Yes, today we will look at the book of Ezra together. When we read the book of Ezra, we might find it a bit difficult. One of the reasons for this is that although the book is named after Ezra, he only appears in chapter 7. Chapters 1 to 6 are not about Ezra at all. So what are chapters 1 to 6 about? They are about the events before Ezra was born.
In Ezra 1:1, it says, "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing." You know this story, right? This is the account of King Cyrus sending the people of Israel to build God's temple, which is mentioned in Ezra 1. Then in verse 2, it says, "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.'" So the people of Israel build the temple. Therefore, chapters 1 to 6 are about the construction of the temple.
Yes. Finally, in chapter 7, God brings Ezra onto the scene. So this is the passage we read earlier: "After these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, appeared." Here, Ezra's genealogy is mentioned as he is introduced. It seems that God dramatically introduces Ezra. Why does God spend the first six chapters talking about the construction of the temple and then suddenly, in chapter 7, introduce Ezra so magnificently by recounting his genealogy? What could be the reason?
The people of Israel were destroyed, right? Judah was destroyed. They fell to Babylon and lived in captivity for 70 years. King Cyrus then sends the people of Israel back to build the temple after 70 years of captivity. After they return from captivity, they build the temple, right? After the temple is completed, how many years pass until Ezra appears? It is about 70 years. So, after the temple is completed, Ezra appears after about 70 years.
Why did God dramatically introduce Ezra? One of the reasons we want to explore is that when the people of Israel built the temple, they made a promise to God. They said, "God, we will do this now." And they worshiped God. In chapter 6, verse 20, it says, "For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles and for their fellow priests and for themselves." This means they were finally able to offer the Passover sacrifice properly. They thanked God for saving them and offered valid sacrifices in the temple. After building the temple, there was this beautiful worship, and in verse 21, it says, "And they ate the Passover lamb with all the returned exiles and all who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel." They celebrated and made promises to God, saying, "God has given us the temple, so now we will do this for the Lord." Thus, chapter 6 ends with this beauty. So, they completed the dedication of the temple.
Then 70 years passed. Did the people of Israel live properly during those 70 years? What do you think? For 70 years, how was it? It was a mess. To put it bluntly, their condition is described in chapter 9. It appears in chapter 9: "Then the officials came to me and said, 'The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.'" They served all the idols. They had built the temple, but they did not use it properly; instead, they disgraced it and lived in complete chaos for 70 years.
So, who does God send in chapter 7? He sends Ezra. Today, we want to look at why God sent Ezra and apply it to our church. What is the reason God sent Ezra? First, the reason God sent Ezra is that Ezra symbolizes the Word. Ezra symbolizes the Word. As we read earlier, Ezra's genealogy is laid out. In verse 1, it says, "After these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there was Ezra, the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah." It mentions whose son he is and whose grandson he is. But this man is a priest. You might think, "What’s so great about being a priest?" But it was not easy to find a priest in that era. In Ezra 2:62, it says, "These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean." To be a priest, you had to have the right genealogy. But many people found that their genealogies did not match. So in verse 63, "The governor told them that they were not to partake of the most holy food until there should be a priest to consult with Urim and Thummim." Why? Because there were no priests who could discern God's will. So being a priest was a big deal in that era. But one person appears. This person’s genealogy goes up to Ezra 7:5, where it says, "the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest." He goes up to the 16th generation. The important thing is that he is a descendant of Aaron. To be a priest, you had to be a descendant of Aaron, and this man was indeed a descendant of Aaron.
But just having a good lineage is not enough. It is not just that Ezra is needed now. What is really needed is that the priest chosen by God is important. But this man also needs to be, as it says in Ezra 7:6, "Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given." He was a scholar. This is important. He was a scholar well-versed in God's Word. In other words, Ezra symbolizes the Word of God. God is showing that what is truly needed for the people of Israel, who have built the temple but are living in chaos, is the Word of God. Yes. So God sends a scholar who is familiar with His Word.
I believe that what our church needs right now is this. God thinks it is the Word. Why do I say this? Because last week, after the sermon, we announced that our church's Bible study system has been revamped, right? We sent out announcements and even took special time to announce it. This is not a coincidence. God has raised this up because our church needs this system. Yes, it is because our church needs it.
