Ezek 27:1-28:26 | PS 111:1-10 | Prov 27:15-16 | Heb 11:17-31
Among the various burdens or judgments being dispensed by God to those nations that surrounded Israel, we read this encouraging portion in Ezekiel 28:25-26, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel will again live in their own land, the land I gave my servant Jacob. For I will gather them from the distant lands where I have scattered them. I will reveal to the nations of the world my holiness among my people. They will live safely in Israel and build homes and plant vineyards. And when I punish the neighboring nations that treated them with contempt, they will know that I am the Lord their God.” This is literal, not allegorical. It pertains to the people of Israel, not to the church. This is true whether you agree with the leaders in Israel, agree with their politics, or even argue that many in their nation lead secular lives. We are to believe because God clearly stated it as fact. Faith is not based on our ability to reason, it is not based on our intellect, and it is not based on what we would do or not do in a given situation. Israel belongs in the land of Israel because God has said so. Often I mention to people that one of the most freeing things is when we finally realize that we are just not that smart. Once we accept this, we stop trying to fit God into our construct, and instead place ourselves into His.
We read in Hebrews 11:1, "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." Faith is not based on what we touch, rationalize, it is based on that which we often cannot see. We read how important living a life of faith is in 11:6, "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." As we go through the records of some of the pillars of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11, often referred to as the "Hall of Faith", please don't be so familiar with the stories that you brush by the story of Noah building an ark for around 100 years in the middle of dry land. Please don't minimize the act of faith seen in 11:17-19, "It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead." This made no logical sense, but in faith Abraham raised that dagger. Don't miss the faith on that first passover, as we read in 11:28, "It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons."
We live in a highly educated society, but this does not mean we live in a society which has evolved or is more wise. Lifted up in intellect, many despise, or take lightly the things of God. Many cannot move forward in faith because elevating their own intellect these movements of faith make no sense to them. I believe God created the world out of nothing. I believe this same God has kept the earth going along with humanity throughout the years. I believe that nations rise and fall at God's command. I believe that God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of mankind. I believe in heaven and hell as real destinations. I believe in a rapture. Have I witnessed any of these things? No! Though there is science and proof behind many of these statements my faith has more to do with who God is, what He has said in Scripture, than the scientific proof which validates it. The life of faith is freeing, and God wants us to be free as little children, completely trusting in Him, for He knows that is the safest and most blessed place to be for now and into eternity.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: