The Life God Blesses
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A. Introduction
SLIDE 1 - C.H. Spurgeon (1 click)
ILLUSTRATION:
Anyone who has is familiar with church history would know this man, Charles Haden Spurgeon.
Spurgeon was a phenomenon of his day. Converted at age 16, preached his first message at age 17, and installed as the pastor of a small church in his home town the same year.
At age 19, his ability as a communicator were so unparalleled and his skill as a leader so pronounced, that he was called to the pastorate of London’s famed New Park Street Chapel in Southwark, the largest Baptist congregation in London at the time.
And at age 22, Spurgeon was the most popular preacher of the day, preaching to audiences of more than 10,000 people, who waited in their seats more than 30 minutes before the sermon to make sure they would have a seat.
At age 23 Spurgeon founded a Pastor’s College, and his fame only grew throughout his life.
TRANSITION
1. There are men and women of unusual ability scattered throughout the ages. Those who shine in areas of intellectual prowess, physical might, military geniuses, and men and women of unusual faith.
2. Even today, there are those people who seem to do no wrong, who have the Midas touch, everything they do seems to prosper, their life seems to be incredibly blessed of God, lacking no shades of gloom
3. Be it relationships, business, athletics, sing, speak, provide wise counsel, have all the friendships.
4. And we’re left sitting on the sidelines, warming the bench as it were, second rate participants, contributing little, feeling fortunate to just be on the team.
5. We look at these individuals and we wonder, “God, why can’t I be like them?” “Why can’t I have that kind of success? Why can’t I be used of you in that way?
6. Our passage this morning speaks of such a person. A man who was used of God in extraordinary ways. A man who was uniquely blessed of God so that he was able to accomplish the spectacular. The kind of man you would look at and say, “He’s got it made . . . he’s extraordinary . . . God is working on his behalf.”
SLIDE 2 - Ezra 7:1-10 (1 click)
Read Ezra 7:1-10 (5 min)
B. Proposition:
1. What should stand out from this text is the life of a man who was uniquely gifted, specially enabled for ministry; one who excelled in his field.
2. But we’re going to see that it is a life we can all live if we choose it.
3. We’re going to see that there is a Life that God Blesses, and it will be manifest in a person who possess 5 characteristics.
SLIDE 3 - 5 characteristics (1 click)
a) Has the right HERITAGE
b) Demonstrates the right ABILITY
c) Enabled by the right POWER
d) Motivated by the right PASSION
e) Dedicated to the right YOU
4. Yes, God is ultimately responsible for every success in life, and YES, it is only by his grace that any of us can accomplish anything for him, BUT, there are those instruments that God can use most effectively for his service, AND it is this kind of life that God blesses abundantly.
TRANSITION: Let’s look first at the characteristic of having the right Heritage
SLIDE 4 - The right Heritage (1 click)
II. You will have the right HERITAGE - #1
A. SETTING:
1. During the reign of Artaxerxes (7:1)
a) Son to Xerxes, known as Ahasuerus in the book of Esther, and so he is step-son to Queen Esther.
b) Punished with Babylonian captivity because of idolatry
c) Returned from exile
d) Build the temple - project that takes about 22 years from start to finish due to opposition from adversaries and disobedience
e) temple completed in chapter 6 and God gives the people joy
f) CH 7 picks up after 58 years have passed
g) Nothing is recorded for us in this book concerning the activities that transpired in Jerusalem during this time.
h) Rather, we are met with these words “NOW, after this . . .”
B. From the nation of Israel - SLIDE 4 - (1 click)
1. And these simple words, “Now after this . . ,” scream for attention, and draw one’s focus to divine activity.
2. The events in this book are like the mountain peaks in a landscape. They are the events that rise to the top to reinforce the theme of a narrative.
3. The THEME of Ezra is restoration, and as one moves through the book we see God’s deliberate activity of restoring his people.
4. And this restoration is not for people in general, but for a specific people, the nation of Israel; a nation whom God had given deliberate, unconditional promises.
5. We find in this book a God who is interested in resurrecting the dead bones, in breathing life into a desperate people, and in raising up a nation in direct response to his DIVINE PROMISES, made unconditionally to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
6. We find in this story a man named Ezra; a man who was part of the nation of Israel, and THUS uniquely positioned to receive God’s blessing.
C. From the line of Aaron - SLIDE 4 - (1 click)
1. But he was not only from the nation of Israel, he was from one of the most prominent lineages in Scripture, second only to the line of David.
