to be with you today and Even
though the inclement weather we get together and see each
other and I'm so thankful for that I was sharing with others. I believe it was last year we
spent three Sundays that we couldn't meet and all I could do is put
the messages on sermon audio and there just wasn't much interaction,
but I'm thankful to Dan and Judy originally getting us on zoom
and and allowing us to do this, and it's such a good way to meet
under the circumstances. Well, would you join me today
in the book of Ezra, Ezra chapter 10. I like to refer to this as
the Gospel according to Ezra because all the Old Testament
Scriptures speak of Christ. Appreciate more and more what
the Lord said with regard to Moses Moses spoke of me and all
of the prophets spoke of the Lord Jesus as We heard there
in the Bible class and as we mentioned on Wednesday that Jesus
Christ is the spirit of prophecy he's he's the very being that
all the prophets spoke about the Messiah the promised one
and Here in the book of Ezra. We have what is at the conclusion
of Ezra's prayer and in Ezra's prayer He brought up the subject
that had been brought to him the condition of those folks
that were there in Jerusalem in Judah and Benjamin and For
us today, it's not so much that these people that had returned
earlier and had intermarried with the folks that were in the
area there, it was their adoption of false religion that penetrated
Ezra so far, so deeply, and we've made reference to the book of
Galatians there, how the adoption of false religion by those at
Galatia just pierced the heart and soul of the Apostle Paul. and it pierces the heart and
soul of every gospel preacher when they hear of someone that
made a fair show of the faith, it looked like, and that they
departed and went away. So as we look at this now, we're
in chapter 10, and we have that Ezra had prayed with weeping
and casting himself down, verse 1, before the house of God. They're
assembled unto him out of Israel, a very great congregation of
men and women and children, for the people wept very sore. And
Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Eliam, answered
and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken
strange wives of the people of the land. Now the problem, as
I mentioned, was not so much that we marry someone of a different
culture or whatever it may be. It's the problem was, as we found
going over to the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Exodus and down
through there, it was the abominations of adopting their religion. And
what they were saying was that the religion that we have here
in Israel is equal to the religion that we have over here in the
world. And what an abomination that is to God. And how sad it
is that we would have that conclusion because there is no truth in
that. Just to say that that happened is a falsehood. And then Shekinah
goes on to say there in verse 2, Yet now there is hope in Israel
concerning this thing. There is hope in Israel. And
he sums up there the real reason for preaching the gospel because
there is hope for sinners. There is hope in Christ. He is
the hope of Israel. He is the Savior of His people. The promise that was made prior
to His birth In the naming of the Lord Jesus, they shall call
his name Jesus. You shall call his name Jesus,
Joseph. And to Mary the same word, you
shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from
their sins. He will be their hope. There
is no hope in this pit, but there is hope in the solid rock, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we read several words over
here. Turn with me to the book of Jeremiah
for just a moment. Jeremiah chapter 14, and let's
just refresh ourselves in what is said there. Jeremiah chapter
14, and there in verse 8, Jeremiah chapter 14, and verse 8, we have
these wonderful words recorded. Jeremiah is living in a terrible,
terrible time. The book of Lamentations was
written during this period of time. And yet we heard played,
great is thy faithfulness, and that's found in the book of Lamentations.
So even in the worst of times for Jeremiah, he was able to
come up and say, great is thy faithfulness, O Lord, unto me. And here in Jeremiah chapter
14 and verse 8, he brings out the true hope. True hope is not
in the law. True hope is not in works. True
hope is not in our righteousness. True hope is in Christ. It is
complete hope. It is fulfilled hope. It is gracious
hope. It is the promise that God has
given to every one of his people that thou shalt be with me in
eternity. Thou shalt be with me in paradise.
All this clinging stuff that we go through in this life. is
not to be compared with the glory that you shall have with me in
paradise. So here in Jeremiah chapter 14
and there in verse 8 it says, O the hope of Israel, the Savior
thereof, in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger
in the land and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry
for a night? O the hope of Israel, the Savior
thereof, the Lord Jesus, the Savior of the church and as we
find Israel mentioned in the Old Testament it's so often compared
to the church a type of the church as we find that God loved Israel
the church with an everlasting love and he is the hope of Israel
he is their deliverance he's the one that lifts us out of
that horrible pit and then in Jeremiah chapter 17 Jeremiah
chapter 17 we have This, Jeremiah chapter 17 and
verse 13, O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee
shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written
in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD the fountain
of living waters. So the hope of Israel is living
waters. The hope of Israel is the Lord
Jesus Christ. The hope of Israel is the Messiah.
