May 28th, 2007
The War Within – Part VI
I can make decisions to do wrong:
• I can tear down road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it isn’t as difficult.
I can make decisions to do right:
• I can put up road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it is difficult.
The issue is road blocks that help or hurt. It’s good to have accountability. It is also good to the right heart about things. And let’s face it, it isn’t easy to have the “perfect” heart all the time, so when the heart takes a downward slide, albeit in the momentary lapse of weakness, it is wonderful to have a road block and accountability to help save what would be a horrible situation.
Ephesians 2:11-22
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) - remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Proverbs 18:10-12
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an un-scalable wall. Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
Ecclesiastes 10:8
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
Isaiah 30:12-14
Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.”
Psalm 69:21-23
They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.
Romans 11:7-10
What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.” And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
Ezekiel 3:20-21
“Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
2nd Corinthians 6:3-10
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Now, this is a ton of scriptures… all great stuff! God puts up stumbling blocks for me, you, everyone, and that’s good. But with all these scriptures, walls and stumbling blocks, I think this is going to take a great deal of thought. I gather that there are two walls and two types of stumbling blocks.
First: There is a wall to keep OUT sin and a wall to keep IN sin.
Second: There is a stumbling block to PREVENT sin and a stumbling block as a CONSEQUENCE to sin.
I’ll be honest, I am not sure I know how to even explain it all to myself, much less to whoever reads this…
I will make an effort, however. Ezekiel 3 speaks of a stumbling block put up by God himself. The Hebrew is as defined:
Stumbling Block (noun):
Mikshôl (pronounced mik-shole')
• A stumbling block, literally or figuratively (obstacle, enticement (specifically an idol, scruple): - caused to fall, offence, no-thing offered, ruin, stumbling-block. (Strong’s)
• A stumbling, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block (stumbling, fall, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block) – (BDB)
This is what was used in Ezekiel 3. God put up a stumbling block after the person has done evil. That’s how I am reading it, although I am not sure this is entirely right. I would think that the Ezekiel 3 is the “consequence” stumbling block. 2nd Corinthians 6 is the “preventing sin” stumbling block.
I tell you what… I am going to post this, and I will repost it again tomorrow once I’ve studied more and prayed more about it all… but that post will just be the additions. I guess I should title it PART VII… yeah, that’s what I will do. Johnny Out.
The War Within – Part VI
I can make decisions to do wrong:
• I can tear down road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it isn’t as difficult.
I can make decisions to do right:
• I can put up road blocks so that when I want to do wrong, it is difficult.
The issue is road blocks that help or hurt. It’s good to have accountability. It is also good to the right heart about things. And let’s face it, it isn’t easy to have the “perfect” heart all the time, so when the heart takes a downward slide, albeit in the momentary lapse of weakness, it is wonderful to have a road block and accountability to help save what would be a horrible situation.
Ephesians 2:11-22
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) - remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Proverbs 18:10-12
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an un-scalable wall. Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.
Ecclesiastes 10:8
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
Isaiah 30:12-14
Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern.”
Psalm 69:21-23
They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.
Romans 11:7-10
What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.” And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
Ezekiel 3:20-21
“Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
2nd Corinthians 6:3-10
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Now, this is a ton of scriptures… all great stuff! God puts up stumbling blocks for me, you, everyone, and that’s good. But with all these scriptures, walls and stumbling blocks, I think this is going to take a great deal of thought. I gather that there are two walls and two types of stumbling blocks.
First: There is a wall to keep OUT sin and a wall to keep IN sin.
Second: There is a stumbling block to PREVENT sin and a stumbling block as a CONSEQUENCE to sin.
I’ll be honest, I am not sure I know how to even explain it all to myself, much less to whoever reads this…
I will make an effort, however. Ezekiel 3 speaks of a stumbling block put up by God himself. The Hebrew is as defined:
Stumbling Block (noun):
Mikshôl (pronounced mik-shole')
• A stumbling block, literally or figuratively (obstacle, enticement (specifically an idol, scruple): - caused to fall, offence, no-thing offered, ruin, stumbling-block. (Strong’s)
• A stumbling, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block (stumbling, fall, means or occasion of stumbling, stumbling block) – (BDB)
This is what was used in Ezekiel 3. God put up a stumbling block after the person has done evil. That’s how I am reading it, although I am not sure this is entirely right. I would think that the Ezekiel 3 is the “consequence” stumbling block. 2nd Corinthians 6 is the “preventing sin” stumbling block.
I tell you what… I am going to post this, and I will repost it again tomorrow once I’ve studied more and prayed more about it all… but that post will just be the additions. I guess I should title it PART VII… yeah, that’s what I will do. Johnny Out.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment