Stepping in the Light

“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 33:11

Some people say that a loving God would never punish anyone. They ridicule the clear warnings in scripture about a literal place called hell and totally reject the possibility of eternal damnation in the lake of fire. On the other hand, there are many who paint a picture of a vengeful God who is looking for people to punish. They have the idea that God wants to cast people into hell and that He relishes the destruction of the wicked. The Lord makes it very clear as He speaks to Ezekiel that He does not want to punish people. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” God is not hoping that anyone will go to hell. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). It is not the will of God for any person to perish, to spend eternity in hell. If God does not want people to go to hell, then why does such a place exist? This question is answered in the passage above. God’s purpose is “that the wicked turn from his way and live.” The prophet is pleading here on God’s behalf, “Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” God’s desire is for His creatures to turn from their sin. Will you turn to Him, live for Him, and tell others about Him today?

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” I Peter 4:1-2

In the previous chapter, Peter encouraged those who had suffered persecution because of their faith in Christ reminding them of Jesus suffering on the cross. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (I Peter 3:18). As he continues in chapter four, he tells them to arm themselves with the same mind that Christ had when He suffered. When we go back to chapter 3, verse 18, we can “arm” our minds by imitating Christ’s thinking as He went to Calvary for us. First, Christ had one goal in mind as He was suffering; “that he might bring us to God.” If our primary goal in life is to bring other people to Christ, suffering will never sidetrack us. Second, Peter points out that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered once for our sins. Though He suffered infinitely in carrying the load of our sins, there was a definite end point for His suffering. No matter how bad things may get here on this earth, when we get to heaven, our suffering will be over. Third, Christ’s sacrifice was the “just for the unjust.” Suffering never seems fair to the person who is experiencing it. Fourth, He was put to death in the flesh, but brought to life by the Spirit. We must strive to be dead to the flesh but alive unto God.

“Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.” Ezekiel 28:12-17

The description and denunciation of Lucifer in this passage gives us a stark reminder of the devastation that is brought on by the sin of pride. Satan allowed his superior position, power, and personality to destroy his very existence. Pride will turn our lives inside out and upside down. We must constantly remain vigilant in the battle against our natural tendency to develop an exaggerated estimation of our self-worth.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” I Peter 2:9-10

For thousands of years, the people of God were exclusively the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ changed that. Peter is writing to the “strangers,” Jewish Christians who were scattered across the Gentile world. In the passage above, Peter says that they had not been a people, but now were the people of God. The Israelites were first a family (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), then a nation (Moses, Joshua, Saul, and David), but in the last several hundred years before Peter was writing this letter, they had not been a sovereign nation. Peter is telling them that in Christ, they have a new identity. Now they are again the people of God. This is what Peter means by calling them a chosen generation. They were the first Jews who had the opportunity to be God’s people through faith in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. In some way, every generation has an opportunity to be a chosen generation because God has a specific work that He wants to see accomplished in each time period. We have an opportunity to serve the Lord in ways that are unique to our time. We must accept the challenge to be His chosen people by obeying His Word and sharing the gospel with the world.

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 22:30-31

It seems that modern believers have seen so much emphasis on institutions, programs, and social networking that personal responsibility is getting lost in the shuffle. Christians “go shopping” for churches, looking for the one that will benefit them the most. How many programs are available? Are there people in my age bracket? What kind of social connections are available? When are the activities, and are they things that I happen to have interest in? They approach it as if they were in the market for a new credit card or insurance policy. Very few are interested to know how they can get involved and what they can to do serve the Lord. God told Ezekiel that he punished Israel because He could not find one person to “stand in the gap” and “make up the hedge.” God was looking for one person who was interested in being spiritual, in doing right, and following the Lord. How many of these kind of people are making themselves available to the Lord today? Is this a crowded segment of our society, or are the ranks quickly thinning? I believe that God is still looking for people who are willing to “stand in the gap” today. Are you willing to make a difference for the cause of Christ?

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” James 5:16-18

When you pray, do you expect things to happen? James believed that we should. James was a believer in what he calls fervent prayer. The word fervent means passionate, intense, or heartfelt. The Greek word here is the word from which we get the word energy. Are your prayers fervent? Are they passionate, intense, and heartfelt? Do you put any energy into them? The example that James uses here is the prophet Elias (Elijah). James says that Elijah was a regular person like any of the rest of us, but he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. God did not give us the specific words to the prayers that Elijah prayed about the rainfall in Israel, but we do find the words of his prayer for fire to fall from heaven. It was a simple prayer; only 63 words long. But what Elijah lacked in profundity, he made up for in intensity. Elijah was surrounded by the people of Israel, the prophets of Baal, and King Ahab. Elijah’s physical life was in the balance, and the spiritual life of the nation of Israel was at stake. Surely Elijah prayed that prayer earnestly. What could happen if God’s people would begin to pray fervently for His blessings once again!

