Both Sisters Judged

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 23:36-49

 

Ezekiel 23:36-37

 The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. ³⁷ For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.

(NKJV)

 

In Numbers 32:23, the Lord warns us that sin is not hidden from the Lord with us sure to suffer the consequences of sin in our lives. Such is the case with Samaria and Jerusalem, symbolized by the two sisters Oholah and Oholibah who are going to incur judgment for their abominations. In this text, the Lord instructs Ezekiel to declare the abominations committed by both sisters, so they are aware of the accusations against them. Many modern churches preach a cheap grace that is an abomination to the Lord for it condones sin and will incur judgment from the Lord.

 

The text begins with the Lord asking Ezekiel if he intends to judge the two sisters, Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem) and if he does, to declare their abominations to them (Ezekiel 23:36). The Lord then reminds Ezekiel of their lewd spiritual adultery by worshipping idols instead of the true Lord and even sacrificing their children to these idols (Ezekiel 23:37). Their sins and abominations are against the Lord, defiling His sanctuary and profaning His sabbaths (Ezekiel 23:38-39).

 

Even more abominable, they sent messengers to men from afar, washing and adorning themselves when they came to visit (Ezekiel 23:40). The sisters are symbolized as sitting on a stately couch with the Lord’s incense and oil on a table in front of them as they greeted their lovers who came to them, adorned with bracelets and crowns (Ezekiel 23:41-42). These men who came to the sisters committed lewdness with them (Ezekiel 23:43-44). These men and the sisters will incur judgment from righteous men who will judge them as adulteresses (Ezekiel 23:45).

 

The Lord intends to bring up an assembly against the sisters, giving them up to trouble and plunder (Ezekiel 23:46). The assembly called by the Lord shall stone them, execute them with swords, slay their sons and daughters, and burn their houses with fire (Ezekiel 23:47). The purpose of this judgment is to cause lewdness to cease from the land so all women will be taught not to practice lewdness (Ezekiel 23:48). The judgment brought on by the assembly will repay Samaria and Jerusalem for their lewdness and idolatrous sins, causing them to realize the Lord is the Lord God (Ezekiel 23:49).

 

The coming judgment on Oholah and Oholibah symbolizes Samaria and Jerusalem, for their sins and abominations. The Lord has Ezekiel begin his judgment of the two sisters by first letting them know the abominations they have committed (Ezekiel 23:36). They have forsaken the worship of God only in disobedience to God’s command (Exodus 20:1-3) and committed spiritual adultery by worshipping idols (Ezekiel 23:37). To make matters even worse, they have sacrificed their sons to appease these idols, causing blood to be on their hands (Ezekiel 23:37). They even did these abominable acts on the same day they defiled God’s sanctuary and profaned His sabbaths (Ezekiel 23:38-39). These accusations are why the Lord is bringing an assembly against Samaria and Jerusalem to repay them for their lewdness and have them pay for their idolatrous sins (Ezekiel 23:46-49).

 

The cheap grace taught in many modern Churches is an abomination to the Lord worthy of the same judgment that befell Samaria and Jerusalem. The modern Church is lukewarm, resembling the Laodicean Church (Revelation 3:14-22). Like the Laodicean Church, it is obsessed with wealth and prosperity, using God’s grace for personal gain. It also brags of great academic knowledge of scripture but lacks an intimate relationship with God (2 Timothy 3:5).

 

The modern Church is also like the Corinthian Church in its condoning of sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1-8). This represents a form of idolatry with the aborting of children resulting from unwanted pregnancies like the offering of children by the Samaritans and the people in Jerusalem to appease their gods. If you are reading this and part of a modern church teaching cheap grace, I call upon you to repent of your abominations and idolatry and turn to God. In Romans 12:2, Scripture teaches believers not to conform to the world but to experience transformation through the renewing of their minds by the word of God. The Church must stop attempting to blend in with the world and stand up against ungodliness in the world.

