 467 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:43,680 have committed this sin of marrying Pagan wives. 468 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:45,680 It's not a list you want to be on. 469 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:51,280 And as you read this, you you stumble upon something familiar. 470 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:52,920 You've been reading this chat. If you've been reading this 471 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,800 chapter carefully, look at verse 26 of the sons of Who Do. 472 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:10,280 You see it, Elam OK matanaya zechariah jail Abdi. 473 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,840 Jeremiah and Elijah. Does this sound familiar to us? 474 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:18,920 Scroll back to verse 2. And Shecheniah, the son of JAL, 475 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:25,720 of the sons of Elam. Who's the Shecheniah? 476 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:34,400 Shecheniah is the son of a man who was indicted for this very 477 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:38,320 grievous sin. He's the son of JAL, and JAL is 478 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:42,000 the son of Elam. And he is mentioned here in this 479 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,720 registry. But at the same time. 480 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:51,600 Shekinah is not mentioned in it. So Shekinah's father is guilty. 481 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:57,120 Shekinah himself is not. So how do we make sense of his 482 00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:00,120 word, word choice, though? What does he say early on? 483 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:04,400 And verse 2, we have broken faith with our God, and I've 484 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,920 married four women. So did he do it or did he not do 485 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:08,960 it? When it came to the official 486 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,760 list, He's not mentioned there, but he admits to it. 487 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:16,560 It's no different than what Ezra did in Chapter 9 when he prays 488 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:22,040 out on behalf of the nation and he says our iniquities and our 489 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:25,680 guilt. Was Ezra guilty of the sin? 490 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:29,160 Absolutely not. You see, Sheikh and I had a 491 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,400 revelation just like Ezra, that though this was a sin that some 492 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:34,200 have committed, it affected the whole nation. 493 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:40,120 This problem threatened God's blessing from. 494 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,920 Continuing on this people and for this people. 495 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:47,400 He had this revelation understanding that this is 496 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,920 something that we all play a role in to some degree. 497 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:54,200 In other words, he's not. He is not speaking about the sin 498 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:56,040 issue from a place of self righteousness. 499 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,120 Instead, he identifies with the people. 500 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:03,240 And yes, he identifies with the people, but he also seeks a 501 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:04,680 solution from a place of humility. 502 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:12,440 So this man is humble. He dares to say we have, we have 503 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:15,720 done this. And yet in his humility, he was 504 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:22,280 not afraid to denounce his family for openly defying God's 505 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,640 word. That's a brave thing to do. 506 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:32,200 You are calling out this sin, and among those who committed 507 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:35,840 the sin was your father and your uncles. 508 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:41,800 And he didn't care because sin is sin and God's word is God's 509 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,720 word. I love this man, Shekinah. 510 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:46,320 You know why? Because he's standing on the 511 00:32:46,320 --> 00:32:51,240 side of truth, even if it means he has to stand apart from his 512 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:56,880 own family. You can disagree with me if 513 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:58,960 you'd like, but that's why I believe God uses this man. 514 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:00,920 Even though he's a flash in the pan of the story. 