Humility: Our Life is a Prize

Jeremiah 45:5 
And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the Lord. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”

When God calls and uses a man, he should not count himself special or seek rewards, but instead rejoice that he has been given life abundant in Christ for eternity.  Wherever we go in this life, humility should and must precede us. 

Hardened Complaints or Godly Contentment?

Jeremiah 44:10, 16-17 
10 They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’   16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you! 17 But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, ... For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble.

Hardened necks to do our own will and hardened hearts to love all else but God - especially ourselves - this is what leads to the bondage of sin and its just consequences.  So many say that they are better off without Christ, that they will not listen to God as He speaks through the Bible, instead listening to teachers and speakers who lie against God to do what they want instead of our Creator. 

Hypocrites or Prayers?

Jeremiah 42:20 
For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, “Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’

Do we ask others to pray for us just so they can tell us what to do, or do we ask they pray that we would know and understand Him and so His will, that we are changed from the inside as His Spirit opens His word to us?  If we so know all we have in Christ, we will desire to do all that pleases a him, and not hypocritically try to get a list of works from another to check off each good deed by.  Ephesians 1:15-19. 

Trust for Deliverance

Jeremiah 39:17-18  
17 But I will deliver you in that day,” says the Lord, “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,” says the Lord.’ ”

God will deliver those from sin, death, and Hell who trust and act in belief on what He has said and done in Jesus Christ.  Just as the offer to those here through the prophet, so now to all to the one over all prophets, the Son of God.  Our life eternal is the prize freely offered to us... Trust, believing and receiving Him. 

Humility in Light of His Sovereignty

Job 42:2-6 
2 “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

Job found out that his own knowledge and goodness that he thought he was and did meant nothing in the light of the Most High Holy God.  As Jeremiah warned and pleaded for the people to see and admit their sinful falling short of His holy standards, so God told Job here.  So we must humble ourselves as far from God's righteousness and turn from all that angers Him, finding forgiveness and peace only in Jesus Christ through our repentance and reconciliation. 

God's Spoken Word Written Down

Jeremiah 36:2-3  
2 “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

God sent prophets to lead people to Himself; He had them write His words down so we would have a chance to read and contemplate what God said and what He wanted.  But most of all, He wrote about who He is and what we were made to be (and what and how we became).  His intent has always been that we should not die and be rightly punished, but listen, turn, trust, and follow - He loves us who He made in His image, and the evil of sin is to live our way.  He stands eager to forgive in Christ! 

Deafening Doom

Jeremiah 35:17  
“Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the doom that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them but they have not heard, and I have called to them but they have not answered.’ ”

As Israel was told what God wanted for generations, yet still refused to hear, believe, and do - they faced the judgment of captivity and death.  So we are called to obey the Gospel, which is not to do good to earn deliverance from death, but hear what God in Christ told us to do - hear, believe, turn, and find new life.  Then follow Him.  God loved us so much to provide this way we do not deserve and can never earn.  This is mercy to forgive and grace to give. 

Eternal Mercy in His Righteousness

Jeremiah 33:10-11, 16  
10 “Thus says the Lord: “Again there shall be heard in this place—... 11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: “Praise the Lord of hosts, For the Lord is good, For His mercy endures forever”— and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord.  16 In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’

God's salvation becomes our righteousness in Christ; this is why He desires joy and gladness in our praise to Him.  We are His bride, and the restored relationship in Jesus the Christ leads us to sacrifice praise instead of other offerings.  It is no longer our work, but His work in merciful grace we do not deserve, cannot earn, and did not even ask for!  He is our righteousness, YHWH Tsidkenu. 

Call to the Savior for His Greatest Work

Jeremiah 33:2-3, 8  
2 “Thus says the Lord who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (the Lord is His name): 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’    8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.

God who made the universe and everyone in it is not limited in any way.  And He tells me to call to Him to see His work in and for me!  The greatest work has been to forgive my sin against Him forever when I did not deserve it... He cleansed me from rebellious sin in Jesus Christ's suffering, death, and rising from death to life.  So the things I cannot imagine I can call out to Him - for His work in His way in His time for His glory.  Lord, there truly is nothing too hard for You! 

