Lessons from an Ancient Scribe

This is the First Mustang Pulpit Podcast, a podcast of the weekly preaching and teaching at First Mustang. Thank you for joining us.!

Here do we find the book of Ezra. So don't be afraid of the table of contents. You can use the table of contents or you can go to First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, and then find the book of Ezra.

If you get to Nehemiah, you've gone too far. And so you want to go ahead and make your way there to Ezra chapter 7 for this morning's message, Lessons from an Ancient Scribe.

Before we read that text, I want to ask you a series of questions. If you could change the world, what would you do?

If you could change our country, what would you do? Sure, right now, we'd have a number of suggestions like, can we please stop running the political ads? Can I get an amen?

But if you could change our country, what would you do? If you could change our state, what would you do? Our city?

Your neighborhood? Let's get closer to home. If you could change your marriage, what would you do?

If you could change your children or your grandchildren, what would you do? Or perhaps even closer to home, if you could change your life, that which you're experiencing today, that you walked in here this morning, affecting your life, what would you do?

How would you approach it? Well, this morning, I do believe that we can find an answer from an ancient scribe by the name of Ezra.

And really, my goal for this morning is found in a New Testament text. You don't need to turn there since you're already in Ezra 7, but Romans chapter 15, if you're taking notes, Romans 15, verse 4, says, And when we turn to an Old Testament book like the book of Ezra, and specifically one verse, this verse, this verse under consideration this morning, we will find just that in our lessons from an ancient scribe.

We'll find instruction. We'll find encouragement. But I pray we will find hope. And so, before we read the text, it's always difficult when you turn in the Old Testament to set the context without it being a history lesson, without getting lost in the weeds.

So, I'm going to give you an overview from about 30,000 feet to set the context for Ezra. Now, some of the men who have completed or are in the Men's Institute, you probably have this timeline memorized because you had to do that.

So, you can see the chart in your mind. So, you're a little bit ahead in that you can see where this lands on the big chart that you had to draw out. Well, for the purpose of time, I'll not be able to go through that entire timeline or give you all of the dates.

But just for those of you who may not be familiar, let me just set the context here. In the beginning, God created.

Genesis 1.1. It's a very important text. It sets the stage for your biblical worldview. It sets the stage for your worldview and how you'll approach life if you not only read that, but you believe that.

And then you live your life by that. That in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And then we go through a series of progressions in that which God has created.

And it was good. And it was good. And it was good. It's a repeated phrase. Then God creates man, the pinnacle of his creation in his image. And yet there's something that is not good for man.

And that is that man would be alone. So God gives man a woman who's created in the image of God and who is created out of the rib of Adam.

And so God is the one who creates marriage. That's important as well in a biblical worldview to understand that the institution of marriage is God's plan and God's design.

It's not man's thought. It's not man's creation. This is God's creation. But then Genesis chapter 3, sin enters the world. And then you have division.

Separation. Destruction. Death. Even between siblings with Cain and Abel.

And now you have a series of events that unfold. Even while God has promised in Genesis 3.15 that there is one coming who's going to crush the head of the serpent.

Who will defeat the enemy and defeat sin. And so God calls Abram to himself. And he says, I'm going to create a people unto myself.

And you will be a people and I'll make a covenant with you. And you are to be a blessing to all nations. But you'll be a people specific to myself. Holy.

Set apart. See, setting the stage for the line of the Messiah who would come. The God man. Jesus Christ himself. And yet, again, sin is in the world that leads to separation and death and destruction and division.

And so we see that even within the people of God, sin runs throughout the people of God. And there's a series of cycles that people would rebel against God.

And then there'd be consequences that would come. And then there'd be punishment because God chastises or punishes his own. And then there would be repentance and calling out to the Lord.

And there'd be forgiveness and restoration. And you see this repeated cycle. Well, even within the people of God, there is a division that takes place in that you'll have the division between the ten tribes of the north that make up Israel.

And then the two of the south that make up Judah. And God repeatedly sends messengers to the people saying, follow me.

Trust me. Obey me. Lest there be consequences. And the people of God continue to rebel against him.

And so then you find yourself with Israel ultimately being overrun by another world power in Assyria. And then not long after that, Babylon would take over Judah.

And the people are dispersed and scattered in the great city of Jerusalem is overrun. The temple is destroyed. And then we find ourselves in the book of Ezra.

Where a Persian king in Ezra 1 allows the people of God to the Jews, the Jewish people, to return back to their holy land.

And so you have three waves of people going back to Jerusalem. One led, the first led by Zerubbabel. And then the next led by Ezra.

Where we find our text. And then the next led by Nehemiah. And here in Ezra chapter 7, really this book could be broken down into two segments.

Ezra 1 through 6. And then there's a period of time that lapses before we get to chapter 7. And therein lies where we get the book of Esther.

That takes place in this gap of time. But in this, the first section of the book of Ezra, there is a concentration on the external.

The rebuilding of the temple. And then the opposition that's going to come from the enemies of God. And so there's opposition that comes in rebuilding the temple.

And then in the second section, you have more of the internal conflict that takes place. And we have an introduction into Ezra, the scribe. The priest.

And so let's read Ezra chapter 7. And take note of one verse, but I want us to start in verse 7.

And there went up also to Jerusalem. In the seventh year of Artaxerxes, the king, some of the people of Israel and some of the priests and Levites and singers and gatekeepers and the temple servants.

And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month, he began to go up from Babylonia.

And on the first day of the fifth month, he came to Jerusalem. Now take note of this. This is a repeated phrase here in the book of Ezra. And this is very important.

For the good hand of God was on him. For the good hand of God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of Yahweh or the law of the Lord and to do it.

And to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. And that is our text under consideration this morning.

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.

So what do you do when your nation has been overrun by another foreign army? Well, Ezra here gives us some lessons.

Lessons that I think apply to even our world, our nation, our state, our city, your marriage, your parenting, your grandparenting, your personal life as well.

And there's four lessons that can be drawn out from this verse. But this verse, before we get to lesson number one, I want you to take note of the preceding phrase.

For the good hand of his God was on him. It's very important for us to understand throughout the Old Testament that we are constantly reminded that history is his story.

It's God's story. God is never running around frantic as if he's trying to figure out a plan. God has a plan. God is sovereign.

He consults with no one for he is perfect. And so even throughout all of Old Testament history, we're repeatedly reminded of the sovereign hand of God that he is guiding, he is directing, he is raising up one and bringing down another.

He is causing an army to come in and take over his people and deport them to a foreign land and then he causes them to come back. All the while, we who live thousands of years after the completion of the canon of Scripture, so even after the completion of the New Testament, are able to look back and see that God's plan has been unfolding for thousands of years and he can be trusted.

And listen, the direct application for that is even in this election year in our country, God can be trusted. He's on his throne.

He rules and reigns. And here, even with Ezra, as a scribe, as a teacher, as a priest with a heritage like he has in verses 1-6 that goes all the way back to Aaron, that God's good hand was upon him directing his life because he's going to raise him up as some believe like a second Moses.

He's a leader of the day. He's a leader of those that are coming back into the land of Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple and yet it will just be a shell of what it used to be and yet God has a plan because we know what's coming and what is coming is the Messiah.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And so, the good hand of God is upon Ezra, but then take note of this, for, the beginning of verse 10, for Ezra had set his heart to study the law of Yahweh.

This should bring back thoughts of Deuteronomy chapter 6 and the idea that God was telling the people that these words that I give you, they shall be on your heart and you shall teach them diligently to your children.

You shall impress this upon them. You shall etch this as in stone upon their hearts so that they don't forsake me. You see, the good hand of God was upon Ezra because Ezra set his heart to study the law of Yahweh.

Not only Deuteronomy 6 verses 1 through 10, but then even the chapter in Psalms that we read this morning in Psalm 1. Blessed is the man who walks not, but then blessed is the man whose meditation is on the law of the Lord day and night.

It's this idea of blessing comes to those who are immersed in his word. Psalm 119 verses 1 through 8.

Another reference, in fact, the entire chapter of Psalm 119, another reminder for us that those who saturate themselves in the word of God will walk the way of the blessed.

Now, it does not mean it's a way of ease and absent of suffering and pain. it's a difference. You can be blessed and you can be yielding fruit in the midst of your pain and sorrow and temptation and agony and suffering as you're immersed in the word.

It's what Jesus would say in Matthew 7 verses 24 through 27 at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount that the one who hears these words of mine and then does them.

