Turn with me to the book of Ezra. Ezra. If you find 1 and 2 Chronicles,
it's right after that. If you find Nehemiah, you just
went too far. If you get to Esther, you went
a little bit too far. Ezra. The Lord Jesus Christ said this, Lo, I come in the
volume of the book. It's written of me. Whenever we consider any Scripture,
if that Scripture is set forth in such a way to where it does
not proclaim the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the redemption
of His people, then the Scripture is set forth wrongly. It is not preached correctly.
It may be some truth but is not the truth. Many will
stand in pulpits and will proclaim some truth. But if it's not the
Lord Jesus Himself, Christ and Him crucified, it's not the gospel. And if it be not the gospel,
it's not the power of God unto salvation. This morning I pray that the
Lord might be pleased to bless the preaching of His Word to
the calling out of His elect, the settling of His people. The book of Ezra, and I'm going
to be, Lord willing, looking at the first chapter, relates
the return of some of the exiled Israelites back to Jerusalem
after 70 years of captivity. You've heard that. You've heard
of the 70 years. It's 70 years of captivity. There were three men that reigned
during the captivity of the children of Israel. Nebuchadnezzar was
one of them. You remember a story about Nebuchadnezzar. He's the one that built Babylon. And stood up one night, looked
over it, said, look at this great Babylon that I built. And God, while the words were
in his mouth, took his mind away from him. His son, Evel Merodach was his name. It doesn't really relate as far
as I was concerned. One I've heard a lot about, but
he reigned for 23 years. His dad reigned 45 years, and
his grandson, Belshazzar, reigned about two years. Belshazzar,
you remember the one that was partying one night. and saw a
hand writing on the wall. Daniel came and told him what
it said. Basically, he said this. He said,
you've been weighed in the balance. You've come up short. And he
said, your kingdom is taken away from you. Well, these three men
make up 70 years that the nation of Israel was in captivity in
Babylon. And in the third year of Belshazzar,
that was Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, a man named Darius, He was the
mead, the Scripture says, out of Daniel 5. He captured that
very night that the handwriting was on the wall. Daniel said,
this is what's going to happen that very night. Belshazzar was killed and the
kingdom was taken away from those that were in power. And a man
named Cyrus, who was the king of Persia, he became the ruler. Cyrus was his name. Now the significance
of this statement is that it was prophesied about 200 years. Turn with me to Jeremiah 25. Now, though Jeremiah in our Bible
comes after, as far as you're looking at the beginning and
you're going toward the back, Jeremiah comes after Ezra. But the book of Jeremiah was
written actually about 200 years before the book of Ezra. In Jeremiah
25 and in verse 11, now 200 years before the prophet Ezra. Jeremiah 25
verse 11, And this whole land shall be a desolation and an
astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon
seventy years, and it shall come to pass when seventy years are
accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that
nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the
Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. Now just hold your
hand right there. Two hundred years before this
happened, God said, this is what's going to happen. Now the Lord
used Babylon as a rod to correct His people. Now they were a heathen
nation. And God Almighty was pleased
to use that nation, to use it against His people for His purpose. And then after He used that nation
as an oppression to His people, He judged them. He judged the
nation that He used because of what they did. Holding your hand
right in the same place, Jeremiah 25, Look at verse 13 and 14. Now, this is what he said. He
said, I'm going to bring this people, they're going to serve
the king of Babylon, verse 11, 70 years, going to come to pass.
When 70 years are accomplished, I'll punish the king of Babylon
and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity in the land
of the Chaldeans, and I'll make it a perpetual desolation. And
I will bring upon that land all my words which I pronounced against
it. Even all that is written in this
book which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations, for
many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them
also, and I will recompense them according to their deeds and
according to the works of their own hands." Now, this book sets
forth spiritually the deliverance of God's elect out of spiritual
bondage and the restoring of His people to a standing of glory
that is being built up, a holy temple of lively stones. Now, right now, let me just relate
as far as the book of Ezra. You can go back to Ezra 1, and
I'll tell you, I'm just giving you this as a little foundations
so that when we start reading this first chapter, you'll understand
what is actually going on here. Right now, while we're alive,
while you're sitting in this congregation this morning, let
me tell you what's happening. Almighty God has a people. These people have everlastingly
been loved. They are His people, His sheep,
His elect. The people of God have been given
to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is going to bring them out
of captivity. He is going to deliver them. that He leaves to themselves
to do exactly what they want to do. He's going to use them
to His honor and His glory. That's what Brother Scott was
just talking about. Everything that's happening right now. The book of Ezra was written
636 B.C. and that's just a matter of time
because I know that because that's when Ezra wrote this and that's
when Cyrus began to reign. But there's no difference. In this time period and right
now, nothing's changed. God has a people. He shall call
them out of darkness. He shall bring them to themselves.
And everyone that He leaves to themselves, To do what they want
to do, you're going to judge them for it. They did just exactly
what they wanted to do. Historically, the Scripture is
speaking about 200 years before this very one that's raised up. Now, turn with me to the book
of Isaiah chapter 44. Verse 28, Isaiah 44. A couple of hundred years now,
Jeremiah and Isaiah were written very close to the same time.
Two hundred years before this man Cyrus was raised up as the
king, this was written. And Cyrus the king reads this
scripture. Isaiah 44 and verse 8. Now you think about it. Here's
a man that's going to read something in the Word of God concerning
himself. Isaiah 44, 28. Thus, no, that
saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure,
even saying to Jerusalem, thou shalt be built. and to the temple
thy foundation shall be laid." Now keep reading in 45. Thus
saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I
have holden to subdue nations before him, I will loose the
loins of kings to open before him the two leaved gates, and
the gates shall not be shut, I will go before thee, I will
make the crooked places straight, I will break in pieces the gates
of brass, cut and sunder the bars of iron, I will give thee
the treasures of darkness, hidden riches of secret places, that
thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy
name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob, my servant's sake,
and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name.
I have surnamed thee." Now listen, he's talking about this man Cyrus
in particular. But I'll show you, Lord willing,
before this message is over, that Cyrus is a picture of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Here's a heathen king. But it's
a picture of Christ. This is a picture of deliverance. Just realizing that very statement,
go back and let's start verse 4 again. For Jacob, my servant's
sake. A picture of Christ. And Israel,
mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name. I have surnamed
thee, now listen, concerning Cyrus, though thou hast not known
me. I am the Lord, and there is none
else. There is no God beside Me. I
girded thee, though thou hast not known Me." Scripture sets
forth in this particular passage right here, Cyrus is called God's
servant, God's anointed. He said, I named you. I named
you. I had a little granddaughter
the other day. They named her Kelly Grace. You
know why they named her Kelly Grace? Because that's the name
God chose. You know why your name is what
it is? Because God named you. I named you. For all those whose
names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life, who named them
first? Go through books. Let's see,
I think I'm going to name them. Richard, Robert, Ricky, Ricardo. No? You'll name just exactly
what God determines. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. And His people's names were written
in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world.
And in time, The Spirit of God moved upon your parents and they
named you just exactly what God named you. This man, I understand,
is a picture, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. But in time, in
essence, he was a real human being. God said, I called you
to do just exactly what I purposed for you to do. You are my shepherd.
You are my anointed. but you don't know Me." That's
what he said. So in the first year of Cyrus,
back in verse 1 of Ezra, Ezra 1, verse 1, 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 he put it also in writing, that the word
of the Lord might be fulfilled. The clock of God's providence
may seem to run slow as far as you and I are concerned, but
it always strikes at the right time. just exactly the way Almighty
God has determined it. Everything that has happened
in your life and in my life has fallen out so that we all could
be here this morning. Nothing happens by accident.
No luck. All things are ordered by Almighty
God. Man might say, You must be kidding
me. I could have decided this morning
that I didn't want to come. Why didn't you? Why didn't you
not come? You came this morning because
God Almighty determined that you would be. Everybody that's
in this place this morning is here by divine appointment. to
hear what Almighty God has to say, and His Word is not going
to return unto Him void. Some might say, well, I'm just
not going to really listen this morning. Well, time shall prove
the worth of this Word. This day will never be forgotten. Eternity will reveal This day,
August the 22nd, 2004, that date will come up again. It shall
come up again. You'll remember, August the 22nd,
2004. In 636 BC, Cyrus began to reign
70 years exactly after Nebuchadnezzar took Israel captive. Cyrus began to reign. Jeremiah
29.10 For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished
at Babylon, I will visit you And I will perform My good word
toward you in causing you to return to this place, for I know
the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts
of peace and not evil, to give you an expected end." He said,
I'm going to put you in bondage. Seventy years after you're in
bondage, I'm going to visit you again. I'm going to raise up
a man named Cyrus. Cyrus is going to read in the
Scriptures his name concerning my purpose toward you. I will
put it in his heart. He will set you free. And you
will come out. The reason you're going to come
out, he said, is because I have thoughts toward you of peace.
