Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / Sinning Against God in the Space of Grace - 12/28/25 - Pastor Charlie Branch

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Sinning Against God in the Space of Grace - 12/28/25 - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

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  Welcome to Meadows Baptist Church of
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  Walnut Cove, North Carolina. We're so
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  glad you joined us today. If you enjoy
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  today's message, be sure to subscribe,
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  follow, and share with your friends.
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  Now, let's join Pastor Charlie Branch
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  with a word from God.
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  Amen.
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  He is great. Amen.
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  >> Amen. He is great. I appreciate the Lord
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  this morning. All right. If you have a
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  Bible, turn with me to the book of Ezra.
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  Book of Ezra. Ezra, chapter number nine.
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  Ezra, chapter number nine. If you see
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  the book of Nehemiah, you need to go
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  backwards. Amen. Amen. you see the book
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  of Nehemiah, you need to go backwards
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  and find yourself there in the book of
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  Ezra.
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  Ezra, chapter number nine.
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  When you find your place, I'll invite
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  you to stand with me on reference to the
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  reading of God's word.
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  Israel chapter number nine.
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  Different portion of scripture the
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  Lord's put on my heart for the service
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  today, but just want to be obedient to
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  him the best that I know how. Ezra
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  chapter 9. You found your place there.
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  Say amen.
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  >> Amen.
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  >> Amen. We'll start reading Ezra chapter
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  9. I want to begin reading verse number
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  five. Ezra chapter number nine verse
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  number five. And uh I hope that uh
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  you'll be patient with me this morning
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  as we deal with this text. I want to
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  make sure I give the Lord plenty of time
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  to have his way. And uh I'll say this
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  this morning, you come to these passages
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  of scripture. Uh many times we're not as
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  familiar with. And so I want to labor uh
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  pretty extensively this morning to give
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  you the context of this chapter and of
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  this story. Probably preach again here
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  out of this text tonight. Ezra chapter
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  9. Notice verse number five. Verse
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  number five. Ezra chapter 9:5.
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  The Bible says, "And at the evening
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  sacrifice, I rose up from my heaviness.
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  And having rent my garment and my
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  mantle, I fell upon my knees." This is
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  Ezra speaking, "and spread out my hands
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  unto the Lord my God. And said, Oh my
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  God, I am ashamed and blushed to lift up
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  my face to thee, my God. For our
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  iniquities are increased over our head,
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  and our trespass is grown up into the
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  heavens. Since the days of our fathers
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  have we been in a great trespass unto
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  this day, and for our iniquities have
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  we, our kings and our priests, been
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  delivered into the hand of the kings of
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  the lands, to the sword, to captivity,
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  and to a spo, and to confusion of face,
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  as it is this day. Notice verse number
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  eight. The Bible says, "And now for a
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  little space grace hath been showed from
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  the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant
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  to escape and to give us a nail in his
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  holy place."
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  >> Yes.
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  >> That our God may lighten our eyes and
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  give us a little reviving in our
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  bondage.
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  >> For we were bondmen,
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  yet our God hath not forsaken us.
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  >> Amen.
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  For we were bond, yet our God hath not
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  forsaken us in our bondage, but hath
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  extended mercy unto us in the sight of
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  the kings of Persia, to give us a
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  reviving to set up the house of our God,
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  and to repair the desolations thereof,
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  and to give us a wall in Judah and in
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  Jerusalem. In verse number 10, the Bible
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  says, "And now, oh our God, what shall
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  we say after this? For we have forsaken
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  thy commandments, which thou has
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  commanded by thy servants, the prophets,
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  saying, The land unto which you go to
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  possess, it is an unclean land, with the
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  filthiness of the people of the lands,
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  with their abominations, which have
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  filled it from one end to another, with
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  their uncleanness. Now therefore give
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  not your daughters unto their sons,
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  neither take their daughters unto your
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  sons, nor seek their peace or their
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  wealth forever, that you may be strong
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  and eat the good of the land, and leave
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  it for an inheritance to your children
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  forever. And after all that has come
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  upon us for our evil deeds and for our
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  great trespass, seeing that thou our God
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  has punished us less than our iniquities
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  deserve, and hast given us such
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  deliverance as this, should we again
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  break thy commandments, and join in
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  affinity with the people of these
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  abominations?
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  Would us not thou be angry with us till
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  thou hast consumed us, so that there
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  should be no remnant nor escaping? Oh
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  Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous.
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  For we remain yet escaped as it is this
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  day. For behold, we are before thee in
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  our trespasses. For we cannot stand
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  before thee because of this. Let's pray
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  together this morning. Father, Lord, I
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  thank you for this passage of scripture
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  that you've allowed me to read this
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  morning. Lord, such a powerful piece of
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  scripture, Lord, where the man of God
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  was burdened for the children of Israel.
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  And God, I come today with a burden,
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  Lord, for this church. And God, for the
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  church as a whole, Lord, God, the church
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  is not what she should be in this day
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  and time.
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  >> And God, I pray, Lord, you would help
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  us, Lord, as we consider this text. God,
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  as I try to share my burden the best I
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  know how. God, I pray you give us wisdom
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  and discernment. Fill us with thy
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  spirit. Give us uncction. Give us
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  liberty to preach this morning. And God,
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  I pray, Lord, that we would leave here
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  today knowing that we've met with you.
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  God, I pray more than anything that you
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  would get glory to yourself. Save the
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  sinner nearest hell this morning.
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  Reclaim the backsliding. And for what
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  you do, we'll be sure to give you thanks
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  because we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.
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  Thank you for standing. You can be
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  seated this morning.
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  As I was praying about this service
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  today, I didn't have a specific
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  direction the Lord led me in. I was just
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  reading in my devotion time and this
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  text come across my devotion time and I
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  was praying what God would have us for
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  today. And I couldn't get away from this
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  text. And I I want to know I want you to
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  note with me this morning here. And I
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  I'll give you the thought the Lord's put
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  on my heart in this text. But notice
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  verse number eight. Verse number eight.
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  The Bible says, "Ezra spoke and
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  said,"Now for a little space grace hath
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  been showed from the Lord our God to
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  leave us a remnant to escape and to give
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  us a nail in his holy place that our God
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  may lighten our eyes and give us a
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  little reviving in our bondage." And
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  what you're reading this morning is the
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  broken heart of a man of God that is
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  sick of the sin of the people that
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  surround him.
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  >> Right?
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  >> And in this text, you'll notice he makes
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  a plea unto the Lord. And he says in
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  verse number 10, he says, "Oh our God,
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  what shall we say after this? For we
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  have forsaken thy commandments." I want
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  to preach on this thought for just a
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  little while with the help of the Lord
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  on sinning against God.
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  in the space of grace.
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  >> Sinning against God in the space of
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  grace. Ezra here records a unique time
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  period in history. Really Ezra does not
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  even appear in the book of Ezra until
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  chapter number seven. He comes on the
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  scene with King Artic Xeries, his
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  appearance in the book of Ezra. And he
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  comes on the pages of scripture in
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  chapter number seven. And immediately
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  right off the beginning here, his
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  pedigree is given in chapter 7 verses
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  one down through verse number five. His
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  lineage is traced all the way back to
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  Aaron his father that he was
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  legitimately a priest after the Aeronic
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  priesthood. And so his pedigree is given
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  in chapter 7. His preparation is given
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  in chapter 7. The Bible says in verse
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  number six that this Ezra went up from
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  Babylon. And the Bible says that he was
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  a ready scribe in the law of Moses which
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  the Lord God of Israel had given. And
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  the king granted him all his requests
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  according to the hand of the Lord his
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  God upon him. And so some almost a
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  hundred years, more like 75 years
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  earlier, there had been a group of
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  people that had been sent back into
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  Israel from captivity. They had left
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  Babylon under the rulership of Cyrus and
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  they had been sent back to build again
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  the temple of the Lord. And they went
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  back there and they started work. But
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  after a time period, there was a an
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  event that took place, a letter that was
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  found and work had to cease there in
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  Jerusalem. And so for another king's
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  reign, the work was ceased. And then
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  Darius shows up on the scene after that.
