Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Ezra 5 (Part 2) Bible Study (Tattenai's Letter to King Darius) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series)

Transcript

Ezra 5 (Part 2) Bible Study (Tattenai's Letter to King Darius) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Book of Ezra Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

0:00
Ezra Chapter 5 In our first Bible study of 2026, we will be
0:09
exploring something unique. We will be looking into a copy
0:14
of a letter written by some governors from the Persian
0:19
Empire who had oversight over the Judean province, reaching
0:27
out to the king of the Persian Empire known as Darius, at this
0:31
point, reporting on the rebuilding of the temple in
0:36
Jerusalem. And this letter makes up most of
0:40
Ezra chapter 5. And it reveals what the governor
0:43
beyond the river shared with King Darius, expressing concern
0:48
about this renewed interest in the House of God.
0:52
And now we have to remember something because we had a
0:54
little bit of a pause from our last study. 16 years had passed
1:01
since the people laid down the foundation of the temple and
1:06
gave zero attention to it from that point on.
1:09
And the reason for that was due to some opposition and eventual
1:13
distraction. But through the ministry of two
1:16
prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, the hearts of the people were
1:20
stirred as they preach the word of the Lord to them, and the
1:23
work of the temple began once more.
1:27
And there was such momentum behind that that it actually
1:30
gained the attention of the political authorities.
1:35
Now, at first glance, if you look at verse 6 down to verse
1:38
17, that's the letter right there.
1:40
One might wonder why the Holy Spirit saw fit to include this
1:44
report in Scripture. I mean, what value does this
1:49
document written by a man named Tatani sharing with a Gentile
1:55
king have to offer us as followers of Jesus Christ today?
1:58
And what we have here is yet another example that whenever we
2:03
encounter a passage of Scripture that seems unhelpful,
2:08
irrelevant, maybe insignificant, to remember the words of the
2:11
Apostle Paul who said all Scripture is breathed out by God
2:17
and is profitable. All Scripture is profitable,
2:23
including this executive document written by a Gentile
2:28
governor to a Gentile king. Today, by the grace of God, we
2:33
will benefit from this, and we'll begin to do so by reading
2:36
it in its entirety. And so I hope you have a Bible
2:39
with you. I hope you own a Bible and you
2:40
bring it with you to church. Let's read from Ezra 5-6 down
2:44
through 17. This is a copy of the letter
2:49
that Tatanai, the governor of the province beyond the river,
2:52
and Shatar Bazani and his associates, the governors who
2:56
were in the province beyond the river, sent to Darius the king.
3:00
They sent him a report in which was written as follows.
3:04
To Darius the king. All peace be it known to the
3:08
king, that we went to the province of Judah, to the House
3:11
of the great God. It is being built with huge
3:14
stones, and timber is laid in its wall.
3:16
In the walls. This work goes on diligently and
3:19
prospers in their hands. Then we asked those elders and
3:23
spoke to them thus, who gave you a decree to build this house and
3:27
to finish the structure? We also asked them their names
3:31
for your information, that we might write down the names of
3:34
the leaders, and this was their reply to us.
3:38
We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are
3:41
rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a
3:43
great king of Israel built and finished.
3:46
But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he
3:48
gave them to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
3:51
the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the
3:54
people to Babylonia. However, in the first year of
3:57
Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this
4:00
House of God should be rebuilt. And the gold and silver vessels
4:04
of the House of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of
4:06
the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of
4:09
Babylon. The Cyrus the king took out of
4:12
the temple of Babylon. And they were delivered to one
4:14
whose name was Shesh Bazaar, whom he had made governor.
4:19
And he said to him, Take these vessels, go and put them in the
4:21
temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the House of God be rebuilt
4:25
on its site. Then this Shesh Bazaar came and
4:28
laid the foundations of the House of God that is in
4:30
Jerusalem. And from that time until now it
4:33
has been in building, and it is not yet finished.
4:37
Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in
4:39
the royal archives there in Babylon to see whether a decree
4:43
was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this House of
4:46
God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his
4:50
pleasure in this matter. Let's pray together, Father.
4:55
We sang a precious, powerful truth that is found throughout
4:58
the word that your blood contains a double cure, that it
5:04
can save a man from eternal wrath and at the same time save
5:07
him from impurity, from corruption, from pollution.
5:11
And we pray, Lord, being justified by your blood, forever
5:16
sealed by the Holy Spirit, that you would continue to save us by
5:19
purging us and washing us and sanctifying us.
