Turn with me to the book of Ezra,
chapter 7. I would like to conclude the chapter that we
started last Sunday morning. Before I begin, I would like
to remind you to be remembering Brother Doris Mahan, whose surgery
that was originally scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed
until next week. Also for Brad, she's at home
recuperating. And also for Sarah, Jeff and
Pat's daughter, who had some gallbladder surgery, and she's
at UHC, and so she'll be recuperating. It's good to have my mom with
us here. Always good. Ezra chapter 7. Just as a very
fast reminder of what was stated last Sunday morning, the seventh
chapter of the book of Ezra. It sets forth really the history,
the epitaph of a man, the biography of a man named Ezra. He was a man that was a servant
of Almighty God, a blessed, blessed position. I was thinking as Brother
Scott I read that passage in Psalm 39. What a blessing it
is that God would cause a man, make a man to be a servant and
to know how frail he is. This man, Ezra, though he lived
in this earth years and years ago, by God's grace, is a man
that now is with Him forever. And as we looked at this man
Ezra, there were a few things that I noticed about him. I said
that he was a man that had a distinguished ancestry. He came from the lineage
of Aaron. He was a man that, by God's grace,
some distinguishing attainments in this world. God, by this man,
was pleased to cause this man, gave him a heart to be a ready
scribe in the law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given. Thirdly, he was a servant that
enjoyed distinguishing favor. The king, Artaxerxes, given this
man Ezra a commission to take the people that had a heart to
go out of Babylon. And he granted this man Ezra
all of his requests. Fourthly, he was a servant with
distinguishing influence. Verse 7, it said that some of
the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, The singers, the
porters, the nepheneums took him into Jerusalem. He had quite a group that followed
him. He was a man that had some distinguishing
success. Verses 8 to 9, he left Babylon
and four months later he came to Jerusalem. That journey was
a journey that was long and difficult. perilous, but it was a journey
that was successful. He was a servant that had a distinguishing
aim. The Scripture says in verse 10
that he prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and
lastly, he was a servant of distinguishing blessing. The King granted him
all of his requests according as the hand of the Lord was upon
him." Now, of all these things that I said or could be said
by anyone concerning this man Ezra, here was the conclusion. This man was a man blessed of
God, but in and of himself he was a man. That's all that he
was. He was a man in and of the Lord
God Himself. This was a man that was greatly
blessed by Almighty God. But the thing that I want to
bring out tonight for just a few moments is this, remembering
that all of these things that are said about this man Ezra. Ezra is a picture, is a type
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of all of these things Remember,
I keep bringing this out, the temple at Jerusalem is a picture,
is a type of what God Almighty is doing in time, in this world,
in the present period, in the period of Ezra, the period of
Noah, all through time, in all of time's existence. This is
what's happening. God Almighty is building by lively
stones His people that He has everlastingly loved. And as Ezra
is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, Ezra was a man that the
Scripture shows was blessed by the King. But how does that relate
to you and to me tonight? What does the Scriptures have
to say for us this evening? And only in the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ do we see any hope whatsoever. Ezra was a servant,
I said first of all, of distinguishing ancestry. He could trace his
lineage back to Aaron, the high priest. Can you imagine? Now, that's saying something.
You know, I'm sure if there's someone in this room tonight,
had somebody, you know, of distinguishing ancestry. You know, my ancestor
was George Washington. You know, I said, wow, that would
be pretty good. This man here, his ancestor right
down the line was Aaron, the high priest. But the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is the one of whom Ezra is a type, you know who
He is? He is the only begotten Son of
God, the sole Son, the only begotten. All others, you, me, angels,
everybody else was created, not Him. He is the only begotten
of the Father. Oh, the ancestry of this man,
the Son was ever the Father's delight. He was born as a child. A child was born, but a son was
given, the only begotten. Ezra, his ancestry, oh, that's
highly commendable, but this is who he is, only begotten of
the Father as wisdom. Christ Himself was ever before
His Father in that everlasting covenant. Everlasting. No time. Eternal. He was there. He is the eternal God. No beginning. No end. The Alpha and the Omega. Peter said in John 6, 69. We
believe. And you ask yourself this. You
believe and are sure that He is the Christ, the Son of the
living God. This evening, this is our hope. Who is the One who is our representative? Who is He? I'll tell you who
He is. He's God Himself. God Almighty. John said in 1 John 5, verse
13, These things have I written unto you that believe on the
name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal
life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Eternal life is in Him. Ezra, his ancestry. Oh, that
was a good thing. I'm Aaron, the high priest's
lineage. I'm in his lineage. The one of
who Ezra is a type is God Almighty. That's who he is. Secondly, Ezra
was a servant of distinguishing attainments. He attained some
marvelous things. He was a man that held a position
as a scribe and a priest. The name of Ezra carried a lot
of weight around his parts. Whenever Ezra spoke, people listened. Turn with me. Let's just look
at that. Philippians chapter 2, verse 9 to 11. also have highly exalted Him,
and given Him a name that is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth, that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father." This Ezra, this man, he attained some marvelous things. But the one of whom we speak,
of whom Ezra is a type, this is what the Scripture says in
Ephesians 1.20, when He raised him from the dead and set him
at His own right hand in heavenly places far above all principality
and power and might and dominion and every name that is named
not only in this world, but also in the world which is to come.
