Bent Oak Church

In the previous chapter, we saw a picture of unity. God's people shared the work, protected one another, and sacrificed to build a better city. But it didn't take long for things to fall apart. Soon they were taking advantage of one another in ways that aligned them with their pagan neighbors. It's a warning about how quickly we pick up the ways of the world and how naturally we jus...

Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem began to rebuild the city. Each family took their section of the wall and built it together. But, as has been the pattern, opposition soon emerged. First, it was taunting and then the threat of violence. But the people did not give up. They guarded one another, encouraged greater faith, and committed to seeing the project through. 

When Nehemiah learned of the disrepair of Jerusalem, his heart was broken. He longed to rebuild the city, but Nehemiah also served the king of Persia. His loyalties would be questioned, and his life would be at risk, but Nehemiah prayed, trusted, and sought to return to the city. We take a closer look at the man, his situation, and the complexity of the task.

As we look at the final chapter of the book of Ezra, we ask some hard questions about the book's final image. The book has taken us from the stirring of their hearts by the Spirit to men sitting in the cold rain negotiating the abandonment of wives and children. The final image of Ezra is a complicated question of our unfaithfulness, our need for a plan to fix it, and the tension of what we c...

Having arrived in Jerusalem, Ezra discovered that many of the priests and leaders were marrying their foreign neighbors who worshiped pagan Gods. We take a closer look at the situation and Ezra's prayer of intercession. We consider why this sin continually plagued Israel and how Ezra builds our expectations for Christ's intercessions.

Having been introduced to Ezra and his plans to return to Jerusalem and teach the law, we are next given the details of his preparation. Though he returned with a group of Jews, they were small and worried about the dangers of their trip. Ezra wanted to turn their attention back to God. He called for a fast and prayer to overcome their fear. They needed to humble themselves to recognize the hand o...

With Ezra 7, we begin the second story of Israel's return. This return would be led by Ezra, a scholar and expert in the Law. He was commissioned to teach the Jews the Law and to see that they obeyed it. No move of God or church project is complete if it does not include new attention to God's word and a commitment to live it.

With the support of the prophets and a new decree from the king, Israel completed the construction of the temple. They joined together in a new Passover feast that welcomed many of their converted neighbors. We are reminded of God's ability to turn the heart of the Persian king and also God's ability to fill his people with joy. There was gladness for their success, but real joy only com...

With progress stopped, God sent prophets to speak to Israel and call them back to their task. We look at the role of the Old Testament prophets and how the words of Haggai and Zacheriah help us learn to respond to God's word in our own day.

After so much progress and celebration, the rebuilding of the temple grinds to a halt. The people became discouraged and afraid of the mounting pressure around them. We take a closer look at how the fear of man can cause us to withdraw from the work of God and how to find courage for our times.

Having arrived back in their land, Israel's first task was to worship. They came together in unity to rebuild the altar and begin the daily sacrifices. We take a closer look at that unity and the priority of worship in our lives and church. 

Ezra chapter two is a list, a long list of names, and a tally of those who returned. The list may be long, but its total represents only a fraction of what Israel had been. It is only a remnant. But still, it is a remnant that has remembered who they are and who God has led them to be. They are a model for any who live through exile. 

In our opening to the book of Ezra, we take a look at the background of the book and how God stirred the hearts of both secular rulers and everyday believers to fulfill his promises. Israel would return to their homeland to rebuild their nation and worship. God was stirring the hearts of people to go and take up the task.

On this Easter Sunday, we take a look at the way Jesus's resurrection impacts how we live in the days that follow Easter. 

Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem was one of the high points of his ministry. The disciples expected rejection, but he was welcomed as king. Jesus wasn't so quickly impressed. He warned the crowds, as he often did, that to be a true faller would mean rejection, suffering, and death to self. This Easter we are reminded that to follow Christ often requires stepping away from the crowd and ta...

In our final sermon of the serious, we look at Jesus's unwillingness to offend a tax collector and consider how Jesus calls us to avoid offending others. We are called to be stewards of his offense. Willing to risk the offense of the cross but never allow ourselves or our rights to become the obstacle of offense. 

The night Jesus was betrayed, he warned his disciples that they would stumble because of him. They would see his cross and be offended by it. The cross is the central offense of human history, for in the cross we are forced to see our own need and his call to take up that cross and follow. Jesus had been using offense to prepare his disciples. He told the about the suffering to come so that they w...

Jesus's disciples were concerned he had offended the pharisee leaders from Jerusalem. The Pharisees feared Jesus was not keeping proper traditions of appearance and cleanliness. In the middle of their dispute, Jesus spoke one of his most difficult words to a gentile Canaanite woman. But in the midst of the conflicts, she possessed what the others couldn't. She had great faith and easily...

Jesus's first miracle was quietly done to save a social embarrassment at a friend's wedding. At the center of that first miracle was a strange conversation with his own mother.  A conversation that risked offense. Jesus often risked offense when talking about family and relationships. He pushed his followers to recognize that he must come first and only then could they steward the relati...

The rich young man that came to Jesus had everything we respect: youth, wealth, influence, and morality. He came with a deeply spiritual question. But Jesus saw through it. The young man collected good works like he collected possessions. He could not follow Christ without abandoning his need for control. It was an obstacle he couldn't overcome and he left grieving. 

That Jesus would talk privately with a Samaritan woman at a well shocked not only his disciples but also the Samaritan woman. Immediately she brought up the divisions that separated them. he was a Jewish man, and she was a Samaritan woman. But Jesus didn't take up her language. He never used the world's labels. Instead, he pushed her to ask a different question. Who was he? It was Jesus&...

That Jesus would speak one of his harshest words to one of his closest disciples is a surprise. But Jesus recognized that Peter had shifted his eyes to things of this world and it had pulled him out of his position as a disciple. It's a reminder to all of us to fix our eyes on Jesus and his willingness to correct those he calls. 

Jesus came to judge. Those were his words but most of us don't understand them. The judgment of God is a revelation. Jesus described that he would make the blind to see and those who see blind. Jesus's judgment is an act of revelation, for in his judgment, Jesus exposes what is true. Jesus exposes our hearts. One of the tools Jesus used to reveal was his words of offense. If we are willi...

When our idols fail us, we usually look for someone to blame or we look for someone to encourage us and reaffirm our desire. We want people who will tell us what we want to hear. That has long been a temptation for people and the church. Increasingly we trust our feelings as the measure of truth and collect teachers to affirm us. But the church must steward the full revelation of Christ, even when...

As we each pursue our desires hoping they will solve our insecurity, the consequences grow worse. Not only do we become more insecure, but a spirit of accusation turns us against one another. There is nothing like a finger pointed at someone else to draw our attention away from ourselves. When our idols fail us, we go looking for someone else to blame. We take a closer look at the conflict that em...