Text: Ezra 10:1-5
Thesis: for the intercession of God's anointed can make the difference in what God will do to and through his people
I. Prayer Produces a Proper Assembly
-verse 1...while Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly
-prayer will cause God's people to gather around the altar for prayer
a. Unified Society...a very great assembly of men, women and children gathered together
b. Uncovered Sins...wept bitterly...they wept with the reality that they were sinning against God
II. Prayer Produces a Proper Answer
-verse 2...and Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam addressed Ezra: we have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this
-this prayer caused Shecaniah to confess the obvious sin of the people of God...they married pagan women
-God's law did not permit this type of marriage because they were from different nationalities...but because they professed a different faith
-Ezra's answer was not to hide their sins...but to confess that they have broken faith with God
III. Prayer Produces a Proper Agreement
-verse 3...therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my Lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law
-Shecaniah makes this agreement to free God's people from their sinfulness so that they could truly worship the Lord
-it was intersting that Shecaniah was the spokesman with this agreement...since his father married a pagan woman which would suggest that his mother was that woman...and if this agreement was met, then both his mother and he would have to leave
-sometimes the hard decisions are the ones that will free the people from the bondage of sin
IV. Prayer Produces a Proper Attitude
-verses 4& 5...suggest that Ezra displays the right attitude by not blasting the people for their sins...he instead prays for them
-when he looks up to heaven, they look up to heaven...his attitude was to pray...their attitude was to follow spiritual leadership
-prayer will cause sinners to follow leadership back to the feet of the Master
Showing posts with label Ezra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ezra. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
A Prayer For Revival
Text: Ezra 9:1-9
Thesis: whenever the people of God offer a sincere prayer for deliverance to God, God will always provide a powerful response to bring the dead back to life
I. God Will Never Desert Us
-verse 9...for we are slaves , yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery
-Ezra here celebrated the fact that God had delivered them from bondage to the Babylonians
-but he was distressed with the fact that although they were no longer slaves to Babylon, but now they were slaves to their sinfulness
-but in spite of their sins, God will never walk away from us
II. God Will Never Detest Us
-verse 9...but has extended to us his steadfast love before the Kings of Persia
-God did not show hatred towards Israel for their disobedience to them, but instead he gave them something they needed more...His love
-he did this before the Kings of Persia to tell them that although they allowed the children of Israel to return to Jerusalem, they were still under the control of the Lord
III. God Will Never Discard Us
-verse 9...to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins
-no matter how messed up we are, God will preserve us
-he preserves us so that we can do the Lord's work
a. Repair the House of God
b. Rebuild the Ruins
IV. God Will Never Endanger Us
-verse 9...and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem
-while the church is working to rebuild and repair the House of God, there will be no need to worry because the Lord will be our protector
-God will build a hedge of protection all around us
Thesis: whenever the people of God offer a sincere prayer for deliverance to God, God will always provide a powerful response to bring the dead back to life
I. God Will Never Desert Us
-verse 9...for we are slaves , yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery
-Ezra here celebrated the fact that God had delivered them from bondage to the Babylonians
-but he was distressed with the fact that although they were no longer slaves to Babylon, but now they were slaves to their sinfulness
-but in spite of their sins, God will never walk away from us
II. God Will Never Detest Us
-verse 9...but has extended to us his steadfast love before the Kings of Persia
-God did not show hatred towards Israel for their disobedience to them, but instead he gave them something they needed more...His love
-he did this before the Kings of Persia to tell them that although they allowed the children of Israel to return to Jerusalem, they were still under the control of the Lord
III. God Will Never Discard Us
-verse 9...to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins
-no matter how messed up we are, God will preserve us
-he preserves us so that we can do the Lord's work
a. Repair the House of God
b. Rebuild the Ruins
IV. God Will Never Endanger Us
-verse 9...and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem
-while the church is working to rebuild and repair the House of God, there will be no need to worry because the Lord will be our protector
-God will build a hedge of protection all around us
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
How To Handle A Problematic Predicament
Text: Ezra 8:15-20
Thesis: when faced with problems beyond our capabilities, God's anointing on our lives will lead us to victory
I. Recognize The Problem
-verse 15...I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days...as I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there non of the sons of Levi
-people deal with problems two ways...ignore the problem or attack the symptoms instead of the problem
a. not enough workers...Levites were called by God to assist the priests with the temple work and if there are no Levites, the priests would have to carry more of the load and take them away from primary responsibility
