Ezra 9 is where our Fire-starter reading will be this morning, i hope you will take a moment and read the scripture and let it speak to your heart. We are dealing with Sin and the effects it should have on our life 

Let me go on record that all sin is sin!!!! We like to classify sin as this ain't as bad as this or this is a greater sin than what I am doing. That's how we live our life. 

"Instead of trying to compare our sin with someone else's sin may we be confessing our sin to the Savior."

The Children of Israel were given a commandment that when you enter into the land you do not take wives or husbands of the people of the land. Since this was the commandment by doing so they sinned against God. By the way, going against the commandment that God has given you is a SIN!!!! 

How did Ezra handle the sin that had been brought up? Can we apply it to our life today?

1. The load was too much until it brought him to his knees. Verse 5. 

After hearing about the sin that had been committed in Israel Ezra was burdened down with a load of heaviness. 

If the sin is not heavy to you, check up on your salvation. Sin is a heavy load Christ said about his yoke notice Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Notice the word yoke. The Yoke was put on the ox as a burden and when the yoke has been put on two oxen the burden has become a lot easier to bear. See with sin the YOKE, Load, is hard to bear for a Christian because our Savior will not help us carry our load of sin. He can take the sin away by cleansing it but you mark it down he WILL NOT help you as you are carrying the load of sin on your shoulder. He will make it to where you will not want to carry it anymore. 



That's why we can allow our sin to drive us to our knees to true repentance because Christ will not be a part of our sin. He is willing to cleanse us!!!

Notice 1 John 1:9 KJV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

i saw a quote that someone had written, and it said this, "Confessing is more than just a shallow reciting of things you've done wrong. You have to own up to wrongdoing."

The Yoke of sin cannot be taken off of you if you will not admit that it's weighing you down. That's what Ezra did, He admitted that the Heaviness from the sin of Israel was weighing him down. 

Sin will always weigh you down!!!

Have a great day

Ezra 9:1-15 KJV

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. [2] For they have 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 hath been chief in this trespass. [3] And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied. [4] 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 astonied until the evening sacrifice. [5] And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God, [6] And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. [7] Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; 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, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. [8] And now for a little space grace hath been shewed 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. [9] 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 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. [10] And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken thy commandments, [11] Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets, saying, The land, unto which ye 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. [12] Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. [13] And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; [14] Should we again break thy commandments, and join in 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? [15] O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.