Ezra, the name, the man Ezra, he did carry some weight. But
this man, Christ Jesus, this man has attained a name that
is above every name. In heaven, in earth, heaven that
is to come. Thirdly, Ezra was a servant that
enjoyed some distinguishing favor. Artaxerxes had found favor with
this man. In fact, in verse 20 of chapter
7, it says, Whosoever and whatsoever more shall be needful for the
house of thy God which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow
it out of the king's treasure house. Artaxerxes told this man
Ezra, Whatever you need, You got it. Whatever you desire,
it's yours. You just ask. You know, a man
who's a friend, if that man who loves you, if it's within his
power to give it for your good, a man that loves you, he'll give
it to you. Artic Xerxes loved this man Ezra
and told him, he said, you go, you build. Whatever you need,
it's yours. It's possible that the officers
of the Persian government, because you remember, Ezra was the second
leader. Zerubbabel had led the group
out, had led a group out first, out of Babylon. And Ezra came
a few years later. When Zerubbabel came out of the
captivity, out of Babylon, it had been told, said, now this
is the decree that King Darius makes whatever is needed, give
him. Now, possibly there has been
a little unfaithfulness. Possibly all of the decrees of
the king Darius concerning the supplying of the implements of
worship were not taken care of. And the commission given to Ezra
by this king, Artaxerxes, provided fully for whatever was needed. And He said, Now, I'm telling
you, this is My decree. But Philippians 4.19 says this,
But My God shall supply. That word supply there means
cram all that's needed. My God shall supply all your
need, all of your lack according to His riches. Artaxerxes was
a rich king. He considered himself, if you
remember, in that letter that he wrote, he said, I'm writing
you. I am Artaxerxes, the king of
kings. Well, let me tell you who the
king of kings is. It's God Almighty. And in Philippians,
Paul writing to the church at Philippi says, My God shall supply
all your need according to His riches in glory. By who? By Christ Jesus. Whatever my
need be, it's met in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever
Ezra desired, Ezra got it from the king. If we be ignorant of
God, and we are in ourselves, Christ Jesus has made unto us
wisdom. We are guilty of rebellion in
Adam against God Almighty. He is our righteousness. Now
you think about this. We're ignorant people. My God
shall supply all you need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus. You that are ignorant and made
to know, it's like that scripture, Brother Scott Ray, make me know
my frail, how frail I am. A believer will admit this, I'm
an ignorant person. He's our wisdom. We're rebellious
people. He is our righteousness. We are
alienated and unholy as being born and found in Adam. He is
our sanctification, our separation unto God, our holiness. We are lost and sold unto sin. He is our redemption, my God. Oh, that we might see that our
glory, and Paul says, Let him glory in the Lord. He that glorieth,
that has that opinion about what pleases God, if a man is going
to glory, let him glory in the Lord. You remember what that
word glory means. The base of that word glory is
to have an opinion. What does a believer glory or
who does a believer glory in? Let me say it like that. He glories
in Christ. and him alone. Fourthly, Ezra
was a servant of distinguishing influence. When there was to
be the exodus from Babylon, the Lord Himself raised up Ezra,
and the people, in verse 7, followed him. They left with him. Ezra brought the people out of
the city of oppression. But concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ, of whom Ezra is a type, He plucked us as a bran out of
the fire. He did so by His grace and by
His mercy. There was not one thing in any
of us that Almighty God looked upon as being worthy of plucked
out. He did not look at Bob Wilson
and say, well, I tell you, old Bob, he's been a faithful one. I think because of his faithfulness,
I think I'll just pluck him out. I can tell you this, and I think
Bob would admit this, there wasn't one thing in Bob Wilson or Scott
Richardson or Neal Locke or anybody else in here that Almighty God
looked upon and saw in themselves that was worthy of being plucked. He does what He does by His grace,
by His mercy, by His power. We were in bondage with the stench
of rebellion upon us, and in mercy, He delivered us from the
death of our sin. And the Scripture says concerning
the influence of Ezra. Verse 13 says, this is what Artaxerxes
says, I make a decree that all they of the people of Israel
and of his priests and Levites in my realm, which are minded
of their own free will to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. The Scripture sets forth that
God's people, shall be willing." Now here's the distinguishing
difference of what men today in religion, blind religion,
they speak of free will. They want to give a man that's
dead in trespasses and sin. They want to give a spiritual
corpse. They want to give him, they say,
the ability, one that's dead, one that can't hear God One that
is lame on both his feet spiritually. What they want to do is say,
that man, they say that I believe that he is dead. But then on
the same breath, they want to say, but he still has the ability
to be able to make a decision one way or the other. No, he
doesn't. He is dead. Almighty God must
give a man or a woman a new heart. They are willing And all that
