SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Hosanna-Brenton Brown

A Study in Ezekiel-Week 05

 

Long thought a fabled city,
Tyre has now been excavated.

(Get your Bible out and read the verses as we study.)

Ezekiel Chapters 25-32 – An Overview. If you are asked what the book of Ezekiel is about, your answer should be “Jesus.”

Chapter 25 Glory of the Lord; judgment of nations. Against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia

Chapter 26 God said there would be many nations that would come against Tyre. Tyre was a great kingdom, commercial center and great political center.

Chapter 27 Lamentation for Tyre. Tyre is compared to a great ship that is wrecked. Tyre’s pride brought on the wrath of God. Like Satan, Tyre had proclaimed itself the most beautiful of cities.

Chapter 28 Judgment of the prince and king of Tyre and Sidon. The prophecy looks beyond the local ruler to the one who is behind the kingdoms of the world — Satan. Remember, Satan offered the world’s kingdom to Jesus, but Jesus turned them down. In the end, Satan has been defeated by Jesus’ death on the cross.

Verses 1-10 — Prince of Tyre is a type of the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10) – the antichrist (He represents Satan). He wants to be God (just like Satan wanted to be God). Notice “uncircumcised” in verse 10. We have a choice. We can be physically circumcised and live under the Old Covenant (and thus die), or we can be spiritually circumcised in Christ.

Verses 11-19 — This section gives the best description in all Scripture on the origin of Satan (see Isaiah 14:12-17).

Verse 11 – Satan was the most beautiful of all of the angels. He was not Jesus or Jesus’ brother, but he was in an honored position.

Verse 12 — Satan was Lucifer, son of the morning, the highest creature God ever created. He was wiser than all other creatures, and the most beautiful.

Verse 13 — Satan had everything there was to have.

Verse 14 — Satan was “the anointed cherub” next to the throne of God.

Verse 15 — Satan was created in perfection. That is why the unsaved love him (sometimes without realizing it). Then, for reasons we will not know until we are in heaven with God, “Iniquity was found in thee” (see Isaiah 14:12-17) – that is: pride. He set his will over the will of God.

Verse 16 — Satan will be judged. He is only a creature. Jesus will get rid of him.

Verses 20-24 — Judgment is pronounced on Sidon, but not complete destruction. Today Tyre is gone; Sidon lives on.

Verses 25, 26 — Israel will be restored to the land in peace. The theme song of all of the prophets is “God’s Not through with the Nation Israel.”

Chapter 29 - Egypt (representing the world system), this proudest of all nations, that had never been destroyed, is to be reduced to the lowest level. Just look at Egypt in the news today. Journalists are jailed, Christians are executed and Al Jazeera reigns.

Chapter 30 - Egypt is to be destroyed.

Chapter 31 - Once a “cedar in Lebanon (verse 3),” and equal in beauty to the Garden of Eden, she will brought down. Her allies will go down with her (verse 6). God will come against Pharaoh personally (verse 18).

Chapter 32 - Lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt. This is both a warning and an expression of sorrow. God is never happy when He is rejected.

Sin looks beautiful. Many people are drawn to it, thinking it fun. But the wages of sin (no matter how beautiful it seems) is eternal death. Self-pride is the epitome of sin. The only escape from God’s wrath is through faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. 

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Great Are You, Lord-All Sons and Daughters

A Study in Ezekiel-Week 04

Oholibah

Ezekiel Chapters 20-24 – An Overview (Get your Bible out and read the verses as we study.)

Ezekiel is a contrast with Jeremiah. Jeremiah was very emotional. Ezekiel was very matter-of-fact.

Chapter 20 – The Word of the Lord instructs Ezekiel to review Israel’s long history of sins; to warn them of future judgment and to reassure them of restoration. This is over the black background of their failure (from Egypt to the Babylonian captivity). When He called Israel He says they rebelled against Him in the wilderness. This is the generation born in the wilderness. They are still rebellious.

Verses 1-24 – God writes in letters of light His redeeming promise and prophecy to judge and restore them to the land in full blessing.

Verse 25 - Paul said the same thing. God gave them the Word. They rejected it. The good Law became their condemner. If you reject the gospel, it becomes a saber of death. You will never be able to say that you hadn't heard it.