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  And then they begin partially to do a
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  little bit more work. And then again
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  work is ceased. And then here in chapter
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  number seven there is a this man Ezra
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  comes on the scene and his burden is to
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  go back to Jerusalem and to build the
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  house of God. And so he has been given
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  permission. In verse six, the king
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  granted him all his requests according
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  to the hand of the Lord his God upon
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  him. And God's hand is on this man Ezra.
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  He has prepared. He has given the
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  provision in chapter 7 11- 26. And out
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  of this provision that is given to him,
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  the decree of art exeres would in
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  essence say that Ezra had all authority,
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  every resource, every man, every
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  resource, everything was under the
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  control of Ezra for him to do as he
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  will. And Ezra's response to this decree
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  in chapter 7 and verse 27, he says this,
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  "Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers,
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  which have put such a thing as this in
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  the king's heart to beautify the house
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  of the Lord which is in Jerusalem." And
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  so they begin gathering up the
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  materials, those vessels that were
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  carried away in the days of
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  Nebuchadnezzar. He is gathering up the
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  gold and gathering up the silver. And
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  articles tells Ezra, he says, "Whatever
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  else you need, however much you need,
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  get all that you need out of my
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  treasury." And I still believe the Bible
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  says the heart of the king is in the
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  hand of the Lord. Amen. And he turneth
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  it whethersoever he will. That's true in
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  our day. Amen. But God blessed Ezra
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  because Ezra was desiring to work on the
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  house of God. And he praises the Lord
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  for the blessing, this decree by the
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  king art exer in verse 27. And in verse
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  28, he exclaims the mercy. The Bible
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  says he's extended mercy unto me before
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  the king and his counselors and before
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  all the king's mighty princes. And I was
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  strengthened as the land of the Lord my
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  God was upon me. And I gathered together
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  out of Israel chief men to go up with
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  me. And so in chapter 8, you find their
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  passage. And all through chapter number
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  eight, they are traveling four months
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  time, some 900 miles into Jerusalem to
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  make this journey from the land of
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  Babylon there from their lineage of or
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  from their uh stay there with the king
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  arted Xeries in that land. And he's got
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  a group of men going with him back
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  there. And the Bible says that they make
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  their journey prosperous. And after
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  their passage, verse number 36, they
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  delivered the king's commissions under
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  the king's lieutenants and to the
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  governors on this side of the river. And
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  they furthered the people and the house
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  of God. And so Ezra's work here seeming
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  to go in the right direction.
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  Everything's going on schedule, on plan.
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  They've been there for some four months
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  at this time there in the land of
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  Israel. When chapter nine comes around
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  and the Bible says that after production
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  has taken place and the people are
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  encouraged and the house of the Lord is
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  growing and looking better all the time.
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  The Bible says in chapter 9 and verse
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  number one, "Now when these things were
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  done, the princes came to me, Ezra's
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  here, saying, the people of Israel and
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  the priests and the Levites have not
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  separated themselves from the people of
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  the lands, doing according to their
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  abominations, even of the Canaanites,
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  the Hittites, the Parizzites, the
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  Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites,
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  the Egyptians, and the Amorites." And he
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  gives the indictment against them in
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  verse two. For they have taken of their
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  daughters for themselves and for their
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  sons, so that the holy sea have mingled
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  themselves with the people of those
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  lands. Yay, the hand of the princes and
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  rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
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  And so chapter 9:es 1 through3 begins
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  with the guilty and their sin. how that
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  the leadership, the priests and the
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  Levites as they have come back into this
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  land, they have refused to forsake their
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  wives. We know the commandment of
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  scripture teaches that the children of
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  Israel never intermar intermarry with
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  any of the Canaanite people. None of
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  them because they were wicked people.
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  And what happened to Solomon? Solomon's
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  failure was because he married into a
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  wicked race of people. And Ezra in this
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  chapter, he gets news of this sin and
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  that the Levites, the holy ones, the
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  priests, those that were supposed to be
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  taking care of the house of God, they
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  have impurified themselves by this
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  wickedness in drawing their
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  relationships with those who were in the
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  land. You're
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  >> right.
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  >> You say, "Preacher, what are you
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  saying?" I'm saying it's just like it is
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  in our day.
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  >> You're right.
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  It seems as if the church
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  has just yolked up with the world.
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  >> Amen.
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  >> And Ezra, the man of God's burdened
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  about. You see the guilty and their sin,
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  but you see the servants's grief. In
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  verses 3 through5, the Bible says, "And
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  when I heard this thing," look what he
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  says. I rent my garment. He says, "I
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  rent my garment and my mantel and
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  plucked off the hair of my head and of
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  my beard and sat down a stone." And Ezra
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  is so shaken by this news. You
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  understand these men, he's just
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  journeyed some 900 miles with them,
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  coming back into the land of Israel to
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  restore the work at the house of God.
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  And then after everything's going good,
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  everything looks all right down at the
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  temple there and they're producing, the
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  people are growing and things are
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  happening and everything looks all
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  right. This one little truth is brought
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  to him that tells him that pretty much
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  all these men that were helping him with
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  the exception of just a few have defiled
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  themselves. You're
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  >> right.
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  >> They've defiled themselves. And you know
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  what Ezra's burdened about it? Because
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  here's the truth about it. God will not
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  use a dirty vessel.
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  >> Right?
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  >> And so, you know what was good in
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  chapter number eight? It looked good on
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  the outside.
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  >> Come on.
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  >> Ezra even tells them, he looks at those
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  men, one text, you can turn back there
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  and read it in chapter number eight. He
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  says, he says, "You're all holy unto the
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  Lord." They bowed by that river there in
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  the chapter number eight. And and they
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  were fasting and praying. And Ezra said,
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  "Sanctify yourselves. You're all holy
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  unto the Lord." Why is that? They were
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  bringing the instruments of the temple
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  home. They were bringing the gold
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  vessels and the bases. They were
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  bringing back the beautifification of
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  the temple.
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  >> Right?
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  >> All the while their homes were
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  >> good.
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  >> And so the man of God is grieved. And
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  you notice out of this in our text, his
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  his grief leds him to leads him to
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  supplicate. The Bible says in verses
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  3-5, you'll notice his heaviness there.
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  In verse 5, he said, "At the evening sac
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  evening sacrifice, I rose up from my
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  heaviness." He spent most of the day
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  bitter because of this sin shocked and
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  astonished. That means he was literally
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  astounded. He said, "I having rent my
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  garment, my mantle, I fell upon my knees
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  and spread out my hands under the Lord
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  my God." I'll tell you this, when you
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  get news of sin, that's the first that's
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  the that'll be the first response you
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  have,
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  >> right? that you ought to fall down
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  before God.
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  And in this text, he falls down before
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  the Lord. And the Bible says in verse
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  six, he said, "Oh my God, I am ashamed
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  and blush to lift up my face to thee, my
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  God." You see here, his supplication, he
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  reveals the shame of sin. He said, "God,
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  I'm ashamed." You say, "Preacher, but
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  Ezra wasn't a part of this." No, he
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  wasn't. But you know what? These were
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  his people,
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  >> right?
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  >> And you know what? It was their sin. And
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  because it was their sin, he counted it
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  his sin.
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  >> You're right.
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  >> David said the same thing. Solomon said
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  the same thing. Moses, all of them. When
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  they when the children of Israel had
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  sinned, when Moses intreated for the
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  children of Israel, HE DIDN'T SAY
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  they've sinned.
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  >> He said we have sinned.
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  >> And Ezra goes to God on their behalf to
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  pray for them. And he shows the shame of
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  their sin. He said, "I'm ashamed and
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  blush to lift up my face to thee." You
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  know what the pro where the problem in
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  America really started really where it
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  really started to get bad is when people
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  no longer blushed at sin.
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  >> When the church of God when they just
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  started glancing over it and just
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  accepting it and say, "Well, that's just
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  what everybody else does. We don't have
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  to do that. But we're not going to let
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  it affect us."
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  >> Come on.
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  >> You say, "Preacher, well that's my
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  mindset." Well, let me tell you
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  something. If sin don't grieve you, it
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  won't be long before you're in the
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  middle of it.
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  >> You're right.
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  >> Amen. And that's exactly right. If you
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  do not, if you try to glance OVER SIN,
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  HEY, SIN OUGHT TO GRIEVE YOU. I'm
• 17:50
  telling you, THE SIN OF THIS COUNTRY
• 17:52
  GRIEVES ME TO MY very core.
