The Prayer of Ezra

Q: What does the Bible say about idolatry?

The Bible condemns idolatry as a rejection of God's holiness and a turning away from true worship. Idolatry is presented in Scripture as the ultimate rejection of God’s holiness and a grave sin against His nature. In Ezra 9, we see the remnant of Israel return to the same sins that exiled them in the first place, mixing with the pagan nations and adopting their abominations. The Lord had warned His people against such practices, as involving themselves with other religions would lead them away from devotion to Him. The mixing of the holy seed with foreign beliefs signifies the dangers of abandoning the exclusive worship of God, which Ezra passionately mourns.

Q: Why is the concept of grace important for Christians?

Grace is essential for salvation, demonstrating God's unmerited favor towards sinners despite their iniquities. Grace is a foundational aspect of the Christian faith, representing God's unmerited favor towards humanity. In Ezra 9, while the people confess their sins, Ezra highlights that they have received a 'little space, grace hath been showed from the Lord.' This grace allows a remnant to escape captivity and find revival, underscoring that salvation is not based on human merit but on God's mercy. Christians understand grace not only as the means of salvation but also as the daily sustenance that enables believers to navigate their sinful nature and to grow in holiness.

Q: How do we know the righteousness of God is true?

The righteousness of God is evident in Scripture and is affirmed through the faithful actions of Christ. The righteousness of God is affirmed throughout Scripture, particularly in the context of His faithfulness to His promises and the atoning work of Christ. In Ezra 9, the acknowledgment of God’s righteousness serves as a reminder of His just nature where the consequences of sin are met with divine justice. In Romans 3, Paul elaborates on God's righteousness being manifested through the faith of Jesus Christ, positioning it as foundational for salvation. Therefore, believers can rest assured of God's righteousness as they experience His faithful redemptive work in their lives.

Q: What does the Bible say about confessing sin?

Confessing sin is a vital practice that acknowledges our failures and aligns our heart with God's holiness. Confession of sin is more than merely acknowledging wrongdoings; it involves a deep recognition of our sinful nature and a genuine cry for mercy. In Ezra 9, Ezra exemplifies this when he acknowledges the iniquities of the people by saying, 'our iniquities have increased over our head.' Such confession reveals a heart aligned with God's holiness, expressing both shame and need for His grace. The Bible teaches that true confession brings about restoration and is a necessary response to the grace received through Christ, who bears our sins and justifies us before God.

Q: Why is separation from the world important for Christians?

Separation from the world is necessary to maintain holiness and avoid the idolatry that leads to spiritual compromise. The call for separation from the world is rooted in God's desire for His people to be distinct from those who practice idolatry. Ezra 9 highlights the dangers Israel faced when they mingled with the surrounding nations; it signifies the spiritual compromise that arises from adopting practices contrary to God’s commands. In the New Testament, this principle is reinforced as believers are urged to be 'in the world but not of it,' reinforcing that maintaining a distinct witness for Christ is essential for the integrity of the faith and the glory of God. The separation is not about isolation but rather about a commitment to holiness and truth.

60 years have passed between Ezra chapter 1 and Ezra chapter 9. And 60 years ago, the children of the captivity, all of the children of Israel had been taken from Israel and transported to Babylon. And there they spent 70 years. And after 70 years, the Lord was pleased to send them back to rebuild the temple and to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Now, these same people that had gone back to Israel, and spend 60 years in the promised land, and there was a group sent by Artaxerxes with three to $400 million worth of gold and silver to help rebuild the walls once again and to beautify the temple. Now that is the setting.

Verse one of chapter nine, now when these things were done, The princes came to me, saying, the people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.

For they've taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons, so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands. Yea, the hand of the princes and rulers have been chief in this trespass. For the very reason they were brought into Babylon, they're committing the same sin." After all God had done for them, they were committing the same sin that they were sent away for in the first place.

Now, there's something that doesn't feel good about this. And there's also something that we realize about ourselves that that could be us and would be us apart from the grace of God, but they were getting in the same mess that the Lord had brought them out of. They're returning to it. Now, Ezra was devastated by this. When I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard and sat down astonished. I was devastated by this. I was so appalled by this and I sat down astonished.

