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Ezra 7 (Part 2) Bible Study (Ezra Sent to Teach the People) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  So let's turn in our Bibles now to Ezra Chapter 7.
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  And if you're already there, place your finger at verse 11 of
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  that chapter. As you know, Ezra Chapter 7
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  introduces us for the first time, the man Ezra.
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  The man Ezra, we know that he's the author of this book, but we
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  are now seeing him in action for the first time in this section
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  of scripture. And we learn much about Ezra in
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  the 1st 10 verses of this chapter.
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  If you were there a couple of weeks ago, you will remember.
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  And one of the main things that are highlighted about this
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  significant individual redemptive history is that he is
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  from the line of Aaron. The Holy Spirit records for us
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  in great detail his ancestry. And the reason why we are
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  supposed to know his lineage is because the author wants us to
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  be certain that there is divine approval behind Ezra's spiritual
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  leadership, especially as he is now planning to make his way
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  back to Jerusalem and guide and instruct and inspire the remnant
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  who had preceded him. And so Ezra wants us to know
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  that God has called them to be a priest and that God has called
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  them and given the authority to operate as a spiritual leader
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  for this moment. But that is not the only
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  approval that Ezra wants us to know about for the remainder of
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  this chapter. He's about to inform us that he
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  also received commendation. He also received consent from
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  the king of the Persian Kingdom, who's known as Arctic Xerxes.
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  In fact, that's really what's going to be found here.
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  And the rest of these verses. It's going to be a decree, yet
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  another letter from a foreign king who is going to spell out
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  his significant support for this man, Ezra, as he is planning to
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  make his way back to the Holy Land.
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  Now here's a question I have. Why do we need to know about it?
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  Why is it important for us to see a copy of the letter that
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  King Art Exertes gave to Ezra the priest?
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  And I believe the answer is quite obvious.
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  The Holy Spirit, through Ezra, wants to show us, especially the
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  immediate audience, the extent of God's approval of this man's
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  mission and ministry. In other words, more than Ezra
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  informing us that he comes from the priestly line, he wants to
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  also show that the king of the Persian authorities is backing
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  him up as well. That.
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  God sovereignly working on behalf of Ezra to this extent.
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  And the result of that, at least the desired outcome, is that the
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  people of God would have greater confidence in Ezra's leadership
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  as they hear about this testimony.
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  Oh, not only is he coming from Aaron's line, but even
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  Artaxerxes is offering generous support and a grant and, and all
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  this backing for him to do exactly what he hopes to do.
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  And I'm aware that up to this point in our study, we've looked
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  at a couple of decrees from royal individuals, right?
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  We saw Cyrus's decree, the opening of the book of Ezra in
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  chapter 1, and then we saw Darius's edict in Chapter 6.
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  And so now we come to another one.
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  And the temptation is that this is quite similar as you're about
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  to read to what we've already discovered.
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  And so maybe we'll just skimp Passover it.
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  And you've been here at this Bible study long enough to
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  understand that you should never, ever do that, even with
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  texts that seem repetitive because there are unique
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  qualities in this specific charge.
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  And I want to highlight at least one major difference between
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  this one and the ones that we've already looked at.
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  So if you're there in Ezra 7, I told you to plant your finger at
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  verse 11, but scroll back to verse 6 for a moment.
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  We've already covered this couple of weeks ago, but let's
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  look at it again. Ezra 7, verse 6 reads this.
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  Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was ascribed, skilled in the
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  law of Moses, that the Lord the God of Israel had given, and the
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  king granted him all that he asked for.
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  The hand of the Lord his God was on him.
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  So this summary is extremely helpful in clarifying the
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  background of this edict. Unlike the decrees of Cyrus and
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  Darius, Artaxerxes letter is a response to the prompting of a
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  request by a man, namely Ezra. In other words, when it came to
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  Cyrus and Darius, what moved them to move favorably for and
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  on behalf of the people of God was a direct work of God.
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  God himself intervened, and he did something in their inner
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  being to move them into action, right?
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  It was a clear sovereign thing. But when we come to this point
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  and and this letter and this king, we see something a little
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  bit different. Not that God is not at work.
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  We're going to see that God is at work here, but more than
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  that, everything that it's about to unfold and be set into motion
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  is due to the courage and the conviction of a single
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  individual. In other words, Ezra approaches
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  Artaxerxes, and what Artaxerxes is going to give him permission
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  for is a response to this man's faith.
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  So here's what this means for us.
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  There are going to be moments for the church and for
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  individual believers where God will sovereignly intervene in a
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  situation apart from our initial involvement.
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  And in those moments we have to recognize that He is opening a
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  door and He is creating an opportunity to advance His
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  purposes. And we as believers have to
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  develop the alertness and the discernment to seize those
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  moments when they come right. We have to recognize that God at
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  times will pave a way, and we have to step on it and walk
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  ahead lest we forfeit an opportunity.
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  But then, on the other hand, there are times when the Lord
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  will only move when we move first.
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  That's exemplified by Ezra. His example reminds us that
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  there are certain things that will not happen unless we
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  initiate, initiate prayerful, scripture, informed and wise
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  actions that demonstrate what our faith that manifests what
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  our eagerness. So listen very carefully.
