PLEADING WITH SINNERS

“Say to them: as I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek. 33:11 NKJV).

Israel had suffered much because they forsook God and His ways. Yet God in mercy pleads with them to come back to Him. In this verse we have the desire of God, the death of the wicked, the decree for repentance, and the denunciation of sinners.

Desire of God - “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” It is not God’s desire for people to go to hell; His desire is that the wicked repent of their sin. God has gone to great effort to keep people out of hell by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for man’s sins. But when man refuses to turn to the Lord, they are the ones sending themselves to hell.

Death of the wicked - “The death of the wicked.” The wicked may rise to power, rule, and flourish for a while. But sooner or later they will die. They may seem to defy God and get away with it for a time. But they will die, and then things will be different. Their place is separation from God in hell. No wicked person will prosper in eternity.

Decree for repentance - “Turn from his way and live.” In mercy, God pleads with the wicked to repent. When they repent, the wicked will experience life. The devil would have us believe that living in sin is life. But God says differently.

Denunciation of sinners - “Why should you die, O house of Israel?” This pleading question says that there is no good reason for continuing in sin. It emphasizes the folly of sinful living. There is no justification for sinning. Sin is always folly. It may disguise itself as intelligence, but it is still iniquity and will result in eternal doom.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Not until we take God seriously will we ever take sin seriously!”

Richard Charles (R.C.) Sproul (1938 – 2017)

American Reformed Pastor, Theologian and Author

Word Study

East

In Matt. 24:27 we read, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be!” (NKJV).

East is the Greek word Anatole (ἀνατολή =an-at-ol-ay'). It is made up of two words: “ana” which means up, again, and “tello” which means to make to rise. Thus the word means rising. In some context anatolē refers to the rising of the sun or breaking of the dawn which means East or Orient. The Septuagint also picks up on this meaning of the East or Orient (Gen. 2:8; 10:30; 11:2; 12:8). In the New Testament, anatolē was used of the Magi from the East who saw the star in the East (Matt. 2:1-2, 9). Here in our verse, Matthew is using anatolē to refer to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And he said, peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.” (Gen. 43:23 KJV).

Did You Know…

During his lifetime King Solomon spoke 3,000 Proverbs and wrote 1005 songs (1 Kings 4:32).

Bible Quiz

Whose name in Scripture means “Father of many nations?”

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: What did Paul urge Timothy to drink because of his stomach and other infirmities? A little wine (1 Tim. 5:23).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“Guide”

"For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death” (Psalm 48:14 NKJV).

1. Meaning – Guide speaks of God as the best Guide, the true guide, the proven Guide; He is the one Guide who will not lead us astray

2. Insights – In context, the Psalmist is calling on God’s people to consider the security of Jerusalem. They were to walk about the city and inspect her towers, and citadels. Yet their security was not in its impressive fortifications, but in God who was for ever and ever. This unseen Defender would be their guide when Jerusalem was under attack. Similarly, the Lord will be our guide unto death. He will never leave us. In the time that we need Him most, we shall find Him most powerfully present to help us

Did You Know...Christian History

Johann Oncken was born January 26, 1800 in Varel, Germany. He was a pioneer German Baptist preacher, and variously referred to as the Father of Continental Baptists, the Father of German Baptists, and the Apostle of European Baptists.

After the death of his parents, Oncken was raised by his grandmother. He was baptized as an infant in the Lutheran Church and was confirmed when he was 13 years of age. That same year, John Anderson, a Scottish merchant, invited Oncken to return with him to Scotland. With his grandmother’s approval, Oncken began a spiritual journey that would change the course of his life and turn him into one of the continent’s most effective evangelists and church builders.

Oncken left Scotland and moved to London where he was converted and resolved to devote his life to propagating the Gospel. His first act of service was the distribution of Gospel tracts, a ministry he would continue throughout his long and useful life. Although Oncken had no formal theological training, the Continental Society appointed him as a missionary to Germany. A month after his arrival, he preached his first sermon to a congregation of 18 people. In less than two months, the meeting place could not hold the crowds. His ministry, although plagued by civil and religious persecution, prospered beyond his wildest expectations.

Although Oncken was not a Baptist, his study of the Scriptures caused him to question the validity of infant baptism. After much study and consultation, Oncken embraced believer’s baptism by immersion. On April 22, 1834 at midnight, Oncken, his wife, along with five other believers were baptized in the Elbe River by Barnas Sears, an American Baptist who was visiting Germany. The following day he organized them into a Baptist church with Oncken as their pastor.

When Oncken’s baptism became known, his former friends and associates treated him as a traitor. The opposition to his Baptist principles was great, but God’s blessings overcame and defeated his enemies. Using Hamburg as a center for his ministry, he took the Gospel into Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, and Russia.

His personal ministry came to an end in 1879 when he suffered a stroke. He died five years later on January 2, 1884.

Oncken’s life was truly remarkable. During his ministry as a Baptist, he and his associates established over 280 churches, 1,222 preaching stations, and formed 771 Sunday schools in Germany. They also founded over 170 churches in Scandinavia and the Slavic States. It is estimated that he was responsible for distributing over two million Bibles and untold millions of Gospel tracts. Oncken’s motto was, “Every Baptist a missionary.”

A Little Humor

When our minister and his wife visited our neighbor, her four-year-old daughter answered the door. “Mom!” she yelled toward the living room. “God’s here, and he brought his girlfriend.

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Salvation is an unearned blessing given to an unworthy sinner!”