WHITEWASH

11-12-07

WHITEWASH

Hello beloved,

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” – Ezekiel 22:30

This is a well-known scripture. I have heard it used several different ways, but I finally came to an understanding of what it really means. Beloved, there is only one correct interpretation of the scriptures. There are many applications, but only one correct interpretation. How do you determine the correct interpretation? First of all, seek the wisdom of God as you read through it. Then, as you read it in context, the preceding and proceeding verses will explain it.

So, in the first sixteen verses, Ezekiel is revealing all of the sin that Judah has committed. Verse two says “Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices” He is doing exactly that. A good analogy, that Wiersbe used, would be that of a prosecuting attorney. The prophet makes it quite evident that Judah is guilty of sinning against God. Verse four says “you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries.” So, beloved, next he proclaims the judgment.

In verses 17-22, God uses the metaphor of a furnace. Verses 21-22 says “I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the LORD have poured out my wrath upon you.'” Who is going to blow upon Judah the fire of his wrath? That’s right, God is. They had despised the holy things of God and he was fed up. Judgment was coming and God was bringing it.

Now, judgment begins in the house of God. And, within the house of God, it begins with the prophets and priests. Look at their sin in verses 26-28.

“26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says’-when the LORD has not spoken.”

This concept of whitewashing the deeds of the people has been going through my mind for the last week or so. What is whitewash? It was used to cover up the cracks in a wall. It was really nothing more than paper mache. So, the prophets and priests were covering up the sins of the people by false visions and lying divinations. What were they saying? Well, it tells us in verse 28 that they would say ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says’ – when the LORD has not spoken.” So, it was not only what they said that was wrong, it was what they didn’t say. Had they said what the LORD was speaking they would have confronted the people with their sins and called for repentance. You can also look to Ezekiel 13:9-10 “My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. 10 ” ‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,”

This is very similar to the state of the church in America today. Many pulpits across this nation are saying ‘Thus sayeth the LORD’ when the LORD has not spoken. You hear everything but a message of repentance. When they are confronted about abortion or homosexuality, the popular answer is “We don’t go there. We preach the love of God.” Well, my friend, what they believe to be love is actually hate. That’s right. Leviticus 19:17 says “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke him and not bear sin because of him.” So, not only are these false prophets hating their congregations by not rebuking them for their sin, they are sinning themselves.

In order to have a “successful” ministry many preachers across the nation have forsaken their birthright. They whitewash the sins of the people. By preaching a seeker-friendly message, I would submit to you that they are in sin. They need to repent.

So many churches are more worried about building up the church. You’ll see these immaculate buildings, beautiful landscapes and wonderful programs to build the church. Churches that seem to be so full of life. Yet, after closer examination you will see that they are dead. They are dead because they have forsaken the truth for a lie.

Matthew 23:27-28 says “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

It’s really not necessary to expound upon this scripture. Jesus does a pretty good job.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN?

11-05-07

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN?

Hello beloved,

I’ve got a question for you. “What does it mean to be a Christian?” If I were to ask you to write a brief explanation of what it truly means to be a Christian, what would you say. I would love to hear from you.

What a deep question. Personally, I immediately go to the cross, when thinking about this. God loves us so much that he sent his only begotten Son to die for our sins. He didn’t want us to have to pay the price of spending eternity in hell, so he sent his Son to die. I don’t know about you, but this makes me realize that I don’t even have the ability to understand God’s love for us. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the cross is His ultimate sacrifice. Isaiah 52:14 says “his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.” The Passion of the Christ showed how Christ was beaten and crucified. But, as brutal as that movie portrays His sacrifice, it still does not capture it all. He was marred beyond human likeness! Not to mention, He was naked. Think about this beloved. He did this for you.

The next thing that comes to my mind, when thinking of the cross of Christ, is the enormity of my sins. It was I(and you) that nailed Him to the cross. Isaiah 53:6 says “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” It was our iniquities that He bore on His back as He was hanging, blameless from the cross. Do we truly grasp this? We are guilty of killing God’s Son! Do we not owe him our everything? How can we not repent?

The cross of Christ brings me back to that day I surrendered my life to Him. My entire life, I had been doing things my way and all it did was dig me deeper and deeper into a miry pit. The more I struggled, the worse my situation got. When I finally got to the point that I could only do one thing, He saved me. And that “one thing” I could do was cry out to Jesus. I cried “Jesus save me!” Have you done this beloved? Or are you still struggling in that miry pit? Let go, beloved. The more you try to get out of that pit on your own, the worse off you’ll be. The only One that can reach you is Jesus Christ. Call on Him and He’ll save you from your sin. “For all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

So, what happened to me? How was I so radically transformed?(Don’t get me wrong, I still have not arrived) Beloved, it is only because of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” A new creature. The old Adam is dead. What about you? Are you in Christ?

