Good morning and welcome to our
services here at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. We're thankful
that those are on Zoom, those are here with us this morning,
and those who will listen to us on Sermon Audio. Our message
this morning is from the book of Ezra, chapter 9. This is 15
verses long, this chapter, and we've been spending some time
in here because it deals with a problem that came up as Ezra
is informed of what has been going on there in Jerusalem and
Judah and Benjamin after his arrival. And not long after his
arrival is it brought to his attention. He shares with us
as we go through this prayer that he, like everyone else,
is included in the problem, that we are all children of Adam and
that we have all fallen, and it's brought out apparent in
this passage of scripture some of the problems that that brought.
Ezra, as he prayed, he included himself and all the prophets,
all the priests and all the kings, and then including everyone that
has ever been born, Jew or Gentile, All have sinned here in the book
of Ezra chapter 9 beginning with verse 10 verses 8 and 9 deal
with the gospel as Ezra preached it in his clarity as he spoke
of the remnant as he spoke of grace as he spoke of mercy he
understood those things like every believer does and every
preacher of the gospel understands something about those things,
and they are able to share the truth of the gospel. If we don't
know the gospel, we cannot share the gospel. As mentioned in the
Bible class this morning, there were those Indians, Native Americans,
that were code talkers. They were Navajos and their language
was of such that no one ever broke their code. Now it might
be possible for you or for me, if we were the right age, to
learn the Navajo language. It would take a lot of time.
It would take a lot of study. It would take someone that was
speaking to us and cared about us learning that language. But
I can say this with all sincerity and with all truth, that I can
never teach you the gospel. I can never break it down small
enough. I can never declare it enough.
No one can ever be educated into the gospel. No one can ever be
educated into the church. Many people, even those who have
great names out in front of their church, the respected Christian
churches, so many of them believe that they can educate their children
or the children of others, given enough time, into the kingdom.
And we might be able to learn the Navajo language, but we will
never, ever learn the gospel. It is a foreign language. It
is so foreign to our nature. In fact it is so foreign that
it has to be revealed to us the Holy Spirit must reveal it all
right now look let's look here over in the book of Ezra chapter
9 and we have Ezra speaking verses 10 through 15 he is speaking
of the situation that he knew the problems That's a true statement
about anybody that knows the gospel. They know the gospel,
they know the problem. The problem is ruined by the
fall. And he addresses that in verses 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. He addresses the problem
that nobody was ever able to keep the law. And by our nature,
we are drawn away. We have all kinds of interests
that are brought to us by nature, but we don't have the interest
in Christ. Have we not all from the womb been seeking out and
forming strange alliances and taking up connection with anything
and everything rather than being married to Christ? Isn't that
our nature? Married to the law, wedded to our own self-righteousness,
married to strange religions, married to the ordinances, married
to the church membership, married to an experience, married to
a declaration of doctrine, anything but the true marriage, Christ
as the groom, and the church as the bride. We notice here
that in these verses of Scripture that he points out the problem,
we're all sinners. Let's just read a couple of these
now. Oh Lord, oh our God, verse 10, what shall we say after this? What shall we say after the gospel?
For we have forsaken thy commandments, which thou hast commanded by
thy servants the prophets, saying, The land unto which thou goest
to possess, it is an unclean land, with filthiness of the
people of the lands, with their abominations, with their false
religions, which have filled it from one end to another with
their uncleanness. Ezra is making reference to a
passage back in the book of Exodus. Would you join me back in the
book of Exodus chapter? 34 Exodus chapter 34 now we read
part of this last week But we want to read a little more in
this week because it drops down and shares with us what will
happen if people go and into the land with the attitude that
the religion that they've been practicing is The religion they've
been practicing, the Jewish religion, authored and presented by God,
that religion has no better standing than the religions of the people
in the land. That's what they're saying when
they go and adopt that. Now, they may say that I'm going
to go out looking for a wife, I'm going to go look for a husband,
but their religion is not at all that bad. And besides that,
the women are cute, and the guys are handsome. The religion is
not all that bad. If we accept a religion, we're
saying it's just as good as anything else. Or we might say that we're
adopting something maybe just a little bit better than we've
been in. But when God saves us by his grace, that's all become
nonsense, and as Paul brought up, it was all dung. It is nothing
but fertilizer. Well here in the book of Exodus
chapter 34 beginning with verse 10 Exodus 34 and verse 10 it
says and he said behold I make a covenant before all thy people
I do Will do marvels such as have not been done in all the
earth nor in any nation and all the people among the which thou
art shall see the work of the Lord, for it is a terrible or
a marvelous work, a marvelous thing which I will do with thee.
