Before the helm of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to the passage we read, Daniel
chapter 4, and reading for our text, just a few words in verse
17. Again, the page number is 828
in the Bible, from the boxes outside the chapel here. Daniel
chapter 4 verse 17. And we read right in the middle
of this verse the three words, to the intent. To the intent. The whole verse
reads, this matter is by the decree of the watchers and the
demand by the word of the holy ones. To the intent. that the living may know that
the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever
he will, and setteth up over it the basis of men." Daniel
4 verse 4, verse 17, and these words, to the intent. When God brings things to pass
in providence, happening in our lives, happening in the earth.
He always has a purpose in doing so. He doesn't just delight to
crush and defeat the sons of men, to afflict them, to send
illnesses and troubles and wars. and not have a purpose, a plan,
a reason for doing it. He is sovereign. He doesn't need
to give an account of any of his matters. He doesn't need
to say why he's doing these things, but sometimes he does. And there
are several places, in fact, six places in the Word of God
where, like in our text, He very explicitly states the reason
why he has done something. He gives what has been done.
He gives the actual happening in Providence. And then you say
that this was done to this intent or for this purpose. With this
design in view, it was done. This is the reason it was done. And that is what I desire to
bring before you and me tonight, in this word, to the intent. And I want to then begin with
the portion here in our text. I'll introduce each one as we
go. I'll give the references as we
go through the scriptures. And I hope that we will see a
God that has very clear purpose in things and not just short
term either but as planning through all the years of the history
of the world. Well here we have then the reason
that is given very clearly in our text to the intent that the
living may know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over
it the basis of men." Now what we have set forth here is God
is in control, and though in the dream, in the vision, the
order, the command was by the decree of the Watchers and of
the Holy Ones, God does have his angels, he has those that
perform His will and brings about His designs. But the whole message
of this portion is not that holy ones or watchers or angels or
anyone like that is in control, but God is in control, even in
the heavens, that He rules in the heavens. And here is one
of the most powerful rulers that the world knew at that time,
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. And the children of Israel had
been taken captive from their own land. God had sent them to
Babylon for 70 years, and that was for correction for their
chastening. Nebuchadnezzar is referred to
by God as his servant to chastise his own people. Of course, Nebuchadnezzar
would have thought, well, he is just dealing with a rebellious
nation, a nation who he bought into tribute and they wouldn't
bow to that, and so he carried them away and destroyed their
temple. But God is in control, and here
is Nebuchadnezzar, he's looking at all of his great kingdom and
all of what he's got, and he's ascribing all of that to himself. We read of him having this dream,
this dream of a tree that is of such use as shade and lodging
for the birds of the air, and then that is cut down. And the
interpretation of the dream is that Nebuchadnezzar was that
tree. In all his grandness, in all
his majesty as his kingdom, and how many people were, and beasts
of the earth even, fowls of the air, were dependent upon him. And yet the decree was that he
would be cut down. And how that came about 12 months
later, after Daniel had interpreted that vision, there is the king
speaking in verse 30, Is not this great Babylon that I have
built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and
for the honour of my majesty? He's taking all the credit, all
to himself. And while the word was in the
king's mouth, then he was struck down, he lost his reasoning,
went mad, if you like. We have in verse 36, my reason
returned unto me. The affliction was his reason
when he thought he was a beast. Others had to look after his
kingdom for seven years. But at the end of it, the end
of it, there's some beautiful words. And remember, this is
the last we hear in Holy Scripture of Nebuchadnezzar. And he writes
this portion. He says at the very beginning,
in verse two, I thought it good to show the signs and wonders
that the High God hath wrought toward me. This whole portion
is given to exalt and extol God, and you can see how effectual
it was in Nebuchadnezzar's case. He says in verse 35, all the
inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he doeth
according to his will in the army of heaven and among the
inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand or say
unto him, what doest thou? Maybe this evening we've been
looking at things in our nation, things in our lives, and we've
been saying, what is God doing? Isn't he making a mistake? Isn't
he being rather harsh? But here is this king, after
being through seven years of affliction like this, and instead
of cursing God, he's giving the praise to God. He says in verse
34, Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King
of heaven, all whose works are truth and his ways judgment,
and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. And so in our text, these words,
to the intent, the reason why this was done to Nebuchadnezzar,
and that it is in the inspired Word of God to be read throughout
all of the earth in these gospel times, that the living may know
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth
it to whomsoever he will. This is why it was done. This
was God's intention. Now, you might ask, well, what
is the living? Why would he do it to write it for the dead to
know? The dead know not anything. I
believe it points to those that are spiritually alive. In the
letters to the churches, we have again and again, he that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Man that is dead in sin, They
will not hear this, they won't know it, they won't take any
notice or instruction from it at all. This is a message to all, but
it will be those that have an ear to hear what the Spirit,
and this is Spirit through the Holy Word of God, has to say
to the churches, that they will know the Most High and Ruleth.
