A Right Way

Look at verse 21 again of Ezra chapter eight. Then I proclaim to fast there at the river of Ahava that we might afflict ourselves before our God to seek of him a right way for us and for our little ones and for all of our substance. I've entitled this message a right way. He didn't say a safe way. He said a right way, a righteous way, an upright way. Twice in the book of Proverbs, once seems like it would be enough, but the Lord said this twice in the book of Proverbs. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Now, I don't wanna just write that off and say, think it doesn't apply to me. I want to be warned by this warning in the scripture. Now, when Ezra said he proclaimed a fast, Fasting represents self-denial. Now, if you go without food, fine. But the main thing it refers to is denying yourself. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. Take up his cross and follow me.

Now, everything that has to do with this flesh, Get rid of it in the things of God. Paul said we have no confidence in the flesh. I don't have any confidence in my flesh. I don't have any confidence in your flesh. The only flesh I have confidence in is God manifest in the flesh.

Now he proclaimed a fast. And then he said that we might afflict ourselves before God, humble ourselves before God is what the word means. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and he'll exalt you in due time. I wanna do that, don't you? Even right now, whatever it means to humble myself before God. He's God, what else can I do? God resists the proud and he gives grace to the humble. to seek of him a right way for us and for our substance, for our little ones.

For I was ashamed, verse 22, to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way. You think about this, they were taking a very long trip with three to 400 million of our dollars worth of gold and silver. And I want you to think of the place that would put them in for robbers, for enemies that want that money. But he said, we're ashamed to ask the king to help us. And here's why we're ashamed of the king.

I love this. It kind of reminds me of the king of Sodom coming to Abraham and saying, give us, the spoils are yours, give us the women and children, we'll be happy. Abraham said, I won't take a shoe latchet from you. lest you say I've made Abraham rich." I love Ezra's honesty here.

He says, I was ashamed to ask them for help after all the things we said with regard to God, His glory, His power, His greatness. And now I'm gonna ask somebody to help out. That's kind of like a preacher begging money for money, begging people for money on TV. God's given us this great work to do and we need your money to do it. Somebody talks like it doesn't even know the living God.

And he says, we were ashamed to ask for help, for assistance in this journey because of what we said about our God. Saying, the hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this, for this right way, and he was entreated of us. Now this chapter begins with the 1,500 people that left with Ezra to go back to Jerusalem. Look in verse 28 of the last chapter. This is Ezra speaking.

He says, And he hath extended mercy unto me before the king. You remember all the promises Artaxerxes made? And he's aware of this. He extended mercy unto me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me and I gathered together up of Israel chief men to go up with me back to Jerusalem. 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." And there were actually 1,500 people that went, and this was years after the initial rebuilding of the temple, and the walls had not still been built up, but he's going back for this task.

And he names A lot of people. And I'm not gonna read all of those people. I'm sure every name is significant and has a meaning. And we could probably spend all night looking at the meanings of those names. But pick up in verse 15, after he names all these people that went with him.

Verse 15, and I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava. And there abode we in tents three days. And I viewed the people and the priests and found there were none of the sons of Levi. Now, there were no true priests, none of the sons of Levi, and that is what concerned him. Then I sent for, and I'm gonna give these people meanings of these names, because here is the true priest.

I sent for Eleazar. His name means God is help. And for Ariel, the lion of God. the lion of the tribe of Judah. For Shemaiah, heard by Jehovah. Elnathan, God has given. Jerob, he contendeth, he contends for me. Nathan, giver. Zechariah, Jehovah remembers. Meshulam, friend. This is what Christ is. That's the great high priest to all of his people. He's all these things. He's my friend. He's my Lord. He's my Savior. He's my friend. He's the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is all these things to his people. Men of understanding.

And I sent them with commandment unto Iddo, the chief of the place Cassiphia, and I told them what they should say unto Iddo and to his brethren, the Nephilim at the place Cassiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God, these true Levites. And by the good hand of God, our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding of the sons of Mele, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. and Cherubiah with his sons and his brethren eighteen, and Hashebiah, and with him Jeshiah of the sons of Moriah, his brethren and their sons, and also of the Nethemims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethemims, all of them were expressed by name, these fifteen hundred people taking this trip back to Jerusalem with him.

And it was there that I proclaimed to fast, there at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves unto our God to seek of him a right way for us. Oh, I want to do that, don't you? Seek of him a right way. I don't want to have my own way. I want to seek of him a right way. and for our little ones and for our substance, for I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto the king, saying, the hand of our God is upon all of them for good that seek him, but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this, and he was entreated of us. He heard us.

