OUR FATHER WHO MADE A WAY FOR US TO HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE IF WE TURN TO HIM

John chapter 3 verse 14 says this;

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

The Lord Jesus, speaking to a teacher of Israel named Nicodemus, told him that the event of Moses lifting up the snake in the wilderness was a prefiguration of the Son of Man being lifted up in the same way.

The recounting of the earlier event described the children of Israel sinning while in the wilderness and they were judged and snakes entered their camp and bit people and made them sick. 

The Lord instructed Moses to make a bronze snake and place it on a pole and then stand the pole up so that people in the camp could see it. Anyone who looked to the snake was healed of the snake bites and lived.

As the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, just as Moses lifted up the bronze snake and people who looked to the snake would be healed and not die, the Son of Man, who is described in Daniel chapter 10 verse 6 as having arms and legs like burnished bronze, would be lifted up on a cross and take on the sins of the world and anyone who looked to Him and believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.

Bless the Lord who underwent death on a cross to save us and give us eternal life.

Amen. 

Reference resource: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com

OUR FATHER WHO HOLDS ONLY THE GUILTY TO ACCOUNT FOR THEIR SINS

Ezekiel chapter 18 verse 14 says this;

“But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

This verse is a bridge between the descriptions of two people: A father and a son. 

The father sinned in aggriegeous ways while his son, having seen the evil things that the father was doing, nevertheless did not do such things.

Should the son suffer judgement for the sins of the father?

In this chapter, the Lord counters the cultural belief at the time that said; "The parents eat sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge". The meaning of this proverb was that the judgements for the unrighteousness of parents were visited on their children.

The Lord, in no uncertain terms, asserts in this chapter that the sins of each person are strictly upon their own head. Righteous fathers do not confer their righteousness on their unrighteous sons and unrighteous fathers do not confer their unrighteousness on their righteous sons.

This clear statement of principle set a  precedent for justice systems up to modern times not to hold family members of a criminal  responsible for infractions committed by that person.

Bless the Lord who wisdom brings justice and fairness.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH

Ezekiel chapter 19 verse 4 says this;

The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit, They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

The princes of Israel, equated with lionesses in this chapter,  are the spiritual powers and rulers who govern the spiritual Israel and exert influence over the earthly Israel.

These rulers of Israel raised up the nation of Israel to be a powerful and assertive lion but the nations trapped him and led him with hooks into bondage in Egypt.

Seeing their plans wrecked by the enslavement of the one they hoped in, they raised another lion who was powerful and strong and who tore down strongholds  and devastated towns.

The nations also rose up against this lion and trapped Him in nets and this time, held him in bondage in Babylon where he could no longer be heard in the highlands of Israel.

The princes of Israel could not raise a lion to be an overwhelming power and when they tried, they lost their hope to the surrounding nations.

However, the Lion of the tribe of Judah arose by the power of God and conquered sin and death and brought the name of the God of Israel to the whole world.

He ascended into heaven and was given a throne above all thrones and made King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Lord Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is the true hope of the world.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO WILL BRING THE ULTIMATE VICTORY

Isaiah chapter 7 verse 50 says this;

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

In this passage, the Prophet Isaiah wrote of the judgement that came against the enemies of the people of God.

Those waking in the gloom of darkness saw a great light.

In bringing His people's oppression to an end, their nation enlarged  and their joy increased. They celebrated like those bringing in the harvest and like conquering warriors dividing the plunder.

After the Lord's victory, the government will be on His shoulders and  as it says in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 7;

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. 

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHO BRINGS JUDGEMENT BUT SPARES HIS CHILDREN WHO SERVE HIM

Ezekiel chapter 9 verse 11 says this;

Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

Now the man in linen had been summoned into the spirit along with six other men where they were instructed to carry out tasks by the Lord.

The man in linen was instructed to place a mark on the forehead of all those in the Jerusalem who objected to the detestable things that were being done in the city.

The other men had deadly impliments which they were to use to kill those who conducted  detestable practices in Jerusalem.

The people of Jerusalem had done evil things and denied justice to the afflicted and this prompted heaven to bring  heavy judgement upon them.

Even though Ezekiel fell to ground and interceded for the people of Jerusalem, the judgement was still slated to be carried out.

The man in linen who had the writing kit at his side, returned and said that he had completed the task of marking those who would be spared the judgement of the Lord.

Thus the judgement of God continued on the city and it was at that time that the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and moved to the edge of the city where it stopped at the east gate of Jerusalem.

So evil were the deeds of the people of Jerusalem that a pitiless and deadly judgement was brought upon them and caused the glory of the Lord, which had been above the cherubim in the temple of the Lord, to depart.

A day of dread and grief and mourning.

Amen.

 OUR FATHER WHO FREES HIS PEOPLE FROM THE OPPRESSOR

Isaiah chapter 14 verses 3 - 5 says this;

On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:

How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers,

This passage prophesies the reaction that the descendants of Jacob will have when the Lord destroys the power of their harsh oppressors.

They will marvel at how the king of Babylon, who was the author of their suffering and turmoil, was brought to an end and how the rod and scepter of the wicked, that delivered ceaseless blows on them, was broken.

The Lord had compassion on Jacob's descendants and chose them again  and He delivered them out of the hands of those who tormented them and sought to ruin them with relentless aggression.

Amen.

OUR FATHER WHOSE GLORY LEFT THE TEMPLE WHEN THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL PURSUED IDOLS

Ezekiel chapter 9 verse 3 says this;

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side

This passage is a somber recounting of what was happening in Israel that caused a great judgement to come to Jerusalem and the glory of God to leave the temple.

In a vision, Ezekiel the prophet was shown the things that were being done in secret that provoked the judgement upon the city and the Lord's departure.

These are the things that the leaders of Jerusalem did: They erected idols to provoke God to jealousy. The seventy elders of Israel offered incense to idols and images of idols in the courts of the temple. The elders also had their personal idols that they worshipped.

The women of Jerusalem were mourning the idol of Tammuz at the north gate of the temple. 

As well, men in the inner courts had their backs towards the temple as they bowed towards the rising sun.

And further to all that, they filled the land with violence and wantonly killed people and filled the streets with blood.

The glory of the Lord rose away from the above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple.

This is the edge of the temple space where the next step is to exit the temple. The Lord, having seen all the things that elders of Israel were doing in secret, began a protocol of the departure of the glory of God from above the ark of the covenant in the most holy place in the temple.

The Lord then called to the man who had a writing implement at his side. The Lord instructed him to mark those in the city who recoiled at the detestable things being done in the city.

As judgement was prepared for the city, the man in linen went and marked each person who would be spared the destruction that the agents of judgement were going to bring to Jerusalem.

The glory of God moved away from the threshold of the temple and stopped at the east gate on the way out of Jerusalem.

The glory of God then went out of the city and stopped above the mountain  east of the city of Jerusalem.

This was how a devastating season of judgement came to Jerusalem and the glory of God left the temple in Jerusalem and finally left the city altogether.

Amen.