with meditations by my mother, Poetess Gertrude Sanborn
September 3
Ezekiel
14:9–Ezekiel 18:24
BEWARE OF THAT CERTAIN SOMEONE
Ezekiel 18:24
"His
righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned .
. ."
I am in a quandary wondering exactly
what I should say today. I am thinking of a Christian
who sinned. I do not mean what we call "small
sins"–although I know that "sins" is "sin." I am talking
about a BIG "sin," a "sin" that mars the name of Christ
in a community. The public sin that causes a stir from
the pew to the grocery store.
He who sins so grievously, that not
only his testimony for Jesus Christ is marred, but his
whole church’s name is blackened. The world looks at him
in disgust because he cannot practice what he preached.
The temptation was too great! And the mighty has fallen!
THE BEAUTY OF ISRAEL IS SLAIN UPON
THY HIGH PLACES: HOW ARE THE MIGHTY FALLEN! (II Samuel
1:19) It is not pleasant to see. It is not happy news to
hear!
"But when a righteous man turns away
from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and does
according to all the abominations that a wicked man
does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has
done will not be remembered for his treachery which he
has committed and his sin which he has committed; for
them he will die. (Ezekiel 18:24)
I do not claim to understand the
verses in Ezekiel 18. But, I do understand the public
reaction to the awfulness of a Christian drawn into
gross sin! The magnitude of the "naughty" draws the eye!
The grip of the sensual is stronger than reason. As the
pull of steel is drawn to the magnet, Satan comes! And
in weakness, under his spell the Christian yields. "AND
NO MARVEL; FOR SATAN HIMSELF IS TRANSFORMED INTO AN
ANGEL OF LIGHT." (II Corinthians 11:14)
Why is it that Satan’s baubles are
irresistible to the Christian? Could it be that the
Christian is walking in his or her own strength? He
begins to believe his own press releases. He forgets to
"press forward for the mark!" (Philippians 3:14) He
lollygags! He looks around him! He hears the crowd
cheering him on! He spies a "special fan" in a short
skirt and a low-cut neckline, waving a bright flag with
his name on it. She looks at him. His heart-strings
sing! That is when he should take stock of himself. That
is when he should look at the "mark" ahead of him and
the "prize!" That is when he should remember his wife
and his children and his testimony for Christ!
"I’ve been doing pretty good," he
says to himself. "Look at me, everybody! I am a pastor
of a big church! I am on a mission board! I have power
more than the average person. I have hundreds of people
in my church. I write books. People look to me from all
over the world. I must be good!"
Soon the self-centered man, puffed up
by the flag-waver’s praise, begins to believe all the
good things said to him by everybody around him,
especially her. His wife may tell him the truth. He
thinks she is "sour grapes." She begs, "PLEASE STAY HOME
WITH ME AND THE CHILDREN!" But-–he is too busy! He is
too heady! Other people need him. They appreciate him
more–ESPECIALLY THE ONE WHO HAS THE FLAG WITH HIS NAME
ON IT!
Then one sad day, a "certain someone"
needs him more than anyone else. She understands him
better than any other person. She compliments him in
such a way that he is drawn to her. He has to hear her
voice when he is away from her too long. He needs her
advice. He feels good around her person. Soon this
"friendship" grows! There is casual touching of the
shoulder or the arm.
It leads to a friendly welcoming hug
when he has been out of town. Then an occasional fond
embrace becomes a daily treat. Before he know it, he is
emotionally drawn to a woman to whom he is not married.
If this attraction is not cut off,
there will be sin that can never be forgotten–even
though forgiven. It could lead to divorce or even
suicide. WOE TO THE ONE WHO CARRIED THE FLAG WITH HER
PASTOR’S NAME ON IT! Judgement day is coming!
"For such . . . are false apostles,
deceitful workers, disguising themselves into the
apostles of Christ." (I Corinthians 11:13)(ysw: I wrote
this today because of a pastor who recently committed
suicide because he could not face his adultery
publically)
"HE
MAKETH ME TO LIE DOWN AT NOON"
(Song of Solomon
1:7)
vineyard!
Tell me, you
whom I love, where do you feed your sheep?
Where do you let
them rest at noon?
WHY SHOULD I
TURN ASIDE?
The pressures
and heat of my trials cause me to come to Him
and say "TELL ME
WHERE I MAY REST AT NOON?"
"THERE IS A
PLACE OF QUIET REST NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD!"
(Last line
quotes Cleland B. McAfee)
(GGS)
And Sarah
heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly
return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo,
Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)
AN IMPORTANT CONFERENCE:
Make plans now to attend the 33rd annual meeting of the Dean Burgon Society.
The theme of this years conference is the four hundred anniversary of the King
James Bible. The date for the meeting is July 27-28, 2011. The place
is Collingswood, New Jersey. This is a meeting you do not want to miss.
Please arrange your schedule to be there in person. To view the 2010
conference please follow this link: http://www.deanburgonsociety.org/Videos/dbs2010.htm
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