2. He was a descendent of Aaron, the high priest.
3. Ezra’s identification with Aaron’s in this chapter elevates him to a prominent position in this book.
4. Immediately the readers would sit up in their chairs and read with a little more intention. Ezra’s identification with Aaron said, “Listen up, pay attention, something spectacular is about to happen.”
5. The OT makes a big deal about physical heritage.
6. God established real conditions on someone’s right to a certain position, it became one of the qualifying elements of someone’s ability to serve. No matter how spiritual a person was, they weren’t allowed to perform certain duties unless they could prove their legitimate heritage.
7. Ezra 2:62-63 - “and of the sons of the priests . . . these sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled.”
8. It didn’t matter how godly, or how dedicated a person was, they were disqualified from ministry unless they could prove their heritage.
9. Ezra was such a man with that heritage.
D. Application:
1. You may be asking, how does this apply to me? I’m not from the nation of Israel, I am not from the line of Aaron. Am I already disqualified from ministry.
2. The apostle Peter, speaking to a group of scattered Gentiles declares, “You are chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10
3. Heritage is important, God’s ability to bless you is contingent upon you being a part of his family.
4. The entry requirements for “Preferred status” in God’s kingdom first require a relationship with the KING; a relationship that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sin.
E. ILLUSTRATION
1. I was reading a news article on the internet at the beginning of this year and Jenna Bush was on a talk show promoting her new book.
2. The talk show host asked Jenna about the relationship she had with her parents and asked if she could call her dad anytime of the day.
3. She said, “of course” And with that, the talk show handed her a phone to prove it.
4. Jenna nervously picked up the phone and called the direct line to her dad’s office.
5. Without delay she was on the phone with the President of the United States because he is her dad.
6. She has Preferred status with the President, but we have Preferred status with the Lord of the Universe.
TRANSITION: HERITAGE is important, but it doesn’t stop there. In order to have a Life that God Blesses you must also demonstrate the right ABILITY
SLIDE 5 - The right Ability (1 click)
III. Demonstrate the right ABILITY - #2
A. Verse 6
1. “scribe, skilled in the Law of Moses”
2. There are two elements I want to concentrate on here. SCRIBE and SKILLED
B. SCRIBE (vs 6) - “teacher” SKILLED IN THE LAW - SLIDE 5 - (1 click)
1. Easy to pass over this word as just a title of a position and maybe even assign negative connotations to it because of our exposure to the NT.
2. BUT, Scribes in the OT do not have the same negative connotation as they do in the NT.
3. A scribe was a man of influence, wisdom and accomplishment.
4. It was like referring to someone as a scholar, or an expert in a given field.
5. AND the Hebrew word for SCRIBE is synonymous with being a TEACHER. The two went hand in hand. Verse 25 calls attention to the teaching ministry he would have in Jerusalem
6. It was something that he did with SKILL -
a) This word is only used 4 times in Scripture which underscores his unique ABILITY
b) A scribe’s job was complex à The Hebrew manuscript does not have vowels, so it was up to the scribe to remember how the words were pronounced, that pronunciation could change the whole meaning of a verse.
c) It was quite likely that Ezra memorized the first 5 books of the Bible.
d) It was his responsibility to ensure that the copies were accurate and that they were transmitted to the next generation accurately.
e) He would know the nuances of the grammar and could even tell you the number of times a specific word was used in a book.
7. And Ezra’s had distinguished himself to such a degree that king Artaxerxes refers to Ezra as “THE SCRIBE, THE PRIEST.” (7:11, 21)
8. He took this matter seriously and applied himself to the task with devotion.
C. Application
1. If you are a child of God this morning, God has given you a spiritual gift, one that is intended for his service. One that is intended to be employed with skill and diligence.
2. None of us would go to a physician who did not have license to practice? None of us would entrust ourselves to the care of a man who was reckless with his patients and had numerous malpractice suits against him?
3. As believers, we have the objective to rescue SOULS from the pit, not merely a life from physical ailment.
4. And we often treat our task with recklessness and disregard.
5. Folks, we must take God’s assignments for our lives seriously!
6. We must make worship, devotion, and ministry a priority BECAUSE that is what God has called us to do, and if we find that these areas are optional in our life, then we need to re-evaluate our priorities.
TRANSITION: BUT, however important the right HERITAGE and the right ABILITY might be, they are both useless without the RIGHT POWER.
#3 - Ezra was enabled by the right power.