Verses 33-38 – Israel, re-gathered from all nations, will enter into the Great Tribulation. God will bring them back into the land of Israel. The judgment will determine who of Israel will enter the Millennium.

Verses 42-44 – A glorious millennial prophecy.

Chapter 21 – The king of Babylon will remove last king of Davidic line until Messiah comes. There are consequences to sin. If we die IN our sins, we are doomed to eternity in Hell. Christ redeems us from our sins and once His Word is written in our hearts, we will not die IN our sins.

Israel complained about Ezekiel's message. They did not want to understand. The religious rulers hated Jesus because they DID understand what He was saying.

Chapter 22 – Ezekiel reviews the abominations of Jerusalem (the bloody city-a harlot). Jesus wept over the city – the prophet killers. The same line of religious leaders from Jerusalem had Jesus killed, too.

Chapter 23 –

Verses 1-11 – Here is the Parable of two sisters — Oholah (Samaria-the Northern Kingdom-Jeroboam’s own tent with 2 golden calves) and Oholibah (Jerusalem-the Southern Kingdom. God’s tent [Solomon’s temple] is in them). God would judge Oholah for idolatry. He would judge Oholibah for going through the ritual of a dead religion. We will be judged, too. We must be judged by grace through faith in Christ if we are to be saved.

Verses 12-49 – God judged both the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms. One worshiped idols, the other PRETENDED to worship God. We would do well to examine our worship. Paul said to examine ourselves to see whether you’re truly in the faith. Don’t get caught in the insecurity of make-believers. Be drawn to the person of Christ.

Chapter 24 – This is the Parable of the boiling pot.

Verses 1-14 – Either Ezekiel was a deliberate deceiver or he was a true messenger of God.

The pot speaks of the city of Jerusalem (the world). The scum speaks of the sin of the people in the city. Our sin is the scum of the earth. Jesus is the only one who can remove our sin.

Verses 15-27 – God is about to take Ezekiel’s wife from him. Ezekiel is not to weep or mourn. He is to continue with God’s message. Our circumstances must not dictate our message. Nor should circumstances prevent us from presenting our message: Sin separates; repentance is required, and trusting in and only in Christ’s finished work at the cross of Calvary is the only way to salvation.

Our witness will only be respected when it is consistent enough to rise above circumstance and fully trust the Lord with everything we are, have and do.

The Covenants in Plain English

Edenic Covenant - Don't eat the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden and you'll enjoy its wonderful attributes forever. Adam and Eve broke this covenant.

Adamic Covenant - Since you ate the fruit, Adam, you will have to work for your sustenance  and Eve, you will have to suffer pain in childbirth.

Noahic Covenant - The rainbow. God will never again destroy the earth with floods ("global warming" or not).

Abrahamic Covenant - You will have more descendants than there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the beach.

Mosaic Covenant - Keep the Law perfectly and you will remain in God's will and His presence. Israel led the way in breaking this covenant.

Palestinian (Land) Covenant - As my chosen people, you WILL have a land of your own (notwithstanding the events in the Middle East today).

Davidic Covenant - From your descendants will come the Person of my New Covenant, the savior of the world, the Messiah (Christ).

THEN CAME GOD'S NEW COVENANT - The blood of Christ shed for the remission of sin. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Using Scripture Out of Context

A God of Feelings
or Jesus the High Priest?

There are those who will use a Scripture out of context because it fits the point or "application" they are trying to make. They treat Scripture as though it is a series of wise sayings (proverbs) to be used in many different ways, according to one's present agenda. Their mantra is "Scripture has one meaning; many applications."

Some people believe that mantra because that's what they have been taught. Others believe it because it makes topical sermon preparation easier. It is, however, a patently false mantra and leads to false doctrine. "False doctrine" is a lie about Scripture's meaning. It implies that the Word of God is about us, instead of about Him.

In Hebrews 4:12, for instance, we read the words: "...Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword." I recently heard that Scripture used to support the idea that God is a Father who cares for our feelings.

God IS a Father who cares for our feelings, but that idea is not addressed by Hebrews 4:12. Such an "application" is wrong and is therefore a heresy. Let me explain why.

First of all, as quoted above, it leaves out the word, "For," with which the verse starts. "For" is a coordinating conjunction. That means what follows is connected to and a part of what went before; a preparation for a treatise on God's New Covenant between Him and those who (Jew or Gentile) will be saved.

Secondly, Hebrews 4:12 is not about our feelings in any way, shape or form. It is connected to and a part of *Paul's preparatory remarks to introduce the Priesthood of Christ. That dissertation is connected to the previous revelation about Jesus being greater than Moses. And THAT one is a continuation of the nature and identity of Jesus.

Thirdly, such an application is about as shallow as an understanding of God's Word can get. It is an attempt to reduce Scripture to a "touchy-feely" level that is sophomoric and without spiritual depth.

The book of Hebrews has absolutely nothing to do with God being a Father who cares for our feelings. It is not even about the power of Scripture to accommodate our life needs. In fact, it is not about US at all. The only correct application of  Hebrews 4:12 is that it is about Jesus and His relationship to God, His High Priesthood and His being the New Covenant between God and those who trust Jesus as Lord and Savior. Contextually, Hebrews 4:12-13 is to be seen as support for *Paul's contention that Scripture accurately portrays God and properly predicts the establishment of that New Covenant in the High Priest, Christ.

The sad thing is, preaching Hebrews 4:12 as though it somehow relates to God's being a Father who cares for our feelings, results in "Amens," and "Preach it brothers" from a congregation ignorant of the majesty of the true meaning of the verse, chapter, book, Testament, Covenant and the Bible, itself. After all, "God being a Father who cares for our feelings" sounds really good and serves as great "ear-tickling."

In fact, Hebrews 4:12 is part of a book that is so exciting that, properly understood, it is heart stopping and goose-bump producing!

What message could possibly be more relevant than the one that tells us God has given us a High Priest, greater than even Melchizedek, who can not only lead us by the heart in the right paths, but who can absolve us of our sin debt? What message could possibly be more exciting than the one that tells us that the un-keepable Law has been kept for us? What message could possibly be more exciting than the won that tells us that our sins have been forgiven by the blood of the New Covenant?

Why would ANY honest, truly saved person twist Scripture to mean what it does not mean in order to apply it to some trite philosophical idea?

Why can't we learn to let the Word of God be the WORD OF GOD...the Word of the revelation of God's character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption?

*Contrary to what some theologians teach, I believe Hebrews to be a commentary to the Jews on Paul's book of Romans. Romans was written by Paul to Gentiles, while Hebrews was written by Paul to the Jews. The book of Hebrew's teachings about Jesus parallel the book of Roman's teachings about Him.

What Shall We then Preach?

Far too many pastors have no idea about the significance of the New Covenant. Preaching from the New Covenant perspective is absolutely foreign to them. It is so much easier to just read Bible verses that match their legalistic mind set. Even though they DENY that they are legalistic, they preach sermons that are legalistic in nature.

Interestingly, every time they lead in the Lord's Supper (Communion), when the cup is passed, they read from Matthew 14:24. "This is my blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many." Maybe they read from 1 Corinthians 11:25, "This cup is the New Covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

Once the Lord's Supper is over, they do not mention or preach from the perspective of the New Covenant again until the next Lord's Supper service.

That is sad and borders on heretical. Jesus IS the New Covenant. That's what He came to be.

The Jews were in covenant relationships with God. There were 7 covenants in the Old Testament: the Edenic Covenant; the Adamic Covenant; the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant; the Mosaic Covenant; the Palestinian (Land) Covenant and the David Covenant. Every practicing Jew would be aware of these covenants. They revered them. They memorized them. They felt bound by them.

In the Old Testament, following the Davidic Covenant, Jeremiah said that God was going to establish a "new covenant" with Israel, one that would find its place in the heart, not in rules and regulations. This New Covenant was established in Jesus, Christ (Messiah). And He ABSOLUTELY DID AWAY with the Old Covenants. More accurately, He FULFILLED all of the requirements of all of the Old Covenants. We do not have to fulfill them, He has already done that for us. (Hebrews 8:13)

Every Pharisee, Sadducee and Levite would have understood EXACTLY what the implications of this New Covenant were. That understanding is what made them so furious about Jesus' ministry that they wanted Him dead. They did not want their covenant(s) made obsolete. That is because under the New Covenant, there would no longer be a need for the office of priesthood because EVERY believer would be a priest in his/her own right.

