“I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the LORD.”
~ Ezekiel 15:7
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever thought about what God would do to you if you intentionally do not to do what you know that God expects you to do? Do you know what it is that God expects you to do? When God – as God the Spirit, leads a guy, gal and kid through the faith/grace door to join the universal Christ-follower family of guys, gals and kids, he or she has made – after he or she confessed his or her sinful nature and acknowledged an unqualified acceptance of God – as God the Son, as his or her Lord and Savior, a lifetime commitment to do all that he or she can to live holy and pure lives. Being led by God – as God the Spirit, to become a Christ-follower has a guy, gal or kid leaving an unholy, infected milling throng of spiritually lost guys and gals. For a guy, gal and kid to live a true Christ-follower life takes wholehearted, focused intentionality. The tempter’s ability to use his gang of minions to tempt and lead Christ-follower guys, gals and kids to play in planet Earth’s gutters and sewers will not be curtailed after a guy, gal or kid has become a Christ-follower. A Christ-follower guy, gal and kid has weapons that God – as God the Father, expects him or her to use against Satan and his evil sprites. The weapons that Christ-follower guys, gals and kids have to employ against the devil and his lacqueys are the blood and the name of God, as God the Son – Jesus Christ. God – about 3450 years ago, indoctrinated a people group of guys and gals with a totally new worship paradigm. This people group of guys and gals were Abraham’s descendants. The Israelite people group of guys, gals and kids are Abraham’s descendants. The new worship paradigm that God gave to His specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, required properly presented animal offerings to Himself – as God the Father, as a worship exercise and an unreserved acquiesce to faithfully obey enforceable laws, commandments and mandates that involved interpersonal relationships, daily work and rest standards and health. The continual inability or the abject failure of the Israelite people group guys and gals to devotedly and persistently obey God’s new religious rules and regulations paradigm that He expected them to obey led God to implement a plan B – which was to go to planet Earth as Himself – as God the Son, so that He could be hung and nailed to die on a cross as a once and for all sacrifice – with His shed blood being the ransom payment for all the sins of His specially elected guys, gals and kids who God – as God the Father, chose and adopted for Himself before He systematically began to unveil His endless unfolding universe. God’s plan A did not work because it was works dependent.
Having internalized an understanding of why God – as God the Spirit, is methodically guiding in a preordained way each one of His specially elected guys, gals and kids to and then through the faith/grace door so that each guy, gal and kid can receive the eternal life gift, your grandpaa is befuddled why so many Christ-follower guys, gals and kids – who were all formerly spiritually lost guys, gals and kids, are not spending all of their time repeatedly saying thanks to God – as God the Father, as He is sitting on His throne in heaven for what He has done for them versus seemingly spending all of their time trying to build personal thrones by pursuing worthless acclamation spotlights on planet Earth. Ezekiel 15 focus on God’s vehement disgust and divine disappointment that He had with his specially chosen guys and gals. Ezekiel – as a message courier for God – as God the Father, to His specially chosen guys and gals – tells the Israelite people group guys and gals that they now have no more usefulness to God than what a vine has for burning. Dry vines burn very quickly. Dry vines do not work for producing the kind of heat that is needed for keeping a guy, gal or kid warm or for preparing meals. God – as God the Father, through Ezekiel says in verse 7, “I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the LORD.” Your grandpaa thinks that what happened next to God’s specially chosen guys and gals – which had them being taken away as captive slaves from the land area that God gave them to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . would be the kind of life lesson that should discourage Christ-follower guys, gals and kids from trying or wanting to go back into the putrid, tainted sin world that they had been in and should instead encourage Christ-follower guys, gals and kids to cultivate the profound feelings that have been branded on the heart of each Christ-follower guy, gal and kid of a genuine thankfulness and heartfelt gratefulness for what took place as he or she was led by God – as God Spirit, to and through the faith/grace door into an encapsulated world – which is the body of Christ, that has only Christ-follower guys, gals and kids in it.
Bernardo was a missionary on the Bolivia South America Mission field missionary team. Bernardo was from Peru. Bernardo graduated from Rio Grande Bible Institute in Edinburg, Texas – which is where your grandmaa and grandpaa studied Spanish. Your grandmaa and grandpaa were missionaries on the South America Mission field missionary team in Bolivia when Bernardo arrived in Bolivia. When the South America Mission Field Director for the field missionary team in Bolivia left for a scheduled furlough, Jeb asked your grandpaa to help keep an eye on Bernardo. Your grandpaa was suspicious that Bernardo was acting being a Christ-follower but behaving carnally. Bernardo – after curfew and after having been at a night club, had a motorcycle accident one night. Bernardo was unconscious for several weeks. God took from Fernando future missionary rewards because he opted for fulfilling deviant cravings versus obeying God. God demoted Fernando’s quality of life to being about a twelve year old kid.
Ezekiel 15 (728)