One Year Bible - November 13

EZEKIEL 27:1 - 28:26                                                                                                     
TYRE: The Mistress of the Mediterranean with an insatiable desire for THINGS. (27:27) All those who bought and sold, called the "kings of the earth" in Rev 18, will wail and mourn over her loss.

THE PRINCE OF TYRE (28:1-10): Verses 2 and 9 say that this is a "MAN".  He makes the claims of deity: himself on the throne of his heart, human wisdom and understanding, riches, arrogance and conceit. This is the Spirit of Tyre (antichristian world-spirit) that Ezekiel is dealing with.  NOTE: A majority of the church world now looks on this and on Isaiah 14 as explaining the origin of Satan.  NOTE: These two portions of Scripture (Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 12) are the ONLY ones that have been used and twisted to make it look like the devil was once a holy angel.  God's throne and God's holiness did not NEED to be guarded by anyone or anything.   LUCIFER is not even a name in the Bible.  It is used in the Catholic Bible for the Hebrew word "heylel" which means "shining one".  Sometimes I think people want a devil who "fell" into sin so they won't feel so bad when they do it!

BUT WHAT IF GOD CREATED SATAN JUST LIKE HE IS?  God is sovereign and responsible for all things.  He is in charge of the universe - - - not Satan, not man.  If God did NOT create Satan, and did NOT intend for Satan to offer opposition, then He is not in control and cannot determine the outcomes.  When God created light, He also created darkness.  When He created day, He also created night.  God is in control, and nothing happens that He does not have in His plan and He knows how this will all end.  So, why did God put opposition and resistance in the world?   So WHY?  (1) Opposition and testing builds spiritual muscle and strengthens our faith.  (2) Opposition gives us the opportunity to share Jesus' victory.

THE KING OF TYRE: ADAM IN EDEN: (28:11-19)  This is just a glimpse of Man's heart, one that is "desperately wicked and deceitful" (Jer 17:9).  "The anointed cherub that covered" was originally the OX,  one of the four living creatures (Ezek 1).  Adam was God's covering for the earth!  Iniquity was found in Adam, tho he had walked up and down in Eden with God.  He tried to OWN what God gave him to have STEWARDSHIP over.  Adam's heart was lift up and he corrupted his wisdom.  Adam was cast out of the garden and brought down to the curse of the dust.  He defiled his sanctuary (himself) and corrupted his walk with God.

ZIDON: The 7th nation to be destroyed for following the footsteps of Tyre and mocking Jerusalem. It was the headquarters for the idolatrous and filthy worship of Baal, Ashtaroth and Tammuz.  They shall know that God is in charge of the nations.

RESPONSE: The real issue is now and always has been: WHO IS IN CHARGE?  Has God lost control of His creation? Has He relinquished control of it?  If He is in control, then why am I responsible for what I DON'T DO?  That's what Romans is all about - why we are all without excuse.  The fear of God is so that I always know that my actions have consequences and I am accountable.  Obviously God does not tolerate opposition to His plan, and we should be warned about NOT living to please God.

HEBREWS 11:17-31                                                                                                     
CONTINUITY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF FAITH:  (Being "in faith" is being "in rest".) Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses were all pushing ahead for the same goal: being found in "God's Rest",  the obedience of faith,  even if it meant suffering - because their faith was defined as the "substance and evidence of the unseen world".  Visible things are also temporal, passing away, and lack "substance".  These generations all lived as if God were presence and visible.  They had all obtained the "Life lived by faith" (Heb 10:38; Hab 2:4).  They trusted God in this life and in the resurrected life beyond the grave.  Faith transcends death!  We have ALREADY been resurrected (a "better resurrection"); and we shall never die! (John 11:26; 1 Cor 15:22;2 Cor 5:8) That is their secret. The visible, temporal things in life became IRRELEVANT. Another secret to faith is that it demands perseverance in the midst of unbelieving people. God must be our focus all the time.  Faith is a distinction that sets us apart. Rahab stood out among the unbelieving Jericho-ites, and lived by faith.  Faith takes courage and perseverance!  Moses' testimony specifically tells us that our worst day with Jesus, is STILL BETTER than our best day without Him!

RESPONSE: My biggest opposition comes from my own feelings.  My ugly feelings come from my perception of truth.  When I keep my focus on the goodness and greatness of God, my thoughts protect me and keep me "girded with truth" (Eph 6:14).  When I think I have to "be good" in order to be considered righteous and "in fellowship with God", my confidence with God fails me and I start thinking dark thoughts about myself.  It is "work" to walk in faith - not "works" - but the labour of staying in God's rest (Heb 4:11).   When I feel myself slipping (like Hebrews says - discouragement, carelessness, apathy, drifting, not caring), then I quickly raise my hands and my voice and begin pressing toward God.  My righteousness comes from Jesus! It is entirely by grace! If I mix grace and works, there is no place for faith to work!  My life is centered ALL on the grace of God.  vSometimes I surprise people at Wal-Mart!  I surprise them in my kitchen!   I continuously reach and grab for what's INVISIBLE and draw it to me because I am confident that those things are also PERMANENT and ETERNAL!  If I look at myself and my circumstances, I won't have what it takes for the "better" things of Hebrews.  Thank God that what God has provided is all "ETERNAL".

PSALM 111:1-10                                                                                                    
This is one of the "Deuteronomy" Psalms, making it about "Living by faith in the Rest (the Land) of God".  I love this last section of Psalms, because it tells me how to think  and what to say so I can rest, and believe and behave by faith.  This Psalm demonstrates how to "delight ourselves in the Lord".  We speak of His excellence, His splendor, His magnificence, His covenant-keeping faithfulness, the "works of His hands",  the fact that nothing God does will pass away. He is the eternal One.

PROVERBS 27:15-16                                                                                          
An argumentative, criticizing wife can't be avoided. In fact, she can't be hidden either.

RESPONSE: I think a wife who is always criticizing her family members is probably in a lot of emotional pain and has issues with trust. This can only be healed by trusting Jesus - which comes from training your own emotions that it is the right things to do, and it is the beneficial thing to do. This is done through speaking out loud to your own heart - dwelling on God's goodness and God's greatness. He is faithful and He knows our hearts. We can't hide from Him.

