WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.620 Happy Father's Day to you. We're looking at Ezra chapters 9 and 10 today. That's page 368 in the 00:00:09.620 --> 00:00:18.379 Pew Bible. So we've come to the end of the book of Ezra this morning, but remember the books of 00:00:18.379 --> 00:00:25.560 Ezra and Nehemiah actually form one story, the story of how after their failure and exile, God 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:33.579 brought his people back to the land of Judea and how they rebuilt the ruins. The first part of Ezra 00:00:33.579 --> 00:00:40.280 is about the rebuilding of the ruins of the temple, but the second part of Ezra that we're in 00:00:40.280 --> 00:00:48.079 is about rebuilding the people themselves. In other words, it's not enough to have the worship 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:54.939 of God in a temple. We must also have the worship of God in our hearts and in our lives as well. 00:00:55.560 --> 00:01:01.500 And only then can the story continue on into Nehemiah as the people rebuild the city itself. 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:09.299 So it kind of moves out from there. But let me warn you, these last chapters of Ezra have some 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:17.280 surprises and even some fairly controversial bits. The work of rebuilding a building or a city is not 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:22.300 comfortable work. I spent a lot of my vacation over the last few weeks standing on a ladder doing work 00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:27.280 on my house. It was good. I got a lot done. Thanks for your prayers. I didn't fall off the ladder. So 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:33.079 there you go. The work of rebuilding a city is not comfortable work, but the work of rebuilding a people 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:41.500 can be even more uncomfortable still. But as much as these chapters here in Ezra contain a challenge to 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:47.739 us, they also contain good news, good news of hope, even in the midst of failure. 00:01:49.579 --> 00:01:53.760 So I'm going to pray for us, and then I'll read Ezra 9 to get us started. Let's pray. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:00.460 Our Father, as we come before you now 00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:10.979 to attend to your word, we confess that we need your spirit to be able to hear your word with 00:02:10.979 --> 00:02:19.159 open ears and open minds and most importantly, open hearts. God, there are so many competing concerns, 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:25.139 so many competing desires within us. We are so often a mystery to ourselves. 00:02:25.139 --> 00:02:32.279 Lord, help us in these few moments to hear a word from you, our Creator God. 00:02:33.619 --> 00:02:41.839 Give us clarity. Give us conviction. Give us a fresh vision of your Son, our Lord Jesus, our Savior, 00:02:42.579 --> 00:02:50.060 that we might know you and love you and be more like you as a people. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:59.560 Ezra chapter 9. After these things had been done, the officials approached me, me as Ezra here, 00:03:00.420 --> 00:03:05.979 the officials approached me and said, the people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not 00:03:05.979 --> 00:03:12.039 separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, 00:03:12.140 --> 00:03:17.180 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 00:03:17.180 --> 00:03:23.620 For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:30.900 so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness, 00:03:31.560 --> 00:03:40.560 the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost. As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:47.719 and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:51.939 words of the God of Israel because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles gathered 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:57.420 around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice, I rose from 00:03:57.420 --> 00:04:03.480 my fasting with my garment and my cloak torn and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord, 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:12.299 my God saying, Oh my God, I am ashamed and blushed to lift my face to you, my God. For our iniquities 00:04:12.299 --> 00:04:18.920 have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:24.539 fathers to this day, we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities, we, our kings and our priests 00:04:24.539 --> 00:04:29.699 have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, 00:04:29.699 --> 00:04:35.120 and to utter shame as it is today. But now for a brief moment, favor has been shown by the Lord, 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:40.680 our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place that our God 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:47.079 may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves, yet our God has 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:53.099 not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia 00:04:53.100 --> 00:04:59.540 to grant us some reviving, to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us 00:04:59.540 --> 00:05:08.360 protection in Judea and Jerusalem. And now, oh our God, what shall we say after this? For we have 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:14.660 forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants, the prophets, saying, The land that 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:19.879 you are entering to take possession of it is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:24.839 with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore, do not 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:29.740 give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their 00:05:29.740 --> 00:05:34.699 peace or prosperity that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance 00:05:34.699 --> 00:05:41.879 to your children forever. And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:47.319 seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved, and have given us such a 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:54.500 remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice 00:05:54.500 --> 00:06:01.519 these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:11.319 remnant nor any to escape? Oh Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:20.240 escaped as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this. 00:06:24.459 --> 00:06:31.699 A number of years ago, Beth and I were in Mexico City on a group trip, and one day of our trip, 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:40.639 we had a free afternoon. So, we decided to visit the house of Frida Kahlo, the great Mexican artist. 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:49.019 Unfortunately, neither Beth nor I spoke much Spanish, so we were a little uncertain how traveling across 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:58.000 the city would go for us. But to our relief, the metro system in Mexico City is brilliantly designed. 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:07.019 Every stop on the subway has its own distinctive logo or icon. The wayfinding in this massive system 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:12.719 is utterly brilliant, and those distinctive symbols for each stop make navigating the subway incredibly 00:07:12.719 --> 00:07:20.979 easy, even if, like us, your Spanish is more than a little spotty. And so, we were able to have a pretty 00:07:20.979 --> 00:07:30.359 good day. Has it ever struck you how important it is for things to be distinct at times? 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:39.860 For me and Beth, it helped us find our way to the Frida Kahlo Museum. Admittedly, not too much was at stake there. 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:47.360 But what about those distinct markings on a hiking trail? Do you know those? Those red or white or yellow blazes, 00:07:47.460 --> 00:07:52.860 as they're called, that mark the paths? Well, those could be the difference between finding your way or getting 00:07:52.860 --> 00:08:02.040 seriously lost, right? Or what about the distinctive lights on an airport runway at night? Well, there's a 00:08:02.040 --> 00:08:10.939 whole lot at stake there, isn't there? The theme that's running underneath Ezra chapters 9 and 10 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:19.080 is actually this theme of distinctiveness. God's people are a people who are called to be distinct. 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:25.459 God says again and again in the Old Testament, because I'm holy, I want you to be holy. And holy 00:08:25.459 --> 00:08:33.079 there means set apart for a noble purpose. Or as Jesus will say in the New Testament, as his followers 00:08:33.079 --> 00:08:42.740 were meant to be salt and light. That is distinctive and life-giving. And as the story kind of unfolds here 00:08:42.740 --> 00:08:48.399 at the end of Ezra, we see that it's a story of distinctiveness. In chapter 9, it's a story of the 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:54.519 people's distinctiveness being threatened. And then we see it's a story in chapter 10 of this 00:08:54.519 --> 00:09:01.399 distinctiveness being repaired or restored. So first, let's consider how it's threatened. 00:09:03.019 --> 00:09:09.659 In verse 1, some officials come to Ezra with some news. Now remember, Ezra is a Jewish priest and 00:09:09.659 --> 00:09:16.600 teacher of God's law who's been sent by none other than the Persian king, Artaxerxes, from Babylonia 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:21.659 back to Jerusalem in order to teach the people how to live in accordance with God's word. 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:30.120 Looking ahead to chapter 10, verse 9, we know that about four months have passed since Ezra first 00:09:30.120 --> 00:09:37.560 arrived in Jerusalem on his mission of teaching and rebuilding the people. Chapter 7, verse 9 says 00:09:37.560 --> 00:09:42.080 that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem on the fifth month of the year. And chapter 10, verse 9 says that it's now 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:48.240 the ninth month. So what does that mean? It means that only four months into Ezra's work, the officials 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:58.060 come with some bad news. And what is it? Well, some of the returned exiles and some of the leaders, 00:09:58.420 --> 00:10:05.060 especially priests and Levites, have married some of their non-Jewish neighbors. 00:10:05.059 --> 00:10:14.919 And when Ezra hears this news, he tears his clothes, pulls out some of his hair, and sits down 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:25.799 in appalled silence. He mourns, in other words, as if someone has died. But why is this such a big deal? 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:40.419 Well, the very critical thing to realize here is that the problem is not that these wives are of a 00:10:40.419 --> 00:10:45.899 different race, but rather the problem is that they are of a different religion. 00:10:47.959 --> 00:10:53.479 Note the word abominations in verse 1. We see it again in verse 14. The problem is that they've 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:58.639 intermarried with people who practice these abominations, Ezra prays in his prayer. Now, the word 00:10:58.639 --> 00:11:05.700 abominations is practically a technical word in the Old Testament for idolatry. And all the practice, 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:14.420 all the practices surrounding the worship of false gods. So the real issue for Ezra isn't that these 00:11:14.420 --> 00:11:19.240 wives come from a different ethnic group. It's not that they come from a different ethnic group. That's not 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:28.799 the problem. The problem is that they worshiped false gods. Remember back in Ezra chapter 6, verse 21, 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:33.539 when the temple was completed, about a generation before Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, what happened? 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:39.740 In that great celebration where they celebrate the Passover again, some of the people of the land 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:44.519 actually leave their false gods and join the returned exiles in worshiping the Lord. In other words, 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:51.539 people of every ethnicity were always welcome in the people of God, so long as they leave their false 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:58.259 gods and worship the Lord alone. And what that means is that marrying across ethnic lines was fine 00:11:58.259 --> 00:12:06.019 if they shared your allegiance to God. Think about it. Moses married a non-Jewish wife. So did Joseph. 00:12:06.019 --> 00:12:17.259 Ruth was a Moabite and she became the great-grandmother of King David. But marrying someone who didn't share 00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:25.220 your allegiance to the Lord, that was a spiritual crisis. Why? 00:12:25.220 --> 00:12:34.279 Why? Because it would inevitably lead to enmeshing Israel 00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:43.819 in the false worship of their neighbors. They would be led away from worshiping the one true God. 00:12:44.959 --> 00:12:49.079 And in fact, when you look back at Israel's history, that's part of exactly what happened to them. 00:12:51.079 --> 00:12:56.279 And that meant that Israel would eventually, all over again, become to look just like all the 00:12:56.279 --> 00:12:59.899 peoples around them. In other words, their distinctiveness would be lost. 00:12:59.899 --> 00:13:08.919 But why was that such a big deal? Why was their distinctiveness so important? 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:19.340 Well, our passage actually contains a clue to why it's so important. But it's easy to misread it at 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:27.179 first. It's easy to miss it. Look again at verse 2. The officials come to Ezra and they lament 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:32.159 that the holy race that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. 00:13:33.299 --> 00:13:38.899 Now, at first, that kind of rubs our ears the wrong way. It sort of sounds a little standoffish. 00:13:38.979 --> 00:13:45.759 It maybe even sounds sort of racist, right? But we have to understand that the phrase holy race there 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:53.699 actually is literally holy seed or holy offspring. And in the Old Testament, that phrase of seed or 00:13:53.700 --> 00:14:04.700 offspring is loaded with rich theological meaning. It goes back to the prophet Isaiah, when Isaiah said 00:14:04.700 --> 00:14:09.980 that a holy seed, in other words, a remnant of the people would actually survive the exile and then be 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:15.160 a part of God's renewed plan for Israel and for the world. But it goes back even farther than that, 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:21.160 all the way back to Abraham, when God, beginning His mission of rescue for the whole world, 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:28.100 tells Abraham that in him and in his seed and his offspring, the whole world would be blessed. 00:14:31.159 --> 00:14:36.379 So, you see, the distinctiveness of God's people, the holy seed, was so that the whole world 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:41.559 would see and know the true God and come to truly know God as well. 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:51.679 Their distinctiveness was meant to be a sign, like the lights on the runway, like the marker in the 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:58.179 forest, a sign that the God who had created us has revealed Himself to us, and that same God was 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:03.019 acting to bring us back to Himself for good. Here was the way home. 00:15:03.019 --> 00:15:11.299 That's what the distinctive life of Israel was meant to display to everybody who could see them. 00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:16.779 And you know, that mission doesn't stop in the Old Testament. What does Jesus tell His disciples 00:15:16.779 --> 00:15:24.779 in the Sermon on the Mount? Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:31.240 and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. And the Apostle Peter picks up that same thread and 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:36.860 applies all of this to the church, saying, you're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:43.000 a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:51.000 out of darkness into His marvelous light. You're the salt of the earth, Jesus says. 00:15:53.899 --> 00:15:59.860 But Jesus goes on to say, if the salt has lost its taste, it's no longer good for anything. 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:06.600 If the runway lights go out, it's just another patch of concrete in the dark. 00:16:07.680 --> 00:16:11.700 It's just another site of inevitable wreckage. 00:16:15.700 --> 00:16:21.600 And so, when Ezra hears that the returned exiles are marrying wives who don't worship the Lord, 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:28.519 he acts as if someone or something important has died. He mourns because the very mission of the 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:32.439 people of God is being threatened with extinction. 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:38.879 So, how might this apply to us today? 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:43.519 First, let's take the presenting issue of marriage. 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:49.939 For the New Testament believer, for the Christian, just like the Old Testament believer in the Old Testament, 00:16:49.940 --> 00:16:55.240 marriage ought only to be to a fellow believer, a fellow Christian. 00:16:56.660 --> 00:17:02.020 In 2 Corinthians 6.14, Paul writes, do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 00:17:03.420 --> 00:17:09.539 And in 1 Corinthians 7, verse 39, Paul explains that Christians are to marry only in the Lord. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.940 In other words, a Christian must marry only another believer. 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:16.500 They can be from a different race, they can be from a different social class, 00:17:16.600 --> 00:17:18.240 they can be from a different nationality, 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:22.400 but they must be a believer in Jesus. 00:17:25.500 --> 00:17:28.380 Now, that's not a very popular view, of course, 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:32.740 but it is incredibly wise and good. 00:17:32.740 --> 00:17:41.279 You see, as a Christian, the love of Jesus is meant to be the defining feature of your life, 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:44.299 the burning center of all that you do. 00:17:46.460 --> 00:17:49.460 Now, imagine uniting your life with someone 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:54.220 who actually cannot look at the thing you hold most precious, 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:56.160 the thing that defines your whole life, 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:57.900 and also affirm it. 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:02.400 That's what happens when a believer marries an unbeliever. 00:18:03.460 --> 00:18:07.519 There's always going to be a disconnect at that most fundamental level of who you are. 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:10.460 There's always going to be a barrier to real oneness. 00:18:12.620 --> 00:18:16.680 And more often than not, the believing spouse will either grow closer to Jesus 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:18.539 and further from the unbelieving spouse, 00:18:18.539 --> 00:18:23.240 or closer to the unbelieving spouse and further from Jesus. 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:27.339 By God's grace, there have been exceptions. 00:18:28.420 --> 00:18:31.539 But more often than not, friends, this is what happens. 00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:36.279 So if you're considering marriage as a Christian, 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:37.960 this is non-negotiable. 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:40.160 You must marry in the Lord. 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:46.640 But there are all sorts of other ways our distinctiveness is threatened. 00:18:47.779 --> 00:18:49.840 Dating and marriage is a big one, but not the only one. 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:55.000 Romans 12, in Romans 12, Paul says that the world constantly wants to squeeze us into its mold. 00:18:57.080 --> 00:18:57.480 Conformity. 00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:02.700 How about how we act in the workplace? 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:07.680 How about the sorts of conversations we have with our roommates? 