The hope of Israel, the hope of the church. We don't depend
on anything that we've done. We depend on our hope, the Lord
Jesus. He was set aside in the covenant
of grace. And he purposed to come to the
sin-cursed earth in flesh like we have, yet without sin. And to go through life for 33
and a half years approximately, and spend all his time, as it
were, in a cemetery looking about him. He was the only one that
was able to look on the heart of everyone that was around him,
and all he could see by nature were those who were dead in trespasses
and sin. And those he touched by grace
and mercy, they were alive in him, and he was all their hope. Even though they were continued
to be sinners and some of them the worst of sinners by even
denying him that they even knew him When he met them the very
first time afterwards, he just simply said peace be unto you
now if we were Going to do that in our lives. Why why did you
leave me? Why did you do this? Why did
that well? well Christ doesn't have to deal with that because
he's loved his people with an everlasting love and he has given
them an eternal hope and That is in the person Christ Jesus
now many centuries later in the book of Acts We find the Apostle
Paul sharing this in Acts chapter 28. He shares with us because
That for the hope of Israel Acts chapter 28 and verse 20 there
in Acts chapter 28 and verse 20 We have these words about
the hope we nevertheless we have hope in We have done greatly
bad. We've denied the Lord. We have
gone after idols. I don't believe Shekiniah had
done that, but he was in the group that could have done that.
He recognized the fact that he was part of that group. He's
just a human being, and he had committed great and heinous crimes
against a thrice holy God. Against him and him only had
he sinned. He put himself in that group, and he said, yet
there's hope. There's hope in Israel. There's
hope in the Lord Jesus. In Acts chapter 28, and there
in verse 20, we find, For this cause therefore, Paul says, have
I called for you to see that you speak, because that for the
hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. He is in prison. Why? For the hope of Israel.
Who was his hope? The Lord Jesus Christ. The one
that called him out of darkness to his marvelous light. Now,
how was it possible for Shekinah to make this bold statement?
How could he bring this up in public, and then in great public
statement made, how could he say this, that God was our hope. Well, Shekinah is one that could
testify of the great grace of God. He was one that knew that
God had worked a work of grace in him, a work that he works,
God works, in all his children. He works this great work of grace.
It's not according to works that he saves us, but according to
his mercy. It wasn't according to his works. It wasn't according
to his keeping of the law. It wasn't according to him being
moral. It was because God had worked the new birth in him,
a work of grace. And that's why he could recognize
that there is hope in Israel, and also Jeremiah could recognize
that. God had worked a work of grace
in him. We could call him brother, and he would call us brother
and sister. He was just a wretched man by nature, and yet in grace
he was the child of God. Well, Jeconiah was repeating
in many ways what was given to Abraham over in the book of Genesis.
Would you turn with me to Genesis chapter 17? Genesis chapter 17. All of God's people can relate
to this. He's just repeating words Are
brought up in the Old Testament here earlier than his day brought
up in the Old Testament earlier than Shekinah's day, but it has
been effectual and gracious and blessed to every one of his people
all down through time these wonderful words and in in Genesis chapter
17 and verse 1 it says and when Abram was 90 years old and 9
the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him I am the Almighty
God Walk before me and be thou perfect. I am the Almighty God
and he goes on to tell us in the same passage of Scripture
I am by exceeding great reward well that That word almighty
here signifies him that has sufficiency. Almighty. Most powerful. I am the almighty God. I have
all sufficiency. Thomas Watson was a preacher
in the 1600s in England and he said this in one of his messages.
God is a whole ocean of blessedness. While the soul is bathing in
it cries out in a divine ecstasy I Have enough Here we are one
person out in the great ocean and we look around us says I
have enough why because he is the Almighty God I have enough. I am not lacking in anything.
