Spiritual reformation is something our city and country desperately needs. The Lord uses Christians to make it happen. Ezekiel saw the reaping of what was sown spiritually in Israel for so many years. Pray for Australia to turn to the Lord.
Ezekiel 14: Idolatrous Elders Condemned
1 Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.
2 And the word of the LORD came to me:
3 "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?
4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols,
5 that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.
6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
7 For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the LORD will answer him myself.
8 And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
9 And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
10 And they shall bear their punishment---the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike---
11 that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord GOD."
Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared
12 And the word of the LORD came to me:
13 "Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast,
14 even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.
15 "If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts,
16 even if these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.
17 "Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, and I cut off from it man and beast,
18 though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.
19 "Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast,
20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.
21 "For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!
22 But behold, some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it.
23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord GOD."
Ezekiel 15: Jerusalem, a Useless Vine
1 And the word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest?
3 Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take a peg from it to hang any vessel on it?
4 Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything!
6 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set my face against them. Though they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, and you will know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.
8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord GOD."
Things to think about…
Some elders were taking notice of the messages that Ezekiel had been giving, Ezek 14:1,2. But they were still taking idols to their hearts. Should the Lord then turn around and accept their prayers. The answer is no. Religious observance says nothing of the heart or obedience. The Lord wants both of these to be aligned. Samuel told Saul that “Obedience is better than sacrifice”, 1Sam 15:22. How does your Christian faith match the character of a believer as shown in the Word of God?
In Ezek 14:12-23 three pillars of Israel’s godly characters are mentioned – Noah, Daniel and Job. Noah and Job were part of the very ancient past, but Daniel was a contemporary with Ezekiel. Do you think that God would do a mighty work of grace and allow spiritual giants to walk through the land in our day? Ezekiel had no shame in mentioning Daniel as being a mighty example of faith and practise. Who in your opinion has a Christian witness that displays Christ’s character in our day? Pray the Lord raises up more of the same.
In Ezek 14:18 we see that being related to a godly individual does not save. With respect to those related to Noah, Daniel and Job, the Lord says, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.” Faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone saves a soul.
Though Ezek 15 is short, it has many lessons for us. Israel was now a fruitless vine. Grape vine wood is not strong. Good only for kindling really and that’s it. The Lord calls Jerusalem a useless vine, good only for burning. God’s presence was gone, Ezek 10:18, there was no life in her. We are called to bear fruit, John 15:5, otherwise we, like the Israelites of old, are only worthy of the burning of judgement, John 15:6. Accountability and the practise of stirring one another up in love and good works is vital. Encourage someone today with a word from the Lord.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “For God so loved the world” – Reading John 3:1-21
1. Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. Describe what you remember of this man, who he was and what would eventually happen to him spiritually?
2. What does it mean to be born from above – I.E born of the Spirit and water? How does this effect your understanding of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility? Surely we have no choice as whether we are born or not. Discuss.
3. Nicodemus became bold and at Jesus’ burial became unclean by touching a dead body. There is a prophetic fulfillment of all being allowed to celebrate the Passover, even when unclean (I.E burying someone), Num 9:6-11. Discuss how this relates to the gospel.
4. Pray for each other and the outreach of the gospel
Prayer Points
1. Pray that the Lord has mercy and allows the west to not fall any further from Christ as the Queen has been buried.
2. The right choice for a full time Youth and Young Adults Pastor to start Jan 2023 and the finances to support them.
3. Alpha course being run at CBC on Saturday – 30 women attending. Pray for Rochelle and team as they use our facilities.
4. Ministry leaders within the church.
5. Our One for Israel ministry.
6. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Doug’s message and the gospel faithfully given on Sunday.
2. Many returning back to full health.
3. Worship on Sunday – thankyou Paul, Suzy, Zac, Ashley. Bec on Words and Doug on sound. Thankyou. Fiona and Maddison in café always do a stellar job. Thankyou for those who welcomed at the door.
4. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Remember to check your duty rosters.
2. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
3. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for September...
Q. 8. What will happen to the righteous in the day of judgment? A. They shall live with Jesus Christ forever, in a new heaven and a new earth.
