I'm so glad to be here. I really was blessed in the Bible
class this morning. In fact, there's a couple of
verses that he used I added to my message. And that's the way
it should be. That's the way it should be. I direct your attention one more
time to the book of Ezra. Would you turn with me to the
book of Ezra this morning? In chapter 6, Ezra chapter 6, a dear friend of mine and the
person who brought me the gospel said every passage of scripture
has something to say about the Lord Jesus Christ and it is your
purpose to look at it that way and get to Christ as quick as
you can. Well, we hope we can do that this morning in this
verse. The book of Ezra chapter 6. We have a group of people over
in Jerusalem that have began to build the temple and there
are some people who don't like it. And they send a registered
letter Back to the King of Babylon, saying, we want you to stop the
work. And so the people of God, the children of Judah and Benjamin,
also have a mail service. And they are instructed by the
preacher of righteousness, the prophet, send a letter. And so they sent a letter. And
this letter seems to have more import than the letter that came
from the folks that wanted the work to stop. Because we have
a record of what the king did when he got that letter. And
that king made a decree. And he said, go to the library,
get the history book, read in that book, and find out what
happened. Because I can't remember. And
so the scribes went and found the book, the scroll, that gave
the decree of a previous king. His name was Cyrus. And in Cyrus's
decree, we have these words written in Ezra chapter 6. And this decree
covers a great deal. And a letter is going to go back
and says, continue the work, and we're going to pay for it. Ezra chapter 6, and I want to
read verse 3 through 5. Ezra chapter 6, verse 3 through
5. In the first year, this is the
decree. This is what Cyrus had to say.
Now, we've mentioned this a number of times in the past, but the
name Cyrus is not new to us here. It is brought out in the book
of Isaiah. Cyrus named many years before
he was even born, and God decreed him to decree that the children
of Israel would be returned back to Jerusalem after 70 years of
captivity. So here is Cyrus' decree. In
the first year of Cyrus the king, the same Cyrus, the king which
made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let
the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices,
and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid, the height
thereof threescore cubits, the breadth thereof threescore cubits,
and with three rows of great stones and a row of new timber. And let the expenses be given
out of the king's house, and also Let the golden and silver vessels
of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple
which is at Jerusalem and brought unto Babylon be restored and
brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem. Everyone to his place. and place
them in the house of God. And then verse 7, let the work
of this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews
and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. What a wonderful decree. Judah and Benjamin and what a
nip at the heels of those enemies of the church There was much covered in this
let the folks go back home let the temple be rebuilt return
all the vessels Sacrifices were to be provided wheat salt oil
and and wine were to be provided and expenses paid by the king
of Babylon Now it mentions in verse 5 the reason that this
decree was given. It tells us in that verse 5,
and we'd like to spend our time here this morning, it tells us
in verse 5 that Nebuchadnezzar did something. And he did something
a little over 70 years prior to this. Nebuchadnezzar besieged
Jerusalem. He laid siege to it. He put his
army around it and let nobody go in or nobody go out. Finally
the city crumbled the people gave up. It was a devastating
place to be Now do you know what God decreed that Nebuchadnezzar
do this? to Judah and Benjamin at the
time that Nebuchadnezzar did it the scriptures tell us that
very thing that that this king would come up, and he would destroy
Jerusalem, and he would lay it waste, and he would take the
children of Judah and Benjamin into captivity, and he would
do what we read that he did. That was God's decree, and now
we find it being fulfilled, and then we find the decree that
God said, we're going to go back and restore it. Nebuchadnezzar had seized Jerusalem
and then overthrew it and destroyed the city. He left it in havoc. He left stone Broken from stone. It was a sore spot in his side. Jerusalem had been a blister
on him for a long time. And he took care of that blister
the way he knew how to take care of it. He sent his army over
there. He went over there and he utterly destroyed Jerusalem. And he took the people he wanted
to take back to Babylon. And along with it, he took what
he wanted. It tells us in verse 6 that he
took a bunch of golden and silver vessels with him, not just the
people. Now, I don't know what you think
when we read this passage of scripture, but I tried to put
myself in the place of those folks as the King Nebuchadnezzar
had set siege upon the city and how I would feel and then to
have the city crumble around me and then have a rope around
my neck taking me back over to Babylon into captivity and to
see everything that I'd ever worked for destroyed. No, we
find that there was probably a feeling of great loss as they
look back upon that pile of rubble. There was a feeling of great
darkness upon them as they look back upon that pile of great
rubble. a feeling of distress, a feeling of anxiety, a feeling
of no hope. The world was turned upside down
and I am going to say every atom of Jerusalem felt the fall of
Jerusalem. Every donkey, every horse, everything
there was utterly taken away or utterly destroyed or they
were left there because they were not worth anything and he
would send some more people in there to be their husbands and
wives and we have the Samaritans. Then all the value is hauled
off. That wasn't hauled off, was destroyed. Now what happened to these vessels
of gold and then silver that we read about are going to be
returned? What happened to them as they're put in the carts and
taken over to Babylon? Can you imagine what happened
to them? I can just see in my mind's eye that there was a big
room in the king's palace and they put them in there and they
didn't care how they landed. They were in a jumble, they were
in a mess, they were in discord. We find that no doubt it was
a dark place and nobody cared about them except the people
that wanted to use them, their gold and silver. You know what
the miracle of it is? Those people of Babylon were
not given permission to melt that gold and silver down and
make vessels to be used in the worship of their gods. How God
preserved those vessels so many miles away. They were valuable
gold and silver. These were the things that people
used to trade with and yet they're put in a place and held there
for 70 years. What a miracle. There was one that knew all of
them, their number, and their place, and the time they would
be returned to Jerusalem. and he is the almighty God. There was not one of those vessels
that were removed out of Jerusalem 70 years prior that God did not
have his name and number of on and when they were stored, in
what capacity they were stored, in what part of the world they
were stored, God knew where they were. And so, much like the fall and the consequences. You know what is amazing to me?