Specifically, it says that he is a "scribe skilled in the Law of Moses." A scribe is someone who has gone as far as a PhD today. It is said that Ezra was a person who had reached the level of a PhD in the Scriptures. But he is not called a professor because there were no seminaries at that time. He was sent as a teacher, a scholar, to educate the community. But looking at our church, God has sent Pastor Han Jin to us. And he has a PhD. Yes, our church did not choose him based on that, but he has a PhD. Moreover, he specialized in systematic theology. Systematic theology is about explaining God's Word in an easy-to-understand way. He is someone who teaches doctrinally accurately. So, academically speaking, it is tremendous. It is quite something to consider how many years of study are required to earn a PhD in systematic theology. Yes, it takes a long time, and you have to do very well. But the fact that God has sent such a person to us indicates that God wants our church to stand once again on His Word.
Furthermore, this Wednesday, Pastor Han Jin began to preach about doctrine, right? For those who could not attend last week, please go back and listen. He has started beautifully. He is going to teach us systematic theology. So I hope that the members of Youngnak will also attend Wednesday services more diligently. Now that Pastor Han is leading, I want you all to attend Wednesday services enthusiastically to understand what proper doctrine and systematic theology are. When this is established, the members will not be shaken. When this is established, there will be no room for heresy to infiltrate. When this is established, you will not speak strange things. You will inevitably be able to speak correctly about the Scriptures to others. That is systematic theology. Yes. Therefore, I truly hope that you will be diligent in attending Wednesday services.
Moreover, our church website is now fully set up. On the website, we have completed all the curricula for Bible study and have started. This is a significant achievement. Why is it significant? Because during my 20 years at Youngnak, I wanted to do this. I wanted to do this, but I could not for 20 years. I wanted to create a systematic system where after finishing one course, we would move on to the next. I wanted to have a structured system where the members would know what they needed to complete and learn. But I could not do it for over 20 years. The reason is that I was the only full-time staff member. Since I was the only full-time staff member, when I taught a 16-week or 12-week course, there was no one below me to teach the next level, so others were left idle. When the 12 weeks ended, they would join at that time, making it very difficult to create a system.
Moreover, I needed to train lay leaders to work alongside me in creating this system, which was not easy. So I always felt sorry when looking at our church website because I felt sorry for our members. I was teaching a lot of Bible studies, but there was no systematic system. So even though I was teaching, it felt like I was lying. Other churches would look at our church and wonder how our Bible study was going. Yes, we were doing it, but they did not know when. Today, I have been doing it for a long time, but because of the lack of a systematic approach, I felt regretful. However, starting last year, the education department and those who had a heart for it joined together, and we began to create this system together. Since last year, we have been working on it with the ministers, and finally, we have completed the curriculum that is now visible on our church website. This did not happen easily. It absolutely did not happen easily. And today, the topic of the sermon is about the Word, and Pastor Han Jin has been sent to us, and our church has now started this. God is telling you to quickly engage with it. He is saying to engage quickly. We have already started the discipleship class, and you can sign up. The nurturing class is always open, and the growth class is always open, so you just need to go to the website and register using the QR code. Yes. So, I hope that the members of Youngnak will take this opportunity to listen to everything. Let’s go all the way. I hope that God will give you this passion because He has given it to our church and is telling us that now is the time.
Yes. Secondly, Ezra is needed to beautify the temple because the Word beautifies the temple. In Ezra 7:27, it says, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put it into the heart of the king to beautify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem." Beautifying the temple—what does this mean? From a worldly perspective, beautifying the temple means decorating it beautifully. It means making it beautiful with gold and all kinds of good materials. However, the ultimate beauty that God desires for the church is not this. The ultimate beauty that God desires is the heart of Ezra. What is that heart? It is found in Ezra 7:10: "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel." This is a very short verse, but it contains everything. God's view of beautifying His church is all contained in this.
Here, it says that Ezra studies the Law of the Lord. This is the first point. Studying the Law of the Lord means learning, right? As I mentioned earlier, you must learn. It is research. Yes. That is what is beautiful in God's eyes. Wanting to learn the Scriptures is beautiful. I remember when I first came to Youngnak Church, there was a discipleship class and some curriculum. It was not that there was none. But later, I realized that as I was giving out diplomas, the members thought I had taught everything. They thought I had taught everything. No, the Bible must be learned for a lifetime. The Bible must be learned for a lifetime. Just because you finish one thing does not mean you have learned everything. No. The Bible must be learned continuously. Therefore, studying the Law of Ezra is something that should be done for a lifetime. Yes, you must remember that you need to learn for a lifetime. That is a beautiful church.