SLIDE 6 - The right Power (1 click)
IV. Enabled by the right POWER - #3
A. Enabled his ministry (vs 6, 9) - SLIDE 6 - (1 click)
1. From every perspective Ezra was successful
a) He was born of the right stock
b) He was an expert in his field
c) He was prominent in Judaism
d) He was unsurpassed in education
e) He had influence with the king and gained all that he asked . . .
2. This would have been the perfect opportunity for Ezra to have said,
a) look at me . . .
b) look what I have done . . .
c) look at how influential I am . . .
d) look at what I have accomplished
3. But instead, Ezra is careful to identify the source of his SUCCESS, the origin of his ACCOMPLISHEMENTS.
4. Ezra’s unprecedented success came from the “hand of the Lord being upon him.” SLIDE 6 - (1 click)
5. vs 6b , 9 à “according to (because of) the good hand of the LORD his God was on him”
6. This phrase, found only in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah, highlights the unique gifting that comes from God for ministry.
7. It becomes the THEME of the next 2 chapters and becomes the motivation for Ezra’s decisions, Ezra’s worship, and Ezra’s life, spurring him on to richer faith.
B. APPLICATION
1. This is a subject that the apostle Paul is passionate about, and in Ephesians 1:19 we find him praying that the Church would comprehend the power that is available to them.
2. and I pray “that you may know . . . what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come . . .”
3. Can you grasp this power? Can we wrap our minds around the magnitude of this truth? Can you appreciate its grandeur?
4. The power of the Holy Spirit rests on you.
a) The same power that walked into a hopeless graveyard
b) That spoke with confidence, “Lazarus, come forth . . .”
c) Is the same power that rests on us
5. The POWER that seated Christ in the heavenlies and TRIUMPHED over every power in heaven and earth. That same power DWELLS IN YOU.
6. WE have this POWER, what are we doing with it?
a) WE find ourselves too timid to proclaim the gospel in our workplace
b) WE find ourselves too weak to try a new ministry
c) WE find ourselves too feeble to pray with conviction
d) When we could be TURNING the WORLD UPSIDEDOWN for GOD’S glory, we find ourselves content to just survive another week.
e) We take the PILE DRIVER of God’s might, capable of sinking the iron pillars used as the foundation of skyscrapers and we and we are satisfied with employing it to hammer nails into boards.
f) We have a powerful gift - Let us EMPLOY it with energy. Let us UNLESH it with MIGHT, Let us UNHARNESS its strength on the world.
TRANSITION: How you might ask? How do I tap in to the power of God and unleash its strength in my life? How can I allow “the hand of God to rest on me?”
And the answer to that question is found in verse 10.
#4 Ezra was motivated by the right PASSION.
SLIDE 7 - The right Passion (1 click)
V. Motivated by the right PASSION - vs 10
A. SET HIS HEART
1. There was something significant happening in Ezra’s heart that made all this possible.
2. And even though God was ultimately responsible for Ezra’s success, there was a connection between Ezra’s heart and God’s response.
3. There is a LIFE that GOD BLESSES and this life concentrates on certain habits.
4. Verse 10 begins with the word “because.” It is the purpose for God’s hand resting on his life
5. SET HIS HEART - Hiphil active, 3rd ms –indicates causative sense - there was inner determination, a purposefulness, this was deliberate activity with an intended end.
6. It was like cement that fixed him in a certain mindset. He was unwavering in his determination, and his foundation went deep into the soil to unshakable bedrock of his life.
7. Ezra developed a plan for success and he enacted with dedication and skill.
8. Ezra determined to make the Word of God the focus of his every action, it would impact three major areas of his life which would become the key that unlocked to door to God’s power
B. SET his heart to STUDY the Law of the LORD - SLIDE 7 - (1 click)
1. The NKJV uses the word “SEEK”
2. He was interested in searching it out and discovering its riches.
3. He was like a man on a constant treasure hunt, spurred on by discovery, searching God’s Word for its riches, longing to uncover its truths.
4. In order for him to be an expert in the Word, he needed to apply himself to study.
5. And he knew that understanding the Law of God was the avenue for knowing God Himself.
a) Moses - Exodus 33:11 “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” Moses found favor with God, he sought after God, he knew God, perhaps more intimately than any another man. What was the key to Moses’ intimacy? Exodus 33:13 “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”
6. APPLICATION:
a) How many of you have received one of those Publisher Clearing House packages in the mail, promising that if you follow the instructions, you’re entitled to 10 million dollars.
b) So we take out the instructions, we read the fine print, we find the right stamps, and place them on the card just the right way.
c) BUT when it comes to the Bible, we approach it with casual complacency.
d) It becomes an optional activity in our lives . . . “when we get around to it”
e) And when we do pick it up, we run through our reading in a hurried pace just to feel some sense of accomplishment.
f) This is not the spirit of a LIFE THAT GOD BLESSES.
g) Ps 1:2 - “Blessed is the man . . . who delights in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night.