b. everyone was not on board...people were there to worship; priest were there to minister; but the Levites were not there to work
II. Respond With the Prescription
-verses 16-17 suggests that when faced with problems, there is a need to come up with right solutions
-solutions to problems are easy to come by, but the right solutions are difficult
-right solution was to send out for Levites
a. How he sent them...Ezra could have gone himself, but his responsibility was to seek, perform and teach God's will, by going out himself he would have taught them that he had to do everything for them to succeed
b. Who did he send...verse 16 says that 11 men were sent out...9 were called leading me or the most influential in the community...2 were called men of insight or intelligent men...God will use many different people to get his work done
c. They were sent with a plan...verse 17 says Ezra gave them very clear instructions...where to go, who to see and even what to say
III. Realize The Possibilities
-verses 18-20 suggests that we are to deal with problems by correctly identifying our successes
-he sends the 11 men to Casiphia, the place where the Levites lived, only 38 levites answered the call
-Ezra could have gotten angry but instead he thanked the Lord for putting his good hand on them
-and if the Lord only sent 38, then that was all that they needed
Thesis: when faced with problems beyond our capabilities, God's anointing on our lives will lead us to victory
I. Recognize The Problem
-verse 15...I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days...as I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there non of the sons of Levi
-people deal with problems two ways...ignore the problem or attack the symptoms instead of the problem
a. not enough workers...Levites were called by God to assist the priests with the temple work and if there are no Levites, the priests would have to carry more of the load and take them away from primary responsibility
b. everyone was not on board...people were there to worship; priest were there to minister; but the Levites were not there to work
II. Respond With the Prescription
-verses 16-17 suggests that when faced with problems, there is a need to come up with right solutions
-solutions to problems are easy to come by, but the right solutions are difficult
-right solution was to send out for Levites
a. How he sent them...Ezra could have gone himself, but his responsibility was to seek, perform and teach God's will, by going out himself he would have taught them that he had to do everything for them to succeed
b. Who did he send...verse 16 says that 11 men were sent out...9 were called leading me or the most influential in the community...2 were called men of insight or intelligent men...God will use many different people to get his work done
c. They were sent with a plan...verse 17 says Ezra gave them very clear instructions...where to go, who to see and even what to say
III. Realize The Possibilities
-verses 18-20 suggests that we are to deal with problems by correctly identifying our successes
-he sends the 11 men to Casiphia, the place where the Levites lived, only 38 levites answered the call
-Ezra could have gotten angry but instead he thanked the Lord for putting his good hand on them
-and if the Lord only sent 38, then that was all that they needed
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
They Finished The Temple
Text: Ezra 6:1-22
Thesis: we rejoice knowing that it is God's awesome power that has brought us to the point of finishing what we have started
Phil. 1:6...he that has begun a good work shall carry it to completion until the day of Jesus Christ
I. God Will Provide For His Work
a. God provided substantiation for the project (v. 1-3)
b. God provided support for the project (v. 4-5, 8)
II. God Will Progress His Work
-God's work will always get done no matter the opposition
a. God will fix our minds (v. 14)
b. God will further our mission (v. 14)
III. God Will Throw A Party to Celebrate His Work
a. Celebrate with a great praise (v. 16)
b. Celebrate with a great presentation (v. 17)
c. Celebrate with a great participation (v. 17) all 12 tribes made this sacrifice
Thesis: we rejoice knowing that it is God's awesome power that has brought us to the point of finishing what we have started
Phil. 1:6...he that has begun a good work shall carry it to completion until the day of Jesus Christ
I. God Will Provide For His Work
a. God provided substantiation for the project (v. 1-3)
b. God provided support for the project (v. 4-5, 8)
II. God Will Progress His Work
-God's work will always get done no matter the opposition
a. God will fix our minds (v. 14)
b. God will further our mission (v. 14)
III. God Will Throw A Party to Celebrate His Work
a. Celebrate with a great praise (v. 16)
b. Celebrate with a great presentation (v. 17)
c. Celebrate with a great participation (v. 17) all 12 tribes made this sacrifice
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Determination of a Devoted Church
Text: Ezra 5:1-17
Thesis: God's people must commit themselves to the completion of the work of God despite the challenges produced by their enemies
I. A Devoted Church Works Together
- if any church is going to successfully complete the work of the Lord it must be done by people who are willing to work together
a. Priests must be willing to work (v. 1) - Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Jews
b. People must be willing to work (v. 2) - Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to work on the building
II. A Devoted Church Withstands Turbulence
-after 15 years of inactivity between chapters 4 & 5, the Jews began working on the temple once again
-while they were inactive there was no opposition, but as soon as the work began again, opposition arose
-verses 3-4 Tattenai asks them who gave them permission to work on the temple and what are the names of them that are working
a. church that keeps working will endure trouble from their enemies
b. church with confidence in the watchful eye of the Lord will endure trouble
III. A Devoted Church Wants to Triumph
-verses 6-10 Tattenai writes a letter of rebuke to King Darius complaining about the work
-the Jews responded in verses 11-15 to their letter with their own letter with explaining that they are under orders by God through King Cyrus
-verse 16 they realize that they cannot celebrate until they complete the temple
Thesis: God's people must commit themselves to the completion of the work of God despite the challenges produced by their enemies
I. A Devoted Church Works Together
- if any church is going to successfully complete the work of the Lord it must be done by people who are willing to work together
a. Priests must be willing to work (v. 1) - Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Jews
b. People must be willing to work (v. 2) - Zerubbabel and Jeshua began to work on the building
II. A Devoted Church Withstands Turbulence
-after 15 years of inactivity between chapters 4 & 5, the Jews began working on the temple once again
-while they were inactive there was no opposition, but as soon as the work began again, opposition arose
-verses 3-4 Tattenai asks them who gave them permission to work on the temple and what are the names of them that are working
a. church that keeps working will endure trouble from their enemies
b. church with confidence in the watchful eye of the Lord will endure trouble
III. A Devoted Church Wants to Triumph
-verses 6-10 Tattenai writes a letter of rebuke to King Darius complaining about the work
-the Jews responded in verses 11-15 to their letter with their own letter with explaining that they are under orders by God through King Cyrus
-verse 16 they realize that they cannot celebrate until they complete the temple
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Dealing With Distractions
This past Lord's Day, was really a good day at the First Mount Zion Church. I have noticed the mood and atmosphere of the church change for the better, ever since I began our time in early morning prayer. It makes a statement to our church, when they walk into church before Sunday School, the first thing they saw was my wife Penny and I on our knees at the altar. I believe with everything in my heart, this is going to be the very thing that will jump-start our ministry as we head towards our new location.
Penny did her usually outstanding job teaching our Sunday School class on evangelism. I am amazed at her ability to take the scholarly aspects of the Word and make it palatable to people who have never been students of the scriptures. I am grateful to have such a partner in ministry like her. The truth is that she really wants to only be the First Lady, but because of need, she has to wear other hats. What I am truly thankful for is her spirit of cooperation to get our church moving in the right direction.
We continued our series on the book of Ezra, entitled Restoration and Rededication, with an exposition on chapter 4:1-5, which I tagged the message, Dealing With Distractions. The children of Israel came back into Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of God in his name, and they were faced with opposition from the inhabitants of the city in an attempt to distract them from the work.
Every church that belongs to Jesus Christ will face an attempt to distract them from doing the Lord's work by our common enemy, Satan. The church succeeds in doing the Lord's work is dependent upon standing up to the devil and finishing what we have started. Here is the sermon outline:
Text: Ezra 4:1-5
Thesis: we handle satanic distractions by our willingness to stand tall in the face of our enemy and finish what we started
I. Recognize Your Enemy's Description
-verse 1...now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin
-no way to effectively do the Lord's work until we recognize who our enemies are
II. Recognize Your Enemy's Deception
-verse 2...they approached Zerubbabel and the head of fathers' houses and said to them; let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do
-their offer of help was kind, but their motive was demonic
-must recognize that Satan is cunning in his attempts to gain our confidence only to hinder our ability to do God's work
III. Respond to Your Enemy With Strong Denial
-verse 3...but Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the heads of the fathers' houses said to them, you have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God
-when the enemy tries to deceive you, you must come back at him with a powerful rebuke
-God is looking for his people to fight off the advances of the devil with the power provided by the Holy Spirit
III. Recognize Your Enemy's Determination
-verses 4-5 says that even though the enemy was rebuked, they kept coming back to hinder the work
-we must realize that our enemies will not limit their attempts to just one...but they will keep trying to stop the agents of the Lord
-but the more determination they have, the more determined we must be because we have something they don't have...Jesus Christ...as long as we have Jesus he's more than enough
Penny did her usually outstanding job teaching our Sunday School class on evangelism. I am amazed at her ability to take the scholarly aspects of the Word and make it palatable to people who have never been students of the scriptures. I am grateful to have such a partner in ministry like her. The truth is that she really wants to only be the First Lady, but because of need, she has to wear other hats. What I am truly thankful for is her spirit of cooperation to get our church moving in the right direction.
We continued our series on the book of Ezra, entitled Restoration and Rededication, with an exposition on chapter 4:1-5, which I tagged the message, Dealing With Distractions. The children of Israel came back into Jerusalem to rebuild the temple of God in his name, and they were faced with opposition from the inhabitants of the city in an attempt to distract them from the work.
Every church that belongs to Jesus Christ will face an attempt to distract them from doing the Lord's work by our common enemy, Satan. The church succeeds in doing the Lord's work is dependent upon standing up to the devil and finishing what we have started. Here is the sermon outline:
Text: Ezra 4:1-5
Thesis: we handle satanic distractions by our willingness to stand tall in the face of our enemy and finish what we started
I. Recognize Your Enemy's Description
-verse 1...now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin
-no way to effectively do the Lord's work until we recognize who our enemies are
II. Recognize Your Enemy's Deception
-verse 2...they approached Zerubbabel and the head of fathers' houses and said to them; let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do
-their offer of help was kind, but their motive was demonic
-must recognize that Satan is cunning in his attempts to gain our confidence only to hinder our ability to do God's work
III. Respond to Your Enemy With Strong Denial
-verse 3...but Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the heads of the fathers' houses said to them, you have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God
-when the enemy tries to deceive you, you must come back at him with a powerful rebuke
-God is looking for his people to fight off the advances of the devil with the power provided by the Holy Spirit
III. Recognize Your Enemy's Determination
-verses 4-5 says that even though the enemy was rebuked, they kept coming back to hinder the work
-we must realize that our enemies will not limit their attempts to just one...but they will keep trying to stop the agents of the Lord
-but the more determination they have, the more determined we must be because we have something they don't have...Jesus Christ...as long as we have Jesus he's more than enough
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Doing A Good Work
Text: Ezra 3:8-13
Thesis: Whenever the people of God places their total focus on the fulfillment of the divine plan of God they we realize they are doing a good work
I. Wisdom of the Work
-verse 8...now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, they began to supervise the work of the house of the Lord
-the wisdom of the work is that as soon as the season permitted, they began the work on the foundation of the temple
-it is wise to begin God's work when the season permits because seasons can and will change
II. Weight of the Work
-verse 9...and Jeshua with is sons and his brothers and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers
-acknowledging the necessity is not enough, somebody needs to carry the weight of the workload
a. those who initiated the work...Jeshua, Kadmiel and the sons of Judah were supervisors...there must be leaders in every work project for the Lord
b. those who implemented the work...sons of Henadad and the Levites...there must be workers who follow the supervision of the leaders
III. Worship in the Work
-verse 10...and when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets and the Levites, the sons of Asaph with cymbals to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David King of Israel
-verses 1-7 tell us that worship must come before work...verses 8-13 tell us that we must worship while we are working
-jsut because the work begins doesn't mean everything will run smoothly...we need to worship while we work to keep our focus on the Lord
Why did they worship?
