Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch.

Podcast Introduction

It’s  Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Ezekiel 19-24. I’m calling this episode “God Is Love.” And since Resurrection Sunday is this coming Sunday, we’ll also talk about Good Friday. 

Comments on Ezekiel 19-24

These chapters tell a sad, tragic and horrific story. They are not easy to read, and even harder to contemplate.

These were God’s chosen people. He loved them, and made a covenant with them to bless them for all generations if they would just follow His commandments. Time and again, they turned away from Him, and time and again He told them that judgement would come upon them unless they repented and returned to Him. Often they refused, so God was true to His Word and brought judgement. Then they would repent and He would forgive them and bless them. The cycle repeated many times, proving that God is a merciful God.

In these chapters, God’s wrath has reached a crescendo. The messages He gave to Ezekiel were of utter destruction and shame.

Now, if I was God I would have washed my hands of not only these “chosen people”, but of all mankind. I would have walked away and let them destroy themselves. It would seem a deserving end.

But thanks be to God that I am *not* God. Our God takes no delight in the death of the wicked, according to what He said in Ezekiel 18:23. 

Keeping in mind what God said of Himself in Malachi 3:6, “I the Lord do not change…”, the explanation for the fact that any of us are still here can be found in 1 John 4:16: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love…” 

This is a love that is impossible to grasp, as a human being. We are far too finite, too limited, too flawed to fully understand.

When I think of the love God poured out in creating a perfect and beautiful universe, where he created a perfect and beautiful and lush planet that was supremely suited for humankind to live and have fellowship with their God, only to have them break that fellowship by disobeying the one command He gave them, and then the centuries and millennia of the cycle repeating itself, I can only imagine the broken heart of God.

And yet. 

And yet He made the greatest offering of love in all of eternity. God the Father offered the life of His only begotten Son for the redemption of any who would receive Him as their Lord and Savior. And the Son, Jesus Christ, who was with God from all eternity, willingly and lovingly gave Himself as it says in Romans 5:8, “…while we were yet sinners…” 

Oh beloved, if you have not yet responded to Jesus’ offer, now is the time. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus said, ” I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Will you answer? He has done all the work. You have only to accept His gift. The gift of forgiveness of sin and eternity with Him. 

Do you know where you will spend eternity? Do you know that you will go to Heaven when you die? You can know. You don’t have to guess. You don’t have to hope that your good deeds outweigh your bad. That is not what salvation is all about. All have sinned and fall short. One sin is enough to close the book on you. The wages of sin is death. But Jesus took the punishment for my sins and for yours. He paid the price already. For anyone who has accepted Him, their account is marked “Paid in full.”

Will you accept Him now? You don’t need to, you *can’t* make yourself “good enough” to accept Him. He told the thief who was hanging on the cross next to Him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Jesus will take you just as you are, right now. 

If you want your sins forgiven, if you want to know without a doubt that you will go to Heaven when you die, if you want to know what real peace feels like, if you want to fill that hole in your heart all you need to do is pray this simple prayer:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I know that you died for me. I ask you to forgive my sins, and I ask you to be my Lord and my Savior. Come into my life and make me the person You want me to be. Amen.

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Transcript

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Transcript corrected by Sister Denise

Steve Webb 0:00
He made the greatest offering of love in all of eternity.

Steve Webb 0:11
Here we go. This is the Lifespring! One Year Bible coming to you one more time from Riverside, California, and podcasting since 2004, I am your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we are reading through the entire Bible in a year. And it’s Prophecy Friday. We’ll read Ezekiel 19 to 24 and I’m calling this episode, “God is Love.” And since Resurrection Sunday is this coming Sunday, we’ll also talk about today, Good Friday. Let’s get started with a word of prayer. Our gracious and loving heavenly Father, how we thank you so much for this time together. I pray that as we read today, and as we have our discussion that you would bless our time together. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. All right, let’s get started.

Steve Webb 0:59
Ezekiel, chapter 19. “Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel and say: “‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay down among them and reared her cubs. She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater. The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt. “‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion. He prowled among the lions, for he was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater. He broke down their strongholds and devastated their towns. The land and all who were in it were terrified by his roaring. Then the nations came against him, those from regions round about. They spread their net for him, and he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel. “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches. But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ “This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.”