And so it is that Jeconiah says there's hope in Israel. We have
sufficiency in God. He is all and is enough. He is the most powerful. We are
complete. We are whole. We are entire. We have all in Him. Again, we
find going in the book of Genesis chapter 33 would you join me
in Genesis chapter 33? Shekinah just like the church
today repeats is in declaring What the view of God there's
hope in Israel? We have no other hope here. There's
not hope in that temple. We've just been building There's
not hope in those sacrifices that are being offered. There's
not hope in in being a Jew in this sense. There is hope in
Christ, and as a result of that, we find out that we are children
of Abraham. We're children of faith. God has chosen a people, and
He allows us to know that very thing, that God has dealt with
us in the person Christ Jesus in eternity past. Without that
we would never turn aside to look at this glorious burning
bush of the righteousness of Christ here in the book of Genesis
chapter 33 and beginning with verse 9 this is when Jacob and
Esau meet now Jacob didn't leave on very good terms Excuse me
And he's been gone for some time He comes back here in in Genesis
chapter 33 and there it says in verse 9 and Esau said I have
enough my brother Keep that which thou hast I said unto thyself
Jacob is wanting to give him a gift and and Esau says I have
enough now keep that verse in mind We'll be back here in just
a moment and Jacob said nay I pray thee and If now I have found
grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand. For therefore
I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and
thou wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing,
that is brought to thee, because God hath dealt generously with
me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took
it. Esau says, I have enough. And Joshua, excuse me, Jacob
says, I have enough. Now, it's unfortunate, but the
translators translated two different words exactly the same. I have enough. Now Shekinah realizes
that when Jacob said, I have enough, Shekinah could claim
that same blessing. Have enough that word that we
find with regard to Jacob because God hath dealt gracious Graciously
with me and because I have enough I have enough in the original
meant. I have all I I have almighty
God. I have all this that I have physically,
but I have all spiritually. I have it all. And that word
we find in verse 9, when Esau used that, he says, I have enough. It's numerous, it's much, it's
great, it's large, and it's vast, but it doesn't compare with the
word that Jacob used, I have it all. I have all hope because
it's been given to me. I have all righteousness because
it's been given to me. I have all peace because it's
been given to me. I have all sanctification because
it's been given to me. And all the spiritual blessings
that we have in Christ Jesus, Jacob was able to reflect on
that and say, I have it all. I have this whole ocean of blessings
and I'm out in the middle of it and I can say I have enough. I have enough for this day. I
had enough for yesterday. And I will have enough for tomorrow. I will have enough for eternity.
Because I have Christ. I have the hope of Israel. I
have been made acquainted with Him. I have been turned. He turned
me and I have been turned. I trust because He gave me the
trust. I believe because He gave me the belief. I have it all.
I have the Lord God Almighty. What a blessing it is to see
the Lord God Almighty and to look back and see what Shekinah
said. Nevertheless, there's hope. We
are in terrible straits here when it comes to our spiritual
well-being with God, but there is hope in Israel. There is the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if you go back with me to
the book of Ezra, we want to look at verse 3 for just a moment
here. chapter 10 and verse 3 I Have to say when I started
verse or chapter 10 and there's a lot of Lot of redundancy and
repetition here. I thought we'll be through this
in about a month I'm sorry We won't be there was so much here
but in verse 3 now therefore let us make a covenant with our
God to put away all the wives. Now he's saying here, let's make
a covenant with God to put away all this falseness. It's pictured
by wives, but it's the falsest we've so many that have come
back have gone out there and have adopted the religion the
abominations that's what Moses was bringing to the children
of Israel's you go in there and you take care of all of it destroy
every grove destroy every idol destroy everything and They didn't
and many of them married and they married into this. Now,
we know that God is not a respecter of persons in the sense that
grace is not just held to national Israel because he saved a Moabitess
woman by the name of Ruth. And grace is not just a national
Israel because he saved a Canaanite-ish woman, Rahab the harlot. And
we find that throughout the scriptures that he brought in people that
were his people in the covenant of grace, wherever they were.
