Podcasts about god ezekiel

88, 9-8, SHOW NOTES & COPYRIGHTS, (Scheduled 1/26/2022) Today we are going to follow up on a thought that came to me during last week's podcast – Colors, In looking through poems I found 3 with the word color in the title. Unfortunately the last one I hoped to us is rather lengthy and I couldn't break it down into sections that would make it easier to understand and discuss. The title of it was Colors. That leaves 2.The first poem, A Flood of Colors, I was challenged to write. In 2019 I attended Book Con, a national book fair in New York City. I was one of three authors highlighted by my publisher. One of the other authors was also an artist. Over lunch one day he challenged me to write a poem about colors. The following poem is the result of that challenge.A FLOOD OF COLORSRed,Orange,Yellow,And green,Blue,Indigo,And violet,Together become a rainbow,A promise of God so long ago.The blood of Jesus, The blood of the lamb,The blood that saves us,Salvation, God's plan.The fire of God's deliveranceAs we passionately praiseThrough our faithful observanceOf the life God did raise.The glory of God now shown,Finding joy in our faith,Knowing we will see God's face.Through His reign we have grown.The new beginning,Promised restorationFrom lives of sinning,Now with adoration.The authority of Heaven,Fed on bread unleavened,Led by the Holy Spirit,God's word, we hear it.The infinite and the finite,One is God, the other man.Jesus is the bridge over the chasmThat was created by Adam.The priesthood, the kingship,The royalty, the mediator,It is Jesus we worshipWho is One with the Creator.The rainbow, a sign of the mercy of God (Genesis),The colors, the glory of God (Ezekiel),At the end, the power of God (Revelation),The rainbow, a reflection of God,Yesterday, Today,And tomorrow.Post Script:An artist paints with colors,A poet paints with words.Both tell a StoryOf all God's Glory.Tim CarterJuly 7, 2019Discussion:The next poem was written in august of 2021. It happens to have a color word in the title.SATURDAY EVENING BLUES8:09 pm, looking out the window,Watching as the setting sun still glows.Earlier, the rising sun and sky of blueBrightened the welcoming of the day anew.There was rain in the afternoon,But it stopped fairly soon.The clouds moving over the lakeLeaving a gentle breeze in their wake.The light of the setting sunGives the sky of different hue.The blue sky now shining brightMixed with the Son's glorious light.Above the horizon,Beyond the sun,Above the stars,And what is oursThe Son shines bright.He is our guiding light.8/1/21, tcarterDiscussion:The next poem was written on January 13th of this year. It is one of my favorite poems. It, as usual did it end up like I thought it would. HIS WORD, HIS LOVETime for reflectionOn the collectionOf the words and deedsOn which my mind...

Lets share Good News together. To partner with us financially visit www.gospelchurch.co/give or text the word "FRESH" to 94000. Message Notes: 1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” — Exodus 17v1-3 (ESV) Christianity is different because our God walked among us before we ever chose to walk with Him. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. – Exodus 33v11 (NIV) 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel — Exodus 17v4-7 (ESV) Water represents Eternal life (Revelation 22v1) The Word of God (Ezekiel 35v25) The Spirit of God (John 7) 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'” – John 7v37-38 (ESV) 1) Jesus was struck so we could find salvation 1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. – Isaiah 55v1-2 (ESV) 2) Jesus was struck so we could be whole 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. – Isaiah 53v5 (ESV) We need the kind of spirituality that doesn't just feel good but is emotionally healthy. 3) Jesus was struck so no one else has to be Hebrews 10v10 (NLT) Numbers 20v7-8 (ESV) Numbers 20v10-12 (ESV) 4) Jesus was struck to open up the way to the Father Genesis 3v23-24 (ESV) John 14v6 (ESV)

November 6, 2022 - Sermon by Dr. Jeff Christian.

Join us today as we dive into several Scriptures in order to peel back on how the growth of a Christian should look.

The prophecy of Ezekiel opens with a priest named Ezekiel living near the Chebar River in Babylon. He is there because God has used the Babylonian Empire to invade Judah twice up this point. The Babylonians have captured the nobles and the workers of the land in these two invasions. Even though Ezekiel and the […] The post Ambassadors of God (Ezekiel 2-3) appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.

We are starting a new series called A New Heart which will come from the book of Ezekiel. We are told in the first three verses of the book that Ezekiel is a priest who had been taken into exile in the land of Babylon. Though a priest, he is commissioned by God to be […] The post The Glory of God (Ezekiel 1) appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Ezekiel 47:12, David Platt reminds us of the unique and holy presence of God.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Ezekiel 46:13, David Platt teaches us that Jesus is the unblemished lamb of God.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Ezekiel 43:1–2, David Platt reflects on the eternal beauty of God in heaven.

367. After You've Been Sent By God Ezekiel 2:1-3:6 Femi Osunnuyi 25092022 by City Church Lagos

In this episode of Pray the Word on Ezekiel 17:24, David Platt reminds us that the Lord is the source of our triumphs.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Ezekiel 16:59–60, David Platt reminds us of an everlasting covenant with God.

The post “The Four-fold Judgment of God,” Ezekiel 14:12-23 (9-4-22 PM) appeared first on Covenant PCA.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Ezekiel 3:17, David Platt provides a sobering warning from the Lord based on the Scriptures.

The post “The Certainty of the Word of God,” Ezekiel 12:17-28 (8-28-22 AM) appeared first on Covenant PCA.

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God (Ezekiel 11:19-20). With all our hearts, we love you, Lord.

GRACE AND THE ZADOK PRIESTS  Ezekiel was a unique prophet in that he was not only a major prophet, but he was a priest after the line of Zadok who descended from the high priest Aaron. Zadok also served as a high priest during the time of King David.  The ministry of the prophet/priest Ezekiel spanned two eras of God's dealings with Israel. The first was the era of Israel's falling away from God which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon and Israel's exile into captivity in Babylon. The next era of Ezekiel's ministry was his account of the work of God upon Israel as the captives came back after seventy years in Babylon to the city of Jerusalem where they rebuilt the temple and repaired the city and its walls and gates.  Ezekiel tells us that many of the Levitical priests had become unfaithful in representing God's heart to his people and had gone after idols and become corrupt and immoral, setting a bad example to the people. God finally lifted his anointing from them and did not allow them to come near him into his holy place in the temple. He chose the Zadok clan of priests who were faithful to God's ways and who found Grace in his presence to receive God's heart of love and truth for his people. Ezekiel 44.12 The Levites who were unfaithful to me when Israel went astray from me in pursuit of their idols will suffer punishment for their iniquity: Because they used to serve people in the presence of their idols they caused the community of Israel to fall into iniquity, and for that reason I swear with an oath that they will have no access to me by acting as my priests or by having access to anything I hold most sacred. They are to suffer the shame they deserve and the consequences of the shocking practices they have perpetrated. 14 I will make them responsible for duties that pertain to all the labours of the temple area and to all the work that must be done in it. 15 "But the Levitical priests who descend from Zadok, who faithfully took care of my Sanctuary when everyone else went off and left me, are going to come into my presence and serve me. They are going to carry out the priestly work of offering the devoted (heleb - the best part for dedication) sacrifices of worship that is pleasing to God. They're the only ones permitted to enter my Sanctuary. They're the only ones to approach my table and serve me, accompanying me in my work. When they enter the inner sanctuary of the inside courtyard, they are to dress in linen. No woollens are to be worn. They're to wear linen headpieces and linen underclothes - nothing that makes them sweat. When they go out into the outside courtyard where the people gather, they must first change out of the clothes in which they do the work of priests and leave them in the sacred rooms where they change back into  their everyday clothes, and they are to make clear to my people the knowledge of what is pure and what is tainted. In any cause or contention, they are to be in the position of judging things in harmony with my heart and my will. Spending time with God was the first thing the Zadok priests did, unlike the other priests, who did their work each day with people and with things but without the presence of God.  How long would these Zadok priests spend in God's presence? We do not know but it's clear that if they took so much time to put those special robes on to be in the company of God that it would not have been a fleeting five-minute visit with God. They were responding to God's personal invitation of communion with himself and accompanying him in his work and the effect of their time with God stayed with them. You might wonder about the choice of a linen headpiece instead of wool. The natural reason given here is that wool causes sweat. There's also a spiritual reason why God went to so much trouble in the detail of things like this. There are many things in the Old Testament that hide a message for us in the New Testament. The Bible says that fine linen represents the righteousness of people who believe God and want to live close to him (Revelation 19). Righteousness means having our heart in alignment with God. This linen headpiece speaks to us of having our mind upon God, and having a mind of peace and order, and not causing sweat or anxious striving. When the Zadok priests drew near to the Holy Place to be with God and discarded their ordinary outdoor clothing, it was like leaving the things of earth behind and allowing their spirit and soul and body to be covered with the presence of God. When they went out to meet the people, they changed their spiritual clothes for everyday clothes so that they could identify with the people. They had been in the presence of God and so they were able to carry this presence and impart it in the way they spoke and acted amongst the people. That is the work of a priest, to bring God into people's hearts.  The final verse says ‘they are to make clear to my people the knowledge of what is pure and what is tainted. In any cause or contention, they are to be in the position of judging things in harmony with my heart and my will'. The Zadok priests were given God's wisdom in their counsel to people who asked for help and advice and prayer. They were able to hear and comprehend a person's need and were able to help people hear what God saying to them in their situations.  This was a type of the priestly ministry of Jesus as he spent time with his Father so that he would have his Father's heart and mind on what to say to the people.  Ezekiel prophesied of a New Covenant work of God that would one day come upon his people to redeem mankind from their human failure. He prophesied of the Grace that God would give them when he said, ‘a new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my ways… You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God (Ezekiel 36:26). We are told we are a spiritual priesthood, and we can do the same as these priests in a New Covenant way and bring God into people's hearts with simplicity and grace. This is the same picture as us climbing the mountain of God and leaving the things of earth down below to spend time with God on his Mountain of transfiguration where we leave all our earthly cares in his hands and let his grace act upon us. We then came down the mountain prepared for that grace to work upon the needs and challenges of the day. The more time we spend silently with him knowing he is within our heart the more his presence penetrates our soul. God wants to pour his life into us in those times and the effect of that time stays with us. God is speaking to his church in this way today. He is saying to us, ‘You are to come into the holy place which is where my heart and your heart grow closer together as one in the Spirit. You will draw near to me in that place and receive my life and you will go out from that place and give my life to others'. 

Welcome to season 2 of Down Under Theology, a podcast equipping and encouraging Australian Christians to get down and under the theology impacting the life and mission of the church.In episode 16 we examine the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is an interesting prophet, oftentimes acting out prophecies in weird and wacky ways. We talk about why God asks Ezekiel to convey his message in this way, and how we should capture this in our own preaching and teaching. We discuss the big themes in the book, particularly focusing on the presence of God, resurrection, and new life, and discuss how to read and teach Ezekiel fruitfully.In Season 2, we'll be going over each book of the Bible, bringing out the big ideas, themes, and implications for the life and mission of the church.Thoughts, questions or feedback? Get in touch with us at downundertheology@gmail.com.---Episode Hosts:Allister Lum Mow (@allisterlm)Cameron Clausing (@cam_clausing)Murray SmithProducer:Nick RabeEpisode Sponsor:Christ College, Sydney---S2 Episode 16 - Show NotesRecommended Resources - God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth by G. K. Beale and Mitchell KimThe Book of Ezekiel Chapters 1 - 24 by Daniel I. BlockThe Book of Ezekiel Chapters 25 - 48 by Daniel I. BlockThe Message of Ezekiel by Christopher J. H. WrightChrist College, Sydney Preparing leaders for God's church and its gospel-centred mission in the world.

The Breath of God Ezekiel 37:1-14 Dr. Bill Cain

The Breath of God (Ezekiel 37:1-14) - Evening Sermon

Listen along as we see the prophetic vision of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 37:1-14  “Ezekiel is piling up one Old Testament allusion after another to tell you what it is he sees—the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. He's seeing the kavod of the Lord! The Hebrew term kavod means “heavy.” It can be used metaphorically like, “that's so heavy,” meaning weighty or significant. It can also be used to describe the physical manifestation of someone's significance. Someone's presence can be so important, so radiant, so significant that we would describe it as their kavod. That's how it's used throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. It was God's kavod that rested over the ark of the covenant and filled the Holy of Holies. It was God's kavod that showed up on Sinai. And now, in Ezekiel, it's his kavod that's riding into Babylon on this royal, wheeled throne. Yahweh himself, in all his radiant glory, has just arrived in Babylon on the “God-Mobile!” Whitney Woollard “He promises to bring Israel out of anarchy (Ezek 34), into the land (Ezek 35:1-36:15), back from disgrace (Ezek 36:16-38), up from the grave (Ezek 37:1-14) and together out of brokenness (Ezek 37:15-28). It is, in modern jargon, a truly holistic gospel. Ezekiel was ministering to a people who were broken and battered in every conceivable way. There were political, economic, agricultural, social, judicial, religious, personal, relational and spiritual dimensions to their sin and suffering. And God intended to tackle every aspect of that need. Such is the breadth and depth of the biblical gospel." – Chris Wright “I am neither optimist nor a pessimist, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.” Lesslie Newbigin “Jesus' enduring relevance is based on his historically proven ability to speak to, to heal and empower, the individual human condition. He matters because of what he brought and what he still brings to ordinary human beings, living their ordinary lives and coping daily with their surroundings. He promises wholeness for their lives. In sharing our weakness he gives us strength and imparts through his companionship a life that has the quality of eternity.” - Dallas Willard 

Ezekiel 28:20-26

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://genealogymeditations.com/2022/03/23/success-without-god-ezekiel-27/

