The Gospel of the Resurrection of Christ

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

(ESV)

 

The message of the Gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most essential theology in the Church and as such, something the Church must not compromise. It is the essential foundation of the mission given to the Church by Jesus when he told His disciples to spread the Gospel around the world and make disciples (Mark 16:15; Mathew 28:19-20). The troubled Corinthian Church must return to the foundation of the Gospel if it is to remain on its mission, something the Church of today must also do.

 

Paul begins this passage with a reminder to remember the message of the gospel that he preached to them, that they received, and in which they stand. It is this message of the gospel that saved them provided they held fast to the word preached to them unless their belief was in vain and not genuine (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

 

This message of the gospel is of first importance to us as believers and what Paul received on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). The message of the gospel is also a simple message that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and raised from the dead on the third day, all according to Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). In addition to a scriptural foundation, there were also eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ, Cephas, or Peter, the twelve Disciples, and more than five hundred brothers, many of whom were still alive at the time of the writing of this text (1 Corinthians 15:5-6). Jesus also appeared to James and lastly to Paul as one untimely born (1 Corinthians 15:7-8). Paul then teaches the importance of God’s grace for he believes he is the least of the apostles due to his persecution of the Church (1 Corinthians 15:9). However, due to the grace of God Paul is an apostle, and one that works harder than the others but not due to his own abilities but by the grace of God that is within him (1 Corinthians 15:10). It is therefore, through the grace of God that Paul and others preach and people, like the Corinthians come to believe (1 Corinthians 15:11).

 

Believers in Christ must remember the message of the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, which is the purpose of 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Paul then reminds the Corinthians of the fact there are many eyewitnesses to the fact Jesus rose from the dead, many of whom were still alive at the time of Paul’s writing (1 Corinthians 15:6). While the Church today does not have any living eyewitnesses to speak with, we do have the writings of eyewitnesses in the Gospels, the Book of Acts, and the Epistles, so there is no excuse. We must also remember that anyone preaching this message, like Paul, does so by the grace of God who has forgiven them of their sin, even the sin of persecuting the Church like occurred with Pual.

 

God instructed the Israelites to leave Egypt and to observe the Passover so future generations would remember how God delivered them from death by coming under the blood of a lamb (Exodus 12). Both Jews and Gentiles who have professed their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ now observe communion or the Lord’s supper to remember how the broken body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has saved them from death for their sins (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10). Even if one has committed grievous sins like Paul’s persecuting the Church, the grace of God saves us and not our works, (Ephesians 2:8-9). May we, like the Jews observing Passover, observe the Lord’s Supper frequently and with humility and adoration towards God, remembering His great sacrifice, love, and grace towards us who have sinned (Romans 5:8).

 

If you are reading this and have never prayed to ask Jesus to forgive your sins and make Him the Lord of your life through the profession of your belief in the death burial and resurrection of Christ (Romans 10:9-10), I urge you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.

The Abomination of Idolatry.

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 9

 

Ezekiel 9:9-10

Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see.’ ¹⁰ As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”

(ESV)

 

In the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, there is a scene where a priest is offering Indiana Jones as a sacrifice to his pagan god. When we think of idolatry, this is the image that most people have in their minds but idols in one’s life can take on other forms as well. Jesus said that our hearts are in what we treasure in our lives (Matthew 6:21) with that treasure representing the idol in our lives. If what we idolize is Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him, it is something that will never disappoint us. However, if our treasure is in anything else, it is a created thing and part of the corrupt world in which we live and will disappoint us. Idolatry of any form is an abomination to God and something we as believers must avoid.

 

The form of a man that spoke to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 8, now cries in his ears with a loud voice, calling for the executioners of the city with their destroying weapons in their hands (Ezekiel 9:1). Six men then arrive from the direction of the upper gate facing north with their weapons in hand. Along with these six men, a man clothed in linen with a writing case at his waist also arrives. All seven men go in and stand beside the bronze altar (Ezekiel 9:2).

 

The glory of the Lord moved from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house and called to the man in linen with the writing case (Ezekiel 9:3). The Lord spoke to the man in linen and instructed him to pass through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over the abominations committed in the city (Ezekiel 9:4). The Lord instructed the other six men to pass through the city after the man in linen and strike without pity (Ezekiel 9:5). They are to kill old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women. They are to begin striking in the sanctuary. However, they are not to touch those having the mark from the man in linen (Ezekiel 9:6). The executioners are even to defile the house of the Lord by filling the courts with the slain. The executioners go out and begin striking with Ezekiel falling on his face and crying out to the Lord, asking if the Lord intends to destroy all the remnant of Israel with his wrath (Ezekiel 9:7-8).

 

The Lord then responds to Ezekiel’s cries by telling him that the guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is great with the land full of blood and the city full of injustice, believing God does not see (Ezekiel 9:9). As for the Lord, he will not spare any idolaters or show pity, bringing their abominations of idolatry upon their heads (Ezekiel 9:10). The man in linen then returns with word that he has done what was commanded by the Lord (Ezekiel 9:11).

 

Idolatry is an abominable sin in Israel and Judah with those committing it sentenced to execution. This passage foretells God’s plan for killing the idolaters while saving those not participating in the idolatry. Death seems an extreme sentence that even brought grief to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 9:8). However, even in the dispensation of grace, we are reminded that the penalty for sin is death but with the promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). In this passage we see a just God executing those committing idolatry and a merciful God marking those not participating in idolatry, so they escape death by the executioners (Ezekiel 9:4-6). While death for sin, any sin, seems harsh, a just God carrying out this penalty does not do so without providing a way of escape.

 

Modern idolatry does not usually take the form of one bowing down or offering sacrifices to a statue of a god at a temple built for that god, but idolatry is still a problem for humanity. There is the idolatry of government with people depending on the government or some political system to provide for their needs. Idolatry can take on the form of addictions to drugs, alcohol, pornography, or even video games as an escape from the challenges of life. Idolatry can even take on the form of good things like family, career, or a sports team which are not evil in themselves but when they become the thing we treasure most in our lives, they deprive us of intimacy with God.

 

Everyone has a God-shaped hole in their heart that can only be filled by a personal relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ for their sins (Acts 4:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Everyone will attempt to fill this hole in their lives but when they attempt to fill it with anything other than God, it becomes an idol in their lives that will disappoint them. If you are reading this and have not asked Jesus to forgive your sins or if you have idols in your life other than Jesus Christ, I urge you to pray with me now,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post. 

Orderly Worship Building the Body of Christ

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: 1 Corinthians 14:26-38

 

1 Corinthians 14:26

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

(ESV)

 

Imagine going into a classroom or lecture hall and everyone is talking at the same time. As an innocent bystander, you would have no idea what is said and would learn nothing. Paul opens the text in 1 Corinthians 14:26, by telling readers how worship services in the Corinthian Church were conducted with it not conducive to building up the body of Christ. Therefore, the Apostle Paul believes it is necessary to provide instruction for conducting orderly worship which still applies to gatherings for worship in the Church today.

 

When the Church in Corinth would gather, everyone had a hymn, lesson, revelation, tongue, or interpretation. This led to confusion in the gathering as each person spoke out of turn and was not conducive to the building up of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 14:26). Paul then laid down some guidelines to follow to restore orderliness to the gatherings of the Church. Regarding tongues the guideline is for only two and at the most three persons to speak with an interpretation and for them to remain silent if no interpreter is found, speaking only to themselves and God (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). They are instructed to let two or three prophets speak with the others weighing what is said (1 Corinthians 14:29). If a revelation is made of a prophecy, let the prophet be silent for all can prophecy but it must be done one by one so each attending can learn and be encouraged (1 Corinthians 14:30-31). The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets because God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:32-33). This means the prophet can choose when to speak waiting it is his or her turn to maintain order.

 

Paul then makes what would be considered a controversial statement in the Church today by telling women to remain silent in submission (1 Corinthians 14:34). Paul tells the women that if they want to learn anything, to ask their husbands at home because it is shameful for them to speak in church (1 Corinthians 14:35). Paul then asks the Corinthians whether it was from them the word of God came and if they were the only ones it has reached (1 Corinthians 14:36). Anyone thinking they are a prophet or spiritual must acknowledge that Paul is writing commands of the Lord to them (1 Corinthians 14:37). Anyone not recognizing what Paul is writing is a word from the Lord is not to be recognized by the Church (1 Corinthians 14:38).

 

There was disorderliness in the worship services of the Church in Corinth with Paul providing instructions on how to restore order in the services. However, there is also a need to contextually address the issue of women speaking in the Church as there appears to be a conflict in Paul’s writing as he seems to demean the role of women in the Church (1 Corinthians 14:34). However, in Philippians 4:2-3 Paul commends two women who were a help to him in his ministry in Philippi. The context of 1 Corinthians 14:34 is disorderliness in the worship services in Corinth with all speaking up whenever they wanted. The mention of women in this context could be to silence a group of women attempting to incite disorderliness in worship like what occurred in Antioch (Acts 13:50). With the context of this passage in mind, there was possibly a group of women that had infiltrated the Church in Corinth taking the liberty to speak out in the disorderly worship of the Church that was inciting discord in the Church. Paul is telling these women to be silent with this passage not intended as a Church doctrine of all women remaining silent in the Church, just these women.

 

While it is still important to have orderliness in the worship services in the Church, orderliness must not be so rigid as to inhibit any spontaneous movement of the Holy Spirit. However, balance and orderliness are necessary in large gatherings for the worship and the teaching of the Word of God to effectively build up the Body of Christ. This is why many larger, and even some smaller, Churches have small groups. These small groups provide greater interaction in the Body of Christ through prayer, study of the Word of God, and fellowship. It is in these small group meetings that individuals can interact with others, ask questions to a Church leader or pastor leading the group, and share prayer needs or praise reports. These smaller groups also resemble the gatherings of home churches in the early church, forced to gather in homes to avoid persecution.

 

I want to encourage those reading this post to become involved with both the large corporate worship in their Church through regular attendance and to also attend a small group bible study or prayer group in the Church. It is in these smaller groups that the spiritual growth of individuals occurs as one can delve deeper into the Word of God and have their questions answered. It is also where the seeds of revival can start because revival in the Church is not some large event in the Church but a revival of believers in Christ who grow spiritually into a more intimate relationship with Christ. If you are reading this and have not prayed for forgiveness of your sins and to make Jesus your savior, I invite you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post. 

God’s Wrath from Profaning God’s Temple.

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 8

 

Ezekiel 8:17-18

Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their^[c] nose. ¹⁸ Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

(ESV)

 

Matthew 21:12-13 records the only instance of Jesus showing anger in Scripture and involves the profaning of the Temple, His Father’s House. This involved the profaning of a building, but God no longer dwells in a building, because the Spirit of God dwells in the hearts of men and women choosing to accept Jesus Christ as his or her savior (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Profaning the Temple of God is a serious abomination against God and the reason every believer must regularly examine their temple and rid it of any idolatry.

 

Ezekiel is sitting in his house with the elders of Judah when the hand of the Lord falls on him (Ezekiel 8:1). Ezekiel then sees a form that has the appearance of a man who holds out his hand and takes a lock of Ezekiel’s hair with the Spirit of God lifting him between heaven and earth bringing him to Jerusalem in visions of God (Ezekiel 8:2-3). The glory of God was in the vision like it was in the valley (Ezekiel 1:1, 3:23, 8:4). The form then directs Ezekiel to look to the north and observe the abominations the house of Israel is committing there driving God far from His sanctuary (Ezekiel 8:5-6).

 

Ezekiel is then brought to the entrance to the court of the Temple where he observes a hole in the wall (Ezekiel 8:7). Ezekiel is then instructed to dig in the wall where he observes an entrance (Ezekiel 8:8). Ezekiel goes into the entrance and sees the vile abominations of images on the wall, images of creeping things, loathsome beasts, and the idols of the house of Israel (Ezekiel 8:9-10). Before these images, Ezekiel saw seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, offering worship to the images and idols engraved on the walls (Ezekiel 8:11). The vision shows the activities of the elders of the house of Israel, done in the dark with the belief the Lord does not see it, believing God has forsaken the land and His Temple, but Ezekiel will see even greater abominations (Ezekiel 8:12-13).

 

 Ezekiel is then brought to the entrance of the north gate of the Temple where he sees women weeping for Tammuz, a near-eastern fertility god, another abomination but more is to come (Ezekiel 8:14-15). Ezekiel now enters the inner court of the Temple and sees about twenty-five men with their backs to the Temple, facing east worshipping the sun (Ezekiel 8:16). The Lord asks Ezekiel if the abominations he has seen are a light thing that could fill the land with violence, further provoking the Lord to anger (Ezekiel 8:17). Therefore, God intends to act in wrath towards Judah and Israel without pity and not hearing their cries to Him (Ezekiel 8:18).

 

Judah and Israel are about to experience the wrath of God with a gracious and merciful God giving them one more warning that they will not listen to so God will not even hear them anymore. However, the abominations committed by the elders spoken of in Ezekiel 8 are not only against God with the worship of other gods, but they profane the Temple where God dwelt in the Old Covenant (2 Chronicles 6:1-2). However, in his prayer of dedication, Solomon asks if the God who cannot be contained in the highest heaven can be contained in a building (2 Chronicles 6:18). For this reason, any worship in the Temple that was not the worship of the true God would be worship that evicted God from his house, an abomination that angered God, subjecting those committing the abomination to God’s wrath. The only recorded instance in the Gospels of Jesus becoming angry is when he entered the Temple and saw the activities going on there (Matthew 21:12-13). However, in the new covenant, the temple of God is no longer a building but the hearts of those choosing to believe in Jesus Christ as their savior (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Therefore, a believer in Christ must ensure there are no abominable beliefs or sins in their lives that profane God’s temple for our heart will be in what we treasure which for a believer must be Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:21).

 

During the Olivette Discourse (Matthew 24-25:13) Jesus foretold things that should alert the Church that the time of the Lord’s return is near and the need to prepare. However, the Church is more like the Church at Laodicea, trusting in its wealth and prosperity, not believing they needed the Lord. Believers in Christ must not be like the 5 virgins who were not prepared by taking sufficient oil for their lamps and who were not there when the bridegroom returned because they were out getting more oil (Matthew 26:7-10). Many are praying for revival in the Church, but it is important to remember that the Church is not a building or organization but the people. Revival in the Church occurs when the people making up the Church body repent and depend on God for their salvation preparing their hearts for the return of the Lord.

 

Believers in these last days must prepare their hearts by ridding the temple of the Holy Spirit of any abominations of our hearts so they are prepared to meet the Lord. If you are reading this and have never prayed for God to rid your heart of the abomination of sin, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.

Properly Applying the Gifts of the Spirit.

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

 

1 Corinthians 14:1

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 

(ESV)

 

I often wonder if Jesus or the Apostles would have used technology like mass media or social media to spread the Gospel. Since these technologies were not available during the lives of Jesus and the Apostles, we will never know. What we do know is that they used the technological innovations of their time, like roads, the written word, and sailing ships to deliver the Gospel to the known world at their time. We can, therefore, safely assume they would have used whatever technology was available to assist in spreading the Gospel. However, they would have never compromised the principles of God’s word to spread the Gospel.

 

This passage begins with a comparison between the Spiritual gifts of tongues and prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1-5). Paul then asks the Corinthians to imagine if he had come to them speaking in tongues instead of bringing them some revelation, knowledge, prophecy, or teaching that benefits them (1 Corinthians 14:6). Paul likens coming to the Corinthians speaking in tongues to a musical instrument like a flute, harp, or bugle playing indistinct notes, with the listener unable to determine the tune played (1 Corinthians 14:7-8). Such is one speaking in tongues whose words are unintelligible to the listener for the speaker is speaking a foreign language to them (1 Corinthians 14:9-11). Since the Corinthians have an eagerness for the manifestations of the Spirit, Paul urges them to strive for the gifts that excel in building up the Church (1 Corinthians 14:12).

 

One speaking in a tongue must pray for interpretation so that the mind can become fruitful, understanding what the speaker says (1 Corinthians 14:13-14). This leads to Paul wondering what he should do, answering with praying and praising God with both his spirit and mind (1 Corinthians 14:15). If one gives thanks in their spirit in another tongue, an outsider listening cannot join in the thanksgiving because they do not know what the speaker says and are not built up (1 Corinthians 14:16-17). While Paul speaks in tongues more than any of the Corinthians, he would rather speak five words with his mind than ten thousand words in a tongue (1 Corinthians 14:18-19).

 

Paul urges the Corinthians to not be childish in their thinking and instead be infants in evil and mature in their thinking (1 Corinthians 14:20). In the Law it says that people of strange tongues will speak to God’s people but that they will not listen, says the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:21). Tongues are a sign for unbelievers and not believers with prophecy a sign for believers and not unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22). For example, tongues in Acts 2 were so the unbelievers present in Jerusalem heard believers praise God in their own language, leading to three thousand receiving Christ as their Savior. If the whole Church comes together speaking in tongues, unbelievers present will say they are out of their minds, another indication tongues are not for use in public assembly (1 Corinthians 14:23). However, if all in the Church prophesy, unbelievers or outsiders entering the congregation are convicted by all and called to account (1 Corinthians 14:24). The prophecies disclose the secrets of an unbeliever’s heart leading to him or her falling on their face in worship to God, declaring that God is really present in the Church (1 Corinthians 14:25).

 

This passage begins with Paul telling the Corinthians to pursue love and desire Spiritual gifts, especially prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1). However, the gift of prophecy spoken of in this passage is not a foretelling of future events, but words offered to build up, encourage, and offer consolation (1 Corinthians 14:3). Paul, one familiar with persecution (2 Corinthians 11:16-33) knew the Church would need building up, encouragement, and consolation wanting the gift of prophecy to have the position of a higher gift administered with love (1 Corinthians 12:31). This does not mean the gift of tongues is no longer useful in the Church for even the Apostle Paul professes to speaking in tongues more than the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:18). The issue is the proper application of the Spiritual gifts with tongues beneficial in private unless there is an interpretation in public, and prophesy beneficial in the public assembly.

 

The Church today has tools at its disposal not present in the Church of Paul’s time such as mass media, social media, and marketing using these media. While these media are valuable tools the Church has at its disposal, they should not replace the tools given to the Church by God (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). Since the gift of tongues applies privately, the use of media and social media are not applicable in the administration of this gift. It is different from the gift of prophecy because it is not private and benefits from using mass media and social media in speaking words building up, encouraging, and offering consolation. However, the words spoken must still be in accordance with the Word of God because the gift of prophecy is a gift of the Spirit, speaking words from God no matter what media is used to speak the words (1 Corinthians 12:3-7). Leadership in the Church must make sure the administration of the gift of the Spirit is for the glory of God and not used as some slick marketing tool to increase church membership, attendance, and contributions to the Church.

 

Using this media of a blog on the internet, I now want to extend an invitation to anyone reading this post who has not prayed to receive forgiveness of sins and the restoration of their relationship with God. In Romans 10:9, Scripture states that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord with belief in our heart, a genuine belief, that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved. I invite you to do this by praying with me and replying to this blog post that you believe, a confession with your mouth through the keyboard.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post. 

The Day of the Lord’s Wrath.

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 7

 

Ezekiel 7:8-9

Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. ⁹ And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes.