Then I separated 12 of the chief of the priests, Sherebiah, Hashbiah, and 10 of their brethren with them and weighed unto them, the silver and the gold and the vessels, even the offering of the house of our God, which the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. And I weighed into their hand 650 talents of silver and silver vessels, a hundred talents of gold, a hundred talents, also 20 basins of gold of a thousand rams, two vessels of fine copper, precious as gold. And I said unto them, you are holy unto the Lord, the vessels are holy also, and the silver and the gold are the freewill offerings unto the Lord God of your fathers. Watch ye and keep them until you weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites and the chief of the fathers of Israel at Jerusalem in the chambers of the house of the Lord. So took the priests and the Levites the weight of the silver and the gold vessels to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God. thought of this as being, we bear great treasure in very weak vessels. And that's what these people wore. This pretty much gives the life of every believer. We have this treasure in earthen vessels. And that's certainly true here.

Then we departed, verse 31, from the river of Hava on the 12th day of the first month to go into Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us. And he delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait in the way. And we came to Jerusalem and abode there three days.

Now in the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Merimoth, the son of Uriah, the priest, and with him Eleazar, the son of Phinehas. With him was Joseph Bad, son of Jeshua, and Noediah, the son of Menuhi, Levites. By number and by weight of every one, all that weight was written at that time. Also, the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the Lord God of Israel. Twelve bullocks of all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve He goes for a sin offering. All this was a burn offering unto the Lord, and they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants and the governors on this side of the river, and they furthered, they exalted, they glorified the people and the house of God by bringing in all of this.

Now, we sought of him a right way. Now, way is the distance between point A and point B. We sought of him a right way. Jesus Christ, the Lord, is the right way to God. You know, somebody would think, I already know that. Do you now? This is something we're in awe of at all times. Jesus Christ being the way to God. It's not just useful information we stack back behind us, but He is all at all times the right way to God, the only way to God.

He said in John chapter 14 verse 6, I am the way. He's the way that excludes All other ways, all other religions are false. There's no truth in them. All denominations within so-called Christianity that does not clearly set forth Christ as the only way to God is false and evil. He said, no man cometh to the Father but by me. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Now here's my question. Do I really believe that? Is that stamped in my soul? That Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Now let me give you some ways he's called the way. He's called the way of the Lord.

In Isaiah chapter 40, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight. The rough place is plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. The mouth of the Lord is spoken, and He is the way of the Lord.

There is no other way. He's called The way of God, as opposed to the way of men. The way of God. He said, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heaven are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. He's the way of God, as opposed to the way of any man. In Acts chapter 16, verse 17, he's called the way of salvation. Salvation. What a glorious word to a sinner saved by grace.

We were singing either tonight or this morning, not have I gotten, but what I received, grace hath bestowed it. Since I have believed, boasting excluded, pride I have based, I'm only a sinner saved by grace. I thought, that's my testimony. Only a sinner saved by grace. This is my story. To God be the glory. I'm only a sinner saved by grace. Salvation. Now, salvation, what do I need to be saved from? That's what it means. It means to be rescued. It means to be delivered. It means to be saved. You're down here and an invincible hand grabs you and brings you up. You're saved.

I need to be, first of all, saved from God himself. He's the one I've sinned against. and I need to be saved from him. He's the one who saves me from his own justice and wrath. I need to be saved from my sins. Those are my greatest enemies, my sins. Not your sins, my sins. Matthew 121, Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. And I need Him to save me from my sins. I can't save myself from my sins. I need Him to save me. You know, that's what His name means, Savior. He's the Savior. I need to be saved from myself, which is pretty much saying the same thing. I am my greatest enemy. I have no doubt about that. I am my greatest enemy. Nobody can compare to me being my greatest enemy. I need to be saved from myself. And he himself is salvation.

I love it when Simeon said, Lord, Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. It wasn't anything in him. He didn't find any peace. He didn't say, Lord, let me depart in peace because I'm this way or I'm not that way anymore. No, now I'm ready to depart in peace because mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Jesus Christ is God's salvation. He's called by Peter, the way of righteousness. The way I, a sinner, can stand perfectly righteous before God. What a way he is in that sense. The way of righteousness. standing before God as one who's never sinned.

I mean, the things that we believe in the gospel, they're amazing. Like I was, I was singing when we were singing that hymn, Christ liveth in me, Christ liveth in me. And I thought, how often do I sing that song without even thinking the power and the glory of it? Christ, the son of God lives in me. Paul said, I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. In me, in the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Right now, I am perfectly righteous before God, and He is the way of righteousness. He says there's no spot in me, no sin. Oh, Paul said in Romans 1, 16 and 17, I'm not ashamed of the gospel.

For it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for therein in the gospel is the righteousness of God revealed. Yes, the mercy of God is revealed. Yes, the grace of God is revealed, but that's not what Paul says. He says in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, how he can be utterly, completely righteous and embrace me as a righteous man. Oh, this is the way of righteousness. Several times we read, he is the way of peace.

Romans 5, 1, therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God's at peace with me. God's satisfied with me. God's not mad at me. I'm accepted in the beloved. You know, I quoted that scripture just a couple of minutes ago. Now let us, thou by servant, depart in peace. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Oh, the peace that is in Christ Jesus. Glory to God in the highest on earth, peace. Goodwill toward men, peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.

