God Will Respond to Detestable Sins

Scripture: Ezekiel 8: 6, 9, 18

⁶“Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!” ⁹“Go in,” he said, “and see the wicked and detestable sins they are committing in there!” ¹⁸Therefore, I will respond in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And though they cry for mercy, I will not listen.”

Scripture Commentary: Disrespecting God is a detestable sin.

God tells Ezekiel of the detestable sins being committed by the Israelites. Their disrespect for God is a great abomination. God takes Ezekiel in a vision from Babylon to the temple in Jerusalem to see the wickedness of man. The religious leaders and the people were thoroughly corrupt.

Where will you stand in the judgment?

God passed judgment on them for their wickedness and this judgment continues to this day. We are so self absorbed that God is no longer a part of our lives. God shows Ezekiel in scene after scene the extent to which the people worshipped idols and pagan gods. Today we are so caught up in world values that we no longer feel we need God. We worship what we can buy; we prize what we need today. This is a stench to God.

His judgement is coming. Where do you stand?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Ezekiel 8

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Ezekiel:

God Has Committed to Forgiving Your Sin

Is the Punishment Fair?

Do You Need Miracles to Believe?

Scripture: John 4: 48 – 50

⁴⁸Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” ⁴⁹The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.” ⁵⁰Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

Scripture Commentary: Why do you need to see miracles to believe?

A father asks Jesus to save his son from death. Jesus asks if you need to see miracles to believe. Are you someone who needs to see the miracles in order to believe? If so, why?

Jesus died on the cross, rose on the third day, and now is with God, the Father. He sent the Holy Spirit to watch over and guide us in the way to go. We can’t see the Holy Spirit but do you believe? If you don’t believe in the Holy Spirit how can you believe in God and be a follower of Jesus Christ? They are one and the same.

The religious leaders of Jesus’s time had God’s Word but they failed to understand it. Similarly to the past we have false preachers spreading their own message, not God’s. Who are you listening to and who are you following?

Don’t get right and wrong mixed up.

There is only one God and one Satan. Don’t get them mixed up. God is love and forgiveness; Satan is self and destruction. The world’s camouflage presents a very distored picture filled with lies.

Jesus is the only way to salvation. Amen.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 4

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

The World Will Persecute You For Jesus

Remember that Jesus Loves You

God searches for the lost

Scripture: Luke 15: 4, 8, 24

⁴“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁸“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? ²⁴for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

Scripture Commentary:

Three parables. Lost sheep, lost coins, lost son. Jesus tells us that the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one who is missing. Why worry about one when you have so many others? Because each one is special and has something to offer.

Why is the one important?

The woman who misplaced a coin goes in search of it. What if a pair of shoes cost $11 and she only had $10 because she lost the $1. That $1 becomes important because without it, she cannot purchase the shoes she needs.

The man’s son is gone. He doesn’t know if the son is dead or alive. He has another son who is with him but he loves both sons.

God extends His hand to protect you.

God created us; we are His children. As a loving parent He looks out for and tries to protect each one of us, even when we act foolishly. Think back over your life. Do you recognize God’s hand of protection. His love is extraordinary. Don’t despair if you feel far from God. He will find you because He searches for the lost.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 15

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Luke:

Do You See Yourself Clearly?

And When He Saw Their Faith

Get Away From False Preachers

Scripture: Matthew 7: 22 – 23, 28 – 29

²²On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ ²³But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ ²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.

Scripture Commentary:

Jesus is saying beware of false preachers and teachers who say God sent them to teach you and show you the way to the Father’s kingdom. Get away from them! Keep in mind that Satan knows God’s Word and he and his disciples will use it to mislead you.

Read the Word, live the Word.

Follow God’s message. In order to know God’s Word and His message you must have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Living life on your terms is not God’s way. Being good your friends or to those who agree with you is not God’s way. Love and sincerely pray for the people you don’t get along with is what a true follower of Jesus does.

You get to choose how you will live your life.

The day of reckoning is coming and all your good and bad will be presented before God for judgment. No one is born perfect. God knows this and He will judge you on how you live. If you are reading this then you have time to be a servant of Jesus. Don’t be the person that Jesus says ‘I never knew you. Get away from me.’ You get to choose.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Matthew 7

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Matthew:

Put On the Full Armor of God

Welcome Jesus Into Your Life

And the Walls of Jericho Came Down

Scripture: Joshua 2: 12 – 14

¹²“Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that ¹³when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.” ¹⁴“We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

Scripture Commentary:

Rahab was one of Jericho’s well-known prostitutes. She not only lived in Jericho, she also practiced her trade there. This was the perfect place for the spies to hide. The townspeople were accustomed to men coming from and going to her home.

The king got word that spies were in Jericho. Gossipers told of strangers who had come to Rahab’s house so he sent his men to check it out. Rahab hid the men from the king’s spies. She told the spies that she had heard of their God and believed.

Through her faith, Rahab was spared.

Rahab, who the people of Jericho looked down on, had placed her faith and belief in the one God, Yahweh. She kept her word and told the spies where to hide and then to make their escape. In turn, the spies told her to tie a scarlet cord on her window to signify which house not to destroy. The color scarlet has been a symbol of Jesus’s blood shed on the cross.

Only God can turn our sin into a scarlet cord of forgiveness. Only Jesus’s blood has the power to remove sin.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Joshua 2

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Joshua:

Serve Only the Lord Your God

Who Can Raise the Dead From the Grave?

Scripture: John 11: 4, 14, 17, 23, 26

⁴But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” ¹⁴So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁷When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ²³Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁶Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

Scripture Commentary:

The story of Lazarus is one of the most popular in the New Testament. When Jesus hears about Lazarus, Jesus knows that he has to die. If Jesus had been there the day Lazarus died, the people would have said that Jesus healed him of his sickness. In itself, this miracle would have been good; however, Lazarus dying and being in his grave for four days was something entirely difference.

The villagers loved and held Mary, Martha and Lazarus in high esteem. They had been witness to the funeral and saw the body go into the tomb. Jesus waited before entering the village to perform the miracle to show the people that he is the Son of God. He has power over the grave.

Lazarus is not the only one who Jesus raised from the dead. Jesus brought back the daughter of the synogogue leader (Matthew 9: 18-26) and the widow’s only son (Luke 7: 12 -15). However, neither of these people had been in the grave. Lazarus, on the other hand, had been in the grave and had started to decay.

With this miracle some rejected Jesus and started plotting to kill him. Do you accept Jesus as your Savior … or are you rejecting him?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 11

Matthew 9

Luke 7

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

What Do You Say?

Jesus Told Them What To Do

Scriptures:

John 4: 50

⁵⁰Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

John 5: 8

⁸Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

John 11: 43

⁴³Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”

Scripture Commentary:

These scriptures show us the power of God working through Jesus. He told one man to “Go back home. Your son will live!” And he told another to stand and walk. He didn’t have to touch them or have them do anything. He just spoke the word.

Even now, 2000 years later, if you believe, all Christ has to do is speak the word into your life. His Holy Spirit is with us. All you have to do is believe and ask.

John recorded these miracles so that we can see Christ’s power, both then and now. The government official believed without question. The man at the pool just took up his bed and walked away.

Do you know the sound of his voice?

In order to hear him you must first accept him into your life. Otherwise you don’t know who is speaking to you.

Do you know him?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 4, John 5, and John 11

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

Jesus Is the Door to Salvation

All Is Possible For Those Who Believe

Enter God’s House With A Pure Heart

Scripture: Ezekiel 44: 6-7

⁶You shall say to the rebellious ones, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Enough of all your repulsive acts, O house of Israel! ⁷In that you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to pollute and profane it—My house—when you offered My bread, the fat, and the blood; and ^[b]they made My covenant void —this in addition to all your other repulsive acts.

Scripture Commentary: Enter God’s house with thanksgiving.

Go into God’s house with a pure heart. Worship and serve God to the best of your ability. Don’t go in with your own agenda or with intentions to have your own way. Unfortunately, we take our individual agendas to church, making God’s house a place of constant bickering.

The above verses tell us to see and hear God’s ordinances concerning His house. When we have a problem or just need to talk to God, we need to go to Him humbly, seeking Him with a sincere heart. Don’t approach Him for your personal gain. Ezekiel’s vision was for believers to prepare themselves both physically and spiritually to worship God.

We need to prepare ourselves to worship God reverently and properly. Don’t just go through the motions of ritual performance. Approaching our Holy God must not be taken lightly. Disobedience will lead to God leaving His house, ensuring destruction of the sanctuary. God is holy, perfect and blameless.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Ezekiel 44

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Ezekiel:

Is Your Heart Set on Idols or on God?

The Wicked Find No Favor With God

God Needs No Rest

Scripture: Isaiah 40: 29-31

He gives strength to the weary, And to him who has no might He increases power. ³⁰ Even youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, ³¹But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.

Scripture Commentary: God does not grow tired.

When I was young I felt like I could run and play all day and not grow tired. I was on the cross country team where we ran 2.5 miles. I played tennis, racketball and golf. As I grew older I would get tired and had to stop and rest. No matter our physical condition, our body has limitations. Both our physical and mental gifts can take us only so far before we have to rest and restore ourselves.

God’s power and strength never falters or diminishes.

God, our Creator, needs no rest. He is almighty. God’s power and strength never falters or diminishes. Through adversity, God is our source of comfort and encouragement. We are not immune to suffering but with God’s help and direction we will come through stronger.

God is without limit.

God is the good shepherd who protects His flock. We, His children, are limited in knowledge. We cannot fully understand God but He is not limited in His understanding of us.

His love is for all of us. That is why He is called the Great Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, the Bread of Life, and The Light. He is the past, the present, and the future. He is everything – almighty!

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Isaiah 40

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Isaiah:

The Lord’s Glory Is Revealed

Call Upon the Lord and He Will Deliver You

Enter God’s House with Thanksgiving

Scripture: John 10: 1

“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from some other place [on the stone wall], that one is a thief and a robber.

Scripture Commentary: You can only enter the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

Most robbers won’t enter by the front door. If they do their intentions aren’t good. We come into contact with all types of people who have various intentions. Jesus gives truth and salvation to contrast the thief who only wants to harm or mislead you. What Christ offers is abundantly more full and eternal.

A self-centered person neither loves nor cares for you or anyone else. They are only out for themselves. Satan and his followers do what they do to enhance themselves.

Enter through the narrow gate that leads to eternal life.

Ezekiel 34:23 tells us of the Messiah, the good shepherd. Satan and his followers resent Jesus who stands at the gate of the pen protecting his flock. They know they can’t get at those who are protected. Jesus took away our sins when he died on the cross and rose on the third day. His protection is for eternity.

Christ’s death and resurrection are part of God’s plan for our salvation. Jesus gave his life for us on the cross. This was done by his consent. So when you follow Jesus, he leads you straight to his Father who sits on the heavenly throne.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 10

Ezekiel 34

Read Other Commentary From the Book of John:

God Is the Beginning of Everything

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled