1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:09,240 Ezra Chapter 5 In our first Bible study of 2026, we will be 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,600 exploring something unique. We will be looking into a copy 3 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:19,200 of a letter written by some governors from the Persian 4 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:27,600 Empire who had oversight over the Judean province, reaching 5 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,480 out to the king of the Persian Empire known as Darius, at this 6 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:36,040 point, reporting on the rebuilding of the temple in 7 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,160 Jerusalem. And this letter makes up most of 8 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:42,960 Ezra chapter 5. And it reveals what the governor 9 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:48,680 beyond the river shared with King Darius, expressing concern 10 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:51,080 about this renewed interest in the House of God. 11 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,960 And now we have to remember something because we had a 12 00:00:54,960 --> 00:01:00,040 little bit of a pause from our last study. 16 years had passed 13 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:06,240 since the people laid down the foundation of the temple and 14 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,600 gave zero attention to it from that point on. 15 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,080 And the reason for that was due to some opposition and eventual 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,800 distraction. But through the ministry of two 17 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:20,400 prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, the hearts of the people were 18 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,000 stirred as they preach the word of the Lord to them, and the 19 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,360 work of the temple began once more. 20 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,040 And there was such momentum behind that that it actually 21 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,880 gained the attention of the political authorities. 22 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,080 Now, at first glance, if you look at verse 6 down to verse 23 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:39,800 17, that's the letter right there. 24 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,160 One might wonder why the Holy Spirit saw fit to include this 25 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:49,200 report in Scripture. I mean, what value does this 26 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:55,240 document written by a man named Tatani sharing with a Gentile 27 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:58,760 king have to offer us as followers of Jesus Christ today? 28 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,520 And what we have here is yet another example that whenever we 29 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,680 encounter a passage of Scripture that seems unhelpful, 30 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,600 irrelevant, maybe insignificant, to remember the words of the 31 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,960 Apostle Paul who said all Scripture is breathed out by God 32 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:23,440 and is profitable. All Scripture is profitable, 33 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:28,040 including this executive document written by a Gentile 34 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:33,000 governor to a Gentile king. Today, by the grace of God, we 35 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,760 will benefit from this, and we'll begin to do so by reading 36 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,080 it in its entirety. And so I hope you have a Bible 37 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:40,960 with you. I hope you own a Bible and you 38 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,880 bring it with you to church. Let's read from Ezra 5-6 down 39 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:49,160 through 17. This is a copy of the letter 40 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,600 that Tatanai, the governor of the province beyond the river, 41 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,280 and Shatar Bazani and his associates, the governors who 42 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:00,040 were in the province beyond the river, sent to Darius the king. 43 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,800 They sent him a report in which was written as follows. 44 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,000 To Darius the king. All peace be it known to the 45 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,200 king, that we went to the province of Judah, to the House 46 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,000 of the great God. It is being built with huge 47 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,040 stones, and timber is laid in its wall. 48 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,160 In the walls. This work goes on diligently and 49 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:23,080 prospers in their hands. Then we asked those elders and 50 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:27,680 spoke to them thus, who gave you a decree to build this house and 51 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,320 to finish the structure? We also asked them their names 52 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,240 for your information, that we might write down the names of 53 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,840 the leaders, and this was their reply to us. 54 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,240 We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are 55 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,520 rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a 56 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:45,440 great king of Israel built and finished. 57 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,840 But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he 58 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,080 gave them to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon 59 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,280 the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the 60 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,320 people to Babylonia. However, in the first year of 61 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,720 Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this 62 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,480 House of God should be rebuilt. And the gold and silver vessels 63 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:06,960 of the House of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of 64 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,840 the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of 65 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,320 Babylon. The Cyrus the king took out of 66 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,640 the temple of Babylon. And they were delivered to one 67 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:18,160 whose name was Shesh Bazaar, whom he had made governor. 68 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:21,720 And he said to him, Take these vessels, go and put them in the 69 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,200 temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the House of God be rebuilt 70 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,800 on its site. Then this Shesh Bazaar came and 71 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,920 laid the foundations of the House of God that is in 72 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,080 Jerusalem. And from that time until now it 73 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,280 has been in building, and it is not yet finished. 74 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,920 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in 75 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,240 the royal archives there in Babylon to see whether a decree 76 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,920 was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this House of 77 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,080 God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his 78 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:55,040 pleasure in this matter. Let's pray together, Father. 79 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,840 We sang a precious, powerful truth that is found throughout 80 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:04,080 the word that your blood contains a double cure, that it 81 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,560 can save a man from eternal wrath and at the same time save 82 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,840 him from impurity, from corruption, from pollution. 