A Genuine Revival:
Rubble to Restoration: A Study in Ezra and Nehemiah • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction:
Introduction:
This is a day of terrible immorality and wickedness, lawlessness and violence, dishonesty, and deceit. By the thousands and millions people are feeling restless, empty, purposeless, lonely, discouraged, and depressed. Others feel a sense of hopelessness, an inability to escape the anguish they feel within their souls. These men and women desperately need to be revived, aroused to experience life in all its fulness—life that can be found only in Jesus Christ.
[Holiness]
“As the Church goes, so goes the world.” The world is in a mess because the church is in a mess. And the church is in a mess because so many of its leaders and preachers are in a mess: “The tragedy of this late hour is that we have too many dead men in the pulpits giving out too many dead sermons to too many dead people.”
If our churches are not full of dead men and women, they certainly seem to be full of sleeping men and women.
[Challenge]
Even within the church many are found to be caught up in the possession and pleasures of the world and in its corrupt, immoral, and wicked behavior. If the church has ever needed revival, it is today.
About five months after Ezra and the returnees arrived in Jerusalem, Ezra was confronted with a crisis that threatened the very life of their small community of exiles. This crisis involved terrible sin that had seeped into the lives of those who had returned. Many of them were engaging in the detestable, evil behavior of their unbelieving neighbors.
vv. 1-2) The need for revival:
vv. 1-2) The need for revival:
Ezra began to sense a deep need for revival among the people. Obviously he had begun to teach and minister among the people after they arrived, instructing them in the Word of the Lord. Apparently, a spirit of conviction struck the hearts of some, in particular the leaders.
They came to Ezra confessing their sins. However, many of the people were not living lives of spiritual separation as commanded by God. They were engaging in the evil and wicked behavior of unbelievers. You see they were following their evil lifestyle and false worship. Note the neighbor’s listed: the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
Not only were these Jews committing immorality and wickedness, but some were also intermarrying with unbelievers. This was in direct violation of God’s Word.
14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.
[Deuteronomy 7:1-7; 20:10-18]
Even more tragic, some of the men had divorced their Jewish wives in order to marry unbelieving women. Although this is not mention by Ezra here, the prophet Malachi preached against this sin that seemed to be common among the returning exiles:
11 Judah has dealt treacherously,
And an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem,
For Judah has profaned
The Lord’s holy institution which He loves:
He has married the daughter of a foreign god.
12 May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob
The man who does this, being awake and aware,
Yet who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts!
13 And this is the second thing you do:
You cover the altar of the Lord with tears,
With weeping and crying;
So He does not regard the offering anymore,
Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
14 Yet you say, “For what reason?”
Because the Lord has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth,
With whom you have dealt treacherously;
Yet she is your companion
And your wife by covenant.
15 But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
“Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
16 “For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
God’s law did allow Jews to marry foreigners if the foreigners turned away from their false worship and sinful lifestyles and turned to the true and living God. The book of Ruth is an incredible example of this:
16 But Ruth said:
“Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
17 Where you die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The Lord do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me.”
However, the Jews were never allowed to marry any of the native canaanites because of the depth of sin to which they had fallen. Even before the Israelites had arrived in the promised land of Canaan, the canaanites had become so steeped in sin that they were doomed to suffer eternal judgment:
20 For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
For Ezra in this present situation, the leaders—both civil and religious—were the worst offenders. They were the most unfaithful, sinful, and worldly. God’s people had once again polluted and corrupted themselves. Believers were mingling, associating with unbelievers and corrupting “the holy seed.”
Application:
Believers are to be spiritually separated from the wicked and evil of this world. Family we are not to participate in the sinful, worldly behavior of unbelievers. immorality, gossip, hatred, greed, covetousness, lying, stealing, cheating, and all other sinful behaviors are not to be a part of our lifestyle.
If people in our lives, friends, coworkers, relatives engage in such behavior we shouldn’t follow suit. We need to take a strong stand for righteousness. When dealing with immorality and unrighteousness, we are to live lives of spiritual separation, having nothing to do with wicked behavior. God doesn’t expect us to become extremist, or legalistic, and He is not calling you to isolate ourselves from the lost.
His command for us is to be witnesses to the lost, to evangelize and to disciple. God’s instructions are clear: we are not to have fellowship with the world. That means to have a closeness, or a influence on you. To influence you to turn from walking rightly before God to participating in sin.
Sin is any thought that’s not morally pure
Sin is loving anything else more than the Lord
Sin is breaking His laws forsaking His commandments
Sin is hatred for God, it’s blatantly Satanic.—Timothy Brindle
Lets look at a few verses on this topic:
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
10 My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
14 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.”
1 Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them;
11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there,
Touch no unclean thing;
Go out from the midst of her,
Be clean,
You who bear the vessels of the Lord.
vv. 3-15) The pathway towards revival:
vv. 3-15) The pathway towards revival:
What we are going to notice about the rest of this chapter is really Ezra’s heart. It was gripped immediately by a deep concern for the people. He did the only thing he could: he went to the Lord in prayer, confessing the people’s sins and asking the Lord to send revival among them.
The picture being painted here in Scripture is of a man with a tender heart, a man who sincerely trusted the Lord and cared deeply for his people.
[Read vv. 3-4]
Ezra was appalled and horrified at the sin committed by the people. This was indicated by his tearing his clothing and pulling his har and beard. Ezra had gone to the temple to express his grief and to seek the Lord. Naturally, the worshippers wanted to know what was troubling him so deeply.
Soon all the faithful believers, those who genuinely feared the Lord and had a high view of His Word, joined Ezra in mourning over the sin of the people. An in utter dismay, Ezra sat there in the temple until the evening sacrifice.
Now when it was time for this sacrifice, Ezra offered up his prayer of confession. On his knees, lifting his hands to the Lord in prayer and intercession for the people. In this prayer Ezra makes four confession:
[6-7]Ezra confessed the shame of both his and the people’s past sins. He identified himself with the people, confessing that both he and the people were guilty before the Lord.
Their sins had been piled up higher than their heads, meaning they were downing in the deep waters of sin.
Their sins and guilt had reached higher than the heavens, meaning they were provoking God and threatening to arouse His judgement.
Their continuing in sin that brought that judgement upon their ancestors. That judgement was death, captivity, humiliation, and the loss of their land and wealth.
[8-9] Ezra then confessed God’s goodness, which He showered upon this generation.
The Lord left a remnant.
The Lord gave them security.
The Lord had given them enlightened eyes to see and have hope.
Deliverance.
He had not forsaken them
The Lord had given them the opportunity of a new life.
Gave them protection.
[10-12] Ezra confessed the sins of the people. He was so shaken by the depth and severity of the evil that he was almost speechless. “What shall we say after this?” This present generation was guilty of three particular sins:
The had forsaken God’s commandments.
They had intermarried with unbelievers.
They had jeopardized their and their children’s future by rejecting the promises of God.
[13-15] Ezra confessed their unworthiness, confessed that they were undeserving of any blessing of God.
Application:
There are different aspects of prayer: A.C.T.S.: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Here we need to learn the importance of confession. because confession is an absolute essential to receive forgiveness of our sin.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
10:1-44) Experiencing revival:
10:1-44) Experiencing revival:
We are not going to read through this whole chapter, as I do not wish to embarrass myself again. But lets look at the first 4 verses.
[Read verses 1-4]
On the very day of Ezra’s mourning, the people responded. The implications of these verses really destroyed me this week… Because it was the scene of their godly leader and teacher prostrate upon the ground in front of the temple, confessing and weeping in deep agony, attracted attention.
But what really stirred the hearts of the people was God… Everyone was weeping. Their hearts were hurt knowing that they have ether complicit in their rebellion or steeped in it themselves.
At some point, a man named Shecaniah got up and stepped in as the leader for the people. It is important to note: by taking the leadership, he was taking a stand against his own father. His father Jehiel was guilty of having married an unbeliever. So Shecaniah being the people’s spokesman offered great hope to the people.
First, he confessed their sin and unfaithfulness, their guilt for marrying unbelievers and engaging in a wicked lifestyle.
Second, he declared there was still hope in God. Despite their sinfulness, God would have mercy upon them and renew their hope for rebuilding the nation and restoring true worship.