Beloved, I don’t know who this is for, but I want you to know that God loves you. And because he loves you so much, and because your sins are so great, he killed his one and only Son for you. Get on your knees, beloved. Cry out, as I did, “Jesus save me!” And, if you turn from your sins, and put your faith and trust in Him, He will save you! He will make you into a new creature. All of your sins will be washed away by His blood! Praise the Lord!

Remember, Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He rose from the grave on the third day. And, now He is sitting next to the Father in heaven. Call on Him beloved. Romans 10:9 says “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

So, what does it mean to be a Christian? I guess the best way I can explain it is that the old me is dead. And, now, everything in my life revolves around Jesus Christ. He is the Source of my being. He is the center of my life, my marriage, my job, my everything. Galatians 2:20 says “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” To become a Christian you must die and be born again. To be a Christian, you must die…everyday.

So, beloved, how about you? One of these breaths will be your last. Your heart will soon beat for the last time. Are you ready to face God Almighty on Judgment Day? Hebrews 9:27 says “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Are you ready for the judgment?

When you stand before the Lord of glory, you will have to give an account for all of your sins. Examine yourselves in light of Scripture. Visit Exodus 20 and see if you measure up to God’s Law. His standard, beloved, doesn’t even compare to ours. If you have broken one of His Commandments, you are guilty of breaking them all. This is called sin, beloved. And know this: Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” But, you’ll never know that gift of God’s grace and mercy if you do not repent(turn from) your sin and put your faith and trust in Him. So, if you’ve never done this, do it today. Then, read the Bible daily and obey what you read.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant

THE RETURN OF THE WATCHMEN

11-01-07

THE RETURN OF THE WATCHMEN

Hello beloved,

7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” – Ezekiel 33:7-9

What a perilous time we live in. Gross immorality has perverted every inch of this nation. There is no where you can go without being subjected to pornography. (Well, except church. But, chances are, you’ll have to look at some half-naked woman on a billboard if you take the Interstate to get there.) Our bookstores now carry information teaching our children how to be homosexuals and lesbians; huge sections devoted to homosexuality and lesbianism. Over a million babies are murdered through abortion every year. Sexual immorality runs so rampant in our high schools and universities that no one will even talk about. Unless, of course, they are glorifying it. Beloved, this nation has turned her back on God. We have kicked Him and His Word out of school, out of our government and, now, even a large number of churches. How could this have happened? How?

I’ll tell you how. The watchmen have kept silent. Years ago, our founding forefathers fought, with there very lives on the line, for the virtue of this nation. Their unanimous cry: “One nation under God!” That’s right. And everyone knew that Jesus Christ was the God of this nation. Over the years, we have given into the subtle compromises of Satan. We have slowly, but surely, turned our backs on Almighty God. Did you know that preachers around the nation used to preach against television. Before you say the L word, let me finish. Men of God, such as Leonard Ravenhill and David Wilkerson used to thunder from the pulpit for Christians to do away with television. They were warning the people, not to be lulled to sleep by this idol. I realize that I’m treading on thin ice with this one, but I have to say it. Think about it. If so many preachers used to preach against it, what happened? Why don’t you hear it anymore? Simple. Compromise.

I’ll tell you one thing, the stuff that comes on TV now, would have never flown fifty years ago. Now, beloved, please understand that I’m not condemning anybody. I’m not telling everyone to throw your televisions out the window. I just want you to examine yourselves. Are you spending too much time in front of the television? Does it keep you from spending quality time with God; praying and studying your bible? Does it keep you from instructing your children from the Word of God? If so, I challenge you to get rid of your cable. Trust me, if you go a month without, and then watch it again, you will see how perverse it is. Now, you might not watch vulgar and perverse things, but even good programming that keeps you from devotion with God and your family is wrong.

Well, back to my original point. I believe that a lot of America’s watchmen are sitting in their recliners watching television. Their sluggardness keeps them from responding to the call of God. But, be encouraged beloved. A new generation is rising. This makes me so excited. I’ve had the pleasure of watching some youths lately, that are starting to realize the seriousness of the tasks God has called them to. They are willing to put away television, video games and dating. And they have one desire: to deliver God’s mail. I read what they write. They write things that teenagers just don’t write. And they all have one consistent cry: REPENTANCE!

Pray for this younger generation, beloved. They are under a more violent attack of perversity than this world has ever seen. But, a remnant will rise, beloved. The watchmen will return. Rejoice for that.

In Christian love,
Adam Tennant