Reform the Way We Think
Rebuilding with Ezra • Sermon • Submitted
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· 12 viewsDo you dare to be different? Different in the way you dress. Different in the way you talk. Or even to drive a different-looking car. You may feel uneasy when you are surrounded with people that are different to who you're used to. You may feel uncomfortable when you're around different environment. Non-believers will sometimes look at you differently in a nerdy-sense. But in God's sense, we must actually be different. Our morals are different and the way we think shall be different. The temple of God in Jerusalem was rebuilt because God moved the hearts and changed the attitudes of King Cyrus, King Artaxerxes and King Darius. If the Lord can change how the pagan kings think, much more that He could change the way we think if we let the Holy Spirit.
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Opening
Opening
Who among you here dares to be different?
Are you different on your fashion?
Didn’t you want to drive a different-looking car?
When me and my wife were at up state New York last year, we rented a car because the place were all spread out, and ubering our way to our destinations is not the best idea. We stayed at Buffalo because we wanted to be near the airport, and the City of Niagara Falls is about 27 miles and around 35 miles drive.
By God’s grace of chance, we got a sporty small SUV with a moonroof. The weather that day was marvelous and so we rolled down our windows while keeping the moonroof open. It was definitely a breath of very fresh air.
It was definitely a breath of very fresh air.
When we started our drive, I immediately noticed that the roads are “different”. The signs looks kinda odd, at least for me. The stop lights are old and the surface of the roads are obviously rugged.
With all these sights around me, I felt quite uneasy. Uncomfortable because it is not what, or how I am used to. I was apprehensive too because and I kept telling myself, that I must be extra careful.
As Christians, we are perceived by non-believers as “different” in a nerdy-sense. They sometimes mockingly look down at us as nerds.
But in God’s sense, we must be truly different. Our morals are different, and the way we think should be different as well.
BREATHE!
In the last couple of Sundays we were looking into the Book of Ezra
We found four principles of “Rebuilding” from the memoirs of Ezra
Embark towards living a New Life
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The exiles embarked to live a new life as they look forward to go back to their homeland
Be Zealous in Giving
Be Zealous in Giving
Heads of the families of the exiles gave their freewill offering
Reform the Way we Think
Reform the Way we Think
The Lord “reformed”/moved/changed the heart King Cyrus that he allowed the exiles to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the Lord’s temple
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
But during the 40-year reign of King Artaxerxes from 464-424 BC, the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill
Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
But then again, during the reign of King Darius, the Lord also “reformed”/moved/changed his attitude so that he assisted the exiles in the work on the house of God
For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.
BREATHE!
We will see here in the lives of 3 pagan kings how God’s will is fulfilled
God “Reformed the way they think”
God moved their hearts
The Lord changed their attitude
If the Lord can change the attitude of pagan kings, how much more that He could reform the way we think if we will let Him?
Let us jump to the New Testament and see how christians who lived before us were instructed on how they shall change the way they think
to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
TEXT: Reform the Way we Think
TEXT: Reform the Way we Think
Among the 4 letters that Paul wrote while he was in prison were his letters to the Philippians, Colossians, to Philemon and to the Ephesians
In his letter to the believers in Ephesus that was written sometime in 61 AD
Unlike in his other letters, he was not tackling any particular problem, but instead, he wrote some general teaching on the theory and practice of Christians whom Paul never met, and will never get to know because he was in prison
whom Paul never met, and will never get to know because he was in prison
It may be that this letter was taken around by Tychicus to various churches in Asia Minor where Ephesus was the capital city
Can God change the way we think?
Who says yes, raise your hands!
But the big question is how?
BREATHE!
In the 4th chapter of this letter, in verses 22-23, Paul said…
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. Let the Spirit change your way of thinking
You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. Let the Spirit change your way of thinking
BREATHE!
Towards the completion of the rebuilding of the temple
Rebuild the Altar
Rebuild the Altar
And before its dedication, there were 3 very notable things
Diligence
In the Old Testament, it was only in the Book of Ezra that you can find the word “Diligence”
And in the NIV Translation, it was only used 5 times in 5 verses
Hebrew word for Diligence is Os-par-na
It means completely, exactly,
Diligence is characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort
Diligence is the effort to do one’s part, while keeping faith and reliance in God
Diligence and faith are two sides of a mystery
Diligence when combined with faith assures spiritual success
BREATHE!
On the other hand however, the opposite (synonyms) of “Diligence” are
Laziness
Neglect
Idleness
Disregard
Negligence
In our effort to rebuild our church, we must be “diligent”
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Purified Themselves
The priests and the Levites had purified themselves
The exiles who returned from Babylon had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord
What unclean practices?
Sexual immorality, Impurity, Lust, Evil Desires, Greed, Idolatry, Anger, Rage, Lies, Malice, Slander & Filthy Language
Don’t be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don’t be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don’t be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols. God is angry with people who disobey him by doing these things. And that is exactly what you did, when you lived among people who behaved in this way. But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others. And stop lying to each other. You have given up your old way of life with its habits. Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better.
Impurity
The Lord’s words spake for itself
Lust
It doesn’t need any lawyering if those who hears them believes in the Lord and trust His words
Evil Desires
Greed
Idolatry
Changing the Attitude
It was not just King Cyrus, Artaxerxes and Darius’ attitude that was changed by God, even King Nebuchadnezzar
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual
Many many times we heard the saying… “Attitude is Altitude!”
John Maxwell, a Pastor, an author, a speaker, and a leadership expert said these....
“People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.”
What Comes Naturally?
The story is told about an elderly man who retired after many years in the British Army. One day a man who knew about his long and distinguished military career decided to play a prank on him. As the old soldier walked down the street with his arms full of packages, the jokester sneaked up behind him and shouted, "Attention!" Without hesitation, the military man dropped his arms to his side, and every package went tumbling to the sidewalk. Without a conscious thought, the veteran was doing what comes naturally for a soldier.
Similarly, as believers in Christ, we should respond in a manner that corresponds with our new life. Our behavior is to be more and more in line with the example of Jesus' life. We still must deal with sinful desires, so we need to discipline ourselves to be the kind of person God wants us to be. Like a soldier, we need to practice repeatedly until doing what's right comes naturally.
Through faith in Christ we are children of the heavenly Father. By the power of the indwelling Spirit, therefore, let us develop the habit of submitting to God's Word. Then, in every situation of life we will increasingly find that obeying Him is "doing what comes naturally." —Richard De Haan
In the NIV Translation of our text today, it reads…
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Prayer
Prayer
Start Victory Song: Made New by: Lincoln Brewster