Steve Webb 2:44
Ezekiel, chapter 20. In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.” On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” “‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt. But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live. Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy. “‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness. But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands— because they rejected my laws and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts were devoted to their idols. Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy them or put an end to them in the wilderness. I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents or keep their laws or defile yourselves with their idols. I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” “‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws, of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spread my anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries, because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes lusted after their parents’ idols. So I gave them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live; I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.’ “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me: When I brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings. Then I said to them: What is this high place you go to?’” (It is called Bamah to this day.) “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images? When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me. “‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. “‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors. There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland. Say to the southern forest: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it. Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.’” Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’”

Steve Webb 10:35
Ezekiel, chapter 21. The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword from its sheath; it will not return again.’ “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.” The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished— sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! “‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick. “‘The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped with the hand; it is sharpened and polished, made ready for the hand of the slayer. Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people; it is against all the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword along with my people. Therefore beat your breast. “‘And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’ “So then, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together. Let the sword strike twice, even three times. It is a sword for slaughter— a sword for great slaughter, closing in on them from every side. So that hearts may melt with fear and the fallen be many, I have stationed the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Look! It is forged to strike like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter. Slash to the right, you sword, then to the left, wherever your blade is turned. I too will strike my hands together, and my wrath will subside. I the Lord have spoken.” The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp to erect siege works. It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive. “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive. “‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of judgement has reached its climax, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’ “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults: “‘A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning! Despite false visions concerning you and lying divinations about you, it will be laid on the necks of the wicked who are to be slain, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax. “‘Let the sword return to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your ancestry, I will judge you. I will pour out my wrath on you and breathe out my fiery anger against you; I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men, men skilled in destruction. You will be fuel for the fire, your blood will be shed in your land, you will be remembered no more; for I the Lord have spoken.’ ”

Steve Webb 15:12
Ezekiel, chapter 22. The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, 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. Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil. “‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts. In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord. “‘I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness. When you have been defiled in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. 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 on you.’” Again the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.’ There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 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. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 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. The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Steve Webb 19:29
Ezekiel, chapter 23. The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed. The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after. She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her. “Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she lusted. They stripped her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women, and punishment was inflicted on her. “Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister. She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men. I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way. “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall, figures of Chaldeans portrayed in red, with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea. As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust. When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister. Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled. “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side— the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses. They will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment, and they will punish you according to their standards. I will direct my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters, and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire. They will also strip you of your clothes and take away your fine jewelry. So I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore. “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked, and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your lewdness and promiscuity have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup into your hand. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup large and deep; it will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much. You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of ruin and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria. You will drink it and drain it dry and chew on its pieces— and you will tear your breasts. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.” The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their detestable practices, for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them. They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my Sabbaths. On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house. “They even sent messengers for men who came from far away, and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup and put on your jewelry. You sat on an elegant couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed the incense and olive oil that belonged to me. “The noise of a carefree crowd was around her; drunkards were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets on the wrists of the woman and her sister and put beautiful crowns on their heads. Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that is all she is.’ And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood, because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob against them and give them over to terror and plunder. The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses. “So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you. You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

Steve Webb 26:24
Ezekiel, chapter 24. Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day. And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Put on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it. Gather pieces of meat in it, Every good piece, The thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with choice cuts; Take the choice of the flock. Also pile fuel bones under it, Make it boil well, And let the cuts simmer in it.” ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the bloody city, To the pot whose scum is in it, And whose scum is not gone from it! Bring it out piece by piece, On which no lot has fallen. For her blood is in her midst; She set it on top of a rock; She did not pour it on the ground, To cover it with dust. That it may rise up fury and take vengeance, I have set her blood on top of a rock, That it may not be covered.” ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the bloody city! I too will make the pyre great. Heap on the wood, Kindle the fire; Cook the meat well, Mix in the spices, And let the cuts be burned up. “Then set the pot empty on the coals, That it may become hot and its bronze may burn, That its filthiness may be melted in it, That its scum may be consumed. She has grown weary with lies, And her great scum has not gone from her. Let her scum be in the fire! In your filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed, You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore, Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you. I, the Lord, have spoken it; It shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, Nor will I spare, Nor will I relent; According to your ways and according to your deeds They will judge you,” Says the Lord God.’” Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded. And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?” Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow. Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord God.’” ‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: that on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears? On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’”

