a short passage of scripture,
but God's word is never short. There is a lot of truth in these
verses. I want us to look at them this morning. There was
a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night
and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher
come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him. This lost religious man, a teacher
himself, acknowledged Christ as more than your average teacher.
He could say with those in John chapter 7 and verse 46, never
man spake like this man. As a teacher sent from God, Christ
was master of the metaphor and the parable. He used these teaching
tools to perfection throughout his ministry. He asked this question,
to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We know that God is
spirit. He has no arm. So what is he
talking about here? He's speaking metaphorically
of God's omnipotence. And in Psalm 34, he declares
this, the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears
are open to their cry. Well, we know that spirit has
no eyes and ears. The scripture says that God is
spirit. He has no physical eye or ear. This has reference to
God's omniscience and to his compassion toward his elect.
He speaks throughout the New Testament of his church as a
flock, as sheep gone astray. In Matthew 21, Israel is likened
to a vineyard. In another parable, Matthew 13,
he lackens his elect to wheat and the non-elect to tares. The scriptures are replete with
metaphorical language the Holy Spirit uses to teach us the truth
about the gospel. And one such metaphor is the
subject of my message this morning. In Psalm 126 that Michael just
read, God uses the sheath of wheat, metaphorically, of his
elect. The Hebrew word for sheaf is
aluma, which means to bind or to be bound. By definition, a
sheaf of wheat is a designated quantity of grain stalks bound
together by some method. Metaphorically speaking, God's
elect are a designated quantity of sheaves bound together by
Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ. In Psalm 126 Jesus is portrayed
in this verse 6 as bringing his sheaves with him. And that's
the title of my message this morning. The sheaves of Zion. The question is, are you a sheaf
of Zion? Am I a sheaf of Zion? Can we
know? Yes we can. Christ teaches us
as the master teacher three truths this morning in this little psalm
about the sheaves of Zion. First of all, the sheaves of
Zion are gathered by the Lord. Secondly, sheaves of Zion are
given to the Lord. And thirdly, the sheaves of Zion
glory only in the Lord. So let's look at these three
things this morning in our few moments together. The setting
of this psalm is the Babylonian captivity of the nation Israel. Zion was the location if you
remember of Solomon's temple where God designated that place
to be the meeting place with him for the children of Israel.
Zion is a type of the true church in the world. And where is the
church today? Jesus said where two or three
are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them
also. So the church is in Zion and
here is Zion right here we're in Zion we're in the true church
the city of Jerusalem was set on the hill of Zion which was
named by most of the Old Testament prophets they called Jerusalem
the city of Zion and though the immediate lesson for us this
morning is to Israel's physical deliverance from bondage to the
Babylonian captivity There are spiritual parallels that I want
us to see this morning, and these are more important than the immediate
lesson. Verse 1, let's look at that again.
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like
them that dream. This verse speaks of God gathering
His people back to their homeland from Babylon. Christ gathers His people. When
the Lord turned again our captivity tells us the when, a specific
time, the how, God turned and to what? Our captivity. The greater lesson is the when,
the who, and the how of our justification before God. When being the cross,
who being Christ, how being his death. That's when the Lord turned
the captivity of Zion. Israel would endure 70 years
of bondage in Babylon. During that captivity Many would
die and many would be born. It was probably to a new generation
that this captivity was turned. Most of the older heads had died
off and a new generation had been born. And most of these
in Babylon had assimilated themselves into the culture and were satisfied
to stay in Babylon. In other words, they preferred
the bondage of Babylon to the liberty in Christ. The liberty
in a country that they knew nothing about. Most of them living at
this time were not born in Israel. They were born in captivity in
Babylon. So they knew nothing of liberty and freedom. The number 7 in scriptures represents
completion. After 70 years God had them released
from their Babylonian captivity. Israel in bondage in Babylon
is a picture of the state of all men by nature in Adam. In Adam we were born in sin and
under the law's curse and not even aware of our bondage. If
you remember before you heard the gospel, you didn't know you
were in bondage. You were going to church, you
were worshiping your God, you were serving your Lord, you were
giving, you were praying, you were doing all the things that
lost religionists do. And we were all in bondage in
Babylon. Of course, Babylon is false religion.
