When will the Lord return? No-one knows of course, but we do know it will be with power and might. Let’s be ready.
Ezekiel 7: The Day of the Wrath of the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations.
4 And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
5 "Thus says the Lord GOD: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes.
6 An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes.
7 Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains.
8 Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations.
9 And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the LORD, who strikes.
10 "Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded.
11 Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be pre-eminence among them.
12 The time has come; the day has arrived. Let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn, for wrath is upon all their multitude.
13 For the seller shall not return to what he has sold, while they live. For the vision concerns all their multitude; it shall not turn back; and because of his iniquity, none can maintain his life.
14 "They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but none goes to battle, for my wrath is upon all their multitude.
15 The sword is without; pestilence and famine are within. He who is in the field dies by the sword, and him who is in the city famine and pestilence devour.
16 And if any survivors escape, they will be on the mountains, like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, each one over his iniquity.
17 All hands are feeble, and all knees turn to water.
18 They put on sackcloth, and horror covers them. Shame is on all faces, and baldness on all their heads.
19 They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.
20 His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore I make it an unclean thing to them.
21 And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it.
22 I will turn my face from them, and they shall profane my treasured place. Robbers shall enter and profane it.
23 "Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence.
24 I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned.
25 When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none.
26 Disaster comes upon disaster; rumour follows rumour. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders.
27 The king mourns, the prince is wrapped in despair, and the hands of the people of the land are paralysed by terror. According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the LORD."
Things to think about…
1. Look at verses Ezek 7:1-4 in this chapter. They say that we can know the Lord through judgement. The reality is our hearts are cold, hard and rebellious. There is no good thing that dwells within us, Rom 3:10-12. Sometimes we need a spiritual kick in the pants. Remember our God is a consuming fire, Heb 12:29! We need to respect His character. What has he disciplined you for in the past?
2. Ezek 7:9 says that the Lord’s eye will not spare nor will He have pity due to their abominations. It’s only through the grace of Christ that we can reconcile the God of the OT with the NT. What have you concluded about this subject and the NT ministry of Christ with His focus of grace and reconciliation? Surely, He has borne our punishment. But punishment was required, nonetheless.
3. Jerusalem was finally destroyed in 587BC and what is recorded in Ezek 7:15-19 did happen. The captives were brought to the most basic levels of existence, their silver and gold could not save them. We cannot be saved by wealth when the Lord’s hand is against us. What idols are in Australia that we need to speak out against?
4. In the last few verses, Ezek 7:21-27 we see other nations come and plunder what is left of Jerusalem. The people were seeking visions from the prophets, but none would come because they turned away from the law. This happened in 586BC and we have a book written by Jeremiah – Lamentations that records the final outcome and state of the city. Please continue to pray for the churches of our city, that pastors and ministers of the gospel that we would stay focused on the Word of God. May there be an honesty and an accountability desired from the congregations. Please continue to pray for me that the Word of God and faithful preaching would remain my focus.
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 “The desire of the bride” – Reading Song of Sol 3
1. Do you remember your first love? How did that affect your future relationships?
2. This young woman is devoted to her young lover. She will do anything to be with him. Why was she so attracted to him?
3. We are the bride of Christ, Rev 21:1-4. We are to be totally distracted and devoted to Jesus – our husband. What distractions get in the way. How can we maintain our first love of Jesus. Do you remember this first love?
4. Pray for each other and the outreach of the gospel
Prayer Points
1. Our beloved Queen Elizabeth has died. She loved the Lord. May the Lord have mercy on England and the Commonwealth and the resulting changes.
2. John Ward passed into glory on the 30th Aug – 73yo. Please pray for the family as they prepare funeral arrangements. Funeral service will be held at CBC 10am Mon 12th Sept.
3. The right choice for a full time Youth and Young Adults Pastor to start Jan 2023 and the finances to support them.
4. Some away through sickness.
5. Ministry leaders within the church.
6. Our One for Israel ministry.
7. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
8. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
2. Wonderful Potjie and Braai on Sunday. Thankyou especially to Shaun, Fred and Paul. You guys did an amazing job. Tasted wonderful.
3. Many returning back to full health.
4. Worship on Sunday – thankyou Beatty Boys and Maddison looking after Kidz at Church. Ben for rebooting after blackout. Fiona and Suzy in café always do a stellar job. Thankyou for those who welcomed at the door.
5. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
6. 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.
