STEMMING THE TIDE-V—Ezekiel 22:23-31
Intervention/Confrontation/Stand against/Hold back/Protect
Attention:
Tropical Storm preparedness—Storm shutters, Sand Bags, Secure &/or move loose furniture-boats-cars, etc., First-aid supplies, Assume an absence of electricity, Generators, Water, Flashlights, Batteries, Camp stove, Fuel, Coolers, Ice, etc.
Such preparedness stands against that which would otherwise destroy.
Need:
To be individual & thereby corporate maintainers of truth in an overwhelming world.
YaHWeH sought for a man who would be willing to stand for Him in the midst of overwhelming sin.
YaHWeH is looking for a person to stem the tide of sin.
YaHWeH is looking for a person to stem/thwart/impede/obstruct the rampant onslaught of sin.
Who will stem the tide of sin?
Who will stand for the Lord against sin?
People who stem the tide of sin.
We have found previously that...
A person who stems the tide of sin, Addresses spiritual...
1. CLEANSING-CLEANLINESS(:23-24)
2. TREASON(:25)
3. DISCRIMINATION(:26)
4. GAIN(:27)
5. TRUTH(:28)
6. PRACTICALITY(:29)“oppression, robbery, mistreat the helpless”
7—A person who stems the tide of sin, Addresses spiritual...
STANDING(:30)
Explanation:(:30)Wall-building/Intervention
:30—“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, & stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
The land of Israel(God’s chosen people) has become corrupted & languishes...from the people in general, to the princes, to the priests, to the prophets.
But that is not the end in God’s eyes, because YaHWeH looks for those who are faithful to Him. He looks for just one solitary “man” who will faithfully offer himself(“stand”) to God, allowing the accomplishment of God’s will.
“The gap” pictures a breach in an otherwise protective & securing city “wall.”
“The image of YaHWeH searching for someone to man the breach is military.”—NICOT
YaHWeH looked for just one individual who would ‘wall up a wall’(“make a wall”)...or a person to actually become “a wall”, either would be employed to thwart the enemy’s overwhelming the city.
Such “a wall” is one of separation. Such “a wall” would have been intended for holding off that which was profane & abominable & thus hindering the inroads of corrupting influences in the land. Such a man’s stance against sin would be all that is necessary to secure God’s witness & testimony against sin.
Jn. 9:39-41—“And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, & that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, & said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.”
Jn. 15:20-25—“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come & spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen & also hated both Me & My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”[Ps. 35:19] If such a “man” should be found, he would “stand” “before” God “on behalf of the land.” If such a “man” should be found, his single commitment would prevent YaHWeH from having to “destroy” His own handiwork.
Chuck Swindoll quote—“I've never seen a bust of a committee or counsel or a board. They are always of one individual who made a difference, had a 'vision', saw the future, envisioned the means of attaining. These individuals employed committees, etc. Yes, one person can make a difference!”
To a degree, this corresponds to or is reminiscent of soldiers who fight & have fought for their country’s freedoms & way of life. These would gladly take a bullet for their fellow comrades.
The sad fact of the matter is that YaHWeH, the King of the Universe & Knower of all things, could find “no one” of godly fortitude! Through man’s freewill, he readily chooses to go his own way apart from the very God in whose image he is made! No man of Israel would firmly “stand” for the Lord of Creation.
“Sought”—vqb baw-kash’—Piel(intensive/intentional/repeated/extended) Imperfect—1) To seek, require, desire, exact, request—1a) (Piel)—1a1) To seek to find, 1a2) To seek to secure, 1a3) To seek the face, 1a4) To desire, demand, 1a5) To require, exact, 1a6) To ask, request, 1b) (Pual) To be sought. Strong—a primitive root; To search out(by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication--To strive after.
“Man”—vya 'eeysh—Noun Masc.—1) Man—1a) Man, male(in contrast to woman, female), 1b) Husband, 1c) Human being, person(in contrast to God), 1d) Servant, 1e) Mankind, 1f) Champion, 1g) Great man; 2) Whosoever; 3) Each(adjective). Strong—A man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term(& in such cases frequently not expressed in translation).
“Make”—rdg gaw-dar’—Qal Participle active—1) To wall up, wall off, close off, build a wall—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To wall up, shut off, 1a2) Masons(participle). Strong—a primitive root; To wall in or around. Used 10X.
“Wall/Hedge”—rdg gaw-der’—Noun Masc.—1) Fence, wall. Strong—A circumvallation; by implication--An inclosure. Used 12X.
