Nothing In Common

Q: What does the Bible say about cooperation with false religions?

The Bible warns against cooperating with those who mix false gods with the worship of the true God. In Ezra 4, the adversaries of Judah sought to cooperate with the Israelites in rebuilding the temple, claiming they served the same God. However, Zerubbabel and Joshua firmly rejected their offer, emphasizing that they had nothing in common. This rejection was not based on prejudice, but on a critical distinction between true worship and false. The enemies practiced a form of pluralism, acknowledging the living God while also serving their own gods. The biblical text teaches that the worship of Jehovah cannot coexist with false worship; adherence to God's truth must be absolute. Such cooperation would dilute the integrity of worship and compromise the truth of the gospel.

Q: How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

God's sovereignty is affirmed throughout Scripture, revealing His control over all aspects of creation. The sovereignty of God is a foundational doctrine within Reformed theology. It is evidenced by God's orchestration of events throughout history, as seen in the story of Ezra where He stirs the heart of King Cyrus to fulfill His promise of restoration for Israel. God's sovereignty extends over individuals, nations, and even the plans of adversaries aiming to thwart His will. This is crucial for understanding salvation—it is by His electing grace and divine will that believers are redeemed, not by human effort. Key scriptures such as Romans 8:28-30 affirm that God works all things for the good of those who love Him, showcasing His sovereignty in the lives of His people.

Q: Why is grace alone important for Christians?

Grace alone signifies salvation as a gift from God, apart from human works or merit. The doctrine of grace alone emphasizes that salvation is entirely based on God's grace and not on human effort or works. This teaching is critical in Reformed theology, reflecting the apostolic teachings that salvation is a gift received by faith alone. The mixing of grace with works undermines the sufficiency of Christ's atonement, suggesting that human actions contribute to salvation, which is a deviation from the gospel. Ephesians 2:8-9 clarifies that it is by grace we are saved, through faith, and not by works, so that no one can boast. This underscores the believer's total reliance on Christ's finished work and God's unmerited favor.

me. Todd's Road Grace Church would like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at 9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services. For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert.

Question. Can people who believe differently unite together under the same cause? Now that is answered in the book of Ezra. I want to remind you that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. These historical books in the Old Testament are given to teach us of the gospel. They're inspired by God. They are eternal.

In the book of Ezra, we have the story of the children of Israel who had been sent into Babylon because of their disobedience. Actually, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther cover that 70-year period when the children of Israel are taken out of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar comes in and sacks it, burns the temple, burns down the walls and the entire city is left in ruins, and the children of Israel are transported into the land of Babylon for 70 years.

Now, Jeremiah said that after a 70-year period, the Lord would bring them back to Jerusalem, and there was a king of Persia named Cyrus that was used to do this, and he was prophesied of in the book of Isaiah 200 years before this took place. God said he would stir up the heart of Cyrus, and that is indeed what happened. God stirred up the heart of Cyrus, king of Persia, and he was moved to send the children of Israel back to Jerusalem. And nearly 50,000 people went back to Jerusalem to build the temple and to rebuild the walls.

Now that is what is taking place, and we read in the book of Ezra, chapter 4, now when the adversaries The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built the temple unto the Lord God of Israel. Now, before I go on reading, who were these enemies? They were people who were living in Jerusalem at the time. And when the children of Israel were sent back from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild, they were the enemies of the children of Israel.

Now, who are they? You can read about these people in 2 Kings 17. Verse 24, and the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthath, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and he names all these different places he brought them from, and brought them into Jerusalem, and they possessed the city. They were transplanted. They exchanged places with the children of Israel.

Verse 25, and it was at the beginning of their dwelling there that they feared not the Lord. They had no knowledge of the living God. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them. Now can you imagine how terrifying that would be to be in a community where lions were coming in and killing people? You'd be afraid to go out the door. When therefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, the nations which thou hast removed and placed in the cities of Samaria know not the manner of the God of the land.

See, they thought God was a regional God. He was the God of that land. They didn't know He was the living and true God, the only God. And therefore hath He sent lions among them, and behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.

Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom you brought from thence, one of the true Levitical priests, and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. So they sent this priest to teach the people about the sacrifices, the worship of God, and so on.