515 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:04,760 He is an important key to what we see in the rest of this 516 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:07,920 chapter and I'm persuaded because of what I see in the 517 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,920 rest of the Bible. That when a person loves the 518 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:13,680 truth to the degree that they're willing to stand alone for it, 519 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:18,200 such a man, such a woman, as a candidate for great things in 520 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:21,920 the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, you have too many 521 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:23,840 people who love mommy and daddy too much. 522 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,920 They love them more than Christ. They love their brothers and 523 00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:32,920 sisters and their events and the invitations and the memories and 524 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:34,200 the vacations more than what God. 525 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:40,320 Asks of them the very ABC's of discipleship is you have to hate 526 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,880 your father and your mother, your brother, your sister, your 527 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:45,920 wife and your own children, yes, even your own life. 528 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:52,920 That's that's the entry level of discipleship that Christ. 529 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:57,000 I put you above everybody else. And that doesn't mean that we 530 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,520 actually hate our family that we're hostile towards them and 531 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:01,000 we're arrogant and we despise them. 532 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:03,720 Absolutely not. All it means is that your love 533 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:08,920 for Christ should be so vibrant, so bright, so white hot that it 534 00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:10,800 makes every other relationship look like hate. 535 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:14,600 This is foreign to American Christianity. 536 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:18,040 American Christianity says, do you have room in your life for 537 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,520 Jesus? He wants to fit in on a Sunday 538 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,320 afternoon. That's what many, many, many 539 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,120 people preach. That's not gospel. 540 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:30,480 The Bible shows us over and over again that for us to even have a 541 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:36,159 a chance one of becoming one of his two to be used by him, you 542 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:39,960 have to make this determination. Whatever the word of God says, 543 00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:41,840 if anybody's going to stand in my way. 544 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:44,840 I'm going to choose the word of God. 545 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:51,960 Perhaps 1 is not persuaded. Here's another example. 546 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,320 Do you know why the Levites became the Levites? 547 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:00,800 Here's what's so interesting. Reuben disqualified himself as 548 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:05,080 the first born. Then you have Simeon and Levi 549 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:08,680 who essentially commit small scale genocide. 550 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:14,000 And then Judah is chosen to be the royal lineage. 551 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,840 That's another Bible study for another time. 552 00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:19,000 But Simeon and Levi? If you focus on on their 553 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:24,480 punishment, it's severe. Simeon virtually disappears from 554 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:29,040 the tribal inheritance. He doesn't have a designated 555 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:31,360 place in the Promised land as a result of that sin. 556 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:35,480 Levi also has that kind of same destiny. 557 00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:38,320 But then something changes in the narrative, and it's because 558 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:42,200 of one decision that Levi made before they even entered into 559 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:45,720 the Promised land. It was the golden calf incident. 560 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:48,960 Moses up there, and he's receiving instruction and 561 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:50,720 revelation from God. And the people are impatient. 562 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:54,360 They begin to worship a false image and Moses comes down the 563 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,120 scene and he's standing at the gate and he goes whoever's on 564 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:58,880 the Lord's side. Come to me, who came Only the 565 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:06,360 Levites, and whatever curse that they inherited was reversed to a 566 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:08,880 certain degree. Look at Deuteronomy 33. 567 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:14,160 This is wonderful, Deuteronomy 33. 568 00:36:19,900 --> 00:36:32,060 Look at verse 8 and at Levi. He said, Give to Levi our 569 00:36:32,100 --> 00:36:36,660 Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at 570 00:36:36,660 --> 00:36:40,440 Massa, with whom you quarrel at the waters of Miraba. 571 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:43,680 Look at verse 9. Now who said of his father and 572 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:45,480 mother? I regard them not. 573 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:51,600 He disowned his brothers and ignored his children, for they 574 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,760 observed your word and kept your covenant. 