One more time, we're in this
glorious book of Ezra, the gospel according to Ezra. And a dear
brother of mine let me know that this message did not tape properly,
so this is take two. The earth helped the woman so
I'd like you to turn with me before we start in the book of
Ezra over to the book of 1st Corinthians chapter 1 and In
this list of things that the Lord gave the Apostle Paul to
share with the Saints at Corinth Just so they wouldn't get too
proud if anybody helped them if there was anything to be of
help whether it be a from a brother or a sister in Christ, or whether
it be from an outside individual, it was done by the hand of God
that no person should glory except in Christ. So as we are going
to be looking at a passage of scripture, several verses over
in the book of Ezra chapter 7, but turn here with me to the
book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 26. For ye see your
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called, but God hath chosen
the foolish things. Now, this is God, and God does
the choosing, and He says here, He has chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise. Now, I'm sure that there's
much to be said about this passage of Scripture, and someday we'll
look at it, and no doubt others have spoken on it that have a
great deal to say, but we just want to read through here and
look at this, the foolish things. He has chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty,
and the base things of the world, and the things which are despised
hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to naught
things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.
Now that's the summation of this passage of scripture that no
one, no flesh should glory in his presence, and what they've
done What they've accomplished and what they purpose and then
it goes on to say but of him are ye in Christ Jesus Who of
God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption? That according as it is written
Old Testament scripture he that glorieth let him glory in the
Lord Now we're going to go back over here in the book of Ezra
Ezra chapter 7 if you turn there with me and Ezra chapter 7 Last
week we looked at that passage of scripture in verse 13 where
this king, Ahasuerus, had made a decree and we compared that
to the decree of God. We find that God has many facets
of his decree, but it is one decree. It was made in the council
halls of eternity. It was made before the heavens
and the earth were created. It was made in God's solitariness. And it was made in such a way
that all things that fall out that happen in this world were
decreed before the foundation of the world. So we're not going
through life by chance. We're going through by providence.
And here in verse 14 now of this passage of scripture, I don't
intend to be tedious, but I would like to read verses 14 through
26 and Then we're going to look at this passage from the viewpoint
of what it what grace was shown by our God That he would use
an idolatrous heathen King to give assistance to the Church
of Jesus Christ Here these folks to go back to Jerusalem. What
a picture it is What a wonder that we read here. Let's read
this. have freely offered unto the
God of Israel whose habitation is in Jerusalem." Now it just
amazes me as I read down through here that you'd think that this
king knew something beyond what is written here. But apparently
not. He has just been used by Almighty
God for this very purpose have I raised thee up that I might
show my power in thee is what he shared with the king of Egypt
that Pharaoh And that could be said about this king also. He
made a decree, but he could not make a decree without it being
decreed of God. And he's bringing out these things
and he's sharing these things about how blessed these folks
are going to be as they go back to Jerusalem. And he tells us
here that He's he's counselor freely offered unto the God of
Israel whose habitation is in Jerusalem And all the silver
and the gold that thou can find in all the province of Babylon
with the freewill offering of the people of the priests Offering
willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem that
thou mayest buy speedily with this money Bullocks rams lambs
which their meat with their meat offerings and their drink offerings,
and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God, which
is in Jerusalem." Again, he brings out and declares about God, the
house of your God. Now, we recognize here he doesn't
attach himself to this, but he has been touched and moved upon
and God has mightily called him to be a blessing to these folks
going back. And we're going to see in this
that this is just a type and a picture The blessing that God
uses the world to bless the church always has always will Now and
then in verse 18 and whatsoever shall seem good to thee to thy