It's another aspect we're going to see in Ezra 7.10. It's not just hearing the word but it's practicing the word. We'll be like a house that is built on a solid foundation not on sinking sand.

all of this for the good hand of his God was on him for Ezra and here are the four lessons for us.

Number one dedication dedication you see it right here for Ezra had set his heart he had set his heart some versions translate this with the idea of his entire mind and affections his entire life the entirety of his being is set aside to study the law of Yahweh it is one who gives himself wholly to a task not only his mind and then his affections but an act of the will as well it's the idea behind the heart in scripture the heart is the control center it's the command center it is out of the overflow of the heart Jesus said that the mouth speaks it is that which God has always been seeking to get a hold of with his people is to get to their heart not just to change behavior but that there'd be a heart change and when a heart change happens then behavior follows that well Ezra had set his heart the entirety of his being it was full and complete devotion we're in the midst of college football season and in the state of

Oklahoma we're ready for NBA basketball are we not this isn't a banner year for Oklahoma college football Oklahoma or Oklahoma State and so thankfully we have the NBA and now we can say we're ready for the thunder to return however we see an illustration in devotion and dedication right here in our own state in the colors that you wear the hat that you put on your head the way you structure your Saturday the way you program your TV the way you paint your face the jersey that you'll put on in fact I saw a little segment yesterday on ESPN that talked about if you've got a fall wedding you probably are not a college football fan unless your team had a bye week and then if it was a bye week you can get married on that day but if it's college football season we avoid that at all costs see the idea of dedication we see it even when we're watching and we see the fans in the stands they can go from a moment of going crazy and excited to then just the agony of defeat let's see that pales in comparison to what

Ezra and the others in scripture had given themselves to they gave themselves not to a sports team but they gave themselves to the Lord whole heartedly and so I ask you this morning are you dedicated whole heartedly to our Lord to his word or is it just leftovers that which you hope to get to you have a million things to do and so if I have time I'll get to spending time alone with the Lord and his word and in prayer and and or how about like I like to share with our Sunday school class let's just step on some toes right now and compare your intake of social media versus your intake of the word of God say amen or ouch right there right you see whole hearted dedication whole hearted devotion is just that he's a priority he gets first he gets the first fruits that's what worship is worship is

Lord you get that which is right off the top you get the complete first fruits of my life and Ezra is an example of dedication one commentator said this this scribe this teacher this priest Ezra we should note was not only a student of scripture but explicitly a practitioner and especially a teacher of its requirements in these qualities we find exemplified in Ezra's ministry see that which he was dedicated to everything else is going to flow out of it the next three lessons flow out of lesson number one and that is dedication you've heard our pastors share this in the past and others on staff have shared this that you don't make a decision to go to church on Sunday morning you make a decision to go to church on Saturday that it's not an option the next day why because we begin our week in the house of the

Lord we begin our week with the people of God so then it's not optional it's not whether I feel good or not it's that this is a priority I am dedicated unto the Lord well the same thing on a day to day basis am I dedicated to the Lord does he get the first fruits of my life does he get complete devotion wholehearted devotion or does he just get the leftovers so dedication is a lesson that we find here from Ezra for he had set his heart and now lesson number two is education dedication number one but then education for Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord there is a concerted effort to learn he is pursuing the knowledge of God through the study of the word he's dedicated but then what flows from it is he's going to be educated he's going to sit under the authoritative word of

God and some translations even say he would seek the law of Yahweh that's the idea in the Hebrew is to seek to search out for the true meaning and the true understanding of the word of God again we could reference Psalm 1 we could reference Psalm 119 we could reference Jeremiah 9 23 to 24 that the one who boasts boasts in this that he knows and understands Yahweh he understands the Lord and more importantly the Lord knows him we see it in 2 Timothy 5 2 15 in verses in 2 Timothy 3 verses 15 to 17 as well all repeated reminders that we are to be students of the word we receive an education from the word of God when we're immersed in the word of

God now take note of this it's not to study just to become more learned that's the difference we study to know God he's given us his word and his word is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword as Hebrews 4 reminds us and so when we go to the Lord and we are educated from his word we are growing in our relationship with him for we're not after mere head knowledge again we seek to know him to understand him let me illustrate it this way just recently my wife and I we added on to our back patio we love sitting outside I love the position of our back patio now it faces the east I love sunrises so I like to get up early in the morning while it's still dark and and