This is not about the so-called "New Covenant Theology," which is fraught with error. It is about coming to grips with and learning to live as New Covenant people.

We need to be steeped in the New Covenant (but not New Covenant Theology). We need to hear it from the pulpit, not on special occasions, but every Sunday. The New Covenant is Jesus. "Obedience to God" is not our message. Our message is following Christ. If we immerse ourselves in following Him, there is no need to ever be concerned about knowing how to be obedient. He will have written His New Covenant on our hearts. If he hasn't, we are not His.

So, should we preach about obedience here and obedience there? NO. We should preach that in our natural state we are totally and irrevocably depraved and cannot be good enough to even be in God's presence, let alone to please God. We should preach that the wages of sin is eternal death. We should preach that God offers a gift called "salvation." We should preach that the gift is freely given to those who accept it by trusting in, and only in, Christ, who shed His blood at the cross of Calvary.

So many Christians and pastors are so staunch in their legalistic upbringing and what they were taught in Bible study, Bible college or seminary that they COMPLETELY MISS the real message. They seem to believe that if every sermon is about, and only about, the salvation available through the Christ of the New Covenant that they will be seen as irrelevant and out of date.

There is NOTHING irrelevant or out of date about the message of salvation in Christ. That is the ONLY relevant message. It is a message NOT TO BE TACKED ON TO A SERMON TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO BECOME CHRISTIANS, it is to be the MAIN FOCUS of the message from the first word to the last.

If the message of salvation in Christ is boring to you, you probably are not saved. If you are a preacher and you are struggling to come up with a "relevant" sermon message, QUIT STRUGGLING! God has provided you with the message. The only thing you should be "struggling" with is how to present THAT message more clearly and fervently. If you think God has led you to some message that is about social injustices, moral issues or how bad the world, country and/or church is, you are dead WRONG. HE HAS NOT LED YOU TO PREACH THAT MESSAGE. He only leads you to preach the message of Christ.

If you are preaching from one of the great Old Testament passages, learn to contrast it and compare it with the New Covenant message of the New Testament! If you are preaching from the New Testament, learn to present its New Covenant message with enthusiasm, accuracy and power.

Christians and pastors, learn to resolve to know NOTHING except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). That's all you need to know. What you need to learn is how to preach HIM.

Stop treating the Bible as though it is a list of things that displease God and things that please Him. Faith in Christ (not some generic faith in faith or even faith in some generic God concept) is the only thing that pleases Him.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Total Praise-Acapella Arrangement by Sam Robson

A Study in Ezekiel-Week 03

Israel Like an Abandoned Baby

A Continuation of the Overview (Get your Bible out and read the verses as we study.)

Chapter 15

Verses 2-5 – A vine is not good for lumber or for fuel. Its purpose is to bear fruit. The vine is the symbol of the nation Israel (Isaiah 5:7). The vine “Israel” has been replaced. Jesus said, “I am the vine.” He expects us to bear fruit. Israel was not bearing fruit. She was fit only for destruction.

Verses 6-8 – Jerusalem likened to abandoned baby adopted by God,

Chapter 16

Verses 1-5 – The origin of Jerusalem (historically an Amorite city – Genesis 15:16) is likened to an abandoned baby, deserted, dirty, repulsive, and obviously illegitimate.

Verse 6-14 – Jehovah adopted this baby, cleaned her up, raised and trained her with loving care and concern. Then this baby girl grew up to play the harlot and deny the only One who befriended, loved, and nurtured her. We are all sinners, just as dirty as Jerusalem. Jehovah must judge, discipline, and purify her (and us), but He has not forsaken her (or us). He made a covenant with her. He will yet fulfill it (verse. 53). He has made a New Covenant with us. Jesus fulfilled it.

Chapter 17

Verses 1-11 – Here God speaks to Ezekiel a riddle of two eagles. The first great eagle is Babylon (reference Jeremiah 48:40 & 49:22, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar). The tree is Israel. God is going to clip off the royal house of David. The second eagle is Egypt (check today’s news about Egypt).

Verses 12-24 – This is the answer to the riddle: The king of Babylon will besiege Jerusalem again. He will destroy the city and the temple and will take Zedekiah and all but a small remnant of the people into captivity. The wages of sin is death; Jerusalem is the awful example. The New Covenant (Jesus) is our only hope of salvation.

Chapter 18

Verse 1-2 – Ezekiel quotes Jeremiah 31:29 & Lamentations 5:7 and proclaims them “false proverbs.” (They were NOT proverbs given by God). God deals specifically with individuals. Life and death are set before Israel. Life and death are set before every person. Each person is given a choice.

Verse 3 – “As I live you will no longer quote this proverb.” “Live” or “alive” occur thirteen times in this chapter. “Die,” “dieth” or “death” occur fourteen times.)

Verse 4 – “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” omits no one. If the sins of the father come upon the children, it is because the children follow the wickedness of the father. Every man shall be put to death for HIS OWN sin (Deuteronomy 24:16).

Verses 5-9 – If any person can live a perfect life, God will receive him with open arms. Don’t count on that, though. You can’t do it. You are only perfect to God when He sees you through the eyes of Christ. God offers life, both her and for eternity.

Verse 10-18 – If a son does NOT do the evil his father did, he will NOT die for his father’s sin. People love to find fault in others. They think it makes them look more righteous. The Jewish leaders had adopted the idea that a man DOES die for his father’s sin. Here, even in the Old Testament, we see that not to be the case.

Verse 30 – God will judge each person individually.

Verses 31-32 – Consider the principles laid down in these verses! God is righteous in all that He does. 

We are to receive a NEW HEART and a NEW SPIRIT! When does this happen? When, and only when, we come to Christ and become children of the NEW COVENANT! God asks, “Why would anyone choose death when life is available to them?

He concludes by admonishing Israel and us to REPENT and LIVE.

“Repent” means ultimately to change your heart’s attitude about who Jesus is and to turn from sin to Him. Without repentance, there is no salvation. But when we repent and trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary, we receive God’s greatest gift of grace: eternal life.

The One Thing Christians Should Stop Saying

For many years I have tried to get the points in the following article across to people. I have tried to get Christians to realize that they often think of God's blessings wrongly. I teach that blessings are NOT what we so often think them to be.

When I try to teach them I am given blank stares, argued with and/or ridiculed. And I STILL hear people echoing the old Jewish concept that God's blessings are seen in material things: my house is a blessing from God; my family is a blessing from God; my job is a blessing from God. 

NO! NO! NO! Jesus is the blessing from God. You need no other. If you do, you need to review your relationship to Him. 

Recently I saw and read this post by Scott Dannemiller. It is long, but its lesson is well worth the time. It expresses what I have tried to get across to people for so long, When I saw it on FaceBook, I decided to provide it to you.

Scott Dannemiller is a writer, blogger, worship leader and former missionary with the Presbyterian Church. He writes the blog The Accidental Missionary, where this post first appeared.

I was on the phone with a good friend the other day. After covering important topics, like disparaging each other's mothers and retelling semi-factual tales from our college days, our conversation turned to the mundane.

"So, how's work going?" he asked.

For those of you who don't know, I make money by teaching leadership skills and helping people learn to get along in corporate America. My wife says it's all a clever disguise so I can get up in front of large groups and tell stories.

I plead the fifth.

I answered my buddy's question with,

"Definitely feeling blessed. Last year was the best year yet for my business. And it looks like this year will be just as busy."

The words rolled off my tongue without a second thought. Like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or placing my usual lunch order at McDonald's.

But it was a lie.

Now, before you start taking up a collection for the "Feed the Dannemillers" fund, allow me to explain. Based on last year's quest to go twelve months without buying anything, you may have the impression that our family is subsisting on Ramen noodles and free chips and salsa at the local Mexican restaurant. Not to worry, we are not in dire straits.

Last year was the best year yet for my business.

Things are looking busy in 2014.

But that is not a blessing.

I've noticed a trend among Christians, myself included, and it troubles me. Our rote response to material windfalls is to call ourselves blessed. Like the "amen" at the end of a prayer.

"This new car is such a blessing."

"Finally closed on the house. Feeling blessed."

"Just got back from a mission trip. Realizing how blessed we are here in this country."

On the surface, the phrase seems harmless. Faithful even. Why wouldn't I want to give God the glory for everything I have? Isn't that the right thing to do?

No.

As I reflected on my "feeling blessed" comment, two thoughts came to mind. I realize I'm splitting hairs here, creating an argument over semantics. But bear with me, because I believe it is critically important. It's one of those things we can't see because it's so culturally engrained that it has become normal.

But it has to stop. And here's why.

First, when I say that my material fortune is the result of God's blessing, it reduces The Almighty to some sort of sky-bound, wish-granting fairy who spends his days randomly bestowing cars and cash upon his followers. I can't help but draw parallels to how I handed out M&M's to my own kids when they followed my directions and chose to poop in the toilet rather than in their pants. Sure, God wants us to continually seek His will, and it's for our own good. But positive reinforcement?

God is not a behavioral psychologist.

Second, and more importantly, calling myself blessed because of material good fortune is just plain wrong. For starters, it can be offensive to the hundreds of millions of Christians in the world who live on less than $10 per day. You read that right. Hundreds of millions who receive a single-digit dollar "blessing" per day.

During our year in Guatemala, Gabby and I witnessed first-hand the damage done by the theology of prosperity, where faithful people scraping by to feed their families were simply told they must not be faithful enough. If they were, God would pull them out of their nightmare. Just try harder, and God will show favor.

The problem? Nowhere in scripture are we promised worldly ease in return for our pledge of faith. In fact, the most devout saints from the Bible usually died penniless, receiving a one-way ticket to prison or death by torture.

I'll take door number three, please.

If we're looking for the definition of blessing, Jesus spells it out clearly (Matthew 5: 1-12).

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him,

2 And He began to teach them, saying:

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I have a sneaking suspicion verses 12a 12b and 12c were omitted from the text. That's where the disciples responded by saying:

12a Waitest thou for one second, Lord. What about "blessed art thou comfortable," or 12b "blessed art thou which havest good jobs, a modest house in the suburbs, and a yearly vacation to the Florida Gulf Coast?"

12c And Jesus said unto them, "Apologies, my brothers, but those did not maketh the cut."

So there it is. Written in red. Plain as day. Even still, we ignore it all when we hijack the word "blessed" to make it fit neatly into our modern American ideals, creating a cosmic lottery where every sincere prayer buys us another scratch-off ticket. In the process, we stand the risk of alienating those we are hoping to bring to the faith.

And we have to stop playing that game.

The truth is, I have no idea why I was born where I was or why I have the opportunity I have. It's beyond comprehension. But I certainly don't believe God has chosen me above others because of the veracity of my prayers or the depth of my faith. Still, if I take advantage of the opportunities set before me, a comfortable life may come my way. It's not guaranteed. But if it does happen, I don't believe Jesus will call me blessed.

He will call me "burdened."

He will ask,

"What will you do with it?"

"Will you use it for yourself?"

"Will you use it to help?"

"Will you hold it close for comfort?"

"Will you share it?"

So many hard choices. So few easy answers.

So my prayer today is that I understand my true blessing. It's not my house. Or my job. Or my standard of living.

No.

My blessing is this. I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. I know a God who loves the unlovable. I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. And I know a God who has planted this same power within me. Within all of us.

And for this blessing, may our response always be,

"Use me."

Give 'Em A Good Warm-Over

A pastor preached a message on David and Goliath on a fine Sunday morning.

A few weeks later, he preached from the same passage, gave the same illustrations and drew the same conclusions.

Then, just to make certain everybody had heard it, he preached from David and Goliath once again.

Now, some of you are thinking, "This must be a joke. What's the punch line?"

No punch line. This is no joke.

Does it occur to pastors that when they "preach" from the same passage over and over, use the same illustrations over and over, draw the same conclusions over and over and use the same cliches over and over, the congregation might get the idea that they are too lazy to develop a new sermon?

Out of 66 books, are there not enough passages to keep a pastor busy with new material?

There is one message (and only one message) that bears repeating every single Sunday. It is a message found in every book of the Bible. It is the message that Christ paid the sin debt we owe. 

If a pastor thinks that message is boring, maybe he should reconsider his calling. It was the apostle, Paul, who said, "I have resolved to know nothing while I was with you but Christ and Him crucified." That is our only message. It does not deserve to be tacked on as the caboose of some other message, it must BE the message.

Can't find Jesus in the whole Bible? Consider this:

Jesus In Every Book of the Bible

In Genesis, He's the Breath of Life
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our High Priest
Numbers, The Fire by Night
Deuteronomy, He's Moses' Voice
In Joshua, He is Salvation's Choice
Judges, Law Giver
In Ruth, the Kinsmen-Redeemer
First and second Samuel, our Trusted Prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He's Sovereign

Ezra, true and Faithful Scribe
Nehemiah, He's the Rebuilder of Broken Walls and Lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's Courage
In Job, the Timeless Redeemer
In Psalms, He is our Morning Song

In Proverbs, Wisdom's Cry
Ecclesiastes, the Time and Season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the Lover's Dream

In Isaiah, He's Prince of Peace
Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet
In Lamentations, the Cry for Israel
Ezekiel, He's the Call from Sin
In Daniel, the Stranger in the Fire

In Hosea, He is Forever Faithful
In Joel, He's the Spirits Power
In Amos, the Arms that Carry Us
In Obadiah, He's the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He's the Great Missionary

In Micah, the Promise of Peace
In Nahum, He is our Strength and our Shield 

In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's pleading for revival
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage
In Zechariah, our Fountain

In Malachi, He is the Son of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God, Man, Messiah
In the book of Acts, He is Fire from Heaven
In Romans, He's the Grace of God
In Corinthians, the Power of Love
In Galatians, He is Freedom from the Curse of Sin

Ephesians, our Glorious Treasure
Philippians, the Servants Heart
In Colossians, He's the Godhead Trinity
Thessalonians, our Coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He's our Mediator and our Faithful Pastor

In Hebrews, the Everlasting Covenant
In James, the One who heals the sick.
In First and Second Peter, he is our Shepherd
In John and in Jude, He is the Lover coming for His Bride

In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

      The prince of peace
      The Son of man
      The Lamb of God
      The great I AM

      He's the alpha and omega
      Our God and our Savior
      He is Jesus Christ the Lord
      and when time is no more
He is, HE IS, HE IS THE GREAT I AM.

So come on, you preachers who can't take the time to find Jesus in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament; get with God's program!

When you claim to "preach the Word...all of it," are you talking about using it as a bunch of DOs and DON'Ts, a list of things we do (or don't do) to please God? Or are you finding in its pages from Genesis to the Revelation the good news of Messiah crucified, buried and resurrected? He's there. If you were called to preach, He is who you were called to preach about. If you cannot preach Christ, you were not called to preach.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Praise Adonai-Paul Baloche

A Study in Ezekiel-Week 02

Chapters 8-14: An Overview. Chapters 8-14 are all about the Glory of the Lord, the complete captivity of Jerusalem and Israel as well as the departure of the glory of the Lord. It is about the Word of the Lord that was given to Ezekiel on what would be our September of 592 BC.

Chapter 8

Verses 2-4 – Some scholars believe the man who appeared to Ezekiel was the pre-incarnate Christ. The Spirit of God took Ezekiel to a gate where stood an Idol. In subsequent verses we see that Israel had become deeply involved in the worship of idols. Exodus 20:4 tells us that God is “jealous” and will not tolerate idol worship. How can we of the New Covenant worship any other “god” if we are focused on Jesus?

Verses 16-18 – God’s reaction to idol worship is unpleasant is powerful. Those who do not worship Him alone are subject to eternal destruction. If we are in Christ, how can we even think about worshiping an idol? 

Chapter9

Verses 1-4 – Six angels are instructed to execute God’s judgement. God’s glory leaves the cherubim and He instructs them to “defile the temple with the slain.” Ezekiel collapses in worship and asks God His intent. God tells him that putting anything before Him is eternally fatal. They will get what they deserve. Do you want what you deserve? You had better want the mercy of God in Christ. God promises a remnant that will be spared.

Verses 5-11 – The frightful judgement is executed. It is a bad idea to place faith in anything other than the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. The consequence is eternally deadly.

