Sermon for Lord's Day December 17, 2023 "Keep on the Firing Line" (pt 10)

Here I Stand Theology iconHere I Stand Theology

4 views

Sermon for Lord's Day December 17, 2023 "Keep on the Firing Line" (pt 10)

0 comments

Sermon for Lord's Day December 31, 2023 "What About the Ark?" (pt 11)

00:03
Before we stand to read the scripture, let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning. Our Heavenly Father, as we come before your throne today,
00:27
God, we come this morning, first and foremost, to say thank you, to give you glory, to give you honor, to give you praise, to magnify your holy name above all.
00:48
Lord, we give you thanks specifically this day for this privilege and this honor,
00:55
God, of being able to gather with the saints of God. And Lord, to be reminded by your spirit as we sang that song, that for ages,
01:10
God, the saints of God have gathered to sing praises, to preach and to proclaim your word, to rejoice in your truth.
01:27
And Lord, I just want to thank you for this heritage that you have given to us, this blessing and this joy of being able to gather with your redeemed people, that we might, as we dive into your word,
01:47
God, that we might know you more, that we might love you better, that we might serve you rightly, that we may worship you in truth.
01:59
Oh, God, today, you have been better to us, it goes without saying, than we deserve, but the scriptures tell us this truth, for you have by taken our sins upon yourself on the cross,
02:20
Jesus. You bore the wrath of God, you were made propitiation, you took our place, therefore our sins are cast behind you as far as the east is from the west, and God, because of that, today, we can worship you.
02:39
Show us, Christ, in the scriptures, teach us,
02:44
God, instill in us, oh God, the importance of the preach and the taught word, instill in us,
02:59
God, the value that you place upon your church in which you gave your life for us.
03:07
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the head of the church, and today, in the name of the
03:15
Father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Spirit, we will strive to do our best to worship you, in spirit and in truth, for it's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
03:30
If you would stand with us. We are only going to read the first six verses of chapter five, however, by way of exposition, we'll be looking at the entire chapter.
03:47
Ezra chapter five, verses one through six, these are the words of the living
03:53
God. Now the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the son of Edo, and prophesied to the
04:00
Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
04:06
Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Josedek, arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.
04:19
At the same time, Tatni, the governor of the province beyond the river, and Shattar -Bothni, and their associates came to them and spoke to them, saying thus.
04:30
Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure? They also asked them this, what are the names of the men who are building this building?
04:42
But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the report should reach
04:49
Darius, and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.
04:55
As far as the reading of God's holy word, you may be seated. If you want to put a header on your notes this morning, you can put what
05:08
I have on mine, or whatever you want to name it, but basically it's the title of one of our hymns,
05:14
Keep on the Firing Line, for this is what I believe we see in the text.
05:20
The old psalm says this, if you're in the battle for the Lord and the right, keep on the firing line.
05:27
If you win, my brother, surely you must fight, keep on the firing line.
05:33
There are many dangers that we all must face, if we die fighting, it is no disgrace.
05:40
A coward in the service, he will find no place, so keep on the firing line.
05:48
When we get to heaven, brother, we'll be glad. How we'll praise the
05:53
Savior for the call we had. When we see the souls that we have helped to win, leading them to Jesus from the paths of sin, with a shout of welcome, we will all march in, so keep on the firing line.
06:10
You must fight, be brave, against all evil, never run, nor even lag behind.
06:19
If you're in the battle for the Lord and the right, then keep on the firing line.
06:26
Last week, last week we examined Haggai's first sermon to the children of Israel.
06:33
What we learned last week by way of summary was simply this, Haggai delivered the message on the first day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of King Darius.
06:47
What we saw in the text was the serious nature of the Jews' attitude toward the rebuilding of the temple.
06:56
What we learned was this, that it was low on their priority list, however, what also we learned was this, that the
07:04
Lord is so gracious to his people that he rebukes his people, that he chastises his people, and that in love he points them in the right direction.
07:17
And he does so, and he did so by the message that he sent by Haggai the prophet.
07:24
We would be out of order this morning if we did not mention here at the beginning of the sermon, if we did not mention today the significance and the importance of understanding, as we mentioned previously, that our text is literally, literally speaking about the rebuilding of the broken down physical temple.
