The Book of Ezra, Chapter 9. The Book of Ezra, Chapter 9. I want to read just the first
phrase for the first part of our message this morning, and
then we'll go on to look at some more here. It says, now when
these things were done. It's interesting that that phrase
is brought to us from a Hebrew word that is brought out in the
book of Genesis when the Lord finished the earth. I think of when something is finished. Sometimes I don't have that happen
very often. when something is finished. And
yet, here it is, when these things were done. Now, in the close
of chapter eight, last week, we looked at some of those things
that Ezra led in while, or after he arrived back from Babylon
to Jerusalem. It tells us there in Ezra chapter
eight in verse 33 through 36, and as we read that, no doubt
it took more time than we often think it did to do that very
thing. They came back. They rested for
three days. On the fourth day, they took
a tally. They took a review of all of
the silver, the gold, and the bronze that they brought back
with them. And what they left Babylon with is what they arrived
at Jerusalem with. There was no wear or tear. They
arrived there with everything. And the equivalent is found there
of 24 tons of silver, 7,500 pounds of silver articles, 7,500
pounds of gold, 20 gold bowls, and two fine copper, bronze,
or brass bowls. No doubt it took some time to
catalog those things, to weigh them out. And then we find out
there in chapter 8 and verse 35 that the children of Israel
that had been carried away, they offered some burnt offerings.
The scriptures tell us there in verse 35 that some time was
taken while they did that because they offered 12 bullocks, 96
rams, 77 lambs, 12 he goats. Took some time. And then the
last verse, and they delivered the king's commission. King Artaxerxes'
commission. We read that in chapter seven. We went through the decree of
the king that permitted these people to go back to Jerusalem. He had been given a decree which
God had already decreed. before the foundation of the
world. These people were going to spend their 70 years in Babylonian
captivity and then they would be released. We find that there
was a whole group of people that came back after 70 years and
then sometime later there was another group of people that
came back and Ezra was in that group. They delivered the king's
commission unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors on this
side of the river. Those folks were used to further
the people and the house of God. So sometime, how long, it doesn't
tell us, but sometime has taken place there, and then we come
to chapter 9 and verse 1. Now, when these things were done,
when all of this was accomplished, They traveled all those miles.
They'd arrived with all those precious things. They'd had those
sacrifices. They read the decree of Artaxerxes. And the people, I'm sure, as
they heard those words of that decree, were thrilled that God
had moved in that king to allow him to do what they were permitted
to do right there. I am thankful that I live where
I can have that same privilege. The King of heaven has moved
upon people to allow us to meet here like we do. It is not that
way around the world. So we have great privilege. So
I rejoice in that. I rejoice in that when we get
together, when we meet together, when we fellowship together on
God's decree upon those who in authority allow us to do this. Well, it goes on to tell us here
that when this was done, when these things were done, when
God had moved and he had finished, the time was right. I just think of Ezra thinking
about this. I get to sit down. I get to rest. I get to Look
around and see all this happen. There was a time in my life that
I felt a little bit like that, but it was from a political standpoint. Do you remember when the Berlin
Wall was taken down? I thought, you know, we've made
it. We've just made it. I can rest now. The world will
be at peace. It wasn't 36 hours. We found out there's other problems
that this world faced. Well, this came. This verse,
they delivered all the reading. The kings, lieutenants, and governors
had lifted the people up and complimented the building of
the house of God. And now we have when this has
come. And as Robert Hawker would say,
I like when he says, oh, my soul. Because he wants us to really
reflect from a spiritual standpoint what the word of God has to say
and not just from a physical standpoint. Oh my soul, think
about this. To have some time such as this
long trip from Babylon was finished. They arrived and then to have
all of that work done, set beside them, to have all those sacrifices
of thanksgiving, which declare every bit of that gold, every
bit of that silver, every bit of that bronze had something
to declare about the glory of their salvation in Jesus Christ,
whether they understood that or not. Some no doubt did, but
some didn't. And then for those to come out
and say, we must have these sacrifices, we must have these offerings.
That's what God has shared with us from the book of Leviticus,
and we want to share our thanksgiving to Almighty God for all that
he has done to us. and in us spiritually. These
are only a type and a shadow and a picture of what God has
done for us spiritually. He, representing in these animals
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the sin offering, the burn offering,
and yet as we think about that, every one of those animals were
completely consumed just as we read about our Savior in the
53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah. He was completely consumed because
our sin was placed upon him. But in that, nobody could ever
bring a charge against God's elect again. The sacrifice was
totally consumed. In fact, the price was completely
paid So we have freedom in that, and they're just picturing that,
and as they walked away, many of them could say in their heart,
I'm so thankful that the Messiah will completely take care of
all my sin in time, because he promised that in the covenant
of grace. He will completely take care of that. In this present
time, there is forgiveness of sin. You know, even to some really
respectable religions, when you tell people that they are absolutely
in the covenant of grace, forgiven of sin, there always comes those
who come along, but you must. You know, there is no but you
must. Jesus Christ has completely taken care of our sin. Now, it
is finished when these things were done. As I mentioned, would
you turn back with me to the book of Genesis chapter two?
as we read here how complete things were up to this point.
Genesis chapter 2 and verse 1 and in chapter 2 and verse 2 we have
this word used again that is brought out here. This phrase
in the Hebrew is used in a number of ways in the Old Testament
and here in the book of Genesis chapter 2 and verse 1, thus the
heavens and the earth were finished. That is such an outstanding statement
because when we look at the physical here in Genesis chapter 1 and
chapter 2, we're finding out that these are typical of spiritual
blessings. The creation of God is finished. When he gives us the new birth,
the creation of God is finished. Nothing to be added, nothing
to be taken away, and it is finished. God finished the work. And then,
We find in verse 2, in the seventh day God ended his work. How blessed
it is in Jesus Christ, our Sabbath, the work is finished. It carries
with it such great weight. When our Savior from the cross
cried, it is finished. God finished the work. creation
he finished the work and declares it here in chapter 2 and verse
2 and on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he
had made and this is just typical this is a physical activity that
represents a spiritual activity and that is everybody that rests
in Jesus Christ and their Sabbath, the work is finished. We no longer
are going to depend upon works to bring us before God, but we're
depending upon the work, the blood, and righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Again, in the Old Testament,
would you turn with me to the book of Ezra chapter 1? In Ezra
chapter 1 and verse 1, we have this statement made. with regard
to this word that we find they completed things. It was finished
as we read there in Ezra chapter 1 and verse 1. Now in the first
year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by
the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. I appreciate going
through the scriptures and finding out that they've been fulfilled
in Jesus Christ our Savior. The other day, I had a man tell
me his explanation of the Book of Revelation. And I let him
plabber for a while, and finally he took a little breath, and
I said, there is one thing preventing Jesus Christ from coming back
to this earth. An evil and adulterous generation
seek after a sign. There's one thing, and that is
God saving his last elect one. You know what? He went through
the door and left. It just does not fit in religion
to say that Jesus Christ has it all finished. We always want
to add more, and it's always some understanding of the book
of Revelation, which is one of the most pictorial books in all
the scriptures, and people want to take it the most literal.
Well, it is finished. Just notice here, and the word
by the mouth, the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah,
Ezra chapter 1 and verse 1, might be fulfilled. What happened? 70 years were finished and they
started to go back to Jerusalem the promise was made it would
be kept and God moved upon Cyrus the king to do that very thing
another passage of scripture over here in the book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 20 we can understand this a little
bit because we're at the right time of year in the book of Jeremiah
chapter 8 and verse 20 and Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 20 I Looked
at the weather on my phone and someone told me my phone is a
computer with a phone app Looked on the weather and we
were supposed to be down in the 30s this last week Well that
means something here in Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse 20 notice
what Jeremiah said here but he brings out it a spiritual Context
2. Jeremiah chapter 8 and verse
20, the same word is used there. It says, the harvest is past,
the summer is ended. Well, I think we're there. The
summer has ended and we are not saved. He brings it to a spiritual
place. Oh, my friends, summer has ended. And without Christ, we won't. We can't. We will not have salvation. So, this word has a great deal
brought out in the Old Testament with regard to something being
finished, something being completed, something being over. And truly,
as we look at the trip that they made from Babylon to Jerusalem
and those events that took place just after they arrived, those
are finished. They are over. They don't have
to weigh that gold and silver anymore. They don't have to offer
those specific sacrifices anymore. They will offer the evening sacrifice
because that's going to play out here in chapter 9. They will
have these other things to do. There isn't any reason to read
the decree anymore. If you want to go over it, you
can, but we're not going to read it publicly anymore. You already
know what it has to say. That's what could be said. But
we notice here that Ezra will finally, we think, be able to
sit down and enjoy Jerusalem. Yet that is not in the purpose
of God for Ezra or the people of God. The absolute need for
the people of God to be prepared for the prompting of God, the
Holy Spirit. And that is who comes in the
person of subservience to Ezra. This last week, I heard of an
old preacher that was told that someone was feeling the conviction
of the Holy Spirit. At his response, we can tell
by where the person ends up. Conviction of the Holy Spirit.
I think that someone is under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that the Holy
Spirit will come and convince the world of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment. It is a promise. That will happen. But how can we tell, as we go
down through here to chapter nine, we're gonna find out that
Ezra demonstrates this, But how can we tell when someone is under
conviction of the Holy Spirit? Well, this old preacher brought
out that we can tell where that person ends up. If the person
ends up depending completely and wholly on the blood of Jesus
Christ and his righteousness, then we can say that was conviction
of the Holy Spirit. but if we end up depending on
our own works, ending up depending upon some religion, then we can
say that was not conviction of the Holy Spirit. That was just,
I'm sorry I got caught. Conviction of the Holy Spirit
is going to be brought out here, and in chapter 9 we have some
more beautiful pictures of Ezra being a picture or a type of
Christ. Ezra is going to be a mediator. Ezra is going to plead for these
people of Israel. Ezra is going to spread out his
hands before an almighty God and plead for them because he
acknowledges that he and the rest of them are all sinners. Some are saved by grace. Some
are just still sinners. There is, and in my mind's eye,
I had the picture of when President Bush was in that school room
with those school students when someone came over and whispered
in his ear that those great buildings in New York had been dropped
to the ground. The look on his face. What do we do? Well, Ezra is
brought to that for it tells us here in Ezra chapter nine.
Ezra chapter nine and verse one. Now, when these things were done, the princes, those in some authority,
those Jews, they were Jews. There was a great concern in
their heart Now every once in a while someone will come to
me and we'll go into the office and they share a great concern. And it's incumbent upon me to
keep that concern to myself. Or they would have told everybody.
Now we have the privilege of being insightful into this concern
that was brought to Ezra because it's written down in our Bible. We have, as was brought out this
morning about that widow and putting two mites in, she had
no need. She didn't want any notoriety. I'm convinced of that. She didn't
want any notoriety about that, but her name is written down
in our Bible. Her, not by name, name. Many
people found out in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament
were just there and God blessed them and they would not take
that upon themselves but God put it in the book for us. And
we read about it. And we thank God. Well, here
is a man by the name of Ezra. He's a leader of Israel. He's
been brought to Jerusalem. And he's going to help those
people. And he has helped those people. And he was a leader for
those people that came out of Babylon. But here we have some
people whisper into his ear or bring to his attention an issue
that is here in Jerusalem. Read with me. The princes came
to me saying, why didn't they say something
else? Because there was nobody else to tell. This is the appropriate
time. This is when it needed to be
shared. And this is the people of Israel. The people of Israel. Oh, my. The purest ages of the church have always had some corruption. I'm in it. This church age right now has
some corruption. I'm in it. And it will not be
presented without spot or blemish or wrinkle till it is presented
as a glorious church, a church triumphant, a church
raised in likeness of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. then it will
be a church without spot or wrinkle. The promise is given. It will
be presented a glorious church. But while we live in this life,
while we live in this world, the church will never be without
some spot or wrinkle because we live in it. It goes on to
tell us here, the people of Israel Oh my, and it goes on to say,
and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves
from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations,
even of the Canaanites. the Hittites, the Perizzites,
the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians,
and Amorites. What a lot. Not a great number,
but a group of people here mentioned in this verse as these Israelites,
these priests, and these Levites have not separated themselves
from. Think about this and I think
of the Apostle Paul Going about his business of being a minister
and a missionary through various parts of the world and someone
brings him a letter From the churches about the churches of
Galatia Can you hear in him the very concern for those folks
when he says, I marvel that you are so soon removed from him
that calls you unto the grace of God unto another gospel, which
is not another gospel. As I can just see him moving
about doing the things that God has called on him to do when
he gets word from someone about those over in Galatia that need
some help. Well, these folks need some help. These folks need some help. A
minister. They need an ambassador. They
need a mediator. They need someone to plead their
case and their cause. And we find that there is only
one true minister, one true ambassador, one true mediator. There is one
mediator between God and men and that is the man Christ Jesus.
