Thank you for reading this morning's Fire-starter. My Prayer is you will be encouraged to draw nigh unto the Lord. The Bible states in James 4:8 that if we draw nigh to God he will draw nigh to us. Our Fire-starter is taken from Ezra 9 Where we will be the next couple of Days as the Lord permits.

Yesterday we dealt with this topic but i would like to continue this topic this morning. We are around sin day in and day out. We see sin happen in America and there is nothing being done about it the majority of the time. As a preacher I have learned that People will either become hard-hearted to their sin and not repent or they will be sorrowful and remorseful over their sin.

Ezra, as we saw yesterday, was not only loaded down with the Heaviness of Sin But

2. He went straight to the source of where the cleansing could take place.

notice a few things in His prayer

   a.) he was Ashamed to even lift up my face to thee (Verse 6)

Ezra was Ashamed as we found for two things. We learned just the other day he was ashamed to ask the king for help and now we find he is ashamed to even lift his face to the Lord.

When a child does something against their parents most of the time, they will have their head down in shame of doing wrong. The reason being is because of the knowledge of doing wrong and also the hurt they have brought to their parents.

Church, can you imagine the hurt that has been brought to our Savior over our sin. You must realize this wasn't the sin of the nations, this wasn't the sin of the people of the nations, this was the sin of the People of God. The priest, the Children of the captivity of the Children of Israel.

God is angry with the wicked every day as Psalm 7:11 says.

Psalm 7:11 KJV

God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

but for the Child of God, we know that Judgment must begin at the house of God

notice what 1 Peter 4:17 state. 1 Peter 4:17 KJV For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

We, as Christians, have become hard to sin. I'm glad there are people that will be ashamed of their sin. Have you ever heard the Phrase there is no shame in it? Sometimes as I go about my day and see the wickedness that goes on in not only our world but also in the church I find more and more people unashamed of their sin. 

Church, we must get back to the shame of sin. Ezra was ashamed to even lift his face toward Heaven, how about you this morning? Are you even ashamed when you think about the wrongdoing that has been taken place in your life or even the church itself?

Hope you 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.