Good morning and welcome again
to our study of the Book of Ezra. I have just truly enjoyed this
study of the Gospel according to the Prophet Ezra and the pictures
and types and shadows that we see and hear of our dear Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ. It truly shares with us again
that the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of the Lord. We are going
to jump ahead just a little bit in this book. We've been looking
at the chapter 7, but I want to jump ahead to chapter 8 and
read the first verse of chapter 8 and then go through most of
chapter 8 and then come back to chapter 7. Chapter 8 gives us a great deal
of information about the planning and preparation and those returning
in the second wave to Jerusalem. Ezra, the ready scribe, is led
by the Holy Spirit to write down this information and for us to
read and rejoice in as it reveals the person and work of our blessed
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Would you read verse one with
me? As we look at this beautiful book of the Book of Ezra and
the many types and shadows, verse one shares some important information
to us. These are now the chief of their
fathers, and this is the genealogy of them that went up with me
from Babylon in the reign of Artaxerxes the king. Did you notice that? This is
the genealogy of them that went up with me from Babylon in the
reign of Artaxerxes the king. We're going to find that this,
and we've mentioned in the past, that this second wave of folks
going from Babylon back to Jerusalem is about fifty years after The
first wave went back, the first group of folks went back to Jerusalem. Now, it just struck me as I was
thinking about this and as I was preparing for this about the
division of time between the first group going back under
Cyrus the king and this group going back under Artaxerxes the
king. Strange indeed it is. To consider
that so long after the proclamation made by Cyrus, so many of the
people remained in Babylon. And we noticed that when we went
through the first chapter, that there was not a complete list
of everybody that was Jewish going back to Jerusalem. And
there were many that were going to stay behind. So many of the people remained
in Babylon and yet were afterwards to go. But is this not the case
of the call of the gospel? The hour is not yet come, and
the Lord by His testimony plainly shows that the work is with Him. I'm going to entitle this message
for such a time as this. Now that's a passage found in
the book of Esther for such a time as this. But I'm going to name
this message for such a time as this because it shares with
us the same that we have in that verse of scripture. That there
is a time and a place for the purpose of God. We don't know
all of why these folks didn't go back. And we'll get to that
in just a moment. But I'd like you to turn with me over to the
book of 1 Corinthians chapter 3 if you would. 1 Corinthians
chapter 3 as we think for a few minutes this morning, we think
about the time differential between those folks that went back in
the first group And these folks, some 50, 55, 56, 57 years later,
going back in the second group. And no doubt there were some
in that group that were alive and could have gone back the
first time. But as we look at this thought, as we look at this
as it's brought out in the scripture, we find it is just like that
when it comes to the gospel. It shows the work is with him,
with God, with the Lord. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, 1st
Corinthians chapter 3 and there in verse 5, would you read that
with me? 1st Corinthians chapter 3 in verse 5 There was a discussion
about the most important preacher my goodness that continues to
go on in our day who is the best who is the most and Here it is
the Apostle Paul in his day in dealing with this problem says
this Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by
whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have
planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth. There's no room whatsoever for
boasting. There's no room for pride. he
is nothing. So then neither is he that planted
anything, neither he that watereth, neither one, or anything. Don't
count yourself important, but God that giveth the increase. This passage of Scripture shares
with us just the answer to the question that comes up with regard
to why didn't all those folks go in the first wave and not
in the second wave. They're sharing with us, as we
find here, that the increase is of God, the call is of God,
the moving is of God, and we can wear ourselves thin and probably
in religion you did. You were instructed to do that,
to wear yourself thin, trying to get professions of faith out
of people, and it was nothing more than pride driving that.
