Pray: ‘I Am Willing to Be Made Willing!’ Ezekiel 23:27

When Israel sinned, God sent judgment, promising “They will cut off your nose and ears.” Ouch.

Result?

“So I will put an end to your indecency and sexual immorality.” Ezekiel 23:27

If we can’t stop our sins, God can stop them with His judgment. After all, if you were disfigured by the loss of both nose and ears, your appearance may become a hindrance to your career as a promiscuous adulterer. The point is, if you can’t stop your sinful ways, God may stop them for you. But instead of suffering a disfiguring loss, why not simply pray? Ask God for help! He would rather change your heart than change your face!

Pray: ‘Lord, I may not be willing to stop the sin of ___________, but I am willing to be MADE willing.’ Ask Him to change your heart.

P.S. Have you ever wondered why so many ancient statues such as that pictured above have lost their noses or ears? I always assumed it was simply age and accidents–and those are vulnerable pieces that would be broken off first. But there is more to it: vandalism. Over the centuries, true believers have attacked statues and idols of all kinds. ”Striking off a nose meant the statue would cease to breathe, and therefore die. Hammering away the ears meant it could not longer hear prayers.” –From the Egyptian news source, Enterprise Press. https://enterprise.press/stories/2019/03/18/why-have-so-many-ancient-egyptian-statues-lost-their-noses/#:~:text=Striking%20off%20a%20nose%20meant,such%20offerings%20%E2%80%94%20was%20cut%20off.

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No “Take-Backs.” Ezekiel 20:32.

As children, we have all experienced a friend giving us something, then snatching it back. Even as adults, we sometimes open Christmas presents only to be suddenly told the gift had the wrong name on it and was intended for someone else.

When you give, it is important to “count the cost,” to do the math to ensure you can afford it. Nothing should cause you to take back a gift.

When you give your life to Christ, leave it in His hands.

Why do you lay your life down on the altar, then snatch it back up again? Put it down—and leave it. If you GAVE your life to Christ, stop trying to yank it out of His hands. Let Him keep the gift you gave Him.

I have a secret: your life is the one gift you CANNOT take back.

The whole point of giving your life to Christ is TOTAL SURRENDER—including the surrender of all future “take-backs.” He will NEVER let you take your eternal soul back into your own hands where you would destroy it.

Nor will He allow you to completely destroy your life on earth. Once you are His—once you BELONG TO HIM, He takes away some of the freedom you might have had when you were on your own:

“When you say, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the peoples of other countries, worshipping wood and stone,’ what you have in mind will never happen” Ezekiel 20:32.

God is not going to let you become an idol worshiper. If you have truly given your life to Christ, He owns your life—and you don’t. Sinning will never be as easy for you as it is for others. You will never completely escape the sound of His Voice calling you back to repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. It’s not too late. It is never too late.

God, thank You that You never let us go, no matter how we may lose sight of a commitment we made long ago. Pursue us, Hound of Heaven.

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YOU REAP YOUR OWN HARVEST. Ezekiel 18:2-20, 31-32.

Farm kids live off their daddy’s harvest: the children eat what the parents plant. But as they grow, children take on more responsibilities and begin to reap their own harvest. This is a picture of our lives. God spoke to Ezekiel about one of Israel’s popular sayings:

“The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” Ezekiel 18:2.

Kids are affected by their fathers—children reap what their parents sow.

God says not so fast:

“You will no longer use this proverb in Israel. Every life belongs to me…. The one who sins is the one who will die” 18:3-4.

“Suppose a man is just and right. He does not raise his eyes to the idols…. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife… He doesn’t oppress anyone… He does not commit robbery…. He follows My statutes, acting faithfully.

“Such a person is righteous; he will certainly live.

“Now, suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood and does things his father did not do…. [idolatry, adultery, robbery.] Will he live? He will NOT live!

“Since he has committed detestable acts, he will die….

“Suppose that man has a son who sees the sins his father committed, and does not do likewise. [No idols, adultery, or robbery….] He obeys My law.

“Such a person will NOT die for his father’s iniquity. He will live.

“The one who sins is the one who will die… The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him” Ezekiel 18:5-20.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE. Though the generations before you will influence you, you can choose to do better. No matter how amazing they were, you can be more so! Or, you can turn your back on a Godly legacy and ruin your life. It is up to you.

“Throw off all the transgressions you have committed, and get yourselves a NEW HEART and a NEW SPIRIT. Why should you die, House of Israel?… Repent and live!” 18:31-32.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE. SOW GOOD SEEDS—AND BE PATIENT; THE HARVEST COMES LATER.

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SAINTS AND SINNERS: WHO IS THE ULTIMATE? Ezekiel 14:13-16.

Adolf Hitler is the go-to guy. He is everyone’s “favorite.”

We keep the name ‘Hitler’ in our back pocket as an example of the worst person who ever lived. His name comes up this way in conversations every day:

“Well, if you had Hitler on the one side and Ghandi on the other—”

“My English teacher was the Adolf Hitler of grammar Nazis—”

“My roommate in college was the worst. It was like living with Adolf Hitler—”

Before Hitler became everyone’s favorite uber-villain, a man from the Bible wore the crown for 19 centuries. Any guesses? It was Herod the Great, responsible for ordering the “Slaughter of the Innocents” reported in Matthew 2:16-18.[1]

Similarly, who do we name when we want to offer up the ultimate good guy? The usuals include Jesus, Ghandi, Santa Claus, and Mother Theresa. Interestingly, God uses this comparison language while speaking through the prophet Ezekiel some 600 years before Christ.  Can you guess who God names as ultimate examples of good men?

“Son of man, if a land sins against Me … and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its supply of bread, to send famine through it, and to wipe out both man and animal from it, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness….  If I allow dangerous animals to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through it for fear of the animals, even if these three men were in it, as I live… they could not deliver their sons or daughters. [Noah, Daniel, and Job] alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate” Ezekiel 14:13-16.

God goes on to explain that if Israel sinned so greatly that He was forced to send famine, wild animals, war, and a plague, Noah, Daniel, and Job would escape because of their righteousness—but their righteous lives would not be enough to rescue their children. But there would be survivors, nevertheless, Ezekiel 14:22. 

God always has a remnant.

The question is, would that be you? Would it be me? Are we living righteous lives? Do we follow God as faithfully as Noah, Daniel, and Job? Those were men of great faith and great prayer. May God make each of us more like them.  May we obey during 100 years of silence like Noah.  May we set aside multiple times to pray daily, like Daniel—no matter how much opposition we receive. And like Job, may we earnestly pray for our children and families, and never allow suffering to draw us away from God.

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[1] An interesting discussion of the ten worst Bible villains can be found here: https://record.adventistchurch.com/2017/06/07/the-ten-most-evil-bible-villains/

WHEN GOD REDEEMS YOU AND MAKES YOU BEAUTIFUL, DON’T FORGET WHERE YOU COME FROM. Ezekiel 16:4-14.

For some of us, humility is as simple as remembering how your life began. I remember being the hyperactive misfit who could not behave and in some classrooms was ostracized by both teachers and students. No matter what I might achieve in life, I will never forget where I came from—and I will not forget I owe everything to the grace of God.

Israel had difficult beginnings. God explains:

“Your umbilical cord wasn’t cut on the day you were born. You weren’t washed with water… or wrapped in cloths…, but you were thrown out into the open field because you were despised. I passed by and saw you lying in your blood, and I said to you, ‘LIVE!’… I made you thrive like the plants of the field. You grew up and matured and became very beautiful…. I spread the edge of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you and you became Mine. … I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and leather sandals. I wrapped you in fine linen and silk. I adorned you with jewelry, bracelets, chains, rings, earrings, tiara—all of silver and gold… You became EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL and attained ROYALTY. Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through MY SPLENDOR, WHICH I HAD BESTOWED ON YOU” Ezekiel 16:4-14.

When you were born again, God redeemed you. He exchanged your mess for His mercy. He covered your nakedness and shame with His beauty and splendor. And every year you walk with Him, He makes you more beautiful, fills you with more of His splendor and glory.

But you MUST REMAIN HUMBLE. Give God the glory. Ezekiel reports that Israel became proud and spent the beauty God gave it on lust and idolatry—and God nearly destroyed the nation as a result.

God, thank you for Your grace which fills our lives with beauty and purpose. Keep us humble every day, remembering all You have done for us.

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LUST = IDOLATRY. Ezekiel 16.

Over the years, I have heard several news reports about babies that have been found in dumpsters. Someone taking out the trash lifts the heavy lid and hears the muffled cry of a baby. Can you imagine that? The babies were adopted and went on to have good lives—but what an origin story! Imagine knowing that your mother did not care enough to raise you or even give you up for adoption, but just threw you away.

God describes Israel that way—it also applies to His church, the Bride of Christ:

“On the day you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut and you weren’t washed clean. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one cared enough to do even one of these things. Instead you were thrown into an open field because you were despised.

I passed by and saw you lying in your blood, and I said to you, “Live!” I made you thrive. You grew up and became a beautiful woman. Then I passed by and saw you, that you were at the age for love. So I spread my garment over you and pledged Myself to you, entered a covenant with you, and you became Mine.

I washed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil. I clothed you in fine clothes and silk. I adorned you with jewelry, chains, earrings, bracelets, and a tiara. You became extremely beautiful and attained royalty. Your beauty was perfect BECAUSE OF MY SPLENDOR.” Ezekiel 16:4-14.

Wow. God took amazing care of the abandoned child! He is our Kinsman-Redeemer, who rescues, restores, and redeems. He lavished good and grace and beauty on Israel. So what happened next?

“You became arrogant in your beauty and became a prostitute.” Ezekiel 16:15.

WHAT?! It gets worse: Israel was not the kind of prostitute who charges, but who PAYS. Prostitution is a metaphor for Israel’s pursuit of idols. The Bible repeatedly uses idolatry and lust interchangeably. I believe when we tolerate lust, God sees us as idolaters. Ask your amazing rescuer to rescue you from this serious sin!

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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, driving my car to the homes of college kids who had visited the church so we could invite them back. Joe was not born again, and our conversation turned to the Gospel:

“Well, Steve, I know what I’ve gotta do. I gotta get rid of these things first,” he said, showing me his cigarettes. “Then I’ll be ready to give my life to Christ.”

“But Joe, you’re not gonna be able to get rid of cigarettes without Him! First, you need to give Him your life. THEN you will be able to clean your life up—with His help!”

That night, Joe surrendered to Christ.

AFTER you turn to Jesus, He will CHANGE you. It is HE who enables us to follow Him and obey Him. We can’t do it on our own—and He does not expect us to. Instead, we need to surrender to Him so He can change us:

“I will give them one heart and put a new spirit in them. I will REMOVE their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, so they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people and I will be their God” Ezekiel 11:19-20.

Surrender to Christ. Let Him give you a NEW HEART—only THEN will you be able to please Him and follow Him. And you don’t surrender to Him only one time. You must SURRENDER EVERY DAY.

“Just as you have trusted Christ to save you, trust Him too for each day’s problems. Live in vital union with Him” Colossians 2:6 TLB.

God, remind us to SURRENDER DAILY. Change our hearts and help us please you, follow You, and bless others every day.

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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 considered everything symbolic and filled with messages. They were a perfect audience for an action-prophet like Ezekiel.

God told Ezekiel to pack his bags. “Get your bags ready and go into exile… while they watch. Perhaps they will understand…. As they watch, scrape through the wall with your fingers [the wall around the city] and take your bags out through the wall.” Ezekiel 12:2-5.

Ezekiel did as God commanded, and the nation watched. And they asked “What are you doing?,” and Ezekiel said:

“I am a sign for you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to Israel… They will go into exile. The prince will go out through the wall, but God will give him over to the Chaldeans, and he will die there.” Ezekiel 12:10-13.

Remember, why street theater? Because the people will not listen to sermons, so God has to reach them another way. Maybe some will repent.

But if not, God still has a remnant who are obeying Him, and He has more blessings in store:

“I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, so they may obey my laws.” Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26.

This is probably THE MOST POPULAR VERSE IN THE BOOK, because it applies so well to believers today. Ask God to give you an obedient heart (and one that can listen to sermons).

God, please remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. Give us obedient hearts! And help us to recognize signs You may place in our lives. But I pray our tender hearts would respond so powerfully to Your word that we would not need to see Your warnings acted out in the lives (or illnesses) of our leaders.

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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 proverbial frog in the pot—don’t notice until things have changed dramatically.

Of course, your sensitivity to temperature is an issue between you, your thermostat, and the power company. It is not a matter of life and death, no matter how much dads like me try to convince you that it is. “Someone fiddled with the thermostat! …The thermostat is a sacred covenant! This is madness!” (quoting “DADDY’S HOME 2”).  What is a serious matter is our sensitivity to sin. Do you care about the sin around you? Is your heart sensitive to questions of sin and holiness? Do you ever find yourself shocked by the things that pass for entertainment these days? Movies? Rap lyrics? Binge drinking? Gambling, strip clubs, sex trafficking?

God can give you a heart that values the things He values.

“And I will put a new spirit within them. I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh so they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people and I will be their God” Ezekiel 11:19-20.

God, give us new hearts! Fill us with love for You and Your statutes. Give us the desire to obey, to do the right things and not the wrong things. Make us more like You every day. Fill us with a love for Your holiness and grief over the destructive power of sin.

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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 to a boil, it will just sit there … even as the temperature continues to go up and up. It will stay there until … until it’s rescued.”

This old illustration has become something of a cliché, popular with both pastors and politicians. Gore told an animated version of the story as a warning about global warming in his 2006 film “AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.” Some may raise a skeptical eyebrow at the mention of Gore’s film. Others will argue a frog would not actually behave the way the illustration suggests.

These comments miss the point of the classic analogy: sometimes people can fail to recognize hazards to which they have become accustomed.

As Christians, we can adapt to the world around us, failing to recognize the risks posed by behaviors our grandparents would have found horrifying. Consider movies, lyrics, and online gaming. Have we not gotten used to portrayals of sex and violence that would shock our ancestors? Can you see the way we are like the frog—sitting comfortably while everything heats up around us?

God expects us to notice sin—and to care. In Ezekiel 9, he sent seven men among His idol-worshipping people, six with war clubs and one with writing tools. First the writer was to walk among the people, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over the detestable practices committed in Jerusalem” Ezekiel 9:4. Next the executioners with clubs were to “pass through the city … and start killing. Do not show pity or spare them! Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the older women and little children, but do not come near anyone who has the mark” Ezekiel 9:5-6.

Who would be saved? Those who “sigh and groan over the detestable practices.” Have you ever sighed over the evil our world considers entertainment? Have you ever groaned over the sins around you? Have you ever felt the deep grief of knowing a close friend was heading deeper into sin and you could do nothing to stop it? Do you care, or has your heart become hardened?

God wants us to feel grief over sin, not only ours, but that of those around us. As Isaiah said, “I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips” Isaiah 6:5. We should care about the people around us. We are part of this city and nation—their lives affect us just as ours affect them.  But if your heart has grown callused—if you feel untouched by the evil around you—God can renew your heart, as we will discuss in PART TWO.

God, help us to hate evil. “Hate evil, you who love the Lord” Psalm 97:10.

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