Third, he suggested they repent and make a covenant with God to divorce the unbelieving wives, sending them way with their children. As drastic as this action seemed, it was necessary for them. The Jews were only a remnant of the nation, small in number, which meant that their survival was shaky at best. The curse of sin and disobedience was threatening to destroy them.
Shecaniah, I believe, felt deeply that the people needed to repent and make a renewed covenant, a renewed commitment to obey God’s law. In his mind, this appeared to be the only way to handle the problem. One thing to keep in mind about this issue as a whole is that divorce was permitted in Israel.
1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,
There also seems to be at this time many broken marriages, as there had been a scandalous number of Jewish wives abandoned in favor of heathen women.
Divorce is alway hatful to God:
16 “For the Lord God of Israel says
That He hates divorce,
For it covers one’s garment with violence,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
That you do not deal treacherously.”
and it is a witness to human “hardness of heart:”
5 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
The situation described here in Ezra is a classic example of one in which the lesser of two evils had to be chosen… They wouldn’t have been confronted with this if they had just remained obedient to God’s Word.
The act of divorcing unbelievers is drastic and probably really harsh for us. However, for these returnees they were deeply concerned about the sinfulness of intermarriage. They sensed a deep need that this and all other sin must be obliterated. Although believers today are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, the NT teaches that once people are married, they are to stay married if at all possible. [1 Corinthians 7:12-16]
Those who have been born to them: While come believe that this was excessive zeal in reforming, going beyond God’s will and cause great harm. I would disagree.
The fathers were not just abandoning their children, but as it is in our society, mothers were given custody of their children when marriages were dissolved.
I have no doubt that the fathers supported their children by giving them a portion of their wealth.
It also seems that because God is merciful in this difficult situation, as there were relatively few children affected:
44 All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
At the end of the day, children can and sometimes will suffer, at least temporary wrongs, for their parent’s sins. Sin effects everyone in your life, not just the person sinning.
Lastly, he encouraged Ezra to arise and take charge of the crisis. I love the fact that he assured Ezra that they would follow and support him.
As quickly as they could a proclamation was prepared and sent throughout the land, calling all returned exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. Attendance was compulsory. failure to appear within three days had severe consequences: as the person would lose all of his property and be exiled from the nation.
Note: that even before the Jews returned to Judah, Artaxerxes had given Ezra the authority to take this action, if necessary:
26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
The challenge: Ask the Worship Team to come up and people to pray
The challenge: Ask the Worship Team to come up and people to pray
10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives.”
When the people arrived in Jerusalem, they responded to the call for repentance and spiritual separation. And Ezra challenged the people to confess their sins to the Lord and repent, to separate from worldly unbelievers around them and divorce their unbelieving spouses.
My challenge to you:
Holiness is what we desire
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
44 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
No doubt about it we need revival and it starts with us… Individually. Then as a church body.
We do not have revival for the simple reason that we really don’t want revival. We are simply too contented, too smug, too self-satisfied, and too carnal. Our hearts are not broken and we do not earnestly long for a powerful move of God.
“Revival comes as a result of a cleansed section of the Church, bent and bowed in supplication and intercession,” says Ravenhill. “The price of revival,” “is travail.” Like our passage this morning: where is the prayer, the brokenness, the seeking after God?
“The only reason we don’t have revival is because we are willing to live without it!” That is our problem. We have become too comfortable, too lazy, too apathetic and too indifferent. In other words, we are neither hot nor cold, but, like the Laodicean church, are simply lukewarm, and we deserve to be spewed out of the Lord’s mouth.
Prayer is the key to revival, and Ravenhill speaks as much to our prayerlessness as anything else. Unless we get serious about prayer, and forget our trivial pursuits and worldly amusements, we simply will not see revival break forth.
Prayer is the key says Ravenhill: “No man is greater than his prayer life.” Our greatness for the Kingdom will be directly proportional to our greatness in prayer. “To be much for God, we must be much with God.” The praying man is unstoppable: “He who fears God fears no man. He who kneels before God will stand in any situation.”
30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this:
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away,
And who will declare His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
Benediction:
Benediction:
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’