That out of the fall, God knew where every one of his vessels
of gold and silver would be when the fall took place and people
began to have children. He knew exactly where his precious
vessels would be. Just like these gold and silver
vessels that Nebuchadnezzar took out. It tells us in verse 5 of
Ezra chapter 6 that these gold and silver vessels were to be
restored. Now that's an interesting word.
I like that word. These vessels were to be restored. They were to be restored to their
previous place. As we go on and read there in
chapter 6 and verse 5, it says that they were to be brought
back to Jerusalem, brought again into the temple which is at Jerusalem,
every one to his place, and placed them in the house of God. Every
one of them. Not one was lost. None of them
were picked off the trucks as they were hauled back to Babylon. Every one of them was accounted
for. They may have not looked like
much after 70 years. They may have been in a jumble.
They may have been in a mess. They may have been in the darkness.
They may have never seen the light of day for 70 years. But
these vessels were all going to be taken back and placed in
the temple Just like they once were they were restored this
Hebrew word translated May restored literally means to take something
back, to restore it. Or it is translated three times
in the Old Testament, and we read those words in the book
of Daniel, and these words were mentioned by a great king who
destroyed Jerusalem. His name was Nebuchadnezzar. Remember when he was turned out
in the field for seven years, and his mind was restored unto
him? Daniel chapter 4 verse 34, Nebuchadnezzar's
words, and my understanding restored unto me. And in Daniel chapter
4 verse 36, my reason returned unto me. My glory, honor, brightness
returned unto me. What he had once had was now
his again. He had lost it for a season. He had lost it for seven years.
He was turned out in the field like the animals were turned
out in the field. But when God gave his mind back
to him, it was restored and he knew where he was and who he
was and what he had. So we find about these vessels
that were brought back. What a message for lost sinners
is found right here in this verse 5 of chapter 6 when God said
all of those golden and silver vessels are going to be restored,
brought back to their original position. That is the gospel
that God gives us in Christ Jesus that because he is able to take
our sin upon him and bear our sins in his own body and pay
the debt, he can bring every one of his lost sheep to the
position of restoration. They can be restored to their
original condition. Now, it doesn't look like it
to us today. But in God's eyes, there as that
song said, there is not one spot. We are restored to a position
that we had before Adam sinned. In the very being of Adam, he
was in a condition of being gold and silver, untarnished. He was in the brightest of light. He had the greatest of mind.
He was a person far beyond our capabilities of even thinking
about, and because of his ability given to him by Almighty God
to be a free moral agent. He's the only one. Never been
another like him. Because of us being in that fall
with Him, we don't have the ability of making a free will choice
positive. We always make negative free
will choices. They're always against God, left
to ourself. We'll always make negative choices. It's our nature. But God has
promised in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, Every one of those
vessels of God Almighty in Christ Jesus before the world was ever
began those vessels will be restored to their original condition and
that's the promise and he gives us this wonderful illustration
here of that all of this gold and silver that was placed in
this room back in Babylon was still there after 70 years. We read all the time about people
finding great tombs. You know what? Almost all of
them have been found by someone else earlier and the valuable
things have been taken and looted. These things were valuable too,
and yet they're not taken and looted. Why? Because they belong
to God. They will not be taken from him. He has them numbered. He has
everything about them in his memory. He knows the knowledge
of where they are. And in our day, we are finding
out through those who have been there that there are some of
those lost vessels down in the primitive place called Papua
New Guinea. There are some vessels that have
been down there for storage for years and years and years. The attack that has come against
the places to bring all kinds of false religion into their
lives and maybe even succumb to some of it, God has protected
them in such a way that a man comes along with the gospel and
God allows them to hear that and he resurrects them from their
spiritual death and they say, I found out that I have been
restored by the blood of Jesus Christ, and now I am as if I
had never fallen. The command to go, the decree
to go forth, to restore. And we are thankful that God
has a decree to go forth and restore those that were fallen
in Adam, chosen in Christ Jesus before the world began. Names
written down in the Lamb's book of life, and here they are. God
calls them out of the darkness. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. As we look at these vessels that
were there in storage, taken by Nebuchadnezzar, oh, wantonly
thrown away. That's what Adam did. He wantonly
threw away his heritage. He wantonly threw away himself,
threw away his wife, and threw away the children that would
be in his loins. He knew exactly what he was doing.
