The Bible is the Answer
Ezra 7:10
Introduction
- Humpty Dumpty analogy: A reflection of societal disintegration
- Where is the glue to reassemble our society?
Human Efforts and Failures
- Eugene O'Neill's quote on building with unsuitable materials
- Human tendency to seek solutions and place blame
Historical Context
- Graffiti: "Humpty Dumpty was pushed."
- What kind of person sustains impactful ministry in such times?
Theme Verse and Its Importance
- Ezra 7:10: Preparing the heart to seek, do, and teach God's law
- Explanation of the Hebrew word for "prepared"
The Need for a Focused Life
- Aristotle's quote on hitting the target
- Lifelong ambition and its proper direction
Personal Anecdote
- Story of a businessman who climbed the wrong ladder
- Fear of succeeding in the wrong things
Ezra's Model
- Historical context of Ezra: 58-year gap between chapters
- God's grooming of Ezra for impactful ministry
Three Key Aspects of Ezra's Commitment
- Pursuit of Truth
- Passion for seeking God's law
- Illustration with the analogy of an animal seeking prey
- Practice of Truth
- Doing what he learned
- Relationship between knowledge and experience
- Teaching and Communicating Truth
- Preparing the heart to teach others
- Integrity and believability in teaching
Challenges in Communication
- Modern-day challenges in teaching and imparting truth
- The necessity of being in the Word of God, not just under it
Examples and Applications
- Anecdote of NFL players using their platform to share faith
- Laymen's role in ministry: Impact of personal spiritual gifts
- Encouragement to identify one's sphere of influence
Conclusion
- Importance of knowing, living, and communicating the Bible
- Encouragement to join the mission of making an impact for Jesus Christ
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