C. SET his heart to OBEY the Law of the LORD - SLIDE 7 - (1 click)
1. Throughout Scripture, knowledge of God’s Word never stands alone, but is always coupled with obedience
2. But this obedience is always an outflow of relationship. Because obedience without devotion is just ritual, and ritual is detestable in God’s eyes.
3. In the OT, to know something is to experience it, or to practice it. The two elements go hand in hand.
4. To be an accomplished musician or athlete you must play.
a) The skills that were difficult early on in your development are now routine. They have become natural and basic to your game or to your music.
b) You no longer have to think “elbow down, hands together, eye on the ball, swing through.” Your body does it with skill and routine and now you can move to more technical elements of the sport.
5. Ezra is the epitome of the wise man who builds his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 - “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
6. Know what God says and do it. He was diligent to learn, but he was prompt to apply that learning directly to his life.
a) My guess is that everyone here this morning has more than sufficient knowledge to last them the rest of their life.
b) You know what God expects, you know what he demands, You just have to PRACTICE it in your life.
c) You have to submit yourself to God’s standard.
d) You have to believe that God’s way is the ONLY way.
e) Business - integrity in your work, working a full day
f) Private life - being vigorous against sin. Not making excuses for it. Seeing it the same way God sees it. Striving for purity of mind and heart.
g) Young people - purity in relationships
h) College students - integrity in your class- work
i) Adults - not being consumed by worry,
j) Parents - right response with your children, not provoking them to anger. Leading them into righteousness, instructing them
k) Spouse - fostering a loving relationship, building hedges,
l) Children - obeying parents, honoring them as God instructs, whether or not you feel they deserve it
D. SET his heart to TEACH the Law of the LORD - SLIDE 7 - (1 click)
1. Ezra was so passionate about the life changing effect of the Law of God on his life, that he purposed himself to instruct others.
2. Ladies: have you ever been excited at the amazing deals you’ve found at a particular garage sale?
3. Men: have you ever been amazed at the hole in one you shot on the golf course?
4. What do you do about that news? You share it.
5. And those who are truly impacted by God’s truth cannot help but instruct others.
6. And those who know God’s truth will be sought out by others.
7. This is a mandate for every believer not just those who are in leadership (teaching / preaching)
a) Parents to children - “train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”
b) Believer to believer - “stir one another up to love and good deeds.”
c) Older to younger - discipleship (one on one)
d) Every believer is commanded to make disciples . . . teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.
8. Every believer has this mandate.
9. Every believer has this privilege
TRANSITION: And now we come to our final point for this morning. The LIFE that GOD BLESSES
SLIDE 8- The right You (1 click)
VI. Dedicated to the right YOU - #5
A. A new life - SLIDE 8 - (1 click)
1. Must begin with a relationship with God
2. Don’t know Christ and you want a life that God blesses, then you must first have a relationship with him
3. Perhaps if God is not blessing your life it is because you do not have this relationship.
4. Not saying that to call your salvation into question, but to cause you to think
B. A transformed life - SLIDE 8 - (1 click)
1. What is our problem?
2. Why is the church in America so weak?
3. Why do we complain about the downgrade of morality in our culture when there is such compromise in our own lives? .
4. There are some of us who want to reduce God to the least common denominator. They want just enough of God to get to heaven, but just enough of the world to live a comfortable life.
5. We are happy with our complacency, we are satisfied with our spiritual mediocrity, the forms of religion, the good feelings, the happy thoughts, BUT we are not willing to endure the hard work required to experience GOD’S BEST.
6. Rather than look around and cast blame on others who are not doing their part, we must see ourselves as the PROBLEM. YOU are the problem! I am the PROBLEM with all that’s wrong in the church.
7. And we have the opportunity THIS MORNING to change all that, by first CHANGING our LIVES.
SLIDE 9 - Summary (1 click)
C. Results
1. The book of James talks about the results of such a life, and it perfectly summarizes what we’re talking about today.
2. James 1:25 - “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” NASB
3. BLESSED - makario" - “it denotes the transcendent happiness of a life beyond care / it refers overwhelmingly to the distinctive religious joy which accrues to man from his share in the salvation of the kingdom of God.” (TNDT)
SLIDE 9 - Summary points to Acronym “HAPPY” (1 click)