Ezekiel 22:6-9

Beware of those seeking positions of power that evoke the sins of others while playing down their own. Slander crucified Jesus. God knew the hearts of men and their desire for power. He used their evil ways to save the humble in His death. God and His righteousness always trumps mans self righteousness!

Ezekiel received and reported revelations from the living God as an exile in Babylon during 593–571 b.c. All that is known of this solitary prophet comes from his written prophecy, and no compelling data exist for the acceptance of any author other than the one named in the book itself: Ezekiel, son of Buzi (a priest), who was taken captive with Jehoiachin and other Hebrews 

in 597 b.c.

Jerusalem’s princes had shed the blood of innocent people These evil leaders had been: (1) taking advantage of parents and the weak (2) rejecting God and His covenant, leading to ungodliness and inhumanity (3) murdering the innocent by slandering them (4) preferring idolatrous religion and its immoral rituals (5) engaging in sexual immorality with neighbors, family, and relatives and (6) loving money and using it to get ahead of fellow citizens.

Ezekiel 22:6-9

⁶ “Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. ⁷ In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. ⁸ You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. ⁹ In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.

²³ Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them. 

Isaiah 1:23

²⁷ Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. 

Ezekiel 22:27

And I said: “Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice? ²You who hate good and love evil; 

Micah 3:1–2

¹⁶ You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. 

Leviticus 19:16

Jeremiah 4:1-2

The Lord is faithful to forgive us when we humble ourselves and ask Him for that forgiveness. He will take the very actions meant for us to self destruct and turn them into actions for our good and to benefit all of His Body, His Bride, the Church. 

Our allegiance to God should be to His glory not ours.

allegiance

noun

loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, obedience, homage, devotion

Jeremiah’s ministry covered a very critical time in the history of the ancient Middle East. When Josiah king of Judah died at the hands of the Egyptian army, Judah became subject to Egypt and its ruler Pharaoh Necho. The people of Judah chose Jehoahaz to succeed Josiah. However, three months later Necho appointed Jehoiakim (Eliakim) to rule as his vassal on the throne in Jerusalem. Having lost their freedom, the people of Judah turned not to God but to the idols they had worshiped in the days of Manasseh and Amon. This idolatry was the reason for Jeremiah’s proclamations of God’s judgment.

The phrase ‘The Lord lives’ was regularly used in oaths. When spoken by those faithful to the covenant it should have been a sign of truth, judgment, and righteousness. These three terms summarize the ultimate and ideal demands of the covenant. They are the standards by which all men, from kings to slaves, were and will be judged.

Jeremiah 4:1-2

4  “If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,

“Return to Me;

And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,

Then you shall not be moved.

² And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’

In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;

The nations shall bless themselves in Him,

And in Him they shall glory.”

¹² “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 

Joel 2:12

²⁰ You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name. 

Deuteronomy 10:20

²³  have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. 

Isaiah 45:23

¹⁶ So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes. 

Isaiah 65:16

⁸ I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’ 

Zechariah 8:8

¹⁸ In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 

Genesis 22:18

⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ^h“In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 

Galatians 3:8

²⁴ But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord. 

Jeremiah 9:24

¹⁷ But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 

2 Corinthians 10:17

John 14:15-18

The Father gives us faith, hope and love and the greatest of these virtues is LOVE. 

Love God with all  your heart, mind and soul and love others as you do yourself. If we keep these commandments of Jesus we will walk the path that He laid before us. As He lived, abiding in His Father, so will we. 

The Spirit of truth will set us free!

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth because He is truth and guides us into all truth. The Spirit of God is active in the world, but His acts go unnoticed by the world.

believe (Gk. pisteuō) Strong’s #4100: 

The Greek word for believe literally means “to place one’s trust in another”

John 14:15-18

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

³ For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 

1 John 5:3

²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 

John 15:26

²² And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 

John 20:22

³³ Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 

Acts 2:33

¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 

John 16:13

⁷ For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 

1 John 5:7

²⁷ But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 

1 John 2:27

Luke 6:12-19

God chooses His disciples...Knock and the door will be opened. Seek and you will find. Ask and you shall receive. He wants no man to perish but all to have everlasting life with their Creator.

He knows how He can use their lives and the talents that He gives to bring His healing touch to mankind. This faith is a gift from God and is a living, continually growing seed. It is  planted in us by the saving grace of Jesus Christ to develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Christ like character developed is given us to share with others, believers and non believers. Prayer holds the key, opening the door, to relationship with the Father through His Son.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit within we can do nothing.

The audience for the sermon consisted of both disciples and the great multitude. Jesus did not restrict His remarks simply to those who believed. Jesus’ fame extended even into Gentile regions. The people were drawn by His teaching and healing ministry. In general, the disciples of Jesus were not wealthy. They were poor men who had come humbly to trust in God.

Luke 6:12-19

¹² Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

¹⁷ And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸ as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

²³ And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 

Matthew 14:23

³⁵ Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 

Mark 1:35

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 

Luke 11:1

10 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 

Matthew 10:1

³⁶ and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. 

