Ezra 9:1 After these things had been done, the captains approached me. They said: “The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the people of the lands whose repulsive[1] practices are like those of the Canaanites, Hethites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
Ezra 9:2 Indeed, the Israelite men have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so the sacred seed has become mixed with the people of the lands. The captains and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”
Ezra 9:3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and robe, pulled some hair from my head and beard, and sat down devastated.
Ezra 9:4 Everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat devastated until the evening tribute offering.[2]
Ezra 9:5 At the evening tribute offering, I got up from humiliation, with my tunic and robe torn. Then I fell on my knees and spread my hands to Yahveh, my God.
Ezra 9:6 And I said: My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward you because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our need of reparation[3] is as high as the sky.
Ezra 9:7 Our need of reparation has been terrible from the days of our fathers until the present. Because of our iniquities, we have been handed over, along with our kings and priests, to the kings of the lands and the sword, captivity, plundering,[4] and open shame, as it is today.
Ezra 9:8 But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from Yahveh our God, to preserve a remnant for us and give us a stake in his sacred place. Even in our slavery, God has given us a little relief and light to our eyes.
Ezra 9:9 Though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us before the Persian kings, relieving us to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezra 9:10 Now, our God, what can we say in light of this? For we have abandoned the commands
Ezra 9:11 you commanded through your slaves the prophets, saying: “The land you are entering to take possession of[5] is impure. The surrounding peoples have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness by their impurity and repulsive practices.
Ezra 9:12 So do not give your daughters to their sons in marriage or take their daughters for your sons. Never pursue their welfare or prosperity so that you will be strong. Consume the good things of the land and leave it as a possession to your sons permanently.
Ezra 9:13 After all that has happened to us because of our evil deeds and terrible need of reparation — though you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have allowed us to survive —
Ezra 9:14: should we break your commands again and intermarry with the people who commit these repulsive practices? Wouldn’t you become so angry with us that you would destroy us, leaving neither remnant nor survivor?
Ezra 9:15 Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we survive as a remnant today. Notice,[6] we are before you with our need of reparation, though no one can stand in your presence.
Ezra 8:1 These are the family heads and the genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
Ezra 8:2 Gershom, from Phinehas’s descendants; Daniel, from Ithamar’s descendants; Hattush, from David’s descendants,
Ezra 8:3, who was of Shecaniah’s descendants; Zechariah, from Parosh’s descendants, and 150 men with him who were registered by genealogy;
Ezra 8:4 Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah from Pahath-moab’s descendants, and 200 men with him;
Ezra 8:5 Shecaniah son of Jahaziel from Zattu’s descendants, and 300 men with him;
Ezra 8:6 Ebed son of Jonathan from Adin’s descendants, and 50 men with him;
Ezra 8:7 Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah from Elam’s descendants, and 70 men with him;
Ezra 8:8 Zebadiah the son of Michael from Shephatiah’s descendants, and 80 men with him;
Ezra 8:9 Obadiah son of Jehiel from Joab’s descendants, and 218 men with him;
Ezra 8:10 Shelomith son of Josiphiah from Bani’s descendants, and 160 men with him;
Ezra 8:11 Zechariah son of Bebai from Bebai’s descendants, and 28 men with him;
Ezra 8:12 Johanan son of Hakkatan from Azgad’s descendants, and 110 men with him;
Ezra 8:13 These are the last ones, from Adonikam’s descendants, and their names are Eliphelet, Jeuel, and Shemaiah, and 60 men with them;
Ezra 8:14 Uthai and Zaccur from Bigvai’s descendants, and 70 men with them.
Ezra 8:15 I gathered them at the river that flows to Ahava, and we camped there for three days. I searched among the people and priests but found no Levites there.
Ezra 8:16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
Ezra 8:17 I placed[1] them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his brothers, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring us ministers[2] for the house of our God.
Ezra 8:18 Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah– a man of insight from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Levi son of Israel– along with his sons and brothers, 18 men,
Ezra 8:19 plus Hashabiah, along with Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and their sons, 20 men.
Ezra 8:20 There were also 220 of the temple servants, who David had appointed and the captains for the work of the Levites. All were identified by name.
Ezra 8:21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River so that we might humble ourselves before our God and cry out to him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.
Ezra 8:22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for efficient[3] infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.”
Ezra 8:23 We fasted and pleaded with God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.
Ezra 8:24 I separated twelve captain priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers.
Ezra 8:25 I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the articles– the contribution for the house of our God that the king, his counselors, his captains, and all the Israelites who were present had offered.
Ezra 8:26 I weighed out to them 24 tons of silver, silver articles weighing 7,500 pounds, 7,500 pounds of gold,
Ezra 8:27 Twenty gold bowls worth a thousand gold coins and two articles of fine gleaming bronze, as valuable as gold.
Ezra 8:28 Then I said to them, “You are sacred to Yahveh, and the articles are sacred. The silver and gold are a spontaneous, voluntary donation to Yahveh, God of your fathers.
Ezra 8:29 Guard[4] them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of Yahveh’s house before the captain priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite families in Jerusalem.”
Ezra 8:30 Then the priests and Levites took charge of the silver, the gold, and the articles that had been weighed out and brought them to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
Ezra 8:31 We set out from the Ahava River on the twelfth day of the first month to go to Jerusalem. Our God strengthened us and stripped[5] us from the enemy’s grasp and from ambush along the way.
Ezra 8:32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
Ezra 8:33 On the fourth day, the silver, gold, and articles were weighed out in the house of our God and placed in the care of the priest Meremoth, son of Uriah. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him. The Levites Jozabad, son of Jeshua, and Noadiah, son of Binnui, were also with them.
Ezra 8:34 Everything was verified by number and weight, and the total weight was recorded.
Ezra 8:35 The exiles who had returned from captivity offered ascending offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, and seventy-seven lambs, along with twelve male goats as a sin offering. All this was an ascending offering for Yahveh.
Ezra 8:36 They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates so that they would support the people and the house of God.
Ezra 7:5 Abishua’s son, Phinehas’s son, Eleazar’s son, the chief priest Aaron’s son
Ezra 7:6—He came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the instruction of Moses, which Yahveh, the God of Israel, had given. The king granted him everything he requested because the hand of Yahveh, his God, was on him.
Ezra 7:7 Some Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants accompanied him to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
Ezra 7:8 Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the seventh year of the king.
Ezra 7:9 He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month since the gracious hand of his God was on him.
Ezra 7:10 Now, Ezra had determined to study the instruction of Yahveh, obey it, and teach its prescribed tasks[1] and judgments in Israel.
Ezra 7:11 This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of Yahveh’s commands and prescribed tasks for Israel:
Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the sky: Greetings.
Ezra 7:13 I issue a decree that any Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.
Ezra 7:14 The king and his seven counselors send you to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your possession.
Ezra 7:15 You are also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
Ezra 7:16 and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the donations given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:17 Then you are to be diligent about buying bulls, rams, and lambs with this money, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offering them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:18 You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.
Ezra 7:19 Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.
Ezra 7:20: You may use the royal treasury to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God.
Ezra 7:21 I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River: Whatever Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of the sky, asks of you must be provided in full,
Ezra 7:22 up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of oil, and salt without limit.
Ezra 7:23 Whatever is commanded by the God of the sky must be done diligently for the house of the God of the sky so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons.
Ezra 7:24 Be advised that you do not have authority to impose tribute, duty, and land tax on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
Ezra 7:25 And you, Ezra, according to God’s wisdom that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know them.
Ezra 7:26 Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let the appropriate judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
Ezra 7:27 Praised[2] be Yahveh, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s heart to glorify the house of Yahveh in Jerusalem,
Ezra 7:28 and who has shown favor to me before[3] the king, his counselors, and all his influential captains.[4] So, I took courage because I was strengthened by the hand of Yahveh, my God, and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.
Ezra 6:1 King Darius gave the order, and they searched in the library of Babylon in the archives.
Ezra 6:2 But it was in the fortress of Ecbatana in the province of Media that a scroll was found with this record written on it:
Ezra 6:3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its original foundations be retained. Its height is to be ninety feet and its width ninety feet,
Ezra 6:4 with three layers of cut stones and one of timber. The cost is to be paid from the royal treasury.
Ezra 6:5 The gold and silver articles of God’s house that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon must also be returned. They are to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem, where they belong and put into the house of God.
Ezra 6:6 Therefore, you must stay away from that place, Tattenai, governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and your colleagues, the officials in the area.
Ezra 6:7 Leave the construction of the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.
Ezra 6:8 I issue a decree concerning what you are to do so that the elders of the Jews can rebuild the house of God: The cost is to be paid in full to these men out of the royal revenues from the taxes of the region west of the Euphrates River so that the work will not stop.
Ezra 6:9 Whatever is needed– young bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of the sky, or wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem– let it be given to them every day without fail,
Ezra 6:10 so that they can offer sacrifices of pleasing aroma to the God of the sky and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
Ezra 6:11 I also issue a decree concerning any man who interferes with this directive: Let a beam be torn from his house and raised; he will be impaled on it, and his house will be made into a garbage dump because of this offense.
Ezra 6:12 May the God who caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who dares to harm or interfere with this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out diligently.
Ezra 6:13 Then Tattenai, governor of the region west of the Euphrates River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.
Ezra 6:14 So the Jewish elders succeeded in building the temple under the prophecy of Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, son of Iddo. They finished the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.
Ezra 6:15 This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of King Darius’s reign.
Ezra 6:16 Then the Israelites, including the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles, celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
Ezra 6:17 For the dedication of God’s house, they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering for all Israel- one for each Israelite tribe.
Ezra 6:18 They also appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their groups to serve God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.
Ezra 6:19 The exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Ezra 6:20 All priests and Levites were ceremonially clean because they had purified[1] themselves. They killed the Passover lamb for themselves, their priestly brothers, and all the exiles.
Ezra 6:21 The Israelites who had returned from exile consumed it, together with all who had separated[2] themselves from the uncleanness of the Gentiles of the land to worship Yahveh, the God of Israel.
Ezra 6:22 They observed the Festival of Matzah[3] for seven days with joy because Yahveh had caused them to enjoy[4] it. He had changed the Assyrian king’s heart[5] toward them so that he strengthened them in the work on the house of the God of Israel.
3 I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything
necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one
who called us by his own glory and excellence. 4 Through these things
he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so
that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the
divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by
evil desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith
excellence, to excellence, knowledge; 6to knowledge, self-control;
to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; 7 to
godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love.
There is a deep longing in every true believer’s heart to live a godly life. Not merely a moral life. Not merely a respectable life. Not merely a religious life. But a life that reflects the character of Christ — a life shaped by the Spirit, rooted in the gospel, and marked by the beauty of holiness. And yet, if we are honest, many Christians feel stuck. We want to grow, but we feel weak. We want to change, but we feel inconsistent. We want to be godly, but we feel painfully aware of our failures.
Peter writes this letter to believers who feel that tension. They are facing false teachers, cultural pressure, and spiritual discouragement. And in that environment, Peter does not scold them. He does not shame them. He does not tell them to “try harder.” Instead, he lifts their eyes to the resources God has already given them. He reminds them that godliness is not something we manufacture — it is something God empowers.
In 2 Peter 1:3–7, Peter gives us a vision of what a godly life looks like and how it grows. And he begins with a stunning declaration.
I. GOD HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR A GODLY LIFE (v. 3)
Peter writes, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” Not some things. Not most things. Not the basics, with the rest left up to us.
All things.
This is one of the most liberating truths in the New Testament. God does not call us to live a godly life and then leave us to figure it out. He does not command us to grow and then abandon us to our own strength. He does not demand fruit without providing the root.
Everything required for life and godliness — everything necessary for spiritual growth, moral transformation, endurance, holiness, and obedience — has already been given to us in Christ.
How? Peter says it comes “through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
Godliness begins with knowing Christ. Not merely knowing about Him. Not merely admiring Him. But knowing Him personally, relationally, intimately.
The more we know Christ, the more His power shapes our lives. The more we behold His glory, the more we are transformed into His likeness. The more we trust His promises, the more we walk in His ways.
A godly life is not the result of human willpower — it is the result of divine power.
II. GOD HAS GIVEN US GREAT PROMISES TO TRANSFORM US (v. 4)
Peter continues: “By these He has granted to us His precious and very great promises.”
God does not merely give us commands — He gives us promises. He does not merely give us duties — He gives us hope. He does not merely give us instructions — He gives us assurances.
And these promises are not small. They are not ordinary. They are not fragile. Peter calls them precious and very great.
Why? Because through these promises, Peter says, “you may become partakers of the divine nature.”
This does not mean we become gods. It means we become godly.
We share in God’s character. We reflect His holiness. We bear His likeness.
We display His love, His patience, His purity, His compassion.
The promises of God are the fuel of godliness. When we trust His promises, we escape the corruption of the world. When we cling to His promises, we resist sinful desires. When we believe His promises, we grow in holiness.