One Year Bible - November 12

EZEKIEL 24:1 - 26:21                                                                                                  
MARK THE DATE: "The delight of Ezekiel's eyes" was obviously his wife, just as Jerusalem and the Temple were the delight of Judah's eyes.  Both were taken in one overwhelming blow on the same day.  Ezekiel was wounded by the stoke of God and not allowed any outward expression of grief, and now he must finish his ministry in a state of hidden grief.  The people were not allowed to mourn or grieve for Jerusalem.  The sorrow is too great for words - Ezekiel would be stupefied dumb for almost three years during the siege.  The date was exactly set and Ezekiel made a note of it because now it was personal.  What remained of the city was killed or taken captive. The great loss of the temple and the nation is too deep for tears.

JUDGMENT AGAINST THE GLOATING NATIONS (Chap 25-32):  "The nations" represent the mind of the flesh, the self-life, the world-spirit that is antichristian (Rom 8:7; James 4:4).  These prophesies were given two years after the siege was over and Jerusalem was destroyed.  Seven nations were singled out for condemnation for delighting in Jerusalem's demise. The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel all have similar lists.  One day, the Lord will gather His people from all these nations, His glory will be over all and He will be there in the midst of His creation.

AMMON: They are descendants of Lot, and therefore represent a MIXTURE of our flesh and the spirit. The carnal mind and world-spirit lords it over us and wants the adulation and commitment that is meant for God. It is seductive because of its appearance of power and its ability to intimidate us. .

MOAB: Incestuous descendants of Lot. They accused Judah of being no different than a pagan (sound familiar?). Haughtiness and secret delight in someone else's misfortune is unseemly. Because of their contempt they would be turned over along with the Ammonites to marauders.

EDOM: They are descendants of Esau, who represents the FLESH, and are related closer to Israel than the other two nations. David had conquered and almost annihilated them, and so they took advantage of this situation to avenge themselves.

PHILISTIA: Our perpetual enemy - the flesh. They, too, were motivated by revenge. Consider the damage that bitterness and vengefulness can produce in our hearts. The acid of resentment brought judgment on themselves. Vengeance is idolatry, taking the place of God.

TYRE: Tyre and Sidon were two chief cities of Phoenicia. During the reign of David and Solomon, Israel had a good relationship with these cities, who in fact, contributed to the building of the Temple. By the time of Ezekiel, Tyre was selling Jews for slaves and mocked the fall of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre for 13 years and finally subjugated it. Tyre represents the arrogance and pride, and materialistic greed of demonic influence. God judged Tyre because Tyre took financial advantage of the situation.

RESPONSE:   1 Peter 4:15-16, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."  We are not to render evil for evil. In fact, in Matt 5:39 Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."  We leave judgment in the hands of God.

This is because the OT figures of our enemies does not represent people, but THE FLESH. We "revenge all disobedience" (2 Cor 10:6) of our natural minds.  We don't tolerate any opposition to the Spirit.  Any antichristian thoughts, ideas, attitudes, reasonings, opinions, affections, intentions, etc. etc. must be avenged.  God will help us by His Spirit and by His Word, and by circumstances of life.  Every circumstance becomes an opportunity to deny the flesh, thus avenging ourselves.

HEBREWS 11:1-16                                                                                                      
WHAT EXACTLY IS FAITH? The context of Hebrews is how faith works in difficult situations. Faith directs our response to Truth. Faith is rightly resting on Truth.  What we really believe, determines what we do, and how and why we do it.  Hebrews 11 tells us that faith is the "substance" and the "evidence" of invisible Realities.  The physical realm is a "shadow" of the spiritual realm and has no true substance.  The visible realm is external, temporary, corruptible, shakable, changing.  The invisible, spiritual realm of Grace and Truth is internal, eternal, unchanging, unshakable, and incorruptible.  Faith is NOT a subjective attitude, but an objective, decisive commitment based on Truth.   It is confidence in the Reality of our Invisible God.  Faith is NOT "non-doubting", but is a demonstration that the invisible is our reality, and everything visible is a shadow and is temporary.  Being "in faith" is what it means to "Rest".  It is living life in the awareness of those invisible realities - God and what God has promised. True faith possesses, it does not "claim" anything!  Faith holds fast to God as if He were visible and Present, obeying Him and then leaving the outcomes to God.

"RESTING" BY BEING "IN FAITH": Chapter 11 is where "the tire meets the road".  It explains exactly what is so much "better" about living by faith.  In Chap 11 there are three (3) "better"s: 11:16 "better country"; 11:35 "better resurrection"; 11:40 "better thing".  They all point to the same thing: resting in the Presence of God both here and after the resurrection.  We can go through anything when we know that God is with us, and that God will ultimately triumph.  The ultimate reality that our faith rests on is the resurrection of Jesus and our own resurrection.   The reason we have victory over suffering, over rejection, over death, over hostility, even over martyrdom, is because our faith rests on the resurrection! Even in Heb 11:35, where some elderly women raised dead sons from the dead, that was only a temporary resurrection.  Those sons still died at some point.  The "better resurrection" refers to being resurrected into the immediate, manifested presence of God at the Throne of heaven.  Being "in faith" , believing that God is Present, gives rest.  Feeling disconnected from God, alienated from God, brings UNrest. 

THE LIST....... What I find interesting about the list of "faith heroes" in Hebrews 11, is that being "in faith" does not guarantee that I won't suffer! Or die!  Or be on the bottom of the pile! In fact, being "in faith" almost guarantees that we will suffer all kinds of hostility, precisely because we don't attach undue importance to visible things, and because we live as if the Unseen God were Present (which He is, in fact).  But just look at what our faith is resting upon: the Reality of God, and that fact that God keeps His promises - a foundational promise being that of the "better resurrection". 