5:25
We pray that these verses and how we expound them and how we
5:29
hear them would be a means of that grace, that we would know
5:32
greater purity in your sight, a greater purity in our hearts, to
5:36
your glory and to our good. In Jesus name we pray these
5:39
things. Amen.
5:43
What a unique passage. And I believe that if we
5:46
consider it as a whole, if we get a bird's eye view of it,
5:50
there emerges at least three key truths that we can benefit from.
5:55
The first thing is that this text validates how our faith is
6:01
deeply rooted in history. The Bible is very generous and
6:05
expansively mentions kingdoms and emperors and people, groups
6:11
and administrators and officers by name.
6:15
And they are, in many cases, confirmed by archaeology.
6:20
What you and I have before us is a book that makes claims, yes,
6:25
that provides references, absolutely.
6:27
But they align with reality. They are true.
6:32
They can be verified. These are not myths.
6:35
These are not just stories. This is actual accounts that
6:41
have legitimate grounds and are reliable.
6:45
I'm not sure if you know this, but I think of the Book of
6:48
Mormon, for example. That book makes many, many
6:52
references to civilizations and rivers and lakes and mountains
6:57
and plains, especially in the ancient Americas that have never
7:02
ever, ever been discovered, that have no reference, that have
7:06
never actually been identified. That book has many other
7:11
problems, but it pales in comparison to what we have here.
7:14
This this book that contains robust discoveries and
7:17
consistent with historical accounts that support the the
7:22
scriptural narrative. So here we have an an actual
7:26
snapshot of two officials corresponding and their names
7:33
are actually something that you can see outside of the Bible,
7:37
and they're in our Bible. Secondly, by wages of
7:40
observation from a bird's eye perspective, this text here
7:44
reminds us that on every level and in every setting, God is
7:51
thoroughly aware of what takes place and he's always working on
7:55
behalf of his people. Look back at Ezra 5 verse 5 for
7:59
a moment. There's an interesting comment
8:01
made by the Holy Spirit where we're told that the eye of their
8:05
God was on the elder of the Jews.
8:08
This was this was something that was provided in connection to
8:12
this investigation that was taking place from the Persian
8:16
Empire, that God's eye was on his people.
8:20
And that's a remark about the Lord's protective oversight, his
8:24
watchful care over those who belong to him.
8:27
And it is something that we encounter right before we are
8:29
introduced to this letter. Meaning what?
8:33
That any conversation that is held about or conspiracies that
8:36
are made against those who belong to our God never escapes
8:41
God's notice. He is vigilant.
8:46
He is someone who takes all things into account, He's
8:49
constantly surveying and supervising and is sovereign.
8:55
And that should bring us to tremendous comfort because the
8:57
position of the Jews at this time is something that we can
9:00
relate to as a church in the West.
9:03
We too live in a time we we live in an era under governmental
9:07
powers that, should they choose, can meddle and interfere with
9:11
our efforts. However, the outcome of this
9:15
letter, as we're about to discover, is that these
9:17
authorities are ultimately subject to a heavenly
9:20
jurisdiction, one that ultimately orchestrates
9:23
everything for the good of his people.
9:25
So here you have Tatani speaking with the King Darius.
9:29
And perhaps they are very unaware of the fact that God is
9:32
the one who has his eye over all of this, and he's going to
9:34
determine the end no matter what they decide, for the sake of his
9:38
people. Finally, I think this letter
9:42
gives believers across all ages insight, rich wisdom of how we
9:47
can and must relate to government powers.
9:53
And that's where I wanted to spend most of our time this
9:55
evening. I want to consider from this
9:57
text at least 4 principles that each Christian must know and
10:02
adopt in relation to secular government, 4 insights that we
10:09
must grasp in order for us to be more complete and consistent in
10:14
our testimony and witness for Christ.
10:18
So if you're a note taker, this will be especially helpful. 4
10:21
Principles of how a Christian should relate to secular
10:25
government. And the first point is pretty
10:28
straightforward. We must remember that all
10:32
governments are governed by God. You know, there is difference of
10:38
opinion here regarding Tatonized stance toward the Jews.
10:42
Was he among the adversaries of the people of Judah and Benjamin
10:46
that we learned about in Ezra chapter 4?
10:48
Was he hostile? Was he aggressive?
10:51
Did he hate them? Or was it someone that was more
10:55
neutral? Was he just a faithful officer
10:59
in the Persian Empire who just wanted to make sure that
11:01
everybody in his province was doing things legally and
11:05
appropriately and according to code?
11:09
Well, arriving at a conclusion becomes even more complex when
11:11
you compare the words of Tatani in his letter with that letter
11:15
that we read in Ezra chapter 4, where we see something about a
11:20
copy of a letter that was sent to Arctic Xerxes when a report
11:23
was made about the people rebuilding the city and its
11:26
walls, which would come at a later time.
