Ezra 1

Ezra chapter one and before we do anything else let's go to the Lord in prayer. Lord I love you today and I praise you and God I thank you that we have this privilege to be here. Lord I am thankful for the presence of your Holy Spirit and for the overwhelming joy in my soul when I think about your great salvation.

As always Lord I'm dependent upon you to help us preach the word of God this morning. Help me that I might glorify your name that I might not go beyond the word but stay within the word. God I trust and I know that according to your word that it's never in vain when your word is proclaimed.

God you are able to save unto the uttermost. You're able to give the ears that are deaf ability to hear your word. You're able to give life to the dead soul. They might believe on you. God no force of my voice and no force of my will can cause that to happen in anyone's life but God in prayer I can thank you for I know that that has happened in mine.

I thank you for saving me and so it is not so much a hard thing today to proclaim your word about who you are unapologetically unapologetically and unafraid and unashamed this morning. For it is in the name of Jesus Christ I pray amen and amen.

The book of Ezra chapter one we've been several weeks leading up to this trying to help provide a foundation for understanding the book of Ezra seeing the sovereignty and the providence of God throughout the book of Ezra as we're going to begin this morning into the book of Ezra.

Our plan is to read the the first chapter which is 11 verses. I can't already see through my tears right now but there's 11 verses and we're going to see as we gave you kind of an outline several weeks ago several things that we'll see within this first chapter of the book of Ezra.

We're going to see number one the end of Israel's captivity as promised by God. We're going to see the sovereignty of God. We're going to see the providence of God. We're going to see the provision of God and really from beginning to end I mean really it encompasses the whole of the scriptures.

We're going to see the the protection of God on his people. There is the fifth of the great doctrines of grace the perseverance of the Saints that speaks to the fact of how that God keeps his own through it all.

I'm reminded of what the New Testament says where Jesus said concerning his own children his own people those who are saved by grace that all Jesus said all that the Father has given me I have lost none.

I have lost plenty of my life that I did not intend to lose. I've misplaced much of my life that I did not intend to misplace but God has never misplaced his children. The Lord knows them that are his is what said in another place in the New Testament.

Very very important and so keeping in mind the children of Israel having been in captivity for 70 years because of their disobedience to God which we're going to just kind of have the scripture reinforce this but you all you all know you've heard it said you've you've read it plenty probably in your lifetime I know you've heard it said here plenty that we need to hold to the scripture the Word of God says that by the mouth of two or three witnesses that every word should be established.

I mean you can hear one person say a thing and say all right I can go with that but when you hear two or three people say the exact same thing it kind of reinforces and gives you confidence in what you're hearing and the Word of God should be exactly the same unto us as that principle is that when we hear the Word of God say the same thing repeatedly whether it's two times three times or a thousand times it ought to make us confident in our great God.

And so that being said with that being it's just being how I lean how I love how the Word of God reinforces itself line upon line precept upon precept that the teaching is always consistent throughout the Word of God.

The End of Israel’s Captivity and the Witness of 2 Chronicles

I want to ask you to do something turn back a page in your Bible if you turn back one page from the first chapter of the book of Ezra unless you've got a study Bible with several pages of notes telling you about Ezra.

If you turn back you'll see that the last chapter of the book of 2nd Chronicles is everybody see that 2nd Chronicles chapter 36 and 2nd Chronicles chapter 36 verse beginning in verse 15 says this. And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by his messengers rising up early and sending them because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

But they mocked the messengers of God despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought against them the the king of the Chaldeans who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary had no compassion on young man or virgin on the aged or the weak he gave them all into his being the king of the Chaldeans hand and all the articles of the house of God great and small the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king and of his leaders all these he took to Babylon.

Then they burned the house of God broke down the wall of Jerusalem burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious possessions. And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon where they became servants to him him being the king of Babylon to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land had enjoyed her Sabbath as long as she lay desolate.

She kept Sabbath to fulfill 70 years just as God has spoken. Verse 22. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom.

And also put it in writing saying thus says Cyrus king of Persia all the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me and he is commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah who is among you of all his people.