brethren to do with the rest of the silver and of the gold
that do after the will of your God. The vessels also which are
given thee for service of the house of thy God, those deliver
thou before the God of Jerusalem. And whatsoever more shall be
needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion
to bestow bestow it out of the king's treasure house. Can you
imagine this pagan king voluntarily, he's doing something here that
he wouldn't have thought of in a thousand years. He's doing
something here that he wouldn't have come to the conclusion of
in a thousand years and yet in a very short time God has moved
upon him to act on the behalf of the church, to act upon the
behalf of these Israelites, these folks from Judah and Benjamin,
to go back to Jerusalem, and gives them the necessary means
and the finances to go back there, and it says, bestow it out of
the king's treasure house. Now, where that money comes from,
no one knows. Probably from many terrible campaigns
and many people's lives were lost as a result of his campaigns
against them and his Capturing these finances this gold and
the silver from other countries and yet God had disposed that
these things this gold the silver these other things would be sent
to Jerusalem for the benefit of God's people how God uses
these things for his glory and for the glory of the church and
In verse 21 and I even I are deserts He's the king to make
a decree to all the treasures which are beyond the river that
whatsoever Ezra the priest Ezra the pastor Ezra the preacher
Ezra the Apostle Ezra the priest the scribe of the law of God
of heaven shall require of you it be done speedily so whatever
Ezra sees is necessary to be done when he arrives in Jerusalem
The finances will be taken care of. Can you imagine the IRS coming
to a gospel church and saying, we understand you need some work
done in your building, and we've determined to do that? We'd stand
in awe and shock. But that's what happened here
with this great king, this Artaxerxes, king of Babylon. Was given the
desire to fulfill a need that he would never have done on his
own but God has intervened on behalf of God's people that are
going back to Jerusalem and then in verse 22 it says unto a hundred
talents of silver and to a hundred measures of wheat and to a hundred
baths of wine and to a hundred baths of oil salt without prescribing
how much and Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven let it be
Diligently done for the house of God of heaven for why should
there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? So
he understands that this needs to be done It needs to be done
and as commanded by God and it must be done as he prescribed
Ezra the scribe to do the Ezra this great preacher this great
one that had concern and compassion and over these folks that were
going back. Also, we certify you touching any of the priests
and Levites, singers and porters, Nethyims, or ministers of this
house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute,
or custom upon them. They don't have to pay taxes.
Can you imagine our government doing that on the behalf of a
gospel church or a group of gospel churches? Well, from here on,
those folks that are involved and support the ministry, we're
not going to be having them pay taxes. Someone else will take
care of that. Well, we know that there was a time in England and
in the United States that there were churches that required taxes
for their benefit, and when it came time to start our country,
that was not adopted, and we're thankful for it. And thou, Ezra,
after the wisdom of that God that is in the Thine 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 and Whosoever will not do the
law of thy God and the law of the king let judgment be executed
speedily beyond upon him whether it be of death unto death or
to banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment. So this Artaxerxes is quite serious
about his decree about taking care of these people that are
going to be going back to Jerusalem. This is the second group of people
that are going back to Jerusalem. There has already been a group
under Cyrus the king of Babylon and now we have another group
going back probably 50-55 years later. Now it is interesting
as we read these verses that the king's decree, the features
of the king's decree, and all of those features were
in favor of the church, in favor of God's people, at the expense
of Babylonians and at the expense of those Babylon had captured.
Now I'm amazed at this, just amazed at how God worked His
work Yet we find that this is not the only time that that has
happened in human history There is a passage of scripture that
we get to name for our Message today found over in the book
of Revelation chapter 12 Would you turn over there with me?