This increase, to cause to grow, to cross to grow, to wax. And I learned something. I've
heard people talk about the waxing and the waning of the moon. Same
word as we find there. Waxing moon to increase in size
and numbers and strength. To increase in phase or intensity. Used chiefly of the moon. So
this increase has to do with what we see with the moon. The
cycle of the moon starting out low and increasing in light until
it's a full moon. the increase is of the Lord,
the waxing is of the Lord, the cause of growth is of the Lord,
and the movement that took place there in the second wave is of
the Lord. Let us keep in mind our text
in Ezra chapter 8 and verse 1. There are some 1,496 plus the heads of the houses
themselves, along with Ezra, are over 50 years after the original
group left for Jerusalem. Now, we must include women and
children for in Ezra chapter 8, would you go back there with
me, Ezra chapter 8, and there in verse 21, We have this commentary
mentioned, this statement made, for it says, Then I proclaimed
a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict
ourselves for our God to seek of him a right way for us and
for our little ones and for all our substance. So we're going
to include the little ones and I've noticed in reading that
there is an estimation that there is between 6,000 and 7,000 folks
going back in this wave. There are 1,496 that are listed
in verses 2 through 14, I believe it is, that are named by family
and the numbers that are there. We can carefully consider this
situation and I want to be very careful that we don't throw stones
about those in this group that could have went back in the last
way but didn't. We don't know their heart. We
don't know what God was doing. We do know that some may not
have been born yet. Isn't it a joy to know that when
the Lord comes back he will come back after the last Sheep, the
elect one, is saved. He is long-suffering to usward.
to God's sheep. He's long suffering to us. We're
not willing that any should perish. So he is waiting until the time
that the last sheep is saved, and then he will close this up.
We're not waiting for some event over in the Middle East. It's
been going on and on and on. We're waiting for the Lord coming
a second time. We're waiting for the conclusion
We're waiting for the end. And so we're not going to throw
these stones. Some, no doubt, were concerned
about other things at that time. And some, no doubt, could care
less when the others left. They just could care less. And
some considered a field. or a yoke of oxen, or a wife,
like we find the Lord speaking of in the New Testament. Yet
in the appointed time, all these came forth to return at the appointed
time. Now, turn with me back to the
book of Ezra chapter one. When we were there, we noticed
this, that it takes the Lord to move upon his people to do
this. There's no one gonna be moved
out of their place unless the Lord should first move them.
Cyrus made the command, or authorized, the children of Israel, the children
of Judah and Benjamin in particular, to go back to Jerusalem. And
it tells us, though, in verse 5 of chapter 1, Then rose up
the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests,
and the Levites, with all whom all them whose spirit God had
raised to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in
Jerusalem. So there's only one reason that
we have those in the first wave going back. The Lord raised them
up for that purpose. And the only reason that we have
these going back in the second wave is that the Lord was merciful
and over those 50 or 55 years that there is in between, he
is merciful, and now we have a second group going back. And
so it is again. Is it not like the preaching
of the gospel and the results? So many want to collect the number
or get involved for pride's sake. I once heard a preacher and his
wife declare that they could not go door to door together,
for they got into such competition as to who was going to win the
person to Christ. All pride, all error, and all
lost. No waiting for God. It is our privilege. It is our
responsibility to preach the gospel, and we may not see any
results for 50 or 55 years, because that's the time between the first
and second wave of folks leaving Babylon and going back to Jerusalem. Now we thank God that he permitted
them to go back. He moved upon Artaxerxes to allow
them to go back. and it proved that God is in
control of all things. These folks were stirred up to
go back, and for no other reason but what we read in the scriptures.
Now, if you'll turn with me over to the book of Acts chapter 13
and verse 48, we find how completely this is summed up as we read
about these apostles preaching. In Acts chapter 13, great events
take place. Acts chapter 13, and I'm just
going to read close to verse 48, if you'll turn there with
me. Verse 46, then Paul in Barnabas
waxed bold and said, it was necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken unto you. But seeing you put it from you,
and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
to the Gentiles. Now, here we have a group of
folks that are turned to, and they're turned to by the direction
of the Holy Spirit upon Paul and Barnabas. They're turned
to on the purpose of God, and they're turned to because there's
some lost sheep there that the gospel must be preached to. For
so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be
a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation
unto the ends of the earth." But through him, the preaching
of the gospel, he's going to go to a lot of different countries
and preach the gospel to a lot of different Gentiles. The preaching
of the gospel has gone out to the Jews, but now to the Gentiles.
