Missio Dei (Ezekiel 37-39 / 2 Peter 2)

In Ezekiel 37-39, God's people are being restored. This is in accord with God's promises and the New Covenant (NIV Compact Bible Commentary, p. 393). Israel had backslidden (37:23) yet God promises to be with them (37:28) so that the nations would recognize Holy God at work. Again in 38:23 and 39:27, God promises to make himself known "in the sight of many nations." From the beginning of time, God's heart has been for the nations. He wants His name to be known throughout all of the world so that the multitudes can experience a relationship with a loving and holy God. After God sends Israel out, He brings them back for a purpose (38:27-28). That purpose of winning the nations is commonly tied into the concept of missio dei. "Missio Dei" comes from a latin word that simply means the "sending of God." Are you on mission for Christ to make his name known througout the world?

2 Peter 2 is an indictment against false teachers. Their punishment will be severe (v. 17). Their deeds will be brought to light on the day of judgment. The best thing we can do is stand firm in ungodly times as righteous men such as Noah (v. 5) and Lot (v. 7) did. Try listing some specific ways that you can identify which will help you stand firm in the ungodly days that we now live in?

Is God #1? (Ezekiel 20 / James 4-5)

The cyclical theme that remains constant in Ezekiel 20 is a theme of punishment and then redemption ("for my name's sake"). Israel constantly rebels against God yet He delivers them not because they are good but for his own name's sake (v. 9, 14, 22). God sums it up best when He says "I will show myself holy among you in the sight of the nations" (v. 41). God's glory is at stake in how he deals with Israel. He cannot allow his name to be profaned to a certain degree (v. 9, 14, 22). Moses understood well the concepts of God's glory and God's holiness and how God's name needed to be upheld and honored among the nations (Exodus 32:10-14). James 4:5 teaches us that God is a "jealous" God that wants and deserves first place in our lives. John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." As a believer in Christ, where is your satisfaction level at with God?

Prayer is a powerful thing! James 5:16-18 reminds us that prayer is real and that it does work. Do you keep a list of prayer requests you have for God and answers you have seen Him bring about to those requests? If not, try keeping a journal and then periodically revisit past prayer requests that have been answered to remind you of God's faithfulness!

Creeper (Ezekiel 11-13 / James 1-2)

Ezekiel 11-13 is an indictment against false prophets. These so called prophets promised peace when there was none (13:10). These prophets were full of "false visions and lying divinations" 13:7). The mention of "whitewash walls" in verses 10-16 remind me of the hypocrites whom Jesus blasted when he said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleaness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness' (Matthew 23:27-28). Have you ever had someone come up and tell you, "God told me to tell you _________." If what they told you cannot line up with the Scripture's teachings, I can promise you that God told them nothing. I recently heard a joke by seminary professor. He mentioned a story of a young man who told a young lady that he had been praying and that God had told him that she should go out with him. The young lady replied, "I have been praying too and God told me that you are a creeper."

We all need to re-read James 1:2. Does it really say that we should consider multiple trials a joy? Yes, because it is producing in us a Christ-like character that otherwise could not be formed (v. 3-4). And we are having to lean upon God more by asking Him for wisdom (v. 5). The latter part of James speaks of hearing and doing God's Word (v. 22-25). One without the other is incomplete. Proverbs speaks of something similar: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. We should try to understand what we know from God's Word so that with wisdom we can apply it to our lives.

Marked (Ezekiel 8-10 / Hebrews 13)

Ezekiel 8-10 reads like a three part mini-series. Idolatry in the temple is noted in chapter eight. In chapter nine, the idolaters are judged and killed and in chapter ten, the Lord's glory departs from the temple. Only those with the Lord's mark were spared in the outpouring of God's wrath (9:4, 8). Those marked by the Lord in Ezekiel 9 make me think of those that will be marked by the Lord in Revelation 14:1-5. Revelation 14 goes on to speak of the coming doom for those who receive the mark of the beast. We do not walk around today with marks on our forehead, but we all are marked. God knows those who belong to him and those who do not (John 10:14). God wishes that no one would perish without knowing the truth of the gospel (2 Peter 3:9), however most go through this life refusing "to love the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:10, Matthew 7:13). Characteristics of those marked by the Lord include a loving spirit and a holy lifestyle. Can you identify these kind of marks in your life?

Hebrews 13 contains many practical insights. Church leaders exercise spiritual oversight over their flock and should be prayed for and honored. This should take place because leaders will have to give an account one day and because things will work best for everyone in the church when order is maintained (v. 7, 17-18). Also, we should remember those who are in prison (v. 3) and not allow ourselves to be swallowed up by greed (v. 5-6). Christ will equip us to do the work that He sees as our best fit for ministry (v. 20-21). What ministry has God called you to in the local church and community?

Wake Up Call (Ezekiel 5-7 / Hebrews 12)

Doom, destruction, desecration, death, desolation, demolition, wrath, panic, plague, punishment, famine, fire, bloodshed, judgment --- These are just some of the words God uses to describe what He, "the Sovereign Lord" (Ezekiel 7:5), is about to do to His rebellious people in Ezekiel 5-7. We know God is a God of mercy too, but if all you read in the Bible were these three chapters, you probably would not think this to be the case. Does God really have to act this way? The answer is Yes. We can even look at these judgments as acts of mercy because God is using these acts to show his people that He "is Lord" (6:7). And perhaps once his people realize this fact, they will obey Him once again. We all need these wake up calls in our lives at times to bring us back to what should be the most important thing in our life. What was the last wake up call you received from God? Instead of getting mad at God, try thanking him for his mercy.

Today's NT passage goes right along with the above OT passage. Hebrews 12 teaches us to be grateful for God's discipline (v. 5-6). Discipline is never fun (v. 7), but it is a requirement for those who are following Christ. This discipline, although it hurts, will turn out for our good if we allow ourselves to be trained by it (v. 11). We have a choice. We can refuse God's discipline or we can be thankful for it and worship Him (v. 28). Which decision will you make?

Bittersweet (Ezekiel 3 / Hebrews 11)

Ezekiel is God's mouthpiece. Ezekiel is fed by God's Word and its taste is as sweet as honey(Ezekiel 3:3). This is similar to what the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 119:103, "How sweet are your words to my taste." However, the Word can also leave a bitter taste in one's mouth (3:14). The apostle John experienced this same bittersweet taste in Revelation 10:9-10 (MacArthur Bible Commentary, p. 897). Both Ezekiel and John were prophets and were made to experience both tastes so that they could relay God's message with pinpoint accuracy to God's people. We are no different today and the message (God's Word) has not changed. To those who obey and love God's Word, the message's taste is sweet. But to those who rebel against and despise God's Word, the message's taste is bitter. The sweet taste leads to life but the bitter taste leads to death. It has been this way since the beginning of time when God commanded (Genesis 2:17)Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (tasting this tree led to death). What taste does God's Word leave in your mouth?

In reading God's hall of fame chapter (Hebrews 11), we tend to focus on "faith" or the "heroes of the faith" or the persecutions these heroes endured (v. 32-38). These are good things to focus on but we do not want to lose sight of the meaning of the last verse of the chapter (v. 40). This verse puts God's people of today right alongside the faithful heroes of the past. God's Son came and died at the perfect time in history. One day, people who lived by faith before his coming and people who lived by faith after his coming will unite together to celebrate His victory over death for an eternity! Are you living by faith in the Son of God?

Old vs. New (Jeremiah 51 / Hebrews 9)

Jeremiah 51 re-emphasizes the destruction of Babylon. God's purposes will stand (50:45). Man's effort will not change God's mind (51:58). We know that prayer changes things. However, God's mind is made up in this case and even prayer to God will not save Babylon's coming destruction. In Jeremiah 52, God's city, Jerusalem, falls to the Babylonians. God's own people undergo judgment for repeatedly rebelling against Him (52:2-3). All of us stand guilty before a holy God (Romans 3:23). None of us can escape God's judgment. Take some time to think about the upcoming Great White Throne judgment for unbelievers and the upcoming Bema Seat judgment for believers.

Hebrews 9 reinterates the old covenant/new covenant theology. Christ's blood was the better way. Animal blood was not sufficient for a heavenly sacrifice (9:23). The old way included a high priest, animal sacrifices, and a tabernacle. The new way has Christ, our Heavenly High Priest as being our sacrifice so that we can now commune with him for an eternity in a heavenly tabernacle. "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (9:22). Without the new sacrifice, we would still be lost in sin. Try to look at this passage and others to identify more ways in which the new covenant is better than the old covenant.