I'm not I'm only going to read one verse You'll have to read
the rest of that has to do with some very interesting things
with regard to the church and the deliverance of the church
and We know the church will be delivered Hell not shall not destroy the
church. It will be here. It has been here since the time
of Abel It will continue to the last sheep is saved The last
lost sheep is brought into the fold And whatever happens, the
church will not be destroyed, but it will be fulfilled, it
will be completed, and at that time, we will see the Lord Jesus
Christ return to this earth. That's the sign of his coming,
the last sheep saved. In the book of Revelation chapter
12, Revelation chapter 12 and verse 16, there's quite a bit
in this about some figurative language, some pictorial language,
But notice with me in verse 16, and the earth helped the woman. Now that's an interesting statement
made there. The earth helped the woman. Now I can just hear someone say,
in defiance to their parents, I'm going to be an airplane pilot,
and they want him to become a doctor. Well, he becomes an airplane
pilot, or she becomes an airplane pilot, and guess what? God uses
that person of the world to take gospel preachers across the land
and around the world and deliver them safely at God's good providence
so that they can preach the gospel and that isn't even a thought
in their mind. They haven't even considered
that just like Artaxerxes. It wasn't a thought in his mind
but it was provided by God and he did according to God's purpose
and now these folks are going back to Jerusalem and they're
paid fair is paid, they go across the desert, they arrive safely
and all of this finances and all this oil and all this wine
will be used for the glory of God. This picture here in the
book of Revelation that the earth helped the woman What we have
read in Ezra chapter 7 verses 14 through 26 and here in Revelation
chapter 12 and verse 16 are wonders that only grace can explain when
peoples or beings become the unwilling instruments of accomplishing
the very reverse of what they intended. Now they have an intent
but the outcome God determines will be the exact opposite of
what they intended. And we see this several times
in the scripture. We see this as God opens up the
scripture to us. Do you think it crossed the serpent's
mind that the Plan he had for the wreck of humanity was the
very thing that would mean his doom That that was the way God
was going to remove him out of the scene He was going to have
his only begotten Son come and do and fulfill the very words
of Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 Sometimes we need to look
there and find out that that those words are towards the serpent
the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field and beguiled
Eve, and yet in the outcome of that, the outcome of the Fall,
we find that the God of Heaven had already determined that this
being that He had created Would meet its end and the great savior
of God's people would bring it turn there with me if you would
to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 Genesis chapter 3 and verse
15 this this this beast this this being Chapter 3 of the book
of Genesis verse 15 the first Out-and-out promise mentioned
in the scripture now in every bit of creation. God is declaring
the gospel every bit of it. He's declaring how he will save
people from their sins. It is God that is in charge.
It's not the animals, it's not Adam, it's not Eve, it's not
the serpent. These are being held in sway
by a purposeful God. Here in the book of Genesis chapter
3 and verse 15, And I will be put enmity between thee and the
woman. Now the Lord is speaking to the
serpent. Because thou hast done this,
thou art cursed above all cattle, above every beast of the field.
Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat. all
the days of thy life, and I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy
head. Thou shalt bruise his heel. Now
this serpent was going to be used to bruise the heel of our
blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus. In figurative language we find
This is going to be determined God was going to use this but
in the very essence of what the serpent would do The serpent
would be put to death The serpent would be taken out of the way.
So thou shall bruise his heel, but he's gonna bruise your head. My soul, the work of the serpent
was not intended to bring his demise, yet that will be the
ultimate result of this glorious promise. He, his demise, would
come. It would no longer be a problem
to you and I. It would be a problem to our
Savior, but the Savior not a created being he dealt with created beings
he created these beings and so he would deal with him in due
time in due course and we also find in the Old Testament a wonderful
picture that our desert sees shares with us and as we read
over then the book of Revelation at the the earth will help the
woman well here in the book of Genesis we read about 11 brothers
that are mad at one brother and we know his name is Joseph and
he is hated by his brothers and they have determined to get rid
of him they determined to throw him in a pit and let him die
there and finally some Midianite traders come along and they sell
this brother to these traders and they take him down to Egypt
and he's become a slave and the process of God's purpose as it
unfolds over the years that Joseph is out of his father's household
as it unfolds we find that God's purpose was that this Joseph
be down there in Egypt and rise in the ranks and become a master
over almost all of Egypt and And then we understand about
the dearth that was in the land where Jacob lived, and he comes
down there for foods and these boys and so forth. Well, in Genesis
chapter 50 verse 20, Genesis chapter 50 and verse 20, we read
these words, Genesis chapter 50, turn there with me, as we
read Joseph's words, as he is caused to understand that the
earth would help the woman, the earth would help the church.
