\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Ezra 9<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. God is Holy, but we fall short<\/p>\n
A. Sin is a not a part of the nature of God – I John 1:5<\/p>\n
B. To be in fellowship with God, we also must without sin – I John 1:6-7<\/p>\n
1. But notice that God is not expecting perfection from us<\/p>\n
2. Provision is made for when we sin to be cleansed from those sins<\/p>\n
3. What God wants from us is to walk in righteousness<\/p>\n
C. Sin is going to happen – I John 1:8-10<\/p>\n
1. We have to be honest that we do fail and are not perfect<\/p>\n
2. We have to admit before God that we sin<\/p>\n
3. Only by acknowledging that we are not holy can we be welcomed back <\/p>\n
D. This is not an excuse – I John 2:1-6<\/p>\n 1. John is encouraging us to avoid sin, but to also know that when we do sin,\nit is not the end\n
2. Jesus paid for our sins and is our advocate before God<\/p>\n 3. But if we are going to claim we know God, we must keep His\ncommandments\n
II. Ezra was upset by the sins of his countrymen<\/p>\n
A. Israel was sent into captivity because of their sins – Ezra 9:7<\/p>\n
1. A great many revolved around their worship of idols – II Kings 17:7-23<\/p>\n 2. But what did the Israelites do when they returned from captivity? They\nmarried into families of idolaters! – Ezra 9:10-14\n
B. It was too much to face – Ezra 9:6<\/p>\n
C. But the Israelites with Ezra agreed that they were wrong – Ezra 10:1-3<\/p>\n
D. And the answer? Be courageous and act! – Ezra 10:4<\/p>\nIII. David, a king who sincerely loved God committed adultery and tried to cover it up with\nmurder\n A. David pleaded with God to cleanse him, but he was haunted by what he had done\n– Psalms 51:1-3\n
B. Satan plays on our guilt, chaining us down until we want to just give up. <\/p>\n 1. We can’t face our friends, our family, our loved ones at church — we can’t\nface ourselves. \n 2. We judge ourselves harsher than anyone else, including God, and declare\nwe aren’t worthy.\n
C. David asked for both a clean heart and a renewed steadfast spirit – Psalms 51:10<\/p>\n
1. He needed forgiveness and confidence to go forward – Psalms 51:12<\/p>\n
2. Then he would be able to act. Then he could teach others – Psalms 51:13<\/p>\n 3. Not only would David be restored, but David saw that all sinners could be\nchanged.\n
IV. Behind it all is this one grain of truth: guilt holds us back because we are afraid. <\/p>\n A. Have you ever thought why among all the deep dark sins, God listed “the\ncowardly” first in Revelation 21:8? \n
B. Cowardice sends more people to hell than any other sin.<\/p>\n
C. Cowardice keeps us from acting – Joshua 1:6-9<\/p>\n
V. Your God, your family, your friends, your fellow Christians, we all love you. <\/p>\n
A. Peter said, love will cover a multitude of sins – I Peter 4:8<\/p>\n
1. It is not hiding your sins while you remain in them. <\/p>\n
2. It is a burying of the past, so you can move forward – Philippians 3:12-14<\/p>\n B. And our shovels are at the ready to bury the past when any sinner comes back to\nus.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ezra 9 I. God is Holy, but we fall short A. Sin is a not a part of the nature of God – I John 1:5 B. To be in fellowship with God, we also must without sin – I John 1:6-7 1. But notice that God is not expecting perfection…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[1126,703,179],"class_list":["post-53692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-courage","tag-guilt","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13943,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sin-of-pride\/","url_meta":{"origin":53692,"position":0},"title":"The Sin of Pride","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Psalms 73:1-12 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pride is prevalent in our society \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pride in our work \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pride in yourself - often called self-esteem \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pride in sin. We have a whole month called \u201cPride Month\u201d to celebrate sin \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Letters come addressed not just to the church, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41622,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/saint-or-sinner\/","url_meta":{"origin":53692,"position":1},"title":"Saint or Sinner?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 1 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Would you describe yourself as a saint or a sinner? Or perhaps you see yourself as both. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0John Calvin, and his followers, believe that God selects those who are saved. Once selected, that person cannot be removed from God\u2019s saving hand. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52431,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/misconceptions-about-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":53692,"position":2},"title":"Misconceptions about Sin","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 6:1-23 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A young man was trying to formulate arguments why he thought \u201conce saved, always saved\u201d was a biblical truth \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cOnce a person is saved, however, and God writes his name in the book of life and gives him the Spirit, he won't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44574,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-and-the-problem-of-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":53692,"position":3},"title":"God and the Problem of Sin","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:11-15 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God\u2019s Nature \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God is Holy - Isaiah 6:3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is not even a hint of sin in God - I John 1:5 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Evil is not a part of His nature, nor does He accept evil in others - Psalms 5:4 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39079,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/well-nobodys-perfect\/","url_meta":{"origin":53692,"position":4},"title":"Well, Nobody’s Perfect","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: I John 2:1-6 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At times a person sins and is caught. He has no regrets about his particular sin, except the embarrassment of being caught. He offers the illogical argument, \u201cWell, nobody\u2019s perfect.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is illogical because it insists that sinning can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54106,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-nature-of-law-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":53692,"position":5},"title":"The Nature of Law (Sermon)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 7:1-14 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Laws can be irritating at times. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Do this, don\u2019t do that. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Of course, we never get it right. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Why do we need laws? II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Law defines right and wrong - Romans 7:7-13 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The law does not make things right or wrong, it simply\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53692\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}