83 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:15,760 And we pray, Lord, being justified by your blood, forever 84 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,640 sealed by the Holy Spirit, that you would continue to save us by 85 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:24,440 purging us and washing us and sanctifying us. 86 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:29,080 We pray that these verses and how we expound them and how we 87 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,560 hear them would be a means of that grace, that we would know 88 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:36,160 greater purity in your sight, a greater purity in our hearts, to 89 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,360 your glory and to our good. In Jesus name we pray these 90 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:40,960 things. Amen. 91 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,440 What a unique passage. And I believe that if we 92 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,600 consider it as a whole, if we get a bird's eye view of it, 93 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:53,840 there emerges at least three key truths that we can benefit from. 94 00:05:55,440 --> 00:06:00,960 The first thing is that this text validates how our faith is 95 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,840 deeply rooted in history. The Bible is very generous and 96 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:11,240 expansively mentions kingdoms and emperors and people, groups 97 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,960 and administrators and officers by name. 98 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:19,480 And they are, in many cases, confirmed by archaeology. 99 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:25,000 What you and I have before us is a book that makes claims, yes, 100 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,480 that provides references, absolutely. 101 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,480 But they align with reality. They are true. 102 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,680 They can be verified. These are not myths. 103 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:41,320 These are not just stories. This is actual accounts that 104 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:45,160 have legitimate grounds and are reliable. 105 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:48,400 I'm not sure if you know this, but I think of the Book of 106 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:52,360 Mormon, for example. That book makes many, many 107 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,240 references to civilizations and rivers and lakes and mountains 108 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:02,400 and plains, especially in the ancient Americas that have never 109 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,920 ever, ever been discovered, that have no reference, that have 110 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:11,800 never actually been identified. That book has many other 111 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,400 problems, but it pales in comparison to what we have here. 112 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:17,480 This this book that contains robust discoveries and 113 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:22,360 consistent with historical accounts that support the the 114 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:26,760 scriptural narrative. So here we have an an actual 115 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:33,840 snapshot of two officials corresponding and their names 116 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,320 are actually something that you can see outside of the Bible, 117 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,720 and they're in our Bible. Secondly, by wages of 118 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,240 observation from a bird's eye perspective, this text here 119 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:51,280 reminds us that on every level and in every setting, God is 120 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:55,720 thoroughly aware of what takes place and he's always working on 121 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:59,720 behalf of his people. Look back at Ezra 5 verse 5 for 122 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:01,480 a moment. There's an interesting comment 123 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,240 made by the Holy Spirit where we're told that the eye of their 124 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,160 God was on the elder of the Jews. 125 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:12,680 This was this was something that was provided in connection to 126 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,120 this investigation that was taking place from the Persian 127 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:19,320 Empire, that God's eye was on his people. 128 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,160 And that's a remark about the Lord's protective oversight, his 129 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,960 watchful care over those who belong to him. 130 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,840 And it is something that we encounter right before we are 131 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,080 introduced to this letter. Meaning what? 132 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,840 That any conversation that is held about or conspiracies that 133 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:41,400 are made against those who belong to our God never escapes 134 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:45,440 God's notice. He is vigilant. 135 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,760 He is someone who takes all things into account, He's 136 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,960 constantly surveying and supervising and is sovereign. 137 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,680 And that should bring us to tremendous comfort because the 138 00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:00,120 position of the Jews at this time is something that we can 139 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,800 relate to as a church in the West. 140 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:07,640 We too live in a time we we live in an era under governmental 141 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:11,480 powers that, should they choose, can meddle and interfere with 142 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,640 our efforts. However, the outcome of this 143 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:17,280 letter, as we're about to discover, is that these 144 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,040 authorities are ultimately subject to a heavenly 145 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:23,960 jurisdiction, one that ultimately orchestrates 146 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:25,440 everything for the good of his people. 147 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,000 So here you have Tatani speaking with the King Darius. 148 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,160 And perhaps they are very unaware of the fact that God is 149 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:34,920 the one who has his eye over all of this, and he's going to 150 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,320 determine the end no matter what they decide, for the sake of his 151 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:42,080 people. Finally, I think this letter 152 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:47,600 gives believers across all ages insight, rich wisdom of how we 153 00:09:47,680 --> 00:09:52,400 can and must relate to government powers. 154 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:55,640 And that's where I wanted to spend most of our time this 155 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,040 evening. I want to consider from this 156 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:02,280 text at least 4 principles that each Christian must know and 157 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:09,120 adopt in relation to secular government, 4 insights that we 158 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:14,280 must grasp in order for us to be more complete and consistent in 159 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,960 our testimony and witness for Christ. 160 00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:21,160 So if you're a note taker, this will be especially helpful. 4 161 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:25,800 Principles of how a Christian should relate to secular 162 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:28,680 government. And the first point is pretty 163 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:32,520 straightforward. We must remember that all 164 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:37,760 governments are governed by God. You know, there is difference of 165 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,840 opinion here regarding Tatonized stance toward the Jews. 166 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,960 Was he among the adversaries of the people of Judah and Benjamin 167 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,400 that we learned about in Ezra chapter 4? 168 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:51,280 Was he hostile? Was he aggressive? 169 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,280 Did he hate them? Or was it someone that was more 170 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,080 neutral? Was he just a faithful officer 171 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,000 in the Persian Empire who just wanted to make sure that 172 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:05,400 everybody in his province was doing things legally and 173 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:07,400 appropriately and according to code? 174 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,840 Well, arriving at a conclusion becomes even more complex when 175 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:15,320 you compare the words of Tatani in his letter with that letter 176 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:20,520 that we read in Ezra chapter 4, where we see something about a 177 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:23,920 copy of a letter that was sent to Arctic Xerxes when a report 178 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:26,000 was made about the people rebuilding the city and its 179 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:27,680 walls, which would come at a later time. 180 00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:30,400 We're not going to look at that entire letter, but let's get an 181 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,560 idea and contrast what we find in this previous letter with the 182 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,200 one that we just read. Go to Ezra chapter 4, and I want 183 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,320 you to see it from verse 11 down to verse 13. 