LESSONS FROM EZRA

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. The proclamation was given for the Jews to return. Ezra 1:1-4
      1. Ezra was one of the approximately 50,000 Jews who
         returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple
         and restore their worship.
      2. Ezra was a priest and a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses.
         Ezra 7:6.
      3. He had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and
         do it. Ezra 7:10
   B. They traveled four months, facing many hardships and dangers.
      1. They were ashamed to ask for an escort from the king. Ezra
         8:22
      2. They could have had an escort but, instead, they chose to
         trust God to protect them on their journey.
   C. Ezra gave commandment to the Levites. Ezra 8:26-30
      1. Thus, the priests were entrusted with temple treasures:     
         gold, silver, and sacred vessels.
   D. We also have a trust as we march, not toward physical          
      Jerusalem, but toward the heavenly Jerusalem.

I. OUR TREASURES IDENTIFIED.
   A. These are blessings that come to all humanity. Heb 2:6-8a.     
      1. Our bodies are a blessing from God. 
         a. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:13-
            16
         b. We need to use our bodies, not for sin, but to glorify
            God. 1 Cor. 6:18-20       
      2. Our intelligence is a gift from God.
         a. We were made far above the animals. We can think,
            reason, believe, make choices, etc.
         b. Men often profess themselves to be wise, but become
            fools. Eph. 4:17-19
   B. Our soul is our most precious possession.
      1. This is the part that is made in the image of God. Gen.     
         1:26-27
      2. We are the offspring of God. Acts 17:28
      3. Man must learn to keep his place: God is the Creator; we are
         the created.
         a. "Am I in the place of God?" Gen. 30:2; 50:19
         b. Many today act as though they are in the place of God.
         c. For example, a professor at the UCLA Medical School
            asked his students this question: "Here is the family
            history: The father has syphilis. The mother has TB.
            They already have had four children. The first is blind.
            The second has died. The third is deaf. The fourth has
            TB. The mother is pregnant. The parents are willing to
            have an abortion if you decide they should. What do you
            think?"
            (1) Most of the students decided on abortion.
                "Congratulations," said the professor. "You have
                just murdered Beethoven!"
            (2) No one should put himself in the place of God and
                decide that a certain child should or should not     
                live.

II. THE GUARDIANSHIP REQUIRED OF US.  
   A. We need daily vigilance. Ezra 8:29
      1. Satan would rob our bodies of health; our intellects of
         wisdom, our consciences of peace, and our souls of the
         eternal reward.
      2. We need to guard against him. 1 Pet. 5:8-9
   B. We need to constantly entreat God for help. Ezra 8:23
      1. We need a daily pursuit of God and His ways - not as the
         rich fool who left God out of his life. Luke 12:16-21
      2. While attending a funeral at the Forest Lawn Mortuary in
         California, at the cemetery, I asked the mortician, "What   
         was the most expensive funeral you ever had here?" The
         mortician didn't have to search his memory. He said, "A man
         embittered at his ex-wife and children had left them almost
         nothing, but had provided bountifully for his own final,
         ostentatious farewell. He had assigned $200,000 (about a
         half-million in 1985 dollars). First, a bronze casket was
         bought for around $18,000, and a beautiful rose window was
         created for $25,000. But, after these and other             
         expenditures, the mortuary still had about $100,000. What   
         next? Their solution was orchids--one hundred thousand      
         dollars worth! And how many attended this $200,000          
         extravaganza? Exactly three!" (From Gil Beers in            
         Christianity Today, May 17, 1985, p. 12)
         a. What a foolish waste!
   C. We need to be courageous and steadfast in spite of             
      difficulties. Ezra 10:3,9 
      1. No doubt, it was exceeding difficult for them to put away
         their foreign wives, but it was necessary.
      2. No one appeals to one's heroic dimension (to conquer the
         difficult) better than Jesus Christ.
         a. Following Christ can be very difficult, but the one who
            endures will reap great rewards. Matt. 10:34-38 
         b. One of the most effective advertisements ever written
            appeared in a London newspaper earlier in this century.
            It read: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small
            wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness,
            constant danger, safe return doubtful." 
         c. The ad was written by Sir Ernest Shackleton, explorer
            of the South Pole. Regarding response, Shackleton said,
            "It seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were
            determined to accompany us." (From Illustrations
            Unlimited, by James S. Hewett, p. 130)
         d. Shackleton's ad appealed to the heroic nature which lies
            within each individual.
   D. We need to continue to teach our young people the way of God.
      Neh. 8:2-3,8
      1. Notice that the young people were included.
      2. We need to continually teach and train our young people to
         follow in the way of godliness, perfecting holiness in the  
         fear of God.
      3. Olga Silverstine, a family therapist, and author of the     
         book, The Courage to Raise Good Men, was asked by USA
         Today to comment on the O.J. Simpson situation. Dr.
         Silverstine said, "Men are expected to be brutal killers in 
         war and on the athletic field, but also to be loving        
         husbands and fathers. We overvalue the qualities we call    
         masculine, and undervalue the qualities we call feminine,   
         including empathy, caring, and feeling. She said, "Real     
         he-men are allowed only one emotion, anger, never fear and  
         never hurt, just anger. And the man taught from infancy to  
         be a winner at all costs in terms of sports, career, and    
         sexual conquests, cannot cope with losing, and he responds  
         with the only emotion he has, rage." (From Associated Press,
         6-24-94)

Concl.
   A. Someday we will be weighed in the balances of God's eternal
      truth.
      1. We will be judged by the Scripture in accord with our works.
   B. Let us be like those brave Jews who marched toward Jerusalem.
      1. Let us be like Ezra who determined in his heart to seek the
         Law of the Lord and do it.