Steve Webb 30:17
Well, these chapters tell a sad, tragic, and horrific story. They are not easy to read and even harder to contemplate. These were God’s chosen people. He loved them, and he made a covenant with him to bless them for all generations if they would just follow his commandments. Time and again, they turned away from him and time and again, he told him that judgment would come upon them unless they repented and returned to him. Often they refused, so God was true to his word, and brought judgment. Then they would repent, and he would forgive them and bless them. And the cycle repeated many times proving that God is a merciful God. Now, in these chapters, God’s wrath has reached a crescendo. The messages he gave to Ezekiel were of utter destruction and shame. Now, if I was God, I would have washed my hands of not only these chosen people but of all mankind, I would have walked away and let them destroy themselves. That would seem a deserving end, don’t you think? But thanks be to God that I am not God. Our God takes no delight in the death of the wicked according to what he said in Ezekiel 18:23. Now, keeping in mind what God said of himself in Malachi 3:6, “I the Lord do not change.” The explanation for the fact that any of us are still here can be found in 1 John 4:16. That says, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.” Now, this is a love that is impossible to grasp as a human being. We’re far too finite, too limited, too flawed, to fully understand it. God is love. When I think of the love God poured out in creating a perfect and beautiful universe, where he created a perfect and beautiful and lush planet that was supremely suited for humankind to live and have fellowship with their God, only to have them break that fellowship by disobeying the one command he gave them and then the centuries and millennia of the cycle repeating itself, I can only imagine the broken heart of God. And yet. And yet he made the greatest offering of love in all of eternity. God, the Father offered the life of his only begotten Son, for the redemption of any who would receive him as their Lord and Savior. And the Son, Jesus Christ, who was with God from all eternity, willingly and lovingly gave himself as it says in Romans 5:8, “while we were yet sinners.” Oh, Beloved, if you have not yet responded to Jesus’ offer, now’s the time. Today is the day of salvation. Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.” He’s knocking. Will you answer? He’s done all the work. You have only to accept his gift, the gift of forgiveness of sin and eternity with him. Do you know where you’ll spend eternity? Do you know that you’ll go to heaven when you die? You can know. You don’t have to guess. You don’t have to hope that all your good deeds will outweigh your bad. That is not what salvation is all about because all have sinned and fall short. One sin is enough to close the book on you. The wages of sin, the Bible tells us, is death. But Jesus took the punishment for my sins and for yours. He paid the price already. For anyone who has accepted him their account is marked “Paid in full. Will you accept him now? You don’t need to, you can’t make yourself good enough to accept him. He told the thief who was hanging on the cross next to him. Today you will be with me in Paradise. Jesus will take you just as you are, right now. If you want your sins forgiven, if you want to know without a doubt that you will go to heaven when you die if you want to know what real peace feels like, if you want to fill that hole in your heart, all you need to do is pray this simple prayer. Pray it with me either out loud or in the quietness of your heart. Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I know that you died for me. I ask you to forgive my sins. And I ask you to be my Lord and my Savior. Come into my life and make me the person you want me to be. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, Beloved, there is rejoicing in heaven right now. Congratulations on beginning a new life. Whether or not you feel any different makes no difference. If you meant it in your heart when you prayed that prayer, then you are a new person. It isn’t based on emotions or feelings. It is based on God’s promise. You have comments or questions? Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at +1-951-732-8511. And you can comment via boostagram, or go to comment.lifespringmedia.com. Beloved, your listening to the Lifespring! One Year Bible is a good way to get into the Bible. But if you don’t have a Bible of your own, I would love to send you a very special edition of the New Testament called the New Believer’s Bible, free of charge. There are hundreds of notes in this New Testament that were written by Greg Laurie of Harvest Ministries and is published by Tyndale House Publishers. Harvest is the church that the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and I call home and they made some copies of the New Believer’s Bible available to me to be able to send you a copy. So if you’d like to have a copy, let me know and I’ll send you one, free of charge. Just send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com with your name and address. Your information stays with me. I won’t share it and I promise not to spam you. I just want you to have this if you’d like to have one. Tomorrow will be Gospels Saturday. We’ll read Luke 17 and 18.

Announcer 36:36
Boostagram.

Steve Webb 36:38
Brother Sean of San Pedro sent his 5000 sat Loaves and Fishes boost again. And Brother Howie and Sister Ann, Brother Sean’s in-laws, sent 500 sats. Good to keep it in the family. Thank you, Brother Sean, Brother Howie, and Sister Ann. God bless you. And, Beloved, if you have not gotten into streaming and boosting sats, but you’re thinking about trying it out, now would be a great time to do it because over at the Fountain apps website, they’ve been keeping sort of a leaderboard over there for about a year. It lists the top 50 podcasts in receiving sats. And Adam Curry was talking about it on his latest episode of “Curry and the Keeper,” the show he does with his wife, Tina.