575 00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:01,240 The tribe of Levi had to make a very difficult decision when 576 00:37:01,240 --> 00:37:02,920 they heard that invitation from Moses. 577 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,160 Take a sword, put it on your side, run back and forth, and 578 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:13,520 whoever you have to slay, slay. And they did so, and many lost 579 00:37:13,520 --> 00:37:17,840 their lives that evening. But then you come down here and 580 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:19,480 you realize just how difficult it was. 581 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:23,120 Among those who were slain under God's judgement was who? 582 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:31,400 Father and mother, children. And they're commended. 583 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:33,760 Why? Because they observed God's 584 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,040 Word. It's an illustration of what we 585 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:40,720 find with Ezra, what we see in Jesus teaching that our 586 00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:47,280 allegiance to Christ is supreme. Shekinah was was he proud? 587 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:51,000 Was he puffed up? Was he like, not like my father 588 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,080 and his uncle. They're a mess. 589 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:57,240 They weren't really true. No, we, we, he's broken himself. 590 00:37:57,760 --> 00:37:59,000 He's among those who are weeping. 591 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:02,840 He's tender. And yet. 592 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:06,920 There's this rock solid standard. 593 00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:11,840 They're wrong and I will not justify it. 594 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:17,280 I will not show favoritism. This is an open sin. 595 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:19,680 This is public. And so I will publicly 596 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:23,920 acknowledge that they are an error and they must be handled 597 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:28,400 accordingly. And God use this man for a 598 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:31,480 moment to speak life into Ezra himself. 599 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:42,600 It's amazing. Let's come back to Ezra 10 verse 600 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:45,200 3. This is how God uses this 601 00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:48,200 manshek and I am. Therefore, let us make a 602 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:51,880 covenant with our God. That happens often in the Old 603 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:54,160 Testament when there is great public scandal. 604 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:55,400 They want to renew their covenant. 605 00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:59,000 But more than that, to put away all these wives and their 606 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,160 children according to the counsel of my Lord, and of those 607 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,520 who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done 608 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:06,240 according to the law. This is a text that has caused 609 00:39:06,240 --> 00:39:09,280 much debate among students of the Word of God throughout the 610 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:11,040 years. Because it seems to be to our 611 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,800 shock that Shek and I suggesting that the solution to this 612 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:18,280 problem is widespread divorce. Put the wives away and their 613 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:24,280 children the children too. More concerning is that it seems 614 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:27,760 that Shek and I is appealing to the law for this kind of ruling. 615 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,160 We have to ask ourselves, where do we find in the law 616 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:35,480 instructions or guidelines concerning divorce? 617 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:40,520 And there are places in the Old Testament that give clear 618 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:44,800 exhortations of how to deal with divorce and remarriage within 619 00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:52,400 the context of Israelite unions. But this situation is very 620 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:55,120 unique. What's the problem here? 621 00:39:55,440 --> 00:40:00,520 The problem is these, these men of Judah married foreign wives 622 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:04,920 who did not abandon their worship of false gods. 623 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:08,560 They were not like Ruth who said your God is my God. 624 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:12,920 Now that's a Moabite. This who became a follower of 625 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:17,040 Yahweh and God blessed her and God blessed her union with Boaz. 626 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:20,520 That's not what we have here. We don't have converts that were 627 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,520 Gentiles. And