 

If you are reading this and have not prayed for the forgiveness of your sins making Jesus the Lord of your life, or have drifted away from your relationship with Christ, 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 Word Became Flesh

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: John 1:1-18

 

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

(NKJV)

 

Some believe that John had a special friendship with Jesus, referring five times in the Gospel of John to “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20). While this could be viewed as pride and arrogance on the part of John, it was not until John 21:24 that John revealed this disciple was himself. I do not believe John was arrogant, believing he was the only disciple Jesus loved but instead revealing his knowledge and experiencing the love of Jesus during the time he spent with him. As we study the Gospel of John, it is my prayer that we will, like John, experience the deep love of God for us.

 

Similar to Genesis 1:1, John 1:1 begins with a declaration that the Word of God was in existence at the beginning of creation and was with God. The text then refers to the Word as He who was in existence in the beginning and the one who created all things (John 1:2-3). Life was in Him, the Word, with this life the light of men (John 1:4). This light shines in the darkness with darkness unable to comprehend it (John 1:5).

 

John, the Baptist, was a man sent from God to bear witness to this Light with the purpose that all might believe through this life-giving light (John 1:6-7). John was not the Light but the witness of the Light giving light to every man coming into the world (John 1:8-9). However, even though the Word was in the world that was made by Him, the world did not know Him (John 1:10). Even those who were given the Word, the Jews, did not receive Him (John 1:11). However, those who chose to receive Him have the right to become children of God and receive new birth, not of the flesh but of God (John 1:12-13).

 

The Word of God became flesh so humanity could behold the Glory of God through Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14). This is the one pointed out by John as the one was preferred over him because he existed before John (John 1:15). We have all received of the fullness of the Word become flesh with the law coming through Moses but grace and truth through Jesus Christ (John 1:16-17). While no man has seen God, the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ has declared Him (John 1:18).

 

This text makes a distinction between Jesus and the other prophets and teachers in the world. Jesus is God whereas the other prophets and teachers were spokespeople for God. John makes this distinction by,

 

1. By declaring that the eternal Word of God has existed since the beginning (John 1:1-5) – John does this by personifying the Word with the pronoun He, declaring that He was with God and that He was the creator of all things. The personified Word was both light and life.
2. John the Baptist was the witness of the True Light (John 1:6-13) – John was the final prophet sent to declare the identity of the True Light coming to the world. John was not the light but let people know the word become flesh, Jesus Christ. However, the world and even the Jews would not accept him but that those who did would become children of God.
3. The Word becomes flesh (John 1:14-18) – John then declares that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and God himself has become flesh, dwelling with us, making it possible for us to see the glory of God and God Himself.

 

Jesus is God, an undeniable fact, and something Jesus called the Church to declare (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). Unfortunately, in many Churches today, the teaching teaches Jesus as a personal assistant whom believers can use to receive whatever they want or need. Granted, Jesus taught His followers to pray for the provision of their daily bread (Matthew 6:11), but this does not mean we can use Jesus to get whatever we want. Jesus came because God loved sinful humanity and sent Jesus to die for sinful humanity's sins so they can have eternal life (John 3:16). This deep love from God is the theme of the Gospel of John and something believers should worship and not use as cheap grace for personal gain.

 

I pray that as we study this gospel, we will have a greater connection with the love of our Heavenly Father that Jesus Christ personified in the flesh. Our response to this deep love should be worship of our merciful and gracious God who fulfilled his promise of redemption of fallen man through Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15). The Church must repent of using Jesus Christ for personal gain and begin lifting Jesus up in worship, drawing people into a relationship with Him (John 12:32).

 

If you are reading this and have not prayed for the forgiveness of your sins making Jesus the Lord of your life, or have drifted away from your relationship with Christ, 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.

Giving into Peer Pressure

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 23:22-35

 

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

(NKJV)

 

When I was growing up, I remember my parents telling me not to hang around with certain people, telling me that if I hung around with them, I would become just like them. I must admit to times when I thought that would not be so bad, but now that I am a parent, I know they were concerned about the power of peer pressure. The Samaritans and the people of Jerusalem are related and even though separated geographically, probably had a desire for acceptance by each other. This desire for acceptance may be behind the people of Jerusalem going down the same path as their brother and sister Samaritans. As believers, we must seek transformation by the Word of God and not conformity to a fallen world.

 

The Lord pronounces judgment on Oholibah who represents Jerusalem. The Lord intends to stir up Oholibah’s lovers against her from every side (Ezekiel 23:22). The Lord then lists her lovers whom she has defiled herself with by worshipping their idols (Ezekiel 23:23). Her lovers will come against her with weapons of war because the Lord has delegated judgment to them (Ezekiel 23:24). The Lord has set his jealousy against Jerusalem with Oholibah’s lovers dealing furiously with them, bringing bodily harm, death of their remnant by the sword and fire, and taking of their children (Ezekiel 23:25). Oholibah’s lovers will also strip her of her clothes and beautiful jewelry (Ezekiel 23:26). The purpose for this is to bring Jerusalem to repentance and the ceasing of her lewdness and harlotry she brought from Egypt, so they remember Egypt no more (Ezekiel 23:27).

 

The Lord lists the sins He has against Jerusalem reminding them the lovers whose idols they worshipped will take all they have worked for leaving them with nothing but the uncovering of their lewdness and harlotry (Ezekiel 23:28-29). The Lord restates his purpose for allowing what happened to Jerusalem with the destruction occurring due to their defilement by idol worship (Ezekiel 23:30). Jerusalem has followed the lewdness and defilement of her sister Samaria and destined to suffer the same consequences (Ezekiel 23:31-34). The judgment of the Lord concludes with Him declaring that since they have forgotten Him, they must bear the penalty of their lewdness and harlotry (Ezekiel 23:35).  

 

The people of Jerusalem have given in to peer pressure from their brothers and sisters in Samaris and joined in their harlotry against the Lord. Instead of learning from the harlotry and rebellion of Samaria and turning to the Lord, Jerusalem too lusted after the Assyrians but did even worse, inviting the Babylonians into the city (Ezekiel 23:17). One possible explanation for Jerusalem doing this could be the power of peer pressure to go along with what had become popular in Samaria, the worship of idols instead of the one true God (Exodus 20:1-3).

 

The Church must similarly guard against peer pressure to conform to the ungodly woke culture prevalent in the world today. The temptation to conform as a means of attracting more members and contributors to the Church is strong but giving in makes the Church disobedient to Christ and God’s Word. This grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32) and strips the Church of its power to be effective as a witness for Christ (Acts 1:8).

 

It does not require a degree in theology to see that the world needs Jesus. The emergence of the woke culture goes against the very foundation of God’s commandments. Abortion is murder of a life forming in the womb of a woman, a life loved and treasured by God (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13). In the womb God creates both men and women (Genesis 1:27) with anyone believing they were born of the wrong gender, telling God he made a mistake in creating them but God cannot error (Numbers 23:19). When Adam saw Eve, he knew she was created by God so they could be united and have children (Genesis 2:23-24). God did not create many Adams and Eves of diverse races, making some superior to others but equal, sending His Son to die for all humanity’s sins (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9). The only biblical wokeness is one becoming woke to their need for Jesus (Romans 3:23).

 

If you are reading this and have not prayed for the forgiveness of your sins making Jesus the Lord of your life, or have drifted away from your relationship with Christ, 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.

 

The only peer pressure beneficial in one’s life is to live following the example of Christ. May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.

Gentleness with Authority

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: 2 Corinthians 13:1-14

 

2 Corinthians 13:4

For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

(NKJV)

 

The Lord rebukes and chastens those He loves, urging them to be zealous in repentance (Revelation 3:19). God the Father is a good father who is not politically correct and willing to rebuke and chasten his children when they do wrong. In this study of Corinthians, we have seen how the Apostle Paul had the heart of God the Father in his dealings with the Corinthians by not holding back when they needed rebuke and chastening. Paul had the authority of God but treated the Corinthians with gentleness and love.

 

The Apostle Paul is planning on coming to the Corinthians for the third time, speaking to both those who have sinned and all the rest, letting them know he does not intend to spare them (2 Corinthians 13:1-2). The Corinthians seek proof that Christ speaks through Paul, the same Christ who is not weak toward the Corinthians but mighty in them (2 Corinthians 13:3). Jesus was crucified in weakness yet lives by the power of God with Paul and those with him also weak in Christ but alive by the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4). Paul urges the Corinthians to examine themselves, testing to determine if they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

 

Paul prays that the Corinthians will do no evil but not so Paul appears approved in their sight but that they do what is honorable (2 Corinthians 13:7). Paul and those with him can do nothing against the truth and are glad that when they are weak, the Corinthians are strong. Paul and those with him also pray the Corinthians will be made complete in the Lord (2 Corinthians 13:8-9). Paul writes in gentleness as one absent from them and would be sharp in the authority of the Lord if speaking in their presence (2 Corinthians 13:10). Paul then gives the Corinthians his final greetings praying for them to have the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:11-14).

 

Paul expresses his desire to come to Corinth for the third time. He is coming with the authority of Jesus Christ speaking through him as one weak toward them but mighty in the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4). Paul urges the Corinthians to test themselves to see if they are in the faith because Jesus Christ is in them unless they are disqualified through unbelief, trusting that they will know they are not disqualified (2 Corinthians 13:5-6). However, Paul would prefer to come to the Corinthians with gentleness but must come in truth as one weak and gentle who is strong in the authority of Christ (2 Corinthians 13:7-10). Paul then bids the Corinthians farewell, praying that the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit will be with them (2 Corinthians 13:11-14). Paul hopes the troubled church in Corinth will remain strong in their walk with the Lord.

 

I once heard a pastor say that if we find the perfect Church, we should leave it before we mess it up. The Church can learn much from the Church in Corinth for all Churches struggle with temptations and must continually guard their hearts through Christ Jesus, to avoid giving in to temptations (Philippians 4:7). The Corinthians had a history of divisions (1 Corinthians 1:1-10), sins of immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1-8), and pride (1 Corinthians 3:18-23). The modern Church faces these same temptations and must strive to live in obedience to the truth contained in the Word of God (2 Corinthians 10:5).

 

In the letters to the Churches contained in Revelation 2,3, we have the faithful Church in Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). This Church persevered under trial and false teaching, holding fast to the truths of the Word of God. In contrast, there is the Church in Laodicea that was lukewarm, making the Lord sick to his stomach (Revelation 3:14-22). This Church focused on its wealth and riches, filled with pride, believing they needed nothing. While this Church may have had material wealth, they were spiritually bankrupt with the Lord left outside knocking on the door to come in (Revelation 3:20). The modern Church of today must decide if it will mimic the faithful Church in Philadelphia or the lukewarm Church of Laodicea. For revival to come upon our world, we need more Philadelphian churches and fewer Laodicean churches.

 

If you are reading this post and have never prayed for the forgiveness of your sins or have drifted away from your relationship with Jesus, I invite you to pray 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. 

Two Harlot Sisters

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 23:1-21

 

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(NKJV)

 

The entire message of the Bible is a love story of God creating man and woman, with them falling from his favor by disobeying His one simple command. However, the narrative does not end at     Genesis 3 for in Genesis 3:15, God promises a messiah who will save people from their sins, Jesus Christ who redeems us from the death penalty of sin (Romans 6:23). However, eternal life is not something automatically given to all by God’s grace, but something that comes through one believing in Jesus Christ in their hearts (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). Ezekiel 23:1-21 is a graphic illustration from the Lord given to Samaria and Jerusalem, illustrating the vileness of their sin against God and its consequences. I pray everyone reading this will heed the warning of the consequences of sin, praying for forgiveness and receiving eternal life through belief in their hearts.

 

This text illustrates that the Bible is not a politically correct book but the Word of God stating the truth in its purest form. This text uses the non-politically correct illustration of a harlot to point out the vileness of the sin of rebellion against God. The text begins with the introduction of two harlot sisters, Oholah representing Samaria, and Oholibah representing Jerusalem (Ezekiel 23:1-4).

 

The older sister, Oholah, has played the harlot even though she belongs to the Lord, lusting after her neighbors, the Assyrians (Ezekiel 23:5). Samaria was infatuated by the power, desirability, youth, and horsemanship of the Assyrians, committing harlotry with them by defiling themselves through the worship of their idols (Ezekiel 23:6-7). The harlotry is something brought out with Israel from Egypt (Ezekiel 23:8). God has delivered Samaria into the hands of her lovers who have exposed her sin and executed judgment on Samaria (Ezekiel 23:9-10).

 

Even though the younger sister, Oholibah, representing Jerusalem, saw the corruption of her older sister, she became even more corrupt (Ezekiel 23:11). Not only did Jerusalem join in lusting after the idols of the Assyrians, taking the same path as her sister, she increased her harlotry by lusting after images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion (Ezekiel 23:12-14). Her lusting then turned to action with her sending messengers to them in Chaldea (Ezekiel 23:15-16). The Babylonians came to Jerusalem, committing immorality, with God alienating Himself from them (Ezekiel 23:17-18). Jerusalem multiplied its harlotry remembering the days of harlotry in Egypt like her sister (Ezekiel 23:19-21).   

 

The people of Samaria are going into exile in Assyria and the people of Jerusalem into Babylonian exile for their sins. However, a merciful and gracious God gives an illustration to Ezekiel to illustrate the vileness of their sins, giving them an opportunity to repent (Ezekiel 23:5-21). Blessed with hindsight, we know Samaria and Jerusalem did not heed this warning, with Samaria going into Assyrian exile (2 Kings 17:5-23), and Jerusalem into Babylonian exile (2 Kings 24:13-16). Our hindsight in this example should teach us not to ignore the warnings from the Lord of the consequences of our sin contained in the Word of God.

 

The Church is the Bride of Christ given a clear mission to take the message of the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to the world, making disciples (Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). Unfortunately, the Church has deviated from its simple mission and compromised this mission by trying to blend with the culture to attract more members instead of proclaiming Jesus Christ (John 12:32). In many instances, the modern Church has drifted from resembling the faithful Church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) to the lukewarm Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). Instead of standing up for the principles of God’s Word, risking persecution as told by Jesus (John 16:33), many modern churches are caught up in teaching prosperity and riches with little mention of Christ (Revelation 3:17). Jesus is not in these churches but stands at the door knocking to come in (Revelation 3:20).

 

However, just as there was a remnant of Jews who did not reject Christ who was saved by Grace like Paul (Romans 11:5), there is a remnant of believers and Churches who have not abandoned the mission of the Church. I want to encourage believers who have not abandoned the mission of the Church to fervently pray for revival in the Church and a return to its mission for fervent prayers are effective (James 5:16). Pray for repentance in the Church including any sin in our lives and a return to focus on declaring the truth in the Word of God under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4, 8).

 

Oh Lord, may the Church abandon its harlotry and return to its mission of spreading the Gospel and making disciples. If you are reading this and have not prayed for the forgiveness of your sins making Jesus the Lord of your life, or have drifted away from your relationship with Christ, 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.

Paul’s Calling and Love for the Church

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

 

2 Corinthians 12:14-15

Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. ¹⁵ And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

(NKJV)

 

Paul had a calling to take the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46-47), something he did despite imprisonments and beatings (2 Corinthians 11:22-29). In this text Paul tells the Corinthians of his great love for the Church even though the Corinthians did not love him in the same manner (2 Corinthians 12:15). As ambassadors for Christ, we must have the attitude of Paul who preached the Gospel with an attitude of love for Christ and others and not for selfish gain or notoriety.