I'll look off to the east there and so we wanted to add to it well of course you can't just add to your patio without hearing the next request and that is we need new patio furniture you know you can't have old patio furniture on a new patio and so we just ordered new patio furniture now what will happen is that which I loathe in life is that patio furniture will not come assembled right it's going to come in a thousand different pieces in many different boxes and then they're going to give you instructions that are written in many different languages and so then you need to find English and then you go to English and you think man I wish I would have paid attention in elementary school because this is making no sense to me especially if you don't have any mechanical skill whatsoever now when I'm putting that furniture together or attempting to check back with me in a year and see if it's all assembled but without a doubt there's going to be at the end of putting together a chair and

I'm feeling good about myself I'm thinking I actually did it and then I look and there's some screws left over I'm thinking where do those screws go hopefully they're not important you see I may read those instructions and then I get tired with the instructions and I think I can do it and then I move on to the next piece and for some reason the holes aren't matched up just right and then I think I don't want to go back to the instructions I think I can remember this and then you get it assembled and you notice that you've got bottom facing up rather than facing down and that's my life with assembling furniture but now let me illustrate it this way if you say Jeff you're working with a natural gas fireplace number one I'm calling someone who knows better than me talking about natural gas I'm not half hearted in looking at the instructions

I'm not winging it I recognize the danger that is involved for if you don't assemble this correctly there could be an explosion so I need to take care I need to take time that's the idea behind Ezra studying the law of Yahweh is he sought to understand it he spent time with it he was immersed in it he was saturated in it and listen we're not talking about patio furniture or natural gas fireplaces we're talking about your life and how many of us go through life and we we really don't even know what God has said in his word we just kind of go through life and think well if I if I happen to find myself involved in a crisis then I'll turn to the word or if I find myself grieving then I may turn to the word or if I find myself filled with anxiety or fear then I'll turn to the word well listen folks each and every day we are to seek to be a student of the word of

God so that when those times come you're prepared says you've been educated in the word so that's lesson number two lesson number one dedication lesson number two education lesson number three it's right there you see it application for Ezra had set his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to do it four words and to do it folks here in this is a massive massive application point not only will I be dedicated to the law of the Lord to the word of God not only is it a priority in my life not only am I student of the word

I seek to understand but now I am one who practices it I live this out I live out the word of God Deuteronomy 16 12 again would have been a reference that Ezra would have been very familiar with remember that you were slaves in Egypt carefully follow these statutes the idea of being reminded that the law of the Lord has been laid out before the people and the people have rebelled against God and then get enslaved to the people of Egypt and then what's coming down the road enslavement to Assyria and enslavement to Babylon and on and on it goes throughout Israel's history why they may have known the word of God but they did not do it or practice it you see this in Deuteronomy 16 12 that I just read

Matthew 5 19 Matthew 7 24 John 13 17 are you walking in obedience to the Lord and what he's revealed in his word do you practice it now I want to invite you back tonight as Joey's going to preach out of James chapter 1 he's going to further expound this very point out of James chapter 1 in our Sunday school right now that's where we are in the book of James we're in this very text of scripture the idea of being a doer of the word of God and not merely a hearer only for a hearer is like one who just looks in the mirror and then he turns around and walks away and he forgets what he looks like no we are those who not only read the word of God and hear the word of God but we're ones!

who practice the word of God now let me illustrate it this way practicing the word of God listen to a podcast this week that the association of certified biblical counselors puts out truth and love it's the name of the podcast in this particular week earlier in the week they were discussing Isaiah 26 and how we live out Isaiah 26 you remember what Isaiah 26 3 says some of you may have that committed to memory you will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on you you God will keep in peace peace shalom shalom perfect peace he who or him whose mind is stayed is fixed on you on

God now a buzz word in our culture is you need to be trauma informed because there's trauma all around us people have experienced traumatic events and listen without a doubt we have trauma all around and people have experienced trauma but listen to me the Bible is filled with trauma the Bible is could be said is a book of trauma that's what happens when you rebel against God and when people sin is it leads to death it leads to destruction it leads to division it can lead to trauma and I submit to you if we want to be trauma informed we need to be Bible informed when we know the word of God when we understand the word of God when we bring people to the word of