184 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:44,480 This is a copy of the letter that they sent. 185 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:50,000 That is the Samaritans to Artaxerxes, the king, your 186 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,800 servants, the men of the province beyond the river, send 187 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,280 greeting. And now be it known to the king 188 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,440 that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to 189 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,040 Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that 190 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:06,880 rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and 191 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:10,520 repairing the foundations. Now be it known to the king that 192 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:14,520 if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will pay no 193 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:19,000 tribute, custom or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 194 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:21,960 Would you agree that this is a much different tone than 195 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:24,760 Tatanize? Absolutely. 196 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,360 Perhaps the difference is enough to suggest that this man Tatani 197 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,200 was unbiased toward the Jews. He was just, again, trying to do 198 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:38,000 his job right. But I don't think it's that 199 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:39,840 simple. I think it gets, yet again, even 200 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,120 more complicated when we remember that comment that we 201 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,880 saw earlier in Ezra 55. Look at it again and notice what 202 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,840 we're told before this letter is granted to us. 203 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:54,360 Ezra 55 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, 204 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,440 and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius 205 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:01,120 and then an answer be returned by a letter concerning it. 206 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:04,400 Look at the second part of this. We looked at the first part, 207 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,360 that the eye of God was on the elders, but look at the second 208 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:07,560 part. What does this imply? 209 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,880 For the Holy Spirit to note that it was God's power that 210 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:16,040 restricted these officials from forcibly stopping the Jews from 211 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,600 building means that they would have done so if they could. 212 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,760 So yes, Tat and I and these other associates would have put 213 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,840 a stop to the work. But it was the eye of God that 214 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:30,000 hindered him. It was his invisible power. 215 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,240 So what do we do with all of this? 216 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,840 I mean, does it even matter? I think it does. 217 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:40,600 I think the best conclusion to make is that this man doesn't 218 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,920 seem to be neither viciously opposed to the Jews nor entirely 219 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:47,640 at ease with their expanding activity in this area. 220 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,560 He's much more civil than the ones who wrote that letter in 221 00:13:53,560 --> 00:13:57,280 Ezra chapter 4, no doubt, but he's not entirely comfortable 222 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:02,320 either. And this is what this means for 223 00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:05,000 us. No matter if a government is 224 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:11,520 totally favorable, partially favorable, or all right opposed 225 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:17,840 to the people of God, the Lord directs the affairs of His own. 226 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:23,400 It in no way diminishes his ability to intervene. 227 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:26,920 Doesn't matter if that government is pro Christian or 228 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:29,480 anti Christian. Doesn't matter if they praise 229 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,800 the church or hate the church. It doesn't matter what kind of 230 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:37,480 feelings those in power have towards the righteous. 231 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:45,960 None of that influences what God is capable of doing, and Paul 232 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,200 confirms this in Romans 13. You know this very well. 233 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:50,120 Let me just read the first verse of that chapter. 234 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,880 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for 235 00:14:54,880 --> 00:15:00,840 there is no authority except from God, and those that exist 236 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:06,040 have been instituted by God. No matter that form of 237 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,400 government, no matter who's in that position of power, no 238 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,760 matter what they do, whether it's good or evil or something 239 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:17,680 in between, God in His sovereignty elevates and 240 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:22,400 promotes and establishes these powers, and that will do us much 241 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,440 good. In fact, that's the foundation 242 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,680 for understanding these following three points to always 243 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,360 remember that no matter who is elected, no matter how policies 244 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,480 change, no matter what things are violated or things that are 245 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,720 promoted, all governments are governed by God Himself. 246 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:47,480 We come to the second point. We must strive as Christians to 247 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:52,960 be respectable citizens. Let's revisit the first words of 248 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,440 the response of the Jews when they were being approached by 249 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,400 these officials. Look at verse 11. 250 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,000 And this was the reply to us. We are the servants of the God 251 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,080 of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was 252 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,280 built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and 253 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:10,720 finished. But because our fathers had 254 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,360 angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of 255 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:15,800 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this 256 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,320 house and carried away the people to Babylonia. 257 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,840 You know, the Jews could have made this whole process a lot 258 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:26,080 more difficult for Tatani and the others, or they could have 259 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:30,680 expressed frustration and and been stubborn or rude, but but 260 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,520 no such thing exists. Instead, you actually get the 261 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:39,800 impression that they honor, they, they respect, they, they 262 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,800 actually comply with their wishes. 263 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,640 So there is no sense here that they ruined their testimony. 