And it says after this teaching, they feared the Lord and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places for sacrifice to different gods. Verse 33, it says they feared the Lord and served their own gods. Verse 41 of the same chapter says, so these nations feared the Lord and served their raven images. Now, the word I would like you to think about is the word and. They feared the Lord and. served their false gods.

They had a pluralistic religion. They believed there was truth in both religions, something to take out of both. They had no problems with scriptures and they had problem with the scriptures alone. They had no problem with Christ and they had problem with Christ alone.

Now these people were the adversaries of the children of Israel that were brought back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the walls which Nebuchadnezzar had torn down. Now let me read this verse again. Now when the adversaries, these people who feared God and served their own gods, they had a pluralistic religion, they thought there was truth in different religions, they denied the exclusive worship of Jehovah only. They had both. They were like the people hopping between two opinions, halting between two opinions. They thought there was truth in both.

Now, when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel, then they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief of the fathers and said unto them, let us build with you. We want to collaborate. We want to cooperate. We want to be involved in this building. Let us build with you. They were enemies, yet they wanted to join forces.

Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do, and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, which brought us up hither. Now they're referring to what took place in 2 Kings 17 that I just told you of. They say, we worship the same God you do, ever since that priest came down and taught us how to worship Him. We participate in sacrifices just like you. We have the same goal. We have the same objective. Let us build this temple and this wall with you. Let us participate.

Now, it wasn't because they had any fear of the living God. They were enemies of Judah and Benjamin and Israel, and in reality, they wanted to hinder this work. That's why they wanted to join forces with them, because we find out in verses 4 and 5, after they were rejected and they refused to let them do this, then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah. They said, let us cooperate, but when they refused them, they tried to weaken their hands, and they troubled them in building. And they hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even into the reign of Darius king of Persia."

Now, that covers a 16-year period. During that time when the children of Israel were trying to build the temple and rebuild the walls. They were harassed. They were troubled. They did everything they could to keep this from taking place, even hiring counselors and orators to speak against the children of Israel. Now, let's notice the answer of Zerubbabel and Joshua, the Israelites.

They came and they said, we want to build these God, this wall's with you. We worship the same God you do. We're on the same plane. We have the same objectives. We want to work together. We have the objections of the salvation of men. That's our purpose. Let us work with you.

Verse three, but it's irrevable. And Joshua and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel said unto them, you have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God, but we ourselves together will build it unto the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus, king of Persia, hath commanded us. Now they're saying, we do not want your help. The answer is no, we have nothing in common.

Now I can remember when I first read that passage of scripture, I thought, that almost seems prejudice. Us Jews are not gonna let you non-Jews help out. It almost seems non-inclusive. It seems bigoted. It seems mean-spirited. It seems narrow-minded and closed-minded. We've got our way and we're not going to have anything to do with you. Now, is that what was going on? Were they just being prejudiced for the Jews and didn't want help from anybody else? Is that what was going on at this time?

No. The issue is law and grace. The issue is works or faith. When you have grace and, and that's what these people had, they acknowledge truth in the Jews' religion, we sacrifice like you do, and they serve their other gods. You see the introduction of and. We believe grace, but if we believe grace and, we do not believe grace at all. There's actually an infinite difference between these two people, and they're seen in verses two and three.

Now, the enemies of the children of Israel said, we seek your God as you do. We're on the same page. We seek your God as you do. But the children of Israel said, You have nothing to do with us to build us a house unto our God, but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us." They had a generic God. We have the Lord God of Israel.

Now, His name is so important, Lord. If you have a King James version of the scriptures, you'll see the word capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. That always is the way the translators translate Jehovah. or Yahweh, however it should be pronounced. But this is the God of Israel, Jehovah, or Yahweh.

Now his name, this is his personal name, the name he's given himself. There's none like him. This name comes out of the name, I am that I am. Do you remember when Jesus Christ said, if you believe not that I am, you'll die in your sins? Jesus Christ is the great I am that I am. What a name. Not I was, not I would be. Not a could be, not a will be, not a should be. I am. That I am speaks of God's is-ness. It recognizes all of His attributes. I am that I am. And Jehovah is taken out of that name. That's where the name comes from. Jehovah means the self-existent one.

He's the independent God who has no needs. He's self-dependent, self-sufficient. God exists from himself and is dependent on nothing outside of himself. And all of his attributes come from his self-existence or his independence. He has no needs. Because he is self-existent, he's sovereign. His will must be done. He doesn't wait to see if something happens before His will can take place. He's all-powerful. He's absolutely sovereign. He's absolutely just. He's all-wise. All of His glorious attributes come out of His self-existence.

Jehovah, the Lord, God, Elohim, God in the plural, a singular God in the plural as the original states it, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Jehovah the Father, Jehovah the Son, Jehovah the Holy Spirit, the three gods in one, the God of Israel. He's the God of the elect, His chosen people.

That is how they identified the God they preached, and they said, you're not preaching this God. We have nothing in common. Your God is a little God, a false God, a generic God. Our God is the Lord God of Israel, the God of heaven and the God of the earth. We have absolutely nothing in common. Now, these people believed in God and. I love what are known as the watchword of the Reformation, and really that's a poor title for it because these were eternal truths before the Protestant Reformation ever took place.

Scriptures alone. Not scriptures and, scriptures alone. Christ alone, not Christ and, Christ alone. Grace alone, not grace and, grace only. Faith alone, not faith and, faith only. The glory of God alone, not the glory of God and, but the glory of God alone. Now these people were okay with the scriptures. As long as you didn't say, the Scripture is the only source of divine truth and all other supposedly divine books are false and evil, the Scriptures alone, we look nowhere else but to what God's Word says. Christ alone, not Christ and, not Christ and your sincerity, not Christ and your experience, not Christ and your works, Christ alone, grace alone, not grace and.

I'm saved because of the grace of God alone, because of His electing grace. By His choice, He chose me to salvation. That begins with Him. Christ's effectual atonement. Why am I saved? Well, somebody says, well, because Christ died for me and, and I believed, and I did this or I did that. No. The only reason I'm saved is because Christ died for me, the blood of Christ alone, the effectual blood of Christ.

These people had introduced and, and they said, we're not going to have anything to do with this. We're going to build this alone. Now, this shows how truth and error can't walk together. How can two walk together except they be agreed?" Now, these people wanted to water down the message. That is why they wanted to cooperate. Now, I think it's very interesting.

In verse 5, it says, they hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, even to the reign of Darius of Persia. And they wrote a letter to the king of Babylon, or Persia, or Syria, these kingdoms. Let me read you this letter they wrote. Verse 11, This is the copy of the letter they sent unto him, saying unto Artaxerxes the king, Thy servants, the men on this side of the river, and in such a time be it known unto the king that the Jews which came up from thee to us are coming to Jerusalem, building the rebellious and bad city. That's what they call Jerusalem, the rebellious and bad city.

"...and have set up walls thereof, and joined their foundations. Be it known now unto the king, that if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, they'll not pay toll." They'll not pay you your taxes. They'll not pay you your tribute. You're hurting yourself if you let this happen, because they're a rebellious and a bad city. They'll build these walls and keep you out, and you won't get your taxes. And so thou shalt have damaged the revenue of the kings. All you're doing is hurting yourself if you let them build this wall.

Now, because we have maintenance from the king's palace, it was not need for us to see the king's dishonor. Therefore, have we sent and certified the king. That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers, so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces. And they've moved sedition within the same of old time, for which cause this city was destroyed. There was a reason this city was destroyed, because they're divisive.

They don't follow our customs. They won't submit to our gods. They're rebellious. They think their way is the only way. Don't let this place come up. We certify the king that if this city be built again, the walls there have set up. By this means thou shalt have no portion on this side of the river. You will not get taxes from them. If you go on reading in this chapter, the king read this and saw that it was true.

They had a past. They had kings like David and Solomon and Hezekiah that were mighty kings and would destroy nations. I think of the one scripture with regard to David, the fear of David came upon every nation. At one time, David was the most powerful man in the world. And Israel was the most powerful kingdom in the world.

And he's saying, if you let them build these walls, and put back up this temple, you'll have the same mess on your hands. You'll have these powerful kings." So he ordered the building to cease. Verse 23, now, when the copy of the King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehom and Shemshi, the scribe and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews and made them to cease by force and power. They brought armies in to cause them to stop this building. Now God had ordained that this building go up, the walls go up, the temple go up.

God's purpose cannot be frustrated. It's also true that there was nothing but opposition. 15 years of opposition and the children of Israel stopped for 15 years building this building. They shouldn't have. As we're going to see, they shouldn't have had, but they stopped. You know, preaching the gospel is never easy. There will always be opposition.