There was a woman at a well. And she was not a full Jew. She was mixed. She was part Gentile. Well, we're
thankful that God saves Gentiles because he saves all his people
from all their sin. And we'll stand before God complete
because we have all. We have everything. We have Christ. Now, let's make a covenant. Now,
we don't make covenants with God. Have you ever promised God
something? I'm going to promise to do something
for God. I'm going to make an agreement
with God. What's the first thing we do? We break that agreement. So Shekinah is not saying, let's
make a covenant with God. He's simply saying, let's declare
what God has done for us. Let's agree with God on this
matter. Let's agree with God. Well, when
God's people, the church, agree with God on the covenant, we
agree with all. about God. Now, we're far from
understanding. We agree with God as to our lost
condition, and we agree with God as to His holiness, and to
Christ as the only way of righteousness, but we certainly don't understand
all of that, but we don't deny it. We don't say, well, there's
some things about this Bible You know, I can go up to this
point, but the rest of it, I'm going to have to set aside because
I just can't agree with that. God's people don't do that. God's
people agree with the covenant of grace. They agree with what
God's covenant of grace is, that He would set up people before
the foundation of the world, write their names down in the
Lamb's Book of Life. We, after He saves us, why would
He do that? Because He's God, and He's sovereign,
and He is gracious. And here's my brother, he's not
that way. Well, God is sovereign and He
is gracious. Well, let's agree with God on
this. Let's agree. As we find that
Shekinah brings out, let's make a covenant. Well, you know, our
covenant is God is going to be the one we're going to worship.
He says in His covenant, worship me and me alone. And the problem
that we had with some of those folks that were there in Jerusalem
and in Judah and in Benjamin, he wasn't there all. He wasn't
there whole. Well, God so seals His people
that He leaves with us His Holy Spirit in us, worships God 24-7. We don't. But He leaves it on
our behalf. He leaves Him, the Holy Spirit
in us, on our behalf. And the Holy Spirit in us, on
our behalf, does everything that is required. Everything that
God demands, God supplies for the believer. So, the results
of hearing Christ and hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ as
our only hope does this. Turn over to the book of 1 Thessalonians,
would you? First Thessalonians this first
Thessalonians. I should read the whole chapter
I'll leave that to you, but I just want to read a couple of verses
out of it This is what God does for us. This is true repentance
This is what Shekinah is pleading there Among those folks in Jerusalem
at that time when Ezra came back from Babylonian captivity and
by God's grace He raised up somebody who knew something about the
gospel and when he was brought the information That we have
seen here in the camp. We have seen among us. He just
said that's normal That's the way we are. But He knew who to
address it, He knew who to go to and preach the gospel of,
and that was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of His people. And
here, Shekinah says, let us make a covenant with our God. Let's
recognize the covenant that God has made with us. Let's agree
with that covenant. Not a covenant of works, but
a covenant of grace. The eternal covenant, the everlasting
covenant. Here in the book of first Thessalonians
chapter 1 and there in verse 9 this whole chapter deals with
what God does when he brings the gospel to a people Now, we
depend on Christ. We depend upon God. We depend
upon the Holy Spirit. We depend upon all that is God. We depend upon Him to do what
He said He would do on our behalf. He will plead our case on our
behalf. We are fallen creatures of the
dust, but He will plead our case. He shall not permit one thing
to be brought up as a charge against us. He will Plead our
case he all sin will be taken care of at the cross and not
one will be left out for us to answer for there at that judgment
day all is taken care of as We find we're in an ocean of blessing. We have it all we have enough
we have sufficiency because he is God Almighty Well, here in
1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 9, for they themselves show of us
what manner of entering in we had with you. What was the result
of the preaching of the gospel to these folks in Thessalonica?
What was the result of God's work of grace in these folks?
Well, and now, how? ye turn to God from idols to
serve the living and true God. That's what God is doing there
in Jerusalem in the days of Ezra. We're going to find out as we
read through this chapter 10 of God's great work there in
Jerusalem and among those who were of Judah and Benjamin that
he would call out and they would come That's what God does for
His people. He sends an effectual call and
they will come. And He's going to tell them,
you don't come within three days. It's going to be a sad day for
you. And here we are. If you don't come in this time,
if you don't come between here and the coming of the Lord, it
will be a sad day. But those that He has as those
marked out for Him before the foundation of the world, they
will run into the Gospel, smack doodly dab into the Gospel, because
He is going to line them up with the preaching and hearing of
the Gospel so that this work could be done in them. What?
Repentance. Oh my goodness, how we were sold
out. And yet, God in His work of grace
says, I will turn you from the worship of these dumb idols to
worship the true and the living God. And that's not enough. You can't do it on your own.