Matthew 14:36

Luke 11:46

The simplicity of the Gospel saves. Love God with all  your heart, mind and soul and others as much as yourself. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us and give every man born the chance to be saved through His sacrifice on the cross… To the glory of God the  Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!

What does God require of us?

To be fair to everyone why?Because He loves them.To forgive others because we have been forgiven so much and to remain humble knowing it has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Jesus

Micah 6:8

Jesus applied His woes to lawyers as well as to the Pharisees. In everyday Greek, the term translated burdens refers to a ship’s cargo. The idea is that a heavy strain was being imposed on the people and yet, in the end, this burden did not bring them closer to God. Here Jesus rebuked the tradition that had grown up around the Law of Moses. The judgment here refers specifically to the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, and ultimately to the final judgment of God in the Tribulation.

Luke 11:46

⁴⁶ And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

¹² “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 

Deuteronomy 10:12

Matthew 23:1-12

Don’t be followers of men but of the Christ. The rules and traditions of men are made by men but life is in the Scriptures. He left us with HIStory, the Scriptures, read them and let your eyes be opened by the Holy Spirit. Be humble knowing that salvation has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Him.

observe |əbˈzərv|

ORIGIN…

from Latin observare ‘to watch,’ from ob- ‘toward’ + servare ‘attend to, look at.’

The truth of Jesus will set you free.

Matthew 23:1-12

23 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. ³ Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. ⁴ For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. ⁵ But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. ⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ⁸ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

³ Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words. 

Deuteronomy 33:3

²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

Matthew 11:29

⁴⁶ And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 

Luke 11:46

¹⁰ Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 

Acts 15:10

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 

Galatians 5:1

²⁴ Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand. 

2 Corinthians 1:24

³ nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 

1 Peter 5:3

¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Matthew 5:16

³³ The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility. 

Proverbs 15:33

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 

James 4:6

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

We must be careful not to call good evil or evil good.

Some modern Protestant interpretations of the sin include the deliberate labeling of good as evil, as rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit, of publicly attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, and attributing the work of Jesus to Satan (under this interpretation, the sin could only have been committed in the first century AD).Regardless of their interpretation, Protestant interpreters generally agree that one who has committed the sin is no longer able to repent, so one who is fearful that they have committed it has not done so.

Thomas Aquinas lists, or has responded to six sins that supposedly go against the Holy Spirit:

• despair: which consists in thinking that one's own malice is greater than Divine Goodness, as the Master of the Sentences teaches,

• presumption: if a man wants to obtain glory without merits or pardon without repentance

• resistance to the known truth,

• envy of a brother's spiritual good,

• impenitence,

  • obstinacy, whereby a man, clinging to his sin, becomes immune to the thought that the good searched in it is a very little one.

It is apparently not a single act of defiant behavior, but a continued state of opposition entered into willfully. The tense of they said indicates a continued action, not a onetime event. The words and works of Christ were spoken and performed by the power of the Holy Spirit. To attribute them to Satan is to call the work of heaven a work of hell. For such perverse belief there is no remedy.

Many people fear they have committed some sin that God cannot or will not forgive, and they feel there is no hope for them, no matter what they do. Satan would like nothing better than to keep us laboring under this misconception. The truth is that if a person has this fear, he/she needs only to come before God, confess that sin, repent of it, and accept God’s promise of forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This verse assures us that God is ready to forgive any sin—no matter how heinous—if we come to Him in repentance. 

If you are suffering under a load of guilt today, God is waiting with His arms open in love and compassion for you to come to Him. He will never disappoint or fail to pardon those who do.

Mark 3:28-30

²⁸ “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; ²⁹ but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”—³⁰ because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.

³¹ “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 

Matthew 12:31

¹⁰ “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 

Luke 12:10

Acts 28

God wants you to succeed… He wants no one to perish but all to have access to eternal life with Him through Jesus Christ.

There will always be those who question the authenticity of your faith but, out of your transparency in your sins, may the love and mercy of God shine forth so that all glory and honor are His alone. 

Only by the power of the Holy Spirit will His voice be heard through you.

At the beginning of the Book of Acts, Jesus’ followers appear confused and fearful. But by the end of the book they are well on their way to transforming the Roman world with the gospel.

Acts 28:21-22 and 30-31

²¹ Then they said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you. ²² But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.”

³⁰ Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, ³¹ preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 

Luke 2:34

⁵ For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 

Acts 24:5

¹⁴ But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. 

Acts 24:14

³¹ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 

Acts 4:31

¹⁹ and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 

Ephesians 6:19

Philippians 1:9-11

God gives us wisdom to discern His ways through the still, small voice of our dear Holy Spirit. LISTEN closely.

discernment |dəˈsərnmənt|

noun

1 the ability to judge well

2 (in Christian contexts) perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual direction and understanding

Discernment a Greek word means moral or ethical understanding based on both the intellect and the senses. The word implies perception or insight into social situations. The purpose of increasing in love, controlled by knowledge, is to be able to evaluate people and situations correctly. 

The goal ahead for the believer is the day of Christ in which the believer will stand for evaluation before the Savior, who is the faithful and true witness.

Philippians 1:9-11

⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

Ephesians 2:10

⁶ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 

Colossians 1:6

⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 

John 15:8