1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Ezra Chapter 7. And perhaps you are already 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,720 there. Let's turn now to Ezra Chapter 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:13,480 7. And before we begin this new 4 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,280 chapter, it's important to remind ourselves of some things 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:22,720 that we've studied up to this point #1 when the Babylonians 6 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:29,240 removed the Jews from Jerusalem into exile, that took place in 7 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,560 three major waves over a period of time. 8 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:38,280 In like matter, when these same exiles would return to 9 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:43,520 Jerusalem, it would also take place over 3 successive cycles 10 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,920 over a period of time. And that's what we've been 11 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,960 looking at these Friday nights. And if you didn't know, 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,080 everything that we have covered from Ezra chapter 1 to Ezra 13 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:03,280 chapter 6 occurred during the first wave of refugees coming 14 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,600 back to their native land. And what we are going to 15 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:12,760 discover now in this new chapter is the second major group of 16 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:17,080 Jews who will make their way back to their homeland as well. 17 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:23,040 Now, in that first wave between chapters one to chapter 6, this 18 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:30,800 was an initiative led by a man named no Zerubbabel Zerubbel, 19 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:36,040 who was a selected governor to oversee the Jews and to also 20 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,600 oversee the reconstruction of the what? 21 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:40,720 The temple. Very good. 22 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,880 Now, as we come to this chapter, we're going to witness once 23 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,040 again the second major group heading their way back to 24 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:52,720 Jerusalem, led by a man by the name of Ezra, very good Ezra, 25 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,760 the very same Ezra that this book is named after. 26 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,920 So for the first time in this book, we are finally going to 27 00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:05,160 encounter Ezra the man, and he's going to take up the subject of 28 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:09,120 our study tonight. Now we have to establish the 29 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,880 historical setting for this pivotal moment. 30 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:19,120 It is generally believed that from the completion of the 31 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:25,280 Second Temple to this moment here, 60 years had passed. 32 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:31,720 In other words, the end of Chapter 6 to the beginning of 33 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,640 Chapter 7. In that interval time around 6 34 00:02:35,920 --> 00:02:40,000 decades have occurred, have advanced. 35 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,560 So we're fast forwarding quite a bit of time here, and this is 36 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,840 something for us to consider. During the same period of time, 37 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:52,640 the story of Esther took place, which is a fascinating thought, 38 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:56,320 isn't it? Moreover, we also are about to 39 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,040 learn that Darius, the king of Persia, who was the Last King 40 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,560 that we've been studying, is no longer alive. 41 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,720 And now a king by the name of Arctic Xerxes is going to rule 42 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:11,040 the Persian Empire. And he's also going to provide 43 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:15,800 help to Ezra and the rest of the Jews who follow him by providing 44 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,280 substantial support and the advancement of the restoration 45 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:24,880 of God's people in Jerusalem. So keep this in mind. 46 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:31,880 What we are reading here with Ezra is 60 years after the 47 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:39,360 temple was completed and 80 years after the first Jews under 48 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,320 Cyrus's reign went back to Jerusalem. 49 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:48,320 So with that background clarified, let us begin to read 50 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,520 Ezra Chapter 7, verses 1 down to verse 5. 51 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:58,280 Are you with me there? Now after this, what's the after 52 00:03:58,280 --> 00:03:59,840 this? The completion of the Second 53 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:04,960 Temple, but also 60 years, nearly 60 years forward. 54 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:09,640 Now after this, in the reign of Arctic Xerxes, king of Persia, 55 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:17,120 Ezra the son of Soraya, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of 56 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:23,880 Shalom, son of Zadok, son of Ahitab, son of Amariah, son of 57 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:30,680 Azariah, son of Mirayath, son of Zerahiah, son of Uzi, son of 58 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:37,040 Buki, son of Abashua, son of Phineas, son of Eliezer, son of 59 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:42,880 Aaron the chief priest. It's interesting, isn't it? 60 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,000 The first thing that we are introduced to as we encounter 61 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:53,160 Ezra is his genealogy, and it's a very detailed 1, though some 62 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,640 names are omitted. Now, why is the Holy Spirit 63 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:02,120 beginning this chapter by informing us about the lineage 64 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:06,080 of this man? Well, we learned from it that 65 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,240 Ezra is what, by way of occupation? 66 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,600 He's a priest. His family line traces back to 67 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,480 Aaron. And again, the reason why God 68 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,800 wants us to know this from the outset is to establish that 69 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:26,120 Ezra's spiritual leadership is legitimized. 70 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:34,560 It is authorized by God himself. You have to remember when we 71 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,040 looked at the first genealogy in the book of Ezra, remember in 72 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:42,440 Ezra chapter 2, all those lists of names Among that initial 73 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:46,080 group were some Levites who could not validate their 74 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:50,400 ancestry, and because of that, they were excluded from the 75 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,560 priesthood. But what we're discovering about 76 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,920 Ezra is that he was not among them. 77 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,080 He's he was someone who could indeed prove that he was from 78 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,840 the priestly line. And therefore his function as 79 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:08,680 the spiritual leader of this generation was legitimized. 80 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,720 It was approved. It was sanctioned by God. 81 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:17,840 Now, that is the main take away from these first 5 verses, but 82 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:20,640 there are wonderful applications that glean from them, and I want 83 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,160 you to consider a couple. Number one, from this list of 84 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,000 names that relate to Ezra, we learned this, or at least we're 85 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:32,240 reminded of it. God requires credentials from 86 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,400 those who aspire to be leaders in His Kingdom. 87 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:42,280 Thankfully, under the New Covenant, to be a spiritual 88 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:47,560 leader, the priestly role is not limited to a specific bloodline 89 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:54,680 or a tribe or a nationality, as we see here with Ezra now. 90 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,520 Instead, one of the glories of the New Covenant is that the 91 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:01,800 privileges that were once reserved for Israel, even tribes 92 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:05,480 within Israel, are now shared with the Gentiles. 93 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:12,080 And that's why Peter has the audacity to write to Gentile 94 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,840 believers and say something like this. 95 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:21,160 And first, Peter 29, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, 96 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:27,840 a holy nation, a people for his own possession. 97 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,880 For the longest time that was language, and those were titles 98 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:38,080 exclusive to the people of Israel, and now Peter is 99 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:45,240 ascribing this to Gentiles. I don't think even a Christian 100 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,400 can fully appreciate just how radical of a shift this is 101 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,520 unless they have first familiarized themselves and 102 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,800 expose themselves to the long pattern of the Old Testament. 