07:47
Literally, that's what it's speaking about, and simultaneously, at the same time, speaking of the greater and the more perfect tabernacle of Christ and his church.
08:02
Richard Gilpin, one of the old Puritans, said this concerning the church, and this is why it's so important that we have a high, we place a high value and a high emphasis on the
08:13
Lord's church and the importance of the Lord's church. Gilpin said this, as the church was the great thing which
08:21
God in the creation of the world had an eye upon as a means of glorifying himself, so it is likewise the main object of providence.
08:33
Had it not been for this, he would not have created the world. That he appointed his church,
08:39
Gilpin said, to be the great means of displaying to men and to angels that wonderful variety of wisdom which is more to be seen in it than in all the creation besides it.
08:53
This is the high value, the high emphasis on the beauty and the importance of the church of the living
09:00
God. What is amazing today, as we begin to look at this text, is this, that what we read, we can read it in order of time as it occurs in the scripture.
09:13
Again, we have these plain dates and times set out before us so we can understand by the inferences given to the kings in the rule and the reign at that moment, but I want you to notice something here first.
09:27
Notice something in verse 3. The scripture says this, at the same time,
09:33
Tatnai, the governor of the province beyond the river and Shetharboznai and their associates came to them and spoke to them saying thus.
09:43
That little phrase there at verse 3, the very first three words, four words of verse 3, at the same time, at the same time, literally at that time, it literally means a set time or a season.
10:00
So we can understand this passage to interpret, to explain itself and to teach us this, that at the time,
10:09
Haggai preached his first sermon, although this first sermon was a scalding rebuke, it was a timely sermon.
10:19
It was a sermon that was helpful. It was a sermon that was beneficial, why? Because it was at that season, at that point in history, when these tattletales, what
10:30
I'm going to call them, tattletales and troublemakers began to stir the pot, as it were.
10:36
And what was the question that they asked? And I laughed all week,
10:41
I hope April hasn't come upstairs and thought I was crazy back in the study, but all week, every time
10:49
I read this question that they ask, I giggle a little bit to myself because the question that they asked was who gave you the decree to build this house?
11:01
And the next question was, they also asked them, what are the names of the men who are building this house?
11:08
So who gave you the decree to build this house and to finish this structure? And who are the names of the men who are building this house?
11:18
So note that question. And it was at the same time, again, remember this, in the same season that Haggai preached this first sermon, these jokers come up and they ask this question, who gave you this decree?
11:35
Who told you you could do this? Who gave you permission to do this?
11:42
Now, how do you think the people responded? Maybe a better question is this, not even what you think, what do you think or how do you feel like the people responded?
11:51
Because that's irrelevant. But what does the text say? How did the people respond?
11:58
We can know how the people responded by, again, going back to Haggai for a summary.
12:03
Again, go back to Haggai chapter one, verse seven and eight and then verses 12 through 15.
12:10
The word of God states this in Haggai's sermon, thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways, go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the
12:27
Lord. Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehoshaphat, the high priest, and with all the remnant of the people, they obeyed the voice of the
12:37
Lord, their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord, their God, had sent him.
12:43
And the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the messenger of the
12:49
Lord, spoke to the people of the Lord's message. So remember, he denounced their sin, he called them to repentance, then the
12:57
Spirit, then the Lord said to them, the Lord gave them assurance and said, I am with you, declares the
13:04
Lord. And the Lord stirred up, in Haggai's book again, the
13:10
Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, he stirred up Joshua, he stirred up the spirit of the remnant of all the people.
13:18
And they came and they worked on the house of the Lord of Hosts, their God, on the 24th day in the sixth month in the second year of the reign of King Darius.
13:30
The Jews had their answer before they needed to give it to these jokers that came and asked them this question.
13:37
And I'm calling them jokers intentionally because these folks thought they were somebody. The world, and I'll just tell you, to be honest with you here,
13:46
I'm headed about up to here with the world assuming that it can dictate to the church of the living
13:51
God how and what should take place in the church of the living God. The Jews had their answer before they needed it.
14:01
The Lord's message had been delivered to them and timely, in a providential manner, the circumstance, the circumstance, this circumstance prevented itself in so much as all they had to do was keep on working.
14:21
All they had to do was stay on the firing line. They didn't have to look around, my friend.