However, when we look at large churches, even from a worldly perspective, there are many successful churches where the senior pastors have set up systems well and operated them. In American churches, there are many such churches. However, some of these pastors, when they look back on their ministry, express regrets. What do they regret? They created a systematic system that made the members learn diligently. They made them learn diligently. But the problem is that after teaching everything, the members became Pharisees. They only grew in knowledge of the Scriptures. Why? Because they did not move on to the next step. What is the next step? It is to study and obey. I must change in light of the Word. If I do not change, I will only judge others.
Do you know who children dislike the most? They dislike parents who tell them to keep rules while not keeping them themselves. That is the typical parent. "I can’t do it, but you must." That is nonsense. In fact, the Bible says not to provoke your children to anger. That is what angers children the most. If I cannot do it, my children cannot do it either. Do not think that your children can do it. I must change first. I must live according to the Word. To obey the Word, I must carry my cross. I must sweat and bleed. I must truly make decisions and keep falling and getting back up. This is what is needed in me. It is not just about having the Word in my head; it is about how much I have lived to keep that Word. When the members change in this way, the church becomes beautiful. That is when it becomes beautiful. Just having biblical knowledge does not make a beautiful church. A church that only has biblical knowledge is dry. It becomes spiritually desolate because it is filled only with judgment and is full of Pharisees. No. I must change in front of the Word. I must be broken. This is what a beautiful church is.
But when I am broken, it cannot be done alone. It must be done together. Help is needed. This is why the third point is important. It says that he resolved to teach Israel. Ah, no, it is not the third point, but in Ezra 7:10, it says that he resolved to teach Israel. This is important. Teaching here does not just mean being a teacher; it also includes sharing. This means deciding to communicate together. I am not living my faith alone; I am teaching together, proclaiming together, and sharing together. Yes. When this happens, the church becomes beautiful. It becomes beautiful.
In our church, by 2025 and 2026, there are already 53 people who have completed the nurturing class. These people are now ready to teach. Yes. There are precious individuals who are being raised up to nurture others. And when the discipleship class opens, there will be those who graduate from the discipleship class as well. But what does it mean to be a disciple? In short, it means that those who live a life of making disciples will emerge. What do these people do? They share, teach, and live together. They share together. It is not just about living my faith alone; it is about changing together. That is a missional church. Changing together. Our church already has a beautiful system. That is the system of small groups, which is a sharing system. Yes. It is not an exaggeration to say that this has sustained our church until now. Why? Because the members learned the Word and did not just stop there; they shared. They talked about living according to the Word and tried to live it out together. They also tried to change together.
Therefore, as you proceed with all of this, the members must actively participate. You must participate. When we change together, God will look at our church and say, "Wow, Youngnak Church is truly beautiful." That is the kind of church we want to be.
Thirdly, the Word must connect in conversation with God; this is the fundamental purpose of the Word. You must remember this. In today’s passage, in Nehemiah 8:5, it says, "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And as he opened it, all the people stood." When Ezra praised the great Lord God, all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen, Amen," and they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. This is the behavior of the people of Israel when the Word of God is proclaimed. In other words, when the presider says, "I will read the Word of God," what do the people of Israel do? They stand up. And they read the Word together. Then the people of Israel lifted their hands and said, "Amen, Amen," and bowed down with their faces to the ground in worship. Shall we try this? But instead of putting our faces to the ground, let’s do it with our hands. So, it is not difficult to stand up today since it is an action before the Word. Let’s read Nehemiah 8:5-6 together. "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people. And as he opened it, all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." Yes. You may be seated.
What if every time you read the Word before the sermon, you showed this kind of behavior? How does it feel to do this? >> It feels good. >> Yes. But you probably won’t do it. Oh, it feels good, right? There is definitely something good about it. Why? Because standing before the Word expresses that I reverence the Word. It is an action that shows I do not take the Word of God lightly; I reverence it.
But the second point is that standing does not end there. Standing means that I am making a promise to obey absolutely in front of the Word. I promise to obey absolutely in front of the Word I have read. Especially here, it says "Amen, Amen." The meaning of "Amen" is an expression of faith that I believe this Word will come to pass as it is. Therefore, I must know what the passage I read means before I say "Amen." If I say "Amen" without understanding, it becomes a light action that does not take the Word of God seriously. It becomes a light action. Of course, it is very important to reverence the Word of God and say "Amen." But the problem is that there is an issue among the members. It is possible that you can say "Amen" without knowing what the Word means. This could lead to taking the Word lightly.
