The NXR Podcast - THE SERMON - Confidence Renews： A Tale of Two Letters ｜ Ezra 5_6-17

00:00:00.000 Good morning, everyone. As Joel said, my name is Connor, and we have a longer text today,

00:00:07.340 so we're just going to dive right in. If you have a Bible or a copy of the notes in front

00:00:11.800 of you, please direct your attention to the text at hand. This week's text is Ezra chapter

00:00:17.200 5, verses 6 through 17. Once more, Ezra chapter 5, verses 6 through 17. And as is our tradition

00:00:25.660 here at Covenant Bible Church, would you stand with me for the reading of God's Word?

00:00:28.620 I'll read the text in its entirety and then once I conclude doing so I will say this is the word

00:00:35.360 of the Lord and I'll ask that we respond by saying thanks be to God so once more our text for this

00:00:41.560 morning is Ezra chapter 5 verses 6 through 17 the word of the Lord says this this is a copy of the

00:00:50.640 letter that Tatanai the governor of the province beyond the river and Shethar Bozanai and his

00:00:55.360 associates, the governors who were in the province beyond the river, sent to Darius the king. They

00:01:00.940 sent him a report in which was written as follows, to Darius the king, all peace. Be it known to the

00:01:07.400 king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with

00:01:12.540 huge stones and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their

00:01:19.180 hands. Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus, who gave you a decree to build this

00:01:24.900 house and to finish this structure. We also asked them their names for your information, that we

00:01:30.420 might write down the names of their leaders. And this was their reply to us. We are the servants

00:01:35.840 of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago,

00:01:41.160 which a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our fathers had angered the God of

00:01:46.820 heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this 0.98

00:01:52.440 house and carried away the people to Babylonia. However, in the first year of Cyrus, king of 0.98

00:01:57.820 Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt. And the gold and

00:02:03.660 silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that 0.88

00:02:07.940 was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the

00:02:13.640 temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazar, whom he had made

00:02:19.240 governor. And he said to him, take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem

00:02:24.900 and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site. Then this Sheshbazar came and laid the foundations 0.99

00:02:31.240 of the house of God that is in Jerusalem. And from that time until now, it has been in rebuilding 0.96

00:02:36.420 and it is not yet finished. Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal

00:02:41.820 archives there in Babylon to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding

00:02:47.460 of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the King send us his pleasure in this matter. This

00:02:53.520 is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated and join me now as I pray.

00:03:01.880 Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that as Pastor Joel just spoke about, Lord,

00:03:07.000 that our worship is a covenant renewal service. I pray that through preaching this text to Lord,

00:03:12.040 and we pray that you would help your people to see the covenant renewed, especially as you did

00:03:16.620 so to the exiles in this text. Let fresh grace be seen here, Lord, that you may be seen and trusted

00:03:23.220 and glorified in every aspect of our worship. Be with me. Help me to preach boldly and proclaim

00:03:29.080 the truth of God to these people. And let us all be sanctified in the grace and truth of your son,

00:03:34.840 Jesus Christ. It's in his name that we pray. Amen. So today's sermon is entitled Confidence

00:03:40.960 renews a tale of two letters. Once more confidence renews a tale of two letters. This title is

00:03:49.360 fitting because over the last two chapters in the book of Ezra, chapters 4 and 5, we have seen now

00:03:55.800 two letters written by the peoples of the lands in attempts to disrupt the work of rebuilding the

00:04:01.820 temple in Jerusalem. The first, which took place in Ezra chapter 4, was written by Bishlam,

00:04:08.100 Mithridath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates, and was delivered by the hand

00:04:13.440 of Reham, the commander, and Shemshai, the scribe, in Ezra 4, verse 8. If you remember, this letter

00:04:20.160 was addressed to Artaxerxes, the king of Persia at that time, and succeeded in delaying and bringing

00:04:26.440 the work to a halt for a number of years. We were reminded of this just last week by Pastor Joel,

00:04:32.180 that faithful historians and commentators suggest that the work was delayed for at least nine years,

00:04:37.320 potentially up to 17. So while this isn't explicit in the text, we see that at the end of Ezra

00:04:43.480 chapter four, that the work ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.

00:04:50.700 Many years had passed since the work had been performed on the temple, spanning the majority

00:04:56.900 of Artaxerxes reign until Darius assumed the throne. And yet when the work was resumed,

00:05:03.240 it was not primarily the opportunity of a new leader in Persia, which provided the impetus,

00:05:08.860 but the prophets of God. And this is where we found the exiles just last week at the beginning

00:05:14.280 of chapter 5. Namely, it was God who stirred the hearts of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to

00:05:21.080 urge the people to repent for their complacency and indifference and return to the work of

00:05:27.200 rebuilding. This they did, picking up the pieces and beginning the work again, this time with a

00:05:34.040 renewed confidence and assurance. So if you weren't with us for worship last week and missed the

00:05:39.220 sermon, I would encourage you to go back and listen to it. In this text, we saw the glorious

00:05:44.340 transformation, the fruit of the people's repentance and faith in God expressed in Ezra

00:05:50.220 chapter 5, verse 2. Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Yeshua, the son of Josedach,

00:05:56.780 arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with

00:06:03.320 them, supporting them. This spirit of confidence and unification between Israel's prophets,

00:06:10.300 priests, and civil leaders is what pervades the rest of chapter 5 through the conclusion of Ezra

00:06:16.100 chapter 6. Now, we would be remiss if we failed to recognize this reality of a unified prophet,

00:06:23.560 priest, and king, if you will, foreshadowed a day in which these offices would be unified

00:06:28.860 in a singular person, namely the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a reality is truly glorious and

00:06:35.460 awe-inspiring, and it would be impossible to deny the working of God's Spirit on the hearts of his

00:06:41.280 people, leading them back to faithful obedience and action. Such a moment would be reminiscent of

00:06:47.920 a classic American muscle car, such as a Mustang or a GTO, being brought back to life after years

00:06:53.680 of collecting dust and cobwebs in a garage. To the driver's delight, the roar of the V8 would

00:06:59.720 inspire confidence and wonder that the car, firing on all cylinders, was back and a force

00:07:05.680 to be reckoned with. And so we see a similar confidence pervades Israel's repentance

00:07:10.760 and returning to the work in Ezra chapter 5. The work had resumed and the people were as one man.

