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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)
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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