a. God is good...verse 11 they are repeating the refrain from Ps. 136...God is good for his steadfast love endures forever
-psalter writes this to encourage Israel to praise God for the wonderous works that nobody but God could have done
b. foundation is finished...verse 11...and all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord becasue the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid
-when the work is complete, praise God that he allowed you to finish what you have started
IV. Wonder of the Work
-verses 12-13...when the priests, Levites and the old men who had seen the first house, saw the foundation of the new house, they shouted with joy...so greatly that no one could differentiate the weeping from the shouting
-when we walk into our new house built for the Lord...the older saints who remember the first house, will weep and rejoice because they will be amazed at the things that God has done for us
Thesis: Whenever the people of God places their total focus on the fulfillment of the divine plan of God they we realize they are doing a good work
I. Wisdom of the Work
-verse 8...now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, they began to supervise the work of the house of the Lord
-the wisdom of the work is that as soon as the season permitted, they began the work on the foundation of the temple
-it is wise to begin God's work when the season permits because seasons can and will change
II. Weight of the Work
-verse 9...and Jeshua with is sons and his brothers and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers
-acknowledging the necessity is not enough, somebody needs to carry the weight of the workload
a. those who initiated the work...Jeshua, Kadmiel and the sons of Judah were supervisors...there must be leaders in every work project for the Lord
b. those who implemented the work...sons of Henadad and the Levites...there must be workers who follow the supervision of the leaders
III. Worship in the Work
-verse 10...and when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets and the Levites, the sons of Asaph with cymbals to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David King of Israel
-verses 1-7 tell us that worship must come before work...verses 8-13 tell us that we must worship while we are working
-jsut because the work begins doesn't mean everything will run smoothly...we need to worship while we work to keep our focus on the Lord
Why did they worship?
a. God is good...verse 11 they are repeating the refrain from Ps. 136...God is good for his steadfast love endures forever
-psalter writes this to encourage Israel to praise God for the wonderous works that nobody but God could have done
b. foundation is finished...verse 11...and all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord becasue the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid
-when the work is complete, praise God that he allowed you to finish what you have started
IV. Wonder of the Work
-verses 12-13...when the priests, Levites and the old men who had seen the first house, saw the foundation of the new house, they shouted with joy...so greatly that no one could differentiate the weeping from the shouting
-when we walk into our new house built for the Lord...the older saints who remember the first house, will weep and rejoice because they will be amazed at the things that God has done for us
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday Stuff
Worship yesterday at the First Mount Zion Church was one of the best times in praise to the Lord in a very long time. I do not attribute it to anything that I have done save our time in prayer before worship begins. A few weeks ago, I began something that I should have done a long time ago, I walk into the sanctuary before our Sunday School begins and I am at the altar in prayer, so that when the congregation walks in, the first thing that they see is their Pastor on his knees talking to the Lord. What I have discovered is that since I made this move, the spiritual atmosphere of our church has gone up tremendously.
We worshipped yesterday in a way that made the moment of preaching easier than it had been in a long time. Praise & Worship was off the chain! The moment of collective prayer was stirring and spirit-filled! God Be Praised!!!
Something outstanding happened before I preached, the Chairman of Trustee Ministry, John Rich, made an announcement that one of our members, Kareem Ali and his wife Josephine, prepared a dinner for our church in appreciation for the Pastor and First Lady for all of the hard work that we have done with the relocation project. I must admit, that I went in! Sometimes we as Pastors, who don't have a large congregation, feel somewhat unappreciated for work that you put in. I want to state up front, that nothing I do as a Pastor, is done for the approval of man, but rather for the glorification of God. But the human side of all of us would love for people to recognize our efforts to make things better for the church. And to receive an act of love from members really make me feel like things are starting to turn around for the better. I truly have only the Lord to thank for that.
We continued our series on the book of Ezra, with an exposition on chapter 3:8-13, which I labeled Doing A Good Work. For here are the returnees to Jerusalem, as they get back to the exact place where the first temple stood, and they built an altar so that they could worship God before the work began. They began the work on laying the foundation for the temple and in the process, they realized that what they were doing, was a good work for the Master. As our church prepares to relocate and restore a temple for the Lord, it is important for us to understand that whatever we are doing for the Master, it is a good work. I will post the outline tomorrow.
We worshipped yesterday in a way that made the moment of preaching easier than it had been in a long time. Praise & Worship was off the chain! The moment of collective prayer was stirring and spirit-filled! God Be Praised!!!
Something outstanding happened before I preached, the Chairman of Trustee Ministry, John Rich, made an announcement that one of our members, Kareem Ali and his wife Josephine, prepared a dinner for our church in appreciation for the Pastor and First Lady for all of the hard work that we have done with the relocation project. I must admit, that I went in! Sometimes we as Pastors, who don't have a large congregation, feel somewhat unappreciated for work that you put in. I want to state up front, that nothing I do as a Pastor, is done for the approval of man, but rather for the glorification of God. But the human side of all of us would love for people to recognize our efforts to make things better for the church. And to receive an act of love from members really make me feel like things are starting to turn around for the better. I truly have only the Lord to thank for that.