And you'll come out freely, with joy. Four things concerning The
fulfillment of God's Word. It says in the first year of
Cyrus, the king of Persia, that the Word of the Lord by the mouth
of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. That the Word of the Lord might
be fulfilled. Four things. Number one, Almighty
God has divine regard for His Word. Heaven and earth are going
to pass away. My stuff and your stuff, what
you've accomplished, done, how much you got in the bank, what
you're driving this morning, every bit of that is going to
go away. As Brother Tim James said, I mentioned this to you,
he said, let's be learning. Turn loose of these things. Turn
loose of them. Because you're going to. Heaven
and earth are going to pass away, but the Word of God endureth
forever. Numbers 23, 19 says, God is not
a man that he should lie. You and I are all liars. Every
one of us. Liars. His Word shall not return
unto him void. Everything else is going to pass
away. The Word of God endureth forever. He abideth faithful. That the Word of the Lord by
the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah might be fulfilled. How this
thought should prompt us to trust Him, His Word. Two hundred years before this
man was raised up, God says, I'm going to raise you up. It's
going to be your name. This is what you're going to
do. Secondly, the mercy of God toward His people is always seen
in His fulfilled Word, His Word. Their captivity was the result
of sin. Man's captivity and bondage to
sin was the result of rebellion against God. We think so lightly
concerning who He is. We think such disrespectful thoughts
concerning Him. Starting in this pulpit right
here, in every row going back, all the way back to Daryl. Every thought that you just thought
of Almighty God, there was enough unbelief and disrespect in it
to put every man, every woman in hell justly. None of us thought
a right thought. Every thought that went through
our minds was nothing but below the glory that is due His name. He is worthy. And you and I do
not have the capability of thinking a right thought. We think we
do, and we are so disrespectful. The dawning light of grace is
seen in the type of the deliverance of this nation out of the bondage
of Babylon. Thirdly, we see the might and
power of God upon all men, all men. 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. He was a heathen king. It is revealed back in Jeremiah
200 years before this man was ever king. He said, you are my
servant, you are my anointed, this is what you are going to
say, and you don't know me. You don't know me. You don't
know my name. You do not know Me." The Lord stirred up the spirit
of this king. It is not recorded that the Lord
moved upon him in power and grace unto salvation. But he was referred
to as My servant, My shepherd, who shall perform all my pleasure. It says in Isaiah 45, verse 1,
Thus saith the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus, this is Isaiah 45,
verse 1, whose right hand, that is, whose power I have holden
to subdue nations before him, I surnamed thee." That's what
we read a while ago, though you don't know me. And this life eternal that we
speak of is to know Him, to know Him in mercy, to know Him by
grace, and to cast ourselves upon Him for hope in salvation. The king's heart is in the hand
of the Lord, as the rivers of water he turneth it, whithersoever
he will." There is nothing that is more
disrespectful than to speak of God Almighty as being One who
hopes or appeals to men's will. as that which they shall do for
him." The Lord wants to do, and I've said before, and many men
rightly so, if Almighty God wants to do anything, He does it. He does it as He will in the
army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and
nobody stays His hand. Nobody. That's what all men are. Nobody. And then fourthly, concerning
the Word of the Lord, consider the response of men by the influence
of God's power. Here was a man, verse 1, Cyrus,
the 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, and this is what this king did. He
made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and he put it
in writing. He said, this is what we're going
to do. Why? Because God stirred his heart.
Because the Lord moved on his heart. He made a proclamation. God's will. is irresistible. Irresistible. He does as He will. How stupid is man to think that
he can resist God Almighty or thwart His command. Man exalts
himself as if he is something, and he is nothing. He is nothing. What is man that thou art mindful
of him? He's as the dust. He's nothing. He's nothing save that which
Almighty God is pleased to do for Him and in Him. For His honor
and His glory, the will of God is done. The Lord stirred up
the spirit of this man, and God Almighty must stir up your spirit.