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  There are going to be times where you and I have to wait on
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  the Lord because there's nothing else you can do.
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  Like I've done everything. I've exhausted all my options.
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  And so God, you have to come through and they're going to be
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  other times where God is actually waiting for you and
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  things will not take place unless you understanding who God
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  is and what he asks of you. Step out.
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  In obedience, step out trusting the Lord.
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  And what we're about to witness in the rest of this chapter is
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  God honoring the faith of this priest who had a desire that was
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  awakened by his study of the Scriptures to play a part in
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  God's work in Jerusalem. So I hope that one observation,
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  we'll excite you to explore the rest of this letter.
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  And we're going to seek to do that by reading it in sections.
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  It's a fairly long 1. So what we're going to do is
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  just take it bit by bit, stop, meditate and reflect as we go
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  through. So let's begin in Ezra Chapter
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  7, verse 11 down to verse 16. Engage your minds, don't allow
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  yourself to be distracted at the reading of God's Word.
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  And let's see what the Lord will say to us.
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  Now this is a copy of the letter that King Arctic Xerxes gave to
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  Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the
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  commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel, Artaxerxes,
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  king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of
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  the God of heaven. Peace.
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  And now I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or
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  their priests or Levites in my Kingdom, who freely offers to go
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  to Jerusalem, may go with you. For you were sent by the king
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  and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and
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  Jerusalem, according to the law of your God, which is in your
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  hand. And also to carry the silver and
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  gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered
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  to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.
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  With all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole
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  province of Babylonia and with the free will offerings of the
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  people and the priests vowed willingly for the House of their
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  God that is in Jerusalem. So we're going to learn that
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  Artaxerxes make several demands in the case of Ezra and the
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  people of God, and many of them are very familiar to the ones
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  that we've already explored in previous decrees.
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  But there is one that stands out from the verses that we just
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  read, and it's highlighted there in verse 14.
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  Look at it one more time, Artaxerxy says.
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  For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make
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  inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law
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  of your God, which is in your hand.
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  Here's how this translate translates.
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  Ezra, I'm commissioning you and whoever wants to go with you to
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  go and investigate those who preceded you into Jerusalem.
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  And I want you to figure out their spiritual condition.
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  I want you to see if they are living up to the standard of
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  God's revealed will. Now we have to remember that Art
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  Exertes is giving permission and approval to what Ezra had
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  requested. Remember that, right?
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  Verse 6, That's how we're going to have to frame this letter
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  with that as our basis. This is Art Exertes responding
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  to a list of requests that Ezra himself made, which tells us
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  what is Ezra's top priority as he seeks to go back to Jerusalem
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  before anything else. What Ezra longs to do is to
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  determine that after all these years, if the people who went
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  ahead to Jerusalem are still abiding in God's law.
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  And this already tells us what Ezra's main mission is.
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  When we looked at Zerubbabel between chapters one and six,
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  who went with the first wave of people from Babylon back to
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  Jerusalem, He was called by God to focus on the rebuilding of
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  what? The temple.
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  Good. We're going to study Nehemiah
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  after we finish Ezraim, we're almost done.
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  What's Nehemiah's calling? What?
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  What was it laid upon his heart to focus on the rebuilding of
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  the walls? Ezra, the one in the middle, his
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  concern, his passion, his drive is to build the.
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  People, the people of God. And that shows here in this
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  letter. Go and inquire and see if the
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  people are still abiding by the law, if they're still observing
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  it. And this actually teaches us
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  what true spiritual leadership looks like.
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  There. There is a characteristic here
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  that reveals the heart of a true leader in God's house.
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  Conforming to Christ like this is not just a personal goal for
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  a leader. They also possess the ambition
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  for others to pursue it as well. They have this this drive,
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  desire, passion that those who are under their care would grow
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  consistently in Christ likeness. And with that concern there is a
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  commitment to help them pursue that.
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  And I was looking at this and thinking about Ezra, who not
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  just had a passion for God's Word, but had a passion for
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  others to love it. And I began to just survey the
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  New Testament especially. Is there any trace of that in
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  spiritual leadership found in the New Covenant?
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  And I mean Paul alone. And this verse sprung up in my
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  heart. Do you remember what he said to
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  the Galatians? In Galatians 4, verse 19, it
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  says, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish
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  of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.
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  What a remarkable thing for somebody to say.
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  This man, Paul, had this unbelievable sense of turmoil in
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  the depths of his soul to such a degree that the only way that he
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  he can explain it is by relating it to one of the most painful
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  things a woman can endure physically, and that is
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  childbirth. And what was the reason for this
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  inner pain, emotional distress, this spiritual angst?
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  What was the reason for it? Well, he learned that the
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  Galatians, the people that he led to Christ, have now pushed
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  the Lord aside and have made other pursuits more central.
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  And in their case it was legalism.
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  You know, there are some professing Christians, even
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  genuine Christians, who will venture off into lawlessness,
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  others into lukewarmness. And there are some, like the
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  Galatians, who become attracted to.
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  Legalism, and this was the problem with.
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  With this church and here, here's the core concern for Paul
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  as revealed in that one verse. The formation of the truth and
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  the character of Christ came to a standstill among these
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  believers. And he he's, he's being very
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  transparent here. Up to this point in Galatians,
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  he was very theological. He's making all these different
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  arguments and cases about justification by faith and
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  trusting in the finished work of Christ.
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  And then he he gets very personal here.
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  And what's remarkable is that the reason why he felt this pain
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  is because he related to these Christians as a father with his
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  children. Isn't that how he identifies
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  them? My not just children, little
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  children. I mean, if your children are
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  grown, you relate to them differently than when they were
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  young. So he's very specific.
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  He says, my little children, Can you imagine a spiritual leader
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  addressing those who he ministers to in such a way?
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  My little children, why is he speaking this way?
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  Because he wants to convey something.
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  You don't have to be a parent to know that when somebody has a
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  child, everything in their life revolves around that child.
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  And all the parents said, Amen. Any loving mother, any loving
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  father understands that all their activities, all their
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  responsibilities, all their plans orbits around the
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  well-being of their child. And what Paul is saying here to
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  them is that's how I feel about you.
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  Listen, I saw you come to Christ and it's as though he's saying
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  through my preaching, my ministry, you were born again.
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  And I want to let you know something when you were born
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  again, something was born in me. A love and a care for you as a
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  father would cherish their own offspring.
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  And listen, any loving parent can also testify that they would
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  not remain settled. They would be deeply disturbed
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  if their child never grew at a proper rate.
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  Well, let's think about it physically.
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  How would you feel if your son, your daughter never developed in
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  their stature? They remain at the same height,
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  the same weight, the same eating habits, at a fifth grade level
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  or at five years old. Then when they were five months
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  old, wouldn't that shake you? Wouldn't that keep you up at
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  night? Wouldn't that spring you into
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  some kind of action? Well, let's let's think about it
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  mentally. What, what would you do if one
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  of your children who was supposed to be in the eighth
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  grade class is still in the third grade class sitting at the
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  same desk because they show little interest, no interest in
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  education and studying and developing.
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  That would do something to you as well.
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  And here's what Paul is saying. I'm concerned because the
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  formation of Christ that should be developing in you is not
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  something has stunted your growth, and it is the spiritual
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  diet of false teachers who have crept into your churches.
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  So you see what he's saying here?
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  He's showing that he deeply loves them.
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  He deeply cares for them. He's concerned not just with
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  their salvation, but their growth.
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  And I'm saying all of this for you and I to be able to properly
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  identify who who is a true biblical godly leader, because
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  there's all these strange ideas of what a leader in God's house
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  should be. And one of the marks of a true
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  leader is found in the same context where Paul says my
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  little children. So just a few verses back, he
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  says in Galatians 416, have I then become your enemy by
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  telling you the truth? That's the same breath.
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  That's the same context. So Paul, if you put this
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  together wants to let them know that him confronting them in
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  their error to them they translated as you don't you
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  don't love us and you don't care for us and you're not gentle
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  with us. And a few verses later he goes
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  you're you're my children. And any loving parent would
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  prescribe what is beneficial to the health of their children,
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  even if they're flesh doesn't enjoy it in the moment.
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  So how do you know if a spiritual leader truly loves
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  you? How do you know if a true, a
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  spiritual leader is truly committed to your sanctification
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  and your walk with Christ? They're going to speak the truth
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  to you. They're going to they're going
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  to develop an understanding of God's Word first for it to be
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  developed in them and then for it to be communicated to you.
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  And it's amazing that Paul, even in this, we can't get into it.
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  He contrasts himself with the false teachers and he admits
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  that the false teachers were the Galatians were very invested in
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  them, but for a different purpose and a different motive.
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  Listen, there are false teachers out there who will intentionally
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  avoid the truth and they may come off as loving and gentle,
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  compassionate by doing so. And I want you to hear me very
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  carefully. A person who manipulates, who
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  massages, who avoids things that will benefit God's people in the
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  name of a pseudo love. They don't really love you.
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  They love themselves. They care about themselves.
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  They they don't care about Christ being formed in you.
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  They want you to benefit them. And if they have to avoid the
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  truth, sometimes the hard truth in order to achieve it, they
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  will do it to win an audience. And Paul, you're reminding them,
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  listen, I love you enough to speak the truth to you, to wield
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  the scriptures, to apply the the truths of the gospel and holy
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  writ, even if it disturbs you in the moment, if it shakes you, it
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  convicts you. If it cuts you, so be it.
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  I care for you. And so I bring up Paul because I
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  see something similar in Ezra. I see Ezra who is requesting
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  something of the King of Persia. And one of the top things is,
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  oh, let me go back to check on them, on their growth.
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  According to the law, here's Paul saying, you belong to me
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  and I care for you and am I now your enemy because I speak the
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  truth to you? You want to know who who really
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  loves you? Who's really called by God for
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  your benefit? What do they do with the truth
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  in your life? A leader is more than somebody
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  who just spends time with you. A leader is more than somebody
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  who just answers the phone at the late hours of the night.
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  Those things are wonderful, but sinners can spend time with you,
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  and sinners can help you in a time of need.
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  But sinners don't care about Christ being formed in you.
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  True leadership does. And they will always use the
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  word of God first in their own lives and as a reflection of
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  their own encounter with it into the lives of those around them.
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  But Ezra is not just going back to examine the spirituality of
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  the Jews in Jerusalem. He's also returning with an
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  outstanding financial aid signed off by Artaxerxes.
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  We already read it in verse 15 and 16, but he continues.
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  So come back to the main text in Ezra 7.
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  Look at verse 17. We'll read down to verse 20.
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  He goes on to say, with this money then you shall with all
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  diligence buy bulls, Rams, and lambs, with their grain
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  offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer
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  them on the altar of the House of your God that is in
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  Jerusalem. Whatever seems good to you and
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  your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you
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  may do according to the will of your God.
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  The vessels that have been given you for the service of the House
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  of your God, you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem.
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  And whatever else is required for the House of your God, which
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  a fault which falls to you to provide, you may provide it out
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  of the King's treasury. So this seems almost like an
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  echo of the previous decrees, right?
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  Whatever you need financially, whatever you need for your
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  offerings, whatever need for your worship, we'll back it up,
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  we'll support it, We'll provide the means for it for you to be
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  able to worship. But like what we just read
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  earlier, there is something that stands out and it's in verse 18.
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  Look at it again, Artaxerxes says.
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  Whatever seems good to you and your brothers to do with the
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  rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of
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  your God. This is amazing.
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  Artaxerxes tells Ezra that any surplus remaining from the
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  donations is left to the discretion of him and the
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  leadership of how it should be spent.
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  That's what he's saying here. He's really trusting in Ezra and
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  you get the sense that he's developed a relationship with
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  Ezra for him to be able to do this.
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  So we're just going to give you all of this and whatever is
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  extra. Well, we just trust that you'll
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  be able to know what to do with it.
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  But there's an important caveat. What is it?
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  The last part of verse 18 according to the will of your
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  God. So those are the guardrails.
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  Those are the boundaries. Now remember, art exert sees as
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  we're about. To find out by the end of this
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  letter he's being moved by the Lord.
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  To give these commands. So that's just something about a
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  principle that God is laying out.
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  And one of the things that we can take from this is like the
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  redeem in Ezra's day. We must be mindful of the will
• 23:24
  of God even in our finances. And when Christians think about
• 23:30
  the will of God, seldom does money become a consideration.
• 23:39
  So many other factors rush into our minds when we think about
• 23:43
  what is God's will for my life. But I see a reminder here in
• 23:46
  this story with Ezra. I see that God not only has a
• 23:51
  revealed purpose for our purity, for our worship, for our
• 23:53
  relationship, for our spiritual gifts, He actually has a plan
• 23:58
  for what you and I should do with our possessions.
• 24:05
  And it's very simple. Know what God's will is, right?
• 24:08
  That's all Ezra and his brothers needed to know.
• 24:10
  What, what would God have us do with how God sovereignly and
• 24:15
  kindly and providentially places into our pockets, places into
• 24:19
  our bank accounts? And so you and I, I take this as
• 24:23
  a cue to develop and to train ourselves to be mindful of God's
• 24:29
  will. In that area, in that area, let
• 24:33
  me just offer a very. Practical point of discipleship.
• 24:37
  I would encourage you to regularly pray and tell the Lord
• 24:42
  in that time of fellowship that all you have belongs to Him.
• 24:47
  Say it, confess it, admit it, and if you're married, do it
• 24:53
  with your spouse from time to time.
• 24:56
  Lord, all that we have is yours. Every piece of furniture, every
• 24:59
  corner of this house, every dollar in our bank account,
• 25:02
  everything that we're saving up for our children, it's all
• 25:05
  yours. I'll tell you something that
• 25:08
  will overtime give you the proper perspective of your
• 25:11
  materials, of your possessions and go beyond that.
• 25:14
  Once you acknowledge that joyfully and with excitement,
• 25:17
  with faith, ask Him from time to time, OK, Lord, what would you
• 25:21
  have us do? With our money, what would you
• 25:25
  have us do? And this is just.
• 25:28
  One simple act that will help you and I detach ourselves from
• 25:34
  the things that want to grip our hearts and our affections.
• 25:38
  And more than that, you'd be amazed to know how the Lord will
• 25:40
  impress your heart to invest in His Kingdom and for eternity.
• 25:45
  If you're serious about this, if you want to excel in this grace,
• 25:48
  also invite the Lord into it. Invite the Lord into it and you
• 25:54
  will know a holy joy and delight in an area that you thought
• 25:59
  might have been stressful or tempting.
• 26:01
  Oh, it can become glorious. So even Ezra here was told by
• 26:07
  the king who ultimately is being instructed by God.
• 26:10
  I'm giving you this. And there are some things that
• 26:13
  you have to with non negotiables, confront and deal
• 26:16
  with. But even what's extra, keep
• 26:19
  God's mind and will in your mind and in your will, and that will
• 26:25
  make you and I that much closer. To being conformed to all that
• 26:29
  God has for us. Well, we would think that our
• 26:33
  observities will not move on from these orders regarding
• 26:36
  financial support, but he still has more to say.
• 26:38
  In fact, it's the majority of this letter.
• 26:40
  So let's read from verse 21 down to verse 23.
• 26:43
  And I, art exerxies the king, make a decree to all the
• 26:47
  treasurers in the province beyond the river.