May the Lord his God be with him and let him go up. Turn to the book of Ezra the very next page over the first chapter in the first verse by the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing saying thus says Cyrus king of Persia all the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah who is among you of all his people may his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build the house of the Lord God of Israel he is God which is in Jerusalem.

And whosoever is left in any place where he dwells let the men of his place help him with silver and gold with goods and livestock besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.

Then the heads of the fathers the heads of the fathers houses of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites with all whose spirits God had moved arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.

And all those who were with them encouraged them with the articles of silver and gold with goods and livestock and with precious things besides all that was willingly offered. Verse 7. King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods and Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Midradath the treasurer and counted them out to the prince of Judah.

This is the number of them 30 gold platters 1 ,000 silver platters 29 knives 30 gold basins 410 silver basins of a similar kind and 1 ,000 other articles. All the articles of gold and silver were 5 ,400.

All these shepherds are took with the captives who were brought from Babylon to Jerusalem. And that's where we're going to stop the reading of the Word of God this morning. And I'm just going to try to deliver to you and teach to you from the Word of God according to the Word of God and try to give the sense of what's going on and what's taking place.

The Aim of Preaching: Exalting God, His Character, and Christ

We all know that in the past four weeks or so we've been leading up to this moment leading up to this passage of Scripture where the the Lord actually fulfills his word to his people Israel. And our aim and our goal in communicating this to you today is simply threefold.

As I've shared with you in weeks past it's the same. Our aim today is number one to exalt the name of the Lord to lift high above every other name the name of God. Other scriptures teach us that there is no other name under heaven whereby men must be saved other than by the name of Jesus Christ.

Now I intend to magnify the name of the Lord and as well to magnify the character and the nature of God. Remember the better we know God the better that we are able to love God. And so the character and the nature of God is revealed to us in and through his holy word.

And number three it's this to try to help you as a Christian to have an ever-increasing high view of our Savior. I would ask you today how is your view of God when you thought about coming to God's house today.

Did you come with a sense of awe. Did you come with a sense of reverence. Did you come with a sense of respect. Did you come with a desire to see the beauty of the Lord. For when we come to God's house we come to God's house number one to magnify and exalt the name of the Lord our God.

And to do that together. We do that through the songs sung. How many times do we just go through the motions my friends and and I'm saying this for a reason because we're going to see here throughout this book of Ezra this book I believe one of the overarching themes of this book is about revival amongst the people of God.

We think many times about having revival services. The preacher said today and we're going to have revival this week. Or we won't have revival this week. But friend revival is not brought by the preacher.

Revival is not brought by the man. Revival is not brought by the season that you have a series of meetings in revival happens when God moves in and your heart and your mind is changed. The old-timers would refer to dead Christians people who are sleepy in church when the old-timers said there are not to be no sleeping in church.

I believe that's probably one of the reasons why preachers tend to get loud sometimes because they're sick and tired of seeing folks asleep. I've called people out before. I know preachers has called people out before.

And I'm about ready to start doing that again. I'm sick and tired of the disrespect that we give unto the Lord our God. He deserves our attention. He deserves our all. For he gave his off we not to give our very best unto him.

Oh preacher you don't understand why I'm tired. I was up late. Go to bed earlier take night. We'll do what you got to do. Get rested come to church refreshed and ready because our God deserves our all.

Revival, Repentance, and the Consistency of God

Back to the text here I want to say this. The book of Ezra is a book of revival. It's about a revival of hope for the people of God. It's about revival of the house of God. We're going to see that the house of God was ruined it was broken down.

But God restored hope to the people. God restored energy to the people. God brought revival to his people even through their suffering to accomplish his purpose. By the way the purpose of God has never changed.

It is still to bring honor and glory unto the Lord. The book of Ezra is a book of revival of the preaching of the Word of God. We'll see later on in the book of Ezra how that the Word of God was the central the central driving force of this move of God.

We're going to see a revival of prayer in this book. We'll see a revival of repentance. We're going to see a revival of confession of sin. Folks listen to you. I don't stand before you today as a holier-than-thou.