264 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:48,320 There's no sense here that they're ready to go to war. 265 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:54,280 They're easy to work with. They they have integrity, 266 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:57,440 they're firm, but but they are kind. 267 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,600 And it's an illustration of what our attitude should be towards 268 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:06,119 those who have been established above us in terms of 269 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,079 governmental powers, that we should be always be ready to 270 00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:13,560 meet the demands of those who are in such positions as long as 271 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,079 they don't ask us to violate any portion of Scripture. 272 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:22,040 Now, in his first epistle, the Apostle Peter addresses a wide 273 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,520 range of believers. He speaks about believers and 274 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,960 speaks to believers Dispersant, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, 275 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:30,040 Asia and Bithynia. I mean, they're, they're 276 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:33,920 everywhere. And like Paul, he gives them 277 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,720 instructions about how they should yield and how they should 278 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:42,080 daily posture themselves in light of these powers that 279 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:45,320 reside over them. But he actually gives them two 280 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:50,000 motivations to do so in humility. 2 Incentives, if you 281 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:54,480 would, for them to remain strong and steadfast in their testimony 282 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:57,960 before those who have such positions of power. 283 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:00,440 And I want you to be reminded of them with me today. 284 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:02,960 First, Peter chapter 2, verse 13. 285 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:13,720 Peter says be subject for the Lord's sake to every human 286 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:17,720 institution, whether it be to the emperor's supreme or to 287 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:22,160 governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to 288 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:27,440 praise those who do good. What was Peter's primary reason 289 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,000 here? Peter's primary reason is 290 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:33,160 presented in that first phrase there right after B, subject in 291 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,200 verse 13. For the Lord's sake, for the 292 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,640 Lord's sake. What an amazing statement to 293 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,880 make for the Lord's sake. So when you're tempted to cheat 294 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,760 on your taxes to be dishonest and you try to rationalize it 295 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,800 because you've seen the corruption of politicians on the 296 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:50,680 news, you even seen it first hand. 297 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:53,920 You know what the Holy Spirit's words to you and I are? 298 00:18:54,720 --> 00:19:00,560 Be honest for the Lord's sake. When you want to try to create 299 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:04,480 your own loopholes with any kind of ordinances or regulations of 300 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:08,960 various kinds, because you want to save yourself some some time 301 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:14,080 or maybe money, follow what's asked of you for the Lord's 302 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:20,560 sake, for the Lord's sake. That's, that's a very powerful 303 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:27,640 set of words because what Peter does is he invokes the personal 304 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,880 and relational dynamic of our faith to promote holiness in our 305 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,480 lives. You know, you and I are not 306 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:38,280 obeying, but we're asked to obey for the sake of our own creeds 307 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:44,000 or because we have a set of beliefs or, or the the ultimate 308 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,200 reason at this point with Peter is to do it because you love the 309 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:53,200 person of Christ and you're doing it for his smile, doing it 310 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,000 for his pleasure. You're doing it to bless him. 311 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:01,560 Ultimately, I think Peter emphasize that here because 312 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:05,400 there's little motivation to actually comply with governments 313 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:09,840 because they are weak and, and many times they're also evil and 314 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,320 and they pervert their own laws as well. 315 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,920 But you can take what Peter says here and apply it to any aspect 316 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,160 of your life. You will reach, and I will reach 317 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:22,240 new heights of holiness and we will remain strong in our 318 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:26,240 sanctification if we are constantly aware of this dynamic 319 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,960 of our relationship with God. It's personal. 320 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:35,720 He feels, He knows, He sees. My allegiance is not just to a 321 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:37,960 ministry. My allegiance is not just to a 322 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,960 set of convictions. It's to a person, do it for the 323 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,680 Lord's sake. So when you have that internal 324 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,000 struggle, when you're being pulled in One Direction by the 325 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,160 flesh, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to do this for 326 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:57,440 God, for the Lord himself. That's not the only motivation 327 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:58,840 he gives. Look at verse 15. 328 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:05,360 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you shouldn't 329 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:08,040 put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 330 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:12,040 That's in the same context. This is the will of God. 331 00:21:12,120 --> 00:21:15,480 It's God's will for you and I to be subject to these authorities. 332 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,480 But he expands on that. Peter's essentially saying do 333 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,760 not give the world another reason to question the validity 334 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:24,360 and the effectiveness of the gospel. 335 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:32,160 As followers of Christ, we must not become known as disorderly, 336 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:42,640 disruptive, or disrespectful. No, when people know that a 337 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,960 Christian is moving into the neighborhood, when a church is 338 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,320 entering into a community, they should have a sense that that 339 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,680 place, that region is going to prosper. 340 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,880 That there's going to be greater peace on those streets. 341 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,760 That there are people now that are going to have something to 342 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,480 offer, that are going to be a greater pleasure to work with. 343 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,840 Not to be rowdy, not to be arrogant, not to be stuffy. 344 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,720 Let's be dishonest, not to be cheap. 345 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,880 What Peter's concern here is that we would strip away a 346 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,840 protective layer from the Gospels. 347 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:27,240 Witness. Should we be careless in this 348 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,680 component of our walk with Christ? 