Day Nine of our Twenty-One Day Journey: You Cannot Receive from God without Sacrifice.

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our LORD.

Today we are on day number nine (9) of our twenty-one day fast. Beloved, you are a day away from the double digits mark and are well on your way to achieving what God has called you to. You are to be commended. You are doing very well. I want to encourage you, drink as much water as possible, and least 10 to 12 glasses of water today. Have your bowl of soup and remember to pray from your prayer list. You want to be specific about what you would like God to do for you.

Beloved, today I would like to continue to look at Ezra and point out some observations that were important during his journey. Remember, when we looked at his situation in chapter eight we found that Ezra was on his way to doing what he knew to be the will of God for his life. He was leading the exiled people of Israel back to Jerusalem, back to the land that God gave them. He knew his purpose and called a fast to ask God for a strategy. Let’s look at something else he discovered on his way to the will of God.

King James Version

Ezra 8:15 And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi.

Ezra looked at the company of people with him and noticed a problem. There were no descendants of Levi among the group. Now this sounds trivial, but in actuality this was a major problem that needed to be corrected. The scriptures tell us that Ezra was a descendant of Levi, but he was not enough. Why is this so important? God, when he set up the priesthood arranged that only the tribe of Levi could function in the temple and only the direct descendants of Levi could function as priests. The priests were important for several reasons, but one critical thing was no sacrifice could be made, before God in the house of the Lord, without them. They were given the authority of ratifying the sacrifice of the people of God. So without them, your sacrifice was problematic.

Ezra understood something, you cannot receive what you need from God without sacrifice. If you want something from God, your sacrifice has got to be appropriate, meaning the way that God has instructed for us to sacrifice. You endanger the validity of the sacrifice by assuming whatever you give God is good enough. Frankly, this does not work for you. Imagine going to a restaurant, and the restaurant wants money from you and when you ask for something to eat, they serve you what they want you to have. They would not receive anything from you. Then Beloved, why should God just receive anything from us? It is vital that we give God the proper sacrifice. The choice is yours. Do you want something from God, or should God have to put up with things done your way. How important are the things on your prayer list?

So specifically, what sacrifice was Ezra speaking of? In the text, he was concerned about the offerings.

New Living Translation:

Ezra 8:24 ¶ I appointed twelve leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten other priests—

Ezra 8:25 to be in charge of transporting the silver, the gold, the gold bowls, and the other items that the king, his council, his officials, and all the people of Israel had presented for the Temple of God.

Ezra 8:26 I weighed the treasure as I gave it to them and found the totals to be as follows:

         24 tons of silver,

         7,500 pounds of silver articles,

         7,500 pounds of gold,

Ezra 8:27 20 gold bowls, equal in value to 1,000 gold coins,

         2 fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

Ezra 8:28 ¶ And I said to these priests, “You and these treasures have been set apart as holy to the LORD. This silver and gold is a voluntary offering to the LORD, the God of our ancestors.

So when you go to church this week, and in general, know that your sacrifice is vital. Are you paying your tithes at your church? Are you giving to God sacrificially? No matter what church you belong to, it is right to give to God sacrificially. Also this fast is a sacrifice. I know I am sacrificing food and afflicting my body for twenty-one (21) days. I do not want my sacrifice to be invalid because I did not do it God’s way. I need to receive something from God, and I for one, will allow my need to give me focus concerning my sacrifice. What about you? Is what you want from God important enough for you, to make sure your sacrifice is done God’s way? I believe it is.

Again beloved, I want to encourage you early in the week to make plans to bring someone to church with you. Think about someone you would like to share the Gospel of Christ with and bring them with you to church. I said this on Saturday, no matter what church you belong to, evangelism is a vital part of every believer’s faith. Don’t come to church by your self. Bring a guest and share the Gospel. Why? Because Christ commands us.

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

God wants his house filled. Do your part. Be a part of God’s plan to fill his church. Think of 10 people you want to come to church with you this week. Write their names in your prayer list and make the sacrifice to get them to church. God commands it. Stay encouraged.

Live Life on Purpose and not By Mistake,
Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
pastor@ihpfwc.org
www.ihpfwc.or