The Lord's done all of this for us and now we're doing this. Now turn back to Deuteronomy chapter seven for a moment. Deuteronomy chapter seven. This is where the Lord warns them about mixing with these people. And let me say this right off the bat. This is not about interracial marriages. That's not what he's forbidding. Oh, they've married people who are not of the race because there's only one race, the human race. And in that sense, there's no such thing as interracial marriages. What he's talking about is adopting their practices, adopting their religion, adopting their gods. That's what he was going to do. condemned.

Now look in Deuteronomy chapter 7. When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land where thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee. And these nations were mentioned in what we just read in Ezra chapter 9. The Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou, and the Lord It says exterminate them. And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, and shall smite them, and utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them.

Now, why was the Lord so hard on these people? Look in chapter nine of Deuteronomy. Here, O Israel, Thou art to pass over Jordan this day to go in and to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, a people great and tall, the children of the Anacoms whom thou knowest and of whom thou hast heard. Who can stand before the children of Anak?

Understand therefore this day that the Lord thy God is he which giveth goeth over before thee as a consuming fire. He shall destroy them. He shall bring them down before thy face. So shalt thou drive them out, destroy them quickly. As the Lord has said unto thee, speak not now in thine heart after that the Lord thy God has cast them out before thee saying for my righteousness, the Lord has brought me in to possess this land. but for the wickedness of these nations, the Lord doth drive them out from before thee." These people hated God. They were enemies of God. They hated the gospel.

Don't say, I'm driving these people out for your sake. Verse five, nor for thy righteousness or for the uprightness of thine heart dost thou go to possess their land, but for the wickedness of these nations, the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, that he may perform the word which the Lord swear unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness, for thou art a stiff-necked people. I'm not doing this as a reward to your righteousness. I'm driving them out because of their wickedness. God is just, God is right.

Now go back to Deuteronomy chapter seven, verse two, and when the Lord thy God should deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them, utterly destroy them, Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them. Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. And here's why. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods.

So will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall you deal with them. You shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. That's what you're to do with their religion. No mercy. You're not to spare it.

For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord didn't set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people. For you were the fewest of all people, but because the Lord Why does the Lord love you?

Because he did. Aren't you thankful for that? Because he did. because he would keep the oath which he has sworn unto your fathers had the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Now know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God, the faithful God which keepeth covenant mercy with him that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. Now the reason they were told not to marry these people is because the Lord knew if they did they would turn their hearts away from Him. They would end up accepting their religion, they would end up being tolerant of their religion, so He said burn their altars, burn their groves, don't have anything to do with their religion. Now the God of the Bible is as the Bible declares him to be. He's holy. He's other. He's not of this created universe. There's none like him. He's God. When Cain approached him with his best, God rejects him. What's God mean? No, Cain was approaching Him some other way than the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and God's holy. And Cain was showing no respect for God at all. God rejected him.

I think of Nadab and Abihu. They were the sons of Aaron. They were ministering as priests. In Leviticus chapter 10, they were supposed to burn incense and I don't know why you could only I know why. You could only get fire from off the altar of sacrifice. Any other altar, any other fire was strange fire, be it not accepted. And they thought for some reason, well, as long as we burn the incense, it doesn't matter what kind of fire we use. We don't need to go to the altar to get the fire. Maybe they lit a match or something and burned the incense. And you know, the scripture says immediately fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And God said, Moses said, God said, I'll be sanctified in them that draw near to me. They failed to regard God as holy. And Moses said to Aaron, don't say a word. Don't cry. Don't even moan. They got what they got. They had it coming.

Trying to approach God apart from the sacrifice. What about Uzzah? Uzzah thinks he can help God. The ark is on the ox cart. It shouldn't have been carried that way. You were given specific instructions to use the poles and only the priests could carry it and they couldn't touch it. They had to take poles and put it through rings and lift it up. Nobody could touch the ark but the ark is on an ox cart. It shouldn't have been on that ox cart. and all of a sudden it hits a rut in the road and the ark begins to fall off the ox cart.

Uzzah lifts forth his hand to steady it, to keep it from happening. God killed him immediately. He dared to approach God apart from the blood sacrifice, apart from the priest. He thought he could touch that ark. Uzzah, that great king, the Lord used him greatly. He says, well, I'm going to offer incense to God. The priest come and says, it appertaineth not to thee, Uzziah. Don't do this. He got angry and he lit the fire of the incense and immediately he was turned into a leper.

God is holy. God can only be approached through the blood sacrifice of his son. And these men were showing no respect for God at all. They were showing an irreverent attitude. You see the fear of God. If you have the fear of God, you will not approach God apart from Christ. You'd be scared to death. You've got some understanding of who you are.