come to Christ come to Him willingly, without a doubt. But they come
willingly because He's given them a new heart. They're a new creature. They're
born again. Take a man that's dead in his
sins, and that man cannot do anything. It takes a new creation
created in Christ Jesus. His workmanship. When Almighty
God gives a man a heart to come, he's willing. That's when he
comes. But God must give him a new heart,
a new mind. All they which are mindful of
their own free will, or that word free will is interpreted,
that are mindful to go. And all God's people, those that
He's regenerated by His power, they're mindful to go. You that
believe, let me ask you this. Are you mindful to follow after
Christ? Sure you are. Sure you are. But you will admit,
I know you will, you that believe, you will admit this, I come because
He has given me a heart to. We are that bran plucked out
of the fire by a miracle of free grace. And as the people followed
Ezra out of Babylon, Christ said, My sheep, they hear My voice. Would God Almighty by His power
When it pleases Him, when He calls them by His grace, when
the Spirit of God grants them that new heart, He said, My sheep,
they hear My voice and they follow. He is the Great Shepherd who
delivers His sheep to the Father. Fifthly, Ezra was a servant of
distinguishing success. That's why I read in verses 8
and 9, he came out on the first day of this month And on the
first day, four months later, He brought the people into Jerusalem. The entire group that came out
with Him came into Jerusalem with Him. They all came out of
Babylon and they all were delivered safely into Jerusalem. In John 17, verse 4, our Lord
in His high priestly prayer says, I have glorified Thee on the
earth. I have revealed your opinion. I have set forth your mind. I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do." In verse 12 of John 17, the Lord said,
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name,
those that thou gavest me I have kept. And none of them is lost
but the son of perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled. In John 10, 27-29, this is where
the Lord says, My sheep, they hear My voice, I know them, they
follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life. They shall never
perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My
Father which gave them Me is greater than all, and no man
is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. When Ezra brought
that group of people, Out of Babylon, Almighty God had purposed
that all that came out with Ezra would come into Jerusalem. And
I'll tell you this, all that the Father has given the Lord
Jesus Christ in eternal election shall surely be with Him where
He is. He will deliver them all. Sixthly,
Ezra was a servant with a distinguishing aim. The Scripture says in Ezra
7, verse 10, Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of
the Lord, and do it, and teach in Israel statutes and judgments. I'm telling you, you look at
that verse, and boy, if you can't see the picture of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Ezra set fixed his heart to serve
the Lord. The Lord said in John 4, verse
34, my food, is to do the will of
Him that sent me and to finish the work." What work? The work
of redemption. He came into this world to glorify
Almighty God in the redeeming of all that the Father had given
Him. As a child, He replied to Mary
and to Joseph. You know, when they had gone
into Jerusalem to worship and they were coming back and they
were gone for a few days and they recognized that the Lord
Jesus as a 12-year-old boy was not with them. And they came
back and they found Him, you know, and He was conversing with
the learned religious men of that day. And they asked Him,
they said, Don't you realize that we didn't know where you
were and we were looking for you? Where were ye? And He said
in Luke 2, verse 49, Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's
business? Divine constraint upon Him who
is the divine servant of Almighty God. Ezra set his heart, the
Scripture said, prepared his heart to seek the law of the
Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ came into
this world. It was His Father's glory. that He was here to maintain. It was for the salvation of His
sheep. He must be about His Father's
business. All power to accomplish the Father's
will was in His hands. And then seventhly, Ezra was
a servant of distinguishing blessing. In verse 6, it said, Ezra went
up from Babylon He was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which
the Lord God of Israel had granted, and the king granted him all
his requests according to the hand of the Lord his God upon
him. This man, Ezra, he had received
a mighty blessing. Verse 21 says, I, even I, art
exercised to make a decree to the treasurers. which are beyond
the river, whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law
of God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily."
Whatever Ezra asked, the King provided. In Matthew 21, 22,
the Lord speaking, He said, "...all things whatsoever ye shall ask
in prayer, believing." you shall receive." I thought upon that
verse of Scripture. When the Lord prayed, He prayed
perfectly. He prayed wholly. He prayed justly. He knew exactly what to ask. I began to pray, and I think
to myself, I am. Well, Scott, I appreciate that
Scripture. It just fits perfectly. But I
think to myself, I don't even know what to ask for. I began
to say something and I think I just don't know what I'm asking
for. I want to speak to Him. I want
to speak with some honor. But I don't know what to ask.
