The Heaton File

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. (Philippians 3:13-15)

Faith Struggling With Motivation

The root of motivation is the word motive, “That which causes one to act.” Faith and motivation are keenly connected because faith can falter under pressure, and the desire to act can be difficult. Satan constantly seeks to discourage and dissuade the loyal heart from serving the Lord. When a spirit of apathy enters the heart, the zeal for knowledge, grace, love, and obedience diminishes, and if left unaddressed, can devastate the soul. A lack of faith can come from a lack of motivation. When the cares of the world overwhelm the spirit, a feeling of despair can arise that hinders the soul from acting. Motivation is a crucial ingredient in faith that helps us maintain it through difficult days and challenging times.

The challenge to one’s faith is never-ending. It is exhausting facing the wiles of the devil every day, and he will not give up. His relentless pursuit of deceiving the heart is a constant battle that must be fought in the trenches of God’s promises, which He cannot lie about, and for which victory is assured. The motivation to carry on through thick and thin inspires the heart to trust in the Lord. Abraham was told to leave his family and go to a place the Lord would show him. He did not know where he was going. Every morning, Abraham arose and moved his family a little further down the road as he made the journey to where God was taking him. His motivation stemmed from his faith in God’s promises. It took twenty-five years to realize the promise of a son. His motivation kept his faith alive.

Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers as a teenager. He faced harsh conditions and humiliating experiences, but he never gave up his faith in God. When the wife of Potipher falsely charged him, he did not give up on the Lord. His motivation was to see through whatever God had in store for him. It would be twenty-two years before he realized the meaning of his dreams. His motivation was to trust in the will of the Lord. Because of his faith, he came to realize God’s plan in his life. Daniel and his three friends were taken as prisoners to a foreign land. They did not let the circumstances of their lives determine the motivation of their hearts. Everything they did was motivated by trusting in the Lord to deliver them.

Jesus lived with a strong motivation to serve His Father. He faced many obstacles in His faith, but He always trusted in the will of the Father alone; not his own. The proper motivation is established in faith by trusting that God is right and His will must be followed to receive the blessings of the Father. In the book of Hebrews, the chapter on faith showcases the motivation of people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and many others, who gained victory in the face of persecution. Many saints had trials of mockings, scourgings; they were stoned, slain with the sword, and made to wander the earth as vagabonds. What was their motivation? The same as all the faithful. They were motivated by God’s promises.

Seeking greater faith can pose a challenge to the motivation to persevere. There is no greater reward for the people of God to endure till the end, never give up hope, be found faithful unto death, and in the words of Winston Churchhill, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” The motivation of faith is to trust in the Lord with all your might and never give up. Remain faithful. Serve the Lord.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10)

Doing Good For Others

The life of a Christian can be exhausting through the trials of temptation, discouragement, and ridicule of the world against a character of righteousness. Jesus described the life of a disciple as one that must bear a cross daily. This can be overwhelming. There are times of discouragement when opposition to doing good fills the heart, and the desire to give up arises. Doing good does not always bring a good reward. The world cannot see the value of living a righteous life. Living in holiness, sharing kindness with all men, is ridiculed. The Christian is a model citizen who obeys the laws of the land, seeks the welfare of his neighbor, and does good things for all men, and faces criticism and disapproval from the world. Feelings of discouragement can overwhelm the soul.

Every Christian should remember that the discouragement they feel is nothing compared to how they treated Jesus Christ. As the Lord faced the reality of the cross, He told the eleven that if the world hated Him, the world would hate them. Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles how the apostles were warned not to teach in the name of Jesus; they were beaten, and the enemies of God stoned Stephen to death. Did this stop the work of the faithful of God? Even when Saul of Tarsus mounted a fierce persecution of the early church, the saints went everywhere preaching the word. They did not grow weary; they continued to preach and teach about Jesus Christ.

The challenge of losing heart is forgetting that if one keeps the faith and continues to do good, they will reap in time. It may not seem apparent at first, but the fruits of their labor will be evident. People of God must be people of action who, when opportunity presents itself, will do good to all. This is especially important for people of God to do good to their brethren. A higher calling is for the saints to look out for their brethren as a higher calling of duty and obligation. The reason this relationship is higher is because of the shared experience in the blood of Christ. Doing good to the household of faith shows the Father how much His children love and care for one another.

