Join me in the book of Ezra this
morning as we look here at Ezra's prayer. Ezra pours out his heart
to his Lord. Here in the book of Ezra chapter
9 and once again we want to be in verse 6. Ezra chapter 9 and
verse 6 and look at Ezra's attitude of prayer and the only one that
he can appeal to with the issue that is going on with him and
with those around him. Ezra chapter 9 and verse 6, and
he said, oh my God, I am ashamed and blushed to lift up my face
to thee, my God, for our iniquities are increased over our head. and our trespass is grown up
unto the heavens. Every word of this prayer that's
recorded here in its original form, in its original language,
was given by direct inspiration of God. And in many ways, when
God's people are able to pray as the Spirit gives them utterance,
we too are praying by God's divine inspiration. And that's how we
truly want to pray, is as God gives us the words to pray. For we know not how to pray as
we ought. We know that these words were
divinely inspired because they're recorded in our Bible. What Ezra
had to pray had first of all been given to him by God and
inspired by God. God breathed in his heart and
in his mind to present to God here at this time in his life. These words were chosen by the
Almighty. These words were God's words
for Ezra to pray to God and for us to overhear and to listen
to and to learn something from. This passage that Ezra was the
speaker and God gave him the words by inspiration are recorded
here on purpose. Now most real prayer is not as
this recorded. It is between the individual
and God, but God was pleased. Now Ezra brings up the problem
here. in this verse, these words in
the complete agreement with all of the word of God and Ezra is
praying in complete agreement with all the word of God and
that is the first problem that we face is that we've been ruined
by the fall. Ezra brings that up and puts
himself in the same category as everyone else. That is such
a blessing for us, for me to read that Ezra was so inclined
to put himself where everybody else is. And we mentioned last
week that Pharisee, I thank God that I'm not like other men.
Ezra said, God, I am like everybody else, and I do have a problem.
And He mentions there's a separation between people and God. And keep your finger here, would
you? And turn over to the book of Isaiah chapter 59. Isaiah
chapter 59. We find here that the prophet
Isaiah speaks of the problem again. As so often throughout
the Old Testament scriptures, as well as when we get into the
New Testament, there is a serious problem between man and God. And this passage here in the
book of Isaiah chapter 59 and verse 2, it says, but your iniquities
have separated between you and your God. Isaiah chapter 59 and
verse 2, your iniquities have separated and that's the issue
that Ezra is bringing up here in the book of Ezra chapter 9
and there in verse 6 in his prayer, he recognized the fact of the
problem, he recognized the fact that there was an issue. There
was a separation, and by nature we are separated from God because
of our iniquities. He says there in Isaiah chapter
59 and verse 2, but your iniquities have separated between you and
your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he
will not hear. There is a real issue, and the
thing about this Ezra, this prophet of God, this minister of the
gospel, as he brings it out here, he is in agreement with God about
himself and about humanity. Ezra knew this issue, for he
was and had been given the truth by the new birth. He was truly
a sinner and it is only at that time that we completely realize
what God's word has to say about humanity is the absolute truth. Now we'll never understand the
completeness of the fall because it is lost for us to understand
the completeness of Jesus Christ suffering on the cross. We'll
never gain that complete knowledge. We know that it was serious because
the Son of God must come and he must give his life and his
life must be a ransom. That's what we see. But to completely
understand that, Ezra was revealed that his only hope was in a substitute. Now, Ezra was not an ignoramus. Number one, he'd been revealed
these things by Almighty God. He did not come to the conclusion
on his own. He had the book of Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Let us not forget that Ezra is
called a ready scribe. Would you look with me going
back to the book of Ezra, Ezra chapter 7, I believe it is. Ezra chapter 7. And we find in this passage of
scripture, verse 8. I was very good to put the verse
down, but the chapter. Chapter 6, thank you. Chapter
6. Chapter seven and verse six,
there we go. Chapter seven and verse six,
it says, and Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ready scribe
of the law of Moses. Know what that tells me? He understood
some of the things that Moses wrote in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And the Lord brings out in his
ministry, he said, Moses wrote of me. I am convinced. as any other preacher of righteousness,
as Noah understood, as other prophets in the Old Testament
