Today’s Reading: Neh 4:1–5:19, 1 John 4:16–21, Ps 109:1–15

Today’s Themes: Dealing with Opposition

Today we look at the tools God has given us to help us deal with those who oppose God’s purpose in general and specifically in our lives as individuals or as a community. These include having a mind to work, pray, act, fight and love.

Nehemiah 4:1–5:19

A Mind to Work

So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6 (ESV)

The people had set their minds to work so the insults and taunts from the opposition had no effect.

To deal with the opposition of the enemy in our lives we must set our minds to the work that God has called us to do.

In Paul’s teaching on the new life we have in Christ (found in Ephesians 4:17-32) we read that that we should put off our old self with its bad way of thinking. We should instead be renewed in our minds and put on the new self.

We also read in Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We are called to have the same humble/serving mind that Christ had and we are encouraged that we actually do have the mind of Christ by God the Holy Spirit who brings the words of Christ to our remembrance. 1 Corinthians 2:16 and Philippians 2:5.

Having our minds set on God is a great weapon of defence while under attack.

Pray and Act

And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. Nehemiah 4:9 (ESV)

Nehemiah and the people prayed to God and set a guard.

We need to pray and act. There is no point in praying about something that we are not willing to do anything about. Our prayers should not be said in isolation from our actions.

One of the greatest ways of dealing with the enemy (flesh, world or devil) is to pray to the Lord concerning the area of attack and act in faith according to the prayer we just made.

When we pray, God answers by his word and the Holy Spirit, we need to respond in faith and obedience. 2 Thessalonians 1:11.

If we pray for God to deliver us we should not continue to walk in sin.

If we ask God to help us with our finances we should not still spend frivolously.

If we pray that God helps us forgive someone we need to go and actually forgive them.

If we are praying for souls to be saved we actually need to go and share the gospel.

Fight!

And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14 (ESV)

The best defence is a good offense!

We should not be afraid of the enemy because we have a great and awe inspiring God. If God is for us, who can stand a chance against us? Romans 8:31.

One of the motivations for us to fight is for our own families and our family in Christ. Fight for the man standing next to you in the Lord’s army, fight for your children, fight for your spouse, fight for your parents, siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins.

How do we fight?

We fight by tearing down the bad thinking, philosophies, world views and teaching that keep people in bondage.

We read in 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”.

The war is spiritual and our fight is in the spirit realm. We read in Ephesians 6:11–12 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Work!

who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. Nehemiah 4:17 (ESV)

We deal with opposition by working. We need to be like the rebuilders of the wall. Building with one hand and holding a weapon in the other.

The opposition of the enemy is ultimately to halt the work of God in our lives and the wider church community. We need to keep the work going to the glory of God.

Jesus said in John 9:4 “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. “

God is the one who began the good work in us and will perfect it. Philippians 1:6.

Be Generous

Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people. Nehemiah 5:19 (ESV)

Nehemiah was a just leader who feared the Lord and showed remarkable generosity.

We are also called to be generous. Generosity is contrary to the desires of the flesh, the ways of the world and the plans of the enemy. Just giving and serving generously serves as a blow against the enemy and a victory for the kingdom of God.

How can you be generous?

We read in 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

God will reward our generosity.

1 John 4:16–21

Abide

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:16 (ESV)

We deal with opposition by abiding (staying, living, taking up residence) in God. We abide by walking in love towards God and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Again love is shown as the evidence of our relationship with God.

The Confidence of Love

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 1 John 4:17 (ESV)

Faith in God’s love for us and God’s loving nature (God is love) gives us confidence and dispels all fear concerning the day of judgement. As we read in the next verse perfect love casts out all fear.

We do not need to fear the judgment to come because we are securely held in the love of God. It is through God’s love that we have eternal security and assurance.

A Weapon Against Fear

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18 (ESV)

Love is an offensive weapon in our war. We use it to cast out the fears of the enemy. God’s love is perfected in us as we walk in love and just doing this will cast out all the seeds of fear and doubt planted by the enemy.

Perfect love is perfected or worked out love. We don’t just believe in God’s love, we live it out.

The Command

And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:21 (ESV)

We are commanded to love one another. The fact that it is a command shows us that this is not God’s decreed will but His desired will so we need to actively obey this command.

We need to get to work, the work of loving one another. This is the greatest weapon we have as we resist the enemy together.

Psalm 109:1–15

Give Yourself to Prayer

In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. Psalm 109:4 (ESV)

We should follow the example of the Lord Jesus when facing opposition. We must give ourselves over to prayer and put our trust in the Lord.

This psalm is like a prayer of spiritual warfare also known as the Psalms of vengeance or Imprecatory (curses called upon the enemy) psalms.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 1 John 4

Today’s reading: Neh 1:1–3:32, 1 John 4:13–15, Ps 108:1–13

Today’s Themes: Build The Walls

Today’s lesson is that we are called to build the broken down walls in our lives and God’s kingdom. Build the walls today.

Nehemiah 1:1–3:32

Great and Awesome God

And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, Nehemiah 1:5 (ESV)

Nehemiah’s prayer starts with worship and adoration of God. He declares and so shows his faith in God’s greatness.

Word Study: The word “awesome” in Hebrew is yare. The word means to fear, be afraid, to fear God, to be feared, be honoured, to be feared, terrible, dreaded, awesome and terrible.

So at it’s root this word awesome means to fear. We fear God and stand in awe of Him. God inspires fear of himself or is awe inspiring.

Before we can begin to rebuild we need to recognise and honour God for who He is. This is the first step to building lasting walls of defence in our lives.

We can take confidence in our great and awe inspiring God, because He keeps covenant with His people, so we can build with assurance in our hearts that God will enable and help us.

The Welfare of God’s People

But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. Nehemiah 2:10 (ESV)

The enemy will always resist those who seek the welfare of God’s covenant people Israel and God’s covenant people the church.

If we decide that we will advocate for Israel, seeking the welfare of it’s people and evangelise seeking their salvation, we will meet with resistance.

Equally if we seek the restoration of the church in a particular region we will also be met with resistance because the enemy is against God and his people. In particular he does not want to see God’s people grow and flourish.

We must be prepared for resistance and set our hearts to stay the course. Ephesians 6:13.

The walls we build are for the welfare of God’s people (I’ll elaborate in the next point).

Rise Up And Build

And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. Nehemiah 2:18 (ESV)

The people inspired by Nehemiah, respond in faith and declare that they will rise up and build.

We must have the same response as the people today. We must turn to God and say we are ready to rise up and build.

What are our walls?

The walls for us can be the structures God has ordained for our lives which will bring growth and flourishing. These structures include the family, the church, ministries, organisations and businesses.

God wants us to build all these things as He leads us in faith, to the glory of His name, establishment of His kingdom and for the growth and prosperity of God’s people.

How do we build?

This is my own list and so is not exhaustive but is a start:

1. We can strengthen our arms to build by taking heed to God’s word (The Bible), Acts 20:32;
2. Praying with the leading of God the Holy Spirit, Jude 20;
3. Walking in love, 1 Corinthians 8:1;
4. Do everything to bring God glory, 1 Corinthians 10:23, 31;
5. Proclaim God’s word, 1 Corinthians 14:4,12;
6. Orderly worship, 1 Corinthians 14:26;
7. Through submission to our leaders, 2 Corinthians 13:10 and Ephesians 4:12;
8. Watching how we talk, Ephesians 4:29;
9. Encouraging others; 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

God The Designer

Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 2:20 (ESV)

God is the great architect and designer, we are the builders. We can’t just build what we want or do it the way we think is best, we need to build in line with God’s design.

Nehemiah knew the building was not the work of a man but God and had the boldness to resist the intimidation of the enemy.

We need to avoid the enemy’s attempts to intimidate and infiltrate God’s building work in our lives and church.

We need to guard the building of God’s kingdom. It is a holy commission for God’s people alone. We do not rely on man, we trust God to prosper us in our building.

We must be careful how we build, 1 Corinthians 3:10.

The Nobles!

And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. Nehemiah 3:5 (ESV)

The nobles were too proud to work, we need to avoid this horrible attitude!

Jesus said we are all brothers, we should all pitch in and work together. Matthew 23:8.

God’s men and women (see verse 12) are all fellow labourers and we should spur each other on in the work of the Lord. We should support the work of the Lord by humbling ourselves to work together for God’s Glory.

Are you just a church consumer? If you are then repent and get involved. Ephesians 4:16.

1 John 4:13–15

Assurance

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13 (ESV)

We have a great wall of assurance, God the Holy Spirit. This is our ultimate assurance in God. We can be confident that we abide in Him if we have the Holy Spirit living in our hearts.

God’s gift of Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit is a gift only given to those who belong to God.

Our Confession

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:15 (ESV)

Our faith is in no way random, our confession as Christians is clearly defined which is the confession on which Jesus said the church would be built.

We confess that Jesus is the Son of God just like Peter said.

Matthew 16:16–18 reads “Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

All cults and other religions alter this confession in some way. This is core to our faith, it is so core that without this confession there is no Christianity.

