One more time, would you turn
with me to the book of Ezra? The book of Ezra in the Old Testament
there. To a lot of folks, no doubt,
at the time of the happenings here, what was going on was really
strange. Judah and Benjamin had been taken
into captivity, and they were a special labor force. And then a king comes to the
throne by the name of Cyrus. And this man, by name, had been
mentioned by the prophet Isaiah 100 years before he was born
and said, my servant Cyrus will let these people go back. And
it happened. And he sent them back. And they
started to rebuild the temple. in exactly the same place that
the old temple had been destroyed. They put the altar in exactly
the same place that it had been destroyed. And they started the
work. And behold, some of the folks
that lived around them didn't like the new scenery. And they
complained and said, stop this. And we're going to send a letter
back to the king over there. It's a new king now. We're going
to have this stopped and you're going to be made to quit. Well,
a couple of prophets come along, says the edict hasn't got back
there yet, continue on, and so they did. Then we heard this
morning, the reading, there in the reading of the last part
of Chapter 5, that those who were there, that had been permitted
to leave and go back to Jerusalem and to Judah, they sent a letter. And they said, please search
the archives. Go back into all those things
that had been written down. Those folks were glad for writing
and they were glad for some sort of paper. Because we read here
in Chapter 6 of the Book of Ezra that Darius, the king, made a
decree. Ezra chapter 6 verse 1, then
Darius the king made a decree and search was made in the house
of the rolls. That's the Library of Congress. Go see if you can't find what
these folks are telling us about. where the treasure were laying
up in Babylon. And there was found, at Acamethia,
in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll. And therein was a record thus
written. In the first year of Cyrus the
king, The same Cyrus the king 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, let three rows of great
stones and a row of new timber, and let the expenses be given
out of the king's house. This is all written down. Some
scribe was used as this king, Cyrus, made the decree that these
folks had finished their time in Babylon. Now it wasn't his
decision, it was God's decision. He is a prince in whose heart
is in the hands of the Lord, and he, God, turned it whether
so ever he wills. Here it is, Cyrus had it written
down. It's been in storage for a long
time, and now is brought out. So Darius is going to send a
letter back, that they continue building. But I'd like to take
my message this morning from verse 1. Darius or Darius is
a type. God is the anti-type. Darius
makes a decree. Darius says something here that
must be followed because he is king. He says, start the search,
investigate. They appealed, these Jews appealed
to a pagan king for help. Now that reminds me a little
bit of over in the New Testament, they had grabbed the apostle
Paul and bound him with thongs and were ready to scourge him
and he brings up a good point. Is it lawful to beat a Roman
citizen? And those guys that were prepared
to beat him took a deep breath and said, you're a Roman? Yes,
I am. He appealed to the pagan authorities. Sometimes it is in our interest
to do that, but we also find as much as lieth in us live peaceably
with all folks. But sometimes it has to happen.
And the Jews at this time found out it was necessary for them
to appeal to the king, King Darius, and we find him as a king in
the hands of the Lord, moving as the Lord directed him, and
made a decree. He gave an order. He commanded. He issued an edict. Gave commandment. Issued an order. Issued orders. Go search those rolls. Find out what is said. If these people be right, we
need to honor what the previous king has said. Now, kings do
this because they are king. There's not many kings left in
the world that had the authority that Darius had. There were some
kings and queens of England that had similar authority. And what they said was absolute
law. They have power to issue decrees
and have them fulfilled. This decree benefited some folks
that were in Jerusalem. This king, as well as all kings,
are in a way a type of the true king. Now there's only one king
that can make decrees and not have to remember what he said.