God wants His children to do good to all men, and He especially wants His children to look after one another. The life of the Christian is one of action. There is no room for a lazy spirit neglecting the needs of others. If a brother or sister in Christ is in need and their brethren will not provide for their needs, it brings shame to the family of God and to the name of Christ. There is no need to get discouraged if the hand of diligence is helping others. The world may not understand the spirit of benevolence in the heart of the Christian, but through their good deeds, they will shine as a light in a dark place. Instead of neglecting others, the child of God will show love to all.

Do not grow weary and stay busy. There is much work to be done. Doing good shows a heart of compassion for the needs of others. The harvest of doing good will come one day if discouragement is not allowed to hinder doing good for others. Opportunities abound to do good to all. The Christian must be especially busy in helping those in the kingdom of God. God wants those in His household of faith to take care of one another. Be blessed by doing good. For this, God is well pleased.

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. (John 14:30)

Having The Mind Of Christ

Jesus knew the cross was His only way back to the Father. Judas has left to betray Jesus to the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, and the Lord takes the remaining eleven apostles to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. His mind is resolved to finish the mission He came to carry out for the redemption of all mankind. There is no doubt what He must do. His mind is firmly grounded in pleasing the Father. The suffering on the cross will be intense as He knows the nature of crucifixion and what He must endure. Before leaving the upper room, He tells His disciples, in language couched in mystery, that Satan is coming, but nothing the adversary can do will change the mind of the Son of God.

The resolution of Jesus is incredibly strong. Rooted in the obedience to His Father and His willingness to lay down His life for sinful man, Jesus is resolute within His heart, soul, and mind that nothing will sway Him from carrying out the will of His Father. Satan is a powerful force to reckon with, and the path to resurrection will be an incredible journey of suffering, denial, and pain. Jesus firmly resolves in His heart that nothing will keep Him from His appointed place as the sacrificial Lamb of God. The devil will try his best to shake Jesus. God could provide twelve legions of angels to protect His Son if only Jesus would beckon the call. He refuses. When the soldiers bring Jesus to the cross, they offer him a mild anesthetic to calm the pain, and Jesus refuses it. The mind of Jesus is completely established in the love of His Father to endure whatever the world will do to Him. There is nothing that will change His mind.

Facing the horrors of crucifixion and showing humility and grace in the face of torment is the example of Jesus, who placed His mind on doing the will of the Father regardless of His circumstances. The eleven apostles do not know what is about to happen, so the words of Jesus will not impact them until later. Rising to leave the upper room, Jesus makes a statement of commitment that He goes to battle the great dragon of wickedness, but that nothing will change His mind from His appointed destiny. Jesus tells the eleven that Satan has nothing in Him to dissuade His heart from accomplishing the will of His Father. He walks out of the door and into the Garden of Gethsemane with a heart fully committed to die for the world and redeem sinful man from sin.

The example of Jesus has been left for His disciples to learn the same discipline of having a firm mind to commit to the will of the Father, regardless. Serving in the army of the King of kings takes a resolution of one who is willing to be crucified for Jesus. Throughout His teachings, Jesus emphasized that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Service to God required the heart, soul, mind, and body to be fully committed to the word of the Lord. Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword, which would divide a father from his son and a daughter from her mother. The gospel of Christ is a militant stand for righteousness, requiring a committed mind that Satan cannot sway.

Fighting against the wiles of the devil is a formidable task. It is not something done by the faint of heart. Jesus faced the cross with the attitude that Satan had nothing in Him. Facing the daily cross-bearing of being a Christian demands an attitude of the heart that Satan will not have his way in the heart of God’s people. Every defense needed to protect the heart is in place to keep the dragon away. Having the mind of Christ is resolving that Satan will have no part in the life of the child of God. There is no room for any part of Satan. That is an individual choice. Yell at Satan directly in his face: “You have no part in my life.”