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of Acts 17 last week, we found Paul and Silas sharing the Gospel in the city of Thessalonica. For three Sabbaths Paul reasoned in the synagogue with all who would listen. And there is a very positive response, as it says… Acts 17:4-10a (NKJV)— 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. 5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. Berea— Now Berea was a town located about fifty miles from Thessalonica. It was much less important city than Thessalonica. In fact [the Roman writer Cicero described it as “off the beaten track.”] And yet though it may have been a less important city (at least by the world's standards) the atmosphere there was very different and lended itself better to hearing the Gospel and responding appropriately. It says in… Acts 17:10b-11 (NKJV)— When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Examining The Evidence— And the word “searched” or “examined” depending on what translation you are reading is from the Greek word [anakrinō, a word sometimes used of a judicial investigation.] You see, they were carefully sifting all the evidence to see if these things were true and (because they had an open mind, without the prejudices of the Thessalonians) they came to the conclusion that Jesus truly was the Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament. And that is the conclusion anybody who is willing to be intellectually honest will inevitably come to; because the evidence truly is undeniable. Modern Security— You know, I am amazed with some of technology available nowadays on computers and phones, particularly in the area of identity protection. They come equipped now not only with multiple layers of password protection, but many even have fingerprint readers on their buttons and facial recognition in their cameras that scan you to make sure its you before allowing access to your device. Identity Verification— Sometimes it may seem a little over the top, but identity verification is very important; because before you trust somebody, you need to make sure they are who they claim to be and that their identity is not in fact stolen. And never is this more true than when we come to the person of Jesus. Is Jesus the Son of God or was He an impostor? And if He is the Son of God, how can we know for certain? Well, there are a number of ways that we can know for certain. And one of these is fulfilled prophecy; does the identity of Jesus in the New Testament match the prophecies given to us of the Messiah in the Old Testament. And the answer is, of course, it does. Matthew's Overview of Fulfilled Prophecies— [Isaiah said the the coming King would give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf (Isa. 29:18-19; Matt. 5:3; 11:5). Jeremiah said that the coming King would be from the lineage of King David (Jer. 23:5-6). Ezekiel declared that the King would be a tree planted by God (Ezekiel 17:22-24; Matt. 13:31-32). Hosea said that He would take flight to Egypt (Hos. 11:1; Matt. 2:15). Amos said that the sun would go dark when He died (Amos 8:9; Matt. 24:29). Micah stated that He would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:1-5); Matt. 2:1). Zechariah said that He would make a triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zech. 9:9-10; Matt. 21:4-5). In total, there are over 456 prophecies stating specific things that the King would do, and Jesus fulfilled them all right down to the smallest details. In addition to all the prophecies that foretold of Jesus' coming, Matthew records nineteen of the twenty-nine prophecies that Jesus fulfilled just in the last twenty-four hours of His life.] And so once again I want to reiterate that how Jesus fulfills prophecy is one of the greatest evidences we have of the truth of His claims. Not Contrived or Accidental— Now some have argued that Jesus tried to fulfill these prophecies in order to deceive us. But that is not plausible because many of those prophecies He fulfilled during (and even prior to) the time He was born, while He was a young child, and prior, during, and following his execution on the cross (all of which if He were a mere man, He could have had no say over. Others suggest that He fulfilled these prophecies by accident; that it is just a coincidence. Texas Silver Dollars— But [In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, "The chance that any man might have ...fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000." (one hundred quadrillion) {And just to give us a picture of these odds} Stoner suggests that "we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly... Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?" Stoner concludes, "Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man,...providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.”] And Stoner's research has been examined thoroughly and found to be accurate. Now keep in mind that that is JUST 8 PROPHECIES being fulfilled by Jesus. And yet we now know that there are over 456 prophecies that have been fulfilled by Jesus. And so it is important for us to study and know these scriptures because if we know them we can prove that Jesus is who He says He was. Jesus Points To The O.T.— And that is what Jesus Himself implores people to do. [In John 5:39, Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.” In verse 46 He added, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me.” In John 7:17 Jesus called for a willing heart when He said, “If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” In Luke 24:25–27 Jesus Himself used the Old Testament Scripture to convince the disciples: And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.] Despite The Evidence— Now what Jesus is saying is that those who reject the Gospel do so despite the evidence, not because of a lack of it. In fact, most people who reject the Gospel actually have very little knowledge of what the Word of God actually says and reveals. [The primary duty in evangelism, then, must be to demonstrate the truth of Christianity from the Scriptures.] And you and I need to be like the Bereans. We need to make sure that whenever we hear someone making radical claims, we need to weigh those claims against what the Word of God says. And that will always result in two things. The first is that it will help keep us doctrinally sound; believing rightly. But it will also do something else. Because God has placed seeds of change deeply in His Word, there can be in every generation amongst those who expose themselves to His Word the potential to bring great revival and change. The Next Awakening— I am currently reading a book by Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, in which he shares a powerful personal story of what happened one day when he was sitting in an Old Testament theology class taught by Otto Piper. He tells of how another student asked Otto Piper a question: “Dr. Piper, many of us are going to be graduating in a few weeks. We will be going out into the ministry. Is there a list of ‘must' books for every pastor? Is there a list of books that every pastor should have read?” Well, I became rather interested at that point and looked up. Dr. Piper looked away and then looked back with that unmoving face of his and said, “I know of only one ‘must' book.” I caught my breath. Otto Piper was, in my estimation, the greatest scholar I ever sat under. He was a brilliant man. But not only was he a brilliant man, he was also a humble man and incredibly broadly educated. And he looked at bunch of us and said, “I know of only one ‘must' book.” And then he waited a moment and said, “You know, we make a mistake. Somehow in our Reformed tradition we think that Luther and Calvin produced the Reformation. It wasn't Luther or Calvin who produced the Reformation. What produced the Reformation was that Luther studied the Word of God. And as he studied, it began to explode inside him. And when it began to explode inside him, he didn't know any better than to turn it loose on Germany. And it was the Word of God that transformed Germany. “Now,” he said, “the same thing was true of Calvin. You knew what Calvin was going to preach on next Sunday. He would start with the verse after the one where he had stopped on the last Sunday, and he preached his way right through the Bible. Now, the tragedy of the Reformation was that when Luther and Calvin died, Melancthon and Beza edited their work. And so all the Lutherans began to read the Bible to find Luther and all the Calvinists began to read the Bible to find Calvin. And,” he said, “the great corruption was on its way.” He said, “Do you know there is enough undiscovered truth in the Scripture to produce a Reformation and an evangelical awakening in every generation if we would simply expose ourselves to it until it explodes within us and then we turn it loose?” The Berean Explosion— Now this is what happened with the many of the early Christians; and is what happened here to the Bereans. They looked at the Old Testament, saw the truth of what Paul and Silas were telling them about Jesus, and the truth exploded inside them. And because of their faithfulness to examine the scriptures, it says in… Acts 17:12 (NKJV)— 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. Opposition From Outside— So we see that there is a response in Berea like that of many of the people in Thessalonica. They believe. But (also like in Thessalonica) an opposition forms; though this time the the opposition starts from outside the city rather than inside it. It says in… Acts 17:13-15 (NKJV)— 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. 14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there {(no doubt to continue to minister to the Church there)}. 15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed. Our Mission— Now what we learn from this passage is two-fold. First, we learn that the greatest potential for change in our culture lies in the Word of God; particularly in what it reveals about Jesus. And secondly, though the darkness may at times hate the light, there are countless people out there (like many of the Thessalonians; and many of the Bereans as well) who are waiting for men and women like you and me to step up and (having the Word of God exploding inside us) bring them the Good news of God's message of salvation. And so this week, I want to challenge you to do two things. First, commit yourself to a deeper love and study of the Word of God. And second, find somebody who needs to hear the Good News and begin the process of sharing it with them. It doesn't have to be elaborate or deeply theological. Like we said last week, begin with what they know (find that common ground) and then move into what they don't know. When you do that, God will be with you and will use you to bring about fruit for His Kingdom. Let's do so. Amen.

The Word of the Lord turns to Tyre and her Prince.  

Ezekiel 16

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Ezekiel had an awesome encounter with God as an exile in a foreign land. Ezekiel was transformed from priest to prophet, delivering a message of the power of God and God's word to a people in exile. Recorded on Dec 26, 2021, on Ezekiel 1-3, by Pastor David Parks. Sermon Transcript All year, we're talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we're continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. After this week, we only have two more weeks in this series before we start a new series called The Making of Heaven and Earth from Genesis 1-3. But in the Bible, when God appears to someone it's known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories; God never seems to act how we would expect. But these encounters, including our encounter today between God and the prophet Ezekiel, reveal the stunning character of God, and his heart to save a world that is lost without him. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ezekiel 1:1. We'll unpack this as we go. v. 1. Ezekiel 1:1-3 (NIV), “In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.” Let's pause here. So this is the brief introduction to the book of Ezekiel; the rest of the book is written in the first person. According to the events listed here, we know that Ezekiel's encounter with God happened on July 31, 593 BC, and if we understand the opening line as referring to his age at the time, Ezekiel was 30 years old when God called him to be a prophet. This took place about 30 years after Jeremiah's encounter with God that we looked at last week. It was also about 5 years after Ezekiel, who was a priest from Jerusalem in Judah, had been carried into exile after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. [map slide] Here, Ezekiel found himself over 800 miles from home; in the middle of modern Iraq. As an exile, he was a man without a country, a priest without a temple. Daniel was another prophet in Babylon with Ezekiel at this time. As I said last week, it's hard to overstate just how heartbreakingly traumatic the exile was for the people of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen several generations earlier to the Assyrian Empire. Now the southern kingdom of Judah had fallen to the Babylonian Empire. And roughly 90% of the people had either been killed or carried off to a foreign land as a conquered people. It was in this terrible circumstance, it was during these dark days, it was during this calamity that Ezekiel had his theophany, his encounter with God, by the Kebar River in Babylon. v. 4. Ezekiel 1:4-28 (NIV), “I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward,

2021-12-19PM - Brabson - The Glory and Mercy of God - Ezekiel

 1. God knew this wouldn't work.2. God is working another way.3. God's new way always works.Main Idea: Since God is true, trust him even when his glory seems to vanish.

This is Episode #248 and today we'll read Ezekiel chapters 21-22 together.   Sinners in the hands of an angry God.Show Notes·       Ezekiel's Vision         Awesome Video of Solomon's Temple·       These will help!  Overview videos of all books of the BibleVisit·        Visit my website·        Visit my church·        Visit The German Shepherd·        Find me on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter. Bible Study Resources·        CSB Study Bible – Hardcover or Kindle!·        The Bible Project's Bible Basics – Free!·        Every Bible You Could Ever Want!·        The Bible Hub – Free!·        Bible Study Tools – Free!·        The Bible Project- Free!Other Resources·        Want to use your tablet for Bible reading? Consider Kindle .·        I love Audible! Try it for free!·        Want it? FaithGear has it!·        Wear your faith! Christian Strong·        Bet Hannon Business Websites designed and maintains my website.·        Title of song used in the podcast is 3 Joys & the Truth, by Daniel O'Connor Disclosure:  This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you purchase anything, I may get a small commission.  This does not cost you anything and it helps offset the costs of the podcast.  Thank you in advance.View my Broadcast License.

