When Emotions Trump God's Word

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Job 15:12 Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at,

Job’s friend (Eliphaz) asks what I consider to be a couple of challenging questions for professing Christians!

 

Question #1: Why does your heart carry you away? In other words, “Why do you let your emotions trump God’s Word.

 

Question # 2: “What do your eyes wink at? In other words,  what sins do you take lightly?” For that matter, “what sins are winked at by the church?”

 

Let’s start with the first question, “why does your heart carry you away? Easy answer Jer 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Don’t trust your heart for anything in life! Always run it through the Word of God!

 

The young business man was on a flight and found himself sitting next to a pretty young woman. They struck up a conversation and both hit it off!  They clicked. And even before the plane landed the young man already knew he would start divorce proceedings and leave his wife and kids behind. He said, “It Feels so right.”

 

Oh that he would understand that the grass that appears to be greener on the other side of the fence is really nothing but the silage of the devil! And it sours everyone and every thing.  God HATES DIVORCE!

 

As I was preparing this message, I went on the internet to find the old Barbara Mandel song, “If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don’t Wanna Be Right.” This song (just as the title suggests) served as an invitation to promiscuity.

 

What I found extremely interesting, is that it was written for a group called, (Are you ready for this?)…The Emotions.

 

You just can’t make this stuff up.

 

You can’t make this up either! According to 1 Cor 6:9 adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of God!

So is there any hope for this young business man?

 

Of course there is, . Just like there is hope for you and me. Jesus paid for all our sins. He wants us to repent and believe the Gospel.

 

Emotions are a gift from God, express them! Welcome godly sorrow over your sin! It’s a gift that will push you toward saving Faith in Jesus.

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

The Goodness of God

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Ps 16: 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.

 

I can’t say this enough. The older I get, the more I see it. I have had a blessed life, and I owe it all to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That not just idle talk from the Psalmist, look at verse 2.

Ps 16:2 O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."

It’s not my goodness, apart from Christ, it is all garbage! But because of Jesus It’s all good! Because It’s all Him!

 

37 of my years I was employed in Christian radio. What a privilege to be able to talk of the goodness of God! Much of the music we’d play has stuck in my heart, and I still shed holy tears when I hear songs like “His Strength is Perfect” by Steven Curtis Chapman, or Steve Green singing” People Need the Lord.”  

 

I may have retired, but the Holy Spirit hasn’t and one of my favorite songs right now is CEE CEE Winans singing  the “Goodness of God.”

The chorus goes like this: All my life You have been faithful
All my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
I will sing of the goodness of God

Do yourself a favor, Google “The Goodness of God” and let it speak to you. And turn on Christian radio, and leave it on!  Someday you too may need the right song at the right time!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

 

I Own You

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

 

Remember Aaron Rogers when he played for the Packers? It was October 17^th, 2021 when Rogers first made the claim, “ I own you, against the Bears.” His lifetime record against the arch enemy of the Bears is 21-5! Impressive right? But not in the same league as God who owns his arch enemy, the devil and all his henchmen!

 

Job 12:16, “The deceived and the deceiver are His.

 

The fool that says in his heart , “There is no God,” has been deceived and in the end, are God’s to do with them as He pleases!

 

The day is coming when the devil, his demons, and those who have been deceived by him, will be tossed into the lake of fire….hell, for eternity.

 

When your world starts crashing down around you, and your faith starts to waiver, I want you to think of Jesus record against the demons he encountered while He walked on the earth? Did even one demon respond to Jesus’ command to come out of the afflicted one, with “You can’t tell me what to do?” His record against demons is perfect.

 

So beware of deceptive words, Eph 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

 

Because of what things? Eph 5:5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

 

To ignore illicit sexual behavior, (fornication) has become most dominant and evident in our sex-crazed culture today. There is no way to sugar coat this, Unless repented of the fornicators will not have any place in the kingdom of God.

 

Do not be deceived by the standards of the world rather do what the Bible tells you to do: Flee fornication!  

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

Like Giant Green Pom Poms

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Ro 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

 

Can you picture it? Creation, finally set free from the curse of the sin of Adam and praising God!