I can echo what the Apostle Paul said that I'm the chief of sinners. I am the chief of sinners. But yet this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners.

Maybe you just don't realize that you are a sinner. You are a sinner. You are not good. There's no ounce of goodness in you or me. We're awful. We're dead in our trespasses and sins. We've sinned against the Holy God.

But God somehow in some way I can't explain it showed his love unto us by sending his son to die for us. Hallelujah. For that the book of Ezra is a book of revival and so I want to say this God has not changed at this time that we're reading concerning the book of Ezra.

Nor has he changed today. He is no less God today than he was yesterday. Amen. All right. So I want you as we look at this let's let's see what's taking place in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia.

God’s Sovereign Rule Over Cyrus and the Return from Babylon

Now Cyrus this wasn't the first year he was king over any area or just any local local place. But I believe it was something between 25 years to 50 years that he had already been king over a place called Anshan and his empire had just kind of continued to progress.

He continued to take over lands he continued to take over regions. And when he comes to this to this place this place called Babylon he takes this place over and know this know this that in the sovereignty and the providence of God nothing happens by chance.

Nothing happens by the roll of a dice. Nothing happens by saying eeny meeny miny moe. God is in full control of all that is going on. Remember the sovereignty of God is God's right and authority to govern all things based upon who he is.

He is God. And so Cyrus king of Persia the word of the Lord. The Bible says by Cyrus that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. Notice this phrase here.

The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. And over in verse 6 I believe it is actually verse 5. The scripture says the same thing. Then the heads of the fathers houses of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites with all whose spirits God had moved.

This was God at work. God working through means of his providence. Working through means of providence means that God by natural means and by means of responsible human agents works out and accomplishes his will all without being the author of sin.

I say this every week. But it's so important. Let there be no confusion. God is not the author of sin. Why are bad things happening. Why do bad things take place. Because of the curse of sin. That is why bad things happen because of the curse of sin.

That sin runs its course. But sin does not impede nor stop nor slow down the work that God intends to do in all of his creation. So the Bible says the the the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and he also put it in writing.

The Lord stirred up Cyrus not so much just to make a get up and to make a proclamation in his court but to say I want to put this into a law. I want to enact this. I want the messengers to go out. There were messengers that would go from province to province and they would herald the message of the king.

They would proclaim what the king had said what the king had decreed. And this was the message of Cyrus king of Persia. Remember this. Who he's speaking to. He's speaking to this group of Israelites who had been taken captive who dwelt and lived among the people of Babylon who were in bondage to the people of Babylon.

But God is so sovereign that in the midst of a crowd he is still able to single out his own elect people. So the Bible says this. Thus says Cyrus king of Persia all the kingdoms of the earth. The Lord God of heaven has given me and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.

Who is among you of all his people. What a question this is. What a question this is. I want you to take note of this that there is a distinction being drawn here. There is a distinction being made that he did not send his messengers out with the message that everybody who hears this needs to get up and go to Jerusalem.

But he's speaking directly to God's people whom God had put in that place for the time that he determined so that one day after 70 years he would bring them out of captivity to accomplish his will and to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem.

He draws a distinction by the way. Do you know this. That if you are saved by the grace of God you are called to be separate from this world. Come out from among them was the message in the Old Testament.

Come out from among them was repeated in the New Testament. Come out from among them and be separate says the Lord. Are you separated in your life. I'm not talking about again. I'm not talking about setting yourself up above anybody I'm talking about.

Are you separated unto God. Is your life. Are you striving and seeking after God. Are you seeking after the will of God in your life which is to glorify the Lord in every part of your life. Are you glorifying God with your words.

Are you glorifying God with your deeds. Are you glorifying God on your job. Are you glorifying God in your home. Are you glorifying God. He says he says this who is among you of all his people the children of Israel.

And I'm gonna and I'm have to turn there if you don't want to. But I'm gonna go there to just read you something so that so that you're aware that this is exactly as it was as the Lord had said it was over in the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah’s Word to the Exiles in Babylon

Jeremiah chapter 29. This is what the Lord told that the people of Israel to do when they when they got to Babylon when he informed them that because of their sin they were going to be put into by into Babylonian captivity.

This is what the Lord told them through the words through the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet. Jeremiah chapter 29 in verse 5. This is what the Lord said there. Verse 4. Thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel to all who are carried away captive whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

He said this build houses and dwell in them plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and begat sons and daughters and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands so that they may bear sons and daughters that you may be increased there and not diminished.

And then he said this keep in mind he said seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive and pray to the Lord for it. So many times I think in in our natural lives when we seem to be carried away and sin when we sit this it seemed to be carried away in captivity.

We we forget that we likely are there because of the sovereign hand of God. And God did not tell them to throw rocks at the people of Babylon. He said this is what I want you to do. I want you to pray for the place that I had placed you in.

And some of you smart alecks who always want to rebel and and defy and say you give me a good reason or I won't do it. Well the Lord did just that he said pray to the Lord for it for in its peace you will have peace.

They were called to prayer in the midst of captivity. They were called to prayer and to pray for the peace of that city. For as long as they were seeking the face of God and seeking the peace of God God promised he would give peace.

In the New Testament we have the parallel what the Apostle Paul taught us about prayer in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known unto God and or as a result the peace of God which passes understanding shall rule your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

Pray for it is what he was what they were told. Pray for its peace. For thus says the Lord of hosts the God of Israel do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you. Nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them says the Lord as we move along he said may his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah and build the house of the Lord God of Israel verse 4.

And whoever is left in any place where he dwells let the men of his place help him with silver and gold with goods and livestock besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem verse 5.

Then the heads of the fathers houses of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites with all whose spirits God had moved there were still some there who apparently God did not move them. They they chose even to stay in that.

But God moved the hearts and the minds of those he intended to do for his honor and for his glory. And all those who were around them verse 6 encouraged them with articles of silver and gold with goods livestock with precious things besides all that was willingly offered God provided providentially for this journey that they were to make the journey that they were to take to go from Babylon back to Jerusalem.

And when they got to Jerusalem to have the means necessary to follow up on what God had said. Yeah the old I think that one of the simplest things is this where God guides God provides. That's one of those cheesy sayings.

But that's biblically true. It is true if God is guiding. If God is leading he is going to provide. He is going to care for his own. And one of the amazing things in in verse 7 through 11 as some of you may seem well that don't really seem like a whole lot to me that don't really do nothing to me.

All they're doing is listing out some some articles that they brought that Cyrus gave to him. But friends you've got to know this that God is so sovereign and God knows so well all things that he had these things cataloged and listed out so that nothing was lost when they returned out of captivity.

That's good that the New Testament tells us this know this that the very hairs of your head are numbered. Some of us are losing hair by the day John we've got less hairs for the Lord to keep up with. But know this that it's that he just hasn't counted but that he knows this hair right here is number 452 and this hair right here is number 768.

The very hairs of our heads are numbered by the sovereign Lord of glory. He knows us. Hallelujah for that. So let's finish up here. So the important thing here and it just says a point of reference. I want to go back to go back to Jeremiah for just one moment in closing here concerning these articles because it was told the issue of false prophecy was a problem in Israel's day.

It was a problem. It's a problem in our day. And it's handled and fixed the same way by testing it according to the Word of God and this is what was told even in their captivity. There were false prophets.

There were some good prophets they had they had. I believe Ezekiel and Daniel were were some of the good prophets that God had in the midst of them. But there were there were some folks who who kept wanting just to to to kind of push the envelope and to say God was going to do things different than the way that Jeremiah had said.

And this is how that this passage of scripture goes concerning that and concerning what was brought back from Babylon. This is what was told to the children of Israel that they were told this the Lord said do not listen to your prophets your diviners your dreamers your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you saying you shall not serve the king of Babylon.

They were being told. Oh don't worry. You're not going to have to ultimately end up going through this. You're not going to have to serve the king of Babylon. He said for they prophesy a lie to you. They do this to remove you far from your land and I will drive you out and you will perish.

