Walking the Wrong Path

The Work of Revitalization

Well good morning everyone and welcome to Burr Oak. For those visiting today or viewing this online, I am Pastor Ben and it is a joy to be with you today. If you are visiting or viewing this online please fill our one of our connect cards. If you are here in person you will find this on the back of the seats in front of you. Online you can find this at burroak.org.

Well we are continuing in our series The Work of Revitalization. Last week Kerry brought the message from chapter 8. One of the points that Kerry drew out was that of God’s prompting to take that first step. What Kerry drew out was that a question can come as to what is in fact the first step. Often times as you are trekking along on a journey you will find that you have many “first steps.” Anytime there is a fork in the trial you are presented with another first step. Which direction to take, which path to begin down.

The clearest way that we see these two diverging paths is at points in time when we have major life decisions to make. To take the job or not take the job, to move or not to move, to buy a home or not buy a home, to go to college or not go to college, to marry or not to marry, and countless other ways.

Yet, the Scriptures often paint for us that there are two paths. We see this presented in the idea of a narrow gate and a wide gate, the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked, the battle between the Spirit and the Flesh. Directly connected to our series it is the path of revitalization and the path of complacency.

We have talked about the markers along the path of revitalization that we are to be looking for, but what are the markers of the path of complacency? James Emery White gives five of them.

Far to easily satisfied

Quick to make excuses

Never enough time

No longer teachable

Content with early success

Far to easily satisfies - the church’s big win for the year is new carpet rather than new converts.

Quick to make excuses - the church is quick to have reasons why they are not growing, or why they cannot try anything new, or why some idea would not work.

Never enough time - rather than being intentional with their time a complacent church is busy just to be busy without having any strategic plan for their busyness.

No longer teachable - this one is pointed more at the leadership, believing that they have arrived at some superior theology and their position is ultimately correct regardless. White says the translation of this is pride.

Content with early success - this is when a church believes that they have arrived, that they have reached the point they are to be at, regardless of what that marker may be.

So why do I bring this up? It is important for us to understand the markers of both the path of revitalization and the path of complacency. See when we think about these paths we need to realize that they are not parallel paths. It is not that one path is here and the other is there and they never cross.

In fact they often cross. Satan is constantly trying to run us off course by luring us down his path. A few weeks back we talked about this. About how Satan starts by persuading us or seducing us onto his path. In our message for today we are going to look at when we walk on the wrong path. But before we do that let us bring our hearts and minds to attention with our focus verse. Please say this with me.

Psalm 51:10–12 NKJV

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Please pray with me. Father we praise your name for giving us another day. You have blessed us beyond measure. Lord this is your service, we ask your blessing upon this time and this message. May you open our hearts and minds to receive your word. May you comfort us, may you encourage us, and if need be will you convict us. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.

Well today brings us to our last message out of Ezra. And puts us about half way done with the entire series. Initially, a year ago, when I started planning this series I originally planned only to go through Nehemiah. When Christians think about revitalization, when they think about rebuilding they think of Nehemiah. And when they think of Nehemiah they think of a hammer in one hand and a sword in another. That while we are rebuilding we are fighting for a holy and just cause. We are fighting for righteousness. And while that is not wrong, the aspect of who or what we are fighting against can sometimes be misguided.

This is why it is important to work through Ezra before Nehemiah. To see the progression from Cyrus’ proclamation to the completion of the wall. As we have worked through Ezra to this point we have come to see, as we have seen the reestablishment of the exaltation of Yahweh with the rebuilding of the Temple, as we have seen the edification of the saints through the teaching of Ezra, we have seen that there is oppression and persecution from those on the outside, but this is not a battle against flesh and blood. This is not an us versus them. What all this points towards is the internal battle each one of us face against our own sins. This is a battle between the Spirit and the Flesh.

This brings us to our message for today. Today’s message is titled “Walking the Wrong Path: The Battle of the Spirit and the Flesh” and we will be looking at Ezra chapters 9-10. If you brought your own Bible or want to follow along on your device please turn there now. If you are using the blue pew Bible it is on page 436. Or you can follow along on the screen. Our reading selections for today will be 9:1-10:5 and the 10:10-17.

Let us hear the word of the Lord.

Ezra 9:1–10:5 ESV

1 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” 3 As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. 4 Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. 5 And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, 6 saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. 7 From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. 8 But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. 9 For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. 10 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, 11 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. 12 Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, 14 shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? 15 O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.” 1 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. 3 Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. 4 Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” 5 Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.

Ezra 10:10–17 ESV

10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. 11 Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” 12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them. 16 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men, heads of fathers’ houses, according to their fathers’ houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; 17 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.

As we work through our text for today, there are three biblical truths that we need to contemplate. The Recognition of Sin, The Response to Sin, and The Return from Sin.

The Recognition of Sin

As we open our chapter today, we are met with a situation that to begin with could be confusing for us. Ezra has now been in Jerusalem for some time set about the business that he had come there for. Which what was that?

Ezra 7:10 ESV

10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

To teach Yahweh’s statutes and rules to Israel. What we see reported to him though is that there are many who are intermarrying with those of the land.