understood, and as those in the New Testament, those apostles
of the Lord Jesus Christ, they understood that Moses wrote of
Christ. When he explained all things
in the scriptures concerning himself, he covered the Pentateuch. He covered Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But Ezra did not stop there,
and neither does the Lord in the revelation of things, because
once we come to the conclusion of the Pentateuch, we start up
in what is commonly called the books of history. They do tell
us a lot of history of Israel, and that's Joshua through 2 Chronicles,
and yet in all of those passages of Scripture, we have the declaration
of an absolute need of a substitute. Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15,
for there was a curse placed on the serpent and God said,
the seed of the woman will bruise your head. You'll bruise his
heel, but he'll bruise your head. The first promise that we have
over promise in the scriptures about the coming of the Lord
Jesus. You know what? Ezra could preach that message
just like anybody else can preach it. There is someone coming that
will take care of the problem. And in the book of Joshua, judges
and the rest of the history books, we find the same thing is true.
And there in verse 9 of Ezra chapter 7, it says, but upon
the first day of the month, oh my goodness. I'm in the wrong chapter of what
I want to read. Forgive me, please. Chapter 9,
go with me to chapter 9. We'll be back there in just a
moment. But in Ezra chapter 9, how do
we know that Ezra and in his prayer understood the gospel? It tells us in Ezra chapter 9
in verse 8, in part of his prayer, He says, and now for this little
space, grace has been given. Ezra understood something about
grace. He brings that subject up. God moved in him to know
something about the grace of God. In that verse 9, or the
remainder of verse 8, he says there, and leave us a remnant
to escape. You know what Ezra believed?
He believed in the election of grace. God's grace to a remnant
shall escape. And he brings that up in his
prayer. God prompted him to pray this. It's by inspiration that
he prayed this. But Ezra was caused to believe
this because he had something more than just moral standing
with God. He had been given the new birth
by the Holy Spirit. And then in chapter 9, in verse
9, It tells us there, for we were bondmen, yet our father
hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy. Ezra understood something about
God, and he understood something about grace, and he understood
something about a remnant, and he understood something about
mercy. These things don't come naturally, they're given by God.
Natural man and religion has changed the definition of every
one of these words. And yet, from a gospel standpoint,
Ezra understood and knew that he was dependent upon a God of
mercy, a God of grace, and a God that had chosen a people before
the foundation of the world. And he believed that, and he's
bringing it up in his prayer to Almighty God because he understood
the absolute need for a substitute. In verse 15, it tells us, Ezra
brings this up, it says, O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous. My goodness, to see that God
is righteous. Jesus Christ is the only man
that ever kept all the law. And in so doing, he is great
enough, powerful enough of being of all mightiness, that he can
impute that righteousness to Ezra, that he can impute that
righteousness to me and to everyone that is his children. Those who
are yet unborn, that will be his children, and those who are
born again, that are his children. evidenced by it. He has the ability
because of his greatness and his might and his power and his
ability to keep the law and to lay down his life a ransom to
impute that righteousness. It's the righteousness that Ezra
bragged on. The Lord's righteousness. You
are righteous. You are the only one that has
a perfect standing with God. So, Ezra had this and it's based
upon the revelation that God had given him that everybody
that is ever saved realizes their desperate need of a substitute. I can't do it alone. I can't
go. I can't approach God because
of what has separated me from my God and that is sin. We read there in the book of
Ezra 7 and verse 6 that Ezra was a ready scribe of the law
of Moses. Now turn with me to chapter 7
and verse 11. Ezra 7 and verse 11, we have
this understanding that Ezra knew the Bible. He knew much
about it, no doubt, before he was saved. You know, I can say,
I knew about God. but I didn't know him. Big difference, to know about
somebody and to know him. Here in the book of Ezra chapter
7 and verse 11, now this is the copy of the letter that King
Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe
of the words of the commandment of the Lord. that far exceeds
just what he knew about the Pentateuch, the Law, that far exceeds. He knew that the Word of God
was in Joshua and Judges and throughout those historical books
about Israel. that it was there a temple was
built in Jerusalem under Solomon the king, and it was there that
God said he would meet his people in a permanent place. Where is
that permanent place now? At the feet of the Lord Jesus
Christ himself is the permanent place, the only place where God's
people can meet. Now, we meet together here to
worship at his feet. wherever God's people meet, and
where they are individually, whether they're in some hinterland
somewhere else that we don't even know about, that God has
brought his word to them, and he's given them the new birth,
and they understand their position before God, and that God's position
before them, that he is the Almighty Savior, they meet at the feet
of Christ. He is our true temple. And there
in Ezra chapter 7 and verse 12, Artaxerxes, king of the kings,
unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of God of heaven,
perfect peace. And at such time, he was a priest
and a scribe of the God of heaven. He had been, no doubt, a good
man as a Jew down in Babylon. If you weren't, you were taken
out and disposed of. But when it came to his goodness
before God, he had none. And that's why God came to him
in this great manner of revelation of Jesus Christ. And finally,
in Ezra chapter 7 and verse 21, we read these words. And I, even
I, Artazerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasures
which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the
scribe of the God of heaven, shall require of you it be done
speedily. So we notice here Ezra's position,
he was a scribe that was someone who understood God's word and
was able to declare it clearly and distinctly to other people,
and that was his job, that was his business. Ezra knew the word
of God, and what was the message of the Old Testament? God will
send a substitute. Every sacrifice, every offering
that was offered there at the time of the tabernacle and the
temple declared the absolute need of a substitute. That critter,
was only a picture and that person who came put their hands upon
that beast and God allowed that person to confess their sin over
that critter and then the critter was taken and slain and burnt
on an altar. I've mentioned many times I'm
so thankful that we're not involved with that today. It's been taken
care of and it's ceased. It ceased in the death of the
true sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah, would you turn
with me to the book of Isaiah chapter 7 as Ezra. Isaiah was written many years
before Ezra came on the scene. I'm convinced that Ezra knew
about and read the book of Isaiah. And the book of Isaiah at one
time was the same as it was to that man traveling out in the
desert. That Ethiopian that stopped by
some water and there was reading the scroll of Isaiah when Philip
was sent to him. Some Philip came to Ezra. We
don't know his name. We don't know when it was, but
some Philip came to Ezra as he's struggling trying to understand
God's word. I was thinking the other day
as Roslyn was running around, her daddy running around. I was
asked one time to take him outside and let him play there when we
were in Central Point. Nancy had something she needed
to do, so I took him outside and I grabbed my Bible and I
said, I'm going to read the book of 1st Corinthians, and when
I'm done, I'll understand it. I still have trouble with it,
and I know the Lord. But by simply reading it, we're
not going to come to the conclusion of it. It takes the revelation
of Jesus Christ. And here in the book of Isaiah
chapter 7, just as that Ethiopian eunuch, is he speaking of himself
or is he speaking of some other? And Philip began at the same
place and preached unto him Jesus. Now Ezra, an understander of
the word of God. Ezra, a ready scribe of God's
word. Ezra, a faithful minister of
God's word. Ezra having these things revealed
unto him, seek for me in the word. That's what God shared
with him. He says here in the book of Isaiah chapter 7 and
there in verse 14. These wonderful words that we
look to. Therefore, the Lord himself shall
give you a sign. Now, what is this about? It's
about a substitute. is someone who is able to take
care of the problem that has separated natural man from God,
from the fall. There was such a fall, it was
such a separation. Your sins and iniquities have
separated you from God. And here we read in Isaiah chapter
7 and there in verse 14, therefore the Lord himself shall give you
a sign. Behold, and this sign is an absolute
inability to understand anything from a natural standpoint. Behold,
a virgin shall conceive. That is absolutely impossible
from a human standpoint. So we're dealing with that God
I heard about this morning, the I am God. the all-powerful God,
Jehovah God, this God, the Lord himself, shall give you a sign.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, already identified
several hundred years before the fact, as just as if it is
present tense. The virgin shall conceive and
bear a son, and I'm going to give him this name. This is the
eternal name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the I am name
of the Lord Jesus Christ and it's brought out in the New Testament.
You shall call his name Emmanuel. Now we get to the New Testament,
we find the interpretation of that. I'm going to jump ahead
for just a moment and say that means God with us. The promise. of Genesis chapter
3 and verse 15 is going to be fulfilled in our sight. As we
hear Ezra bringing these things up, he taught the word of God
and he was not stuck on Leviticus. Even though the book of Leviticus,
I read the other day, someone said, the book of Leviticus is
the least read book by Christians. And I said, I know that. but
the gospel is there. But anyway, as we look at this,
we find that Isaiah could have preached on this message and
he said a substitute is coming. God has promised that and it's
going to be in a miraculous way, not in the normal way, not in
the common way. He illustrated this point a couple
of times in the Old Testament, Abraham and Sarah. He illustrated
it takes the hand of God to do this. But this is a greater miracle
than that because a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and thou
shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is God
with us. As Ezra brings the problem before
Almighty God, God has given him the solution before he can bring
the problem, and that is, there is a substitute coming. The Lord
himself shall give you a sign. Let's just move a couple of chapters
there in the book of Isaiah, and we find once again, there's
a passage of scripture that Ezra could have brought to the people
and may have, just as we do from time to time here in the book
of Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6. It says, for unto us a child
is born. I really appreciated hearing
about that I am this morning. Because it is brought out as
in present tense. It is just effectual and is effective
to those people that lived in that day as it is today. For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government
shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called. Now
I appreciate a long time ago when I saw that there was no
S at the end of the word name. It doesn't say his names are,
his name is. His name is Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.
That's His name and we can find in every one of those names the
description of the substitute that is coming. We look back
up on Him and say, there is Jesus Christ and His names are fulfilled
in His very being. The promise of a coming, a Savior,
the Christ Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Go back with
me just a little bit. Excuse me. Go ahead with me a
little bit to the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter 9. The book of
Daniel. Now, Daniel was writing in Babylon. When they left Babylon, he was
probably an elderly man. I don't know if Daniel and Ezra
ever met. They could have. Ezra was in
Babylon, Daniel was in Babylon. He was a place of high authority.
And he writes a book that is much like Revelation. If you
don't see Christ, you're going to be going astray. If you see
him, it's pretty plain. But here in the book of Daniel,
chapter 9 and verse 24, 70 weeks are determined upon thy people
and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression. That's what Ezra has been praying
about. We got a transgression going
on here. We got an equity going on here
and I'm in the middle of it. I'm part of it. I am the problem. He says to finish the transgression. Now, 70 weeks are from the going
forth to build, go back to Jerusalem and build the city. There's going
to be a 70 weeks carried out, measured out by Almighty God
to make an end of sins. Daniel is writing about what
Isaiah has been writing about all along, and Jeremiah has been
writing about all along, and Moses wrote about all along.
There is no end of putting away sins with these sacrifices, but
there is a time coming when sin will be put away. It goes on
to say here, to make reconciliation for iniquity. To get things straightened
up, rightened again. To make them right, because in
ourselves we will never be reconciled to God. But in Christ we are
reconciled to God. and it is in a present tense.
He was reconciled to those believers to Abel. He is reconciled to
those down through time, and he's reconciled to his people
today to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in
everlasting righteousness. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes,
he has promised to do what he's always been doing. to bring in
everlasting righteousness, the I am righteousness, the righteousness
of Christ that has always been, because he was never unrighteous. The only righteousness we as
individuals have is righteousness imputed to us, given to us, put
to our account, however you might want to term it, but it is Christ
that is our righteousness. He is our righteousness. Looking
again at Daniel 9, 24, and bring in everlasting righteous to seal
up the vision and the prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
Wow, that's all going to come as a result of the one who is
able to take care of the problem that Ezra is praying about. We pray about the same problem
today. Lord, I'm a man of unclean lips,
I'm undone. And I live in a land of people
with unclean lips, but you're God. Redemption is full and complete
redemption. It's not part. Grace is full
and complete grace. It's not part grace. Mercy is
full and complete mercy. It's not part mercy. It's not
dependent upon us. Redemption is complete redemption. That's why you can say there
is therefore now no condemnation because you have been completely
redeemed by God. You are not in jeopardy, you
are on solid ground. This is the promise of God to
his people because of the one who came to be the substitute,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now turn with me back to the
book of Isaiah chapter 53. In Isaiah chapter 53, Once again, these words are all
brought out in present tense, but it shares with us that Ezra
knew about the Lord Jesus Christ. He knew the Word of God. He was
a ready scribe of the Word of God, and this is part of the
Word of God that he had. This was written long before
he was born. And no doubt it was carried there
to Babylon by those priests who had it. And he knew these words. Who hath believed our report,
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? He says there
in verse 3, he is despised and rejected of men. It's not that
he will be despised and rejected of men, or he has been despised. He is on a common every day. Basis he is despised and then
it says in verse 4 surely he hath borne our griefs these words
to Ezra There's a there's a mighty one coming His name is Emmanuel
he has been promised from the very beginning to be the substitute
for his people and he must be He must, God must come in the
flesh. That's what Isaiah brought out,
that's what Ezra believed, and that's what we know and believe. God must come in the flesh. He must represent God wholly
and completely. God cannot be anything but holy,
H-O-L-Y. He must represent those in the
human race that he represents well. He must represent them.
He cannot give in. He cannot stop representing those
he's going to represent. He's not going to fall away and
get into the courtroom of God and say, well, I'm sorry, but
I just couldn't represent some of those folks. He's going to
represent everyone that was given to him, before the foundation
of the world, whose names are written down in the Lamb's Book
of Life, and He will represent them completely and get them
off scot-free. Because He is the substitute
that's going to bear our sin. Here it says there, He hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. God had it all worked out, and
we looked at Him and said, not so, Lord. I can hear Peter say,
no Lord, you're not going to do that. You don't have to do
it for me. Peter didn't mean it that way,
but humanly speaking, you don't have to do it for me because
I'm not really that bad. Well, it goes on through this
whole passage of scripture. Verse six, all we like sheep
have gone astray. Ezra understood that there was
some sheep and there will never were goats at one time. He was
oppressed. Seven, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth. Verse eight, he was taken from
prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation?
And verse nine, he had made his grave with the wicked. And verse
10, yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to
grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, and
this is declared before he is ever born. Now, let's move over
to the book of Matthew, chapter 1. Matthew, chapter 1. Ezra understood that there's
a Messiah coming, and his name is Immanuel, which is God with
us, the God-man. Everybody has been revealed.
It must be the God-man and he's going to come in a very special
way. He will not come as normal people
come. He is going to come from a virgin. God will use a virgin so that
he will not transpose or give the iniquity of Adam to him. And here in the book of Matthew
chapter 1, we find these wonderful words that were given to his
stepfather when he was preparing himself to put away this woman. He went to sleep and God gave
him a revelation. It tells us here in the book
of Matthew, Matthew chapter 1 and verse 21, the words that were
given to him, and she shall bring forth a son. And thou shall call
his name Jesus. Now, I don't know if his stepfather had some other
idea for a name. He didn't even want to be involved
in it. Remember about Zacharias and
calling that man John, his son John? Nobody in the family's
been named that. Well, you shall call his name
Jesus. And this is why. There's a purpose
in this because he is going to be the only one to fulfill his
very name. My name is Norman. It means man
from the north. I've never been to Scandinavia.