CHARACTERISTICS OF FAITH: These human examples are given to show the continuity of our faith from OT to NT, and to demonstrate the characteristics of faith.  These are manifestations or outward evidences of what takes place when we "rest". Abel:  Abel was declared to be "righteous".  His righteousness was a GIFT that he inherited because He pleased God with his faith, receiving "a good report" from God. Abel's faith got him killed, but his faith also reveals God's faithfulness beyond the grave.   Enoch:  pleased God by his faith and did not die. While Abel suffered and DIED "by faith", Enoch escaped death "by faith".  Enoch's faith enabled him to "walk with God" - he lived as tho' God were present and visible.  Noah:  also inherited "righteousness which is by faith". "  Remember, righteous is a GIFT and it is perfect righteousness because it is "the righteousness of God".  It is interesting to note here that in v. 7 that the opposite of righteousness is "judgment" (condemned and destroyed).  The righteousness of God is divine approval.  Another characteristic of faith that Noah demonstrates is OBEDIENCE, especially in the midst of opposition, because he trusted in things "unseen".   Abraham:   Abraham connects you and me to the OT promises concerning "the Land" and "the blessing".  V. 13-17 tell us that "the Land", the inheritance, and the promises" ARE NOT CANAAN!   (In fact, Joshua 23:14 tells us that all those temporal, external fulfillments concerning the Land have already been fulfilled!) In fact, Hebrews 11 tells us that the REAL "land" is "a city... whose Builder and Maker is God." This is referring to God's Presence - where we can dwell right now, by faith! Faith demanded that Abraham separate (make a distinction) himself from the unbelieving world.  The main characteristic of faith demonstrated by Abraham and Sarah is Gr: "dunamis" - strength to obey and fulfill God's plan and purpose for our lives.   

A "GOOD REPORT":  Hebrews 11:2; 4; 39-40 lets us know that all the OT saints "were assured of God's promises, embraced them, and called themselves strangers and pilgrims" on the earth because of their faith in the "better resurrection" - life beyond this temporal, visible life.  The words "good report" are just one word in the original language: "martureo" or "martus", from which we get the word "martyr."  It means "bear witness to".  Here GOD is the one giving testimony: that faith always triumphs because of the resurrection!  Faith triumphs over suffering, over ridicule, over rejection, over death, over every circumstance - whether we, by faith, bring order or righteousness to a situation, or whether we are martyred for our stand. Either way is a victory! The whole chapter is "a good report" about "the just living by faith" (10:38-39)!

RESPONSE:   Our faith is based on Truth, on the reality of the invisible world.  Wouldn't you rather base your life on what is really real - than on something that won't even be here in a few years?  Everything we can see is passing away!  But not the "better" things and the "eternal" things of Hebrews.  If we continue to live by rules, by external religion, by self-interest and self-preservation, we forfeit all the "better things".  My mother used to say, "if it won't matter in 100 years, it doesn't matter."  That's because most of what we are so involved in, won't be here in 100 years!  It is "passing away", just like Hebrews says.  So we must "live by faith" and enter into "God's Rest" so that we can also receive "a good report".  Let my life testify of the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.  Because He is enough for me, any external loss becomes irrelevant.

PSALM 110:1-7                                                                                                                

This is the most-quoted passage in the Bible.  It describes the authority and power of the king-priest ministry of Jesus and His followers.  That is why Melchizedek is mentioned here - one of only three places in the Bible (Genesis & Hebrews), Melchizedek being a king-priest.  The "womb of the morning" and "Zion" both refer to the presence of God.  The king-priest is one who lives as if God is present and visible.  He "rules" from that position, "judging among the heathen" with courage, strength, authority, willingness, submission to Jesus Christ. 


PROVERBS 27:14                                           
Exaggerated praise and flattery bring a curse back on the person who utters them, in that people despise him for uttering them.

RESPONSE:   I think it is fitting that our first glimpse of Melchizedek shows him serving (Gen 14:18-19). Being a king is not about privilege, but about responsibility. This is why it is important to blend the two ministries: priest and king. To be a king without priesthood would make us tyrants. And, to "rule" (which really means "to shepherd") without being "in the womb of the morning" - or in God's Presence, leads to self-interest.  God must always be the center of our lives and of everything we do. 

One Year Bible - November 11

EZEKIEL 23:1-49                                                                                                        

REALLY GROSS HARLOTRY:  Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom; Jerusalem the capital of the Southern Kingdom. They are the "harlot sisters", children of Israel, the "mother of harlots" (Rev 17:5). "Bloodshed and harlotry" :  they killed their prophets and prostituted themselves with the nations and their idols.  We see God revealed here as the Husband of His "elect".  Friendship (if you can call it that) with the world-spirit is called "harlotry".  They were called "lewd", so insatiable is their appetite for "things of the world" (1 Jo 2:15).  Spiritual unfaithfulness carries the seeds of punishment right in it; it is called "consequences".  It is impossible for us to be completely satisfied with the substitute lovers we have chosen.  Not only that, but our lovers become our punishment!  Our "pleasure" becomes the thing that gives us pain.  The things of the world that we love will be raised up against us, driving us back to God.  Nothing will satisfy us then, but to be with Jesus.  We are dead to all our old lovers, but alive unto God (Rom 6:22).

RESPONSE:   This is so disgusting that I wanted to check to be sure I was still in my Bible!  We need to see our substitutes for God for what they really are!  When we lust for food, for excitement, for thrills, for booze, for power, or whatever "rings our bells", we are like those "old whores"!  I will never look at forbidden candy the same way again.

HEBREWS 10:18-39                                                                                                         
If we left our flesh to do whatever it wanted to do with us, we would wander away from God.  Our tendency is to do whatever is convenient at the time.  We are especially prone to resist the rest of God, because it is not available by fleshly means.  And so, in Hebrews chapter10, three times says, "Let us..."  This isn't just a suggestion, it is a command:  (V.22) "draw near" without fear because God NEVER thinks about our sin or guilt.  (V.23) "hold fast" without fear because God is FAITHFUL, even if we are not.  (V.24) "keep an eye on one another" without being critical, but rather encouraging each other to continue on.  And stay together!