“The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:1-4

Our culture has become increasingly consumed with the blame game. Everything is someone else’s fault. People want to blame their parents for their spiritual condition. “My parents made me go to church, and that’s why I don’t go any more.” “Something bad happened, so I no longer believe in God.” “My father was an alcoholic; so I am, too.” “My mother was addicted to drugs, and that’s the reason I can’t break the habit.” “I grew up in poverty, so I have no way to avoid the same thing happening to me.” The Israelites had a problem with the same kind of thinking, and it was so prevalent that it was captured in a popular saying. “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” In other words, the kids have a bad taste in their mouths because of something their parents ate. God told Ezekiel to correct the people for this incorrect analysis of their situation. God said, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Each person is responsible for his or her own actions, and God will punish and reward on an individual basis.  We need to rid ourselves of this kind of “sour grapes” thinking.

“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” James 3:2

James begins his discourse on the tongue with a surprising statement. After he points out that we are all guilty of a variety of offenses, he asserts that any person who could completely control his words would be able to “bridle the whole body.” In other words, anyone who can say the right words at the right time and avoid ever saying anything he or she should not say would be able conquer every other sinful habit and faithfully execute every Christian responsibility. So then, by process of elimination, James is pointing to our speech as the most difficult part of the Christian life. He is saying that keeping the tongue in check is more difficult than prayer, fasting, or Bible reading. It is more difficult than having great faith, developing a burden for souls, and sharing Christ with the lost. It is more difficult than faithfulness, tithing, and holy living. For most of us, this declaration is startling because controlling the tongue seems so easy. All you have to do is watch your mouth. What makes this challenge so difficult is that there are so many ways that we can misuse our speech. For some reason, we love to share bad news. We often like to spiritualize what we are doing by characterizing it as a prayer request. We can easily repeat something we have heard without knowing whether it is true. It is so easy; it happens so fast. We often don’t even notice what we have done, and the damage is often irreparable.

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26

Some Bible scholars point out what they see as a controversy between the writings of the Apostle Paul and those of the Apostle James. There are those who say that Paul believed we are saved by faith while others contend that James believed that we are saved by works. Paul wrote, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our works cannot save us. In a seeming contrast, James tells us in chapter two of his epistle that faith without works is dead. So, many would conclude that James is saying that if you do not have works, you do not have faith. In spite of the tension between these ideas, no real contradiction exists. Each apostle is presenting the same truth from opposite sides in much the same way that two artists might paint a picture of the same mountain from different sides. Though the pictures would be of the same mountain, they may be very different. Paul is speaking of the cause of salvation; James is speaking of the evidence of salvation. James said, “Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Without good works, we appear to be unsaved. No one can see inside our hearts. If we want others to think that we are saved, there is no other way to show them except by our works. These scriptures raise the following questions: Am I saved? Do other people know it? And if not, what do I need to change?

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5

This verse contains a promise, but it also gives us some insight into the nature of God and the character of man. The opening phrase, “If any of you lack wisdom,” shines the light on what we think of ourselves. Of course, all of us need more wisdom than we have, but are we willing to admit our deficiency? Those who refuse to recognize their need for wisdom are bound to continue in their current state of depravity. God is the source of wisdom. We are not capable of manufacturing it or conjuring it up on our own. Once we recognize our need, we are encouraged to ask God to give us wisdom. He gives wisdom to everyone who asks, and He gives it liberally. He wants to give us a lot. Next, it says that He “upbraideth not.” To upbraid means to scold, rebuke, or reprove. No matter how often we ask for wisdom, God never gets tired of hearing our request. This tells us that God wants us to ask for wisdom. He wants us to constantly remind Him that we are looking to Him as the source of everything that we need to know. This is in and of itself a form of worship. When we ask God for wisdom, we are telling Him that we believe Him to be wise. He wants to hear this from us and He wants to give us the wisdom that we need. Hence, the promise, “and it shall be given him.” Do you recognize your need for wisdom? Are you asking God for wisdom each day? He wants to hear and answer this prayer.