Psalm 108:1–13

God’s Help

Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes. Psalm 108:12–13 (ESV)

We humbly ask God to grant us help against the enemy. Through our God we will tear down the strongholds of the enemy and build the walls of God’s holy city in our lives.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 John 4

Today’s reading: Ezra 9:1–10:44, 1 John 4:7–12, Ps 107:23–43

Today’s Themes: Zealous Purity, Covenant of Love

The foundation of all of God’s covenants is love. This is why someone who is not in a loving covenant relationship with God cannot truly enjoy the benefits of the covenant, because they are all founded on love and relationship, not just rules as with cold business transactions. Recognise the covenant of love and rejoice in it today. The temptations which seek to draw us away will only rob us and will leave us without love because the devil uses bondage and trickery, never love.

Ezra 9:1–10:44

Divorcing from Compromise

Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. Ezra 10:3 (ESV)

The people had fallen into compromise by marrying the people of the land which God had commanded against. This would lead them into sin and result in them being judged and disciplined for falling away.

Ezra cries out to God as he intercedes for the people. In response, Shecaniah has a plan of action. He proposes that the people renew their covenant with God by divorcing these foreign women. It should be noted that these marriages were not truly legal in accordance with Jewish law.

We learn from this that we must not compromise with the world. Any compromises that we have established, should be put away and broken off. We must reject compromise otherwise it will  break our covenant relationship with God. James 4:4

Decide today to divorce compromise and the children of compromise, which include sin and indifference. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

We should be married to the Lord in our hearts. Ephesians 5:27

We will only have this resolve if we “tremble at the commandments of our God”. We must have a high view of God’s word and seek to live in accordance with it. 2 Timothy 3:16

Covenant Renewal

And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” Ezra 10:10–11 (ESV)

Ezra calls for covenant renewal between God and the people, by them confessing their sin, turning in repentance and separating themselves as holy to the Lord.

God calls us to the same renewal of covenant today. If we have broken faith with God, there is still hope, God can restore if we humble ourselves in repentance. 1 Peter 5:5

Before there can be any renewal of our broken covenant relationship with God, confession of our shortcomings, compromise and sin must be made. Like “The Way of The Master” we need to confront ourselves with the law of God that we have transgressed, acknowledge it and then consciously turn in repentance back to God. 1 John 1:9

James encourages us to look into God’s perfect law (the Bible), as a mirror and act on what we see, in James 1:25 “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

1 John 4:7–12

Love as Fruit

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (ESV)

Love is the fruit and evidence that we have truly been born again. True love for one another as a church community, is not something that can be counterfeited by the flesh, which is naturally selfish.

Love for one another is evidence that we come from God and know God. Knowledge is not evidence that we know God, love is. This shuts the door to the cold position of just knowing about God without having a relationship with Him on His terms.

We should be grateful that the indicator of our relationship with God is based on love.

Our lives should show the evidence of love, as defined by God, not the world.

Love Defined

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 1 John 4:8–9 (ESV)

Where John says God is love, he is not saying that love is God. Love is not the essence of who God is but one of God’s many attributes and in context, John is saying God is loving and shows His love.

God demonstrated His love by sending Jesus into the world, to make the payment for our sin and open the door to eternal life for us.

This is love defined, God sent his son. The gospel contains the very definition of love. The best and highest working definition of love is the gospel. God gave His son.

Many take the statement “God is love” to justify all types of sin, this is because it is read out of context. When a person takes this out of context to excuse sins, read them the full context and point them to the gospel, the very definition of love.

Loves Response

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11 (ESV)

We are called to show love like God did and in response to the love that God showed us, when we did not love Him.

Love is not a feeling, it is very much an act of the will, we choose to love and are commanded to love, so we need to make a firm decision to love today.

God’s love is perfected in us as we walk in love, practically showing love in response to God’s love for us.

Love without action is not love.

Psalm 107:23–43

Storms Stilled

He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 107:29 (ESV)

This is said of God and as we know, Jesus stilled the storms on the lake of Galilee, Jesus is God.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition 1 John 4

Today’s reading: Ezra 7:1–8:36, 1 John 4:1–6, Ps 107:1–22

Today’s Theme: Skilled for God

Today we explore our call to be both students and teachers in God’s kingdom. We should apply ourselves to the study of God’s word and allow God to fill our mind. Determine to dedicate your skills to God’s service today and know that He created your mind to bring Him glory, not to be a stumbling block to your spiritual development, but a tool in His hand.

Ezra 7:1–8:36

Be A Scribe for God

this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him. Ezra 7:6 (ESV)

Ezra is described as a scribe skilled in the law. He was a man who applied himself to the study, teaching and application (as a judge) of the law.