By nature, I had assimilated myself into the bondage of false
religion, and I was satisfied to stay there. I didn't know
anything better before I heard the true gospel. But when the
time of their capture was complete, which was 70 years, God turned
the heart of Cyrus, we're going to see this in a little bit,
king of Babylon, to set them free. And he also turned the
hearts of some of those who were in Babylon to go back to Jerusalem. They had never been. And he put
it in their heart to go back. Well isn't this true of the elects
delivered from sin? The bondage of sin. The scripture
says that when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth
his son. made of a woman, to redeem them
that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons. In other words, that our captivity
might be turned again. What God purposed before time,
which was the turning of the captivity of Zion, was accomplished
in time by the death of Christ. And the scripture says here in
the latter part of verse 1, we were like them that dream. Webster
defines a dreamer as one who lives in a world of imagination.
Not reality. But imagination. After 70 years
of bondage, Israel was accustomed to the servitude of Babylon.
That's all they knew. Most of them had never known
freedom and had acclimated themselves to such an existence of bondage.
This life of bondage was all they knew. And isn't that the
experience of all of us who have been delivered from sin's bondage?
Did we not live in a dream world where we are not dreamers ourselves?
Did we not think, as did the Pharisees when Jesus told them,
the truth shall make you free? You remember Jesus was talking
and he said, if you continue in my word, then are you my disciples
indeed and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make
you free and they answered well we're Abraham's seed we were
never in bondage what are you talking about you shall be free
is it not is not the old saying true a man is not saved before
he's saved until he's saved that's a true statement a man is not
saved before he's saved until he's saved those who live like
we did, in a legal works religion, are dreaming when they think
God will accept their best acceptance, will accept their best obedience
to gain or maintain their standing before holy God. They are dreaming
when they think that their accepting of Jesus, or trusting Christ,
or walking in an isle, will appease the Holy God. And we were in
that bondage at one time. And then we were brought out
of that into thinking that anything but the imputed righteousness
of Christ established and imputed at the cross had removed forever
the guilt and defilement of sin. Those who hold such notions give
no evidence that the Lord has turned again their captivity. I actually thought that I was
pleasing God in my former religion, all the while serving a God of
my imagination. I was working to deliver myself,
and that's what false religion teaches. That's something you
have to do. I was still in bondage and didn't
know it. The Apostle Jude called such
filthy dreamers, and that word filthy means beguiled. Paul said
this in Galatians chapter 3, O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you? And the writer of Proverbs said
this, How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou rise
out of thy sleep? Such were God's elect before
God turned again our captivity and stopped our dreaming. Turn
with me to Ezra chapter 1. Ezra is right after 2nd Chronicles. For those of you who might not know, Ezra chapter
1 and verse 1. I can't even find it myself. Ezra chapter 1 and verse 1. How
did God turn again the captivity of Zion? We're going to see this
right here in Ezra chapter 1. Let's read these verses. 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, that he made
a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also
in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, and Persia's
Babylon, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms
of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem,
which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all
his people? 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 the God which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth
in his place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help
him with silver and with gold, and with good and with beast,
beside the freewill offering of the house of God that is in
Jerusalem. Not only did he decree that they were free to go, he
encouraged his people to give them money, to give them cattle,
to give them the means to go back to Jerusalem. And then verse
5 says, Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah, and
Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose
spirit God had raised to go up to build the house of the Lord,
which is in Jerusalem. How did God turn again the captivity
of Zion? Well, in the case of Israel,
God turned the heart of Cyrus, the king of Persia, king of Babylon,
to let them go. In other words, God overrode
the will of the king of Persia, who would have kept them in bondage
because he benefited greatly from the servitude of the nation
Israel as his slaves. But Cyrus was helpless to hold
them against the will of God when he said, let them go. The
same is true of God's elect. Though Satan held us in bondage
and slavery to sin and wouldn't let us go, at God's command,
Satan surrendered his elect to him based on the satisfaction
Christ made to law and justice. When Christ completed the sin
bearing work and said it is finished, the captivity of Zion was turned
again. At the completion of Christ's
substitutionary work on the cross to put away sin, a just God had
no choice but to demand of Satan, let my people go. When Christ
humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross, the dominion of sin was broken, righteousness was
established and imputed, and justification in life was accomplished.
