We Worship God As You DoWe Worship God As You DoEzra 4:1-5Ezra 4:1-5

Adversaries Have Always ExistedAdversaries Have Always Existed

• Satan - “your adversary the devil” (1 Peter 5:8)

• Opponents and enemies of truth – “there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:9; see also Phil. 1:28)

• There were adversaries in the days of Ezra (4:1; Zech. 3:1)

““We seek your God as you do”We seek your God as you do”

• How can good and religious people like this be a hindrance? They just want to help!

• Their religion was in fact one of compromise (2 K. 17:24-41)

• Any such “inter-faith” project (ecumenism, syncretism) together would have resulted in compromise

““We seek your God as you do”We seek your God as you do”

• Promise Keepers, etc.

• Inter-denominational (ecumenical) projects

• Inter-denominational worship services including churches of Christ (Easter, Christmas, etc.)

- “Great communion” on Oct. 4, 2009

- Abilene churches (Methodist, Baptist, Church of Christ) welcome back college students

““We seek your God as you do”We seek your God as you do”

• Was the response of Zerubbabel and Jeshua, unnecessarily severe, uncharitable, bigoted, and narrow toward the locals? Did it lack a loving, ecumenical spirit?

- Compromise with the locals is what started Israel’s downfall (Judges 2:11ff; 2 Kings 17:7ff)

- The leaders used the locals for business, but not for religion (Ezra 3:7)

- Why had the locals not rebuilt the temple already?

Compromise is An AdversaryCompromise is An Adversary

• Truth is hindered (Gal. 2:5)

• Error is advanced and the faithful are misled (2 Tim. 2:15-18; Rev. 2:20-24)

• Error is not converted by compromise (2 K. 17:28-29)

• Error continues to develop into a full-blown religious system (Jn. 4:20)

Compromise is An AdversaryCompromise is An Adversary

• What we need today is a spirit of…

Discrimination (1 Thess. 5:21-22; Rev. 3:9)

Scrutiny in God’s work (1 Cor. 5:9-13)

Firmness in God’s work (Jn. 4:22-22)

Endurance in God’s work (1 Cor. 16:9)

Refusal (2 Cor. 6:14ff)

Compromise is An AdversaryCompromise is An Adversary

• Zerubbabel and Jeshua understood this: “You have nothing to do with us”

• But do we?