Well, good morning and welcome
to the services this morning. We're going to be in the book
of Ezra chapter seven today, and I would like to read verses
25 through the end of the chapter. The verses 25 and 26 are really
the end of the decree of the King towards Ezra. as he's instructing him to go
back to Jerusalem from Babylon. We've read quite a bit in this
passage of scripture as we went through the first time about
the things that happen and how they point to Christ. And then
we're looking in this last section, going through it again, we're
looking at Ezra as a type of Christ. And there are so many
beautiful types and shadows and pictures here with regard to
Ezra, the type of Christ. In these verses of scripture,
beginning with Ezra chapter seven, Ezra seven, and beginning with
verse 25, and thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God that is
in thy hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all
the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws
of thy God, and teaching them that know them not. and whosoever
will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let
judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto
death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to
imprisonment. Blessed be the Lord God of our
fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's
heart to beautify the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem,
and hath extended mercy upon me before the king and his counselors
and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened
as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together
out of Israel chief men to go up with me. Now we notice in
that reading, the last verses of the decree of the king, verses
25 and 26, and then we find verse 27 and 28, that Ezra is thanking
the Lord for what he's been able to do and how he's been blessed.
Now, as we look at this passage of scripture, particularly verse
25, it's not of interest to us whether this is political or
religious, it makes no difference for us, but what is the message? Those selected were not declaring
another gospel, but the only gospel, the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Today we'd like to look to search
and to seek out how Ezra is a type of Christ in this verse in two
aspects. The one, who sets the magistrates
and judges? And two, the group they are set
over and the message. Now, what does the Bible share
with us about the Lord's ministry to the church and setting folks
in it and over it? In the book of 1 Corinthians,
would you turn there with me this morning? First Corinthians
chapter 12, we have these words recorded for us as the Apostle
Paul led by the Holy Spirit, just as we read in the Old Testament,
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Here we find another person that God had regenerated and we have
much said in the scriptures about his experience, about what the
Lord did for him on the road to Damascus prior to that and
after that. But here in 1 Corinthians, as
he's writing to a group of saints, he has this to say about their
experience as a church. Now a church is a called out
assembly. And we find that the church is
in the Old Testament, the same church that we're in, the visible
body of the Lord Jesus Christ. It appears that Adam and Eve
were in that church. And we are assured that their
son Abel is in that church. He's recorded in the book of
Hebrews. And we find that the church is throughout the Old
Testament as well as the New Testament. And we find it is
the God, the Lord. It is the Lord himself who has
built the church, called out the church, ordained the church,
and has set people over the church. Just as we read with regard to
this decree of Artaxerxes over Ezra, you select magistrates
and judges over the folks. Here in the book of 1 Corinthians
chapter 12 and verse 28, it says, and God hath set some in the
church. What does this mean? in the church
mean to us? I have to ask that question.
How do we get there? Religion has almost as many ways
as there is religions to get to the church of the living God.
But God had a purpose in saving a people, much like we have seen
in the return of the members of the tribes of Benjamin and
Judah to Jerusalem. God brought them out of bondage
to the city of peace, to Jerusalem. We find there in 1 Corinthians
chapter 12, And there in verse 28, and God has set some in the
church, first apostles, secondary prophets, thirdly teachers, after
that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues. We will find as we study the
Bible that the Lord through all of these things that he has set
in the church, there is no contradiction whatsoever in any of those things. If we get to helps, we're gonna
have to find that they are in agreement with the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. If we get to miracles, they're
going to have to agree with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If there are prophets, they must agree with the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. If there's gifts of healings,
they must agree with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Helps,
governments, diversities of tongues, all of these things are going
to be in agreement. There will not be a diversity,
but there will be an agreement upon each one of these items
that the Lord has said in the church. Now just as Ezra is called
on by the king in the decree of the king, we find that Ezra
was called upon to set some judges and magistrates over the folks
and that they were to deal with the law of God, the laws of God. God had a purpose in saving a
people much like we have seen in the return of these folks
from Babylon to Jerusalem. What can we find out about the
church? Well, the first thing we become aware of is being called
out of darkness to his marvelous light. That is one of the things
that God does for us when he saves us by his grace, when he
regenerates us, when he gives us a new birth, is that there