If you do anything, it's because God stirred your spirit. It is
Him alone that can affectually stir the Spirit. How many times
I think that I hear the Gospel, till one day when it pleased
God who separated me, Paul said, from my mother's womb and called
me by His grace to reveal His Son in me. Until then, I did
just exactly what every man and every woman does. They just sit
there. And they hear some man stand
there and they think to themselves, when is he going to be done? August 22, 2004. The Lord stirred the heart of this
king. It is God that worketh in you
both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And the means
by which the Spirit was stirred up in the heart of this man was
the Word of God. He read in the book of Jeremiah.
He read it. It was in the book. It was written
concerning what God was going to do through this man. Probably Daniel was the prophet
that was used, not necessarily, but more than likely, Daniel
was the one that showed this particular Scripture. There is
no difference though. Today, God used somebody to show
you and show me. The Lord sent someone. He sent
a preacher. He raised up a preacher that
preached the truth concerning who God is. Sovereign God Almighty. All men that stand in pulpits
are not sin of God. If they preach not according
to this Word, according to God's sovereign mercy and grace toward
sinners and those that He is pleased to call out, they know Him not. Cyrus, having
seen the prophecy concerning himself, was moved by the Lord. to obey. But the devils know
him. They tremble, but not unto salvation. This man did what God was pleased
to do. And the evidence of God having
stirred up his spirit, Cyrus moved. He moved. He stirred him up and he made
a proclamation, all of his kingdom. He put it in writing. The Spirit
of God stirred him through the Word of God. Those that are stirred
by God obey. This is the way God calls His
people out of darkness. He calls His own unto salvation
and gives them a heart that bows to Him. Personal call. Cyrus
saw His name. God's elect, by faith, see their
name in the Lamb's Book of Life. You that know Him, let me ask
you this. Do you truly believe your name to be there? By faith. Faith is the substance of things
hoped for. It's the evidence of things that
are not seen. By faith, God's elect, they believe that Almighty
God has truly written their name in the Lord Jesus Christ. His
Lamb. Those called out of darkness
give the Lord glory in their calling. The Scripture says,
Cyrus, verse 2, the king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given
me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build
Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. He said, God charge
me. Why do you do what you do? You
that know Him. Why do you do what you do? This
is the answer. God's charged me. The Lord's
given me a heart. Why do you worship Him? Because
He's worth to be worshipped. Why do you follow after Him?
You say, He's my shepherd. My sheep hear my voice. They
follow. They come after me. They follow
Him. How amazing are the ways of God! Cyrus says, The Lord
of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth. Where did he get that? Well,
in the book of Daniel, chapter 4, verse 17, the Scripture says,
The Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men, and giveth it to whomsoever
He will. He knew that. The Lord said in Isaiah 44, 28
that we read just a moment ago. He said, I'm going to cause you,
Cyrus. You're going to be the one that will allow my people
to go and build a temple. The foundation is going to be
laid. And this king in verse 3 said, 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." The effectual call of Almighty
God to His people is freedom, spiritual freedom. Anybody that wanted to go, Now
this is just the way it is. Anybody that wanted to go, they
were in Babylon. And this king said, anybody that wants to go can
go. In essence, who is there among
you of all his people? His God be with him. Let him
go up to Jerusalem. Anybody that desires, whosoever will. Let him take
of the water of life freely. Whoever desires Christ, let him
drink of Him. Let him eat of Him. Whoever desires
Him. Whoever needs a Savior. Whoever needs a Savior. Whoever
needs a Savior. Now, I'm not talking to anybody.
