Ezekiel 30
It was one of those scenes that will be embedded in my mind until I die. I exited church as quickly as it was over and walked home. I was not home more than 5 or 10 minutes when mom drove partially into our driveway, got out went inside and got my dad. My older brother was sitting in the car crying. Walking over to find out what was wrong, I observed that his arm was in an unnaturally curved shape. He had fallen on the church steps and broken both bones of his forearm. It ran shivers up and down my spine to look at it. My parents took him to Stillwater to have the doctor tend to it. The doctor thought it was beyond his ability and wanted to send him on to Tulsa to have a specialist take care of it, but mom talked him in to setting it rather than causing him to ride two more hours in pain to Tulsa. Over the next few months his arm healed, but it sure limited the things he could do.
When God says that He will break the arms of Egypt, and He will break the broken one twice, I cringe. I remember the unnatural curvature of my brother’s arm. I remember the cry of pain. I remember the months of limited mobility. Egypt, the past military power of the world, God says that He will break his arms. He will scatter Egypt among the nations. Today that would be like saying, “I will break the arms of the USA and scatter him throughout the nations.” Could anyone of that day have believed it? Do you think anyone cringed at the word of the Lord through Ezekiel? Yet, He did it. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt. Egypt has never been the top world power since. God does what He says He will do! That is His glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
August 30
Ezekiel 29
“Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup,” so stated the bumper sticker on Christy’s car. In Scripture Egypt is often compared to a dragon or sea monster. The imagery comes from the Nile which also had crocodiles that lived in the river. Ancient advanced civilizations are usually found near great rivers that regularly flood their banks. The flooding provides needed water and nutrients for the soil. Thus Egypt, with the regular flooding of the Nile, was able to establish an advanced civilization because they could depend upon the established agrarian cycle of crops. This enabled others in the culture to specialize in other building activities. The result was an advanced civilization. Egypt knew that one of the sources of its strength was the Nile river. They established great confidence in their economy that the Nile provided for their country.
Rather than seeking the Lord, Israel sought help from Egypt against Babylon. It was wrong of Egypt to help, and it was wrong for Israel to seek Egypt’s help. Israel was meddling in the affairs of dragons. Ultimately, the source of provision and strength for any country is the Lord. How does the God of glory solve this problem? Not only does he discipline Israel, but he also disciplines the dragon. Ezekiel predicts the discipline of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar as the pay for Nebuchadnezzar’s work in disciplining Tyre. Listen to what the KJV commentary says about the fulfillment of this prophecy:
The date is March-April of 571 B.C. Though Nebuchadnezzar had laid siege to Tyre for thirteen years, the campaign was an economic loss. Since he had no booty with which to pay his soldiers, he invaded Egypt and got booty, the wages for his army. Thus, both Tyre and Egypt, proud because of their wealth, were humbled by God’s instrument, Nebuchadnezzar.
Persia defeated Babylon in 539. The Egyptian captives were eventually allowed to go home, but they would never again become the world power, true to Ezekiel’s prophecy.
God always performs His word. We do not need to appeal to the dragons of this world for our help. When we do, it is certain that we will get mixed with ketchup. That is not a good thing. God will perform His word. It is part of His glory. We need to wait upon Him. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
“Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup,” so stated the bumper sticker on Christy’s car. In Scripture Egypt is often compared to a dragon or sea monster. The imagery comes from the Nile which also had crocodiles that lived in the river. Ancient advanced civilizations are usually found near great rivers that regularly flood their banks. The flooding provides needed water and nutrients for the soil. Thus Egypt, with the regular flooding of the Nile, was able to establish an advanced civilization because they could depend upon the established agrarian cycle of crops. This enabled others in the culture to specialize in other building activities. The result was an advanced civilization. Egypt knew that one of the sources of its strength was the Nile river. They established great confidence in their economy that the Nile provided for their country.
Rather than seeking the Lord, Israel sought help from Egypt against Babylon. It was wrong of Egypt to help, and it was wrong for Israel to seek Egypt’s help. Israel was meddling in the affairs of dragons. Ultimately, the source of provision and strength for any country is the Lord. How does the God of glory solve this problem? Not only does he discipline Israel, but he also disciplines the dragon. Ezekiel predicts the discipline of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar as the pay for Nebuchadnezzar’s work in disciplining Tyre. Listen to what the KJV commentary says about the fulfillment of this prophecy:
The date is March-April of 571 B.C. Though Nebuchadnezzar had laid siege to Tyre for thirteen years, the campaign was an economic loss. Since he had no booty with which to pay his soldiers, he invaded Egypt and got booty, the wages for his army. Thus, both Tyre and Egypt, proud because of their wealth, were humbled by God’s instrument, Nebuchadnezzar.
Persia defeated Babylon in 539. The Egyptian captives were eventually allowed to go home, but they would never again become the world power, true to Ezekiel’s prophecy.
God always performs His word. We do not need to appeal to the dragons of this world for our help. When we do, it is certain that we will get mixed with ketchup. That is not a good thing. God will perform His word. It is part of His glory. We need to wait upon Him. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, August 29, 2011
August 29
Ezekiel 28
Am I a god? The prince of Tyre unconsciously came to that conclusion. Tyre was a magnificent city at the time of Ezekiel. Sitting on the eastern end of the Mediterranean it had become wealthy through its merchant trade that spanned from Spain in the west to its location in the east. Centrally located, it could receive goods from a thousand miles inland to the east and distribute it throughout the Mediterranean world. The merchants of Tyre did great business. Ithbaal II, the prince of Tyre in Ezekiel’s day, attained great wealth through his portion of the trade and through taxes levied on commerce flowing through his port city. Exalted and wealthy and possessing a great business mind, he became quite proud without probably even realizing his pride. After all, he was able to gain this wealth and power through his great business skills. He came to feel that he was the author of his wealth and wisdom. He needed to submit to no one. Only God is the author of true wealth and wisdom. Are you a god?
Two thousand seven hundred years later we fall into the same trap. Here in the USA, we live in a culture that makes it possible for individual wealth and power to be gained for the individual who knows how to manipulate the wisdom of this world. A decade ago it prompted a famous secular author to state that if anyone in the USA made less than $250,000.00 per year, then he was not pulling his own weight. We might quibble on where he set the bar, but I suspect that most Americans would agree. The question is, “Where do we set the bar--$25,000, $50,000, $100,000, $250,000?” Most of us would say that we are rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing. We have become gods, or so we think.
The problem is that there is only room for One God. He destroys all others; that is part of His glory. He takes all who seek to be gods and throws them into the pit. Those princes who seek to be gods end up like their father, the king of Tyre. He is the one who started it all. The last half of Ezekiel 28 has baffled theologians for years. Many aspects of it make it seem to be directed toward someone who is more than a man, but then he is addressed as a Man. He is called the anointed cherub. From Exodus 25:18-22, we can deduce that the role of cherubim was to protect and proclaim the holiness of God. Satan, the king of Tyre once did that, but he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his own splendor. We do the same. God allows no room for it. There is after all only One God. There is no room for another. That is His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Am I a god? The prince of Tyre unconsciously came to that conclusion. Tyre was a magnificent city at the time of Ezekiel. Sitting on the eastern end of the Mediterranean it had become wealthy through its merchant trade that spanned from Spain in the west to its location in the east. Centrally located, it could receive goods from a thousand miles inland to the east and distribute it throughout the Mediterranean world. The merchants of Tyre did great business. Ithbaal II, the prince of Tyre in Ezekiel’s day, attained great wealth through his portion of the trade and through taxes levied on commerce flowing through his port city. Exalted and wealthy and possessing a great business mind, he became quite proud without probably even realizing his pride. After all, he was able to gain this wealth and power through his great business skills. He came to feel that he was the author of his wealth and wisdom. He needed to submit to no one. Only God is the author of true wealth and wisdom. Are you a god?