We continued our series on the book of Ezra, with an exposition on chapter 3:8-13, which I labeled Doing A Good Work. For here are the returnees to Jerusalem, as they get back to the exact place where the first temple stood, and they built an altar so that they could worship God before the work began. They began the work on laying the foundation for the temple and in the process, they realized that what they were doing, was a good work for the Master. As our church prepares to relocate and restore a temple for the Lord, it is important for us to understand that whatever we are doing for the Master, it is a good work. I will post the outline tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It Begins At The Altar
Text: Ezra 3:1-7
Thesis: our sincere and dedicated worship to God must always precede out intended work for God
I. Worship in the Face of Fear
-verse 3...they set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening
-fear of man should never restrict us from worshipping the Lord
a. contentious worship - verse 3...the fact that they decided to worship before they went to work angered the inhabitants of the land
b. continuous worship - verse 3...burnt offerings morning and evening
II. Worship That is Synchronized with Scritpture
-verse 4...and they kept the Feast of the Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule as each day required
-every aspect of our worship must walk in line with the Word of God
a. Instinctive Worship - verse 4...and they kept the Feast of the Booths as it is written
-they kept the feasts that had been passed down from generation to generation...there are some aspects of our worship that we perform by instinct
b. Intended Worship - verse 5...and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offerings to the Lord
-instinctive worship is not enough...we must be willing to go the extra mile and give more in our worship
III. Worship That Makes Preparation for Production
-verses 6 & 7...states that work did not begin until the worship ended
Thesis: our sincere and dedicated worship to God must always precede out intended work for God
I. Worship in the Face of Fear
-verse 3...they set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening
-fear of man should never restrict us from worshipping the Lord
a. contentious worship - verse 3...the fact that they decided to worship before they went to work angered the inhabitants of the land
b. continuous worship - verse 3...burnt offerings morning and evening
II. Worship That is Synchronized with Scritpture
-verse 4...and they kept the Feast of the Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule as each day required
-every aspect of our worship must walk in line with the Word of God
a. Instinctive Worship - verse 4...and they kept the Feast of the Booths as it is written
-they kept the feasts that had been passed down from generation to generation...there are some aspects of our worship that we perform by instinct
b. Intended Worship - verse 5...and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offerings to the Lord
-instinctive worship is not enough...we must be willing to go the extra mile and give more in our worship
III. Worship That Makes Preparation for Production
-verses 6 & 7...states that work did not begin until the worship ended
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Building God A Kingdom
Text: Ezra 2:1-70
Thesis: God will use people will many differences who express a willingness to work for Him to build Him a kingdom
I. Leaders Came To Work
-verse 2
II. Laymen Came To Work
-verses 3-35
III. Lord's Ministers Came To Work
-verses 36-58
a. Called Because of Lineage - verses 36-40...priests and Levites were born into position
b. Called Because of Labor - verses 41-42...singers, praisers and ushers were called to position because of their gifts
c. Called Because of Love - verses 43-58...Nethinims (dedicated temple servants) and children of Solomon servants were called because of grace
IV. Leftovers Came To Work
-verses 59-70...collection of characters who couldn't prove their lineage, but had a desire to work for the Master
On yesterday I was filling extremely stressed and a little down about this project and other ministry issues. Just when I was at a real low point, I was driving to our Baptist Ministers Conference and stopped at a red light behind a white delivery truck, that had printed on the back door words that lifted me up from what I was dealing with. On the door of this truck was written John 3:16, and as Pastor H.B. Charles said in a sermon on John 3:16, it has enough Gospel in their to save the whole world, and to lift up a bowed down head.
So to any of you in the world of blog have been feeling down and depressed about ministry and the church, just take one moment and remember that God loves you! Hey!!!! Just writing that is making me shout!!! God loves you!!!! He loves you enough that he gave you the very best that he had!!! Thank God for Jesus Christ!!!
