Ezek 3:16-6:14 | PS 104:24-35 | Prov 26:27 | Heb 4:1-16
How well would any of us fare if our inner thoughts were illustrated for all the world to see on a large screen such as that in Times Square. Many of us dress up pretty well, externally we lead fairly moral lives, but each of us also know that thoughts come to mind that we would not want any to see and motives come to mind that we don't quite understand. We read in Hebrews 4:12-13, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable." This is what needs to be understood by all of us, the reality of who we are, the reality of those sins that separate us from God's perfection, and the absolute necessity of something, or better, Someone, to take care of those sins, since we are incapable of doing this in ourselves.
We then read of this Someone in Hebrews 4:14-16, "So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." He understands for He actually lived on this earth as a man. He knows what we go through, since He, Himself, faced those same temptations. Yet, unlike us, He did not fold under this temptation. He remained sinless all the way to the cross. This is the Good News, the Gospel message, that each and everyone on earth needs to understand. That we have a Savior, and His name is Jesus Christ. Acknowledge your sinfulness and repent. This does not mean the temptations stop, it means that we change our minds and agree with God. We stop justifying or explaining away those sins, those thoughts, those motives. We come to Jesus, and accept His payment for us on the cross, where He said "It is finished" (John 19:30), which is an accounting term meaning "paid in full". We need to understand this, and once understood, we need to disseminate this Good News.
We read our commission in Ezekiel 3:17-19, "Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me." The watchman on the wall was given the task to warn all of those in the walled city of incoming attack. We are those watchmen now. We need to sound the trumpet to a world that is immersed in a sea of utter darkness and a delusion of goodness and moral superiority. Jesus has commissioned all of us who are His, not some of His, and made this message His parting words as we read in Matthew 28:18-20, "Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He has commissioned us but does not ask us to go it alone, as He will be right by our side as we dispense the gospel message.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: