FBC Morning Light – March 10, 2022

Well, a good Thursday morning to you, how are you doing on this wonderful March day?

I trust things are going well for you as you look at our world around us.

We are Reminded every day of the role that different world leaders play

whether you're talking about Vladimir Putin or Xi

in China or Biden in the United States or Trudeau in Canada and on and on we can

go down the list of World leaders, right?

And the fascinating thing about these guys is that they all they all think that there's

something.

They all think that they're in control that they're in control of their country or their nation.

At least have some measure of control.

You know, they they think they're Operating pretty much independently doing what they want to do

pursuing their agenda.

They decide what their agenda is they establish that agenda and then they then they pursue it and

if they accomplish things then they take credit for it if they don't and they blame somebody else and you know on and so on

and so forth, but What we're reading in Ezra chapter 1 beginning the

book of Ezra today in our Bible reading plan.

Is that these guys?

These guys haven't got a clue as to what's really going on.

They don't seem to realize that behind their decisions and their

machinations and their agendas there is a sovereign hand of God who is at work and

he is accomplishing purposes that they don't even know about they're not even aware of and

so this comes out in chapter 1 the first couple of verses of the book of Ezra and We're

introduced in Ezra 1 to this king of Persia that well actually we were

introduced to him at the end of 2nd Chronicles chapter 36 in this book Ezra begins

basically reiterating what 2nd Chronicles told us that that Cyrus the king of

Persia issued a decree and said that any of the Jews who wanted to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple

they were free to go.

God bless you and go on your way.

But I want you to notice a couple of details about this number one the

man himself Cyrus who is the king of Persia?

He was prophesied by name to be the king of

Persia 200 years before he ever became the king of Persia

in the book of Isaiah chapter 44.

The end of the chapter 44 into chapter 45 the Lord through the Prophet

Isaiah speaks of His servant the Lord's servant Cyrus

not that Cyrus would be a Godly man a Jew who

would be a worshipper of God exclusively a worshipper of Yahweh exclusively and so on.

No.

But by the Lord saying that Cyrus is his servant He's saying he will be the instrument in my

hand to do what I want accomplished 200 years

by name God Says that this is this is going to happen.

Cyrus is going to be his instrument.

Well, Cyrus becomes the king of Persia and the Persians overthrow the Babylonians and

Then, you know Cyrus has this notion that he wants to Free

Jewish people to go back to Jerusalem.

Where'd he get that idea?

Where'd he get that idea?

Well again two little details verse one tells us in the first place that That this was

decreed so that the word of the Prophet Jeremiah Might be fulfilled

the word of the Lord by the mouth of prophet the Prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled.

Now lest you think oh, okay.

Well, so Cyrus was reading his Bible one day and he came across this passage these passages in

Jeremiah that said you know this captivity this Babylonian captivity is gonna last 70 years and Then they

would be released and be able to go back and rebuild the temple and so Cyrus said well, hey, you know what?

Let me do them calculation.

Oh, it's a 70th year.

I need to send these people back.

And no, that's not exactly the way it worked.

Because as you continue reading in verse 1 It says in order that the word of the Lord by the

mouth of the Prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled the Lord Stirred up the

spirit of Cyrus king of Persia So that he Cyrus made a

proclamation throughout his kingdom in other words.

Whatever.

Cyrus's.

Motivations were Whatever he perceived as being politically expedient and

Thought that this would be a good thing for his kingdom to release the Jews.

What.

Whatever we're not given the intricate thoughts and thought processes

and the Advice and counsel and all the rest of that that he got from all of his counselors and advisors.

We're not privy to any of that.

What we are privy to is the fact that the Lord stirred this up.

The Lord brought it about so that The prophecy that the Lord

gave 70 years earlier by the mouth of Jeremiah the Prophet would be fulfilled.

That's the thing so.

Keep that in mind when you're looking at world affairs and you're looking at the news.

If you bother to look at the news And listen to what these guys say

look at their actions and what they do.

And.

Realize that and sometimes as difficult as it may be to

come to this conclusion that These guys are not into they're not

operating independently as.

If.

There is not a God who is in control.

No, there is a sovereign God who is in control.

And I don't pretend for the moment to understand all that God is doing in working

behind the scenes.

I Mean you we realize that there is.

There there is you know, there's warfare going on among the forces of the

wicked one.

We know that you know, we give in to get insight from that in the book of Daniel and all the rest of that.

But but here's what we know.

Here's what we can say with confidence.

Our God is in control.

Our God is the sovereign God.

He moves kings and rulers and leaders of nations to to

speak to make decisions to issue decrees to take courses of action

that are according to his plan and According to his purposes

and they may not have a clue.

Now Cyrus as we go on to read what Cyrus decreed Cyrus somehow came to

understand that it was the God of Heaven that had given him all

the kingdoms of his reign of his domain.

And it was the God of heaven who commanded him to build the house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

How he got that information?

He doesn't tell us.

But God communicated it to him now Joe Biden may not get that Vladimir Putin

may not understand that President China she doesn't

he doesn't know he doesn't perceive this.

He has no clue.

That the decisions that he's making in the decrees.

He's issuing and so forth are.

Are.

Under the sovereign control of God because God has a purpose.

For that decree It's one that Transcends our

understanding and comprehension and is beyond our scope of gathering it all in

after all.

Who can understand the judgments in the mind of the Lord?

Let's just rest our faith in him knowing that He

is in control.

Let's not be fretful and fearful and Wringing our hands in despair over the

course of the things in this world.

Let's instead trust in our sovereign God.

We thank you father for this insight into who you are.

Into your control into your sovereignty.

We thank you father.

There are our confidence is not in men and those who sit in Congress or sit in

the White House or sit in Moscow or Anywhere Beijing or anywhere with

our hope and our confidence is in you.

May we trust you our sovereign God this we pray in Jesus name.

Amen.

All right.

Well, have a good rest of your Thursday and I trust God will bless you in it.

Good day.