is a realization that something has changed, that my view of
religion has changed so drastically. My view of God has changed so
drastically. My view of salvation has changed
so drastically. My view of all the Word of God
has changed so drastically, in fact, all of it points to the
person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Over in the book of 1
Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9, and once again we have
to say, As we look at this passage of scripture, it is like the
Old Testament prophets. It's like the apostles. It's
like the disciples of the New Testament. Holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. God moved upon them to
say these things. It wasn't something that they
came up with. It is something that God revealed to them. Now,
most assuredly, they believed these things as God gave them
to them, most assuredly. Just like today, God's people
are gonna believe the word of God. It doesn't matter if it
cringes us just a little bit, we're gonna believe the word
of God. It is very natural for us to say, I don't understand
it. But in the new birth, in regeneration, in salvation, it
is unnatural to say I don't believe it because we know what it is
to be an unbeliever. We were that until God saved
us and caused us to believe The Lord Jesus Christ caused us to
believe his word, caused us to believe him. So here in the book
of 1 Peter 2 and verse 9, it says, but you're a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood. We could go to the Old Testament
and read this too. But here it says, as the apostle
Peter is bringing this up, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that
you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out
of darkness into his marvelous light. Now the Lord, in His purpose
of grace, the Holy Spirit, in His wonders of regeneration,
and the Father, in His blessedness in having a people before the
foundation of the world that he gave to the sun, we find in
this wonderful blessing that he has chosen us, a chosen generation,
but he also says there, he's called you out of darkness into
his marvelous light. He's called his people out of
the darkness of religion, out of the darkness of sin, out of
the pit that we're born in, out of the place that we found ourselves.
As we look back in retrospect and find out where the Lord saved
us from, how religious we were, and how lost we were. And yet
it pleased God in the fullness of time to save us. It pleased
God when the time was right to call us. And he called us out
of darkness. He brought us out of that place
that we're born into. He brought us out of that relationship
that we had with Adam. We came out of the darkness and
the blindness of that sin that had so come upon natural man
in the fall. And then it says, unto, there,
It says, He has called us out of darkness unto, verse 9, into
His marvelous light. Now what does that mean? It could
mean nothing else that He's brought us into the person and work and
ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. We find that we've
been called not only Do we find that we've been called out of
darkness into his marvelous light? But if you'll turn back with
me to the book of Romans, we find once again, the apostle
Paul was led to write these words to some saints in Rome. Romans
chapter one and verse seven, as we think about what the church
is and then what God has done to bless the church in placing
judges and magistrates over them, not for self pleasure, not for
self glory, but for the perfecting of the saints. Here in Romans
chapter 1 verse 7, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, call
to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God
our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. It's one thing
about religion. Religion has all kinds of formulas
to make believers, to make saints, to educate people into sainthood. or after they die to make them
saints. Well, we find that God simplifies
the whole thing. He has done it by his grace and
by his mercy in the person of Jesus Christ. And he says we
are called to be saints. We're brought out of darkness
to his marvelous light. And in that calling, He makes
us saints. Now we find out that in the mind
of God, we've been set apart from eternity. In the mind of
God, we've been redeemed in eternity. We've been sanctified in eternity.
We have all those rich blessings. We don't realize it at the time
in the preaching of the gospel before we're saved. We just can't
figure it out. We can't think about it. We can't
go there. It's beyond our ability to think. And yet, When the Lord
saves us by his grace, he reveals these things to us, that I've
called you out of darkness to me, to the marvelous light, and
I have called you to be saints. You will never be a saint any
other way. If you'll turn with me to 1 Thessalonians
2, we find here that we're called into the kingdom and glory. In
1 Thessalonians 2, in verse 12, as we think about that group
of people that was pictured by those people leaving Babylon
and going to Jerusalem and Ezra being the leader of that group
of people leaving Babylon and going to Jerusalem and when Ezra
got there, he is to appoint some people who knew something over
these people, those that knew something, that he's going to
appoint these magistrates and judges to teach them continuously,
preach to them of the grace of God in Christ Jesus, not another
gospel. He's not going to preach to them
the law, the Ten Commandments, something they couldn't keep
anyway. salvation Ezra realized that I could never have kept
these words but there's someone who did keep them on my behalf
my substitute the one who speaks for me in the covenant of grace
so here in the book of 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 we read these words
that he's called us to his kingdom Those folks, as they left Babylon,
they have a heavenly calling, in a sense, to get to Jerusalem.
They're going to go through some tough times in their life, but
God is going to be with them. He will be their protector. He
will be their guide. He will be the one that will
guard over them. He will be the one that blesses
them. And so in 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 12, let me get to
1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 12 and not Colossians. It says in
1 Thessalonians 2 in verse 12, that you may walk worthy of God
who has called you unto his kingdom and glory. A lot of discussion
about what the kingdom of God is, the kingdom of heaven is
in religion. But when it comes to Christianity,
when it comes to the faith, we find that that's so simple. We've
been brought to Christ. We've been brought to the one
who is the kingdom of God. We've been brought to the one,
as it tells us here in verse 12, We've been brought to the
one who is the glory of God. He's the kingdom of God. He's
the holy one of Israel. He's the promised son. He is
the one like unto David. He is the one that Ezra represents
here in Ezra chapter seven and verse 25. As we think about him
being decreed, imposed upon, if you please, by the decree
of the king, just like we find in every era, every age, every
time in the history of the church, there have been people that have
made up the church and there have been people that God puts
over them, not to browbeat them, not to impose a law upon them,
not to bring them under some constriction, but to preach the
freedom that we have in Christ, to preach the freedom that we
have in salvation, the freedom to worship God, the freedom to
worship Christ. And so we've been brought to
that. That's what the church is. And then in 2 Thessalonians,
just another book over, we find in 2 Thessalonians 2, in verse
14. He called you by our gospel. There's all kinds of ways people
have of getting into the body of Christ, into the church. But
it must be through Jesus Christ. That is an impurity placed in
the word of God. In fact, that is the law of God. That's the law of Christ. No
man cometh unto the Father but by me. That's the law. No one will approach God except
to the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we read here in 2 Thessalonians
2 and there in verse 14, He calls you by our gospel. The gospel
is all about Christ. The gospel is a glory to Christ.
It is a peace that God gives His people in knowing that the
salvation that Christ has given to His people is all sufficient. There is nothing left to do.
We are free in Christ. We have had all the performance
necessary done by the performer, the Lord God Almighty, our Savior
and Redeemer. This one is the one that is the
glory of God. This is the one. that is declared
in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our dear friend over
there in the book of Jonah summed it up, salvation is of the Lord. And our dear friend Habakkuk
summed it up, the just shall live by faith. That's the summation. That faith is given to us by
God Almighty to trust the Lord Jesus Christ, come what may. That salvation message is given
to us as Jonah proclaimed it, salvation's of the Lord. The
people of God, the church of the living God, The saints of
God are those who have absolutely and completely and totally, by
the grace of God, committed all their salvation unto Jesus Christ,
not holding on to one thread that belongs to anything else.
that we've ever had. Religion is completely done away
with. We have found ourselves to be saints of God, called out
of darkness to his marvelous light, and it has been done as
someone who knew something, knew the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The good news about Him being a Savior that actually
saves and a Redeemer that actually redeems, this one, this is the
gospel. And my friends, God will be pleased
to bring that to every one of His lost sheep. In the book of
1 Peter chapter 5, 1 Peter chapter 5, would you turn there with
me again in the book of Peter? 1 Peter chapter 5, and there
in verse 10, the scriptures share with us these wonderful words
but the God of all grace. There's grace found in nothing
else. There's no such things as the works of grace. Religion
have tainted the very word grace to such that it's something that
we deserve. Grace is something we do not
deserve. It's summed up in the unmerited
favor, especially to those who do not deserve it. Well, here
in 1 Peter, there in chapter five and verse 10, The scriptures
share this, but the God of all grace, who hath called us unto
his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a
while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. All those
things are summed up in God's eternal salvation on the behalf
of his people. We're at rest in him. We've been
settled in him. We've been strengthened in him.
We've been established in him. We've been made perfect in him.
And we have suffered in him. God imposed upon the Lord Jesus
Christ imputed to him our sin and he punished us in Christ
Jesus the Lord and therefore there will not be a hand lifted
against any of his people who shall lay anything to the charge
of God's elect it is God that justifies in Ephesians chapter
4 Backing up to the book of Ephesians chapter four, we find here in
this blessed passage of scripture, these words that God had given
to the apostle Paul to place in this book of Ephesians. Ephesians
chapter four, after we've been chosen in Christ, after grace
has been brought to us, we've been raised from the dead, as
it tells us there, we've been quickened. Here in Ephesians
chapter four, And there in verse 12, we read
these words, Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 12. Well, let's just
back up there just a little bit in Ephesians chapter 4. And it
tells us in verse 11, and he gave some apostles and some prophets
and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. This is
God, what he does. This is like the decree of the
king to Ezra to set up What? Magistrates and judges, people
who knew something. They were not just to go and
judge people on the Ten Commandments because they're to teach and
to instruct. What is there to teach and instruct
that is in the law of God? That is to teach and instruct
people in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody in the entire
Old Testament was ever saved by keeping the law, or any of
those sacrifices that were performed. It is not by the blood of bulls
and goats that we are set apart, saints called out of darkness
to his marvelous light, that we've been brought to glory,
we've been brought to Christ in the gospel. Those things,
they fail, they pale, they're pictures and types and shadows,
and really poor ones at that. of our perfect Redeemer, the
Lord Jesus. Going on here in the book of
Ephesians, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we
all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ. What a wonderful statement is
made in this passage of Scripture. And it goes on to tell us that
we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, carried about
by every wind of doctrine, by religion, every new fad that
comes along. There are people that are going
to follow it. And by the slight of men, cunning craftiness, whereby
they lay in wait to deceive, to convince people of their religion. Oh, in the religion I was in,
you didn't bring out all the things about your religion until
someone had confessed that they wanted to be part of you, and
then you taught them the secret things. The secret things belong
to God. The revelation of Jesus Christ
is what we get to have. So this is so important. This is what we have to hang
on to, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It goes on to tell
us we're not turned about. But in verse 15, by speaking
the truth in love, may grow up unto you in all things, which
is the head even Christ, for whom the whole body fitly joined
together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according
to the effectual working in the measure of every part, making
increase of the body into the edifying of itself in love. Now that is a wonderful expression
that God used the apostle Paul through his spirit to give to
us that everything belongs to God and he gives it effectually. What a blessing it is that we
have this. What do these magistrates and
judges do for the host of the church? What is their responsibility
to the church as those who were appointed magistrates and judges
that were brought Ezra was to a point. He had a decree to do
that. Well, before we go back to the book of Ezra chapter 7
and verse 25, let's turn back to the book of 1 Peter chapter
5 and look there as the scriptures unfold before us about the ministry
of these judges, of these magistrates, of the apostles, of the pastors,
of the teachers. What is their responsibility?
Oh, they're not to get off into politics. Sometimes it would
be so easy to go into politics in the pulpit, but that's not
what we're to do there. We're not to go into social issues
there. The Apostle Paul lived in Rome
for a certain amount of time, and none of his writings were
directed to write against any of the very things that Rome was practicing. The only thing that will help
anybody that is entrapped in the sins of these that's going
on around us that have ever been here is Jesus Christ. the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, saving his people from their sins, and bringing them
out of that nonsense. We'd be stuck there if it wasn't
for that great ability of God to do that. Well, here in 1 Peter
5, verse 1, we find that as the apostle Peter, shares, goes through
this book and shares, the elders which are among you, I exhort
whom also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and
also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Flee,
feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight
thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre,
but of a ready mind. Here we just have when God appoints
someone over the flock, when God puts a magistrate or a judge
over the flock, those who have been purchased by the blood of
Christ, those whose names were written down in the Lamb's book
of life from eternity, those that the Lamb was set aside for
before the foundation of the world, and those that the Holy
Spirit sends the word out and brings them into contact with
it in such a miraculous way. All we have to do is listen to
some of the accounts of God's people, how they were brought
to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, how their families
were brought to a place that they could hear the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, or God moved someone there to preach
to them the gospel. What a powerful way God has ordained
to get people to hear the gospel, the good news about the Lord
Jesus Christ, and through that, all his lost sheep will have
regeneration given unto them. and they will be called out of
darkness to his marvelous light, and they will be called to life,
and they will be called to the gospel, and they will be called
to glory, and they will be called to eternity. What a blessing
we have in these precious things about God's purpose of grace.