now this is a matter of 628 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:25,400 race. Nothing of the sort. 629 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:30,200 What you have here are Pagan women who still worship their 630 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:34,400 false gods and marry these men who are supposed to be men of 631 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:37,880 God and are now alluring them and drawing them them away into 632 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:42,320 idolatry. And you'd be very hard pressed 633 00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:45,720 to find anything that speaks into that in the law. 634 00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:50,720 The only thing that speaks into that is a clear prohibition of 635 00:40:50,720 --> 00:40:55,560 such marriages from Deuteronomy 7, verse three, that there is no 636 00:40:55,560 --> 00:41:00,440 option whatsoever for anybody to marry into these foreign peoples 637 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:03,600 who will not forsake their false worship. 638 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,800 And so if anything, these marriages are not legitimate 639 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:10,400 from the start. They're not supposed to exist. 640 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:15,920 They're not viewed as legitimate in God's eyes, and so it's so 641 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:17,760 important to see this text in that way. 642 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:20,040 This is not a matter of personal preference. 643 00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:22,960 This is not a matter of severing relationships because there is 644 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:27,920 this marital tension among. These groups this. 645 00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:31,320 Is a matter of recovering Israel's spiritual identity, 646 00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:34,000 about preserving their distinctiveness. 647 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:40,360 And listen, this is potentially about to vanish if it's not 648 00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:43,080 dealt with. They just returned from exile. 649 00:41:43,240 --> 00:41:45,840 You're just butting again. And now you're already 650 00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:48,400 intermingling and polluting the holy race. 651 00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:52,480 So when we see it that way, we understand that this is 652 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:55,760 emergency protocol. This is cutting it at the root. 653 00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:58,560 This is dealing with the spiritual cancer before it 654 00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:03,400 spreads and kills. Now, perhaps in the coming 655 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:05,160 studies, maybe the next one will be the final one. 656 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:07,560 We'll we'll talk about it. This is the best approach 657 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:10,600 because you think about the practicality of it, divorcing 658 00:42:10,600 --> 00:42:12,000 and then the children. What are you going to do with 659 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:13,800 the children? So that's where the debate 660 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:17,480 surrounds. But what we? 661 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:19,880 Can say for now is this under the new covenant? 662 00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:23,040 We do have clear ruling of what to do in this situation. 663 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:25,800 It's very much clarified. You know this very well in First 664 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:29,560 Corinthians 7 where Paul tells the believers who had many 665 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:31,520 questions about. What to do in their 666 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:35,960 relationships, namely marriage? Once somebody becomes a 667 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:39,680 Christian, if one party or both parties, what do we do with this 668 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:43,720 Paul and and Paul is addressing the groups that are believers 669 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:46,840 after they have gotten married and their spouses did not become 670 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:50,640 believers and what does he tell them clearly stay, stay. 671 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:53,960 You don't divorce, you don't walk away. 672 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:56,040 Let me read it to you in first Corinthians 712. 673 00:42:56,240 --> 00:42:59,360 To the rest, I say, I, not the Lord, that if any brother has a 674 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:02,000 wife who is an unbeliever and she consents to live with him, 675 00:43:02,160 --> 00:43:06,040 he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who 676 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:08,800 is an unbeliever and he consents to live with her, she should not 677 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:12,240 divorce him. One of the reasons for that is 678 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:15,240 you as a Christian, even if you're the sole Christian in 679 00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:19,080 that household, carry enough sanctifying power that you can 680 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:21,600 actually rub off on those in your house that don't love 681 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:23,760 Christ. So stay. 682 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:26,480 If they want to leave, be at peace, let them leave. 683 00:43:26,640 --> 00:43:29,760 But if they consent to stay, as difficult as it is, that's your 684 00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:33,920 mission field every morning. So stay. 685 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:41,040 May the grace of God be with you, Shekinah. 686 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:49,960 Though this man, he's a lover of the truth, it's obvious, but 687 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:51,680 he's more than just an enforcer of the law. 688 00:43:54,240 --> 00:43:56,880 This man is a strategic encourager. 689 00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:10,840 The ministry of encouragement is so underrated in the church and 690 00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:18,440 I believe that it holds atomic power for the church if 691 00:44:18,440 --> 00:44:23,240 Christians knew how to exercise it wisely and the way God 692 00:44:23,240 --> 00:44:31,440 designed it to be exercised. The greatest men and women of 693 00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:36,320 God throughout history survive through encouragement. 694 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:44,520 You have this man, Ezra, he's falling apart. 695 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:49,920 And it's, it's a very moving scene. 696 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:54,880 I mean, the people watching this man are weeping and what they're 697 00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:59,120 witnessing here. And Sheikh and I has a 698 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:06,080 discernment to not just offer a solution, which is helpful, but 699 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:13,000 he sprinkles encouragement. For Ezra, he needs it and it's 700 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:17,240 going to do something to Ezra and maybe you can find more. 701 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:21,320 I settle that two ways that Sheikh and I encourages Ezra 702 00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:24,360 that can inform and equip us to be more effective in our 703 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:26,720 encouragement for other believers. 704 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:32,960 Look back at verse 2. Sheikh and I, the son of JAL of 705 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:34,800 the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra. 706 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:38,000 We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign 707 00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:39,560 women from the peoples of the lands. 708 00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:43,600 But even now highlight this. Even now there is hope for 709 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:49,120 Israel in spite of this. Makes you wonder what was 710 00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:50,960 running through Ezra's mind. I mean, I'm not saying Sheikh 711 00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:56,120 and I read his mind, but maybe he thought potentially I can see 712 00:45:56,120 --> 00:46:01,840 why Ezra is so broken now. Maybe Ezra's thinking we really 713 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:04,320 blew it. I mean, we already experienced 714 00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:06,120 this exile. Is God going to severely 715 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:10,400 discipline us again? Maybe like we just got a taste 716 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:14,240 and a sample of this was so complex, like the implications 717 00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:17,840 and and the consequences of how. We were we are going to deal 718 00:46:17,840 --> 00:46:20,600 with this, especially if we go with what Sheck and I recommends 719 00:46:20,600 --> 00:46:24,560 can be so daunting. Now we have to separate families 720 00:46:25,120 --> 00:46:29,200 to try to deal with this, try to purify the people again and and 721 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:31,840 this is daunting again. This is terrifying, perhaps to 722 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:34,120 Ezra, who knows what he's wrestling with. 723 00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:38,160 Maybe to him, he thought there is no way out of it. 724 00:46:38,680 --> 00:46:46,480 We're stuck in this and Sheikh Anaya, says Ezra. 725 00:46:46,880 --> 00:46:49,720 There's hope still. It's bad. 726 00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:53,760 It's really bad. It's ugly, it's unthinkable to 727 00:46:53,760 --> 00:46:57,120 certain extents, but it's not beyond hope. 728 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:05,280 And I'd like to think that when there's a sin issue that 729 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:10,240 somebody's grieving over, when there's a problem of somebody's 730 00:47:10,240 --> 00:47:18,280 own stupidity brought them to, we should convey a similar 731 00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:21,240 message. It's bad. 732 00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:25,920 It's vicious. There might be long term 733 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:27,800 consequences, but there's still hope. 734 00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:34,680 Ezra, we serve a God who still offers hope and we need to know 735 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:36,880 when to offer such a message. Sometimes when people are 736 00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:39,160 sinning, you don't offer them that kind of message, you rebuke 737 00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:42,880 them. But I don't see that appropriate 738 00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:45,320 here, especially because Ezra's so broken and the people are 739 00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:46,920 broke and what they need is relief. 