EZRA'S CONSECRATION

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel" (Ezra 7:10 NKJV).

After the Babylonian captivity, Ezra led a group of Israelites back to Jerusalem. He was a great spiritual leader of the Jews in the days of their return to the land. Here in our verse we want to note the preparation, meditation, application, and proclamation of Ezra’s consecration.

Preparation - “Ezra had prepared his heart.” The reason many folk fail is because they do not have their heart in what they are doing. In our text, preparing the heart not only involved getting the heart dedicated; it also involved a proper relationship with God. Getting the heart right with God is the most important preparation of all - it prepares one for eternity.

Meditation - “Seek the law of the Lord.” Being concerned about what God was saying and how God wanted him to live, Ezra studied the Scriptures earnestly. He would spend a lot of time meditating on the Word of God. Many folks make shipwreck of their lives because they pay little attention to God’s Word. They scorn God’s law to their own ruin.

Application - “To do it.” It is one thing to know the Scriptures; it is another to do what the Scriptures say to do. We should all know the Scriptures, but we should also apply the Scriptures to our lives. Ezra did not study the Scripture to just satisfy his curiosity or to fill his mind with facts; he studied the Scriptures to live it.

Proclamation - “To teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Teaching the Word of God is very important and Ezra desired to teach the Word of God. We too need to teach the Word of God more than anything else. But we cannot teach the Word unless we have first prepared our heart, studied the Word, and lived the Word. That is the order - learning and living the Word, then teaching the Word.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Purity in the heart produces power in the life!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Divine Nature

In Acts 17:29 we read, “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising” (NKJV).

Divine Nature is the Greek word theiotēs (θειότης = thi-ot'-ace). Theiotēs usually refers to performance that one might properly associate with a divinity. It emphasizes the whole of that which goes to make up our idea of God. The attributes and nature of God show God to be God, One worthy of worship.

Theiotēs could also be translated divine majesty and is seen supremely in the Lord Jesus Who uniquely bears the divine image. He is God’s full revelation in human form. Man can know certain facts about Him, such as His divinity, but cannot know God personally. Such knowledge can come only through the Son of God.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be silent to accusations (Isa. 53:7).

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 27:14.

Bible Facts

The Bible says that light can be sent, and then manifest itself in speech (Job 38:35). We now know that radio waves and light waves are two forms of the same thing - electromagnetic waves. Therefore, radio waves are a form of light. Today, using radio transmitters, we can send “lightnings” which indeed speak when they arrive!

Bible Quiz

According to Malachi, how were the Israelites robbing God?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Who was chosen as an apostle to replace Judas? Matthias (Acts 1:26).

That’s in the Bible

"Fear and trembling”

“And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him” (2 Cor. 7:15 NKJV).

“Fear and trembling” - The expression “fear and trembling” refers to apprehension or fright. When Paul entered Corinth the first time, he was filled with anxiety about whether he would be able to establish a church (1 Cor. 2:3). The phrase “fear and trembling” therefore describes the believer’s attitude in God’s sacred presence. In our verse it does not mean the people were afraid of Titus but rather treated Titus with great reverence. The Christians in Corinth received Titus as God’s ambassador who spoke the words God had given him. They realized that they stood before a holy and righteous God who loved them, but they also realized that a loving God demanded repentance or else they would face judgment. They feared lest they fail to do all that God’s wonderful love demanded.

Did You Know - Christian History

George Wishart was born in Scotland in 1513. He was a Scottish religious reformer and Protestant martyr.

He attended the University of Leuven in France and then became a priest. By 1538 he was back in Scotland as a school teacher in Montrose, where he taught his students the New Testament in Greek. When the Bishop of Brechin heard that Wishart was teaching young men to read the Bible in its original language he was furious. Wishart fled to Bristol, where he got in trouble for his preaching, and he spent the next three years in Switzerland and Germany. In 1542 he taught at Cambridge University, where he was well known for his kindness and generosity towards others.

In 1543, Wishart returned to Scotland where he preached in Montrose, Dundee and the West. He went from place to place, in danger of his life, denouncing the errors of the Papacy and the abuses in the churches. Calling all men to repentance, he preached that only those practices taught by the Bible were binding on them. His preaching also helped popularize the teachings of Calvin and Zwingli in Scotland. In 1536, he translated into English the first Helvetic Confession of Faith.

Wishart was finally arrested near Edinburgh in 1546. At his trial, he was found guilty of being a heretic because of what he had been preaching, even though he answered all the accusations against him by quoting from the Bible. He was then hanged and burnt at the stake outside St. Andrew’s Castle. Wishart’s execution set in motion a series of events that furthered the spread of the gospel and eventually led to the Scottish reformation.

A Little Humor

A deeply religious man was perched on his roof loudly praying while flood waters surrounded his feet. His pastor came by in a boat and said, “Get in!” The man replied, “No, I’m praying that God will grant me a miracle.” Later the water rose up to his waist, and another boat floated by and the rescuer yelled to him to get in. Again the man responded that God would answer his prayer and give him a miracle. With the water chin high, a helicopter threw down a ladder and told the man to climb to safety. Again he turned down the offer. Finally, he gulped his last breath and found himself at the gates of heaven. With broken faith he cried to St. Peter, “I thought God would grant me a miracle. He let me down.” “I don’t know why you are complaining,” declared St. Peter. “We sent you two boats and a helicopter.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“There are none so good that they can save themselves - none so bad that God cannot save them!”