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"And take...the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)
In this issue:
Showers of Blessing
Sermon Outlines:
Noteworthy News:
Every "Nobody" is Somebody
Showers of Blessing
Joe R. Price
Israel
was being misled by her leaders. As shepherds of God’s flock, Israel’s
prophets, priests and kings should have been faithfully feeding God’s
sheep. Instead, they were making themselves fat at the expense of the
sheep. They were feeding themselves. The sick were not restored to
health. The lost were not searched for and saved. As a result, wicked
people preyed upon, devoured and scattered God’s people. These shepherds
ruled over God’s people with harshness and force. Consequently, God would
harshly punish these impostors. They had abandoned their God-given work in
order to satisfy themselves. The people were being consumed by sin and the
shepherds did not try to save them. These shepherds would soon face the
wrath of God. This sad, distressful situation is recorded in Ezekiel
34:1-10.
To remedy this
problem God told them He would be their shepherd: “I myself will be the
shepherd of my sheep” (Ezek. 34:15, ASV). He would seek the lost and
deliver them from danger. He would feed the hungry and give them rest in
verdant pastures. He would restore the sick and give them a safe haven of
rest. Their souls would be satisfied because, with God as their shepherd,
justice would prevail (read Ezek. 34:11-16).
To accomplish this tremendous work of
shepherding His people, God would appoint “one shepherd” over His
sheep, “My servant David” (Ezek. 34:23-24). This is predictive of
the Messiah, who would feed and lead God’s people, thus accomplishing God’s
promised care. Jesus is the good shepherd who gave His life for the sheep,
thereby giving eternal life to all who will hear His voice and follow Him
(Jno. 10:11-16, 24-29).
With His
shepherd over His sheep, God promised to shower His people with good
fortune: “there shall be showers of blessing” (Ezek. 34:26). These
blessings are obtained in Christ. Contemplate the predicted blessings
mentioned in Ezekiel and their fulfillment in Christ, the good shepherd:
A covenant
of peace:
“I will make a covenant of peace with them” (Ezek. 34:25). God wants
man to be at peace with Him. Sin introduces conflict and causes separation
between man and God. God’s shepherd remedies the problem of sin: “Now
may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great
Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant”
(Heb. 13:20; Jno. 10:15). The death of Jesus reconciles man to God by
cleansing man’s sin (Heb. 9:11-15). Christ has made peace by His blood, and
preaches peace to sinners (Eph. 2:14-18). By obeying His gospel, your sins
will be cleansed (Acts 22:16). You will be at peace with God.
Fruitfulness:
“I will make
them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers
to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the
trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her
increase”
(Ezek.
34:26-27). Not only is every spiritual blessing found in Christ; as we
abide in Christ (live in His way of truth), we bear fruit unto God (Eph.
1:3; Jno. 15:4-5; Gal. 5:22-23). Spiritual fruit is the sweetest, most
refreshing kind, for it sustains the soul. Living for Christ is without
comparison in this world of sin. Are you sharing in the fruitfulness of
salvation by following Christ?
Freedom from bondage:
“…and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of
their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them”
(Ezek. 34:27). Freedom from spiritual bondage is under view here. The good
shepherd frees us from the bondage of sin and death (cf. Jno. 8:31-36; Heb.
2:14-15; Gal. 5:1). Freedom from sin occurs when one obeys the gospel from
the heart (Rom. 6:17-18, 2-4). Has the Son of God freed you from the
bondage of your sin (Jno. 8:36)? Only He can free you.
Safety and
security from evil:
“They shall be
safe in their land…And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor
shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no
one shall make them afraid”
(Ezek. 34:27-28). Satan preys upon the souls of men (1 Pet. 5:8). With
Christ as our shepherd we are safe from Satan’s devouring tactics when we
listen to the shepherd’s voice and resist evil through faithfully following
Him (1 Pet. 5:8-9; Jas. 4:7-8; Jno. 10: 2-5). Safety from sin is only found
in Christ’s flock (Jno. 10:27-29).
Sustenance:
“they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land” (Ezek.
34:29). Christ, the good shepherd, feeds us the bread of life (Jno.
6:48-58, 63). God knows our needs, and in Christ He supplies them all
(Phil. 4:19). He has prepared for us a table from which to feast (Psa.
23:5). Come and eat this bread; come and take the water of life freely
(Rev. 22:17; cf. Jno. 6:35, 51).
Fellowship
with God:
“Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they,
the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord GOD.’” (Ezek.
34:30). Oh, what blessed assurance! God is with the Christian (2 Cor.
6:16-18).
The question
now is, “Are you with God?” “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture;
you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord GOD (Ezek. 34:31). Obey
the gospel of Jesus Christ and live in His showers of blessing.
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
No Regrets
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 21:28-32
1. Regrets can be good or
bad, depending on how we use them:
a. Godly sorrow & repentance – Matt. 21:29.
b. Ignore & harden our hearts – Matt. 21:32.
2. What contentment at end of life to be able to truly say, “I have no
regrets” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
I. WE OUGHT
TO REGRET:
A. Our Past
Sins – 1 Cor. 15:9; Matt. 27:3-5; Acts 9:9, 11; Lk. 22:31-32, 62; Acts
2:36-37.