Now the Jews never thought that God would ever do that. They
were His chosen people. Well, we read they were His chosen
people to give them a test. They could not keep the law,
was unable to keep the law. They couldn't keep even the smallest
things. And all they did was build on
and build on and build on their works. Until the times of the
Lord Jesus, they had so many rules that they had to have people
going around and telling them, to keep the rules, and what rule
they had broken. Well, hasn't changed much today,
has it? For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I've set thee to be a light of the Gentiles. Now
notice in verse 48, then when the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad. Now the Jews were sad. the preaching
of the gospel went against them. I'm convinced that people here
that listen to sermon audio, when they hear a gospel sermon,
when they hear about the sovereignty of God, and they heard about
God doing all things after the counsel of His own will, they
just have shivers go up their spine because they're so upset
about that. I know I've been there. The first
time I ever heard the gospel, I told my wife, I said, I hate
that man. I understand what it is. I understand
how hard it is to realize the fact that the gospel is not in
men's hands, but it's in the hands of God. There may be 50
years, just as we watched over there in the book of Ezra. between
the first time God worked in a group of people and the second
time God worked in a group of people to go back to Jerusalem.
And Jerusalem is certainly a type of Mount Zion, a type of the
church, a time of coming back, a time of a place of assembly.
So we find that God works in his wonderful ways, his mysterious
ways, his purposes to accomplish, and the time clock is in his
hand. The Gentiles, it says, and when
the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word
of the Lord. Now notice the last part of this
verse. That's why we have a group of
6,000 to 7,000 people going back in the second wave. and as many
as were ordained to eternal life believed. Now that's the reason.
It wasn't because they were better or worse than the rest of the
folks. We're not going to stand by and
cast stones at them. We can say some weren't even
born. But now God has made them willing to go back to Jerusalem. Some of them got involved in
other things. They had projects that they were interested in,
and they had no interest in going back. Some of them are no doubt
like children today. We grow up and we say, I'm not
going to do anything my parents wanted me to do. And they're
going to go out and be challenged by things that they want to do.
Well, we find by the mercy of God that even some of those hear
the gospel and come to the Lord. Why? Because it was His time
to call them. As many as were ordained to eternal
life believed. And the word of the Lord was
published throughout all the region. The only reason that
those went back in the first wave is because the Lord called
them. The only reason those went back
in the second wave was the Lord called them. And we can measure
a time lapse in between them. Now just think for a moment,
if Ezra was 75 years old, he was 25 when the first group went
back. Why didn't he go back? He's a ready scribe. He's been
called of God to be a ready scribe, to be a preacher of the gospel.
Well, if he was 75 and he didn't go back in the first wave, why?
Because it wasn't in God's purpose. And that's why he didn't. Now,
whatever age he is, the Lord has laid it upon his heart to
go back. Turn with me again in the book of Acts as we think
about this time element of God. In Acts chapter two, what a wonderful
passage of scripture here it is. I've had people tell me that
they've won so many people to the Lord, and I'll tell you the
truth. That is impossible. Our duty, our privilege is to
preach the gospel. It is not to pin people up. It is not to try to get a profession
of faith out of them. It is not, I was down in Texas
when I was, one time, and it was just after I was in Bible
school down there for one semester, and I went back down one time,
and there was a preacher stood up and said, if you didn't have
your children won to the Lord by the time they were age five,
you're a failure. Well, I didn't know anything,
but I knew that was wrong. My goodness, that is not our
business. Our business is to preach the
gospel and put them under the sound of the gospel. That's our
responsibility, is make sure they hear the gospel, is make
sure they're in a place where they can hear the gospel, and
God be merciful and save them. We pray for that, but it may
be 50 years down the road. Oh, as we look here in Acts chapter
2 and verse 47, We find these wonderful words recorded for
us. It says in Acts chapter 2 and verse 47, praising God and having
favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church
daily, such as should be saved. Now, some people think that that's
being added to the church rolls. No, that's added to the body
of Christ. I had a phone call the other
day and a guy said, is this Sovereign Grace Church? And I said, this
is Norm Wells, pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. He says,
I've just been released from prison and I want to join your
church. Well, I just said, you know, under these conditions,
we're not able to even meet together, but here is a sermon audio address
and you can go listen to it. Well, he wasn't interested in
doing that. You know, Those that are added to the Church, to the
Body of Christ, are done so on purpose, as the Lord added to
the Church daily, such as should be saved. Oh, we may go away
disappointed and say no one was saved in the service today. We
ought to go away being glad that something was said about Christ,
and that He will use it for His honor and for His glory. He will
use it for its intended purpose. It will not return unto Him void. It will accomplish that whereunto
it has been sent. And to be caught up into this
numbers game and thinking that we have a responsibility to have
people born, born into the kingdom of God, we don't. That's the
business of the Holy Spirit. I have family that won bicycles
because they won the most in a soul winning contest. They
won the most people to Christ. You know what those folks are
doing today? Nothing. Not one thing. What a travesty
it is to put that kind of thing upon people. In the book of John,
chapter 10, now ultimately this is the problem when people don't
believe. We're just not going to say this
is the way it is with everybody, but we're going to say ultimately
in the final analysis This is the reason people don't believe
and It takes the grace of God it takes the mercy of God it
takes the work of God It takes the salvation of God to take
care of the problem in the book of John chapter 10 and verse
26 Why don't people believe the Word of God? Why don't they believe
what Jesus Christ said? Why don't they believe what he
said about himself and about salvation? Why don't they believe
that? Why do they go off in some other
direction and say, I know what it says, but I don't believe
that? Well, the Lord Jesus shares with us here, but ye believe
not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. Now, for the moment, We may have
people say, I don't believe that. But we had the Apostle Paul,
Saul of Tarsus, say that very same thing, and God was merciful
to him. Down the road, it was his time.
We're going to read that over there when the Apostle Paul realized
and understood that it was the time, the right time for God
to save him, was on the road to Damascus and no other time.
Here it says, you believe not because you're not my sheep.
Well, if we don't believe the gospel, we're just not sheep
at all, or we're unborn again sheep. That's what it is. It
says, my sheep hear my voice. And I know them, and they follow
me. My sheep follow my word. They don't question the word
of the shepherd. They don't quibble about what
it says, what Jesus Christ said himself. If you have a red letter
edition, these words are in red. These are the words of the Lord
Jesus. This is important. We must believe
the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we argue with him about
what he had to say about his own ministry, we're finding very
terrible fault with the King of glory, the God of heaven and
the creator of heaven and earth. We cannot argue with God. We are God haters if we do that. John, excuse me, Romans chapter
eight. Would you turn with me to Romans
chapter eight? We soon discover, as we read over there, that that
is just exactly the way it is with the gospel. That there was
a group that went back at the time of Cyrus the king. They
were permitted to go back and there was quite a number that
went back to Jerusalem. And there was quite a number
that spent quite a bit of time in the building of the temple
there in Jerusalem and all of the events that took place. And
then some 50 or 55 years later, another group shows up. Do you
think there was a bunch of angry people there at Jerusalem when
they saw some of their families show up? No. They were saying,
hallelujah. Some more of us have come out
of Babylon. Some more of us have been drawn
by the Holy Spirit, led by God to come all those miles across
the desert to come to Jerusalem. We don't look down our noses
and say, you should have come with us the first time. We're thankful
they come at all. Well, Romans chapter 8, would
you turn there with me? Romans chapter 8 and verse 30. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. So we have a group of people.
