Not Blowing Smoke

 

When I write or speak about the sin of abortion, I always make it a point to remind people that there is no sin that Jesus did not pay for on the cross. There is no sin that God won’t forgive. I include that message because given the statistical evidence, there’s a strong possibility that someone who reads or hears my messages has had an abortion, and consequently struggling with receiving God’s forgiveness. Truth is, we are all sinners in need of the blood of Jesus!

 

But am I just blowing smoke? Am I just trying to make someone feel better or does God really forgive this sin? Let me assure you, I am not blowing smoke. Let me tell you about Manasseh to prove the point that God is more than willing and able to forgive!

 

Manasseh was the son of the good king Hezekiah, but when he took over the reins of the kingdom, he had gone bad…..very, very, bad.

 

This in itself serves as a reminder that even though our children are born and raised in God-fearing homes, there is no guarantee that they will stay on the straight and narrow.

 

How bad was Manasseh? Let’s read all about it from 2 Chron 33.

2Ch 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.

2 But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem shall My name be forever."

5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;

8 "and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers-only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses."

9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

10 And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen.

Idolatry, occultism, desecrating the temple, sacrificing his children and encouraging others to do the same. 2Ki 21:16 tells us:

 

 Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

 

It’s not just his personal sins, but he sought to seduce others to sin as well. Note too, that the Lord spoke to Manasseh through the prophets, but he would not listen. (Another lesson here. Speak the truth even if people won’t listen, who knows if the words of these prophets weren’t used as seeds for repentance later on in Manasseh’s life)

At any rate, this was one hard-hearted sinner. Could God forgive such a person? YES!

 

Sin has consequences for sure, and Manasseh’s consequence was God allowed him to be carried off into captivity by the Assyrians. It was a painful experience to say the least.

2Ch 33:11 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

 

God often uses the consequences of our sin, to get our attention. He sure had Manasseh’s. And in Manasseh’s affliction, he humbly cried out to the Lord for forgiveness, and God, “received his entreaty!”

 

When Manasseh returned to Jerusalem, this forgiven saint set about correcting all his wrongs. It was not lip service repentance; it was the real deal.

Manasseh’s name is often used as a reference point for evil in the Bible. Few people could match the wretched state of this king, yet when he humbly confessed his sin, God forgave.

 

When I say that God forgives sins, even those sins that the devil would try to convince you that God won’t forgive, I am not blowing smoke. Just ask Manasseh, and if you have any sin, hanging over you and afflicting you, humbly call out to God for His forgiveness. 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.

Gruesome

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word: *Warning this blog contains some gruesome material, but it needs to be said.

 

Mic 3:2 You who hate good and love evil; Who strip the skin from My people, And the flesh from their bones;  3 Who also eat the flesh of My people, Flay their skin from them, Break their bones, And chop them in pieces Like meat for the pot, Like flesh in the caldron."  4 Then they will cry to the LORD, But He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, Because they have been evil in their deeds.

This is in the Word of God? Pretty gruesome, isn’t it? Is this to be taken literally or figuratively? In a figurative sense this is a picture of ultimate cruelty toward others. In a literal sense, it would be the practice of skinning someone alive, stripping their flesh away from their bones, breaking their bones and chopping them to pieces.

 

Surely Micah is speaking in a figurative sense, but horrifically, this is happening in a literal sense in places where abortion is still legal in America. Though seldom used today, saline abortions were common in the 70’s and 80’s and they would literally burn the skin off an unborn child.

 

More common was the use of a curette to remove the “contents of the uterus” (read that the unborn baby) where bones were crushed and babies where literally chopped to pieces.

As far as I know, no one is eating these babies but often, their once living body parts, are used for research and other purposes to “make our lives better.” Mother Theresa once said, “It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.

 

Look, I know we’d rather not talk about these things, but stop candy coating the act of abortion under the guise of reproductive freedom. It’s not! It’s a gruesome and cruel act of violence against someone created in the image of God!

 

We read here that God responds to such cruelty toward others by closing His ears to the prayers of a people who embrace these evil deeds.  Such acts are likened to hating good and loving evil! Is that how you want to be identified?

 

This is serious stuff my friends and again I remind you that even the gruesome cruel act of abortion is forgivable. There is no sin that Jesus didn’t pay for on the cross. Confess it and be det free from guilt as you receive His forgiveness!

 

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.

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

Not So Happy For the Unborn

 

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

 

Happy new year! Well, not so happy for the unborn child. On January 3^rd the FDA has made it possible for women to kill their unborn child with a trip to their corner drug store or a trot to the nearest mailbox. These pills will be available even in states that ban or severely limit abortion!

 

Since the overturning of Roe v Wade last year, the merchants of death have been frantically at work devising new ways  to protect the right of mothers to end the lives of their babies, and this latest effort was a brilliant sidestepping maneuver. Well played devil, well played…….but in the long run, is it really well played?

 

Micah 2:1 says, “Woe to those who devise iniquity, and work out evil on their beds. At morning light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.”

 

You don’t want to be on the wrong end of “woe”  as it is dealt out by God, and in Micah 2:3 He says, Behold against this family, I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks.

 

I am not saying that some sort of modern day disaster is coming to those who devise such iniquity, that would be very presumptuous on my part, but I can say that God is definitely not pleased with those who dream up ways to offend His little ones.

Jesus put it this way: Lu 17:1 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

 And before I end this message, let me remind those of you who have participated in aborting a child. There is no sin that Jesus did not pay for on the cross, come to Him in faith and receive His forgiveness.