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14)

Asking In His Name

Prayer is the attempt by man to approach a holy and awesome God who has allowed His creation to petition Him. Only through the grace and mercy of God is man allowed into the presence of the Almighty. Prayer is the humbling experience of dust standing before its Maker. There is nothing in the arsenal of human wisdom that can boast itself against the favor of the Lord God, Jealous, and I AM. Prayer is a privilege of a humble heart. Jesus taught His disciples to pray with honor given to the Father. His name must be hallowed in reverence to the sanctity of prayer with the authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Son of God taught His disciples to ask whatever they needed in His name that the Father may be glorified in the Son. When prayers are framed in the name of Jesus, the divine will is accomplished.

Prayer is a learned experience that must be taught to understand the honor of seeking the Almighty’s favor. It is not a casual conversation with a fishing buddy or a ‘slap-on-the-back, good-buddy’ kind of chat. When men approach without revering the name of the Father, they do a disservice to the holiness of God. Praying without seeking the blessings in the name of the Son of God dishonors what Jesus came to accomplish. He is the Lord and Christ who died for the sins of the world. Not everyone can approach God in prayer seeking His divine blessings. All spiritual blessings are found in Christ Jesus, and if someone is not in Christ, they cannot seek the blessings of the Divine. If a man approaches God without honoring Christ, they fail to honor God.

Jesus taught that prayer is seeking the Father’s favor in the name of the Son of God, and that by asking in His name, the Father will grant the petition. All thanksgiving comes through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is in the name of the Judge of the living and the dead, Jesus Christ. The disciples in Samaria were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Jesus told the eleven that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in the name of Jesus to all nations. Paul reminded the saints at Ephesus to do whatever is done, in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Spirit declares throughout the New Covenant that Jesus is Lord and Christ. He is the Blessed and only Potentate. Paul describes Jesus as the Master in his writings. Jesus is the vine, according to John. The Son of God is Emmanuel, the Holy One, Lord from Heaven, Alpha and Omega, the Amen, the Bread of Life, Bridegroom, and many other names showing His divine glory. Praying in the name of Jesus is recognizing that all blessings come through Him and honor belongs to Him because of His authority. He is the High Priest of every Christian, the Mediator and Advocate through whom petitions through the Father are made. To do any less is to disrespect the name of Jesus and dishonor the nature and character of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Joshua 22:5)

How Do You View God?

C. S. Lewis suggested many people have an erroneous view about God: “We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it is there for emergencies, but he hopes he’ll never have to use it.” This view is widely held by those who believe in God but are unwilling to commit to him. As long as life remains on an even keel, God is a good thing to think about occasionally and to offer a few thank-you prayers, but getting serious about a relationship with him is out of the question. Life is about the here and now, and how much can be gleaned from the harvest of prosperity in the world. Young people aim to get a good job and work long enough to retire and enjoy the finer things of life without regard to anything beyond. Life becomes a daily grind of squeezing out as much gusto as life offers.

The central issue with the human mind is to dispose of God until and unless He is needed. There is an oriental proverb that suggests that once on shore, pray no more. The need for God is only when one is in a foxhole or adrift on the ocean facing death. Once the immediate situation has passed, God is no longer needed. He becomes, in effect, only a safety net in case of a fall. Until that time, life continues on full speed ahead. The Bible is a tabletop ornament, dusted by the passage of time and opened only in times of crisis. God is a vending machine that awaits the demands of the one who drops a quarter in the slot, seeking what they want from the Creator. It is a selfish world seeking only the needs of a selfish heart.

If there is an image of God that is foreign to truth, treating the Lord God Almighty like a parachute in case of emergency is the most erroneous and foolish belief known to man. When men package God as a wrapped bundle of silk, they make the fundamental mistake of human wisdom – they believe they can wrap God up in a package. God is the Sovereign Creator of the world, demanding respect, honor, and loyalty. If a man faces a crisis seeking God as his parachute, he will fall to his death because God will not be treated as a fool. The Lord does not come to the rescue of those who refuse to submit, obey, and follow His will. This requires a daily allegiance to the commandments of the Lord, who, by His grace, offers the world a way of escape.

