Sin Makes God Sad

Read Ezekiel 13 to find out for yourself the consequences of being a false prophet.  God continues to  plow down every false act these wicked men had been performing.  But consider these statements He makes in regard to His people,  His compassion toward the wicked, and His intention toward them all.

First, His love and concern toward His children: "You disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief..."  v. 22
Second, His desire for the wicked: "[you] have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and preserve his life" v. 22
Lastly, His promise and protection: "I will deliver My people out of your hand.  Thus you will know that I am the LORD." v. 23

I would say in the words of a child, "Sin makes God sad!"  But He will have the final Word: "I AM THE LORD!"  Let us be encouraged that God hates when we are disheartened, He wants the wicked to turn and be preserved, and He will deliver us from the enemy!

"Ravage the Ruins"

Ezekiel, chapter 13 is a clear-cut warning to false prophets.  We've never been without them.  They are nothing new.  And they are saying nothing new.  In fact, God says they are saying "nothing".  So why do people listen to them?  Because like the false prophets, they are deceived.  And while God took action on those prophets discussed in Ezekiel, those today have the need to heed this insightful warning!

 God says in verse 2: they "prophesy from their own inspiration, 'Listen to the word of the LORD!'"  About this God says, "WOE!"  He calls them "foolish" and He says they are "following their own spirit and have seen 'nothing'".  Then God tells Israel that "the prophets are like foxes among the ruins." (v. 4)  A fox is described as devious, sly, scheming, shrewd, deceitful, duplicitous, mischievous and destructive.  None of those characteristics describe anyone I would like to be following for my spiritual growth.

 If the fox refer to the prophets, then the "ruins" would be the follower.   Not a good description of the man who claims to be spiritual!   And verse 4 says "foxes among ruins".  So the fox here is ravaging something that is already ruined.  NOT GOOD!  You look at the masses of people today following false prophets and apply this description, well it's like Jesus said about the Pharisees: "white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones".

As believers, we must pray for the eyes of the deceivers and deceived to be opened while they still have the breath of life.  But let us not embrace as brothers those deceivers who "prophesy from their own inspiration".  May God bless them with "the truth that will set them free".   Then He will clean up their ruins and build on the Foundation of Jesus Christ.  To God be the glory for His cleansing Word!

Eternal Excuses

Years ago in my young Christian walk, I read a book on prayer.  (I would like to give the author credit but cannot remember who it is.)  I remember very little about the book but one statement has blasted my memory multiple times a year: "Satan will give you an excuse for every day for the rest of your life to keep you from praying."  He would rather you read the Word, listen to preaching or serve in the church but he does not want you to pray.  He knows the battle is won through prayer.

All this came to my mind yesterday as I was vacuuming in the afternoon.  It hit me that my time with God had been interrupted that morning and I never got back to it.  I had many burdens to be praying about and began thinking of them as I vacuumed.  I thought, "I'll go pray after I vacuum."  Then the above quote came to mind.  I put down the vacuum and went to my room to pray, immediately.  But it wasn't that easy!  As I began to pray, I began to think about the quote and how I ought to put it on the Truthlet blog.  My mind went off course with what I would say (probably only for about a minute but still a diversion).  How quickly the enemy began to steer me from purpose.   But even in his ventures to steer us off course, he actually substantiates the effectiveness of prayer.   He is showing by his vehement attacks that great good is wrought with faithful praying!  PRAISE GOD for His Divine intervention through the prayers of His creatures!

As I write this I am looking at a picture of Daniel in the lions den.  The lions surround him with "mouths closed" as Daniel engages in prayer!  "Be of sober spirit; be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him..."  1 Peter 5:8-9a

Our Father In Heaven

Have you stopped to reflect on the magnitude of those words?  "Our Father in Heaven".  We know

about fathers.  Even if our earthly father failed us, we have an idea of what that should be.  The New Oxford American Dictionary says of fatherly: protective, supportive, encouraging, affectionate, caring,

sympathetic, indulgent.  WOW!  Put those adjectives with omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, eternal and I could stop right here and have wonderful food for thought.  But I’ll continue with “in Heaven”.  Again, using the same dictionary: ecstasy, rapture, contentment, happiness, delight, joy, and paradise.   As Christians, we believe in Heaven as a place as revealed in the Bible, but we really don’t have much experience in regard to that place.  However, we know it’s beyond anything we could imagine, beyond magnificence.

So, what’s my point?  Well, if you are a believer, consider such access.  Here on earth, we have access to the Eternal Creator of all things, Who calls Himself our Father and lives in Heaven.  We should be running to Him moment by moment!  We should not be fretting about the things of life that disturb us!  We take these things to God, our loving Father Who is in Heaven…protective, supportive, caring, indulgent!  He is passionate about you, more than any earthly father, wonderful or not!  Wait on Him.  Trust Him.  Rest in Him.  He has your best interest planned!

I once heard a comedian talk about “life’s amazing and nobody’s happy”.  He spoke on different scenarios and one had to do with cell phones.  First, that we even have cell phones but also the impatience and whining that comes with not getting a signal or loosing the signal once we’re in conversation.  He said, “GIVE IT A MINUTE!  IT’S GOING TO SPACE!”  In reference to our heavenly Father, I would say, “Give Him a minute!  He created space!”  “God’s amazing and Christians aren’t happy”.