 

In January of 2001, the Parachute band came out with a song called “All the Earth” Some of the lyrics went like this:

All the earth will declare That Your love is everywhere
The fields will exalt Seas resound,

Hear the trees, joyful cry Praising You and so will I,

 

What a great chorus for those who have been set free from sin!

 

Fast forward to today. This has been an extraordinary summer weather wise. The humidity has been high, with temperatures a little higher than normal, and our foliage has gone bonkers!

 

Today I was sitting on my front porch taking in one of those intense Wisconsin summer storms. I was watching the maple trees across the street from our house swing and sway in the wind  and with all the fullness of foliage they looked like giant cheerleading pom poms, and if I could hear their cheers it might be “Come Jesus Come!

 

The Bible tells us: Ps 96:12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice

 13 before the LORD.  For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

 

God has equipped His trees to make a joyful noise, let us join in and even more as we see the day coming!

Come Jesus Come!

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

Who will Speak Up

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Can an unborn child pray? I’ll leave that one to the theologians, maybe they can’t give voice to their prayers, but we can be a voice for them.

 

I WAS READING Psalm 9 the other day and thought that verses 13-15 would be a fitting prayer for the unborn.

 

Ps 9:13 Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,

 14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.

 15 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

 

While panicking about over population, nations like China are now scrambling for ways to bring their numbers up to  the sustainable level of 2.1 children per family.

 

What a tangled web we weave. We decry the rise of violence in our streets, but it is inevitable. Violence begets more violence. If it’s legal for me to take you out in the womb, why can’t I take you out later down the line.

 

Phil Keaggy released a song in 1991 called “Little Ones” with a challenging chorus for all!

 

Who will speak up for the little ones?
Helpless and half-abandoned
They've got the right to choose life
They don't want to lose
I've got to speak up, won't you?

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

The Parable of the Dental Hygienist

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Job 7:19 How long? Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?

 

Here we have Job speaking to God. He asks Him, “How long?” He has lost his  animals, his servants, his children, all in rapid fire, and now he is battling physical health as well.

I see a dental hygienist twice a year, they have me lying on my back as they go digging around my gum line and my teeth.  Sometimes I need a break from all that digging to swallow my saliva. Remember the days of the sink that she invited you to spit into? The sinks are gone and now she has her miniature hoover that she can use to provide water and at the same time vacuum up all the gunk.

 

Nonetheless, I still need a  break in order to sit up and swallow! My saliva!

 

In essence, that is what Job is asking of God. “God give me a break from this trauma that You keep allowing to come my way!”

Are you in that season now in your life? You keep getting bad news in your life and you need a break! Think of this passage in Job and then do what Job did. He asked the Spiritual Hygienist for a break!

 

God I pray for those who right now are experiencing one bad report after another….please, in Your mercy, give them a break.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

I Could Use A Lil Church Right Now

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

So many lessons to learn from this first chapter of Job! For instance, this meeting of God and angels that the devil attended, and God says, “Hey Satan, what you been up to?”

 

And the devil says, “Oh, you know, just going to and fro, walking back and forth on the earth.” (He didn’t say it but he was looking for someone to devour)

 

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

 

And you know how the lion gets his prey don’t you?

He  seeks to separate his victim from the herd. When the prey is separated they pounce.

 

The herd is like a congregation there are some people that just hang around the edges, never really plugging in, and there are others who have just stopped attending.

 

You know what those people could be called? How about “sitting ducks?”  When the devil comes against, you, what are you going to do? When you’re feeling overwhelmed, Who ya gonna call?

 

Toby Mac has a great song out now called “a lil Church

The chorus
I could use a lil church right now
Love to have a lil family around
I've been feeling so overwhelmed
I could use a lil church right now”

 

Who do you know that could use a lil church right now?

J

Job 6:14 reminds us "To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

 

Thoughtful kindness means a lot to the afflicted, look for ways to deliver it.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

There Was A Day

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

So many lessons to learn from this first chapter of Job! One of my favorites is found in verse 6!