11:27
We're not going to look at that entire letter, but let's get an
11:30
idea and contrast what we find in this previous letter with the
11:34
one that we just read. Go to Ezra chapter 4, and I want
11:37
you to see it from verse 11 down to verse 13.
11:41
This is a copy of the letter that they sent.
11:45
That is the Samaritans to Artaxerxes, the king, your
11:50
servants, the men of the province beyond the river, send
11:52
greeting. And now be it known to the king
11:55
that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to
11:58
Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that
12:01
rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and
12:06
repairing the foundations. Now be it known to the king that
12:10
if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will pay no
12:14
tribute, custom or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired.
12:19
Would you agree that this is a much different tone than
12:21
Tatanize? Absolutely.
12:26
Perhaps the difference is enough to suggest that this man Tatani
12:30
was unbiased toward the Jews. He was just, again, trying to do
12:33
his job right. But I don't think it's that
12:38
simple. I think it gets, yet again, even
12:39
more complicated when we remember that comment that we
12:42
saw earlier in Ezra 55. Look at it again and notice what
12:45
we're told before this letter is granted to us.
12:48
Ezra 55 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews,
12:54
and they did not stop them until the report should reach Darius
12:58
and then an answer be returned by a letter concerning it.
13:02
Look at the second part of this. We looked at the first part,
13:04
that the eye of God was on the elders, but look at the second
13:06
part. What does this imply?
13:07
For the Holy Spirit to note that it was God's power that
13:11
restricted these officials from forcibly stopping the Jews from
13:16
building means that they would have done so if they could.
13:21
So yes, Tat and I and these other associates would have put
13:24
a stop to the work. But it was the eye of God that
13:27
hindered him. It was his invisible power.
13:31
So what do we do with all of this?
13:33
I mean, does it even matter? I think it does.
13:36
I think the best conclusion to make is that this man doesn't
13:40
seem to be neither viciously opposed to the Jews nor entirely
13:44
at ease with their expanding activity in this area.
13:50
He's much more civil than the ones who wrote that letter in
13:53
Ezra chapter 4, no doubt, but he's not entirely comfortable
13:57
either. And this is what this means for
14:02
us. No matter if a government is
14:05
totally favorable, partially favorable, or all right opposed
14:11
to the people of God, the Lord directs the affairs of His own.
14:18
It in no way diminishes his ability to intervene.
14:24
Doesn't matter if that government is pro Christian or
14:26
anti Christian. Doesn't matter if they praise
14:29
the church or hate the church. It doesn't matter what kind of
14:34
feelings those in power have towards the righteous.
14:37
None of that influences what God is capable of doing, and Paul
14:45
confirms this in Romans 13. You know this very well.
14:48
Let me just read the first verse of that chapter.
14:50
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for
14:54
there is no authority except from God, and those that exist
15:00
have been instituted by God. No matter that form of
15:06
government, no matter who's in that position of power, no
15:09
matter what they do, whether it's good or evil or something
15:12
in between, God in His sovereignty elevates and
15:17
promotes and establishes these powers, and that will do us much
15:22
good. In fact, that's the foundation
15:24
for understanding these following three points to always
15:27
remember that no matter who is elected, no matter how policies
15:31
change, no matter what things are violated or things that are
15:34
promoted, all governments are governed by God Himself.
15:40
We come to the second point. We must strive as Christians to
15:47
be respectable citizens. Let's revisit the first words of
15:52
the response of the Jews when they were being approached by
15:55
these officials. Look at verse 11.
16:00
And this was the reply to us. We are the servants of the God
16:04
of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was
16:06
built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and
16:09
finished. But because our fathers had
16:10
angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of
16:13
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this
16:15
house and carried away the people to Babylonia.
16:19
You know, the Jews could have made this whole process a lot
16:21
more difficult for Tatani and the others, or they could have
16:26
expressed frustration and and been stubborn or rude, but but
16:30
no such thing exists. Instead, you actually get the
16:33
impression that they honor, they, they respect, they, they
16:39
actually comply with their wishes.
16:43
So there is no sense here that they ruined their testimony.
16:45
There's no sense here that they're ready to go to war.
16:49
They're easy to work with. They they have integrity,
16:55
they're firm, but but they are kind.
17:00
And it's an illustration of what our attitude should be towards
17:02
those who have been established above us in terms of
17:06
governmental powers, that we should be always be ready to
17:10
meet the demands of those who are in such positions as long as
17:13
they don't ask us to violate any portion of Scripture.