Two thousand seven hundred years later we fall into the same trap. Here in the USA, we live in a culture that makes it possible for individual wealth and power to be gained for the individual who knows how to manipulate the wisdom of this world. A decade ago it prompted a famous secular author to state that if anyone in the USA made less than $250,000.00 per year, then he was not pulling his own weight. We might quibble on where he set the bar, but I suspect that most Americans would agree. The question is, “Where do we set the bar--$25,000, $50,000, $100,000, $250,000?” Most of us would say that we are rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing. We have become gods, or so we think.
The problem is that there is only room for One God. He destroys all others; that is part of His glory. He takes all who seek to be gods and throws them into the pit. Those princes who seek to be gods end up like their father, the king of Tyre. He is the one who started it all. The last half of Ezekiel 28 has baffled theologians for years. Many aspects of it make it seem to be directed toward someone who is more than a man, but then he is addressed as a Man. He is called the anointed cherub. From Exodus 25:18-22, we can deduce that the role of cherubim was to protect and proclaim the holiness of God. Satan, the king of Tyre once did that, but he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his own splendor. We do the same. God allows no room for it. There is after all only One God. There is no room for another. That is His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Friday, August 26, 2011
August 26
Ezekiel 25
1 Peter 4:17 “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Many people tire quickly of Ezekiel because it is chapter after chapter of judgment. Indeed the first 24 chapters of Ezekiel deal with the glory of God in particular as He is dispensing judgment upon the house of God. The time had come for God to judge His house. Now a shift has come in Ezekiel. He begins to judge the countries outside the house of God. The judgment upon His house was harsh and hot, but the house of God, the descendants of Abraham, the descendents of those with whom He made the Mosaic covenant are still recognizable today.
What about the peoples to whom He now turns His attention? What about, Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. Those people groups are no longer recognizable even though there are people living in those lands which still bear their names. Where does Amman, Jordan get its name? Probably from Ammon. Where do the Palestinians get their name? It is derived from the Roman designation of the area which referred to the area as Palestine which meant Philistine. But would a Palestinian today claim to be a Philistine? Absolutely not! Would one born and raised in Amman, Jordan claim to be an Ammonite or a Moabite or a Edomite? Absolutely not! The cultural identity of those groups from the day of Ezekiel has been lost, but not the Israelite! Hmmm. . .
The fact that there is therefore, now, no condemnation for those to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, does not protect us from the judgment of the house of God. There is a difference between a judgment that brings condemnation and a fiery judgment that disciplines and burns away what is ungodly. Judgment that brings condemnation ends in eternal separation from our loving King. Judgment that disciplines and burns away what is ungodly purifies us and brings us into loving relationship with our Father and Lord. Lord, it is to Your glory that I be purified of all ungodliness. Lord, I welcome Your discipline, and I also choose to walk according to Your Spirit. Yielding to You, I claim the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit to walk as you have called me to walk. Magnify Your glory by showing the world what You will do with one sinner who will yield to You. Lord, do not stop on the individual level. May the congregation which I pastor yield corporately to You. May we claim the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit to walk as you have called us to walk. Magnify Your glory by showing the world what you will do with a congregation that corporately yields to You. Lord, do not stop with this one congregation in Stillwater. May the church of Stillwater yield corporately to You. May we claim the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit to walk as you have called us to wallk. Magnify Your glory by showing the world what you will do with church of a community that corporately yields to You. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
1 Peter 4:17 “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Many people tire quickly of Ezekiel because it is chapter after chapter of judgment. Indeed the first 24 chapters of Ezekiel deal with the glory of God in particular as He is dispensing judgment upon the house of God. The time had come for God to judge His house. Now a shift has come in Ezekiel. He begins to judge the countries outside the house of God. The judgment upon His house was harsh and hot, but the house of God, the descendants of Abraham, the descendents of those with whom He made the Mosaic covenant are still recognizable today.
What about the peoples to whom He now turns His attention? What about, Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. Those people groups are no longer recognizable even though there are people living in those lands which still bear their names. Where does Amman, Jordan get its name? Probably from Ammon. Where do the Palestinians get their name? It is derived from the Roman designation of the area which referred to the area as Palestine which meant Philistine. But would a Palestinian today claim to be a Philistine? Absolutely not! Would one born and raised in Amman, Jordan claim to be an Ammonite or a Moabite or a Edomite? Absolutely not! The cultural identity of those groups from the day of Ezekiel has been lost, but not the Israelite! Hmmm. . .
The fact that there is therefore, now, no condemnation for those to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, does not protect us from the judgment of the house of God. There is a difference between a judgment that brings condemnation and a fiery judgment that disciplines and burns away what is ungodly. Judgment that brings condemnation ends in eternal separation from our loving King. Judgment that disciplines and burns away what is ungodly purifies us and brings us into loving relationship with our Father and Lord. Lord, it is to Your glory that I be purified of all ungodliness. Lord, I welcome Your discipline, and I also choose to walk according to Your Spirit. Yielding to You, I claim the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit to walk as you have called me to walk. Magnify Your glory by showing the world what You will do with one sinner who will yield to You. Lord, do not stop on the individual level. May the congregation which I pastor yield corporately to You. May we claim the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit to walk as you have called us to walk. Magnify Your glory by showing the world what you will do with a congregation that corporately yields to You. Lord, do not stop with this one congregation in Stillwater. May the church of Stillwater yield corporately to You. May we claim the empowerment of Your Holy Spirit to walk as you have called us to wallk. Magnify Your glory by showing the world what you will do with church of a community that corporately yields to You. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
August 24
Ezekiel 23
Samaria, Oholah means ‘her own tabernacle.’ Jerusalem, Oholibah means ‘My tabernacle is in her.’ In order to maintain the split to between the two countries/cities, Jeroboam instituted two other places of worship in the northern kingdom, Dan and Bethel. The move was basically established in order to keep the northern people from returning to Jerusalem to worship. Jeroboam was fearful that regular returns to Jerusalem to worship might incite a desire to reunite the country, and he or his descendants might lose their power. Eventually after the exile, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mt. Gerazim near the city of Samaria. The woman at the well unsuccessfully sought to draw Jesus into the argument on the proper place to worship. The split remains to this day. Samaritans still worship on Mt. Gerazim and Jews at the wailing wall in Jerusalem. The Lord points out through Ezekiel that both of them have committed spiritual adultery with other gods in their places of worship. They were both guilty of exchanging the worship of the true God for the worship of false gods. Not only did they worship other gods, but they tried to incorporate that worship into the worship of the Lord. But the Lord will not share His glory with any other. It’s like sharing your wife with someone else. It just doesn’t work.
I wonder if the reason that the American church is so weak is that we have placed our own spiritual desires in place of true worship of our Lord. We have dressed it up nicely. It looks like it is worshipping the Lord, but spiritually we’ve gone to bed with another god. The Lord doesn’t put up with that. Lord, remove any spiritual unfaithfulness in me so that your glory might shine alone in me. Lord, cure us of our spiritual whoredom so that Your glory might reign supreme in us! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Samaria, Oholah means ‘her own tabernacle.’ Jerusalem, Oholibah means ‘My tabernacle is in her.’ In order to maintain the split to between the two countries/cities, Jeroboam instituted two other places of worship in the northern kingdom, Dan and Bethel. The move was basically established in order to keep the northern people from returning to Jerusalem to worship. Jeroboam was fearful that regular returns to Jerusalem to worship might incite a desire to reunite the country, and he or his descendants might lose their power. Eventually after the exile, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mt. Gerazim near the city of Samaria. The woman at the well unsuccessfully sought to draw Jesus into the argument on the proper place to worship. The split remains to this day. Samaritans still worship on Mt. Gerazim and Jews at the wailing wall in Jerusalem. The Lord points out through Ezekiel that both of them have committed spiritual adultery with other gods in their places of worship. They were both guilty of exchanging the worship of the true God for the worship of false gods. Not only did they worship other gods, but they tried to incorporate that worship into the worship of the Lord. But the Lord will not share His glory with any other. It’s like sharing your wife with someone else. It just doesn’t work.
