Longview Heights Sermons

In this week's Wednesday Bible study we look at how Nehemiah and the Israelites dealt with discouragement as they rebuilt the wall, and how we can apply the same principles to our own lives.

Text: Nehemiah 4:1-23

Why We Become Discouraged

1. Fatigue (v. 10)

2. Frustration (v. 10)

4. Fear (v. 11)

Reactions towards Discouragement:

1. Reset - (v. 13)

2. Remember (v. 14)

3. Resist (v. 14)

Your heart affects who you are, so guard it purposefully.

Text: Proverbs 4:2-27

In Proverbs we see the word "heart" frequently. It refers to the center of one's inner life and orientation to God, from which a person does all thinking, feeling, and choosing. Taking words of wisdom into the heart is vital and wisdom's presence in the heart is worth guarding because out of the heart flow all the thoughts and words and choices of a person's life.

- Your Responsibility to Guard Your Heart (v. 23a)

- It assumes that the thing kept will be attacked, and that the keeper should be sufficiently aware of the attacks that he will be on guard.

- The spiritual battle that rages around us is a battle for the heart. God wants your heart; so does Satan. Whoever or whatever has your heart has your devotion.

- Your Reason to Guard Your Heart (v. 23b)

- It is important to understand why the battle for the heart is so important; because it is the source of life.

"Everything we think, say or do is a manifestation

of what is in the heart. Whatever is at the source

will be produced. Remove wisdom and godliness

from the heart, and wisdom and godliness will

soon cease from the life. If we pollute the

wellspring, the infection will spread; before long,

hidden appetites will become open sins and

public shame." ~Warren Wiersbe

- Sin is always a heart issue, and it must always be dealt with at the heart level. Our sinful words, thoughts, and actions flow from a corrupted heart.

See Jeremiah 17:9, Psalm 12:2, Proverbs 28:14; 21:4, Hebrews 3:12, Matthew 24:12, Psalm 51:10, and Jeremiah 31:33

- Your Results of a Guarded Heart

There are four implications of a guarded heart:

1. Clean Heart

2. Cautious Mouth (v. 24)

3. Controlled Eye (v. 25)

4. Careful Foot

Change must take place at the heart level. That, not behavior modification, is the message of Christianity. You need to be born again by Jesus, and then the Spirit of Jesus will empower you to work on your heart issues. Proverbs hopes for this here, and Jesus gives it.

Ask yourself some probing questions:

- Do I have a clean heart?

- Am I guarding my heart purposefully?

- Your heart is prone to wander. Ask, "What do my struggles reveal about my heart?"

- Ask Jesus to change you at the heart level. He can. He will.

Want to talk with a pastor about a heart change in your life? Reach out to us at [email protected] or 662-895-1900.

In this Wednesday gathering Whit and David share with us about GO Next Door.

What is GO Next Door?

GO Next Door is a neighboring emphasis where we will intentionally pray for, meet, and form relationships with our neighbors with the goal of inviting them to know Christ, know community, and know our church family.

For more information check out the attached pdf.

Main Idea: God's wisdom revealed through Jesus is everything you've been searching for.

Text: Proverbs 3:13-18

1. Wisdom is Infinitely Significant (vv. 13-18

How valuable is the wisdom that God offers?

The gain from her is better than silver, the profit, better than gold, she is more precious than jewels and then there is this profound statement that nothing you desire can compare with her.

If today you consider yourself to be looking for something, that's because God has made us to look for something. Every adventure into the unknown that seeks the promise of happiness is meant to show us that we were made to find that here in God himself. That's the value of wisdom.

Vv. 3:16-18 Solomon references the "tree of life to those who embrace her..."

We see the Tree of Life first in Genesis 2:16-17 in the Garden of Eden when God provided the Tree of Life but Adam and Eve chose to disobey and eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result sin and death entered into God's perfect creation separating man from God.

We see the Tree of Life once again in Revelation 22: 1-3 "Then he showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city's Main Street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him."

Here we see that it is in God's wisdom that he begins his work to win creation back to what sin broke. Wisdom, God's wisdom, is not book smarts or street smarts, it is realizing that God has worked in Jesus Christ to restore sinners through his cross.

2. Wisdom is intrinsically supreme (vv. 19-20)

God created us to view the world through the lens of his wisdom. God created this world by his wisdom, established it by his understanding. He also sustains the world with this wisdom. Wisdom, then, is reading our world through the eye of God.