There's one king that makes decrees and is not concerned about the
previous king's decrees. because this king makes decrees
and he made them from eternity and they are imposed even to
this very day. His word is absolute truth and
perfect in every way. This word decree is used in the
Psalms with regard to God. I will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto my Lord,
thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. The Lord, I
will declare the decree. We find that this term decree
is used many times, particularly in the New Testament with other
words, but they mean exactly the same as what we read with
regard to Darius and what we read with regard to God speaking
and having his word as law. His decrees are eternal. They're still in order. They're
still being fulfilled by Almighty God. And I would like to look
at a few of the other words that are found, particularly in the
New Testament, that share with us this great principle about
our God. Now, this principle about our
God is very beneficial to the church. That He made a decree. and the church stands on it firmly. It is our rock. The decrees of
God are our rock, our foundation stone. Jesus Christ truly being
the rock and all the decrees of God are founded in this one
person, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you will turn with me in the
New Testament, keep it in mind, Darius made a decree, Cyrus made
a decree. Kings have done that. But this
king, the king of heaven, does not need to go, has to go look
at old king's scrolls to find out what they said about things. Kings die. New kings come up. And they don't know exactly all
that was written by that king. But this king, the king of heaven,
God Almighty, does not change. His decrees don't change. His
mind is not changed. Oh, how poor it is in religion
that we try to get more people praying for an issue than there
are people praying against an issue, and we hope that we can
influence God to be on our side. And then we find out when God
saves us, that's not the way it works. God has made a decree,
and we pray, nevertheless not my will be done, but thy will
be done. and please conform me to your
will and don't let me whine about it too much. Alright, if you
turn with me over to the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter
3. We find here another phrase that
means much the same as we find the word decree. Decree is not
used often in the New Testament, but these words are mentioned
there, and here in the book of Ephesians chapter 3, and there
in verse 11, it says, according to the eternal purpose. Now those two words, eternal
purpose, we could put them right as a synonym of God's eternal
decrees. Ephesians chapter 3 and verse
11, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord. I am so thankful as I read through
the scriptures that God had a purpose. And it is being carried out just
as God intended His purpose to be carried out. His eternal purpose
according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus.
Before the war was created, before there was the call for the allowance
of light being made, God in his eternal purpose, purposed to
do some things. And the church rejoices in those
things that he purposed to do because we are directly involved
with them. Not in the sense that we reckon
them or reckon in them, but we are the recipients of them, the
eternal purposes of God. Would you turn with me back to
the book of Acts chapter 2, as we look at another place where
there is words that are used that share with us God's decrees. Darius decreed and people moved. God decrees. And people move. How thankful we are. Here in
the book of Acts chapter 2 and verse 23, the scriptures share
this very valuable passage of scripture with regard to this
crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Oh, people have been religiously
forgiven for doing it. Let's look at what God said about
it. Here in the book of Acts chapter 2 and verse 23, the scriptures
share this. Well, verse 22, you men of Israel,
hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel. Now those two words could be
summed up by God's decree. The determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God. ye have taken. Now when they
did what they did, and they did their worst with what they did,
this was God's eternal purpose. This one, Jesus Christ, his only
begotten son, must be taken to the cross as it was written in
the Old Testament. It was written in the mind of
God. It was written in the mind of the councils of eternity that
this one must be the advocate, must be the substitute, must
be the redeemer, must be the savior of his people or nobody
would ever be saved. So as he's going, he's delivered
by the determinant counsel of God. Can you just in your mind's
eye go back into old eternity and hear God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit decree that the Son must give
his life a ransom for many? If you can, say hallelujah. Because that's what God did.
before there was a problem. He did that very thing. He decreed,
and it was so decreed, and the marks are so indelible, cannot
be erased, that the names of the people that God decreed to
save from eternity were graven on the palms of Christ's hands. So everywhere he walked. Have
you ever written notes on your hands? Sometimes I write there,
because I don't lose that note. I can keep that note. I may wash
it in the river. So him being delivered by the
determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain. Those folks were the servants
of Almighty God. just like Darius, just like Cyrus,
just like those guys that had camps over there that didn't
like what those Jews were doing in rebuilding the temple. They
were servants in the hands of God. When I was on that ship
recently, I don't know how many times, the problem that people
were having with the devil came up. I finally said, he's God's
devil, He's not some creature that just
sprang up somewhere. God Almighty created him. He's
God's devil and God has decreed what he's able to do. But most
of the problem, I had to point out over and over and over because
most people don't even know, they don't even think about it.