I will leave Him. I will put in you Christ the
Holy One in the person of the Holy Spirit, and He will make
intercession for you with groanings that cannot be uttered. You will
have Him as your faithful one. You'll have Him. He's the reason
for your presentation before the throne of grace. So it says
there in the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9, how ye turn
to God from idols to serve the living and true God. What a blessing
it was for Sheck and I to come up and say, oh my goodness, left
to ourselves, we falter and fail. But in the hands of Him who is
all sufficient, we will be presented spotless. We will put away these
things. This whole chapter of 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1. This whole chapter has such sublime
statements about what God does for us in the salvation He brings
through the preaching of the gospel and through the Lord Jesus
Christ. But this word that we have here
is not the first that we find in the scriptures about this.
Turn with me, if you would, back to the book of Isaiah. Back to
the book of Isaiah, if you would. In Isaiah, we have the gospel
according to Isaiah. All the wonderful statements
about the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior The sacrifice the
person who would take care of all our sin in the book of Isaiah
chapter 2 Isaiah chapter 2 in that day Isaiah chapter 2 and
there in verse 17 Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 17 it says and the
loftiness of man shall be bowed down and and the haughtiness
of men shall be made low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted
in that day." What glorious comfort God brings to the church that
though we were like the Pharisees, He says, I will strip you of
that and The Lord alone, Jehovah alone, the Savior alone, Christ
alone shall be exalted in that day. He is exalted by the Father. He is exalted by the Holy Spirit. He is exalted by Himself. And
God has given us that great grace in the covenant of grace that
we too can exalt Him as our only hope and Savior. And the idols
He shall utterly abolish. and they shall go into the holes
of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the
Lord and for the glory of his majesty. I will not allow these
things to be around me. I am a jealous God. I am a God
alone. I am the almighty God. I am the
sufficient God. I am the whole ocean of blessings
for my people and I will not let one piece Be in there one
drop be in there of any other thing and for the glory of his
majesty And when he arises to shake terribly the earth in that
day a man shall cast his idols of silver And his idols of gold
which they shall make each one for himself to worship to the
moles and to the bats well They're going to be taken away and thank
god for that part that The all-sufficient part. We're left with this carcass.
We're left with this tent. We're left with this flesh. But
God has taken care of all of that by himself and for himself. And to us, he's granted that,
that all these things would be cast away. Our whole dependence,
when he said, by faith, Abel, by faith, Abraham, by faith,
Moses, by faith, what is he saying? They had Christ alone as all
their sufficiency, their wholeness. He is the almighty God. In that
day, Then in verse 21 to go into the clefts of the rocks and to
the tops of the ragged rocks Rocks were the fear of the Lord
and for the glory of his majesty when he arises to shake terribly
the earth Well, we can see a picture here that day of the resurrection
This earth trembled and shook and earthquakes happened and
God's people that were in the graves came out of it what a
glorious statement there as the fulfillment of this in that day
and God said, I'll put away your idols. And then again, in the
book of Jeremiah chapter 16, would you turn there with me
as we see Shekiniah say, let's make a covenant. Well, in reality,
let's agree with God on this. And by the grace of God, God's
people agree with God. Yes, I am the chiefest of sinner. Yes, I am. what God said about
me, everything. We are, what he said, left in
a field, polluted. But it's he that came along and
took us up. All those folks that could claim
themselves to be Jews there in the days of Ezra and the days
of Shekinah, those folks that could say, we're of the house
and stock of Abraham. And the Lord said, if you Believed
what Abraham would believe you'd believe me Well, we're thankful
by God's grace out of every kindred nation people in tongue He calls
out a people that he's known for eternity And they believe
what God said about God, and what God said about men, and
what God said about sin, and what God said about the world,
and what God said about His Word. It is His precious Word, though
not all understood because it's God Himself revealed, but all
believe because He's given us the grace to do that. Here in
the book of Jeremiah chapter 16, Jeremiah chapter 16, And
there in verse 19 and 20, Jeremiah chapter 16 verse 19 and 20, Oh
Lord my strength and my fortress and my refuge in the day of affliction. The Gentiles shall come unto
thee from the end of the earth and shall say, notice what they
say, surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity. and things wherein there is no
profit. Our fathers have inherited this.