I have yet to fulfill that part of my name, but this man, is
going to fulfill his name, because his name means Savior. And it goes on to say, not just
a Savior, but he's going to save his people from their sins. Ezra understood some of that.
This Savior is going to come and take care of his people's
sins. We have a substitute. Thou shall
call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. And then, if you look with me
in Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23, notice this verse with me.
The substitute, behold, this is going to fulfill the words
of the Lord. Verse 22, now all this was done
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying,
verse 23, behold, a virgin shall be with child. and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being
interpreted is God with us. Ezra understood that name in
its original language, Hebrew. I'm thankful for us who only
knew some English and a little spattering of English poorly
and a little spattering of Spanish that they give us the definition
here for us It says, and his name shall be called his name
Immanuel, which being interpreted as God with us. You know, I never
find another place in all the New Testament that he was called
that by anybody except God. You're the God man. You're my
son. You've taken upon yourself flesh
for the suffering of death. And then it tells us in Luke
chapter 2, would you join me in Luke chapter 2? As we think
about the substitute that Ezra so desperately spoke about and
needed. He was the one that needed this
substitute. The book of Luke chapter 2. In
the book of Luke chapter 2, we have the record of the birth
of the Lord Jesus and we'll deal more with that in our next Sunday's
lesson message. But in Luke chapter 2 verse 8.
Would you look there with me as we travel from the scene in
Bethlehem that was prophesied and fulfilled just as it was
declared. In Bethlehem, he'd be born. When he would be born was prophesied
in the Old Testament, where he would be born, who he would be
born of, and what he would be doing here, all prophesied in
the Old Testament. Isaiah chapter 53, that's why
he came. That's why he's here. And here
in the book of Luke, the scene travels from Bethlehem out into
a field where a bunch of shepherds are keeping their sheep. Now
the message that the angels brought to those shepherds is so delightful. Ezra can rejoice in it. You and
I can rejoice in it. And that is found in Luke chapter
2, beginning with verse 8, the scriptures share this, and there
were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by night. Now, there's a lot of spiritual
implication about that too. God's people, sheep being guarded
by God's people. And lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were so afraid. Now I made a statement one time
that here the angel of the Lord is truly the messenger of the
covenant. How he could be in a manger and out here at the
same time is that's God. He doesn't leave much of the
message of the gospel to anybody but God and his appointed people. So the angel of the Lord spoken
to them and he said, They were sore afraid, and the
angel said unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good
tidings. And to all of us, good tidings
is the gospel. That's what that word means.
It's the gospel. It's good tidings. Good tidings
of great joy. That Ethiopian eunuch went on
his way rejoicing. God's people in the new birth
go on their way rejoicing. And it says, which shall be to
all people. All of his people are going to
appreciate this. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David. Now look at this, a savior. That's who Ezra preached about,
and that's who we look forward to. A savior. We need a savior. He declared
there, metaphorically, he said, our sin is over our head. I remember one time being in
a boat, a little dingy, with two brother-in-laws out on the
Little Stucco River, and we hung up, and that water came over
the back of that boat and just took it away from us, and I'm
in water over my head. I thought I was going to drown. That's the metaphor that Ezra
is bringing there. Our iniquities are over our head. We're drowning. Besides that,
we're drowning. We're drowned. And then a Savior
says, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
which is the Messiah, Christ the Lord. The Messiah, Son of
God, the everlasting one, the promised one, the I am one, this
one, he's been born there. And this is the fulfillment of
the promises of the Old Testament summed up in one verse of scripture. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And
you know what? Ezra, in his great faith that
God had given to him, could sit down and rest in this, a savior. It's not up to me, a savior.