May it be a blessed thing. if during this time in our nation
and in the world that this lesson, that this chapter, that we know
it and we believe it and we can join with Nebuchadnezzar and
we can bless God that he's included this account and what happened
to Nebuchadnezzar for such a time as this, for this intention that
we might know this truth. So this is the first. the first
instance that I bring before you in the Word to the intent
or for this purpose. The second one is in the prophecy
of Ezekiel. So turning back a few pages,
page 8111 in the small Bibles from the boxes, Ezekiel chapter
40 and verse 4. And we read these were This is
spoken to Ezekiel, and the man said, or this is the angel of
vision that's sent to the man, said unto me, whose appearance
was like the appearance of brass with a line of flax in his hand,
a measuring reed. He stood at the gate. The man
said unto me, son of man, Behold with thine eyes, and hear with
thine ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee. For to the intent that I might
show them unto thee art thou brought hither. Declare all that
thou seest to the house of Israel. Ezekiel was a prophet. He was
a prophet in the time of the captivity. We're told in the
very first verse that it was in the 25th year of the captivity
that he had this vision. And he was not taken literally,
but he was taken by vision into the land of Israel and set upon
a very high mountain. And there was then this man,
whether our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in one of his pre-incarnation
appearances or another angel, We're not sure, but we have him
giving the reason why he is brought here. Now, what I want to bring
before you in this, here is one of the Lord's servants. Now,
I'm not going to go into the vision or what it means or even
the message, but the very method, the intention. God has brought
one of his servants into a position where he's going to see something
and he's going to hear something and it's going to enter into
his heart or set thine heart upon all that I show thee. And there's a reason why. And
the reason is that that servant, Ezekiel in this case, is going
to declare all that he's seen to the house of Israel. Those
of us that preach the gospel, those of us who preach the word
of God, who bring warnings, who bring the encouragements of the
word of God, the Lord will first bring us to see those things
in the word and to hear the word of God ourselves. to walk in
that path. It may be in providence, in the
things that happen in our lives, whether it be sickness or trouble
or some path like that. And those things that we see
and hear in that path, then we are to declare and speak them. And we're told here with Ezekiel,
this is the whole reason why he was brought there. Not just
to give him a little bit of a knowledge and a nice vision and some knowledge
for himself. No, he was a servant. And what the Lord did with him,
it was so that he had a word to bring to the Lord. Do you think in the New Testament,
the gospels, they're all written by men. that were witnesses of
the life and the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Gospels are testimonies,
testimonies to what they experienced and what they saw and what they
heard. And this is the reason why the
Lord directs and leads his servants in this way. So this is the second
word. The intent, a word that will
ever be, as long as the Lord has his servants upon the earth,
it will be applicable to them. Sometimes we might not know why
we see such things, why we have to go through such paths, but
here explains the reason to this intent, to give a word to speak,
to give a message. The third one I'll bring before
you is in the second book of Samuel chapter 17 and verse 14. It's page 340 in the little Bibles. 2 Samuel chapter 17 and verse
14. Now we're reading about Absalom. I'll read the verse first. And
Absalom and all the men And we might think, well, that's a very
bad intention or reason to bring evil upon a person. But maybe
remember this, Absalom is King David's son. King David himself would not
touch King Saul though. King Saul sought his life again
and again, and he wouldn't touch it because he said he was the
Lord's anointed. But here is David's own son Absalom,
risen up, conspired against his own father, and is seeking to
kill his own father. He has no respect for the kingdom.
He has no respect for his father. He has no respect for the anointing
of God. And so he has craftily taken
the hearts of the men of Israel, and they've risen up. And Ahithophel,
who had been a close friend, had gone into the house of God
together, David and Ahithophel, he joined with the conspirators. And that was one last sword,
as it were, When David was told of the conspiracy and he fled
out of Jerusalem with his close friends and those round about
him, and then they said Ahithophel is with the conspirators. You
know, what if we were in that situation and someone added to
that, your best friend is amongst those that turned against you.