But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him. I will. This is what the Lord said. I will let them remain in their own land says the Lord and they shall till it and dwell in it.

I also spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon. This is what the Lord says. Submit to this authority that is coming over you.

He did not say kick against it. He did not say rebel against it. He said you are where you are because I have placed you here because of your disobedience. And it does you no good to fight against the authority of God.

How many of you honestly by a show of hands have ever argued with God. Some of you never have argued with God. Bless your hearts. You're pretty good people. You're a lot smarter than me. You're a lot smarter than most folks.

Let me tell you though what the Lord. What the Apostle Paul. What the Lord told the Apostle Paul. It's hard for you to kick against the pricks. It's hard for you to kick against the goals. We're all guilty of that.

By the way that's what sin does. It causes us all to rebel against God. It causes us all to rebel. This is good. He goes on to say this. Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you saying you shall not serve the king of Babylon.

They prophesy a lie. Verse 16. Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people saying thus says the Lord. Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you saying behold the vessels of the Lord's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon.

They were being told. Oh don't worry they're. They're going to come back shortly. We've not lost all hope. They prophesy a lie unto you. Do not listen to them but serve the king of Babylon and live. He don't say live in sin.

But he says live under this authority. All authority Romans. I believe it is chapter 13. All authority that is today or has ever been whether evil or good evil or good is permitted by God for the sake and the honor and the glory of God's purposes being worked out in all of history.

We tend to segregate history into into profane history and good history. Friends all of history is under the sovereign control of God. Is everybody aware that amen. If you're with me a man if you want me to quit here just shortly I made a commitment to myself and to secretly to you all to try to preach shorter so that you can retain more.

And so let me finish here and we'll close. He said this do not listen to them but serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city be laid waste. But if they are prophets and if the word of the Lord is with them let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord in the house of the king of Judah and at Jerusalem do not go to Babylon.

He said if these are true prophets then let them ask the Lord that none of this takes place. That none of these things are carried away. Verse 19. For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars concerning the sea that was the basin where some of the water was kept concerning the carts and concerning the remainder of the vessels that remain in this city which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim the king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon that that's the first deportation.

And all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord and he said this and in the king and in the house of the king of Judah and Jerusalem they shall be carried to Babylon and there they shall be until the day that I visit them says the Lord.

The Lord told them and they remembered this remember this. These were reminders to them. This was not new news to the children of Israel. God told them what they were going to endure. God told them where they were going to be.

God told them what they were going to go through and God told them what he was going to do ultimately after 70 years. And so then the word of the Lord says then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.

And so that in verse 7 through 11 there that's what we see. We see God again being faithful and God being true unto his word. Now if you would stand with us this morning and I want to make a statement in closing really concerning the the first part of this chapter but having said what I said to kind of bring into the full circle that God is faithful and true to his word.

What is even more amazing to me is this that in the midst of the children of Israel being mixed with the people of Babylon that the message the word of God went out albeit through Cyrus which was not a good king nonetheless God can use the evil for his good just like he did with Joseph.

Joseph told his brothers what you did. You meant for evil but God meant it for good. So let's not assume that God doesn't use evil. He does use evil but he uses it for his good and for his glory. So that in the end he's going to get glory and he is going to get honor in all things but in his providence what God did through the natural means of responsible human agents what God did.

God made it so for the people of Israel that previously in history having set them apart them being set apart and sanctified into the Lord gave them the identity and the freedom and the liberty to go out of the bondage that God had placed them in after it was all said and done.

So trust in the sovereignty of God. Trust in the goodness of God. Trust in the mercy of God. Trust in the faithfulness of God. If you are in sin you need to know this. You can very well trust in the justice and the judgment of God.

You need to fear God because God is able to cast both soul and body into hell good or bad. However you want to look at it. God is faithful in all things. Are you trusting in the Lord. Have you been born again if not the gospel message to you is this repent and believe the gospel turn from your sin.

Turn unto the Savior. Hope in the living God if you are saved take heart from the word of God. If you are saved. My exhortation to you this morning is this put the word to memory.