He wantonly destroyed everyone that has ever been born, taken
into darkness. And yet, in those dark recesses
of this world, God remembers. And here in the book of 2 Corinthians
chapter 4, 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6, the scripture says,
for God who commanded I like a sovereign God commanding, because
things are going to happen. The governor can speak, maybe
it'll happen. The president can speak, maybe
it'll happen. But the Lord God Almighty, when he speaks, things
do happen. He is the King of kings and Lord
of lords. He is the Lion of the tribe of
Judah. He is the one that has moved this earth in its sphere
since its very beginning. He is the one that started it.
He will be the one that finishes it. When it comes to us, He is
the author and finisher of our faith. He is a sustainer of everyone
that belongs to Him. And everyone that is else, he
also sustains them until the day appointed by God that they
should pass through the valley of the shadow of death and meet
him in judgment. He sustains them. Here in the
book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 6, it says, for God
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. God the Father only reveals the
grace of God through his son Jesus Christ and through nothing
else and no other form. Appreciated that lesson last
week on baptism. It is so apparent in the scriptures
that there is absolutely no efficaciousness in baptism it is just a picture
of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what he does
for us and raising us from the spiritual dead but other than
that we got wet and There is nothing in anything
that we do or perform before God that he recognizes anything
in it except Jesus Christ. And that is how we got light. One day, Cyrus the king decreed,
open those doors and load those vessels back up. They don't belong
to us. They belong in Jerusalem. It
will be a long trek over there. They will go through the jostling
of getting back. But they will get back, every
one of them. And my friends, you that are
guarding this train will not touch one of them. Everyone will
get back. Everyone will be put back in
its place that was there before they arrived over here. And you
know what? Everyone did. Got back to their
place. They're gold and silver. They're
valuable to their maker. He has a mark on them. They're
nothing but His and no one else's. And He will restore them to their
proper place in Jerusalem, in the temple, and the temple is
Jesus Christ. And He's brought us to Zion.
in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Would you turn with
me, 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, verse 4, it says, in whom the
God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them. There's been lots of commentaries
written about the God of this world. I'm afraid that most people
have made a grave mistake and have blamed the devil as the
God of this world. Nothing was brought to me that
was so evident as on that cruise ship, and there was a group of
people meeting together out of every group you want to talk
about, every religious order, and there was very little agreement
among that group of people on anything but this. When this
subject was brought up, everybody agreed on it except two. One man said, There's one thing
I know, we have a free will. And everybody, amen, amen, will
bow before that God, amen. And I said, we are only free
in the capability that we have in the fall. Free will is the
God of this world. Everybody agrees to it except
those who have been regenerated and then they realize, I thought
I did but I did not. Only one person has ever had
a free will and that was Adam and look what he did with it. This is truly the God of the
world. The fall and the results of belief
that all men have a free will, cumbers the ground with darkness. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 18. Ephesians, chapter
1, verse 18. Ephesians chapter 1 and verse
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened It would be hard for us physically
to comprehend the light that Adam walked around in every day Such bright light God created
light. Let there be light. And there
was light before the sun and moon and stars were created.
We just cannot comprehend the light that Adam walked around
in every day before he fell. But the moment he fell, he fell
into darkness, spiritually speaking. And it almost is like we went to an unnatural light. The very sun that we have out
there from time to time is so dark on this earth. When the
clouds cover it, just think about from absolute sunshine to the
darkest of clouds in an instant. Physically, spiritually it was
serious. And here we read in the book
of Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 18, the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his
calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to us who believe according to the workings of
his mighty power. What power it took for Him to
bring us out of the darkness of Babylon and bring us to the
glory and light of Jerusalem and back to the temple of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Then in Ezra chapter 6 and verse
5 it says, He brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem
every one to his place and placed them in the house of God. The
true and complete restoration could only happen If all was
restored to its original position in the presence of God with Christ,
that is salvation. Absolute restoration. Complete and full restoration. And that can only happen in Christ.
