Preparing for the Lord's Day
Rebuilding the Kingdom
It is no secret that the Church has suffered over the past two and a half years from all the fallout of COVID. There has been disunity in the body as members expressed their various opinions about the pandemic and the church’s response. There has been a drop in attendance across churches throughout the world. There has been great discouragement on behalf of leadership and volunteers. I have heard many people say that the church will never recover. They say people will never come back. They say the damage is too great to recover. Nevertheless, when we look to the word of God, we see the promise that the evil powers of this world will never overcome the Church (Matthew 16:18). We see that Jesus is ruling all things for the good of his Church (Ephesians 1:22). Despite all the apparent struggles by faith we believe that the future of the Church is strong and ultimately triumphant.
This Sunday we begin a sermon series through the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. These books are historical accounts of the people of God returning from exile to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. God’s people had been forced off their land. They had been taken captive to Babylon. There was very little hope that God’s promises to his people would ever be fulfilled. Yet what we will see throughout our sermon series is that God moves in history to ensure that his promises to his people are fulfilled and that his kingdom will be rebuilt. To come prepared for the sermon take time this week to read and to meditate upon Ezra 1-2, Psalm 137, Proverbs 21:1, Isaiah 44:28, Jeremiah 29:10, Matthew 16:18, Revelation 18:2, and this video overview of Ezra – Nehemiah.
This week we will celebrate that sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during our worship service. As we receive the elements of bread and wine look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. For as we physically receive the signs of the Lord’s body and blood, spiritually we feed upon him and all his benefits. Our hymns for this week include “Come, Thou Almighty King,” “Lamb of God,” and “How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place.”
Text: Ezra 1-2
Title: Exile Ending
Outline:
- Every Christian Must Know God's Promise to End the Exile
- Every Christian Must Trust God's Power to End the Exile
- Every Christian Must Obey God's Command to End the Exile