Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Sep 3rd, 2013 JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL

Today’s Passage – Ezekiel 14 – 16 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13;Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)

Scripture Memorization for August – Psalm 1

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6

Watch Growth Points Video – “Ministry with Discernment“,  by Pastor Chappell

Read the “0903 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

A Bible Study For Women

“Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite. And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways. As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.” (Ezekiel 16:44-48)

In the beginning of chapter 16 of Ezekiel, God wants Ezekiel to tell Israel about their sin through conviction and humiliation. God starts by reminding Israel of all the blessings He has done and continues to do. He tells them of how He has protected them starting with Egypt. He saw the condition they were in and had pity on them. God did, and still does, all that a loving Father could do for his child Israel. But then we see in verse 48, God tells them that they have done worse then Sodom.

They took all the good and blessings and used it for wrong.

As a child of God, we too have received God’s love and protection. He has spread his skirt over us and washed away our sin with his blood. God has given us riches and freedom in our country, He has given us bountiful food to eat. He gave us His life.

Then in verses 15 – 36, we read that Israel took all the blessings of God and used them for evil.

What caused them to sin?

1. They became proud

“But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.” (16:15)

God has given us an inner beauty, but we are not satisfied. We try to keep up with everyone, and are more concerned with the outer beauty then the inner beauty.

2. They forgot their beginning.

“And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.” (16:22)

Sometimes I forget what it’s was like before Christ was my Saviour. I can get ‘High Minded’ if I’m not careful. Sometimes God places someone in my life to remind me of where I came from and I am thankful for that. Can you remember the way your life was before salvation? Never forget it. Israel did.

3. They were weak in understanding.

“How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious (Vixen = woman regarded as quarrelsome, shrewish or malicious) whorish woman;” (16:30)

Those that are most foolish are commonly most imperious, and think themselves fit to manage others when they are far from being able to manage themselves. Need I say more.

We see that they yielded to peer pressure.

”… and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.” (16:15)

We are influenced by what we see and hear. Sometimes we follow the wrong path.

They used the blessing God gave them to worship idols.

Verse 16 – They adorned their idol-temples, and groves, and high places, with the fine rich clothing that God had given them.

Verse 18 –  They served their idols with the good things which God gave them for their own use and to serve him with.

I must remember that God gets the tithe off the top (first-fruits). Vacations, going out to dinner, new TV’s or games…. you name it, are not bad. But God gives me funds so I can give to his work.

They had sacrificed their children to their idols.

“Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?” (16:20 – 21)

How many times have I been in a store and saw a mom screaming at her child? How often do we hear of children being abused in some way? God has given us a precious gift of a child, and we fail to teach them about the Lord. Looking back on my parenting days, I wish I could go back and know what I know now. Praise the Lord my daughter knew Jesus Christ as her Saviour and now is in His presence.

So it seems to me that Israel walked away from God because they caved in, instead of fighting.

I always need to be aware of the devil’s attacks. I need to daily be in HIS word and learn from the mistakes of the examples in the Bible. I must be strong! Will you join me in this battle?

Thank You

1 John 5:13