Listening to the Word

Daniel 7-8; Psalms 137; Luke 4   “’…Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened…But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’” Daniel 7:10, 26, 27 Ultimately, authority rests with the Most High. All rulers will worship and obey him. Satan is focused on usurping this worship and God’s authority in any way he can. Jesus’ resistance to Satan’s temptations in the wilderness shows us how to stand firm in the truth and authority of God’s Word in resisting these same temptations in our lives (Luke 4). Choosing to submit to Jesus Christ and live accountable to his Word and Spirit is the most important choice we can make in lif...

Daniel 5-6; Psalms 130; Luke 3   “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5 “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar – when Pontius Pilot was governor of Judea…the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism for the forgiveness of sins” Luke 3:1-3 John the Baptist was in the desert when the Word of the Lord came to him. He didn’t engage in public ministry till he had a word from the Lord. How long did John wait in the desert for the Lord to speak to him? John put his hope in God’s Word because that Word would transform lives. Our words might be educated, echoing the wisdom of past scholars, writers, and thinkers, but they lack the anointing of God unless the Spirit of God births them. God’s words are worth waiting for and are worthy of our hope and trust. God’s words don’t always come through the expected, accepted channels of leadership. John was a ...

Ezekiel 47-48; Luke 2 “…Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river…When it empties in the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows…Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail…Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:6-9, 12 Wherever this river of life flows from the presence of God, it will bring life. Salty water that mingles with this river of life will become fresh again. Many living creatures will be nurtured by this living water. Fruit trees with leaves that never wither will grow and offer food and healing because of the life drawn from this river. The word ‘fresh’ used to describe the quality of water is the word ‘healed’. Just as the salty water will be healed, so will the nations who are living next to the living water. They will benef...

Ezekiel 45-46; Luke 1 “’For nothing is impossible with God.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:37, 38 God’s Word to his people, his servants, will never fail. However, we must respond to that word with humility and faith. Some doubt God’s word to them, while others sit back in fatalism waiting for God to do what he has planned. Mary did neither. She cooperated with God in faith and obedience to see his word accomplished in her life. What words have we received from the Lord? Are we responding to them with faith, or with doubt and fear? Sometimes the timelines for fulfillment of God’s Word are different from our expectations. Are we willing to wait in active faith like Abraham who for decades waited for the son of promise? Are we willing to look foolish in the eyes of the world while we wait, even while we participate in the fulfillment, like Noah? When Jesus comes again, will he find faith on the earth? Will h...

Ezekiel 42-44; Revelation 22   “They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” Ezekiel 44:23 “’Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.’” Revelation 22:14, 15 Maturity in Christ’s kingdom is measured by the ‘food’ we consume and by our capacity to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). Just as priests were to teach the Israelites the difference between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean, so also the indwelling Holy Spirit teaches us to avoid evil, temptation, and spiritual bondage of any kind. In an age when the love and practice of falsehood is accepted, Christ-followers embrace the truth. The truth is that sin leads us into b...

Ezekiel 40-41; Psalms 128; Revelation 21 “The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.” Revelation 21:15, 16 Why did the angel who showed John the Holy City of Jerusalem, measure it? God’s kingdom is not a metaphor; it is concrete and real. Just because we cannot see the kingdom of God now, does not mean it doesn’t exist. Paul spoke of the kingdom of God as “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. These qualities define the lives of those who live in the kingdom of God. However, this kingdom will one day be our only reality. No longer will we be living in both the physical and spiritual realm at the same time. Those who by faith seek first the kingdom of God now, will one day live within its walls as sons and daughters of the King. “Lord Jesus, I...

Ezekiel 38-39; Psalms 145; Revelation 20 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books…If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:12, 15 It’s a sobering thought that our lives are being recorded in books, and all our deeds are known by God. There will be no ambiguity in what we deserve as we stand before the throne of God. However, there is another book, the book of life, in which are recorded the names of those who have trusted Christ with their lives and by faith have received his sacrifice for their sin. This book supersedes all other books and is one in which we want our names to be listed. It doesn’t matter whether we are ‘great’ or ‘small’, wealthy or poor, educated or not. What matters is whether we received the gift of eternal life through ...