It does not matter what men think of God, but it does matter what God knows about man. He knows those who love Him and obey Him. The Bible is not a book of suggestions. God will not be treated as a fool. God is full of love to those who seek Him. It requires the full measure of dedication to God without treating the Lord as a convenience when needed. God expects His children to love Him with all their hearts, souls, and minds. How a person views God determines how he responds to the word of God. The only place God can be is first place in everything. He will not accept anything less.

But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. (Acts 23:6-8)

Sadducees In The Church

Among the Jewish elite and leaders of Israel was a religious sect called the Sadducees. The scriptures are silent as to their origin, and only Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention them. They are sometimes found with the Pharisees, another powerful group among the Jewish leaders included in the Sanhedrin. Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees tried to discredit and disavow Jesus and His teachings. Jesus warned His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, pointing to their false doctrines forced on the people.

When the apostle Paul defended himself before the Jewish council (Sanhedrin), he saw the council included both Sadducees and Pharisees. Paul declared that he was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee, referring to his former life before following Christ. He knew he was being charged with a crime for teaching that Jesus was raised from the dead, a doctrine vilified by the Sadducees. Luke points out that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection or in angels or spirits. Paul’s declaration caused such an uproar that the Roman commander ordered his soldiers to forcibly remove Paul from the council and bring him to the safety of the barracks.

It seems incredulous that a sect of the Jewish people would deny resurrection. However, the doctrine of the Sadducees is not foreign to many in the body of Christ who, in principle, follow the same line of teaching. If a man does not believe in resurrection, they deny that the soul dwells in an eternal state after death. There is no future state. Everything about a man is found in this world. There cannot and will not be life after death. All that a man is can only be found in this life and this life alone. The Sadducees created a sect that denied the spirit world, such as angels and spirits, because they believed in only the material world. If there is no resurrection, life must be gained here and now.

The Sadducees made a doctrine of their unbelief. It is not hard for many Christians to follow the Sadducees’ doctrine in their daily lives. What the Sadducees saw was a very material world with only rewards here. Accepting that there is anything better than life on earth is rejected. If a man spends his life seeking after all the glitter and gold of this life, he can miss eternal life. The focus of the heart must be on resurrection, not the trinkets of this world. Paul likens life to a tent that is easily folded up and discarded. Jesus asked, “What value is a man’s life if he gains everything here and loses his soul?” Life cannot be about the here and now. That is a tragic mistake.

Resurrection is the reality of man’s creation. God created man in His own image as an eternal creature. Animals die, and that is all. There is no afterlife for animals. Man was created never to cease to exist. Everyone who dies rises to a resurrection of either glory or perdition. Believing or not believing in the resurrection does not change the reality of life after death. The Sadducees were people of God in the nation of Israel who lived only for the material world. They did not believe death was for glory. Their happiness came from the tangible, real world they built around them. The sadness came when, in death, they realized they took nothing with them, and now they faced eternity.

There are Sadducees in the church of the Lord. They believe their jobs are more important than serving God. Excuses are made as to why they cannot obey the will of the Father. They have a family to feed and retirements to build. If and when they have time for God, they will try to squeeze him in. Christian Sadducees believe that money will bring them happiness. They do not believe in the eternal world because how much more enjoyable can that be than the toys money can buy now? Life is for living to the fullest gusto. Building bigger homes with cars, boats, toys, and gadgets to play with is what life is all about. Children are taught to put the pursuit of worldly gain first. They see their parents rushing through life, money-hungry and debt-ridden.

If there is anything to enjoy, it is in this life. Sadducees in the church look for the pleasures of life in the carnal fulfillments of the here and now. God’s law of marriage is not kept because “God wants me to be happy.” Sexual immorality is accepted as part of life. Immorality is not shunned. Sin is no longer viewed with fear. A spirit of acceptance is common. If there is no resurrection, there is no penalty. Sadducees can only see the joys of this life. What they do not see is God’s wrath upon this pernicious false doctrine.

The Bible is clear. What the Sadducees believed and practiced was false. There is a resurrection, and there is eternity. Jesus is the resurrection. Sadducees in the church are endangering their souls with the wrath of God. A man cannot live in the world in this life and expect eternal life in the next. As someone said, “Too many people want to live like the rich man, and die like Lazarus.” Church Sadducees need to repent and put God first. There is no other first place but the Lord God Almighty. Anything that comes before service to God is sin. Are you a Sadducee?

Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. (Acts 8:29-31)

Do You Understand What You Are Reading?

The treasurer of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, was traveling home after journeying to Jerusalem to worship. This would be nearly six thousand miles for the official to travel by chariot, accompanied by his escort. Nothing is known of his background except that he was a believer in God and possessed copies of the Old Testament. As a well-educated man, the treasurer enjoyed reading the old texts of the prophets and was reading through the prophet Isaiah when a stranger approached him.

An angel of the Lord had spoken to the evangelist Philip, instructing him to go toward the south along the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. According to Luke, this area was desert. When Philip found the Ethiopian, the man was sitting in his chariot reading from the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit told Philip to join himself with the Ethiopian, which Philip eagerly did. Approaching the man, Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading.

Reading the word of God is a vital part of seeking God. The Jews were the caretakers of the oracles of God as given by Moses to the people. Over a period of fourteen hundred years, the scriptures of the Old Testament were developed by inspired men as the Holy Spirit moved them. It had been four hundred years since the Lord had revealed Himself to man, but the complete record of God’s dealings with the world and the Jewish nation was complete in the Old Testament scrolls. The Ethiopian had a copy of Isaiah and was reading it in either Hebrew (the original language) or Greek (a translation made ca. 280 B.C., called the Septuagint or LXX).

Philip’s question is the heart of the matter when it comes to the word of God. Men can read the word of God without seeking to understand it. The Ethiopian was a diligent student of the word who longed to know as much as he could about the will of God. When the stranger approached him, the eunuch did not hesitate to invite the man to explain what Isaiah meant. He was hungry to know the truth. Reading Isaiah’s words created a thirst in the Ethiopian’s mind to understand the scriptures fully. Through the Holy Spirit, the divine guidance of bringing Philip to this man of a foreign nation would help to spread the gospel throughout the whole world.

When Philip joined the eunuch in his chariot, he began to expound on Isaiah’s writings by preaching about Jesus to him. The core message of the gospel from the beginning of time is Jesus Christ. It is not known how much time transpired from Philip joining the Ethiopian until they parted, but Philip opened up the scriptures to reveal the divine plan of saving man. The Ethiopian was keen to understand Philip’s teaching as the evangelist told him the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There was a time when the group traveled down the road, and the eunuch saw a body of water and realized something he had learned from Philip. Jesus commanded baptism for the remission of sins. The eunuch commanded the chariot to stand still and asked Philip, “What hinders me from being baptized?”

Reading the scriptures helped lead the Ethiopian to the gospel, but understanding moved his heart to act upon the will of the Father. He knew Isaiah was writing about the suffering servant, Jesus Christ. Philip opened his heart to the good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God. In his teaching of the Ethiopian, the evangelist told his student the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. Understanding the words he had been reading, and hearing the preaching of Philip, the eunuch responded the only way he knew – he wanted to be baptized. His reading led to his understanding, and by the grace of God, brought someone to explain the scriptures. The eunuch did not argue or deny baptism. He did not suggest he believed already, and that was all that was necessary. Having read the scriptures and understood their meaning, the eunuch obeyed.

The lesson of the eunuch is needed today. Many religious people read the scriptures and learn the story of Jesus, but they refuse to understand the meaning of what the word teaches. Unlike the eunuch, they deny the need for baptism. The only way to reject baptism is to reject Jesus. Philip preached Jesus – the eunuch wanted to be baptized. The eunuch had been reading, but he needed someone to help him understand, and Philip opened his eyes to the grace of God. Truth is more than reading; it is understanding. When a man reads and understands, he will have but one thing to do. “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”

God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; the Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies; the Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. (Nahum 1:2-3)

The Nature Of God

There is a reason men must fear God. It is not the kind of fear that brings about cowardice. To fear God is to respect who He is, why He is, and what He will do. The failure of the human race is not putting the nature of God in proper view of the meaning of life and the reality of eternity. God has many names attributed to Him, including the name Jealous. He is a jealous God and will not accept when men worship another god. There is only one true God. He is the God found in the Bible, the divine word of God. His names include “God Almighty,” “I Am Who I Am,” “I Am The Lord, The Lord Of Hosts,” and many others that express the nature of who God is.

