Category: sin

Spellbound! #8

Saturday, August 26, 2023

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

Let us analyze these “good words and fair speeches.”

Continuing the theme of 2 Peter 2:1-3, verse 18 describes false teachers as follows: “For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.” A companion passage is Jude 16: “These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”

Using these “great swelling” (extravagant, immoderate, or arrogant) words, false teachers convert followers. “Having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage” aligns with Tertullus’ speech in Acts 24:1-4; the talker aims to profit from his audience, so he resorts to cheap flattery. Second Peter 2:18 sums it up as “vanity” (emptiness, worthlessness). Sounding impressive on the surface, a closer examination reveals it to be valueless. It was just a cruel ploy to take from the gullible!

Recall 2 Peter 2:1, how there were false prophets among the ancient people of Israel. One example is in the Book of Jeremiah, 600 years before Christ. “They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). Whereas the LORD was judging the apostate Jewish people because of their habitual idolatry (disobedience to the Law of Moses), the false prophets reassured Israel that all was well and no evil would come upon them (just like the feel-good teachers and preachers of modern Christendom!). Jerusalem would fall to the Babylonian army, and no amount of wishful thinking, “inspirational messages,” or “positive thinking” would alter that fact.

Observe today’s Scripture to appreciate how false teaching adversely affects us, the Church the Body of Christ….

Spellbound! #7

Friday, August 25, 2023

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18 KJV).

Let us analyze these “good words and fair speeches.”

Addressing Israel in the ages to come, the Holy Spirit guided the Apostle Peter to write: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 1:20–2:3).

In the above excerpt, we observe good spiritual teachers (God’s prophets or spokesmen) contrasted with evil spiritual teachers (Satan’s prophets or spokesmen). There is sound doctrine (from the Lord) and there is false doctrine (the Devil’s cheap counterfeit or imitation). Concentrate on 2 Peter 2:3: “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you….” False teachers, motivated by “covetousness” (greed), target the spiritually naïve, those who have not mastered sound Bible teaching. They methodically use “feigned words” (make-believe or fiction; something artificial, pretend, or invented) to “make merchandise of you” (exploit you, take advantage of you, obtain something from you).

These are warnings for Israel in the future, when the Antichrist and his false religion arise and deceive innumerable souls. Still, the same evil world system is here with us now (albeit in a milder form). False teachers plague today’s world by means of the strategies Peter described 20 centuries ago. We would do well to also heed today’s Scripture, which our Apostle Paul penned for our spiritual health now….

God’s Profaned Name #10

Thursday, August 17, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

Today’s Scripture is definitely part of the prophetic program. It involves God’s purpose and plan for Israel and the Earth. The Holy Spirit comments on how the nation Israel in time past abandoned the identity that their Creator gave them. They were not reflections of the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Despite their infidelity, He, in the ages to come, will be faithful in bringing to pass His original promise to them. They are to be His vessels to reach the Gentiles when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back to reign.

What about us, the Church the Body of Christ? Can we profane God’s name? Yes, we can. If we are not careful to walk in our identity in Christ, as described in Romans to Philemon, we can misrepresent Him as Israel did long ago. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17).

If what we say and do is incompatible with all that the Lord Jesus would say and do (His “name”), then non-Christians will see and hear conflicting information. Our misconduct will become the scoffer’s principle: “I am not a Christian and never want to be a Christian because ‘Christians’ lead a worse life than I do as a non-Christian.” It will be similar to ancient Israel’s detractors: “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written” (Romans 2:24). “If that nonsense is what it means to be a worshipper of JEHOVAH God, we will keep our idols and die as heathen!”

As we (the Body of Christ) seek to avoid Israel’s disasters, we bear in mind passages such as Philippians 1:9-11 and Philippians 2:13-16. “And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).

God’s Profaned Name #9

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

Defining His Kingdom Constitution—the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5–7)—Christ addressed His Jewish believing remnant (the Little Flock) with this exhortation: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

He was drawing from Isaiah 60:1-3, a prophecy about His Second Coming and subsequent Kingdom: “Arise, shine; for thy [Israel’s] light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Take notice also of Isaiah 59:20,21 (cf. Romans 11:26,27).