• 17:54
  >> You say, "Preacher, but look at our
• 17:56
  leadership and look at all that's being
• 17:58
  done. They're the most wicked people.
• 18:01
  >> No character,
• 18:05
  >> full of immorality,
• 18:06
  >> right?
• 18:08
  >> Full of LUST AND AND SEXISM AND JUST
• 18:11
  TURNED on every WHICH WAY. THEY'RE
• 18:13
  MESSED UP. THEY'RE SINFUL. AND IT
• 18:15
  grieves me.
• 18:16
  >> Amen.
• 18:18
  >> I'll tell you what grieves me worse than
• 18:19
  that. The sins in this church.
• 18:21
  >> You're right.
• 18:24
  >> Ezra was grieved to the point and he
• 18:27
  said, "Lord, I'm ashamed
• 18:29
  to even turn my eyes to you."
• 18:33
  You know, the truth is
• 18:35
  the heart of every preacher when he
• 18:38
  loves his congregation, when there's sin
• 18:40
  in the camp, you know what? He feels
• 18:41
  this very same way. You're right.
• 18:44
  >> He said, "I'm ashamed and blushed to
• 18:46
  lift up my face to thee, my God." Look
• 18:47
  what he says. For our iniquities are
• 18:49
  increased over our head, and our
• 18:51
  trespass has grown up into the heavens.
• 18:54
  You see, the shame was large to Ezra,
• 18:57
  but the sin was larger.
• 18:58
  >> You're right.
• 19:00
  >> He said, "Lord, I'm ashamed to look your
• 19:02
  way." He said, "But Lord, our sin's so
• 19:04
  great. I have to look to you."
• 19:06
  >> Amen.
• 19:07
  >> BECAUSE WE ARE IN A MESS. AND BOY, IT'S
• 19:10
  HIGH TIME somebody realized that. You're
• 19:12
  >> right.
• 19:13
  >> Ezra's the only one. They've been going
• 19:15
  on all this time. JUST LIKE EVERYTHING'S
• 19:17
  OKAY. EVERYTHING'S OPERATING JUST FINE.
• 19:20
  BUT SOMEHOW A MAN OF GOD STEPS UP AND
• 19:23
  AND HE SEES EVERYTHING THAT'S NOT RIGHT
• 19:25
  AFTER they come to him and tell him. You
• 19:28
  know, I've been placed before. I've
• 19:30
  watched other pastors before. They get
• 19:32
  news of a sin that's going on in the
• 19:33
  house of God. You know what I watch
• 19:35
  happen to them? I watch them fall to
• 19:36
  pieces. You're
• 19:37
  >> right.
• 19:38
  >> Why? because they're burdened.
• 19:40
  >> You're right.
• 19:41
  >> For the house of God.
• 19:43
  He reveals the shame of sin. He reveals
• 19:45
  the suffering for sin. In verse 7, look
• 19:47
  what he says. Since the days of our
• 19:49
  fathers have we been in a great trespass
• 19:51
  unto this day, and for our iniquities
• 19:54
  have we, our kings and our priests been
• 19:56
  delivered into the hand of the kings of
• 19:58
  the lands, to the sword, to captivity,
• 20:00
  and to a spoil, and a confusion of
• 20:02
  faith. as it is this day. HE RECOUNTS
• 20:04
  ALL THE HISTORY. The reason why that
• 20:07
  they were delivered INTO
• 20:08
  NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S HAND WAS THEIR SIN.
• 20:11
  THE REASON WHY GOD TURNED THEM OVER TO
• 20:14
  CAPTIVITY AND DELIVERED THEM AWAY IS
• 20:16
  BECAUSE THEY REFUSED HIS COMMANDMENT.
• 20:18
  THEY WOULD NOT SERVE HIM. THEY WOULD NOT
• 20:20
  OBEY THE LAW OF GOD. AND WHAT IS OUR
• 20:22
  THOUGHT WHEN WE THINK WE CAN MAKE A
• 20:24
  PRAYER TO GOD living in sin?
• 20:27
  >> Come on.
• 20:28
  >> YOU'RE GOING TO SUFFER WHEN YOU LIVE IN
• 20:30
  SIN.
• 20:31
  >> YOU'RE RIGHT.
• 20:32
  YOU WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES of your
• 20:36
  sin because sin always
• 20:39
  brings suffering.
• 20:41
  He reveals the shame of sin. He reveals
• 20:44
  the suffering for sin. And in verse
• 20:46
  number eight, he reveals the space,
• 20:50
  the space from sin. Look what he says.
• 20:55
  And now for a little space of grace hath
• 20:57
  been showed from the Lord our God.
• 21:00
  You say, "Preacher, what does that
• 21:01
  mean?" Well, verse seven, he just
• 21:03
  recounts the how they were delivered
• 21:05
  away.
• 21:06
  You see, Nebuchadnezzar came and take
• 21:08
  them with brutal force, killed off many
• 21:11
  of them, took the best and brought them
• 21:13
  back, left the rest to die.
• 21:16
  And because of their sin, they were
• 21:19
  brutally destroyed, brutally taken from
• 21:21
  their land, and they were treated poorly
• 21:23
  in captivity. And many of them faced
• 21:25
  death. And the Bible says, Ezra says,
• 21:28
  "Now look, here we are back in the land
• 21:30
  and now we're guilty of the same thing
• 21:33
  >> that God us took out of here to start
• 21:34
  with."
• 21:38
  You know, it's a dangerous place
• 21:41
  when God has forgiven you over and over
• 21:45
  and over again.
• 21:46
  >> You're right. Amen.
• 21:47
  >> And you go back to the same sin.
• 21:49
  >> Yes.
• 21:51
  >> You say, "Preacher, what's the truth?"
• 21:53
  Well, I want to preach on this thought.
• 21:54
  sinning against God in the space of
• 21:56
  grace. You see, they God has given Ezra
• 21:59
  this vision to go back and rebuild and
• 22:02
  finish the house of God and to make it
• 22:04
  what it's supposed to be. And you know
• 22:07
  what? He's given him this vision. He's
• 22:09
  given him men. But you know what? Those
• 22:10
  men that come with him, he finds out
• 22:12
  that they're defiled and that there is
• 22:15
  going to be no labor that takes place
• 22:17
  any further until their defilement is
• 22:20
  dealt with. You know, the reason why I
• 22:22
  feel like many of our churches are
• 22:24
  hindered and even this church could be
• 22:25
  hindered on many occasions is because
• 22:27
  there's sin that's present that is not
• 22:29
  dealt with.
• 22:30
  >> That's good.
• 22:31
  >> You say, "Preacher, well, you don't know
• 22:32
  about it." And you're exactly right. If
• 22:33
  I knew about it, I'd preach against
• 22:35
  today, man.
• 22:35
  >> Right.
• 22:37
  >> What I'm saying is in this text, he's
• 22:39
  telling them, "Hey, God has given us an
• 22:42
  opportunity to rebuild, but until you
• 22:44
  repent,
• 22:44
  >> Amen.
• 22:45
  >> there's going to be no rebuilding that's
• 22:47
  done." You're
• 22:47
  >> right.
• 22:49
  You know, I think that's the case in
• 22:50
  many places, and I'm not trying to be
• 22:52
  too
• 22:54
  apply this too broadly, but I think
• 22:55
  there's places, churches, where they go
• 22:58
  through a lot, and there's a big mess,
• 23:00
  splits, and all of that stuff. And then
• 23:02
  after that, God gives them a space to
• 23:04
  repent, get right, and rebuild. And what
• 23:05
  happens? There's somebody there that's
• 23:07
  hanging on to sin,
• 23:08
  >> right?
• 23:09
  >> There's somebody there that's hanging on
• 23:10
  to bitterness. Somebody there that's
• 23:12
  hanging on to some uh past life or doing
• 23:15
  something hidden that nobody knows
• 23:16
  about. And Ezra is telling him, he says,
• 23:19
  "All he's he's praying to God and he
• 23:20
  says,"Lord, you've given us this space,
• 23:23
  but yet here we are wasting it."
• 23:26
  >> You're right.
• 23:28
  >> You say, "Preacher, how does that relate
• 23:30
  to us?" Well, you know what day we're
• 23:31
  living in, right?
• 23:33
  >> Day of grace. You're
• 23:34
  >> right.