“Stand”—dme aw-mad’—Qal Participle Active—1) To stand, remain, endure, take one's stand—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To stand, take one's stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of, 1a2) To stand still, stop(moving or doing), cease, 1a3) To tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast, 1a4) To make a stand, hold one's ground, 1a5) To stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright, 1a6) To arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against, 1a7) To stand with, take one's stand, be appointed, grow flat, grow insipid. Strong—a primitive root; To stand, in various relations(literal & figurative, intransitive & transitive).
“Gap/Breach”—Urp peh’-rets—Noun Masc.—1) Breach, gap, bursting forth—1a) Bursting forth, outburst, 1b) Breach, 1c) Broken wall, 1d) Outburst(figuratively of God's wrath). Strong—a break(literally or figuratively). Used 19X.
“Before”—Mynp paw-neeym' pl. (but always as sing.)—Noun Masc.—1) Face—1a) Face, faces, 1b) Presence, person, 1c) Face(of seraphim or cherubim), 1d) Face(of animals), 1e) Face, surface(of ground), 1f) as adverb of locative/temporal—1f1) Before & behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before, 1g) with prep—1g1) In front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of. Strong—The face(as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications(literally & figuratively); also(with prepositional prefix) as a preposition--Before, etc..
“On Behalf of”—deb beh-ad’—Prep.—1) Behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about—1a) Through(of action), 1b) Behind(with verbs of shutting), 1c) About(with verbs of fencing), 1d) On behalf of(metaph. especially with Hithpael). Strong—In up to or over against; generally--At, beside, among, behind, for, etc.. Used 19X.
“Land”(See :24)—Ura eh’-rets—Noun Fem.—Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth(at large, or partitively a land).
“Not”—ytlb bil-teey’—Substantive—1) Not, except. Adverb—2) Not.; 3) Except(after preceding negation). Conjunction—4) Except(after an implied or expressed negation). With Preposition—5) So as not, in order not; 6) An account of not, because...not; 7) Until not. Strong—properly--A failure of, i.e. (used only as a negative particle, usually with a prepositional prefix)--Not, except, without, unless, besides, because not, until, etc. Used 30X.
“Destroy”—txv shaw-khath’—Piel Infinitive—1) To destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay—1a) (Niphal) To be marred, be spoiled, be corrupted, be corrupt, be injured, be ruined, be rotted, 1b) (Piel)—1b1) To spoil, ruin, 1b2) To pervert, corrupt, deal corruptly(morally), 1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To spoil, ruin, destroy, 1c2) To pervert, corrupt(morally), 1c3) Destroyer(participle), 1d) (Hophal)--Spoiled, ruined(participle). Strong—a primitive root; To decay, i.e. causatively--Ruin(literally or figuratively).
“Found”—aum maw-tsaw’—Qal Perfect—1) To find, attain to—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To find—1a1a) To find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought), 1a1b) To find (what is lost), 1a1c) To meet, encounter, 1a1d) To find (a condition), 1a1e) To learn, devise, 1a2) To find out—1a2a) To find out, 1a2b) To detect, 1a2c) To guess, 1a3) To come upon, light upon—1a3a) To happen upon, meet, fall in with, 1a3b) To hit, 1a3c) To befall. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To come forth to, i.e. Appear or exist; transitively--To attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively--To occur, meet or be present.
“No one”—al lo’, awl low’, hl loh(De 3:11) or wl—Adverb—1) Not, no—1a) not(with verb - absolute prohibition), 1b) not(with modifier - negation), 1c) nothing(substantive), 1d) without(with particle), 1e) before(of time). Strong—a primitive particle; Not(the simple or absolute negation); by implication--No; often used with other particles.
Argumentation:
The saying—“If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.”
**Jer. 5:1—“Run to & fro through the streets of Jerusalem; See now & know; And seek in her open places If you can find a man, If there is anyone who executes judgment, Who seeks the truth, And I will pardon her.”
**Isa. 59:1-4, 7-16, 20-21—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words & speak lies; They conceive evil & bring forth iniquity.”.....“Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting & destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have not known, And there is no justice in their ways; They have made themselves crooked paths; Whoever takes that way shall not know peace. Therefore justice is far from us, Nor does righteousness overtake us; We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places. We all growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for justice, but there is none; For salvation, but it is far from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before You, And our sins testify against us; For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities, we know them: In transgressing & lying against the LORD, And departing from our God, Speaking oppression & revolt, Conceiving & uttering from the heart words of falsehood. Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And equity cannot enter. So truth fails, And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Then the LORD saw it, & it displeased Him That there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”.....“The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” Says the LORD. “As for Me,” says the LORD, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, & My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the LORD, “from this time & forevermore.”
