Article for Sunday October 1, 2023
Ezekiel 18:30b–31 30bRepent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?
I think our denomination does not talk about repenting enough. What is it to repent? This is what I teach from the word of God.
1. Admit your sin to God and yourself, (1John 1:8).
2. Be truly sorry for your sin, (Luke 18:13).
3. Pray that God will show you mercy (Luke 18:13)
4. Turn and do all you can to change your ways, (Ezekiel 18:30b)
5. Thank God with all you heart, all your soul, and all your love for Him who gives you grace and mercy, (Philippians 4:6; Luke 17:9; 2:36-38).
Be honest with yourself and with God as this is true healing from our sinful nature. Be truly remorseful because sin leads to death. Pray that our God shows you mercy and grace for we are His children, and He wants to show love to those who love Him. It is important that we are diligently working to change our lives to align ourselves with God. Yet know we are not perfect, but forgiven.
And truly praise and thank our God for He helps us escape the pangs of death. Remember it was Jesus Christ who suffered pain, humility, and death for our sins. And Jesus did this for the love of the Father and the love of all God’s children. Repent and turn to God always.
Philippians 2:1–2 1If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Let us not be of one mind in man, but that we are of one mind with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way, and it is his way we should follow. Not that we are able to be Jesus but that we learn from Him. What we should learn is to be humble, patient, caring, giving, and forgiving.
We need to have more affection and understanding of our world around us. This does not mean that we should excuse or ignore sin, but that we should help one another overcome our sin when it is possible. When it is not, do not condone the sin, but part your ways with those who will not change.
Remember we can only plant the seed. We can nourish the seed through prayer, but only God can make the seed grow and bear fruit. Sometimes tough love is better than no love. We are all sinners, we all need love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and help from God’s own word.
Philippians 2:3–4 3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. . . .
In our world are many who put themselves before everyone else. God asks us to put everyone else before ourselves. This does not mean that you should not care or take care of yourself, but that you look for the needs of others when they are in need.
There are those who think they are more important than others. God says don’t think of yourself as someone more important as others. Remember we are equal in the eyes of God. In other words, keep with humility and humble yourself always that others might see your humbleness and lift you up to God.
Philippians 2:14–15 14Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
We love to complain, either about the situation we are in, or complain about each other. God says do not complain, but give thanks to God for assuredly He will get you through whatever situation you find yourself in. And give thanks for one another for we are all brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. We all need to be lifted up.
We do live in a twisted world where our generations have abandoned God and His ways for their own sinful ways. We must at times learn to brush the dirt off our feet and continue to walk toward cleaner grounds. God’s ways are higher than our ways, so the journey though up hill, is the way to higher grounds and the mercy, grace and forgiveness of our God.
Philippians 2:14–16 16holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Like Paul I pray that all my efforts are through God and from God and that they are never done in vain. Though I preach His word it is Jesus Christ who makes the word of God true and trustworthy. After all it is Jesus who suffered for our sins. It is Jesus who was humiliated because of our sin. And it is Jesus who died for our sin on a criminals cross that was meant for us.
But thanks to God and His greatness that He saved His Son, to show us the way that we too will be saved into eternal life. This is a God who truly loves us because this is our God who saves us. Amen.
Ezekiel 18:32 32For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so, turn, and live.”
Written by Pastor Curtis A. May
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