• 23:35
  >> And you know what you're doing refusing
• 23:36
  God in this day? You are sinning away
• 23:40
  the day of grace. YOU ARE SINNING
• 23:42
  AGAINST GOD IN THE SPACE OF GRACE.
• 23:44
  NOTICE WHAT IS G. YOU SEE, THERE'S SOME
• 23:46
  THINGS THAT'S given in this space of
• 23:49
  grace. What is what does Ezra say is
• 23:52
  given in this space? Look what he says.
• 23:54
  And now for a little space grace hath
• 23:57
  been showed from the Lord our God. And
• 24:00
  out of this, God is giving them an
• 24:02
  opportunity. Notice what your Bible
• 24:04
  says. Number one, sinning against God in
• 24:06
  the space of grace. They were sinning
• 24:08
  against the people. Look what the Bible
• 24:12
  says. He says, the Bible says he grace
• 24:15
  has been showed from the Lord our God to
• 24:16
  leave us a remnant to escape.
• 24:21
  God had left a remnant that had made it
• 24:25
  through the bondage, made it through the
• 24:27
  persecution, that had stayed through all
• 24:29
  of the kings AND THAT HAD FOLLOWED
• 24:32
  FAITHFULLY AND GOD HAD ALLOWED THEM TO
• 24:34
  live and serve and God left. I'm
• 24:36
  thankful that Romans, the book of Romans
• 24:38
  says even at this present time, there's
• 24:40
  a remnant according to the election of
• 24:42
  grace. God's always going to have his
• 24:45
  Jews. Amen. And when he comes back, he's
• 24:47
  going to reign on the throne of David
• 24:49
  for THOSE JEWS. BUT THIS TEXT REVEALS to
• 24:52
  us he has left a remnant. YOU
• 24:54
  UNDERSTAND? GOD COULD HAVE WIPED THEM
• 24:56
  OUT. You're
• 24:56
  >> right.
• 24:58
  >> GOD COULD HAVE SENT THEM OFF INTO
• 24:59
  CAPTIVITY AND NEVER GIVE HIM ANOTHER
• 25:01
  OPPORTUNITY AGAIN. You're
• 25:03
  >> right.
• 25:03
  >> Oh, but what's the truth? God left a
• 25:05
  remnant.
• 25:06
  >> Amen.
• 25:06
  >> Let me say this to you this morning.
• 25:08
  Lost man, hey, God's left a remnant.
• 25:11
  >> Yes.
• 25:11
  >> The people of God you're seated among
• 25:13
  this morning, God has left them. Why?
• 25:16
  Because you need an example. YOU'RE
• 25:19
  >> RIGHT.
• 25:19
  >> GOD HAS LEFT A REMNANT. And God has left
• 25:23
  this remnant. What is this remnant
• 25:24
  represents? Well, it represents that
• 25:27
  there was deliverance instead of
• 25:28
  destruction. Look what the Bible said in
• 25:30
  verse 8. He has he's to leave us a
• 25:32
  remnant to escape. God left the people
• 25:35
  that he did not destroy,
• 25:38
  but he left the people that he
• 25:39
  delivered.
• 25:40
  >> You're right.
• 25:41
  >> Out of bondage. Hey, friend, everybody
• 25:43
  you're looking at in here this morning
• 25:44
  that's saved, that's what what's what's
• 25:46
  happened to us. Amen. We've been
• 25:48
  delivered, we've been saved from
• 25:50
  destruction. Amen. Notice, not only
• 25:53
  we've been delivered instead of
• 25:54
  destroyed, but there's a remnant instead
• 25:56
  of rending God. He could have rent the
• 25:58
  kingdom away and never give it back
• 26:01
  again. Never give him an opportunity to
• 26:03
  go home. You're right.
• 26:04
  >> And gave that land to somebody else.
• 26:07
  >> There was a remnant instead of the
• 26:08
  rending. There was deliverance instead
• 26:10
  of destruction. There was an escape
• 26:12
  instead of imprisonment.
• 26:15
  Look at it again. He has left us a
• 26:18
  remnant to escape.
• 26:21
  Oh friend, that's what we are.
• 26:24
  >> Amen.
• 26:25
  >> We've escaped the judgment of sin. Hey,
• 26:28
  we're dead to sin. Amen.
• 26:30
  >> Yeah.
• 26:30
  >> We've escaped, Amen. this world and it's
• 26:33
  judgment. That's what Egypt's a type of
• 26:35
  anyway. Amen. We've escaped. We've been
• 26:37
  delivered. Amen. We didn't get turned
• 26:40
  over to the world, but God brought us
• 26:41
  out. Amen. There's anybody in the
• 26:43
  building this morning. Amen. I'm saying,
• 26:45
  "Praise God. We have been delivered."
• 26:48
  And you know what? This crowd that
• 26:49
  sinned, they were sinning against the
• 26:51
  remnant.
• 26:51
  >> You're right.
• 26:53
  >> When you choose
• 26:55
  to walk against the will of God, you're
• 26:57
  sinning against God, but you're also
• 26:58
  sinning against his church.
• 27:00
  >> You're right. I'll give you that in just
• 27:01
  a minute. Some more on that. But he
• 27:04
  leads the people. Verse number eight, in
• 27:07
  this space of grace, he not only leads
• 27:09
  the people, but he leaves a provision.
• 27:10
  Look what the Bible says. That grace has
• 27:13
  been showed from the Lord our God to
• 27:15
  leave us a remnant to escape and to give
• 27:17
  us a nail in his holy place. You're
• 27:21
  >> right.
• 27:22
  >> What does a nail do? It holds. It's a
• 27:26
  symbol of stability. And when Ezra said
• 27:28
  that God has given us a nail in his holy
• 27:31
  place, he was saying there's something
• 27:33
  that's steady and unmoving and
• 27:35
  unchanging in the holy place. What is
• 27:37
  that? Well, IT'S JESUS CHRIST. HE is the
• 27:40
  nail in the holy place. He is
• 27:42
  unchanging. He is unmovable. Jesus
• 27:45
  Christ the same yesterday, TODAY, AND
• 27:48
  FOREVER. HE IS UNMOVING. HE HAS GIVEN US
• 27:51
  A NAIL IN THE HOLY PLACE.
• 27:53
  >> It's a symbol of stability. It's not
• 27:56
  only a symbol of stability, but it's a
• 27:58
  symbol of opportunity.
• 28:00
  >> As long as the nail is there, they can
• 28:02
  enter.
• 28:03
  >> You're right.
• 28:04
  >> I'm saying as long as Jesus lives.
• 28:07
  >> Amen.
• 28:08
  >> And he lives forever MORE. AMEN. THERE
• 28:11
  IS A nail in the holy PLACE THAT WE CAN
• 28:14
  GO TO. IT SYMBOLIZES WE HAVE A STABLE
• 28:17
  PLACE FOR OTHER FOUNDATION CAN NO MAN
• 28:19
  LAY THAN THAT THAT IS LAID, WHICH IS
• 28:21
  CHRIST JESUS. BUT IT SYMBOLIZES THAT
• 28:24
  THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
• 28:26
  >> You're right.
• 28:29
  >> Peter said it this way in Acts chapter
• 28:30
  number four. He said, "For there's none
• 28:32
  other name under heaven given among men
• 28:34
  whereby you must be saved."
• 28:36
  >> You're right.
• 28:37
  >> It's Jesus.
• 28:39
  >> It symbolizes stability. It symbolizes
• 28:42
  opportunity that there would be access
• 28:44
  to God. It symbolizes not only stability
• 28:48
  and opportunity, but it symbolizes
• 28:50
  sufficiency. Look what the Bible says in
• 28:52
  verse eight to give us a nail in his
• 28:56
  holy place.
• 28:58
  >> He was saying, Ezra said, God has given
• 29:01
  us everything.
• 29:03
  >> Amen.
• 29:03
  >> That we need.
• 29:04
  >> Do you realize this morning we are
• 29:06
  lacking nothing?
• 29:08
  >> You're right.
• 29:09
  >> We're not missing anything. You say,
• 29:11
  "Preacher, well, I missed a meal
• 29:12
  yesterday." Oh, but if you're saved,
• 29:14
  FRIEND, YOU MIGHT MISS miss every meal
• 29:16
  FROM HERE UNTIL YOU GO HOME. OH, but
• 29:18
  you've got riches money can't buy.
• 29:20
  YOU'VE GOT WEALTH THAT THE WORLD KNOWS
• 29:22
  NOTHING ABOUT. I'M SAYING WE'RE LACKING
• 29:24
  NOTHING. WHY? BECAUSE OF THE NAIL IN THE
• 29:27
  HOLY PLACE. AMEN. I'M SAYING THERE'S A
• 29:30
  PROVISION THAT'S BEEN LEFT US.
• 29:32
  >> You say, "Preacher, what is that nail?"
• 29:34
  It's that blessed Bible right there.
• 29:36
  >> The only STABLE THING THAT YOU AND I
• 29:39
  HAVE IN THIS LIFE WHEN OUR FEELINGS ARE
• 29:41
  UP AND DOWN AND OUR FRIENDS ARE IN AND
• 29:43
  OUT AND OUR FAMILY SEEMS LIKE THEY'VE
• 29:46
  LEFT US. LET ME JUST TELL YOU THIS
• 29:48
  BLESSED WORD. IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME. IT
• 29:51
  ALWAYS READS THE SAME. SOMEBODY HELP THE
• 29:53
  PREACHER THIS MORNING. HEY, WE HAVE A
• 29:56
  NOW IN THE HOLY PLACE. AMEN.
• 29:59
  >> We have a provision that's steady.
• 30:03
  >> We have a provision that presents every
• 30:05
  man, woman, boy, and girl an opportunity
• 30:08
  to be saved.
• 30:09
  >> For whosoever will, let him call upon
• 30:12
  the name of the Lord, they shall be
• 30:13
  saved. Amen. I'm saying to you this
• 30:16
  morning, hey, there is a nail, there was
• 30:18
  a provision that's left them. HEY, LET
• 30:20
  ME JUST SAY IT for us this morning,
• 30:22
  CHURCH. JUST BECAUSE there's sickness,
• 30:24
  just because THERE'S SUFFERING, JUST
• 30:26
  BECAUSE there's surgeries, AND JUST
• 30:28
  BECAUSE THERE'S CIRCUMSTANCES OF HEALING
• 30:30
  THAT WE ALL NEED, LET ME TELL YOU, THE
• 30:33
  NAIL IS STILL HANGING THERE. AND JUST
• 30:36
  HANG YOUR LIFE BY IT. AMEN.
• 30:38
  >> AND LET it carry you all the way.
• 30:40
  Hallelujah. Hey, it's not just good just
• 30:43
  for salvation, but it's good for the
• 30:44
  rest of our life, too. Amen.
• 30:47
  >> I'm saying he gave them a provision
• 30:50
  >> that he would help them because he is
• 30:52
  all that they need. Then there's a
• 30:55
  product in the text.
• 30:58
  He's given us a nail in his holy place.
• 31:00
  I'm talking about this is what you sin
• 31:02
  against when you walk against Amen. the
• 31:05
  space of grace.
• 31:06
  >> Look what the Bible says. He's given us
• 31:09
  a nail in his holy place that our God
• 31:11
  may lighten our eyes.
• 31:13
  >> Yeah.
• 31:14
  >> And give us a little reviving
• 31:16
  in our bondage.
• 31:18
  >> Yeah.
• 31:18
  >> You see, this is the product. What is
• 31:21
  the product of? Well, he's left the
• 31:23
  people.
• 31:23
  >> Amen.
• 31:24
  >> That remnant. Amen.
• 31:25
  >> But he left the provision. That's the
• 31:27
  word of God. When you take the people of
• 31:28
  God and you take the precepts of God and
• 31:30
  you put them together, you know what you
• 31:32
  have? You have revival.
• 31:33
  >> Amen.
• 31:33
  >> You know why we don't have revival?
• 31:35
  Because the people of God ain't getting
• 31:36
  yolked up with the pre precepts. Amen.
• 31:38
  Somebody say amen right there. Hey, it's
• 31:40
  not an experience just a supernatural
• 31:43
  mystical thing that takes place. Revival
• 31:45
  is what happens every time the heart of
• 31:48
  man links up with the HEART OF GOD.
• 31:50
  WHERE DOES THAT HAPPEN? It happens in
• 31:52
  the Bible. The Bible says THAT MERCY AND
• 31:54
  TRUTH HAVE KISSED each other. Where is
• 31:56
  that? In the person of Jesus Christ. And
• 31:59
  he IS THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN.
• 32:01
  AND SO IN HIM THERE IS REVIVAL IN HIM.
• 32:05
  AMEN. Look what he says. He's given us a
• 32:07
  light
• 32:09
  that God may lighten our eyes. He has
• 32:12
  revealed light. But he has given us
• 32:13
  revived life. Verse eight. And give us a
• 32:16
  little reviving
• 32:18
  in our bondage.
• 32:20
  Ezra said, "God has given us all these
• 32:23
  things. He's given us life. He's given
• 32:25
  us light. He showed us his love." Notice
• 32:27
  verse number nine. For we were bondman.
• 32:31
  This is why I got so teeyed reading this
• 32:33
  a while ago because I knew where I was
• 32:34
  going.
• 32:35
  >> Come on.
• 32:35
  >> Verse nine. Look what he says. For we we
• 32:38
  we were bondman. Yet our God hath not
• 32:40
  forsaken us.
• 32:41
  >> Amen.
• 32:42
  >> He's given us life. He's given us light.
• 32:45
  He showed us his love. How did he do
• 32:47
  that? He didn't leave us. You're
• 32:48
  >> right.
• 32:49
  >> Oh man.
• 32:50
  >> Amen.
• 32:51
  >> You know how many times we failed him?
• 32:54
  Yeah.
• 32:54
  >> You know how many years and days that
• 32:56
  people in this room have lived away from
• 32:58
  him? And yet we're HERE THIS MORNING.
• 33:00
  AND GOD HAS ALLOWED US TO BE HERE. I'M
• 33:03
  SAYING HE DIDN'T FORSAKE US IN OUR
• 33:05
  BONDAGE. HE LEFT us a NAIL IN THE HOLY
• 33:08
  PLACE THAT WE MIGHT KNOW WHERE TO FIND
• 33:09
  LIFE AND WHERE WE COULD HAVE LIFE. WHY?
• 33:12
  BECAUSE HE SHOWED US HIS LOVE. AMEN.
• 33:16
  >> He didn't forsake us while we was in
• 33:18
  bondage.
• 33:19
  >> Yes.
• 33:20
  >> And notice this.
• 33:22
  What's the problem? What's the problem?
• 33:24
  Notice verse 10.
• 33:27
  God has given us his people. He's given
• 33:29
  us his provision. He's given us the
• 33:30
  product is as light, life, and love.
• 33:33
  Amen. And in verse 10, the man of God
• 33:36
  says this. And now, oh our God, what
• 33:39
  shall we say after this?
• 33:42
  >> Yes.
• 33:42
  >> For we have forsaken thy commandments.
• 33:44
  >> Yes.
• 33:46
  The only thing that would bring revival
• 33:49
  and restoration to the children of
• 33:50
  Israel was the only thing that they left
• 33:53
  behind.
• 33:53
  >> You're right.
• 33:56
  >> They brought the gold back.
• 33:58
  >> Come on.
• 33:58
  >> They brought the people back. They
• 34:01
  brought the performance back. They
• 34:02
  brought the music back. They brought the
• 34:04
  sermons back. But somewhere along the
• 34:06
  way,
• 34:07
  >> Yes.
• 34:08
  >> they forgot the scriptures.
• 34:10
  >> Right.
• 34:10
  >> Look what he says. What shall we say?
• 34:13
  The problem is Ezra had no answer.
• 34:18
  EZRA'S JUST SAID, "GOD, YOU'VE GIVEN US
• 34:20
  ALL THIS AND BUT LORD, I have nothing to
• 34:23
  say because we've taken it and spurned
• 34:26
  it away."
• 34:27
  >> Good.
• 34:29
  >> You think about what we've been
• 34:30
  entrusted with, church.
• 34:32
  >> Come on.
• 34:33
  >> We have We live in the greatest time in
• 34:35
  history.
• 34:36
  >> You're right.
• 34:38
  >> And yet there's empty pews. Amen.
• 34:41
  >> This morning,
• 34:42
  >> come on.
• 34:45
  The problem was there was no answer.
• 34:47
  There was no apprehension.
• 34:49
  They forsaken the commandments. The
• 34:52
  command was given in verses 11 12 that
• 34:54
  they should not take wives, the women of
• 34:57
  the land. I'm going to preach on that
• 34:58
  tonight. Look at chapter 10. Consider
• 35:01
  another thought out of this text. The
• 35:03
  compassion of God is seen in verse 13.
• 35:05
  And after all that has come upon us for
• 35:07
  our evil deeds and for our great
• 35:09
  trespass, seeing that thou our God has
• 35:11
  punished us less than our iniquities
• 35:12
  deserve.
• 35:13
  >> You're right.
• 35:14
  >> You just think about that for a minute.
• 35:16
  >> Yes.
• 35:17
  >> We ought to be in hell, friend.
• 35:19
  >> Amen.
• 35:19
  >> Right.
• 35:20
  >> We ought to be there eternally.
• 35:22
  >> Yes.
• 35:23
  >> I'm talking about presently and for
• 35:25
  eternity,
• 35:26
  >> right?
• 35:27
  >> Because that's what we deserve.
• 35:29
  >> And Ezra says this. He says, "Even after
• 35:32
  all that's come upon us for our evil
• 35:33
  deeds, after all that we did wrong and
• 35:36
  all that we suffered through because of
• 35:38
  our sin, here we are." He says, "And
• 35:40
  that y'all, Lord has not punished us.
• 35:43
  You punished us less than our iniquities
• 35:45
  deserve you given us deliverance such as
• 35:47
  this." In verse 14, he reveals the
• 35:49
  corruption of man. He says, "Should we
• 35:52
  again break thy commandments after all
• 35:54
  we've been through
• 35:56
  >> and after all he's done?"
• 35:58
  >> Come on.
• 36:00
  That's right.
• 36:04
  >> After all the suffering
• 36:06
  >> that you and I have had to face because
• 36:08
  of sin.
• 36:09
  >> You're right.
• 36:10
  >> And after all the blessing,
• 36:12
  >> come on.
• 36:12
  >> How good God's been to us.
• 36:14
  >> Yes, he has.
• 36:15
  >> Yet, we would choose to go back to the
• 36:17
  same sin.
• 36:18
  >> You're right.
• 36:19
  >> That brought us to suffer in the first
• 36:21
  place.
• 36:24
  Ezra looks at God in his prayer and he
• 36:26
  says, "Should we again break thy
• 36:28
  commandments and enjoin an infinity with
• 36:31
  an affinity with the people of these
• 36:33
  abominations? Would us not thou be anger
• 36:36
  thus till thou hast consumed us so that
• 36:38
  there should be no remnant nor
• 36:39
  escaping."
• 36:40
  >> You're right.
• 36:41
  >> What did he just tell him? HE SAID HE'S
• 36:44
  LEFT US A remnant that escaped. But now
• 36:46
  he's saying, "Lord, I don't know if
• 36:48
  you'll let us go or not." It's good.
• 36:56
  >> You know, the thing that scares me the
• 36:58
  most, and I'm being I'm being real
• 37:00
  candid this morning, and y'all forgive
• 37:02
  me for that, but the thing that scares
• 37:04
  me the most is that this church could
• 37:06
  never have revival again.
• 37:09
  >> Come on.
• 37:13
  >> Because there's sin that you will refuse
• 37:17
  to deal with.
• 37:18
  >> Amen. And Ezra says, "Lord, I don't know
• 37:20
  if you're going to allow us another
• 37:23
  chance."
• 37:25
  Look what he says. Would us not thou be
• 37:28
  angry with us till thou hast consumed us
• 37:31
  so that there should be no remnant nor
• 37:34
  escaping?
• 37:37
  What is it? If my generation and the
• 37:39
  generation to come after me has no
• 37:41
  desire to follow God and my ministry is
• 37:44
  just simply this, burying the faithful
• 37:45
  saints of God to a generation that will
• 37:48
  not follow.
• 37:50
  >> Good.
• 37:52
  You see who's here this morning?
• 37:57
  Let me ask you a question this morning,
• 37:58
  young people. When they're gone, are you
• 38:00
  going to be here?
• 38:01
  >> Amen.
• 38:04
  What wind's going to take you out?
• 38:06
  >> Yes.
• 38:07
  >> What sin's going to take you away?
• 38:09
  >> Bless.
• 38:10
  >> What pride are you going to let hinder
• 38:12
  you? I'm saying it was because THEY THEY
• 38:14
  HAD JOINED UP WITH THE WORLD AND
• 38:17
  SEPARATION OTHER THAN SALVATION. I TOLD
• 38:19
  my daddy this last night. I said,
• 38:21
  "People in the church WORLD TODAY, THEY
• 38:24
  DO NOT BELIEVE in separation. They
• 38:26
  refuse to believe it. BUT SEPARATION IS
• 38:28
  AS BIG A BIBLE doctrine as salvation
• 38:31
  is."
• 38:31
  >> Right. Paul said it this way to the
• 38:34
  Corinthian church. He said, "Wherefore
• 38:35
  come out from among them, AND BE YOU
• 38:38
  SEPARATE, sayeth the Lord, and touch not
• 38:40
  the UNCLEAN THING, AND I WILL RECEIVE
• 38:42
  YOU, AND YE SHALL BE MY SONS AND MY
• 38:44
  DAUGHTERS, SAYAETH THE LORD." THE REASON
• 38:46
  WHY YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE SAVED OR
• 38:48
  NOT, IS BECAUSE YOU WON'T LET LOOSE OF
• 38:50
  THE WORLD.
• 38:51
  >> YOU'RE RIGHT.
• 38:52
  >> IT'S NOT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT SAVED, BUT
• 38:54
  IT'S JUST BECAUSE YOU TRYING TO HAVE ONE
• 38:56
  FOOT IN AND ONE FOOT OUT, AND IT DON'T
• 38:59
  WORK THAT WAY.
• 39:00
  >> You're right.
• 39:01
  You cannot live in sin AND PRAY. YOU
• 39:04
  CANNOT LIVE IN SIN AND WORSHIP. YOU
• 39:07
  CANNOT LIVE IN SIN AND ENJOY THE
• 39:09
  BLESSING OF KNOWING GOD. YOU WILL NOT DO
• 39:13
  IT.
• 39:13
  >> You're right.
• 39:14
  >> And Ezra says this in verse 15, his
• 39:18
  consideration. He reveals the command,
• 39:20
  the compassion of God. God is merciful,
• 39:23
  but God is not obligated to deal with us
• 39:25
  in mercy forever. And he deals with the
• 39:27
  corruption of man. But know the
• 39:29
  consideration of Ezra in verse 15.
• 39:32
  Oh Lord God of Israel, thou art
• 39:34
  righteous.
• 39:36
  >> Yes, he is.
• 39:37
  >> Hey friend, I want to tell you this this
• 39:39
  morning. If everybody else in this world
• 39:42
  and everybody else in this church gives
• 39:44
  up, including myself, he's still right.
• 39:48
  >> Amen.
• 39:49
  >> HE'S STILL HOLY. HE'S STILL RIGHTEOUS.
• 39:52
  HE WILL FOREVER BE THE STANDARD OF ALL
• 39:54
  GOODNESS. AND WHEN WE'RE ALL DEAD AND
• 39:56
  GONE, HE'LL STILL HAVE SOMEBODY
• 39:58
  SOMEWHERE PREACHING THE GOSPEL BECAUSE
• 40:01
  HIS PLAN IS NOT DONE UNTIL HE GETS DONE.
• 40:05
  >> And Ezra says, "Lord, thou art
• 40:07
  righteous." Look what he says. For we
• 40:09
  remain yet escaped.
• 40:11
  >> Yes,
• 40:12
  >> God. I know you've given us the space of
• 40:14
  grace.
• 40:14
  >> Come on.
• 40:15
  >> We remain yet escaped. You've not took
• 40:17
  us back yet. But look what he says.
• 40:21
  We remain yet as it escaped as it is
• 40:23
  this day. Behold, we are before thee in
• 40:25
  our trespasses.
• 40:35
  >> Ezra looked at that looked at that crowd
• 40:38
  and saw the mess
• 40:40
  >> and he looked at God and said, "Lord, I
• 40:42
  don't know.
• 40:44
  I know that we we've escaped right now,
• 40:46
  but Lord, I don't know if you're going
• 40:48
  to be merciful to us another day,
• 40:49
  >> right?
• 40:50
  >> But Lord, we're in your hand."
• 40:52
  >> Yeah.
• 40:54
  Look what he says. For we cannot stand
• 40:56
  before thee because of this.
• 40:59
  >> You're right.
• 41:00
  >> You know what? I long for the day when
• 41:03
  people will get broken
• 41:05
  >> over their sin.
• 41:07
  >> You're right.
• 41:08
  >> I long for the day when tears will wet
• 41:12
  the altars.
• 41:13
  >> Yes.
• 41:14
  >> Of churches across this country because
• 41:16
  the children of God will get broke
• 41:18
  >> over their sin.
• 41:21
  And this text is to those who are saved.
• 41:24
  >> Yes,
• 41:25
  >> I've preached it to the lost this
• 41:27
  morning, but the truth is it's to those
• 41:28
  who are saved. And what this comes down
• 41:30
  to is this. If you ever want to see God
• 41:34
  do anything in your life
• 41:36
  >> or in this church,
• 41:38
  you're going to have to quit sinning
• 41:40
  against God.
• 41:41
  >> You're right.
• 41:41
  >> Cuz you know what he's done? You got
• 41:43
  breath in your lungs and you're in the
• 41:44
  house of God this morning. He's given
• 41:46
  you a space of grace.
• 41:48
  >> Amen. And some of you right now, you're
• 41:50
  already thinking in your mind.
• 41:53
  >> Come on.
• 41:55
  >> You've already got plans for this week
• 41:56
  that are unholy.
• 41:58
  >> Come on.
• 41:59
  >> And that are unrighteous. You say,
• 42:01
  "Preacher, well, my thoughts aren't
• 42:02
  sinful." No, sir.
• 42:05
  Your thoughts are the most sinful part
• 42:06
  of you.
• 42:07
  >> You're right.
• 42:08
  >> Sin is anything that I think, say, or do
• 42:10
  that displeases God.
• 42:11
  >> Yes.
• 42:13
  >> And while you're sitting in the space of
• 42:14
  grace, you're sinning against God.
• 42:17
  You're right.
• 42:20
  >> You say, "Preacher, what does it mean to
• 42:22
  sin against God in the space of grace?"
• 42:24
  Well, number one, you're sinning against
• 42:25
  Christ.
• 42:26
  >> Amen.
• 42:27
  >> That's who our sin's against.
• 42:28
  >> Yeah.
• 42:29
  >> It's against him. David said, "Against
• 42:31
  thee and thee only have I sinned, done
• 42:32
  this evil in thy sight." But I'll say
• 42:34
  this, by sinning against Christ, you're
• 42:36
  shaming the church.
• 42:37
  >> You're right.
• 42:39
  >> You're shaming the church. Say,
• 42:40
  "Preacher, what do you mean?" Well, if
• 42:41
  you say you're a member of this church
• 42:43
  and you're living in sin, you know what
• 42:44
  you're doing? You're shaming
• 42:45
  >> You're right. the house of God.
• 42:47
  >> Come on.
• 42:49
  >> You're misrepresenting what we are.
• 42:51
  >> You're right.
• 42:52
  >> Look, I'm nothing, friend. But this
• 42:53
  church is God's church.
• 42:55
  >> Amen.
• 42:56
  >> This church is the bride of Christ.
• 42:58
  >> You're right.
• 42:59
  >> And one of these days, we're going to be
• 43:00
  robed in fine linen clean and white.
• 43:03
  >> Amen.
• 43:03
  >> And if you are living in sin and you say
• 43:05
  you go to this church, you are shaming
• 43:07
  >> Yeah.
• 43:08
  >> the church.
• 43:08
  >> You're right.
• 43:13
  >> You are shaming the church. But here's
• 43:15
  what you don't think about. All right?
• 43:18
  You're sinning against Christ. You're
• 43:19
  shaming the church. You say, "Preacher,
• 43:21
  I know I'm doing all of that and I
• 43:22
  really just don't care." You know what?
• 43:23
  You probably lost.
• 43:24
  >> Amen.
• 43:26
  >> Let me say this.
• 43:31
  You're showing your own condition.
• 43:33
  >> You're right.
• 43:35
  >> When you walk and sin against God in the
• 43:38
  space of grace,
• 43:40
  you are sinning against Christ. You are
• 43:43
  shaming the church, but you are showing
• 43:46
  your own corruption.
• 43:49
  >> Right?
• 43:52
  >> And Ezra looked at these men and he
• 43:54
  thought to himself, "Lord, I don't know
• 43:56
  if you're going to have mercy on us or
• 43:57
  not. Time and time and time again,
• 44:02
  he's preached. Other men had preached."
• 44:05
  >> Yes.
• 44:06
  >> Deliverance would come. They would sin.
• 44:09
  They would go back into bondage.
• 44:11
  >> You're right. And you know what the
• 44:13
  truth is?
• 44:16
  Some years after this, in the book of
• 44:17
  Nehemiah, it happens again.
• 44:20
  Nehemiah 13:14, there were men
• 44:24
  that were of the priests that married
• 44:25
  wives, married wives of Ashdod, and they
• 44:27
  have children that were half Ashdon and
• 44:29
  half Israelites. You're
• 44:30
  >> right.
• 44:30
  >> And they couldn't talk plain
• 44:33
  >> because they they tried to talk in the
• 44:35
  language of Ashdod. And then some tried
• 44:38
  to talk in the language of Israel.
• 44:41
  And you know what it came from?
• 44:44
  Refusing to separate from the world.
• 44:45
  You're
• 44:46
  >> right.
• 44:46
  >> Refusing to say, "I've got to turn away
• 44:50
  from that. I've got to say no to that."
• 44:55
  Here's what we need this morning. We
• 44:58
  need some people who get broke.
• 45:00
  >> Amen.
• 45:01
  >> Over their sin.
• 45:04
  I mean, I'm talking about broke to where
• 45:06
  you weep on an altar until you forget
• 45:08
  what time it is.
• 45:09
  >> You're right. till you forget when the
• 45:12
  last time you ate was or even where
• 45:14
  you're at.
• 45:15
  >> Yes.
• 45:15
  >> Because all that you can see is the
• 45:18
  vastness of your sin.
• 45:21
  >> You say, "Preacher, well, I'm supposed
• 45:22
  to see the Savior." Until you see your
• 45:24
  sin, right, you'll never see the Savior
• 45:26
  back.
• 45:26
  >> Right?
• 45:29
  The reason why
• 45:32
  feels like you're dangling out over hell
• 45:34
  every service as a child of God saved is
• 45:36
  because that's you are choosing
• 45:39
  >> come on
• 45:39
  >> to bring judgment upon yourself.
• 45:41
  >> You're right.
• 45:43
  >> You say, "Preacher, but I can't face
• 45:44
  judgment." But no, you're choosing to
• 45:46
  fill that consequence.
• 45:48
  >> Yes.
• 46:00
  The closest thing you can do as a child
• 46:02
  of God to being lost and going to hell
• 46:05
  is to sin against God and spit in his
• 46:07
  face and him take you out.
• 46:09
  >> You're right.
• 46:13
  >> You say, "Preacher, well, I'm going to
• 46:14
  heaven." But I said it this morning in
• 46:15
  Sunday school. Paul said it this way. He
• 46:19
  said, "Shall we continue in sin that
• 46:21
  grace may abound?"
• 46:24
  >> God forbid.
• 46:25
  >> You're right.
• 46:26
  >> Let me ask you, you going to sin against
• 46:28
  God in the space of grace?
• 46:31
  Every head bowed and every eye closed.
• 46:36
  Hey, child of God, you're in sin right
• 46:38
  now. You know you are.
• 46:49
  Your sin grieves God.
• 46:54
  You think you're all right. You think
• 46:56
  you're okay. But you know what? You
• 46:57
  might be hindering
• 46:59
  the work of God from ever going forward
• 47:01
  in this church.
• 47:14
  Jesus told those churches and of Asia
• 47:17
  Minor in the book of Revelation, he
• 47:18
  said, "If you refuse to obey my
• 47:21
  commandments, I'll remove your
• 47:22
  candlestick.
• 47:26
  He remove his presence
• 47:29
  from our midst."
• 47:32
  And Ezra looked at those men and he
• 47:35
  looked to God and said, 'Lord, you've
• 47:37
  been merciful to us so many times.
• 47:41
  I just don't know that you'll do it
• 47:43
  again because our sin's so great.
• 47:47
  Let me ask you something. When's the
• 47:48
  last time your sin grieved you that
• 47:50
  much?
• 47:52
  If your sin don't grieve you, if you can
• 47:54
  go on living
• 47:57
  the way that you are, and you know
• 47:58
  you're wrong, you know you're wrong.
• 48:04
  Live that party life.
• 48:20
  There may come a day when you have don't
• 48:22
  have another chance.
• 48:27
  I'm thankful that for Israel there was
• 48:29
  another opportunity.
• 48:32
  We're going to look at that tonight.
• 48:36
  But I'll say this, the space of grace is
• 48:38
  going to end one of these days.
• 48:42
  But for us children of God, hear me,
• 48:44
  hear me, church this morning. And for us
• 48:46
  children of God, we've got a nail in the
• 48:49
  holy place.
• 48:52
  God's given us his people. You see, the
• 48:55
  reason why we're to forsake not the
• 48:56
  assembly of ourselves together is
• 48:58
  because you can't come out from the
• 48:59
  world and forsake the assembly.
• 49:03
  If you come out from the world, you're
• 49:04
  going to have to have somewhere to go.
• 49:06
  You can get with God's people.
• 49:09
  Come out from the world from among them
• 49:10
  and be you separate, sayeth the Lord,
• 49:12
  and touch not the unclean thing. But the
• 49:15
  writer of Hebrews said, he said this. He
• 49:17
  said, 'You to not forsake the assembling
• 49:19
  of yourselves together as the manner of
• 49:22
  some is.
• 49:25
  He said, "But exhorting one another, and
• 49:26
  so much the more as you see the day
• 49:28
  approaching, you may not ever have
• 49:30
  another chance to make it right." If
• 49:34
  you've got a in your heart against your
• 49:36
  brother, your sister, you need to make
• 49:37
  it right today.
• 49:40
  If you've got a problem
• 49:43
  of sin in your life,
• 49:45
  you might die with that thing if you
• 49:47
  don't make it right today.
• 49:50
  Let me say this to you this morning,
• 49:51
  sinner. The truth is in your life,
• 49:54
  you've been given a space of grace to
• 49:56
  repent. And if you refuse that, that
• 49:58
  grace will come come to an end in your
• 49:59
  life.
• 50:01
  You won't have heaven to gain.
• 50:08
  You'll have an eternity in hell to
• 50:09
  grieve,
• 50:11
  to weep, and to whail.
• 50:16
  Let me ask you this morning.
• 50:19
  Say, "Preacher, I don't know that I'm
• 50:21
  saved."
• 50:23
  "Preacher, I don't know that I'm saved."
• 50:25
  There's nobody looking around but me. I
• 50:27
  want you to slip your hand up. Preacher,
• 50:29
  I don't know that I'm saved. Would you
• 50:30
  pray for me?
• 50:34
  Preacher, I'm not saved.
• 50:39
  I'm going to be real bold what I'm
• 50:41
  fixing to say this morning, but it's the
• 50:42
  truth. Hey, some of y'all's raised your
• 50:44
  hands before
• 50:47
  and you ain't raising them no more.
• 50:53
  And I can tell by the way you're living
• 50:57
  that you ain't got nothing.
• 51:01
  You say, "Preacher, how dare you say
• 51:03
  that? Only God knows my heart." Well,
• 51:05
  the Bible says that by you by by their
• 51:06
  works you shall know them.
• 51:12
  Let me ask you one more time. Say,
• 51:15
  "Preacher,
• 51:17
  I'm not saved." There's people on this
• 51:19
  altar praying for you. Preacher, I'm not
• 51:21
  saved. You pray for me.
• 51:26
  You'd be honest.
• 51:29
  Let me ask you this, preacher.
• 51:32
  You say, "Preacher, I I'm living in
• 51:33
  sin."
• 51:36
  Preacher, I know I am. I'm not right
• 51:39
  with God. Preacher, would you pray for
• 51:42
  me?
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  God sees that.
• 51:50
  Someone else, be honest with God. Slip
• 51:52
  your hand up and hold it. I want to pray
• 51:54
  for you. Preacher, I'm living in sin.
• 52:04
  fixing to be real bold again, but I got
• 52:06
  to be right. I got to stay right with
• 52:07
  the Lord on this, okay? I got to I got
• 52:09
  to be honest with you. Some of you by
• 52:11
  your life, by your testimony, you're
• 52:14
  living in sin
• 52:16
  presently.
• 52:22
  Presently,
• 52:26
  you may not ever have another
• 52:27
  opportunity to make it right.
• 52:33
  Say, "Preacher, how do you know that?"
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  Well, it seems like in this day and
• 52:36
  time, everybody's just so proud of their
• 52:38
  life, they got to put it all over the
• 52:40
  internet.
• 52:43
  I'll be honest with you, pastors used to
• 52:45
  have to work wonder about their church
• 52:46
  members, but you don't have to in this
• 52:48
  day and time.
• 52:54
  I'll tell you with a broken heart, just
• 52:56
  like Ezra told God and looked at all
• 52:58
  those people,
• 53:00
  I don't know if we can have revival.
• 53:05
  If you are so set on living in your sin,
• 53:13
  preacher, won't be long it'll all be
• 53:15
  right. I'll have it all fixed. Well, you
• 53:17
  might not ever make it there.
• 53:24
  Say, "Preacher, why are you going to
• 53:25
  such length in this invitation?" Cuz
• 53:27
  like Ezra, I'm grieved by sin. I can
• 53:30
  promise you I prayed about it a whole
• 53:31
  lot longer than I preached to you this
• 53:33
  morning.
• 53:36
  Father, I pray in Jesus name,
• 53:39
  Lord, for whatever sin is present in
• 53:41
  this building that I pray you deal with
• 53:43
  hearts.
• 53:46
  that I pray
• 53:48
  please
• 53:50
  Lord have mercy on us
• 53:57
  Lord the church we're a mess
• 54:00
  Lord we're in such a mess
• 54:03
  and God if you don't help us and people
• 54:05
  don't get right with you Lord I don't
• 54:07
  know
• 54:09
  what we feel here will last
• 54:14
  cuz Lord it's the nature of sin and to
• 54:16
  plunge the soul deeper and deeper
• 54:18
  into depravity and destruction.
• 54:22
  And God, I pray humbly,
• 54:25
  Lord, please, would you be longsuffering
• 54:27
  with us?
• 54:29
  And please, God, would you keep the
• 54:30
  nail?
• 54:32
  Lord, would you let us keep the nail at
• 54:34
  Meadows Baptist Church?
• 54:35
  >> Yes.
• 54:38
  >> Keep a stable
• 54:40
  hanging nail in the holy place. Cuz
• 54:46
  Lord, I can't control what people do.
• 54:50
  Lord, I can't control what you do, but
• 54:52
  Lord, I can control what I do.
• 54:54
  >> Amen.
• 54:55
  >> And God, I pray you'd help every heart
• 54:57
  in here to make that resolve, that
• 54:59
  decision today,
• 55:03
  to be obedient to you, Lord, that they
• 55:05
  wouldn't sin against you in the space of
• 55:07
  grace.
• 55:10
  Lord, I love you, Lord. Please don't let
• 55:13
  anybody leave here lost today. Please
• 55:15
  don't let anybody leave here out of the
• 55:17
  will of God today. We ask it in Jesus'
• 55:20
  name.
• 55:21
  Amen.
• 55:23
  A
• 55:24
  >> Thank you for joining our service today.
• 55:26
  We'd love it if you join us in person
• 55:28
  the next time you are able at Meadows
• 55:30
  Baptist Church. Our physical address is
• 55:33
  2988
• 55:35
  Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
• 55:37
  Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
• 55:40
  school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
• 55:42
  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
• 55:45
  worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
• 55:47
  evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
• 55:51
  information, visit us at
• 55:52
  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
• 55:55
  Thanks again for tuning in.