[download mp3] (right-click and select "save as")

{html5audio controls=[1] autoplay=[0] preload=[auto] loop=[0] audio_mp3=[/images/sermons/July2708{/mp3} 

Text: Ezra 10                                                                                                  

Proposition: The spectacle of repentance is that it calls for an extraordinary action, the result of an agreement with God that now reflects a revised belief.

Introduction:  The difficulty of recovering from a stroke or from some serious injury has been well known. People have, in some cases, had to return to a place of beginning again to learn how to speak or walk or eat. The process is often long and difficult and yet that is the only open road to them, recovery means to begin again. That’s what physical damage requires, but what about relational ruin or spiritual injury or the smashing of your soul into an immovable object called sin. When we have wronged someone, stolen from them, lied to them, when we have experienced spiritual injury like jealousy or bitterness or envy, when we have smashed our souls into sin through lust or hate and have gotten our beings mired in fear, doubt, regret, even rage, how does a person recover from these kinds of wounds?  What do you do when you suddenly realize that what you’ve been doing is wrong and that the consequences of your actions are going to create a bigger and bigger mess?  How do you begin again when it comes to the recovery of your soul? As I read through Ezra chapter 10 this week I wondered about what Ezra saw that caused him to feel such pain in his soul. The issue was that he had heard about the peoples of Israel intermarrying with the people of the nations about them. Last week we looked at some of the implications of that, implications like divine wrath, the lostness of their leadership, the difficulty of turning back the clock, the implication of the nation having to make a covenant to faithfulness to God that necessitated a mass divorce involving  men, women and children in over a hundred families. What we will see this morning is the spectacle of repentance, the upheaval of soul ruin that seeks to begin again in a way that is evident to God, to the church and to the world. The spectacle of repentance is that it not only has a visible starting point that is often extraordinary, unusual and worth noting, it is has a visible and lasting presence. In other words repentance is not just a quiet, ‘I’m sorry’,  to God that quickly passes and you carry on with things as usual. The spectacle of repentance marks a visible and significant change that has a visible and lasting effect which points to the power of God and the person of God as the agents of cause. Have a look at the spectacle of repentance in Ezra 10.

I. The Spectacle of Repentance Begins With a Godly Fear of the Lord.                     

Ezra has gone into the Temple area and here in plain view he begins to pour out the anguish in his soul. I’d like you to look at the key words that describe Ezra’s behavior in verse 1, words like praying, confessing, weeping, bowing down. The actions these words describe are not quiet actions, nor reserved, they are vocal and physical and they are very visible. The bowing down is not the orderly process of a person gently kneeling and then standing up again, the words bowing down are literally translated, “to throw oneself down, stretched out, face down”. Ezra does this outside the Temple and word quickly gets out that the leader of Israel, the man who is the highest political personage, the man who is the spiritual leader, the priest Ezra is in front of the Temple and something is happening. That’s why a very large assembly of men, women and children gather to the Temple. The spectacle of Ezra repenting became like a shock wave in Israel. And look at the response of the people, do they start to mock him, do they taunt or laugh or distance themselves from this man’s sorrow? No, this is a very different crowd than the one that saw the sorrow of Christ that day 430 years later. The trigger to Ezra’s repentance and to this crowd’s response as they begin to weep, and it says they wept bitterly, the trigger to such a spectacle of repentance is a clear sense of the fear of the Lord. That is the people knew they had trespassed, they knew God knew they had trespassed and they knew God was holy and would not wink at sin, He would judge it and His justice would have sovereign power behind it to do what He saw fit, irrespective of the court of human opinion. Just look for the key words in verses 2,3, 6,9,10, 14… words like trespass, tremble, guilt… do you think Ezra had a fear of the Lord, do you think this was also present in the people? The spectacle of repentance begins with a godly fear of the Lord. Let me ask you, is there any room for such a fear in the times of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood?  Like the story of the prodigal son who became so casual with his father that he asked for his inheritance now and then went on to smash his soul into the immovable objects of sin, has the church also become too casual with God and suffers a loss of the ability to sense a fear of the Lord? Does this account for the way that ruin has entered the ranks of the church and eaten it away like the prodigals soul? The fear of the Lord does not put distance between man and God, as is often the charge against it. Instead it removes distance and refuses to insult God’s omniscience and holiness, it acknowledges the very sin that God already sees and it knows this sin will not be winkled at by their heavenly Father. The call for the first coming of Christ was to prepare the way of the Lord by repenting of sin, having a godly fear of the Lord, the call for the second coming of the Lord will be no less.

II. The Spectacle of Repentance Begins By Seeing the Yeast Effect of Sin.       

You know what I mean by the ‘Yeast Effect’, how a little influence can soon spread and cause sin to infect a whole life, even a whole nation. If you were to count the names at the end of this chapter you’d discover that the number of families that are involved to the point where divorce was absolutely necessary is around 100.  Frank Gaebelien in his commentary broke it down like this:Classes                 Returnees              Intermarried           PercentagePriests                  4,289                              17                         0.4%            Levites                      74                                6                         8.1%           Singers                    128                                1                         0.8%    Gatekeepers             139                                3                         2.2%              Laity                   24,144                              84                         0.3%             Totals                28,774                            111                        0.4%           

Would you say that .4%, less than one half of one percent of the population of the men of Israel, would say that was a small number? When you remember the response of Ezra and of the leaders and of the people, apparently.4% is not a small number. The yeast effect of sin is like gangrene, you don’t want even a little gangrene in your leg, it will be fatal to the whole body if left unaddressed and the longer it is untreated the greater the dismemberment of the body. Repentance sees the yeast effect of sin and the spectacle of repentance does all it can to cut it out, now, quickly before it expands and causes greater damage.                                     

III. The Spectacle of Repentance Has the Shape of  U.                                              

Repentance begins with U, it started with Ezra a man who though he had not sinned identified with the people and repented for his nation. Repentance then began with the people who came and wept bitterly over the sorrow of sin and trespass against God that it represented. Then Shechaniah approached Ezra to call for the about turn of their nation, the shape of a U. If you look at verse 26 you’ll Shechaniah’s father was one of those who had taken a foreign wife, and not just his father but his uncles as well. In some cases the children are called to a U turn before the parents even see it. Shechaniah told Ezra that as a leader the responsibility begins with U, “Arise for this matter is your responsibility, we also are with U, be of good courage and do it.”  The spectacle of repentance grew as people united in prayer and as they called others to recognize the authority of God over them and to humble themselves. The spectacle of repentance demonstrated a visible change in priority as the people were called as a nation to leave their farms, stop their work, travel to Jerusalem and meet together for the specific purpose of removing the .4% factor that threatened to bring judgment on them all. Do you suppose it was a spectacle for 50,000 people, men, women, children…  to sit in the square of Jerusalem in the pouring rain and wait on the Lord as He directed them through Ezra?  Verse 10 says that Ezra stood before the people and presented them with the equivalent of a Romans 3:23 address, “  U   have transgressed … adding to the guilt of Israel.”  Then in the next verse he instructs them to make confession to the Lord, do His will, separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the pagan wives.” The  U  is implicit, U confess, U obey, U sanctify and separate. The issue of repentance begins with the spirit of God bringing conviction of sin and a recognition of the fear of the Lord. It prompts us to confess that to God and sometimes even to each other, as in the case of the team that examined the marriages to pagan women. For three months they worked their way through the spectacle of repentance. The issue of restitution is also a part of repentance, the issuing and receiving of forgiveness and the visible and lasting evidence of change are all part of the U of repentance.  It also needs to be recognized that repentance is going to be an ongoing part of the human condition. Verse 15 details some who refused to repent and history tells us that this particular issue was an ongoing one for Israel, just read the book of Nehemiah.                                                                           

The spectacle of repentance is that it calls for an extraordinary action, the result of an agreement with God that now reflects a revised belief.  Consider these guidelines first published in the early 1900’s  that  direct  the  U  in all of us to repentance….

Steps for Personal and Family Revival

 1. Pray the prayer of the psalmist: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).2. Be totally honest as you answer each question.3. Agree with God about each need He reveals in your life. Confess each sin, with the willingness to make it right and forsake it.4. Praise God for His cleansing and forgiveness.5. Renew your mind and rebuild your life through meditation and practical application of the Word of God.6. Review these questions periodically to remain sensitive to your need for ongoing revival.Genuine Salvation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

• Was there ever a time in my life that I genuinely repented of my sin? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Was there ever a time in my life that I placed all my trust in Jesus Christ alone to save me?
  Yes ˜ No ˜
• Was there ever a time in my life that I completely surrendered to Jesus Christ as the Master and Lord of my life? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Is Christ lived out in my home and have I physically confessed Him Lord at home. Yes ˜ No ˜

God’s Word (Psalm 119:97; 119:140)

• Do I love to read and meditate on the Word of God? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Are my personal devotions consistent and meaningful? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I practically apply God’s Word to my everyday life? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do we as a family discuss God’s Word often? Yes ˜ No ˜

Humility (Isaiah 57:15)

• Am I quick to recognize and agree with God in confession when I have sinned? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I quick to admit to others when I am wrong? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I rejoice when others are praised and recognized and my accomplishments go unnoticed by men? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I esteem all others as better than myself? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I rejoice when others in my family succeed? Yes ˜ No ˜

Obedience (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Samuel 15:22)

• Do I consistently obey what I know God wants me to do? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I consistently obey the human authorities God has placed over my life? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I consistently obey and honor my parents? Yes ˜ No ˜

Pure Heart (1 John 1:9)

• Do I confess my sin by name? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I keep “short sin accounts” with God (confess and forsake as He convicts)? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I willing to give up all sin for God? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I repent and confess my sins to others in my family? Yes ˜ No ˜

Clear Conscience (Acts 24:16)

• Do I consistently seek forgiveness from those I wrong or offend? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Is my conscience clear with every man? (Can I honestly say, “There is no one I have ever wronged or offended in any way and not gone back to them and sought their forgiveness and made it right”?) Yes ˜ No ˜
• Is my relationship right with each family member? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I go to bed at night with unresolved conflict with others in the family? Yes ˜ No ˜

 Priorities (Matthew 6:33)

• Does my schedule reveal that God is first in my life? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Does my checkbook reveal that God is first in my life? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Next to my relationship with God, is my relationship with my family my highest priority? Yes ˜ No ˜

Values (Colossians 3:12)

• Do I love what God loves and hate what God hates? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I value highly the things that please God (e.g., giving, witnessing to lost souls, studying His Word, payer)? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Are my affections and goals fixed on eternal values? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Are Biblical values reflected in my selection of music and T.V./movies? Yes ˜ No ˜

Sacrifice (Philippians 3:7,8)

• Am I willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to see God move in my life and church (time, convenience, comfort, reputation, pleasure, etc.)? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Is my life characterized by genuine sacrifice for the cause of Christ? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I have a servant’s heart at home? Yes ˜ No ˜

Spirit Control (Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 5:18-21)

• Am I allowing Jesus to be Lord of every area of my life? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to “fill” (control) my life each day? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Is there consistent evidence of the “fruit of the Spirit” being produced in my life? Yes ˜ No ˜

“First Love” (Philippians 1:21,23)

• Am I as much in love with Jesus as I have ever been? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I thrilled with Jesus; filled with His joy and peace, and making Him the continual object of my love? Yes ˜ No ˜
• How would others in my family view my love toward God on a scale of 1-10

Motives (Acts 5:29; Matthew 10:28)

• Am I more concerned about what God thinks about my life than about what others think? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Would I pray, read my Bible, give and serve as much if nobody but God ever noticed? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I more concerned about pleasing God than I am about being accepted and appreciated by men? Yes ˜ No ˜

Moral Purity (Ephesians 5:3,4)

• Do I keep my mind free from books, magazines, or entertainment that could stimulate fantasizing thoughts that are not morally pure? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Are my conversation and behavior pure and above reproach? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do mom and dad approve of my friendships? Yes ˜ No ˜

Forgiveness (Colossians 3:12,13)

• Do I seek to resolve conflicts in relationships as soon as possible? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I quick to forgive those who hurt or wrong me? Yes ˜ No ˜

Sensitivity (Matthew 5:23,24)

• Am I sensitive to the conviction and promptings of God’s Spirit? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I quick to respond in humility and obedience to the conviction and promptings of God’s Spirit? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Am I sensitive to my parent’s desires? Yes ˜ No ˜

Evangelism (Romans 9:3; Luke 24:46,48)

• Do I have a burden for lost souls? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I consistently witness for Christ? Yes ˜ No ˜

Prayer (1 Timothy 2:1)

• Am I faithful in praying for the needs of others? Yes ˜ No ˜
• Do I pray specifically, fervently and faithfully for revival in my life, my church and our nation? Yes ˜ No ˜
• How much time do we spend as a family in prayer? Yes ˜ No ˜

From the Book of 750 Bible and Gospel Studies, 1909, George W Noble, Chica