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:10.900 How about the things we watch and listen to? 00:19:10.900 --> 00:19:18.660 This doesn't mean that we should exclude or separate ourselves completely from every cultural institution. 00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:20.660 That would be impossible, foolish even. 00:19:20.860 --> 00:19:23.460 And it would also betray our calling to be salt and light. 00:19:23.860 --> 00:19:28.300 It's hard to actually season something or illuminate something if you don't actually interact with it, 00:19:28.340 --> 00:19:29.600 if you don't live in the midst of it. 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:33.240 But the danger is always there. 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:38.619 If the salt has lost its saltiness, Jesus says. 00:19:42.579 --> 00:19:46.339 I wonder, friends, would you be able to pinpoint in your own life this morning 00:19:46.339 --> 00:19:50.659 where you may be prone to losing your distinctiveness? 00:19:50.660 --> 00:19:58.180 Actually, it's quite hard to spot it in our own lives at times. 00:19:59.660 --> 00:20:03.840 Often we need the loving input of brothers and sisters in Christ to point it out, 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:07.540 much like the officials do here in verses 1 and 2 with their fellow leaders. 00:20:10.140 --> 00:20:13.580 Are you open to someone pointing out that in your own life? 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:18.000 Do you welcome that kind of loving, gentle correction? 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:23.120 We also need to be immersed in God's word. 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:30.300 You know, this issue in Ezra 9 comes to the surface after four months of Ezra presumably teaching God's word to the people. 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:36.420 And it's then in the light of God's word that they start to begin to realize that they've gone astray 00:20:36.420 --> 00:20:38.420 and that something has to be done about it. 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:43.420 So the more we expose ourselves to the living word of God, 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:48.620 the more God does his work of sometimes uncomfortable but much-needed transformation. 00:20:50.660 --> 00:20:53.320 So what do they do then? 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:56.620 This is how their distinctiveness is being threatened. 00:20:57.540 --> 00:21:01.420 Now, with the second part of the passage, how is it repaired? 00:21:01.840 --> 00:21:02.880 How is it restored? 00:21:05.340 --> 00:21:07.620 First, Ezra prays. 00:21:09.120 --> 00:21:11.380 We read his prayer already at the end of chapter 9. 00:21:11.380 --> 00:21:16.300 It's one of the great prayers of the Old Testament, a mighty prayer of confession. 00:21:16.299 --> 00:21:23.940 Notice how Ezra identifies with the people even though he himself hadn't sinned in this particular way. 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:32.059 Oh, that our hearts would break for sin in the church like Ezra's did. 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:37.480 Ezra's prayer then falls into two halves. 00:21:37.480 --> 00:21:42.680 In verses 6 through 9, he acknowledges God's favor in leaving them a remnant, 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:47.039 of bringing them into the land despite their great guilt years ago that led up to the exile. 00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:53.519 But then in verses 10 through 15, he basically quotes Deuteronomy 7 with some other passages brought in 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:57.400 and says, how can we break God's commands again? 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:03.460 After experiencing his favor, how can we go back and do the same thing we did last time? 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:08.500 Would God not be right in his justice to consume us? 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.100 We are guilty before God, Ezra says. 00:22:12.980 --> 00:22:15.200 None of us can stand before him. 00:22:18.840 --> 00:22:24.539 And brothers and sisters, restoring our distinctiveness begins right here. 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:35.740 We are making confession without excuse, without minimizing it, without skewing or warping God's character, 00:22:35.879 --> 00:22:39.200 but acknowledging him as totally just and totally merciful. 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:43.700 Isn't it a strange thing? 00:22:43.980 --> 00:22:46.559 This is one of the reasons we pray a prayer of confession each week, by the way. 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:49.779 Isn't it a strange thing that, you know, 200 people come together every Sunday? 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:55.259 One of us stands up here and leads us in a prayer that says, God, we have blown it. 00:22:57.319 --> 00:22:58.539 That's very countercultural. 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:01.339 And yet how necessary that is. 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:09.379 We pray these corporate prayers of confession each week, not so we can grovel in our guilt or beat ourselves up, 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:12.539 but so that we can deal with our guilt and so that we can be changed. 00:23:12.539 --> 00:23:19.619 But, you know, our personal times of prayer should also contain confessions of sin. 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:26.099 We should go to God and admit where we're wrong, where we've been unfaithful, 00:23:26.379 --> 00:23:29.619 as this passage says in numerous times describing what's happened. 00:23:30.859 --> 00:23:31.299 Unfaithful. 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:35.460 That's a powerful word, isn't it, if you think about it? 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:37.359 What is that telling us? 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:44.359 It's telling us that sin isn't just breaking some arbitrary rules or some random codes of practice. 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:50.459 If sin is unfaithfulness, then that means sin is primarily relational. 00:23:52.719 --> 00:23:55.299 We reject God as king and want to be our own king. 00:23:56.259 --> 00:24:01.599 We reject God's loving rule of our lives and choose idols instead that really can't satisfy. 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:03.479 It's unfaithfulness. 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:12.140 I wonder this week if you might consider taking up Ezra's prayer in your quiet time or your own prayer time 00:24:12.140 --> 00:24:13.740 and maybe praying through it on your own. 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:19.079 It might be pretty stiff medicine, what you're normally used to praying, 00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:26.019 but it would do much good for our souls to enter into this kind of deep confession of sin. 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:30.120 So first, Ezra prays. 00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:32.759 But it doesn't stop there. 00:24:33.480 --> 00:24:35.700 There's also deliberate action. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:41.099 It would seem from the end of Ezra's prayer that there's not much that can be done. 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:46.900 Behold, we are before you in our guilt, and none can stand before you because of this. 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:53.079 But then in chapter 10, a way forward appears. 00:24:55.180 --> 00:24:56.000 Let me read. 00:24:56.700 --> 00:24:58.440 Picking up in chapter 10, verse 1. 00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:04.460 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:08.700 a very great assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him out of Israel, 00:25:08.820 --> 00:25:10.160 for the people wept bitterly. 00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:16.000 And Shekaniah, the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra, 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:22.119 we have broken faith with our God, and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:27.380 But even now, there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:33.059 Therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children 00:25:33.059 --> 00:25:36.960 according to the counsel of my Lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:38.859 and let it be done according to the law. 00:25:38.859 --> 00:25:42.379 Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you. 00:25:42.659 --> 00:25:43.759 Be strong and do it. 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:47.819 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites, 00:25:47.859 --> 00:25:50.579 and all Israel take an oath that they would do, as has been said. 00:25:50.939 --> 00:25:51.919 So they took the oath. 00:25:53.059 --> 00:25:57.679 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehonahan, 00:25:58.059 --> 00:25:59.859 the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, 00:26:00.339 --> 00:26:01.879 neither eating bread nor drinking water, 00:26:01.919 --> 00:26:04.379 for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. 00:26:04.380 --> 00:26:08.980 And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles 00:26:08.980 --> 00:26:10.380 that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 00:26:10.780 --> 00:26:14.940 and that if anyone did not come within three days by order of the officials and the elders, 00:26:15.220 --> 00:26:17.040 all his property should be forfeited, 00:26:17.280 --> 00:26:19.760 and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles. 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:25.000 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within three days. 00:26:25.560 --> 00:26:28.360 It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month, 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:32.540 and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:36.920 trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:39.899 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:43.159 You have broken faith and married foreign women, 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:45.480 and so increased the guilt of Israel. 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:49.460 Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers, 00:26:49.539 --> 00:26:50.279 and do his will. 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:54.279 Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives. 00:26:55.099 --> 00:26:57.839 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, 00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:59.599 It is so. 00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:01.899 We must do as you have said. 00:27:03.059 --> 00:27:06.179 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain. 00:27:06.679 --> 00:27:08.359 We cannot stand in the open, 00:27:08.659 --> 00:27:10.859 nor is this a task for one day or for two, 00:27:10.980 --> 00:27:12.980 for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 00:27:13.879 --> 00:27:15.859 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:19.720 Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, 00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:22.220 and with them the elders and judges of every city, 00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:26.279 until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us. 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:32.480 Only Jonathan, the son of Azahel, and Josiah, the son of Tikvah, opposed this, 00:27:33.139 --> 00:27:35.639 and Meshulam and Shabbathai, the Levites, supported them. 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:40.259 Then the returned exiles did so. 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:43.940 Ezra the priest selected men, heads of fathers' houses, 00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:47.259 according to their fathers' houses, each of them designated by name. 00:27:47.819 --> 00:27:50.960 On the first day of the tenth month, they sat down to examine the matter, 00:27:51.500 --> 00:27:53.200 but by the first day of the first month, 00:27:53.200 --> 00:27:56.700 they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women. 00:27:57.960 --> 00:27:59.660 And then in verses 18 through 44, 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:02.980 there's a list of all the men who had married foreign wives, 00:28:03.080 --> 00:28:06.720 grouped according to sort of their location in Israelite society. 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:10.259 First the priests, then the Levites, then the rest of the people. 00:28:13.140 --> 00:28:16.860 Now, what are we to make of Shekaniah's proposal here? 00:28:16.859 --> 00:28:21.859 At first, it seems not quite right, doesn't it? 00:28:22.579 --> 00:28:24.079 Divorce all the foreign wives? 00:28:24.939 --> 00:28:26.740 Send them away back to their families? 00:28:27.679 --> 00:28:29.199 I thought God hated divorce. 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:30.319 What is going on here? 00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:33.979 And you know, many commentators struggle over this passage, 00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:35.179 and it's easy to see why, 00:28:35.479 --> 00:28:38.859 and not just because the plan of action seems harsh to our modern ears. 00:28:38.859 --> 00:28:41.759 You know, first, there's actually no command, 00:28:41.979 --> 00:28:43.379 explicit command in the Old Testament, 00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:47.779 that demands Israelites to divorce unbelieving spouses and send them away. 00:28:49.379 --> 00:28:53.319 Deuteronomy 24 permits divorce for particular forms of indecency, 00:28:53.399 --> 00:28:54.500 but doesn't command it. 00:28:55.979 --> 00:29:00.959 Second, we need to remember that just because the biblical narrative describes something, 00:29:01.399 --> 00:29:04.319 that doesn't mean that the Bible prescribes something. 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:07.740 In other words, just because an event happens in a story, 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:09.119 doesn't mean we're meant to copy it. 00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:12.299 Some events are in the Bible just because the Bible's giving a true record of history, 00:29:12.460 --> 00:29:15.220 not because the Bible's commending that action for us to imitate. 00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:18.839 But then again, 00:29:19.919 --> 00:29:25.359 we have to remember how critical this situation was 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:28.639 for the life of the returned community. 00:29:30.399 --> 00:29:33.679 The leaders of the people had enmeshed themselves in families, 00:29:33.680 --> 00:29:38.960 and practices that ran directly counter to the worship of the one true God. 00:29:41.100 --> 00:29:41.980 And keep in mind, 00:29:42.100 --> 00:29:45.600 marriage in the ancient world was performed for all sorts of reasons. 00:29:46.140 --> 00:29:49.440 Financial alliances, political alliances, social assimilation. 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:52.840 Marriage often served those purposes more than genuine love and affection. 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:56.980 It's not as if we have a sort of Romeo and Juliet story here, 00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:58.620 where there are Montagues and Capulets. 00:29:58.619 --> 00:30:03.399 And you know, 00:30:03.439 --> 00:30:05.519 when we look at the writings of a contemporary of Ezra, 00:30:05.619 --> 00:30:06.459 the prophet Malachi, 00:30:07.239 --> 00:30:09.439 it would seem that some of these leaders 00:30:09.439 --> 00:30:13.000 had actually divorced their Jewish wives 00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:16.559 in order to marry these foreign non-believing wives, 00:30:17.719 --> 00:30:20.059 presumably for political or social reasons. 00:30:20.059 --> 00:30:26.519 So perhaps we can sympathize with the excruciating decision 00:30:26.519 --> 00:30:30.839 before Ezra that he had to make in order to rebuild the people. 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:35.279 As I thought about this passage this week, 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:37.139 I think what we have here 00:30:37.139 --> 00:30:41.339 is actually a unique event in redemptive history. 00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:44.159 In other words, 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:46.559 God isn't telling this to us as a pattern, 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:49.500 as an exact pattern for us to follow for all time, 00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:51.299 but he's showing us what happened 00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:53.939 at a unique time in redemptive history 00:30:53.939 --> 00:30:56.699 when the very mission of his people was at stake. 00:30:56.759 --> 00:30:58.659 In this very fragile moment 00:30:58.659 --> 00:31:00.899 of the people returning from exile, 00:31:01.799 --> 00:31:04.939 decisive, unique action had to be taken. 00:31:07.439 --> 00:31:08.799 And the people do just that. 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:12.079 They take very decisive action to repent of their sins. 00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:17.359 Now, for believers today, however, 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:21.799 the New Testament actually commands the opposite counsel. 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:26.539 Believing spouses are commanded to stay 00:31:26.539 --> 00:31:29.700 with their non-Christian spouses in 1 Corinthians 7. 00:31:30.460 --> 00:31:31.019 In other words, 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:32.960 if you are married to a non-Christian spouse, 00:31:33.379 --> 00:31:35.480 you are commanded to stay in the marriage. 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:36.740 In 1 Peter chapter 3, 00:31:36.740 --> 00:31:39.019 Peter counsels wives not to leave, 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:41.160 but to win over their unbelieving spouses 00:31:41.160 --> 00:31:42.460 by their godly conduct. 00:31:44.599 --> 00:31:45.700 Now, that doesn't mean 00:31:45.700 --> 00:31:47.380 that the Bible contradicts itself. 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:48.599 You have to understand, 00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:50.480 the Bible is an unfolding story, 00:31:50.700 --> 00:31:52.500 not just a static book of rules. 00:31:52.620 --> 00:31:54.240 What's appropriate or required 00:31:54.240 --> 00:31:55.839 at one point in the story 00:31:55.839 --> 00:31:58.059 is no longer appropriate or required 00:31:58.059 --> 00:31:59.519 at a later point in the story 00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:01.200 because of what Jesus has done 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:02.740 to move that story forward. 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:08.240 But even if we must approach 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:10.099 this particular issue 00:32:10.099 --> 00:32:11.740 of marriage to unbelieving spouses 00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:13.279 differently now 00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:14.640 as New Testament believers, 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:18.640 there are still two big lessons 00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:19.799 I think we must take away 00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:21.000 from Ezra chapter 10. 00:32:21.000 --> 00:32:23.720 First, 00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:27.200 our call to distinctiveness, 00:32:27.559 --> 00:32:28.960 to be salt and light, 00:32:29.019 --> 00:32:30.799 will often require courageous 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:32.240 and costly, 00:32:32.819 --> 00:32:33.859 hard decisions. 00:32:36.539 --> 00:32:38.279 Maybe it's a dating relationship 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:39.380 you need to call off. 00:32:41.539 --> 00:32:43.119 Maybe it's a business venture 00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:45.200 you need to back away from. 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:49.740 Maybe it means standing alone 00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:51.120 and not going along with the gossip 00:32:51.120 --> 00:32:52.039 or the crude joking 00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:52.799 amidst your friends 00:32:52.799 --> 00:32:53.700 or your colleagues. 00:32:55.819 --> 00:32:57.360 This all takes courage 00:32:57.360 --> 00:32:59.039 and it can be costly. 00:33:00.660 --> 00:33:01.259 And yet, 00:33:01.900 --> 00:33:03.660 as believers in Christ, 00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:05.539 Jesus has given us 00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:06.400 the Holy Spirit 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:07.799 for this very reason, 00:33:07.960 --> 00:33:10.559 to so unite us to Himself 00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:12.299 that we are empowered 00:33:12.299 --> 00:33:14.379 to do the costly 00:33:14.379 --> 00:33:15.419 and courageous thing. 00:33:18.119 --> 00:33:18.960 This doesn't mean 00:33:18.960 --> 00:33:20.259 it needs to be hasty. 