I wonder if the reason that the American church is so weak is that we have placed our own spiritual desires in place of true worship of our Lord. We have dressed it up nicely. It looks like it is worshipping the Lord, but spiritually we’ve gone to bed with another god. The Lord doesn’t put up with that. Lord, remove any spiritual unfaithfulness in me so that your glory might shine alone in me. Lord, cure us of our spiritual whoredom so that Your glory might reign supreme in us! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23
Ezekiel 22
It was kind of an eerie glow. The molten aluminum glowed in the dark. Working second shift at Mercruiser, I would on occasion walk back into the die cast department during break. There was no second shift, so the lights would be out. It was too inefficient to turn off the vats that fed the molten aluminum into the machines, so they would remain heated through the night. The glow from the vat was beautiful. It was almost transparent. There was no impurity, no dross, nothing to fowl the aluminum. It was enchanting.
Listen to what the KJV Commentary says of this passage.
A stronger indictment against a city, people, and land wholly gone into moral decay could not be expressed. They have served idols instead of the Lord; by bloodshed they have despised the sanctity of life; by sexual perversion they have despised the highest form of creation, man’s body; by seeking material gain at any cost, they have put the material above the spiritual. They have done all of this because they have forgotten the Lord GOD.
All segments of the social structure have become involved in this decay: prophet, priest, prince, and people. Therefore, the Lord must bring judgment by dispersion to a remnant, and fire, sword, and plague to the others. God’s holy purpose in this is to purge out filthiness and dross, appease His wrath against sin, and bring His people back to Himself. . . . He must deal with His sinful people in judgment.
The fire of God’s wrath produces that which is beautiful. They nation was so corrupt that there was no one to “stand in the gap and close up the wall.” There was nothing left to do but to melt the nation down consume the dross and inject the molten metal into a new mold. I am so thankful that the Lord is melting me down. He consumed my dross on the cross. He is injecting me into a new mold, one that looks like His Son. It is sometimes painful, but he has promised not to leave me nor forsake me. What remains will be beautiful. Someday I will glow because of what He has done. Some say that I’m already kind of eerie, but I don’t think they mean it in a good way. Anyway, if there is any glowing it will be from Him for He is the beautiful One. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
It was kind of an eerie glow. The molten aluminum glowed in the dark. Working second shift at Mercruiser, I would on occasion walk back into the die cast department during break. There was no second shift, so the lights would be out. It was too inefficient to turn off the vats that fed the molten aluminum into the machines, so they would remain heated through the night. The glow from the vat was beautiful. It was almost transparent. There was no impurity, no dross, nothing to fowl the aluminum. It was enchanting.
Listen to what the KJV Commentary says of this passage.
A stronger indictment against a city, people, and land wholly gone into moral decay could not be expressed. They have served idols instead of the Lord; by bloodshed they have despised the sanctity of life; by sexual perversion they have despised the highest form of creation, man’s body; by seeking material gain at any cost, they have put the material above the spiritual. They have done all of this because they have forgotten the Lord GOD.
All segments of the social structure have become involved in this decay: prophet, priest, prince, and people. Therefore, the Lord must bring judgment by dispersion to a remnant, and fire, sword, and plague to the others. God’s holy purpose in this is to purge out filthiness and dross, appease His wrath against sin, and bring His people back to Himself. . . . He must deal with His sinful people in judgment.
The fire of God’s wrath produces that which is beautiful. They nation was so corrupt that there was no one to “stand in the gap and close up the wall.” There was nothing left to do but to melt the nation down consume the dross and inject the molten metal into a new mold. I am so thankful that the Lord is melting me down. He consumed my dross on the cross. He is injecting me into a new mold, one that looks like His Son. It is sometimes painful, but he has promised not to leave me nor forsake me. What remains will be beautiful. Someday I will glow because of what He has done. Some say that I’m already kind of eerie, but I don’t think they mean it in a good way. Anyway, if there is any glowing it will be from Him for He is the beautiful One. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 22
Ezekiel 21
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” So goes the well known hyperbolic saying of epic proportions. I don’t know. I have never experienced it. But I would agree with this, “Hell is the fury of God scorned.” Fury is sometimes defined as destructive rage. God describes Himself as exhibiting fury when He judges and destroys Jerusalem. Listen to verse 17, “I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to rest; I, the LORD, have spoken.” There has to be something glorious about the fury of the Lord. On that fateful day when the Lord casts Satan into the Lake of fire, I think we will all be shouting, “Glory!” We will all be joyous when the would-be usurper of the throne of the Universe is finally put out of action forever! If God does not do this someday, then He is not just. Fury against sin must be!
He must rule over what He has created, or He is impotent and not worthy praise. Thus we will one day shout with joy, “Overthrown, overthrown, He has made it overthrown! He whose right it is has come, and the Father has given it to Him. The destruction of Jerusalem is just a microcosm of that greater judgment which He will bring, and it is glorious! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” So goes the well known hyperbolic saying of epic proportions. I don’t know. I have never experienced it. But I would agree with this, “Hell is the fury of God scorned.” Fury is sometimes defined as destructive rage. God describes Himself as exhibiting fury when He judges and destroys Jerusalem. Listen to verse 17, “I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to rest; I, the LORD, have spoken.” There has to be something glorious about the fury of the Lord. On that fateful day when the Lord casts Satan into the Lake of fire, I think we will all be shouting, “Glory!” We will all be joyous when the would-be usurper of the throne of the Universe is finally put out of action forever! If God does not do this someday, then He is not just. Fury against sin must be!
He must rule over what He has created, or He is impotent and not worthy praise. Thus we will one day shout with joy, “Overthrown, overthrown, He has made it overthrown! He whose right it is has come, and the Father has given it to Him. The destruction of Jerusalem is just a microcosm of that greater judgment which He will bring, and it is glorious! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Friday, August 19, 2011
August 19
Ezekiel 18
A few days ago I watched the original pilot episode for the TV show Stark Trek. The episode was not broadcast as originally produced because it was deemed ‘too cerebral.’ Interesting, I never thought of Star Trek as ever possibly being ‘too cerebral’. Anyway, the pilot deals with Captain Pike and landing party beaming down to a planet inhabited by a race which was greatly mentally evolved but not evolved emotionally or physically. They had gained the ability to use mental telepathy to change the way lower life forms viewed reality. The motivation for the superior being to do so was that they could then live vicariously through the thoughts and emotions of the lower beings. They could not force the lower beings to do anything, but they would manipulate them to do what they wanted by controlling their thoughts. In one scene they forced Captain Pike to writhe in agony in a pool of molten brimstone and fire. The superior being then told him that the scene was taken from a fable buried deep within the recesses of his mind. Obviously implied in the statement is the idea that there is no hell.
What is behind the idea that hell does not exist? Is it not that if there is a hell, then God must take pleasure in it? To think that God would take pleasure in the eternal torture of someone is rather twisted.
God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Some liberal theologians posit that the God of the Old Testament is a harsh and vengeful God and that the God of the New Testament is a God of love and mercy. Yet it is the New Testament and Jesus that speak so much of hell. Some people including Christians seem to live under a cloud that God is harsh and joyless. Yet when I come across passages like today’s passage, I see the compassion and mercy of a just God. He must be just or we would want nothing to do with Him. He must be compassionate and merciful, or He would strike us dead. When God assigns someone to hell, it is because He must do so or He is no longer just, but He has no pleasure in their death. It is simply what must be, in order for justice to be just. The real problem lies in our distorted views of justice and compassion. He is indeed just and compassionate. Therein lies the depths of His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
A few days ago I watched the original pilot episode for the TV show Stark Trek. The episode was not broadcast as originally produced because it was deemed ‘too cerebral.’ Interesting, I never thought of Star Trek as ever possibly being ‘too cerebral’. Anyway, the pilot deals with Captain Pike and landing party beaming down to a planet inhabited by a race which was greatly mentally evolved but not evolved emotionally or physically. They had gained the ability to use mental telepathy to change the way lower life forms viewed reality. The motivation for the superior being to do so was that they could then live vicariously through the thoughts and emotions of the lower beings. They could not force the lower beings to do anything, but they would manipulate them to do what they wanted by controlling their thoughts. In one scene they forced Captain Pike to writhe in agony in a pool of molten brimstone and fire. The superior being then told him that the scene was taken from a fable buried deep within the recesses of his mind. Obviously implied in the statement is the idea that there is no hell.