14:26
Why? Because they had heard the word of the Lord and the Lord had given them assurance.
14:32
The Lord had stirred up their spirit. If you want to, if you want a good test to see if somebody is walking in the spirit, if they are genuinely obeying
14:41
God, tell them to stop. If they can stop, it's likely they may not be genuinely obeying and following the
14:48
Lord because when the Lord puts a call, when the Lord gives you a command, it's not up to the world to tell you to stop or start.
14:57
It's up to our master, the Lord Jesus Christ. So 16 years or so earlier, they had already said no to the world, as it were.
15:08
Remember when they came and they said, we want to help you build, we serve and worship the same
15:14
God that you worship. And they said no. Right. And now again, here in the text, in Ezra chapter five, by providential, by providential provision or by providential permission, these folks come, they try to tell them to stop the work.
15:33
And what happens? They keep on working. So by means of application here, as we go to to make application little by little, as we are moving through this text, it's important for us, it's important for us church to remember this, that we do not have an arrangement with the world.
15:54
We don't go along to get along, so to speak. The world doesn't have anything on the church.
16:02
The church isn't in debt to the world. The world doesn't have an ace up their sleeve, so to speak.
16:11
In fact, it's quite the opposite. The church, according to the word of God, holds the keys to the kingdom.
16:19
The church has the message of hope for the sinful condition of this world. The church, why the scripture even tells us this, the church is the pillar and the ground of truth.
16:32
The church has always been called to come out from among the world and to be a separate people.
16:39
It doesn't matter whether it's the church in the Old Testament or it's the church in the New Testament.
16:45
The call has always been the same. What happened here? God stirred up the people to build, and that's exactly what they did.
16:56
They weren't deterred and they weren't distracted by the opposition. As well, later in time, later in time, if you want to turn over to the book of Nehemiah, we can read
17:08
Nehemiah's response when attempts were made to distract and to divert his attention from the work on the rebuilding of the broken down walls in Jerusalem.
17:18
We actually, again, have a transcript here under the inspiration of the
17:24
Holy Spirit of God, Nehemiah chapter six, Nehemiah chapter six, verse one.
17:30
When Sanballat and Tobiah and Gishom the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I built the wall and that there was no breach left in it, although up to that time
17:41
I had not set up doors in the gates, Sanballat and Gishom sent to me saying, this was their message to them, come and let us meet together at Hacatherim in the plain of Ono.
17:53
But they intended to do me harm. Nehemiah recognized this and I sent messengers to them saying,
18:00
I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?
18:11
Let's pause here for just a moment. When the world tries to say, oh, don't be, don't be enthralled with the work that you're doing.
18:21
Don't be so involved. Don't give yourself so much to the church of the living God. One of the things that we ought to spout out immediately to them is this.
18:30
We are doing a great work in Jesus name because the church of Jesus Christ stands as a city on a hill in this world.
18:43
This world is lost. This world is dying in sin. And the church of Jesus Christ has the message of salvation.
18:52
I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you,
18:58
Nehemiah said. And Nehemiah goes on to say, they sent to me four times in this way and I answered them in the same manner, in the same way
19:08
Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand and in it was written these words.
19:16
It is reported among the nations and Gishom also says it that you and the
19:22
Jews intend to rebel. This was the complaint of the nations around about from the very beginning.
19:30
If you'll go back to Ezra and read it, you'll see it throughout. This was the complaint. They always, when they told on God's people for doing what
19:39
God had sent them to do, they always told the kings of the land that the purpose and intent was to rebel against them.
19:48
It's not so much. Listen, worship of the almighty God. We are not rebelling against the world.
19:54
We are worshiping God. We were not even concerned about when I say concerned about the world where it's not a conflict there.
20:03
We don't we don't have to be an open rebellion to the world. We just have to be an open obedience to Jesus Christ.
20:11
He goes on to say in Nehemiah and he says this is reported among the nation. Gishom says that you intend to rebel.
20:18
That is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports, you wish to become their king.
20:24
And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, which was a lie.
20:30
There is a king in Judah. That's what he said. They said they were going to say. And now now who was it?
20:38
Sam said this. And now I'm going to and I'm saying this and now the king will hear these reports.