Everything you see regarding the world's brokenness, every desire in your heart for satisfaction is meant to lead you to the fact that the world is broken but Jesus has come to bring you back to God's joy on the cross.

3. Wisdom is Invariably Satisfying (vv. 21-35)

This passage assumes that despite our efforts to follow God's wisdom, to trust in the future hope laid up for us in the tree of life, this world makes much noise to shake our confidence. How many of us afraid of:

- The state of politics?

- The health of our family?

- All the things that seek to threaten us in this world?

Please hear this: When walking in God's wisdom, the things that cause us fear are not removed but our experience in our sleep is. The sleep of one who relies on God because they have seen the wisdom of God solve everything in Jesus Christ is a sweet sleep.

To choose to follow God's wisdom is to choose to lean into following Jesus as actively as we can even when the world offers alternative options. it is to trust the confidence of God and not the confidence of man.

Are you seeking or chasing after the wisdom that is Christ? Or are you in pursuit of the misunderstood prosperity that is believed to be fulfilled through earthly gain?

Want to talk with someone about your next steps? Contact us at [email protected] or 662-895-1600

Remember, "God's wisdom revealed through Jesus is everything you've been searching for."

The Hand of God and Man’s Secret to Success

Ezra 7:1-10

I’ve learned that whenever anyone is successful, people want to know the secret.

Talk show hosts, podcast, books ask successful people the “secret” of their great achievements, the answers they get are varied and sometimes contradictory. Some successful people will give credit to their talents or personal discipline, while others will boast in family support or access to superior training.

If we had interviewed Ezra and asked him the secret of his successful life, he would have said humbly, “The good hand of the Lord was upon me,” a phrase that’s found six times in Ezra 7 and 8 (7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31).

Nothing but the blessing of God can explain how an obscure Jewish priest and scholar, born in Babylonian Captivity, could accomplish so much for God and Israel when so much was working against him.

God’s good hand was upon this man doesn’t minimize the importance of his personal faithfulness or his great ability as a scholar, nor does it ignore the great help King Artaxerxes gave him. God uses all kinds of people to accomplish His will, but if God’s hand isn’t at work in us and through us, nothing will be accomplished. It’s the principle

Jesus taught His disciples, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The Secret of Ezra’s Success

Ezra was a great man—one of the all-time heroes of the faith. He had the will to lead; he had a heart for holiness; he had a mind for biblical truth. If we want to follow his example, we should ask what made him so great and so good.

What was the secret of Ezra’s spiritual success?

In one sense, it was the grace of God, of course, and the Bible is careful to point this out.

• Why did Ezra found favor in the eyes of the king? “The hand of the Lord his God was on him” (7:6).

• How was he able to make his journey back to Jerusalem? “The good hand of his God was on him” (7:9).

• Where did he find the courage to lead the people of Israel? Ezra speaks of God’s “steadfast love” and testifies, “the hand of the Lord my God was on me” (7:28).

Ezra was a man under the hand of God.

It is the hand of God that gives courage for spiritual leadership, humility for corporate repentance, and wisdom for teaching God’s Word. Praise God for the hand of guidance that has brought you to your present place of service, for the hand of providence that will supply all your needs, for the hand of discipline that will train you in righteousness, and for the hand of comfort that will sustain you through trials. The hand of God is on you for blessing.

Yet, there is another side to all this. Ezra had the hand of God on him, but at the same time he had to be faithful to his calling. He was not a marionette, dangling uselessly until God pulled his strings. He was a human being, with a mind, a heart, and a will that was made to glorify God. Therefore, he needed to be faithful to the sacred trust that God had given him. He needed to train his gifts for ministry and then put them to good use.

Ezra did that. This is obvious from all the good that he accomplished. But the Bible also shows us what was inside the man, giving us an intimate glimpse into Ezra’s approach to life and ministry. Do you want to know what enabled him to exercise such an influential ministry?

Look again at Ezra 7:10: “Ezra had determined in his heart to study the Law of the Lord, obey it and teach it’s statutes and ordinances in Israel.”

Studying, Doing, and Teaching the Law

This verse is one of the Bible’s best summaries of what it means to be a faithful servant of God’s Word. It is a wonderful verse for pastors, for seminary students, for theology professors—really, it is a wonderful verse for everyone. I know this from experience because I sought to embrace this verse early in my ministry.