1Jn. 4:1—“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
**1Cor 5:1-6—“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, & such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, & have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?”
**1Kgs. 18:17-40—“Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you & your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD & have followed the Baals. Now therefore, send & gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred & fifty prophets of Baal, & the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, & gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, & said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred & fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; & let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, & lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; & I will prepare the other bull, & lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, & I will call on the name of the LORD; & the God who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered & said, “It is well spoken.” Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves & prepare it first, for you are many; & call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” So they took the bull which was given them, & they prepared it, & called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them & said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping & must be awakened.” So they cried aloud, & cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives & lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.” Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; & he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, & laid it on the wood, & said, “Fill four waterpots with water, & pour it on the burnt sacrifice & on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time,” & they did it a second time; & he said, “Do it a third time,” & they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar; & he also filled the trench with water. And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near & said, “LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, & Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel & I am Your servant, & that I have done all these things at Your word. “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, & that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell & consumed the burnt sacrifice, & the wood & the stones & the dust, & it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; & they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; & Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon & executed them there.”
**Acts 4:8-13—“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people & elders of Israel: “If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, “let it be known to you all, & to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter & John, & perceived that they were uneducated & untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
Eph. 3:8-13—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.”
**Heb. 3:14-19—“For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
**Heb. 4:11-16—“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living & powerful, & sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul & spirit, & of joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked & open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
2Tim. 2:1-4—“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
Illustration:
A boy picking up stranded starfish & throwing them far out into the water/A sceptic walked by & couldn’t resist jabbing the boy, “Son you can’t possibly save all the stranded starfish! Besides there will be more tomorrow, & the day after that, & after that. What a waste of time. What a lazy kid you are!”/The boy didn’t miss a beat as he picked up another starfish & threw it to deeper water/He looked the man in the eye & said, “Mister, it made a difference for that one didn’t it?”/STANDING
2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro/Men’s Soccer—Brazil vs. Colombia/Shoving, Tripping, Holding Kicking—All illegal(?)!/Umpire giving out yellow cards ‘right & left’/One more offense yellow card accrued by one player=he’s out of the game & isn’t even allowed to sit on the bench with his team, but must go to the locker room!/STANDING
Application:
?Are you continually Addressing spiritual STANDING?
?Are you Stemming the Tide of sin?
8—A person who stems the tide of sin addresses spiritual...
ACCOUNTABILITY(:31)
Explanation:(:31)Acceptance of God’s will
:31—“Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; & I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.”
As a result of YaHWeH’s inability to find even one godly man, YaHWeH has thereby “poured out” His fury upon the land. Ezekiel & (Judah) had been exiled to Babylon(the second after the Assyrian).
Because of ungodly infidelity among His people, God has “consumed” the lot of them with His “wrathful” ire.
Because of ungodly infidelity among His people, God has delivered their ways back upon “their own heads.” That is, ironically to them, the perpetrators are held accountable & answerable for their own ungodly & unrighteous actions against others! They are held accountable for their actions before YaHWeH. The entire nation suffers under the weight of unrepentant hearts.
“Poured out”(See :27—“Shed”)—Kpv shaw-fak’—Qal Imperfect—1) To pour, pour out, spill—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To pour, pour out, 1a2) To shed(blood), 1a3) To pour out(anger or heart)(figuratively). Strong—a primitive root; To spill forth(blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e. to mound up); also figuratively--To expend(life, soul, complaint, money, etc.); intensively--To sprawl out.
“Indignation”(See :24)—Mez zah’-am—Noun Masc.—1) Anger, indignation. Strong—strictly--Froth at the mouth, i.e. figuratively--Fury(especially of God's displeasure with sin). Used 22X.
“Consumed”—hlk kaw-law’—Piel Perfect—1) To accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent—1b) (Piel)—1b1) To complete, bring to an end, finish, 1b8) To cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend, 1b9) To destroy, exterminate. Strong—a primitive root; To end, whether intransitive--To cease, be finished, perish; or transitived--To complete, prepare, consume.
“Fire”—va aysh—Noun Fem.—1) Fire—1a) Fire, flames, 1b) Supernatural fire(accompanying theophany), 1c) Fire(for cooking, roasting, parching), 1d) Altar-fire, 1e) God's anger(figuratively). Strong—a primitive word; Fire(literally or figuratively).