Ezekiel 36-37; Psalms 110; Revelation 19   “Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy son of man, say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breath into these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood on their feet – a vast army.’” Ezekiel 37:9, 10 “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white, and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…” Revelation 19:14, 15 It is the breath of God, his ‘ruah’, which gives life. Ezekiel prophesied to the breath and the Spirit of God entered the dry bones with life so they became a vast army. In the spiritual battle for the lives of multitudes and destiny of nations, the Lord Jesus is leading his army, filled with his Spirit, the sword of his Spirit, and his Word in their mouths. Many in the Church are seemingly asleep to t...

Ezekiel 33-35, Revelation 18   “My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.” Ezekiel 33:31, 32 This is probably how many pastors feel each week. Measuring how many people come to listen to our sermons is quite different than measuring whether our listeners put into practice what they are hearing. Listening to the Word is not enough. We must “obey all that Christ has commanded us” (Matthew 28:20). For those who regularly speak and preach the Word of God, these are humbling words God spoke to Ezekiel. We acknowledge that man looks at the outward appearance; but, the Lord looks at the heart. Just because people flatter us and give compliments does...

Daniel 3- 4; Psalms 81; Revelation 17   “’Hear, O my people, and I will warn you – if you would only listen to me, O Israel!...I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it…But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. Psalm 81:8, 10, 16 “’…none of the wise men in my kingdom can interpret it for me. But you can, because the Spirit of the holy gods is in you.’” Daniel 4:18 Nebuchadnezzar recognized that the Spirit of God was in Daniel enabling him to be filled with wisdom and revelation. Daniel lived in daily communion with God. He taught his friends to do the same. Daily, Daniel opened his mouth and God fed him with his Word. Because Daniels’ mouth was open to eat God’s Word, it strengthened and fortified him and his friends for the opposition and testing they faced. “Honey from the rock” satisfied Daniel as God revealed to him mysteries and revelation hidden to others. How much more s...

Daniel 1-2; Revelation 16   “…’Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.’ …’In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.’” Daniel 2:20, 21, 44 Do we believe these words? Do we believe that Jesus Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth? Do we believe that God changes the times and seasons of earthly kingdoms and leaders? Do we believe it was the kingdom of God which crushed the Roman Empire? Do we believe any of our modern empires will suffer any other fate? When we embrace nationalism and exceptionalism, we set ourselves against the kingdom of God. Those who know God and submit to Jesus Christ as Lord understand the ultimate reality is the...

Lamentations 3-5; Revelation 15   “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:22-26 Jeremiah understood that only God could deliver him. He could not save himself. There is great freedom when we come to that place of full surrender. Because we know the compassion, mercy, and love of the Lord, we, too, can declare that the Lord is our portion; therefore, we, too, will wait for him and on him. Waiting on the Lord is not passive, resigned faith; but rather, an attitude of humility which seeks the Lord and places our hope fully in him. Jeremiah waited patiently for the salvation of the Lord from the intense persecution he was experiencing from the Jewish community. Ironi...

Lamentations 1- 2; Obadiah; Revelation 14 “I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one ‘like a son of man’, with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand…So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” Revelation 14:14, 16 The Lord Jesus is one “like a son of man” whom Daniel saw was given all authority (Daniel 7:13). He was seen by John, seated on a cloud. No one sits on a cloud unless they are lighter than a cloud or are living in a realm where gravity is not relevant. The Lord of the harvest, holding the sharp sickle, was seated while harvesting. Who sits while harvesting?   …One who has completed his work. The work of eternal salvation has been completed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to finish, or complete, the Father’s work (John 4:34). Our work is to sow gospel seeds and give testimony to God’s goodness in our lives. It is the respons...

Jeremiah 42-44; Psalms 48; Revelation 13 “Then they said to Jeremiah, ‘May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us’…‘We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven…’” Jeremiah 42:5; 44:16, 17 Listening to the Word comes with a price. That price is obedience. Jesus commanded his disciples to teach the nations to obey all that he commanded them/us to do. Jesus declared he had been given all authority both in heaven and on earth. When we set our hearts on listening to the Word, we are listening to the Lord of heaven and earth. The Jewish community in Jerusalem feared the Babylonians more than they feared the Lord God. Despite telling Jeremiah they would listen to the Word, when they didn’t agree with it, they stopped listening. Today, we might just as easily change ch...