B. Lost Opportunities – Eph. 5:16; Rom. 13:11-12.
1. Obey truth – Jas. 1:22, 25; 2 Cor. 6:2.
2. To grow – 2 Pet. 3:18.
3. To teach others – Acts 20:25-27.
4. To live morally – Rom. 13:13-14.
5. To love / respect your spouse – Eph. 5:33.
6. To nurture your children – Eph. 6:4.
C. Examine Ourselves – 2 Cor. 13:5; 7:10.
II. SOME
THINGS YOU WILL NEVER REGRET:
A. Urging a
Sinner to Repent – 2 Cor. 7:6-9.
B. Obeying God & Removing Sin – Matt. 21: 28-29; Josh. 24:15; Acts 9:6;
22:16; Prov. 22:8
C. Being Compassionate & Forgiving of Others – Lk. 6:37-38 (Matt.
18:21-22, 23-35); Lk. 23:34; Col. 3:12-13; Matt. 5:7.
D. Showing Small Acts of Kindness – Matt. 10:42 (5:44-48); Heb. 13:2;
Eph. 4:32.
E. Keeping a Clean Conscience – Acts 23:1.
F. Standing Up
for the Truth of the Gospel – Jude 3 (1 Pet. 3:15); 2 Tim. 4:2-5 (3:10, 14).
G. Sacrificing for Christ –
Phil. 3:7-8 (Matt. 19:27; Lk. 5:11); Ac 21:13.
1. Put Christ & His will first – 3:4-6.
2. Value Jesus more than all (Matt. 6:21).
3. Endurance – 3:12a, 13a.
4. Grow – 3:12b, 13b-14.
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Ignorance in the Church
Scripture Reading:
Proverbs 1:20-33
1. NT repeatedly warns against
ignorance (1 Ths. 4:13; 2 Pet. 3:8; et al.).
2. Ignorance: “lacking knowledge, unlearned, unaware.
3. Following Jesus takes knowledge of divine truth – Jno. 8:31-32; Eph.
4:17-21.
I. WHAT
IGNORANCE HAS DONE:
A. Israel was
Punished with Captivity – Isa. 5:13; Hos. 4:6; Jer. 4:22.
B. Put Jesus on the Cross – Acts 3:17 (Lk. 23:34); 1 Cor. 2:7-8.
C. Caused Many to Oppose the Gospel & Persecute the Church – 1 Tim.
1:13; Acts 26:9
II. WHAT
IGNORANCE IS CAUSING:
A. Causes
the Church to Forget the Fundamentals of the Faith – 2 Pet. 1:12-15; Psa.
11:3; Heb. 6:1; 2 Pet. 1:8-9 (4).
B. Causes the Church to be Spiritually Immature – Heb. 5:12-14; Prov.
10:14; 2:10.
C. Causes the Church to Look Like the World – 1 Pet. 1:14 (4:1-3); Eph.
5:7-8, 11.
D. Causes (allows) False Doctrine to Invade the Church–Mt. 22:29; 2 Pet.
3:5,8; Ep. 4:14.
E. Causes the Church to be Ineffective in Evangelism – Mk. 16:15; 1 Tim.
2:4.
F. Causes the Church to Fill up with those who Unjustly Criticize – 1
Cor. 8:1; Ro. 11:25
III.
WHAT IGNORANCE WILL CAUSE:
A. Cause
the Church to not Submit to the Will (authority) of Christ – Ro.10:3;
Lk.19:41ff
B. Cause the Church to be Rejected by Christ (Hos. 4:6) – Rev. 3:15-17,
18-20.
Concl.
Fools hate knowledge; when refused, destruction surely comes – Prv. 1:7,
22-23; 24-29.
Top
NOTEWORTHY NEWS
(Current events in the
light of Scripture)
Every
"Nobody" is Somebody
Joe R. Price
A court in the Italian
city of Trieste ruled in favor of a parking attendant who sued for slander
when a driver told the attendant, “You are nobody!” The court ruled the
phrase ‘you are nobody’ “means precisely ‘you are a nonentity’ and to state
that a person is a nonentity is certainly offensive because it is damaging
to the dignity of a person” (‘You Are Nobody!’ Is Slander, Reuters cited by
Lycos News, 09July2004). We certainly are a long way from the playground of
our youth when it was said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names
will never harm me!”
Of course, everybody
is somebody, and nobody should slander anybody (Prov. 10:18; Psa. 15:3).
Everyone is important to God, as evidenced by His love in giving His Son to
die for the sins of the whole world (Jno. 3:16; Rom. 5:8). There is not a
single person on the face of the earth whom God’s love does not reach.
Neither should our love be withheld from anyone.
The dignity of life is under
attack today. From abortion to euthanasia, the weakest and most vulnerable
among us are exposed to being thought of as ‘nobody.’ Elimination, not
protection, is the result of this devaluation of life. Such disrespect and
evil will not go unseen or unpunished by the Giver and Sustainer of life
(Acts 14:25, 30-31).
Finally, everybody is
somebody in the kingdom of heaven. Every Christian has a place to fill, a
task to accomplish, an ability to use to the glory of Christ and the
enhancement of His kingdom (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:18-25; Eph. 3:21). Even
the smallest acts of faith are valuable, observed and rewarded by our Father
in heaven (Matt. 10:42).
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