And look at what he says in verse 2 of Ezra. He says, God has charged me to
build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Cyrus, who
was Israel's captor, was charged by God to build him a house in
Jerusalem. Well, God has charged Christ,
who is the captor of his elect, to build him a house from the
rubble of Satan's captivity. And what did Christ say? Upon
this rock I will build my church. and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. It is the church in Zion that
Christ has built, built upon the foundation of the apostles
and the prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
The scripture says that by one offering he has perfected forever
them that are sanctified. He turned again the captivity
of Zion by his death on the cross. So the question is this, has
God turned again your captivity? Did Christ die for you? Did He
satisfy law and justice for you? Did He put away your sin forever,
finally, and fully? The sheaves of Zion have had
their sin put away. They are gathered by the Lord.
Secondly, the sheaves of Zion are given to the Lord. Now look
at verse 4 back in Psalm 126. The writer says, Turn again our
captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. Jesus makes this
declaration in John chapter 6, All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. This is a prayer of those to
whom the captivity of Zion has been turned in verse 4. Lord,
turn again our captivity as the streams in the south. The word
captivity here is a different word from that word captivity
in verse 1. In verse 1 the Hebrew word is
Sheba and it means to restore or recover as to a former standing. Our standing before God based
on our oneness with Adam was alienation. Our person was condemned
and we were under the dominion of sin and the sentence of eternal
death and Adam. We owed a debt we could not pay,
and we were Satan's captive. The verb tense in verse 1 is
the infinitive, which means the action is single. It's a one-time
completion. The scripture says that for by
one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
In other words, in one fell swoop, God turned again the captivity
of Zion by the death of Christ on the cross. He took away forever
the guilt and condemning power of sin and clothed his people
in a perfect righteousness. Now, based on that, who can lay
anything to the charge of God to lay? It's God that justifies
it. Who can condemn? It's Christ
that died, Romans chapter 8. The word captivity in verse 4
is the Hebrew word she-beth, not she-bop, but she-beth, which
means a former state. The verb tense here is imperative,
which means it's obligatory. In other words, it must happen. Because of the first captivity
term, the second one must happen. The lesson revealed is this.
What Christ accomplished in his one act of obedience, suffering,
and death on the cross established righteousness for his people
and put the elect of God in an unchangeable standing of justification
before holy God. This one act turned again, the
captivity of Zion. And this one act ensures that
the state of every sinner in each successive generation for
whom he died be delivered by the Spirit's work in regeneration
from alienation and enemies in our minds by wicked work. In
other words, going about to establish our own righteousness and be
brought to the knowledge and bow to that one righteousness
that he established for all our salvation. The first captivity
term is redemption. The second is regeneration. Although
our standing in Christ is eternal, unchangeable justification by
His one act of redemption on the cross, He calls His elect
in every generation through the preaching of the gospel to faith
in Him and repentance from former idolatry and dead works. Under
the Holy Spirit's teaching, Not our standing, but our state is
in a constant state of change as we learn and grow in grace
and knowledge of who Christ is and what he accomplished for
his people. He has earned for us, his elect, all grace here
and all glory hereafter. His life and death turns his
sheep as streams in the south. Look at verse 4 again. Turn again
our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. What is
he talking about here? What is he making reference to?
Well, the Hebrew word south is the word nigev, or nigeb, and
it means barren, desolate, waste. It means wilderness. The nigeb
lies at the southern border of Israel and covers about 3600
square miles. an area. It was in this wilderness
that Moses and the children of Israel wandered for 40 years.
Water in the desert was vital to their livelihood. Remember
we're talking about streams in the south. Water in the desert was vital.