What does that mean about us? We by nature, surely our fathers
have inherited lies. I know where I came from. I know the pew that I sat in. And I look back and say, there's
nobody that ever stood in that pulpit that ever shared the truth
of the gospel. It was lies that they presented. and people fell for it, and you
know, they joined the church, and they became full-fledged
liars just like me, by the grace of God. It goes on to say here,
Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? Therefore,
behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them
to know mine hand and my might, and they shall know that my name
is the Lord. The church gathers together at
the feet of Christ and say, hallelujah. What does it say? And they shall
know that my name is the Lord. My name is Jehovah, the savior
of his people. My name is that. So there's hope
in Israel. Nevertheless, there's hope in
Israel. There's hope in Christ. He is all our hope. We just go
back a generation, second generation, third generation, we find that
they've just all brought down. Except for the grace of God we
all bring down these lies about God and we'd we'd talk about
ourself being able to do things that we're not even able to do
I Wish my hair had stayed black Well didn't change a hair did
it And we just can't change that
great significant part of us, the fall. We can't make it any
better. We can bind it up with spices,
and we can put decorations over it, and we can have music played
over it, but it doesn't change one bit. And yet the promise
is, and I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, in
chapter 15, verse 21, hand of the wicked, and I will redeem
them out of the hand of the terrible. Hallelujah, we say, hallelujah.
Sheck and I understood some things. He understood things before they
were even written down. He understood about Jeremiah
and these words before this was even written down. He understood
some things from the Old Testament and Genesis and Exodus and Leviticus
and Numbers and Deuteronomy. And he understood these things
because God had revealed them to him that there was hope in
Israel. There's a Savior, the Promised
One, the Messiah. He's here among His people. He
has saved His people from their sin. Even in this generation,
He saved His people from their sins. And those who truly are
brought to this knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ are going
to be led to put away these things and worship Him only. And in
those moments when we falter and fail, He still is worshiping
Him only in that which was left us, Christ in us the hope of
glory. I'm so thankful He takes care
of all the issues, even though when we deny Him, He said, I
am faithful. I am faithful. I'll take care
of it. Oh, what a father we have. What
a father to take care of all the issues that come up. All
those times when I wish I'd have said something. I wish I'd have
said something to a friend or a member of the family. God says,
it's all right, I take care of it. I take care of it. Well,
we're so thankful for that very thing. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Zechariah chapter 8. A little farther in our study
there in the book of Zechariah than we are. We'll get to it
eventually, Lord willing. And if He's not, we won't. But
in the book of Zechariah chapter 8, Zechariah chapter 8, and there
in verse 20, Zechariah chapter 8 and verse 20, Thus saith the
Lord of hosts, I shall yet come to pass, that there shall come
people, and the inhabitants of many cities, and the inhabitants
of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to
pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts. I will
go also. Yea, many people in strong nations
shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray
before the Lord. If we had a slanted view of eschatology,
we'd say, there's the reason we need to have that going on
over there. No, this is a symbolic, a pictorial, it's spiritual about
coming to Christ, coming to the Holy Temple, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord of hosts in Jerusalem,
there's where He is. He's in Himself. He's in His
person. He hasn't given up anything about Him to somebody else, to
some priest, some preacher. He is intact. He is altogether
intact. He's altogether almighty. He's
intact. He hasn't given up one thing
to someone else to divvy it out. We preach the gospel. We just
share the seed. We throw out the seed. We cast
out the seed. in the preaching of the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ, but in his all-sufficiency, he's
the one that does the work of grace. And it goes on to tell
us there in Zechariah chapter 8, it says in verse 23, Thus
saith the Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pass that
ten men shall take hold out of all languages and of nations,
even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew. saying,
We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. Well, there's only one that fits
that description. That word Jew is often translated
man. There is a man. Let's lay hold
of his skirt. There is a man, the Lord Jesus,
who has a robe that is impeccable, has a robe of righteousness.
He is only man ever walked the face of this earth that has righteousness
in himself. Lay hold of him, it says. Ye
even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, him the
Lord Jesus. saying, We will go with you,
for we have heard that God is with you." Isn't that what Sheck
and I was saying? We'll keep His covenant. God
is here. This is where God is. God is
not among those folks out there with their abomination of religions. God is not in any that will say,
well, part of it is our works, because we know that's an abomination.
