LESSONS FROM EZRA
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. The proclamation was given for the Jews to return. Ezra 1:1-4
1. Ezra was one of the approximately 50,000 Jews who
returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple
and restore their worship.
2. Ezra was a priest and a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses.
Ezra 7:6.
3. He had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and
do it. Ezra 7:10
B. They traveled four months, facing many hardships and dangers.
1. They were ashamed to ask for an escort from the king. Ezra
8:22
2. They could have had an escort but, instead, they chose to
trust God to protect them on their journey.
C. Ezra gave commandment to the Levites. Ezra 8:26-30
1. Thus, the priests were entrusted with temple treasures:
gold, silver, and sacred vessels.
D. We also have a trust as we march, not toward physical
Jerusalem, but toward the heavenly Jerusalem.
I. OUR TREASURES IDENTIFIED.
A. These are blessings that come to all humanity. Heb 2:6-8a.
1. Our bodies are a blessing from God.
a. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13-
16
b. We need to use our bodies, not for sin, but to glorify
God. 1 Cor. 6:18-20
2. Our intelligence is a gift from God.
a. We were made far above the animals. We can think,
reason, believe, make choices, etc.
b. Men often profess themselves to be wise, but become
fools. Eph. 4:17-19
B. Our soul is our most precious possession.
1. This is the part that is made in the image of God. Gen.
1:26-27
2. We are the offspring of God. Acts 17:28
3. Man must learn to keep his place: God is the Creator; we are
the created.
a. "Am I in the place of God?" Gen. 30:2; 50:19
b. Many today act as though they are in the place of God.
c. For example, a professor at the UCLA Medical School
asked his students this question: "Here is the family
history: The father has syphilis. The mother has TB.
They already have had four children. The first is blind.
The second has died. The third is deaf. The fourth has
TB. The mother is pregnant. The parents are willing to
have an abortion if you decide they should. What do you
think?"
(1) Most of the students decided on abortion.
"Congratulations," said the professor. "You have
just murdered Beethoven!"
(2) No one should put himself in the place of God and
decide that a certain child should or should not
live.
II. THE GUARDIANSHIP REQUIRED OF US.
A. We need daily vigilance. Ezra 8:29
1. Satan would rob our bodies of health; our intellects of
wisdom, our consciences of peace, and our souls of the
eternal reward.
2. We need to guard against him. 1 Pet. 5:8-9
B. We need to constantly entreat God for help. Ezra 8:23
1. We need a daily pursuit of God and His ways - not as the
rich fool who left God out of his life. Luke 12:16-21
2. While attending a funeral at the Forest Lawn Mortuary in
California, at the cemetery, I asked the mortician, "What
was the most expensive funeral you ever had here?" The
mortician didn't have to search his memory. He said, "A man
embittered at his ex-wife and children had left them almost
nothing, but had provided bountifully for his own final,
ostentatious farewell. He had assigned $200,000 (about a
half-million in 1985 dollars). First, a bronze casket was
bought for around $18,000, and a beautiful rose window was
created for $25,000. But, after these and other
expenditures, the mortuary still had about $100,000. What
next? Their solution was orchids--one hundred thousand
dollars worth! And how many attended this $200,000
extravaganza? Exactly three!" (From Gil Beers in
Christianity Today, May 17, 1985, p. 12)
a. What a foolish waste!
C. We need to be courageous and steadfast in spite of
difficulties. Ezra 10:3,9
1. No doubt, it was exceeding difficult for them to put away
their foreign wives, but it was necessary.
2. No one appeals to one's heroic dimension (to conquer the
difficult) better than Jesus Christ.
a. Following Christ can be very difficult, but the one who
endures will reap great rewards. Matt. 10:34-38
b. One of the most effective advertisements ever written
appeared in a London newspaper earlier in this century.
It read: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small
wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness,
constant danger, safe return doubtful."
c. The ad was written by Sir Ernest Shackleton, explorer
of the South Pole. Regarding response, Shackleton said,
"It seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were
determined to accompany us." (From Illustrations
Unlimited, by James S. Hewett, p. 130)
d. Shackleton's ad appealed to the heroic nature which lies
within each individual.
D. We need to continue to teach our young people the way of God.
Neh. 8:2-3,8
1. Notice that the young people were included.
2. We need to continually teach and train our young people to
follow in the way of godliness, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God.
3. Olga Silverstine, a family therapist, and author of the
book, The Courage to Raise Good Men, was asked by USA
Today to comment on the O.J. Simpson situation. Dr.
Silverstine said, "Men are expected to be brutal killers in
war and on the athletic field, but also to be loving
husbands and fathers. We overvalue the qualities we call
masculine, and undervalue the qualities we call feminine,
including empathy, caring, and feeling. She said, "Real
he-men are allowed only one emotion, anger, never fear and
never hurt, just anger. And the man taught from infancy to
be a winner at all costs in terms of sports, career, and
sexual conquests, cannot cope with losing, and he responds
with the only emotion he has, rage." (From Associated Press,
6-24-94)
Concl.
A. Someday we will be weighed in the balances of God's eternal
truth.
1. We will be judged by the Scripture in accord with our works.
B. Let us be like those brave Jews who marched toward Jerusalem.
1. Let us be like Ezra who determined in his heart to seek the
Law of the Lord and do it.