Resurrection Life Sunday Sermon

Resurrection Life Sunday Sermon

by Resurrection Life Church

Christianity Religion

Season 2

REBUILD: Fierce Obedience

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 4 Paul warned his protege Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Nehemiah 4 teaches us especially about responding to self-declared opponents of Christ and His people. While openly aggressive persecution of Christians is relatively rare in modern North America, God wants believers everywhere to ready themselves to face opposition faithfully. Because God is worthy of our all, He calls us to respond to this world’s hostility with a fierce obedience, a response that begins with bold prayer, follows with shrewd action, and flows from a heart transformed by God’s love in Christ.

Rebuild: Motivated to Build

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 2 Nehemiah faces King Artexerxes downcast and depressed. The King asks him why he looks so gloomy, which opens up the opportunity for Nehemiah to share his desire to leave his post as cupbearer in Susa, to wall builder in Jerusalem. The trajectory of Nehemiah 2 is really quite inspiring. It begins with a downcast Nehemiah, but it ends with resolve, hope, and motivation. As we go through this story, we hope you will feel inspired to grow together in faith, motivated by the Holy Spirit as the Master Contractor.

REBUILD: The Cupbearer's Cries

SCRIPTURE: Nehemiah 1 The book of Nehemiah begins as a memoir. Nehemiah reflects on his situation—a cushy government job in Susa, a Persian city in modern-day Iran. The Persian Empire had not been the picture of stability during the fifteen years separating Ezra and Nehemiah. However, in 445 BC, Persia experienced a period of relative stability—another “hand of God” moment. According to Dale Davis, this stability may have made it easier for King Artaxerxes to release his trusted cupbearer to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Before Nehemiah receives this royal green light to leave, he first grieves the dire straits his people are experiencing back in Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1 primarily consists of a personal prayer. Like this past Sunday, when we focused on a prayer offered by Ezra, we will now break down Nehemiah’s opening prayer before he sets out to help rebuild Jerusalem.

REBUILD: Guilt, Grace, and Then What?

SCRIPTURE: Ezra 9 It's been 80 years since Cyrus the King of Persia decreed that Jerusalem should be rebuilt. But the rebuilders were opposed by the local inhabitants. King Darius I searched the records and found Cyrus' decree and redecreed that Jerusalem be rebuilt. In Chapter 7, Darius' grandson sends Ezra to Jerusalem. Now finally Ezra arrives and Ezra pulls out his beard in shock. He was commissioned by King Artaxerxes of Persia to enforce God’s Law in Judah. What Ezra discovers, however, is an alarming intermingling with surrounding nations through marriages across religious divides—an act that threatens the very existence of this fragile remnant in Jerusalem. Ezra 9 is a difficult chapter to grasp, but its true challenge lies in its timeless call to faithful holiness. While our context today differs from that small, vulnerable community in fifth-century BC Jerusalem, the call to holiness remains unchanged. How, then, can we pursue holiness in a world like ours while still being winsome with the Gospel?

REBUILD: Better Than Ezra

SCRIPTURE: EZRA 7 Sixty years separate Ezra 6 from Ezra 7. A fresh group of newly deported Jews arrives in Jerusalem, led by Ezra himself. After spending time this past week exploring the person of Ezra, this week we look at him as an Old Testament, Christ-like figure. Obviously, Ezra was not Jesus, but he does display many characteristics that helped Israel prepare for the coming Messiah. We also see a better Ezra fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.

REBUILD: God's Provision

SCRIPTURE: Ezra 4-6 Ezra 4–6 forms a single, cohesive unit. Two weeks ago, we looked at Ezra 4 — a complex chapter describing opposition in two different historical settings. That chapter is framed by Israel’s struggle during the reign of King Darius as well as King Artexertes 90 years later. Chapters 5–6 pick up the story with King Darius, describing in more detail what that opposition looked like. These chapters offer rich history, but also spiritual insights woven throughout. In this episode we’ll consider both — the historical events themselves and, even more importantly, how the spiritual lessons influence our reliance on God’s provision today.

EZRA-NEHEMIAH REBUILD: REDISCOVERING OUR FOUNDATIONS IN CHRIST - Chronic Opposition

SCRIPTURE: Ezra 4 This Sunday, we tackled a timely question: How should the church respond to opposition? It’s a challenging question in our day and age, especially in light of recent events. Clearly, synchronizing our beliefs to match the ideologies of the age is not an option. And yet, without realizing it, we may already have capitulated in ungodly or unfaithful ways. When we muster the courage to stand our ground, what does that look like? Who (or what?) even is the opposition? What did this look like for the deported Jews in Jerusalem in the 6th century, and how does it differ for us today through the lens of the Cross? Fortunately, Scripture has plenty of answers for us as we dive into Ezra 4 today Though we are walking through Ezra-Nehemiah, our subtitle is: Rediscovering Our Foundation in Jesus. We have hope, victory, anticipation, and joy here and now because of what Jesus has already done for us—regardless of opposition!

EZRA-NEHEMIAH: REBUILDING OUR FOUNDATION IN CHRIST: God Stirs the Heart!

SCRIPTURE: EZRA Chapter 1 After a 70-year nationwide time-out, God planned a new path for His people. He began to stir hearts to bring about change, opening the miraculous opportunity for Israel to return home. Just a year after the Persian Empire conquered Babylon, King Cyrus II permitted the Israelites to return to Judah to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. What a moment! What hope! What joy! And yet, as we’ll see through this sermon series, the rebuild was not easy. They faced battles, false accusations, constant external threats, and waning motivation. What’s more, Israel also fell prey to patterns of the past. Sin continued to cling. Threats from the outside and sin from within pointed to the need for something more—something greater—someONE greater. This week, we begin with Ezra 1:1–11. This brief chapter recounts King Cyrus II’s decree to free the Israelites. Ultimately, it’s a chapter about a God who stirs hearts. He is the motivator of change, the grand shaker and mover of history, marking a new beginning back then and for us today.

Season 1

PORTRAITS OF THE KINGDOM: Parables of the Treasure and A Pearl

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 13:44-46 Matthew 13:44–46 contains just three verses, yet each one carries weighty insight into the Kingdom. In this Sunday Sermon, we look at parables about a hidden treasure and a pearl—two simple, tangible images from the first century. Together, they give us a glimpse into the nature of the Kingdom. We see that the Kingdom involves discovery, delight, desire, destruction, and deliverance. As we explore these parables, may the Holy Spirit deepen our understanding of the surpassing value of belonging to the Kingdom.

PORTRAITS OF THE KINGDOM: Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector Luke 18:9-14

SCRIPTURE: Luke 18:9-14 This Sunday, we faced yet another challenging parable. The message is clear: those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. The message is simple, but living it out is steep! Luke 18:9-14 challenges not merely Pharisees, but all of us who may practice Do-It-Yourself Spirituality. No matter how we focus on God’s grace and our call to be humble, we keep pushing ourselves, our self-righteousness, our self-defined morality, and our self-glorification into the equation.

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