FOURTH "WARNING": (Heb 10:26-39)  It is interesting to note that Jesus said (Heb 10:5) that He came to prepare a Body in the earth, that reflects Himself....and over here in v. 26 we are warned against thinking outside of that Body!  To refuse to join with other Believers and try to "go it alone" - is to despise the WHOLE GODHEAD: Father, Son and Holy Spirit!  What was happening here was what we call "guilt by association".  There is persecution associated with being a Christian believer, and if you are associating with other believers, they assumed that you ARE one!  To refuse to pay the price as a believer is to insult God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.......all of Who are working together to mold us together as One Body.  This portion of Hebrews is speaking of those who try to hide the fact that they are Christian Believers when they are out in public, so they won't suffer persecution or rejection. 

ABOUT FAITH.....:  There are only two positions:  Living by faith OR  "drawing back unto perdition/ruin".  Our lives are ruined if we draw back from living by faith.  We sometimes feel as if our lives are being ruined when we DO walk by faith because of the accompanying persecution and rejection that comes.  Doing the "will of God" (v.3) doesn't always bring an immediate result.  Real faith is always tested by delay.  It takes faith AND patience to receive "the promise".  Heb 4:1 tells us that "the promise" is "God's rest".  Heb 6:15 says that through "faith and patience", Abraham "obtained the promise".  Abraham's promise was the Land.  It is thru Abraham that we and Jesus have the claim on the Land - which Hebrews declares is "God's rest", and is also interpreted in Heb 10:39 as the "saving of the soul".  It says here that I can handle the rejection and the insults and the persecution when I live like a Christian believer because I have "a better and enduring substance in heaven".

What is that "better and enduring substance?"  Heb 11:1 says the "substance" is the essence of faith - what faith is made up of. Heb 1:3 translates the same word "Person" - Jesus is the "substance" of God.  Our "better substance" our "promise" is God's rest and the perks that come with it: "rightgeous, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." 

Now that you mentioned it: what is the "saving of the soul"?  Jam 1:21; 1 Pet 1:9 also speak of the "saving of the soul".  Heb 4:12 talks of dividing the spirit from the soul as being possible ONLY by the Word of God, and for the intentions of provoking growth in us as the flesh dies.  The NT Greek word for "soul" is "psuche" which is also translated "life" in Matt 10:34-39; Mar 8:34-35; Luk 17:31-33; John 12:24-25, where we learn the "salvation of the soul" is actually when it is handed over to DIE - when we deny it, refuse to be swayed by it, disregard it as unworthy of obedience.

RESPONSE:   Faith is based on hearing God's voice in His Word, in our hearts, thru someone or something around us. "Faith" and "believe" are the same word, actually. To have faith is to believe God.  Others can tell what you really believe by what you do!  Do you fall apart when you receive bad news?  What is your first reaction to rejection because of your faith in Jesus?  Are you easily swayed by public opinion?  I don't know if I could "take joyfully" (v.34) the "spoiling of my stuff" - whether it was stolen or vandalized.  Maybe if I KNEW it was because I am an outspoken Christian believer, it might be easier - because I'd know it didn't happen because I had done something or said something stupid.

Here we also learn that the opposite of living by faith is to draw away from Truth to where God does not "have pleasure" in us any more!  On the other hand, when we obey God, we give Him pleasure and sometimes I can actually feel His pleasure in me!

PSALM 109:1-31                                                                                                                
Remember that Psa 109 is one of the "Deuteronomy" Psalms, making it about "Living by faith in the Rest (the Land) of God".   I love this last section of Psalms, because it tells me how to think so I can rest, and believe and behave by faith. Psa 109 is the last of what are called "imprecatory Psalms" - prayers that call down judgment on our enemies. This particular one is about JUDAS, the betrayer of Jesus. The principle here is that betrayal and character assassination cause pain, but God will vindicate us, and we must never defend ourselves. The curses that this prayer call down are actually the fruit of the enemy's own choices and deeds. They forfeited away the goodness of God.

PROVERBS 27:13                                                                                                           
If you are making a loan to someone you don't know very well, you better make sure you get plenty collateral!  Myself, whenever I loan ANYONE money, I consider it a "gift".   It works like forgiveness, with the forgiver bearing the loss.  This is how we get wisdom thru experience.

RESPONSE:   Philippians is the book that tells us to (1) Never defend ourselves; (2) Never demands our own rights or our own way; (3) Never complain.  We have to keep reminding ourselves that when the OT tells us to kill all our enemies, it is speaking of our own flesh with its desires lurking in our members.  The flesh is what gets us to betray our covenant with God, and so it must be dealt with, without mercy.   In fact, of all our enemies as listed by various Bible texts: the world, the flesh and the devil, the flesh is the only one we are told to kill or to avenge ourselves against.  That death, or crucifixion, comes when we deny the flesh, or when we submit and obey God when something in our flesh is telling us not to.  When the world rejects us or slanders us, or even oppresses or hinders us in some way, if we were wrong, then we go to the person and repent.  If we were being persecuted wrongly for our faith, then we rejoice as we share in Christ's sufferings.

I have trouble with my own brain persecuting me. Whenever I have to do a distasteful job, like cleaning a toilet, my flesh tells me, "You deserve better than this. Make someone else do it." So, it is important to keep our heads straight by studying the Word of God and listening to the Holy Spirit.

One Year Bible - November 10

EZEKIEL 21:1 - 22:31                                                                                                      OVERTURN, OVERTURN, OVERTURN": (21:26-27)  The devil and his crowd have been brought low three ways: body, soul, and spirit.  Power and authority were taken from Zedekiah and retained by the Father until the day He sent His Son (Col 2:15).  Zedekiah is "profane", worse than the king of Babylon, and his day has come.  Israel would be blotted out and the Ammonites would be judged in their own land by "brutish men", fire and sword, and then blotted out also.

"THE SWORD OF THE LORD":  When mercy and grace didn't win us, God used the sword.  It is actually Nebuchadnezzar's sword as the means of judgment. "Sword" is used 14 times in this chapter.  Jesus said He came to "bring a sword" (Mat 10:34).  As Joshua entered the Land, as Jesus began His ministry, and again in Revelation, Jesus appears with a sword in His hand.  The "Sword of the Lord" is symbolic of His assertion of power and authority in judgment.   It doesn't mean that God is in heaven, leaning down to swing the sword this way and that way, killing all who stand in the way, although it may appear that way.   But He uses our enemies to wield the sword against us. 