00:07:19.500 This faithful trust in God was the fuel and motivation. Israel's hearts had been changed

00:07:25.280 and come what may, the people remained engaged in the project and in service to the Lord.

00:07:32.080 The fruit of their repentance and revival remained amidst a new challenge, another letter,

00:07:37.640 this time from Tatani, the governor of the province beyond the river, and Shealtiel,

00:07:43.140 and Shetharbozani, excuse me, and their associates. 0.92

00:07:46.580 Despite this new threat, Israel remained steadfast.

00:07:50.360 We see this expressed at the end of last week's text, namely in verse 5. 0.89

00:07:55.760 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the

00:08:02.140 report should reach Darius, and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it. So as we move 0.66

00:08:09.200 from last week's text into this week's, beginning with Ezra 5, verse 6, we see now once again the

00:08:15.200 content of the letter which was written to Persia's king. This section of Ezra chapter 5 is very

00:08:21.380 similar to what was found in Ezra chapter 4 verses 7 through 16, as both texts are direct

00:08:27.540 copies of the letters which were written. In that way, last week's text, Ezra chapter 5 verses 1

00:08:34.160 through 5, is meant to be understood as somewhat of a synopsis of the events taking place throughout

00:08:39.600 the rest of chapter 5. Yet this second letter is different from the first through the clear

00:08:45.900 demonstration of Israel's confidence in the face of opposition, a confidence that was renewed

00:08:51.940 through none other than the Spirit of God and his assurance of their success. The challengers in

00:08:58.880 this second letter, Tatani, Shetharbozani, and their associates, appear to be more civil in their

00:09:04.660 confrontation, but they are challengers nonetheless. Despite this, the exiles understood

00:09:11.140 that the face of their God was upon them. And because of this, they did not allow their spirits

00:09:16.300 to fall, nor the work before them to be neglected. Therefore, the primary application we can make

00:09:23.260 from today's text is the subject of Christian confidence. In light of this, I aim to make three

00:09:29.260 points in regards to it, which are as follows. The first, Christian confidence is rooted in the

00:09:35.720 assurance of God's pardon and blessing. The second is the substance of the Christian's confidence

00:09:42.120 is the word of God. And the third, Christian confidence endures and bears fruit over time.

00:09:50.800 By way of these three points, I aim to shine light on what is a distinctly Christian confidence

00:09:56.040 and how this differs from a worldly arrogance, if you will. On one hand, arrogance and pride are

00:10:02.700 sins which are damnable and are to be repudiated by the Christian. And yet we are called to a

00:10:08.960 zealous and humble confidence that is fueled by the assurance of God's face being upon us as it

00:10:15.140 was upon the exiles and their work of rebuilding. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians

00:10:22.000 chapter 3. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to preach

00:10:29.160 to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the

00:10:35.360 plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church

00:10:41.880 the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly

00:10:48.200 places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

00:10:54.860 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. That's

00:11:01.520 Ephesians chapter 3 verses 8 through 12. You see, in Christ we obtain boldness and confidence

00:11:08.320 through faith, the apostle says. This is marked by the assurance that God grants us as his people

00:11:13.980 to trust in his promises. And these promises which inspire confidence in the Christian

00:11:19.540 are not merely personal or private. For example, in our worship liturgy each week, we remember

00:11:25.720 God's assurance of pardon for those who confess their sins and turn to Christ in faith. This

00:11:33.300 spirit of boldness is to mark our attitude when we approach God's throne of grace, as well as the

00:11:39.680 situations and circumstances we find ourselves in in the physical world. In this passage, the

00:11:46.180 apostle asserts that it is the church who makes known the manifold wisdom of God to the rulers

00:11:52.680 and authorities in the heavenly places. Many who bear the name of Christ today may be blissfully

00:11:58.900 unaware or downright deceived that this is one of the church's primary missions. Because of this,

00:12:05.220 it is no wonder that much of the church is sheepishly impotent to one of its true callings.

00:12:12.040 And so as we move forward and consider the text at hand before us, I pray you may come

00:12:17.240 to see that this is exactly the opposite spirit and attitude which marks the exiles in Ezra

00:12:23.540 chapter 5.

00:12:24.900 I pray you will be motivated on the contrary to a zealous yet humble confidence in God.

00:12:30.400 And so without further ado, let us turn back to today's text.

00:12:34.560 I'll begin reading again in verse 6 and read up to verse 11.

00:12:38.860 this is a copy of the letter that tatani the governor of the province beyond the river

00:12:44.360 and shethar bozanai and his associates the governors who were in the province beyond the

00:12:49.280 river sent to darius the king they sent him a report and which was written as follows

00:12:55.440 to darius the king all peace be it known to the king that we went to the province of judah to the

00:13:01.900 house of the great god it is being built with huge stones and timber is laid in the walls

00:13:08.260 This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

00:13:13.160 Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus,

00:13:16.120 who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?

00:13:20.280 We also asked them their names for your information

00:13:23.280 that we might write down the names of their leaders.

00:13:26.580 And this was their reply to us.

00:13:29.020 We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth,

00:13:31.900 and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago,

00:13:36.320 which a great king of Israel built and finished. So I'll stop right here just because there's

00:13:41.560 quite a bit to unpack in this text, but we'll dive right in. This text in these verses deal

00:13:48.060 with, again, not the first, but the second letter that was sent to a Persian king from the peoples

00:13:52.280 of the lands. And we see the identity of the writers here in verse six. They identified

00:13:57.580 themselves as Tatani, Shetharbozani, and his associates who were the governors in the province

00:14:02.840 beyond the river. If you remember back to just a few weeks ago when we discussed Ezra chapters 3

00:14:08.640 and 4, these men were likely the descendants of the peoples of the lands who first opposed the

00:14:14.620 work which was undertaken at Jerusalem. These people were identified as Samaritans, a group

00:14:20.380 of people who were made up of the remnants of the 10 tribes of Israel's northern kingdom,

00:14:25.060 as well as outsiders who were transplanted to the region by the kingdom of Assyria.

