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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Monday, 11 September 2023:
Ezekiel 12:2 — Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.
It’s not that we can’t understand God’s commands, we just choose not to obey them. We were all born into a “rebellious house” and live in a rebellious house, a sinful world which has taught us and continues to tell us to seek our own kingdoms rather than seeking “first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:3) So, even if we ultimately desire to understand and obey God from our hearts, we will still struggle with the constant influences of the world (ungodly culture, climate, and institutions), the flesh (our ingrained habits of perceiving, thinking, and acting), and the devil, which would have you fear man over God and set you affections on the things of man over the things of God. There is no half-hearted approach to following Jesus. You will either honor Him a LORD or not, seek Him with all your heart or not at all (really); you will deny self and be crucified with Him or live your own life outside of His will and have eyes which really can’t see and ears which really can’t hear.
– Jeremiah 29:13 — You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
– Revelation 3:15-16 — “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
– Matthew 12:30 — Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
– Luke 9:23 — And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
– Mark 8:35 — For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
– Galatians 2:20 — I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
– Romans 12:1 — I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Ezekiel 12:3 — You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.
God delays in judgment and continues to send His messengers that some might still repent and surrender to Him. People, though they have sinned greatly, have a choice to repent, but the choice is theirs and the opportunity to choose has a deadline.
– 2 Peter 3:9 — The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Ezekiel 12:25, 28 — I am the Lord; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed…. the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.
Regardless of what visionaries might say, God will do what He has promised, and His will stands as definite. Your vision matters not at all if it is not aligned with God’s will. The prayers of God’s people are answered when they are praying for what God intends.
Titus 2:1, 10 — Teach what accords with sound doctrine…. adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.
Titus 2 begins and ends with the charge to instruct others in accordance with sound doctrine – “Teach what accords with sound doctrine…. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority.” (Titus 1, 15) However, the content between these two bookend directives deals almost exclusively with behavior – “be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, steadfastness…. Be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine… pure… submissive…. a model of good works… show integrity, dignity and sound speech… having nothing to do with evil… well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, showing all good faith.” Notice that in this very short chapter of only fifteen verses, self-control is mentioned four times.
The Bible demands teachers uphold sound doctrine but also have integrity, that they walk their talk. In order to teach the doctrine of God our Savior, which we have all been called to do in some capacity, we must first, “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior…. [showing ourselves] in all respects to be [models] of good works.” (Titus 2:10, 7)
“Do not let your adorning be external… but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart.” (1 Peter 3:3, 4) Titus 2 primarily addresses our behavior, but understand that Paul’s real focus is the heart from which the behavior emanates. Paul isn’t encouraging Christians to “act” good as hypocrites do (the word hypocrite comes from the Greek word for stage actor) or to “clean the outside of the cup” as the Pharisees did. (Matthew 23:25, 26) Paul is encouraging Christians to live as “new creations” and to reveal the truth of the transformational power of the Gospel through their conduct which is the natural fruit of the Spirit of God within them – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
– Colossians 3:10-17 – [You] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Sound doctrine is proven through new creations who are increasingly becoming Christlike and unified in Christ (Romans 8:29; John 17:22-23). Anything else is powerless, empty distraction. Paul says, “adorn” the doctrine and then he reiterates the doctrine – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11-14) Can people clearly see the evidence of your salvation through your godly life, and are you proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to all around you in word and in deed?
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 11 September 2023: Today, “teach what accords with sound doctrine…. [and] adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 