Well, here in 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 2, feed the flock
of God which is among you. Now, that does not mean that
we're going to go to the Old Testament and start teaching
the law and binding people up. That is not what God intends
for a pastor to do. God has the ability of controlling
his people. He has called us out of darkness
to his marvelous light. He has the ability of saying,
my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. God is all powerful,
and that power is directed to the security of the church of
the living God, to the saints of God. He will bring everyone
to his presence, and everyone that is chosen in Christ before
the foundation of the world will be with him in eternity. That
is something we can just stand on. Well, here it goes on to
tell us in 1 Peter chapter five, There it says, neither being
lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away. What a blessing we have there.
Feed the flock, feed the flock. Over there in the book of Acts
chapter two, religions have been started over Acts chapter two. and you know there's a lot of
confusion about what went on in Acts chapter 2. A lot of confusion
about what transpired there in Acts chapter 2. when we find
that the people that were there and the disciples were divided
up with groups of people, and I am just going to let those
group of people share with us this morning, as it's right out
of the word of God, share with us this morning what those group
of people heard. Was it gibberish? No. Was it
unknown tongues? No. It was a miracle that God
put in the hearts and minds of those disciples to preach the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in Acts chapter 2 and verse
11, the people that heard those words said this, we do hear them
speak in our tongues, our languages, the wonderful works of God. Now when we look that up, We
find out that the wonderful works of God began in eternity, old
eternity. Eternity passed when God and
His purpose made a people a gift to the Lord
Jesus Christ, to the Son of God. That's the work of God. And in
the covenant of grace, it was determined that the Son would
give His life a ransom for those people. And it was determined
in the covenant of grace that the Holy Spirit would find and
regenerate all those who was written in the Lamb's Book of
Life before the foundation of the world that Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, determined to die for the Holy Spirit, determined
to bring the gospel to them. And through it, he would give
them regeneration, the new birth. What a blessing it is. The goal
of all of God's people is to teach the law of Christ. Teach
the law of Christ. Ezra was not saved by the keeping
of the law of Moses. He was saved by the grace of
God through the preaching of Christ, through the preaching
of the Messiah. The message of Christ is the true law of Christ,
the law of God. This is the true law. All that the Father giveth me
shall come unto me. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. That's the law. That's the true
law. And everyone that God has ever
saved believed that with every fiber of their being. God has
given them that ability. We find that this has been promised. John chapter 14 and verse six,
no man cometh unto the Father but by me. is the very essence
of the law and is the law of God with regard to Christ. He never said he that keeps the
law is going to be saved. He that offered these sacrifices
are going to be saved. He preached salvation is of Jehovah
the Lord. Going back to Ezra chapter 7
now in verse 25, there's a second part to that verse we'd like
to look at. Ezra chapter 7 verse 25 we noticed that as we read
it to begin with this morning It says there in verse 25 the
latter part of that verse He says these set magistrates and
judges Ezra chapter 7 verse 25 set magistrates and judges Which
may judge all the people that are beyond the river all those
that are in the church Those taken out of Babylon moved over
here What are they to say to them? All such as know the laws
of thy God. These magistrates and these judges
are going to teach the gospel to these folks. They're going
to teach the gospel. They're going to preach the gospel.
They're going to share the gospel. The glories of the gospel will
never run out in the Bible. If all we had was the book of
Judges, if all we had was the book of Isaiah, if all we had
was the book of Haggai, if all we had was the book of Nehemiah,
if all we had was the book of Genesis, any single book of the
Bible, we will find Christ in those books of the Bible and
we will find God's salvation in Jesus Christ in every book
of the Bible. And here we have it declared
that these judges and magistrates were to teach something. They
were not going to teach something that would not help people. The
law condemns. The gospel gives life. The law pushes down. The gospel, what does it say,
takes us from darkness to his marvelous light. To preach the
law just continues in the darkness and the darkness and the darkness,
but the preaching of the gospel God has purposed with his people
that he loved before the foundation of the world, he has purposed
to bring them out of darkness to his marvelous light. Ezra
in the second part of this verse gives the audience to whom these
magistrates and judges were to instruct the law. Today, who
do we delight in the gospel with? Those who already know that the
only way of salvation is Christ. Those who know the law of Christ. God the Father instructed them,
hear ye Him. Christ said, follow me. Everyone that is born again has
a promise given that God will instruct them from the word of
God. And in that instruction, we will rejoice in the Lord Jesus
Christ in every aspect, in every glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be those who will
come along and preach to us a message out of a book that we've already
studied and they'll bring out a facet about the Lord Jesus
Christ that causes our heart to be warm. Did not our heart
burn within us when we hear about the glories of the Lord Jesus
Christ? But we also find in that verse
of scripture in the book of Ezra chapter 7 and in verse 25, it
says, teaching them that know them not. Now, what does that
mean? It simply means, and I shouldn't
even use the word simply, but it means this, that the message
that comforts the sheep is the message that God will use to
bring in the lost sheep. This is the message that God
will use to call them out of darkness to his marvelous light.
This is the message that God will use to call them unto his
glory, unto his everlasting grace, unto his salvation. This is the
message that God will always give to his people and that is
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only message It
encourages the saints. It lifts the saints up. It causes
the saints to rejoice. It is a comforting message, even
as we read in Isaiah chapter 40 and there in verses one and
two. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord. It is
a comfort to hear the gospel that all the work has been done
by Christ. That all the work, whatever God
required, God gave that to Jesus Christ to fulfill. We have nothing. involved in it of ourself. In fact, if we do, we don't have
the salvation that God gives. If we have still something that
we're doing, something we're doing to get more glory, something
we're getting to try to praise God more in our works, if we're
trying to get more sanctified before him by doing something,
then we don't have the salvation that God gives, God takes care
of all of that. Christ is our sanctification.
Christ is our holiness. Christ is our wisdom. Christ
is everything. So as you turn with me over to
the book of 2 Timothy chapter 2, would you do that with me?
2 Timothy chapter 2. Once again, the apostle Paul
was used to write to a magistrate, a judge, like we find over here
in the book of Ezra. appoint magistrates and judges
over the folks and Those who know the law continue in that
that is the law of Christ preached the grace of God to them and
to those who don't know it Preach the grace of God to them the
message of Christ to them in the book of 2nd Timothy chapter
2 2nd Timothy chapter 2 Oh Whoever get weary Let's go
to 2 Timothy 2, verse 24. 2 Timothy 2, verse 24. And the servant of the Lord must
not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
must not argue. Oh my goodness. We can discuss
the scriptures, but oh, to argue, to have foolishness. It is not
profitable. The Bible just tells us that
it's not profitable. Oh, there used to be great debates,
very unprofitable, very unprofitable. But here it says in second Timothy
chapter two verse 25 in meekness instructing those that oppose
themselves. Now there's something about the
gospel that God has rendered impossible to throw away. Once a person has heard the gospel,
he will never be the same. Now, he may go through the rest
of his life without Christ, without God, without hope in this world,
but he'll never be the same. Justice has been served. Second Timothy Chapter 2, verse
25. The finish of it, peradventure,
God will give. Let's read that whole verse now.
In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves. Who are
these? Those are the people that don't
believe the law of Christ. He's the only savior. He's the
only hope. He's the only place of peace. He's the only place
that we can trust, the only one. In meekness instructing those
that oppose themselves, if God, peradventure, will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may
recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, which are
taken captive by him at his will. My friend, as Ezra was instructed
over there by the decree of the king, Ezra was instructed towards
the latter part of that long list that's found in the decree. There were not decrees. It was one decree. We don't have
decrees of God. We have decree of God. It's the
decree of God. Well, here in verse 25, and thou,
Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand, you understand
it. You have it in your heart. Set
magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that
are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God,
and teach you them that know them not. That's our ministry. Every time we meet, we're teaching
people who know the law of God, the law of Christ, and we're
teaching those who don't know it. Peradventure. God would grant
them repentance. He's the only one that can. He's
the only one that can. He's the only one that can go
to that part of a person, to that part of a being. He's the
only one. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He's the
only one. He's the only one that has decreed
that those there in Babylon, these certain few, would be taken
out of Babylon and they would travel over to Jerusalem. Their
walk would be heavy, there would be time spent, they would be
downcast at times, but every day they were that much closer
to the goal. I press towards the mark of the
high calling in Christ Jesus. We press on, we press on by the
grace of God. What is the message to the church?
Christ and Him crucified. What is the message to all the
rest? Christ and Him crucified. We don't have to go studying
what Mormons believe, or Methodists believe, or Catholics believe,
or Jehovah's Witnesses believe. All we are commissioned to do
is preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and God will do
His business. Well, may God bless you this
morning as we come to the close of this passage of scripture,
and as we prepare for the next We'll continue on here in the
book of Ezra chapter 7 and verse 26, and whosoever will not do
the law of God. All right, God bless you.