GUILTY OF BLOODSHED:  Matt 23:31-37, Jesus said: "So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,..."

Nothing has changed.  Ezekiel's people turned their backs on God, and the bunch in the NT killed Him!  The City of Blood had nothing of value in it any more.  The refining furnace could find nothing but dross in Israel - it all melted and was disposed of.

PROPHETS, PRIESTS, PRINCES, & PEOPLE: (22:23-31)  Leadership failure! ...This is the big reason why the church found itself in this condition.  When that happens, there is no real ministry, no discernment, no true authority.  No man to stand in the gap as an intercessor to plead with God to spare the Land.

"I will remove your filthiness out of you." (22:15) The purpose of discipline of the righteous is to cleanse, not to destroy.  The fire consumes all that is flammable - the works of the flesh, ("wood, hay and stubble" - 1 Co 3:12-15) and leaves us with what came from God: eternal things that aren't corrupt.   The afflictions of the righteous are the opportunity to rid us of corruption, of the flesh, of the self-life. God's keen eye knows there is gold and silver in us!

RESPONSE:   When I am actually going THROUGH THE FIRE, I don't think of it as a good thing. It isn't until later that I can see the value of it. In fact, in a later trial, I am amazed at the change that had come in me!  My reactions (attitudes) to circumstances are changing.  I don't realize that God had scrubbed something off until I "missed it"!   This is why it is so important to use these opportunities to deny our flesh (and let it die) when they come. We lay our lives down over and over again, until those fleshly things finally die.  Then we lay our lives down again when the opportunity comes. Paul said, "I die daily" (1 Cor 15:31).   Today's trials (opportunities to die) are preparation for tomorrow's trials.  When we see the changes take place, we rejoice because Jesus did it all!  We just lay down our lives.  If we don't lay our lives down as a sacrifice, they will be wasted.

HEBREWS 10:1-17                                                                                                                 

OUT WITH THE OLD (chap 8)....IN WITH THE NEW (chap 9-10):  While this is speaking of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, it also speaks to our generation about the old way we lived (trying to please God, trying to do better, etc.) and the way that Hebrews is encouraging us to live - by faith in the "eternal covenant, eternal redemption, et al".

WHY WE REJECT OR LOSE THE "NEW": From the first chapters of Hebrews, we see that living by faith, driven by our love for God, is something we must "labour, strive, fight" for. The evidence of living by faith is our "entrance into the Land" , which is the "Rest" of God.  Living by faith brings rest because we trust God with the outcomes. This kind of living takes practice, repetition, the formation of new "good" habits (Rom 12:21).  This process is called "sanctification". The alternative is to try harder, resulting in frustration, fear, and failure.  The "five warnings of Hebrews"  tell us why we stay in such a negative condition: Heb 2:3 warns us of apathy, carelessness, and indifference.  Life by faith requires an aggressive pursuit, along with the acknowledgment that details and "small stuff" does matter.  Heb 3:7-4:1 warns us of "an evil heart of unbelief".  Self-preservation and bitterness cause us to betray Truth because we want to preserve our flesh, leading to hardness of heart (unbelief).  We have to "hold fast" to the Truths of God's goodness and greatness by constantly instructing our hearts.  Heb 6:4-6 warns of the impossibility of continually "starting over" as Christians.  We can't keep "getting saved" so we can start over. Our sin has been removed and forgotten.  Forget the wasted years and go on, using your spiritual knowledge for life's situations.  Allow your fleshly deeds to be burned, and keep pressing toward God.  Heb 10:26-31 warns of loss, not doom, when we refuse to pay the price of being identified as part of Jesus' Body.  We get to this condition from despising the rewards of being faithful to the Lord, as not being worthwhile.  Desiring to escape man's judgment, we fall into the "hands of the living God"¸which leads to loss of rewards, and even death. Heb 12:12-29 There is grace (God's enablement) for every situation of our lives if we would press past our flesh and focus on the goodness and greatness of God. When we despise this "Rest" (as being too difficult to get into or as not worth the trouble), and choose to complain and indulge our flesh instead, we have to settle for what is temporary or earthly and fleshly, because the eternal rewards are lost to us.

THE "ALTERNATIVE" TO ENTERING INTO THE REST: It is NOT hell. ( NOTE: Moses went to heaven, but not into the Land.)  The alternative to "rest"  is a frustrating, guilt-ridden life in the here-and-now. There is more to the Christian life than just being saved from hell. We must also LIVE SAVED, by faith in Truth. What is at stake here is not heaven, but forfeiture and loss of God's Rest of faith. Chapter 10 of Hebrews contrasts it like this:

FIRST/OLD COVENANT (ALTERNATIVE TO FAITH)        NEW COVENANT (LIFE OF REST
v.1: a shadow (outward appearance) of what's real              Spiritual reality (inward working)
v.1-4 Sin-consciousness and focus            God-consciousness, sin removed & forgotten
Guilt and condemnation                                                    Freedom from guilt & condemnation
v.1&14 Cannot "make perfect" - effect inner change             Sanctified by His Blood
Tries to be holy                                                                 Christ is my Righteousness
Led by senses, reason, "standards", fear.                          Led by faith in "better promises".
Sacrifice & rituals (repeated cycles)                               New & living way to God's Presence
Impossible to remove sin                                                       Remission of sin
"Passing away" - external & temporary                                Eternal & never-changing
Restricts the flesh & tries to control it.                             Image of Jesus being formed in me -
                                                                                          I live by His Life in me.
Fear and lack of intimacy                                                     Boldness in God's Presence
Taken away (violently by force)                                                   Established for eternity

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: Heb 10:5: "As Jesus was coming into the earth (womb)" -   Literally, as He made the passage from heaven to earth, these were His words to His Father: He (Jesus) was coming to earth to enact the Father's will and purpose: to bring forth a Body; "many sons", who would be the image of Jesus in the world.  In order to do that, Jesus "taketh away the first, that He may establish the second."

