Ezra: The Sovereign God Desires Holiness

                Last week, we saw that God blesses those who seek Him and obey Him.  Things have been pretty great.  The Temple is rebuilt, God’s promises are secure, and Ezra has arrived with abundance!  Today, in our final study in Ezra, things take a turn for the worse.  

Ezra: The Sovereign God Blesses in Abundance

                Last week we saw that nothing will keep God from fulfilling His promises.  The Temple has been completed and the people are filled with joy as they worship the Lord.  This week, our study on Ezra takes a new turn.  We finally meet Ezra himself!  Here we find Ezra bringing a second group of returnees to Jerusalem.  Will God bless this group as He did the first?  Is there hope for this group of God’s people?

Ezra: The Sovereign God Keeps His Word

                Last week, we left off with the temple about to be completed.  God overcame the obstacles the Israelites faced when they took a step of faith.  Today, we will see a success story and we will witness God’s amazing faithfulness to His promises.

The Completion and Celebration

Read Ezra 6:13-22

                We have finally made it!  The Israelites have completed the Temple!  Is there hope for God’s people?  Yes!  The sovereign God has rescued His people from exile.  He has brought them home.  He has overcome all of their obstacles.  Verse 14 tells us why the Temple was finished.  It’s because God Himself decreed it.  There is hope for God’s people because God is sovereign and God is with them!

The Sovereign God Overcomes Obstacles

                Last week, God’s people had just returned from exile.  They returned to a ruined city and a broken temple.  They returned to a land with many old enemies who would love to take advantage of the vulnerable Israelites.  Will they be able to rebuild?  Will the enemies surrounding them cause trouble?  Is there hope for God’s people?

Ezra: The Sovereign God Over the Hearts of Men

Last week, we left off in a bad spot.  The Israelites had been carried off into exile.  Their city had been burned.  Their temple was ransacked and destroyed.  Their leaders were murdered and their king was in prison.  Their freedom was taken.  For seventy years they lived as slaves.  And a question was left lingering.  Is there any hope for God’s people?  That’s the question we will be asking every week and we’ll be seeing a fuller and fuller answer every week.

The King did WHAT!?

Read Ezra 1

                Does King Cyrus not strike you as crazy?  The Israelites are his slaves.  He owes them nothing and they are in a position where they owe him everything.  What does he do with them?  He frees them!  Even if that was all he did, it would be above and beyond what anyone would expect.  He is giving up over 50,000 slaves!  What a guy!

Is there hope for God's people?

The Ezra Project

As part of my studies at the Moody Theological Seminary, I have been doing an in depth literary study through the book of Ezra.  I’ve learned a lot and been convicted by God’s Word through this study.  As a result of that work, I’d like to share what I’ve gleaned with you.  Would you join me over the next five Tuesdays on this study?   You’ll be able to choose the depth of your involvement, but the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.  I’ll give you reading assignments, study questions, and homework that will help you apply the book of Ezra to your life.  Its up to you how deep you want to go.  If you choose to study along with me, please let me know in the comment section of the blog and please share what you are learning and any questions you have.  I look forward to doing this study with you!

Study, Do, Teach

I've been reading through Ezra for a class I'm taking and wanted to share some thoughts with you.  Ezra was a spiritual leader among God's people after they had returned from exile.  They had returned to a pretty ruined land and were in the process of rebuilding the city, the walls, the economy, the temple, and their relationship with God.  Ezra was used by God to lead the people in some of these areas, most important of which was their relationship with God.  Here is the verse that the whole book of Ezra is famous for and my thoughts on it.

 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. -- Ezra 7:10