Here's the problem. We are the problem. We just can't
blame all this stuff on the devil. God has decreed. And we have
a problem. Our hearts are deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. Who can know them? All right. Would you turn with me again
back to the book of Ephesians? Ephesians chapter one this time.
Here we have in Ephesians chapter one and verse nine, the mystery
of his will, which is his decrees. We know a little bit about his
decrees, but there's much about his decrees that are a mystery
and will continue to be a mystery, at least in this life and maybe
for eternity. I don't know how many times folks
told me, we'll understand it better by and by. There's a song
about that. You know what? It won't matter.
God's people will see their Savior and all of these things that
we think are important will not be important anymore. Here in
the book of Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 9, the scriptures
say this, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according
to the good pleasure which he purposed in himself. Now, the
gospel is the mystery of his will. The redemption that is
in Christ is the mystery of his will. that he would have us born
someplace sometime in this world, in this life, and that his gospel
would come to us in power and great glory, and that we would
find a wall we couldn't break down, we would find something
that was said that we just couldn't put aside, and that God would
work his work of grace in us, and by his spirit would cause
us to be born again. That's the mystery of his will.
I'm so thankful that a man was stirred up 3,000 miles away to
come clear across this country to say some words to a lost,
hellbound, and hell-deserving preacher and broke my religious
house all to pieces. God is merciful. He has sent
out a decree. He has put it in an everlasting
purpose, just as we have here, the mystery of his will. He has
a decree, and he will carry it out to its nth degree, and it
will never fail or fall aside, or he'll never forget his decree.
We find that kings of old forgot things that happened. They had
to have it reminded, had to have it brought up. God doesn't have
to study history. God doesn't have to read history
books. God is in charge from the beginning
to the end. He knows the end from the beginning. Would you turn with me in the
book of Romans? Back up to the book of Romans
chapter 8. In Romans chapter 8 and verse 29, we have these
words. Predestinate. Predestinate. I mentioned that in a message
there on that cruise ship and you could, there was some, and all I had to do was say this,
what if you'd have got on this cruise ship and the captain announced
when we were out at sea, we don't know where we're going. Most of us would like to say,
go back to port then. God knows where he's going. And God has decreed where we're
going. And God has an interest in what's
going on because he has decreed it. So here in the book of Romans
chapter 9, excuse me, chapter 8 and verse 29, for whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate. That's his decree. He predestinated
before the world began. He predestinated things that
would take place. He decreed things that would
take place. He purposed that things would
take place. According to the mystery of his
will, he decreed it. And here he says, he predestinated
all his people. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his son. What does that mean? be
presented spotless. That's what he predestinated. That we would go and stand before
him in that day at that great white throne when we meet him
and he would say, perfect in every way because you are in
the robe of my son's righteousness. You stand clean. We know where
the stone we were hewn out from. But he has decreed, he has predestinated,
he has in his mystery of his will, that he will present all
the church perfect before him. And there again, the church is,
hallelujah. He did predestinate. For whom
he did foreknow them, he also did predestinate. And then, if
you would back up just a little bit, Excuse me go ahead again
to the book of Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11 we have another Statement
made here the counsel of his own will God never took anybody
into counsel Those we went through the Panama Canal and when it
was originally declared by the house in the Senate that we were
going to build it and Teddy Roosevelt had about 9 or 10 folks on the
council on, let's build this. It wasn't a year and he had to
cut down to three. Because there was just too much,
nobody could agree on anything. And finally, he chose a guy of
the Army Corps of Engineers and sent him down there and said,
you are in charge. You speak and it will be done. Well, God's been doing that from
eternity. No one did he ever take into
counsel on what to do, because if he had of, it would have been
ruined to begin with. Here in the book of Ephesians
chapter 1 and verse 11, it says, in whom also we have obtained
an inheritance. being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel
of his own will. The counsel of his own will,
his own decree. It's not fair, it's not fair,
it's God's decree. The decrees of God are his eternal
purpose according to the counsel of his own will, whereby for
his own glory he hath full ordain whatsoever comes to pass. The
king mentioned in Ezra chapter 6 would of necessity decree things
as it was required by incidence. Oh, this group rises up against
him. I decree you go get him. But God never had to do that.