349 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,560 That we're serious about all these other things, but when it 350 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:37,120 comes to laws and it comes to what's asked of us when it comes 351 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:41,040 to all these different things, that we just think that we walk 352 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:45,760 autonomously and we use biblical excuses to try to justify our 353 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:50,920 disconnect from society. If we're not careful, we can 354 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:52,840 actually do much more harm than good. 355 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:55,760 You know, I recently heard of a gentleman who had a Bible verse 356 00:22:55,760 --> 00:23:02,040 on his business logo and he was notorious in his county as a 357 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:05,240 road rager. So I'm, I'm getting this from 358 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:09,560 somebody that I know very well. And more than that, not only was 359 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,920 he known as a troublemaker, he has a Bible verse on his logo, 360 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:18,480 but he's actually notorious online because he's been picked 361 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,680 up by phone cameras for assaulting and verbally 362 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:27,120 attacking people on the roads. What a shame. 363 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:33,640 With all that being said, however, your respectability and 364 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:39,560 mine should never cause us to hide our convictions. 365 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,560 It should never cause us to be timid about our submission to 366 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,720 the greatest authority, God Himself. 367 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:49,240 The first thing that these Jews said when approached by these 368 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,920 governors was what we are, the servants of the God of heaven 369 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:56,640 and earth. I love that the reason why we do 370 00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:01,040 what we do is because we have this authority over us. 371 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:04,840 We are bound to something greater than anything in this 372 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:09,480 world. And as much as we we must 373 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:13,080 respect men and women in high positions, we should never be 374 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,520 intimidated by them. Should the opportunity arise, we 375 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,840 should actually present to them the gospel. 376 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:20,240 They need it just as much as any of us. 377 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,120 So the second point is that we must strive to be respectable 378 00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:26,120 citizens. That's exemplified by these 379 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:30,360 Jewish leaders. But we come to point #3 and that 380 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:35,560 is we must be good stewards of the freedoms and the rights 381 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:40,880 granted to us. So after sharing the biblical 382 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:47,360 directives that these Jews are complying with, they do 383 00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:49,840 something exceptional. I love what they do here in 384 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:55,560 verse 13. Let's read it again, however, in 385 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,520 the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a 386 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:02,280 decree that the House of God should be rebuilt, and the gold 387 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:04,640 and silver vessels of the House of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had 388 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:07,040 taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into 389 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,280 the temple of Babylon. The Cyrus the king took out of 390 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:12,080 the temple of Babylon and they delivered. 391 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:15,200 They were delivered to one whose name was Shesh Bazaar, whom he 392 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,320 had made governor. And he said to him, take these 393 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,880 vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and 394 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:24,280 let the House of God be rebuilt on its site. 395 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:28,000 What are they doing here? They are presenting the legal 396 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:34,400 justification for their actions. This endeavor is backed up by 397 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,840 the law. We have a decree to do this 398 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,320 ultimately from God. But I want to tell you that even 399 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:47,480 Cyrus signed off on this. And they continue to explain as 400 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:49,640 we just read and elaborate on this point. 401 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,760 But here's the lesson. Whenever God in his sovereignty 402 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:59,480 allows for governments to give his people, His church freedoms, 403 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,720 we have to seize those occasions, and we must take 404 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:07,920 advantages of such opportunities for the sake of the Gospel. 405 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,880 I fear that many Christians take their religious liberties here 406 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:17,160 in the West for granted, and I think one major reason for that 407 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,360 is because they failed to comprehend how, from the Old to 408 00:26:20,360 --> 00:26:25,040 the New Testament, serious minded ministers and followers 409 00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:30,400 of Christ knew how to make the most of such opportunities when 410 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:35,280 they arrived. Did you know that the Apostle 411 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:41,280 Paul repeatedly invoked his civil rights and expected the 412 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:47,280 government to honor them? He does this throughout the book 413 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:51,000 of Acts, not so that he can live a comfortable life, not so that 414 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,080 he can live a more prosperous life, but because he saw it as a 415 00:26:55,080 --> 00:27:02,400 tool to protect his ministry. You know, Paul not only knew the 416 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:06,280 law of God, he was very educated and informed about the law of 417 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:11,080 the land under Roman rule, and it helped him strategize with 418 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,400 the gospel. Let me give you one example. 419 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,840 So Paul was not a perfect man, and the Bible shows us that he 420 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:20,960 was an exceptional man, a remarkable man of God. 421 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:24,440 But on one occasion, him and his ministry partner Barnabas had a 422 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:30,640 feud on account of who? John Mark, and so they parted 423 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:35,240 ways. Does anybody remember who Paul 424 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:41,640 chose to replace Barnabas? Silas, Here's my question for 425 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:42,600 you. Why Silas? 426 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,600 We're introduced to Silas earlier in Acts 15. 427 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,720 He appears to us as a chief among the men among the 428 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:56,840 brothers, and he's sent with another man named Judas to go to 429 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,920 the church in Antioch to help with some affairs there. 430 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,640 A few verses later in Acts 15, we learned that Silas was a 431 00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,440 prophet and that's all we're really told of him before we 432 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:12,640 learned that Paul selects him as his ministry partners, 433 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,960 missionary partner in his next missionary tour. 434 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,120 But why Silas, especially when you consider the fact that he 435 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:24,440 has the same profile as Judas? Was it a personality thing? 436 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:29,160 Was it random? I want to give you, I think is 437 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,280 one clue to why I believe he selected Silas. 438 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:34,640 Would you like to know it? There's something that happened 439 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:38,840 with Paul and Silas and Philippi when they were unjustly beaten 440 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:40,720 and imprisoned by the magistrates. 