OBSESSED | DAILY DEVOTION | Pastor Chad Veach

0:00 Hey, what's going on, everybody? Welcome to this week's message from Zoe Church. We are in a series right now called Daily Devoted, and we are going to be in Ezra today, the book of Ezra. Go there in your Bible. Before we jump into today's message, I want to thank everybody that gives faithfully to and through Zoe Church. We are hosting our pastors gathering tomorrow here in Los Angeles. and so many pastors, hundreds of pastors are being impacted because of your generosity. If you'd like to give, go to our website and you can give there. But let's jump into this week's message called Obsessed. All right, open up your Bible. Go with me to the book of Ezra. Anybody believe in the Bible today? Ezra chapter 7, we are in a study. We've been talking about daily devoted, being daily devoted to God. We're not Sunday only Christians.

0:56 I've been saying it. I think God is just as good, if not better, Monday through Saturday. And I love coming to the temple. I love coming to church. I love worshiping. I love being in the house of God. But I'm telling you, God is just as good Monday through Saturday. And we don't want a weekly devotion. Oh, come on, somebody. We want a what? Daily devotion. This is an everyday thing for us. And I want to open up, look at Ezra. We're going to study the life of Ezra today. Ezra chapter seven, verse nine. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month. So he was leaving Babylon. Babylon was exile. Babylon was the bad stuff. Babylon was when God's people were in the wrong place. And he was trying to lead about 15,000 people. Ezra was trying to lead them into Jerusalem.

1:51 They were getting out of something and into something. See, this is why you need fast and prayer. This is why you need these 21 days, because we're leaving our old life, and we're surrendering to God to our new life. So he's leaving Babylon, getting into Jerusalem. This is symbolic of the old way and getting into the God way. Somebody say amen. And he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. So that would be for us, Mayo, or in English, May. All right. For the gracious hand of his God was on him. I'm gonna come back to that, but I like that. For the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. I like that. For Ezra had devoted himself to what? To observing, to studying and observing the law of the Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. I want to preach a message today. Write down the title. It's called Obsessed. Obsessed. And I'm praying over you that you become obsessed with God, that you become obsessed with Jesus. I like that we live in a culture that is radical and fanatical. Anything that someone does in today's culture, they are all about it. Like if they make sourdough bread, you're going to know that they make sourdough bread. If they walk with a weighted vest, you're going to know they walk with a weighted vest.

3:34 this last week there was a podcast with two brothers that played in the NFL and they had a guest on a girlfriend. And I'm telling you, the girlfriends fans went into a frenzy and they started to pick up all the Easter eggs that were dropped. And they're trying to figure out when this new album is coming out. And if she's performing at the halftime Superbowl, they call this group the what? The Swifties. They are what? Obsessed. And I'm praying over us. We'd be obsessed with God. Obsessed with Jesus. We are not flippant or casual, coy or convenient with our faith. Our faith is everything we got. Oh, come on, clap if you want to be obsessed with Jesus. Come on, clap louder. I'm obsessed. I don't care what anybody says. I like this quote. Put it on the screen. Obsession with self is the surest way to depression, but obsession with God is the surest way to joy. Oh, I like that. You get obsessed with yourself, it's a fast track to depression. You get obsessed with God, oh, you're on a fast track to joy.

4:45 Pastor Chad and Ryan said this at All Church Prayer on Thursday. He said, joy, Jesus, others, and you. See, when you get obsessed with God, you get your priorities straight. It goes, God is first, others are second, and I am last. You don't get the joy of the Lord until you get the obsession of God. So you've got to understand, obsession with other things are set to destroy you, but obsession with God is meant to build you. And when you get obsessed with my God, nothing will satisfy, nothing will fulfill, nothing will heal, nothing will completely complete you like being obsessed with God. And Ezra devoted himself. He was about it. He was about that life. Ezra was all in. And he's like, you know what? I'm just going to devote my life. Ezra was devoted. He goes, I don't got a lot of tricks. I don't got a lot of moves.