under Cyrus the King that left and went back to Jerusalem. And
we have no record of anybody else going back until this chapter
8. Well, it's brought up in chapter
7 about Ezra. In chapter 8, Chapter 8, they
make their preparations. In Chapter 8, it tells us who's
going, how many there are, and the events about it, and the
particulars about it. And in Chapter 7, we'll go back
there, and we have the letter that Artaxerxes wrote permitting
them to go back. So they're going to go back as
many Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. He is faithful
to do his business. He's faithful to do his work. He is faithful. And he has called
on those who know something about the grace of God. to share, to
preach, to declare that gospel. And then, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called, and whom he called, them he also justified,
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. So, it is all
the work of God. In the 11th chapter of the book
of Romans, Romans chapter 11, we look at this passage of scripture,
Romans chapter 11 and verse 7, It says, What then? Israel hath
not obtained that which he seeketh for, but election hath obtained
it, and the rest were blinded. Election hath obtained it. This
is the Apostle Paul who was called of God to declare this. And there
was going to be some, it didn't matter how many years ago, They
might have heard the gospel. How many years ago the gospel
was brought to their town? How many years ago the gospel
was brought to Rome? How many years ago they heard
anything? Or they may have never heard anything. But now is the
time that the gospel is brought to them and the only ones that
are going to hear it are declared in their the election. God in
his work of grace before the foundation of the world. Without
this, I've had people tell me they're smart enough to choose
God. We are not. We have a serious problem. We're
dead. We cannot call dead people to
do anything. If you think that it is possible
for someone to be called from spiritual dead to spiritual life
and you can do it, then it is much easier for you to go into
a undertaker's room and call physically dead people to life.
Nobody's doing that. God alone did that. God permitted
a few men to do that in their ministry in the Old Testament
as well as the New Testament. But it is of God. It's not something
we can do. Don't fool yourself thinking
that you're going to accomplish something. It takes the act of
God to do, and that's raise people from the spiritual dead. As it
says, the rest were blinded. In the book of Ephesians chapter
2, would you turn there with me? Why didn't these folks go
back in the first wave? Because God did not call them
to go back in the first wave. It is exactly the same with the
gospel. I know that after the Lord saved
me, I made a profession of faith at about eleven or twelve, and
I lived on that for a long, long time. I felt called to preach
and started preaching and pastoring churches and then heard the gospel. I found out that it wasn't my
work and it wasn't my choice. It was an act of grace. And that
makes all the difference in the world. That settles things. We
have a different view of God and a different view of Christ
because of grace, because of the new birth. We have a different
view of sin. We have a different view of heaven.
We have a different view of hell. We have a different view of God.
We have a different view of ourselves. By nature, we say as the publican,
I thank thee, God, that I am not like other men. And by grace,
we say, I am thankful that you saved me, because I am wicked
and undone. Ephesians 2, there in verse 5,
the scriptures having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will.
Even though, excuse me, chapter 2, chapter 2, that's a good verse,
but let's go to chapter 2 and verse 5. Chapter 2 and verse
5 gives the results of chapter 1 and verse 5. Even when we were
dead in sins, now that's a real problem. Unless you've been born again,
you'll never realize this. you'll never realize what it
is to be dead in trespasses and sin. You won't even admit that
you're dead. You're just as alive as can be,
and you can make your decision for Jesus, and your free will
will get you there, and your works will get you there. And
then, when God saves you, you realize, I was dead in trespasses
and sin, and there was not one fiber of my being that could
do any of those things that religion told me to do. It is an act of
God. It's an act of grace. It's an
act of mercy. And God uses the preaching of
the gospel. Why don't we have more churches?
Because there's a whole bunch of places that don't have any
sheep. That's all there is to it. It says here, Even when we
were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
ye are saved. We have been quickened. We've
been made alive. And then we have repentance and
faith. Repentance and faith is a gift
of God. It's repentance and faith is
a result of God saving us by His grace. We can't do any of
that before we're born again. We can't do any of that before
we're raised from the dead. spiritual dead. It's an impossibility. Preachers say that if you repent
and believe, then God will reach down and save you. Sorry, that's
not the Bible. The Bible tells us that these
things are a gift of God's salvation and they are the fruits of God's
act in us. In the book of 2 Thessalonians,
would you turn there? 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Again, we find the reason why
all those folks, including Ezra, didn't go back in the first wave. Why didn't they go? Why aren't my kids saved? You know, I found out it was
only among grace preachers did I ever get around a group of
preachers that believed that their children could be lost. Every other preacher I was ever
around, they had all their children saved, and they acted just like
everybody else that was lost. But we are bound to give thanks
all the way to God. For you, brethren beloved of
the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth,
whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, By the preaching of the gospel,
by the new birth, we have obtained the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have obtained the glory of
His death, burial, and resurrection. We have obtained the glory of
His gospel. We have obtained the glory of
His incarnation. We have obtained the glory of
His message throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. We have
obtained the glory of Him sitting at the right hand of the Father
before the world was and now having it restored unto Him because
the glory of the Lord Jesus, the glory of the Father, and
the glory of the Holy Spirit was an accomplished work by the
Savior on the cross and that He put away sin for time and
forever. So we get to enjoy His glory.
We are blessed with His glory. From the beginning He has chosen
you to salvation. It is a marked time. It is a
time that God has set aside. And so those that came out and
are ready to return the second time, nobody that knows anything
is going to pick up stones and throw at them and say, why didn't
you come with the first time? We've done all this work. You
should have been here helping us. They couldn't be there helping
them. God hadn't laid it upon their
heart. God hadn't revealed it to them. They stayed where they
were until God moved upon them. And that's the only reason that
they came in the second place, the second run. Galatians chapter
one, this is a verse of scripture that I was alluding to earlier,
because in Galatians chapter one, we find the apostle Paul,
it was revealed to him. Why? Why? Now, after I was saved,
I wondered, why didn't the Lord save me earlier? I went through
all that nonsense, all that rubble, all that garbage, all that religion,
all that pride, all that, all that, all that. And here was
the answer to the question, but when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb. Wouldn't it please God? At the
right time, at God's time, that's what it's telling us here. Saul
of Tarsus was saved not before Stephen's death, but after Stephen's
death. Why? Because it was the right
time. Not after he had run down to Damascus, headed down there
with orders to take and imprison or kill a whole bunch of believers.
It was the right time. God had an appointed time. He
had an appointed time from the foundation of the world when
it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and
call me by His grace to reveal His Son in me. What a wonderful
statement we have the Apostle Paul sharing with us. Some we
know would never leave Babylon or go to Jerusalem. Yet often,
the most vehement advocate for staying in Babylon are called
by His grace. I would not go to hear that preacher. And by God's grace, we have them
going to hear that preacher against their will, in fact. They're advocates for staying
in Babylon. We got everything here. We got
our religion We got our church building and it's paid for we
we got this plant We got a baptistry and we're using it all the time.
We got the coffers are full. Everything's going well We let's
just stay here by the grace of God We gladly travel the rest of
their days toward Jerusalem And those who talk a good talk about
going never leave. They never have a change of mind
about sin, or God, or anything. They still try to impress people
by what they did or are doing. Remember the ten spies? Came
back and said, God can't, God can't, and God can't. And that's
the way religion is. God would never say that. God would never say that he chose
a people. God loves everybody. That's not
what God said. That's what men say. God died
for everybody. Jesus died for everybody. That's
not what God says. That's not what his word says.
That's not what Christ said. That's what men say. To please
their own thought, their own lives. That is false. In Matthew chapter 21 it talks
about two sons. Notice this with me if you would.
Matthew chapter 21. Matthew chapter 21 and there
in verse 27. And they answered Jesus and said,
We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither
tell I you by what authority I do these things. But what think
ye? A certain man had two sons. And
he came to the first and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. And he answered and said, I will
not. But afterward, He repented and
went. How blessed it is when God grants
repentance to the Gentiles. When God allows people, God permits
people, God directs people, God calls people to believe. And
they go. I will not go. And they do. And
he came to the second and said, likewise. And he answered and
said, I go, sir. I believe what you have to say,
I'll do everything you have to say and not go. And went not. Said I will go and went not.