Ezra 9:2 ESV

2 For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.”

And yet Ezra receives a report that the men he charged with helping to teach the laws and statutes have themselves ignored them and given way to sin. Now we may ask why was intermarrying with woman of the land a sin? We may go as far as to wonder if this is a race issue?

We can denounce the race issue as we have already read that those who were not ethnic Jews but were willing to separate themselves from the practices of the land were incorporated into the body of believers.

Ezra 6:21 ESV

21 It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.

So if this is not a race issue what is it? Going back to the laws and statutes that Ezra was teaching we read.

Exodus 34:16 ESV

16 and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

And again in

Deuteronomy 7:3–4 ESV

3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

But why, why did Yahweh want them to separated.

Deuteronomy 7:6–8 ESV

6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

The restriction of intermarrying was not a simply because God said so issue. It was a protection from spiritual harm and the path to receiving eternal blessings. It was a holiness issue. Peter Adam states that this call in Ezra was not for racial purity but for religious purity, for holiness. Defining holiness Adam states,

Ezra & Nehemiah: Walking in God’s Words The Importance of Holiness

To be holy means to be wholly devoted to God, to share God’s values, to obey God’s will, to trust God’s promises, to keep God’s covenant, to live to God’s glory. To be holy is not to be neutral; it is to be transformed by God, and to be committed to God.

Yahweh’s holiness requires that sin be recognized as what it is. That which separates us from God. Now some may argue “Why should I have to live different to come into God’s presence?” What we need to understand is that us dealing with our sins does not grant us entrance into Yahweh’s presence. Yahweh is not sitting on his throne saying to us, “Deal with your sin before you come before me.”

No he is saying come to me. And once we are in his presence we realize our sin will not permit us to stay there. And now that we have been in his presence, now that we have felt the warmth of his love wrapped around us, we recognize that we need to deal with our sin. Yahweh’s holiness causes this to happen in our lives. Andy Davis says this,

“Holiness is sheer delight, radiant beauty, complete freedom from fear of judgement, irresistible attraction. Once the worshipper has tasted it, life is never the same. The battle against sin becomes driven by love, by a longing to taste again that sweet delight that only holiness can bring.” - Andy Davis, Revitalize, pg 68-69.

Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp state that when a church as a collective forgets this or rather suffers gospel amnesia, then we quickly replace the gospel with formalism, legalism, or biblicism. In short, we settle for behavioral modification, with the Bible being that which sets the terms for acceptable behavior. In essence we lose site of Yahweh’s holiness and rest in what we can do.

The thing is, this too is sin. The sin of pride and selfish ambition. We need to recognize our sins. One way this may be done is through that internal provision we talked about a few weeks ago. But once our sin is recognize how are we to respond to our sin?

The Response to Sin

As we continue in our passage today we see a couple responses to the recognition of sin. First we see Ezra response.

Ezra 9:3 ESV

3 As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled.

Ezra under the distress from the report he has heard goes into grieving. Following up from this we see Ezra share his prayer. At the beginning of it he shares his most personal thoughts.

Ezra 9:6 ESV

6 saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.

Now this word blush we would better understand as embarrassment that comes from being humiliated or dishonored. Ezra, the one that was going to bring reform to Israel through the teaching of the Word, now is humiliated in seeing that those who are to be leading with him are embracing sin.

Kerry last week mentioned that aspect of how he now feels like he is held to a higher standard because he stepped behind the pulpit. And he is correct. Those who embark down the path of teaching God’s word are held to a higher standard. And because of that reality many back down from that. They do not want to rise to the occasion. And I would ask you why? Why is being held to a higher standard a deterrent for you? Is it because you enjoy the sin you secretly hide? Is it because it leaves you feeling a sense of control and power over your life? What is your response to your sins?

For those that are leaders within our church either by title or by operation, we need to wrestle with this. What is the example we set before others? Ezra is being put forth as the point person, he feels the weight of the sin for the whole nation. Complacency has become so prevalent that those who lead along and under Ezra embrace a sinful lifestyle.

Let us continue to look at Ezra’s response. Continuing in his prayer to Yahweh Ezra states,

Ezra 9:10 ESV

10 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,

Ezra after admitting how he feels because of this situation he praises God for all that he has done for the nation. Yet he realizes that despite all the blessings, Israel still turns from God and to their own desires. And furthermore Ezra wonders why they have not learned their lessons after all that they have been through.

Ezra 9:13 ESV

13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this,

I want you to notice something about Ezra’s prayer. There is insight here for how we deal with corporate sins or rather the sins of our ancestors or our contemporaries. The question is whether or not we are to repent on behalf of others. Sam Storms in looking at an example from Nehemiah gives three tips on how we are to go about doing this.

First, we should acknowledge and confess such sins.

Second, we should also renounce, repudiate, and disavow the sins.

Third, it’s important to remember in all this that none of us is held guilty by God for the sins of [others], unless of course we ourselves contributed to their sins.