A godly life is not built on fear — it is built on faith. Not on guilt — but on grace. Not on self-effort — but on divine promises.
III. GOD CALLS US TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO GROW (vv. 5–7)
After grounding us in God’s power and God’s promises, Peter now turns to our responsibility. He says, “For this very reason, make every effort…”
Notice the order. God’s power comes first. God’s promises come first. Then our effort.
Effort without grace leads to legalism. Grace without effort leads to laziness.
But grace that produces effort — that is godliness.
Peter then gives us a beautiful chain of virtues — a ladder of spiritual growth. Each virtue builds on the one before it. Each one deepens the one after it. Together, they form a portrait of a godly life.
Let’s walk through them.
1. Faith — the foundation
Everything begins with faith. Faith is the root of the Christian life. Faith is the hand that receives God’s promises. Faith is the anchor that holds us to Christ.
Without faith, there is no growth. Without faith, there is no godliness. Without faith, there is no life.
But faith is not the end — it is the beginning.
2. Excellence, which is moral excellence
To faith, Peter says, add moral courage, moral excellence, moral strength. It is the determination to do what is right even when it is costly.
Faith produces virtue. When we trust Christ, we begin to desire what He desires. We begin to pursue what is good, pure, and honorable.
Virtue is the first fruit of a living faith.
3. Knowledge — spiritual understanding
To virtue, add knowledge. This is not academic knowledge. It is spiritual discernment — the ability to see life through God’s eyes.
Virtue without knowledge becomes zeal without wisdom. Knowledge without virtue becomes cold and prideful. But virtue informed by knowledge becomes powerful and fruitful.
A godly life requires a growing understanding of God’s Word and God’s ways.
4. Self-control — mastery of desires
To knowledge, add self-control. This is the ability to say “no” to sinful desires and “yes” to God’s will.
Self-control is not repression — it is Spirit-empowered discipline. It is the ability to govern our appetites, emotions, and impulses.
A godly life is not ruled by cravings, moods, or temptations. It is ruled by Christ.
5. Perseverance — endurance under pressure
To self-control, add steadfastness. This is perseverance — the ability to remain faithful under trial.
A godly life is not fragile. It does not collapse under pressure. It endures hardship with hope.
6. Godliness — reverence toward God
To steadfastness, add godliness. This is the heart of the passage — the theme of the sermon.
Godliness is not outward religiosity. It is inward devotion. It is a life oriented toward God. It is a heart that loves what God loves and hates what God hates.
Godliness is the aroma of Christ in a believer’s life.
7. Brotherly affection — love for the family of God
To godliness, add brotherly affection. This is warm, practical, relational love for fellow believers.
A godly life is not isolated. It is not cold. It is not self-focused.
It is deeply connected to the body of Christ.
8. Love — the crown of Christian maturity
Finally, to brotherly affection, add love. This is agapē — the highest form of love. It is sacrificial, unconditional, Christlike love.
Love is the goal of spiritual growth. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Love is the evidence of true godliness.
A godly life is a life of love.
IV. A GODLY LIFE IS POSSIBLE — AND BEAUTIFUL
When you put all of this together, Peter gives us a breathtaking picture of what God intends for His people. A godly life is not a fantasy. It is not reserved for spiritual elites. It is not beyond our reach.
It is possible because:
God has given us His power.
God has given us His promises.
God has given us His Spirit.
God has given us His Word.
God has given us a path of growth.
And when these virtues begin to grow in us, something beautiful happens. Our lives begin to reflect the character of Christ. Our hearts begin to burn with love for God. Our relationships begin to display the grace of the gospel. Our witness becomes compelling. Our faith becomes fruitful.
A godly life is not a burden — it is a blessing. It is not a duty — it is a delight. It is not a performance — it is a transformation.
A godly life is not beyond our reach. It is God’s gift, God’s work, and God’s promise. And He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion.
V. A GODLY LIFE BEGINS WITH A GODWARD HEART
Let me close with this: A godly life does not begin with effort. It begins with desire. A desire to know Christ. A desire to be like Him. A desire to please Him. A desire to reflect His glory.
And that desire is itself a gift of grace.
So, we pray:
“LORD, make us godly. Give us a heart that longs for You. Give us faith that grows, moral excellence that shines, knowledge that deepens, self-control that strengthens, steadfastness that endures, godliness that worships, brotherly affection that embraces, and love that reflects Christ.” Amen.
jeffersonvann 