Observe thou that which I command thee this day. Behold, I drive
out before thee. the Amorite, and the Canaanite,
and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants
of the land, whether thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the
midst of thee. But ye shall destroy their altars,
break down their images, and cut down their groves. Now that
all has to do with the religious worship that's going on here.
You cannot have any of this. If you know the gospel, you cannot
have any of this. Now the Lord brings out there
in that verse 10 that he has something that the world has
never seen. And that truly is the gospel. Men were religious from the very
fall. Women were religious from the
very fall. Religious to the heart. They
believed in something else besides God. They're so easy to accept
fig leaves over anything else, because that's our nature to
adopt. We will not get involved with God. We're not listening
to His law. We can't keep it, and we don't
want to keep it. We only say we're keeping it
for righteousness sake. But you shall destroy all these
things. Verse 14, where thou shalt worship
no other God for the Lord whose name is Jealous is a jealous
God. Now the real problem is going
out there in the world in this land that the children of Israel
just came into adopting these other religions. The secondary
part of it is marrying people that hold to those religions. You cannot marry these people
if you know the gospel. You will, and he's just pointing
out that religion is so easy, but the gospel only comes from
God. It's a new thing. It is not something
you're going to find in this world. Lest thou make a covenant
with the inhabitants of the land, verse 15, And they go a-whoring
after their gods. Look at that. This is the problem.
It's going after their gods. And do sacrifice to their gods. And one call thee, and thou eat
of his sacrifice. And thou take of their daughters
unto thy sons. What's the first part? Accepting
the idolatry. Accepting the gods. Accepting
the groves. Accepting the altars. Accepting
this false religion. They take of their daughters
unto their sons, and their daughters go a-whoring after their gods,
and make thy sons go a-whoring after their gods. Thou shalt
make thee no molten gods." So the real problem is the heart
will adopt anything else but the gospel. That's just natural.
And these folks were saying they were Jews. These folks were saying
that they were Israel. These folks were saying they
were following God and then going into the land and seeking out
these false religions. And it was attested by the fact
that they were Marian. That's secondary and that is
what was brought to Ezra's attention here in Ezra chapter 9 They were
adopting these false gods now. There is a great king and a great Kings end I have difficulty
reading this passage of scripture because it shares with me about
one by the name of Solomon. But before we turn over to 1
Kings 11, would you stop with me at 2 Samuel chapter 12. 2
Samuel chapter 12. I would encourage you at this
very moment, from this very moment, never say what you won't do.
Never say what you won't do because people have said I would never
do what Solomon did and I have what used to be my friends doing
that very same thing adopting idolatry changing the gospel
Preaching things that are not the truth from the pulpits of
their churches here in the book of 2nd Samuel chapter 12 We read
there in verses 24 and 25 2 Samuel chapter 12 verses 24 and 25 This is after the death of that
baby that was born to Bathsheba and to After the birth of that baby
that was born to Bathsheba and to David after their their adultery
and that baby died now they have another baby and that baby is
going to be Solomon here in the book of 2 Samuel chapter 12 and
we read there in verse 24 2 Samuel chapter 12 verse 24 and David
comforted Bathsheba his wife and went in unto her and lay
with her and she bare a son and he called his name Solomon and
the Lord loved him It that is just an amazing verse
of scripture now Solomon means peaceful Now the same man that
the same prophet the same preacher the same declare of God's Word
Nathan comes to David and to Bathsheba again after the birth
of this baby and it tells us in verse 25 these words and He's
sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name
Jedidiah because of the Lord, because of Jehovah. Now, Jedidiah
means Beloved of Jehovah. You know, as Solomon grew and
then as David passed on and Solomon assumed the throne, we just find
him such a gentle king. And he performed so much. He was given the opportunity
to ask for anything that he wanted and he just said, please show
me how to lead this people. And God came and says, you didn't
ask for riches and you didn't ask for the things that most
people would ask for, so I'm going to give you that, but I've
given you wisdom. Solomon was such a special king,
the Queen of the South came up to observe the court of Solomon
and to visit with Solomon. And in her concluding remarks
about Solomon and about all that was going on, says, I've heard
of you, but the half has not been told. Now, it truly is a
statement that all believers say about the Lord Jesus. It's in the Word of God, but
we don't know the half of the truth of it. We haven't comprehended
it. We see through a glass darkly,
but what a statement is made here. We turn over to the book
of 1 Kings and find some of the most difficult verses of scripture
to read because here we have Solomon in his old age. Solomon in his old age. And that
is brought out here in 1 Kings chapter 11. Solomon in his old
age. 1 Kings chapter 11 and there
in verse 1. But King Solomon loved many strange
women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites,
Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. Of the nations
concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel,
Ye shall not go into them, neither shall ye come into you. For surely
they will turn your heart after your gods. Solomon clave unto
these in love. And he had 700 wives, princesses,
and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart. For it
came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away
his heart after other gods and his heart was not perfect with
the Lord his God as was the heart of David his father." Did you
notice that? It says Solomon was old and his wives turned
his heart. Solomon was old, in his old age. Now, Solomon was used to pen
a book that we have here in the Old Testament, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. So would you turn over with me
to the book of Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes chapter 12. Now,
I've had some tell me, but it's completely unprovable, but I'd
like to think it's true, that Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon
before he died when he finally saw the travail of his way. Now, I just, I can think that,
I think. But here in the book of Solomon,
remember verse one of chapter 12, remember now thy creator
in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them,
while the sun or the light or the moon or the stars be not
darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain. He's simply talking
about the process of aging here. I wish I didn't have to wear
glasses, but I can't read a lick without them, and I'd probably
be dangerous driving without them. So far, I haven't had to
adopt hearing aids. So far, I don't have a false
shoulder, I don't have a false elbow, I don't have a false hip,
I don't have a false knee. the wisdom that God has given
doctors that can repair people that have those problems. But
we are in a state of aging, and that's what Solomon is bringing
out here. He says, in the day when the
keepers of the house shall tremble, we just wonder what's going on
around us, hearing things in the night. And the strong men
shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease." Getting kind
of hunched back and drawn over. And the grinders shall cease
because there are few. It's not so prominent today,
but my mother had false teeth when she was in her thirties.
It's just, it was one of those processes that we went through.
And those that look out the windows be darkened, the eyes are darkened,
and the door shall be shut in the streets when the sound of
grinding is low, and shall rise up the voice of the bird. Everything,
we just get Just get up early, and all the daughters of music
shall be brought low. And when they shall be afraid
of that which is high, and fear shall be in the way, and the
almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden,
the smallest thing is the thing that bothers us. The desire shall
fail, because man goeth to his long home, and the mortars go
about the streets. Or ever the silver cord be loosed,
or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken as the
fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the
dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it. Now Solomon, excuse me, Solomon
in 1 Kings chapter 11 gives us a terrible plight, a terrible
picture. that he is there surrounded and
going out in places he should have never gone to worship a
false god. Now Solomon has many characteristics
that are reminders of what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Solomon was a son of David and the Lord Jesus is the son of
David. What a connection Solomon had
and the Lord has and we have with the Lord in that Solomon
was given great wisdom, and we read in the book of I Corinthians
that the Lord is our wisdom. He is all wisdom, and Solomon
built the temple. Solomon was used to build the
temple, and his father had amassed all of the materials, or most
of the materials there, and Solomon was used to build it, and then
we find him dedicating. the temple with mass sacrifices. And Christ, He's building the
true temple, the church. He's adding unto the church daily
such as should be saved. He is the master builder building
the temple. And we find, after reading this
passage of scripture over here in the book of 1 Kings, the problems
that Solomon had, the problems that he faced, the problems that
were introduced to him, and his heart was drawn away. Solomon
married many strange women. And you know, as we look about
and see what God has placed in the church, When we see ourselves
in the church, Christ's bride is made of what? Nothing but
sinners. Strange. We are the Hittites
and the Hivites and the Jebusites. We are the Moabites. We're all
of those strange religions. And yet the Lord overlooks all
of that in the covenant of grace. and brings us the gospel, the
free and sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus, and he gives
us a new birth, and all of those things are taken from us. But
we would turn in a moment if we're not kept by the Lord. I
don't understand all the purposes of God in letting Solomon do
what he did, but I know from this that we, by the grace of
God, are what we are only by the grace of God and we could
just as easily John Mark turned on the Apostle Paul but we're
thankful that towards the end they were good friends and fellow
servants of the Lord. Now there in the book of Ecclesiastes
chapter 12 the last two verses now I'm convinced that Solomon
understood that he could not do this on his own and I just
think and look forward to, maybe it will never mean anything.
Maybe I won't have to have any answer to it. When I pass from
this life to the next, it won't be important because Christ will
again and for always be the issue. But he says here, let us hear
the conclusion of the whole matter. these 12 chapters of the book
of Ecclesiastes, and all those chapters of the book of Proverbs,
and the Psalms that he was used to write, and his legacy, his
great work, the temple, his wisdom, his ability and able to deal
with those great issues that came up. Remember the two women
that brought that one baby before him? and he demonstrated great
wisdom, and the mother was immediately identified by, she didn't want
that baby dead. And the other woman, it doesn't
matter to me, go ahead and cut it in half. Well, Solomon demonstrated
great wisdom, but in the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God,
reverence God, love God, and we can only do that in regeneration.
And keep His commandments. We only have one that has kept
it for us. Kept the commandments of God.
And it is His righteousness that is imputed to us. The righteous
Son of God kept all of them. For this is the whole duty of
man. This is the whole of man. We
can't do it by nature. We can't do it on our own. We
can't be educated to do this. As much as someone may want to
berate us and beat us, we can't do it. For God shall bring every
work into judgment and every secret thing, whether it be good
or whether it be evil. Now, we are so thankful. that
God puts all of our sin, imputes all our sin, past, present, and
future sin upon the Son of God, places it upon Him. You know,
in Galatians, we find much of what we read with regard to Solomon,
and that is, as Paul wrote to those Galatians, chapter one,
You know, he could have just as easily wrote those words to
Solomon. He could have just as easily
wrote those words to anybody else that has shown an interest
but has been drawn away. And I believe that Solomon's,
excuse me, that Paul's interest was to bring these folks to themselves,
to bring them to where they stood before God. What were they trusting
in? Were they trusting in their works?
Were they trusting in keeping the law? Were they trusting in
the blood and righteousness of Christ? He is just trying to
get them to see themselves. Adam, where art thou? Folks at
Galatia, where are you? Where are you when it comes to
Christ? He said here in Galatians chapter
1, And verse 6, Galatians chapter 1 and verse 6, this word that
Ezra could have said, and in some ways he did to all those
folks that had gone after false religion. In Galatians chapter
1 and verse 6, he says, I marvel. Ezra marveled. He was astonished. at what he heard. I marvel that
you are so soon removed from him that called you into the
grace of Christ to another gospel. I marvel, Solomon, at what you're
doing in your old age. Now, some of you folks knew my
mother, and when she came to live here in the Dalles, she
didn't know me, she didn't know Nancy, she didn't know her grandchildren,
she didn't know anybody. I loved her, I loved her to the
day she passed. I still love her, but I'm convinced
she didn't know the gospel. But that wasn't because she had
Alzheimer's, and Alzheimer's didn't put her in the kingdom.