• 26:50
  Whatever Ezra the priest described of the law of God of
• 26:52
  heaven requires of you, let it be done with all diligence, up
• 26:57
  to 100 talents of silver, 100 cores of wheat, 100 baths of
• 27:01
  wine, 100 baths of oil and salt, without prescribing how much.
• 27:06
  Whatever is decreed by God, by the God of heaven, let it be
• 27:09
  done in full for the House of the God of heaven, lest his
• 27:12
  wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.
• 27:17
  Now again, this seems repetitive.
• 27:20
  We've seen this with Cyrus, we've seen something similar
• 27:23
  with Darius and this is impressive.
• 27:27
  For a Gentile to be this generous should move us.
• 27:31
  You would wish if you were there when we were studying 1st and
• 27:33
  2nd kings, that this would be the pattern for the kings in
• 27:36
  Jerusalem and Israel, but that wasn't the case, right?
• 27:38
  You actually have more kings bankrupting the House of God,
• 27:42
  withdrawing from the House of God, then investing into it.
• 27:45
  And here you have a Pagan and he says let's support this, let's
• 27:50
  get behind this. However, that's not what we're
• 27:54
  supposed to take from this. I think what's worthy of
• 27:56
  meditation is Artaxerxes motivation for his contribution
• 28:06
  to the House of God. The last part of verse 23 look
• 28:08
  at it again, lest his wrath be against the realm of the.
• 28:15
  King and his sons now. Some will look at this and
• 28:20
  applaud Artaxerxes. Here's a man who understands
• 28:25
  that if a nation, if a government, if a land rebels
• 28:29
  against a true God, then they open themselves up to his
• 28:32
  discipline, which is true in many cases.
• 28:34
  But I don't think that's what we're supposed to take from
• 28:37
  this, at least primarily. I believe Arctic Xerxes is
• 28:43
  revealing what's stimulating him to do this, and he has a very
• 28:49
  narrow, limited understanding of the God of Israel.
• 28:52
  He does acknowledge that he is more powerful than all these
• 28:55
  other deities. You can debate if he had his
• 28:58
  faith and trust in this God, but there's actually greater
• 29:02
  evidence that he probably sees Yahweh as a local deity more
• 29:06
  than anything else. But notice he sees his
• 29:11
  contribution as an insurance policy more than anything.
• 29:17
  So he understands this. This God is powerful.
• 29:20
  I even admit that he's the God of heaven.
• 29:22
  He says that more than once. And so just to play it safe and
• 29:27
  just to protect me and my Kingdom and my family, I'll do
• 29:31
  what I can to show my support. In other words, Artaxerxes is
• 29:37
  ultimately moved by fear, fear of punishment.
• 29:43
  Can I tell you something? There are a lot of professing
• 29:46
  Christians. Who serve, who give, who abstain
• 29:53
  with similar thinking. They do what they do for God
• 29:59
  because they fear they will be punished by God if they don't.
• 30:04
  And that's all that gets them going.
• 30:08
  That's all that keeps them. That's all that holds them back.
• 30:15
  From venturing into this or into that dread, this looming sense
• 30:21
  that at any moment God will press that red button and he
• 30:23
  will strike my life with some kind of plague, some kind of
• 30:27
  disaster. And so day in and day out, week
• 30:31
  after week, service after service, they're afraid.
• 30:36
  They're afraid of God. And you know, I was looking at
• 30:40
  this and I thought about even the numbers that are registered
• 30:43
  here of what Artaxercis gave to the House of God.
• 30:45
  And I thought back to another person who gave to the House of
• 30:49
  God, but with a completely different ambition in mind, with
• 30:53
  a completely different motivation in mind, David.
• 30:56
  Now we study first and Second Kings.
• 30:58
  We didn't look at the entirety of First and Second Chronicles.
• 31:02
  But one of the things that stand out of at the end of First
• 31:04
  Chronicles is you have this extensive display of David's
• 31:08
  investment before he dies into the House of God.
• 31:12
  And when you look at some of the verses, especially in chapter
• 31:14
  29, it so stands in contrast with what we find here with
• 31:19
  Artaxerxes. Let's go there.
• 31:21
  First Chronicles 29, look at verse 10.
• 31:23
  I mean, we're just getting a sample in First Chronicles 29.
• 31:34
  Look at verse. 10 It says here, therefore David blessed the Lord
• 31:44
  in the presence of all the assembly.
• 31:47
  And David said, Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel,
• 31:51
  Father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness
• 31:55
  and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty.
• 32:00
  For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.
• 32:03
  Yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as Head
• 32:05
  above all. Both riches and honor come from
• 32:09
  you, and you rule over all in your hand our power and might,
• 32:13
  and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to
• 32:16
  all. And now we thank you our God,
• 32:21
  and praise your glorious name. A different tune, wouldn't you
• 32:25
  say? Whole different perspective,
• 32:28
  wouldn't you say? Well, let's look at it a little
• 32:31
  bit more. Look at verse 17.
• 32:34
  I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure and
• 32:37
  uprightness in the uprightness of my heart.
• 32:39
  I have freely offered all these things and now I've seen your
• 32:43
  people who are present here offering freely and.
• 32:47
  Joyously to you, why is David doing what he's doing?