Now, I would like to read a passage of scripture from the New Testament that just mirrors this. Acts chapter 24. And after five days, Ananias, as the high priest, descended with the elders and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul. This is just like back then. They hired him an orator to represent them to go against the preaching of Paul.

And when he was called, listen to the way this man speaks. When he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence. See how he's sucking up to him. He's really trying to butter him up. We accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness, notwithstanding that I be not further tedious unto thee. I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency." A few words. For we have found this man, speaking of Paul, a pestilent fellow.

He's a pest. He's a disease. He's a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world. The same thing they accused in Ezra chapter four of the Jews rebuilding the temple. They cause insurrection, they cause sedition. They don't bring people together, they separate people. He's a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, who hath gone about to profane the temple, whom we took and would have judged according to our law. But the chief captains, Lysias, came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, commanding his accuser to come unto thee, by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge, and all these things wherein we accuse him. And the Jews also sinned, saying that these things were so. They said, we agree with everything he's saying. Then Paul.

After the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself, because that thou mayest understand that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship.

And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man," this is what they're accusing him of, neither raising up the people, Causing a riot neither in the synagogue nor in the city, neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. All their accusations are false, but this I confess to thee. I plead guilty here, that after the way which they call heresy, a sect, error, so worship I. The issue here is worship. So worship I, the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law. and in the prophets. Now they were accusing Paul of what the people of the land were accusing the people who returned to Jerusalem as, movers of sedition, division, rebellious, bad. Paul says they can't prove any of that stuff against me that they're accusing me of, but I will confess to being guilty here. The way, which they call heresy, that's how I worship God. believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets." Now, let's consider this word, the way, the way they call heresy.

Jesus Christ said, I am the way. I am the way that excludes all other ways. I am the way to the Father. No man comes to the Father but by me. You can't get to the Father any other way except for me. You see, He's the way of truth. Everything else is a lie. It doesn't contain any truth at all. He is the way of peace. The only way God can be at peace with me is if Christ makes my peace with God.

Colossians 1.20 says, having made peace by the blood of His cross. You see, sin must be punished. God's righteous. God's just. He must punish sin. On an earthly sense, if we had a judge who just forgave law-breaking and let the people go and didn't punish them, why, he'd be an unjust judge. The law would be meaningless. God is just. He must punish sin. God, in His infinite grace, took the sins of God's elect and laid them upon Christ so that He became guilty of those sins. And He punished Christ. Christ bore the wrath of God in the room instead of His people.

And by His blood, He made peace. God is now at peace with me. He has nothing against me because there's nothing to be against me for. I have no sin. Christ put it away. He's the way of righteousness. The only righteousness there is that God will accept is the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ. His righteousness is the only righteousness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags, according to Isaiah. Oh, what peace I have by knowing that the righteousness of Christ, that perfect obedience and law-keeping of Christ that he worked out is my righteousness before God. Now, he is the way of grace, not works, but grace.

Oh, the way that they say this way is heresy. Well, it's heretical to say that your salvation has absolutely nothing to do with your works. It's wholly because of what somebody else did. Why, that'll lead people to sin, that'll lead people to indifference, to say salvation is all of grace. Why, you're not leaving any people any motive to work and be good and so on. That's heretical. After the way they call heresy, so worship I, the God of my Father.

You know what worship is? It's looking to Christ only. Only then do I worship God, having Christ as the only way. If I don't have Christ as the only way, I really have no worship of God. I have no respect or fear of God. I have no reverence for God. I think he's a lot like I am, and I can understand him, and I can reach out to him, and I can get him to do things. That's because we don't know who he is. But if I ever have the fear of God, I will look to Christ only as the only way to God that excludes all other ways. But this I confess unto thee, that after the way they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets."

There is no blending of truth and error. There is no mixing of grace and works. They have nothing in common. So when Zerubbabel and Joshua replied to them when they said, let us work with you. We believe the same God you do. They said, you have nothing to do with us. Now may God give you and I discernment to know what is of God and what is merely of man. Lord have mercy on us. To receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your request to todd.neibert at gmail.com or you may write or call the church at the information provided on the screen.

Nothing In Common

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What does the Bible say about cooperation with false religions?

How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

Why is grace alone important for Christians?

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About Todd Nibert

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Nothing In Common

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about cooperation with false religions?

How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

Why is grace alone important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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