We turn in God's inspired word this morning to Isaiah chapter 45. We read together Isaiah 45. Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings to open before him the two-leaved gates, and the gate shall not be shut, I will go before thee and make the crooked places straight. I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut and sunder the bars of iron, and I will give thee the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob, my servant's sake, And Israel, mine elect, I have called thee by thy name. I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known me. that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open. Let them bring forth salvation. and let righteousness spring up together, I, the Lord, have created it. Woe unto him that striveth with his maker. Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, what makest thou, or thy work? He hath no hands. Woe unto him that saith unto his father, what begettest thou? Or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, ask me of things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands. Command ye me. I have made the earth and created man upon it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their hosts have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts. Thus saith the Lord, the labor of Egypt and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabaeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine. They shall come after thee. In chains they shall come over, they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, surely God is in thee, and there is none else, there is no God. Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior. They shall be ashamed and confounded, all of them. They shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols, But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. He shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end. For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens, God himself that formed the earth and made it, he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord and there is none else. Have not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth. I Said not unto the seat of Jacob seeking me in vain. I The Lord speak righteousness. I declare things that are right Assemble yourselves and come drawn near together ye that are escaped of the nations They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto a God that cannot save Tell ye Bring them near, yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I the Lord? And there is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior. There is none beside me. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to him shall men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory. The text that we consider this morning from Isaiah 45 is the verses four through six. For Jacob my servant's sake and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name. And he's speaking to Cyrus. I have surnamed thee. Though thou hast not known me, I am the Lord, and there is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, this past week the inauguration of President Donald Trump took place. And while we recognize a stark difference in policies and perspectives with President Trump in comparison with the previous president and administration, my purpose is not to join in all the religious imagery that surrounded the inauguration ceremonies this past Monday. Much of that religious imagery was downright blasphemous. Certainly not biblical, a misrepresentation of biblical truth. But what I saw fitting was to take the time this morning to consider a passage in God's inspired word that does speak to us about the place of our current president and any sitting president or king or dictator of any country. They are but servants of the Most High God. They accomplish His will and good pleasure even when they act wickedly. And that scripture teaches very plainly as we see, for example, in Proverbs 20 verse 1, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. That scripture teaches even with reference to Pharaoh, the persecutor of God's people, Romans chapter nine. As Romans nine gives interpretation to Exodus chapters four through 14, that scripture teaches concerning the various rulers during the lifetime of Daniel. But the passage that we consider this morning reveals the same with regard to one who in his rule establishes policies that are for the well-being of the church and for which we may thank God. The passage before us today sets forth the absolute sovereignty of God in a way that's absolutely astounding. Emphatically, Jehovah can say in truth, I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside me. He's the one who dwells in the heavens and does whatsoever he pleases. Every living creature, willingly or unwillingly, is his servant and does and accomplishes God's will and good pleasure. Every living creature in heaven and on earth, as well as in the waters under the earth, receive their being and purpose from God alone. He alone controls and governs all things. And that's demonstrated in a marvelous way in the opening verses of this chapter as will be fulfilled some 200 years later. But what this text emphasizes and the truth that it places on the foreground is the fact that the Lord God does all things for the sake of his people. For Israel, Judah, that is the Old Testament manifestation of his church. And therefore, for the church that he gathers throughout history, the children of Zion stand at the center of history. All things are for their sakes. Everything revolves around them as belonging to the Messiah. In this case, the Messiah yet to come. but for us the Lord Jesus Christ and the coming establishment of that glorious kingdom that awaits us. Isaiah is given to see in this Cyrus, the