Do you understand? The Word of God is not just a habitual action. When I say "Amen" in front of the Word, it means I must first understand what God has said to me. Then I must believe it, and only then can I say "Amen." This action is not just a habitual response. Therefore, if we do not understand the Word, we cannot say "Amen." If we do not understand the Word, we cannot say "Amen."
A few weeks ago, my sermon text was Ezra 4:1. Let’s take a look at Ezra 4:1. It says, "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, 'Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do.'" When we read this together, did you understand what it meant? Did you understand it? It means to build the temple, right? It means to build the temple. But it is also saying not to build the temple. That is the correct answer. Yes, it is a negative statement. But some members might say "Amen, Amen. We will build the temple." I tend to underestimate our members. One of the reasons is that when I display a passage of Scripture, I think that at that moment, everyone understands it. I do not think that everyone is that smart or has that high of a comprehension level.
If I ask you to read the Scripture and you understand it all and say "Amen," I do not expect that. There is a problem there. If you want to do this, you need to meditate on the next Scripture at home before coming. You need to know what the seven verses mean before you say "Amen." The pastor also needs to select the passages well.
I do not display the verses just to underestimate you. I do it because today’s passage is chapter 4. In other words, I believe that you will understand while I explain. I do not expect that as soon as you stand up and read, you will understand everything and say "Amen." I do not expect that. Therefore, if you want to do this, you need to meditate on the Word at home. You need to understand what the passage means before you say "Amen."
The most important purpose of God's Word is to understand what God has said to me. This is the attitude we should have before God's Word. If you do not understand what God has said, you should ask God to help you understand. This is the most important attitude before God's Word.
However, many people think otherwise. They think that just reading is enough. It is enough to read. Yes, I read from chapter to chapter. No. Before God’s Word, it is essential to understand what God has said to me. This is the most important core that we must not lose. In today’s passage, in Nehemiah 8:9, it says, "And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.' For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law." The important thing is not that they wept, but that they understood. It is important that they understood that God had given His Word to each individual. This is what is important.
Many people do not reach this point, and they take the Word lightly. The Word of God is often said to have logos and rhema. Whether it exists or not is not the issue. To make it easier to understand, logos refers to the general Word. When I say that the Word touches me personally, it is called rhema. For example, in John 11:4, it says, "But when Jesus heard it, he said, 'This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'" This is a word directed at Lazarus, right? This is a rhema word for Lazarus because it is a word that was fulfilled in his life. However, generally, we believe this and know it, but it is a general statement, so we call it the logos word.
But the important thing is whether the Word is heard as a rhema word, where the Holy Spirit says, "This is for you." This is what we should seek. We must seek this. In this sense, the Word of God is very rare in our lives. It is precious. Even when we come to church or go anywhere, many people proclaim the Word of God, but the Word that the Holy Spirit gives to me personally is rare. It is rare and precious. Why is it rare for us to hear the rhema word? The reason is that we read the Word too lightly. We read it lightly.
Earlier, we saw the actions of the people of Israel, standing before the Word and saying "Amen, Amen." This also means not to take the Word of God lightly.
It is unfortunate that many of our members, when we distribute the QT (Quiet Time) books, I sometimes wonder if they understand what they are doing. Many people do QT like this: they think, "Oh, I need to do QT," and then they read from one chapter to another, finishing it quickly. They think, "Okay, I finished my QT." But what is finished? They finished reading. The important question is, "What did God say to you through this Word?" You must answer that question. If you cannot answer that question, your QT is not finished. Just thinking you have finished is taking the Word of God lightly. What is finished?
You all have homework. Let’s see how much of the Bible you read today. Is that QT? No. Meditation is needed. Some people meditate to find the right answer. What kind of answer do you want to find in your life? No. QT is a process of discovering the answer. You must be in that process. However, this does not happen overnight. You must invest time. You must invest your heart. Yes. You must meditate and ponder. Only then will the rhema word come to you at some point.
As a pastor, when I read the Bible, I do not just say, "Oh, God is speaking to me." That is not the end. Meditation is needed. Meditation is needed. So, what is meditation? It is found in Psalm 1:2: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night." One of the most important things here is that you must delight in it. You must delight in God's Word. "Oh, I am going to read God's Word today." So, in the morning, when I wake up, I say, "Thank you, Lord, for giving me Your Word today." You must delight in it. You must be joyful. Only then can you meditate throughout the day. If it is boring, it will end quickly. That is the problem. You must delight in it. You must chew on the Word day and night. This is what we all need. Until when? Until you hear the voice of God. Until you hear it. Time is needed. It does not happen overnight. You must invest time in meditation.
In Leviticus 11:3, it talks about clean and unclean animals: "Every animal that has a split hoof, is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat." This is a reference to clean animals. But pigs have split hooves but do not chew the cud, so they are unclean. If you do not chew the cud, you are unclean. But why is this important? Those who meditate on God's Word are clean, but those who do not meditate and just read once are unclean. You must remember this. Do not take God's Word lightly.
How do we treat our hands? When we eat, we store food and then take it out to chew again and again. Until when? Of course, we do not chew like cows, but let’s say it this way: until we hear the voice God wants us to hear. What does God want? Until we hear it. Yes. Is it good to read the Bible a lot? Yes, it is good. There is nothing wrong with it. However, we must think about this.
In the case of my grandmother, who has passed away, I feel like I am speaking ill of her, but it is true. My grandmother, who passed away, had a routine of reading the Bible 13 times a year. Why? Because my grandfather passed away early, and she had to sell insurance. She was poor, and after he passed away, she could not do anything. So, she would pray and read the Bible. But my grandmother would read the Bible 13 times a year. One day, a young man claimed to have read it 14 times. My grandmother said, "Look, I read the Bible at home, but I can only read it 13 times. How can he read it 14 times while working and studying?" I thought about this.
I thought, "Grandma, you are right. That does not make sense." But then I realized that my grandmother's conclusion was that the young man was lying. That was her conclusion. I found that sad. It is not about how many times you read the Bible; it is about what God said to you during those readings. That is what I want to know.
God's voice is not something that is loud. In 1 Kings 19:11, it says, "And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper." The voice of God is not loud. We must engage in deep meditation and invest time to hear God's voice.
However, the problem is that many members try to hear it only as a right or wrong answer. As a pastor, I have said this before. I have said that believing in Jesus is wonderful because it gives me assurance of salvation. But another wonderful thing is that we have God's Word. Many members seem to want to hear God's Word as a right or wrong answer. But God does not want to give us answers in that way.
Imagine this: if a believer and God were to go shoe shopping, and the believer asks, "Should I buy these shoes or not?" What would God say? Would He say, "Buy them or don’t buy them"? I think God would say, "Hey, let’s take a walk in the park." God would want to know how you are doing. The shoes are just a tool for conversation. God wants to have a conversation with you through that process.
As you have that conversation, you will realize that it is not about finding the right answer but about building a relationship with God. The Word is not just about answers; it is about having a conversation. The more you meditate, the more it becomes a dialogue rather than just a question-and-answer session. God might say, "Hey, you seem to be struggling. But do you know the plans I have for you?" The shoes are not the important issue; it is the conversation that matters.
Therefore, we need to invest time. Meditation is necessary.
In our hymn, it says, "For the rose that blooms on the hill, still holds the dew of morning." But I hear it clearly. The joy we receive is something no one else knows. The world may think they know the answer through Jesus, but the conversation I have is not that. It is not that conversation. Of course, it includes everything, but it is about deeply sharing my life and my thoughts with God.
I hope that our members will take this meditation seriously. Until you hear God's voice, your meditation is not finished. You must continue to invest time in that conversation. You must spend more time in the Word. This is what God desires from us. Do not forget this.
This is an incredible blessing. Do you know that? It is an incredible blessing to be able to enjoy this. Our Lord Jesus Christ, by dying on the cross, tore the curtain between the Holy of Holies and the holy place. By tearing it, we have gained the qualification to enter the Holy of Holies whenever we want. But what is in the Holy of Holies? The Ark of the Covenant, which contains the Ten Commandments and the Word. In the past, no one could enter. Only the high priest could enter once a year. But now, we can freely enter before God's Word. We can freely enter whenever we have time.
And we can go in and say, "God, I want to have a conversation with You. Please give me Your Word." We can do that because God has opened the way for us.
I hope our members will enjoy this blessing. I hope you will cherish and enjoy this grace. It is not about reading one chapter and feeling bored. It is about finding joy in that time, knowing that through meditation, God's voice will be heard in your ears. I hope you will live a life that holds onto that unique story with God. I bless you in the name of the Lord. >> Amen.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we confess that what we need is Your Word. May we have the time to hear Your voice clearly, not lightly. To do this, may we study the Scriptures, research the Word, obey the Word, and teach and share the Word, beautifying Your church with Your Word. But let it not end there. May we delight in the Word You have given us, meditate on it, and engage in deep fellowship with You, not seeking just answers but a relationship with You. May we hold onto the stories that no one else knows or understands, but that we cherish. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.