441 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:43,240 And when the magistrates realized that they had 442 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,880 erroneously jumped to conclusions, they let these men 443 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:48,920 know you can go your way. Now we're sorry. 444 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:53,680 And Paul protests, and I want you to see what he says in Acts 445 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:57,480 16. Look at verse 37 and Acts 16. 446 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:11,680 But Paul said to them, they have Venus, publicly uncondemned men 447 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:17,960 who are Roman citizens and have thrown us into prison. 448 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:20,840 And do they now throw us out secretly? 449 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:23,960 No, Let them come themselves and take us out. 450 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:28,400 Is Paul being petty here? Is he just a little hurt and 451 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:29,800 bitter? So he wants to make a show of 452 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:35,000 this? No, Paul was publicly shamed. 453 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:36,920 Paul was publicly arrested and people knew that. 454 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:38,320 He came into town as a missionary. 455 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:39,720 That's the last site that people had. 456 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:44,000 So he says, look, you misjudge us, now you have to rectify and 457 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,600 you have to clean this up and you have to show the citizens 458 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,720 that were actually innocent men. So we're not going out secretly, 459 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:53,080 we're going to go out publicly. But notice verse 38. 460 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,120 The police reported these words to the magistrates and they were 461 00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:01,160 afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 462 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:02,280 Who's the they? Paul. 463 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:07,520 And who Silas? Could it be that Paul not only 464 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:12,600 took into account Silas's character and his gifting, but 465 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:17,760 that he was also a Roman citizen, which was a rare status 466 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:22,720 for someone of Jewish descent? Because he was a strategist, 467 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,520 because Paul was smart, he was wise. 468 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:29,240 He thought himself, this man will be of most benefit and most 469 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:34,000 profit to my trip to these places of Jewish descent, but 470 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,360 also, like me, carrying a Roman citizenship. 471 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:40,240 And look, we have an example here of how that came to be of 472 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:45,080 great help. And it reinforces for us that 473 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,280 believers should not consider it unspiritual. 474 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:52,240 It's not unimportant to make use of the freedoms and the rights 475 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:59,080 that we have in this country that we have access to that 476 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:02,520 benefit and shield the things that we want to do in God's name 477 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:06,520 and for God's glory. So let's, let's not be foolish. 478 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:12,160 Let's not be uninformed, let's seek to exercise and enjoy and 479 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:15,520 and really recognize these freedoms as a God-given thing. 480 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:17,240 They are. They're not separate. 481 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,880 Remember point #1 all governments are governed by God, 482 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:25,360 the tyrannical ones and even the ones like this beautiful nation 483 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:27,960 with all its faults. There has been no nation like 484 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:30,200 this nation that grants the church the freedoms that we 485 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:35,160 have. So let us be stewards of these 486 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:39,640 things, but we also have to consider this final thought. 487 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:46,800 We must do all things with integrity and honesty. 488 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,320 Go back to Ezra 5. I want you to consider the last 489 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:55,680 verse. After reporting what the Jews 490 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:58,760 had said, Tatani makes a request. 491 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:02,440 Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let's search be made 492 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:05,240 in the royal archives there in Babylon to see whether a decree 493 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:09,520 was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this House of 494 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,600 God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his 495 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:15,560 pleasure in this matter. There was a simple way to 496 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,400 discover and to validate the claims of these Jews. 497 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:23,760 Just look at the royal archives. Is there anything of Cyrus's 498 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:27,600 decrees that confirm what these claims are? 499 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:34,480 And in in just a few moments, it would either confirm the honesty 500 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,240 of these men or it would show that they were liars all along. 501 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:43,160 And this is something for us to see and emphasize. 502 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:44,880 I know this is similar to the second point of being 503 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:48,400 respectable citizens, but emphasizing it as a principle 504 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:53,120 for life will be for our good. What would happen if they lied? 505 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:58,000 We know that they didn't lie. But if they did lie, yeah, they 506 00:32:58,000 --> 00:32:59,120 would have gotten themselves in trouble. 507 00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,320 That, but they also would have tainted their testimonies. 508 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,240 Remember, they're still under the Old Covenant even in this 509 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,520 season and this chapter of redemptive history. 510 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:12,000 They have a calling from God to be a light to the nation's in 511 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:17,080 small ways and in big ways. And they're being investigated 512 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:22,840 now. And you and I should take this 513 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:24,720 and apply it in the following way. 514 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:31,360 We may have a past that, if explored objectively, would 515 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:37,280 speak out against us, but as Christians, you and I should 516 00:33:37,280 --> 00:33:42,040 strive to have and to maintain a clear conscience and a clean 517 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:47,160 record. In other words, if I were to be 518 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:52,920 investigated by authorities or by anything else, would there be 519 00:33:52,920 --> 00:34:01,240 sufficient evidence that would be worthy to expose me as a 520 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:06,160 fraud in one way or another? And I think that's a good 521 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:09,639 question to ask each of us at the start of this new year, that 522 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:15,120 where you are currently in your life, privately, publicly, if 523 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:21,159 there was to be probing in any facet of who you are, what you 524 00:34:21,159 --> 00:34:27,679 do, what would be confirmed? Will there be some things that 525 00:34:27,679 --> 00:34:32,040 you'd be embarrassed about, ashamed of, that would hurt your 526 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:37,800 witness? Or would it be confirmed that 527 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:45,120 there is a pattern of integrity, of honesty and of purity? 528 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:52,360 I want to let you know tonight that that lifestyle of being 529 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,679 totally unafraid of anybody discovering anything about you 530 00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:00,080 because you are walking in holiness is totally possible by 531 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:04,520 the grace of God. It's not some far fetched thing. 532 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:06,720 It's not something that's reserved for a few. 533 00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:08,640 It's something that each of us can access. 534 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:13,160 And what a what a relief it is to know that there is nothing to 535 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:15,440 hide in my life. Nothing. 536 00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:20,000 I understand that there's privacy. 537 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:21,320 I'm not talking about private matters. 538 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,200 I'm not talking about living a totally unwise, transparent 539 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:25,640 life. I'm talking, and I hope you 540 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:26,640 understand where I'm coming from. 541 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:30,280 I'm talking about somebody having access to your phone 542 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:33,800 password and you being totally OK with it because you have 543 00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:40,960 nothing to hide. I'm talking about you and I and 544 00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:43,160 how we do our business dealings. If somebody were to look at the 545 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:49,040 books, it would be clean. Not. 546 00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:51,920 Not so that people can pat you on the back and reward you for 547 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,760 the Lord's sake. For the Lord's sake. 548 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:00,160 These Jews are going to be investigated and they have no 549 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,720 worries. There's no resistance. 550 00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:04,680 There's no fight. There's they're not squirming 551 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:06,040 here. Yeah, yeah. 552 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:07,840 Here are our names. And here's the reason why we're 553 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:08,960 doing it. And you can check it out for 554 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:14,360 yourself. I mentioned Paul earlier of how 555 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:19,760 he was able to utilize his rights, but apart from Christ, 556 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:21,960 he is one of the greatest inspirations. 557 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,560 Regarding what I'm Speaking of in this fourth point, let's go 558 00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:27,080 to the final text before we close our time. 559 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:33,480 Go to Acts 25. Paul here is being investigated 560 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:37,360 in his own way. Accusations were made against 561 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:42,520 him by the Jewish leaders. And so he is now before Festus, 562 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:46,440 a Roman official. Look at Acts 25, verse 9. 563 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:52,800 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, Do 564 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:56,440 you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these 565 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:58,320 charges before me? Pause. 566 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:02,640 Why is Festus doing this? Because he's a politician and he 567 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:06,040 wants to make sure that he doesn't cause any problems with 568 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:08,080 the Jews. And so he knows that the Jews 569 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:10,600 want Paul to go to Jerusalem to be on trial. 570 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:12,200 Why? Because it would be a fair 571 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:14,760 trial? No, because there's an ambush 572 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:17,920 waiting for Paul. This is the context that they 573 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:23,360 want to assassinate Paul. Well, the Festus knows this or 574 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:25,760 not, it's not clear. But what is obvious is that he 575 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:29,080 is a politician. And so he says, do you want to 576 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:30,160 go to Jerusalem? Now? 577 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:31,560 Why isn't he enforcing it, though? 578 00:37:32,240 --> 00:37:34,280 Does anyone have the power to say you're going to go on trial 579 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:35,560 in Jerusalem? Do you know why? 580 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,280 Does anybody know why? He's a Roman citizen, That's 581 00:37:39,280 --> 00:37:43,120 why. And so he gives Paul the option, 582 00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:47,360 do you want to go to Jerusalem? Let's see what Paul says. 583 00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:49,160 Verse 10. But Paul said I'm standing 584 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:53,680 before Caesar's tribunal where I ought to be tried to the Jews. 585 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,480 I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 586 00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:00,160 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for 587 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:03,000 which I deserve to die. I do not seek to escape death. 588 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:06,480 But there's if there's nothing to their charges against me, no 589 00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:10,320 one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar. 590 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:17,200 One of the glories of owning a Roman citizenship is that you 591 00:38:17,400 --> 00:38:21,000 one would do a fair trial. That's why whenever Paul was 592 00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:25,040 beaten up and he said, hey, by the way, I'm a Roman citizen, 593 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:28,840 the reason why they panicked was because such authorities can get 594 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:33,240 in themselves in much trouble because they could not beat up a 595 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:36,920 Roman citizen unless it was first confirmed that they were 596 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:40,440 guilty of any crime. They had the right to a fair 597 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:45,360 trial, but more than that, they also had the right to appeal to 598 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:50,560 the highest courts in Rome. Any Roman citizen could say, I 599 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:52,880 want to go to the Supreme Court with my case, and that's what 600 00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:56,080 Paul is doing here. I appeal to Caesar. 601 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:00,800 So again, I just want to show you repeatedly in the book of 602 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:04,640 Acts, Paul is a steward of his civil rights. 603 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,680 He's not careless, he's not uneducated, he's not sloppy. 604 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:15,120 But look at his language here as he also appeals to his 605 00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:18,680 conscience. Verse 10 to the Jews, the last 606 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:24,760 part, I have done no wrong. And then he emphasizes this in 607 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:26,640 verse 11. If then I am a wrongdoer and 608 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:30,000 have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not 609 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:31,840 seek to escape death. Do you see what he's saying 610 00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:33,440 here? If I'm actually guilty and I 611 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:34,800 deserve the death penalty, kill me. 612 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:40,560 Kill me. I respect the law so much that 613 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:44,280 if I'm actually guilty, put my head on the chopping block and 614 00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:47,640 get rid of me. But he is so confident of his 615 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:50,640 innocence that he says I've done nothing wrong. 616 00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:54,520 You can look into it and he already says you know it very 617 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:55,320 well. There. 618 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:59,080 There is no substance to their accusations. 