RESPONSE:   I have been caught up in that cycle so many of us are in: sin → repent → try harder → sin again → repent, etc. (sounds like Romans 7, huh?) That cycle is the result of being sin-conscious. We are behaving as though we were "under the law".  Freedom from sinning is from being God-conscious, knowing He has removed and "forgotten" our sin, our condemnation, and our guilt.  Jesus is the Righteous One IN me. I live by His Life in me, not my own life.  This redemption is "everlasting" or "eternal” (Heb 9:12).  When I try to control my flesh, I am doomed to failure.  The flesh has to be denied and crucified.  It can't be repaired or restored!  Hebrews 6:1 says to "go on" from "the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.."  Now our repentance is about being self-sufficient, about relying on the law to control our flesh outwardly, about unbelief.... NOT about specific deeds.  The OT word for "repentance" is to "turn" - to turn toward God and cling to Him.  Re-connect with Him as being a branch to His Vine.  If you haven't done that, then you really haven't repented.

Jesus is teaching me how to be a true servant.   When confronted with that, I have trouble with being self-centered and selfish.  I don't like being at someone's "beck-and-call" all the time. Sometimes when I am expected to drop everything and do something for someone else, I feel resentful.  (After all, I was having time with God.)  As soon as I detect that resentment, I am tempted to think, "You aren't such a great Christian, after all!" "What would people think if they could hear your thoughts now?"   So now, I have learned to open my mouth IMMEDIATELY and start singing, "Jesus, You are wonderful. Jesus, you are my strength, my help, my ability, my know-how. You are worth every sacrifice. I give you all of me. I want all of You."  You know what I mean................whatever it takes to turn my mind back toward God and connect to Him.  I must "strive to enter the rest".  That's how I do it most of the time.  Sometimes I do a little dance.  Sometimes I laugh out loud.  How do you do it?

PSALM 108:1-13                                                                                                             
When pressure comes against us, (and it does) we must be "immovable" ("fixed").  We must not give in to the flesh.  It seems like there is always some kind of pressure to say the wrong thing, to complain, to argue, to lose my temper, to get lazy, to defend myself, to want candy, to think I deserve the credit for something, etc.  How does one get his heart "fixed" during pressure?  Heb 13:9 says it is established "with grace" - with God's enablement.  This means I must keep my focus on God's goodness and greatness.  This Psalm tells us we can be confident that God owns it all, and He will act in my behalf....as I force my heart into a fixed position by speaking Truth to myself....God is calling out His army and will "tread down our enemies."

PROVERBS 27:12                                                                                                            
Oftentimes evil can be foreseen. When it is, the "prudent man" (cautious man) seeks safety until the evil passes by.  A fool can't be bothered to change anything he's doing.

RESPONSE:   To "fix my heart" - to attach it to God so it can't be moved - requires God's grace, not another rule of action. We can't really change anyone's mind or make others think like we do. Psa 108:12 says that "man's help is vain" - it is unsatisfactory. There are three rules in Philippians that we should never forget: (1) Never defend yourself. (2) Never demand your rights. (3) Never complain. Those things are OPPOSITE to being "fixed" - connected to God as our Source of strength, protection, nurture, being cherished.  If we do not fix our hearts to God, we will be shaken and unstable. This is because external things are temporary and are passing away.

One Year Bible - November 9

EZEKIEL 20:1-49                                                                                                           

LAST WORDS: (Chap 20-23 - Last prophesies before the FALL): The Land is the Land of the Spirit, the Land of the Presence of God, the place of being in the Rest of God by faith.  (See Heb 3 and 4) To walk and talk with God any time we want. To feel His love, His strength, His mercy. And Ezekiel's people have thrown it all away. They rebelled and were idolatrous in Egypt. They rebelled in the desert, not keeping the commands or the Sabbath. The new generation was warned not to do like their fathers, but rebelled anyway, even in the Land. They did not keep the Law or the sabbath, and they became idolaters.  Now they are being scattered to the nations, where they will be WEANED from their sin. The rebels will be purged out, the others "bound" by covenant to God.  Judah will be destroyed by the fires of judgment because it is polluted. The elders hardened their hearts and told Ezekiel they couldn't understand him!  With that excuse, they avoided applying the message to themselves.

RE-GATHERED: Re-gathered, to return with Ezra and Nehemiah.  But ultimately, the re-gathering with the new heart and new spirit will happen ONLY WITH JESUS and the "everlasting covenant".

RESPONSE:   Sometimes I think I have to be hit over the head with a board before I "get it" . I can rationalize sin and justify bad behavior sometimes, and get deceived about what I'm doing. But God is faithful, and He doesn't let it go on long.  This is why it is a good idea to repent immediately because then we don't have a chance to think up a good excuse.   Also, when we delay repentance, we begin hardening our hearts. Then it takes a "hard hit" to get our attention!  We don't want sin to become habitual.  We can no longer sin with impunity, or do whatever we want any more.  We cannot act like ordinary people or go our own way.  Sin is not the same in us as it is with those who belong to the devil (2 John 3:8-10).  We will be corrected.  We are bound to God and He is bound to us.  He is our Father.

HEBREWS 9:11-28                                                                                                         
FIVE "ETERNAL'S" OF HEBREWS (exclusively):  (5:9) Eternal Salvation: Jesus was the slain Lamb in eternity and salvation was all worked out before the foundations of the earth (Rev 13:8; 1Pet 1:20; Eph 1:4, et al). That makes salvation "eternal".  Jesus' work on the cross is called "perfect" ("complete") in Hebrews 5.  Nothing more can be added to it. (6:2) Eternal judgment: For the believer, judgment has been made against Jesus on our behalf.  It is just as eternal as our salvation.  Our "works" now get judged, mostly as we go along, fleshly works burning and redemptive works bringing rewards both now and later.  These "works" are the result or evidence of salvation, not the means.  (9:12) Eternal redemption: By His Blood, Jesus made redemption for us once for all. There is no longer any need for sacrifice for our salvation.  My husband puts it like this: We owe a huge sin-debt.  Every year, the OT priests made an interest payment, but never were able to pay anything on the debt itself. Jesus picked up all the I.O.U.'s!  The debt is gone.  Jesus assumed the loss in Himself.  (9:14) Eternal Spirit:  We all know that the Holy Spirit, being God, is eternal.  The point being made here is that the Holy Spirit eternally "purges our conscience from dead works".  He removes the guilt. We go free.  God does not deal with us as guilty sinners anymore!  (9:15) Eternal inheritance: Our inheritance is NOT HEAVEN!  Heaven isn't even our reward.  It is our HOME. Our inheritance is "the Land" - which Hebrews has shown is "God's Rest by faith".  It is our call to live in God's Presence for all eternity (which is NOW).  We inherit because Jesus died, not because we have died!