Lord's servant, that even kings and empires are raised up by God to serve his purpose in the salvation of his people. That's true according to verse six, that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none beside Jehovah God, the Savior of his people. And scripture confirms, Philippians 2, that this shall finally be realized in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ's coming when every knee shall bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So with those things in mind, I call your attention to Isaiah 45 verses four through six under the theme, Cyrus, the Lord's servant. By what God's word reveals, we see that Cyrus appointed by the Lord, chosen for a purpose, fulfilling God's good pleasure. So we consider those three things this morning, appointed by the Lord, chosen for a purpose, fulfilling God's good pleasure. The text calls our attention to a great king who was appointed by the Lord. The Lord speaks to him, to this Cyrus, king of Persia. He speaks prophetically to this Cyrus, who had not yet even been born. In the last verse of the preceding chapter, the Lord speaks of him as my shepherd. And in the first verse of chapter 45, he is spoken of as the Lord's anointed. Now we know from Romans chapter 13 that every ruler, all the higher powers are ordained by God and are his servants, ministers to accomplish his purpose. But when you look at the last verse of Isaiah 44 and Isaiah 45 verse one, You find Cyrus spoken of as the Lord's shepherd and as the Lord's anointed, you have a matter of greater significance than what is revealed in Romans 13. For these designations, for one thing, are spoken of concerning Cyrus by prophecy. Nearly two centuries before he would appear on the scene of history. And for another thing, these things are spoken of him who would be an unbeliever. But more about that later. He also had a surname. The name added to the name Cyrus. And that surname would be Cyrus the great Cyrus the great that's how he would be known and The text tells us that that surname would be given him by God Before he was even born God ordained Cyrus as Cyrus the great and publicly gave him his name through the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah and But these words spoken specifically to Cyrus, according to verse one, were spoken by the prophet to the people of God, who were soon to be taken into captivity, and who even now were facing the just chastisements of God for the grievous sins of Zion, sins which were without number, These words were spoken to them as belonging to the promise we read in the previous chapter in verse 21, Isaiah 44 verse 21, O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. They would not be forgotten of him because he always looks upon his people in Christ. He looks upon them as his redeemed. And speaking that word of promise, the Lord also confirmed it by pointing to himself as the God who is not only powerful to save, but who is faithful, that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers, that saith to Jerusalem, thou shalt be inhabited and to the cities of Judah thou shalt be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof. It's in that connection that the Lord sets before them an amazing event that only the coming generations would see realized. He would raise up a king, Cyrus by name. to decree the return from the captivity and the rebuilding of the temple and the city of Jerusalem. And that king would not even be one of their own. While they might expect that return to the promised land, coming under God, raising up a king who would sit on David's throne forever, God would show them a typical deliverance by one who himself was outside the holy nation and who would never take a place among the people of God. And the Lord would do so in order that Israel might know that the Lord Jehovah is God alone and there is no God beside him. God appoints God raises up even the ungodly to serve his purpose in the salvation and deliverance of his people note well How God values the salvation of his church Let's remember that today too. Shall we? Who was this Cyrus Cyrus the great who was anointed by God to stand as his servant on behalf of the children of Israel. Cyrus was, as I mentioned briefly, the king of Persia. He would be the king of Persia. And he was the Lord's anointed here, not as a perpetual title, but as one who for a time was to serve as the deliverer of God's people. And so when Cyrus was born, God led him in such a way that he would rise up a great ruler, uniting the Medes and Persians under one world government, one empire. During his 29-year reign, Cyrus manifested himself as great in the eyes of men, fighting, showing himself victorious against some of the greatest states of the early classical period of history. And by the end of his rule, the empire of Cyrus the Great was the largest empire the world had ever seen. In fact, history looks upon Cyrus the Great as leaving a lasting legacy in religion, in politics, in military strategy, as well as in Eastern and Western civilization. Some 30 years ago, Cyrus the Great was still listed as number 87 on the most influential figures in history. But what's noteworthy to us is the fact that all of this was given him by God. Everything. We read in verse one that the Lord God held Cyrus' right hand to subdue the nations before him. The Lord not only raised him up, he supported him and strengthened him. and guided and directed him. The military genius that Cyrus displayed was given him by the Lord of Hosts. In verse five, we find that it was Jehovah God who girded Cyrus with the strength that he possessed. God led him from victory to victory. Jehovah is the one. who loosed the loins of the kings before Cyrus, so that they shook with fear when they heard he was coming. Jehovah himself