God’s name is Jealous because He is a jealous God. When the world refuses to honor His name as Jealous, He takes revenge by His wrath. Why did God cast Adam and Eve out of the garden? They failed to honor His name. Why was the world of Noah completely destroyed in a flood? The world had become so corrupt that they refused to honor the name of God. Bringing the flood upon the earth avenged the nature of God’s righteousness. One lesson clearly defined in scripture is that the Lord will take vengeance on those who oppose Him. The adversaries of God will not stand. He reserves wrath for His enemies. The nature of God is a jealous reaction to all who refuse to do His will.

Grace is the mitigating factor in the wrath of God because He is slow to anger. The world of Noah was not destroyed at the whim of God. Through many centuries, the grace of God allowed man to walk on the face of the earth, but when the longsuffering of a Jealous God ended, so did the world. Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare Sodom and Gomorrah, but mercy ended when God sent His angels to rescue Lot and his family. Why did the Lord destroy those cities with fire and brimstone? He is a jealous God who avenges sin by His fury. The Lord will not exonerate the wicked. Nahum the prophet declared the Lord has His way in the whirlwind, and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. That is the nature of Almighty God.

The nature of God remains unchanged. In the modern world of human philosophy and humanism, God is still Jealous. Wickedness will not go unpunished. Disobedience is not overlooked. Rebellion against the word of the Lord is not tolerated. Immorality will be rewarded with the wrath of God. Everyone who refuses to do the will of the Father will face the second death, which is the lake of fire and brimstone. Why will the cowardly, unbelieving, murderers, sexually immoral, fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, sorcerers, and all liars have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone? Because God is jealous and He avenges those who practice wickedness.

Jesus came to take the cup of God’s wrath away from the plight of man and to offer the only way to the Father by which men can find salvation. Through the blood of Jesus, anyone can turn from sin and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ if they are willing to change their lives. By God’s grace, love, and mercy, sins are washed away. He remains a jealous God. The greatest joy is to know that God is a jealous God, but He is slow to anger. Thank God for His longsuffering.

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’ Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land? ”  (Ezekiel 33:23-26)

Who Is To Blame?

Ezekiel was a prophet of God who lived with the captives in Babylon following the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. It had been three hundred forty-five years since Solomon died, and the nation of Israel was divided in civil war. The ten northern tribes were destroyed in 722 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar brought his Babylonian army into Jerusalem a final time in 586 B.C. and destroyed the Temple built by Solomon. Now the people of God faced seventy years in a captive land. A remnant would return to a destroyed Jerusalem in 536 B.C., but the Jewish nation would always be a captive people until the Romans again destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

There was no one to blame for the plight of the Jews but the people of God themselves. When Moses gave the law to the nation at Sinai, he warned them of the dangers of turning away from God. If they forgot the law of the Lord, the wrath of God would destroy them. History proved the word of the Lord correct when the people went after the gods of the nations around them. Idolatry filled the land with its abominations of sexual immorality, hedonism, wickedness, and debauchery. The prophets warned the people, but they refused to listen. When the Assyrians took the northern tribes of Israel, God warned the remaining two tribes to take heed to the punishment against their brethren. Judah refused to listen and learn.

As the news of the fall of Jerusalem came to the Jews in Babylon, Ezekiel reminded them why they were in bondage. The people tried to blame their forefathers for their predicament, but only themselves were to blame. Judah thought that because they were the people of God and the people of Abraham, God should show mercy. Ezekiel reminded them that they sacrificed to idols with blood meat and followed after the ways of idolatry. Should they possess the land when it was their hearts that had turned away from God? They deserved all that God brought upon them.