"BETTER SACRIFICE": (9:23)  The OT tabernacle with its sacrificial system was just a "figure": a corresponding illustration of something invisible.  This is why Moses was cautioned to make it exactly the way God showed him.  The tabernacle was a visible representation of heaven itself!  Jesus, as our High Priest, BY HIMSELF, went once into the Holy of Holies in heaven, and placed His blood on the heavenly mercy seat for all time.  He "put away sin" - He cancelled it, disannulled it, brought it to nothing "by the sacrifice of Himself".  The "end of the world" (9:26) refers to the end of Judaism, the Temple and its rituals.  Jesus has come!  The effects of His sacrifice is eternal, making it "better" than that of bulls and goats.  Jesus was the last sacrifice.  All God's wrath was wrung out on Jesus as He hung dying on the Cross.  IT IS FINISHED!

RESPONSE:  Some people like to think that Hebrews is primarily about the "Five Warnings" against apostasy. I believe Hebrews is about the "Five Eternal's" that are found only in Hebews.  (There is another in Heb 13:20 that is found elsewhere).  I don't believe that salvation is what is at stake here in Hebrews!  It is "the Land", which chapters 3 and 4 tell us is "God's Rest" that comes as we live by faith.  Living by faith means to release the outcomes to God.  Living by faith means to place our confidence in the "eternals" of Hebrews. Ask yourself: Is Moses in heaven?  I believe so, as evidenced by his appearance on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luk 9:30).  Did he enter the Land? No. Is he still "saved"?  Of course he is. Can you be saved, but miss out on something important? I believe that's what Hebrews is all about - don't forfeit God's Rest, that comes with a life of faith.  Keep the context in mind: Hebrews is the first in the series of NT books "all about faith".  God's Rest (in this life) can be forfeited by unbelief, by "drifting away" (excuses), by fear, by ignorance.  Living in God's Presence is "better" because our inheritance is a life of freedom instead of bondage, joy for sorrow, peace for anxiety and fear, confidence in Jesus' righteousness on our behalf, knowing we are loved and blessed by God.

PSALM 107:1-43                                                                                                                

Speaking of "the Land",  here we are at the beginning of the "Deuteronomy Psalms" (107-150).  On the threshold of the Land, you would think there would be some warfare instructions, but instead, we find in Deuteronomy the word, "Remember".  In a time with no writing tablets, no television or radio, "remembering" was done orally.  We must "remember" out loud - especially today when there is too much information coming at us. Remember what?  Psa 107 says to remember how God led us to Himself, dealt with us in our spiritual growth, humbled us so we'd depend on Him, and how He protected us, to dwell in His Presence beginning right now.  Remember, this is not speaking of entering heaven - but of entering and living in God's Presence NOW, by our walk of faith.

As we come into God's Presence every moment of every day, "the sacrifice of praise" is our entrance fee - it opens our own hearts, not God's (His is already open).  Then, four times (v. 6, 13, 19, 28) it says that when they cried out to God, God delivered them from their troubles.  Did they (we) deserve it? NO!  Did they (we) work for it?  NO! Does it say that they (we) regretted their sin? NO!  But they did turn toward God when they "cried".  True repentance is when we turn from being self-sufficient and learn to lean on and depend on God. 

V. 9 says "He satisfies the longing soul, fills the hunger soul with goodness." HOW? We learn to eat and drink from Him thru our WORDS:  we praise Him "for His goodness and for His wonderful works."  V. 17 tells us that all unbelief is foolishness.  It is considered rebellion against God's eternal purpose for us (v. 11) to reflect Himself in the earth in order to glorify God. When we behave like fools, God allows us to come to the end of ourselves - all the while luring us toward Him. "God's goodness leads us to repentance." (Rom 2:4)

PROVERBS 27:11                                                                                                          
Children who pursue God are a credit to their parents and to their upbringing.

RESPONSE: Isn't it something that as parents, we like to take credit for our children doing things we are proud of. When they do foolish things, then we make excuses for ourselves, letting the children take the full blame for their bad behavior.  I am glad that God does not cast me off when I "screw up".

One Year Bible - November 8

EZEKIEL 18:1 - 19:14                                                                                                        INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY:  "Behold, all souls are Mine."  Not just "in general", but in particular.  And "The soul who sins is the one who will die." A just man, refusing impurity and unrighteousness, etc.: if his son is a sinner and an idolater, committing abominations, the father will "live" and his son shall "die".  OR the father is wicked and an idolater, and his son takes warning and repents, embracing righteousness and justice. The son will not die for the iniquity of his father, but shall surely "live". But his father shall "die" for his own sin.  Suppose a sinner turns from all his sins and submit to God? (18:21-23) His sin shall not be remembered against him.  (See also Heb 8:12 & Heb 10:17)  Suppose the righteous turn away from his righteousness and commit iniquity and abominations? (v.24)  His past righteousness will NOT be remembered and he shall die in his sin.

GOD IS NOT FAIR!   So they say.  They want their righteous deeds remembered, and their sin forgotten.  Or if their fathers are "saved", they think they should be considered saved too! But God judges us individually, not collectively or genetically.

REPENT! (18:30-32)  The obedience of faith results in life, disobedience produces death.  Obedience is the outward manifestation that there is true spiritual life inside!  It is a sign of a "new heart and a new spirit".  ONLY JESUS and the "everlasting covenant" can produce such a thing as a new nature, and with it, obedience.  Our part is to cling to Him.

