Shift -Sermon on Ezra 7
Brian Fletcher
Ezra 7:7-10; 27-28
Intro:
Here in Ezra 7 we finally get to see Ezra himself on the scene coming back to Jerusalem. At this particular point in history, God had chosen Ezra to bring the people back to the Scriptures. Ezra is going to lead a spiritual renewal through the study of God's Word and Worship.
What we see here are God's highest priorities for His people:
Word and Worship and having this foundation will guide the Israelites as they rebuild their country and society.
These are still God's highest priorities for us today. But some may ask, ''What about my family, my work, my friends, my neighbors and my community? There are some other really important things going on right now that we need to focus on that have nothing to do with the Bible and church.''
But what we need to understand is that only through the lens of Scripture will any of these relationships or issues be understood, make sense and effectively be resolved. It's God's Word that shows us how to love people compassionately, how to work diligently, how to show mercy and kindness to others, and how to have a positive impact on my community.
Read Passage
Intro: The Bible is Life's Instruction Manual?
So, let's take a look at 3 things we are to set our hearts on that we see exhibited in the life of Ezra. Remember, verse 10 says, ''For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach His statutes and rules in Israel.
1. Set your hearts to STUDY God's Word.
Every believer has a personal responsibility to learn and study their Bibles. For Ezra, this was his life calling, but the Scriptures are clear that regardless of our vocation, the study of God's Word is vitally important for all of us.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Joshua 1:8
I don't think this is new news for most of us in this room but I do think that we need to make a SHIFT in our thinking about studying the Bible. We tend to think that if we study th ...
Brian Fletcher
Ezra 7:7-10; 27-28
Intro:
Here in Ezra 7 we finally get to see Ezra himself on the scene coming back to Jerusalem. At this particular point in history, God had chosen Ezra to bring the people back to the Scriptures. Ezra is going to lead a spiritual renewal through the study of God's Word and Worship.
What we see here are God's highest priorities for His people:
Word and Worship and having this foundation will guide the Israelites as they rebuild their country and society.
These are still God's highest priorities for us today. But some may ask, ''What about my family, my work, my friends, my neighbors and my community? There are some other really important things going on right now that we need to focus on that have nothing to do with the Bible and church.''
But what we need to understand is that only through the lens of Scripture will any of these relationships or issues be understood, make sense and effectively be resolved. It's God's Word that shows us how to love people compassionately, how to work diligently, how to show mercy and kindness to others, and how to have a positive impact on my community.
Read Passage
Intro: The Bible is Life's Instruction Manual?
So, let's take a look at 3 things we are to set our hearts on that we see exhibited in the life of Ezra. Remember, verse 10 says, ''For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach His statutes and rules in Israel.
1. Set your hearts to STUDY God's Word.
Every believer has a personal responsibility to learn and study their Bibles. For Ezra, this was his life calling, but the Scriptures are clear that regardless of our vocation, the study of God's Word is vitally important for all of us.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Joshua 1:8
I don't think this is new news for most of us in this room but I do think that we need to make a SHIFT in our thinking about studying the Bible. We tend to think that if we study th ...
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