Living In The Tension Between Trusting God and Living By Facts
July 14, 2024 • Steve Marshall • Ezra 8
Is trusting God opposed to living by facts? In other words, should we always be practical Christians who are responsible and cautious, not prone to take risks, always sniffing out facts and figures and possibilities to do an analysis to determine success or failure before we move forward in faith? Or should we be bold, daring and entrepreneurial in our faith moving forward trusting God no matter what the facts and risks reveal? Or do we do both, live in the tension between trusting in God and the reality of facts?
In Ezra 8, Ezra finds himself stuck between faith and facts. He was leading a caravan of around 5000 men, women and children on a journey about 1000 miles to Jerusalem carrying, in today’s value, over $223 million worth of gold and silver. He knew that the long journey would be filled with evil thieves and gangs wanting to rob them of all they had. There were no police, no cell phones, no GPS, and no fast-food stops. Ezra could have asked King Artexerxes for “soldiers and horsemen to protect them against the hand of the enemy and from ambushes” but he did not ask. Ezra had looked at the facts and chose to move forward in faith declaring to the king that the “the hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him.” After making this proclamation to the king, Ezra determined that He needed to completely trust God and His promises, not the kings soldiers, to do otherwise would minimize God’s glory in the work He had called Ezra to accomplish.
How to live a life with God’s powerful hand of favor on you.
July 7, 2024 • Steve Marshall • Ezra 7
The king gave favor to Ezra because “the hand of the Lord was upon him.” Do you want to know with great certainty that God’s hand of favor is upon you like Ezra? The secret to Ezra’s spiritual success is found in Ezra 7:9-10. Ezra had set his heart to study God’s word, do God’s word and teach others God’s word. Ezra was committed to doing these three things and the result was that God’s hand of favor was upon him. Even today that is God’s three step process to live with God’s powerful hand of favor upon you – study God’s word, do it and teach it.
Is God Angry With You?
June 30, 2024 • Ezra 5
Does God get angry with believers? Well let’s figure this out. The New Testament says that we grieve God with our sin (Eph 4:30). The Holy Spirit convicts (rebukes) us of our sin (John 16:8). Some of our behaviors displease God (1 Thes. 4:1). We quench His Spirit with our sin (1 Thes. 5:19). We are disciplined by the Lord even physically for our sin (Heb 12:4-6). Eating the Lord's Supper without examining ourself for sin and repenting has lead to sickness and even death (1 Cor. 11:29-30). So, does God do this to us out of anger? No. We will never experience God’s condemning wrath or anger because every drop of His condemnation and wrath has been poured out on Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice, in our place, even as we continue to struggle in sin. Even when we grieve Him, quench the Spirit, and receive His discipline, displeasure and conviction because of our sin, He does this out of a zealous love for us. Our heavenly Father who is completely holy is reacting in disgust to our sin not to us. His reaction to our sin is in response to His love for us and His desire for us to fully enjoy Him though holy living. God is always for us and not against us (Rom. 8:31-32) and nothing can ever separate us from the love of Christ (Rom. 8:35-39). Christian, God is not angry with you but He clearly hates your sin and separates Himself from you when you sin resulting in great consequences of discipline to get you to stop sinning. That is His zealous love for you.
Worship Empowers Religious Liberty
June 23, 2024 • Steve Marshall • Ezra 4
When the culture around us or our government puts pressure on our conscience to conform, run to God and worship Him. This sounds simple but this is where the battle begins. Worshipping our Creator God clarifies our values and emboldens religious liberty. It reminds us of eternity and what is of utmost importance - our triune God. Worship reminds us that this is not our home and that Christ has come to secure our eternal home for us. Worshipping God renews our boldness and fight to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh conforming to the world. In Ezra 4, God's people failed to worship God and their values became like the world around them. Let our worship declare God’s transcendence, His authority over all things and our commitment to Him. Let our worship strengthen our fight against the world’s pressure on us to conform; the fight against the flesh’s call for us to indulge in it; and destroy the devil’s effort to distract us from following God (Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 10:3-4). Worship God and love your freedom to live out your Holy Spirit led conscience to the glory of God.
Do you live in the past or the present?
June 16, 2024 • Steve Marshall • Ezra 3
Do you live in the past? Do you find yourself reminiscing and longing for the “good ole days” or "what could have been" instead of being fully present in the now and finding joy in this present moment? If you find yourself living a life looking backwards to what once was you are discounting what God is doing in the present. Looking backwards will incapacitate God’s work in the present. God is doing a different, great, significant work today, don’t miss it looking back.
How will God Sustain Grace Community Church of Topsail - Ezra 2
June 9, 2024 • Steve Marshall • Ezra 2
The Story of God and His People is Never Finished
June 2, 2024 • Steve Marshall • Ezra 1
We are starting a new series in Ezra-Nehemiah. The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell the epic story of God’s people returning to their land from captivity. The story goes like this, God raises up Cyrus, a Pagan evil king, to supply what is necessary to lead the rebuilding of the House of God in Israel. God actually works in the evil heart of Cyrus to fulfill His holy purpose and plan (Ezra 1; Prov. 21:1). God wants us to embrace the truth that in His unwavering sovereign work He can use whoever He wills, to do whatever He wills, whenever He wills it, for the sake of His people. And God still does this in an incomprehensible number of ways today.
