In life - we are influenced by others & we influence others
Who are some people who’ve really influenced you the most in your life?
-I suppose, there are some who’ve influenced us for the worse
-& it’s good to recognize when that happens
-but, I’m thinking this morning, more about those good people
-who’ve influenced us for the good
-you might think of your parents, some teachers, some friends, great leaders
-even some historical people
-& hopefully, at the top of that list, though you’ve never met Him in person
-would be Jesus
There are other great men & women in the Bible that serve as great role models
-people who can & need to influence our lives
-people who are examples on how live for & serve God
Today, we’re to be introduced to a great man of God - Ezra
-who’s the author of our book - Ezra,
-which we’ve been studying
Ezra is the account of the people of God re-building the temple
-after they returned from Babylon
And, we’ve been applying this to our need to build & rebuild our own lives
-with the goal of building our lives to be like Jesus Christ
Ezra, is one of those men in the Bible, that we’d do real well to learn from
-he serves as one of those great role models of faith
-let’s look at his life & draw out some principles that would do us good
-to follow
First, Ezra had a godly heritage
Ezra 7:1-6
After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given.
Ezra - had a great heritage - he was a descendant of the original high priest
Aaron
-so, he came from a long distinguished line of priests
-which gave him special authority to be a priest himself
-you could say, due to his heritage - it was God’s calling on his life
-to be a priest
-heritage can be important
Now, there’s not much you can do about your own heritage
-but we all have one
-& many of us have a fairly good heritage
-specially you younger people who are here
-you are likely to be here with your parents
-& most of you because of your parents
-who raised you - encouraging you to follow the Lord
-bringing you to Sunday School, youth group, church, VBS - etc.
-maybe, you had family devotions,
-or biblical principles were discussed at times from day to day
-to form valuable life lessons in your home & with your family
-some of you have gone to the Christian school
-where interspersed with your teachings of math & English
-you were taught biblical principles
-many of you have a surprisingly rich Christian heritage
-you’ve had more opportunity to know God & biblical principles
-than most people throughout anytime in history
-if you don’t have much of a spiritual heritage handed down to you
-by your family
-then, recognize right now, the importance of doing that with your family
-if you have family
-or, if you’re blessed with children some day
-be impressed with your responsibility to give your children a spiritual heritage
God blesses us with our heritage
-& often, our heritage will privilege us to a certain calling by God
-when you have a godly heritage,
-then God will also hold you accountable some day for how you lived
-you see, you’re specially privileged to have a good start on life
-& it’s therefore, important that you live up to that calling
-we’ll see, Ezra does - live up the his calling to be the chief priest of Israel
But, to live up to our calling, it takes some serious devotion & dedication
Ezra 7:6b
He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given.
God has a special calling & mission for all our lives
-but we need to follow it
-& it takes getting to know God
What did it take for Ezra to become the Priest that he was?
Was it heritage alone? No! He needed devotion & dedication
-he needed to study
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
It takes devotion to realize God’s blessed call on your life
-there’s no simple, automatic download of God’s wisdom & knowledge
-you can’t just plug in a USB cord into the Bible
-& copy it’s files to your soul
-plain & simple, it takes devoted reading, study & contemplation
-on our own
-& in small group studies that God blesses us with through local churches
-it takes devoted effort on our part
-to realize God’s divine calling for our lives
So, Ezra, he was a man of:
1. Godly Heritage
2. Devoted Study of God’s Word
3. He was a leader
Ezra 7:6b-10
The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. 7 Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. 9 He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. 10 For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
You really sense, he rose to the calling of God to lead his people
-he led this large contingent back to Jerusalem
-& we’ll see in the final chapters, more about his leadership in Jerusalem
-this was God’s calling for his life - God’s mission
-to lead the people of God & lead them in the worship of God
-people had earlier gone to re-build the temple
-now, Ezra’s generation was to return with more of God’s people
-& continue on the building up of the nation in general - the people of God
-to further build the people in their faith
-to work with the people so that they might effectively worship God
-& as a result - I’m sure, God wanted them to be witness to the nations
And we can think of our calling & mission in life as being similar,
-to be a disciple, & to make disciples
-of Jesus Christ
-ultimately, it’s building God’s church - God’s people
-with everyone having special spiritual gifts to contribute
-everyone having a special calling & purpose from God to fulfill
-& to fit into God’s greater plan to make disciples of Jesus Christ
-& to fit into the Body of Christ - the Church
-& as we worship & give glory to God
-we too are a witness to the world
So, here are some things we can learn from Ezra - that would be very good for us
-to seek to follow
1. He followed His godly heritage
2. He was devoted to growing in His knowledge of God
3. He sought to fulfill his calling from God to lead God’s people
4. He diplomatically & strategically, shared God’s work with influential people
Look at how he had this great relationship with the king
-this was really key in making astounding progress in God’s kingdom
-somehow, Ezra, must have really impressed this king with his witness
-so much so, that the King was genuinely impressed by Ezra’s God
-this king realized that God was real
& needed to be feared, respected & followed & lived for!