FALLEN LEADERS:  Jehoahaz and Jehoiachim are the only legitimate leaders since Josiah, and they were carried away captive where they were caged like animals.  Zedekiah (puppet king), is a usurper in Ezekiel's eyes, and needs to repent because he will shortly share their fate.  The "strong branches" were all broken - there are no more left to sit on David's throne. Fire has consumed the Land and its fruit.  It was not because of weakness that the "lions" fell; nor by reason of strength that Egypt and Babylon prevailed. God's elect turned from righteousness to sin, and now they pay the consequences in captivity and death. The Scepter (dominion) lives in a "dry and thirsty land" and will return in power, just a surely as He died in weakness.

RESPONSE:   It appears from what these Scriptures say, that salvation and deliverance are NOT a question of birth or ethnicity.  We each stand or fall on our own faith.  And that it doesn't matter how we begin our race, but rather how we end up.

I bring this up because Ezekiel looks suspiciously like Hebrews in places. They were actually writing to the same crowd!  In NT Hebrews, Jerusalem and the Temple was about to be destroyed and burned AGAIN (70 AD)!  Ezekiel's crowd had turned their backs on God, and the NT crowd had killed Him!  Both generations are warned to repent and keep moving forward with God.  Both are warned that their own way of doing things, the impersonal, idolatrous, adulterous abominations that substituted for real relationship to God - - - were all about to crash and burn.

HEBREWS 9:1-10                                                                                                         
"TIME OF REFORMATION":  (9:10)  We are coming up on the 4th "warning" in Hebrews against allowing our hearts grow cold toward God. It is possible to get so hard that it's almost impossible to get back to God - or even want to.  Even when we sin, even when we don't feel like it, even when we don't think we're saved any more - - - we are encouraged to repent and "turn" because what God has done for us and in us, is ETERNAL.  It's not that we don't GET TO get saved over again; it's that we don't NEED TO. The reason we don't NEED TO is that Jesus, our "better priest", has initiated a "better covenant", with "better promises", and a "better hope".

"ETERNAL REDEMPTION":  When something is "eternal", it has originated in the heart of God and it is not effected by what I do or don't do.  All of God's wrath was poured out on Jesus on the Cross.  God is not mad at me when I sin!  According to Heb 8:12 and 10:17 He doesn't even think about it!

"Example, shadow, pattern, figure, type": These are all pictures that represent something invisible.  These must be true pictures, as they represent spiritual things, things in heaven.  Our whole Old Testament falls into this category, because Jesus Himself said that everything in it is a figure or a type of Him (Luke 24:27).  Heb 8-10 tells us that the Tabernacle of Moses was patterned after heaven itself!

ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE TABERNACLE:  First of all the Ark of the covenant is a picture of Jesus: gold-plated humanity (Son of God, Son of Man).  Its contents: the Law, Aaron's rod, and the manna - all representing man's rebellion from God, from authority, and from God's provision.  A lid, called a Mercy-seat, was put over it, and then it was covered with blood - its contents never to be seen again!  The Holy of Holies, the innermost room where the Ark was kept, represented the Presence of God.  Note, the high priest could go into God's Presence once a year - and it wasn't for fellowship, but to apply the blood against God's wrath.  And even that "could not make him that did the service perfect." (v.9).  This had to be done every year - because their sin was COVERED, not REMOVED.

RESPONSE:   Our sin has been REMOVED, not just COVERED by the "better blood" of Jesus (12:24). 2 Cor 3:7 calls the Law the "ministration of death" and 2 Cor 3:9 calls it the "ministration of condemnation".  Yet, many of us still try to "be good", as if it will earn us something with God.  Hebrews is written to people like us, who need to understand that Jesus has initiated the New Covenant - that it contains all the "better" things listed in Hebrews. Discard the "old wineskin", and quit trying to restore it!  Our "time of reformation" HAS COME!  This refers to my whole Christian life!  The way into the Holy of Holies has been opened - and I can worship God face-to-face.

PSALM 106:32-48                                                                                                                  
This is the last "Numbers" Psalm (Psa 90-106). Psa 106 covers the Exodus to the Babylonian captivity, and reveals to us that not one lesson was learned; and that even tho Israel failed and disobeyed, God is still faithful and full of mercy.

SOMETHING SCAREY: We all know the story in Numbers 20:8-13:  It is the second time in the Wilderness that there was no water.  Against God's instructions, Moses struck the Rock to get water for the people, when God had already told him to speak to the Rock this time. Disobedience is outward evidence of unbelief.  But what really bothers me is that Psa 106:33 says that Moses disqualified himself because "he spoke unadvisedly with his lips."  In the original language, it means that Moses spoke without thinking - because he was mad!  And over in 1 Cor 9:27 Paul says that at that instant, Moses was "a castaway" - someone who had disqualified himself for the the Land, which is "God's Rest" (see Heb 3-4). Getting angry and blowing up disqualifies us for God's Rest of faith.  It manifests unbelief and self-reliance, that's why.

IDOLS, DEMONS & DEVILS:  Reading the rest of Psa 106, taking in 37-39, we find that God has equated idols with devils, and both of these were equated to "playing the harlot" - or worshipping substitutes and counterfeits for God. V. 41-42 says that the end result is that they were ruled by people who hated them.  "NEVERTHELESS"...... God loved them anyway and relented.

PROVERBS 27:10                                                                                                    
Never forget someone who has been a long-time friend to your family. They are actually worth more to you than a blood relative who keeps his distance. We have all experienced Christian brothers and sisters of "like precious faith" (2Pet 1:1) who are closer to us than our actual family members, who might not be born again.

Our family has such a friend. When we were children (6 of us), we lived on a farm out in the countryside, 4 miles from town. A Christian family who lived even further from town, befriended us, eventually leading our mother to the Lord for salvation. From that point on, the two mothers became friends for the next 50 years! They met to pray at least once a week, praying for one another's children to be born again, etc. They upheld one another in encouragement, strengthening, correction, comfort, teaching, etc. etc. Of course, we kids all benefited because we always had a ride to church, to youth activities, and vacation Bible school. Although both women are close to 90 years old, they maintain contact to this day. We consider this friend like part of our immediate family.