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Ember Friday
First Lesson
Ezekiel 34:1-16
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds;
Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should
not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them
that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed
that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was
broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away,
neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and
with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and
they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were
scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every
high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the
earth, and none did search or seek after them.
7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became
a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field,
because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search
for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my
flock;
9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds;
and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to
cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed
themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth,
that they may not be meat for them.
11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both
search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is
among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep,
and will deliver them out of all places where they have been
scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them
from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and
feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in
all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains
of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good
fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains
of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith
the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which
was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and
will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat
and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
1st Lesson Questions -
Ezekiel 2. In what ways am I impudent and stiffhearted? (V. 4) Do I sometimes feel a bit like Ezekiel - being in the midst of a rebellious house? (V. 6) Is there a rebellious house today? Am I part of the rebelliousness? (V. 8) How so? RESOLVE.
Second Lesson
Matthew 10:24-33, 37-42
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above
his lord.
25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and
the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the
house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
26 Fear
them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall
not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what
ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to
kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them
shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32 Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also
before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny
before my Father which is in heaven.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy
of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me,
is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth
his life for my sake shall find it.
40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me.
41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall
receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous
man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous
man's reward.
42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little
ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily
I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
2nd Lesson Questions -
Matthew 10:24-33, 37-42. Do I preach on Rooftops, or am I a mere "mumbler" that no one hears? V. 27) How am I doing, in reference to verses 33-39? RESOLVE.