My goodness. Isn't that just the way it is
in religion? I'll do everything God asks me
and deny every bit of his word. And yet we have those who are
left without help and without hope and God touches their lives
and their minds and their hearts and raises them from the spiritual
dead and said, I told God I wouldn't. I won't ever believe that stuff,
but God by His grace raised him up and he went to serve, went
to work. In the book of Acts chapter 7
we have a similar incident, only once again we're in Stephen's
sermon, the historical sermon about Israel. Acts chapter 7
verse 22. Notice this with me. And Moses was learned in all
the wisdom of the Egyptians. Acts chapter 7 verse 22. Moses
was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty
in words and in deeds. And when he was full 40 years
old, he came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children
of Israel. Now he knew where his family
was. And seeing one of them suffer
wrong, he defended him. and avenged him that was oppressed
and smote the Egyptian. For he supposed his brethren
would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver
them." Now notice the next phrase. But they understood not. They didn't understand Moses.
They didn't understand what he had to say even though he was
eloquent. How many years later? Did they follow Moses 40 years? They understood not. And all the rest of that time
they spent in bondage in Egypt. Moses left, went out in the back
side of the desert, herded sheep for his father-in-law. And when
he was 40 years later, God appeared to him in a burning bush. And
he went over there to Egypt. And in the end, these folks understood
that it was Moses that was going to lead them out. Forty years
later, they understood not. No, we can't convince people
of the gospel. We can't do it. We can convince
people of religion. We can convince people of a profession
of faith. We can do those things, but we
cannot convince people of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, of
grace, of God's word in its form. Salvation is of the Lord. Now,
you know, Jonah learned this sentence of good theology in
a strange college. Great fish's belly, he learned
that. We are to understand by this that the whole of the work
whereby men are saved from their natural estate of sin and ruin,
are translated into the kingdom of God, and made heirs of eternal
happiness, is God and Him only. Salvation is of the Lord. They
didn't understand. They weren't born yet. Whatever
the reason, but at the right time, Ezra and about six to 7,000
more folks left Babylon and came to Jerusalem. It's an arduous
journey. It is a life journey. It is living
in tents. It is being a tent dweller through
our life until we approach the throne of grace in death. Salvation
is not a potluck dinner where everyone provides something.
The banquet of mercy is served by one host. He does not ask
anything of anybody. We cannot bring a few nuts. We
can't bring a few pieces of popcorn. We can't bring anything. We're
stripped of all our righteousness and we're going to enjoy the
banquet of mercy. Salvation is of the Lord. And
if you know that in your soul, you will not be proud. You cannot
be. You are cast everything at his
feet, confessing that you have done nothing save what he has
helped you to do, and therefore the glory must be where the salvation
is. If you believe this, you will
not be distrustful. You will not say, my salvation
does not depend on my faith. but on the Lord. My keeping does
not depend on myself, but on God, who keeps me. My being is brought to heaven, rests not
on or in my own hands, but in the hands of God. Would you turn
back with me to the book of 1 Corinthians? 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse
5. Back to the church, arguing over
who's the best preacher, who should we give the honor to,
who is the finest spokesman, who preaches the gospel the best.
My, my, my. What a travesty that that would
even happen. But it happens all the time.
Happens in our time. Honor given to folks, and the
honor needs to be given to Christ. He's the one that does the work.
We're nothings. We are nothing. What does it
say here? 1 Corinthians 3, verse 5. Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves. I'm in 2 Corinthians. Please
forgive me. 1 Corinthians 3. Verse 5. That other one was a good one.
We're not sufficient ourselves. But who then is Paul? And who is Apollos? But the ministers
by whom you believed, as God gave to every man? I have planted. Apollos came by and watered. But God gave the increase. So
then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth. Don't get too puffed up. But
God that giveth the increase. That's where it is. God gives
the increase. He moved upon these folks. to
go back to Jerusalem to travel that arduous journey. Four months
he moved upon them to go. No one else could convince them.
No one else could tell them. No one else could take them.
But they must be called of God. And when they're called, they
are ready to go. Well, we trust that you Have
a blessing as we study the book of Ezra and we continue here,
and that we might rejoice together that salvation is of the Lord. And as we opened up this morning,
for such a time as this, that's what those folks could say as
they left Babylon. God bless you.