opened the way for Cyrus to advance. Jehovah himself opened the gates of the enemy, allowing Cyrus to pass through and conquer. Jehovah is the one who says, I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut and sunder the bars of iron, and I will give thee the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places. In all that Cyrus accomplished, he was the Lord's servant, not only appointed by him, but also governed and directed by him in all things. And note well, God says, I have even called thee by thy name. Again, mind you, this was nearly 200 years before Cyrus was even born. I have surnamed thee. God himself, God alone determined that Cyrus would be known as Cyrus the Great. And by these things, God announces, I am the Lord. There is none else. There is no God beside me. Let this word of God ring through our souls, beloved. You and I stand before the sovereign Lord God, as does God's latest servant in our country, President Donald J. Trump. That's right, a servant, nothing more. The Lord says a little later in verse nine, woe unto him that striveth with his maker. Let the potchers strive with the potchers of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, what hast thou? Or thy work, he hath no hands? There are those who chafe under this deeply humbling truth. He who would follow the lie of the devil and would be like God will not receive this truth. But let us stand in awe before this great and glorious God who reveals it to us, because in this truth is our comfort. Angels and devils, righteous and unrighteous, those who fear the Lord as well as those who don't, Every creature in heaven and on earth, indeed everything in the entire creation, serves Jehovah, governed by his sovereign hand. That's our God. So it was with Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar. So it would be with Pilate and Herod, Judas and Caiaphas. So it is with the various world rulers of our day, regardless of their political ideology and place of rule. And when we recognize, when we consider this Cyrus, we ought to be aware of the fact that he's referred to elsewhere in scripture much closer to the day of his coming. The book of Daniel speaks of him. In the dream of Nebuchadnezzar recorded in Daniel chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar was given to see the development of the kingdoms of this world. Kingdoms all representative of the kingdom of Antichrist. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire was that head of gold, you remember? But looking down from that head of gold, the next to be seen was the breast and arms of silver. That was Cyrus and the empire of the Medes and Persians. Again, Daniel saw him in the vision of Daniel chapter 8. We read in Daniel 8 verses 3 and 4, then I lifted up mine eyes and saw And behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward, so that no beast might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand. But he did according to his will, and became great. That was Cyrus, this Cyrus, ruler over all the world, an anti-Christian ruler, no less, but the Lord's servant. And so it is in the history that is unfolding around you and me daily. All serves the sovereign purpose of the great and glorious God, that in the end he might be seen as God alone, and even more, that you and I might be saved together with his entire church. So we see, therefore, that not only was Cyrus chosen by name, appointed by God as a great king, but he was chosen for a purpose. The very work that he was to do was expressly set forth long before the necessity arose for its being accomplished. Again, this is some 200 years before Cyrus was born. Yet Jehovah, the one only true God, appoints him by name as one chosen for a specific purpose. the children of Zion, the kingdom of Judah, was to be carried into captivity to Babylon for 70 years. Cyrus, therefore, was appointed by God to rescue the people of God from the Babylonian captivity and to enable them to return to the promised land. He was to be, in a certain sense, Jehovah's shepherd. So we read in the last verse of chapter 44, which means Cyrus was called to take care of God's sheep. God's sheep also had a name and a surname. Their name was Jacob. The name Jacob meant heel holder. reflected the place of Jacob at birth, when as a twin to his firstborn brother Esau, he laid hold of his brother's heel. For the sake of Christ's, God's glory and his purpose in election, Jacob was born the supplanter, as we read in Romans chapter nine. He would hold Esau by the heel, as it were, until he had obtained the right of the firstborn and had become partaker of God's covenant blessings, which by nature were not his. To wrestle with the reprobate world would be his calling. And that, by faith, not by the deceit which was Jacob's inclination. Wrestling by faith he would overcome, that the purpose of God according to election might stand. But the Lord also gave Jacob the surname Israel. Israel means prince of God. Jacob Israel was the prince of God, not merely in the sense in which Cyrus was the prince of God. Jacob was the prince of God according to the election of grace. Israel's the prince of God in Christ Jesus, the seed of the covenant. God's eternal love is bestowed upon Israel for Christ's sake. With Israel his elect, God establishes his everlasting covenant of grace. And for the realization of that covenant, God will send forth his only begotten son from Israel and for Israel's salvation. And to that end, Israel must be preserved. given in Christ that full deliverance that is hers. Cyrus would be the instrument in God's hands for the preservation and deliverance of his people at that given time with a view to the coming of her Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything serves the glorious purpose of our salvation in Christ. And today, all serves God's purpose in bringing to fulfillment the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that includes the presidency of Donald Trump and whoever might succeed him, as well as the rulers of the various nations of this world, many of whom are noted enemies of the cause of Christ and his church and persecutors of his people, they are all servants. All servants, nothing more, nothing less. Servants in the hands of Almighty God. And while we pray that God uses our president for the welfare of the church and this country in which we live, we must remember this. God rules. God rules. Once again in this text, we are given evidence of Jehovah's faithfulness in maintaining and realizing his everlasting covenant all things serving the deliverance of his people. Some would argue here that, well, here we have evidence of Cyrus's regeneration. After all, isn't that what must motivate such action for the good of God's church? Isn't it that for which God would call one by a name? But when we look at our text more closely, we find an even more amazing demonstration of God's sovereignty. For twice in the text, and therefore as a matter of emphasis, God says of Cyrus, though thou hast not known me. From historical records, we find that It was the policy of Cyrus toward all religions to allow them free expression of their religious practices. There's another writing of Cyrus still in existence in which he wrote to the Babylonians a letter expressing his desire to serve them well for the sake of their gods, Bel and Nebo. Cyrus, you see, seems to have realized that a tribute-paying nation would be more profitable to his goal than a devastated nation. And in the case of the Israelites, he would have them turn the land of their desolation into a profitable source of revenue for the empire. He looked upon the matter as sound public policy. Good political strategy. When you recognize that, then you understand, too, what the Lord meant when he said of Cyrus, for Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel, mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name, I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. And he continues, I am the Lord. There is none else. There is no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known me. Cyrus knew who Jehovah was. He knew that Jehovah was Israel's God. He didn't know God personally. He didn't know God in love. He didn't stand in a saving relationship to him. He didn't worship Jehovah. Nor did he issue this decree with the purpose of glorifying the God of his salvation. What we have here, therefore, in this divinely wrought stirring of Cyrus is a demonstration of the truth expressed in Proverbs 21, verse 1. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth it whithersoever he will. But even more significantly, we have here an illustration of God sovereignly ruling even the heart and actions of an unbeliever for the sake of his church. This is an amazing lesson. also revealed for our comfort. For from eternity, God had determined, I will raise up a man named Cyrus and give him the ability and ambition and place of great power until he rules the whole world, but I will do so for my purpose. that my people might be restored to the promised land, as I have promised, and my house rebuilt as a type of the covenant fellowship I maintain in my faithfulness through the anointed, my only begotten son. And therefore in this text, stands the contrast between election and reprobation. That contrast is not simply one of opposites. No. It's not a matter of God simply choosing some and damning the others. Not that either. Reprobation stands in the service of election. Though God says of the reprobate, thou has not known me, yet he determines their place for Jacob my servant's sake and Israel mine elect. As the chaff serves the development of the kernel of wheat or grain until the final separation at harvest time, so reprobation serves election. And it's divinely illustrated in Cyrus, the man who would stand at the head of the pinnacle of the world, the head of the world power of the Medes and Persians. Moreover, God works in order to fulfill his word. That also we read in Ezra 1, verse 1, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. And the reference there to Jeremiah, rather than Isaiah, is a reference to Jeremiah's prophecy Israel's restoration to the promised land after a period of eight of 70 years in captivity Remember God's promises beloved also concerning your life and mine They are certain They are certain The Almighty God carries out his divine purposes, gathering, protecting, defending, building his church, not merely in spite of the ungodly, but as we see here in Cyrus, God working through Cyrus, even though Cyrus was working out his own agenda. When it would appear that all is lost, And when in fact it seems that we, by our sins, have forfeited that fellowship with God that is the essence of life eternal, God shows that he is Jehovah, the one unchangeably faithful to his covenant and his promises to his people. The purpose whereunto Cyrus was appointed was also fulfilled according to God's sovereign good pleasure. When we conclude by considering the purpose of God that was served, we have to notice two things in particular. The first being the sure deliverance of his people. This is the message that must be proclaimed to the ends of the world from the rising of the sun unto the setting of the sun. Beside Jehovah God, there is no savior. And all is his servant. He takes one who stands as the ruler of the universe to demonstrate this very truth. How amazing was the deliverance from Babylon. Babylon was an amazing city. a stronghold that seemed impenetrable. Babylon was surrounded by walls 350 feet high and 87 feet thick. They used to have chariot races on the top of those walls. Furthermore, one ancient historian from that period writes that Babylon had enough treasure laid up and enough food and storage, they could have endured a siege of more than 10 years. But when Isaiah prophesies in verse 1, of God causing to shake in terror the loins of the kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates, and the gate shall not be shut, We learn that when Cyrus approached the city with his army, Belshazzar, king of Babylon, had been so shaken by that handwriting on the wall, confer Daniel chapter 5, that when he heard a clamor and noise being made outside the gates, he ordered the gates open to see what was going on. And when the two gates were opened, the soldiers of Cyrus rushed into the king and killed him. But even more remarkably, the other gates within the outer wall were left open that night while the inhabitants of the city were feasting and reveling, thus allowing Cyrus' ready entrance into the city and Babylon was conquered. Kingdom of the Medes and Persians was established and Cyrus soon issued the decree Recorded in Ezra 1 verse 2 that the remnant of Jacob Israel might return to the promised land So this text today Reveals to us yet another aspect of the history of our redemption This is the gospel God working out his covenant with his people as the one history of salvation from the time of Adam to the culmination of all history. It's all the history of redemption. And God's purpose in this history, as in all history, is to reveal Jesus Christ to his people and to establish his dwelling place with us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Old Testament, as we have often seen, was a time of types and shadows, a time in which God progressively unfolded the book of his revelation and pointed his people to Christ. All that instruction which belonged to the law was the schoolmaster to point God's people to Christ and to the perfection of the tabernacle of God with men, the realization of the covenant of grace. And step by step, God was removing the types to make ready the reality. You have to understand that. in order to understand this history. Because what unfaithfulness marked the people of God during this history? What sorrow, what chastisements must fall upon them as God faithfully maintains his covenant by restoring them in the way of repentance and faith? That, after all, was the reason for their captivity in Babylon. But God always restores his house. That's our life, too. You realize that, don't you? Here we dwell in the midst of the Babylon of this world, subject to many sorrows because of our own sins and sinfulness. But always God comes to us by his gospel and says, I will build my house and gather you. You are mine. As we look at this history, And we find God accomplishing his sovereign purpose, doing away with the types to make room for the reality, the coming of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. We see the gospel of our salvation. That great massive temple was destroyed. That temple that so clearly to the people of God, pointed to the fellowship of God with them through the forgiveness of their sins. The temple was destroyed. There would be another temple built under Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, and Jeshua. It wouldn't be much in comparison to that first temple. The comparison of the two, in fact, will make many of God's people weep. But there will be no more David and no more Solomon. But remember the promise. The greater is yet to come. God is accomplishing his purpose. Look to Christ. Fulfill your calling now. Rebuild the house. rebuild the city, but always with your eyes fixed upon the reality. So we worship. So we labor for the sake of the church. So we labor for the sake of our school, with our eyes fixed upon Jesus and Jehovah, our salvation. And so we find the good pleasure of God fulfilled in this, that by this means God's name is glorified. And that's the ultimate purpose of all things. God's purpose in the stirring up of Cyrus was not only the salvation of his people, though indeed it was, but his purpose, the underlying purpose of it all, was that his own name be glorified All the world must know that he is Jehovah. He alone is God, king over all. That's especially true for you and me, who know him as our great God, our covenant friend, our deliverer. That's so beautifully expressed in Jeremiah chapter 33, where the Lord points his people to the end of all this history, the coming of the Messiah, the branch of righteousness. So we read in Jeremiah 33 verses 8 and 9, and I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me, and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me, and it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them, and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it. You may count on it. The God who stirred up Cyrus to perform his own good pleasure continues to rule today to the salvation of his church, his covenant shall be brought to its full realization. As he has said, so his glory shall be revealed to all eternity. This is true also in your life and mine. even through all the trials we must face. We may be sure, even in facing persecutions which may yet await us, you and I may be sure that God is almighty and he is powerful to save. He will have us experience the greatness of his salvation and the light of his countenance which mercifully delivers us by whatever means necessary for our salvation. So great is he, so great is his handiwork, that nothing can separate us from his love. Believe it. Amen. Heavenly Father, we humbly bow before Thee and the acknowledgement of Thy great sovereignty. And we stand in awe and in thankfulness express our gratitude that Thou alone art God and the God of our salvation for Jesus' sake. Amen.