Humility To Lead

Celebration

Revelation

Message

1. Humility, Fasting, and the Character of God - 8:21-23

V. 21 - We see as Ezra is bringing those back who would return to Jerusalem, him stop and proclaim a fast that they might journey safely

What we have to understand - 900 miles and roughly 4 months (there is a “shorter route of only 520 miles but this wasn’t a route you would take with a caravan of people)

V. 22 - Ezra explains why he does this. He doesn’t do this out of some sense of superior spirituality, he does it out of shame! Shame because he was too afraid to ask the king for soldiers to protect them along the way.

That should be crazy to us right? We have seen all throughout Ezra how God has used Kings to provide over and beyond what the people could have asked for on their own, and yet, we see that Ezra, though a prophet, was still a regular guy

A guy too afraid to ask the king for “just a bit more”

So he proclaims a fast. And here is what is important about this for us. Some of us somehow think that you can only do “spiritual things” when you feel “spiritual”

Like you can only pray when you just feel like you are already in heaven itself floating on a cloud

Or you can only read your bible if you feel like you are just emanating light because of how just holy you are

Ezra opens up this discussion that I get a chance to be really honest with you about.

As a Pastor, who’s job it is to read the bible and pray and understand spiritual things....

I would say MOST of the time, as in over 50% of the time that I am reading the bible or praying or whatever spiritual thing you want to think about,

Most of the time I don’t really FEEL like it and don’t feel like I got a lot out of it

Right and I try but sometimes I read and its just like.....I still feel the same.

And as....dirty, almost or wrong as that feels how do I know its okay to do that?

V. 23 - Going to the LORD in the midst of shame because he was too afraid to ask, we now get a glimpse into the character of God. Because “he was receptive to our prayer”

Wait so you’re telling me that God hears prayers even when I don’t feel any different after I pray??

YES!

Part of humbling yourself before God is a recognition that YOU NEED HELP.

Sometimes that help is in the most basic form,

Sometimes that help is “God help me to feel joyful about this again” “help me to desire good things again”

Listen, you’re not less spiritual for not having these types of feelings! That’s apart of the fact that you’re still human. Now what often separates those we would consider “spiritual” (I would argue “more spiritually mature”) is something we see the Psalmist do when faced with negative feelings or the absence of positive ones..

Psalm 42:5-6

Psalm 42:5–6 CSB

5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God. 6 I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

The Psalmist is commanding his soul to feel the ways he knows it should.

Sometimes, sometimes, what you know to be true must override and even command what you feel to be true.

That’s honestly part of the reason I would say God gave us His Word in written form, to learn it not just feel it.

2. Articles, People, and the Calling of God - 8:24-30

V. 24-27 - After the fast is proclaimed, Ezra selects 24 men to take charge of the articles provided by the king for the purpose of the building of the temple and for its operations

Ezra weighs out all of the gold and silver and other articles so that they know what they are taking possession of

V. 28 - 30 - Ezra then proclaims to them that the articles that have been measured out that they have been placed in charged over are holy (that is to be set apart for the purposes of the LORD) and that they themselves are to be set apart in the calling of God upon them

Lastly we see that they “took charge” of the articles....now the word used there for take charge is really being used in this sense that they were receiving willingly something offered to them

This is not them taking command but rather the calling and giving of God to them to manage and steward the things He alone has given to them for the purpose of His kingdom

3. Journeys, Destinations, and the Care of God - 8:31-36

Preparation

Christmas gift cards

Bible Basics Class (2021)