740 00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:53,560 And the relief here is there's a way out. 741 00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:57,920 God is not done with us. It may seem like it, but it's 742 00:47:57,920 --> 00:47:59,520 not the case. And the reason why you and I can 743 00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:05,200 have the confidence to give such a message is because God does. 744 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:10,920 You know, we're talking about actual marriage here, real 745 00:48:10,920 --> 00:48:13,080 physical relationships that are compromised. 746 00:48:13,600 --> 00:48:16,560 And yet God throughout the Scriptures communicates his 747 00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:20,480 relationship with his redeemed, with his covenant people, like a 748 00:48:20,480 --> 00:48:22,680 marriage. One of the strongest prophetic 749 00:48:22,680 --> 00:48:24,800 books that communicates that is the book of Hosea. 750 00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:28,760 And you open up Hosea chapter 1. It's graphic. 751 00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:32,200 It's, it's really shocking what God says about his people. 752 00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:35,920 And you go into chapter 2 and it doesn't take very long before 753 00:48:35,920 --> 00:48:40,560 the Lord changes his tone and he says something to this people 754 00:48:40,560 --> 00:48:43,000 who are steeped in spiritual adultery. 755 00:48:44,120 --> 00:48:46,240 You know this very well. Listen to these words from Hosea 756 00:48:46,240 --> 00:48:53,240 chapter 2, verse 15. And there I will give her her 757 00:48:53,240 --> 00:49:02,240 vineyards and make the valley of Achor a door of hope, and there 758 00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:05,960 she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time 759 00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:07,480 when she came out of the land of Egypt. 760 00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:16,040 That's God speaking to a filthy and adulterous people who are 761 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:21,480 harlots in God's eyes, who are committing horrish acts, 762 00:49:22,240 --> 00:49:26,000 spiritually speaking. And in the midst of this, God 763 00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:28,920 lets him know there is a door of hope. 764 00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:35,840 And the Lord is so poetic and he is so brilliant and how he he, 765 00:49:36,080 --> 00:49:39,560 he makes these things known. He says specifically, I will 766 00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:42,040 make the valley of a corridor of hope. 767 00:49:42,040 --> 00:49:44,360 Does anybody know where the Valley of a Corps comes from? 768 00:49:46,480 --> 00:49:47,720 If you know you can actually answer it. 769 00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:52,240 Where does that come from? What's that a reference to the 770 00:49:52,240 --> 00:49:57,920 Old Testament? Do you remember when Joshua and 771 00:49:57,920 --> 00:50:01,360 that generation entered into the Promised Land and after 772 00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:06,400 defeating Jericho, they were told not to take any specific 773 00:50:06,400 --> 00:50:09,040 items but to move on? And somebody did. 774 00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:11,640 What was his name? Aiken. 775 00:50:12,640 --> 00:50:16,200 And Aiken was exposed for his covetousness, for his 776 00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:19,400 disobedience, and both he and his family were killed for it. 777 00:50:20,080 --> 00:50:22,040 And a pile of stones was heaped upon them. 778 00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:24,560 And that valley was called the Valley of Acor. 779 00:50:26,800 --> 00:50:30,960 Acor means trouble. And the Lord uses that as a 780 00:50:30,960 --> 00:50:34,160 reference to say, listen, you, my people in this generation, 781 00:50:34,160 --> 00:50:35,720 you're all in trouble. You've gotten yourself in 782 00:50:35,720 --> 00:50:37,760 trouble. Your sin brought this trouble. 783 00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:39,960 But I want to tell you that because of my grace, I can 784 00:50:39,960 --> 00:50:42,440 change this valley of trouble into a door of hope. 785 00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:52,600 Ezra, I want you to know, Sheikh and I says there is hope for 786 00:50:52,600 --> 00:50:58,800 Israel in spite of this. And from time to time, that's 787 00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:04,160 what somebody needs to hear. That is, they're, as they're 788 00:51:04,160 --> 00:51:06,280 trying to understand how they got themselves into that 789 00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:10,560 predicament, maybe ruining their marriage, their testimony, maybe 790 00:51:10,560 --> 00:51:13,880 stepping outside of ministry because of a foolish scandal. 