• Picture of verse hanging in my study

The logic of this verse is impeccable. There were three things that Ezra was committed to doing, and he had them in the proper order, like “A-B-C” or “1-2-3.” In fact, Ezra had them in the only order that makes any sense: he had his heart set on studying, doing, and teaching the Word of God. This was his heart commitment, the direction of his life, the settled intention of his soul.

1. Studying God’s Word

Start with studying. Before we can do what God wants us to do, or teach anyone else what God wants them to do, we need to know what God wants us to do, and that means studying God’s Word. Ezra had committed himself to doing that. We do not know his study habits, but we know that he was skilled in the Law of Moses. His “delight was in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditated day and night” (Ps 1:2). The unrelenting ambition of his life was to know the Word of God.

2. Living by God’s Word

But Ezra did not stop there. He did not want merely to learn the Bible; he wanted to live it. So the Scripture says that he set his heart to do the law that he had studied. This meant loving the Lord his God with all his strength and loving his neighbor as himself. It meant keeping the Ten Commandments. It meant following all the regulations for priestly holiness and public worship. It meant doing everything he could to live by God’s law. Ezra understood that the only true theology is applied theology.

3. Teaching God’s Word

Then there was a third step: teaching God’s statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra would have taken issue with the famous advertising slogan: Just Do It! “No,” Ezra, would have said, “I can’t just do it. If I want to learn how to do it, I have to study it first, and then if it’s worth doing, I will be compelled to teach other people how to do it, too.” His slogan went more like this: “Don’t just do it! Study it, do it, teach it.”

Notice as well the scope of Ezra’s vision for ministry. He wanted to teach God’s law “in Israel.” He wanted to reach his entire nation with the Word of God. He saw that he had a responsibility to the wider spiritual community. It was his calling and privilege to spend long periods of time studying God’s Word. But this was not for his benefit alone; it was for the edification of the people of God. Eventually God granted Ezra his heart’s desire. When he read the Book of the Law to all the people in Jerusalem, he was teaching God’s statutes and rules in Israel–the Bible teacher for the kingdom.

But all of that came later. Ezra did not begin as a teacher; he became one. Sometimes people feel called to a teaching ministry, and they get right into teaching before they have done the hard work of really mastering the Bible. Then all they have to offer is their own spiritual experience; they cannot share the deepest riches of God’s Word. Or sometimes–and this is especially tempting for seminary students and pastors–they go right from studying to teaching without having the Word of God really transform their lives. It goes from the mind to the mouth without ever passing through the heart.

Application:

All of this is easy to apply. Like Ezra, you are called to be a student of God’s Word. We are all called to study God’s Word, and to do it, and as we have the opportunity, to teach it to others. This means spending time reading the Bible every day—not in an academic way, but in a devotional way, nurturing our love relationship with Jesus Christ. It means meditating on Scripture and memorizing it. It means devoting the very best of our powers to learning what God has said in his Word.

It also means paying special attention to new areas of personal obedience. We want to do more than study the Bible; we want to live by it. So what is God saying to you today that you need put into practice in your daily life? What will he say to you tomorrow and the day after that? Do not be content with what you have already attained, but strive to grow in godliness. Experience the fresh power of the Word of God.

Then once you start living the truth, then and only then can you be trusted to teach it to others. But bear in mind that this is the goal of all your studies. You do not study God’s Word for your own benefit, but for the sake of others. The knowledge you gain is a sacred trust that God has given you in order that you might give it away. So set your heart to study the Word of God, and to do it, and to teach it to wherever God calls you.

Scripture text: Proverbs 3:1-12

Proverbs shows us how God designed us to live. Proverbs 3 teaches us to "Submit our whole lives to God and He will take care of the rest."

As we walk through this life God gives us the gift of confidence in him–that if we submit to him and his ways, he will make it worth it.

In this passage the Father is saying, "Pay attention to me... Only my teaching will lead you into shalom, wholeness, peace."

1. Submit Your Personality (Heart) (vv. 3-4)

See also: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 the Shema

The Shema ties loving God with loving and knowing God's Word. You can't love someone without listening to them. Love takes time. The more time you spend in God's Word the more you will grow to love Him.

2. Submit Your Preference (Will) (vv. 5-6)

It all comes down to trust. Do we trust God, who made us and created us and knows how we work, or do we trust ourselves?

When faced with decisions like, "What job does God want me to have? Where does He want me to live? Where will I go to school?" God rarely tells us what to do but He always tells us how to do it. That's what it means to walk in the way of wisdom.

3. Submit Your Perspective (vv. 7-8)

Avoid thinking that you are wise and therefore forgetting that the Lord is the source of wisdom. Submit your whole life to God and He will take care of the rest.

4. Submit Your Possessions (vv. 9-10)

When we start to worry about the future what's one of the first things we doe? We close our wallets and our generosity dries up. We cling to our money.

If we trust God will provide for all our needs, even in want we can still find ways to be generous and give to the Lord and others. We can give confidently and joyfully that He will take care of us.

5. Submit Your Pride (vv. 11-12)

Godly parents don't withhold loving discipline from their children. The more you love, the more you correct what is wrong and train in what is right.

The Father loves us so much that He was willing to discipline His one and only Son in whom He delighted so that You and I can be forgiven. The Father allowed His perfect Son, a Son who had done no wrong, a Son who always submitted to his Father's will, to be punished as a guilty sinner so that you and I can be counted as righteous. The Father sees us through red colored glasses because of the blood of Jesus.

Your faith has practical applications. As a follower of God you cannot separate your spiritual life on Sundays, with your practical life the rest of the week. Genuine faith produces good works and will yield tangible fruit.

It's impossible for us to perfectly submit to God, but Jesus did. When we surrender to Christ, He empowers us through the Holy Spirit to walk the path of wisdom and gives the gift of confidence.

SUBMIT YOUR WHOLE LIFE TO GOD AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST.

When we become complacent in our walk with God we all need, repeatedly, for God's Spirit to blow fresh upon us in spiritual renewal.

1. Renewal with God is possible, no matter how spiritually low you've gone.

2. Renewal with God must focus on His cross.

In Ezra 3, the first thing they did was to rebuild the altar. Why did they begin with the altar? Because our fundamental need, if we want to draw near to God, is forgiveness of our sins.

If you are a believer who has strayed from the Lord, the cross is still the place for a new beginning.

3. Renewal with God must focus on obedience to His Word.

They knew to set up the altar because is was written in the law of Moses. (Ezra 3:2) The standard we need to evaluate everything is to ask the question, "Does it line up with Scripture and properly glorify God as He is revealed in His Word? Does it promote holiness in God's people, in line with His Word?"

If you want a renewal with God, it is available. Begin at the cross and then walk in obedience to His Word.

4. Renewal with God must focus on building up His House

A. Building up God's house requires the courage to stand together against this hostile world.

Some have focused on building a strong and well-armed militia, but these men knew that help from man is in vain if the Lord is not in His rightful place.

B. Building up God's house requires giving our time, talent, and treasures.

Your willingness to give, and the proportion that you give, are perhaps the best indicators that Jesus is Lord of your heart.

C. Building up God's house requires working in unity under godly leadership.

Unity was essential because of the enemy that would shortly threaten and shut down the work.

When the enemy wants to stop such a work, often he disrupts the unity.

D. Building up God's house requires an emphasis on corporate worship.

Both personal and corporate worship focus on God and affirm by faith His goodness and covenant love.

E. Building up God's house requires a spirit of cooperation between the different generations within the church.

We need all ages in God's church, and we should learn from one another.

Renewal with God is always possible and must focus on the cross, on obedience to His Word, and on building up His house.

What advantages are there to being a follower of Jesus? is Christianity really worthy it? Aside from the promise of eternal life, how will it help me here and now?

What would the results be if we think of Christianity only in terms of our future reward in heaven?

- Dangerous delay - people will delay faith as long as they can, then sign up for their heavenly insurance policy before the end

- Half hearts - People will not pursue Christ or holiness with vigor because there's no immediate advantage

- Clinched teeth - Christians adopt a "grin and bear it" approach to the Christian life. We just must put up with present losses in hope of eventual future gain.

- Cold legalism - We instruct our children to do things merely because they are commanded.

- Spiritual blindness - We don't see the glory and beauty of Christ, only commands to follow with little reason why.

As we look at Proverbs 2 we will see that Christianity IS worth it, not only for future rewards but because of present advantages.

As we practice seeking wisdom we will experience her productive benefits.