He was never ever gave a decree because of incidents, he could
decree before the foundation of the world because he's in
charge of all things. He is the creator of all things. He has almighty power. He knows
all things. He's all wise. There is nothing
out of his realm. And so this God, the God of heaven,
the God of the Bible, because of his perfect oneness and infinite
power and wisdom, decreed all things at once. One instant in eternity past,
knowing all things, being all wise, all powerful, could decree
all things, and it would come to pass. Because of his great attributes,
it was not necessary to decree due to new circumstances. Can
you imagine what a God it would be if Adam sinned against him
and now he's got to make a decision on what's going to happen? That's
nothing better than we are. The kids come home with bad news,
now we got a decree, we got to make a new rule. But with God,
in an instant, in eternity past, and I'm using words I don't even
understand completely, Because God has never not decreed. But our God is in the heavens,
He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. Psalm 115 and verse
3. Our God is in the heavens, and
He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. Would you turn with
me to Psalm 135 and verse 6? Psalm 135 and verse 6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased.
Psalm 135 and verse 6. The properties of God's decrees
are much different than human king's decrees. God's decrees
are eternal, all wise, absolute, and unchangeable, and includes
all things. Do you think he was surprised
by this coronavirus? Or the black plague that took
place in Europe many years ago? No, I'm sorry. He's not surprised. Was he surprised by the twin
towers coming down? No, no, no. These things all happen for the
furtherance of the gospel. In the book of the Psalms, Psalm
135 and verse 6, Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in
heaven. Wouldn't that be something if
we could just do that in our own home? Not everywhere else,
just in our own home. But God in heaven. Psalm 135
and verse 6, it says, Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he
in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and the deep places. He has absolute control over
all things. There's not a meteor that doesn't
fly. He does not have direction to
it. And it was decreed from all eternity. He is not one of these Johnny-come-latelys
that has to make up his mind as time goes on. But he has all
things purposed from eternity. We just find out in time part
of what it is. In Isaiah, would you turn with
me forward to the book of Isaiah for just a moment. Isaiah 14
and verse 26. Isaiah 14 verse 26 as we think
about he decreed and we are the beneficiaries of his decree. Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 26
the scriptures share this this is the purpose that is purposed
upon the whole earth and This is the hand that is stretched
out upon all the nations. He has purposed it upon the whole
earth all nations peoples kindreds tribes religions skin color food
He has purposed all things upon this earth. Nothing has been
left out of His eternal, everlasting decrees. He worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will. It really pinches us when
it comes up close to us, doesn't it? And sometimes we have to
be like the apostles. Lord, I believe, help thou my
unbelief. I can't understand this. If we
could understand God, we could, but we can't, so we don't. And
we don't want a God that we can understand. We want a God that
is able to save to the uttermost. And he only can do that because
he is a God that can decree. Over in the book again, I'm sorry,
I should have done this earlier while we were over there, but
in the Psalm 119. Psalm 119, verse 89. Psalm 119,
verse 89. Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all
generations. Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according
to thy ordinances, for all are thy servants. Every spring, babbling
brook, river, creek, mountain, everything is the servant of
Almighty God. Forever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven. It is written in stone. It is
unchangeable. It never fades away. My dear
friend Rupert Reibenbach went over to England and he was looking
for a headstone of a preacher that preached over there many
years ago, and he took a picture of it. You know what weather
does to stone? Hardly readable. Well, his word,
God's word, is forever settled in the heavens. It will never
pass away. Heaven and earth may pass away,
but my word will never pass away. In the book of the Acts, it says,
God is made of one blood, all nations. Every peoples of the
earth have the same blood, different types we find, of men for to
dwell in all the face of the earth and have determined the
times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation. You
know, it's interesting. You live exactly where you were
supposed to by Almighty God's decree. And by his decree, we
get to move once in a while. And if it wasn't for it, we would
be in our own place. My mother crossed the Astoria
Bridge, went to Reno one time, and went down in California one
time. And the rest of the time, she
spent there in two counties. We travel all over the world
and still it is by God's permission and his decree. But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before
the world unto our glory. Before the world unto our glory,
what is that? God purposed before the foundation
of the world that he was going to save some people from eternal
damnation. And in order to do that, there
must be a lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Before
he could ever create, there was already in decree things that
would take place on the behalf of those people. And in fact,
it was so decreed that they would have eternal life before they
were ever born. He's going to acquaint us with
it in time and that's what he does in the new birth. We find
out what he took care of before the world began and what he will
take care of after this world is over with. He has decreed
it. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning of the world. God's decrees are absolute. They depend on no condition outside
of God and are eternally and solely dependent upon his sovereign
will. In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. A group of saints were in trouble
in the book of Acts. God released them, and they went
and had a prayer meeting. Turn with me, if you would, to
the book of Acts chapter 4. They went and had a prayer meeting.
And in this prayer, they recognized some things. They recognized
some things before, but they're putting it, they're enunciating
it now. Acts chapter 4, verse 27. For of a truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done. Who's in charge of the trial?
God Almighty. Who's in charge of the arrest?
God Almighty. Who is in charge of the crucifixion? God Almighty. Who's in charge
of the Roman soldier who ran a spear into his very body? God Almighty. They would look
on him whom they had pierced. That's in the Psalms. For eternity,
God had written it out. And I was just so blessed this
morning as it was brought up here. This young, we call him
a boy. I like that song. On my mother's
side, I'm 12, and on my father's side, I'm the eternal son of
God. He comes up there to the Passover.
And he watches that priest take that Passover lamb and was able
to say, there is a picture of me. What a blessing. And you know what? He never turned
from that one step. From his birth, he was prepared
to be the lamb of God. It was decreed and he was the
decreeer. He would do exactly what the
decree said because he had decreed it in the Godhead. Lord hath made all of this redounds
to the glory of God. The Lord hath made all things
for himself. Yea, even the wicked for the
day of evil. How does the decrees of God affect
you or affect me? Well, we'll get right down to
it. David, not long before he passed
away, summed it up when he said there in the book of 2 Samuel
chapter 23 and verse 5, he has made with me a decree ordered
in all things and sure. You know what? He was dependent
upon the decrees of God. He was dependent upon that God
that we're going to be studying about in the book of Malachi
chapter 3 and verse 6 this Wednesday night. I change not. He was dependent
upon an unchanging God who followed his word to the nth degree. We used to say, a man's word
was his bond. That's good, but it isn't near
what we find in God. His word is His bond. What is
it? How does this decrees of God
affect us? They guarantee the salvation
of all His elect. Not one will be left out. And
it also guarantees that the death of Jesus Christ was an accomplished
feat. that he would accomplish and
it would be absolutely successful and not wasted. To hear people
say that there are people in hell that Jesus Christ died for,
that his blood was wasted on them, not according to the decrees
of God. I will lay down my life a ransom
for many. I lay down my life for the sheep.
Not one of those rascals that goes to eternal damnation was
ever the sheep of God. We should all be as they are. But he was pleased in his eternal
purpose and in his eternal decrees to write a few names down in
the Lamb's Book of Life. And it doesn't reproduce haughtiness,
it produces the greatest humility. And we say thank God Almighty. The preaching of the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ will be successful. God told Paul, don't
be too bothered there in Corinthian. I have much people there. Just
stick it out, Paul. There's going to be a whole host
of saved people there. He went down to the river where
prayer was warped to be made. And there was some women praying
there. And there was a lady from 300 miles away, a cellar of purple,
whose heart the Lord opened, Lydia. The decrees of God. Make the salvation of all the
elect secure and eternal. He is able to keep them to the
uttermost and he will lose none. The purpose of eternal life and
glorious God for eternity is in his decrees. So, long time
ago, a king said, I decree, go find those, see if there's a
roll over there, some scroll, some writing that has to do with
this letter. And he is just a little bit of
a type of the God that sits on the throne in heaven and decreed
whatsoever shall come to pass. And in that, he decreed to save
some of the fallen children of Adam and keep them secure from
falling and present them spotless at that day. His word will not pass away.