Re-formed by the Word

Reformation Into

God moved the heart of Martin Luther in the 1500s through reading the Word.

And Protestantism began

God moved the heart of William Tyndale to translate the bible into English, which ultimately cost him his life, but led to the very Bible we read today.

The Bible is the center of every revival movement of the church as it is the kindling that starts the fire and the fuel that keeps it burning.

Reformation, or Re-formation, is at the center of Ezra’s ministry and chapter 7 introduces us to him.

nearly 60 years have past since the end of chapter 6

Ezra has brought another group back into Jerusalem.

He has made a request from the King and it is granted.

We get to read the words of the kind here.

The ministry of Ezra is a ministry ignited and fueled by the Word of God.

It formed him as it ought to form us.

How are we to be FORMED by the Word?

1) Be SHAPED by it.

Ezra 7:6 ESV

6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

We learn a couple things about Ezra in these first few verses.

He was a descendant of Aaron which means he was a priest, set aside by God as representative of God to the people and the people to God.

His family line isn’t important because it is prominent, it is actually full of some really shady characters, but we see God’s hand in calling and leading Ezra to reestablish the priesthood in Jerusalem.

We also learn that Ezra was a Scribe, which is both a political/official role in Persia, as well as a religious role.

The official role seems to be a higher place in King Artaxerxes’s cabinet.

This again points to God’s providence in putting this faithful, Godly man in a place of prominence in this powerful government.

A side note: the places and positions God gives you are not for you to take for granted, but to see as God’s providing an opportunity to be used by Him in a specific and potentially powerful way.

The Spiritual role was, as we see in the NT understanding of scribes, concerned with knowing and teaching the Law of Moses.

Over the years, Ezra had become “skilled in the Law” which seems to mean he had become extremely familiar with the Pentateuch (the 1st 5 books of the bible).

But the word “skilled” meant more than just knowing. Ezra was able to use the Word to guide himself and others.

It was shaping for his life and his worldview.

We see the effects of his devotion to the Word at the end of vs 6.

“the king granted him all he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.”

Ezra explicitly speaks about God’s favor and provision in his life here as well as in vv. 9, 28, 8:18, 22, 31.

6 times in 2 chapters shows a very important theme in Ezra, God was behind all that was going on in Ezra’s life.

There are 2 sides to the reason God’s favor was on Ezra:

Ezra was paying attention to God (knew His Word and what it meant for his life.)

1 John 5:14–15 ESV

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

Ezra knew God’s mission and He knew of God’s faithfulness because he knew who God was and how God works.

That is our goal in bible study, to know God more, to know ourselves more, and to know how to live with those pieces of understanding.

God was using Ezra’s faithfulness for His agenda

Ezra was being shaped by the Word for the purposes of God.

We often go to God with an agenda to get what we want.

The Word of God should shape our purposes in life as we understand more of who God is and what He is about.

Paul captures what it means to be shaped by the Word in Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2 ESV

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

To be shaped by the Word means that we are letting the truths of God renew our minds and transform our attitudes and actions.

We learn what this looked like in the life of Ezra in verse 10...

Ezra 7:10 ESV

10 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.

2) Be SETTLED in it.

“Set his heart” means that Ezra had determined/resolved in his heart to be a man of the Word.

He had made a decision at some point to be ABOUT the word.

Resolved means you make time for it, you see value in it...

Jonathan Edwards, one of the chief figures of the first great awakening, made 70 resolutions, many concerned with his engagement in the Words, as a young man that guided his life.

hundreds of people came to Christ because of his faithful ministry of the Word.

We will carve out time for the things we see value in.

hobbies

entertainment

family

exercise

eating

friends

There are 16 weeks left in 2020, let’s choose now to be resolved to carve out regular time to be in the Word.

Daily as an individual and with our family.

Weekly in this gathering and in some kind of community

As unique or special opportunities come around.

Psalm 37:3–6 CSB

3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act, 6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.

3) Be SATURATED in it.

Psalm 119:9–12 ESV

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!

Colossians 3:16 ESV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Like a marinated steak, we need to sit in the juices of the Word in order that we might know it, not just intellectually, but intimately.

Reading it- regularly setting aside time (devoting time) to reading/listening to the Word of God

Not just a devotional, but really reading the word

Bible reading plans

Consistent times

Studying it- going deeper, either by yourself or in community.

Study bible, commentary, web-based bible study tools, bible study material

There are all kinds of way to study

Topical, expositional, character, theological...

Meditate on it- dwell in a passage for a time

Think about what is being said, why it matters, how it relates to you, and how you should be different because of it.

Memorize it- hide the word in your heart.

Let certain passages seep into your mind so that you can fight doubt and unbelief, battle temptation and sin, and be reminded of the goodness and glory of God.

Matthew 4:4 ESV

4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

4) Be SUBMISSIVE to it.

James 1:22–25 ESV

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

This is not about following rule, it is about being conformed to Christ.

We become what we give ourselves over to and if we give ourselves to the Word we will progressively be conformed/re-formed by it.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

5) Be SENT by it.

We often think of the role of teaching as something for specific roles in the church.

People who have been trained or those who are really gifted to teach.

But biblically, teaching is a responsibility of all.

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Deuteronomy 6:6–8 ESV

6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Teach the Bible to you kids WHILE you discipline them or play a game with them.

Teach the Word to your spouse when you are frustrated or when you are goofing off.

Teach the Word to your coworkers when you hear their struggles or are helping them with their job.

2 Timothy 4:2 ESV

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Evangelism is teaching, parenting is teaching, there are so many areas of life where we need to see ourselves as teachers and our content must be the Word.

Let us ALL pray that the Word of God would ignite a movement of the Spirit amongst us that would bring re-formation into our families, our community, our schools, and all around us.

Be Shaped

Be Settled

Be Submissive

Be Sent