Now he tells his brothers right here, he says, but as for you,
you thought evil against me. Now that wasn't right. that they
thought evil against him. That is just a human nature against
a person that has some knowledge of the greatness of Almighty
God, of sovereignty, his lordship, and the way he saves his people
from their sins. They're upset with him. They're
angry with him. But it goes on to say here, you
never intended for me to be promoted to the position that I am in. That was not your intentions.
In fact, it was far from it. Your intentions were to do away
with me. Your intentions were to kill me. Your intentions have
nothing to do with me. And yet, God, but God meant it
unto good. Joseph understood this. What
a blessing it is for us to see Joseph understood that. God's
people are caused to understand some of these things. But God
meant it unto good to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save
much people alive. Now, we know, as we look at Joseph
as a picture of the Lord Jesus, that in much the same way our
Savior was promoted to the position that he is in. In the eyes of
men, in the eyes of women, he was nothing. There was no form
nor comeliness about him that we should desire him. And yet
to those that God gives the ability, God grants to them the privilege
of believing on him through regeneration, they say that he is altogether
lovely. He had a purpose in this. So
Joseph is a picture, but in the fulfillment of God's word, Joseph
realized you meant it for evil. I understand that. You hated
me without a cause. I understand that. But God meant
it for good. and save much people. And then
we see that fulfilled as these folks came down, those 70 folks
came down into Egypt and were provided the food, necessary
food and a place to live for many, many years. They became
servants and slaves of Egypt, just like God said they would.
God told Abraham that very thing, but they would leave with great
substance. Well, let's look at another place here in the Old
Testament. In the book of Joshua, There's a group of people called
Gibeonites. Now the Gibeonites are just liars,
just like everybody else. Gibeonites. And they saw the
handwriting on the wall. And they thought that they could
get away with something by lying about it. Joshua chapter nine. Joshua chapter nine. These Gibeonites
put on the pretense that they travel a long distance and were
just like you are. Just the same kind of folks you
are. We're just we just We just we know that your God is God
and we want to live with you and so forth and so on and in
many ways They beguiled Joshua and when it finally came to a
head Joshua said will not kill you Now here once again the earth
Helps the woman These folks never determined
to be servants of the of Israel they never had that thought in
their mind They just wanted to move in and be like them and
be protected from being taken completely out as God had promised
and had Decreed that all the people who live there in Palestine
when Joshua and his folks went in there They were going to be
taken care of and put out of the way By the sword there's none. There's
none righteous No, not one and all those that were righteous
God saved he brought that that lady out of Jericho He brought a harlot out of Jericho
she was delivered well here in the book of Joshua chapter 9
verse 21. Let's notice there John Joshua
chapter 9 verse 21 and the princess said unto them let them live
and But let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water now. That was the last thing on their
mind When they dressed up in phony clothes and phony shoes
and threw dirt on their hair and all this stuff We're just
like you and we want to worship just like you and that was a
lie God determined through his servants These of Israel, you
will be hewers of wood and drawers of water." That's the same as
we find today. As we mentioned about the airline
pilot, his parents say, we want you
to become an engineer. He says, no, I want to become
a dairyman. He goes into business and has a dairy and he sells
his milk and God's people buy it He has no interest at all
of ever serving God or ever serving God's people and yet He is in
the business of providing a necessary item for the blessing of the
church milk, the bread maker. We could just go down the list
of how God has used these folks to serve the Most High God and
to serve God's people. So Joshua called unto them, saying,
There shall be hewers of wood, drawers of water, unto all the
congregation, as the princess had promised them. And Joshua
called for them, and spake unto them, saying, What for have you
beguiled us saying you were very far from you when you dwell among
us? Now therefore you are cursed
You you say you're just like us, but you're not You were right
here and you were a group that we were supposed to take out
your you have false Gospel you have false truth. You have you
have nothing you're just like everybody else in this land But
this is what we're going to do We're going to save you alive,
but you're not going to ever be promoted to anything but hewers
of wood and drawers of water. You will be servants of the Most
High God, and you'll be servants of the Most High God's people."