17:17
Now, in his first epistle, the Apostle Peter addresses a wide
17:22
range of believers. He speaks about believers and
17:24
speaks to believers Dispersant, Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
17:28
Asia and Bithynia. I mean, they're, they're
17:30
everywhere. And like Paul, he gives them
17:33
instructions about how they should yield and how they should
17:38
daily posture themselves in light of these powers that
17:42
reside over them. But he actually gives them two
17:45
motivations to do so in humility. 2 Incentives, if you
17:50
would, for them to remain strong and steadfast in their testimony
17:54
before those who have such positions of power.
17:58
And I want you to be reminded of them with me today.
18:00
First, Peter chapter 2, verse 13.
18:07
Peter says be subject for the Lord's sake to every human
18:13
institution, whether it be to the emperor's supreme or to
18:17
governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to
18:22
praise those who do good. What was Peter's primary reason
18:27
here? Peter's primary reason is
18:29
presented in that first phrase there right after B, subject in
18:33
verse 13. For the Lord's sake, for the
18:36
Lord's sake. What an amazing statement to
18:38
make for the Lord's sake. So when you're tempted to cheat
18:41
on your taxes to be dishonest and you try to rationalize it
18:45
because you've seen the corruption of politicians on the
18:48
news, you even seen it first hand.
18:51
You know what the Holy Spirit's words to you and I are?
18:54
Be honest for the Lord's sake. When you want to try to create
19:00
your own loopholes with any kind of ordinances or regulations of
19:04
various kinds, because you want to save yourself some some time
19:08
or maybe money, follow what's asked of you for the Lord's
19:14
sake, for the Lord's sake. That's, that's a very powerful
19:21
set of words because what Peter does is he invokes the personal
19:27
and relational dynamic of our faith to promote holiness in our
19:31
lives. You know, you and I are not
19:34
obeying, but we're asked to obey for the sake of our own creeds
19:39
or because we have a set of beliefs or, or the the ultimate
19:44
reason at this point with Peter is to do it because you love the
19:48
person of Christ and you're doing it for his smile, doing it
19:53
for his pleasure. You're doing it to bless him.
19:56
Ultimately, I think Peter emphasize that here because
20:02
there's little motivation to actually comply with governments
20:05
because they are weak and, and many times they're also evil and
20:09
and they pervert their own laws as well.
20:13
But you can take what Peter says here and apply it to any aspect
20:16
of your life. You will reach, and I will reach
20:19
new heights of holiness and we will remain strong in our
20:22
sanctification if we are constantly aware of this dynamic
20:26
of our relationship with God. It's personal.
20:30
He feels, He knows, He sees. My allegiance is not just to a
20:35
ministry. My allegiance is not just to a
20:38
set of convictions. It's to a person, do it for the
20:42
Lord's sake. So when you have that internal
20:46
struggle, when you're being pulled in One Direction by the
20:49
flesh, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to do this for
20:52
God, for the Lord himself. That's not the only motivation
20:57
he gives. Look at verse 15.
20:59
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you shouldn't
21:05
put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
21:09
That's in the same context. This is the will of God.
21:12
It's God's will for you and I to be subject to these authorities.
21:17
But he expands on that. Peter's essentially saying do
21:20
not give the world another reason to question the validity
21:22
and the effectiveness of the gospel.
21:27
As followers of Christ, we must not become known as disorderly,
21:33
disruptive, or disrespectful. No, when people know that a
21:42
Christian is moving into the neighborhood, when a church is
21:44
entering into a community, they should have a sense that that
21:49
place, that region is going to prosper.
21:54
That there's going to be greater peace on those streets.
21:58
That there are people now that are going to have something to
22:00
offer, that are going to be a greater pleasure to work with.
22:06
Not to be rowdy, not to be arrogant, not to be stuffy.
22:11
Let's be dishonest, not to be cheap.
22:16
What Peter's concern here is that we would strip away a
22:19
protective layer from the Gospels.
22:23
Witness. Should we be careless in this
22:27
component of our walk with Christ?
22:30
That we're serious about all these other things, but when it
22:32
comes to laws and it comes to what's asked of us when it comes
22:37
to all these different things, that we just think that we walk
22:41
autonomously and we use biblical excuses to try to justify our
22:45
disconnect from society. If we're not careful, we can
22:50
actually do much more harm than good.
22:53
You know, I recently heard of a gentleman who had a Bible verse
22:55
on his business logo and he was notorious in his county as a
23:02
road rager. So I'm, I'm getting this from
23:05
somebody that I know very well. And more than that, not only was
23:09
he known as a troublemaker, he has a Bible verse on his logo,
23:14
but he's actually notorious online because he's been picked
23:18
up by phone cameras for assaulting and verbally
23:22
attacking people on the roads. What a shame.
23:30
With all that being said, however, your respectability and
23:33
mine should never cause us to hide our convictions.
23:40
It should never cause us to be timid about our submission to
23:43
the greatest authority, God Himself.
23:46
The first thing that these Jews said when approached by these
23:49
governors was what we are, the servants of the God of heaven
23:52
and earth. I love that the reason why we do
23:56
what we do is because we have this authority over us.
24:02
We are bound to something greater than anything in this
24:04
world. And as much as we we must
24:09
respect men and women in high positions, we should never be
24:13
intimidated by them. Should the opportunity arise, we
24:16
should actually present to them the gospel.
24:18
They need it just as much as any of us.
24:21
So the second point is that we must strive to be respectable
24:24
citizens. That's exemplified by these
24:26
Jewish leaders. But we come to point #3 and that
24:30
is we must be good stewards of the freedoms and the rights
24:35
granted to us. So after sharing the biblical
24:41
directives that these Jews are complying with, they do
24:47
something exceptional. I love what they do here in
24:49
verse 13. Let's read it again, however, in
24:55
the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a
24:58
decree that the House of God should be rebuilt, and the gold
25:02
and silver vessels of the House of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had
25:04
taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into
25:07
the temple of Babylon. The Cyrus the king took out of
25:10
the temple of Babylon and they delivered.
25:12
They were delivered to one whose name was Shesh Bazaar, whom he
25:15
had made governor. And he said to him, take these
25:18
vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and
25:20
let the House of God be rebuilt on its site.
25:25
What are they doing here? They are presenting the legal
25:28
justification for their actions. This endeavor is backed up by
25:34
the law. We have a decree to do this
25:38
ultimately from God. But I want to tell you that even
25:40
Cyrus signed off on this. And they continue to explain as
25:47
we just read and elaborate on this point.
25:50
But here's the lesson. Whenever God in his sovereignty
25:55
allows for governments to give his people, His church freedoms,
26:00
we have to seize those occasions, and we must take
26:03
advantages of such opportunities for the sake of the Gospel.
26:08
I fear that many Christians take their religious liberties here
26:11
in the West for granted, and I think one major reason for that
26:17
is because they failed to comprehend how, from the Old to
26:20
the New Testament, serious minded ministers and followers
26:25
of Christ knew how to make the most of such opportunities when
26:30
they arrived. Did you know that the Apostle
26:35
Paul repeatedly invoked his civil rights and expected the
26:41
government to honor them? He does this throughout the book
26:47
of Acts, not so that he can live a comfortable life, not so that
26:51
he can live a more prosperous life, but because he saw it as a
26:55
tool to protect his ministry. You know, Paul not only knew the
27:02
law of God, he was very educated and informed about the law of
27:06
the land under Roman rule, and it helped him strategize with
27:11
the gospel. Let me give you one example.
27:15
So Paul was not a perfect man, and the Bible shows us that he
27:18
was an exceptional man, a remarkable man of God.
27:21
But on one occasion, him and his ministry partner Barnabas had a
27:24
feud on account of who? John Mark, and so they parted
27:30
ways. Does anybody remember who Paul
27:35
chose to replace Barnabas? Silas, Here's my question for
27:41
you. Why Silas?
27:45
We're introduced to Silas earlier in Acts 15.
27:48
He appears to us as a chief among the men among the
27:51
brothers, and he's sent with another man named Judas to go to
27:56
the church in Antioch to help with some affairs there.
28:01
A few verses later in Acts 15, we learned that Silas was a
28:04
prophet and that's all we're really told of him before we
28:08
learned that Paul selects him as his ministry partners,
28:12
missionary partner in his next missionary tour.
28:17
But why Silas, especially when you consider the fact that he
28:21
has the same profile as Judas? Was it a personality thing?
28:24
Was it random? I want to give you, I think is
28:29
one clue to why I believe he selected Silas.
28:31
Would you like to know it? There's something that happened
28:34
with Paul and Silas and Philippi when they were unjustly beaten
28:38
and imprisoned by the magistrates.
28:41
And when the magistrates realized that they had
28:43
erroneously jumped to conclusions, they let these men
28:45
know you can go your way. Now we're sorry.
28:50
And Paul protests, and I want you to see what he says in Acts
28:53
16. Look at verse 37 and Acts 16.
29:05
But Paul said to them, they have Venus, publicly uncondemned men
29:11
who are Roman citizens and have thrown us into prison.
29:18
And do they now throw us out secretly?
29:20
No, Let them come themselves and take us out.
29:24
Is Paul being petty here? Is he just a little hurt and
29:28
bitter? So he wants to make a show of
29:29
this? No, Paul was publicly shamed.
29:35
Paul was publicly arrested and people knew that.
29:36
He came into town as a missionary.
29:38
That's the last site that people had.
29:39
So he says, look, you misjudge us, now you have to rectify and
29:44
you have to clean this up and you have to show the citizens
29:46
that were actually innocent men. So we're not going out secretly,
29:49
we're going to go out publicly. But notice verse 38.
29:53
The police reported these words to the magistrates and they were
29:56
afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens.
30:01
Who's the they? Paul.
30:02
And who Silas? Could it be that Paul not only
30:07
took into account Silas's character and his gifting, but
30:12
that he was also a Roman citizen, which was a rare status
30:17
for someone of Jewish descent? Because he was a strategist,
30:23
because Paul was smart, he was wise.
30:25
He thought himself, this man will be of most benefit and most
30:29
profit to my trip to these places of Jewish descent, but
30:34
also, like me, carrying a Roman citizenship.
30:36
And look, we have an example here of how that came to be of
30:40
great help. And it reinforces for us that
30:45
believers should not consider it unspiritual.
30:47
It's not unimportant to make use of the freedoms and the rights
30:54
that we have in this country that we have access to that
30:59
benefit and shield the things that we want to do in God's name
31:02
and for God's glory. So let's, let's not be foolish.
31:06
Let's not be uninformed, let's seek to exercise and enjoy and
31:12
and really recognize these freedoms as a God-given thing.
31:16
They are. They're not separate.
31:17
Remember point #1 all governments are governed by God,
31:21
the tyrannical ones and even the ones like this beautiful nation
31:25
with all its faults. There has been no nation like
31:27
this nation that grants the church the freedoms that we
31:30
have. So let us be stewards of these
31:35
things, but we also have to consider this final thought.
31:40
We must do all things with integrity and honesty.
31:47
Go back to Ezra 5. I want you to consider the last
31:49
verse. After reporting what the Jews
31:55
had said, Tatani makes a request.
31:58
Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let's search be made
32:02
in the royal archives there in Babylon to see whether a decree
32:05
was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this House of
32:09
God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his
32:11
pleasure in this matter. There was a simple way to
32:16
discover and to validate the claims of these Jews.
32:19
Just look at the royal archives. Is there anything of Cyrus's
32:23
decrees that confirm what these claims are?
32:29
And in in just a few moments, it would either confirm the honesty
32:34
of these men or it would show that they were liars all along.
32:39
And this is something for us to see and emphasize.
32:43
I know this is similar to the second point of being
32:44
respectable citizens, but emphasizing it as a principle
32:48
for life will be for our good. What would happen if they lied?
32:53
We know that they didn't lie. But if they did lie, yeah, they
32:58
would have gotten themselves in trouble.
32:59
That, but they also would have tainted their testimonies.
33:02
Remember, they're still under the Old Covenant even in this
33:05
season and this chapter of redemptive history.
33:07
They have a calling from God to be a light to the nation's in
33:12
small ways and in big ways. And they're being investigated
33:17
now. And you and I should take this
33:23
and apply it in the following way.
33:25
We may have a past that, if explored objectively, would
33:31
speak out against us, but as Christians, you and I should
33:37
strive to have and to maintain a clear conscience and a clean
33:42
record. In other words, if I were to be
33:47
investigated by authorities or by anything else, would there be
33:52
sufficient evidence that would be worthy to expose me as a
34:01
fraud in one way or another? And I think that's a good
34:06
question to ask each of us at the start of this new year, that
34:09
where you are currently in your life, privately, publicly, if
34:15
there was to be probing in any facet of who you are, what you
34:21
do, what would be confirmed? Will there be some things that
34:27
you'd be embarrassed about, ashamed of, that would hurt your
34:32
witness? Or would it be confirmed that
34:38
there is a pattern of integrity, of honesty and of purity?
34:46
I want to let you know tonight that that lifestyle of being
34:52
totally unafraid of anybody discovering anything about you
34:56
because you are walking in holiness is totally possible by
35:00
the grace of God. It's not some far fetched thing.
35:04
It's not something that's reserved for a few.
35:06
It's something that each of us can access.
35:08
And what a what a relief it is to know that there is nothing to
35:13
hide in my life. Nothing.
35:18
I understand that there's privacy.
35:20
I'm not talking about private matters.
35:21
I'm not talking about living a totally unwise, transparent
35:24
life. I'm talking, and I hope you
35:25
understand where I'm coming from.
35:26
I'm talking about somebody having access to your phone
35:30
password and you being totally OK with it because you have
35:33
nothing to hide. I'm talking about you and I and
35:40
how we do our business dealings. If somebody were to look at the
35:43
books, it would be clean. Not.
35:49
Not so that people can pat you on the back and reward you for
35:51
the Lord's sake. For the Lord's sake.
35:56
These Jews are going to be investigated and they have no
36:00
worries. There's no resistance.
36:02
There's no fight. There's they're not squirming
36:04
here. Yeah, yeah.
36:06
Here are our names. And here's the reason why we're
36:07
doing it. And you can check it out for
36:08
yourself. I mentioned Paul earlier of how
36:14
he was able to utilize his rights, but apart from Christ,
36:19
he is one of the greatest inspirations.
36:21
Regarding what I'm Speaking of in this fourth point, let's go
36:25
to the final text before we close our time.
36:27
Go to Acts 25. Paul here is being investigated
36:33
in his own way. Accusations were made against
36:37
him by the Jewish leaders. And so he is now before Festus,
36:42
a Roman official. Look at Acts 25, verse 9.
36:49
But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, Do
36:52
you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these
36:56
charges before me? Pause.
36:58
Why is Festus doing this? Because he's a politician and he
37:02
wants to make sure that he doesn't cause any problems with
37:06
the Jews. And so he knows that the Jews
37:08
want Paul to go to Jerusalem to be on trial.
37:10
Why? Because it would be a fair
37:12
trial? No, because there's an ambush
37:14
waiting for Paul. This is the context that they
37:17
want to assassinate Paul. Well, the Festus knows this or
37:23
not, it's not clear. But what is obvious is that he
37:25
is a politician. And so he says, do you want to
37:29
go to Jerusalem? Now?
37:30
Why isn't he enforcing it, though?
37:32
Does anyone have the power to say you're going to go on trial
37:34
in Jerusalem? Do you know why?
37:35
Does anybody know why? He's a Roman citizen, That's
37:39
why. And so he gives Paul the option,
37:43
do you want to go to Jerusalem? Let's see what Paul says.
37:47
Verse 10. But Paul said I'm standing
37:49
before Caesar's tribunal where I ought to be tried to the Jews.
37:53
I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well.
37:56
If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for
38:00
which I deserve to die. I do not seek to escape death.
38:03
But there's if there's nothing to their charges against me, no
38:06
one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.
38:12
One of the glories of owning a Roman citizenship is that you
38:17
one would do a fair trial. That's why whenever Paul was
38:21
beaten up and he said, hey, by the way, I'm a Roman citizen,
38:25
the reason why they panicked was because such authorities can get
38:29
in themselves in much trouble because they could not beat up a
38:33
Roman citizen unless it was first confirmed that they were
38:36
guilty of any crime. They had the right to a fair
38:40
trial, but more than that, they also had the right to appeal to
38:45
the highest courts in Rome. Any Roman citizen could say, I
38:50
want to go to the Supreme Court with my case, and that's what
38:52
Paul is doing here. I appeal to Caesar.
38:57
So again, I just want to show you repeatedly in the book of
39:00
Acts, Paul is a steward of his civil rights.
39:05
He's not careless, he's not uneducated, he's not sloppy.
39:11
But look at his language here as he also appeals to his
39:15
conscience. Verse 10 to the Jews, the last
39:18
part, I have done no wrong. And then he emphasizes this in
39:24
verse 11. If then I am a wrongdoer and
39:26
have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not
39:30
seek to escape death. Do you see what he's saying
39:31
here? If I'm actually guilty and I
39:33
deserve the death penalty, kill me.
39:36
Kill me. I respect the law so much that
39:40
if I'm actually guilty, put my head on the chopping block and
39:44
get rid of me. But he is so confident of his
39:47
innocence that he says I've done nothing wrong.
39:52
You can look into it and he already says you know it very
39:54
well. There.
39:55
There is no substance to their accusations.
39:59
There is no evidence. And what Paul says here, we
40:03
should all be able to save our own lives, like Daniel when
40:09
those who are envious of him wanted to try to find something
40:11
against him. They examined his life from
40:13
every aspect, and the only thing that they can come up with was
40:16
what something to do with his faith.
40:18
The only way that we can get this man to compromise is if we
40:21
get him to face some kind of a law that would tempt him to
40:25
recant. I want to assure you that it's
40:34
possible to arrive at a place where we have nothing to fear
40:36
about our testimony, whether in private or in public.
40:42
And perhaps one of the ways that we can respond to this Bible
40:45
study is to look at our own lives in 2026, in the dawn of
40:48
2026, say, Lord, I have been tolerating this for years.
40:53
I've been hiding this for some time, and I want to let it go.
41:01
I want to give it up. I want to have this kind of
41:06
biblical confidence. And so let's remember these four
41:11
things in God's Providence, perhaps in the age that we are
41:16
in with the politics that are before us, that we have to
41:20
remember that all governments are governed by God, that we
41:23
should strive to be respectable citizens, that we should steward
41:26
these rights that have been given to us by God.
41:28
And that we should also live honest and integral lives so
41:33
that we could. We can approach any tribunal,
41:39
any court, and not give them a reason to indict us, to hinder
41:44
our ministries, and to disqualify us and our service to
41:47
Christ. Let's ask God for this help.
42:04
Father, we thank you with all that we are, that you have used
42:10
your words to enlarge our hearts.
42:13
And we pray that if that work has not been done, if we were
42:15
distracted, if we were unmoved, if we did nothing, this apply to
42:21
us, that you would reach down into our hearts and that you
42:27
would pry it open, and that you would flood it with your wisdom,
42:33
your power, your grace. We know that a subject like this
42:40
can open up many questions and nuance and different shades of
42:48
scenarios, but we pray that what you have granted us will be
42:52
remembered and applied to situations that may be unique to
42:55
our own lives. Thank you for equipping us.
43:00
Thank you for reminding us of an aspect of life that we may have
43:03
ignored, or perhaps worse, have intentionally been unfaithful
43:09
in. Lord, Your word indeed is a
43:12
double edged sword. No matter what part we go to it,
43:16
it can cut, but we also know that it can heal and we pray
43:21
that if our hearts have been cut tonight that we would see it as
43:27
a faithful wound from a faithful God that will bring us to a
43:32
place of greater joy as we allow you to do surgery in our hearts.
43:39
Lord, we love you. With all of us here in this
43:42
place, we pray that you would help us love you more.
43:45
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
43:48
Let's stand and worship the Lord together.
44:01
I want to read to you one of Paul's boasts.
44:05
It's in Second Corinthians chapter one, verse 12.
44:08
This came to mind as we were singing that last song Paul
44:11
writes to the Corinthians for our boast.
44:13
Is this the testimony of our conscience that we behave in the
44:19
world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly
44:24
wisdom, but by the grace of God and supremely so toward you?
44:31
You know, over the years, people ask advice for certain
44:34
situations. Sometimes there's conflict,
44:37
dissension, problems. And what I share with many, I'll
44:41
share with you. One of your main goals and
44:45
anything that you find yourself in that is problematic or
44:49
complex is to strive for a clear conscience, especially if it's a
44:54
situation that you can't control.
44:56
Do all that you can to behave in this world with simplicity and
45:03
godly sincerity. That will secure your joy, it
45:09
will protect your testimony, and it will bring God glory.
45:15
And perhaps this is in God's great Providence for us as a
45:17
church, an important word to begin this new year, to be able
45:22
to boast about our conscience, not in arrogance, but simply in
45:28
silent trust that God has done such a work in me that I can
45:34
rest should accusations come my way.
45:37
Should anybody say anything? Oh, I can tell you with
45:39
confidence that I lived in simplicity and godly sincerity.
45:43
Can we ask God to help us know that?
45:46
Well, we ask that You would grant us the same assurance and
45:51
way of life. But we saw how these Jews in
45:54
Ezra chapter 5 were so free and so open even with their
46:01
government, the Persian Empire. We saw it with Paul before
46:06
Festus and others. And Lord, we pray that it would
46:09
be our portion as well. If there needs to be any
46:13
changes, by Your grace, help us make those changes.
46:16
If if there is an overly sensitive conscious Lord, heal
46:19
us of that because that does not help us either.
46:23
Bring us to that perfect balance in your word, perfect balance in
46:26
the spirit to just compare our lives to the scriptures and to
46:31
know that's all that you ask of us and that whatever you ask for
46:35
us, you have the empowerment to realize it.
46:37
We thank you for your word tonight in Jesus name, Amen and
46:41
Amen, Amen. May the Lord be with you.
46:44
We're continuing Ezra in the coming weeks.
46:47
Read Ezra chapter 6 if you can before next Friday.
46:49
Fellowship with one another before you leave.
46:51
God bless you and Lord willing, we'll see you at the Lord's Day
46:53
service to break bread. Take Care now.