EZRA

Today is Thursday, and I enjoyed so much church last night.  What a great crowd at church and the wonderful thing is that everyone was glad to be at church!  We have such a wonderful group of people that love God and each other.  Many new faces and many who have been faithful for many, many years.  God is so good to us.  It is such a blessing to see people who love God and stick in church.  Last night, I taught through the book of Psalms.  What a blessing!  I am enjoying so much the Walking Through The Bible each Wednesday.  A real overview of the Word of God.  Come join us! Today I finished up the last two chapters of II Chronicles and then read into Ezra.  Here are a few thoughts to share: 1) NO REMEDY-  II Chron. 36:16 reads:  "But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy."  NO REMEDY!  When a nation mocks God and God's men to the point that they will no longer listen, but constantly do that which is contrary to the laws of God, they reach a point of no return.  The only thing that awaits is the judgment of God.  Can you see America as a nation getting closer and closer to that day?  One day there will be "no remedy" for what our nation has done and does.  Abortion, promoting Homosexuality, Borrowing with no plan of repayment, etc.  One day God will say:  "that's it!"  There will be "no remedy".  Praise His name however that we will be in Heaven!!  The Rapture will come before the Judgment falls! 2) HE HATH CHARGED ME- In Ezra 1:2, Cyrus, King of Persia, said the God of Heaven gave him the kingdoms of the world, and "he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah."   God charged and heathen king, and the king obeyed!  Now as His own children, hasn't the LORD charged us with some things?  Are we following God's charges to us?  How about to witness?  How about faithfulness in Church?  How about living a godly life?  He hath charged us..... let us too obey. 3) IT'S AN INSIDE JOB- In building the temple, Zerubbabel had some opposition in the book of Ezra.  In Ezra 4:2, the opposition said to Zerubbabel, "Let us build with you:  for we seek your God, as ye do;"  Here the opposition wants to get inside the workings of the temple to stop it.  It's an inside job!  But Zerubbabel has the wisdom to say in verse 3: "Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God;".  This has been a plan of the deceiver for a long time.  When Nehemiah was faced with the same problem he said in Nehemiah 2:20:  "but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem."  The answer was "No!".  Jude warns of this in Jude 1:4  "For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."  They "crept in unawares".  This is an inside job!  We must be ever mindful that opposition to the work of the LORD comes often from inside, not outside.  Well, so much for today.  I had much more to share, but time has come and gone.  May God bless you my friend!    Pastor Mike Mutchler