And that's what most of the folks of the world are for the church. Artaxerxes was that. He was a
great king. He had a great deal of power.
But God moved upon him to do something that normally he would
have never have done, and that was to provide for the church,
to provide for God's people going to Jerusalem. Just as we're going
through life today, God uses many folks to take care of God's
folks. So these Gibeonites become hewers
of wood. It says, hewers of wood and drawers
of water for the house of my God. there in verse 27 they answered
Joshua and said because I Was certainly told thy servants how
that the Lord thy God commanded his servants Moses to give Unto
you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land
from before you therefore we were sore afraid of Our lives
because of you and have done this thing. You know what they're
just saying Some preacher came and held a meeting that says
Who wants to go to hell? And a whole bunch of people Nobody
raised their hand. Who doesn't want to go to hell?
So a whole bunch of people raised their hands. I said, God bless
you. You are just like we are, and you go along. Well, Joshua
read through this. It took him a while to see that
they were not like he was, and there are going to be hewers
of wood and drawers of water, and even false gospels. The folks
who believe That stuff, just like I did at one time, those
people are servants of the Most High God, and they will serve
the Church of the Living God. God will make sure that the world
will help the woman. The world will help the Church,
and it does it every day. providing building material for
buildings providing roofs for buildings providing electricity
for buildings providing hymn books for buildings This is God's
business and he takes care of it in the most glorious way that
he would cause the world to take care of the Church of the Living
God That's his business to do. He did it with Artaxerxes. He
did it with the serpent. He did it with those 11 brothers
of Joseph. He did it with these Gibeonites.
But let us go on. We find that there's another
example, and many of them are found in the scripture, but another
example is drawn from the one of the Lord's 12 disciples. I've heard preachers say the
Lord should have been smarter than that. Well, the Lord, He
knew exactly. In fact, the scriptures say exactly. He intended to call this one
lost man into His fold, into His group, into those twelve
that He spent those three and a half years with. This one,
He was one of them. He traveled with the Lord. He
heard him preach. He saw the miracles that he performed. And in fact, I'm convinced that
this man even preached himself. And yet, in the end, he kissed
the Lord as a sign of betrayal. Now, he never intended for this
to be the glorious way that Jesus Christ would stand before Pilate. But God had determined that before
the foundation of the world. My own familiar friend is what
we find in the Old Testament. As we look at this example of
Judas, Judas is another Artaxerxes. Judas is another, one of the
11 brothers. Judas is like a Gibeonite. Judas
is here. serpent beguiling and yet the
scriptures tell us that Judas was doing what he did on purpose
at God's direction he would have never have done that left to
himself there were those that cried in the street and we might
say they would have never have done that had they known but
they did it because it was just part of their nature let's look
at a couple of verses of scripture here in the book of Matthew chapter
26 Matthew chapter 26. Let's look there together Matthew
chapter 26 verse 19 in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 19 The scriptures
share this and The disciples did as Jesus
had appointed them and they made ready the Passover and Now when the even was come, they
sat down with the twelve, and as they did eat, he said, Verily
I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were
exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto
him, Lord, is it I? And he said, He answered and
said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same
shall betray me. Now notice what the Lord says
here. The Son of Man goeth as it was determined. But woe unto
that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. it had been good
if that man if he had not been born the Lord knew who he was
and he knew the scriptures that they must be fulfilled and he
knew that in the covenant of grace This one would be a vessel
of dishonor and this one would be used to betray the Lord Jesus
Christ and be the one to identify him as the one that had been
doing all this preaching and all this teaching and all this
healing there in Judea and causing such a ruckus among the religious
folks of the day, high priest on down. The Lord carried this out. If you turn with me to John chapter
6, would you turn with me to John chapter 6? John chapter
6, here is an Artaxerxes doing, he may have never thought of
this in his whole life, but at the moment he was put into a
position that he did what he did and he did it as he chose
to do it. In the book of John, John chapter
6, John chapter 6 and verse 68. Then Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. The Lord has had 5,000 men, not
including women and children, leave him in one day. He'd been
preaching the gospel, and this is a hard saying, and they left. And he asked the question, will
you also go away? And Simon Peter answered him,
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. And every believer says that. Where can I go? I cannot
go back to where I've been brought out of. I cannot go back into
the religion I once practiced, because it is wrong. I cannot
leave my Savior. I cannot leave my Lord. I cannot
be separated from Him. Simon Peter answers, Whom shall
we go? You have the words of eternal
life. And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not
I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of
Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for he it was that should betray
him, being one of the twelve. He has been called, he has been
put into the group, he has been taught so closely as others had
been taught. He saw so much, but his heart
had not been changed. He was on purpose placed where
he was placed, and he betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ, and he
fulfilled the word of God. Then we know what happened to
him now when you come right down to it when you think about it
in the light of scripture You'll find out that Peter and Judas
did much the same thing Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times
Judas denied him there once betrayed him but he did not have the heart
that had been given to Peter. He did not have the spirit that
Peter had. He didn't have God's love. God
didn't pray for him. Jesus said, I pray not for the
world. He never once prayed for Judas.
He prayed for Peter. He prayed for the rest of the
disciples. He prays for all the sheep. Aren't
you thankful that God prayed for his people? And as a result,
we find that he went to the cross for his people. He went through
the judgment there for his people. He was nailed to a cross for
his people. He was judged a male factor for his people. He was
judged as one that had sin upon him as just a regular slave or
a servant as that's how they were executed. He was another
male factor. in the eyes of the people, and
yet he was the most high God, giving his life a ransom for
many, taking care of the sin issue that had been brought up
in the Garden of Eden, and yet the Lord has always been the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. What an example
of the eternal purpose of God The God of heaven carried out
in what looked by those who were used a way to get rid of trouble,
falsely accused the Lord of glory, demand his crucifixion and be
done with it. In all this, the accusers hoped
to get the Lord out of the way, out of their lives and out of
their memories and out of their religion. In their heart they
completely planned to put away Jesus of Nazareth, yet they were
all thrown headlong into the eternal purpose of God for the
deliverance of his people from all the sin problem. This is
the purpose of grace. Turn with me, there's two or
three passages here in the book of Acts that we'd like to look
at. In the book of Acts chapter two, Acts chapter two, We have
an artist Xerxes here too, Acts chapter 2 and there in verse
23, Acts chapter 2 and verse 23. Him, Jesus Christ, being
delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."
Now, Artaxerxes is those very people right there, and yet God
used him to provide all the rich blessings, all the good things
that they were going to need when they went down to Jerusalem.
Artaxerxes would have never come to that conclusion on his own.
It was God bringing this to his mind and to the counselor's mind. The king's heart, the prince's
heart, is in the hand of the Lord. And like rivers of water,
he turns it whether so ever he will. Artaxerxes provided oil,
wine, grain, and abundance of gold and silver, and an abundance
of salt. there, plus all the other needs,
and if there was anything he'd forgotten, it could be taken
care of when they got to Jerusalem. What a blessing! Well, over here
we have the same group of people, same thought patterns and all,
because they're without God, and without help, and without
hope in the world. They're without God. And Artaxerxes
was too, but he says, I need this taken care of for your God,
the God of Jerusalem. Well, here's a group of folks
that by wicked hands have crucified and slain, but they did not realize
that they were working in the very purpose of God. He, the Lord Jesus, was delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, and you
were used to take care of this. You were purposed by God to do
this. Let's look at Acts chapter 3
Acts chapter 3 verse 13 Acts chapter 3 and verse 13 notice
here with me the God of Abraham and Isaac of Jacob the God of
our fathers hath glorified his son Jesus whom he delivered up
and denied him in the presence of Pilate and when he was determined
to let him go. What did they say from the street?