Moses numbered the men of Israel who left in the Exodus at 600,000.
In addition, there were children, There were flocks and herds,
unnumbered. Enough water to supply over a
million people with livestock who were constantly on the move
would be a problem for Israel. Just think about it. A desert
where nothing grows. Nothing but rocks and sand. No
vegetation. No water. Where would such amounts
of water come from for over a million people, including herds and flocks
of sheep. Well, turn to Numbers chapter
20, if you would, and let's look at this. Numbers chapter 20. Streams in the south. What was
the fountain or source that fed these streams? Numbers chapter
20 tells us. Verse 1, Then came the children
of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zion, in the
first month. In other words, the first month
after leaving Egypt, after God delivered them from Egypt, they
went into the desert. And the people abode in Kadesh,
and Miriam died there, Miriam being the sister of Aaron and
Moses, and was buried there. And there was no water for the
congregation, and they gathered themselves together against Moses
and against Aaron. And the people chewed with Moses
and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren
died before the Lord! And why have you brought up the
congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and
our cattle should die there? And wherefore have you made us
to come up out of Egypt, to bring us into this evil place? It is
no place for seed, or for figs, or vines, or pomegranates, neither
is there any water to drink, nothing but desolation. And Moses
and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door
of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces,
and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them. And the Lord spoke
unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly
together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the
rock before their eyes. And they shall give forth his
water, and I shall bring forth to them water out of the rock,
so that they shall give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses
took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered
the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them,
Hear ye, ye rebels, must we fetch thee water out of this rock?
And Moses lifted up his hand with his rod, and he smoked the
rock twice, and the water came out abundantly. and the congregation
drank, and their beasts also. When Moses struck the rock, water
in abundance filled the channels and supplied the basins with
water sufficient to meet the needs of his people. So this
is the streams in the south that the psalmist is talking about.
Now look at Psalm 78 if you would. Psalm 78. Still talking about this water. Look at verse 15 of Psalm 78. He claimed the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drinkers out of the great depths. He brought
forth streams. He's talking about Christ here.
He brought forth streams also out of the rock and called water
to run down like rivers. And they sinned yet more against
him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness. And they tempted
God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. Yea, they
spake against God. They said, Can God furnish a
table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock that
the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can he give
bread also? Can he provide flesh for his
people? And then look at Psalm 105. Psalm
105, verse 41. The scripture says here, He opened
the rock and the waters gushed out. They ran into dry places
like a river. So where did the water come from? The rock that supplied Israel
through their 40 years. Think about this, 40 years this
water followed them in the desert. This source of water followed
them as did the manna and the cloud and pillar of fire by night
throughout their pilgrimage. The thirst that threatened to
destroy them was quenched by the hand of God. And this affirms
the promise God made that He shall supply all our needs according
to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. This rock smitten twice
by Moses was Christ. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter
10, one of the verses on this. 1 Corinthians chapter 10, in verse 4. Moses smoked the rock twice and
the water came forth. 1 Corinthians 10, 4 And they
all did drink of the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that
spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. That word followed there is better
translated to join as an attendant, to accompany. In other words,
this rock, who is Christ, directed their path throughout their wandering
in the wilderness. They followed the cloud by day,
and the pillar of fire by night, and the rock from which the living
water flowed. So the streams in the south was
water in the desert, which is life, because Christ is the water
of life, and he gives life to all for whose sins he was smitten. Threatened with death by thirst
in the wilderness, the nation Israel was delivered by water
from the rock smitten by Moses. Well, threatened by spiritual
eternal death in the grip of sin, God's elect were delivered
by Christ, the water of life, when He was smitten of God and
afflicted. You remember the story of the
woman of Samaria in John chapter 4? The scripture said Jesus must
needs go through Samaria. And Jesus asked this woman at