Thesis: God will use people will many differences who express a willingness to work for Him to build Him a kingdom
I. Leaders Came To Work
-verse 2
II. Laymen Came To Work
-verses 3-35
III. Lord's Ministers Came To Work
-verses 36-58
a. Called Because of Lineage - verses 36-40...priests and Levites were born into position
b. Called Because of Labor - verses 41-42...singers, praisers and ushers were called to position because of their gifts
c. Called Because of Love - verses 43-58...Nethinims (dedicated temple servants) and children of Solomon servants were called because of grace
IV. Leftovers Came To Work
-verses 59-70...collection of characters who couldn't prove their lineage, but had a desire to work for the Master
On yesterday I was filling extremely stressed and a little down about this project and other ministry issues. Just when I was at a real low point, I was driving to our Baptist Ministers Conference and stopped at a red light behind a white delivery truck, that had printed on the back door words that lifted me up from what I was dealing with. On the door of this truck was written John 3:16, and as Pastor H.B. Charles said in a sermon on John 3:16, it has enough Gospel in their to save the whole world, and to lift up a bowed down head.
So to any of you in the world of blog have been feeling down and depressed about ministry and the church, just take one moment and remember that God loves you! Hey!!!! Just writing that is making me shout!!! God loves you!!!! He loves you enough that he gave you the very best that he had!!! Thank God for Jesus Christ!!!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A New Series
First of all, let me express to this great blogging community my prayer to the Lord that each and every one of you as well as your ministries and the churches that you Pastor, have a prosperous New Year. You all have been rich blessings to my life during this past year as we have become just like a family that helps each other through our rough periods and celebrate through our times of joy. What's really so amazing about the closeness of our family is the fact that we have become close despite never having actually met in person. I consider it an honor and a privilege to have you all call me brother (and son Momma V), you all have been a blessing to me and I pray that we will continue this fellowship, and hopefully one day real soon, have a down home family reunion.
As our church begins our transition of parting ways with Newark, our home for the entire 130 year history of our church, and head towards our new location in Montclair, I sought the face and voice of the Lord in prayer, asking him to direct me as to what to say to the congregation during this period of transition. The Lord led me to put an emphasis on the first half of 2009 on two words: Evangelism and Worship. And God led us to teach on evangelism and to preach on worship, in which the Lord directed me to begin a new series on the Old Testament book of Ezra, which I labeled the series: Restoration and Rededication.
This book is a wonderful narrative that chronicles the journey of the children of Israel from exile back into the holy city of Jerusalem, to restore the temple of God. The first 6 chapters tells of the call from God to the Persian King Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem and build God a house. Chapters 7-10 begins after a period of 50 years between chapters 6-7, when Ezra shows up to lead the Jews in rededicating their lives back to the worship of Yahweh.
I began this series today in our worship with an exposition on Ezra chapter 1 which I labeled The Road to Restoration. The bible declares that King Cyrus was stirred in his spirit by the Lord using him to fulfill the prophecy once given to Jeremiah. This is the same Cyrus, that was prophesied about in Isaiah as the one that the Lord would use to deliver the Jews from exile. Here God is using a pagan King to fulfill prophecy that Jeremiah spoke of in Jer. 29:10 which says that, thus saith the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. God is faithful to his word and to his covenant, and since he is faithful, then it is our job to have enough faith to trust that God is still leading his people back down the road to restoration. I will post the sermon outline tomorrow.
As our church begins our transition of parting ways with Newark, our home for the entire 130 year history of our church, and head towards our new location in Montclair, I sought the face and voice of the Lord in prayer, asking him to direct me as to what to say to the congregation during this period of transition. The Lord led me to put an emphasis on the first half of 2009 on two words: Evangelism and Worship. And God led us to teach on evangelism and to preach on worship, in which the Lord directed me to begin a new series on the Old Testament book of Ezra, which I labeled the series: Restoration and Rededication.
This book is a wonderful narrative that chronicles the journey of the children of Israel from exile back into the holy city of Jerusalem, to restore the temple of God. The first 6 chapters tells of the call from God to the Persian King Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem and build God a house. Chapters 7-10 begins after a period of 50 years between chapters 6-7, when Ezra shows up to lead the Jews in rededicating their lives back to the worship of Yahweh.
I began this series today in our worship with an exposition on Ezra chapter 1 which I labeled The Road to Restoration. The bible declares that King Cyrus was stirred in his spirit by the Lord using him to fulfill the prophecy once given to Jeremiah. This is the same Cyrus, that was prophesied about in Isaiah as the one that the Lord would use to deliver the Jews from exile. Here God is using a pagan King to fulfill prophecy that Jeremiah spoke of in Jer. 29:10 which says that, thus saith the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. God is faithful to his word and to his covenant, and since he is faithful, then it is our job to have enough faith to trust that God is still leading his people back down the road to restoration. I will post the sermon outline tomorrow.
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