00:14:31.020 Samaritans were known for their vast syncretism, insisting that they too worshipped God like the Jews,

00:14:38.240 but also incorporating many components of idolatry and false worship of the surrounding region. 0.93

00:14:44.180 For this reason, they were excluded from the work of rebuilding in order to maintain Israel's pure devotion to God

00:14:50.240 in the project of rebuilding and in worship.

00:14:54.020 Pastor Joel reminded us recently as well that much of their hatred towards the exiles 0.89

00:14:58.420 was rooted in the reality that they still viewed themselves as Jews, but were clearly

00:15:03.700 compromised. And so this was evident in the generation of Samaritans that we read of in

00:15:08.880 chapters 3 and 4. But as we read of a new generation of Samaritans here in chapter 5,

00:15:15.180 we see almost for a moment a more civil disposition to the exiles and their work.

00:15:20.520 This was the subject of much of last week's sermon and is evidenced by what we see in the

00:15:25.280 scriptures. Though they maintained their faulty worship, we see in verse 8 of this week's text

00:15:30.260 that they viewed the work of the temple as the house of the great God. Even though they had not

00:15:37.020 faith and were not in submission to God's will, these men gave their assent to his greatness in

00:15:42.720 their report to Darius. In addition, despite likely being Samaritans, the text suggests that

00:15:49.020 these men held legitimate authority which was granted to them by the king of Persia. One key

00:15:55.000 detail that would support this is found again in verse 6, where we are told that these men served

00:16:00.200 as governors who were in the province beyond the river. This detail would suggest to us that the

00:16:06.600 letter that was sent by their hand to Darius was not a faulty account of events given to undermine

00:16:13.640 the work, but an accurate report by a lesser magistrate given to their direct superior.

00:16:19.860 If we were to compare and contrast the two letters, you may remember that in the first letter,

00:16:24.780 which was found in chapter 4, the peoples of the lands charged the exiles with an insurrection.

00:16:31.280 They wrote in Ezra chapter 4 verses 15 and 16, therefore we send and inform the king in order

00:16:38.100 that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the

00:16:43.640 records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that

00:16:51.040 sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. We make known

00:16:57.520 to the king that if the city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession

00:17:02.880 in the province beyond the river. While this fact may be true, Israel's opponents conveniently left 0.69

00:17:09.900 out two truths that may just as easily have been found in the book of the records. The first was

00:17:15.820 something we have seen quite often over the course of our study in the book of Ezra, and it is the

00:17:20.260 fact that Israel was not always a rogue territory, but an independent kingdom at its height and a

00:17:26.500 light to the nations in strength, wisdom, and culture, and a terror to those kingdoms who hated

00:17:32.680 God. This was undoubtedly tied to its proximity to God and right worship of him. Israel certainly

00:17:40.400 was a terror to those who sought to cherish idolatry, false worship, and death, but those

00:17:46.320 who humbled themselves to receive God's wisdom from Israel were certainly blessed. And as far

00:17:52.440 as the second truth, which was left out in this first letter, they neglected to mention the initial

00:17:57.420 charter, which was given by Cyrus, which was found all the way back in Ezra chapter one.

00:18:02.900 This charter granted Israel's return to Jerusalem and supplied safe passage and provisions for the

00:18:09.120 project, gold and silver vessels to supply the treasury. So it's obvious to us that if Artaxerxes

00:18:16.120 had truly made a diligent search of the book of records, he would have found this charter by

00:18:22.300 Cyrus and noted Israel's legitimate claim to the work of rebuilding. But he didn't,

00:18:27.900 and this brought about the 9 to 17-year delay. What we see in this second letter, though,

00:18:35.140 is the fact that these challengers allow Israel to speak and to provide their own defense as

00:18:40.160 regards the matter, and they accurately represent this in the letter. They asked in Ezra chapter 5

00:18:47.040 verse 3, who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure? We see their answer

00:18:53.860 in Ezra 5 verse 13. However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree

00:19:01.300 that this house of God should be rebuilt. In Ezra 5 verse 4, they ask, what are the names of the men

00:19:08.880 who are rebuilding this building. Though not many names are given, one is. We see in verses 14 and

00:19:16.200 15 of our text that Cyrus appointed one man, namely Sheshbezar, as governor or overseer of the land

00:19:23.400 and the project. And so we see this in verse 16. Then this Sheshbezar came and laid the foundations

00:19:30.160 of the house of God that is in Jerusalem. And from that time until now, it has been in building 0.95

00:19:35.840 and it is not yet finished. So it's true that Shesh Bezar was the one sent as the original

00:19:42.100 leader of the group of exiles. His name is mentioned all the way back in Ezra chapter 1.

00:19:47.660 What is believed to have occurred by historians and commentators is that Shesh Bezar died shortly

00:19:52.720 after the group arrived in Israel, in Jerusalem, and the work of rebuilding was left to his next

00:19:58.820 in command, Zerubbabel, a man we are very familiar with. Now, I don't believe it was dishonest for

00:20:05.460 the exiles to mention only Shesh Bazar by name. For one, by only mentioning Shesh Bazar, they

00:20:10.960 operated shrewdly. Though these governors of the land seemed less hostile and more civil than the

00:20:16.720 writers of the first letter, the exiles were careful not to disclose more information than

00:20:22.160 was necessary to these new challengers. The work on the temple was obvious and was a confrontation

00:20:28.440 to any who opposed its rebuilding. But the exiles withhold their identities in order to protect 0.85

00:20:34.800 themselves, their wives, and their children from challengers with suspect motives. These new

00:20:41.280 governors seemed to be honest investigators, but who could really say what report they would make

00:20:46.760 behind closed doors? After all, they had been wronged once. Who could say that they wouldn't

00:20:51.780 be wronged again? In addition, I believe Sheshbazar was the only name given in this account

00:20:57.920 because his name would have also appeared in Cyrus's original decree, making this decree or

00:21:04.160 charter potentially more identifiable in the Persian records, and bolstering the case that

00:21:09.420 the group of exiles was doing the work of rebuilding and were closely associated with

00:21:14.820 him. Such shrewdness was wisdom in action. So these are plausible explanations for Israel's

00:21:22.440 detailed account of Cyrus, his decree, and the charter which was given to Shesh Bazar.

00:21:28.080 But focusing on all of these details, though important, would cause us to miss what I believe

00:21:32.460 was the primary reason given by Israel for the resumption of the work. And this was found in

00:21:38.940 verse 11, which I'll read once more. And this was their reply to us. We are the servants of the God

00:21:45.800 of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house of God that was built many years ago. 0.97

00:21:53.000 Cyrus's decree was a significant detail in the equation, but the Jewish exiles confidently and

00:21:59.000 rightly assert that the work was commanded by God, and this was really the only basis they needed for

00:22:05.280 their diligent work towards the project and its completion. This simple, confident assertion is

00:22:12.180 what I want us to spend a majority of our time focusing on this morning. Israel's response found

00:22:18.620 here in verse 11 should stand out to us. They say simply, we are God's servants. We trust in him and

00:22:26.560 know him to be gracious and good. If he has commanded us to rebuild this temple, it is enough

00:22:33.100 for us that God has simply spoken it. We will obey and do so confidently and cheerfully. Such

00:22:39.960 an attitude of humble confidence should be an attitude that marks Christians in any day,

00:22:44.460 in Ezra's day, as well as ours. It should be remarkable to us that on the heels of their

00:22:52.080 repentance, the exiles do not wallow in self-pity or endless introspection, but recognize God's grace

00:22:58.700 and favor as fuel for further obedience. They're even aware of their father's failures, which they

00:23:05.720 mentioned to the governors in the lands of verse 12. But because our fathers had angered the God

00:23:11.640 of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon the Chaldean, who 0.91

00:23:17.460 destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia. This is true, but the exiles do not 0.99

00:23:23.580 allow, even for a second, either theirs or their father's failures to excuse them from what God had

00:23:29.640 called them to in that day. Their sins were grievous, but God's grace was greater. After the

00:23:37.300 prophets Haggai and Zechariah called them to repentance, they returned to the Lord in faith

00:23:42.020 and responded with obedience. They arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in

00:23:48.300 Jerusalem. An important detail worth mentioning is that they did not obey begrudgingly or shamefully,

00:23:54.740 but confidently and cheerfully with all assurance. We see this attitude in the

00:23:59.940 confession that they make to the governors. We serve the God of heaven and earth. He told us

00:24:06.400 to rebuild, and so we are rebuilding. And so this is truly the basis of a Christian confidence

00:24:12.760 and hopefulness. So now I want to spend some more time making practical applications for this humble

00:24:18.400 Christian confidence. We have an example of this in word and deed from the exiles here in Ezra

00:24:25.480 chapter 5, but I want to spend time by way of explanation and application making a few points

00:24:31.200 on this particular principle and how a vibrant Christian confidence gives glory and honor to God

00:24:37.320 and makes us happy and holy subjects in God's kingdom. And so by way of reminder, our first

00:24:44.500 point is Christian confidence is rooted in the assurance of God's pardon and blessing.

00:24:51.160 And this first point is foundational. A distinctly Christian confidence arises from this.

00:24:56.860 The Christian bolsters his faith, his hope, his assurance, his trust, and the fact that Christ

00:25:03.900 has died and that Christ has died for him. He recognizes his own sins and his need for salvation

00:25:10.820 in Christ Jesus alone. But it is not merely enough to believe that Christ Jesus saves sinners and

00:25:18.060 that his death was sufficient to save someone out there, but that Christ's death was sufficient to

00:25:23.940 cover and pay for my sin, for your sin. This was the confession which was made by the Apostle Paul

00:25:30.620 in Galatians 2.20. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ

00:25:37.180 who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God,

00:25:43.680 who loved me and gave himself for me. We're reminded of this reality each week during our

00:25:50.780 liturgy, where the preaching of the law brings us to our need for Christ as our Savior. This in tune

00:25:57.480 leads us to confess our sins to him. And these sins are real and awful, but they have been paid

00:26:04.540 for and forgiven. When we confess these sins, we then receive God's assurance of pardon, which

00:26:11.120 reminds us that Christ's death was, in fact, for us. We recite that oft-quoted promise, which is

00:26:17.800 found in 1 John 1, verse 9, which we recited again this morning, and I'm sure many of you know by

00:26:22.800 heart by now. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and

00:26:30.740 cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Such promises, when trusted in faith, cannot possibly lead to

00:26:37.760 despair, but grant the Christian confidence and assurance from the outset. They remind him of

00:26:44.660 the gospel message, which is Christ crucified for him and raised to the Father's right hand to make

00:26:51.220 intercession for him. This then encourages and spurs him on with hope in all that God has called

00:26:58.600 him to, namely obedience. And don't miss this, but this is exactly what we see happening in the

00:27:05.200 account of the exiles today. This excitement and hope in God among the exiles arose from a

00:27:12.100 confidence, which was found in this, the assurance of God's pardon and blessing. Look back to what

00:27:18.160 was said in Ezra 5, verse 5. But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did 0.80

00:27:25.740 not stop them until the report should reach Darius, and then an answer be returned by letter 0.73

00:27:31.100 concerning it. The elders of the Jews found their confidence rooted in the promise that the eye of

00:27:37.340 their God was upon them. This promise was not merely that God would conduct surveillance of

00:27:42.800 the project to monitor whether Israel's heart was really in the right place or to ensure that the

00:27:47.860 exiles would not fall into sin again. Rather, the eye of God being upon the exiles suggests a

00:27:55.160 connotation of blessing and pardon, the same that we have been speaking of, which inspires and serves

00:28:02.240 as the basis for Christian confidence.

00:28:04.860 Consider the benediction which was given by Aaron

00:28:07.360 in Numbers chapter six.

00:28:09.940 The Lord bless you and keep you.

00:28:12.480 The Lord make his face to shine upon you

00:28:15.120 and be gracious to you.

00:28:17.120 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you

00:28:19.260 and give you peace.