• 32:55
  Oh, it's gratitude, pleasure, freely, with a revelation of who
• 33:04
  God is and what He has done, how He is the fountain.
• 33:07
  Of all the blessing that David has enjoyed.
• 33:11
  And you see what David is saying here?
• 33:12
  Me giving back to God isn't anything.
• 33:14
  It's all from him anyway. So yet he has this deep
• 33:18
  awareness that God is the source of everything good and this is
• 33:26
  his response to God's goodness. And you and I will never know
• 33:31
  the joy and delight that Christ wants us to have in our walk
• 33:34
  with him. If anxiety about judgement is
• 33:38
  the grounds of your godliness, is there a place for us to have
• 33:43
  a holy fear of God? Yes.
• 33:47
  But for you to live in this trepidation, in the sense of I
• 33:52
  don't know if God loves me today and you're more convinced that
• 33:55
  God is wanting to judge you, then love you and embrace you
• 34:00
  and bless you. Things got to change, my brother
• 34:04
  and sister. The misery that you're managing
• 34:08
  is not the will of God. That is not Christianity.
• 34:13
  And there's something else that I find in this chapter.
• 34:17
  We actually have the detailed account of what David gave when
• 34:21
  he contributed to the first house.
• 34:24
  Look at verse three of First Chronicles 29.
• 34:29
  Moreover, in addition to all that I've provided for the Holy
• 34:32
  House, I have a treasure of my own gold and silver, and because
• 34:36
  of my devotion to the House of my God, I give it to the House
• 34:39
  of my God. 3000 talents of gold of the gold of offer, and 7000
• 34:46
  talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the
• 34:48
  house and for all the work to be done by Craftsman.
• 34:51
  Gold for the things of gold, and silver for the things of silver.
• 34:54
  Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to
• 34:57
  the Lord? I don't want to read too much
• 34:59
  into this, but I wonder if there's something to be said
• 35:03
  about the grandeur and the extravagance of David's giving
• 35:07
  because he was operating under a different revelation than Arctic
• 35:09
  Xerxes. And if that is true, then what a
• 35:14
  profound lesson for all of us, that desiring to please God
• 35:19
  because of who He is, because of what He has done first, will
• 35:24
  produce more worship and more sacrifice and more obedience
• 35:31
  then you and I simply being in dread of Him.
• 35:37
  We love because He first loved us.
• 35:41
  I mean, that's the order we are responding to what God has done
• 35:49
  first, that He set His love upon us while we were sinners, while
• 35:54
  we were dead, while we were enemies.
• 35:58
  And you constantly have to remind yourself of that.
• 36:02
  You and I, as much as we should express our love to the Lord,
• 36:05
  our contentment in the Lord, our desire to please Lord, that's
• 36:08
  all wonderful. That's biblical.
• 36:10
  But we should find greater satisfaction in singing about
• 36:13
  Christ's love for us, what he's performed on our behalf, and how
• 36:20
  he has pursued us. You know, I was speaking with a
• 36:25
  friend the other day and we were having a conversation about this
• 36:28
  very thing, about how to arrive to a place in your walk with
• 36:34
  Christ where you can shake off the condemnation once and for
• 36:36
  all. And then you can live under the
• 36:40
  light and the truth and the glorious reality that I am truly
• 36:44
  loved by God. He loves me.
• 36:49
  He died for me. He actually has affection set
• 36:54
  upon me. It's not just this contract.
• 36:56
  It's not just this mere. Duty.
• 36:59
  And although God is motivated ultimately for his glory, yes,
• 37:03
  don't cancel out the glorious truth that He actually loves you
• 37:07
  and He loves me, and He wants us to be fueled by that, not just
• 37:13
  in accepting it, but living for Him.
• 37:15
  Yes. Do you remember the last words
• 37:20
  that Jesus said to the woman who was caught on adultery in John
• 37:23
  chapter 8? Does anybody remember what was
• 37:25
  that statement? It's very famous.
• 37:30
  What did he say before that? Neither do I condemn you.
• 37:36
  Go and sin no more. What came first?
• 37:40
  The revelation that Christ no longer condemns her, that Christ
• 37:43
  doesn't condemn her. And from that understanding she
• 37:46
  would be able to sin no more. You're not condemned.
• 37:55
  If there was anybody in that moment who is worthy and
• 37:58
  authorized to pick up a stone and Stoner, it was Christ.
• 38:02
  He had no sin. Everybody in that crowd was a
• 38:05
  Sinner. Christ wasn't.
• 38:07
  And yet in that moment He gives her grace.
• 38:12
  And from that experience says, now go and sin no more.
• 38:17
  Is that why you don't sin? Is that why I don't sin?
• 38:19
  Because I realized that I'm forgiven, that I'm redeemed,
• 38:23
  that He paid my debt, that he, he set his love on me when I was
• 38:28
  rebelling against him. Only then, only then will you
• 38:36
  know new heights of holiness and adoration and ministry and
• 38:42
  dedication. Artix, Xerxes, Look, I'm we're
• 38:48
  doing this just so we don't want trouble with this guy.
• 38:54
  And that's how some Christians live.
• 38:57
  You're doing what you're doing just so you don't get in trouble
• 38:59
  with God. No sense of fellowship, no sense
• 39:03
  of endearment, no sense of relationship.