God who better to provide peace in your life than the one who created you soul care psychology is the study of the soul who better to apply healing to the soul than the one who created the soul God himself so how do we live out Isaiah 26 verse 3 you will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on you we understand and we recognize in order to practice this I must recognize number one God is the one who provides peace God gives shalom peace perfect peace and since God does that I am dependent upon him I'm not dependent upon another person listen if you're looking for your spouse to provide peace in your life you're going to be disappointed repeatedly if you're looking for your children to provide peace in your life just wait till the teenage years you're going to be greatly disappointed right

God is the one who provides peace peace perfect peace you will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on you so what is our responsibility God provides the peace my responsibility is my mind is fixed on who God is and what he does and then my hope is in him how do I live this out in the midst of trauma I remember God is faithful God is loving God is merciful God is compassionate remember lamentations chapter three sitting in the midst of ruins Jeremiah is able to say therefore I call this to mind and I have hope the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases your mercies are new every morning great is your faithfulness that is my mind fixed on

God that is informed by his word that leads me to him and he provides the peace this is how we live this out so many other applications that we could point to but again the idea is to practice it you will practice the word of God you'll be obedient to that which the word of God calls you to in every area of your life then it leads to this final lesson!

lesson number four of instruction instruction so you have dedication you have education you have application now instruction you see it again right here out of the text and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel and folks I submit to you herein is where true biblical ministry takes place listen I share this with people I meet with I'm a broken record with this you are receiving counsel from the word of God and one who would walk alongside of you and pray with you and bear your burdens and take you to the God of scripture remind you who he is but it's not just that the end is for yourself it's always that you will be a conduit of ministry to others that's biblical that's the idea it's not just oh

I want a marriage that's absent of conflict and then it's absent of conflict and you think we've arrived this is wonderful there's no more conflict and then you go to bed and wake up the next morning and you realize oh wait it may be not gone and the same thing happens with our children or our grandchildren or your workplace or in your neighborhood wherever you find yourself the idea of instruction is that that which you have learned and applied in your life you'll now teach others oh and listen I look out in this room and I see people who are still here dedicated to the Lord who lost a spouse and they miss them dearly and they are still grieving and yet when they're here in this room the ministry that provides to me bolsters my faith they didn't withdraw they're not absent they're not

AWOL they're here they're present they're continuing to serve the Lord and you look across the room and they're singing it is well oh my soul that does something that's instructing you bolstering your faith encouraging your faith those who have lost children those who have wayward children those who are experiencing marital strife those who have gone through divorce and yet are still here they're still seeking to serve the Lord you see the ministry to them isn't just receive receive receive it's that they would instruct others as well the ministry that they've received they now pass on to others this is the cycle of ministry and we see this again throughout scripture Deuteronomy chapter 33 verse 10 we'll see it in the companion book to Ezra

Nehemiah 8 1-9 the understanding of expounding the word of God expositing the word so that we understand it and then we can apply it to our lives and then what we do is teach it to others and if you have children in the home listen whether you have a set aside family devotion time or not you're teaching understand that you're always teaching others are always looking to you they're observing you what you say how you act the priorities in your life malachi 2-7 would be another reminder of instructing the word of God acts 1-1 we see Luke is the one who's laid out an account of Jesus life by way of instruction 1st Timothy 3-2 2nd

Timothy 4-2 Titus 2-1 in verse 15 as well all reminders of teaching and the importance and the priority of teaching the word of God but Romans 15-14 one of my favorite texts I myself am satisfied about you my brothers Paul speaking to the Romans that you yourselves are full of goodness filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another you're able to instruct one another see friend as you have walked through suffering in your life you're able to walk through suffering with another person by way of empathy you've walked their road you know the feelings of pain and the loneliness and the sleepless nights and the fear and you know that because you've lived it and you've walked it and you're able to come alongside of them and continue to bring them back to the

Lord and his word and so are you teaching the word of God to others are you instructing others are you ministering to others by reminding them who God is and what he has said in his word now before we close I want to be sure and bring this to a culmination because the point of this message is not just read your Bible more it's not just study more it's not just practice it more it's not just instructed to one another the point of this message is that what we see in Ezra is a foreshadowing of the perfect one to come Jesus Christ the true prophet priest and king you see in