We only have one, and Ezra is going to be a type of that, but
he's also so concerned about these people that he's going
to do the only thing he knows how to do, bring it before the
Lord. It goes on here, verse two, they
have taken of their daughters for themselves and for their
sons so that the holy seed hath mingled themselves with the people
of those lands. Yea, the hand of the princes
and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. Verse three, then
when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle. and plucked off the hair of my
head and my beard and sat down astonished. Now before we judge, the Ammonites
and the Perizzites and the Gergesites and all of those other folks
too harshly. Let's remember this is more than
just speaking out against those folks, because we have some of
those folks written down in the most holy writ. Would you turn with me to the
book of Hebrews chapter 11? Hebrews chapter 11. Our brother read this passage
of scripture at my request, and right there towards the end of
that passage that he read, Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 31, by faith, by faith, the harlot Rahab perished
not with them that believe not. when she had received the spies
with peace. Do you remember what she said
to those spies when they came to her? We heard of you when
you crossed the Red Sea. And our hearts did tremble. God
had given her some information that she couldn't have got down
there in that town, in Jericho. God had revealed something to
her. She'd heard something. And by faith, she spared those
spies. And it's recorded here. Now,
would you turn with me over to the book of Matthew chapter one. Matthew chapter one. In Matthew
chapter one, we have her name recorded again. Matthew chapter
one. You know where I'm going. This
is the lineage of our savior, the Lord Jesus. In Matthew chapter
one. there in verse 5 Now I've wondered some time Why
we have in Hebrews chapter 11 her name is spelled as in the
Old Testament and here we have it spelled a little bit differently
And then it was brought to my attention that there were different
groups of people that were used to translate the scriptures.
We just didn't sit down and everybody start translating from Genesis
and then they all worked on Exodus. There were different groups of
people. And so some of them used a different spelling here than
they did in the book of Hebrews, but it's the same person where
it says here in verse five, and Salmon begot Boaz of Rahab. This man Salmon married Rahab
the harlot and had Boaz who is brought out in the book of Ruth
as the kinsman redeemer. So we have this message given
to us that God Almighty does save people out of every kindred
nation, people, and tongue, just like He promised in the book
of Revelation, and here it is exposed to us. Well, it brings
up a good point, for if we go back over to the book of Ruth,
we read about Ruth the Moabitess, and that's one of the nations
that was mentioned here in the book of Ezra chapter 9 and verse
2, the Moabites. Now all these people are scoundrels,
all these people are cheats and liars just like everybody else
in the world. And God had a reason that he
wanted to keep his people away from them and we'll read that
in just a moment. But he had in and among all those
people, nations and tongues, a people that he had chosen before
the foundation of the world and had their names written down
in the Lamb's Book of Life and we call them brother and sister. because we all trust in the same
Lord. The book of Ruth, it tells us
that she's the Moabitess, but there in Matthew chapter one
and verse five, and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat
Jesse, and Jesse begat David, and from that point on, it's
easy for us to trace a line right down to Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
born of a virgin, in Bethlehem at the appropriate time and he
is called Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews. So how blessed it
is for us to read from time to time about these folks that are
brought out of every kindred nation, people and tongue. Just
like it's not very many today that are being called out, appears
to us. But I am reminded of what God
shared with an Old Testament prophet when he said he had 7,000
that had not bowed the knee to Baal. And that prophet was astonished. But he believed it because God
had shared it with him. It tells us there in Ezra chapter
9, going back to Ezra chapter 9, it says, here is the reason. that God had appointed them not
to go after these folks. Fifty years ago, Nancy and I
got married. Fifty years in a month and seven
days. Do you know what? She believed she
was marrying a Christian. And 15 years later, I heard the
gospel and the Lord saved me. I was a Moabite, a Hittite, a
Hivite, a Jebusite, because I was not worshiping the true and the
living God. I was worshiping the God of my
imagination. I was worshiping the God of other
people's imagination that wrote it down in a book. but I was
not worshiping the true and the living God, and I could not worship
him until God gave me the new birth, and then I could worship
him, but I can't worship him like I want to, so the Holy Spirit
does that for me, and that I'm thankful. I was just as a Jebusite. I'd worshiped other gods, gods
not described in the word of God. Well, here in the book of
Ezra, it tells us here In verse 2, for they have taken of their
daughters for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy
seed hath mingled themselves with the people of those lands.
Yea, the hand of the princes and the rulers have done this.
And in verse 1, it says, doing according to their abominations,
even the Canaanites. When the Lord took them into
the promised land, he said, stay away from those folks. Keep yourself
pure. You know, unless we have the
Holy Spirit, it's an impossibility. We will want to mingle with them.
We'll want to find someone in there that agrees with us. I'll
never forget the pastor that brought me the gospel. He said,
somebody will come up with a lame-brained idea about the scriptures. and
they'll go to this person and that person say, ''That's not
in the scripture.'' They'll go to this person, ''That's not
in the scripture.'' They'll go to this person, ''That's not
in the scripture.'' Before you know it, they find a Moabitess
or a Hivite or a Hittite and say, ''This is what I found in
the scripture.'' He says, ''Boy, that must be right.'' He says,
''I knew it all along.'' We're going to find somebody that agrees
with our religion and there's where we're going to be. But
all thanks being to God, he saves people out of that. Now, in verse
three, it shares with us, and when I heard this thing, I ripped
my garments and my mantle and plucked off the hair of my head
and my beard and sat down astonished. First time ever I read that,
I said astonished, and I listened to this online and I said, he
must be reading that wrong. It's astonished. Then were assembled
unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel
because of the transgression of those that had been carried
away, and I sat astonished until the Evening sacrifice. Now I'll share with you right
now that there's probably between verse 1 and verse 15 about 20
messages going to come out of this passage of scripture. It
is so full. It is so full of Ezra being a
type of the Messiah, the type of Christ, the mediator. It tells
us then in verse 5, And at the evening sacrifice I rose up from
my heaviness, and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell
upon my knees and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God. Ezra gives us a picture of what
the Savior did on the behalf of the church as the true mediator,
as the true ambassador, as the true one that cared for his people
to the very last, giving his all, giving until it was finished. He spread out his hands before
Almighty God and pled their case on the cross. He became their
mediator. He spread his hands before the
Father on the cross and gave him the body language of, I give
my holy all for those through thou hast given me in the covenant
of grace. Not much said on the cross, seven
times he spoke, but I can see in his body language he meant
much more. I give my all. Well, Ezra is
going to do this, and he goes down through and pleads the cause. And you know one of the verses
in here? You haven't punished us near as much as we need it
to be. Oh, the covenant of grace. Now all that punishment fell
on Christ for all his people throughout all time, and not
one bit will be extracted from them when they stand before him.
He is a picture of the mediator that makes true mediatorical
acts before Almighty God. And the father can say, this
is my beloved son. Hear ye him. So we're going to look at that
as we go through this chapter. Ezra as a type of Christ, hear
ye him. It comes out well. He is cut to the heart, as Paul
was cut to the heart when he got news about those in Galatia,
the churches of Galatia. But you know what? He wrote to
them and said, it is well with Christ. It is well with Christ. It's not well with that religion.
It is well with Christ. Brother Mike, if you'll come.