• 39:08
  Oh, that's not God's will for you.
• 39:13
  Run away from that. Don't settle for that.
• 39:16
  Ask God through His Word to help you live in the light of His
• 39:19
  life. His Majesty, yes.
• 39:22
  His Holiness, yes, His purity, yes, but his kindness and his
• 39:30
  goodness toward us who don't deserve it.
• 39:32
  Oh, I can go on and on, but there's still more to this
• 39:34
  letter that we have to explore. So let's come back to Chapter 7
• 39:38
  and let's look at verse 25 as Arctic Xerxes concludes his
• 39:47
  thoughts here he gives his final remarks addressing Ezra directly
• 39:51
  again. So he says in verse 25.
• 39:53
  And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in
• 39:57
  your hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all
• 40:03
  the people in the province beyond the river, all such as
• 40:05
  know the laws of your God. And those who don't know them,
• 40:09
  you shall teach. Whoever will not obey the law of
• 40:12
  your God and the law of the King.
• 40:13
  Let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for
• 40:16
  death, or for banishment, or for confiscation of his goods, or
• 40:19
  for imprisonment. Interestingly.
• 40:24
  Artaxerxes highlights how Ezra possesses the wisdom of God in
• 40:28
  his hand. Did you see that in verse 25?
• 40:29
  It says here that he has the wisdom of God according to the
• 40:34
  wisdom of your God that is in your hand.
• 40:35
  That should remind us of what he said earlier in verse 14 when he
• 40:38
  highlighted the law of your God, which is in your hand.
• 40:45
  Artaxerxes understood that the law of God was an expression of
• 40:48
  the wisdom of God. I mean, he had that
• 40:51
  comprehension. And I think that's amazing.
• 40:53
  I think there is wisdom to be found in the Old Testament law.
• 41:00
  That's at least a nudge. It's no less true today.
• 41:04
  And if anything, this should be an encouragement for us to look
• 41:07
  at the mind of God in every. Portion of his word I mean you
• 41:10
  look at Psalm 119. What is the psalmist rehearsing
• 41:12
  rejoicing in the law, the law, the law he's not talking about
• 41:14
  Ephesians, right he's not talking about the gospel of
• 41:18
  John. We have the privilege of, you
• 41:20
  know, the completion of God's revelation, but the law even in
• 41:23
  the law. Yes, don't don't avoid those
• 41:26
  things. Seek God's mind principles in
• 41:30
  God's law even and you'll be wiser.
• 41:35
  But we we must move on. Look at verse 27.
• 41:37
  This is interesting because in the same chapter that introduces
• 41:41
  Ezra, we find them writing in the first person for the first
• 41:44
  time. Blessed be the Lord, the God of
• 41:49
  our fathers. So the letter is done.
• 41:51
  It's it ended at verse 26. Now Ezra speaking, blessed be
• 41:55
  the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as
• 41:58
  this into the heart of the king to beautify the House of the
• 42:02
  Lord that is in Jerusalem and who extended to me his steadfast
• 42:05
  love before the king and his counselors and before all the
• 42:08
  kings mighty officers. I took courage for the hand of
• 42:13
  the Lord. My God was on me, and I gathered
• 42:15
  leading men from Israel to go up with me.
• 42:20
  So this is strong evidence that Ezra is the author of the book
• 42:23
  of Ezra. He's writing in the first
• 42:26
  person. He is now giving his own
• 42:28
  commentary and he chooses to give it at this juncture of this
• 42:31
  account. I love it.
• 42:36
  The first time Ezra speaks in the first person in this book,
• 42:40
  he's praising God. And all that we know about him
• 42:44
  up to this point is that he studied the law.
• 42:46
  He did it, he taught it. I mean, he was immersed in the
• 42:49
  scriptures. He was a diligent scholar.
• 42:53
  He, he, he found this to be his ultimate treasure and delight.
• 42:57
  And then the first time he speaks in the form of writing,
• 43:00
  he is worshipping One of the ways, you know, the word of God
• 43:07
  is working in you. That is that it will lead you to
• 43:09
  worship. I know some people who have an
• 43:14
  incredible handling of the scriptures, but they're not
• 43:17
  worshippers. They just have big heads.
• 43:22
  But there isn't a tenderness about him, there isn't an
• 43:24
  excitement in them, there isn't a passion, there isn't a sense
• 43:28
  of song. It's just information stored up
• 43:31
  here. And they know how to argue and
• 43:33
  they know how to debate, and they know how to file these
• 43:35
  things and connect these truths. Ezra, He spent years looking
• 43:42
  into the word of God, and the first thing that we see about
• 43:44
  him when he starts speaking is praise.
• 43:49
  Enthralled. Moved.
• 43:52
  By who this God is. But more than that, we learn in
• 43:56
  verse 6 that all of this was a response to Ezra's request to
• 44:02
  the king, that he had the audacity and he had the boldness
• 44:06
  to say, I see. God's plan for His people, I
• 44:12
  want to play a part of it. And so he goes up to the king,
• 44:14
  and this is the result of it. And yet He gives God glory for
• 44:19
  all of it, so he glorifies God. There is human agency at play
• 44:25
  here, but He lets us know in the beginning of verse 27.