God was the real deal
Read the letter that the King wrote in support of Ezra’s mission
-& as we read this, think about how this king must have had close contact
-with Ezra
-how Ezra, must have witnessed, to this otherwise pagan king
-how the king then grew in his appreciation & knowledge of God
-this took some devoted witness by Ezra to this very important
-probably difficult person to witness to
Ezra 7:11-26
This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the Lord for Israel:
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings,
To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven:
Greetings.
13 Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. 14 You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. 15 Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. 17 With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem. 18 You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. 19 Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. 20 And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury. 21 Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you— 22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit. 23 Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons? 24 You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God. 25 And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates — all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them. 26 Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
I’m quite sure, if I lived in this day - I’d have been afraid of this king
-I think it would have been very hard to talk to this king about God
-it would have been hard to talk to such a king about anything
“Oh, I’m just a simple person - I can’t approach someone like that!”
“He’s too important!
“He’s too powerful!
“He’s scary!
“Ah, he’d never want to hear about God - he’s too proud!”
-& it’s true - most of us we’re not in positions to talk to & witness to
-the great kings, presidents, governors - the movers & shakers of this world
-however, for some of us, God will put us in positions where we rub shoulders
-with “important people”
-some of us, will just have positions, where we have contact with leaders
-& important people - the VIPs of our society
-some of us will be leaders ourselves
-we have to be careful, to view these contacts as very strategic & used by God
Is it possible, that many of us, tend to focus on the poor & down trodden?
-of course, God loves these people & offers them a certain peace & healing
-power & strength of the soul & spirit
-it seems the lowest in life are more open to trust in God
-& Jesus is our great example of ministering to the poor & the “outcasts”
-but Jesus also sought to minister to the rich & influential
-the rich & influential are probably harder to reach
-& that’s maybe, why we more easily neglect them & are afraid of them
-& it’s less common for them to believe
-& God in fact, actually uses the worldly weak to make a point:
-as Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
So, God will use the weak to do great things,
-but, at times, He seems to use people who were influential to begin with
-as He wonderfully worked through this King in Ezra’s day
-praise the Lord for Ezra - who ministered & witnessed to this King
-to where the King really understood God
-& gave really all he could give, to support the work of God’s people
Realize the importance of reaching the influential
-reach the poor & troubled & worldly weak - as they’re hungry for Gods’ love
-but, may we strategically seek to reach the more difficult VIPs of this world
-those with influence & power
-God sometimes uses these people to really expand His kingdom
-what an open door for the people of God
-when as this king supported the whole mission
Ezra 7:27-28
Praise be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way 28 and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
Ezra’s a great man of faith & devotion whom we’d all do well to emulate
1. He had a godly heritage
-praise the Lord for our godly heritages if we have one
-& may we strive to give one to our children if we have them
2. He grew in his knowledge of God through dedicated & careful study
-we too, if we’re to realize God’s blessed call on our lives
-will need to devote ourselves to learning about God
-feeding from His Word
How are you doing with your quiet time of study & prayer?
3. Ezra sought to live out God’s call for his life
-it was a high calling - a calling of leadership
-a monumental position - an historical mission to rebuild the nation
-but, in the context of eternity
-don’t you think God has a calling & mission of great importance
-for all His followers?
-you too, have such a calling
-look to God to direct you to follow & fulfill His will in your life!
4. Ezra had a profound impact on the most important person alive
-in that civilization of that time - the King of the Persian Empire
-may we gain the courage to speak & witness to those important people
-that God gives us such occasion to do so
-speaking the Word of God courageously & fearlessly
Ezra’s a good role model for us!
May we seek to implement these same principles in our lives
-& may we learn more in the weeks to come
-as we finish our study of this great Old Testament book