I love Acts chapter 11. It's either Acts chapter 10 or Acts chapter 11 when Peter is giving a summary of everything they preached. They came preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. Now you want to talk about a great two-point message? Peace by Jesus Christ. You can spend the rest of your life talking about that. And that one from whom we have peace, he's Lord of all, Lord of creation, Lord of demons, Lord of believers, Lord of unbelievers, Lord of all. What a glorious Savior. Peace by Jesus Christ. The gospel is actually called the gospel of peace. Listen to this scripture, Romans chapter 15, verse 13, the God of hope, fill you.

With all joy and peace in believing, Ephesians 2.14 says, He is our peace.

Colossians 1.20, having made peace through the blood of His cross. The moment He died, peace was made. by Him to reconcile all things to Himself. By Him, I say, whether it be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were before times alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy, unblameable, unreprovable, in his sight." That gives me peace. If that's how I am before God, in his sight, holy, nothing to blame me for, nothing to reprove me for, what peace there is.

He's also called the narrow way. Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. Now this gate is so straight. The Lord Jesus is the gate. but this gate is so straight, so narrow, so constricted that if you have anything other than Christ alone, you can't get through. Now, be assured of that. If you have anything other than Christ alone, you can't get through that gate. And the way is just as narrow. If you have anything other than Christ alone right now, present tense, you're not gonna be able to walk along that road. You'll fall off. There's only enough room for you to have Christ only. If you think, well, I'm gonna take my good works and my evidences and my experiences, don't take them. They won't do you any good. They'll make you fall off the road. Christ is the narrow way.

And I love Hebrews chapter 9, 8, where he's called the way into the holiest. The holiest. is the very presence of a thrice holy God, who is of two pure eyes to behold iniquity. Christ is the way into the holiest. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 20. I'll never say enough about this as I ought to say, But in Hebrews 10, verse 20, he's called the new and living way.

Now the word new means freshly slaughtered. He's always that. That happened 2,000 years ago. As far as that goes, it happened before time again. But yet he's called the freshly slaughtered way. Now, let me give some significance to that. How many sins have you committed that you've committed over and over and over and over again? And you'd think, seems like the Lord at some point would say, that's enough. I can see why he would say that in my reasoning.

But the blood of Christ is always poignant and new and powerful before the Father. And His blood never gets old. Accepted because of that blood. The living way. Living as opposed to dead, how powerful is this way to God, this right way, this righteous way, the living way into the very presence of God. I'm not bringing my dead works, I'm bringing Him who lives. I'm looking to Him who lives. And I love to think of His blood being always powerful to the Father, always poignant, always new. I like what Martin Luther said, I preach the gospel as if Christ died yesterday, came back today, and is coming back again tomorrow. It's always new.

And then he's called, in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, the more, in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, I mean, the more excellent way. Oh, he is the more excellent way. Paul called him this in Acts chapter 24. He said, after the way which they call heresy. And you know, most folks would call what we believe heresy. After the way that they call heresy, so worship I, the God of my fathers, believing all things which were written in the law and in the prophets.

And he's called in 1 Peter 2, verse 2, the way of truth. All other ways are lies. He himself is the way of truth. And I can come into the very presence of God truly because he is the truth. And I might be all aware of all kinds of problems with me, I always am, but he is the truth. He's the truth of who God is. He's the truth of who I am. He's the truth of how I can come into God's presence. He is the right way. And he was seeking a right way.

That word right, upright, straight, just, meet, well, the way of holiness. Anything that is not this way is the way of uncleanness. Now let's go back to Ezra chapter eight, verse 21. Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava. Now, if I'm going to go the right way, I'm going to get rid of everything according to the flesh. That's what this fast is about.

Self-denial. No help comes from self. Now, if you want to fast and go without eating for 10 days, good. I hope you can. But understand this. Fasting means self-denial. That's the point behind fasting. Every time I fast, I'm denying myself, I'm denying righteous self, denying everything to do with self. That's what self-denial is.

I proclaim to fast at the river of Hava that we might afflict ourselves, humble ourselves before God to seek of Him a right way. for us and for our little ones and for all our substance. Verse 31, then we departed from the river of Ahava on the 12th day of the first month to go unto Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us that are going in this right way. And he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and of such as lay in wait by the way. Thank God for the right way, Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Lord how we thank you for our way to you that it's our son and Lord our greatest desire upon this earth by your grace is that we might be found in him our way and be in your very presence accepted and beloved because we're in him. And Lord, give us the faith of Israel where we would not want to do anything that would be contrary to Christ being the only way to you, the way of God. Bless us for Christ's sake. Have your hand upon us just as you did these people so many years ago. Enable us to preach your gospel in this generation. Bless us for Christ's sake. In his name we pray, amen.

A Right Way

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