Holiness in a Crumbled Culture - Evergreen Church Tulsa

Word and Transformation

December 3, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Nehemiah 8

Nehemiah now joins Ezra in leading the people of God toward restoration; and his account of revival connected to the Word of God is a recipe for facing the cultural challenges of the church in our own generation. A church moves from maintenance ministry to spiritual victory when God’s Word inspires certain transformations among the saints

Conviction and Repentance

November 26, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Ezra 9, Ezra 10:1–3

The final events of Ezra are sad, but hopeful. Despite the lessons of the exile, God’s people failed to give attention to the most basic requirements of His expectations. What can be done to recover? Then and now, the answer is the same…conviction and repentance.

Protection and Leadership

November 12, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Ezra 8:15–23, Ezra 8:31–32

The proper strategy for facing challenges is different for believers than for the world. Rather than being left to our own abilities, our victories result from a commitment that shapes all of life around the reality of the Sovereign God. Preparation BEFORE battle is the key!

Provision and Resolve

October 29, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Ezra 7:27, Ezra 7:28, Ezra 7:6–10

Sixty years passed from the stirring preaching of Haggai and Zechariah until the arrival of the second wave of returnees. The Temple is now built, but the people desperately need encouragement. Enter Ezra—a scribe descended from Aaron, he arrives to nurture the community in the ways and Word of God. Likewise, we must see the spiritual realities behind our circumstances.

Promise and Determination

October 22, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Ezra 6:14–16, Haggai 1

After sixteen depressing years with no expectation that life would ever get better, God offers Judah a fresh start. The first post-exilic prophet, Haggai, calls the people to stop and consider their lives so that the future is not limited by the realities of the past. If life has stopped paying dividends for you, consider investing your life in the work of God.

Opposition and Dilemma

October 15, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Ezra 4, Ezra 5:1–2

The intention of the Jews to rebuild their Temple and the city of Jerusalem quickly became known and it inspired heated animosity from the surrounding peoples. Opposition to God’s people succeeded for a time, but history ultimately unfolds according to divine plan. It is faith in the certainty of God’s purpose that sustains His people in hostile times.

Worship and Renewal

October 8, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Ezra 3

Ezra tells the story of the work, led by Zerubbabel, to rebuild the house of God. The project would take decades to complete, marked by both highs and lows. Only careful attention to the Word of God and the intentional practice of praise would bring them through. This survival strategy for God’s people remains unchanged even today.

Providence and Restoration

October 1, 2023 • Pastor Michael Gabbert • Ezra 1

It is easy today—far too easy—to settle into a comfortable, routine Christianity, where our souls no longer thirst for God “in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1). Hearts grow dull and our vision of God is gradually blurred. What we need (and what our culture needs) is personal, church, and national spiritual renewal. Where to begin?