This Blessed Brokenness
“Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.” Psalm 51:8
This heart of mine
keeps giving in
to hosts of sin
that live within.
The Tragic Results of a Denial of Christ’s Resurrection
Can a person be a Christian but not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead? The apostle Paul says that denying Christ’s resurrection brings tragic results. We list three of them below.
“The Good Shepherd”
A name is more than a title, for nearly every name has a meaning. A name is more than a title when actions are joined with that name. A name can also describe a person, telling us something…
The Final Word
Each weekday at noon a local TV station poses a “sound-off” question. It might be “Should city crews use more salt on the streets?” or “Would you like to see flu shots mandated for all…
GOOD FRIDAY 2013
Following the question “Whom do men say that I am?” Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, “But whom do You say that I am?” Peter responded with his sterling confession, “You are the Christ, the…
WHAT ABOUT FASTING?
When was the last time you fasted? Have you ever fasted? In Old Testament times fasting—abstaining from food for a specified time—was a common religious practice. Even though there was no direct command from God…
“This is most certainly true!”
CATECHISM SERIES: Studies in The Apostles’ Creed Part Two of a Series 2) God is Maker of Heaven and Earth Several years ago I watched an interesting program entitled If Walls Could Talk. The premise…
The Beauty and Joy of Christian Fellowship
(Seventh of eight installments) Already now in this sinful world believers in Christ are enabled to experience the beauty and joy of Christian fellowship. We certainly can appreciate those moments in our lives when God…
Catchy One-liners Can be Dangerous
“We only believe as much of the Bible as we practice.” This statement on a local church sign speaks a spiritually dangerous half-truth. The implication that everything the Bible teaches is to be preached and…
Noah, Daniel, and Job can’t save!
“…Even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in [the land], as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” (Ezekiel 14:20)
What do Noah, Daniel, and Job have in common? Each was well known for his righteousness. We read that “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations” (Genesis 6:9). Of Job we are told that he was “a blameless and upright man” (Job 1:8). And by the time of the prophet Ezekiel, Daniel’s life had also shown him to be a righteous follower of the Lord in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (see Daniel chapter 1).
And why are these three men in particular mentioned in the book of Ezekiel? For the simple reason that, as our text says, even if they were in the land, they would not be able to save the Jews from the destruction to come at the hands of the Babylonians.
God had sent prophets through whom He warned, encouraged, and pleaded with His people, but still they continued their idol worship. In His loving grace the Lord had shown great patience with them, but the Jews continued to rely on themselves for strength, to depend on their physical ancestry as an “in” with God.