Crucify him. Crucify him. Crucify him. Pilate
had given them a ready out. It seemed to be that at the time
of the Passover that there could be a criminal released, a murderer
released, and there was a man by the name of Barabbas, and
Pilate brings him up hoping that he would be chosen and to suffer
the death and Jesus Christ could be released. Well, Pilate's released
and Jesus Christ is crucified. Well, what does this say here?
The God of Abraham, the covenant God, the God of our fathers has
glorified his son whom he delivered and denied him in the presence
of Pilate. He was delivered by God. but
ye denied the Holy One and just and desired a murder to be granted
unto you and Kill the Prince of life whom God hath raised
from the dead whereof we are witnesses So the very thing that
they didn't want to do is the thing that they did the earth
Helps the woman We're dire straits folks We're in dire straits,
and God moved upon natural man, our brother in the flesh, our
sister in the flesh, to do what they purpose to do, but influenced
by God, and we're the recipients. The earth helps the church. Another passage of scripture
over here in the book of Acts chapter 13. Acts chapter 13. We often think of Acts chapter
13 and verse 48 That's the Jews They we don't want to have anything
to do with this and Paul said you've judged yourselves unworthy
of eternal life Therefore we turn to the Gentiles and when
the Gentiles heard this they were glad and as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed my goodness, the Jews would never
have thought in all their life that because they refuse the
very word about Jesus Christ, it would mean the entrance of
the Gentiles into the church. Now there are people in the Old
Testament who were Gentiles, who were brought into the church.
Oh, the manifold wisdom of God to bring the Gentiles into the
church. Those Jews just couldn't handle
Gentiles getting anything from God. Well, Acts 13, verse 27,
would you read there with me? Acts 13, verse 27, the Scriptures
say this, For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers,
because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets,
Now these guys were doctors of the law. These guys were scribes
of the law. They were to know the law. They
did know the law, but they didn't know what the law was preaching,
the holiness of God, the holiness of Christ, the holiness of our
Savior. He says, because they knew him
not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read every
Sabbath day, have fulfilled them in condemning him. the Son of
Man goeth as it was determined. He was delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God. He has all of this said
about Him. And all these folks God used
to bless the church, to be hewers of wood and drawers of water. Oh, the blessing that the Lord
has provided us with as a church of the living God, that how He
blesses the church Those who don't even realize what they're
doing, giving service to God. In Luke chapter 24, would you
turn there with me? In Luke chapter 24. Let's look
there in Luke chapter 24 and verse 44. Luke chapter 24 and
verse 44. And He said unto them, These
are the words which I spake unto you, while I was with you, that
all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law
of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms concerning
me. Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them,
Thus it is written, and thus it behoove Christ to suffer,
and to rise the from the dead the third day. The Lord shares
with them all these instances from beginning to end. All these
instances. You know in God's good purpose,
in God's good purpose, He used the slaying of Abel by his brother
Cain for the church's glory and for the glory of God. We don't
understand it. We don't pretend to understand
it. But by that, God received glory. It is our privilege to
see God's Abraham, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the
God of Jacob, were such a change in the minds of Artaxerxes and
his counselors to favor the cause of God so very highly. They gave Ezra authority to take
all that were included to go to Jerusalem, but also paid very
liberally to do all that was necessary. What a wonder of grace! What a wonder of God that he
has moved in the hearts of many to trust God with their eternal
life. We never intended to go to a
prayer meeting, but he brought us unto the sound of the gospel.
Never intended to hear anything, but God blessed. He took a person
that would raise their hand and say, I'll not have this man rule
over me. And by the grace of God, have
them turn around and say, Lord, what would you have me to do?
My never would have intended to do this on our own. We couldn't
have intended to do it on our own We were dead in trespasses
and sin. So the heart of our desert sees
was turned to favor the people of God We also must be turned
To have love for God all of grace all of grace all of grace and
that no flesh should glory in his presence." What did it say? That no flesh should glory in
his presence. Well God bless you until next
time we are able to bring this lesson and I trust that you'll
hear it and be blessed by it too. May the Lord bless you.