791 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:20,400 Whatever the case may be, there's a time for us to be 792 00:51:20,400 --> 00:51:25,400 encouragers in this sense. Listen, God can still change the 793 00:51:25,400 --> 00:51:28,640 story. He can rewrite this. 794 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:35,880 He's so brilliant in his love that he can transform this. 795 00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:42,800 Don't think it's over. But there's another type of 796 00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:46,560 encouragement that's offered here back in Ezra 10 and it's so 797 00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:53,640 clear in verse 4. He ends his brief exhortation by 798 00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:57,560 saying arise for it is your task and we are with you. 799 00:51:57,560 --> 00:52:01,440 Be strong and do it. So he challenges Ezra, right? 800 00:52:01,440 --> 00:52:03,320 He says, listen, you're a leader. 801 00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:08,800 This is your responsibility. But maybe maybe Sheikh and Naya 802 00:52:10,120 --> 00:52:16,480 perceived that as much of a giant Ezra was spiritually that 803 00:52:16,480 --> 00:52:21,840 this is an intimidating thing that he has to face now, that 804 00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:26,480 you actually now have to confront men and their marriages 805 00:52:26,720 --> 00:52:30,000 and even in some cases their children and you. 806 00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:37,040 Have to tell them this is wrong. This is not even legal what 807 00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:41,600 you're doing. Maybe Ezra wasn't sensing that. 808 00:52:42,440 --> 00:52:45,600 Whatever the case is, Shekinah wants to encourage him in this 809 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,400 way. He says this is your task, but 810 00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:50,440 look at that middle part and we are with you. 811 00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:55,120 We are with you, Ezra. We are with you. 812 00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:56,200 Be strong. Do it. 813 00:52:57,720 --> 00:52:59,840 You want to be an effective encourager. 814 00:52:59,840 --> 00:53:02,480 Do I want to be more fruitful in that ministry? 815 00:53:04,160 --> 00:53:08,280 Discern when to communicate to somebody that you are behind 816 00:53:08,280 --> 00:53:10,200 them and you are supporting them. 817 00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:15,920 And don't just say those words mean it. 818 00:53:18,560 --> 00:53:19,880 I'm with you in the trenches, brother. 819 00:53:21,160 --> 00:53:23,680 I know that you have a difficult season that you're trying to 820 00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:24,560 weather. I know that you have some 821 00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:27,360 choices you have to make. And I want to let you know that 822 00:53:27,360 --> 00:53:30,680 as long as you serve Christ, I will serve Him with you. 823 00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:34,520 You know who especially needs this? 824 00:53:35,240 --> 00:53:37,720 Just like what we have here, leaders. 825 00:53:39,080 --> 00:53:42,120 Ezra is a leader. Ezra has to carry more load than 826 00:53:42,120 --> 00:53:46,280 the average person, and Ezra shows us that even such type of 827 00:53:46,280 --> 00:53:48,240 men need encouragement from time to time. 828 00:53:50,280 --> 00:53:52,440 Here's what that means for us. Do not reserve all your 829 00:53:52,440 --> 00:53:55,640 motivation and all your uplifting words to those who are 830 00:53:55,640 --> 00:53:59,040 frequently weak and cycling in their devotion to Christ. 831 00:53:59,520 --> 00:54:03,080 Keep in mind and be attentive that even the strongest ones 832 00:54:03,680 --> 00:54:11,480 experience moments of weakness. And you'd be amazed to know what 833 00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:16,320 a heartfelt text message can win for somebody who's serving God. 834 00:54:17,680 --> 00:54:22,280 Don't underestimate how 17 to 10 minute phone call with a prayer 835 00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:28,080 in it can boost somebody to be enthusiastic about the ministry 836 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:38,240 for another three months. Don't think too little of how a 837 00:54:38,240 --> 00:54:44,800 smile and a brief word can breathe life into a brother or 838 00:54:44,800 --> 00:54:48,960 sister. That's what Sheikh and Iya does. 839 00:54:49,480 --> 00:54:52,240 Hey, we're with you in this. You're not in this alone. 840 00:54:52,640 --> 00:54:55,440 You may feel like it. But we're behind you here. 841 00:54:56,200 --> 00:55:01,000 Go do this. You want to know how powerful 842 00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:03,040 that was? You think, what's the big deal? 843 00:55:03,040 --> 00:55:04,680 I'll tell you the big deal. Look at verse 5 again. 844 00:55:04,840 --> 00:55:10,360 Then Ezra arose. The words of Shecheniah picked 845 00:55:10,360 --> 00:55:15,800 this man up from the ground. He probably dried his eyes and 846 00:55:16,120 --> 00:55:17,920 wiped some dust off his garments. 847 00:55:21,200 --> 00:55:24,360 And the natural reading of the text demonstrates that it was 848 00:55:24,360 --> 00:55:29,040 the words of Shecheniah that catapulted Ezra. 849 00:55:30,160 --> 00:55:32,840 It's effacing the situation with courage. 850 00:55:35,080 --> 00:55:36,640 Who would have thought? Here's where I'm ending. 851 00:55:37,280 --> 00:55:43,480 Who would have thought that one of the most inspirational 852 00:55:43,480 --> 00:55:51,360 reformers in Israel's history would himself be inspired by an 853 00:55:51,360 --> 00:56:00,670 obscure man named Shekinah? David was being hunted by his 854 00:56:00,670 --> 00:56:03,750 father-in-law. He thought you had issues with 855 00:56:03,750 --> 00:56:09,590 your. In laws his father-in-law wanted 856 00:56:09,590 --> 00:56:13,920 to kill him. But he had a good 857 00:56:13,920 --> 00:56:18,120 brother-in-law. You read later on there near the 858 00:56:18,120 --> 00:56:21,680 end of First Samuel, where David is going from cave to cave and 859 00:56:21,680 --> 00:56:24,640 he's evading Saul and his intelligence agency. 