The LORD’S original purpose and plan for the nation Israel finally comes to pass, as the New Covenant erases their sin debt accumulated under the Old Covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Acts 3:19-21; Hebrews 8:8-13; Hebrews 9:11-17; Hebrews 10:1-22). Here is the goal of the prophetic program. Israel is now qualified to be blessed as per the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:1-3, and able to be a channel of salvation and blessing to all the world. The “heathen” (nations, Gentiles) of today’s Scripture will look at redeemed Israel and see light (ages to come) instead of darkness (time past). Filled with God’s Spirit and life, Israel will impart His knowledge to the Gentiles, resulting in worldwide revival (see Zechariah 8:20-23)!

Now, as touching the mystery program and us the Church the Body of Christ, let us consider if we can “profane” God’s name….

God’s Profaned Name #8

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

The Law of Moses cannot grant a sinner the power to keep it any more than a mirror can beautify the hideous person looking into it (check Romans 3:19,20 and 1 John 3:4). Via the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:1-3, the LORD purposed to create a people for Himself, but that nation decided to make themselves presentable to Him and accepted the Mosaic Covenant of Exodus 19:3-8.

Indeed, grace was tossed aside and works-religion was taken up in its place. Sinners actually declared they could be as perfect as God, that they were able to produce a nation that could be just as useful to Him as a nation He Himself would make. While senseless as it sounds, it did happen at Mount Sinai. Moreover, billions today are repeating the transgression—ignoring God’s righteousness (Calvary) and going about to establish their own righteousness. “I want to work for my trip to Heaven! If I am not going there after all the ‘good’ things I have done, no one is going there!”

As touching Israel’s kingdom restoration under the New Covenant, yet future from us, see The (oft-misunderstood) “Our Father” Prayer: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13). This connects to today’s Scripture, when the LORD fills sinful Israel with His very Spirit, life, and glory, and all the nations (who saw nothing but wickedness and darkness in Israel in time past) finally witness the LORD glorified through His earthly people….

God’s Profaned Name #7

Monday, August 14, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

The Bible states “the law [of Moses]… was added because of transgressions” (Galatians 3:19). It was in force for over 1,500 years (Moses to Paul) to prove to the Jewish people that, if they were to be God’s favored nation in the Earth, it would be only (!) because of His goodness and His performance (grace)—not their goodness and their performance (law). They were not “good” and thus could not perform! Galatians 3:15-23 explains how the Law was to point them (and us) to the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Our failure to meet the perfect standard of the Law indicates we are sinners: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin…. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;…” (Romans 3:19,20,23). See also 1 Timothy 1:8-10.

Learning the lesson of the Law, a believing remnant in Israel—the Messianic Church—trusted Jesus as Christ/Saviour during the time of Matthew to John. They recognized that, ultimately, the nation Israel who would serve God would result from the original covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant (grace) of Genesis 12:1-3, as opposed to the Mosaic Covenant (law) that was added later because of unbelief in the Abrahamic Covenant.

“Hallowed [Sanctified, made holy] be thy name” (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2)—one of the petitions of the so-called “Lord’s Prayer,” but better titled “The ‘Our Father’ Prayer”—is the Messianic Church praying in response to their Jewish ancestors’ profanation of the LORD’S name (see today’s Scripture). These saints are they who want God to make them His kingdom of priests in the Earth, which again loops to the LORD sanctifying His name as foretold in Ezekiel’s prophecy….

God’s Profaned Name #6

Sunday, August 13, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

Re-read today’s Scripture. The word “profane” means “make common or ordinary.” It is the opposite of “sanctify, set apart, hallow, make holy or special.” Whereas JEHOVAH God’s name was unique, distinct from the gods and goddesses of heathenism, the nation Israel misrepresented Him amongst the Gentiles to whom belonged those idols. You can consult the Prophet Daniel’s prayer of confession in Daniel 9:3-20, which was said in obedience to Leviticus 26:40-46. Like Daniel, the Prophet Ezekiel looked forward to the day when Israel would be restored to the LORD’S service.

The context of today’s Scripture—Ezekiel chapter 36—prophesies how the LORD will take Israel from under the Old Covenant (Law of Moses) and put them under the New Covenant. Curses give way to blessings, as sin is replaced with righteousness; wrath fades and grace overflows. Read the verses that follow today’s Scripture: “[24] For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. [25] Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. [26] A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. [28] And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

Here is how God will “sanctify” His great name that the Jewish people soiled while under the Dispensation of the Law of Moses….

God’s Profaned Name #5

Saturday, August 12, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

The word “name” denotes all that the person, place, or thing is. For example, read Exodus 34:5-7: “And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”

When the LORD proclaimed the name of the LORD, it was not God repeating over and over, “The LORD! The LORD! The LORD!” No, rather, it was an enumeration or listing of everything the LORD was and is—He is full of mercy, grace, longsuffering, goodness, truth, and so on. These are His attributes, characteristics, or traits. All that He stands for, all that He does, all that He believes is wrapped up in His great name.

Once Israel officially became the LORD’S nation coming out of Egypt and the Red Sea, whatever they did would either exalt the LORD’S name (righteous living) or tarnish it (sinful living). Unfortunately, like all sinners, they were not perfect, so the (Mosaic) Covenant of Law was doomed right from the start. God knew it, but they refused to accept it. When their evil deeds finally resulted in eviction from the Promised Land (a poor reflection of JEHOVAH God’s name), they continued their sinful acts in the Gentiles’ lands (another poor reflection of JEHOVAH God’s name). In the eyes of the non-Jews, the God of Israel (the one true God) was no different from their idols. Israel so miserably (!) failed (!) to be God’s light to the world, but God in His faithfulness will accomplish His will in the Earth through Israel regardless….

God’s Profaned Name #4

Friday, August 11, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

After Israel’s departure from Egypt, her people chose to enter a covenant relationship with the LORD God: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel…. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD” (Exodus 19:5,6,8). Obedience would bring blessings, but disobedience would merit curses, as elaborated on later in Leviticus chapter 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28.

True to His promise to remove the Jewish people from the Promised Land because of their habitual violation of the Law of Moses, the LORD God meted out the fifth and final course of chastisement or judgment (see Leviticus 26:27-39; Deuteronomy 28:62-65; cf. Leviticus 18:24-28; Leviticus 20:22-24). Now, as this curse took effect, the land of Palestine would be vacant, with the Israelites exiled or scattered to Assyria (north) and Babylonia (east).

Nevertheless, the LORD God states in today’s Scripture how the Jewish people continued their evil ways outside of Palestine. As they lived amongst the heathen or Gentiles, the Israelites were not reflections of the Creator’s will. When the nations observed this nonsense, they could not help but snicker and mock. Instead of, “What a wise and understanding people” (Deuteronomy 4:6), it was “What a foolish and clueless people!” Israel did not walk in her identity the LORD gave her coming out of Egypt (separation from sin, Satan, and the world). She wanted to be like everyone else—and she indeed thought and acted like everyone else.

Israel “profaned” the name of the LORD in this manner….

God’s Profaned Name #3

Thursday, August 10, 2023

“And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:23 KJV).

How was God’s great name “profaned among the heathen?” In what way will He “sanctify” it?

When He brought them out of Egyptian bondage, the LORD had indeed taken the nation Israel unto Himself, making them His special people in the Earth: He had “sanctified” them, “hallowed” them, or set them apart positionally. Consequently, they were to be “holy” practically—in their daily living. As He was isolated from the gods and goddesses of the Gentiles (idols), so the Jews were to be separated from the Gentiles (nations). “…I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people” (Leviticus 20:24). “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine” (Leviticus 20:26). This is why He gave Israel “unusual” laws to obey and “strange” rules to observe.

By watching the Israelites conduct themselves according to the Creator’s will, the Gentiles (without that one true God) were to be impressed and interested. See Moses’ advice to Israel in Deuteronomy 4:5-8: “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?”

Nevertheless, because of sin, there was an adverse reaction to what the LORD had spoken to Israel….