They said whatever Ezra asked for, you give it to him and you
give it to him now. the Lord Jesus Christ praying
for His own in John 17, 15. And He prayed this in all wisdom,
omnipotent, omniscient. He knows what He's asking for.
And He says this, I pray not that thou shouldest take them
out of the world, that is, those that the Father had given Him,
but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. He knew just
exactly what to ask for. And when He asked the Father
for His own, this prayer right here, you can bet your bottom
dollar that God Almighty will supply it. I pray not that you
take them out of the world, but keep them. Keep them from the
evil. Our blessed Lord Jesus in that
high priestly prayer asked in the 24th verse John 17, Father,
I will, and whatever He wills, He gets. I will that they also
whom Thou hast given be with Me where I am, that they may
behold My glory while those that Thou hast given Me, for Thou
lovest Me before the foundation of the world. When the Lord Jesus
Christ asked the Father, Father, I pray, those that You've eternally
loved, that You chose in me, those that I shall redeem in
time in the purpose of Almighty God. He did. He crucified from
the foundation of the world. But those that Christ redeemed,
He said, this is my prayer. This is my will. This is my desire. This is what I ask for. Those
that You've given me, that they'll be with me, and they shall. And
in conclusion, Ezra was a man made to be thankful for God's
mercy. In the 27th and 28th verse of
this 7th chapter, this is Ezra speaking. He said, Blessed be
the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing in
the king's heart. to beautify the house of the
Lord which is in Jerusalem, and hath extended mercy unto me before
the king, and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty
princes. And I was strengthened as the
hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together out
of Israel chief men to go up with me." Ezra was a servant
that recognized by the grace of God the sovereign hand of
God Almighty in the providential dealings with men." He saw. He knew. This man was a heathen
king, Artaxerxes. The Lord put it upon that man's
heart, that king's heart, to provide for Ezra. Though Artaxerxes
saw himself as a great guy, this is what I'm doing. This is how
I'm helping out. This man, Ezra, this is what
I'm doing for this man and for those people that's in captivity. I'm letting them come out of
Babylon. This is what I'm doing. I'm telling you that Almighty
God moved it upon that man's heart. He turns the head of the
king whether so ever he will. He does as he will in the army
of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. I was talking to
Brother Glenn this morning. We were talking about how all
of these things in this town right here, in this country,
in this world, whatever scope you want to look at, I'm telling
you that everything in this world is so ordered by God Almighty
to the glory of God Himself and for the good of His people. From
the maintenance of this little store right down here at Katie
Market, God Almighty allows that man to be in business for the
good of His people. to the governor of this state,
to the president of this United States, to this world, all of
these things, God Almighty raises up nations and put down nations
for His honor and for His glory and for His praise and for the
good of His people. And Ezra recognized that it was
God's hand. Blessed be the Lord God of our
fathers. He didn't say, I thank Artaxerxes,
because Artaxerxes is such a nice guy. He said, I thank God that
put such a thing in this king's heart to do this. I thank God
for that. I thank the Lord. Ezra was a
servant that recognized that the sovereign hand of God Almighty
orders all of these things, knowing that He does these things. After
the counsel of His own will, our Lord prayed. Turn with me
to Matthew chapter 11. Matthew 11, beginning in verse 20. Let's
just see what this passage describes. Verse 20 to 26, the Lord dealing
in these two cities. It says in verse 20, Matthew
11, 20, Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His
mighty works were done, because they repented not. unto thee,
Chorazin, woe unto thee, Bethsaida. For if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in cycloth and ashes. But I say unto you,
it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of
judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if
the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in
Sodom, it would have remained unto this day. But I say unto
you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the
day of judgment than for thee.' And at that time Jesus answered
and said, I thank thee, O Father. Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes, for even so, Father, it seemed good. in thy sight." Ezra was a man
that thanked God for his providential dealings in the affairs of the
building of the church in Jerusalem. The Lord God of heaven came into
this world as a man, a body that was prepared for Him. Truthfully,
He told those with whom He dealt He said, if the mighty works
that were done here had been done in Sodom, it would have
been better for you. He said, if you had never heard
it. It would have been better for you if you had never been
born. But then he thanked God Almighty. He said, I thank You,
Father, that You hid these things. I don't know what to be thankful
for, but the Lord Jesus Christ, He does. He thanked God that
they were hidden from the wise and the prudent." Why? For so
it seemed good in your sight. Thankful. Ezra was a man, a man
that God Almighty blessed mightily. But he was a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of this man Ezra. is the one
to whom we look. He who has brought us out of
darkness. He whose aim was to please the
Father. That's our divine Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. Okay, Gary, I want you to come
and lead us in a hymn.