Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Foundation

Saved—The foundation to the Church is that it is made up of individuals that have accepted Christ as savior.

​ AV 1873And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

​ AV 1873even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Changed families

Household of God—The people in the church need to realize that they have changed households, and act like it.

​ AV 1873For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

​ AV 1873Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Fitly Framed together

​ AV 1873Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Foundation of truth laid upon Christ

​ AV 1873and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Superstructure of the church

​ AV 1873in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom you also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.

​The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:21This structure rises to become (lit., “continually grows [pres.

tense] into”) a holy temple in the Lord.

This indicates that the church is a living and growing organism, as new believers are included in this temple’s superstructure (cf.

4:15–16; ).

Both Jewish and Gentile believers are being “joined together” into this one organism labeled “a holy temple” (cf.

“one new man” [] and “one body” [v.

16]).

The word for temple (naos) always refers to the sanctuary within the physical structure in Jerusalem, not to the entire temple area with its open courts (hieron).

Superstructure of the church is a growing living organism that we can also call the temple of God, as the church is God’s chosen method of declaring His glory to the world today.

1a :  an entity, concept, or complex based on a more fundamental oneb :  social institutions (such as the law or politics) that are in Marxist theory erected upon the economic base

2:  a structure built as a vertical extension of something else: such asa :  all of a building above the basement

b :  the structural part of a ship above the main deck

a :  an entity, concept, or complex based on a more fundamental one b :  social institutions (such as the law or politics) that are in Marxist theory erected upon the economic base

1a :  an entity, concept, or complex based on a more fundamental oneb :  social institutions (such as the law or politics) that are in Marxist theory erected upon the economic base

2:  a structure built as a vertical extension of something else: such asa :  all of a building above the basement b :  the structural part of a ship above the main deck

1a :  an entity, concept, or complex based on a more fundamental one b :  social institutions (such as the law or politics) that are in Marxist theory erected upon the economic base

2:  a structure built as a vertical extension of something else: such asa :  all of a building above the basement b :  the structural part of a ship above the main deck

Recognize & Rejoice

Commit

Take ownership!

Part of rebuilding is taking ownership of the project.

When you purchase a home that must be remodeled or perhaps begin building a home, at some point you must commit to making decisions.

When you want to tear down a wall, you must commit to doing it.

Use a hammer and a sawsall.

When you want to build a wall, you get to the work of it.

These guys took to building the temple.

While they were stopped by everyone around, and discouraged by local, God instructed them to build.

So they got up and built.

Ezra 5:3-

When the opposition came, God was good to them in causing them to continue forward.

It even says here in the letter to Darius, the “work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.”

Ezra 5:

ezra 5:

Ready

After the structure was built a spiritual structure had to be placed in order.

There must be order!

Ezra was called to bring spiritual order to a process that already was trying to do things spiritually right.

They were offering and doing things for God.

ezra 7:6-

I heard this quote yesterday, “are we so consumed with doing things for Christ that we do not do things of Christ?”

Here Ezra noted that the “hand of the Lord his God upon him.”

Furthermore, he was ready!

What are you ready for?

Are you ready for everything to be the same?

Are you ready for everything to be what you like?

Are you ready to apply your hand to the Word of the Lord and move this place forward?

Repent

Ezra 9:5

There were sins in the past, there are sins in the present.

Ezra was willing to face those things.

Are you ready to face those things both corporately and individually?

We are never going to corporately own our responsibility until we individually own our responsibility.

In dealing with worship there is a great difference between will power and desire to worship.

True worship must include inward feelings that reflect the worth of God’s glory.

It this were not so, the word hypocrite would have no meaning.

But there is such a thing as hypocrisy—going through outward motions (like singing, praying, giving, reciting) that signify affections of the heart that are not there.

‘this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.’”—John Piper

God’s people ought to be a people eager to repent, eager to be right with the Lord, eager for self examination.

There is a large difference between being self aware and being self absorbed.

Self absorbed brings everyone to what I think and judges them by that.

Self aware notices that my best day is still filthy rags before a Holy God.

Andrew Murray writes on the topic of Humility and Sin.

He states:

“The point I wish to emphasize is this: the very fact of the absence of such confession of sin only gives more strength to the truth that it is not in daily sinning that they secret of humility is found, but rather in the position of dependence upon the grace of our God.

Our only place of blessing before God is among those whose highest joy is to confess that they are sinners saved by grace.”

Conclusion

Are you living the ready and repentant life?

Are you committed to the building of this body?

ezra 9:5-