God Fulfills His Word

Ezra 1:1 ~ "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing."

It is God who is in charge of fulfilling His word. The Divine Hand of providence works to do that which He has proclaimed. Nothing can stop Him and no one can thwart His purposes. Despite their aggressive attempts to intervene to stop the LORD, He will have His word fulfilled.

The Word of the LORD by the prophet Jeremiah says, "For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place" (Jeremiah 29:10). There are some who believe that God is rather arbitrary, doing what He wants without any plan or purpose in place. That the Almighty will do His work, but without a timeline. And, in truth, God dwells beyond time--He is eternal and is not governed by the constraints of our progression of time. But God does not merely randomly work in this world, but has given direct revelation through the prophets and apostles in order to show His might and mercy. 

And now we come to our text this morning and we see the LORD working to make sure His word is fulfilled that He spoke through Jeremiah. And this is what I want you to see--there is nothing that God has said that He won't fulfill. Every word, every proclamation of the LORD will be accomplished. The LORD Jesus spoke to the two men on the road to Emmaus and told them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44). Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." There is no reason at all for you to doubt or disregard God's word, for He will accomplish all that He has declared. 

The next thing to show you today from our text is that there is not one person who will stand in God's way when it comes to the fulfillment of His promises. Cyrus, the king of Persia, had no direct faith in the God of Israel. He was a foreign monarch who stood upon his own might and power. And yet, the LORD stirred the king's heart to do exactly what was prophesied by Jeremiah. Consider what is revealed in 2 Chronicles 36:23, "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.’" Somehow, under the influence of God, Cyrus came to understand the will of God and opened up the way for the captives to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Consider Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." God is never thwarted by any who might oppose Him--in fact the Almighty God will even use those who stand against Him for His own purposes. Revelation 17:17 states, "...for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled."

Let this reminder today draw you into a strong confidence in our Savior. He is the Mighty God and not even His enemies can hinder what He has purposed. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory." If you are finding your heart flooded with doubts because you see the downturn of our current society, or that persecutions and hardships have begun to rise up in their attacks upon God's people, take heart. God is not outside of what is happening. He is in full control and we must trust Him to do what He has purposed.

So, beloved, hold onto this promise from Romans 8:28, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." For as God has promised, He will also see to its fulfillment.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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