Set Your Heart

I. INTRODUCTION

A. To answer the question "Is Thy Heart Right With God?" would be of little use if we could not change our hearts and make them right. Thankfully, we can set our hearts on that which is pleasing to our Lord.

B. In this lesson, we will consider the example of Ezra, who was charged with the task of restoring the Jewish people back to God. Following his example, we should seek to set our hearts on God's will.

II. EZRA SET HIS HEART

A. Ezra was a scribe and a priest who led a group of Jews from captivity in Babylon back to Judea.

1. The captive Jews had been deported from Judea to Babylon in three stages (606, 597, and 586 B.C.). After seventy years of captivity, a remnant of the Jews returned to Judea in three stages (536, 457, and 444 B.C.) after Persia had conquered Babylon.

a. Judah was captured and Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by Babylon as punishment for the Jews' sin, idolatry, and rebellion (2Chron. 36:13-21).

b. Jeremiah had prophesied that their captivity would last seventy years (Jer. 29:10).

2. The seventh chapter of the book of Ezra records Ezra's commission by the Persian king Artaxerxes to lead the second return of the Jews from Babylon in 457 B.C.

a. Ezra's priestly lineage from Aaron is given in verses 1-5, and he is described as "a scribe skilled in the law of Moses" (v. 6) and as "the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of the LORD and His statutes to Israel" (v. 11).

b. The king's decree gave Ezra authority and resources to return to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices in the temple (which had been rebuilt with the first return under Zerubbabel), to teach and enforce the Law of God, and to appoint governing officials (vv. 12-26).

c. Praise and credit were given to God for this providential decree (vv. 27-28).

3. Chapters 8-10 of the book of Ezra describe Ezra's work in Jerusalem.

a. Ezra made it safely to Jerusalem with less than two thousand men and many valuable gifts from Persia.

b. Most of Ezra's work involved the restoration of the Jews spiritually and morally. This included a covenant for the people to put away their foreign wives.

4. The book of Nehemiah records Ezra's involvement in the further restoration of the Jews after the third return from captivity led by Nehemiah (see Neh. 8).

B. Ezra's legacy is one of godly character and moral integrity.

1. Ezra was chosen to lead a return to Jerusalem and "the good hand of his God was upon Him" (Ez. 7:9) because "Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel" (Ez. 7:10).

a. Ezra's skill in the Law of God was a product of his diligent effort and his zeal to learn.

b. Not only did Ezra know God's Law, but he also faithfully practiced it and exemplified it.

c. Furthermore, Ezra resolved to spread his knowledge of God's Law to his Jewish brethren.

2. Ezra's regard for God, His Law, and Israel were evident when he heard of the Jews' (including the priests, the princes, and the rulers) intermarriage with foreign women (Ez. 9-10).

a. When Ezra heard of it, he tore his clothes, pulled out his hair and beard, and sat down appalled until evening (Ez. 9:3-4).

b. Then, Ezra prayed on his knees for forgiveness from God (Ez. 9:5-15). While he was doing this, he was weeping and prostrating himself before the temple and the people (Ez. 10:1). Furthermore, he fasted in mourning over the Jews' unfaithfulness (Ez. 10:6).

c. Ezra's actions provoked all of the Jews to assemble in Jerusalem in the pouring rain (Ez. 10:9). Ezra them led them in a covenant to put away the foreign wives (Ez. 10:10-44).

III. FOLLOW EZRA'S EXAMPLE -- SET YOUR HEART

A. It all starts with your heart.

1. Your heart contains your thoughts and values.

a. Everything that you care about and value is in your heart. The Lord said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:21).

b. You decide for yourself what the content of your heart will be by choosing what you shall dwell upon. Therefore, it is vitally important that you make the right choices. "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Phil. 4:8). See also Colossians 3:1-4.

c. Whatever you put into your heart will also come forth from your heart.

i. Evil contents of the heart will produce evil results. "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders" (Matt. 15:18-19).

ii. Likewise, good contents of the heart will produce good results. "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" (Rom. 10:8-10).

2. Just like Ezra, you will succeed in your service to God if you set your heart to do so.

a. If you think on godly things and value godly things, then your life will result in godliness.

b. If you try to please God without engaging your heart, then you are bound for failure.

B. Set your heart to study the word of God.

1. Godly living begins with godly understanding, and that only comes from the word of God.

a. Psalm 119 expresses this as well as any passage of Scripture. Notice a few verses: "The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" (v. 130); "Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart" (v. 34); "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You" (v. 11).

b. To gain such understanding, you must be diligent about God's word (2Tim. 2:15).

2. When your heart is set upon studying God's word, you will develop a strong craving for the Bible.

a. Peter compared this craving to that of newborn babes who crave pure milk (1Pet. 2:1-3). Nothing else will satisfy and provide the nourishment needed for growth.

b. This craving is synonymous with hunger and thirst for righteousness, for righteousness comes through knowledge of God's word and the gospel (Matt. 5:6; Rom. 1:16-17).

C. Set your heart to practice the word of God.

1. No amount of Bible knowledge will benefit you if you do not put it into practice.

a. Only those who do the will of God will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21-23).

b. In fact, greater knowledge of God's word creates greater responsibility. "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin." (Jas. 4:17)

2. When you set your heart to practice God's word, it becomes your guide in all things.

a. There are no part-time Christians. We cannot rightly choose to apply God's word to some areas of our lives and neglect it in other areas.

b. If you are truly pure in heart, then your heart will be completely devoted to practicing God's word (Matt. 5:8; compare to double-minded men in Jas. 1:6-8; 4:8).

D. Set your heart to teach the word of God.

1. Christians have a mandate from the Lord to share His gospel with all who will hear.

a. The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20), the many examples in the book of Acts, the charges given to Timothy (1Tim. 4:11-16; 2Tim. 2:2, 14; 4:1-2), and many other Scriptures demonstrate our responsibility to spread the good news of Christ.

b. This responsibility must be taken seriously and carried out with due diligence, for souls are dependent upon the words that we teach (2Tim. 2:15; Jas. 3:1).

2. When you teach the word of God to others, it benefits you most of all.

a. The preparation and effort required to teach God's word imprints the word in our hearts, and the reward for saving souls is eternally gratifying.

b. One of the best ways of teaching our brothers and sisters in Christ is singing, for it allows the word of Christ to richly dwell within us (Col. 3:16).

IV. CONCLUSION

A. Is your heart ready to serve God today?

B. If not, then you need to prepare now in the likeness of Ezra by setting your heart to study God's word, to practice it, and to teach it to others.