 

Paul begins this text by stating he felt compelled by the Corinthians to become a fool in boasting. Instead of compelling Paul to boast, the Corinthians should have commended Paul as an apostle on equal standing with the most eminent of apostles even though Paul considered himself as nothing (2 Corinthians 12:11). Paul should be considered an apostle due to his perseverance and the signs, wonders, and mighty deeds done by the Lord through him (2 Corinthians 12:12). Paul asks the Corinthians in what way they consider themselves inferior to other churches except for the fact Paul was not a burden to them, something for which he seeks forgiveness (2 Corinthians 12:13).

 

Paul is preparing to come to Corinth for the third time and will not be a burden to them for his purpose is not to seek something from them but to give to them as a parent gives to their child (2 Corinthians 12:14). Paul seeks to be spent for their sake out of love even though the more he loves the Corinthians, the less he is loved by them (2 Corinthians 12:15). Despite this lack of love for Paul, he does not seek to be a burden to them but in craftiness catch them by cunning (2 Corinthians 12:16). The cunningness is that Paul sent Titus to them but he also did not take advantage of them because he walked in the same spirit and the same steps as Paul (2 Corinthians 12:17-18).

Paul does not need to excuse himself to the Corinthians because he speaks before God in Christ, doing all things for the edification of the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 12:19). Paul’s fear is that when coming to them he will discover contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, and tumults (2 Corinthians 12:20). If this is the case God will humble Paul before them and he shall mourn because they have not repented of their uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness (2 Corinthians 12:21).

 

 

Paul starts to wrap up his second letter to the Corinthians by defending his position as an apostle and expressing his love for the Church. Because Paul was not an eyewitness to Jesus during His ministry, many believed he should not hold the office of apostle. Paul defends his apostolic position by reminding them that the signs of an apostle accompanied him in his ministry and Christ’s revelation to him on the road to Damascus (2 Corinthians 12:12; Galatians 1:11-17). Not only does Paul hold the office of an apostle but he also has a deep love for the Church with him willing to spend himself to exhaustion for it (2 Corinthians 12:15).

 

One called to serve as a minister to a Church body must do so out of love for the Church and not for selfish gain or fame. The information age makes it possible for a pastor or evangelist to quickly achieve celebrity status. The upside of this is one can share the Gospel with thousands instantly making it possible for many to come to Christ. However, there is also the temptation to use this celebrity status to become a super pastor, similar to the super-apostles of Paul’s time (2 Corinthians 11:5).

 

Since we are all ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), we should regularly ask ourselves why we share Christ. Are we ambassadors who seek the approval of people, having them look up to us for our prominent position of ambassador or do we seek to bring attention to Christ and Heaven that we represent? A true ambassador for Christ represents heaven and should seek to draw attention to Jesus Christ who brought reconciliation with God the Father so we can spend eternity with Christ in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; John 3:16). Jesus reminds us that when we draw attention to Him and not ourselves, people are drawn to Him (John 12:32). I pray we become ambassadors bringing attention to Jesus and not ourselves.

 

If you are reading this post and have never prayed for the forgiveness of your sins or have drifted away from your relationship with Jesus, I invite you to pray 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. 

Israel in the Fiery Furnace

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 22:17-31

 

Ezekiel 22:18

Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.

(NKJV)

 

The mention of a fiery furnace in the Bible might bring us to think of the story of Daniel's three young friends who were placed in the fiery furnace for worshipping their God and were rescued by the Lord who was in the fire with them (Daniel 3:8-30). However, the fiery furnace in Daniel is a furnace of persecution for one worshipping God whereas the furnace of Ezekiel 22:17-22 is a fiery furnace of the wrath and the fury of God for disobedience. Jesus warned his believers about the fiery furnace of persecution (John 16:33) but we must avoid the fiery furnace of disobedience by living obediently to God’s Word.