 

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

 

‘There was a day”

 

The phrase is equivalent to ““there was a time when” …. I find myself using that phrase every time I’m golfing. “There was a time when  I could reach that green in two hitting from the white tees, now, it takes at least 4  from the gold (seniors)

 

Here in Job, we ascertain that there was a time when God allowed Satan to come into His presence, a time when Satan had God’s ear. And he used it to accuse believers like Job, or any other person of faith of sin!

 

But guess what, those days are long gone! Satan no longer has God’s ear!

Re 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

 

What day was this? Likely Pentecost when the power of Christ (The Holy Spirit) was poured out on believers.

Satan may still have our ears as he accuses us of our sins, but because of our God-given faith in Jesus, God’s not listening. It’s like God put s His Holy fingers in His ears, while singing la la la la. HE IS NOT LISTENING TO THE DEVIL!

It’s important that you and I know the difference between accusing and convicting! The devil accuses, the Holy Spirit convicts.

 

One drives us away from the cross, the other draws us near.

 

The accuser seeks to paint you unworthy of eternal life because of your sins, while the Holy Spirit seeks to remind us of our sins, and leads us to the cross of Christ. He leads us away from the despairing accusations of the devil, to the consolation of the Holy Spirit who says,

1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Believe it my brother, my sister, God is not listening to the devil.

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

  

Party Animals

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Job 1: 4 And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to  the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did regularly.

 

Job had seven sons and 3 daughters and I take it they were party animals! They loved their feasts. Some commentators believe these feasts were connected to their birthdays, and that is certainly possible, but I think almost any occasion would be an excuse for them to party. Take it from a former party animal , (Yours truly) I would have fit in rather well with Job’s kids.

 

I can even picture us playing a few games of bags using wine sacks till the wee hours of the morning.

 

Drunkenness is a sin, and the unrepentant  drunkard is one of those listed among  those who will not inherit the kingdom of God!

 

Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

But you don’t have to be caught up in these sins!  Jesus died for that sin and He is able to deliver you from it! I know! I was that sinner!

 

  Look at the next verse and let the Holy Spirit speak it to your heart.11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

  Job’s kids were grown up and living on their own, but Job didn’t stop praying for them!

 

Who knows what kind of words come out of the mouth of someone who has too much to drink, why they may even curse God and so Job prayed for their sanctification

 

 

Are you like one of Job’s sons or daughters. Looking for any excuse to get drunk? Do you relish your hangovers? Your OWI’s? Do you really think your life should be spent that way?

 

Speaking as one who has been there, I would urge you to give your life to Jesus, He is able to turn your messed up life into a message of hope, joy, and peace for a world that needs to see it!

 

’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Move Out!

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared (reverenced) God and shunned evil.

 

Just started going through the Book of Job again and one thing we can garner from this book, is “The struggle is real!” And the struggle is intense! It’s a battle for souls between God and Satan, between good and evil.

 

God wants us to see the struggle, and He wants us to learn like Job did, to persevere through it.

 

Jesus told His followers point blank,  in Joh 16:33b". In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

 

And, Mt 24:13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

 

The book starts out with the fact that Job feared God and shunned evil. It’s what God’s children do we seek to live in accordance with the Word of God. Evil (sin) is shunned (turned away from)

 

Put in another way, we no longer want fellowship with sin.

 

Let’s start with an obvious sin, one that the world has fully embraced, and you are considered terribly old-fashioned if you refuse to do it. It is played out in having sex before marriage. It is called the sin of fornication.

 

1Co 6:18 is rather blunt here, but you can’t ignore it, two words for those who claim Jesus as Lord, “Flee fornication”

 

Do you desire to demonstrate reverence toward God and His Word.  Then obey it! In the case of fornication, move out!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Ne 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before.

 2 Therefore the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart." So I became dreadfully afraid,

 3 and said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?"

Nehemiah was one of the Jews taken away in captivity by the Babylonians and he landed the job of the King’s Cupbearer. His job was simple: Taste the wine before giving it to the king to drink making sure it wasn’t poisoned. If it was poisoned, well goodby Nehemiah.

 

He served King Artaxerxes for 12 years in that capacity.

 

12 years of living one sip at a time, and he never came to the king with a sad face.  The king noted this one time change of mood and wanted to get to the bottom of it. Was Nehemiah sick? No, but the king rightfully ascertained that Nehemiah’s sadness was sorrow of heart, which was expressing itself through his countenance!

 

And the king wanted to know what brought on his sadness.

 

And Nehemiah became dreadfully afraid. Because his reason for sadness was the mistreatment of the remnant Jews in the southern kingdom and the blighted condition of the city of Jerusalem under the Babylonians.

 

I think we all have been in that place of a stomach-churning fear brought on by a call to speak out! We are compelled to say something, but we worry about how our words will be received.

 

Nehemiah was called upon to answer a direct question from a king that could lop off his head if he so desired.

 

Should Nehemiah lie when asked “Why so downcast?”

And give perhaps the most popular answer to such a question? “I’m fine”

 

Or should he spill his guts out with what he really is going through, namely, the desecration of his church. With trembling lips he opts for the latter, and he starts out with a sincere wish for the king, “May he live forever.”

 

I’ m sad because my church and its main city (Jerusalem) is in dire need of reparations. The walls of the city are broken down.

 

This was a physical problem but it is meant to be a picture for churches of all time. Walls with missing bricks are not just a physical problem, but a picture of the spiritual problems that occur when the world and it’s doctrines have free access to the church.

 

Trendy sins of the world can come and go as they please.

 

The latest trend in in churches these days is the promotion of transgenderism, but before that we had things like gay preachers, gay marriages, fornication, and it’s going to get worse as we keep moving toward Judgement Day.

 

2Ti 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

 

Get away from these churches, turn away for them and find a church that holds to the truths and inerrancy of scripture.

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

Will You Still Need Me

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

In the news this week, China is offering parents 500 dollars per year, per child under age 3.

 

You remember China right? They are the ones who were so fearful of overpopulation that they instituted a one child only policy in 1979.

 

This policy was repealed in 2015.  For those 36 years abortion was forced on some women, others faced heavy fines, government employees were terminated from  their job if they had more than one child.

 

An exemption was made  for rural areas where if you had one female, you were allowed to have a second child if it was a male.

 

Where were the  demonstrators to decry the lot of female babies in China? In essence, it was genocide of females. And guess what? China now has a glaring shortage of females to males.  And a glaring shortage of people needed to sustain the status quo.

 

The experts on the matter of a sustainable population say that the minimum size of the family is 2.1 children and China with a fertility rate of 1.01 has now awakened to that truth.

 

The United States fertility rate is at 1.6, and ,most of Europe is also below that 2.1 figure!

 

The full impact of these declining rates has yet to be felt, but the Beatles summed up one of the effects with their song, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?”

 

Did God really say “Be fruitful and multiply,” Or was it be fruitful and subtract?”

 

Did God really say, “Ps 127:3 “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward, or did He say they are a punishment from the Lord?”

 

I can’t pronounce it, but aside from the Bible the best thing I have read on the subject was written by Pope John Paul. The paper was called Humanae Vitae and released on July 25^th, 1968.

 

It is well worth the read.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word. Pop quiz for you today! 

.

 

Have you ever lifted your hands during a time of worship?

 

Who or what compelled you to do that?

 

What was your motivation?

 

Did you do it reluctantly?

 

Did you judge those around you who lifted their hands? Or those who didn’t?

 

Is raising your hands in worship relegated to contemporary services?

 

I hope you took the time to answer these questions.

 

There are many ways by which we can bless God and raised hands in worship is one of them.

 

Ps 134:2 tells us, “Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the LORD.”

 

Raised hands are the universal sign of surrender and seemingly the easiest way to bless Him!  As you sing your worship songs, and the Holy Spirit prompts you to raise your hands…. Well, what are you waiting for?

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

Be Correctable

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Ps 141:5 Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it.

 

This verse can be summed up in two words “Be correctable.”

 

It’s very easy for us to think, we have arrived at that point in our lives where no further correction is needed. We’ve got all of our ducks in a spiritual row. Now it’s just a matter of coasting home.

Oh, you must be dead then right? Because the truth is you and I will always need God’s Word and the Holy Spirit for on course correction in this life.

 

By God’s grace, I have been called to preach  and teach His Word…and by that, I mean all of it. Law and Gospel!

 

I sincerely want to be in a place where I don’t have to tiptoe around His commands, with words that barely graze the mark and tend to lump His commands into vague inoffensive generalities.

 

I want to be used by the Holy Spirit to boldly and confidently say “Thus saith the Lord,” because, “It is a kindness”  to call out specific sins! It is liberating truth to those who are ready to receive it.

 

Because when they receive it, they are cut to the heart, and are ready to come to the cross for forgiveness.

 

May we take heart from the first sermon that Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. He was explicit in calling out their sin. He charged them with crucifying the Son of God!

 

Maybe we need to stop tippy toeing around the sin of abortion! I quote Dr. Lamb, the former executive director of Lutherans for Life, he said, “Abortion kills little girls and  little boys in a terrible way.”

 

It is a kindness to speak that truth, but it is even kinder to assure you that there is no sin that Jesus did not pay for on the cross. Still another kindness comes from receiving the words of 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Holy Spirit, help us all to be correctable.

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

Texas Tragedy

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

A terrible tragedy in Texas. One report says the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes! Impossible to even imagine such a surge! It was an inland tsunami, a flood of almost biblical proportions that wiped out everything in its path.  Including Camp Mystic, a non-denominational Christian summer camp for girls.

 

The recent tragedies of wind, rain, and fire in our country continue to mount up at a pace that we have not seen in our lifetime. And we find ourselves tempted  to shake our fist to the heavens and say, “Why God? Why are you allowing these things to occur?”

 

We fear for the eternal souls of those who died, we grieve with the parents, we pray, and we look for ways to help in the aftermath.

 

But we can take comfort in the fact that God knows those who are His, and not one of His children will be lost.

 

2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His,"

 

 Jesus did not skirt the issue of tragedy in His day. He openly talked about it with others and we read about it in the Gospel of Luke.

 

Lu 13:1 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?

 3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

 

 4 "Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?

 5 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

 

Every horrific tragedy on earth, gives cause for you and I to consider our date with eternity. It will not go well for those who resist repentance.

 

Don’t let the men, women, and children who lost their lives in this flood die in vain,

 

Come to Jesus, surrender to Him!

 

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; (2 Cor 7:10)

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

Say Hi To Jimmy

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggert passed away this past Tuesday (July 1^st) at the age of 90.  The Holy Spirit used him to bring many (including me)  to faith.  I’ll never forget that day that he pointed at the camera and called out drunkards. (That was me) Reminding me and others that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God!)

 

1Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

 

This revelation came on the heels of my second OWI! I realized this was no way to live. I don’t recall saying the sinners prayer, but I do remember getting on my knees and surrendering my life to Jesus.

It was a classic battle with the devil on one side, reminding me that as a Christian I would have to give up all the fun stuff in my life, (a lie by the way) and the Holy Spirit on the other side nudging me to just let go and surrender, and begin a new life as a forgiven follower of Jesus. It was the day I said “yes” to Jesus.”

 

Let’s fast forward to July 4^th 2024.

 

My sister Marlee who was dealing with COPD had taken a turn for the worse and was nearing death. She had been badly burned by the church and for years she refused to listen to any talk of Jesus.

 

But last year, on this date as she and family members had gathered around her kitchen table, she resolutely announced, “I say yes to Jesus” The Holy Spirit did it again! He brought another sinner (my sister) to saving faith in Jesus. It was a declaration not of independence, but one of a new found dependance on Jesus.

 

This year, every firework I see, I will lift my eyes to heaven and think of the celebration that took place in heaven exactly one year ago!

 

The day that Marlee said yes to Jesus! One month later Marlee went on home to Jesus.

 

Hey Marlee, if you see Jimmy up there, give him my thanks.

 

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

 

The Permanence of Marriage

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

In Ezra chapter 10, we have a large contingent of men, women, and children weeping  in the church with remorse over the sin of being unequally yoked.

 

Enter Shechaniah. He confesses the sin to Ezra and then offers a solution.

Ezr 10:2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, "We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this.

 3 "Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

 

My spirit is greatly troubled by his proposal. First of all if a covenant with God is to be made, it is God who initiates it, not man.

 

Secondly, it seems that they have forgotten God hates divorce! Mal 2:16!