the well of Jacob for a drink of water, and her response was
this, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest water of me, a
Samaritan? For the Jews have no dealing
with a Samaritan. And Christ answered her, If you
knew the gift of God, and who it is that said unto thee, Give
unto me a drink, thou wouldest not ask of him, and he would
have given thee living water. And then Jesus said to her, whosoever
drinks of the water of this well will thirst again. But the water
that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing
up into everlasting life for those who drink after the water
of life. And the woman responded, give
me this water evermore. Her response and faith revealed
Christ's need to go through Samaria because he had a lost sheep in
this woman in Samaria. and the work that he would accomplish
shortly for her at the cross to redeem her soul necessitated
this meeting with her to reveal him as the Messiah. We know that
she believed him to be the Messiah and the scripture says it was
counted to her for righteousness as were all the Old Testament
saints. These streams of water in the desert The effectual in
Moses' day are still effectual today. They are still flowing
again to turn again even today. The captivity of Zion. Why? Because
not only does God gather the sheaths of Zion, the Lord governs
them. In other words, He brought us
out. He brought us out of Egypt to
bring us into the promised land. Well, the scripture says in Romans
8.21 He brought us out of the bondage of corruption that is
our redemption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. That's our regeneration. Every
sinner for whom Christ died and to turn again his captivity must
be turned again to receive every blessing purchased for him by
Christ in his death on the cross. Every inheritance. You remember
the story, the parable Jesus told of The lost sheep, the man
had a hundred sheep and one was lost and the scripture says he
went into the wilderness to find that one lost sheep. In other
words, he turned to captivity of this sheep. He turned again
to captivity of this one and left the 99 in the wilderness
because they needed no repentance. In their own eyes they were just.
They were doing very well, thank you, for themselves. They didn't
need a Savior. But God didn't turn their captivity,
but he did turn the captivity of the one sheep whom Christ
found. And this is what Christ promised
to all of his sheep. This is the Father's will that
has sent me of all that he has given me. I should lose nothing,
but raise it up again at the last day. And another scripture
says, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Well, the question
is, has the Father given you to the Lord? Have you been gathered
by the Lord? Well, how can we know? Do we
have to wonder? No, this scripture here tells
us how we can know. First of all, by the evidence
of our testimony, look at verse, go back to Psalm 126. We can know by the testimony
we give of Christ. Verse 2 says, Then was our mouth
filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then said
they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.
How can we know if we are the Lord's by the evidence of our
testimony? Then was our mouth filled with
joy, with laughter, and our tongue with sin. We know that character
and conduct is not evidence in and of itself that we are the
Lord's. Let others see Jesus in you does
not purge the conscience of dead works. Reformations of life will
not reveal if we are the Lord. General testimony won't, but
specific testimony will. 2 John 9 gives us insight into
the testimony of those who truly believe. This scripture says,
Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ
hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine
of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any
unto you, and bring not this doctrine, what doctrine? The
doctrine of Christ. If there come any unto you, and
bring not this doctrine, receive it not into your house, neither
bid him Godspeed. For he that biddeth him God's
speed is partaker of his evil deeds." In other words, a sinner's
doctrine of Christ reveals the content of his heart. For out
of the abundance of the heart, Christ said, the mouth speaketh.
I can't preach to you what I don't believe here. What I believe
here comes out here. And out of the abundance of the
heart, the mouth speaketh. So the question is this, do you
believe on Christ? Well, what do you believe? What
did Christ actually accomplish on the cross? Did his death answer
and end all charges against God's elect? Did his death justify
the elect from the sin? Did his obedience unto death
legally account righteous all who died with him? The scripture
says, God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. By whom? His death. The world is crucified to me
and I unto the world. By his death, when I died with
him. I am justified from all sin. By His death, I am legally accounted
righteous. This is the Christ of the Scriptures
that I believe. The Christ of Scripture is such
a Savior. So, how can we know? By testimony of who Christ is.
Did He die for everybody? Did He make me unsavable? Or
did He accomplish the redemption of His people? Up to and including
final glory in heaven. I choose the latter. Secondly,
we can know by the God we worship. Look at verse 2 in the middle. Then said they among the heathen.