When Judah was attacked by her enemies, they did not seek the counsel of the Lord for help. They sought alliances with other nations to save them. The land was filled with the abominations of idolatry and sexual immorality. Judah was not a nation of godly people but a people like the nations around them that lived with fleshly pleasures, abuse of the poor, cravings for worldly possessions, and the pursuit of drunkenness, revelry, lewdness and lust, strife, and envy. Israel did not deserve the mercy of God, but the Lord kept His word to retain a remnant of righteous people to preserve the Seed promise made in the Garden of Eden.

Jerusalem was destroyed because of the sins of the people. The arrogant strength of the people led them to their destruction. Like the wilderness journeys of Israel leaving Egypt, a generation of people died because of rebellion. Those who went into captivity would never return home again. The Babylonian captivity removed a whole generation of people because of their wickedness. Only the people could blame themselves for their punishment, because they were guilty of rejecting God’s mercy and refusing to repent.

God’s wrath served the purpose of punishing His people and letting the world know the penalty for sin. Israel’s captivity revealed the majesty of the Lord God. The land was desolate because of all the abominations of the Jews, which they committed. God’s justice is pure and right. The world in the days of Noah was destroyed because it was the right thing to do. God destroyed nations because it was the righteous thing to do. Sin comes with a penalty because it is a righteous thing.

The example of Israel is a warning to a world that rejects the word of the Lord. God has revealed His complete truth in the words of the Bible. Rejecting the word of the Lord will bring judgment upon the unrighteous. Filling life with the abominations of the world will end badly. God will not forget His word. Everyone who stands before the Lord God Almighty will know that He is Lord and He is Lord alone. Is it possible to live a worldly, ungodly life and expect to find eternal life in death? Can a man reject God and expect God to receive him in eternity? The righteous judgment of God is against all wickedness and rebellion. Who is to blame when someone loses their soul? The responsibility lies squarely upon the shoulders of the individual. God is not a respecter of persons. Sin will be judged and punished.

Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11)

Do Not Be Ignorant Of The Enemy

Satan is a formidable foe. He wields great power and influence but is limited in what he can do. When Satan came to Eve in the garden, he presented himself as the cunning serpent who challenged the spirit of a human heart to disobey God. He never forced the woman. His tactics were subtle. He succeeded in convincing the woman she could be like God, and she willingly fell victim to his lies. His deception was so complete that Adam was taken in.

David was a man after God’s own heart who knew the word of the Lord with great devotion. His eyes were cast upon a beautiful woman, and the devil tempted him to commit adultery, lie, get Uriah drunk, and then have his loyal servant murdered under the cover of war. His remorse outlines the way Satan brought him down. Peter fell victim to the wiles of the devil to denounce the Man he loved with all his heart, soul, and mind. If there was a fully devoted and dedicated follower of Jesus Christ, Simon Peter was the poster child. Yet, through the subtle whispers of the adversary, Peter three times declared with cursing that he did not know Jesus.

Satan is powerful and has destroyed many lives. Paul reminds the followers of Christ that while the devil is a very powerful foe, his devices are clearly seen. What that suggests is that to battle the devil, his devices and tactics can be learned and defeated. The Christian must know how empty and frail the devil is. Through the power of prayer, Satan will run away. He comes at the heart like a roaring lion, but he can be killed. John describes Satan as a great, fiery red dragon, which would bring fear to anyone at the image of such a beast. The aged apostle concludes the Revelation, showing how the dragon is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

Paul reminded the church at Ephesus that God has provided a heavenly armor that can withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one. Satan can be withstood. There is no reason to fall under his deception. God has provided the armament to destroy the influence of Satan. To be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might defeats the enemy of God at every turn. The song of triumph must be sung that Satan is a defeated creature bound for eternal Hell. He knows his eternal destiny and can do nothing to change it. What the Christian must know is that they can change their lives and not allow the influence of Satan to destroy them.

God has placed a hedge of divine protection around His people. Satan will attack that hedge and cause damage, but by the grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness of the Almighty Lord God, he will never have power over the faithful heart. The Christian must know the devices of the devil and act accordingly. Faith not only comes from hearing the word of God, but the evil devices of Satan are also clearly exposed for all to see. Knowing the tactics of the wicked one will prepare the heart to fight against temptation. Knowledge is power. Through that knowledge, the devil runs and will flee away. Stand strong.