If Jesus hadn't come...
This is a thought that makes me shudder and, quite frankly, lose all hope - what if Jesus had not come to fulfill the will of God? What if Jesus did come to earth but chose to go rogue somewhere in the middle of the plan? The bottom line is - we would have no hope or prayer of escaping the judgment and wrath of God against our sins - if Jesus hadn't come...
I'm currently reading through Ezekiel and I found myself in chapter 22 this morning. Specifically, in Ezekiel 22:30-31 God said, "So I sought for a man among them (Israel) who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,' says the Lord God."
The both chilling and revealing statement here is "but I found no one."
Israel had come under judgment for ignoring God's repeated warnings to repent and turn back to Him. He gave them chance upon chance upon chance and they refused to turn away from their many sins as a nation. Dr. John MacArthur notes that "in verses 4-13 alone, Ezekiel points out at least 17 kinds of sins the Israelites were guilty of, including rampant murder." When God surveyed the people to find just one righteous soul who could stand on behalf of the people, even with the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah present and available, God found nobody.
Today, we are thankful for Jesus. He was the One who could stand in our place when there wasn't a hope or a prayer to cause God's wrath to pass over us. Again, MacArthur notes, "Only God's Messiah, God Himself, [had] the character and the credentials sufficient to do what no man [could] do, intercede for Israel [and for the Church]."
Praise God for our Great Sacrifice, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world! If you simply recognize your sins, repent (change your mind and turn away from them) and turn to Jesus to save you through faith/trust in Him, He will stand for you before God for eternity. He will bridge that gap between you and God. I encourage you, if you haven't already, to do that today while there's still a chance...
I'm currently reading through Ezekiel and I found myself in chapter 22 this morning. Specifically, in Ezekiel 22:30-31 God said, "So I sought for a man among them (Israel) who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,' says the Lord God."
The both chilling and revealing statement here is "but I found no one."
Israel had come under judgment for ignoring God's repeated warnings to repent and turn back to Him. He gave them chance upon chance upon chance and they refused to turn away from their many sins as a nation. Dr. John MacArthur notes that "in verses 4-13 alone, Ezekiel points out at least 17 kinds of sins the Israelites were guilty of, including rampant murder." When God surveyed the people to find just one righteous soul who could stand on behalf of the people, even with the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah present and available, God found nobody.
Today, we are thankful for Jesus. He was the One who could stand in our place when there wasn't a hope or a prayer to cause God's wrath to pass over us. Again, MacArthur notes, "Only God's Messiah, God Himself, [had] the character and the credentials sufficient to do what no man [could] do, intercede for Israel [and for the Church]."
Praise God for our Great Sacrifice, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world! If you simply recognize your sins, repent (change your mind and turn away from them) and turn to Jesus to save you through faith/trust in Him, He will stand for you before God for eternity. He will bridge that gap between you and God. I encourage you, if you haven't already, to do that today while there's still a chance...
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