This is the heathen talking now. The Lord has done great things
for these people. Even the heathen could see the
hand of God at work in the liberation of Israel. But lost religion is always a
tribute salvation to an idol. Why? Because they don't know
the true and living God. And that was true of us before
God saved us. In verse 3 the writer distinguishes
the true God from counterfeits. Those saved by the grace of God
are ready to testify of the saving efficacy of Christ because they
have turned to God from idols to serve the true and living
God. They see how God is both just and justified. Lost religionists
can't explain that. They don't know how God can be
both a just God and a Savior. They have repented from former
idolatry and dead works. The work of Christ for them makes
them glad. Verse 3 says the Lord has done
great things for us where we are glad. To the justified sinner,
the Lord's work makes them glad. To the lost sinner, it makes
them mad. It makes the justified sinner
hunger and thirst after righteousness. With this prayer and interlude,
turn again our captivity, O Lord. In other words, keep on turning.
Keep on growing us in grace. Keep on showing us the truth.
Keep on teaching us, showing us the error of our ways and
our thinking. and bring us into a more perfect union in our minds
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Make us to know and to value
more and more all Christ's death earned for us on the cross, even
our final glory in heaven. So by the God we worship, we
can know. And another way is by the motive of our worship
and our service. Look at verse 5. They that sow
in tears shall reap in joy. What is it to sow in tears? It
is to see, simply put, that all my salvation is completed in
and by the work of Christ on the cross to satisfy law and
justice and establish righteousness for me, which is freely imputed
there to all the heirs of grace. It is to mourn over my sin without
fear of punishment. It is to see that if God were
to judge me based on my best preaching, my best praying, my
best giving, my best anything, that I would come up short of
His standard of perfection. That's why Jesus said, Blessed
are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are
those that see, I have no hope outside of the Christ who finished
the work for me on that cross. He says, They shall come again
rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them. He that goeth forth
and weepeth, bearing precious seeds, shall thou come again
rejoicing. They shall reap the benefits of Christ's whole work
of salvation. That's what it is to reap in
joy. It is to reap the benefits of
Christ's whole work of salvation for me and all grace here and
all glory hereafter. So sheaves of Zion are gathered
by the Lord, and they are given to the Lord. And thirdly, they
glory only in the Lord. Look at verse 6 again. He that goeth forth and weepeth.
This is the prophecy of the Messiah. He that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seeds, shall doubtless come again rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him. This prophecy of the Lord Jesus
Christ is in his messianic office. As the prophet Moses promised
would come, he went forth weeping. In other words, in grief and
humiliation, Jesus served throughout his ministry. The scripture says
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death. The scriptures
reveal him as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He
went forth weeping as the prophet of the Lord. He went forth bearing
precious seed. His responsibility as a priest
was to offer the one sacrifice for sin, which is his own body
on the tree. The word seed here, if you notice,
is singular. Bearing precious seed, not seeds,
but one seed. And Paul clarifies this for us
in Galatians chapter 3, where he says, Now to Abraham and to
his seed were the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of
many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is Christ. In John
chapter 12 Jesus told the parable. of a corn of wheat. And he said
this, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it abides
forever. It brings forth much fruit. Well,
Christ is that kernel of wheat. He is that corn of wheat that
fell into the ground and died. And he brought forth every sinner
for whom he died, and will bring them to final glory in heaven.
So as priests he offered the one sacrifice for sin, and as
king, prophet, priest, and king, as king he ruled and reigned
over a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, for
one reason, that we should show forth the praises of him who
called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. And the
scripture says he shall come again rejoicing, The scripture
says this of Christ, he who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despised the shame, and is set down on the
right hand of the throne of the majesty on high. He shall come again bringing
his sheaves with him. In other words, he shall bring
every sinner for whom the Father gave him and for whom he died. God's people glory in this, not
in their riches, not in their wisdom, not in their might, but
this, that we understand and know God, that he is the Lord
who exercises love and kindness, judgment, and righteousness in
the earth, for he delights to do these things. God delights
So our glory is in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby
his sheaves are gathered by Christ, they are given to Christ, and
their glory only in Christ. Has God turned again your captivity?
He has and will turn again the captivity of all his sheaves,
the sheaves of Zion.