00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:21.319 Did you notice 00:33:21.319 --> 00:33:22.299 in Ezra chapter 10, 00:33:22.379 --> 00:33:23.359 Ezra accepts 00:33:23.359 --> 00:33:24.359 the plan of the people 00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:25.960 not to settle the matter 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:26.740 in one day 00:33:26.740 --> 00:33:28.279 in the middle of a rainstorm. 00:33:29.259 --> 00:33:29.700 Rather, 00:33:29.779 --> 00:33:30.279 what do they do? 00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:32.139 They choose trusted men 00:33:32.139 --> 00:33:33.639 and they investigate 00:33:33.639 --> 00:33:34.759 the matter patiently 00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:35.599 and thoroughly 00:33:35.599 --> 00:33:37.099 over the course of months. 00:33:40.240 --> 00:33:41.180 Some people present 00:33:41.180 --> 00:33:41.920 kind of disagree 00:33:41.920 --> 00:33:42.920 with that plan of action 00:33:42.920 --> 00:33:43.840 in verse 15. 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:45.420 And it's unclear 00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:46.360 whether those men 00:33:46.360 --> 00:33:47.060 in verse 15 00:33:47.060 --> 00:33:47.799 think that the plan 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:48.460 is too strict 00:33:48.460 --> 00:33:49.460 or too lenient. 00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:51.080 Maybe they wanted 00:33:51.080 --> 00:33:52.019 the unbelieving wives 00:33:52.019 --> 00:33:52.660 to stay 00:33:52.660 --> 00:33:53.960 and thought the whole business 00:33:53.960 --> 00:33:54.580 was out of hand. 00:33:54.940 --> 00:33:55.640 Maybe they wanted 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:56.279 the expulsion 00:33:56.279 --> 00:33:57.560 to happen even faster. 00:33:59.299 --> 00:34:00.279 It's not clear. 00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:03.600 But for all of this, 00:34:04.340 --> 00:34:05.620 we actually see 00:34:05.620 --> 00:34:06.680 something quite amazing 00:34:06.680 --> 00:34:07.640 and encouraging 00:34:07.640 --> 00:34:08.720 in Ezra chapter 10. 00:34:11.179 --> 00:34:12.000 The people 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:14.239 actually obey. 00:34:15.919 --> 00:34:16.779 In verse 16, 00:34:16.879 --> 00:34:17.259 we read, 00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:18.559 the returned exiles 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.879 did so. 00:34:21.859 --> 00:34:22.279 Now, 00:34:22.319 --> 00:34:22.619 if you've read 00:34:22.619 --> 00:34:23.460 much of the Old Testament, 00:34:24.000 --> 00:34:25.500 you realize 00:34:25.500 --> 00:34:26.500 that there aren't 00:34:26.500 --> 00:34:27.259 many moments 00:34:27.259 --> 00:34:28.179 when the people 00:34:28.179 --> 00:34:29.559 actually follow through 00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:30.219 with doing 00:34:30.219 --> 00:34:30.759 the courageous 00:34:30.759 --> 00:34:31.739 and costly thing. 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:33.399 More often, 00:34:33.539 --> 00:34:34.079 they are building 00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:35.059 golden calves, 00:34:35.699 --> 00:34:36.679 rebelling in the wilderness, 00:34:37.319 --> 00:34:38.619 demanding their own king, 00:34:39.039 --> 00:34:39.719 seeking foreign 00:34:39.719 --> 00:34:40.679 political alliances 00:34:40.679 --> 00:34:41.699 to rescue them, 00:34:42.339 --> 00:34:44.319 just like us. 00:34:46.459 --> 00:34:47.239 But here, 00:34:48.139 --> 00:34:49.379 something different happens. 00:34:51.339 --> 00:34:52.279 They repent 00:34:52.279 --> 00:34:53.480 and they obey. 00:34:56.439 --> 00:34:57.359 And that brings us 00:34:57.359 --> 00:34:57.839 to the second 00:34:57.839 --> 00:34:58.459 and last thing 00:34:58.459 --> 00:34:59.079 we should take away 00:34:59.079 --> 00:35:00.119 from Ezra chapter 10, 00:35:00.219 --> 00:35:01.319 and it's found 00:35:01.319 --> 00:35:01.739 in the words 00:35:01.739 --> 00:35:02.399 of Shekeniah 00:35:02.399 --> 00:35:03.199 in verse 2. 00:35:04.139 --> 00:35:05.319 But even now, 00:35:05.899 --> 00:35:07.059 there is hope 00:35:07.059 --> 00:35:07.959 for Israel 00:35:07.960 --> 00:35:09.260 in spite of this. 00:35:10.500 --> 00:35:11.679 In spite of 00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:12.800 blowing it 00:35:12.800 --> 00:35:14.240 big time, 00:35:14.500 --> 00:35:15.500 even now, 00:35:16.099 --> 00:35:16.960 there is hope 00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:18.059 for God's people. 00:35:20.480 --> 00:35:20.900 And church, 00:35:20.980 --> 00:35:21.840 how much more 00:35:21.840 --> 00:35:23.059 can we say 00:35:23.059 --> 00:35:24.099 those words today 00:35:24.099 --> 00:35:25.880 living on this side 00:35:25.880 --> 00:35:26.760 of the death 00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:27.300 and resurrection 00:35:27.300 --> 00:35:27.880 of Jesus, 00:35:28.079 --> 00:35:29.199 knowing so much more 00:35:29.199 --> 00:35:30.740 of God's steadfast love 00:35:30.740 --> 00:35:32.159 and redeeming grace, 00:35:32.340 --> 00:35:33.440 even now, 00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:34.900 there is hope. 00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:37.420 perhaps you look 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:38.059 at your life 00:35:38.059 --> 00:35:40.440 and you see 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:40.900 the string 00:35:40.900 --> 00:35:41.820 of moral failures. 00:35:44.119 --> 00:35:45.539 You see your conformity 00:35:45.539 --> 00:35:46.539 to the unhealthy 00:35:46.539 --> 00:35:47.160 patterns 00:35:47.160 --> 00:35:48.360 and people around you. 00:35:49.860 --> 00:35:50.519 And you know 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:51.380 in the quiet moments, 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:52.059 perhaps you think 00:35:52.059 --> 00:35:52.880 that God probably 00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:53.660 doesn't have much 00:35:53.660 --> 00:35:54.240 of a desire 00:35:54.240 --> 00:35:55.200 or purpose for you. 00:35:57.780 --> 00:35:58.780 And to be sure, 00:35:58.960 --> 00:35:59.780 as Ezra prayed 00:35:59.780 --> 00:36:00.639 in chapter 9, 00:36:00.760 --> 00:36:01.400 our guilt 00:36:01.400 --> 00:36:02.240 does rise 00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:02.799 higher 00:36:02.799 --> 00:36:04.059 than our heads. 00:36:05.319 --> 00:36:06.239 We're sinking 00:36:06.239 --> 00:36:06.739 in it, 00:36:06.919 --> 00:36:07.659 the Bible says. 00:36:08.299 --> 00:36:09.099 And God owes us 00:36:09.099 --> 00:36:10.199 nothing in return. 00:36:11.719 --> 00:36:12.679 But even 00:36:12.679 --> 00:36:14.139 now, 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:16.099 there is hope. 00:36:17.579 --> 00:36:18.699 When our sins 00:36:18.699 --> 00:36:19.339 deserved 00:36:19.339 --> 00:36:20.519 God's wrath, 00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:22.059 God, 00:36:22.199 --> 00:36:22.899 in the person 00:36:22.899 --> 00:36:23.479 of Jesus, 00:36:23.779 --> 00:36:24.699 lived a life 00:36:24.699 --> 00:36:25.739 of utter 00:36:25.739 --> 00:36:27.139 distinctiveness 00:36:27.139 --> 00:36:28.379 for us. 00:36:29.219 --> 00:36:30.219 He was different 00:36:30.219 --> 00:36:31.459 in every way, 00:36:31.899 --> 00:36:33.079 always loving, 00:36:33.719 --> 00:36:34.699 always courageous, 00:36:35.459 --> 00:36:36.919 always His own person, 00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:38.839 always obedient 00:36:38.839 --> 00:36:39.959 to His Father's will. 00:36:41.259 --> 00:36:42.099 But then, 00:36:43.379 --> 00:36:44.699 Jesus identified 00:36:44.699 --> 00:36:45.439 with us 00:36:45.439 --> 00:36:46.239 in every way, 00:36:47.299 --> 00:36:47.799 taking all 00:36:47.799 --> 00:36:48.519 of our sin 00:36:48.519 --> 00:36:49.899 and all of our guilt 00:36:49.899 --> 00:36:50.719 upon Himself 00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:51.559 at the cross. 00:36:52.259 --> 00:36:53.439 And He rose 00:36:53.439 --> 00:36:54.000 to life 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:54.939 on the third day 00:36:54.939 --> 00:36:56.199 to secure 00:36:56.199 --> 00:36:57.959 our right standing 00:36:57.960 --> 00:36:59.199 with God the Father 00:36:59.199 --> 00:37:00.159 forever. 00:37:00.900 --> 00:37:01.260 You see, 00:37:01.320 --> 00:37:02.720 no matter how high 00:37:02.720 --> 00:37:03.960 our sins have risen 00:37:03.960 --> 00:37:05.059 above our heads, 00:37:05.460 --> 00:37:06.480 Jesus has risen 00:37:06.480 --> 00:37:07.900 even higher. 00:37:08.679 --> 00:37:09.480 He's ascended 00:37:09.480 --> 00:37:10.340 to the right hand 00:37:10.340 --> 00:37:11.039 of God the Father 00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:11.440 in heaven 00:37:11.440 --> 00:37:12.519 and offers 00:37:12.519 --> 00:37:13.360 His righteousness 00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:14.579 on our behalf. 00:37:16.420 --> 00:37:16.840 So friends, 00:37:16.900 --> 00:37:17.599 even now, 00:37:18.539 --> 00:37:19.619 there is hope. 00:37:21.780 --> 00:37:22.780 Hope for those 00:37:22.780 --> 00:37:23.740 of us who've blown it. 00:37:24.740 --> 00:37:25.740 Hope for those 00:37:25.740 --> 00:37:26.659 who need courage. 00:37:26.659 --> 00:37:28.279 hope for those 00:37:28.279 --> 00:37:28.859 who are afraid 00:37:28.859 --> 00:37:29.679 to do the hard 00:37:29.679 --> 00:37:30.420 but right thing. 00:37:30.539 --> 00:37:32.179 Hope because one 00:37:32.179 --> 00:37:33.119 who is better 00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:34.259 than Ezra has come. 00:37:35.239 --> 00:37:36.819 Not just confessing 00:37:36.819 --> 00:37:37.859 our sins for us, 00:37:37.960 --> 00:37:38.759 but actually 00:37:38.759 --> 00:37:40.199 bearing our sins 00:37:40.199 --> 00:37:40.739 for us 00:37:40.739 --> 00:37:42.039 and giving us 00:37:42.039 --> 00:37:42.980 His Holy Spirit 00:37:42.980 --> 00:37:44.559 to live new lives. 00:37:47.359 --> 00:37:48.059 And friends, 00:37:48.119 --> 00:37:48.859 the more we take 00:37:48.859 --> 00:37:49.839 hold of Jesus 00:37:49.839 --> 00:37:50.639 by faith 00:37:50.639 --> 00:37:51.480 in the Spirit, 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:53.519 more and more 00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:54.699 our distinctiveness 00:37:54.699 --> 00:37:55.399 will shine. 00:37:55.400 --> 00:37:56.920 the more 00:37:56.920 --> 00:37:57.800 our lights 00:37:57.800 --> 00:37:59.519 on the runway 00:37:59.519 --> 00:38:00.800 will blaze out. 00:38:01.680 --> 00:38:02.480 The more 00:38:02.480 --> 00:38:03.139 we'll fulfill 00:38:03.139 --> 00:38:03.700 the purpose 00:38:03.700 --> 00:38:04.260 for which God 00:38:04.260 --> 00:38:04.820 made us, 00:38:05.820 --> 00:38:06.920 the more 00:38:06.920 --> 00:38:07.720 we'll be assigned 00:38:07.720 --> 00:38:08.960 showing others 00:38:08.960 --> 00:38:10.519 the way home. 00:38:12.400 --> 00:38:13.420 Let's pray together. 00:38:13.420 --> 00:38:15.480 Father, 00:38:15.480 --> 00:38:21.320 we pray 00:38:21.320 --> 00:38:24.039 and we thank You 00:38:24.039 --> 00:38:24.559 for the hope 00:38:24.559 --> 00:38:25.000 that we have 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:25.420 in Jesus. 00:38:27.180 --> 00:38:27.940 Would You come 00:38:27.940 --> 00:38:28.760 by Your Spirit 00:38:28.760 --> 00:38:31.240 and turn our hearts 00:38:31.240 --> 00:38:31.920 again to You? 00:38:34.920 --> 00:38:35.300 God, 00:38:35.340 --> 00:38:36.159 in our own strength, 00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:38.000 in our own steam, 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:40.539 we so easily 00:38:40.539 --> 00:38:41.179 conform. 00:38:44.179 --> 00:38:44.800 Oh God, 00:38:44.860 --> 00:38:45.460 by Your Spirit 00:38:45.460 --> 00:38:46.300 and by Your grace, 00:38:47.000 --> 00:38:48.139 make us distinct, 00:38:48.280 --> 00:38:49.099 make us salt and light, 00:38:49.179 --> 00:38:49.579 we pray. 00:38:50.900 --> 00:38:51.900 In Jesus' name, 00:38:52.219 --> 00:38:52.460 Amen. 00:38:53.460 --> 00:38:53.860 Amen. 00:38:58.280 --> 00:38:58.679 Well, 00:38:58.739 --> 00:38:59.019 this morning 00:38:59.019 --> 00:38:59.659 we're going to celebrate 00:38:59.659 --> 00:39:00.340 the Lord's Supper 00:39:00.340 --> 00:39:03.199 as a response 00:39:03.199 --> 00:39:03.900 to what we've just heard. 00:39:03.980 --> 00:39:04.300 And you know, 00:39:04.580 --> 00:39:05.260 the Lord's Supper 00:39:05.260 --> 00:39:06.640 is one of those things 00:39:06.640 --> 00:39:08.420 that Jesus taught us to do 00:39:08.420 --> 00:39:10.480 that actually marks out 00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:11.760 our distinctiveness 00:39:11.760 --> 00:39:12.680 in the world. 00:39:13.640 --> 00:39:14.519 This table, 00:39:14.640 --> 00:39:15.620 this bread that we're going to share, 00:39:15.720 --> 00:39:16.740 this cup that we're going to share, 00:39:17.019 --> 00:39:17.760 this is for people 00:39:17.760 --> 00:39:19.100 who've acknowledged 00:39:19.100 --> 00:39:19.940 their sinfulness, 00:39:20.660 --> 00:39:21.820 acknowledged that they can't 00:39:21.820 --> 00:39:22.480 rescue themselves 00:39:22.480 --> 00:39:22.920 on their own, 00:39:22.960 --> 00:39:23.940 they can't make themselves 00:39:23.940 --> 00:39:24.680 right with God, 00:39:24.800 --> 00:39:26.580 and they've turned to Jesus 00:39:26.580 --> 00:39:27.980 and received 00:39:27.980 --> 00:39:29.140 what He has done 00:39:29.140 --> 00:39:30.860 for their forgiveness, 00:39:31.200 --> 00:39:31.980 for their new life, 00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:32.780 for their hope. 00:39:32.780 --> 00:39:35.500 And so we take this bread 00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:36.560 and we take this cup 00:39:36.560 --> 00:39:37.380 as a sign 00:39:37.380 --> 00:39:38.840 that what He has done 00:39:38.840 --> 00:39:39.620 is true of us 00:39:39.620 --> 00:39:41.420 and we're participating in it 00:39:41.420 --> 00:39:42.280 through faith. 00:39:43.160 --> 00:39:45.280 That Jesus has made a space for us 00:39:45.280 --> 00:39:46.380 in the table of the kingdom. 00:39:47.480 --> 00:39:49.360 And we are His brothers and sisters. 00:39:49.500 --> 00:39:50.740 We are God's sons and daughters 00:39:50.740 --> 00:39:52.340 and we belong in that family. 00:39:54.160 --> 00:39:54.560 So, 00:39:54.780 --> 00:39:56.580 I wonder if those who are helping to serve 00:39:56.580 --> 00:39:57.300 would come up. 00:39:57.300 --> 00:39:59.300 I think