What is behind the idea that hell does not exist? Is it not that if there is a hell, then God must take pleasure in it? To think that God would take pleasure in the eternal torture of someone is rather twisted.
God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Some liberal theologians posit that the God of the Old Testament is a harsh and vengeful God and that the God of the New Testament is a God of love and mercy. Yet it is the New Testament and Jesus that speak so much of hell. Some people including Christians seem to live under a cloud that God is harsh and joyless. Yet when I come across passages like today’s passage, I see the compassion and mercy of a just God. He must be just or we would want nothing to do with Him. He must be compassionate and merciful, or He would strike us dead. When God assigns someone to hell, it is because He must do so or He is no longer just, but He has no pleasure in their death. It is simply what must be, in order for justice to be just. The real problem lies in our distorted views of justice and compassion. He is indeed just and compassionate. Therein lies the depths of His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18
Ezekiel 17
When I was a Boy Scout, we started every meeting reciting, among other things, the Scout Oath:
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
Every four years in the United States we all usually take a little time out to watch a very important event during the inauguration of the president. We all huddle around our televisions to watch the president swear an oath to defend, protect and uphold the constitution of the United States of America. A little closer to home, on occasion we attend a wedding ceremony where we watch friends or family swear oaths of fidelity to each other. Sometimes when churches receive new members the ceremony will include pledges of fidelity to one another as members of that local body of Christ.
Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jehoiachin as king of Judah with Zedekiah. In the process Zedekiah had to publicly swear an oath of loyalty and obedience to Babylon. God takes all oaths very seriously for they are a reflection of what He is like. He never breaks an oath. Zedekiah broke the oath which he had made to Babylon. He sought the help of the Pharaoh of Egypt in order to throw off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. So, The Lord promised Zedekiah that he would die in Babylon. The Lord points out that the breaking of the covenant was really against Him, not Nebuchadnezzar, a very serious offense.
What strikes me even more about this passage is that after pointing out the extreme infidelity of nation and the severe punishment that is pronounced, then the Lord announces that He will keep His oath with the nation. He will take a small remnant and replant it and make a great nation. He is serious about keeping His oath. It is part of His glory that He always keeps His oaths, and He expects us to keep ours.
Makes me think! Have I kept my Scout Oath? Do Christians keep their marriage vows? Many people do not bother to marry anymore because they know that they cannot keep the vow anyway, so why make it? Do we keep our promises to each other to be faithful to each other in the body of Christ? Do you suppose that one of the reasons people do not commit be a member of a local church is because they know they cannot be faithful to that body? Yet in the midst of all of our infidelity, He remains faithful! Now that is glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
When I was a Boy Scout, we started every meeting reciting, among other things, the Scout Oath:
On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
Every four years in the United States we all usually take a little time out to watch a very important event during the inauguration of the president. We all huddle around our televisions to watch the president swear an oath to defend, protect and uphold the constitution of the United States of America. A little closer to home, on occasion we attend a wedding ceremony where we watch friends or family swear oaths of fidelity to each other. Sometimes when churches receive new members the ceremony will include pledges of fidelity to one another as members of that local body of Christ.
Nebuchadnezzar replaced Jehoiachin as king of Judah with Zedekiah. In the process Zedekiah had to publicly swear an oath of loyalty and obedience to Babylon. God takes all oaths very seriously for they are a reflection of what He is like. He never breaks an oath. Zedekiah broke the oath which he had made to Babylon. He sought the help of the Pharaoh of Egypt in order to throw off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. So, The Lord promised Zedekiah that he would die in Babylon. The Lord points out that the breaking of the covenant was really against Him, not Nebuchadnezzar, a very serious offense.
What strikes me even more about this passage is that after pointing out the extreme infidelity of nation and the severe punishment that is pronounced, then the Lord announces that He will keep His oath with the nation. He will take a small remnant and replant it and make a great nation. He is serious about keeping His oath. It is part of His glory that He always keeps His oaths, and He expects us to keep ours.
Makes me think! Have I kept my Scout Oath? Do Christians keep their marriage vows? Many people do not bother to marry anymore because they know that they cannot keep the vow anyway, so why make it? Do we keep our promises to each other to be faithful to each other in the body of Christ? Do you suppose that one of the reasons people do not commit be a member of a local church is because they know they cannot be faithful to that body? Yet in the midst of all of our infidelity, He remains faithful! Now that is glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
August 17
Ezekiel 16
The ladies of the night were across the street. They were frequently there when we picked up our newspapers. Usually they left us alone, but one night the truck was just a little bit late. Everyone was sitting around waiting and talking, and it attracted the night girl’s attention. One of them wandered over and then the truck came. She watched as all the paper bundles were being tossed out the back of the truck. “Whatcha doing?” she called out.
One of us replied, “We’re working.”
“Working?” she queried, “Oh well I work too. I am just a working girl also.” Each time she put her emphasis on “work.”
“Yeah, well we do a different type of work,” another replied.
“Oh I just wanted you to know that I’m a working girl also.”
By that time I had found my bundles of newspapers and had thrown them in my T-1000, and I drove off.
I never have quite understood the emotional desperation that would drive a woman to sell herself on the street, but obviously it is a very real desperation. It has been called, “the world’s oldest profession.” Then there are those women who sell themselves for the hope of being loved, usually only finding that instead of being loved, they are just used. I understand that everyone has a deep God-given drive to feel loved. It is just that sex alone does not provide love, so to give oneself sexually in exchange for love usually leads to bitter disappointment.
But every time that I read this parable, I am once again struck by the depravity that the Lord attributes to Judah. She does not sell herself to her partners; she pays them to have sex with her. She does this after having been provided with everything she could want for life and love. What kind of desperation is going on here? Yet it is a desperation that describes the spiritual desperation of every human who has ever lived except for the Lord Jesus.
Then I find an even more amazing thing in this parable
60“Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. . . . 63bwhen I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
As desperate as we are to find love in a person other than the Lord, He still desires that we should return to Him and to find our love only in Him. What a wondrous love is this! Why are we so desperate to turn our backs on Him? What an encouragement it is to us to receive this love and live in it! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
The ladies of the night were across the street. They were frequently there when we picked up our newspapers. Usually they left us alone, but one night the truck was just a little bit late. Everyone was sitting around waiting and talking, and it attracted the night girl’s attention. One of them wandered over and then the truck came. She watched as all the paper bundles were being tossed out the back of the truck. “Whatcha doing?” she called out.
One of us replied, “We’re working.”
“Working?” she queried, “Oh well I work too. I am just a working girl also.” Each time she put her emphasis on “work.”
“Yeah, well we do a different type of work,” another replied.
“Oh I just wanted you to know that I’m a working girl also.”
By that time I had found my bundles of newspapers and had thrown them in my T-1000, and I drove off.
I never have quite understood the emotional desperation that would drive a woman to sell herself on the street, but obviously it is a very real desperation. It has been called, “the world’s oldest profession.” Then there are those women who sell themselves for the hope of being loved, usually only finding that instead of being loved, they are just used. I understand that everyone has a deep God-given drive to feel loved. It is just that sex alone does not provide love, so to give oneself sexually in exchange for love usually leads to bitter disappointment.
But every time that I read this parable, I am once again struck by the depravity that the Lord attributes to Judah. She does not sell herself to her partners; she pays them to have sex with her. She does this after having been provided with everything she could want for life and love. What kind of desperation is going on here? Yet it is a desperation that describes the spiritual desperation of every human who has ever lived except for the Lord Jesus.
Then I find an even more amazing thing in this parable
60“Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. . . . 63bwhen I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
As desperate as we are to find love in a person other than the Lord, He still desires that we should return to Him and to find our love only in Him. What a wondrous love is this! Why are we so desperate to turn our backs on Him? What an encouragement it is to us to receive this love and live in it! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
August 16
Ezekiel 15
In Portland, OR, the blackberry vines were everywhere. They were almost a nuisance. If you didn’t keep mowing them, they were like what kudzu is to the south. They would take over an empty lot if left unchecked. After they reached a certain size, the lawn mower could not handle them. I have seen blackberry brambles on empty lots that grew taller than I. They had only one purpose, to produce blackberries. The vines are not useful for anything else. But ohh in August, when the blackberries were ripe, they were wonderful! The fruit has only one purpose—to reproduce the life of the vine. I guarantee you that if they did not produce fruit, no one would put up with them. Without the fruit they are just a nuisance, fit only for burning.
We are called to seek the Lord. That is our life. We were created for the purpose of knowing and glorifying Him. What does the Lord do when we cease to fulfill that purpose? He first calls us to repent. What if we ignore that call? He continues to call. What if we continue in resisting Him? Eventually, He will burn those who continue in resistance. When we seek Him, His fruit, His life, is produced in our lives. Apart from His fruit, we are just a nuisance, fit only for burning. Everything else is useless vine. But ohh, when the fruit of His life is ripe in our lives, something wonderful happens. He wants that something wonderful to happen. If it persistently does not happen, He will burn His vine. He wants us to know Him, that is when the fruit is produced. And ohh His fruit is wonderful! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
In Portland, OR, the blackberry vines were everywhere. They were almost a nuisance. If you didn’t keep mowing them, they were like what kudzu is to the south. They would take over an empty lot if left unchecked. After they reached a certain size, the lawn mower could not handle them. I have seen blackberry brambles on empty lots that grew taller than I. They had only one purpose, to produce blackberries. The vines are not useful for anything else. But ohh in August, when the blackberries were ripe, they were wonderful! The fruit has only one purpose—to reproduce the life of the vine. I guarantee you that if they did not produce fruit, no one would put up with them. Without the fruit they are just a nuisance, fit only for burning.
We are called to seek the Lord. That is our life. We were created for the purpose of knowing and glorifying Him. What does the Lord do when we cease to fulfill that purpose? He first calls us to repent. What if we ignore that call? He continues to call. What if we continue in resisting Him? Eventually, He will burn those who continue in resistance. When we seek Him, His fruit, His life, is produced in our lives. Apart from His fruit, we are just a nuisance, fit only for burning. Everything else is useless vine. But ohh, when the fruit of His life is ripe in our lives, something wonderful happens. He wants that something wonderful to happen. If it persistently does not happen, He will burn His vine. He wants us to know Him, that is when the fruit is produced. And ohh His fruit is wonderful! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, August 15, 2011
August 15
Ezekiel 14
Noah, Daniel and Job, all three experienced unparalleled disaster, and yet all three passed through the disasters and were comforted that the Lord was righteous. Noah spent 100 years building a giant ark. During that time, he preached to all who would listen, but none listened. At the end of the 100 years he spent a year with his family sequestered inside the ark. The world as he knew it was destroyed when he emerged. He found grace in the eyes of the Lord to deliver himself and his family, but the rest of the world was destroyed. Was he comforted? Why did he get drunk?
Daniel saw his nation buckle to the king of Babylon. He and thousands of the best of Jerusalem were drug off to Babylon. He was separated from his family and all but 3 of his people. He was placed in a high pressure situation where the easiest thing would have been to forget about righteousness. He chose not to. The Lord delivered him and his three friends. Was he comforted?
Job lost his wealth, his children and his health; his wife and friends turned on him. Even in the midst of his questioning the righteousness of the Lord, he refused to curse God. He remained adamant that the Lord would deliver Him. The Lord did deliver him. Was he comforted?
These three men are held up as being unparalleled in righteousness, yet they were also unparalleled in experiencing disaster. Yet their great righteousness was insufficient to deliver anyone else. There is only One Whose righteousness is sufficient to deliver me. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. While I may see unparalleled disaster going on around me, touching my very life, if I trust in Him, He will deliver me through it, and He will comfort me. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Noah, Daniel and Job, all three experienced unparalleled disaster, and yet all three passed through the disasters and were comforted that the Lord was righteous. Noah spent 100 years building a giant ark. During that time, he preached to all who would listen, but none listened. At the end of the 100 years he spent a year with his family sequestered inside the ark. The world as he knew it was destroyed when he emerged. He found grace in the eyes of the Lord to deliver himself and his family, but the rest of the world was destroyed. Was he comforted? Why did he get drunk?
Daniel saw his nation buckle to the king of Babylon. He and thousands of the best of Jerusalem were drug off to Babylon. He was separated from his family and all but 3 of his people. He was placed in a high pressure situation where the easiest thing would have been to forget about righteousness. He chose not to. The Lord delivered him and his three friends. Was he comforted?
Job lost his wealth, his children and his health; his wife and friends turned on him. Even in the midst of his questioning the righteousness of the Lord, he refused to curse God. He remained adamant that the Lord would deliver Him. The Lord did deliver him. Was he comforted?
These three men are held up as being unparalleled in righteousness, yet they were also unparalleled in experiencing disaster. Yet their great righteousness was insufficient to deliver anyone else. There is only One Whose righteousness is sufficient to deliver me. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. While I may see unparalleled disaster going on around me, touching my very life, if I trust in Him, He will deliver me through it, and He will comfort me. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Friday, August 12, 2011
August12
Ezekiel 11
“You’re as cold as ice; you’re much too willing to sacrifice our love.” So go the lyrics to the song which the internet tells me was written by a group called Foreigner. Here the Lord compares the heart of Judah to stone. Indeed, they do have a heart of stone. As He continues to withdraw his presence from them, He stops to tell them,
I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
When will He give them a new heart? When they have put away their abominations, He will give them new heart. What are their abominations? Their trust in other gods, their seeking of other gods, the creation of their own hands are their gods.
My heart is also prone to become hard. I am too quick to worship the work of my own hands and to worship my own desires. It makes my heart grow cold and hard as stone.
My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me
But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood
Keith Green
It is His glory to soften our hearts if we let Him. It is His glory to wash us anew with the wine of His Blood, if we repent. It is His glory to fill us with His Spirit, if we yield. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
“You’re as cold as ice; you’re much too willing to sacrifice our love.” So go the lyrics to the song which the internet tells me was written by a group called Foreigner. Here the Lord compares the heart of Judah to stone. Indeed, they do have a heart of stone. As He continues to withdraw his presence from them, He stops to tell them,
I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
When will He give them a new heart? When they have put away their abominations, He will give them new heart. What are their abominations? Their trust in other gods, their seeking of other gods, the creation of their own hands are their gods.
My heart is also prone to become hard. I am too quick to worship the work of my own hands and to worship my own desires. It makes my heart grow cold and hard as stone.
My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me
But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood
Keith Green
It is His glory to soften our hearts if we let Him. It is His glory to wash us anew with the wine of His Blood, if we repent. It is His glory to fill us with His Spirit, if we yield. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
August 11
Ezekiel 10
The lights faded in the review mirror as we departed from Ocean City. I paused within my mind and reflected. It marked the end of a wonderful summer adventure with 60 other collegiate members of Campus Crusade for Christ. We had prayed, studied the Word, evangelized, fellowshipped and obeyed the Lord together for the last three months. I still remember many of their names and think about them from time to time. It was a great summer! As I viewed the fading lights and paused, I mourned that it was over.
Standing at the airline gate, I watched her walk down the causeway to board the jet to Philadelphia. The tears were flowing down her beautiful cheeks as she boarded the plane to go home. I had never become so close to someone before. Each step she took seemed to step upon my heart. She had become my sunshine, and now she was taking it away. I didn’t know where the relationship would go from here, but I knew that already I missed her. Standing there, I did not realize that less than a year later she would be my wife.
I could relate experience after experience similar to these, when I have had to turn my back on a chapter of life and remove myself from it. It is always a time for pausing to remember and reflect on where I have been and where I am going. It is always a time to stand still and ponder where I have been and where I am going from here.
4Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory. . . . 18Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
The glory is departing so that He may judge and destroy the city. Yet even as He does so in the fierceness of His anger, He pauses; He stands still. I believe that He was mourning the relationship that could have been if only Judah had only trusted and obeyed. Think of that! Our awesome, all powerful, magnificent God mourns and misses the lost relationship with us. In the midst of His glory is intense desire that He has for us to repent and turn to Him. Knowing what He is about to do to Jerusalem, He pauses and stands and mourns. Judah is unfit to be His ‘bride’. She is little more than a whore. But what He is about to do is designed to cure her of that. What can we say of His church? His judgments and disciplines are made to cure us of our whoredom, so that we might become His pure and spotless bride. Had my time in Ocean City not been so wonderful, I do not think I would have paused for a moment. I would have been glad leave town. Had the girl walking down the causeway not been so wonderful, I would not have given her the time to take her to the airport, much less stand and feel her footsteps crunch my heart. How much greater is He that he loves us and disciplines us so that He might draw us to Himself. Now that is glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
The lights faded in the review mirror as we departed from Ocean City. I paused within my mind and reflected. It marked the end of a wonderful summer adventure with 60 other collegiate members of Campus Crusade for Christ. We had prayed, studied the Word, evangelized, fellowshipped and obeyed the Lord together for the last three months. I still remember many of their names and think about them from time to time. It was a great summer! As I viewed the fading lights and paused, I mourned that it was over.
Standing at the airline gate, I watched her walk down the causeway to board the jet to Philadelphia. The tears were flowing down her beautiful cheeks as she boarded the plane to go home. I had never become so close to someone before. Each step she took seemed to step upon my heart. She had become my sunshine, and now she was taking it away. I didn’t know where the relationship would go from here, but I knew that already I missed her. Standing there, I did not realize that less than a year later she would be my wife.
I could relate experience after experience similar to these, when I have had to turn my back on a chapter of life and remove myself from it. It is always a time for pausing to remember and reflect on where I have been and where I am going. It is always a time to stand still and ponder where I have been and where I am going from here.
4Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory. . . . 18Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
The glory is departing so that He may judge and destroy the city. Yet even as He does so in the fierceness of His anger, He pauses; He stands still. I believe that He was mourning the relationship that could have been if only Judah had only trusted and obeyed. Think of that! Our awesome, all powerful, magnificent God mourns and misses the lost relationship with us. In the midst of His glory is intense desire that He has for us to repent and turn to Him. Knowing what He is about to do to Jerusalem, He pauses and stands and mourns. Judah is unfit to be His ‘bride’. She is little more than a whore. But what He is about to do is designed to cure her of that. What can we say of His church? His judgments and disciplines are made to cure us of our whoredom, so that we might become His pure and spotless bride. Had my time in Ocean City not been so wonderful, I do not think I would have paused for a moment. I would have been glad leave town. Had the girl walking down the causeway not been so wonderful, I would not have given her the time to take her to the airport, much less stand and feel her footsteps crunch my heart. How much greater is He that he loves us and disciplines us so that He might draw us to Himself. Now that is glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
August 10
Ezekiel 9
In the previous chapter we saw a number of abominations that the people had brought into the temple rather than seeking the glory of the Lord. In this chapter the Lord marks those who had bemoaned the fact that the abominations had been allowed into the temple. The others were killed. The glory, which once dwelt only in the holy of holies, now begins to move to the threshold. The Lord is removing His manifest presence from the temple and from the city in order that He might destroy the city. These abominations had been in the temple for years, yet no one had noticed that the glory of the Lord had been over shadowed. Outwardly, the abominations had all the religious trappings, but they were merely the works of mans hands. Yet few really noticed or objected to the difference.
Fast forward 2600 years. Has the church replaced the glory of the Lord with the work of our own hands? Tough question. When the Lord removes His presence, do we really notice or object to the difference? All that I know is that if His presence leaves, I do not want to stay. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
In the previous chapter we saw a number of abominations that the people had brought into the temple rather than seeking the glory of the Lord. In this chapter the Lord marks those who had bemoaned the fact that the abominations had been allowed into the temple. The others were killed. The glory, which once dwelt only in the holy of holies, now begins to move to the threshold. The Lord is removing His manifest presence from the temple and from the city in order that He might destroy the city. These abominations had been in the temple for years, yet no one had noticed that the glory of the Lord had been over shadowed. Outwardly, the abominations had all the religious trappings, but they were merely the works of mans hands. Yet few really noticed or objected to the difference.
Fast forward 2600 years. Has the church replaced the glory of the Lord with the work of our own hands? Tough question. When the Lord removes His presence, do we really notice or object to the difference? All that I know is that if His presence leaves, I do not want to stay. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, August 8, 2011
August 8
Ezekiel 7
Is there beauty in justice? If one turned to pop culture, one would definitely get the answer, “Yes.” Last night I watched the most recent True Grit. If you haven’t seen it or read it, it is about a 14-year-old girl on a journey to bring the murderer of her father to justice. Although she hired a U.S. Marshall to help her, ultimately she becomes the executioner with the aid of the Marshal and a Texas Ranger. Part of the ‘fun’ of the movie is that she obtains the justice which she so deeply desires. Everyone wants the ‘bad guys’ to be brought to justice. Even one of the ending scenes where she meets an old Frank James who rudely refuses to stand in her presence, she tells him, “Keep your seat, Trash.” She has a way of demanding and getting justice. We all have a sense of a time past when we did not get justice, and we want justice served. We also think that the ‘bad guys’ are much worse than we are; therefore, they deserve our retribution. There is beauty in justice; we sense it innately. The problem lies in that we never think it should be applied to us for we think we are never at fault.
Are not the people of Jerusalem a people just like us? Indeed they are. Maybe that is why many liberals like to use the justice of God found in this passage to make a supposed difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. The doom of Jerusalem is proclaimed to the exiles. Retribution in coming! We don’t like that message. It is not beautiful; it is painful. How can that be part of love? But if God is love and just at the same time, then the justice must somehow also be love. That is the beauty of the cross. It is both Divine justice and love in one beautiful act, or is it an ugly act? I’m uncomfortable with the destruction of Jerusalem in such a violent manner, but they had it coming.
I am uncomfortable with the cross, but I had it coming. Fortunately for me, I had a substitute. Fortunately for me, when I identify with the cross, justice is served against me. Fortunately for me, my substitute bore the justice due me. Fortunately for me, my substitute overcame the death that the executioner exacted upon Him. Fortunately for me, I live because my substitute lives. The cross is beautiful because of what it produced. The destruction of Jerusalem is beautiful because of what it produced. Is there beauty in justice? Yes. My Lord is beautiful. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Is there beauty in justice? If one turned to pop culture, one would definitely get the answer, “Yes.” Last night I watched the most recent True Grit. If you haven’t seen it or read it, it is about a 14-year-old girl on a journey to bring the murderer of her father to justice. Although she hired a U.S. Marshall to help her, ultimately she becomes the executioner with the aid of the Marshal and a Texas Ranger. Part of the ‘fun’ of the movie is that she obtains the justice which she so deeply desires. Everyone wants the ‘bad guys’ to be brought to justice. Even one of the ending scenes where she meets an old Frank James who rudely refuses to stand in her presence, she tells him, “Keep your seat, Trash.” She has a way of demanding and getting justice. We all have a sense of a time past when we did not get justice, and we want justice served. We also think that the ‘bad guys’ are much worse than we are; therefore, they deserve our retribution. There is beauty in justice; we sense it innately. The problem lies in that we never think it should be applied to us for we think we are never at fault.
Are not the people of Jerusalem a people just like us? Indeed they are. Maybe that is why many liberals like to use the justice of God found in this passage to make a supposed difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. The doom of Jerusalem is proclaimed to the exiles. Retribution in coming! We don’t like that message. It is not beautiful; it is painful. How can that be part of love? But if God is love and just at the same time, then the justice must somehow also be love. That is the beauty of the cross. It is both Divine justice and love in one beautiful act, or is it an ugly act? I’m uncomfortable with the destruction of Jerusalem in such a violent manner, but they had it coming.
I am uncomfortable with the cross, but I had it coming. Fortunately for me, I had a substitute. Fortunately for me, when I identify with the cross, justice is served against me. Fortunately for me, my substitute bore the justice due me. Fortunately for me, my substitute overcame the death that the executioner exacted upon Him. Fortunately for me, I live because my substitute lives. The cross is beautiful because of what it produced. The destruction of Jerusalem is beautiful because of what it produced. Is there beauty in justice? Yes. My Lord is beautiful. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Sunday, August 7, 2011
August 7
Ezekiel 6
Ever been in a romance that went bad? Perhaps it was a boyfriend or girlfriend whom you really liked, but they decided that they did not want you anymore? Perhaps it was a marital mate. Perhaps it was a good friendship that went sour. Remember the anger? Even more, there was the feeling of being crushed by their rejection. Is it not strange that we should refer to the beginning stage of a romance as a ‘crush’ and to the breakup of a romance as being crushed by it?
I do not find the anger of the Lord to be surprising when we reject Him. After all, He is the perfect One. To reject Him is to reject perfection. It’s just, wrong. But do you ever stop to consider that He is ‘crushed’ by our idolatry? In verse 9 the NKJV says, “I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols.” The Lord of Heaven says that he is emotionally wounded by our adulterous heart! That is hard to understand. That is part of His glory. That is a facet of His love which I must grasp, but I don’t grasp it. Have you ever heard Him say, “I am crushed by your adulterous heart, your sin?” Lord, change my adulterous heart so that I might be pure only for You! Give me eyes only for You! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Ever been in a romance that went bad? Perhaps it was a boyfriend or girlfriend whom you really liked, but they decided that they did not want you anymore? Perhaps it was a marital mate. Perhaps it was a good friendship that went sour. Remember the anger? Even more, there was the feeling of being crushed by their rejection. Is it not strange that we should refer to the beginning stage of a romance as a ‘crush’ and to the breakup of a romance as being crushed by it?
I do not find the anger of the Lord to be surprising when we reject Him. After all, He is the perfect One. To reject Him is to reject perfection. It’s just, wrong. But do you ever stop to consider that He is ‘crushed’ by our idolatry? In verse 9 the NKJV says, “I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols.” The Lord of Heaven says that he is emotionally wounded by our adulterous heart! That is hard to understand. That is part of His glory. That is a facet of His love which I must grasp, but I don’t grasp it. Have you ever heard Him say, “I am crushed by your adulterous heart, your sin?” Lord, change my adulterous heart so that I might be pure only for You! Give me eyes only for You! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Saturday, August 6, 2011
August 6
Ezekiel 5
I still remember my first trip to the barber shop where I paid for my own haircut. Until then Dad had always cut my hair. He did a good job, but in junior high in 1968, his style had not changed in the 13 years that he had been cutting my hair. I could have him cut it to any length and style I wanted it cut, as long as it was his. I had a paper route; I could afford to pay a barber, even though it cost a great deal in relation to how long it took me to earn the money. All I wanted was to look a little more like everyone else. In 1968/69 the Broadway musical, Hair, had rocked the nation. Hair had become a symbol not of mere style change but of challenging the moral system of the nation. The Cowsil’s recording of Hair climbed to Billboard’s #2, and helped a hair style become more than a fashion statement.
Hair has long been more than a fashion statement. It has also been a moral statement. Under the Old Testament Law, when one took a Nazarite vow, one never cut one’s hair until one had completed the Nazarite vow, then he would shave his head. Thus when Samson, who had a life-long Nazarite vow, cut his hair, it was the final breaking of the three signs of his Nazarite vow, and it demonstrated his complete abandonment of his moral commitment to the vows. Two women in Jesus’ day washed Jesus’ feet and dried them with their hair. Both were acts demonstrating extreme devotion to the Lord. In the days of New Testament Corinth, long hair on a woman seems to have been a symbol that she is in submission to her husband or father. It would appear that the prostitutes in Corinth (of which there were many) often shaved their heads. Long hair was a public statement of a woman’s submission and fidelity to her husband.
The Lord uses Ezekiel’s hair to make a judgment statement. What Ezekiel did with his hair graphically portrayed what God was doing in judging the nation. Judah had been unfaithful to Him. Therefore, He was judging her. He was cutting her off. She was receiving double for her sins. Let us never forget that a great part of the glory of the Lord is that He does judge. It is unpleasant for us to view, but nevertheless, it is His glory! Whenever we see His judgment, we should remember that it is also His glory! It is amazing that he can even use our hair to bring glory to His name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I still remember my first trip to the barber shop where I paid for my own haircut. Until then Dad had always cut my hair. He did a good job, but in junior high in 1968, his style had not changed in the 13 years that he had been cutting my hair. I could have him cut it to any length and style I wanted it cut, as long as it was his. I had a paper route; I could afford to pay a barber, even though it cost a great deal in relation to how long it took me to earn the money. All I wanted was to look a little more like everyone else. In 1968/69 the Broadway musical, Hair, had rocked the nation. Hair had become a symbol not of mere style change but of challenging the moral system of the nation. The Cowsil’s recording of Hair climbed to Billboard’s #2, and helped a hair style become more than a fashion statement.
Hair has long been more than a fashion statement. It has also been a moral statement. Under the Old Testament Law, when one took a Nazarite vow, one never cut one’s hair until one had completed the Nazarite vow, then he would shave his head. Thus when Samson, who had a life-long Nazarite vow, cut his hair, it was the final breaking of the three signs of his Nazarite vow, and it demonstrated his complete abandonment of his moral commitment to the vows. Two women in Jesus’ day washed Jesus’ feet and dried them with their hair. Both were acts demonstrating extreme devotion to the Lord. In the days of New Testament Corinth, long hair on a woman seems to have been a symbol that she is in submission to her husband or father. It would appear that the prostitutes in Corinth (of which there were many) often shaved their heads. Long hair was a public statement of a woman’s submission and fidelity to her husband.
The Lord uses Ezekiel’s hair to make a judgment statement. What Ezekiel did with his hair graphically portrayed what God was doing in judging the nation. Judah had been unfaithful to Him. Therefore, He was judging her. He was cutting her off. She was receiving double for her sins. Let us never forget that a great part of the glory of the Lord is that He does judge. It is unpleasant for us to view, but nevertheless, it is His glory! Whenever we see His judgment, we should remember that it is also His glory! It is amazing that he can even use our hair to bring glory to His name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Friday, August 5, 2011
August 5
Ezekiel 4
I once owned some land in a community which was built on land that was a drained swamp. Before I built on the land, the house behind it had caught fire and burned to the ground and caught the land on fire. In order to contain the fire, the fire department plowed fire breaks in the peat/ground around the fire to keep it from spreading. One place, where the furrows met, greatly resembled the topography of Jerusalem of where the Kidron, Tyropean and Hinnom Valleys meet. At one point in time, I daydreamed about making a model of Jerusalem on the little mounds. I thought it might be a good teaching lesson for teaching the Scripture.
Ezekiel was given a rather bizarre job. He had to make a model of Jerusalem on a clay tablet and set it up where people would see it. Then he built siege walls all around it. Sounds like something that I would have loved to have done when I was a boy. He had to lay on his left side for 390 days and lay siege to the city to represent the years of Israel’s captivity. Then he had to lay on his right side for 40 days to represent the years of Judah’s captivity. He could only eat 20 ounces of mixed grain per day as representative of the famine that would be in Jerusalem as Nebuchadnezzar lay siege to it. He was limited to a quart of water per day. Definitely siege rations. Since in the midst of a siege, no firewood could be gathered, the Lord instructed him to cook his grain into bread using human dung as fire fuel. That was a little over the top for Ezekiel, so the Lord allowed him to use dried animal dung instead.