5:38 I don't got a lot of money. I just got this one move. I'm going to be devoted to three things. Write down number one. He was devoted to learn, to learn God's word, to learn what does this book say? What is the Bible all about? And who is the God of this thing? He was obsessed with learning. And I don't know about you, but I have not learned enough. How about you? I don't know about you, but I am shocked by how little I know. How about you? And I'm not learned all the things there is to know about God. I want to know more of his character. I want to know more of his nature. I want to know more of his goodness. I'm not done learning. How about you? You know what they say about learning? They say a mentor always walks through the door when a student is ready to learn. How about for us Jesus followers? The Holy Spirit always walks through the door when a student or a disciple is ready to learn. Teach me your ways. Show me your truths. Open my eyes that I can see wonderful things from your word. I'm not done learning.

6:40 See, the problem with church folk is church folk is they think they already know it all. Man, I already heard all them stories in Sunday school. I heard about Moses. I heard about Noah. I'm just having fun now. But church people are like, I've been, oh, that story, I heard that story. That scripture, I heard that scripture. That whole thing. Yeah, man, Man, I knew that since I was 10. Man, yeah, I've heard every sermon there is to preach. But see, when you posture yourself as a student, you say, my heart and my eyes and my ears are open because I want to learn. And the moment you do, God walks to the door to teach you wonderful truths, a new facet of his grace, a new understanding of his love, a better depth and knowledge to who God is. I don't know about you, but I'm not done learning about my God. Come on, clap and give him a praise there. I want to learn. I want to know God. I want to learn. I want to learn. And watch this Psalm 19.

7:47 Oh, this is beautiful. Put Psalm 19 on the screen. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Let me just pause there. It doesn't matter what your GPA was in high school. It doesn't matter what your SAT score was. If you get God's word in your life, you'll be the smartest in the bunch. That's what it's saying there. Look at verse eight. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. I like that it started off by just saying the law of the Lord is perfect. This book doesn't need anything added to it. This book doesn't need anything taken from it. It's perfect the way it is. Come on. The grass may wither and the flower may fade, but the word of the Lord will last forever. So I just want to learn. I just want to know. I just, I'm not done learning. I'm not done. I'm not growing. I'm not done growing. I'm not done developing. I want to know more about God. I want to learn about God the same way that I want to learn about my wife. I pursue my wife. I date my wife. I heard somebody say, if I don't date my wife, somebody else will. Hello. Hashtag ain't gonna happen.

9:01 Hashtag Albeck Steakhouse. take you to applebee's this week girl get whatever you want Chili's next week. I pursue my wife. Why? Because I want to know my wife. We're about to celebrate 17 years of marriage next month.

9:36 17 years of marriage. We've yet to have one fight today. 17 years of marriage. but I'm trying to learn and know her to understand what she's about, who she is. Not the iteration I married 17 years ago, who she is today. I want to know God in my, my, my 2025 pursuit of God. Some of you living off who you learned God to be when you were 16, 22. Now I want to know God. And the more I read this thing, the more I'm like, Ooh, that's your character. That's your nature. That's what you love. That's what you hate. That's what you're for. That's what you're against. And I don't read it like this. You're lucky I showed up. Blessed that I'm here. I want to learn. What are you about? What are you, what are you doing? What are you speaking in my life? It's a heart to learn. My dad had a friend that wrote a book. The title was a few things I've learned since I knew it all. And the thing about life is some of us act like we know it all. No, you don't know it all. I don't know it all. We're trying to learn it all. And it's all here in the living, breathing word of God. And so Ezra devoted himself. Ezra was obsessed to learning about God. Write down number two. He wasn't just learning. He was trying to live for God. Oh, I like that next part. Put it on the screen. Ezra 710.

11:17 It says, and Ezra devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord. Put up that definition. Observant means putting it into practice personally before teaching others. See, Ezra was not satisfied with head knowledge. See, a lot of us come to church and we get information. Maybe if you're lucky, you feel something and you get inspiration. God doesn't want you just to get information, and God's not here to just give you inspiration. He wants information to drop down to your heart to become inspiration, to get all the way to your feet to become application. It doesn't please God until it affects the way that you live. I'm learning so that it could lead to my living. I don't want to just know about God. I want to live for God.