20:46
So now come and let us take counsel together. So Sam for the fifth time is trying to get
20:52
Nehemiah to give up, to quit, to lay down, to come off the firing line. Then Nehemiah says, then
20:59
I sent to him saying no such things as you have said have been done for you are inventing them out of your own mind, for they all wanted to frighten us thinking that their hands will drop from the work and it will not be done.
21:15
But now, oh, God, strengthen my hands. Now, when
21:20
I went into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Goliath, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said to me, let us meet together in the house of God within the temple.
21:30
Let us close the doors of the temple. For they are coming to kill you as though by seeking refuge in the temple that he would not be killed.
21:40
He said they are coming to kill you by night. But Nehemiah said, but I said, should such a man as I run away and what man such as I could go into the temple and live,
21:53
I will not go in. And I understood, Nehemiah said, I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him for this purpose.
22:09
He was hired that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin.
22:15
And so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. Listen, the world, the world did that years ago.
22:24
Actually, the Roman Catholic Church did that years ago in church history. They gave a group of men and women who held cleanly, who held closely and clung tightly to the word of God, a byword, called them a byword.
22:40
And that word was Puritans. Listen, that's not always had a good connotation.
22:47
It was meant to be a bad thing. But listen, just like in Joseph's case, we can say this, what the world means for evil,
22:56
God means it for good. So our Lord, and it's important here as we consider this, as we consider the idea of keeping on as how they kept on the firing line here.
23:08
Notice, notice closely as we move forward here, the stability that they had, the faith that they had.
23:17
Where did that faith, where did that stability, where did that hope come from? My goodness. It's been testified from beginning to end today.
23:25
Throughout Sunday school, their faith came from God and their faith came from God's word that was delivered to them.
23:34
It is beautiful and it is an amazing thing. So as we consider this,
23:40
I want you to consider too as well the faith of our Lord, primarily the faith of our
23:46
Lord. Our Lord set before us the great example in the Gospels. For the scripture tells us this, that he set his face like a flint towards Jerusalem.
23:57
In the book of Hebrews, again, been all over Hebrews again this morning in class and out of here.
24:03
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, Hebrews chapter 12, verse one through four, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, the scripture says this, let us lay aside every way and the sin which does so easily beset us and let us run.
24:25
The King James says with patience, the ESV says with endurance, let us run with endurance.
24:32
This race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith for the scripture says, consider him, consider
24:47
Christ, consider our Lord, consider our
24:52
Savior. And he goes on to say in the text, consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, unless you be wearied and faint in your minds.
25:05
And the writer goes on to say, for we have not yet resisted unto blood, so we have not yet resisted to the point of shedding of blood in verse five there.
25:17
But the eye of their God, the scripture says the eye of their God was on the elders of the
25:23
Jews and they did not stop. How do we know they didn't stop?
25:28
Because the word says they didn't stop when this happened. Why? Why can we know they didn't stop?
25:35
Because we know the result of Haggai's message. This is why it's so important.
25:41
The eye of the Lord was on the Jews and they did not stop them. The scripture says until the report should reach
25:48
Darius, but not just until the report could reach Darius, but until it could be answered by Darius.
25:55
It wasn't an email. It didn't happen instantaneously. Right. It happened over a period of time.
26:04
So again, in verse five, that word stop is an example of God's providence preventing something from happening that would have otherwise happened.
26:16
We're familiar enough with the idea that what God sends our way is his providence.
26:21
But there is also there's also an equal oversight of prevention that takes place in our lives.
26:29
Things happen because God orders them to happen. He orders them to happen before they happen.
26:36
He orders them to happen in precisely the way that they happen. But there is equally a controlling superintendence over the affairs of the universe cosmically and of our lives individually, which ensures that certain other things do not happen.
26:58
God's providence. Very, very important here. So two things are in view.
27:05
First, notice this. Tatnai was unable to stop the work of the rebuilding. He tried.
27:13
He tried. And second, notice the elders of the Jews were not tempted to succumb or to give in to the threats that were made.
27:22
Why were they not tempted to give in? Because they had been renewed. They had been revived.
27:28
They had been refreshed. They had been strengthened. They had been given hope.
27:35
The living God, the God that made the heavens and the earth, the God who called their forefathers, brought their forefathers out of Egypt, now brought them out of captivity and gave them a task.
27:47
A God who providentially and sovereignly oversaw every event that took place so as to work all things according to the counsel of his own will.
28:00
So again, let's turn our attention to the significant impact and the power and the efficacy of the preaching of the word of God.
28:15
Haggai's first message was imperative. Haggai's first message was imperative.
28:23
And by that, what I mean to say is this, that it required an immediate response.
28:29
It wasn't a message intended for the people to settle down and for them to digest it.
28:38
It was meant as a call to immediate action. It's very important. The sermon wasn't a sermon that suggested that you could hear it carelessly.
28:49
Again, this is the significance of God's church, the high value and the emphasis that we place on God's church, the importance and the value of God's church is that when we come and we pray and we sing songs unto our
29:03
God, and when we hear the word taught and we hear the word preached, that we do not do so in a careless manner, but that we understand that we, when we hear this spread, we hear the words of the living
29:16
God. So they did not, this was not intended to be heard carelessly.
29:28
The sermon demanded action, Haggai's sermon, the message of Haggai carried weight.
29:35
There was a real sense of immediacy in the delivery of Haggai's sermon to the people.
29:42
Andrew Gray said this in a sermon concerning death. He said, surely
29:47
I think we are all near to eternity. And there are some hearing me today whom
29:54
I defy the world to assure that ever they shall hear another sermon. Therefore, Gray said,
30:00
I entreat you all to hear this preaching as if it were the last preaching that you should ever hear.
30:07
And oh, that we would speak it as if it were the last sermon that we would ever preach unto you.
30:15
Why the emphasis? Why the significance? Because we are not guaranteed another day.
30:22
So we should worship God best we can in this moment, in this day and in this hour, again, going back to the text there, but the eye of their
30:36
God was upon them. The eye of their God was upon them. The scripture says there.
30:42
I'm reminded of Psalm chapter 33, Psalm chapter 33 verses four, beginning in verse four, the word of God says this, for the word of the
30:51
Lord is upright and all his work is done in faithfulness.
30:58
He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the steadfast love of the
31:04
Lord for it is by the word of the Lord that the heavens were made. And by the breath of his mouth, that all their hosts were there.
31:13
He gathers the water of the sea as a heap. He puts the deep in the storehouses.
31:19
Let all the earth fear before the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
31:27
Why? For he spoke and it came to be. He commanded and it stood firm.
31:36
The Lord brings the council of the nations to nothing, and he frustrates the plans of the people.
31:44
We see this demonstrated in the text. The council of the
31:50
Lord stands forever. The plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose
31:57
God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
32:03
The Lord looks down from heaven. He sees all the children of man from where he sits enthroned.
32:10
He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth. He who fashions the hearts of all them and observe all their deeds.
32:19
The king is not saved by his great army. A warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
32:26
The war horse is a false hope for salvation and by its great might, it cannot rescue.
32:34
But behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him.
32:40
Do you fear the Lord? The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love.
32:49
Do you fear the Lord? Do you hope in his steadfast love? Those who hope in his steadfast love that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
33:04
Our soul, the psalmist declared, our soul waits for the Lord for he is our help and he, our shield, our heart is glad in him because we trust in his holy name.
33:21
Let your steadfast love, oh Lord, be upon us even as we hope in you.
33:29
The eye of their God was upon them. They knew more than just gave an intellectual ascent to the truth of that psalm there, but they experientially knew and understood the reality that God was their
33:47
God. One of the spiritual songs that is sung throughout the years, that one of the phrases in the song says this, his eye is on the
33:59
Sparrow. So I know he watches me. He knows the very numbers of the hairs of your head.
34:08
The scriptures teach us this. So from the text, the people work on the temple. The people continue to work on the temple with a sincere heart, with a sincere heart and an earnest desire, a sincere heart and an earnest desire despite their opposition.
34:31
The church, God's church was triumphant then and the church is triumphant today.
34:40
We serve the living God and what man, I would ask you this, what man or power is there that can stop the victorious procession of the
34:52
Lord's redeemed bride? The answer is there ain't one. The old song, we're marching to Zion.
35:02
Come ye that love the Lord and let your joys be known. Join in a song with sweet accord and thus surround the throne.
35:13
Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God, but children of the heavenly king shall speak their joys abroad.
35:25
We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. We're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.
35:37
Church, today, I want to just encourage you to press on, fight the good fight of faith.
35:47
It is worth it. Christ is worth it. John Knox said this concerning the effort and the understanding of knowing that the church itself is victorious.
36:02
John Knox said this, oh brethren, is not the devil the prince of this world? Vanquished and cast out has not
36:10
Christ Jesus for whom we suffer made conquest of him. Reference Colossians.
36:17
We're going to read that here in just a minute and shall not our champion return? Stand with Christ Jesus in this day of battle, which shall be short and the victory everlasting for the
36:31
Lord himself shall come in our defense and with his mighty power, he shall give us the victory when the battle is the most strong Colossians chapter two.
36:44
Again, I referenced that. I want you to hear this. Therefore, as you receive Christ Jesus, the
36:50
Lord Colossians chapter two, verse six, as you have therefore received Christ Jesus, the
36:57
Lord, so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.
37:04
Just as you were taught abounding in thanksgiving, see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of this world and not according to Christ for in him, in Christ, the whole fullness of deity dwells.
37:31
The fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form for you have been filled in him who, by the way, is the head of all rule and authority and in him also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him by baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.
38:08
But wait, there's more who raised him from the dead. God raised
38:14
Christ from the dead who raised him from the dead and you who were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh.
38:24
The scripture says that God made alive together with him, with Christ.
38:33
Having forgiven us, the scripture says, he forgave us, he forgave us all trespasses, all trespasses.
38:43
How? By canceling the record of death that stood against us. What was that record of death that stood against us?
38:51
It was the law. It was the reality and the understanding that we were unable to meet the holy, righteous requirements set forth in the law.
39:00
And all we could do was be in debt. But Christ paid your debt.
39:08
Christ paid for your sin, the scripture says, and he set it aside, nailing it to his cross.
39:18
And in doing so, the scripture says, King James says he spoiled principalities and powers.
39:24
The ESV said he disarmed the rulers and the authorities and he put them to an open chain by triumphing over them in it.
39:37
Church, know this, our confession of faith is the solid rock on which we stand.
39:44
And what is our confession of faith? It is this, that Jesus Christ is the son of God.
39:51
Jesus Christ is the son of God. In Matthew chapter 16, when they came,
39:57
Jesus, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, the scripture says this, he asked his disciples, who do men say that I am?
40:06
And they said, some say you're John the Baptist. Others say you're Elijah and others say you're
40:13
Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. But Jesus said to them, but who do you say that I am?
40:20
And Simon Peter replied, you are the Christ, the son of the living
40:27
God. And Jesus answered him and said, blessed are you,
40:32
Simon Bar -Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my father who is in heaven.
40:42
And I tell you, Peter, you're a little stone. And on this rock,
40:49
I will build my church on this Petra, on this confession, on this truth. The church is not built on the apostle
40:56
Peter. It's built on Christ Jesus and him alone. The Pope is not the head of the church.
41:04
He may think that he has a succession from Peter, as though Peter held some magic power.
41:11
Peter was a man just like you and I, with the only difference, he was an apostle.
41:16
He had a literal call from the risen Christ to preach and proclaim the message of Christ and perform the miracles that Christ gave him the power to do.
41:25
Other than that, he was a sinner in need of salvation by grace in Christ Jesus alone.
41:32
Upon this rock, I will build my church, Jesus said, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
41:39
I'll give you the keys of the kingdom and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven.
41:45
And whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Lastly, moving to a close here, lastly, notice this, the detail of this letter that was written to Darius as we move our way through this chapter here.
42:01
Notice the detail of this letter that was written to Darius. And we've got to we've got to, again, be honest.
42:10
We've got to be transparent, at least, at least Tachni, Shetar, Bosna, these guys, at least they were honest in their writing to the king somewhat.
42:20
But this is their letter. So verse eight, verse eight, notice this, be it known unto the king.
42:27
Verse eight is a testimony to the powerful working of the spirit of God in the people's hearts and in the people's minds.
42:36
Why? It's reasonable for us to assume that where the Lord is working in the people, that the people will be working for God.
42:44
We do not listen. There's times where there is abundance of activity in a church.
