1. Ezra 9-10

2. Israel’s sin and punishment 2

3.  Punished with captivity, Deut 28:45-48; 2 Chrn 36:15- 21 ◦ Babylonian exile, 606…587 B.C. ◦ Remnant returned, 536 B.C. ◦ Temple restored, 516 B.C. (Ezra 6:14-15) 3

4.  Ezra returned 60 years later (457 B.C.) ◦ Revive worship and purity, Ezra 7:6-10  Led by rulers, Israel had fallen into sin of marrying foreign women, Ezra 9:1-2 ◦ Ezra’s dismay and sorrow, Ezra 9:3-4 ◦ Confessional prayer of national sin, Ezra 9:5-15 ◦ What follows is one of the most heart- wrenching yet hopeful episodes in Israel’s history (Ezra 10) 4

5.  We can never be right with God with sin in our lives, Isa 59:1-2; 2 Cor 6:17-18; Rev 2:5 ◦ Sin is real and deadly, 1 Jno 3:4; 5:17; Eph 2:1-3 ◦ Certain marriages were sinful in Ezra 9:2, 14; 10:10 5

6.  Christians must put away every kind of sin (1 Ths 5:22) ◦ Old man of sin, Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:5-9 ◦ Sins of the heart and tongue, Eph 4:31-32 ◦ Everything that hinders – no matter how dear it is to us, Matt 5:28-30 (18:6-9) ◦ Israelites had to put away foreign wives and the children born to them, Ezra 10:3 6

7.  Like ancient Israel, sinful marriages must cease, Matt 19:9-12  The divorced person (except for the cause of fornication) cannot be in a sinless remarriage, cf. Rom 7:2-3  Fornication (adultery) must be repented of and the sinful relationship ended, Rev 9:20-21 7

8. 8  The Sacrifice of Precious Things  Wives and children, Ezra 10:3, 10-12, 18-19, 44  Price must be paid to be a disciple of Jesus, Luke 14:25-33  More than family, 14:26  More than life, 14:26  More than escaping trials, 14:27  Count cost and pay price, 14:28-33

9. 9  The Sacrifice of Precious Things ◦ Some in Israel refused to pay the price, Ezra 10:15 ◦ Some refuse to sacrifice for salvation, Mark 10:17-22 ◦ A job? Fashion? Acceptance? Pleasures of the world?

10. 10  Self-denial is a proof of devotion to God, Gal 2:20; Phil 3:7-8 ◦ Must admit our sin instead of defending ourselves in our sin, Ezra 10:2 ◦ Self-denial shows fearful faith in God, Gen 22:12 ◦ Self-denial shows we love Christ most, Matt 16:24-27

11. 11  Strong emotions occur whenever we put away sin ◦ Emotions can cause us to defend our sin ◦ Emotions must not be allowed to hinder obedience to God! Prov 14:12; 18:2; 19:21 ◦ Confessing sin is emotional, Ezra 10:1 (1 Jno 1:9); Luke 7:37-38 ◦ Reverence for God’s word will cause us to “tremble” when our sin is exposed, Ezra 9:4; 10:3, 9

12. 12  Israel could still obtain mercy and forgiveness through repentance; and most did, Ezra 10:10-12 (15), 16-17 ◦ Christians can “repent and do the first works”, Rev 2:5 ◦ Offer yourself to God as a living sacrifice, Rom 12:1