Ezra-Nehemiah
Sermon Summary
On Sunday, Pastor Russell Johnson continued through Ezra, exploring chapter 4 and the opposition that arose against the rebuilding of the temple. Pastor Russell opened with the story of Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, who faced relentless opposition from family, mission societies, cultural hostility, illness, financial pressure, and personal grief—yet remained faithful. He explained that the enemies in Ezra 4 were Samaritans, descendants of foreign populations resettled by Assyria, who "feared the LORD and served their own gods." Pastor Russell showed how opposition moved from subtle ("Let us build with you") to overt (discouraging, frightening, hiring lobbyists) to sustained (accusations spanning multiple Persian kings). He emphasized that "opposition often appears as cooperation" and uses "spiritual language, appeals to peace, and promises efficiency, but it quietly undermines." Pastor Russell concluded by reminding us that "God's work will always encounter opposition" and that "the great causes of God and Humanity are not defeated by the hot assaults of the Devil, but by the slow, crushing, glacier-like mass of thousands and thousands of indifferent nobodies."
Discussion Questions
- Pastor Russell opened with Hudson Taylor's story of facing opposition from every direction—family, mission societies, cultural hostility, illness, and personal loss. What's the most unexpected source of opposition you've faced when trying to do something you believed God was leading you to do?
- Read Ezra 4:1-2. Pastor Russell explained that these enemies "claimed continuity with Israel but rejected Jerusalem as the proper place of worship." Their offer sounded helpful: "Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God." When have you encountered opposition that came disguised as cooperation or helpfulness?
- Read Ezra 4:3. Zerubbabel and Jeshua responded, "You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God." Pastor Russell said this was "not ethnic exclusion or personal hostility; it is about having clarity about God's promises and plan." How do you discern when to welcome partnership and when to protect the integrity of what God has called you to do?
- Read Ezra 4:4-5. Pastor Russell noted that the Hebrew indicates continuous action: "kept discouraging...kept frightening...kept hiring." He said opposition is often "not so much an all-out brutal attack as a steady wearing down of resistance." Where in your life do you feel the slow, grinding pressure of sustained opposition rather than a dramatic single attack?
- Read Ezra 4:23-24. The work stopped "by force of arms." Pastor Russell acknowledged this isn't what we expect when God promises restoration. How do you reconcile seasons when opposition seems to win with your confidence in God's promises?
- Read 1 Corinthians 16:9 and Acts 14:21-22. Pastor Russell quoted Paul: "A wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries"—emphasizing the word "and." What do these passages teach about the relationship between fruitful ministry and opposition, and how should that shape your expectations?
- Read 1 Peter 5:8-10 and James 1:2-4. Pastor Russell concluded by urging us to "keep fighting, keep seeking the Lord, keep walking with Jesus" because "God sees our faithfulness." According to these passages, what is God producing in us through seasons of opposition, and what specific promise can you hold onto when the resistance feels unrelenting?
Extra Credit
Look up and read these passages about enduring opposition:
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 - "We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
Hebrews 10:36 - "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised."
Romans 8:35-37 - "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us."
Revelation 2:10 - "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
What do these passages reveal about God's presence and purpose in the midst of opposition, and how do they redefine what it means to "win" as a follower of Christ?
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 - "We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."
Hebrews 10:36 - "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised."
Romans 8:35-37 - "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us."
Revelation 2:10 - "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
What do these passages reveal about God's presence and purpose in the midst of opposition, and how do they redefine what it means to "win" as a follower of Christ?
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