00:28:22.020 God's countenance and face shining upon Israel

00:28:25.040 was a blessing that reminded the people

00:28:27.640 that God was truly with them

00:28:29.600 and motivated them to a confident,

00:28:32.240 and joyous spirit in their labors. Following the repentance we see in Ezra chapter 5,

00:28:39.640 this is exactly the type of promise we see God making by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.

00:28:45.240 Haggai chapter 1 verse 13 reads, then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with

00:28:51.480 the Lord's message. I am with you, declares the Lord. So how might this same reality lead you to

00:28:59.160 a life of assurance. How might the assurance of God's pardon and blessing grant you confidence

00:29:05.300 to live faithfully and boldly in all the areas God is calling you to? One particular application

00:29:12.100 is obvious and is one that we seek to remind ourselves each and every Sunday. This is the

00:29:18.480 fact that a Christian is not meant to be marked by a spirit of doubting. Many liberal theologians

00:29:24.300 believe that the highest mark of Christianity, or spirituality for that matter, for many of these

00:29:29.440 theologians have waded into something completely other than Christian, is a spirit of doubting

00:29:34.680 or skepticism. But this is simply not true. We may have gaps in our knowledge, and at times our sin

00:29:41.880 may cloud our perception of what is really true. But in these instances, a proper response is to

00:29:48.420 return back to the Lord, to remind ourselves of what is true, and to cling to the promises we

00:29:54.060 find given in God's word. A Christian should not be plagued by a constant uncertainty of God's love

00:30:01.200 for him or a vague uneasiness about the tenets of the faith he believes in. Our sin is real,

00:30:09.240 which is why we make a point to confess it each week. But as we do so, we find God's grace in

00:30:15.660 Christ extended week in and week out. The covenant is renewed each week, which is why the gathering

00:30:22.840 on the Lord's day is such a precious thing. We are not spectators to the dispensing of God's

00:30:29.040 grace somewhere else or out there, but right here to these gathered saints. One of the most powerful

00:30:35.880 aspects of our worship is that you serve as a witness to those around you of the reality and

00:30:41.720 wonder of God's grace, which is actively changing and renewing us. When we recite the Apostles'

00:30:48.000 Creed, or partake of the Lord's Supper together, or sing the doxology with one voice, we are

00:30:54.480 responding in faith to the God who has kept and renewed his covenant with us. And you can be a

00:31:00.960 witness to this in the lives of others, and this serves as a great encouragement. You can say to

00:31:07.300 your brother or sister in Christ, I saw you partaking of the Lord's Supper. Isn't it wonderful

00:31:13.560 that God did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all? Isn't it awesome that Christ counts

00:31:20.180 us among his sheep? Or I know you may be having a difficult time in this area, but I have seen the

00:31:26.860 evidence of God's grace in your life. I was sitting right next to you as you confessed your sins to

00:31:32.380 the Lord. Have you forgotten that God has pardoned those sins and assured you of his grace given

00:31:38.760 for you? Such means of grace are given chiefly for the worship and honoring of God, but also

00:31:46.200 for the building up and edifying of his people. These assurances of God's pardon and blessing

00:31:52.240 cannot possibly lead to a confidence in the flesh, but a humble confidence that is fitting

00:31:57.660 for Christians. The reality, as Joel said so faithfully this morning too, is that Sunday

00:32:03.840 propels us into every other arena that we find ourselves in throughout the week.

00:32:08.760 The assurance and confidence we receive in Christ is to mark our attitudes and actions

00:32:14.200 in these moments as well as it did for the exiles in building the temple.

00:32:19.620 We should be quick to encourage one another to repentance when we sin, but when evidences

00:32:24.340 of God's grace are present, we should be quick to praise those in each other.

00:32:28.660 Simple exhortations such as, you're doing a great job over here, or I noticed that you

00:32:33.180 did that, excellent work, can go a long way in reminding us of the fatherly character

00:32:37.680 of God, who by no means will clear the guilty, but is slow to anger, patient, and long-suffering.

00:32:46.340 These exhortations are especially important among husbands and wives,

00:32:50.360 fathers and mothers with their children, and can also be as significant amongst Christian friends,

00:32:56.300 pastors, and their congregants, and magistrates, and their subjects. The father can encourage his

00:33:02.720 son to work hard and sweat in the Texas heat with such words. I know it's hot and you're tired,

00:33:08.600 but I'm proud of you. You're doing a great job and learning so much. In the same way, consider

00:33:13.880 Christian magistrates who may be encouraged by the words of their citizens. That legislation you

00:33:19.700 wrote was godly and honorable. Though it was struck down, we are proud you represent us, and God is

00:33:25.800 praised by your efforts. One day even abortion will be abolished. A timely word such as Psalm

00:33:32.860 4 verse 3, but know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself, does much to build Christian

00:33:40.220 assurance, and helps us to take setbacks in stride and rise again as confident conquerors.

00:33:47.720 So now we move on to our second point, which is the substance of the Christian's confidence is

00:33:52.900 the word of God. And as we consider this next point, it may be obvious to us, especially

00:33:58.500 amongst the reform camp, but the Christian is confident and sure of the things that are

00:34:03.880 expressly said by God in the scriptures. The Lord has created the world in such a way that even

00:34:10.400 rocks and trees, skies and seas bear witness to him and to his glory. But it is only his word,

00:34:17.780 which is a truly inerrant and sufficient authority. Therefore, Christian confidence is not 0.71

00:34:23.520 ultimately found in vague feelings or a tugging of the heartstrings, but in what God has said

00:34:29.640 in his word. God speaks truth. In his word, the scriptures say are pure words. When Jesus made

00:34:37.180 supplication to God in John chapter 17, he prayed, sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth.

00:34:45.420 The Apostle Paul asserts in 2 Timothy chapter 3,

00:34:49.040 All scripture is breathed out by God, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

00:34:56.880 And the psalmist in Psalm 119 writes,

00:34:59.240 The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.

00:35:07.060 Each of these verses share a common witness to the truthfulness and glory which is found in God's word.