What that must have been to David, on top of his own son doing that,
where the Lord was to work for David. David was a man after
God's own heart. God had put David on the throne
and David then prayed because Hushai, he first went with David
but David said no. He said you'll be more use of
for me if you return back to Absalom. So he went back to Absalom
and in Absalom, he said, well, why? Why have you deserted your
friend? And Hushai made out and he said,
well, whoever's king, I'll serve him. I've served your father,
I'll serve you now. And so Hushai, who'd been the
advisor with David, he was then asked his opinion what to do
at this time. Now Ahithophel had already given
his opinion, and it was a good advice. His advice was immediately
to get a number of men and to pursue after David while he was
tired and weary and to overtake him and to destroy him. And really,
it was good advice. But Hushai said, no, no, no,
David is a man of war. He won't stay with the people.
He'll hide himself. And all you'll do is to get a
report that there is death wherever you are and your men are. and the men of Israel will desert
you. So no. And he gave the advice
virtually to give David more time so that they waited and
didn't immediately go, but to try and gather all Israel together
and then go against David. But it gave David that valuable
time to get away and to get secure. And so it was that when Hushai
gave his advice, then they said, well, that advice is better than
that of Ahithophel. So they took his advice, and
then that Hushai was able to let David know through messengers
what he had advised. But we have here, as David prayed,
he said, Lord, make the counsel of Ahithophel to be as foolishness. Will the Lord use this means
with Hushai? Another advice and in our text
then we read the to the intent. Now we live in a time when our
government will be having a lot of different advice from scientists,
from business leaders, from school teachers, from church leaders,
all this different advice. Why do they take one advice and
not the other one? Who makes the choice? They say,
oh, it's the leaders that make the choice. Well, in this case,
those that were here with Absalom, Absalom and those that were around
about him, Who made the choice? Did Absalom make the choice?
Yes, they heard the counsel, they made the choice. But we're
told here, the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of
Ahithophel to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon
Absalom. The Lord was ordering, directing,
secretly, What choice was made of the advice put before Absalom
with an intention in view, a purpose in view? Now may it be in mercy
for our land that the Lord's intentions in the advice that
is gone with and taken is not for our evil. But we know the
Lord does have a controversy with us. We are under the judgment
of God. We are a nation that have forsaken
the Lord. We expect his right, but also
we expect and we prayed for that the Lord would use these things
to turn us back to him and to bring us again to be a godly
people and a godly nation. And so when we see the case here,
which is advice, and the Lord has an intention, and yes, in
the event, Absalom was slain. He was killed. The Lord did bring
upon him the wickedness on his own head. He himself was a murderer. He'd already slain his brother
Ammon. And now he was seeking to kill
David and to topple a God-given kingdom. And God dealt with him. But may we remember this principle
here. When there is advice being given,
God has an intention, a view, a purpose in what actual advice
is taken. And in this case, the Lord's
purpose was that the bad advice was taken. His purposes were
realised through that means. Now as churches and those that
fear God, are we to rise up against God and say our rulers have taken
bad advice, therefore we are not going to go along with it,
we're going to rebel against it? Or are we going to remember
that God actually does use when bad advice is taken to further
his purposes and his will? We do not know his purposes. And certainly Absalom wasn't
told, Absalom, you know why you've got Hushai giving this advice?
God means to destroy you, to have you slain. That was not
told him. And we do not know the Lord's
purposes. But we do know he has a purpose
and he has an intention. So we have this word here, to
the intent. I want then to look at the fourth
one and moving now to the New Testament to the Gospel according
to John. The Gospel according to John
and chapter 11, page 994 in Little Bibles. The Gospel according to John
chapter 11 and Verse 15, this is the account of the sickness
and death and then the miracle that the Lord performed in raising
Lazarus from the dead. We read of those that were there
in Bethany, Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. And
Lazarus was sick. They sent to the Lord, said,
Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. And when the Lord heard
that, he said that this sickness is not unto death, but for the
glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. But the Lord just stayed where
he was. He didn't go rushing to Lazarus. He didn't go quickly to heal
him. Why didn't he do that? What was his intention in doing
this? In verse 15, the Lord had just
heard that Lazarus, or the Lord knew that Lazarus had died. He said first to the disciples
that he slept, and they misunderstood. They said, if he sleep, he shall
do well. But the Lord was speaking of
his death. The Lord knew what was happening
there in that House in Bethany? No, he wasn't there. He knew
what was happening there. And he knew that Lazarus was
dead. And so in verse 14 we read, Then said Jesus unto them plainly,
Lazarus is dead. And then he says this, And I
am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may
believe. Nevertheless, let us go unto
him. He was not there for the express
purpose that they might believe. If he had been there, they would
have expected that he would have prevented his death. You imagine
the Lord Jesus Christ, their friend, standing at the bedside
of Lazarus and seeing him breathe his last. But he wasn't there. He could
have healed him right where he was. But you know, what does
he say that you might believe? Even though they were his disciples,
yet still they didn't fully realize his power, his mind, that he
was one who had the power over death. that he wasn't just able
to raise someone from sickness to health, but was able to raise
someone from the dead. And this was why he withheld
that blessing of healing at first, that he might show the greater
blessing of raising him from the dead. When he eventually
went to the tomb, Lazarus had been dead four days already. And when he said to them to take
away the stone, they protested saying that by this time he stinketh. But all our Lord did was to stand
at that grave and call Lazarus, come forth. And we read in verse
44, he that was dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave
clothes and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith
unto them, loose him and let him go. This was the intention. Now, I draw your attention to this.