(ESV)

 

There is a saying in the legal profession that one deciding to represent him or herself in court has a fool for an attorney. Likewise, one choosing to argue with God over what He says in His word is foolish for God wins all arguments. It is also foolish to ignore warnings in the Word of God for the day comes when we exhaust God’s grace and incur His wrath. The warnings issued to Israel and Judah by the prophets found in the Bible, remind us of the consequences of continued ignoring of the warnings of God. I encourage everyone reading this post to heed God’s warnings in scripture to avoid His wrath.

 

Ezekiel receives another word from the Lord declaring that the end has come upon the four corners of the land (Ezekiel 7:1-2). The end is God’s anger at the ways of Israel and their abominations (Ezekiel 7:3). God does not intend to spare Israel or have pity on them but punishment for their abominations so they will know He is the Lord (Ezekiel 7:4).

 

The Lord says that disaster after disaster is coming to Israel, and an end that has awakened against Israel comes (Ezekiel 7:5-6). God declares Israel’s doom has come, a day of tumult without joy (Ezekiel 7:7). God will soon pour out His wrath upon Israel, judging Israel’s ways not sparing them but letting them know He is Lord (Ezekiel 7:8-9).

 

The Lord again warns Israel that their doom has come with the rod of correction blossoming and budding with pride (Ezekiel 7:10). Violence has grown up with none surviving, no abundance or wealth left, and no preeminence left (Ezekiel 7:11). The time of judgment has arrived with neither buyer nor seller rejoicing for Ezekiel’s vision applies to all the multitude and shall not turn back (Ezekiel 7:12-13).

 

The trumpet of warning has sounded but none go to battle so the sword for those outside the city, pestilence and famine for those within the city are coming (Ezekiel 7:14-15). Any survivors who escape will flee to the mountains to moan over their iniquities (Ezekiel 7:16). All survivors are feeble with knees like water, putting on sackcloth in horror, shame, and baldness (Ezekiel 7:17-18). Gold and silver cannot save them for they have used it to forge their idols, the stumbling block of Israel’s iniquity with foreigners taking the idols Israel crafted as spoil (Ezekiel 7:19-21) Robbers shall enter and profane God’s treasured place (Ezekiel 7:22).

 

The land of Israel is full of bloody crimes and violence with God intending to bring the worst of the nations to take possession of the people’s houses, putting an end to the pride of the strong and the holy places (Ezekiel 7:23-24). In anguish, Israel will seek peace, but none will be found (Ezekiel 7:25). Disaster upon disaster and rumor following rumor with no vision from the prophet, the law perishing from the priest, and no counsel from the elders (Ezekiel 7:26). The rulers and people are powerless in the face of God’s wrath with God judging them so they will know He is Lord (Ezekiel 7:27).

 

As a watchman, Ezekiel must deliver the truth as he receives it from the Lord. For this reason, Ezekiel must now deliver the message he receives from the Lord regarding the intention of the Lord to pour out His wrath on the people of Israel. However, the Lord has little choice at this point for He must show His people that He is the Lord and not the false gods they have been worshipping. God’s wrath has come to its fullness after numerous warnings from Ezekiel and Jeremiah (Ezekiel 5:11-12; Jeremiah 14:1-12) bringing death by sword, famine, and pestilence. Any survivors will escape to the mountains to moan over their iniquities (Ezekiel 7:14-16). The only way for Israel to realize the Lord God is the Lord is to experience the wrath of God. However, the destruction is not complete for the Lord’s wrath is not for their destruction but their correction (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

 

In Romans 13:5, Scripture reminds us that one in subjection to the Lord avoids God’s wrath. The message of the prophets to both Israel and Judah is consistent, for they have sinned and worshipped foreign gods in disobedience to God’s command not to worship any other gods (Exodus 20:1-3). Sin has consequences but worse are the consequences of continual rejection of God’s warning to repent of sin in our lives, for Israel and Judah, these consequences were exile from the land God had given them for seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10), leaving the land to the next generation with an opportunity to abandon the worship of idols and worship only God.

 

God has not changed and still commands His people to worship only Him. The way God deals with His people has changed with Him no longer dealing with them through the Levitical law but through grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, the Church must not use God’s grace as an excuse to sin (Romans 6:1-4). Unfortunately, many Churches today preach a health and wealth gospel that teaches those who have faith in Christ will have health and prosperity taking verses out of context like Luke 6:38; Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19. This deceptive theology ignores Jesus saying that we will have persecution in this world with a reminder Jesus overcame the world (John 16:33). Jesus promised to meet our needs, not all we want (Philippians 4:19).

 

The greatest need for all humanity is the need for forgiveness from sin and a restored relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If you are reading this and never prayed for forgiveness from sin to begin a restored relationship with God, I invite you to pray with me now,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post. 

The Way of Love

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: 1 Corinthians 13

 

 

There is a saying in marketing products and services that sex sells. Sadly, the results of advertising using sex indicate the saying has some truth to it. The preponderance of sex in advertising also contributes to the idea in modern culture that love, and sex is synonymous. 1 Corinthians 13 defines biblical love expanding the definition of love from a feeling to an action. The world needs the Church to demonstrate the way of love concept of biblical love to a culture dominated by hate, to show the world we are disciples of Christ and have a greater way to live (John 13:34-35).

 

Speaking in the tongues of men and even angels is just a lot of noise if it is done without love (1 Corinthians 13:1). One with prophetic powers to understand all mysteries, having all knowledge, having mountain moving faith without love is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). Even one giving away all they have, including their body without love gains nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3).

 

Love is patient and kind without envy or boasting in itself or full of arrogance (1 Corinthians 13:4). Love is not rude or insistent on getting its own way and not irritable or resentful (1 Corinthians 13:5). Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but instead rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). Love bears, hopes, and endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).

 

Unlike prophecies, tongues, and knowledge which cease and pass away, love never ends (1 Corinthians 13:8). As people, we only know in part and prophecy in part, but when the perfect one comes, Jesus Christ, the partial will pass away (1 Corinthians 13:9-10). Paul tells the Corinthians that when he was a child, he spoke, thought, and reasoned as a child but when he grew up, he put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11). In this life we see and know things dimly and in part, but when we see the Lord face-to-face, we will see things clearly and have full knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:12). Of the three things, faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

 

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul taught about spiritual gifts and the need for the Church to function in harmony like the human body. However, 1 Corinthians 12:31 ends the chapter with encouragement to desire the higher gifts with Paul promising to show the Corinthians a more excellent way, the way of love. This way of love is not a replacement for the use of the gifts of the Spirit in the operation of the Church but the attitude of how to administer the gifts in the Church. One speaking in tongues without love is just making a lot of noise (1 Corinthians 13:1). One having the gift of prophecy, discernment of mysteries with great knowledge of the Word of God, or one with mountain-moving faith is nothing without love. Even one giving away all that they own and sacrificing their body gains nothing if he or she does it without love (1 Corinthians 13:2-3). The way of love is also crucial to maintaining unity in the Church. Patience, humility, selflessness, rejoicing in truth instead of wrongdoing, and bearing one another’s burdens promotes unity (1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Galatians 6:2). The gifts like prophecy and tongues will pass away as will knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:8) but love never ends for Jesus is the perfect example of the way of love (1 John 3:16). The divisions and sexual immorality in the Corinthian Church find resolution in the way of the sacrificial love of Christ.

 

The idea of love in modern society has become perverted and relegated to something erotic, thus limiting how people define love. Lost in this perverted definition of love is the idea of agape love, the love that 1 Corinthians 13 defines. Gone also is the idea of sacrificial love with love viewed as a consumer transaction with each person looking for what they can get out of loving another person. Gone too is the idea of leadership about serving one another (Matthew 23:11-12). Instead, leaders lead with arrogance and rudeness viewing themselves as above those they lead (Matthew 23:1-10). God’s love levels the playing field making eternal life available to all who believe in Jesus as his or her Savior (John 3:16). If you are reading this and have not prayed for forgiveness of your sins and to make Jesus your savior, I invite you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

When one ministers to others, they must adopt the way of love, ministering and using their gifts with the love of Christ. May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.