Following God has never depended on living in the right place.
It has always depended on having the right heart.
In this message, we continue our journey Through the Bible by following God's people through exile. Jerusalem has fallen. The Temple has been destroyed. Israel has been carried into Babylon. Yet even in a foreign land, God continues to raise up faithful men and women to accomplish His purposes.
Using passages from Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and 1 Peter, we explore:
• Why God allowed Israel to go into exile
• How Daniel and his friends remained faithful in Babylon
• The purpose of the Old Testament prophets
• God's promise to restore His people after 70 years
• Ezra and Nehemiah's mission to rebuild Jerusalem
• How God used Esther to save His people
• Why God's presence isn't confined to a building
• What it means to live faithfully in a culture that doesn't follow God
This message isn't just about Israel's exile.
It's about ours.
As followers of Jesus, we live in a world that isn't our home.
But like Daniel...
Like Esther...
Like Nehemiah...
God has placed us exactly where we are for a purpose.
You don't have to become like the culture to make a difference in the culture.
You can love God, stand firm in your faith, and be used by Him—even in Babylon.
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place... And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” — Esther 4:14