His intent, it wasn't to the intent that I might raise him
from the dead. That was not his intent. It was
to the intent ye may believe. Yes, raising him from the dead
was the step necessary. It was the additional miracle
that would bring them to believe. But the end that our Lord had
in view in what he was doing was to bring them to believe. Now, we don't expect that this
chapter is replicated today. That would be cruelly and wrong. The Lord sovereignly could, if
it was his will to do so, but we would be wrong to tell everyone
that we're sick that, don't worry, If your loved one dies, the Lord
will raise them from the dead again. Yes, there will be, at
the last great day, the resurrection of the dead, the just and unjust,
those that are saved and those that are lost. There shall be
a general resurrection of the dead, and that shall be by the
power of God, some to everlasting life and peace and happiness
and some to eternal torments. And the difference is, those
that have believed on earth to the Lord Jesus Christ shall be
saved. He that believeth shall be saved,
and he that believeth not shall be damned. That is the gospel.
That is what goes forth. And those things that happened
here, our Lord had the intention that those of his dear friends
that he loved and those who were around them might be brought
to believe. the troubles, the things that
come upon us in our families, in our nation at this time, that
we could clearly see that this is the Lord's intention, I believe
it is, and that there will be some, there will be those, that
by God's grace and blessing, will believe, they will believe
through the Lord's hand upon us, or through the things that
happen in their own lives. or through the word of God itself. This is the predominant way that
men be brought to hear the word of God. May think of one that
said, well, if one were to rise from the dead, then my brethren
would believe. But the Lord said, if they do
not hear the word of Moses, if they do not believe the word
of God, then they will not believe that one rose from the dead.
The Word of God is sufficient. The Holy Spirit is able to bless
that Word. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. But those things that happen
in our lives, the same as in this chapter, the Lord has this
intention. Not a short term, not a small
thing, but the greatest blessing any poor sinner can be given,
to believe on the Son of God. and in believing to have life
through his name. May we be of those then in the
Lord's intention here in this chapter, John 11, that we are
brought to believe. Well, the fifth passage is that
which you'll find a bit further on in the New Testament in 1
Corinthians chapter 10. He's page 1065 in Little Bibles. In this passage, the apostle
is writing to the Corinthian church, and he's telling them
about what happened in the wilderness journeys with the children of
Israel. So he is going back a couple
of thousand years or 1800 years or so and he is saying, referring
to them in the beginning of this chapter as the fathers. He says, moreover brethren I
would not that you should be ignorant how that our fathers
were under the cloud and all passed through the sea." That
is, they went through the Red Sea. And he said they all ate
of that same spiritual meat or did drink of that same spiritual
drink. They drank of that spiritual
rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. They all went
together. Then he says this, but with many
of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the
wilderness. In the wilderness, which you'll
read the account in the book of Exodus and the book of Numbers,
you'll read how that they rebelled against God, they murmured, they
complained, they made idols, and God, he destroyed some with
fiery serpents, others the fire of God came down and consumed
them, Others, the earth opened up and swallowed them up. And
others, they were destroyed in the 40 years that they had to
wander in the wilderness because they wouldn't believe and wouldn't
go into the promised land when the Lord said that he would be
with them. Now, the apostle says to this
New Testament church, he says to us, now these things were
our examples To the intent. Here's our text. To the intent. This is in verse six. To the
intent, we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters as were
some of them as it is written, the people sat down to eat and
drink and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication
as some of them committed. and fell in one day three and
twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ,
as some of them also tempted and were destroyed as serpents.
Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured and were destroyed
of the destroyer." And he says, now, all these happened unto
them for examples or examples or types. And they are written
for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Those things that were written those thousand years or so before,
they're written for us. And of course, we are now 2,000
years further on again. And they are written for that
intention, for you and for me. What happened to the children
of Israel under Moses, it was to this intent. They actually
happened and they are written down, recorded in the Holy Inspired
Word of God, to the intent, we should not do those things. There's
a picture set before us of all what people have done wrong,
that God's people have done wrong, God's chosen people, the Jews
have done wrong. And the Church of God has said,
you look at this, don't do the same as them. This is the intention
that was given right at the very beginning. Now the last one you'll
find in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians. A few pages further
on in Ephesians chapter 3 and verses, or verse 10 really, the
word that we are looking at and Ephesians you'll find roughly
about 1,090 page in little Bibles. We read in verse 10, to the intent
that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places
might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. Now actually what God is saying
here, what Paul is saying, God used the apostle Paul as the
apostle to the Gentiles, to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. And one of the things that he
was making known, and especially in this epistle to the Ephesians,
is how the Jews and Gentiles were to be one. In chapter two,
we read in verse 13, and he's speaking of the Gentiles who
were far off from God, they hadn't got the laws, the ceremonial
law, they weren't God's special people, but now under the gospel
they're brought all in together and all saved the same way by
trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament saints, they
were saved by faith in Christ through the types and shadows.
We are saved by seeing the very clear revelation of the Lord
Jesus Christ and what he has done at Calvary. But what is
the amazing thing that sat before us here? And we're told in Peter's
epistles that those things that the prophets were saying through
the years, pointing to the coming of Christ, that these things
are they which the angels desire to look into. And it's evident
that God did not explain to the unfallen angels of heaven what
he was actually doing on earth. They were viewing it as it's
being unfolded and worked out. And in this final scene, as it
were, with the Church of God, with the Jews and the Gentiles
being brought together, God has chosen to show and to teach the
angels in heaven through the means of the Church what his
plan actually is. And that's what is here. Paul says in verse 8, Unto me
who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given,
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches
of Christ. and to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, not even shared with the angels,
who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent. So it was hidden for the intention
that now, now, It is going to be unto principalities and powers,
unto all that heavenly host in heaven might be known by the
church or through the church, by the means of the church, the
manifold wisdom of God. They shall see the church. Later
on in chapter five in Ephesians, he speaks of the church as his
body. The church is really what shows
the mercy of God. It shows the wisdom of God. It
shows his body, his people, who are going to be in heaven. It
really is the pinnacle of all what God has been planning and
purposing right from the beginning of the world to now. And as the
angels from heaven As they look upon what is happening, they
see God's plan. Ah, this, this is what He is
doing. You know, in 1 Corinthians 11,
it speaks of the head covering for a woman in worship, and it
says the woman should have power on her head because of the angels. The angels are looking at the
church. They're looking at what is happening. They looked in
the Garden of Eden, And they saw the woman usurp the authority
over man, and the woman believes Satan instead of God, and Adam
followed with his eyes open. But then when they see in the
church of God a woman having power on her head and her head
covering, then they see here is one submissive to the authority
of God. And they are seeing God's plan
and they see what is happening in the Church of God. They see
every baptising service, buried with him in baptism, risen in
newness of life. They see every ordinance of the
Lord's Supper. This do in remembrance of me,
ye do show forth the Lord's death till he come. Do we ever think
we're not only showing it forth to the congregation that may
look on and to the church that partakes, but to the angels in
heaven? They are looking at it as well.
And they are looking at the obedience of the church to what the Lord
has commanded and the ordinance has set before them. But here
with the apostle, it is this great mystery of the Jew and
Gentile brought together. So making one man, one church,
one body, all saved by Christ. And so he says to the intent,
That's why it was a secret, and that's why it is now revealed.
What a wonderful thing, amazing thing, that the Lord should in
effect be showing us first, and through us, showing the angels
in heaven the wonders of redemption and the wondrous plan of salvation. To the intent, God always has,
a purpose and a reason why he does things. I hope through some
of these that we've looked at this evening, we can see some
of the purposes of the Lord that culminate in the church of God
in these gospel days that we're in now. To the intent, is there
not a cause, David said, to his brother that challenged him coming
into the camp with Goliath. Is there not a cause? There is
a cause. There is a purpose. And God's
purpose is ripe and fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have
a bitter taste for the people of God, but sweet will be the
flower. So may the Lord bless this word
to the intent. Amen.