Destination Church Spokane Podcast

Ezra has come to teach God's people God's ways, to help them align their lives to the heart and word of God. When he discovers that they are straying so badly into sin, he is understandably devastated. He becomes an example to them though, of how to repent, and they way he identifies with them in their sin points us all to Jesus, the one who ultimately has taken our sin upon Himself. These keys help us address sin in our own lives as well, reminding us that there is hope after sin! Take a knee. Take responsibility. Then take action. God gives us all the grace we need to turn our minds, hearts, and actions back toward Him in beautiful repentance.

Is God a racist? If He's not, then why would He oppose the interracial marriage we find in Ezra Chapter 9? Why would Ezra react so strongly when he discovers that His people are marrying outside of the people of Israel? It's true that one of the biggest decisions of life is who to spend it with in marriage, so what does God ask of us in making this important choice? It's actually not about color of their skin, their DNA, or their family history; its about the heart. Apart from Jesus, every one of us finds our heart swamped with sin of various kinds, but the same God who extends grace to the Jewish people in Ezra's time extends heart-transforming grace to us today. The gospel is good news for our sexuality and good news for our marriages!

When Ezra arrives on the scene in Jerusalem after a long and dangerous journey, he and the many who came with him took three days to rest. Before delivering the money and resource they were carrying to the temple, before sacrificing, before diving in to their important work, they rested. Rest was a very important priority in Jesus' life and ministry as well, not only to recharge but also to hear freshly from His father. We too are learning to rest in God's presence, provision, and goodness. 

Speaking words of great faith is often much easier than taking the actual steps of great faith! Believing in general terms that God guards His people and helps us in what He has commissioned us to do is right and good. Walking forward into seemingly dangerous, faith-testing adventures can still humble the most confident of hearts. When Ezra is preparing to return to Jerusalem, he makes bold statements about God to the king, to the degree that he is now ashamed to then ask for an armed escort as he transports significant financial resources. The road ahead will be dangerous; what an opportunity to seek God!

It's been said, "We have no control over our ancestors, but we do have influence for our descendants." With that in mind, what kind of legacy would you like to leave for those who follow in your footsteps? In Ezra 8:1-20 we find Ezra recruiting Levites to return to Jerusalem, Levites whose ancestors had served the house of God, and now it's their turn. Ezra's own heart had been stirred by God, and now he is stirring up the hearts of others. What longings and stirrings is God stirring in our hearts today? The longing to know God as Father? The longing to be known by our Father God, and to know His delight over us? The longing for significance? Just as God knew the names of each and every returning exile, God knows us too, inside and out, and as we follow His ways, He's the one who is helping to shape the legacy we will leave.

God's heart for us as His people is revealed through the King of Persia in Ezra 7:11-28 as God moves this king to show great favor. God's sovereign will and purpose inspires a king, who releases a mission, which enables a leader to mobilize a people. May we too learn to think like favored ambassadors and favored sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father! As we imitate our Father we too become releasers of great blessing, provision, direction, justice, courage, and strength.

God's plan is so much bigger than us! While we've been building, God has been preparing others in other places. He knows just the right time to join our stories together, insiders and outsiders merging to write new chapters together. Different gifts are all coming to reinforce and participate together. God knows how to weave our stories together, and has been preparing help for all of us so that we become mature disciples of Jesus together.

God's people had waited many years for the work on the temple to finally be completed. Now that it is finished they celebrate, joyfully dedicating the temple and then by remembering the Passover. They rejoiced because they could now freshly experience a measure of God's presence. The same God who had commissioned them to build the temple, who rescued them from captivity, and who wanted to be present in their lives then is even more fully available to us today. What great reason we have for joy and celebration in our own lives, not only in our victories but also in our waiting.

In Ezra Chapter 5 we find God's people building the temple diligently and successfully. They are using new materials, yet still building on the same foundation as the first temple in Jerusalem, so what they are building is new and also not new. As they build with God at the center, they may still face opposition, but we see God turning the tide on behalf of His people. Yes, opposition will rise up against what God is building but the God who causes the tides of history to change can bring great favor, even from the opposition. God knows how to provide, how to bless, and how to follow through on His promises!

What happens when God's prophetic commission on our lives sits dormant? Sometimes, for various reasons, we can become stuck, stalled, or distracted. In times like this God is faithful to send a fresh reminder, a prophetic voice to call us back to His purpose in our lives. God's prophetic gifts to the church reinforce His purpose and remind us of the bigger picture. It is truly important for us to receive from these trusted gifts within our own church and people who we actually know. God protective eye is always on the faithful obedience of His people, and He will lead us into great trust, enabling us to adjust our lives to His prophetic purpose.

When we set out to build what God has commissioned we will face increased temptation and opposition. In Ezra 4 we are given insight into multiple enemy tactics so that we can be aware and better prepared. Attempts to dilute and infiltrate our work should not be shocking to us, temptations to compromise on core-level issues, to appease an ungodly culture, with the goal of allowing that culture to affect our worship and how we build. He'll also try to discourage us from building at all, even accusing and attacking our character, trying to convince us we have been disqualified from doing God's work. However, the deceptive work of our enemy cannot ultimately prevail over God's plan and purpose. Our history is not what defines us; God does that, superseding both our sin and our history. God is with us, and His hand of strength and favor is with us, so we can face any setbacks, delays, and opposition with the strength He provides!

When God is building something new, it is often both exciting and challenging for those involved. Those who remember "the good old days" may even experience real grief in comparing the small beginnings now with the glories of yesterday. God is masterful at building us into community, where there is room for all of our very real emotions. Even while the work God has assigned us remains before us, we can praise Him in the journey because He is truly faithful. We are rallying together, remembering what God has done, and celebrating what He is doing now with us.

In Ezra 3 the Jewish people have come home with a prophetic commission. After settling into their homes, they are now gathered as one to Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Shelters, and to build the altar of sacrifice. Here they will consecrate themselves as they remember God's rescue and God's blessing. Today God calls us to partner with Him and build as one people, a people who celebrate the one final sacrifice, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We remember that it is He who builds His church, and we who have the privilege of partnering in agreement with His will for it and for us. We too are a rescued and blessed people, offering our lives as grateful, living sacrifices.

We as the people of God are a culturally diverse people joined together in common purpose despite our differences. In Ezra 2 many peoples are gathering together from different families, backgrounds, towns of origin, roles, social status, and amounts of wealth. No matter who we are and what our roles may be, our lineage is secure in in Jesus. From that position of security we are enabled to freely give what has been entrusted to us, wholeheartedly and sacrificially, prioritizing our lives together according to His word.

Have you ever had your heart moved? Have you had a passion, a dream, or a vision for the future? The Spirit of God works in our hearts and stirs up these things. Before we were even born God had a plan and a calling for us, and He still does. Through good and bad, nations rising and falling, and everything in between, God is working out His goodness and mercy for His people. God is drawing us together, and is working through us to build His house. We are called, not just to gather, but to gather to God's presence and purpose, to respond to His sovereign plan.

Every time we receive the bread and cup of communion together, we are brought right into God's Big Story. We remember and proclaim the sacrifice of Jesus that covers our shame, takes our place of judgment, seals us into his New Covenant of grace, unites us as one people, and promises us eternal life in Christ. Paul really wants the Corinthian church to understand the importance of relational unity and togetherness we experience through communion. It's not so much about 'me and Jesus' as it is about 'we and Jesus'! The way we welcome and esteem one another is a vital part of receiving communion; so is freshly surrendering to Jesus as we remember his sacrificial death that has made us free.

The resurrection of Jesus, Paul claims, is a strong foundation on which we can plant our feet and take our stand of faith. This good news is bringing salvation to us, and is worth holding onto! Since Jesus has been raised, we are freed from our sins; we will ourselves be resurrected to new life; and God gives us victory over both sin and death through Christ! What excellent news! It means that we can establish our lives in this wonderful truth, knowing our faith and our labor is not in vain.

Is Paul just being selfish in a passive-aggressive way in 1 Corinthians 9? Is he trying to demand his rights from a church that hasn't taken good care of him? No, instead he's teaching them about how to live, not just for their "rights" in the gospel, but as servants of Christ. If Paul could choose to make tents to earn a living rather than demand compensation for his preaching in Corinth, they too could learn how to live for the benefit of others. Still true today, we can mature as followers of Jesus, focusing more on the success of others than on our own rights. With this thinking, together we will see the gospel advance locally and globally. The best reward has always been Jesus Himself, and seeing lives genuinely transformed by Him!

It may seem like a shocking statement, but judgment within the church isn't actually our problem; the real problem is often the lack of it. We're not talking about a condemning, self-righteous judgment, but the wise and just judgment of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul emphasizes that we really need good and wise judges to resolve issues in the church, and he has some good advice on how we should go about this in a way that is merciful yet firm. God Himself has proclaimed His gracious judgment over the church, affirming that we have been washed, sanctified, justified, no longer sinners but saints. Whatever issues and conflict we face within the church we take on together from this place of security, partnered with God and His wise judgment.

It's good to be able to teach well and discuss complex topics that are in the Bible, but understanding God's Word and living life as Christians is not something we can do by ourselves. In 1 Corinthians Paul teaches that The Holy Spirit guides the Church and provides wisdom and courage that can only come from God. We as the body of Christ are called to be reliant on The Spirit in how we conduct our lives, in action and in speech.