It is not to be placed in a place where we go through some suffering
after we leave this life so that we can be made better and put
into a position, no. This is absolute restoration
in Jesus Christ, brought to a position that we once had in Adam. If
you'll turn with me, we read a few verses there in the book
of Romans chapter 9, but would you turn with me and look at
9 verse 23, Romans chapter 9 and verse 23. Did you notice this? As Brother Craig read it, it
talks about, chapter 9 verse 23, it talks about vessels. vessels gold and silver vessels Romans chapter 9 verse 23 says
That he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels
of mercy Which he had afore prepared unto glory Those vessels that
were taken out of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and had a mark
on them and an eye on them and as time went by they would be
brought back to their original position in the temple. They
are vessels of mercy. God had mercy upon them. Now, how many of the bronze,
and how many of the iron, and how many of the other, we have
no word about. But we do have word about the
vessels of silver and the vessels of gold, restored to their original
position. In the book of 2nd Corinthians,
excuse me, 2nd Timothy, 2nd Timothy, chapter 2. 2nd Timothy chapter
2 2nd Timothy chapter 2 Verses 19 and 20 2nd Timothy
chapter 2 verses 19 and 20 verse 19 Nevertheless the foundation
of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that
are his even in Babylon, even in a dark
room, dusty, not visited, even in Papua New Guinea, even in
Redding, California, even in Central Point, even in Fairbanks,
wherever. Knoweth them that are his, and
let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity,
but in a great house, There are not only vessels of gold and
silver, but also of wood and earth, some of honor and some
to dishonor. Do you remember the account of
the maniac of Gadara? His family kicked him out of
the house. He was a maniac. Couldn't be constrained. Tie
him up with chains. You know, he was given the ability
of breaking those chains. They tried every religious act
they could perform upon him and it didn't do any good. He was
living in the cemetery. You know why? It was quiet there. And one day, the master came
by. He was in a dark place, with
a dark mind. a maniac, filled with himself and Jesus
spoke to him and the next thing we find is he was sitting and
clothed and in his right mind he was restored. Restoration
had taken place. You know what he wanted to do?
He wanted to follow the Lord the rest of the time. He says, you
go home and tell your family what's happened to you. In the book of Joel, I'm borrowing,
Joel chapter 2, little bitty book in the Old Testament. Joel chapter 2. As we think about
those vessels of gold and silver being boxed up, carried out,
put in carts, taken back to Jerusalem. They'd been 70 years out of their
place. And there was no place over there.
It had been destroyed. That temple was not one stone
left upon another. They started from scratch. And
they started building and building and making it. It didn't look
quite like the old one. But the Bible tells us there
would be more glory in this one. Who visited this one? Jesus Christ
the righteous visited this one. Here in the book of Joel, chapter
2, verse 23. Be glad then ye children of Zion
and rejoice in the Lord your God For he hath given you the
former rain Moderately and he'll cause to come down for you the
rain the former rain and the latter rain the first month and
The floor shall be full of wheat and the vat shall overflow with
wine and oil now notice this verse 25 and I will restore to
you the years of that the locust hath eaten, the canker worm,
and the caterpillar, and the plumber worm, my great army,
which I sent among you. I will restore the years that
were eaten by these boogers. You know what? Oh, the years
we apparently looked like we were just wasting. God said,
I'll make it such a blessing you won't even mind. I'll do
away with all the racking that they did on you. I'll restore
to you the years. Verse 26, and you shall eat in
plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God.
that hath dealt wondrously with you, and my people shall never
be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am the
midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, and none else,
and my people shall never be ashamed. I will restore you whole. And one other passage over in
the book of 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter two. 1 Peter chapter
two. As the Apostle Peter was led
by the Holy Spirit, no doubt he reminisced on this a great
deal. Peter, just like you and I, a
vessel in the dark place. Didn't even know we were owned.
Didn't know anything about it. It was just not in us to think
about those things. And yet we find out that the
Lord had his eye on us, marked out. before time began, marked
out where, whose parents, where we would be born, how he would
and who he would get the gospel to us, so that we could hear
it and God could work his work of grace and mercy in us, and
we could repent and believe. Here in the book of 1 Peter chapter
2, and there in verse 25, For ye were a sheep going astray,
but are now returned. But are now returned unto the
shepherd and bishop of your souls. Now returned. Well, those vessels
got back. placed in the temple right where
they belong. And if they had a voice, they would
have cried out what the saints will cry out. Worthy is the lamb
that was slain to receive glory and honor and praise. I couldn't
sing that song by nature, but I've been restored and given
the ability of singing it in the Spirit. Brother Mike, if
you'll come.