“Wrath”—hrbe eb-raw’—Noun Fem.—1) Outpouring, overflow, excess, fury, wrath, arrogance—1a) Overflow, excess, outburst, 1b) Arrogance, 1c) Overflowing rage or fury. Strong—feminine of rbe ay'-ber; An outburst of passion.
“Recompensed”—Ntn naw-than’—Qal Perfect—1) To give, put, set—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend, 1a2) To put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate, 1a3) To make, constitute. Strong—a primitive root; To give, used with greatest latitude of application(put, make, etc.).
“Deeds/Way”—Krd deh’-rek—Noun Masc.—1) Way, road, distance, journey, manner—1a) Road, way, path, 1b) Journey, 1c) Direction, 1d) Manner, habit, way, 1e) Of course of life(figuratively), 1f) Of moral character(figuratively). Strong—A road(as trodden); figuratively--A course of life or mode of action, often adverb.
“Heads”—var ro'sh—Noun Masc.—1) Head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning—1a) Head(of man, animals), 1b) Top, tip(of mountain), 1c) Height(of stars), 1d) Chief, head(of man, city, nation, place, family, priest), 1e) Head, front, beginning, 1f) Chief, choicest, best, 1g) Head, division, company, band, 1h) Sum. Strong—from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; The head(as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative(in many applications, of place, time, rank, etc.).
“Lord”(See :28)—ynda ‘Ad-o-noy’—Noun Masc.—1) My lord, lord—1a) Of men, 1b) of God; 2) Lord - Title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence. Strong—The Lord(used as a proper name of God only).
“GOD”(See :28)—hwhy Yeh-ho-vee’—Noun Proper Deity—1) Jehovah - used primarily in the combination 'Lord Jehovah’—1a) equal to hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw' but pointed with the vowels of Myhla el-o-heem’. Used 305X.
Argumentation:
**Mat. 26:36-46—“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, & said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go & pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter & the two sons of Zebedee, & He began to be sorrowful & deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here & watch with Me.” He went a little farther & fell on His face, & prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples & found them asleep, & said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? “Watch & pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away & prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came & found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, & prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples & said to them, “Are you still sleeping & resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, & the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
2Sam. 22:21-28—“The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes. “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.”
Acts 17:30, 31—“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Rom. 3:3-18—“For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath?(I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?--as we are slanderously reported & as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just. What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews & Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing & bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction & misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
**Heb. 5:5-9—“So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers & supplications, with vehement cries & tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, & was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,”
**Eph. 5:1-7—“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication & all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ & God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.”
Once we come to grips with this fact, then the crux of our witness will not be to the social aspects of the church, but to Jesus Himself.
**Rom. 2:5-11—“But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, & immortality; but to those who are self-seeking & do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation & wrath, tribulation & anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first & also of the Greek; but glory, honor, & peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first & also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
**Ex. 20:3-6—“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third & fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me & keep My commandments.”
**Col. 3:1-17—“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, & covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, & have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all & in all. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy & beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, & forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; & be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching & admonishing one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Illustration:
A person who steals another person’s property/Such a thief has no intention of being accountable to or acceptable to anyone/Nonetheless, he makes himself accountable as a receiver of justice, though unintentionally/The violated individual is backed up by the local, state, & federal government...which is in turn a function of God’s natural law/ACCOUNTABILITY
Suppose I have a house on St. George Island/It is among the lots behind those directly bordering the ocean/The landowner in front of me builds a huge monstrosity of a beach house & installs a privacy fence obscuring my view of the ocean/I decide that since I was there first, that house & fence have to go/I go to my neighbor’s property & begin tearing down his fence, board by board/OR—Take the neighbor &-or city to court/I must ‘own’ my situation—accept my responsibility in it/ACCOUNTABILITY
‘Ignorance of the Law is no excuse’—the implication that no one is exempt from authority in regard to their taking advantage of another person/
Likewise, ‘Ignorance of the Heart of God is no excuse’—/ACCOUNTABILITY
Application:
?Are you continually Addressing spiritual ACCOUNTABILITY?
?Are you Stemming the Tide of sin?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Tropical Storm preparedness
Action:
A person who stems the tide of sin, Addresses spiritual...
7. STANDING(:30)wall-building/make up for loss
8. ACCOUNTABILITY(:31)of God’s will
1. CLEANSING-CLEANLINESS(:23-24)
2. TREASON(:25)
3. DISCRIMINATION(:26)
4. GAIN(:27)
5. TRUTH(:28)
6. PRACTICALITY(:29)“oppression, robbery, mistreat the helpless”
Pts. 7-8 presented 09/04/2016pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(Ave. A SE)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