Jesus Christ we see the culmination of all of this in his life that he is the God man and yet he was born of a virgin and born of Mary and he does grow in wisdom and in stature the gospels tell us so he is dependent upon another that Jesus in his humanity is dependent upon his mother to feed him and dependent upon authority figures in his life to instruct him and yet we find that as Jesus even as a boy in the temple is sharing with those who are learned in the law those who are scribes those who are teachers of the law and yet Jesus is the embodiment of that which they are teaching so when he opens his mouth they're blown away saying how how is this man speaking with such authority and when he speaks everyone is fixed on him why because he is the culmination of everything that we find in the

Old Testament is culminated! in Jesus Christ the perfect prophet priest and king we see his dedication and that he rose up early in the morning he got away to spend time with his father listen there's the application if Jesus himself got away to spend time alone with the Lord what does that say of us the son of God got away and spent time alone with the Lord he was dedicated to his father he was dedicated to his father's will above his own will oh Lord if this cup can pass from me in the garden of Gethsemane may it be so nevertheless not my will but your will be done Jesus was dedicated to perfection Jesus the God man is educated like I said he grew in wisdom and stature he went to the temple he was taught as a little boy and yet all that he's being taught is about him that's what blows my mind is that he is learning and then as he then opens his mouth there's such authority because it's him that's why when he reads from the scroll they're in awe of him why because he is the

God man he is the Messiah what about application Hebrews chapter 4 verses 16 to 18 tells us he was tempted in all ways as we are and yet this phrase yet without sin how's that for application in his life Jesus himself experienced temptation to its maximum level I would say and yet never sinned he is sinless and we see that Jesus himself is the one who not only knows the word of himself and he's the word become flesh but he lives this out and then finally we see him as the consummate instructor and teacher that when he spoke he spoke with authority when he taught he used parables that people understood listen the reason he used parables is these were stories laid alongside of everyday occurrences in life why because it wasn't about showing off his intellectual knowledge it was that he would make a connection with people and they would understand it and those who didn't understand a parable he would say

I'm speaking in parables and they don't understand it because the father hasn't revealed it to them but he's revealed it to you as my disciples see Jesus was the consummate instructor the consummate teacher and in the end folks I would say to this we come to Jesus that Ezra would be one who would come alongside and push us to Jesus and when we are pushed to Jesus and then when we trust Jesus as Savior and Lord then we understand Lord means that there's full dedication in my life it isn't he gets the leftovers it's he's boss of my life he's the one who guides and directs my life but he's also savior that I need one to save me from my sin I need one to rescue me from what awaits me in judgment but not only that Jesus will be the one who will teach you he's given us

Jesus himself said that when I leave you and go back to the father I'm not leaving you as orphans but I'm sending another helper a comforter the Holy Spirit who resides within each of us so that as we read the word of God we're not just reading it as any old book we're reading it dependent upon the Holy Spirit to give us understanding and then to make application to our life and then the Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us to be obedient to his word and then in the end as any good instructor would do we take those who come alongside of us to Jesus the perfect one we take him to the one that we owe our entire lives to the one who can rescue us the one who can save us the one who uses us for his glory and the one who's returning again one day and will take us home to eternity may that be said of us let's pray our father we again pause and thank you for this time in your word and these lessons from an ancient scribe lord we pray that you would take that which we have heard and make application to our lives that we would be doers of the word and not merely hearers only father i pray that we would live lives for your glory and everything that we say and do continue to teach us long after we leave this place we ask in

Jesus name amen well before you're dismissed let me remind you there if you still have your connection card within your bulletin there's a place that you could fill out and even jot a note down if you would like to meet with one of us as pastors or any of our ministry staff we would love to meet with you we'd love to talk further with you from the word of God and bringing you tonight we do this afternoon we have the men's institute so if you're in the institute the men's institute will still be meeting at 345 but then tonight we don't have any of our choirs meeting and so no children's choirs or passion choir but we do have evening service and so I want to invite you back this evening as Joey will preach from James chapter one and so thank you for being here let's stand together I'll do a closing prayer for us and then you will be dismissed let's pray again our father again as we leave now many to head to

Sunday school our prayer is that we would be careful to meditate on your word and even as we're instructed here for many who will go to a class now and receive further instruction from your word help us to never forget that we are being brought into the knowledge of the holy one the knowledge of God the creator the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so we don't receive instruction just for more intellectual knowledge but we receive instruction to grow in our relationship with you and to apply your word to our lives and so be with us this day we ask us in Jesus name amen amen God bless you you are dismissed was all not he one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one fathers fathers

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