Ezra 8:22, “For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.”
I like the priest Ezra. The Jews had been in captivity in Babylon for 70
years (one year for each seven years they had failed to observe the Sabbath
for 490 years). Now they were returned to Israel. Ezra has been commissioned
by God to rebuild Solomon's temple (which was utterly destroyed by the
Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar). Now after 70 years, Medo-Persia is a world
empire, and King Artaxerxes is empowered. Medo-Persia ruled over the Jewish
nation for more than 200 years—from the overthrow of Babylon in 539 BC.,
until Medo-Persia itself was defeated by the Greeks in 331 BC.
Ezra and the Jews, when speaking to the Medo-Persian king, had testified of God's power and deliverance from enemies...
Ezra 8:21-23, “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.”
“Lip Service” means: An expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction. Ezra was a godly man, who felt ashamed that he was about to ask a heathen king, Artaxerxes, for help to defend them against their enemies. Ezra admits that he felt embarrassed to ask for help, because they had just got done boasting of their God's ability to protect them. There is a great practical spiritual truth to be gleaned from this Scripture passage. So oftentimes we fail as Christians to WALK THE WALK. Our talk talks, and our walk talks; but our walk talks louder than our talk talks! The smallest Bible in the world is the one that we live! Ezra wanted to be REAL. Amen! James 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
I admire and appreciate Ezra's honesty. We see
Ezra's humanity, that when faced with enemies, he was naturally temped to
seek THE ARM OF MAN as his strength. Psalm 12:7:1, “The
LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is
the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” In the preceding
Scripture passage from Ezra 8:21-23, we see that Ezra decided not to ask for
the king's help after all, he gathered the Jews and they prayed and fasted
instead. Amen! So often our initial response to a situation is to begin to
fret and worry (I know I do), but then the Lord's Spirit convicts us as His
child, telling us, “HAVE FAITH IN GOD” (Mark 11:22b).
It Matters Which Bible We Use
All across America each Sunday, professed Christians
hypocritically testify of their faith in the Word of God. Yet, when
pressed on the matter, they only believe that the “ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS” were
inspired. They openly admit that none of them have ever even seen THE Bible,
read THE Bible, or taught THE Bible, while hypocritically advertising that
they believe THE Bible and “teach” it. Is that crazy or what? I mean, if
ONLY the “originals” were inspired (as they claim), then they have never
seen, read or handled a real Holy Bible!!! What hypocrisy! The FRUIT of all
the modern Bible versions is DOUBT; the FRUIT of the King James Bible is
FAITH!!!
Pastor Jack Hyles saw this hypocrisy, and it bothered him a lot...
“I'm tired of colleges and universities advertising that they use the King James Bible. Tell the whole story! Tell everyone that you do not believe that it is inspired word for word.” —Dr. Jack Hyles, "The Need For An Every Word Bible," page 54.
Brother Hyles was speaking about places like Pensacola Christian College in Florida, who profess to use only the King James Bible; but in reality (go read their statement of faith), they deny the inspiration of the King James Bible, claiming that only the “original autographs” were inspired by God. I have met some fine interns from Pensacola (and some clowns as well), but they are all as shallow as can be. When I spoke with a Baptist pastor on Guam in 2018, expounding him in the problems with the modern Bible versions, he shamefully responded: “You know, I don't know even one thing wrong with the modern Bibles.” He wasn't being unkind or sarcastic, he was just being honest. Several months later, after I visited his church for about a year, he had tolerated me all that he was going to take. When I mentioned that “Bob Jones University promotes corruptible seed,” he got angry and called me “obsessed with the Bible debate.” That was the end of that, and I was again without a church to attend. You see, the Pensacola Christian College (PCC) crowd are superficial; merely wanting to do the minimum, and remain neutral in the Word of God. I love what Dr. Hyles said:
“God has a special rebuke, again and again and again in the Bible, toward those people who keep their neutrality in the work of God!” —SOURCE: Dr. Jack Hyles, a quote from the great MP3 sermon, “Where Were You In The Battle?”
One of my former Bible professors at Hyles-Anderson College, Pastor William P. Grady, preached a needful and courageous sermon at the Temple Baptist Church in Powell, Tennessee, titled: “Shibboleth-Seven Signs of Pseudo-King James Onlyism” | MP3. After hearing this positional sermon, I was reminded of something helpful that Pastor Jack Hyles said in the sermon titled, 'Yea Yea & Nay Nay': “God thought it, Jesus bought it, the preacher taught it, and I caught it!” When Brother Grady preached his sermon... I CAUGHT IT!!! I was listening! I understood what he was saying! Sadly and tragically, Dr. Sexton didn't get it, because he doesn't want to get involved, which he admits in his comments after the sermon. Folks, the battle over the inspiration of the King James Bible is not a trifle personal conflict between a couple Bible colleges, it is at the very core of the entire demonic New World Order! Satan is working relentlessly to destroy the churches, and the best way to do that is to undermine the inspired Word of God. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity in 1st Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the Living Word; the Bible is the Written Word. “The LIVING Word and the WRITTEN Word” (an awesome MP3 sermon by Pastor Danny Castle). Revelation 19:13, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
At the end of the aforementioned sermon: “Shibboleth-Seven Signs of Pseudo-King James Onlyism” (MP3), Pastor Clarence Sexton rebukes Dr. Grady and discredits his message as being too controversial to get involved with. Respectfully, I think it is shameful that Dr. Sexton downplays what Dr. Jack Hyles called: “THE BATTLE OF THE AGES.” I made a 4 hour YouTube movie of the same title: “THE BATTLE OF THE AGES,” packed full of sermon quotes and vital information, if you'd like to watch it. I hope you will, please! Respectfully, the First Baptist Church Of Hammond has denied the inspiration of the King James Bible since 2008, which is a nightmare! I have absolutely nothing to gain from saying these things, except to please God. I make no money from my internet ministry, never have, and never will. The truth is important! Most churches today are merely in the religious business, but the Word of God is about THE TRUTH. John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
Pastor Peter Ruckman (1921-2016) explains this disturbing and strange phenomena, in his book called: “Bob Jones University—Cult Headquarters.” The bogus claim that only the “originals” were inspired, sinfully dominates the retarded thinking of nearly all churches and Bible colleges today. This is a blatant denial of the inspired Word of God for today! RUN AWAY from anybody who denies that we have God's inspired Words today in the KING JAMES BIBLE!!!!!!! All across the world, professed Christians do lip service to God, claiming to believe in a HOLY BOOK that they don't even believe is inspired by God! Matthew 15:8, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Since Jesus is the incarnate Word of God (John 1:1-3, 14), if you have a corrupt Written Word, you have a corrupt Living Word (Another Jesus)! I'm not kidding! All across the world religious people are succumbing to the heresy of Lordship Salvation, which is NOT the Gospel of free grace. Most of the modern Bible PERversions teach Lordship Salvation!!! Don't you see what the Devil is doing?
Ezra was shamed, because he realized that what he was about to do (trusting man), was not in agreement with what he believed (trusting God). Multitudes of professing Christians today claim to trust the Word of God, while trusting men instead (called scholars) who have convinced us that we don't have God's verbally inspired Word today. They don't believe that we have a perfect, infallible, Holy Bible today. Instead, they say that the King James Bible is “THE BEST” translation. Dear reader, I learned years ago that to come in second place in a race is to be the first loser! To be the “best” is not infallible; it's not good enough! I do not claim to understand it all! I just know that God promised to “preserve” His “PURE” WORDS in Psalms 119:140 and 12:6-7, “from this generation for ever,” and I believe that GOD DID, in the King James Bible!!!
All of the modern Bible versions change and corrupt Psalm 12:7 to say that God protects “US” (the saints) instead of God's “PURE WORDS.” Psalm 119:140, “Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. ” The King James Bible brings FAITH to its listeners and readers. If faith is not the product of reading a Bible version, it is NOT the Word of God!!! Where were the great revivals after 1881 when Brooke Westcott and Fenton Hort introduced their new Alexandrian Bible to the world? All of the mighty revivals were preached using the inspired King James Bible!!!