But she didn't know anything. So I can see that there are those,
maybe myself, who will get to the point that I say things that
I would never say normally. unto the gospel, but I may say
in my old age." And Paul deals with that when he says, "...which
is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would
pervert the gospel of Christ." Now in Solomon's household, we
know who that was. But his heart was in that or
he would not have been caught up in that. And we find with
those folks there in Ezra's day, their heart was in that. They
went to adopt these things and then the girls weren't that bad
looking and the boys were handsome too. I marvel of what you've
done. But though we, the Apostle Paul,
any of the preachers that these folks knew, preachers of the
gospel, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we say before, so say I now
again, if any man preach any other than ye have received,
let him be accursed. And then the Apostle Paul goes
on to explain a whole lot about the gospel. And what the gospel
is not, and it is not trying to get our righteousness by keeping
the law. It is not trying to get our salvation by doing some
good work for God. But salvation is completely based
upon the mercy and grace of Almighty God. The grace and mercy of Almighty
God. I have to think. As I looked
at Solomon, and as I look at those folks there in Ezra's day,
and I look at these folks in Galatia's day, can you imagine
those folks that grew up with these folks that knew something? And when they departed, especially
Solomon, they grew up during the reign of Solomon, maybe the
same age, maybe a little younger, maybe a little older. And the
wisest human ever born, and in his old age, just go off the
deep end and probably say, what will he
do next? In Acts chapter 17 and verse
21, it tells us, for all the Athenians and strangers which
were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell
or to hear some new thing. And one translation puts it,
some newer thing. Well, there is no newer thing
that we want. We want the gospel, and that
gospel has been an eternal gospel, foundationed and based upon the
covenant of grace that was written down before the foundation of
the world. Some scholars do hold that Solomon
was caused to write the book of Ecclesiastes after his fall
and after his recovery. That would be wonderful if that
was. But if it wasn't, the words of
Solomon in Ecclesiastes still stand. Timothy was instructed. He's a young pastor. And young
pastors, sometimes they're drawn away. They want to see things. Out of the box. Well, I don't
know any gospel preacher, but let's just go over here to the
instructions in 2nd Timothy 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 16 2nd
Timothy chapter 2 and there in verse 16. Let's just go over
here and 2 Timothy 2, verse 16, Now this should ever arise, whether
it be a pastor, or a member, or a Christian, or a believer,
shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more
ungodliness. Don't be drawn away. Stick with
the gospel. That's what we're calling it.
Stick with Christ. Stick with the gospel. He is
our all and in all. Oh, how easy. I heard a preacher
the other day say that, and supposedly a preacher of the gospel say
that Jesus could have sinned. He didn't, but he could have.
Now that is just being drawn away with vain babblings. My
goodness, to have a savior that possibly could have sinned is
no savior at all. To have a savior that is supposedly
doing things that are not mentioned in the gospel, and it's just
been added to and added to, people drawn away of their own wisdom
and how sad it is. I just pray that the Lord would
deal with them as we find there were some at Galatia dealt with
and brought out of that mess. In 2nd Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians
chapter 6, Ezra could have said this, the folks around Solomon
could have said this, Paul writes it here in the book of 2nd Corinthians
chapter 6 and verse 14, 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14, we read
these wonderful words. that are here for our benefit
and for our warning. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse
14. The scriptures say, Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers. And that's what
we find those folks that Ezra is praying about and for in Ezra
chapter 9. Verses 8 and 9 he declares the
gospel. And there is nothing to substitute that. And then
he goes on to say, this is what has happened. Now he understood
that in his natural state, he was drawn away of all those religions. He was just as pagan as anybody
else, even though he may have been a Levite. He was just as
pagan as everybody else. It wasn't his position, it wasn't
his standing, and it wasn't his office that made him any better. or any worse than anybody else.