00:35:13.320 and it is no coincidence that they make these assertions confidently. So we see that the

00:35:19.520 foundation of the Christian's confidence is found when he understands that God has forgiven

00:35:24.520 and pardoned his sins. But what is the Christian confident in? The Christian is one who says,

00:35:32.420 God has said it, therefore I believe it. And not only do I believe it, but I am willing to live

00:35:38.780 my life in accordance with it and stake my life in defense of it. And this is exactly what we see

00:35:45.600 the exiles doing in our text today. The exiles respond to the writers of this second letter by

00:35:51.780 saying, we are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. When asked who gave you a decree to

00:35:58.600 build this house and to finish this structure, the primary answer that they give is God did.

00:36:04.780 They respond by saying, we serve God and God alone.

00:36:08.860 He reigns over the highest heaven and the earth is his footstool.

00:36:13.060 His dominion is not merely over a spiritual kingdom, but as ramifications for how we are

00:36:18.480 to live in this world, his world.

00:36:21.780 He has commanded the temple to be rebuilt, and so we are rebuilding it.

00:36:27.080 Lest we forget, it was God who gave the command to Cyrus in the first place.

00:36:32.040 Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia,

00:36:33.980 The Lord, the God of heaven, has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem,

00:36:39.840 which is in Judah, Ezra 1, verse 2.

00:36:43.800 The Jewish exiles recognized this decree was not merely made by a pagan king in a foreign land,

00:36:50.100 but given by the God of heaven, and they were resolved to confidently obey.

00:36:55.560 As I consider this text and the response of the Jewish exiles, which is found here in verse 11,

00:37:02.700 I couldn't help but think of Deuteronomy 4, verse 39, which says,

00:37:07.200 Know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath.

00:37:14.000 There is no other.

00:37:16.280 With this verse in mind, it truly was not outlandish for the Jews to make such an assertion in the face of the Persian government.

00:37:23.400 Not only do they insist upon Cyrus's original decree, but they respond with confidence that

00:37:30.240 God rules heaven and earth. His lordship impacted their work of rebuilding. And because of this,

00:37:37.320 now repentant and humbled by the prophets, they arise with confidence and boldly claim that the

00:37:43.380 Lord is the only God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. And because he had commanded it,

00:37:50.820 they would build. Such a statement was not merely smoke and mirrors or arrogance, but a true

00:37:56.760 statement. Consider what Matthew Henry has to say in his commentary on this point.

00:38:02.680 The God we worship is not a local deity, and therefore we cannot be charged with making a

00:38:08.000 faction or setting up a sect and building this temple to his honor. But we pay our homage to a

00:38:14.740 God on whom the whole creation depends, and therefore ought to be protected and assisted

00:38:21.280 by all and hindered by none. It is the wisdom as well as duty of kings to countenance the servants

00:38:28.420 of the God of heaven. That last statement is striking. It is the wisdom as well as duty of

00:38:35.800 kings to countenance the servants of the God of heaven and earth, we may add. Such a statement

00:38:43.760 may sound arrogant to our present-day ears, but if something is explicitly said in the Word of God,

00:38:49.720 a Christian must not be embarrassed or ashamed to proclaim it, but confidently assert that when

00:38:55.760 God speaks, it is truth, and it is our duty to cheerfully believe it and obey it. So where do we

00:39:04.620 see this principle at work in our lives? Where is God asking us to confidently trust and obey what

00:39:11.620 he has said in his word. Perhaps we could begin with this point, that the kingdom of God has a

00:39:17.680 real earthly domain. Being a follower of Christ has implications for how you live your life,

00:39:24.400 how and where you purchase goods, what type of work you are engaged in, and who you are ultimately

00:39:30.360 subject to. A Christian is not one who ordinarily seeks to be a deviant in society. He understands

00:39:37.980 that he is a man under authority, but he remembers that all authority is given by God, and above all

00:39:44.640 he is accountable to God's authority. When our governors would have us contradict what God has

00:39:51.120 commanded us to do, we, like the apostles in the book of Acts, must obey God rather than men.

00:39:58.140 We truly are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we should be confident in this

00:40:04.140 and live by this. Where else does God call us to confidently trust his word and submit to walk to

00:40:12.160 it in obedience by faith? Here are just but a few examples. James 1 verses 2 through 4.

00:40:21.100 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the

00:40:25.740 testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect,

00:40:31.840 that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. For those of you who have dealt with

00:40:38.800 suffering or these various trials, the word of God requires us to not only endure in these moments,

00:40:45.340 but to do so with joy. In moments of suffering, a Christian may make use of lawful means to

00:40:52.500 improve his circumstances, but what is prohibited is going about these moments of suffering with 0.98

00:40:58.220 grumbling, with a sullen face, or with a spirit of ungratefulness. No, on the contrary, we are

00:41:05.220 called to joy, to thank God for namely the fruit he produces in these moments. Such promises as

00:41:13.160 these, they do bear fruit when they make us more confident in what God has said and when we live

00:41:18.680 in accordance with it, despite what we may be facing in the present moment. It does not lead

00:41:25.140 us to naivety, but a more grounded, thankful, confident trust in God and his promises. So for

00:41:33.280 example, those of you families with young children who seem to have gotten sick more times than you

00:41:37.900 can count over the last few months, count it all joy. For those of you who have been patiently

00:41:43.700 enduring singleness and persistently praying for a spouse, count it all joy. For those of you older

00:41:50.840 adults who feel your body groaning under the weight of age, count it all joy. For those of

00:41:57.000 you venturing to take care of your aging parents, count it all joy. Again, these verses do not call

00:42:03.860 you to put your fingers in your ears and ignore the reality of your situation, but they ground

00:42:10.300 us in the deeper reality of God's grace at work in our lives. In these trials, we learn to trust

00:42:17.540 God and continue to ask him for fresh grace, thankfulness, and an unwavering spirit to trust

00:42:24.400 him. Lamentations 3 verse 27, it is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. This promise

00:42:33.500 is particularly important for those of you young men who are here this morning. It serves as an

00:42:39.300 encouragement to continue working hard and to stiff arm laziness and idleness. I know many of

00:42:45.400 you young men are working incredibly hard nowadays, or long hours, to support your families and leave

00:42:51.320 an inheritance to your children's children. Many of you are doing this for godly and honorable

00:42:56.680 reasons, to ensure your wife can serve at her full capacity in the home, to provide for your

00:43:02.980 children's Christian education, or to put yourself in the best financial position possible by the

00:43:08.460 time that you get married. This is not to mention that our work is also amidst a climate of rising

00:43:14.600 costs. It seems that everything, housing, insurance, groceries, you name it, it's just a little more

00:43:19.760 expensive these days. I'm right there with many, so many of you and consider it a joy to be amongst

00:43:26.240 a group of hardworking young men. My and the Bible's encouragement to you is great job. Keep

00:43:33.600 it up. It's good for you to work hard when your glory, the Bible says, is your strength. You don't

00:43:40.240 need any more sympathy from anyone or to be told, you've worked hard enough, you can sit this one

00:43:45.220 out now. My exhortation to you is to hear this promise from scripture and confidently trust it.

