Ezra&Nehemiah

1. Ezra&Nehemiah “Building God’s People and Projects”

2. G.K Chesterton We are perpetually being told that this rising generation is very frank and free, and that its whole social ideal is frankness and freedom. Now I am not at all afraid of frankness. What I am afraid of is fickleness. And there is a truth in the old proverbial connection between what is fickle and what is false. There is in the very titles and terminology of all this sort of thing a pervading element of falsehood. Everything is to be called something that it is not; as in the characteristic example of Companionate Marriage. Everything is to be recommended to the public by some sort of synonym which is really a pseudonym.

3. G.K Chesterton It is a talent that goes with the time of electioneering and advertisement and newspaper headlines; but whatever else such a time may be, it certainly is not specially a time of truth. The sensitive youth of the future will never be called upon to accept Forgery as Forgery. It will be easy enough to call it Homoeography or Script-Assimilation or something else that would suggest, to the simple or the superficial, that nothing was involved but a sort of socializing or unification of individual handwriting.

4. G.K Chesterton When somebody wishes to wage a social war against what all normal people have regarded as a social decency, the very first thing he does is to find some artificial term that shall sound relatively decent. He has no more of the real courage that would pit vice against virtue than the ordinary advertiser has the courage to advertise ale as arsenic. His intelligence, such as it is, is entirely a commercial intelligence and to that extent entirely conventional. He is a shop-keeper who dresses the shop-window; he is certainly the very reverse of a rebel or a rioter who breaks the shop-window.

5. G.K Chesterton If only for this reason, I remain cold and decline the due reverence to Companionate Marriage and the book which speaks so reverentially about the Revolt of Youth. For this sort of revolt strikes me as nothing except revolting; and certainly not particularly realistic. With the passions which are natural to youth we all sympathize; with the pain that often arises from loyalty and duty we all sympathize still more; but nobody need sympathize with publicity experts picking pleasant expressions for unpleasant things; and I for one prefer the coarse language of our fathers.

6. Seemingly innocent changes in the Social setting… - The Jews welcomed different religious perspectives and ideas at the heart of their faith and walk with God…They embraced Ecumenism…converting their faith into a spiritual buffet of random choices and beliefs -

7. Seemingly innocent changes in the Social setting… - They failed to stop supporting God’s work with their gifts, tithes, and offerings. Other personal projects took on greater significance…there were vacations to plan, children to send to college, bills to pay, home repairs to make….the work of God lost its luster….. the sacrifices of their spiritual leaders were taken for granted

8. Seemingly innocent changes in the Social setting… - They put their economic wellbeing, interest in wealth accumulation, and desires for things and the time to enjoy them before their commitment to God and to his request that they gather at a specific time and place to meet with him and enjoy him.

9. Seemingly innocent changes in the Social setting… - They downplayed the importance of nurturing a vibrant faith within themselves and looking for others to share and support that faith with…instead choosing close friends and marriage partners based on sex appeal, emotional connection, how much fun they were socially, and what their gross income was.

10. The clear line in the sand Luke 11:23 (ESV) Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

11. What can a person do who wishes to reverse that trend in their own life or culture?

12. Take to Heart the Word of God… and obey it VV 1-3

13. Take the time and effort to get emotionally engaged and practically involved. VV 8-30

14. The willingness to confront Evil comes from three things: • Being concerned about the things God is concerned about

15. Ephesians 4:25-29 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.26  Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,27  and give no opportunity to the devil.

16. The willingness to confront Evil comes from three things: • Being concerned about the things God is concerned about • Being willing to confront wrongdoing at whatever level it is found

17. The willingness to confront Evil comes from three things: • Being concerned about the things God is concerned about • Being willing to confront wrongdoing at whatever level it is found • Being confident of God’s memory and capacity to reward

18. Job 34:21-22 “For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.

19. I John 3:19-23 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20  for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21  Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22  and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 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.