But it was the grace of God. It was the new birth that God
brought to him. It was the revelation of Jesus
Christ. So be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what
communion hath light with darkness? They don't mix. And so, these
folks that wanted to go off and adopt these other gods, by and
large, The bulk of them, the majority of them knew nothing
of the gospel and that's why they could go do that. There
may have been a few that went along because their friends were
involved in it. There may have been a few that
married there in that land because their friends were married in
that land. Maybe they felt there was just nobody else among the
Jews. I don't know. But as Paul wrote
to the Galatians, I pray and I believe that there were many,
at least a few, that were brought out of that nonsense and brought
back to the truth of the gospel. And I pray it's not going to
change it at all. But I like to think Solomon was
brought out of that mess. I don't know. I don't know about
any of those at Galatia. And I don't know about any of
those in Ezra, except in the next chapter, chapter 10, we
have several folks saying, is it I? Is it I? I've done it. I've done this. And what concord, here back in
2 Timothy 6, verse 15, what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. As God hath said, I will dwell with them, and walk
in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. It is just absolutely, virtually
impossible for me to even go to a funeral when the gospel
is not preached. It's just difficult, even for
a family member. And I just can't abide by that. Well, we find that the disciples,
turn with me if you would, in our closing, Turn with me, if
you would, to the book of Matthew, chapter 26. Ezra understood what
is brought out here in Matthew, chapter 26. I pray that Solomon
was caused to see this. And I pray that those at Galatia
were caused to see this. And I pray those at Corinth.
And I pray those at Ephesus. And I pray those at Colossae. And I pray those at Laodicea
that they were able to see this, a few. And I pray we here in
the dowels at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church will be able to
understand this, that except for the grace of God, there go
I. except his keeping power, there
go I." Because here in the book of Matthew chapter 26, very close
to the crucifixion, very close to the arrest, trial, and then
the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the Lord there
at the last Passover, and then we have at the institution of
the Lord's Supper. in this final stage of his earthly
ministry, Matthew chapter 26. And there in verse 20, Jesus
shares this information, Matthew chapter 26 and verse 20. Now,
when the even was come, he sat down with the 12 and they did
eat. And as they did eat, he said,
Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Now the
Lord Jesus knew who that was when he chose the betrayer as
one of his disciples. The scripture says he knew this
was the one. He was not ignorant of this.
In fact, he was in charge of this. He chose that one to be
the one. And he goes on to tell us here,
and they were exceeding sorrowful And began every one of them to
say unto him, Lord, is it I? Lord, is it I? Will I be the
one to betray you? You know why 11 disciples said
that? Because they knew, except for
the grace of God, they knew if it wasn't for grace, they could
be Solomons. If it wasn't for grace, they
could be Galatians. If it wasn't for grace, they
could be, as those folks recorded in the book of Ezra. And he answered and said, he
that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray
me. the son of man goeth as it was written of him but woe unto
him that man by whom the son of man is betrayed it had been
good for that man if he had not been born then Judas which betrayed
him answered and said master is it I and he said unto him
thou hast said now there's some words different between the words
the Lord brought up to the 11 and the words that were brought
up here to this one. The 11, he never said anything. You have spoken. You have said.
Thou hast said. He didn't mention that to them.
because he was going to keep them. Satan hath desired to sift
you as wheat. You will all betray me this night. And yet he kept them by the power
of his grace. He kept them. But this one who
was never part of the whole, This one who was never written
down in the Lamb's Book of Life. This one who was never etched
on the palm of His hands. This one, Judas Iscariot. This
one is identified and the Lord mentions those words, those three
words, Thou hast said. Well, by the grace of God, we
will be kept from the problem. This problem that are brought
out here in the book of Ezra. This problem is brought out in
the book of Solomon. The problem brought out in the
letter to the Galatians, the problem brought out in the letter
to the Corinthians, the letter brought out to the seven churches
of Asia. Just look at what those things
say. The problem, and that is substituting something else.
as part of or extra to the gospel. There is nothing that can be
added to the gospel and woe be unto us when we try to take something
away from the gospel. It is all that God demands is
supplied in the gospel by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then, Lord willing, we'll begin that 10th chapter next
week As we find there, this is the close of the prayers brought
up, and Ezra begins to speak, and there's folks there in the
crowd that begin to say, it is I. I've done this. Well, we're
thankful that the Lord would salvage us from our own selves. Well, we thank you for your time
today. May God bless you. Until next time.