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

Today's Word Is Flounder

 

Good day! And Happy New Year! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

My word today is flounder. Flounder of course is a species of fish, but the word “flounder” can also describe a fish out of water. If you’ve ever fished from a boat, you likely have seen a fish brought on board flopping around on the deck trying to get back in the water.

Maybe that describes your spiritual journey these days. At the start of this new year, you find yourself wondering, “What is my purpose?”

 

As I was doing my morning devotions, I came across a quote that reminded me of this oft faced dilemma in our lives. The quote was from the German theologian Helmut Thielicke who said, “For of one thing I was always sure, that when a man seeks himself, he fails to find himself, and that he gains and realizes himself only when he loses his life in God.” 

 

This quote is a rephrasing of what Jesus tells us in  Lu 17:33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.

As I look at social media, I see many people screaming for attention and if you read between the lines, many are simply posting their ever-changing, self-perceived purpose in life, and quite frankly, many times, it’s a far cry from what God intended it to be.

 

Does this describe you? Do you feel like you are floundering like a fish out of water? Then come to Jesus! He invites you to come to Him! And you know what? He has plans for you!

 

First of all He desires to save you! Not because you are basically a good person. We are not good people! That’s why He tells us in  Eph 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

And why does He save us? Next verse:

 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

My friend, that’s an invitation to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and to get back in the water!

 

Once there, follow the advice of the Psalmist in  Ps 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

The word “delight” means to be pliable! Pliability speaks of clay in the hands of a potter. God is the Potter, we are the clay. As we surrender our lives to Him, He will mold us and shape us into what He created us to be.

 

Those desires in your heart? No need to chase after them, (many tomes they come from our flesh, and that’s never a good idea) rather submit to Him and let him bring them forth, after all He put those desires there in the first place.

This year, today, stop your floundering and start submitting to the Potter, and be all that He created you to be.

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

My Word Is Reset

 

Good day! And Happy New Year! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

I’ve seen several Facebook posts from friends who have used the new year as an incentive to summarize their expectations for the coming year in one word. I like it! I think it’s a great idea. After praying about it and reading in the book of Jonah, the Lord has given me the word “reset.” (or as my old irritating GPS would say, “recalculating!”)

Jonah was suppose to go to Ninevah and preach repentance to a violent people and but he took off in the opposite direction. His GPS kept insisting to recalculate and the sailors on the ship got so irritated by the sound that they threw it into the sea…unfortunately, it was in Jonah’s pocket at the time.

OK, you know that’s not the way it really happened. But the Lord did step in and got Jonah back on the right track. That’s my personal prayer for this year.

 

Sometimes life comes at you with many distractions and you find yourself off course from what God has been calling you to do.

 

These distractions can be well-intended good things and but you can run the risk of becoming a spiritual “jack of all trades and master of none.”  

 

Still another problem is fear creeps in and we back off from what God has intended for us, (This was Jonah’s problem.)

 

I don’t know what my problem is, maybe I don’t have a problem! But I’m going to be open to any on course correction’s God has in store for me in 2023 and I’m excited to see where that will lead!

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

Not A Ho Hum Event

 

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

 

What is my attitude toward participation in the Lord’s Supper? Do I look forward to it, or just dutifully go through the motions. I was forced to examine myself on that issue today as I was reading in the first chapter of Joel.

Joel speaks of a plague of locusts so bad that the entire land was stripped bare. It was so bad that the there was no wine or grain for offerings! Joe 1:9 The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the LORD; The priests mourn, who minister to the LORD.

Imagine a land so devastated by disaster that there would be no wine or bread available for the Lord’s Supper! Would you miss it? Would you mourn with the priests of Joel’s day?

How would it affect your attitude toward participation in the Lord’s Supper. I don’t care how your particular church  “does communion,” but one thing I do know, it ought not be a “ho-hum” event for the Christian.

The Body and Blood of Christ given for you for the forgiveness of your sins! Let that truth sink in as the Lord gracefully comes to you every single time at the table with that assurance!

Participation in this expression of God’s love for you is essential in your Christian walk. Jesus put in this way in Joh 6:53-56, “Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

 

It's not that the Lord’s Supper is necessary for salvation, but your participation is a sign of the spiritual life deposited in you at your baptism, and a reminder that Jesus is abiding in you.

 

I don’t know about you but that fact alone makes me not just want to come to table.... I'd just as soon run if I could!

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

The Original Sinner's Prayer

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

 

Most of you hearing or reading this today have heard of “the Sinners Prayer.” The late evangelist Billy Graham would ask people to come forward at his rallies and say the prayer that went something like this:

 

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.”

 

Spoken from the heart, this is a powerful prayer, acknowledging our own sinfulness, and the price that Jesus paid to forgive our sins. It also expresses our desire to repent (turn from our sins) and follow Jesus as we invite Him to be the Lord  of our life.

 

This morning, as I was reading in the Book of Hosea, I stumbled across a couple of verses that might be called the “original; sinners prayer.” Follow along with me and see if you don’t agree.

 

Ho 14:1 O Israel, return to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity; (This prayer is for the backslidden, those who have walked away from the faith, and are caught up in sin. God invites them here to “return” to the Lord

 2 Take words with you, When you return, take words with you! Say a prayer! A sinner’s prayer! And return to the LORD. Say to Him, "Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, (By Your grace, forgive our sins!) For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.

 3 Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, You are our gods.' (We acknowledge that we are not saved by our good works)  For in You the fatherless finds mercy."  (We rely solely on Your mercy. Amen.

 

The whole prayer may sound something lie this: Father God, I am a sinner who has strayed away from You and I am in need of Your forgiveness. I acknowledge my helpless estate and plead for Your mercy and grace. By Your mercy forgive me of my sins. Help me to return to You! In Jesus name, Amen.

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