A good friend, who leads a prayer group, asked us recently, “We know we have hope in Christ.  What does hope look like?”  There were many good answers.  But it’s a very good question that should keep us thinking.  What does hope look like?  The thought for this post came one day as I prayed, “Father, in Heaven” and then I thought of my friend’s question.  I have a caring Father in Heaven.  Hope should look like “perseverance”.  Not persevering with clinched teeth and gnarled face.  The Christian’s face should reflect that we rest in an omnipotent, caring Father in Heaven.  We should glow with contentment, happiness, delight, and joy.  This must be the expression or our words cannot be believed.

Father, in Heaven, give us a countenance that reflects our total trust in your sovereignty!  Let this countenance precede every word of witness about our Savior Who gives us this access beyond magnificence!

Hell is Real or Jesus is a Liar

Why should a Christian have a “heart cry for the lost”?  Because we have a message of “Jesus saves”, as posted in my last blog.  Some may say, “Saved from what?”  From sin and ultimately, an eternity in hell.

Recently, I heard a message from Dale Cutlip on the subject of hell.  He preaches it quite often and said that it is not always well received in many churches.  In fact, many churches do not invite him back after such a message.  The following are some of my notes taken from one of his sermons on hell.

Our goal as a believer is to “love all men and only hate the sin that bought them hell forever.”  What is heaven and what is hell?  Heaven is a place where we will surrender to the whole will of God forever.   Hell is the world of the rebel, who refuse to bow down to the will of God.

Many do not believe in hell.  There are many questions regarding hell: why, when, where, what, who?  And the question that is the subject of our “goal as a believer”: How does one escape?

Why?  Hell was created for Lucifer and his demons.  They had become selfishly independent from God.  From this came the fall and sin nature, which is a spiritual cancer resulting in disobedience, discontentment, etc.

When?  Hell was created after Satan fell.  It might have occurred between Genesis, chapters two and three.  We don’t really know for sure since the Bible is not specific about this.  However, we do know that in the beginning everything was “very good”.

Where?  Ephesians four states that Jesus resurrected, ascended on high, far above all the heavens.  In verse nine, it also says, “He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth.”  Other references use terms such as Sheol, Hades, Underworld (lower parts), Bottomless Pit.  In Numbers sixteen, the people involved in Korah’s rebellion went “down alive into the pit.”

What?  Death, damnation, condemnation, judgment.  Eternal, conscious spiritual pain, torment, flames, gnashing of teeth.

Who?  Wicked.  There are the ignorant wicked and self-righteous wicked.  Pastor Cutlip said that some of the worst failures in this category are the religionist who sway away and cannot or will not follow Christ.

How does one escape?  Trust in Christ alone!  It’s not of works! (Ephesians 2:8)

The Triune God does not want you to go to hell! “’As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.  Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!  Why then will you die…’” (Ez. 33:11) 

Either hell is real or Jesus is a liar.  (Matt. 5:22, 10:28 to state a few.)  And Mark 9:47-48, “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”

Let us be moved with compassion to a “heart cry for the lost”!!

A Heart Cry for the Lost

“As they were striking the people and I alone was left, I fell on my face and cried out saying, ‘Alas, Lord GOD!  Are You destroying the whole remnant of Israel By pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?’”  Ezekiel 9:8

Scripture records other incidents about great men of faith crying out to GOD on behalf of the wicked.   When I read one, it reminds me of the purpose of our walk here: to warn the lost sinner of his dilemma.  Ezekiel “fell on his face and cried out”.  He was passionately concerned about his people.  So must we be!

A young man told me once, “If you really believe in hell, that unbelievers are going there, then basically everyone you pass on the street is going to hell.   Shouldn’t every Christian be out there telling the world?”  Convicting? 

We as Christians should begin each day on our face to God and cry out for the lost, cry out about our own sin of silence and cry out as to how God will use us to tell the world that Jesus saves!!

“We have heard the joyful sound…Jesus Saves!  Spread the tidings all around…Jesus Saves!  Bear the news to every land, climb the steeps and cross the waves; onward!  ‘Tis our Lord’s command; Jesus Saves!!!”   (Priscilla Owens/William Kirkpatrick)

"Amazed at Sin"

A friend of mine this week asked some others at a prayer group, "Do you amaze yourself sometimes at your own sinfulness?"  Just her very question was an encouragement.  To know that others feel that way about themselves gave me a sigh of relief.  I don't mean relief that I should be content in sin but sometimes, knowing your own mind and it's wretched thoughts can cause you to despair, thinking, "How in the world could Christ be living in me and think such thoughts!"  Yes, I'm amazed and then it makes me more amazed and in love with the Savior who loved me in my sin and said, "Come!"

In Ezekiel 9:4, 9, and 10, we see God's mercy on those who find sin loathsome and His wrath on those who think He doesn't see.  "...put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst."  "Then He said to me, 'The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is filled with blood and the city is full of perversion; for they say, 'The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!"  But as for Me, My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but I will bring their conduct upon their heads."

We are blessed with God's Spirit to convict us of sin and grow us into the image of Jesus-sanctification-until our last day.  Spurgeon says, "Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God.  Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature's garden.  Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them.  If thou has one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature's thorns never produced a single fig. 'That which is born of flesh is flesh.'"

Be amazed at the sin still in you but don't despair.  Get on your knees and repent for the Spirit has blessed you with that awareness!  Loath the sin in the world and pray for others to see and "repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"  (Matthew 3:2)