Steven Wales

JOE’S CANCER STICKS. Ezekiel 11:19-20; Colossians 2:6.

Joe attended the college department at FBC. I was working at another church, but kept running into Joe at FBC events I was able to attend—Bible studies on unusual days of the week, scavenger hunts on Saturday nights, etc. Joe and I became friends. One night the two of us went on “visitation” together, drivingContinue reading “JOE’S CANCER STICKS. Ezekiel 11:19-20; Colossians 2:6.”

STREET THEATER 3: Runaway Scrape. Ezekiel 11:19-20; 12:2-5, 10-13.

Trump gets Covid-19 one month before the election. Coincidence or sign from God? I don’t know. But in November of 2020, EVERYONE was talking about it! If it had happened in ancient Israel, people would have SCRUTINIZED this thing with a jeweler’s loop trying to figure out what it means. People in pre-enlightenment cultures consideredContinue reading “STREET THEATER 3: Runaway Scrape. Ezekiel 11:19-20; 12:2-5, 10-13.”

THE FROG IN THE POT, Part Two.

Have you memorized your favorite temperature setting? Do you find yourself adjusting the thermostat over and over, all day long? Do you run the heat at night and the air conditioner the very next day—every day? Some people are more sensitive to temperature changes than others. Some notice the slightest deviation, while others—like the proverbialContinue reading “THE FROG IN THE POT, Part Two.”

THE FROG IN THE POT, Part One.

I mentioned the “frog in the pot story” recently. Al Gore once told the story this way: “If a frog jumps into a pot of boiling water, it jumps right out again because it senses the danger. But if the very same frog jumps into a pot of lukewarm water that is slowly brought toContinue reading “THE FROG IN THE POT, Part One.”

YOU REAP WHERE YOU SOW. Ezekiel 6:13.

We reap what we sow—when we plant bad seeds, we will harvest bad plants. Our actions have consequences related to those actions. If you eat too much, you will get fat. If you go to the beach without sunscreen, you will be sunburned. If you inhale smoke for decades, you will develop a lung condition.Continue reading “YOU REAP WHERE YOU SOW. Ezekiel 6:13.”

Don’t Crush God’s Feelings. Ezekiel 6:9

Does God have feelings? How does God feel about our sin? I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after idols. Ezekiel 6:9 Your sin, your lust, hurts God. He is crushed by promiscuous hearts, by lust, by idolatry. Repent and confess your sins. (See?Continue reading “Don’t Crush God’s Feelings. Ezekiel 6:9”

STREET THEATER 2: THE HAIRCUT. Ezekiel 5:1-4; 6:9.

God’s message of judgment continues. Note the reason for judgment (I learned this great verse recently): “I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after idols.” Ezekiel 6:9 Imagine—your heart (not actions, but your HEART) can “crush” God. When our hearts stray into idolatry orContinue reading “STREET THEATER 2: THE HAIRCUT. Ezekiel 5:1-4; 6:9.”

Heaven’s Courtroom. Ezekiel 8:6-16.

We think of God as a Heavenly Judge, and that role belongs to Him and no one else. But if God is the judge, who is the prosecutor? Some think it’s the devil. Not only does Revelation 12:10 call Satan the “Accuser of the Brethren,” but the first two chapters of Job indicate Satan busiesContinue reading “Heaven’s Courtroom. Ezekiel 8:6-16.”

THE SCANDAL OF THE SERMON ILLUSTRATION. Ezekiel 1-4.

We have gotten carried away with sermon illustrations. One Sunday morning I turned on the television to discover that Woodlands, Texas, pastor Kerry Shook had had truckload after truckload of dirt hauled into his church and piled on the stage. Stage left bore a thirty-foot mound of dirt and stage right bore a thirty-foot moundContinue reading “THE SCANDAL OF THE SERMON ILLUSTRATION. Ezekiel 1-4.”

AN ACQUIRED TASTE. Ezekiel 3:2-3.

“Liver again? No!” “Keep eating it. It’s an acquired taste.” “…But radishes are too hot to put on salads.” “You’ll be fine. It’s an acquired taste.” “…How can anyone eat sardines? They smell awful.” “It’s an acquired taste.” Some things are good from the start. Babies love milk, whipped bananas, and apple sauce. But manyContinue reading “AN ACQUIRED TASTE. Ezekiel 3:2-3.”