It reminds me of a line from an old cowboy song from the Chisolm trail of Oklahoma, “Pickin’ up chips to keep from freezin’, way out west in No Man’s Land.” To this day the town of Beaver, OK, hosts the world’s cowchip throwin’ contest. What a great claim to fame!
I wonder what it was like for Ezekiel to lie on his side and play army for a year and two months. His neighbors in Tel-Abib must have thought that he was mentally ill. I can only imagine having made the model of Jerusalem in my side yard and spending the next 430 days lying in front of it. I am sure the neighbors would have all thought that I was losing my mind. But for Ezekiel, Tel-Abib was the city where the exiled elders of Israel came to discuss what to do about eventually going home. It was more than a weird diversion; it was a clear object lesson to the exiles. The city was going to be lay siege, breached and destroyed. It was clear to Ezekiel’s audience what he was communicating. Did he have fun playing army each day?
Where is the glory of the Lord in all of this? He communicates to us let us know our end. Today in the park a little three-year-old boy came singing, “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” I told him, that’s right, you keep singing it. Moments later he collided with his older brother and fell to the ground hitting his head on the ground. He cried for the next 20 minutes. I couldn’t ask him, “Do you still think God has a wonderful plan for your life?” Suppose I did, would he still say, “Yes?” Most 3-year-olds would probably say, “No.” But as an adult, I know that life has its moments, but over the long haul, I can say, “God has had a wonderful plan for my life.” If you asked someone in the siege of Jerusalem, “Is this God’s wonderful plan for us?” they would likely have answered, “Absolutely not.” But ultimately as we saw in Jeremiah, God knew the plans for them, plans for welfare. The siege was to cure them of their idolatry and iniquity. Where is the glory of the Lord? In the times in which we would deem evil, if we yield to Him, He will turn those times into times of welfare. He calls us to yield to Him and hold fast to the end. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I once owned some land in a community which was built on land that was a drained swamp. Before I built on the land, the house behind it had caught fire and burned to the ground and caught the land on fire. In order to contain the fire, the fire department plowed fire breaks in the peat/ground around the fire to keep it from spreading. One place, where the furrows met, greatly resembled the topography of Jerusalem of where the Kidron, Tyropean and Hinnom Valleys meet. At one point in time, I daydreamed about making a model of Jerusalem on the little mounds. I thought it might be a good teaching lesson for teaching the Scripture.
Ezekiel was given a rather bizarre job. He had to make a model of Jerusalem on a clay tablet and set it up where people would see it. Then he built siege walls all around it. Sounds like something that I would have loved to have done when I was a boy. He had to lay on his left side for 390 days and lay siege to the city to represent the years of Israel’s captivity. Then he had to lay on his right side for 40 days to represent the years of Judah’s captivity. He could only eat 20 ounces of mixed grain per day as representative of the famine that would be in Jerusalem as Nebuchadnezzar lay siege to it. He was limited to a quart of water per day. Definitely siege rations. Since in the midst of a siege, no firewood could be gathered, the Lord instructed him to cook his grain into bread using human dung as fire fuel. That was a little over the top for Ezekiel, so the Lord allowed him to use dried animal dung instead.
It reminds me of a line from an old cowboy song from the Chisolm trail of Oklahoma, “Pickin’ up chips to keep from freezin’, way out west in No Man’s Land.” To this day the town of Beaver, OK, hosts the world’s cowchip throwin’ contest. What a great claim to fame!
I wonder what it was like for Ezekiel to lie on his side and play army for a year and two months. His neighbors in Tel-Abib must have thought that he was mentally ill. I can only imagine having made the model of Jerusalem in my side yard and spending the next 430 days lying in front of it. I am sure the neighbors would have all thought that I was losing my mind. But for Ezekiel, Tel-Abib was the city where the exiled elders of Israel came to discuss what to do about eventually going home. It was more than a weird diversion; it was a clear object lesson to the exiles. The city was going to be lay siege, breached and destroyed. It was clear to Ezekiel’s audience what he was communicating. Did he have fun playing army each day?
Where is the glory of the Lord in all of this? He communicates to us let us know our end. Today in the park a little three-year-old boy came singing, “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” I told him, that’s right, you keep singing it. Moments later he collided with his older brother and fell to the ground hitting his head on the ground. He cried for the next 20 minutes. I couldn’t ask him, “Do you still think God has a wonderful plan for your life?” Suppose I did, would he still say, “Yes?” Most 3-year-olds would probably say, “No.” But as an adult, I know that life has its moments, but over the long haul, I can say, “God has had a wonderful plan for my life.” If you asked someone in the siege of Jerusalem, “Is this God’s wonderful plan for us?” they would likely have answered, “Absolutely not.” But ultimately as we saw in Jeremiah, God knew the plans for them, plans for welfare. The siege was to cure them of their idolatry and iniquity. Where is the glory of the Lord? In the times in which we would deem evil, if we yield to Him, He will turn those times into times of welfare. He calls us to yield to Him and hold fast to the end. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
August 4
Ezekiel 3
It is the glory of the Lord that He should reveal Himself to humans, that He should give them a vision of Himself, that He should send them to other humans to proclaim His word, that He should empower them to do so. Lord, let me be so enraptured with your glory that that becomes true of me. Let me see Your glory! Let me be changed by Your Glory! Let me be controlled by your glory! Let me proclaim Your glory! Let your glory be my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night! Let Your glory be my constant meditation and conversation! Help, for I cannot produce this on my own! I need Your Spirit to enter me and lift me higher than myself so that your glory would be seen first. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
It is the glory of the Lord that He should reveal Himself to humans, that He should give them a vision of Himself, that He should send them to other humans to proclaim His word, that He should empower them to do so. Lord, let me be so enraptured with your glory that that becomes true of me. Let me see Your glory! Let me be changed by Your Glory! Let me be controlled by your glory! Let me proclaim Your glory! Let your glory be my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night! Let Your glory be my constant meditation and conversation! Help, for I cannot produce this on my own! I need Your Spirit to enter me and lift me higher than myself so that your glory would be seen first. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
August 3
Ezekiel 2
The last line of Ezekiel 1 indicates that Ezekiel fell at the feet of the Lord when He saw His glory.
The Lord says to him, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Awestruck by His glory, Ezekiel falls to the ground in the presence of the glory of God. What a privilege! But, it is one that no unsanctified human can bear. God help me to seek and find Your glory! Finding Ezekiel in his helpless position gives him a command with a promise, “Stand on your feet!” How can one stand in the presence of sheer Majesty? But what the Lord commands, He provides. The Holy Spirit entered Ezekiel and stood him up on his feet. It was the Spirit who set him upright when he had been given the command to stand. It was the Sprit who gave him the ability to hear and to listen. It was the Spirit who gave him the ability to go as he was sent to do the really weird commands given in his lifetime. Why could Ezekiel do what he did? It was because of the glory and the Spirit. Lord let me see Your glory, as did Ezekiel, and fill me with Your Spirit as you did Ezekiel. Let me obey Your commands that Your glory may increase! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
The last line of Ezekiel 1 indicates that Ezekiel fell at the feet of the Lord when He saw His glory.
The Lord says to him, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Awestruck by His glory, Ezekiel falls to the ground in the presence of the glory of God. What a privilege! But, it is one that no unsanctified human can bear. God help me to seek and find Your glory! Finding Ezekiel in his helpless position gives him a command with a promise, “Stand on your feet!” How can one stand in the presence of sheer Majesty? But what the Lord commands, He provides. The Holy Spirit entered Ezekiel and stood him up on his feet. It was the Spirit who set him upright when he had been given the command to stand. It was the Sprit who gave him the ability to hear and to listen. It was the Spirit who gave him the ability to go as he was sent to do the really weird commands given in his lifetime. Why could Ezekiel do what he did? It was because of the glory and the Spirit. Lord let me see Your glory, as did Ezekiel, and fill me with Your Spirit as you did Ezekiel. Let me obey Your commands that Your glory may increase! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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