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Showing posts from June, 2012

Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is interesting. Th
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"The Glory of God" (A Study on Ezekiel)

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If God commanded you to do “strange” things that will make you appear “weird,” would you do it?  In the book that bears his name, we see the prophet Ezekiel willingly obeying God, though others thought him crazy as a result.  Ezekiel not only preached God’s message but went so far as to also act out God’s attitude towards the captives of Judah. He literally lived out what he preached! Ezekiel’s obedience to God is a direct contrast to Judah’s rebellious heart. Ezekiel’s ministry took place during the captivity of Judah. God used the Babylonians as an instrument to discipline His people.  Ezekiel the priest was among the 10,000 Jews held captive as mentioned in 2 Kings 24:10-14. His calling as a prophet of God was described in the first three chapters.  He saw a heavenly vision and beheld “a figure like that of a man” (Ezekiel 1:26), the “appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD” (Ezekiel 1:28).  No doubt this is the glorious appearance of none other than the Lord Jesus Chris
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Jeremiah—“The Weeping Prophet of God” (A Study on Jeremiah and Lamentations)

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Tears can come as a result of joy; but most often, they flow from a heart of sorrow, grief or pain. Our tears can say a lot about us.  What we cry about can reveal what concerns us most. Jeremiah, known as God’s weeping prophet, had a lot to cry about. In Lamentations and the book that bears his name, Jeremiah’s tears reveal his love for the LORD and His chosen people.  Judah, in forsaking the LORD, suffered from the hands of the Babylonians, God’s instrument of discipline.  Jeremiah, born from a family of priests, was called by the LORD to preach His message to a wayward people. The LORD encouraged him and confirmed his calling despite his feelings of inadequacy (Jeremiah 1:6-8). Sadly, Judah rejected God’s message of judgment and call for repentance through Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was even threatened as a result of  the message he proclaimed, especially when he preached on the destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 26). The people of Judah preferred to listen to false teachers who proclaimed
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"Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Host" (A Study on Isaiah)

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Prophets are God’s messengers to His people. They are called by God to preach His message, which through history has majored on a message of judgment and call to repentance. As a result, prophets often find themselves in a lonely and unpopular position. Some prophets like Isaiah have penned God’s powerful words so that people will not only hear but read God’s message. Old Testament books written by prophets are poetic in form. They reveal and confront the wickedness of God’s people (Isaiah 1:2-31; 3:1-26). Significantly, God’s message of judgement includes a message of hope (See Isaiah 60-66 for Israel’s future glory). Isaiah is probably the longest prophetic book in the entire Bible. He prophesied in and during the reigns of the four kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1). His calling as a prophet is of great significance because he witnessed the glory and majesty of the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 6:1-5). This heavenly vision caused the prophet to see not only his own but also his people’s sinfulness
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