12:09 My living is an indication of my believing. If I believe right, I'll behave right. If I believe right, I'll live right. So this impacts not just my Sunday, this impacts my Monday. I'm trying to live for the glory of God. I'm not just a hearer of the word. I am a doer of the word. Put that scripture up. Look at James chapter one, verse 22, but don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourself. DJ Calderick's here. He said, you played yourself. You played yourself. You played yourself. You thought this is just about learning. And I know a lot. I know a lot about God, know a lot about church, know a lot of scriptures. Listen, I met a lot of people that are bound, a lot of people that are addicted, a lot of people that are filled with hatred, that know a lot about God, that do not know how to live for God. And I will tell you, the way that you please him is not just by knowing stuff. It is by walking out the truths of God's word. And the reality is, is that sin is going to keep you from this book or this book is going to keep you from sin. You got to decide what it's going to be. I don't know about you, but I want this book to keep me from a life of sin. I want to walk and live in truth, in righteousness, in freedom, and in wholeness. Come on, clap if that's your prayer today.

13:31 Matthew chapter 7, verse 24, Jesus speaking. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice, he is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose up, the winds blew, beat against that house. It did not fall because it had its foundation on the what? The rock, the rock, the word of God. See, I wanna tell you, you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or preparing for a storm. But just a heads up, storm's gonna happen. The more I learn about God and I live for God, the more I'm prepared for whatever a doctor says, whatever the economy says, whatever some hater's gonna say, whatever some friend does, I am living for. Come on, clap if you believe it today. So not just anybody can learn. Anybody can learn. Anybody can learn stuff. Anybody can learn. Learn that verse, John 3, 16. Learn that truth.

14:39 Learn that Psalm. Learn that proverb. Learn it. Learn it. No, the real test is can you live it? Can you live it? Can you live it? And this is the real struggle, the struggle of flesh for spirit because your spirit wants to live it, but your flesh does not. And I've got to do everything I can to put my feet to the fire and says, if God said to be merciful, I've got to walk in mercy. If God says that I'm a person of compassion, I got to live out compassion. If God said be generous, I still got to walk in the truth of God's word. My parents, my mom, by the way, my mother's 69th birthday yesterday, my mom, say, I'm a Stella. Feliz cumpleaños a ti. Feliz cumpleaños a ti. My mom turned 69 yesterday, and my mom, my parents, got saved in college. My parents and Julia's parents are first-generation Christians, and both of them broke generational curses so that I could and Julia could walk in truth and freedom.

15:44 Because that's an everyday thing. my whole life, my mom had a red Bible. It was like a, like a burgundy red. My mom would have her Bible next to her, her bedside. My mom would have her Bible at the kitchen table. And I watched my parents. I watched my mom and dad read this thing. I mean, my parents really read the Bible. And a lot of, you know, my story, my pastor's kid, and I did not grow up with perfect parents, but I could tell my parents were trying their best. I could tell my parents love God and they were trying to lead our family in truth of God's word. And I knew my mom loved the Bible. She was trying to live the Bible. I grew up with a mom, I don't know about you. My mom used to pack me a brown paper sack lunch to go to school. Anybody else?

16:48 My mom would put a Capri Sun in there. She put a little chewy bar in there. I get a, like a fruit and I get a sandwich. The way I know my mom loves me is she cut my sandwich in half. If your mama didn't cut your sandwich in half, I'm here to tell you she did not love you. You came to church and found out something. You're going to learn today. You're going to learn today.

17:10 My mom would start the little note out in the lunch. She'd write it, Miha, I love you. And every day my mom would write a scripture in my lunch. Do you know what like to be in school, middle school, open up this thing, trying to hide a little napkin with a scripture on it. You're like, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? The Lord's strength shall go by. All right. but I watched my mom and dad build our house on the rock. So when the wind blew and the rain came, my house didn't shake because we were living for the glory of the living God, not for something that was going to be here today and gone tomorrow. Give them a praise if you want to build your family on the living, breathing Word of God. I want to learn it. I want to live it. Let me just say something. Before we get all shocked when somebody that we thought was living one way, but we found out is living another, let's not get in shock over your own sin. There is only one perfect man. There is only one Messiah.