860 00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:28,080 And there's that one little text that says, and Jonathan, 861 00:56:28,080 --> 00:56:31,400 strengthen David's hand in the Lord. 862 00:56:32,240 --> 00:56:34,800 Why? Because he said something. 863 00:56:36,400 --> 00:56:39,400 What did he say to David? Saul will not find you. 864 00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:45,080 You will be king and I will be with you. 865 00:56:47,680 --> 00:56:53,760 And that gave David life, the ministry of encouragement. 866 00:56:56,920 --> 00:57:00,480 Looking at somebody saying your ministry is a blessing. 867 00:57:03,120 --> 00:57:06,080 I know that if you did not serve God the way you serve God in 868 00:57:06,080 --> 00:57:07,240 this church, we would all feel it. 869 00:57:08,560 --> 00:57:09,920 It's not flattery. Be sincere. 870 00:57:09,920 --> 00:57:13,800 Like, don't fake it because that will have an opposite effect. 871 00:57:15,400 --> 00:57:18,240 But what we find in these opening verses of chapter 10, as 872 00:57:18,240 --> 00:57:21,720 we've been following the steps of this man of God, is that even 873 00:57:21,720 --> 00:57:25,120 men of God need shekinahs from time to time. 874 00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:31,240 You may not be a priest. You may not never be a pastor. 875 00:57:31,240 --> 00:57:33,440 You may never be an evangelist. You may never be a missionary. 876 00:57:34,160 --> 00:57:37,400 You know what? All of us can be a Shekinah. 877 00:57:38,720 --> 00:57:44,000 All of us. And here's how I was convicted 878 00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:46,600 preparing for this Bible study. Lord, help me be generous with 879 00:57:46,600 --> 00:57:50,000 encouragement. Let me not. 880 00:57:50,080 --> 00:57:52,160 Seek it all the time and hope for it to come. 881 00:57:52,520 --> 00:57:57,800 Let me give it because it can save somebody. 882 00:58:00,280 --> 00:58:04,360 It can redirect somebody. I can tell you stories if we had 883 00:58:04,360 --> 00:58:05,800 time. I can tell you stories of how 884 00:58:06,840 --> 00:58:10,800 moments of encouragement have kept ministries alive. 885 00:58:12,680 --> 00:58:20,480 Because of a Good Wife, because of a best friend, because of 886 00:58:20,480 --> 00:58:23,720 another pastor from a different church who has no ties with this 887 00:58:23,720 --> 00:58:30,360 church but are Kingdom minded. Just quick phone call with a 888 00:58:30,360 --> 00:58:35,080 quick word of encouragement. So perhaps this is what the Lord 889 00:58:35,080 --> 00:58:39,000 wants us to hear, just to be reminded how effective 890 00:58:39,000 --> 00:58:43,440 encouragement can be, and that even men like Ezra need it here 891 00:58:43,440 --> 00:58:45,960 and there. Let's pray. 892 00:59:05,480 --> 00:59:12,840 Lord, we thank You that You've reminded us yet again that there 893 00:59:12,840 --> 00:59:15,400 is no portion of Your word that we can ignore. 894 00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:19,720 We admit that most of us in here have never heard of this fellow 895 00:59:19,720 --> 00:59:24,400 Shekinah, and yet He was waiting to be discovered at the end of 896 00:59:24,400 --> 00:59:30,440 this book. Thank You for showing us all 897 00:59:30,440 --> 00:59:32,640 these truths in a handful of verses. 898 00:59:40,120 --> 00:59:44,320 Lord, we pray that we would all have authority with our 899 00:59:44,320 --> 00:59:50,240 testimonies, that we don't have to try to manipulate anything 900 00:59:50,240 --> 00:59:52,640 with our praying, with our passion, with our piety. 901 00:59:52,640 --> 00:59:55,760 As long as we are authentic, the authority will take care of 902 00:59:55,760 --> 01:00:02,240 itself. And Lord, thank you that this 903 01:00:02,240 --> 01:00:05,640 book, Ezra, that's named after one man, shows us that one man 904 01:00:05,640 --> 01:00:11,480 can't do it on his own. And that the ministry of 905 01:00:11,480 --> 01:00:14,480 encouragement can lead to revival. 906 01:00:17,080 --> 01:00:19,000 Oh, we've missed it. Maybe we've heard it so many 907 01:00:19,000 --> 01:00:21,200 times and we forget. So thank you for the reminder. 908 01:00:21,920 --> 01:00:26,040 Thank you for the reminder, Lord, that you can use any 909 01:00:26,040 --> 01:00:29,280 person who has made the decision that I will obey God no matter 910 01:00:29,280 --> 01:00:33,120 what it costs me. No matter who disobeys, even if 911 01:00:33,120 --> 01:00:37,360 it's my own blood, I cherish the blood of Christ more. 912 01:00:39,120 --> 01:00:42,240 Help us know how to stand up for the truth when necessary. 913 01:00:43,440 --> 01:00:46,040 Help us know how to do so in humility, like this man did. 914 01:00:48,400 --> 01:00:53,640 And Lord, give us the discernment and the ability to 915 01:00:53,640 --> 01:00:58,280 know when the weak and the strong need encouragement. 916 01:01:01,120 --> 01:01:05,000 Encouragement for those who have sinned and can't see a way out 917 01:01:05,200 --> 01:01:09,200 of their trouble. Encouragement for those who are 918 01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:12,320 helping people who are in sin and are overwhelmed and can't 919 01:01:12,320 --> 01:01:18,320 seem to understand how they can fix it and to breathe life to 920 01:01:18,320 --> 01:01:20,840 their souls through a simple word. 921 01:01:21,480 --> 01:01:24,280 Brother, I'm with you. I'm praying for you. 922 01:01:25,200 --> 01:01:27,040 I love what God's doing in your life. 923 01:01:27,360 --> 01:01:30,640 I support it, I'm behind it, and I want God to multiply it. 924 01:01:31,120 --> 01:01:33,480 Lord, give. Give us that grace here at this 925 01:01:33,480 --> 01:01:38,320 church. We love you and we thank you and 926 01:01:38,320 --> 01:01:40,720 we worship you now for the wisdom that you've deposited in 927 01:01:40,720 --> 01:01:44,400 our hearts. In Jesus name we pray, Amen and 928 01:01:44,400 --> 01:01:45,800 Amen. Let's stand. 929 01:01:45,800 --> 01:01:46,880 Let's worship the Lord together.