103 00:07:56,120 --> 00:08:00,920 It's been one way for so long, and once Christ enters onto the 104 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,760 scene and inaugurates the New Covenant, so much now has 105 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,760 changed. This is why it was so scandalous 106 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,320 to the Jews, and it was so difficult even for Jewish 107 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:13,920 believers in the Messiah to understand how these Gentiles 108 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,400 are now grafted in to the Commonwealth of Israel. 109 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,200 And it would have been equally shocking to the Gentile. 110 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,760 You're telling me that we now are a part of this? 111 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:30,240 It's just really one of the marvels that the Gospel makes 112 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:35,320 possible. However, however, this 113 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:39,200 inclusiveness in the gospel does not mean that God has changed 114 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:44,640 his standards for those who are to be leaders in the church. 115 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:52,760 So in the Old Covenant, a candidate to be a leader, 116 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:58,360 specifically a priest, had to prove his eligibility through 117 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,040 genealogy, right? That's what Ezra is doing here. 118 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,320 I want to let you know the reason why I can do what I'm 119 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,640 about to do in this story is because I come from the ironic 120 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:12,120 line. In the New Covenant, however, a 121 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:17,760 leader in the church primarily validates his candidacy through 122 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:25,360 three things. Three things #1 character. 123 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,640 How do you live? Is it consistent with the truth? 124 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:35,880 Is there habitual sin? Are there things that you are 125 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,880 doing that disqualify you? Character is the first thing. 126 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,920 The second thing is conviction. What do you believe? 127 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:47,720 Is it in alignment with the truth? 128 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:49,920 Is in alignment with orthodox Christianity. 129 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,000 There's a contradictive word of God. 130 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,040 If you're going to be a leader, especially an elder, you're 131 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,000 going to be teaching. So what do you believe? 132 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:04,080 So character, conviction and thirdly, capacity. 133 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,240 Do you even have the gift to lead others? 134 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:13,440 Do you have the ability to instruct and to inspire your 135 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,440 fellow man? And so these are the things that 136 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,760 are considered by way of summary in the new covenant. 137 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:21,640 And here's how this applies to all of us. 138 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,800 I believe that all of us in here, at least I hope to believe 139 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:28,400 that all of us in here are serious about the local church. 140 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:33,240 And if we are serious about the local church, then we should 141 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:39,000 also be aware that we can never under any circumstance lower the 142 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,920 standard for what God demands for leaders in his church. 143 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:47,840 Never. You got to remember in Ezra's 144 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:52,560 time, they were rebuilding their spiritual identity for so many 145 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:56,560 years. They had lost their their temple 146 00:10:56,560 --> 00:11:00,360 and their priestly functions and their sacrificial system that 147 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,000 that was done away with because of their their sinfulness. 148 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:05,040 And now they're trying to restore it. 149 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:11,080 And there was a temptation there perhaps for just anybody to 150 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:13,160 almost fill that role for the priest. 151 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:15,800 But right from the beginning of Ezra, we learned that they 152 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,120 never, ever overlooked or dismissed what God had required 153 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:21,320 for those who would serve as priests. 154 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:28,160 They protected that. And what you find in a lot of 155 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:32,400 churches is that out of desperation or even frustration, 156 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:36,080 they'll they'll kind of just put anybody who is like half 157 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,480 qualified to serve in a leadership role just to fill 158 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:41,960 that role. That is disastrous. 159 00:11:42,200 --> 00:11:44,960 That is disastrous for the person who takes that role and 160 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,160 for those who are under that person's leadership. 161 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,480 And So what we reminded here, even in Ezra's story is no, God 162 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,800 has requirements and we have to honor them. 163 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:00,680 And we also have to trust that God is the one who ultimately 164 00:12:00,680 --> 00:12:02,640 raises up leaders from a community. 165 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,760 Listen, as we study the rest of the book of Ezra, we're going to 166 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:11,000 see that one of the ways that God blesses his people is by 167 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:15,880 giving them leaders, good leaders, holy leaders, 168 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,120 insightful leaders, learned leaders. 169 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:22,720 And that's what Ezra really is. And it's the church's duty, 170 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:26,840 including ours, that as by God's grace, we continue to grow and 171 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:30,360 want to align ourselves to His Word, to understand God's 172 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,080 sovereignty even in the establishment of leadership, and 173 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:36,880 to recognize such leaders prayfully and scripturally. 174 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:43,560 God takes leadership seriously, and so should we. 175 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,240 But that's not the only take away from this genealogy. 176 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:51,960 Another thing that we can draw from this is that yes, Ezra was 177 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:56,360 a priest, but also how his role connects to the meaning of his 178 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,080 name. Does anybody know what the name 179 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:04,920 Ezra means? The Hebrew speaking men I'm sure 180 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:07,840 know or brother Christian? Brother Christian's here, he 181 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:12,520 should know the name Ezra. Help or help her. 182 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:15,720 It's very simple, but so beautiful. 183 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:21,480 And think about it now, in this moment of redemptive history, 184 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:27,640 God sends a priest to help his people. 185 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,240 And the very name of this priest reflects that mission. 186 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:40,200 And this should remind us that centuries after this, God would 187 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:45,040 send another priest, a high priest, a greater high priest 188 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,760 who would offer greater help to those who would put their faith 189 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,880 in him. Do you and I remember the words 190 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,080 of the author of Hebrews in chapter 4, where he says in 191 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,480 verse 15 and 16. For we do not have a High Priest 192 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,160 who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in 193 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,480 every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 194 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:12,160 Let us then, with confidence draw near to the throne of 195 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:22,000 grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time 196 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:26,320 of need. Do you realize that no matter 197 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:30,800 the nature of our need, Christ Jesus, our great High Priest, 198 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:37,520 beckons us to come to Him because He is ready and eager to 199 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:43,800 help us always? He is a strong high priest. 200 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:48,000 He is never burdened by the frequency of our request. 201 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,680 He is never overwhelmed by how many of us come to Him at once 202 00:14:53,680 --> 00:15:00,120 with our different needs. In fact, fundamentally, the need 203 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,680 that is in view here is when we are enduring any kind of 204 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,960 temptation. That's the context. 205 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:14,640 Which means what? That in any place, at any time, 206 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:20,240 no matter the urge, I can come boldly. 207 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,560 Not squeamishly, not hesitatingly, not nervously. 208 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:30,040 I can come confidently in my weakness before my great High 209 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:37,480 Priest and expect him to impart mercy and grace to endure it 210 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:43,560 until I escape it. And this is just one of the 211 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:47,960 reasons why Christ Jesus is a greater High Priest who offers 212 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:52,400 greater help than what Aaron or his descendants offered to God's 213 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:57,160 people. Our High Priest is always 214 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:58,560 available. He was. 215 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:05,120 He is constantly accessible, and he never runs out of supply to 216 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:08,640 empower us in our moments of weakness. 217 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:12,360 Well, let's come back to Ezra. Now. 218 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:13,920 Look at the verses we didn't read. 219 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,840 I'm sure there's much more we can learn from these names. 220 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,120 It's clear that Ezra comes from a very rich spiritual heritage. 221 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:29,120 But let's read verse 6 Now this Ezra, this Ezra went up from 222 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:34,000 Babylonia. He was ascribed, skilled in the 223 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,480 law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel had given, and the 224 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,360 king granted him all that he asked for. 225 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,240 The hand of the Lord his God was on him. 226 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:51,840 So now listen, we go from Ezra's genealogy to learning about his 227 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:58,280 ability and audacity. His ability and his audacity. 228 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,760 His ability is clearly indicated by the description that he was 229 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,440 ascribed skilled in the Law of Moses. 230 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,720 Now there are different kinds of scribes in the Old Testament, 231 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:18,040 but as a represents the religious scribe, what was the 232 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:19,520 responsibility of a religious scribe? 233 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,760 Very simple. He spent most of his energy 234 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:27,359 copying scripture very carefully, very meticulously. 235 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,120 It was a grueling process for a scribe. 236 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,280 But from copying it, they would also interpret it. 237 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,080 They they developed, especially from Ezra's time on, they would 238 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:39,960 develop the reputation of knowing the word of God and 239 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:43,480 teaching it to others. And they were essentially 240 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,120 protectors of the law. They were students of the law. 241 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:51,200 And listen, you and I should be grateful to God for these 242 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,760 scribes because they were imperative to the preservation 243 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,920 of the scriptures that you and I are benefiting from today. 244 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:00,800 In fact, we are benefiting from the work of Ezra the scribe. 245 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:10,200 Now this is his work. Interestingly, this professional 246 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:14,120 class of trained men would continue up to the days of the 247 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:18,400 Lord Jesus Christ and by then they were highly respected by 248 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,680 the common Jew, they were very knowledgeable of the Word of God 249 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,920 and they presented themselves as obedient to it. 250 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:29,080 However, how many times we find out the Gospels, the Lord Jesus 251 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:33,400 Christ rebuking such men because they have become hypocrites, 252 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,520 they've become self-righteous, and even more than that, they 253 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:44,400 have infused man made tradition to the point that it eclipse the 254 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,640 supremacy of God's Word. And so Christ constantly 255 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,440 challenged not just the Pharisees, not just the elders, 256 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:57,440 but the scribes, those who are students and those who are 257 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,160 interpreters and copiers of the written word of God. 258 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,200 Now let me ask you a question. That is the general kind of 259 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:06,920 contention that we find in the Gospel. 260 00:19:08,120 --> 00:19:12,400 Is there any place in the New Testament where Jesus refers to 261 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:18,680 teachers in his Kingdom positively as scribes? 262 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:22,560 I see some heads nodding. If you know the answer, where do 263 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:26,400 we find that? Where do we find Jesus referring 264 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:31,000 to teachers in his kingdoms as scribes in a positive way? 265 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:37,560 Any idea? Well, I hope you never forget it 266 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:40,480 after tonight. Matthew 13. 267 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,160 Let's turn there. Matthew 13. 268 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,160 You know what Matthew 13 is primarily about? 269 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,160 Short parables, about the Kingdom of heaven. 270 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:54,600 And at the end of these short parables, Jesus looks to his 271 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:56,280 disciples and he asks them a question. 272 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,000 I want you to see the question he asks them in verse 51 of 273 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:07,040 Matthew 13. The Lord Jesus says and asks, 274 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:12,120 have you understood all these things they said to him? 275 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:13,240 Yes. Pause for a moment. 276 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:16,320 Don't you appreciate that? Jesus Christ wants you to 277 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,840 understand his word, and it's understandable. 278 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:22,680 So he looks at the disciples and says, hey, listen, before we 279 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:24,640 move on, have you understood all these things? 280 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:29,160 They said, yes, so now look how he follows it up, verse 52. 281 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:34,960 And he said to them, Therefore every scribe who has been 282 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:39,280 trained for the Kingdom of heaven is like a master of a 283 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:42,640 house, who brings out of His treasure what is new and what is 284 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:48,800 old. So Christ, after acknowledging 285 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,280 that they understood what he was teaching, identifies his 286 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:58,280 disciples as scribes, as knowledgeable of the Word of 287 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:03,200 God, and listen, faithful transmitters of divine truth. 288 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:09,120 And I know that he is referring to the apostles and context, but 289 00:21:09,120 --> 00:21:17,080 this also applies to anybody who teaches God's Word in this way. 290 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:23,640 In the same way that a scribe in the Old Testament was intensely 291 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:29,160 devoted to knowing the law, a Christian minister must be 292 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:33,000 equally devoted to knowing all of God's revelation. 293 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:36,120 Listen very carefully, especially for those who are in 294 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:40,000 this place and aspire to be a teacher of God's Word. 295 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:45,400 In God's house, a pastor is not to be preoccupied with politics. 296 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,960 He's not to be primarily caught up in culture wars. 297 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:59,680 He's not to be one who is a philosopher or an expert in 298 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:04,040 psychology. A pastor, a minister in God's 299 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:06,640 house, is to be a specialist of the Scriptures. 300 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,640 That is the subject matter of his expertise. 301 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:16,240 That is what he is supposed to be trained in and he's supposed 302 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,960 to be dependable on. In Jesus's own words and what we 303 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:24,640 just read, every single person who's a minister should own a 304 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,960 storehouse of truth. They should have a treasure 305 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:33,600 trove of divine revelation stored up through weeks and 306 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:38,880 months and years of preparation and training and sitting at the 307 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,080 Lord's feet with this word before them. 308 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:47,000 And they are supposed to from this storehouse continually 309 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,000 bring out articles in order to benefit those within the 310 00:22:51,000 --> 00:23:00,360 household of faith and Ezra as a wonderful model for a righteous, 311 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:06,760 serious minded, God fearing scribe and Ezra 76. 312 00:23:07,360 --> 00:23:09,760 Notice again that it says that he was skilled. 313 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:12,080 He was skilled in the law of Moses. 314 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,520 You know what that means? It's a word in the Hebrew that 315 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:16,120 is rarely used in the Old Testament. 316 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:20,080 It means that he was an expert. He mastered the word of God. 317 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:27,480 And what moves me about this concerning Ezra is that he did 318 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,600 not become skilled after he arrived at Jerusalem. 319 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:37,840 Like it didn't take Ezra to see the temple and draw inspiration 320 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,880 from it. He didn't have to have his feet 321 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,720 planted in the promised land to find the motivation to get into 322 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:50,520 the law of God. He became skilled in Babylon of 323 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,040 all places. So what? 324 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:54,280 What does that tell me practically? 325 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:58,360 Here's what that tells me that Ezra was able to push away all 326 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:01,880 the worldly distractions to not be discouraged by the limiting 327 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:07,440 circumstances, and he devoted his life to knowing the word of 328 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:13,640 God and that made him prepared for God to recruit him and send 329 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,400 him to be a leader among the second group of exiles. 330 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:23,280 And he reveals one of his major motivations for doing so in this 331 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:26,680 very same verse in Ezra 76. Did you notice how he speaks 332 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:28,480 about the word of God? Look at it again. 333 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:31,720 This Ezra went up from Babylonia. 334 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:36,360 He was ascribed, skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord, the 335 00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:43,360 God of Israel had given. Remember, Ezra is the one who's 336 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:47,600 writing this, and this is how he speaks about God's written word. 337 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,560 God had given it. You know how you could translate 338 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,280 that God's word is a gift from God. 339 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:01,200 I can tell you with absolute confidence that this same 340 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:03,960 revelation was one of the main motivations for me to read the 341 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:06,120 whole Bible when I first walk with Christ. 342 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:09,560 Even though a lot of it I did not understand. 343 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,760 The thing that kept me going through books that are often 344 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,840 neglected, like Numbers and Leviticus and other prophetic 345 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:17,520 books, was this simple understanding. 346 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:23,640 I really believe that this is God's word, that out of all the 347 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,240 things that He could have said throughout history, He has 348 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:33,880 compiled this book. I want to know everything it has 349 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:37,000 to say. I'm not going to be choosy with 350 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,560 it. How can I neglect a part of it? 351 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:45,120 How can, how can I rest satisfied in my Christian walk 352 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:49,880 not at least looking at the entirety of God's Word once. 353 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:54,200 And some people haven't done it once and they've been coasting 354 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,080 through their Christian life for years. 355 00:25:57,960 --> 00:25:59,920 Ezra understood this thing about God's Word. 356 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:05,080 It was given by God. So I'm going to receive it as a 357 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:09,680 gift and I'm going to open it up and look at every compartment of 358 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:11,800 it and not miss out on one facet. 359 00:26:14,480 --> 00:26:17,080 You know, honestly, if some Christians gave 50% of their 360 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:20,600 energy from looking at conspiracy theories and the news 361 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:27,000 to the Word of God, they would explode in their growth between 362 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:35,480 now and the summer of 2026. Ezra in Babylonia, with all the 363 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:40,640 distractions and all the comforts and all the ministerial 364 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,200 duties stripped away. Remember, there was no temple in 365 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,880 Babylon. He still found it within himself 366 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:53,960 to say, I I want to know what God's Word has to say. 367 00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:00,760 Surely scrolls were carried from exile into Babylon. 368 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:05,480 Surely over time people brought morsels and portions of the 369 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,440 scrolls of Sacred Scripture to make it available for men like 370 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,760 Ezra. And here's what will happen. 371 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:15,000 Even if you don't understand everything, God will give you 372 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:17,760 understanding as you dedicate yourself to knowing it and 373 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:20,440 realizing this is given by God for my soul. 374 00:27:21,360 --> 00:27:23,360 God has given this to me to know him. 375 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,800 Oh, there will be greater illumination, and with that 376 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,040 illumination there'll be greater transformation. 377 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:33,320 Which leads us now from Ezra's ability He was skilled to his 378 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:35,480 audacity. Audacity means boldness and 379 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,760 courage to some degree. Where's his audacity found in 380 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:39,800 this verse? Look again. 381 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:44,440 He approached the king and asked them for certain things. 382 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,400 Here's what I mean. This second wave of returning 383 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:54,080 exiles seems to have been triggered by Ezra personally 384 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:58,840 petitioning to the king to be released and to receive support. 385 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:03,000 Do you see that phrase there? And the king granted him all 386 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,240 that he asked. What does that mean? 387 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:10,800 That at some point Ezra walked up to Artaxerxes and made a plea 388 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:14,640 for him and a new wave of Jews to go back to Jerusalem? 389 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:18,880 Now here's what I'm thinking as I'm studying this. 390 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:24,680 Why didn't Ezra do this sooner? Is that a legitimate question? 391 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:27,360 For me, it is. Why do it now? 392 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:29,840 Why at this juncture now we're not given an answer? 393 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,440 Here's what I believe, though. There is a correlation between 394 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:38,440 Ezra knowing the Word of God and him making this move and 395 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:40,360 approaching the King for permission to go back to 396 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:44,120 Jerusalem. In other words, one way of of 397 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:47,840 getting an answer to why now is that as Ezra was studying and 398 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:51,440 studying and studying the Word of God, he realized certain 399 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,120 things about God's future promises for the people of 400 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:59,680 Israel. And that emboldened him to go 401 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,760 before the king with the prayerful hope that he would be 402 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,320 released and that Ezra with his own eyes would behold the very 403 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:10,440 will of God in his lifetime and that he would be an active 404 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:15,440 participant in it. So already we're seeing, we're 405 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:17,440 seeing something in Ezra's character, are we not? 406 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:19,720 He was not just skilled in the law of Moses. 407 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:23,960 He wasn't just studied. He actually believed what it 408 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:29,120 said and he applied it. You'd be amazed to know how many 409 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:33,000 people teach the Bible. But when it comes to stressful 410 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:38,800 situations, persecution, trials, temptation, I've met some of 411 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,960 them, they don't really believe what the Bible has to say. 412 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:46,320 They collapse. And sometimes in those 413 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,360 conversations, you just have to ask, do you really believe what 414 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:55,280 you've been preaching all these years now? 415 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,120 Now it comes to a real life scenario. 416 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,640 Where's the word of God in your heart? 417 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:04,200 Here's what I see in Ezra. He's studying it, he's mastering 418 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:08,640 it, he's specializing it. And it so moves in that he says, 419 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,720 I'm going to the king and I'm going to ask him if we can go 420 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:14,920 and I'm going to go with faith and I'm going to go believing 421 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,280 what God said about restoring his people. 422 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:21,400 So let's see what happens. That's what's that's what's 423 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,880 happening here. And if you're somebody who truly 424 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,360 believes what God says in his word, I'm not saying this with a 425 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,560 hint of exaggeration. You 2 will be able to stand 426 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,400 before kings. If you really comprehend who God 427 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:40,040 is, the God that you worship, you will be able to stand before 428 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,480 anybody, no matter their status, no matter their authority. 429 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:49,240 It won't mean a thing. You will not fear any man if you 430 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,960 stand in the presence of God, living under the banner of His 431 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:57,920 divine truth. So we read so much here in verse 432 00:30:57,920 --> 00:31:00,720 6, but let's continue in verse 7 down to verse 9. 433 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:06,440 And there went up also to Jerusalem in the seventh year of 434 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,400 Arctic. Xerxes, the king, some of the 435 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,120 people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the 436 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:14,760 singers and gatekeepers and the temple servants. 437 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:19,520 And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the 5th month, which was in the 438 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:23,120 seventh year of the king. From the first day of the first 439 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:25,200 month he began to go up from Babylonia. 440 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:29,360 And on the first day of the 5th month he came to Jerusalem for 441 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,400 the good hand of his God was on him. 442 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:40,760 So now Ezra is giving a summary of when he left Babylon and made 443 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,000 his way to Jerusalem. And here's what he says. 444 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,400 It happened in the seventh year of Uxxy the king, But he took 445 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,320 off when and verse nine the first day of the first month. 446 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:54,760 And when did he arrive there? The first day of the 5th month 447 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,000 he came to Jerusalem. So how long was that journey 448 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:06,480 from Babylonia to Jerusalem for grueling, dangerous testing, 449 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:15,240 Challenging months. And this gives us an idea of why 450 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:20,000 it was unattractive for many of these exiles to make their way 451 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,160 back to Jerusalem. And it wasn't just the long 452 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:26,600 duration. It wasn't just the dreadful time 453 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,440 and all the things that you have to endure on the way. 454 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:34,600 It was also because it was very, very dangerous to do so. 455 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:39,440 I mean, four months on foot, yes, that's unappealing. 456 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:42,640 Four months with children and elderly, that that is not 457 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:44,960 something that you're going to be willing to sign up for unless 458 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,960 God doesn't work in your heart. But on top of all of that, just 459 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:52,520 the natural course of action. Ezra gives us more detail about 460 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:56,120 the dangers of this journey. So go to chapter 8 the next 461 00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:58,680 chapter and notice what he says here in verse 21. 462 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:12,640 Ezra 821 Then I proclaimed the fast there at the river Ahava, 463 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:18,440 that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him 464 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:22,720 a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 465 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:26,640 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and 466 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:30,160 horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way. 467 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,800 You see that they had to deal with enemies on the way, not 468 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,440 just the hot sun and not just the cold desert nights. 469 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:40,400 There were people lurking, robbers, people who hated the 470 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:44,520 Jews, Satan working through people to try to hinder the 471 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:47,840 Jews, coming back to the rightful place against the enemy 472 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:49,880 on our way. Since we had told the King, the 473 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:53,520 hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power 474 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:56,160 of His wrath is against all who forsake Him. 475 00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:01,320 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to 476 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:07,560 our entreaty. Ezra was going to be used 477 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:12,360 mightily by God in Jerusalem. He is going to be a pioneer for 478 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:20,040 a sweet, sweeping historical revival because of his influence 479 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:23,760 back home. But all of that wonderful 480 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:28,600 testimony would come at a cost, and we saw it. 481 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:38,320 The distance, the timing, the dangers, the fasting, the 482 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:41,840 praying, the consoling. Who knows what else he had to do 483 00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:45,360 in order to make it a successful journey for him to get to where 484 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,920 God wanted him to be. And here's what this teaches you 485 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:52,320 and I. Any of us who yearn to be used 486 00:34:52,320 --> 00:35:02,360 by the Lord cannot, cannot, cannot idolize comfort or 487 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:06,600 convenience and expect to be used by God in a meaningful way. 488 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,840 Ezra paid a price and those who followed him. 489 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:15,840 And what this teaches us is that if we want to see God do 490 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:19,680 something special, if we want to move beyond just mediocre 491 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,800 ministry, it's going to require sacrifice. 492 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:26,240 It's going to require consistency through adversity. 493 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,760 It's going to demand a constant watchfulness to resist the 494 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:36,080 temptation of coasting through this life with the pursuit of 495 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:38,840 ease. There's some people even 496 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:42,680 professing Christian God help them who their main ambition in 497 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:48,360 life is to live an easy life. You can't have that mindset and 498 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:52,920 expect God to recruit you and I to do something significant for 499 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:57,280 His Kingdom. They're irreconcilable, and Ezra 500 00:35:57,280 --> 00:36:01,920 shows us that here to an extent, and it's very likely that many 501 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,600 in Babylonia refused to follow Ezra when he decided to go back 502 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:08,640 for that reason. Look again at verse 7. 503 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,920 There's a very important word in Ezra 77. 504 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:15,360 I'm sure you'll pick up on it. And there went up also to 505 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,760 Jerusalem in the seventh year of Arctic Xerxes, the king. 506 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,600 Some, that's the word, some of the people of Israel. 507 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,440 And in the ESV at least is repeated again and some of the 508 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,680 priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers and the temple 509 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:35,200 servants, some not all. So even with the second wave, we 510 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:38,880 already saw with the first wave that not everybody who were in 511 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:41,240 Babylon decided to go back. Now we come to the second 512 00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:45,120 opportunity where you have the backing of the king at the time 513 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:49,160 saying go and here's all the resources to help you and still 514 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:54,720 still some wrap your hand around that one. 515 00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:59,160 But I want to look at it from Ezra's perspective. 516 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,680 I mean, this man, as we're going to see in the rest of the book 517 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:06,040 of Ezra, he's remarkable. He is godly, like he's 518 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:09,960 consistent, he's righteous. When he sees the people going 519 00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:11,400 back at the sin, he's going to weep. 520 00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:14,480 He's going to fast over it. He's not casual about this. 521 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:18,200 This is his life and he's so insightful in the word. 522 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,240 I mean, when we're going to look at the revival that he's going 523 00:37:20,240 --> 00:37:23,560 to lead, all he's really doing is reading the scriptures and 524 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:25,160 people are going to be cut to the heart. 525 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,000 And yet as influential and as insightful. 526 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:39,640 Listen, Ezra couldn't convince everybody some and let this be 527 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:46,280 an encouragement to those who are despondent because you can't 528 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:50,840 seem to figure out why everybody in your world doesn't share in 529 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:54,120 your passion for God and for His Word and for the ministry and 530 00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:55,760 for the local church and for the lost. 531 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:04,520 I've received some wonderful godsend advice throughout my 532 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:06,520 life, especially in ministry. And one of the things that I 533 00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:11,440 appreciated from somebody is that they said resist the urge 534 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:15,800 of focusing on those in the church who don't even really 535 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:21,640 want to be there to begin with. Don't, don't get so caught up in 536 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:23,160 those who are not coming to church. 537 00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:27,240 Reserve your energy and your service to those who do come. 538 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:32,280 Don't gear your messages to those who are not paying 539 00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:35,800 attention during the service. Look at those who have come with 540 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,280 an open heart and an open Bible and focus on them. 541 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:45,560 And in the same way you and I, no matter what our height of 542 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:50,400 holiness is right Ezra here and only bringing some doesn't 543 00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,040 discredit his walk with the Lord. 544 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:54,560 It doesn't mean that he wasn't faithful to the truth. 545 00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:57,280 It just means every person has a choice. 546 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:00,920 And listen, there are some people who no matter what you 547 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:05,280 say to them or how you live, who don't want the things of God. 548 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:12,160 And what you need to determine is God give me the grace to 549 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:16,760 serve and to reserve what you've deposited me for those who do 550 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:22,480 want it and to help them and bless them and equip them. 551 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:27,880 So as Ezra makes his way, there are some who are going to follow 552 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:29,640 him. And I want you to notice 553 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:31,480 something else because we're almost finished here. 554 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:38,000 There's a phrase that it appears now twice in this chapter, at 555 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:39,600 the end of verse 9. Did you see it? 556 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:46,760 Look at it again, for the good hand of his God was on him. 557 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,320 As we advance and the three remaining chapters of this book, 558 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:56,680 that same phrase is going to appear four more times. 559 00:39:57,560 --> 00:39:59,920 The good hand of the Lord, the good hand of God was upon them, 560 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:03,560 upon him. So clearly, whatever this means, 561 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:06,080 it's an integral part to Ezra's testimony. 562 00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:12,800 But what does it mean? If you look at that phrase 563 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:16,840 throughout the Scripture, both in old and new, it sometimes 564 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:21,840 means God is about to execute judgement that the the hand of 565 00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:25,360 the Lord was upon this or that and there is going to be 566 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:30,120 terrible wrath. But if we just work with Ezra 567 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:34,440 and and factor in every single time it is mentioned, we have a 568 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:36,080 different conclusion of what this means. 569 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,080 And it's not a contradiction. It just means that this, this, 570 00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:42,400 this phrase involves other conclusions. 571 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:45,880 It's very inclusive. And here's what we discover. 572 00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:49,560 This is a metaphor. This is a metaphor for God's 573 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:56,520 power, provision, protection, and providential guidance 574 00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:03,040 resting upon a person's life. In other words, for God's hand 575 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:08,640 to be upon Ezra means that his favor and blessing is 576 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:13,400 overshadowing him, resulting in some form of success. 577 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:19,840 Here's what's so exciting. You find that in the New 578 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:23,080 Testament. You find the same thing that's 579 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:25,640 happening here with Ezra in the New Covenant. 580 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:30,520 Let me give you one example. Go to Acts Chapter 11 and notice 581 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,880 what happens here at this point when the gospel is going beyond 582 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:41,840 Jerusalem and is touching the neighborhood, the Gentile 583 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:46,920 surroundings. Look at Acts 11 and verse 20. 584 00:41:52,940 --> 00:41:56,780 Acts 1120 reads. But there were some of them, men 585 00:41:56,780 --> 00:42:01,100 of Cyprus and Cyrene, who when coming to Antioch, spoke to the 586 00:42:01,100 --> 00:42:04,700 Hellenist also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 587 00:42:05,300 --> 00:42:08,100 And the hand of the Lord was with them. 588 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:11,080 Do you see it? And the hand of the Lord was 589 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:14,640 with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 590 00:42:16,240 --> 00:42:20,280 So even in the New Covenant we find the hand of the Lord at 591 00:42:20,280 --> 00:42:24,360 work, the hand of the Lord blessing and moving upon and 592 00:42:24,360 --> 00:42:28,200 through His people, bringing about success. 593 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:32,400 The true 'cause for success in the ministry of the Church here 594 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:37,720 is because God's hand remember a metaphor of his power and 595 00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:41,080 protection and provision and providential guidance resting 596 00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:44,600 upon his people. Here's what that tells me. 597 00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:49,720 At least two things #1 even in the New Testament, this concept 598 00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:57,600 of God's hand is available, right #2 if that's true, then we 599 00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,920 should seek after it. We should seek after it. 600 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:05,160 Perhaps you've heard somebody say that, Perhaps you've said 601 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:08,320 that we've heard a minister, or you look at somebody's life. 602 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:10,000 You say God's hand is on that person's life. 603 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:16,040 That's a biblical term, but I want it to be a reality in my 604 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:17,120 life. I don't know about you. 605 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:19,720 And here's what's so wonderful about this. 606 00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:24,200 If you want to do your own personal Bible study in Ezra, 607 00:43:24,920 --> 00:43:28,640 look at every time the hand of God is mentioned in this book 608 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,920 and draw a conclusion of what is the fruit of that. 609 00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:35,520 It's a wonderful thing to see what God's hand on somebody's 610 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:37,600 life produces. It's so glorious. 611 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:41,200 In fact, it can be a sermon, might be a sermon one of these 612 00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:45,560 days. But here's where it gets even 613 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:48,240 more exciting. We're actually told by Ezra how 614 00:43:48,600 --> 00:43:53,760 one way that we can have God's hand received and resting on our 615 00:43:53,760 --> 00:43:56,440 lives. And it's arguably found in the 616 00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:59,320 most famous verse in the book of Ezra, Ezra 7, verse 10. 617 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:08,280 Let's go there, shall we? For Ezra had set his heart to 618 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:14,960 study the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach his statutes 619 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:18,040 and rules in Israel. How many of you here have heard 620 00:44:18,040 --> 00:44:20,000 of that verse? Quarter that verse before 621 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:21,360 reading it together here tonight? 622 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:25,560 Nobody, I hope. Yeah, Few. 623 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:27,600 OK, so I'm going to assume that everybody didn't lift their 624 00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:28,560 hand. Never heard of this verse 625 00:44:28,560 --> 00:44:30,560 before. If you haven't, this is one of 626 00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:32,080 the most famous verses in the book of Ezra. 627 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:39,000 But unfortunately it's because it's so powerful, people isolate 628 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:43,240 it because it's a it's a just a strong statement on its own. 629 00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:47,680 But remember, we're trying to discover how what we just read 630 00:44:47,680 --> 00:44:52,760 here in verse 10 relates to making the reality of God's hand 631 00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:55,000 on our lives more of a possibility. 632 00:44:55,040 --> 00:44:58,000 How do these things relate? Well, if you again pluck it from 633 00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:01,960 this chapter, it doesn't relate. But if you keep it in its 634 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:06,640 context, then you'll understand that what we have in verse 10 is 635 00:45:06,640 --> 00:45:08,880 the answer to what we just read at the end of verse 9. 636 00:45:10,240 --> 00:45:11,920 How do we know that? Because there's a connecting 637 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:14,200 word. It's the word for at the 638 00:45:14,200 --> 00:45:16,520 beginning of verse 10. Do you see it for? 639 00:45:17,080 --> 00:45:18,280 In other words, let me just do this. 640 00:45:18,320 --> 00:45:22,920 Look at the end of verse 9 again says here for the good hand of 641 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:28,440 his God was on him. Four In other words, the reason 642 00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:32,120 why God's good hand was upon Ezra is because of what we're 643 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:35,840 going to read in verse 1043 things he had set his heart to 644 00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:39,360 study the law of the Lord and to do it and to teach his statutes 645 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:41,080 and rules in Israel. That's why. 646 00:45:43,080 --> 00:45:46,520 So don't make this mistake in thinking, oh, OK, God's hand, 647 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,400 His power provision, protection, providential guidance was 648 00:45:51,400 --> 00:45:53,080 resting on Ezra because he was ascribed. 649 00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:56,360 That's not what the verse says. The verse doesn't say that he 650 00:45:56,360 --> 00:46:01,480 was ascribed. It says because his heart was 651 00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:09,080 set to study God's Word, to do God's Word, and to share God's 652 00:46:09,080 --> 00:46:13,680 Word. And this is an inseparable 653 00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:17,160 equation. If you and I want to live this 654 00:46:17,160 --> 00:46:25,920 life with God's hand over us, this threefold passion must be 655 00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:30,560 ours. So this is what we have to 656 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:34,680 determine tonight. On what level does studying 657 00:46:34,680 --> 00:46:41,520 God's Word, doing God's Word and sharing God's Word occupy in our 658 00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:46,040 hearts? Because he had set his heart. 659 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:48,360 You know, if you remove that, then you would think it was just 660 00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:52,800 this was just mere duty. Ezra studied, did the word 661 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:54,560 taught it. That's not what it says. 662 00:46:54,560 --> 00:46:58,320 He says he, he prepared his heart. 663 00:46:59,960 --> 00:47:02,520 It was his all consuming passion. 664 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:08,760 And listen again, I know how we think we might dismiss this 665 00:47:08,760 --> 00:47:11,480 because, well, I'm not a scribe. I'm not a theologian. 666 00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:14,560 I'm not a pastor. Remember what Psalm one says 667 00:47:14,920 --> 00:47:17,320 that the psalmist say. Blessed is the preacher who 668 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:19,240 meditates on the law of the Lord, day and night, who 669 00:47:19,240 --> 00:47:21,880 delights in the law? No, it's blessed is the man. 670 00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:26,240 Blessed is the man. And equally true, blessed is the 671 00:47:26,240 --> 00:47:29,200 woman who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on a day 672 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:31,400 and night. Not the preacher, not the 673 00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:36,480 scholar, not the faculty member at your local institution, the 674 00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:43,040 man, the woman. And God's will for each of us is 675 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:48,640 to know Him through His Word. But more than that, you have to 676 00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:53,720 be willing to study it. Are you thinking? 677 00:47:54,160 --> 00:47:59,440 Hold on. I know a lot of people who have 678 00:47:59,440 --> 00:48:04,600 a very familiar and strong awareness of the content of the 679 00:48:04,600 --> 00:48:06,440 Bible, but their lives are a mess. 680 00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:08,640 And you know what I want to say in response to that? 681 00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:14,960 I know them too, because what many people who pursue knowledge 682 00:48:14,960 --> 00:48:18,320 in God's Word fail to do is honor the equation that Ezra 683 00:48:18,320 --> 00:48:22,040 sets out in this verse. They come to the Word of God 684 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:25,320 excited to know it so that they can teach it. 685 00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:28,440 And listen, You should be if you're, especially if you're a 686 00:48:28,440 --> 00:48:32,520 teacher, there should be a level of excitement of gathering truth 687 00:48:32,640 --> 00:48:35,120 in order to share it with others. 688 00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:41,720 But there is a priority that you should be just as excited to do 689 00:48:41,720 --> 00:48:45,600 it before you teach it. What came before teaching what 690 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:48,240 you learned doing it. He said. 691 00:48:48,240 --> 00:48:51,760 It's hard to know to do it and then to teach it. 692 00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:54,640 You can't skip the middle part and expect God's hand on your 693 00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:59,160 life. In fact, that's a recipe for 694 00:48:59,160 --> 00:49:02,720 personal disaster, to study it just to tell other people about 695 00:49:02,720 --> 00:49:06,440 it. No, Ezra was so careful. 696 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:10,520 I mean, he's described for those who are. 697 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:13,200 I mean, that that moved me. Doesn't that move you? 698 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:19,680 Think about it, that when I approach the Word, my heart 699 00:49:19,680 --> 00:49:24,400 should be pumping first to discover what God has to say so 700 00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:28,040 I know how to live. How many people approach the 701 00:49:28,040 --> 00:49:31,480 Bible that way? Even for teachers, sometimes you 702 00:49:31,480 --> 00:49:33,800 can get excited because you know you're preaching this Sunday and 703 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:36,040 you can't wait to share the golden Nuggets that you find in 704 00:49:36,040 --> 00:49:39,800 God's Word. Hold on, before you get there, 705 00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:43,240 you should be just as enthralled by the realization that God's 706 00:49:43,240 --> 00:49:46,640 about to speak to you in your life before you tell other 707 00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:50,080 people how to live. That's sobering to me. 708 00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:53,120 Does my heart get excited to come to the Word to say? 709 00:49:53,280 --> 00:49:55,800 OK, God, what are you going to say to me as a dad? 710 00:49:55,880 --> 00:49:57,440 What are you going to say to me as a husband? 711 00:49:57,480 --> 00:49:59,160 What are you going to say to me as a business owner? 712 00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:00,880 What are you going to say to me about my private life? 713 00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:02,560 What are you going to say to me about my engagement with the 714 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:03,640 world? What are you going to say to me 715 00:50:03,640 --> 00:50:04,680 about my relationship? The money? 716 00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:07,400 Does that ever cross your mind? If it doesn't, don't expect 717 00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:12,440 God's hand to rest on your life, because this is what God is 718 00:50:12,440 --> 00:50:15,440 saying. God help us. 719 00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:21,040 So please don't misunderstand. I'm not merely advocating 720 00:50:21,040 --> 00:50:24,160 greater knowledge of the Bible. I'm speaking about inspiring 721 00:50:24,160 --> 00:50:31,320 your affections and governing your decisions to the point that 722 00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:36,200 it actually moves you to be unashamed, to share it with your 723 00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:41,920 spouse and to deposit it in the hearts of your children and to 724 00:50:41,920 --> 00:50:47,000 extend it to your friends and at the right time to shine it 725 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:52,120 before the stranger. It's this way of life for the 726 00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:56,800 man or the woman who can expect God's hand to rest on that life. 727 00:50:59,600 --> 00:51:01,400 Let me say one final thing before we close. 728 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:05,760 Ezra means help, right? And God is going to set him to 729 00:51:05,760 --> 00:51:07,600 be a help to the remnant in Jerusalem. 730 00:51:09,080 --> 00:51:14,680 If you and I want to really be of help to those around us, we 731 00:51:14,680 --> 00:51:17,720 need to apply this same kind of equation. 732 00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:22,760 We need to know God's Word. We need to live it and be 733 00:51:22,760 --> 00:51:26,720 willing to share with others. Then we can really be of help to 734 00:51:26,720 --> 00:51:29,360 ourselves, to the church, and to a dying world. 735 00:51:30,280 --> 00:51:32,560 We're only getting started with Ezra here in this study. 736 00:51:32,560 --> 00:51:33,800 There's so much more to learn of him. 737 00:51:34,760 --> 00:51:37,200 But for now, let us just sit with these truths and ask God to 738 00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:38,920 make them real to us. Can we do that? 739 00:51:39,760 --> 00:51:58,910 Let's pray. Your word, Lord, is amazing. 740 00:52:02,150 --> 00:52:11,030 It is so sharp, it is so precise, so filled with promise. 741 00:52:12,830 --> 00:52:18,190 And Lord, we've heard the clear application of this section of 742 00:52:18,190 --> 00:52:20,630 Scripture. We all desire your hand to be 743 00:52:20,630 --> 00:52:23,560 upon us. We desire your hand to remain on 744 00:52:23,560 --> 00:52:26,080 Maranatha Bible Church and every ministry represented here. 745 00:52:27,080 --> 00:52:32,160 And we know that the way to that wonderful reality being secure 746 00:52:33,040 --> 00:52:36,360 is by setting our hearts upon Your Word. 747 00:52:37,600 --> 00:52:42,000 We've learned, Lord, that you and your hand on our lives is 748 00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:43,960 determined by how we handle this book. 749 00:52:45,200 --> 00:52:48,680 And so Lord, we we ask for a renewed passion to know it for 750 00:52:48,680 --> 00:52:55,840 ourselves 1st so that we can change and then by your grace be 751 00:52:55,840 --> 00:52:57,520 a means for others to be changed. 752 00:52:59,720 --> 00:53:05,280 We pray, Lord, that if this word is not primary in our lives that 753 00:53:05,280 --> 00:53:09,080 you would change us, Lord, that you would help us understand 754 00:53:09,080 --> 00:53:12,240 what Ezra saw, that it was given to us. 755 00:53:13,320 --> 00:53:17,160 You have placed this word in our lives and we live in an age 756 00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:19,960 where we have so many resources to study it. 757 00:53:20,920 --> 00:53:22,560 But Lord, we need Your help to do it. 758 00:53:24,080 --> 00:53:26,280 And we pray, Lord, that You would give us the boldness and 759 00:53:26,280 --> 00:53:28,320 the love to tell others about it. 760 00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:31,760 Lord, it is my prayer with my brothers and sisters that our 761 00:53:31,760 --> 00:53:36,400 friendships would be seasoned by conversations around the 762 00:53:36,400 --> 00:53:42,080 Scriptures, that we would never shy away to declare the word of 763 00:53:42,080 --> 00:53:43,880 the Lord and a culture that hates it. 764 00:53:46,120 --> 00:53:48,640 And Lord, we pray that if there's anybody here who aspires 765 00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:51,080 to be a spiritual leader in your house, that they would meet the 766 00:53:51,080 --> 00:53:56,360 credentials, they would honor your qualifications, and that 767 00:53:56,360 --> 00:53:58,880 you would help this church and every other church here 768 00:53:59,520 --> 00:54:03,440 recognize future leaders so that they would be a help to your 769 00:54:03,440 --> 00:54:06,520 people. Lord, thank you for this man, 770 00:54:06,520 --> 00:54:09,080 Ezra, And thank you more importantly for your son, the 771 00:54:09,080 --> 00:54:12,400 Lord Jesus who is the greater high priest who offers greater 772 00:54:12,400 --> 00:54:15,920 help and his priesthood is greater than that of errands 773 00:54:16,960 --> 00:54:19,120 even in this store. We need your help to understand. 774 00:54:19,360 --> 00:54:24,160 Lord, we stand to worship you tonight in Jesus name, Amen. 775 00:54:24,960 --> 00:54:27,240 Amen. Let's stand and let's sing to 776 00:54:27,240 --> 00:54:37,730 the Lord together. You know what so touches my 777 00:54:37,730 --> 00:54:40,890 heart when Jesus asks his disciples, do you understand 778 00:54:40,890 --> 00:54:42,290 these things? And they said yes. 779 00:54:42,770 --> 00:54:46,290 He called a bunch of unlearned, mostly fishermen, some running 780 00:54:46,290 --> 00:54:50,840 their own businesses, scribes, scribes. 781 00:54:52,160 --> 00:54:53,920 And I think that gives us hope, doesn't it? 782 00:54:55,200 --> 00:54:57,680 I hope your heart is burning as much as mine was throughout this 783 00:54:57,680 --> 00:55:03,720 Bible study, that there is a way of life that is unlocked when 784 00:55:03,720 --> 00:55:08,240 one person decides to study, do and share God's Word with 785 00:55:08,280 --> 00:55:11,840 others. And listen, if you're saying, 786 00:55:11,840 --> 00:55:14,080 what do you mean share? Well, look, you can't really get 787 00:55:14,080 --> 00:55:16,320 excited about sharing it unless you first know it and do it 788 00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:21,040 right and taste it for yourself. But more than that, that is 789 00:55:21,040 --> 00:55:25,880 accessible for any of us. You don't need formal training 790 00:55:26,320 --> 00:55:29,480 to imitate Ezra. The disciples didn't have it. 791 00:55:29,600 --> 00:55:31,720 I mean, they're the greatest teacher in the world for three 792 00:55:31,720 --> 00:55:36,320 years, but they were outside of the the protocol of the training 793 00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:37,880 of their day in the religious system. 794 00:55:38,280 --> 00:55:40,040 And here's the thing that's true for you. 795 00:55:40,040 --> 00:55:43,440 And I listen in my life, some of the most insightful people I 796 00:55:43,440 --> 00:55:46,720 know with the word of God didn't have to go to seminary. 797 00:55:46,800 --> 00:55:48,640 They didn't, they didn't. I'm not against those things. 798 00:55:48,680 --> 00:55:52,080 I went to Bible school, but you don't need it. 799 00:55:52,160 --> 00:55:54,120 You don't. And so leave here with 800 00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:58,080 inspiration that I have this book and hopefully you go to a 801 00:55:58,080 --> 00:56:01,200 Bible preaching church and you know people who can help explain 802 00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:05,400 things and more importing the Holy Spirit in you for you to be 803 00:56:05,400 --> 00:56:09,600 able to pursue this way of life that more and more will cause 804 00:56:09,600 --> 00:56:13,320 God's hand to rest upon you. That's my desire for each of us. 805 00:56:13,840 --> 00:56:17,200 So Lord, we just pray that we would leave here with a fresh 806 00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:20,280 ambition to study your word. Show us what book to start in. 807 00:56:20,920 --> 00:56:24,960 Show us to be faithful, how to be faithful from book to book. 808 00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:27,840 Give us the right resources, protect us from the wrong 809 00:56:27,840 --> 00:56:31,800 resources. Help us do your word more 810 00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:34,400 importantly to to meet with your word saying God, what do you 811 00:56:34,400 --> 00:56:38,800 want to say to me? And Lord from there may the word 812 00:56:38,800 --> 00:56:41,440 do such a work in our hearts that it overflows through our 813 00:56:41,440 --> 00:56:45,600 mouths and we talk about it over dinner and we we share it with 814 00:56:45,600 --> 00:56:47,840 our elders. And then Lord, we begin to 815 00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:51,560 experience the blessing of your hand on our lives. 816 00:56:51,560 --> 00:56:54,840 The longer we live and abide in your word. 817 00:56:55,400 --> 00:56:58,440 We love you Lord, continue to guide us through Ezra. 818 00:56:58,680 --> 00:57:00,760 It may be a lived reality for each of us. 819 00:57:01,160 --> 00:57:04,600 In Jesus name we pray Amen and Amen. 820 00:57:04,840 --> 00:57:06,480 Only three chapters left in Ezra. 821 00:57:06,480 --> 00:57:08,760 Don't miss a week. God bless you. 822 00:57:08,760 --> 00:57:11,080 We'll see you next week if the Lord wills. 823 00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:13,440 Take some time to fellowship with one another before you 824 00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:15,200 leave. We'll see you Sunday if the Lord 825 00:57:15,200 --> 00:57:16,160 wills as well. God bless you.