Wisdom defined: The skill of Godly living so that a life of lasting value is produced.

1. The Practice of Seeking Wisdom (2:1-4)

- Must Be Receptive (2:1)

- Must Be Responsive (2:1b-3)

- Must Be Resolute (2:4)

- "Seek" emphasizes the earnestness required–the sincere desire of the heart for wisdom.

- "Search" emphasizes the diligence required to gain wisdom. The diligence to stay with the task is the fruit of the earnest desire.

2. The Products from Seeking Wisdom (2:5-22)

Benefits:

- Delight in the Lord (2:5-10)

- Deliverance by the Lord (2:11-22)

- From Devious Men (2:11-15)

- From Dangerous Women (2:16-19)

- From Destructive Paths (2:20-22)

True wisdom is found in Christ alone. He is the very embodiment of wisdom.

The road to life begins at Calvary with the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. When we believe in Christ and accept His gift, we receive everything He has to offer, everything that comes with Him. This includes God's wisdom for living. There is only one way to heaven–only one road that leads to life–and that way is Jesus.

Remembering God's faithfulness when you're having trouble believing it.

Maybe you've heard the Lynyrd Skynyrd song, "Simple Man". The theme of the song is a mother pleading with her son to not forget what she has told him. She wants him to remember the simple things in life as the central things.

Lyrics:

""Mama told me when I was young, Come sit beside me, my only son. Listen closely to what I say, and if you do this, it will help you some sunny day. --Take your time, don't live to fast, troubles will come and they will pass. You'll find a woman and you'll find love. And don't forget that there is someone up above. --Forget your lust for the rich man's gold. All that you need is in your soul. --And you can do this if you try, all that I want for you my son is to be satisfied."

"And be a simple kind of man, oh won't you do this for me son, if you can."

Written by: Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington

This passage in Proverbs 1:20-33 helps us today to show us the call of wisdom- to LISTEN and LEARN to respond to it.

"Wisdom is everywhere, yet it is found in someone."

Wisdom, a definition: The skill of Godly living so that a life of lasting value is produced.

Wisdom is results from the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7)

The fear of the Lord is a reliance upon God; the realization that we were created to be wholly dependent recognizing the obligation we have in delighting in the God who created us for his glory. It is the whole of life through the eyes of the Creator.

We see wisdom in this passage personified as a lady. She represents a personification of a right relationship to a God who knows all things.

LISTEN:

- Listen to Her Calling (Vv. 20-23)

- She is vocal. She shouts out to everyone, "Be wise! Do the right thing! Do exactly what you should do!"

- Wisdom is not hard to find. It is intentional and it is everywhere. The problem, however is that not everyone who hears it heeds it. People willingly reject it. It calls loudly to us to fear the God who created us, but we have made a habit of ignoring that call.

- Listen to Her Critique (Vv. 24-32)

- She publicly and directly confronts:

1. The simple

2. The mockers

3. The fools

Observe wisdom's attitude toward those who do not know the fear of the Lord. She...

- calls (v. 24)

- stretches out her hand (v. 24b)

- Offers her counsel (v. 25)

- corrects (v. 25b)

Observe the contrasting attitudes of sinful people. They...

- refuse her (v. 24a)

- pay no attention to her (v. 24b)

- ignore her counsel (v. 25a)

- refuse to accept her urgent, loving correction (v. 25b)

Our problem is that we look for answers to our problem in all the places except where God has already reached out and provided an answer for us.

- Listen to Her Comfort (v. 33)

- We can lay claim on the promise that has been proclaimed by Lady Wisdom by listening.

In Proverbs, Lady Wisdom called out and no one turned. In the Gospel, Jesus, the one who Isaiah (ch. 11) said would be filled with the Spirit of God's wisdom did more than callout to us. He came down for us.

Jesus' message doesn't call for us to do better or try harder, instead Jesus grabs the heart of the sinner and brings us back to the cross. If you want this heart change it requires a turning which only Jesus can do. A turning which might seem painful because it admits what you have rejected your whole life. But if you would be changed by this Jesus and turn by the power of his grace away from your sins and towards the God who redeemed you, then you will finally find peace and dwell securely.

LEARN:

- Learn the Tendency of Human Nature

- Learn the Tenderness God Has for the Wayward

- Learn That the Time to Respond is Long but Limited