 

Ezekiel receives another word from the Lord regarding Israel and is told that Israel has become like the dross of bronze, tin, iron, and lead that comes from the smelting of silver (Ezekiel 22:17-18). As dross, the Lord intends to put Israel into the fiery furnace of his wrath to melt the dross (sin) and extract the silver (purity) from them (Ezekiel 22:19-20). The purpose of this smelting of Israel in the fiery furnace of God’s wrath is to purify Israel by melting off the sin so they can be a holy and pure people who know the Lord (Ezekiel 22:21-22).

 

Ezekiel then receives a second Word from the Lord regarding Israel’s wicked leaders (Ezekiel 22:23). The word begins with the Lord instructing Ezekiel to tell Israel they are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation (Ezekiel 22:24). Among these wicked leaders are the prophets who are like a roaring lion tearing their prey and devouring people. They have taken treasure and precious things and made widows in Israel (Ezekiel 22:25). The priests have violated God’s law and profaned God’s holy things, failing to distinguish between the holy and unholy or the clean and unclean and failed to honor the Sabbath (Ezekiel 22:26). Israel’s princes are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying people for dishonest gain (Ezekiel 22:27). Israel’s prophets claim to speak in the name of the Lord when the Lord has not spoken to them (Ezekiel 22:28). The people of Israel have used oppression, committed robbery, mistreated the poor, and wrongfully oppressed strangers (Ezekiel 22:29). After no man in Israel was found to stand in the gap for them, the Lord poured out His indignation on them, consuming them with the fire of His wrath, bringing their sins upon their own heads (Ezekiel 22:30-31).

 

The Lord compares Israel to the dross in the smelting furnace after the removal of the silver. God is about to unleash his fury and wrath on Israel to remove the dross of bronze, iron, lead, and tin from the ore leaving the precious remnant of silver (Ezekiel 22:17-22). Ezekiel receives another word from the Lord regarding Israel’s wicked leaders who are responsible for leading Israel into the fiery furnace of God’s fury and wrath. These wicked leaders include Israel’s prophets, princes, and priests who have profaned God, destroying the people in the process to get dishonest gain (Ezekiel 22:23-31).

 

One with a calling to ministry in the Church has the responsibility to lead the congregation in holiness and righteousness, pointing people to the saving grace of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Unfortunately, in many modern Churches, the message of the Gospel has become a works-based righteousness with salvation coming from following a strict moral code. While morality is a fruit a believer in Christ should demonstrate, following a moral code does not save one but is the result of a life lived to please one’s Savior. Other liberal Churches, and I use the term Church loosely, do not teach about sin, leaving the impression one can continue in sin because God’s grace forgives them, something Paul wrote against in Romans 6:1-4.

 

The parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates the two extremes in the Church today. The younger son represents the liberal church that uses the grace of God as an excuse to continue in sin (Luke 15:11-13). There is hope for this church just as there was hope for the younger son who realized his sin and came to his father for forgiveness and received forgiveness and reconciliation (Luke 15:14-24). The older son represents the legalistic and moralistic church for he became angry at the grace his father showed the younger son who returned with repentance and accepted back by his father (Luke 15:25-28). Instead of rejoicing at the return of his lost brother, the older brother was jealous that he was not also honored by his father for his moralism. The father in the parable represents the attitude of God towards the lost, which includes us all, for he rejoiced that a sinner had returned with repentance, something we all should share (Luke 15:29-32).

 

If you are reading this and have never prayed to God for the forgiveness of your sins and to make Jesus the Lord of your life, or are a prodigal who has drifted from a relationship with God, I invite you to pray 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.

 

Please join me in praying for the lost and prodigals in the world, praying that they will come to God the Father and seek forgiveness of sin. I also pray that the Church would reach out to the prodigals and lost in the world, not in a spirit of judgment but a spirit of love, sharing the love of God the Father who sent His Son to die for their sins. May God challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.