Peytonsville Church Of Christ

Ezra discovers and confronts the problem of idolatry and intermarriage. When men repent, we see humble shame for sin, separation from the world, and a striving for the sacredness of a holy marriage.

Ezra exemplifies true male spiritual leadership. In chapter 8, he leads the people home, recruits more priests for the temple, fasts and prays for God's protection, and provides a freewill offering. As Christian men today, we seek to be like Ezra in our walk with Christ.

In chapter 7, Ezra prepares his heart to do three things: Study God's Word. Teach God's Word. Do God's Word. When the HEART of MAN is set upon God, the HAND of GOD is set upon man.

Sometimes we all need a pep talk. The temple foundation had been laid but all the many obstacles halted the construction for a period of 15 years. Prophets Haggai and Zechariah remind the exiles of who they are and what they came to do. Through correspondence with the local governor and King Darius, the temple project begins again and flourishes until the finish. With the work complete, God got the glory and the people were filled with joy. This message highlights the importance of preaching God's Word and practical ministry (working with our hands) in building up the Lord's church.

When God's people work, God's enemy works harder. The temple rebuilding project meets opposition and the work stops. The adversary Satan always has plans to frustrate, discourage, and strike fear into our hearts. Satan will utilize any tactic to oppose God's kingdom. This message reminds Christians of those tactics, and of the need for the overcoming power of the Christ's gospel.

Revival. The church's greatest need is revival. In Ezra chapter three, the people's hearts are set aflame to worship and the temple construction begins. The blueprint for revival shows unity, worship, leadership, and passion, at the foundation of the project. The church today is revived in the same respect, as we build upon the foundation of Christ.

This long chapter documents the names and numbers of men who come home to Jerusalem. Each of them had a ancestral heritage and a distinct role in the rebuilding project. This message encourages the church that names and numbers are important to the Lord. We should never give up the work He moves and empowers us to do.

Ezra tells the Christian story of redemption and deliverance. This message looks at what happens when God moves a pagan king to accomplish His will. What happens when God stirs the heart of king to deliver His people?

God's grace + man's faith = freedom in Christ. Faith in God's grace is everything. Salvation, freedom, hope... everything. Without it, we have nothing. Paul concludes his book by reminding the Galatians about what truly matters. Using our freedom in Christ to lovingly bear each others' burdens and boast in the glory of His cross.

War. This message matters because we are at war, and we all follow a leader in this war. The world says follow your own heart, desires, whoever, whatever, etc... But the Christian life is to allow Jesus to lead and live His life in and through us. Scripture says to follow the Spirit, and to walk by the Spirit so that we will have victory in the battle over temptation.

We are not slaves, but sons. The gospel is the redeeming purchase of God’s children back from slavery to sin, false gods, and the law. This message looks at 3 arguments in Paul’s fight for freedom among the Galatian churches. True Christian freedom is the result of man’s faith in God’s saving grace.

The Bible is more than a legal code to be figured out. It is more than a more than moral program to make us “straighten up.” The Bible is the grand story of man being made free and right in God’s sight through faith and grace. It is our story of being reborn and made alive again to God. This message points to 5 life altering differences between law and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The letter to the Galatians is important, because there is even today, a great tendency to turn towards works as a basis of my relationship with God. And that's always a dangerous basis for your relationship with God, because our works are not always approved, even by ourselves. This message talks about the difference in trying to be good versus completely trusting in the goodness of Jesus Christ. Faith versus works.

The first century church dealt with controversy and division over several issues, primarily the tension between Jews and Gentiles. Instead of jumping on a team to fight each other, God desires for His church to be one family. Even though members have different roles, we're all needed and important. We are all God's workers in God's field, divided by our talents/calling for the labor and building up of His kingdom.

Paul makes gives proof that the real gospel dramatically changes lives. Just as Christ transformed Paul from persecutor to preacher, Christians today live changed lives, full of the spirit and power of God.