Problem, Purpose, Plan, Solution

From the view of the outside world, the defeat and exile of the Jewish race demonstrated the failure of their God. It exhibited to the Gentiles that the Jewish religion was without foundation. The Israelites were so discredited by their defeat that the surrounding nations said that it was foolish for them to continue to remain loyal to God. Today, the people of the world are judging Christian religion. Today, the Christian church has being tried in the court of public opinion and we have been pronounced useless and out of date.

The world views our ideas as old fashion, our services as boring, and our God as dead. The reason is the church has not solved the many problems that plague our society. Due to the facts we are presented with, we cannot deny the accusations. However, the answers to the world’s problems do not be found in theology, ideology, or denominational doctrine. Since the problem is the sins of the people of the world and of the church, the answer can only be found with God. Moreover, we must realize that His divine plan has not completely manifested itself. {Read Ezekiel 36: 16-23}

The sins of the people of the world and God’s own people are the reason we are plague with our current problems. Sin, in this day, has been greatly distorted and our hearts have been dulled to the sad effect of it. We still recognize the sins of stealing, killing, and slandering. However, according to the way that the world and some Christians think, it is acceptable to commit adultery, engage in homosexual relationships, or even practice idol worship. We say it is acceptable as long as we are not caught or no one is offended. However, when we sin, people do get hurt and all sin offends God.

Sin is the root cause of all of our problems that we face as a society. Sin not only causes problems for us, it also cause problems for God. God is holy and He will not tolerate sin. He considers it an act of rebellion and a declaration of war. It hurts God when we chose to sin the same as it hurts a parent when their child chooses to be disobedient. Just as a parent must disciple the disobedient child, God must discipline us for our sins. God cannot and will not condone or ignore our sins. His anger erupts against us when we sin and ignore the truth about Him. When the day comes for God to judge us for our sins, no excuses will be accepted.

Romans 1: 18-20 tells us God has revealed Himself plainly to all people through His creation. God has revealed to us what He is like; nevertheless, we chose to reject even this basic knowledge. God has given us an inner sense of His requirements, a sense of morals, still we chose not to live up to them. We know the truth. It has been put on the inside of us. It has been written down for us in a language we can understand. And we will bring down the wrath of God if we continue to ignore it. Realize, when we chose to ignore God and remain in our sins, it makes us unacceptable to God. Regardless of what we try to do to solve the world’s problems, not even God can solve them because of our sins.

God created us to be in control of this world. Because of our sins, we cannot be the type of people that He created us to be. But our sins do not stop God from being God. In spite of our sins, God is still in control. In spite of our sins, God still does not want us to perish in Hell’s flames. In spite of our sins, God will fulfill His promise to make Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the night sky and as uncountable as the sands on the seashore. In spite of our sins, God still says that we can be saved. In Joel 2:32, He says, “And everyone that calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is the purpose of God. His purpose is to save us because to ourselves we are a lost cause. But first, we need to renounce our sins and ask Him to save us. {Read Ezekiel 36:24}

God’s plan for our salvation is foretold more than once in the Word of God. It is a detailed plan, but it is easy to understand. This simple plan starts with a necessary search and rescue mission. In verse 24, we are shown how God will conduct this mission. He says, ‘ I will take you out of the nations,’ and ‘I will gather you from all countries.’ God is searching for those He wants to bless. God is looking for those that want to be blessed. He is searching in the crack houses and whorehouse. God is searching every street, every corner, and every valley. No matter what condition He finds them in, he will rescue them. He will search them out and bring them back to their own land. He will search for us and bring us back to where we belong. God will bring us back to Himself. {Read Ezekiel 36:25}