Chapter 10

Verse 4-19 – The glory fills the temple for the last time. Ezekiel again sees the wheels. The Holy Spirit leads the cherubim to lift up, and God’s glory left the temple and “stood” at the eastern gate. From this moment on, the temple was dead. Now, those in Christ are the temple.

Chapter 11

Verses 1-7 – Ezekiel was led by the Spirit to the gate. There it was revealed to him what the sins of the rulers was.

Verses 8-15 – Here we see the judgement of the rulers. In God’s economy, leaders are both important and are beset with the responsibility of leading in right doctrine. Remember: at any given moment a church is where it has been led and where it has allowed its leaders to lead it. We must ensure that our leaders are leading Christward.

Verses 16-20 – God once again promises a remnant.

Verses 21-23 – The Shekinah glory leaves Jerusalem and stands, significantly, over the Mount of Olives.

Chapter 12

Verses 1-6 – Because the people will not hear the prophet, he is to adopt a sensational and strange method of commanding their attention.

Verses 7-16 – Ezekiel locks himself in the house, digs through the wall and takes his possessions our through the hole in the wall.

Verses 17-28 – The Jews figured that Ezekiel’s prophecy referred to some far distant future event. God told Ezekiel to tell them it will be immediate and the Jerusalem would be captured.

Chapter 13 – In this chapter, Ezekiel warns about false prophets and prophetesses. Check out the book of 1 Timothy, which is ALL about false prophets and the importance of not following them or allowing them into positions of leadership.

Verses 1-15 – God tells Ezekiel to prophesy against false prophets. He calls them foolish, jackals, thieves, whitewashed liars and that they have NO PLACE in service to the Lord. If we have false prophets in the church, they must be called out, weeded out and thrown out. We must not be tolerant of them. They, if they are in leadership positions, are the human equivalent of idols.

Verse 16 – The false prophets predict peace for Jerusalem. Their mantra is “Don’t worry. Be happy.” God is love and will not bring harm to those who lead with erroneous doctrine.

Since King Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem twice and God didn’t destroy it, the false prophets assumed He would not.

Verses 17-23 – God soundly condemns the lying prophetesses who use their femininity to “convince” men to believe and follow them. Women have that kind of power, you know.

Chapter 14 – Here is a prophecy against idolatry of ELDERS and the certain destruction of Jerusalem.

In the Old Testament, the word “elder” is translated from several Hebrew words: gadol, meaning “great”; zaqen meaning “old”, “aged” or “bearded”, rab, meaning “great”, sab, meaning “grey headed” and zeqenim le-yamim, meaning “aged as to days.”

The Old Testament (Greek) words for “elder” are: meizon, meaning “greater” (used only once), presbuterios, meaning “aged person”, sumpresbuteros, meaning “fellow elder”, presbuterion, meaning “eldership” or “presbytery” (Luke 22:66 and Acts 22:5) and presbuteros, meaning “aged person.

Although context in SOME instances seems to indicate some kind of office (like Acts 4:8), there is no definitive use of the terms to cause us to believe that an office known as ELDERS is either required or desired. The terms simply mean older, more experienced leaders in the congregation.

That certain denominations have chosen to identify themselves by such an office (most notably Presbyterians, but others as well), is interesting in that Scripture does not require it.

Verses 1-3 – Ezekiel was sent to the older leaders of the Jews to tell them that they were idolatrous and would bring certain destruction to Jerusalem.

Verses 4-11 – Ezekiel takes God’s warning about idolatry to the “house of Israel,” warning them to turn from idolatry or else God would “set His face against” them.

Verses 12-20 – Even Noah, Daniel, and Job could not deliver Jerusalem. (Daniel was prime  minister at this time in the court of Nebuchadnezzar.)

If you are a Christian and your family, your work, your finances, your hobbies, your vacations, your playtimes or any other aspect of your life takes precedence over serving Christ, you are guilty of idolatry. “Serving Christ” does NOT mean serving the church. It means serving Christ through the church – the Body of Christ.

This is heavy stuff, because it seems to indicate that I have to include Christ in everything I think or do. EXACTLY! Christ must be the in-all, of-all, by-all and through-all of everything we are, everything we think and everything we do.

Whatever we do, we must do it heartily, as unto the Lord. He deserves the best we have. After all, He gave His best for us.