And you know the only way God can be approached is through the blood of his precious son. That's the only way I can be accepted. We just heard of what can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

So what these people were doing They were just completely disobeying what God had commanded. And here, after all God had done for them, they go right back to the same sin, to the same disobedience, to the same idolatry, because that's what this amounts to, idolatry.

Now go back to chapter nine of Ezra. when Isaiah or when Ezra is brought this news. Now, when these things were done, the princes came to me saying the people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the people of the lands doing according to their abominations. I don't know what I was involved in that, but it's awful bad. Mainly an acceptance of their religion. doing the abomination of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, the Amorites.

For they've taken of their daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy seed of, they mingled. Now this, what's this mingling about? This is mingling works and grace. That's the issue. It's taking their religion. This is not about interracial marriages. These people were, I mean, the children of Israel were by nature just as bad as these people. That's not what this is about. This is adopting their religion. That's why God refused this. If you do this, you will adopt their religion. They mingled themselves with the people of those lands. Yea, the hand of the princes and the rulers have been chief in this trespass. They've been the worst ones about it.

Ezra was astonished when I heard this thing. I rent my garment, my mantle. plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away. And I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice, and at the evening sacrifice I arose from my heaviness."

What a blessed statement. What could cause him to arise from his heaviness? The sacrifice of Christ. We always, I don't care how far we've fallen, we can't fall too far for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, at the evening sacrifice, I arose from my heavens and having written my garment, my mantle, And I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God and said, oh my God, I'm ashamed and blushed to lift up my face to thee, my God, for our iniquities." Now, hold on.

Ezra didn't do this, did he? Yet he says, our iniquities. What a type of Christ Ezra is at this time. He says, our iniquities. He identifies these iniquities as His own. And how many songs do we have where the Lord is confessing sin before God. He never sinned, you're right about that, but my sin became his sin. And Ezra, while he didn't commit the sins that he's praying about, he doesn't say their iniquities, he says our iniquities.

And that's the way the Lord represents us. What a Savior. And he said, oh my God, verse six, I'm ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God. For our iniquities are increased over our head and our trespasses grown up into the heavens. Now that's the way to confess sin.

It's really not all that bad. No, I love these confessions, particularly in chapter nine and chapter 10, going to Nehemiah one, where we're going, his confessions, they don't make it, you know, they're not really that bad. No, they've grown up into heavens. They're so evil. I wish the Lord would enable me by his grace to truly confess my sin like that. Not just say, Father, forgive me of my sins. No, a true confession with the wicked nature of them. And that's the way he speaks of, this.

Look what it says in verse 7. Since the days of our fathers have we been in great trespassing to this day. It's no different. And for our iniquities have we, our kings and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to a spoil, and to confusion of face as it is this day. Verse 8.

And now For little space, grace hath been showed from the Lord our God to leave us a remnant to escape and to give us a nail in his holy place that our God may lighten our eyes and give us a little reviving in our bondage for we were bondmen. Yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving.

You think of the way he moved these different kings. Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes, Hasuerus, all these different kings, they became for Israel. They didn't have to. Well, we saw a couple of sermons ago where they gave them millions of dollars just to go Repair and fix the temple and the walls. The Lord put that in their hearts. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken thy commandments. all you have done for us, and we've turned completely away from you." Now I love the way he speaks of God's grace. And now for a little space, a moment of time, and he's talking about what they've experienced. Now for a little space, grace hath been showed us from the Lord our God to leave us a remnant to escape. Now, by grace, this remnant, and remnant always means a small number. Now, I wish if it was Lord's will, we'd have thousands of people here tonight, and I hope if it's His will, that takes place, and you do too, if the Lord's gonna save a great number of people, but God's people have always been described as a remnant, a small number. a remnant according to the election of grace.

And somebody says, why doesn't God save more? You know, we ought to just be thankful he saved us. I want to be a witness to all men. I want to see a great reviving. I want to see many people saved according to his will. But I'm sure by his grace, I hope I'm not gonna find fault with him for how many he saves. He saved a remnant. And the Lord put it that way. He said, many go in at the broad gate, few go in at the straight gate. What about Sodom? He couldn't find ten believers there. What about the whole world during Noah's time?

Eight souls were saved. And while I want to have a heart for men and a heart for their salvation, and I want to seek the salvation of men, I don't want to charge God with being too narrow because of this remnant. If he says one glory to his name, he's altogether glorious, everything he does is right, and I trust his character, what he does is right, and what Grace, this little space of grace for this remnant to be delivered and to escape.

And I love this next phrase in verse eight, to give us a nail in his holy place. Now his holy place, that's his presence. That's talking about the holy of holies. And he's given us a nail. He's put us in, nailed us in so we can't get out. Isn't that a glorious thing? A nail in his holy place. that our God may lighten our eyes. This is what grace does. It lightens our eyes.

We're given the grace to see who he is. That's a miracle of grace that you know who he is. Most people could care less who he is. You know who he is. You bow before who he is. What grace to lighten your eyes to see who he is. And you know what you see next when you see who he is? You see who you are. You see your own in light of who He is.

That's when you see your own sinfulness and not before then. You know, people wreck their lives by their sin and their sins and so on, but that's not conviction of sin. Oh, I'm sorry I did this. I wish I hadn't started that. I wish this didn't. That's not the conviction of sin.

You're not truly convicted of sin until you see who He is. When you see who He is, you're sure enough gonna see who you are. You're gonna see your own sinfulness, but you're gonna have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God too. You're going to have the light of how He can save you for Christ's sake. And He can save you in a way that honors His justice, that honors His holy law, that honors all of His attributes. What light the Lord has given us. And he's given us a little reviving in our bondage.

Now, what is a little reviving? What is a little reviving? Well, first of all, it's reviving. But don't you feel like your reviving is little? And you're still living in a body of sin? He's revived you. He's given you life, but you feel like it's little. Ezra did. He called it a little reviving. Oh, my life's been so turned around, so great, and so, well, I hope it has been. But that's not the way Ezra talked. He talked about a little reviving in our bondage.

For we were bondmen. Yet, verse nine, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage because he forsake his son, he's not forsaking us. Our God. hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. Now, the temple is Christ, our salvation, the wall of His protection, His preserving grace. And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? After all you've done for us, this is all we can say about ourselves, we have forsaken thy commandments.

Which thou has commanded, verse 11, by thy servants, the prophets, saying the land into which you go to possess it is an unclean land, with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now that is a description of human religion, all these I'm sure it's also the wicked things they did.

I have no doubt that's certainly included in it. But I was, go back to Cain. When he brought his best, what was he bringing to God? Filthiness and abominations. That's all it could be called. And they were turning right back to the filthiness and abominations of these other nations.

Verse 12, now therefore give not This is what God had commanded. Now, therefore, give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, and seek, nor seek their peace or their wealth forever. Don't seek to get any peace or wealth or prosperity or blessing from false religion. Only then are you gonna be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever. Now, after all that's come upon us for our evil deeds, now remember, Israel hadn't done these things. but he's owning them as his own. As Christ, our Redeemer, owned our sins as his own.

After all this has come upon us for our evil deeds, for our great trespass, seeing that thou, our God, has punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and has given us such deliverance as this, and can't you say that? He's not punishing you with what you deserve. I'm so thankful for that. We can all say that, we all know that imminently. He's not given us what we deserve, but you've given us such deliverance as this, this great deliverance. Should we again break thy commandments and join affinity with the people of these abominations? Wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?

Oh Lord, God of Israel, thou art righteous. The righteousness of God. Can you say amen to that? He's righteous. Everything he does is righteous. He is the righteous God. I love the way everybody knows intuitively that's born into this world that God is righteous and that He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Now they don't understand the terms, I realize that, but everybody that's born into this world has some idea that God is righteous and sin is against them. And Ezra says, Oh Lord, God of Israel, thou art righteous.

And look what he says, for we remain yet escaped as it is this day. We should be in hell is what he's saying, but yet we remain escaped to this day. Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses for we cannot stand before thee because of this. Now, when I'm brought to that place, I am in such bad shape because of my sin that I can't stand before him. That's when a sinner's ready to hear the gospel. This is a good place to be. Oh, it's a horrible place in your experience. But this is when a sinner is ready to hear the gospel. Turn to Romans chapter three.

We cannot stand. a state of inability. Not even we will not stand, we cannot stand. No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither indeed can he know them. He lacks the ability to know them because they're spiritually discerned. You've never been convicted of your sin until you know you can't do anything about it. And here you are standing before you, we can't stand before you.

Now let's turn to Romans chapter three. Verse 19. Now we know, and before I go on, If I was asked, what passage of scripture would you want to preach the gospel to, to someone who is like this? I hope me and you are like this in our understanding of ourselves. Can't stand before it. But if I was given the privilege to preach the gospel to somebody who had no hope, they can't stand, this is the passage I would go to. Romans chapter three. Now let's begin reading in verse 19.

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped. All judging of God, all complaining about God's strictness or His fairness, every mouth is stopped. and all the world may become guilty before God. You can't stand, you're subject to his judgment, whatever he does is right, you are guilty as charged. You're not thinking about somebody else, you're just thinking about yourself. This is me, guilty as charged. Verse 20. Was there anything we can do in that state?

No. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. But, I'm so thankful for the buts in scripture. But, now, the righteousness of God, remember how he said, Lord, thou art righteous, But now the righteousness of God without the law, that has nothing to do with me personally in my own body keeping the law, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and prophets. This is what the Old Testament's always taught. This is nothing new. This is no new revelation. This is what the Old Testament, the law and the prophets have always taught. Never taught anything else.

Being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Now notice it doesn't say by faith in Jesus Christ. It says by faith of Jesus Christ. If I'm gonna be saved, I'm gonna be saved by the faith of Christ. I'm going to be saved by the faithfulness of Christ. I'm going to be saved by His law-keeping, His obedience. It doesn't have anything to do with any personal obedience on my part. His obedience.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and prophets. Even the righteousness of God Not human righteousness, but the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ. The righteousness of Christ is the righteousness of God, and it's unto all and upon all them that believe. If you believe, you have nothing less than the righteousness of God.

That's your righteousness. I know you can't stand before God, but he did. He did in His righteousness and you have His righteousness. Verse 22, go on ring for, there's no difference. I love that verse of scripture. There's no difference between one man and another. There's not one good and one kind of in the middle and one way down. There's no difference.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Now, I love that definition of sin. Sin is coming short of the glory of God. I know I've come short of that in every way, in every respect, every thought I've ever thought, every deed I've ever done, even supposedly in obedience to Him. I've come short of the glory of God. Verse 24. being justified freely.

Freely. Do I hear that? This is free. It doesn't cost you a thing. It costs God everything in the gift of his son. But this is freely without a cause. I can't stand. That's not a problem. freely, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the redeeming work of Christ on the cross. Even if you can't stand what he has done stands and that's all that counts.

Whom God set forth, verse 25, or foreordained. whom God foreordained. I love that. He didn't just say God provided him as a propitiation. This has always been God's purpose. Whom God foreordained to be a propitiation, a sin removing sacrifice through faith in His blood. Do you have faith in His blood? Do you believe that His blood is all that's needed to make you clean before God? Not your works, just His blood.

To declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. I love this. It doesn't say to declare His mercy or His love or His grace, although indeed those things are inherent in that, but it says to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed. You know why my sins are remitted? The righteousness of God demands it. They've been put away through the sin-atoning, perpetuatory sacrifice of Christ. The very righteousness of God demands my salvation. Verse 26, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? What are you gonna brag about?

It is excluded. By what law of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Now, is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Seeing it's one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith, do we make void the law through faith?

Do we just set aside the law? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. We honor the law. Now, the only one who can appreciate that message is one standing like Ezra. We can't stand before thee." That man can hear the gospel. Let's pray. Lord, by thy grace, We can't stand before you in and of ourselves.

We confess that in and of ourselves we're nothing but sin. Nothing but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. No soundness in us. We confess before thee that our righteousness is our filthy rags. And Lord, by thy grace, we stand at thy bar with our mouths shut. guilty before you.

But Lord, how we thank you for the gospel of your grace. How we thank you for your son, that you've been pleased to save sinners by what he did. Lord, bless this message for your glory and for our good. And as we face the coming week, Lord, we ask that you would give us the grace to walk by faith with thee. We ask that you would open up doors for us to preach your gospel to others and that you'd save sinners for Christ's sake. Lord, how we thank you for your salvation of sinners by your son. In his name we pray, amen.

The Prayer of Ezra

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about idolatry?

Why is the concept of grace important for Christians?

How do we know the righteousness of God is true?

What does the Bible say about confessing sin?

Why is separation from the world important for Christians?

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The Prayer of Ezra

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about idolatry?

Why is the concept of grace important for Christians?

How do we know the righteousness of God is true?

What does the Bible say about confessing sin?

Why is separation from the world important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

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