• 44:28
  Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a
• 44:32
  thing as this into the heart of the king.
• 44:36
  This wonderful marriage between our ability to do things in
• 44:42
  God's working sovereignly and providentially.
• 44:46
  And there's so much that we can unpack from Ezra's personal
• 44:49
  comments. I want to just leave you with
• 44:51
  one inspiring and hopeful insight.
• 44:55
  Think back to Artaxerxes attitude towards the things of
• 44:59
  God and the people of God. I mean, if you were to summarize
• 45:02
  it, it would simply be this. He respected God's appointed
• 45:05
  service servants in it and supported them.
• 45:09
  He didn't look down on the priest.
• 45:11
  He didn't look down on the Levites.
• 45:12
  He actually revered them to a certain extent.
• 45:15
  He acknowledged the God of Israel and His law being
• 45:19
  profitable and worthy to teach. He was generous and he was
• 45:24
  willing to invest and beautifying God's house.
• 45:29
  He recognized the value of worship and contributed to it in
• 45:32
  his own way. And he saw disobedience as a
• 45:36
  serious thing that he even put things into law for those who
• 45:41
  would choose to turn away from God's word.
• 45:47
  This is moving for a Gentile like Artaxerxes.
• 45:53
  And the question I have is how did these concerns and
• 45:57
  convictions captivate Artaxerxes heart?
• 46:00
  Ezra gives us the answer. God.
• 46:02
  Put him in there, God, put him in there.
• 46:10
  Do you believe you can put it in your heart?
• 46:14
  Think about it this way. If God was willing to deposit
• 46:17
  such things in the heart of a Pagan, how much more for the one
• 46:23
  who yearns for the Holy Spirit to rewire and realign?
• 46:30
  And inspire. Your heart of mine.
• 46:36
  Is he reluctant to do so? Is he hesitant to do so or is he
• 46:41
  willing to do so? Oh, he is more than willing, if
• 46:47
  God is willing to do such a thing in this.
• 46:51
  Kind of a heart. What about the one who longs for
• 46:55
  Christ? And longs for godliness and
• 47:00
  holiness to become a greater reality.
• 47:04
  He can listen. He can put it in your heart.
• 47:09
  If you think that's just too good to be true, if you think
• 47:12
  it's that simple, listen. It is more of a reality than you
• 47:17
  have imagined. So again, I'm sitting back and
• 47:21
  I'm meditating on New Testament examples of this.
• 47:23
  And there's a simple verse in Second Thessalonians in chapter
• 47:26
  3, in verse 5. It's a prayer that Paul prays
• 47:31
  for these believers. You know what he says?
• 47:34
  He says, may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God
• 47:40
  into the steadfastness of Christ.
• 47:44
  What does that mean? I'm praying that God would
• 47:47
  maneuver your heart and mold it and shape it and clean it so
• 47:55
  that it is more set on the love of God and on the steadfastness
• 48:00
  of Christ. People debate.
• 48:03
  Is Paul asking for their hearts to be more set on God's love for
• 48:07
  them or their love for God? What about both?
• 48:10
  Can he do both? He can do both.
• 48:16
  And what I want to say to you and me at the end of the study
• 48:19
  is, do not underestimate the power of coming before the Lord
• 48:22
  regularly and asking Him to place His will, His desires, His
• 48:28
  wisdom, and His affections in your heart.
• 48:34
  He's willing to do it. He won't give you a stone if you
• 48:37
  ask for bread. He won't give you a scorpion if
• 48:43
  you ask for a fish. And if you want more of the Holy
• 48:46
  Spirit, He's going to give you more of the Holy Spirit.
• 48:50
  Let's ask Him for it, shall we? We thank you, Lord, that yet
• 49:20
  again on another Friday night, You have convinced us that all
• 49:24
  Scripture is breathed out by God.
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  So much was said, so much was read, and we trust that as we've
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  done all that we can for this study, You will do abundantly
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  more than we can ask or imagine. And Lord, though many points
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  were made, we take that last one and we bring it before you as a
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  church. And we ask you, Lord, that if
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  you so worked in the heart of Arctic Xerxes to look favorably,
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  favorably upon the things of God and the people of God, though
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  limited in His own way, would you do more work in our hearts?
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  May you direct our hearts to the love of God for those in this
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  place, Lord, who struggle to believe that you cherish them
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  and that you care for them, and that you love them to the point
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  of dying for them, whatever obstacles stand in the way of
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  experiencing that love. We pray that you would use this
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  Bible study to shatter every light, to destroy every
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  hindrance, and for their understanding of who you are to
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  expand. So we pray that all unholy fear,
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  all ungodly dread, all terror and anxiety regarding judgement.
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  We pray that all that would wash away and we would realize that
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  the price Christ paid was far too great for us to live in such
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  a way. But convince us, Lord, our
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  hearts are deceitful and we fluctuate, so bring us to the
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  place where we are confident. And Lord, like Ezra, as a result
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  of studying Your Word, we now worship You.
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  We will now give you our voices and sing your praises.
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  Help us every single week to leave here with greater
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  adoration and love for you as a result of what we learn about
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  you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
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  Amen. All right, Church, let's stand
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  together and let's rejoice in our God.
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  Yeah.