who is their own Savior. I'm not talking to anybody who
is their own Savior by exercising their own free will. If you think
that you are saved because you exercised your own free will,
you, in your mind, are your own Savior. You are your Savior because
you did something for yourself God couldn't save me unless I
exercised my own free will. That is salvation by works, which
is not salvation at all. Not by works of righteousness
that you've done, but according to His mercy, His mercy, His
mercy, He saved us. Now, I'm talking about anybody
that needs a Savior. apart from anything that they
can do. I'm talking about salvation by
grace. Whoever needs a Savior. The Scripture distinctly sets
forth, not by the works of the flesh, not by the will of man,
by grace. Go back and read John. Tell me. Anybody that wanted to go could
go. And the Scripture says in verse
4, And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth,
that the men of this place help him with silver, gold, goods,
beasts, beside the freewill offerings for the house of God that is
in Jerusalem. Some of them had no heart to
go. They just didn't want to go. Some of them wanted to stay
in bondage. Now that's exactly what they
did. They were in bondage in Babylon, and this king said, anybody that desires to go, you
can go. Anybody that desires to stay can stay. But if you
stay, you're going to help those that are going. You're going to give to them.
You're going to provide for them. They stayed because that's what
they wanted to do. They supported materialistically,
but they had no desire to be part of that built temple. The
Lord is pleased to maintain all men for the purpose of His people. I was thinking, driving home
yesterday, just passed a little store. I passed that store and I thought
to myself, you know why that store is there? Because Almighty
God is not going to forsake His people. And He knows that they
have need of all these things. What they're going to eat. What
they're going to have to drink. And Almighty God prospers men
materialistically. Allows them, down here in Vermont,
some nice businesses and stuff like that. Do you know why they're
there? Because God's going to take care of His people. That's
why they're there. That's exactly why they're there.
Yeah, but they're just hard-working folks. I understand that. This
man was a king. God prospered him. Raised him
up. Brad made him what he is. Why? Because in time, his people were
going to go up and build that temple. And God raised that man
up and said 200 years before, he said, this is what I'm going
to do. Then God moved on his heart, stirred him up, and said,
this is what you're going to say. And this is why you're going
to say it. Because my people are going up.
Anybody that wanted to go could go. Why didn't they stay there? Why did they not stay? Because
God stirred up some of them to go, and some He left to Himself. How do you know that? Let's read
verse 5. 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." Why did some go and some didn't? Because
God Almighty stirred some to go. The Jews were prisoners. in Babylon,
just like all men are to sin. Cyrus, a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ, called of God to the work of deliverance. Both these men, Cyrus, remember
the Scripture I just quoted at the beginning of this. Lo, I
come, in the volume of the book it's written of me. Cyrus here
is a picture of Christ Himself. Both Cyrus, a picture of the
Lord Jesus Christ, overcame the oppressors. Cyrus conquered Babylon. Our Lord Jesus Christ conquered
sin. The blessing in both these cases
are shown to flow from the unmerited grace of Almighty God. The Lord stirred up the spirit
of Cyrus to release the captives. And God Himself commendeth His
love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. God sent a Deliverer to the nation
of Israel and His people. He sent the Lord Jesus Christ.
And those that rose up were those whose spirit God raised up to
go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. That is to say, spiritually speaking,
New Jerusalem. But I want you to notice that
those that did not go up, didn't go up because the Lord didn't
stir their heart to go up. But some did. But there were
very few. The tribes of Judah, Benjamin,
and Levi. I am not saying that there were
not some more, because the Scripture says, Then rose up the chief
of the fathers of Judah, Benjamin the priest, and those Levites,
and all them whose spirit God had raised up. Very possibly
there were others that went, but only those that God stirred
up. Many are called, but few are
chosen. Every time someone stands up
and preaches the gospel of free grace. This is what they say. Whosoever will, let him take
of the water of life freely. Does that mean that a man exercises
his free will and decides to go, then Almighty God will allow
him to be called out of darkness? No. Here's what happens. God
calls men out of darkness, and they're willing in the day of
His power. If they come, they come because
He has given them a heart to do so. God stirred the hearts
in verse 5. Light is coming to the world, and men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. Those who did go went because they were of a new
character to go. The Lord gave them a heart to
go, and this is what He does with His people. Verses 7 to 11. I will sum those
Scriptures up this way. It says also Cyrus, let me just
read this, the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the
Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem
and had put them in the house of his gods. Even those did Cyrus,