18:22 There is only one that's trustworthy. There's only one that is blameless. And his name is... Come on, give him a praise. I'm not putting my faith in a man. I'm not putting... I don't come to church for a preacher or a prophet or a parent or a pastor. My hope is in the name of the Lord. And you got to be careful because if you get your eyes on man, you're going to be pointing out the speck. in somebody else's eye, and you're going to lose the plank in your own.

18:58 You're so shocked that they did what? When was the last time you were shocked over your sin? Okay, so you didn't surprise yourself. Why are you surprised by them? All of us are sinners saved by grace, trying to learn and trying to live. We're trying to live. We're trying to live. we're trying to apply. We're trying to not just be hearers. We're trying to be doers. So the problem with church is you come to church, life change, and then lunch. Got my life changed. Can you pass the potatoes?

19:33 So between life change and lunch today, you got to make some decisions about what you learned or how are you going to live. The question is not, did you learn something? The question is Monday, tomorrow. How are you going to live for the glory of the living God? We're not just obsessed with head knowledge. Come on, clap today. I'm obsessed. We're trying to live for God. I'm trying to live for God. Why do we do Zoe Cares? Why do we do Zoe Cares? Why do we serve people that lost their homes in fires? Why do we help people with backpacks back to school? Why are we a church? Why would we let people from Peru to Argentina to Nevada to all over the nation come here. Why? Because we're just trying to live for God. And we learned a lot about God, but we're going to live a lot for God. I pray that your living matches your learning in Jesus' name. Somebody say amen to that. So Ezra devoted himself. He devoted himself. He's obsessed. and I think maybe what's hurting you is you're afraid to get obsessed with God.

20:36 remember obsession with yourself is the fast track to depression obsession with god is the fast track to joy and so ezra was devoted to what to learning observing personally applying it and i love this last one he was obsessed with with learning living and the right down last one teaching he wanted to teach others about god look at the verse verse 10 again for ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. Put this on the screen. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. So Ezra was learning this thing and he was trying to live this thing. And then did you notice the natural progression is he just started teaching this thing. And some of us today are like, hold on, Pastor Chad. I am all about learning 100%. You got me. I want to learn about God. Living 100%.

21:40 I'm so radical for God. I'm going to put it in my Instagram bio. One verse. Philippians 4.13. Here we go. I love God. I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed. I want the world to know, Romans 16, I'm not ashamed. Okay, great. But the problem is you keep stopping and learning and living when the Bible says out of you, rivers of living water are going to flow. Oh, come on, clap like you want to teach somebody about how good God is. Clap like you want to let somebody know in your neighborhood, in your family, in your friendships that they need to know the Lord. See, you keep thinking you need to go to Bible college to tell somebody about God. You need to know these verses by heart. My God will use a donkey. My God will use a willing vessel. My God will use anybody that will testify. If God did it for me, surely he can do it for you. If God pulled me out, if God called my name, if God rescued me, if God broke my chain, give him a praise if he's been good to you. We're going to learn it. We're going to live it. We're going to teach it. We're going to tell somebody, you got to know this. You got to know this. Some people ask me, they say, Pastor Chad, do you ever get nervous before you preach? Do you ever get nervous?

22:53 Like when you come up on stage, do you ever get nervous? To be honest, I don't get nervous because my job is to brag about somebody else. And that's pretty easy. It's not that hard to be like, there is this God that is so good that he sent his one and only son to die a brutal death on a cross for you. And he took your place so you didn't have to face damnation or shame that he took. He took your rightful place. Teach others. I pray that Zoe Church, we will become evangelists. We'll share about the love of God, that we'll tell other people about a God in heaven that is obsessed with them. We're not so obsessed with God as much as God is obsessed with us. And I wanna tell the world. I'm not ashamed to tell the world. I feel like the movie Elf. I'm not ashamed to tell the whole world.

23:45 I want the whole world to know it. Look here in Romans. This is one of my favorite scriptures. Look at Romans chapter 10. And worship team, you can make your way. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone speaks up and shares on their Instagram story or even further maybe using their vocal cords? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? And that is why the scriptures say how beautiful are the feet of the messengers that bring good news. I got good news today. There's a God in heaven that's obsessed with you. That's good news.

24:38 That's good news. And you don't have to be afraid or shy or timid about sharing good news. I'd only be afraid, shy, and timid if I had bad news. Yo, fam, I got bad news for you. Not only does your breath stink, not only is your zipper down, but you, fam, are going, yeah, I don't know how to break it to you. You are lost, you're broke, and your pet's heads are falling off. You are done. Thank you. I got good news.

25:17 And Ezra devoted himself. He's like, I'm going to give my whole life, I'm going to give my whole life to learning and living for God and teaching. You know what we need at Zoe? We need some 20-year-olds that would teach some 12-year-olds about the love of God. We need some moms to teach some single moms about the love of God. We need some entrepreneurs to teach some other entrepreneurs about how awesome God is. We need some parents to not rely on our kids' ministry as awesome as it is, but to teach their children about how good and faithful and kind and loving about how powerful and wonderful and mighty and majestic our God truly is.

26:08 I think a lot of us get jammed up because we're like, I just want to learn. I just want to live. And God's like, this is where the power's at. This is where the good stuff happens. Paul the apostle started to teach others and they're like Paul yeah right man you were just partying with us bro yeah right Paul said doesn't matter I found grace I gotta tell the world about grace God did something in me that I cannot hold back I learned about Jesus I'm living for Jesus and I'm telling others about the glory of the living God, there's a God in heaven that loves you and is for you. And I'm going to do everything I can. Come on, clap. I'm going to do everything I can to get it out. Be careful, be careful, be careful. Jeremiah, the prophet said, when I found your words, your word was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I got weary and exhausted from trying to keep this thing in. I had to get it out. And I wonder what's inside of you that you got to get out. Some truth about God, some testimony about God, something that God's done in your life. Maybe you need to start a story on your Instagram today. Maybe you need to start a tick tock part one, two, three, four, and five, and tell everybody about what God did in your life. I'm talking to you about being bold about who God is in your life. He learned it, lived it. It's a big one, but I think we all miss out on the teaching. We go, oh, you know the pastors will do that. You know the spiritual folks will do that. Oh, the perfect people. I'm sorry, can somebody direct me after the service to where the perfect people hang out? Because the last time I checked, we are all sinners in need.

28:01 There are no perfect people here. Amen. Learn, live, teach. Go back to verse 9. What does it say? and the gracious hand of God was on his life. And the gracious hand of the Lord was on Ezra's life. You want to know what the gracious hand represents? It represents favor, power, protection. It represents God doing stuff in your life that only God can do. Sounds pretty good to have on your business right about now. Sounds pretty good to have on your family. Anybody would love to have the gracious hand of God on their life?

28:49 I'll take the gracious hand of God. but the only reason why the gracious hand of God was on Ezra was because he was learning and living and teaching. And God says, if you'll do those three things, I can put my hand on that church. I can put your, I can put my hand on that business. I can put my hand on that life. I want to tell you, as these pastors come, uh, uh, Tuesday, we're going to party tomorrow night. We have a welcome party Tuesday. They're going to be here. We're going to have an incredible time. The only thing that I think that they'll recognize is, man, the hand of God is on this house. The hand of God, the gracious hand of God is on this place. You can sense. You can sense. You can sense God. God did this. We're going to celebrate next Sunday 10 years of God's faithfulness. And I'm just going to tell you, we're going to get vertical and say the gracious hand of God has led us from every theater, every club, every school. the gracious hand of God has been upon this house.

29:50 And I want to speak that over your life. Anybody down to get the gracious hand of God? Come on, on your life today. Come on, stand to your feet. Again, thanks so much for joining us for this week's message. Make sure you like, subscribe, comment, and if you don't mind, share the message with somebody who needs some hope and life today. We'll see you next Sunday for next week's message.