00:43:51.520 Remember Paul's words to the Thessalonians, if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

00:43:57.760 Christ's yoke certainly is easy and his burden is light and it is good for us to find our rest

00:44:04.460 in him. But I confidently declare to you and encourage you to find comfort in this,

00:44:11.480 that it is a glory to be spent in these years for our families, for each other, and for our God.

00:44:18.340 In Proverbs 13, 24, whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent

00:44:25.180 to discipline him. Such a text is quite possibly the most confrontational to citizens of the modern

00:44:32.060 age. Today, many parenting experts will proclaim that the most loving thing a parent can do is to

00:44:37.660 give into their child's every want, desire, or whim. This is shared by many experts of child

00:44:44.320 development and psychology, and because of this, discipline, including spanking, has fallen out of

00:44:50.460 favor in many homes. Despite the opinions of these experts, Christians should believe and trust

00:44:56.280 the Bible's witness on this point. This scripture literally states that the parent who withholds

00:45:01.900 the rod hates his son, and that a loving parent is one who is diligent to discipline him. A loving

00:45:09.000 Christian parent will introduce discipline via the rod to instruct that sin will not be tolerated

00:45:14.040 and that faithful obedience is required. This discipline, the book of Hebrews tells us,

00:45:20.040 is painful in the moment, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have

00:45:26.580 been trained by it. We are told that it is that God too disciplines the one he loves and chastises

00:45:33.520 every son whom he receives. So Christian parents who are seeking to be obedient to God will

00:45:40.400 confidently trust in this promise which is given by him and it is found in his very nature as we've

00:45:46.360 seen in the book of Hebrews. We do not get a free pass as parents to discipline according to our own

00:45:51.500 preferences, but in accordance with God's expressed will in his word. When this promise is trusted

00:45:58.180 and obeyed confidently by Christian parents, God is glorified and homes flourish. I want you to

00:46:04.600 see this. Proverbs 29 verse 17 says, discipline your son and he will give you rest. He will give

00:46:11.840 delight to your heart. These are just but a few things we ought to believe and confidently trust

00:46:19.240 because they are said in God's word. And so our last point for consideration this morning is

00:46:25.040 Christian confidence endures and bears fruit over time. We've discussed how Christian confidence

00:46:31.900 is grounded or established on the assurance of God's pardon and blessing and how it is composed

00:46:37.800 of the truth that we find in the word of God. On this last point, though, we will come to see how

00:46:43.400 the Christian's confidence in God and his promises will bear fruit and endure with patience over the

00:46:50.220 long haul. Remember that it was our Lord who said, he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit,

00:46:58.600 John 15, 5. It follows then that the one who has faith in Christ will abide in him, will trust him,

00:47:06.340 follow him, and obey him. This fruit will have an immediate effect, but will compound over time

00:47:15.180 and over many years of faithfulness. As confidence grows, it will produce, among many things,

00:47:21.560 strength, hope, and blessing. This is evident in the growth of the church since the days of Christ

00:47:28.940 and also in the lives of everyday ordinary Christians. We see this in our text today as

00:47:34.740 the confidence of the exiles grows, bears fruit, and endures over time. So we see this evident in

00:47:42.320 two primary places, and the first is highlighted in verse 8. Be it known to the king that we went

00:47:49.480 to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones,

00:47:55.560 and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

00:48:03.220 This verse was part of the testimony which was borne by the governors of the region to Darius

00:48:08.280 in the letter, which is today's text. By this time, the temple's progress was significant enough

00:48:14.740 to garner the attention and respect of those who opposed it. At the time of the letter's writing,

00:48:20.880 the exiles were not a ragtag or measly group of builders fumbling their way through a set of

00:48:27.040 Ikea assembly instructions. They had made significant progress, you see, building the

00:48:33.100 temple with huge stones and framing it with timber. The challengers recognized that the work

00:48:39.260 not only went on diligently, but prospered. The Jewish exiles were laboring with a renewed

00:48:45.280 and repentant purpose, and God granted them favor to make impressive advances in the work

00:48:51.380 of Reconstruction. So this is but one example of Christian confidence at work. The exiles were

00:48:58.220 unfailing in their understanding that God had commissioned them to rebuild the temple and that

00:49:03.880 he would be with them. We see them striving onward in faith and bearing fruit in their obedience.

00:49:11.540 And furthermore, we see the fruit of Christian confidence evident in the confession that the

00:49:15.880 exiles make, which is found recorded in verse 16 of today's text, which says,

00:49:22.180 then this Sheshbezar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

00:49:27.620 And from that time until now, it has been in building and it is not yet finished.

00:49:34.620 This is the last statement that is recorded of the exiles in the letter. And though it may not

00:49:40.240 be apparent from the outset, there is incredible confidence present in this closing statement.

00:49:45.760 Zerubbabel and Yeshua recognize that the thread of God's faithfulness endured throughout the work

00:49:51.660 of rebuilding. The foundation had been laid by Sheshbezar many years ago, and delays had

00:49:58.380 prolonged the project. This was mainly owing to the fact that the exiles had sinned along the way. 1.00

00:50:05.140 They had succumbed to the threats which were made in the first letter and allowed their own

00:50:10.180 uncomforts and complacencies to creep in over the years of delay. Despite this, the exiles testify

00:50:16.900 that the building of the second temple had begun and would be completed come what may.

