Leader's Evil Associations

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you an evil leader?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that leaders have the responsibility to strengthen themselves in the LORD so they won't fall and bring lots of damage to their members.

IV. TEXT:

Ezra 9:2 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages. Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage.”

V. THESIS:

Leaders have the responsibility to strengthen themselves in the LORD so they won't fall and bring lots of damage to their members.

VI. TITLE:

Leader's evil associations

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: unknown. Ezra might have been the compiler

B. Date written: 450 B.C.

C. Purpose: To document GOD's faithfulness, keeping His promises, sovereignly protecting His People and returned them to their own land.

D. To whom written: Jerusalem's restored remnant and future generations.

E. Main theme: Return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity

F. Keywords: Word of GOD, Power of the Word of GOD in human life, Word of the LORD

G. Key verses:

Ezra 1:3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you!

Ezra 7:10 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Evil associations

"For the men of Israel have married women from these people and have taken them as wives for their sons. So the holy race has become polluted by these mixed marriages."

Numbers 33:55 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live.

1 Kings 11:2 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.

2 Chronicles 19:2 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. “Why should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” he asked the king. “Because of what you have done, the Lord is very angry with you.

Proverbs 28:7 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.

1 Corinthians 15:33 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

Evil associations is done by marriages.

Joshua 23:12-13 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

“But if you turn away from him and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry with them,

then know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive them out of your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs and thorny brambles in your eyes, and you will vanish from this good land the Lord your God has given you.

Deuteronomy 7:3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters,

1 Corinthians 7:14-16 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.

(But if the husband or wife who isn’t a believer insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is no longer bound to the other, for God has called you to live in peace.)

Don’t you wives realize that your husbands might be saved because of you? And don’t you husbands realize that your wives might be saved because of you?

So the logic is if a believing husband brings holiness to his marriage, what does an unbelieving husband brings to his marriage? (opposite of holiness is evil)

Hebrews 13:4 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

B. The leaders have led them

"Worse yet, the leaders and officials have led the way in this outrage."

Ezekiel 14:10 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)