619 00:39:59,240 --> 00:40:03,200 There is no evidence. And what Paul says here, we 620 00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:09,200 should all be able to save our own lives, like Daniel when 621 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:11,640 those who are envious of him wanted to try to find something 622 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,600 against him. They examined his life from 623 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:16,520 every aspect, and the only thing that they can come up with was 624 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:18,160 what something to do with his faith. 625 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:21,200 The only way that we can get this man to compromise is if we 626 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:25,440 get him to face some kind of a law that would tempt him to 627 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:34,080 recant. I want to assure you that it's 628 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:36,840 possible to arrive at a place where we have nothing to fear 629 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:41,000 about our testimony, whether in private or in public. 630 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:45,400 And perhaps one of the ways that we can respond to this Bible 631 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:48,440 study is to look at our own lives in 2026, in the dawn of 632 00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:53,520 2026, say, Lord, I have been tolerating this for years. 633 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:59,000 I've been hiding this for some time, and I want to let it go. 634 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:05,240 I want to give it up. I want to have this kind of 635 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:11,720 biblical confidence. And so let's remember these four 636 00:41:11,720 --> 00:41:16,160 things in God's Providence, perhaps in the age that we are 637 00:41:16,160 --> 00:41:20,280 in with the politics that are before us, that we have to 638 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:23,400 remember that all governments are governed by God, that we 639 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:26,080 should strive to be respectable citizens, that we should steward 640 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:28,560 these rights that have been given to us by God. 641 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:33,560 And that we should also live honest and integral lives so 642 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:38,720 that we could. We can approach any tribunal, 643 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:44,080 any court, and not give them a reason to indict us, to hinder 644 00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:47,280 our ministries, and to disqualify us and our service to 645 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:49,160 Christ. Let's ask God for this help. 646 00:42:04,940 --> 00:42:10,140 Father, we thank you with all that we are, that you have used 647 00:42:10,140 --> 00:42:11,740 your words to enlarge our hearts. 648 00:42:13,140 --> 00:42:15,460 And we pray that if that work has not been done, if we were 649 00:42:15,460 --> 00:42:21,600 distracted, if we were unmoved, if we did nothing, this apply to 650 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:27,400 us, that you would reach down into our hearts and that you 651 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:32,840 would pry it open, and that you would flood it with your wisdom, 652 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:38,960 your power, your grace. We know that a subject like this 653 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:48,480 can open up many questions and nuance and different shades of 654 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:52,480 scenarios, but we pray that what you have granted us will be 655 00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:55,480 remembered and applied to situations that may be unique to 656 00:42:55,480 --> 00:43:00,000 our own lives. Thank you for equipping us. 657 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:03,480 Thank you for reminding us of an aspect of life that we may have 658 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:09,040 ignored, or perhaps worse, have intentionally been unfaithful 659 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:12,800 in. Lord, Your word indeed is a 660 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:16,360 double edged sword. No matter what part we go to it, 661 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:21,240 it can cut, but we also know that it can heal and we pray 662 00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:27,120 that if our hearts have been cut tonight that we would see it as 663 00:43:27,120 --> 00:43:32,400 a faithful wound from a faithful God that will bring us to a 664 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:39,080 place of greater joy as we allow you to do surgery in our hearts. 665 00:43:39,080 --> 00:43:42,880 Lord, we love you. With all of us here in this 666 00:43:42,880 --> 00:43:44,920 place, we pray that you would help us love you more. 667 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:47,400 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 668 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:49,480 Let's stand and worship the Lord together. 669 00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:03,800 I want to read to you one of Paul's boasts. 670 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:08,080 It's in Second Corinthians chapter one, verse 12. 671 00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:11,240 This came to mind as we were singing that last song Paul 672 00:44:11,240 --> 00:44:13,200 writes to the Corinthians for our boast. 673 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:19,320 Is this the testimony of our conscience that we behave in the 674 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:24,840 world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly 675 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:29,680 wisdom, but by the grace of God and supremely so toward you? 676 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:34,880 You know, over the years, people ask advice for certain 677 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:37,360 situations. Sometimes there's conflict, 678 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:41,840 dissension, problems. And what I share with many, I'll 679 00:44:41,840 --> 00:44:45,800 share with you. One of your main goals and 680 00:44:45,800 --> 00:44:49,600 anything that you find yourself in that is problematic or 681 00:44:49,600 --> 00:44:54,520 complex is to strive for a clear conscience, especially if it's a 682 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:55,960 situation that you can't control. 683 00:44:56,760 --> 00:45:03,040 Do all that you can to behave in this world with simplicity and 684 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:09,360 godly sincerity. That will secure your joy, it 685 00:45:09,360 --> 00:45:13,720 will protect your testimony, and it will bring God glory. 686 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:17,760 And perhaps this is in God's great Providence for us as a 687 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:22,360 church, an important word to begin this new year, to be able 688 00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:28,400 to boast about our conscience, not in arrogance, but simply in 689 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:34,320 silent trust that God has done such a work in me that I can 690 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:36,720 rest should accusations come my way. 691 00:45:37,240 --> 00:45:39,760 Should anybody say anything? Oh, I can tell you with 692 00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:42,320 confidence that I lived in simplicity and godly sincerity. 693 00:45:43,240 --> 00:45:45,600 Can we ask God to help us know that? 694 00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:51,560 Well, we ask that You would grant us the same assurance and 695 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:54,960 way of life. But we saw how these Jews in 696 00:45:54,960 --> 00:46:01,880 Ezra chapter 5 were so free and so open even with their 697 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:06,040 government, the Persian Empire. We saw it with Paul before 698 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:09,520 Festus and others. And Lord, we pray that it would 699 00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:13,600 be our portion as well. If there needs to be any 700 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:15,920 changes, by Your grace, help us make those changes. 701 00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:19,440 If if there is an overly sensitive conscious Lord, heal 702 00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:22,120 us of that because that does not help us either. 703 00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:26,720 Bring us to that perfect balance in your word, perfect balance in 704 00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:31,920 the spirit to just compare our lives to the scriptures and to 705 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:35,000 know that's all that you ask of us and that whatever you ask for 706 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:36,880 us, you have the empowerment to realize it. 707 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:41,880 We thank you for your word tonight in Jesus name, Amen and 708 00:46:41,880 --> 00:46:44,920 Amen, Amen. May the Lord be with you. 709 00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:46,800 We're continuing Ezra in the coming weeks. 710 00:46:47,040 --> 00:46:49,440 Read Ezra chapter 6 if you can before next Friday. 711 00:46:49,440 --> 00:46:51,000 Fellowship with one another before you leave. 712 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:53,400 God bless you and Lord willing, we'll see you at the Lord's Day 713 00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:55,240 service to break bread. Take Care now.