00:50:24.500 They say from that time until now, it has been in building and it is not yet finished. Not yet,

00:50:31.780 but one day in this very place, God's temple will stand and serve as a witness to all that the God

00:50:39.260 of heaven and earth reigns. This is Christian confidence at work. The people were bolstered

00:50:46.380 by the fruit God had borne in their midst and were assured that the construction of the temple

00:50:51.420 would endure and be upheld, for God was with them. Such confidence is infectious and is reason for

00:50:59.360 us to find hope today in all our labors and in all God commands and promises. As I spent time

00:51:06.620 praying about this last point this week, I couldn't help but be drawn to our Lord's words,

00:51:12.500 which were given in Matthew chapter 6. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

00:51:19.380 and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6, 33. For those who live by faith in Christ and

00:51:26.440 according to his word will never fail to receive God's provision and blessing. It is these who will

00:51:33.240 bear much fruit for the kingdom of God and find themselves enduring for many years in confidence

00:51:39.260 and hope. This is not to say that belief in God is all that is needed to evade tragedy or sickness

00:51:46.720 for the rest of one's life or to receive a mysterious fortune overnight. On the contrary,

00:51:52.780 the hopeful and confident Christian will be marked by a spirit of unwavering trust in God,

00:51:59.880 knowing that God will uphold him through difficulty

00:52:02.520 and grant blessing even in times of hardship or frustration.

00:52:07.540 This week, my wife and I were discussing the stories of different martyrs

00:52:11.080 over the course of church history,

00:52:12.840 and one of these martyrs was particularly inspiring to us.

00:52:16.920 A widow in pre-Reformation England who translated the Lord's Prayer

00:52:20.700 into English and taught it to her children.

00:52:24.600 She was ultimately charged and burned at the stake 0.93

00:52:27.360 because she had subverted the teaching of the church

00:52:30.060 and the purity of its Latin translation.

00:52:33.660 Despite this, she died confidently trusting in Christ

00:52:36.920 and in submission to God's will

00:52:38.920 as she resisted the tyranny and overreach of the Catholic church

00:52:42.940 and continued in her duties to teach her children

00:52:45.800 the truth of God's word.

00:52:48.700 Hers is one of many stories over the course of church history.

00:52:53.020 And yet sometimes the accounts of the martyrs

00:52:54.820 may lead us to doubt God's promise on this last point.

00:52:58.880 Even though she did not live to see old age,

00:53:02.080 God granted her the grace to live confidently and faithfully in the midst of great persecution

00:53:07.440 and to endure even through right up to the moment of her tragic death.

00:53:12.080 Though she now lives with Christ in heaven,

00:53:14.960 her legacy continues to bear fruit and leave a heritage in this world.

00:53:20.520 Being discussed in many Christian homes as grounds for inspiration,

00:53:24.160 and courage. Although most of us may not die a martyr's death, though possibly some of us may,

00:53:31.020 we cannot allow external threats to detract us from faithful and obedient Christian living.

00:53:37.520 And so as we close, I wanted to read a quote from C.S. Lewis on this point,

00:53:40.920 as he viewed one of the most formidable threats of his day, the atomic bomb. He writes,

00:53:46.700 In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. How are we to live in an atomic age?

00:53:55.120 I am tempted to reply. Why, as you would have lived in the 16th century when the plague visited

00:54:00.780 London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia

00:54:05.320 might land and cut your throat in a night, or indeed as you are already living in an age of

00:54:10.480 cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents,

00:54:18.700 an age of motor accidents. In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty

00:54:24.100 of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced

00:54:30.580 to death before the atomic bomb was invented, and quite a high percentage of us were going to die

00:54:36.740 in unpleasant ways. We had indeed one very great advantage over our ancestors' anesthetics,

00:54:43.740 but we had that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces

00:54:49.220 because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which

00:54:54.560 already bristled with such chances, and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a

00:55:00.600 certainty. This is the first point to be made, and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves

00:55:06.520 together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find

00:55:12.400 us doing sensible and human things, praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, 0.53

00:55:20.880 bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts,

00:55:27.500 not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies,

00:55:32.940 a microbe can do that, but they need not dominate our minds. I love this quote, but I'd like to add

00:55:39.920 that as Christians, we are called to more than merely sensible and human things, but to Christian

00:55:46.200 things. All of the activities Lewis mentions here can be Christian things when done in faith

00:55:52.260 and submission to God's will in scripture. And so I admonish you to remember this as you are making

00:55:58.160 dinner, working on the car, drinking a cup of coffee, or lying on your deathbed. When we

00:56:05.520 confidently and humbly submit to God's will, he promises to bear fruit, both spiritual as well

00:56:11.820 as tangible, and gives us grace to endure through hardship. Like the exiles, we are not to be marked

00:56:18.820 by a spirit of gloominess and terror, but by a resolved Christian confidence. This distinct

00:56:26.180 confidence is founded on what God has done for us in Christ, consists of what we see God commanding

00:56:33.000 and promising in Scripture, and produces fruit and endures over the long run. Let's pray.

00:56:41.160 Thank you, God, for your word. We are consistently astounded and amazed by the testimony of

00:56:47.620 real people, real people whom you created and purposed to live such lives, but we are so

00:56:55.020 grateful, Lord, and amazed that we have their accounts before us in Scripture. We thank you

00:56:59.960 for your word. We thank you that it is opened and trusted and preached faithfully here at this

00:57:04.680 church, and would you make us continually be those who would benefit from it, O God. I pray,

00:57:10.680 and we pray, that your word would continue to sow deep roots, that much would grow in us through

00:57:16.160 trust and sanctification, wisdom and Christian living. We pray that all of these effects would

00:57:21.680 be had in us, O Lord, as we listen to your word as it's preached. Thank you, God, for your grace

00:57:26.540 and your mercy in Jesus Christ. Would you be glorified in all we do? We pray these things

00:57:31.620 in Christ's name. Amen.

The NXR Podcast - March 18, 2024

THE SERMON - Confidence Renews： A Tale of Two Letters ｜ Ezra 5_6-17

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