16, 2-6-SHOW NOTES Today's poems have not been published.  Some were a continuation of my writing and posting on Facebook as I had done with the poems in Living In God's Rhyme.   Three of today's poems are about color.   I am not an artist so I write words of color that are not seen by the eyes, but hopefully are seen by the heart.    THE COLOR OF WORDS   Can words paint  pictures Like a brush on a canvas? That was the question. What is the answer?   The brush paints a scene, But what does it mean As its many colored hues Present many varied views?   The brush paints with color, The color of the rain, The color of one's pain, The color of life's strain, The color of a smile, The color of a traveled mile, The color of two in love, The color of the sky above. The colors of the world By the brush are swirled.   The colors of our dreams, Just what do they mean? Colors are everywhere, A breath of fresh air.   Words, what do they do In their monotone hue? Words paint the emotions Of peace and the commotions Of the life we live And what God does give.   There is color in our pain, There is color in God's reign, There is color as we strain Our tear filled eyes to see Beyond the dark what will be. There is color in our story, There is color in God's glory.   Through words we will see Colors, the many colored hues, Through words holding the clues To blessings from above, The blessings of God's love.   Every word spoken, every word heard is another brush stroke in the painting of our story in Gods' glory. What do the dictionary and a box of crayons have in common?  They tell our story.   6/4/19, tcarter  (read date)      It has been a few years since I had read today's poems.  I was surprised when I could find three about colors.  I was especially surprised at the short period of time between writing the previous poem and the next one.  More on that after this, A Flood of Colors.    A FLOOD OF COLORS   Red, Orange, Yellow, And green, Blue, Indigo, And violet, Together become a rainbow, A promise of God so long ago.   The blood of Jesus,  The blood of the lamb, The blood that saves us, Salvation, God's plan.   The fire of God's deliverance As we passionately praise Through our faithful observance Of the life God did raise.   The glory of God now shown, Finding joy in our faith, Knowing we will see God's face. Through His reign we have grown.   The new beginning, Promised restoration From  lives of sinning, Now with adoration.   The authority of Heaven, Fed on bread unleavened, Led by the Holy Spirit, God's word, we hear it.   The infinite and the finite, One is God, the other man. Jesus is the bridge over the chasm That was created by Adam.   The priesthood, the kingship, The royalty, the mediator, It is Jesus we worship Who is One with the Creator.   The rainbow, a sign of the mercy of God  (Genesis), The colors, the glory of God (Ezekiel), At the end, the power of God (Revelation), The rainbow, a reflection of God,   Yesterday, Today, And tomorrow.   Post Script: An artist paints with colors, A poet paints with words. Both tell a Story Of all God's Glory.   Tim Carter July 7, 2019 (read date)   At the end of June and the first day of July in 2019 I attended Book Expo in New Your City.  I had been invited by my publisher, Lettra Press to be one of three authors to showcase their books.  The last day was BookCon and the three of us gave out and signed copies of our books.  One of the authors was a man named Dr. Jan Cooper.  He has quite a resume, teacher, PHD, author, artist, and more.  We...

Victor Tey teaches the children about the perfect place we will one day live with God if we believe on Christ for Kids Bible Club.

Welcome to our sixth week in our walk through the Book of Ezekiel.

This is the third part of a three-part sermon series on "turns." We began with U-Turn that churches have to make when they discover they are straying from their purpose in God's mission. Last week we look at the We-turn, what our congregation needs to make in order to spot Satan's lies that would distract us from God's purpose. Today we call this I-Turn. Although we can turn as a congregation to understand and adopt God's mission as our central purpose, there is no WE, if each of us do not turn to revisit our faith, the reason we're here, and the gifts we have been given to bring others to Christ and support the needs in our community. How do you and I turn individually? listen in.

Today's Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-28 Daily Lectionary: Numbers 14:25-45; Luke 18:35-19:10 "[God says] I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . I will. . . " (Ezekiel 36:24-28) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Eight times. . . EIGHT times God describes in just five verses what HE will do for His people, and you know what? What God does covers EVERYTHING! He does the work not only for our justification, but He also does the work for our sanctification. He is 100% responsible for our ENTIRE lives in Christ. Every aspect of our Christian faith--our new lives, our love, our ability to pray, to serve, to worship, to engage in witness, our certain hope, our ability to forgive, heart-felt endurance, compassion, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, our ability to confess our sins, to hold to Christ, to remember our Holy Baptism, to thirst for the Holy Supper--EVERYTHING is from God's "I will." We are so blessed in our biblical Lutheran confession to know this and to constantly confess this. Many people who identify themselves as Christians miss this crucial teaching. Even many Christians think that our new lives are a 50/50 co-working with God. They wrongly believe that God does His part, and we must do ours. God reaches down to us, and we must raise our hand to reach Him. He invites and we must accept. He comes and we must open our hearts, etc. etc. etc. No! We can't reach up because on our own we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We can't accept without the Holy Spirit's instigating faith in us. We cannot open our hearts because without Christ our hearts are hard and sick. If not for God's "I will," we would be lost, completely lost. God says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness" (Ezekiel 36:25). Think Holy Baptism. God does the cleaning. God does the saving. "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules" (Ezekiel 36:27). This is sanctification, the new life. Who makes it happen? God does. On account of His gracious "I will," you are now counted among His people: "You shall be my people, and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:28b). The One who says to you, "I will" makes it happen! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. O LORD, stir up the hearts of Your faithful people to welcome and joyfully receive Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, that He may find in us a fit dwelling place; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

The sermon Glorious God Ezekiel 1 : 1 – 2 : 2 is from Christchurch Baldock.

The sermon Glorious God Ezekiel 1 : 1 – 2 : 2 is from Christchurch Baldock.

What is the Bible all about? The Kingdom of God is the unifying theme of all of Scripture. You’re meant to be one of God’s people, living in God’s place, under God’s rule. In this preaching series, we seek to help listeners understand the “big picture” of the Bible and submit their lives to King Jesus. Learn more at https://cdomaha.com.

Today's Topics: 1) Word of God: Ezekiel 18:21-28 & Psalm 130   Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) Father Ripperger, Spiritual Warfare and Communism: Honor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z74EcMXPoBk&ab_channel=SensusTraditionis 3) The denial of evil: The case of communism https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-denial-of-evil-the-case-of-communism_3708270.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-02-23-3 4) The COVID vaccine: Can you be forced to take the "jab"? https://lifelegaldefensefoundation.org/covid-vaccine-can-you-be-forced-to-take-the-jab/  

Welcome to Day 1576 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomThe Great Reversal – Worldview WednesdayWelcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Today is Day 1576 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today's current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, we will continue reviewing the book from Dr. Michael S Heiser titled “Supernatural.” The book is an abbreviated version of his more comprehensive book, “The Unseen Realm.” I highly recommend both of these books. Creating a Biblical Worldview based on how the Old and New Testaments connect with God's overall plan for humanity is essential. This book review will help us understand what the Bible teaches about the unseen world, and why it matters. The Great Reversal Aside from stories about Jesus in the Gospels—such as accounts of his birth, death, and Sermon on the Mount—perhaps the most familiar passage in the New Testament is Acts 2, where the Holy Spirit rushes upon the followers of Jesus at the day of Pentecost. It marks the launch of the fledgling church and the beginning of global evangelism in the name of Jesus. As familiar as the passage is, there's a lot more going on in it than most realize. Acts 2 is designed to telegraph the campaign to reverse the post-Babel cosmic geography of the Old Testament. The nations other than Israel were under the dominion of lesser gods. What happened at Pentecost was a battle plan for infiltrating all the nations disinherited by God at Babel with the gospel of Jesus—an ancient spiritual war strategy. PentecostWhat Acts 2 describes as happening on the day of Pentecost was undoubtedly unusual. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+2%3A1-8&version=NLT (Acts 2:1-8) : On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.  At that time, there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.  They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Some of the things that take us into the supernatural worldview of the Old Testament in that remarkable passage aren't obvious in the English translation. The “rushing wind” associated with the arrival of the Spirit is a familiar description of the presence of God in the Old Testament (2 Kings 2:1, 11; Job 38:1; 40:6). Fire is also familiar in descriptions of God (Ezekiel 1:4; Isaiah 6:4, 6; Daniel 7:9; Exodus 3:2; 19:18; 20:18). It's clear from those references that God was present at the event and behind what was going on. His intention was to launch his campaign to take back the nations from the lesser gods he assigned to the nations (Deuteronomy 4:19–20; 32:8–9), but who became his enemies (Psalm. 82). God's tool for doing that was the words of the disciples—hence the imagery of tongues. God enabled the Jewish followers of Jesus to speak to the rest of the Jews gathered...

Welcome to Day 1526 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to WisdomOnce and Future Kings – Worldview WednesdayWisdom - the final frontier to true knowledge. Welcome to Wisdom-Trek! Where our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; I am Guthrie Chamberlain, your captain on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Thank you for joining us today as we explore wisdom on our 2nd millennium of podcasts. Today is Day 1526 of our Trek, and it is Worldview Wednesday. Creating a Biblical Worldview is essential to have a proper perspective on today's current events. To establish a Biblical Worldview, you must have a proper understanding of God and His Word. This week, we will expand on the past course work as we continue reviewing the book from Dr. Michael S Heiser titled “Supernatural.” The book is an abbreviated version of his more comprehensive book, “The Unseen Realm.” I highly recommend one or both of these books. Creating a Biblical Worldview based on how the Old and New Testaments connect with God's overall plan for humanity is essential. This book review will help us understand what the Bible teaches about the unseen world, and why it matters. Once and Future Kings We've had a brief introduction to God's heavenly council—his unseen family and task force. There's a lot more to all that—we need to look, especially, at how major players like Jesus and Satan fit into the picture. But before we return to what goes on in the unseen world, we need to think in a fresh way about ourselves. God's rule in the unseen spiritual world through his council is a template for his rule on earth—what theologians call the kingdom of God. All of that began in Genesis, in the garden of Eden. Eden—God's Home OfficeWhat's the first thing you think of when you hear “garden of Eden”? Most people I've talked to think of Adam and Eve. Eden was their home. That's where God put them (Genesis 2:15–25). But Eden was also God's home. Ezekiel refers to Eden as “the garden of God” (Ezekiel 28:13; 31:8–9). No surprise. What might be surprising is that, right after calling Eden “the garden of God,” Ezekiel calls it “the holy mountain of God” (v. 28:14). In many ancient religions, luxurious gardens and inaccessible mountains were considered the home of the gods. The Bible uses both descriptions for Eden. Eden was God's home and, therefore, where he conducted business. It was his headquarters, or home office.  And where God is, his council is with him. God's ImagersOne of the most important verses in the Bible tips us off that both God and his council were in Eden. In https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A26&version=NLT (Genesis 1:26), God says, “Let us make humankind in our image” (LEB, emphasis added). God announces his intention to a group. Who's he talking to? His heavenly host—his council. He's not talking to the other members of the Trinity, because God can't know something they don't! Here the group he's addressing learns what God has decided to do. The announcement is easy to understand. It would be like me saying to some friends, “Let's get pizza!” Let's do this! Clear enough. But there's something else we don't want to miss. God doesn't include the group in bringing about his decision. Unlike other divine council sessions we've seen, God's council members don't participate in this decision. When humankind is created in the next verse (Genesis 1:27), God is the only one creating humankind. The creation of humanity is something God handled himself. Going back to my pizza analogy, if I followed my announcement by driving everyone to the pizza place and insisted on paying, I would be the one doing all the work. That's what we see going on here. It makes sense that God would be the only one creating...

November 17, 2020Ezekiel Series #3 Essential Ministry AssetsEpisode 30As God calls Ezekiel to go and minister to the Jews in exile in Babylon we find two essential elements, or assets given to Ezekiel for ministry. These areThe Holy Spirit (or being filled with the Holy Spirit)The Word of God (or being filled with the Word of God)Ezekiel 2:1-2 (NIV) 1 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. As you read thru the book of Ezekiel you will find that on several occasions the Spirit of God lifts Ezekiel up and gives him the divine power to carry out the task that God gives him to do. This was a supernatural task that God was calling him to do, therefore he needed supernatural enabling. And that supernatural enabling comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to follow the example of Ezekiel. We need to fall on our faces in God’s presence, recognizing that we don’t have the strength, the talent, the insights, or the whatever to faithfully serve Him. We need His enabling. We need His power. We need the filling of the Holy Spirit. The 2nd thing that he was filled with was the Word of God. Look with me at the 7th verse.Ezekiel 2:7-10 (NIV) 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you." 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. Ezekiel 3:1-4 (NIV) 1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. The basic idea is this – Ezekiel needed to be filled with the Word of the Lord as he went to preach the Word of the Lord to the people. It is as simple as this – we cannot share the Word of God with others if we do not have an understanding of it ourselves. Whatever our calling is -- if we are going to fulfill that calling that God has for us then we will need His empowering. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And we need to have a basic knowledge of the Word.

November 10, 2020Ezekiel Series #2 Encountering the Majestic GodEpisode 29Here in the 1st chapter we find Ezekiel standing near the Kebar River, and as he is standing there he is confronted with an amazing spectacle. He saw the glory of God. This was not a new phenomenon. What is new is the way in which this vision that Ezekiel saw was manifested. Ezekiel 1:27 (NIV) 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.Ezekiel 1:28 (NIV) 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face-down, and I heard the voice of one speaking.No adequate words to describe what he was seeing. We like a God we can put into a box.God is far greater than we can imagine1. The Omnipresence of GodEzekiel 1:16 (NIV) 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.WHEELSRepresent the omnipresence of God: Ezekiel 1:18 (NIV) 18 "Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. and 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) 9 "The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. … " and Hebrews 4:13 (NLT) 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.2. The Power and Authority of God (omnipotence)Ezekiel 1:26-27 (NIV) 26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.3. Ezekiel's response to God's revelation of HimselfFalls facedownoverwhelmed by the mystery and majesty of God

All good things are evidence of God's goodness. It is He who makes things beautiful.

When we see the glory of God and love the purity of God, it will lead us to hate our sin against Him.

Read Ezekiel 20. https://www.bible.com/111/ezk.20.1-44.niv Although there is judgement, there is always a plan for mercy and that even though we don’t deserve Mercy God still prepared to deliver us to bring us back to communion.

AMSermon2027.MP3

In this episode of The Vortex Apologetic the brain sings a Covid-19 lullaby, then we discuss whether president Trump was anointed by God, and we end with an exposition of Ezekiel 13.  Tune in and Be blessed!   Episode recorded on May 14, 2020.

