Ezra: Hope for you and Leaders of Worship (Part 1)

SIN IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS IT ATTACKS THE LEADER AS WELL AS THE FOLLOWER. YET GOD HAS NOT LEFT US HOPELESS,THERE IS HOPE FOR EVERY SINNER REGARDLESS OF THEIR STATION IN LIFE.

Ezra 10:2

And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

Romans 3:23-24

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Titus‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”

Romans 6:20-23

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 2:1-6

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous...

LET LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS TREMBLE AT GOD’S WORD AND HUMBLE THEMSELVES BY CONFESSION AND FORSAKING SIN.

Ezra 10:3

Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

Ezra 9:4

Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away...

2 Chronicles 34:18-21

Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 19And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. 20And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, 21Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.

2 Chronicles 34:26-27

And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard; 27Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 57:15

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

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Ezra: Disappointed 😢 by Leaders of Worship (Part 2)

Ezra: Disappointed 😢 by Leaders of Worship (Part 1)

By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

THE TRIBE OF LEVI WAS KNOWN TO STAND UP FOR THE RIGHT AND THE CAUSE OF GOD, THEY WERE LEADERS IN WORSHIP BUT THEY DISAPPOINTED EZRA BIG TIME.

Exodus 32:26

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

Numbers 18:6

And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Numbers 18:21

And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Ezra 8:15

And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.

Ezra had expected that a large number would return to Jerusalem, but the number who responded to the call was disappointingly small. Many who had acquired houses and lands had no desire to sacrifice these possessions. They loved ease and comfort and were well satisfied to remain. Their example proved a hindrance to others who otherwise might have chosen to cast in their lot with those who were advancing by faith. – {Prophets and Kings p. 612.2}

WE ARE TO FOLLOW OUR RELIGIOUS LEADERS ONLY AS THE FOLLOW CHRIST AND HIS WORD.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV‬

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”‬

Acts 5:29

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Psalm 146:3-6

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. 5Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: 6Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever.

Psalm 62:5-8

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 6He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Ezra: A Sincere Teacher of the Word (Part 2)

By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

THE TRAGEDY OF THE CHURCH TODAY IS INSINCERE TEACHERS, WHO CONFIDENTLY AND EXCITABLY PREACH HUMAN THEORIES AND PHILOSOPHIES NOT BASED ON THE WORD OF GOD! “IT IS WRITTEN, THUS SAYS THE LORD” IS LAMENTABLY MISSING FROM THEIR DISCOURSES. THEY ARE GIRDING ON STRANGE SWORDS AND LIGHTNING STRANGE FIRES 🔥

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭GNT‬‬

“They want to be teachers of God's law, but they do not understand their own words or the matters about which they speak with so much confidence.”

EZRA THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD TAUGHT PRIESTS AND PEOPLE TO LIVE HOLY LIVES

Ephesians 6:17

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Nehemiah 8:5-6

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.

Ezra‬ ‭10‬:‭4-5

Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it. 5Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.

Ezra 8:28

And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.

Isaiah 52:11

Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

Hebrews 12:14

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

1 Peter 1:14-19

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot

2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭GNT‬‬

“If people have escaped from the corrupting forces of the world through their knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are again caught and conquered by them, such people are in worse condition at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been much better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and then turn away from the sacred command that was given them. What happened to them shows that the proverbs are true: “A dog goes back to what it has vomited” and “A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud.””

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1 Peter 2:9

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light

Ezra: A Sincere Teacher of the Word (Part 1)

By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

Acts 20:26-27

Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Ezekiel 44:23

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Ezra 10:10-12

And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. 11Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. 12Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.

James‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NIV‬

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

Isaiah 26:10

Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:11

For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:21-22

I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

Matthew 23:1-3

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Ezra 7:10

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭GNT‬‬

“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity. Until I come, give your time and effort to the public reading of the Scriptures and to preaching and teaching.”

Colossians 4:17

And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.

Ezra: Alone with God for Spiritual Recharge 🔥 (Part 2)

Zechariah 4:6

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Human power and human might did not establish the church of God, and neither can they destroy it. Not on the rock of human strength, but on Christ Jesus, the Rock of Ages, was the church founded, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18. The presence of God gives stability to His cause. – {Prophets and Kings p. 595.3}

Acts 1:8

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

IT IS WHEN WE ARE ALONE WITH GOD THAT THE POWER OF THE HOLY WILL REST ON US INDIVIDUALLY, ONLY THEN WILL THE CORPORATE CHURCH BE BLESSED

Jeremiah 15:16-17

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. 17I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.

Revelation 1:9-10

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Will my ministering brethren plead with God alone in secret prayer for His presence and His power? Dare not to preach another discourse until you know, by your own experience, what Christ is to you. – {Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers p. 154.2}

WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN ALONE WITH GOD AND ARE SPIRITUALLY RECHARGED, YOU WILL NOT STRUGGLE FOR THE APPLAUSE OF MAN, NOR EDGE YOURSELF INTO NOTICE. GOD WILL DRAW ALL MAN TO HIMSELF THROUGH YOU AND THOSE WHO LOVE GOD WILL GIVE YOU AN EAR!

Isaiah 60:1-3

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen...

Ezra 10:1-2

Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. 2And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

Nehemiah 8:1

And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

“What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use -- men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men -- men of prayer.” E. M. Bounds

Matthew 14:23

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” — Charles H. Spurgeon.

Luke 11:1

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:13

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Ezra: Alone with God for Spiritual Recharge 🔥 (Part 1)

By Pastor and Mrs Chifamba

Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭29‬-‭30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.”

Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.”

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EZRA LIKE MOSES WOULD RECHARGE HIS SPIRITUAL BATTERIES BY PRAYER AND FASTING

Ezra 8:23

So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

Ezra endeavored to gain a heart preparation for the work he believed was before him. He sought God earnestly, that he might be a wise teacher in Israel. As he learned to yield mind and will to divine control, there were brought into his life the principles of true sanctification, which, in later years, had a molding influence, not only upon the youth who sought his instruction, but upon all others associated with him. – {Prophets and Kings p. 608.3}

Matthew 6:6

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

WHAT DOES GOD SEE YOU DOING IN SECRET⁉️

Hebrews 4:13

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

John 1:47-49

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Luke 5:15-16

But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16¶And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

In a life wholly devoted to the good of others, the Saviour found it necessary to withdraw from the thoroughfares of travel and from the throng that followed Him day after day. He must turn aside from a life of ceaseless activity and contact with human needs, to seek retirement and unbroken communion with His Father. As one with us, a sharer in our needs and weaknesses, He was wholly dependent upon God, and in the secret place of prayer He sought divine strength, that He might go forth braced for duty and trial. In a world of sin Jesus endured struggles and torture of soul. In communion with God He could unburden the sorrows that were crushing Him. Here He found comfort and joy. – {Reflecting Christ p. 118.3}

Mark 1:35

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.”

Ezra: Personal heart work before public work‼️