2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40-41; Revelation 12 “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets…The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.” 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16, 21 When we ignore God’s Word, whether it comes to us through his messengers, the Bible, or the convictions of the Holy Spirit, we are ignoring God. Israel despised God’s words to them despite hearing God’s messengers repeat a similar message of repentance again and again. They ignored God’s commands related to Sabbath, a Sabbath year, and a jubilee year, so they didn’t stop to rest and worship and they drifted from their trust in God for all they needed. In the fullness of time, God fulfilled his w...

Ezekiel 29-32; Revelation 11 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because it [a great cedar] towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I handed it over to the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside…All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.” Ezekiel 31:10-12 God’s judgment of Egypt for her pride focused on Pharaoh as the symbol of Egypt. Like a towering cedar tree, Egypt offered shade to nations like Israel. God pointed to the example of once proud Assyria who had been cut down by Babylon to describe how he would deal with Egypt’s pride. Does God still judge nations today for their pride? Do proud nations, like towering trees, get cut down and handed over to the enemy for judgment? Will we intercede for our nation and its standing before God? As nations before God, will we humble ourselves before the Lord and repent for our nationalism, our p...

Ezekiel 25-28, Revelation 10 “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you...’” Ezekiel 28:11-13 The spiritual power of Tyre was a being perfect in beauty, full of wisdom - the seal or model of perfection. Yet this being and those it inspired became proud of beauty and corrupted by wisdom so they lost their place with God their Creator. To be cut off from God is to be separated from the Source of beauty and wisdom. The Laodocian church also trusted in their wealth and fine clothing, yet they lacked the fellowship with God which was life itself. Pride blinds us to our need for God so that we trust in ourselves. Will we invite God’s perspective on our current state of being? Will we thank God for his creative design and gifts toward us? Will we aff...

Ezekiel 22-24; Revelation 9   “And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” Revelation 9:3, 4 The seal of God sets apart those who belong to the Lord and preserves their lives in the midst of God’s judgment. Aaron the high priest was to wear on his forehead a gold plate with the words “Holy to the Lord” engraved on it like a seal. In the new covenant we are sealed, or marked, at salvation by the Holy Spirit. Others can see we are filled with the Holy Spirit and set apart as “Holy to the Lord”! The powers of darkness can see the seal of God on our foreheads; we belong to the Lord and have been atoned for and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. In these last days, the distinction between those who belong to the Lord and those who worship manmade idols of science, technology, ...

Ezekiel 20-21, Psalms 111; Revelation 8 “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.” Psalm 111:2-5 Why has the Lord caused his wonders and miracles to be remembered? His desire is that people created in his image would desire relationship with him and covenant with him. Remembering the Lord’s works in our lives gives him glory and points others to also know the Lord. God’s wonders are pondered, or meditated on, by all who delight in them. Through God’s works we learn about God’s glory, majesty, righteousness, grace, and compassion. What wonders are we being prompted to remember? What aspects of God’s nature can we worship him for today? “Lord God your creativity, beauty, and faithfulness are evident in creation all aro...

Ezekiel 17-19; Revelation 7   “…And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, ‘they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.’” Revelation 7:14, 15 Those who want the sheltering presence of God for all eternity will be pursuing his presence through the fire of testing here on earth. They have found freedom from sin through the cleansing blood of Christ. They serve the Lord day and night and one day will serve him in his temple. Living with self-indulgence, unrepentant sin, and pride will not lead to an eternity of shelter and service in the presence of the Lord. The fire of testing which God allows in every generation is meant to draw us into his presence, not destroy us. Our faith is refined and purified and our focus on eternity becomes clearer.   Does this describe our res...

Ezekiel 15-16; Psalms 70; Revelation 6   “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’” Revelation 6:9, 10 Why are the martyrs seen under the altar? They have offered their lives as living sacrifices to God, and the blood of their sacrifice of service, obedience, and faithfulness to Jesus is precious to the Lord. Living on mission with Jesus the Lamb of God, was more valuable to them than their lives. Their value of the gospel, the Word of God, cost them their lives. What would we value enough to give our lives for? The gospel is not just a message we receive with gratitude, it is an example we follow and the most valuable thing we give our lives to. Wherever the gospel is received as a model to follow and not just a message to hea...