Ezra does not repent for the others but he does renounce the sins of the others. Ezra’s shame is mostly likely due to the fact that his heart was set on teaching Israel to obey God’s commands. We cannot know for sure what was going on with Ezra, but we know from our study of Gospel Treason that good things can become bad things when we make them the ultimate thing.

Entering into chapter 10 we see the response of the sins progress from solely Ezra to the nation.

Ezra 10:1 ESV

1 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly.

What we see here is a brokenness over their sins. We see the recognition of the sin creating a spreading response for a call to righteousness. This is a key that we tend to miss in dealing with corporate sins. There is a lack of corporate response through prayer. There is a lack of corporate brokenness over sin causing us to corporately call upon God and seek his guidance and direction.

A couple weeks ago I reminded our church in my message of the goals we have set for this year. I challenged you to consider how you have responded to them. There is an underlying part to this that I have not addressed as of yet. It was believed that two of the aspects that has created the negative view our community has of our church, is due to internal fighting, and being judgmental. What has been our corporate response to this? Where is our brokenness over the sins that created that view? I did say that all we had to do regarding changing the community view was get more engaged with the community. But where is our collected brokenness for our continued forsaking of God’s commandments to his church?

As the brokenness over Israel’s sins grew from Ezra to the group, it came to where Ezra needed to address the sin issue. What we notice is that before Ezra addresses them he spends time getting himself before God.

Ezra 10:6 ESV

6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles.

Coming before the Israelites to confront them with their sins Ezra does a couple of things. First he does not hesitate or vaguely state what the issue is. He clearly tells them what it is that they have done.

Ezra 10:10 ESV

10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel.

The next thing he does is tell them what is needed to be done to make amends for the sin.

Ezra 10:11 ESV

11 Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

By Ezra first preparing himself, then clearly and directly stating what the issue was and how to handle it he provided the ability for the Israelites to appropriately respond.

Ezra 10:12 ESV

12 Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said.

Ultimately, the calling out of sin needs to be done in humility, with the intention of drawing the other or others closer to Jesus. Our response to our own sins, and to the sins of others matters. Our response should not be out of the mind set that “I have been hurt and therefore I am now owed this apology.” Nor should it be out of the mind set that others actions are embarrassing and therefore need to be corrected. It should come in remembering what Paul said to the Ephesians in chapter two.

That at one point you were far off separated from Christ, having no hope. But through the blood of Christ you have been bought and now Jesus is to be our peace because you have been reconciled to God through Jesus. And because of this reconciliation the hostility between believers needs to be gone. For Jesus sacrifice on the cross killed the hostility between you and Yahweh. So how do we return from the path of sin to the path of righteousness?

The Return from Sin

After being called out for their complacency in regards to Yahweh’s commands, we see the nation respond with a valid concern.

Ezra 10:13–14 ESV

13 But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.”

They recognize that this sin runs deep and that this is not something that will easily be transformed. There are probably many of us who once being confronted with our sins, the first place we run is hopelessness because we believe that we will never be able to be rid of it. Or it has now become something that has been lifelong and we have signed ourselves off as just being that way, that God doesn’t really want for us to have victory in this area. Maybe it is a thought pattern or certain behavior, but we have pretty much just given up on this aspect. Is that all we can hope for? How do we move beyond this?

First we need to realize that sin has such an impact on our minds and on our flesh that yes, until we die or Jesus returns there are certain aspects of sin that we will continue to deal with. We cannot and will not be perfect in this life. The next is coming to understand what is really at work within these sins. Paul makes this really clear to the Galatians.

Galatians 5:17 ESV

17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

What we are looking at here is that which rules your heart. That which is your underlying motivator. Mark records in his Gospel Jesus teaching on this.

Mark 7:21–23 ESV

21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

He later indicates in addressing Peter that Satan uses these desires of our flesh to temp us.

Mark 8:33 ESV

33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

But the question becomes how do we get beyond this? Lane and Tripp have a real handy diagram to help with that. When we access our situations we need to reflect on how we are responding to it? Are we responding in Christ with the fruits of the Spirit. Or are we responding out of our flesh? If we are responding out of our flesh we need to come to God’s word and see what he says and has done through Christ that should impact how we respond to our situation.

That last point we need to understand when it comes to biblical change is that it takes time. Our passage today indicates how long it took for the Israelites to work through their issue.

Ezra 10:16–17 ESV

16 Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men, heads of fathers’ houses, according to their fathers’ houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; 17 and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.

It is unlikely that you will have an overnight change of heart and change of actions. It will take time. This is why the church has the doctrine of progressive sanctification. The point that we need to remember is that all of this happens only because of Jesus. I will close with this quote from Lane and Tripp’s book “How People Change”

“The hope of the Israelites and the Corinthians is our hope too. The hope Paul talks about is a person. His name is Christ! He is the spiritual food that gives you health and vitality to face difficulties. He is the spiritual drink the thirst that the Heat in your life produces.

Christ sustains me so that i can live with him and for him even when I struggle. His grace not only forgives, it enables and delivers. It endows me with wisdom, character, and strength. And all this is at the heart of what God is seeking to produce in me.” - Lane and Tripp, How People Change, pg 89-90.

END IN PRAYER