And he's the Messiah, the promised one. And beside that, he is God. So Ezra prays this great prayer
by inspiration, God gave it to him. It brings up the problem,
but Ezra already knew the solution. He already was acquainted with
him, and that is this, I need a substitute. And the substitute
was a savior in that day, just like he is a savior here in our
day. And he was born in Bethlehem
as promised. and his name is Emmanuel, God
with us. God the very God and man the
very man and God said there is one mediator between God and
man and that is the man Christ Jesus. He's the only one that
can represent the church. He has everything that God has
an interest in, he has an interest in. And he has everything that
we need, and he has that fulfilled. And so he can bring the two together
in his own perfect righteousness. And by that, he can give us the
new birth and give us his righteousness. He is altogether lovely. Our Father in Heaven. We are
so thankful that even your Old Testament ministers knew something. They knew something, and that
something was the person Christ Jesus. They prayed, leaving us
the telltale sign that they were acquainted with the Almighty
God. They prayed knowing the need of a substitute. They knew
that there must be someone to take care of this great problem
of sin. We were ruined by the fall, and
yet there has been a Savior given, and his name is Christ the Lord. We ask, O God, you'd bless us
with this continued knowledge of your greatness in salvation,
and that you save great sinners. We're thankful, Lord, for this
day you've given us, that once again we can fellowship together,
and once again we can enjoy the goodness of God found in the
person Christ Jesus on the behalf of all those that were given
to him before the foundation of the world. We ask, Lord, that
we might go forth this day realizing again how blessed we are to have
this Savior that was declared. And it's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen. Well, we say, as Mike says, be
free. God bless you. Hi, Betty. Hi, Joe. Good to see you. That's great good to see you
Yeah, it's happened before What's happened with me? There
are hammers. Well, it's good to see everyone there.
Brenny, good to see you. Craig? Craig, how are you? Good, good. How's your daughter? She's right here. You didn't
say hi. Tell her I did. I won't. Never. I'll ask her if she knows you
said it, though. She's doing pretty good. She's feeling way
better. Good, good, good. Glad to hear
that. Dan? Good to see you. Zora? Morning. Good morning. Good morning. Good to see you.
Good to see you. Nancy's going to come up
and say hello. Did you get some snow off at
your place, Dan? Just the tiniest little skiffs. Yeah. How about
you? I just had just a little bit
on the windshield when I left there. And it snowed up here
a little bit, but it stopped. Sugar is all we got. Yeah. Yeah. Nice to see you all. Hi. Hi,
Nancy. Hi. We have Rosalind today. We are busy, busy. But today,
she decided to stay in here for about half of the sermon. Did
you guys? Was it a bother to you? Another
bother. You've got quite a project there
behind you, Lisa. On what? Oh, good for you. Well,
Mike came to say howdy. Hello. Good to see you all. Well, until we meet again. All right. Love you. Love you. Just for a brief moment. I saw you when you came on. I
said, thank you, Lord. And I was thanking for that little
tidbit I got at the end. All right. Well, you take care
until we meet again. You too. Thank you. All right, I will. Off to the races, huh? Would you like to take a couple
of these home with you? Let me get a little bag. Was it? Weather was good? Weather
was good. It rained some, but a good time at the coast. Is
that OK? Yeah. So did you do anything exciting?
We rad. We went to a secondhand store,
kind of stuff we like to do. Did you find anything you wanted?
Oh, Nancy found a couple items. What did she like to find? Oh,
knick-knacks. Mike, have a good evening or
afternoon. Take care. Do you want my pony hat? Do you
want my pony hat? Granddaddy. I like your party
hat. How's that piano book working? Okay, good. Is there more to do? Yes. Okay.