That's such an idol. It's such a terrible thing to speak about
that we have to participate in that we have to add that to the
glory of the Almighty one the sufficient one the one who Jacob
said he he I have enough I have it all and then to add that so
This is all an account that the Lord shares with us. This is
what I will do with you I will take you out of that land and
I will take you to Christ and I will make you with pleasantry,
bow down before the King, and all these idols will be set aside
for the person of the Lord Jesus." Well, the man who brought me
the gospel, he was talking to a preacher one time, and that
preacher, after asking several questions, he says, you've just
made an idol out of Christ. And Brother Henry says, that's
the greatest compliment I've ever been paid. Oh, to have all
our attention in one, the Lord Jesus. To bow down before one,
this whole chapter. What a blessing it is as we read
through the scriptures. You know, Chuck and I understood
the Lord had spoken in the book of Deuteronomy. I'm looking at
the time and I apologize. The Lord had spoken to Moses
in the book of Deuteronomy, and he said there, Yet the Lord hath
not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to
hear unto this day. That's in Deuteronomy chapter
29 and verse 4. That was the problem with most
everybody in Israel. God did not give them that. But
to Shekiniah and to anybody else that saw the gospel in the person
of Christ Jesus and believed Him, had all their hope in Him,
they understood that God had given them eyes to see, and God
had given them ears to hear, and this was all of God. As a
whole, there is very few among Israel that actually believed
God. Oh, they went along with his
name, but they didn't believe him. The blessings of hearing
the gospel, of hearing there is hope, is the results of God's
work in us. The results of the promises found
in the eternal covenant of grace. That's what we find with regard
to the new covenant. They shall be my people and I
will be their God. I will put a new heart in them.
a heart to believe. Oh, what a joy it is to read
about the saints of old when they come out and say, there's
hope in Israel, and let's make a covenant with Him. Let's agree
with Him on this fact. Agree with Him in the Gospel.
Agree with Him about ourselves. Agree about Adam and the fall,
and that he was totally dead, and there was no merit in him.
And agree it took God to cover him. And agree that Abel Presented a sacrifice that
resembled and pictured and spoke of the Savior the Lord Jesus
I am in desperate need of a substitute because I am the chiefest of
sinners and that God by his grace Reveals this truth to his people
and we bow down and worship him in spirit and in truth because
He enables us to do that. He's the one that brought that
to us. Now, there is hope in Israel.
Hope was not in trying to keep the law. Hope is in Christ. Shekinah knew about the covenant
of grace. For it, in it, and only in it,
and alone in it, does the Church have hope in the covenant of
grace that God purchased His people by the blood of His Son,
the Lord Jesus. God is doing all the work to
save His people. Here we are, stuck in a place,
and he brings us the gospel. Here we are, dead in trespasses
and sins, and by the new birth he quickens us. And then, we
have eyes to see and ears to hear, and we
have a mind that is in tune with him, that mind that God gives
us in the Holy Spirit, and we say, oh, I have enough. I have everything. I have every
spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. This life is hard, but
I have everything in Him. I have all in Him. And it's interesting
to go back there to the book of Genesis, and we won't right
now, but Esau said, come along with me, come along with me.
And Jacob says, no, no, I'll stay here lest I overdrive the
flock. I'll just stay here. I'll move
along according to their pace unless I overdrive them and many
die. So thank God He's just working
along with us through this life. He's not going to overdrive us.
He's going to bring us along graciously. We're going to see
Him in His Word. We'll worship Him in spirit and
in truth and we'll be like Shekinah. Oh, there's hope. There's hope.
And let's agree with God about God in all things. He is my God. He is my Savior. He is my Lord. He is my Master. He is my Savior. Oh, how gracious is that. Well, we'll pick up next time
there in the book of Ezra, as Shekinah goes on, and as Ezra
goes on, and we're going to find out that there's a whole bunch
of people out there in the hinterlands, that when they get the call to
come, they come. The effectual call will leave
nobody of God's people behind. They will hear the gospel and
come. Well, we thank you for your time, and we ask God's blessing
upon you. And until we're privileged to
meet again, whether it's through this means or whether it's through
meeting together, let's look to the Lord in prayer. And Lisa,
would you turn on Mike Richardson's mic there, and we'll have him
close in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank
you for this time together. together in this way.