 

Not only that, but God doesn’t want His church to  make widows and orphans, He wants us to take care of them!

 

Ah, but Shechaniah and the others have an ace in the hole. We’ll call it the divorce papers. Divorce became acceptable during the days of Moses. If the husband found his wife to be “unclean or indecent, all he had to do was write a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away.

 

 

The subject is brought up in the NT when the Pharisees came to Jesus with one of those questions that they used to try and trip Him up. His stance on the permanence of marriage would not sit well with the people.

 

Mt 19:3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"

 

 Open your eyes and see what has happened here. Grounds for divorce moved from uncleanness and indecency to the modern day equivalent of no fault divorce.

 

Jesus replies with a question of His own! Have you not read your Bible?

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,

 5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?

 6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

 7 They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"

 8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

 9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

 10 His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."

 

The disciples got it! Marriage is meant to be permanent! No easy outs, God let them divorce in the days of Moses because of their hard  heartedness! Just what every follower of Jesus wants to be known for…hard hearted ness, a heart  that resists truth;

 

Jesus mentions one exemption, that of sexual immorality. Joseph was going to play that card with Mary, until God straightened him out!

 

By the way, the exemption clause is only found in the Gospel of Matthew. You won’t find it in Mark or Luke. I wonder why? Matthews Gospel reflects a deep understanding of Jewish customs, traditions, and scriptures.

 

And the Jewish custom concerning marriage was if the groom found out he had not married a virgin, he could call off the wedding.

 

The people in Ezra’s day did good by confessing their sin of marrying unbelievers, but they thought they could pay for their sins by sending their wives and children away. You can’t pay for your sins by committing another one.

 

Remember the woman caught in the act of adultery?

What were Jesus; last words to her? “Go and sin no more.”

 

Jesus had assured her that He did not condemn her, and then warned her to not do it again.

 

I’m thinking that would’ve worked a lot better in the days of Ezra, rather than divorcing them as an answer to the sin.

 

It’s true really for all sins. 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

We get a do over thanks to the grace and mercy of God.

 (NKJV)

 

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word

 

When Sin Is Embedded in the church

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word.

 

Moving on to chapter 10 of Ezra and this matter of taking on pagan (unbelieving) spouses continues. Ezr 10:1 Now while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping, and bowing down before the house of God, (because of the national sin of marrying pagans) a very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him from Israel; for the people wept very bitterly.

 

They had forgotten that this was one of the first commands God gave to His people before they entered the Promised Land. and they dropped the ball!

 

God said in  De 7:3 "Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.

 

Why? What’s the big deal about marrying an unbeliever? What’s the harm?

 4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.

Disobeying this command leads the believer away from the faith  AND it  stirs up the wrath of God and that’s not a good place to be. So the church wept bitterly.

 

This was mass remorse, mass conviction over this particular sin, people were actually trembling over what they had done and what they had coming to them for their disobedience.

 

Imagine if something like mass remorse would happen in your church!  Holy Spirit generated conviction of sin. It can only happen when the preaching of God’s Law  is set before the people, and of course when the bitter weeping comes, be prepared with the solution to turn God’s wrath away….namely repentance and the gospel.

 

An example of deep[y embedded sin in the church today is fornication. : Who is speaking out what God’s Word says these days  about fornication? (Sex before marriage) It has become an acceptable and even expected arrangement in the world and the church has joined in, by (for the most part) looking the other way.

 

God’s solution is simple and it’s still another one word command from Him. Are you ready to hear that command?

It’s found in 1Co 6:18 Flee fornication.

 

Mean  business! Don’t just walk away…..run, and let your “partner” know why you are moving out. You are leaving because your love for Jesus trumps your love for your “partner”

 

Parents, fear a strained relationship with their children if they bring the subject up! Keep loving your children but when the “partner” comes along to spend the night, it’s separate bedrooms only. Take a stand!

 

As pastors we far too often steer away from the specifics of sins and speak in generalities so as to not offend anyone. And the sins sink their claws in deeper and deeper.

Thankfully the Lord is on our side: He is able to pull us out of compromise and set us on the Rock! Ps 40:2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word