God has gifted us with skills which we should use for Him. Matthew 25:15-30

Some of you reading this may still be in school, college or university. You can use your education and desire for studying, to be a scribe for God, like Ezra, by applying yourself to the study and application of God’s word. 2 Timothy 2:15

God wants us to use our skills, professions and education in the service of the kingdom. Don’t just think of being used on the platform in church, think about the skills, expertise and education you have and seek God for how that can be used. Romans 12:4–8 and1 Corinthians 12:14–20.

Our minds were created by God, not the devil. God desires that we use our minds to serve Him. Intelligence can be a powerful tool, if our lives are surrendered in humble submission to God’s word. 2 Peter 1:5

Study, Do, Teach

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:10 (ESV)

We should set our hearts like Ezra, to study, do and teach God’s word. This three tiered approach to the bible is essential for our own lives today.

Study: We have all been called to study the word of God. Paul commended the Bereans because they were eager and took the time to study his teaching for themselves, against the bible. Acts 17:11

Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for not knowing the scriptures in Matthew 22:29.

Do: James tells us in James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Read James 1:22-26 for fuller context.

Paul also reminds us in Romans 2:13 “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”

Teach: We are not all teachers by profession or in ministry, but in our everyday lives we are meant to be teachers, sharing the truth of God’s word with one another.

Paul tells us in Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Not Just Natural, Supernatural

For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. Ezra 8:22–23 (ESV)

Ezra and those with him knew that their skill and intelligence were not enough to keep them, they knew they needed supernatural help.

Ezra shows clearly that his faith is not in his own ability, but in God. He demonstrates this by fasting and praying.

He had made a bold declaration of faith to the king, that God would keep them and now needed to see God come through for him. He does not sit passively and wait for God’s help, he seeks God.

We must learn from this that although God has given us natural gifts that He wants us to use for Him, we still need supernatural (superior to natural) help from God the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:17

God enhances our gifts, gives us wisdom that cannot be learnt and does all that we cannot do, to see His purposes fulfilled. Today, let us determine to trust Him Like Ezra did, and rely on God the Holy Spirit and not our own skill. Romans 8:6–11

With God, our gifts and skills become supernatural. Acts 1:8

1 John 4:1–6

The Validation Test

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 (ESV)

When John tells us to test the spirit, he is saying that if a spirit speaks to our hearts or through a “teacher”, we need to take what we hear through a validation test.

John does not tell us to test the spirit using intuition or some mystical, spiritual method, he asks us to engage our minds with a simple test.

First, is Jesus proclaimed as the Jesus of the bible, the Son of the Living God who became incarnate in flesh to save sinners? (Verse 2-3)

Second, is the word or teaching in opposition to the teaching of the Apostles, because John boldly declares that all who are against them are against God (verse 6).

This is how we sniff out error, not with our feelings, but by engaging our God given minds to measure what we hear against the word of God.

The Spirit of God will NEVER lead us in contradiction to the word of God, or the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Just because someone says “God says…”, do not immediately accept it as true without first taking it through the validation test.

We Overcome

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (ESV)

We thank God that we overcome, not by our own strength but by God’s strength, because it is God in us who is greater than the enemy. This should encourage us today.

Psalm 107:1–22

The Healing Word

He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Psalm 107:20 (ESV)

We give thanks to God today because He is good. God’s word has the power to heal and deliver us. We submit to and give thanks to God for loving us and giving us His word today.

When God sends His word, we need to hear it, believe it and apply it.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

Desiring God on 1 John 4

Today’s reading: Ezra 5:1–6:22, 1 John 3:19–24, Ps 106:30–48

Today’s Theme: God’s Decree

Today we look at the sureness of God’s decrees and the call on us to finish well. God has provided all the support that we need in order to finish well, so let us run the race set before us, with faith.

Ezra 5:1–6:22

Prophetic Support

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. Ezra 5:2 (ESV)

We give God thanks for the way He has chosen to build the church.

We are told by Paul that God has decreed that some members of the church have special gifts to lead the church. This is sometimes called the fivefold ministry. We read this in Ephesians 4:11–12 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (pastors) and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”.

Our Pastors stand in that prophetic office for us today, as powerful preachers of God’s word. They spur us on in the work of the Lord (as they are empowered and led by God the Holy Spirit), which is the building up of the body of Christ and the expansion of God’s kingdom on the earth.

We should recognise the importance of submitting under the prophetic leadership of the Pastors that God has given to us. They bring great support to our lives as we seek to be built up individually and corporately in Christ.

Give God thanks for Pastor Dennis and Rev Taylor today, and ask God to help you to see the importance of them in your life. They are God’s instruments and are being used for God’s work.

Finish!

At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” Ezra 5:3 (ESV)

The devil and his demons do not want us to be finishers or to finish well. 1 Peter 5:8

The enemy does not want us to finish that which God has called us to do. The old nature is selfish and lazy, seeking its own glory. We need to be aware of the pull of the flesh, the influence of the world and the schemes of the enemy that cause us to leave the work unfinished. Romans 8:7

Today set your heart to be resolute to see the work finished. Jesus is our great example, He set His face like flint and then victoriously declared from the cross, “it is finished.” John 19:30

In the ultimate sense, the enemy does not want us to finish the race set before us, but we must recognise the stumbling blocks that the enemy will put in the way and we must overcome them. We need to determine in our hearts, to run the race of faith and  not to give up until we reach our desired goal, which is heaven. Philippians 3:12

See the following new testament scriptures on running the race of faith: Hebrews 12:1, 1 Corinthians 9:24, Galatians 5:7, Philippians 2:16 and 2 Timothy 4:7.

God has decreed that you will finish, therefore, determine to finish well.

The Great God

Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands. Ezra 5:8 (ESV)

Our God is sovereign, even the enemy has to recognise Him for who He is.

Our modern culture has done everything it can to erase God from our thoughts, with its philosophy of naturalism and the resulting theories of evolution, including the idea  of nothing exploding then creating everything. This is simply illogical and has never been observed in the scientific sense. This is known as the big bang theory.

Despite these attempts, God remains in the thoughts of people as a great God, even amongst those who do not serve Him and to the frustration of the “New Atheists” who are pushing the evolution theories.

We do not believe in the big bang, we believe in the big “Great” God, the one who decreed that the universe be created and it was. Genesis 1:1

Build On Other Finishers

And this was their reply to us: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. Ezra 5:11 (ESV)

We build on the work of others today, those in the church who have gone on before.

We build on our ultimate foundation, Jesus Christ, who finished the work He came to do, like the great king of Israel, Solomon. 1 Corinthians 3:11

We also build on the foundation laid by the prophets (old testament) and Apostles (new testament). This foundation is the bible. Ephesians 2:20

We also build on the work of the church councils, the early church fathers, the reformers, the puritans, the missionaries and Christian leaders of the past. Hebrews 6:12

We do not need to spend large amounts of time reinventing the wheel. For example, the council of Nicaea in 325 AD, defined the nature of the Trinity, this is now settled in the church and does not need to be revisited, the foundation is laid. Titus 2:1

Paul warns us to be careful how we build because our work will be tried. 1 Corinthians 3:12–15

God’s Government

Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. Ezra 6:8 (ESV)

God is sovereign over the rulers of this world and like a master chess player, He moves and positions them to fulfil His purpose. God moved on the heart of the great king Darius to support the rebuilding of the temple.

The King makes a decree which is a reflection of and is ultimately backed up by the decree of the true king, God.

This should encourage our faith today that God’s government sits over the governments of the world. As in this account, God can move the government to support the work of the church without restrictive stipulations.

In verse 10 we can see that one of the king’s motivations was that he wanted prayers to be said for him and his family, see 1 Timothy 2:2.

The Decree of God

And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; Ezra 6:14 (ESV)

When God decrees something, it will come to pass and we can be 100% assured of that. God’s decreed will can never be derailed, it is that which He predestined and actively brings to pass, this includes both prophecy and our own salvation as God’s chosen people.

In the comments on 1 Chronicles 11:3 (here), we looked at  the difference between God’s decreed will and His commanded (desired) will.

1 John 3:19–24

God Is Over Our Hearts

for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20 (ESV)

Whatever God decrees, supersedes what we feel or even think. We can have assurance in God because God has said so in His word. God knows everything and whatever He decrees trumps everything else.

We should take assurance from this truth today, even if our hearts condemn us, we know that we belong to God.

Ask!

and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:22 (ESV)

We can boldly ask God and receive from Him, if we know we are keeping His commands and pleasing Him with our faith. Ask today and receive in faith.

The Command

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 1 John 3:23 (ESV)

This is not a decree, but a command that we have the responsibility to fulfil. This is the summary of Christian belief and practise.

We cannot fulfil this without the Holy Spirit, which John mentions in the next verse. The Holy Spirit living in us, is evidence that we belong to God.

Psalm 106:30–48

The Covenant of Love

For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. Psalm 106:45 (ESV)

God keeps covenant not just because of obligation, but because of His love.

Most of the above post is a copy of the original notes from the same date in 2014.

Additional resources

The Gospel Coalition on 1 John 3