We Endure To Bring Others To Christ

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King James Bible StudyAnd when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Friday, September 06, 2019
Chapters: Ezekiel 31-33
Message: We Endure To Bring Others To Christ

Hello My Friend,

This entire week life stopped in Florida as they awaited the hurricane headed straight for it. Amazingly, by the grace and power of God, it moved right up the coast, never reaching landfall. This hurricane has been the talk all over the news, everything from climate change to faith as for some reason people are questioning if it really was God who spared the state. Of course, there were comments, from what are clearly atheists, “Christianity is dead”, “God is not real.”, “Prayer is useless.” And at the same time they are asking, “Was there really a prayer wall against Florida?”, “If God really spared Florida, why not the Bahama’s?” While there are some people out there who will never believe, many really do want to believe, they just do not understand how God works. And no, I am not going to say that God was sending judgment to the Bahama’s. Think about it, that island was hit with a category 5 hurricane that sat there for a day and a half, and it is still standing, and while there are some causalities, many lives were spared. God wants all souls to be spared, but it is up to each and every individual to come to Him. “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” – II Timothy 2:10-13.

that they may also obtain the salvation” You know, there is a great deal of talk about equality, “Everybody gets the same, gets paid the same”, let me tell you, Jew or Gentile, we are all under the same judgment, death and hell upon every soul that sins. Jesus will save and accept anyone who comes to Him from this judgment, but we must believe in and receive Him in order for that to happen. Egypt was no exception, they were older than Israel, God had been fighting with them since Abraham had Ishmael, the illegitimate child of an Egyptian woman. Now, God has placed judgment upon Egypt, not to destroy them, but to destroy them as a powerful nation. Through an illustration of a forest of trees, Lebanon, representing Egypt, God continues to show their ruin, including Pharaoh.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness. And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.” – Ezekiel 31:10-12,15-17.

Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height,No one is above the other, we are all under the same judgment. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” – Romans 2:9-11.

Tribulation and anguish,” God allows calamities to come, not to push people away, but to draw them to His Son. God did not want to see Egypt fall at all, in fact, nine months later, He spoke to Ezekiel about Egypt, and this time want him to take up a lamentation for them.

When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD. Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised. They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes. The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 32:15,18-21,31-32.

For I have caused my terror in the land of the living:” The nation that has terrorized others will eventually be made a terror to itself. God’s ministers should sympathize with the miseries which sinners bring upon themselves, and encourage them to repent. God does not limit salvation to just a certain people, He invites all to come to Him. How is it then that so many nations do not know who Christ is? It is to their own judgment. When a nation chooses to worship a man made god over the only living God, they are rejecting Him and will face their own judgment. Let me tell you, no one is without the knowledge of Christ, there are missionaries all over the world preaching the Gospel in some horrendous conditions, even the mention of Christ would get them killed. Nevertheless, we are told to go out there and tell them how they can be saved from judgment. God tells Ezekiel that will be the watchman who would teach them.

Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” – Ezekiel 33:2-6,11.

he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;” Every soul is bound for hell, unless it hears the warning of the trumpet telling them that their soul will die in their sin unless they repent. I does not matter if you know who God is or not, the same rule applies. This is why it is important for us to blow that trumpet, preach the Gospel to all that God lays upon our heart, sometimes we are the only ones that will be able to reach them. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” – Matthew 28:19-20.

There are many that question salvation through Christ, they think it is too easy to get to heaven simply by trusting in what one man has done. Then there is the question of what about everyone before Christ, what happened to those who died before He gave His life for all mankind. I use to tell people that those who were here before Christ came in the flesh looked to the cross that was to come, while we look to the cross after He came. Many would frown upon that stating that they never knew Him, how could they look to Him. Well, you have to look at it from God’s point of view, Jesus has always been, and if you think that salvation has been based on solely works up until Jesus came here, then think again, they are the same as we are, sinners saved by grace through their faith, God just handled it differently. Through Ezekiel, God explains what happens to a soul that sins and one that repents.

When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.” – Ezekiel 33:13-16,20.

if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity,” You see? Before Christ came here or after, our own good works could never save, because as soon as we do one thing wrong we would be back at square one. Which is why our good works could never measure up to God’s level, and the reason why He came up with the law of redemption sacrifices before Christ came in the first place. Christ made redemption permanent, once and for all who believe. And for those who were here before, their faith became their righteousness, they were in paradise awaiting His passion, and went up to heaven with all the believers after Jesus died. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” – Matthew 27:50-53.

Jesus Christ Magnified: “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.” – Ezekiel 33:7.

Today’s Prayer: God, We know that it is not by our own righteousness are we saved, but by the righteousness of Your Son, who saves our souls from the pit of hell. Thank You for making that great sacrifice, and for loving us so much that you are willing that none should perish. Lord, we who are saved, live by faith and not by sight, but often our faith becomes impaired by the things that we see, give us Your power to break through any unbelief, and help us to keep following Your Son, who is the only one who gives us the strengthen to keep believing and see great things happen through our belief. Lead us and guide us to be a witness or you, let us be the keys that sound the trumpet of the Gospel as You work in their heart to hear it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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