Study Notes Ed Underwood Ezekiel: Know that I am the LORD! They will know that I am the LORD! (Ezekiel 6:10) The seventeen Books of Prophecy record the messages of the writing prophets (those whose messages are preserved in writing) God raised up to speak for him following the ministries of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The failings of the Divided Kingdom Era prompted God to speak to Israel in the north and Judah in the south. They continued to speak to God’s people for over 400 years, including the exile to Babylonia and the return to the Promise Land. (1 Kings 12-Esther) The prophets spoke for God to His people concerning the enforcement of terms of their covenant relationship with God. Each spoke to a specific generation of Israel or Judah to enforce the conditional covenant (Mosaic) in the context of the unconditional covenants flowing from the Abrahamic Covenant. Their message can be summed up in these sentences: You are mine! (Unconditional covenants, Romans 11:29). Walk with me and I will bless you. Walk away from me and I will call you back to myself through loving discipline. (Conditional covenant, Romans 9-11). Ezekiel, a priest and a prophet, prophesied among the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in three stages. First, in 605 BC he overcame Jehoiakim and carried off key hostages including Daniel and his friends. Second, in 597 BC the rebellion of Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin brought further punishment, and the Babylonians carried off ten thousand hostages including Jehoiachin and Ezekiel. Third, in 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city after a long siege. Ezekiel and Daniel were about the same age and Jeremiah was about twenty years older. This means that Ezekiel was about seventeen when Daniel was deported in 605 BC and Ezekiel was about twenty five when he followed. Ezekiel received his prophetic commission at the age of thirty (1:1). This means his ministry overlapped the end of Jeremiah’s and the beginning of Daniel’s. Daniel was already well known and Ezekiel mentions him three times (14:14, 20; 28:3). These three prophets—Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel covered all areas of life during this painful time in Judah’s history. Jeremiah in Jerusalem and Ezekiel in Babylonia explained the reason for the judgment and encouraged the people with God’s promise of a restored Kingdom under Messiah. Daniel prophesied to the leaders of Babylonia. Ezekiel’s name means “God strengthens” or “strengthened by God.” The Jews were in exile because they had been unfaithful to the Mosaic Covenant. God had warned them that He would cast them from the land. But God had also promised them that they would always be His people and that He would establish them in the land. “The purpose of the Exile was to turn God’s people away from their sins and back to their Sovereign. The discipline they experienced was an evidence of God’s love. When it was over, a glorious future lay in store for them. A righteous ruler would eventually lead them back to a radically renovated land where they would enjoy peace, prosperity, and renewed worship”. (Dr. Tom Constable, Ezekiel) Ezekiel presents God as the God who acts to enforce His will and display His glory. The phrase “so you [they] will know that I am the LORD” occurs 60 times! Israel must admit that their unfaithfulness means that the destruction of Jerusalem is inevitable as they place their hope in their promise-keeping God: Ezekiel emphasizes the transcendence and majesty of the God of Israel as he prophecies her immediate doom and ultimate grandeur. I. JUDAH’S END God gives Ezekiel a most unusual vision of His greatness and glory to encourage him in a most difficult task: explaining to the exiles why Jerusalem will fall, and why the nation will spend the next 70 years in Babylonia (1-24). A. EZEKIEL’S CALL Ezekiel receives enablement, instruction, and responsibility from God. (1-3) Ezekiel: You can’t ignore your God. He will make sure you know that He is the LORD! SINS AND SORROWS, SIGNS AND SERMONS The prophet’s signs and sermons point to the certainty of Judah’s judgment, Judah’s past sins and coming doom are seen in a series of visions of the abominations in the temple, the slaying of the wicked, and the departing glory of God. The princes and priests are condemned as the Glory leaves the temple, moves to the Mount of Olives, and disappears in the east. (4-11) JUDGMENT, SWORDS, AND SIGNPOSTS The cause and extent of Judah’s coming judgment is described through dramatic signs, powerful sermons, and parables. Judah’s prophets are counterfeits and her elders are idolatrous. (12-24) II. JUDAH’S ENEMIES Judah’s gloating neighbors are next in line. They too will suffer the fate of siege and destruction by Babylon. (25-32) JUDGMENT EAST AND WEST Following a clockwise circuit, Ezekiel prophesies doom on all. He spends an inordinate amount of time on the king of Tyre, and many scholars believe he may be referring to Satan, the power behind the nation. (25-28) JUDGMENT ON EGYPT Unlike the nations that were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, Egypt will continue to exist, but as the “lowliest of kingdoms.” Since that time it has never recovered its former glory or influence. (29-32) III. JUDAH’S FUTURE The prophecies in these chapters were given after the overthrow of Jerusalem. Now that the promised judgment has come, Ezekiel’s message no longer focuses on coming judgment but on coming comfort and consolation. (33-48) WATCHMAN ON THE WALL The mouth of Ezekiel, God’s watchman is opened when he is told that Jerusalem has been taken. Judah had false shepherds, but the true Shepherd will lead them in the future. The vision of the valley of dry bones pictures the reanimation of the nation by the Spirit of God. Israel and Judah will be purified and restored. (33-37) GOG AND MAGOG There will be an invasion of the northern armies of Gog, but Israel will be saved because the Lord will destroy the invading forces. (38-39) NEW TEMPLE FOR ISRAEL In 572 BC, fourteen years after the destruction of Jerusalem, Ezekiel returns in a vision to the fallen city and is given detailed specifications of the reconstruction of the Temple. (40-42) NEW WORSHIP FOR ISRAEL Ezekiel views the return of the glory of the Lord to the Temple from the east. Regulations concerning worship in the coming temple are followed by revelations concerning the new land and city. (43-38) EZEKIEL AND YOU: The exile taught Israel that God loved them too much to tolerate their sinful decadence. Christian, never assume that grace means that God is ignoring your sin. Grace means that God disciplines His children (Hebrews 12). Christian, never conclude that discipline means that God is harsh. His reluctance to remove His glory from His people is astonishing (9:3; 10:4, 18-19, 11:22-23). He always disciplines with a broken heart. God’s will for Israel and for you is blessing as He draws you to Himself.

Hebrew 6:3-8 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned. A FALLING AWAY Earlier in this epistle the writer warned his Christian readers about drifting away from the truth through negligence ( Hebrews 2:1-4) and about failing to continue trusting God and walking by faith ( Hebrews 3:7-19). Now he referred to the same apostasy as "falling away." Were they real believers? According to Dr. T. Constable, ”Most probably they were genuine believers. Elsewhere being ‘enlightened' refers to complete appropriation (e.g, Jesus Christ tasted death for everyone, Hebrews 2:9; cf. 1 Peter 2:1-3). This is an Old Testament usage as well (cf. Psalm 34:8). Christians become "partakers" (cf. Hebrews 1:9, "companions"; and Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 3:14, "partakers") of the Holy Spirit through Spirit baptism.” Similarly, Philip Hughes had corroborated, saying, “Every true Christian has tasted the Word of God and found it to be good to some extent. The original readers had also tasted the powers (lit. miracles) of the coming messianic age. They had observed the apostles perform miracles (cf. Hebrews 2:4).” John wrote that “Those who were opposing Christ had gone out from "us." "Us" may mean the apostolic eyewitnesses, as often elsewhere in this epistle (see 1 John 1:1-5; 1 John 4:6). This would mean that these false teachers had gone out from among the apostles, not that they were apostles themselves, claiming that their message was what the apostles endorsed (see Acts 15:1; 2 Corinthians 11:5). "Us" elsewhere in this epistle refers to the believing community (see 1 John 1:6, 1 John 2:2) evidently had been members of local house-churches and then left them because of doctrinal differences. The physical separation of these men from the apostles and the faithful eventually illustrated their doctrinal separation from them. "It is possible, in this instance, that those who later allowed their heretical thought and actions to run away with them (when it could obviously be said, "they were not of us") were in the first place believers with a genuine, if uninformed, faith in Jesus." [Hodges, The Epistles of John] "If you will investigate the history of the false cults and antichristian religious systems in today"s world, you will find that in most cases their founders started out in a local church! They were "with us" but not "of us," so they went out "from us" and started their own groups." [W. Wiersbe] This is an expression of a total attitude reflecting deliberate and calculated renunciation of God ( Ezekiel 20:27] In Hebrews 3:12, this apostasy entailed a decisive rejection of Gods gifts, similar to the rejection of the divine promise by the Jews at the wilderness ( see Hebrews 3:7- 4:2]. Thus, here in Hebrews 6:6 is every form of departure from faith in the crucified Son of God. This could entail a return to the old life of Jewish convictions and practices as well as the public denial of faith in Christ. Perhaps, it is due to under pressure from a magistrate or a hostile crowd, simply for personal advantage. The word "apostate" refers to extreme cases of departure from the truth. We usually refer to less serious departure as backsliding.

Mike Foster- Life in the Flow of God- Ezekiel 47

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Monday, November 11, 2019

Friday, November 8, 2019

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Monday, November 4, 2019

Edward Thal

Join the class as we continue our study of Ezekiel and God actually showing the hidden detestable things still being done against Him by the remnant in Jerusalem. As we move forward into chapter nine and beyond, we'll see the scene shift from warning, to God actively executing His judgment against the evil and vile people who remained in the city after the Babylonian captivity was accomplished. As He did at the Passover when preparing to judge Egypt and set His people free from bondage, God first assigns a mark to those who remained faithful and grieve and are repulsed by the evil perpetrated against God: Ezekiel 9:1 Then [in Ezekiel's vision] I heard Him cry out with a thunderous voice, saying, “Approach now, executioners of the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” 2 Behold, six men [angelic beings] came from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with his battle-axe in his hand; and among them was a certain man clothed in linen, with a scribe’s writing case at his side. They entered and stood beside the bronze altar. Then the glory and brilliance of the God of Israel (the cloud) went up from the cherubim on which it had rested, to [stand above] the threshold of the [Lord’s] temple. And the Lord called to the man clothed with linen, who had the scribe’s writing case at his side. The Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, throughout all of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh [in distress] and grieve over all the repulsive acts which are being committed in it... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/biblestudyweekly/message

The Garden of Eden was on the holy mountain of God (Ezekiel 28:13-14). Eden was at Jerusalem, and it's where the battle of Armageddon will be fought.

Pee Dee Community Fellowship

Are the stories of the Marine Kingdom fact or fiction? Is it all just a cunningly devised fable or is there some truth to it? Check out the third part of this teaching on the Marine Kingdom to find out what scripture says concerning this kingdom and its inhabitants. God bless you and enjoy! Scripture References: Job 26:5 Deuteronomy 5:8 Revelation 10:1-6 Job 41:30-34 Characteristics of the Marine Kingdom Prideful- Job 41:34 Involved in trade and commerce; are responsible for the spread of immoral items- 2 Chronicles 20:35-37, 1 Kings 22:48-49, 1 Kings 9:26-28, 1 Kings 10:22 Control of economy and distribution of power and riches among the wicked/and those who have turned away from the worship of the only true God- Ezekiel 28:1-5 and 8, Luke 4:5-8 Responsible for deterioration and destruction of the earth and its morale/bondage of its inhabitants (sickness, smoking, drunkenness, the various forms of sexual perversion and immorality [destruction of God's created order of husband and wife], control of nations and their morale- Isaiah 14:6,12,17,20,23 Prayer Points Heavenly Father, in Jesus name, please reveal truth to me concerning the marine kingdom and how it has effected my life. Father, in the name of Jesus, please deliver me from the powers of the marine kingdom. Heavenly Father, please set me free from lust, seduction, deception, manipulation, vanity and every other siren spirit connected to the marine kingdom. Father, please soften my heart to be obedient to the changes you want me to make, in Jesus name. Heavenly Father, I ask in the name of Jesus, that You'd please reveal to me all merchandise I own which is property of the marine kingdom. In Jesus name, it is so! www.graceandmercyuntoyou.com

“Make a chain.” With that directive from God Ezekiel would pursue the forging of a chain by which he would shackle himself. He would act-out before God’s people what awaited the residents of Jerusalem. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)

Ezekiel: I will be their God (10:30am)

3/14/19 Miryam Hernandez - "The faithfulness of God", Ezekiel 1

Ephesians 4:2 “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” What a gracious God that we serve who has given us His blessed Word, which both convicts and encourages, it reproves and it exhorts. And we as children of God should treasure the times that His Word convicts and reproves just as much as when it encourages and exhorts. Why? Because it brings to our attention the reality of the awesome process of sanctification that is taking place in our lives. It reminds us of God’s love for us as he by His love, gently molds us and makes us into the image of His very own Son, our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that simply would not happen without the reproof and conviction from God through His Word. Proverbs 13:1 says that "A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke." Just as your children should accept your discipline, we all should accept discipline from God, knowing the great benefit which will result, that is our sanctification, our being made holy, into the likeness of the One we serve. I have no doubt that as we continue in Ephesians chapters 4-6, which will teach us how to live the Christian life in a way that is pleasing to our Lord. That as we continue through these passages that there will be an abundance of opportunity for the Holy Spirit to convict each one of us as He guides us into proper Christian living. So I want you to expect that and to receive it. And I hope you will anticipate that with joy although in the short run it is sometimes painful. I am looking forward to seeing how God will sharpen you as well as me as we continue on through this journey together. I hope that you will approach all of your Bible study in that way, with excitement saying "God, how are you going to change me today?" "What are you going to teach me and how will it change my life for your glory?” Our next passage in Matthew 6 as we work our way through the sermon on the Mount is Jesus talking about fasting and the fact that many use fasting as a way to gain attention from others which feeds their pride. It is rather incredible that fasting can be turned into a prideful thing and yet Jesus tells us that it can and it is. I think for most Christians in our day fasting is greatly misunderstood. I have spent some time trying to better understand Christian, biblical fasting and next week I hope to be ready to preach from Matthew 6:16-18. But for this week I want us to consider what may be the primary attitude that is required to truly fast and pray. That attitude, characteristic is humility. Jesus points out that fasting can be done in pride but biblical God pleasing fasting is a humble act. Without humility one cannot fast in a truly Christian way. So today let’s look at humility from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 2. Now, the first verse of Ephesians 4, Paul said this, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you" or beg you, "to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called." Paul exhorts us to walk in a manner or to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of our high calling. Or in a manner that is equal to or balances out with our calling unto Christianity. He raises the level of our walk to such heights that we have no choice, no hope of meeting those requirements unless we are completely dependent on God who supplies all power, which is all sufficient to keep us in the narrow way. To keep us on that narrow path which leads to eternal life. After Paul makes this lofty statement that we should walk in a manner worthy of our calling, he does not stop there. He does not leave us hanging wondering how to do that but he goes on to instruct us on how to do so. He goes on to tell us what a Christians life looks like if that person is walking in a manner worthy of his calling. Paul gives four characteristics of a Christians life who is walking in that manner which is worthy of his calling. Look at these four characteristics. Verse 2, "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love" then verse 3 he exhorts us to "be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Paul gives us four characteristics or four attitudes that must be present in the life of the Christian who is "walking in a manner worthy of [his] calling”. Four things and as with many of Paul’s writings, the order in which he lists things are of great importance. He first gives us the attitude of humility then gentleness, then patience and then forbearing love. These four characteristics are a progression, each one building on the one preceding it. The genuine exercise of one leading to the exercise of those that follow. He begins with what many would call THE foundational characteristic or the foundational virtue of a Christian. Humility. If someone were to ask you, "What is THE attitude that would most characterize a Christian?" How would you respond? Christians are to be different so what attitude of the Christian would most set him apart from the world. I mean if you had to just give one, what would it be? Well, I think you could make a good case for the attitude of humility which should characterize all of our lives. And I believe that that is why Paul begins with humility in this listing, and then adds to this list, because each of the next three attitudes flow from this one attitude of humility. Humility is an attitude which is not seen in and of itself but is obviously present as it manifest itself through certain actions. And in Ephesians 4:2 humility expresses itself through "gentleness and patience and forbearing love." The word here for humility is translated from a Greek word which literally means "humiliation of mind" or "to think or judge with lowliness or to have lowliness of mind." John Wesley observed that "neither the Romans nor the Greeks had a word for humility." Isn’t that interesting? You may not know it but this particular word which is translated here as humility was actually born with Christianity. It is a word that was coined by Christians and probably by the Apostle Paul himself, to describe a quality for which no other word was available in the first century. And even after it was coined by Christians for many years Pagans used it almost exclusively to describe Christians in a very derogatory way. Now, both the Greeks and the Romans were a very proud people. So to refer to someone as one possessing humility of mind would to them be an extremely negative and even hateful act. Humility to them would not be a virtue but a sign of great weakness as one might describe a coward or a weak fool. You see back then, pride was the primary virtue of the day. Pride, the very opposite of humility was the most sought after characteristic in their society. That was the pinnacle of their humanistic faith. It shows us in a very real sense that although much time has passed since that first century, most things have not changed at all. Attitudes remain the same. Oh there is talk of humility in our day, it has become a common word in our society, but when we come across a truly humble person, even in the Church, all to often he is the exception instead of the rule. What does it mean to walk in humility or literally "to think or judge ourselves with lowliness of mind" What does it mean? AS I attempt to explain, I want you to follow along very closely because, humility being a familiar word in our day, is common to your vocabulary but, I want to take you through some passages which I hope will cause you to truly examine your walk. And as we do, ask yourself, "Am I walking accordingly?" "Am I faithfully walking in a manner worthy of my calling?" To walk in this manner is to proceed through this life regarding other people as more important than yourself. Remember humility is "to think or judge yourself with lowliness of mind." So, It is to think of others first, and yourself last. It is to think of others peoples needs, whether they be physical, spiritual or emotional as more important than your own. Now already we see a contrast with our society. In Philipians 2:3 Paul gives us a very familiar passage. He says, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others.” He says "do NOTHING from selfishness or empty conceit" Or that could be translated more literally like this , "Do nothing from selfishness or vainglory." Or self glory. He is saying do not do anything with the motive or purpose of bringing glory to yourself. You see that would be contrary to our definition of humility. Do not act in a way that has as its goal to bring attention to you, for that is "vainglory”, or "empty glory”. You see bringing glory to yourself is an issue of pride. Which again is the opposite of the very attribute of humility that we as believers should display. Glory is meant for God, and for God alone. So, attempting to raise yourself up in other people's eyes and bringing glory to yourself brings you into direct competition with God. We should do all things for His sake. Pointing people to Him. Drawing attention away from ourselves and directing people to Him and His divine character. Remember what John the Baptist said at the very height of his popularity and ministry? John the Baptist with humility of mind, with lowliness of mind said of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Now I know that probably nothing so far has been new to you. If your grew up in the church then you are familiar with statements like "Give God the glory" Or "We should do all for His glory" or you have probably been taught that you are to deflect the glory to Him. And all of those things are true, but if they are not understood or not practiced then they are empty words which produce nothing of value. Think about your life. Think about your "so called" accomplishments. Maybe you graduated from college, maybe you excelled in some sport, maybe you work for a great company and hold a coveted position. Maybe your children are learning under your teaching, maybe you see that as a great accomplishment. Do you take pride in these things? We are prone to, aren’t we? Maybe you have just finished a major project successfully. Children, maybe you are doing well in school, that is a positive accomplishment. But, what is your attitude regarding any of these or any other accomplishments in your life? Do you sit back and bask in your accomplishment? Do you revel in your success? Do you glory in your achievements? Do you find ways to let others know of what you have done? Do you quietly sit back and receive glory from others? Is your attitude that of pride? OR humility? Pride exalts self. Humility exalts God. Pride causes us to parade our accomplishments. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of the greatest bible expositors of this century says that pride results in "self-advertisement”. Advertising ourselves before others so that they will recognize us and so that we will be exalted in their minds. And you know that we sometimes do this in the subtlest ways. We slip things into a conversation appearing innocent of pride but at the same time hoping that we will be exalted in someone’s eyes. But you must remember, true humility is an attitude, it is internal. We can appear humble because of certain actions, we can fool people for a time, but true humility is an attitude of the heart. And that is what I want you to ponder this morning. Not what are you doing as acts of humility but deep down within you what is the attitude of your heart in regard to this issue of humility and pride. How do you view yourself in relation to others and in relation to God? Are you really concerned with others well being or are you self centered? To what degree do you put others needs ahead of your own? During the days of slavery in the West Indies, a group of Christians found it impossible to witness to the slaves there because they were almost totally separated from them as non-slaves --many of whom felt it beneath them to even speak to a slave. There were two young missionaries, however, who were determined to reach those oppressed people whatever the cost. They must have considered Philippians 2:3-4 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others." So what did these young missionaries do? They laid aside their own privileges, and in order to fulfill their calling they joined the slaves. They willingly became slaves. They worked and lived beside the slaves, becoming totally identified with them. They shared their overwork, their beatings and their abuse. And the two missionaries soon won the hearts of those slaves, many of whom accepted the God who could move men to such loving selflessness. That happens from a attitude of true humility. But to understand true humility, the ultimate example that we must turn to is our Lord Himself. Of all the of Christ’s attributes that He displayed on the earth, His attitude of humility may be the most difficult for us to comprehend. I mean, if anyone ever deserved to exalt himself or to draw attention and praise to Himself, it would be our Lord Jesus Christ. But instead, he modeled for us humility. And we are to walk as He walked. Look at what Paul said in Philippians 2:5. "Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus." Paul is exhorting us in Philippians just as in Ephesians 4 to humility. And then he goes on to illustrate for us Christ’s perfect example of humility. "Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of man. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” What a staggering and beautiful picture of humility of our Lord. Are you ever tempted to think highly of yourself in relation to others? John proclaims in 1 John 4:6 "The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." We have our example in Christ. Do you ever justify in your mind your self worth over someone else’s? Do you ever think that your needs are above your brothers or sisters needs or your neighbors needs convincing yourself that you are justified in ignoring someone’s poverty? Whether it be poverty in physical, emotional or spiritual things? Christ didn’t. He stooped down in pure humility into the midst of fallen and depraved humanity, who hated Him and hated His Father. And He did so in love and in obedience as well as an example to those who would follow Him. This passage says that He "emptied Himself”, He laid aside His glory, the glory that was due him, for a time in order to point mankind to His Father, that He, the Father, may be glorified. He did not accept it for Himself. And that is so evident in his ministry. He constantly pointed His followers to God the Father. He stated that He came to fulfill His Father's will. He attributed His power to the Father as coming from the Father and not from Himself. If anyone one ever deserved to receive glory and honor and praise on this earth it would be Christ. If anyone ever had a right to exalt Himself and to "self advertise" as MLJ states it, it would be Christ. But no. He emptied Himself in humility and glorified the Father who sent Him. That Philippians passage also said that He took on the form of a bond-servant or slave. And that He was made in the likeness of man, and that He appeared as a man. We may be tempted as humans to think that that is not such a great act of humility, that is becoming and appearing as a man. But that is considering the passage from a man centered view. Think about it. The God of all the universe of all creation who is not bound by time or space to be clothed in humanness. To be bound by flesh and blood. What a humbling experience that must have been for our Lord. The verse continues and says that He humbled himself even to the point of death on a cross. The most degrading humiliating death of the day was that of crucifixion. To be raised up on a cross in humiliation for all to see and for all to ridicule and spit upon and curse and blaspheme. Our Lord was a perfect example for us. He walked in humility, so that we might live. And who are we to think that we should think highly of ourselves and think of ourselves as more important that someone else? Or to think that we are deserving of glory or praise when Christ Himself refused such glory and instead offered it up to God the Father? If you are going to walk in a manner worthy of your calling then you must walk in humility. And to ignore humility, to lay it aside is to walk in pride, which is to walk in sin. The first sin was the sin of pride. Pride led the angel Lucifer to exalt himself above his Creator and Lord. Because the bright "star of the morning" continually said, "I will, I will, I will" in opposition to God’s will, he was cast out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-23). Because he said, "I am a god," the Lord cast him "from the mountain of God" (Ezekiel 28:11-19). The original sin of Adam and Eve was pride, trusting in their own understanding above God’s. The writer of Proverbs warns "When pride comes, then comes dishonor" (11:2), "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling”, and again, "Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked is sin" (21:4). Isaiah warned, "The proud look of a man will be abased, and the loftiness of man will be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day" (Isa. 2:11). Notice in that verse that man will be humbled, all men will be humbled some day. And in Jeremiah 50:31-32 it says, "Behold I am against you, O arrogant one, For your day has come, the time when I shall punish you. And the arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to raise him up." And in the last chapter of the Old Testament it says, "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff." Pride is the supreme temptation of Satan, because pride is at the heart of his own evil nature. And pride is the polar opposite of what our walk should reflect. Well, the last thing I want you to see this evening is the freeing aspect of humility. The joy and peace that is found in walking in humility. You see the world and psychology would tell you that if you do not take pride in yourself and in your accomplishments then you have a very unhealthy view of yourself and they could probably come up with a very scholarly diagnosis for that. You may think that walking in all humility will be difficult or even impossible. You may think it leads to a defeatist type attitude. You may picture a truly humble person as one who is always kicking himself or beating himself up in an unhealthy way. As someone whose head is always down and whose attitude is negative toward himself, believing that he can do nothing, or someone believing that he can accomplish nothing for the kingdom of God. You may think of someone who is entirely negative and always down and depressed. But want I want you to see is that is simply not the case. You see a truly humble person has a proper view of himself, a lowly opinion of himself, and therefore his focus for all of life must move from himself to God. To walk humbly we are forced to focus upon God. All of those things I just described would be true of a person whose focus is upon who? Upon themselves. Right? But for a Christians it is not so. But for the proud all things revolve around self and eventually self will fail. If your hope is in yourself you will be disappointed, if in God, you will live a life of victory. Look at the focus. Pride says, "I can do all things”. That is what Satan said isn’t it? But humility says, "I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me”. This is so important to see. Paul was humble, yet he did not sit around in a pitiful state with an attitude of defeat. No, He realized that he could do all things, through Christ who was his strength. Do you see the power in that. Living in pride of self is like living in a house if cards. Someday it will all fall down. Pride says advertises self. But Humility advertises God. See the change of focus? Pride parades self, but Humility parades God. Pride boasts of self and self accomplishments. But Humility boasts in the Lord. Pride says my strength and power comes from within, but humility understands that God supplies all power and is perfected in weakness. Pride says I am strong. Humility says God is strong. Pride says that I am adequate for the job, humility says my adequacy is in Christ. Pride says look at me, humility says look at God. A Christian clothed in humility should be the most joyful of all who walk the earth. Because his focus is on the One who can accomplish all things. Yet a prideful man must look internally, at what is truly weak and helpless. To walk in humility is to walk with a proper view of both man, or yourself and a proper view of God and that is to walk in a manner worthy of your calling. So, I want to encourage you this week, to walk in a manner worthy of your calling with all humility. Consider first of all God’s glory, because glory belongs to Him. He is the only one to properly receive glory and honor and praise, and also consider those around you and their needs as more important than your own. Knowing that through God all things are possible, and it is He who strengthens you to glorify Himself and to serve and minister to others. And next week, Lord willing we will see how this Christian characteristic of humility will be key in the matter of fasting according to the will of God.

PDF of Lesson NotesOne of the great treasures of the Old Testament is how it helps us understand the true nature and character of God. There are many things that distort our understanding of God's nature: the character of our own human fathers, our tendency to make God into something He is not, and Satan's consistent attack, trying to deceive us to believe God is different than He truly is. Ezekiel 18 provides a beautiful picture of God, communicating His great mercy and kindness offered to all mankind. May this help us grasp God's nature in a deeper way, and transform how we view and treat others.

A sermon from Berry Kercheville. No text available.

Pastor Sam Rainer teaches on Ezekiel. This series covers Old Testament characters and uses them to explain how God draws us near. Even the deadest of the dead can live. God offers new life for the hopeless. Hope builds when you trust in the eternal.