king of Persia, bring forth by the hand of Mithridat, the treasurer,
and numbered them with Sheth-bazar, the prince of Judah. This is
the number of them, thirty charges of gold, 1,000 charges of silver,
9 and 20 knives, 30 basins of gold, silver basins of a second
sort, 410 other vessels, 1,000, all the vessels of gold and silver
were 5,400. All these did Shasbazar bring
up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon
into Jerusalem. You say, well, basically all
that says is that there were some utensils that were brought
up. I consider just taking verses
7 to 11 and preaching the gospel out of verses 7 to 11, just out
of the implements, Carl, that were there. There is so much
in those few verses. No doubt, much could be said
and discovered from these last verses But let me leave you with
just a couple of thoughts concerning those vessels, concerning the
implements, just the implements. Twenty-nine or twenty-four, whatever, twenty-nine knives, thousands
of these, a few hundred of these. All these vessels, the Scripture
says in verse 7, were of the house of the Lord. It says, verse
7, Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house
of the Lord. Now there's a key statement right
there. These were God's. They belonged to Him. They were
set apart, sanctified for His use. These were God's. These
were of the house of the Lord. They were, without doubt, a picture
and a type of God's grace in the redemption of His people. These implements had been abused
by men. They had been taken, stolen. Sin robbed us of life. The Lord told, what did He tell
Adam? In the day you eat thereof, what's
going to happen? You're going to die. That's what
was taken. Adam knew God at one time. In the day you eat, you're going
to surely die. These implements right here,
they were brought forth. They were the vessels of the
house of the Lord. Gods. Abused by men. But Almighty God did watch over
them. Protect them. And though they
were abused, the Lord's eye was upon them. For they were symbols
of His people and the glory of His blessed Son in redeeming
them, bringing them back, protecting them. We see in the vessels of the
Lord and the preservation of these vessels, the promise of
Almighty God to surely bring out of captivity all that He
is. Now, let me show you something
concerning God's Word. Turn with me to Jeremiah 27. Jeremiah 27, verses 21 and 22. Now, you think, how important
could just a few knives be and a few bowls be Jeremiah 27, verse
21, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning
the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the
house of the King of Judah, and of Jerusalem, they shall be carried
to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit
them, saith the LORD. Then I will bring them up, and
restore them to this place. You say, He said that about a
few vessels? About a few knives and some bowls? These are gods. That's gods. They're pictures. They're types
of that which is precious to Him. They're going to go to Babylon. But I'm going to restore them.
I'm going to bring them out. I'm going to put them back. How
gloriously Do we behold the gospel in this first chapter? The motive
by God's grace that moved Cyrus was benevolence. God stirred
up His heart to be kind to these people. The love of God in Christ
for His own was manifested in that He sent His only begotten
Son in this world. God so loved the world. The deliverance
was announced by Cyrus from captivity in Babylon to freedom in Canaan. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15,
1, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. This is
what I tell you this morning. I'm declaring to you that God
has set His people free. I'm telling you that. I'm not
offering anything. I'm telling you that God is going
to bring His people out of bondage. That's what He's going to do.
And when He's pleased to do so, by faith, He'll tell you. He'll reveal it to you. When
it pleases God, He'll tell you, I brought you out of bondage. There were no terms to leaving
Babylon, going up to Jerusalem, This was the word from Cyrus.
Anybody want to go? Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power. In the day of His power, His
people will say, I want to go. I want to go. The freedom was
to any that was in bondage. Remember when the Jews said to
the Lord Jesus Christ, Are you saying that we're in bondage?
Not in bondage. We're free men. I can do whatever
I want to, when I want to, how I want to. We're Abraham's kids. He said, if you were Abraham's
children, you'd love Me. The Lord in Isaiah 61.1, speaking
of Himself, hath anointed me to preach good
tidings to the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening
of the prison to them that are bound." And then lastly, salvation
is all of grace, beginning to end. Those that remained, remained
because they wanted to go. I wanted to stay. Those that
went wanted to go. Those that stayed were used,
as I said a moment ago, to support those that went up. All things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
the called according to His purpose. The first chapter of the book
of Ezra is a chapter speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. our
spiritual Cyrus who proclaimed, anyone want to go? If any man
thirst, that's what he said, let him come unto me. Eat of
me. My sheep hear my voice. They follow. No stipulations
on these people. Any man pleased to go, those
that go, go. God gave my heart to go. Those
that stay, stay because they want to. The Lord left them to
themselves. And everything concerning this
scripture right here is a picture of deliverance that's all of
grace.