Adam Curry 37:18
The top 10, the top 50. There’s a whole top 50 list. There’s a top 50 List. It’s not just all Bitcoin people and God people. There’s other podcasts, believe it or not. Also, Steve Webb is always… he’s frequently in the top 10.

Steve Webb 37:32
So yes, this humble little show has been in the top 10 for many months which is amazing. Because I can’t help but believe that it helps expose the show to more people who might benefit from listening. But as more and more shows get into accepting sats, there’s obviously more competition. And we’ve now dropped to number 22 as of today. So if you’d like to dip your toe in, now would be a great time. Help out the show. Give it a shot. It’s easier than ever. The Fountain app is a good place to start. And it’s available for both iOS and Android in the App Store. And for easy instructions on how to begin, just go to lifespringmedia.com/fountain. And as a bonus Fountain will pay you as you listen to the show. And not just this show, but all the shows that accept sats including “No Agenda.” You get paid for each minute you listen, so with “No Agenda” that’s a lot of minutes. So this could be a very cool way to contribute value-for-value if you’re receiving value from this show.

Steve Webb 38:33
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Steve Webb 38:44
Today is Good Friday or Holy Friday and each day from now to Resurrection Sunday I’ll be talking about the events of each day of the final week of Jesus’ life prior to and including his crucifixion and resurrection. Most Christians remember this as the day Jesus was crucified. Why do we call this particular Friday good? Certainly what the Jewish establishment and the Romans put Jesus through was not at all good. It was in fact horrendous. But through his death, Jesus paid for my sins and yours. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous and the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body, but made alive by the Spirit.” And then Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Many churches have a special worship service on Good Friday and in many cases the service is more somber than celebratory. Where hymns are sung, they’re subdued. Prayers are generally filled with thanksgiving for his sacrifice and the Lord’s Supper or Communion is observed because, as we said yesterday, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” S.M. Lockridge lived from 1913 to 2000. He was a black pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego from 1953 to 1993, 40 years! He was one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century. Two of his best-known sermons are called, “That’s My King,” And “It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Comin’.” I looked and looked for a recording of him preaching “It’s Friday,” but I couldn’t find one. So I’m going to do it for you myself. That’s why I mentioned that he was Black. I cannot nor would I dare try to imitate his style or delivery. I’m using Pastor Lockridge’s words. So I hope that you’re able to get just a taste of the greatness of “It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Comin’.”

Steve Webb 40:52
It’s Friday. Jesus is praying. Peter’s sleepin’. Judas is betraying, but Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. Pilate’s struggling. The council is conspiring. The crowd is vilifying. They don’t even know that Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. The disciples are running like sheep without a shepherd. Mary’s crying. Peter is denying. But they don’t know that Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. The Romans beat my Jesus. They robe him in scarlet. They crown him with thorns. But they don’t know that Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. See Jesus walking to Calvary, his blood dripping, his body stumbling, and his spirit’s burdened. But you see, it’s only Friday. Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. The world’s winning. People are sinning. And evil’s grinning. It’s Friday. The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands to the cross. They nail my Savior’s feet to the cross and then they raise him up next to criminals. It’s Friday, but let me tell you something Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. The disciples are questioning what has happened to their King. And the Pharisees are celebrating that their scheming has been achieved. But they don’t know it’s only Friday. Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. He’s hanging on the cross feeling forsaken by his Father. Left alone and dying, can nobody save him? Ooooh, it’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’. It’s Friday. The earth trembles. The sky grows dark. My King yields his spirit. It’s Friday. Hope is lost. Death has won. Sin has conquered. And Satan’s just laughin’. It’s Friday. Jesus is buried. The soldier stands guard and a rock is rolled into place. But it’s Friday. It is only Friday. Sunday is comin’!

Steve Webb 43:41
Tomorrow we’ll talk about Holy Saturday.

Steve Webb 43:50
Sister Denise, Michael Haner, Scott Snider, Jason Paschall, and Sister Brittaney do so much for me and I can’t help but thank them on each and every episode. So I’m doing that now. Jason Paschall did today’s show art. And of course, without you, there’d be no reason for this show. So thank you for inviting me to be a part of your day today. Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

Steve Webb 44:18
The Lifespring! Media Family of Programs are made possible by the generous support of listeners like you. Thank you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai