| Ezra's Reforms: Holiness to the Lord |
Pastor Steve Holt
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Mountain Springs Church
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| 03/18/2007 |
Ezra’s Reforms: Holiness to the Lord
Ezra 9:10-10:44
- Last week, we looked at the fact that Israel, returning after 70 years of captivity, are falling back into sin.
- It is easy to look at the culture, TV, MTV, cable, and movies and see their sin, but it is so sad when we see it in our own midst, within the church.
- The sin of the culture is infiltrating into the Jewish culture and Ezra is broken hearted.
- Last week we looked Ezra’s “peg prayer”.
- Ezra’s not discouraged and he has faith to pray Vs. 8-9
Vs. 8-9
- Ezra prays for Revival.
- He prays for the House of God.
- He prays for our lives to be rebuilt.
Vs. 10-12
- Don’t seek alliances with unbelievers; don’t seek the fortune and fame of the world.
- Don’t get involved in the “world’s ways” in our businesses!
- There is tremendous temptation to “cook the books” and compromise in our record keeping.
- Tremendous temptation to cheat on how much our workers do.
James 4:4
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
- The world has no peace! But we have peace.
- The world doesn’t have real wealth! We have real wealth.
- Look at the life of the rich and famous? They are a disaster!
- We think that if we separate ourselves that we will get jipped? The opposite happens…feast on the things of God.
- In Christ, you “eat of the land”. Flourish in God’s boundaries!
- Boundaries are there for our safety and peace! Feast within God’s plan and His inheritance.
- So that the next generation will flourish…your kids are watching you.
- More is caught than taught!
- If you tell your kids that you find joy in Jesus and you are always depressed…they notice what you do.
- If you tell your kids to not use filthy language and you do…they notice what you do.
- If you tell your kids that God will meet all your needs and you then cheat and lie…they will notice what you do.
- If you tell your kids that they should be pure and you aren’t…they notice what you do.
- They catch the real meaning! They watch your eyes and see what is important…that is what they catch!
- But if they see you getting up early and praying and studying God’s Word…they see what you do and they want your God.
- When they see that you are turning your back on the things of this world to follow Christ…they see what you do…and they want to know your God.
Vs. 13-15
- Perfectly honest before the Lord.
- If you are perfectly honest before God can you really be healed.
- Admit that you love your sin! Be honest! Admit your trespass.
- You love your sin.
- You don’t drive nails into your head!
- You love it!
- Let God know how you feel…call out to God for deliverance:
- Call out to God for His grace.
- Ask God to reveal Himself to you.
10:1
- Ezra’s heart is right and he ignites righteousness in Israel.
- Amazing what one man can do.
Vs. 2
Deuteronomy 7:1~6
"When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you… 2 You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly…6 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”
- There is no prohibition on interracial marriage, just interreligious ones.
- These women are idolaters…they are pulling the Jewish men away from their God.
- This is why it is so dangerous to marry someone who you have any question about their faith.
- This is what Paul is talking about in Corinthians…
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
"I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people."
17 Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
18 "I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty."
- This is so dangerous…years of misery because of being yoked “unequally”. How can you pull the cart if the oxen are not both equal to the task?
- Marriage and raising a family is hard enough without being yoked unequally or wrongly.
- Now if you are in such a relationship, stay in it and pray like crazy! Show them the life! Exhibit the life!
Vs. 3-8
- Everybody comes or we will take your inheritance…hit them in the wallet.
Vs. 9-11
Three steps in coming back to the Lord:
- (Vs. 11a) Make Profession…Confess Your Sins!
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- “Lord, I know that sex outside of marriage is wrong!”
- “Lord, I know that drunkness is wrong!”
- “Lord, I know that taking drugs is the same as sorcery to you. I’m wrong!”
- “Lord, I know that my anger hurts you and my family.”
- Homolegeo - agreeing with God…Your heart is broken and my heart is broken!
James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
- (Vs. 11b) Do God’s Pleasure
- You thought this life was for your pleasure! Wrong… it is for His pleasure.
- You thought marriage was for your pleasure…God is conforming you into His image and His pleasure.
- Rev. 4 - all things were created for His pleasure.
- God gets pleasure by seeing your life transformed and working miracles through you.
- What was it that He restored through the blood of His Son? He created you because He loves you that much.
- God’s pleasure is to fellowship with you!! God wants to fellowship with you.
- He doesn’t want anything from you…He wants you!! He loves you!!
- (Vs. 11c) Separate Yourselves from This World
- As a parent, you don’t want your kids hanging out with the wrong crowd.
- As a husband, you don’t want your wife going after other men.
- Ex. How would you like it if your wife came home one day and said, “Hey, I’ll love you on Tuesday, but I have some other men I want to be with on the other 6 days!”
- God doesn’t want to share you with Satan and this world.
- Separate yourself and let God meet your needs.
Vs. 12-14
- By the way, there is nothing in the NT that tells us if we are already married and we get saved, that we should go home and get a divorce…it tells us to stay in that marriage and win the unbelieving spouse to Christ through good works.
- You sanctify the home through your faith.
1 Corinthians 7:12-16
If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. 15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
1 Peter 3:1-2
Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
Vs. 15-17
- It takes three months to work this out.
- This is not about just casting them out, but they would still have to pay support and provide for their needs.
- It is so sad to see these “dead-beat dads” who are so selfish that they won’t pay for their ex-wife and kids needs.
Vs. 18, 23, 24
- Even the priests and the singers must walk in holiness.
- They must walk separate from the world.
- Ex. If you are dabbling in sin and not living fully for Christ, you can’t be on our worship team!
- Now we see the list of names of those who had compromised.
- Leadership in the church must walk in holiness, separate from the world.
- We have come to the book of Ezra, next week we will move into Nehemiah.
- If you have joined yourself to the world; if you have made alliances with Satan, come clean today, confess your sins to Him…
This sermon was produced at Mountain Springs Church in Colorado Springs, with Senior Pastor Steve Holt. www.mountainsprings.org
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