42:51
There's times when there's little to no activity in the church. And yes, that can be that can be measured on different extremes.
42:58
But you can be certain of this, where the spirit of the living God is in his people, his people will be living, moving and breathing and acting in the will of God goes on here.
43:11
And certainly they were working. Notice this. They were working. In fact, the work was so diligent that it got the attention of the people around about them.
43:20
That's why this letter was written. The work was so diligent, it got the attention of those around them.
43:26
So where no work is done, no one will give or pay any attention. But where there is activity, there will be eyes upon that place.
43:35
Verse 11 through 16. Again, just quick summation through these through these verses here. Verse 11 through 16.
43:41
We hear the faithful retelling of their story to Tatnai and to Shetar Boznai.
43:47
Verse 11 through 16. Verse 11. And this was their reply to us. So Shetar Boznai and Tatnai are telling
43:54
King Darius in this letter. This was the people's response when we asked them, who gave you authority to do this?
44:01
Who are the men's name who are doing this? This was their reply. Their reply was quite straightforward.
44:07
We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth. And we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.
44:17
They were referring to Solomon, of course. So they spoke truth concerning whose they were.
44:23
They were the servants of the God that made the heavens and the earth. They spoke and they acted with confidence that demonstrated this confidence, demonstrated a humble submission to the majesty and to the glory of God.
44:39
Church, how we carry ourselves is very, very important. Our submission is to be to the
44:48
Lord God Almighty. Our lives are to be lives of humble obedience and submission to the
44:56
Lord our God. Notice number 12. But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the
45:05
Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia.
45:11
What did they do there? They confessed their sin. They were not proud of their sin.
45:17
Listen, there is a difference here. Some people like to testify because it seems like they're proud of their former life.
45:25
We should not be proud of our former life. We should not be proud of our sin, but we should be proud of our savior who saved us, who washed us and who regenerated us.
45:38
They were willingly able to admit that it was because of their sin against God that they had been given over to captivity.
45:46
This is part of that humble submission. We sin against the holy God. In verse 13 through 16, where the word of God, they go on, however, and they begin to testify.
45:58
You can hear the testimony. However, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be revealed and the gold and the silver vessels of the house of God, which
46:11
Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon.
46:16
It is these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon and they were delivered to one whose name was
46:23
Sheshbazar, whom he had made governor. And he said to him, notice, he said to him, take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem and let the house of God be rebuilt on its side.
46:36
Then this Sheshbazar came and laid the foundation of the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
46:43
And from that time until now, it has until now it has been in building and it is not yet finished.
46:53
That was a mouthful, I know, but if you listen closely, if you listen closely, I think in their testimony there, you can hear a melody.
47:05
And again, I know they didn't have this hymn, but my goodness, when we recall to mind the goodness of God, how can we help but sing unto the
47:16
Lord? An old song comes to my mind. I never shall forget the day when all the burdens of my soul were rolled away.
47:27
He made me happy, glad and free. I'll sing it, shout it for he's everything to me.
47:37
Oh, sinner, come to Jesus now at his dear feet, just humbly bow, confess to him your every sin.
47:51
He'll save and cleanse you, give you peace and joy within. Their testimony was that God had done this great work.
48:02
Their testimony was pointing to the God that made the heavens and the earth and their testimony.
48:10
Most importantly, church was simple. Their testimony was simple.
48:17
Their testimony was this, that God is holy and that man is not.
48:23
Amen. It wasn't a complex theological equation that they had memorized.
48:30
And yet at the same time, it wasn't a shallow, meaningless phrase that they communicated.
48:36
Rather, they communicated the facts just as they were.
48:43
No embellishment necessary. They didn't make excuses. They didn't justify themselves.
48:50
They just told the truth. So, brothers and sisters in Christ today, is your testimony this simple?
49:01
Is your testimony this simple? Our hope today is in the same
49:07
Christ, not a different Christ, in the same
49:14
Christ that this temple set forth in time and shadow.
49:21
This same Christ that the shadow points us forward to in the Old Testament. Our peace today is in the blood that was shed by our
49:33
Savior on Calvary's cross. So the exhortation to you is this, church, look to Jesus and be saved today.
49:45
Be honest about your sin and be earnest in your looking to Jesus as Savior.