Nothing Too Hard to Change Us Forever

Jeremiah 32:17, 26-27, 38-39, 40   
17 “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."   26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"   38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.  40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

When Jeremiah knew God would allow Israel to be taken away for a while because of their sin, he expressed solid faith in God's absolute control.  Nothing is too difficult for God.  So he bought land in a land the enemy would own - but with a promise it would be his and God's people's again.  So we have hope that others will come back from the land of the enemy, that sin has separated us but we are being brought back to an unshakeable and eternal land with Him.   The new covenant in Christ's blood cannot be broken, He will not turn away from us, and we long to work out the salvation given with fear and trembling to please Him! 

New Covenant of Grace

Jeremiah 31:31-34. 
31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—   33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Hebrews 9:14-15   14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (See Hebrews 8 also)

God's new covenant in Christ is not one of following rules of the Law to earn a place in His favor, but rather to find God's favor undeservedly in Christ and so have a place by His favor (grace).  We then can know God intimately, not just have knowledge about Him.  We have eternity promised us by nothing earned, only given us.  The depth of this grace should move us to run after Him, not our own goals. 

Hear, Trust, Tell, and Obey

Ezekiel 33:30-31 
30 “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ 31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.

Jeremiah 31:25-26.   25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” 26 After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.

Do you want peace and rest in your soul?  Would you like to awaken with a good night's sleep?  Then hear God's word anxiously, searching it out diligently - but be certain it is so you find ways to live pleasing to God, not just to gather facts or prove you understand.  To obey out of love means finding FAITH coming from God's word; faith that works it out. 

Sorrow for the Lost, Reward of Atonement

Jeremiah 31:15-16. 
15 Thus says the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.” 16 Thus says the Lord: “Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

In Matthew 2:16-18, Herod did as this prophecy, killing the young children in an attempt to kill Jesus hue Christ.  But He survived, and now in Him we can wipe away the tears as we and others return from Satan's land of sin and death and eternal punishment.  We are free in Jesus, and can find joy as we bear witness of that freedom from death as others come to eternal life by faith in Him.

Acts 26:18  to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ 

Eternally Loved and Drawn to Him

Jeremiah 30:22 - 31:3 
 22 ‘You shall be My people, And I will be your God.’ ” 23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord Goes forth with fury, A continuing whirlwind; It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it, And until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it.     3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Not only was Israel called to be God's people, but through Abraham all nations in Christ are called.  Those not in Christ in the end will feel God's anger against their evil and rebellion of disbelief in all He told us.  Ah, but to hear Him and trust - His love for us never ends as He calls and beckons us to Himself.  Why would we not turn from sin to Him?  There is nothing to lose that is bad, and only good to gain!  We have been loved for eternity and drawn to Him in love. 

Thoughts of Peace Lead us to Look

Jeremiah 29:11-13  
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

As Israel was led captive to Babylon because of their rebellion, their sin, against God, they were offered a way back.  God wants us (His people) to have hope, to know we have an eternal future in Jesus Christ.  So He offers repentance that we may seek Him, cry out to Him, and be delivered from the place we have been taken captive in - our sin and its penalty in the end.  Romans 10:9-13

False Teachers, False Predictions

Jeremiah 28:9 
9 As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

Deuteronomy 13:1-4  1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.

Galatians 1:8  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

False teachers love to speak of peace when God says there is none.  They point a path away from the true God and Savior Jesus Christ, to serve them.  God allows these to test our hearts as to whether we will seek Him out or not, the truth and not the lie.  He wants us to love Him and seek Him, not listening to or tolerating that which God curses with lies such as Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Islam. 

Repentance, Obedience, and Worship

Jeremiah 26:13-14  
13 Now therefore, amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you.  14 As for me, here I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you.

Revelation 19:10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

God calls men to repent, to turn from their ways against God, and toward Him instead.  He will then hear them as they trust in Christ's work done for us on the cross, believe, and be remade.  But many will fight the part of Jesus' gospel calling for repentance, sometimes even to violence as they fight against their conscience and conviction of God.   We must still tell the truth in love, for this testimony of Jesus is as the prophecy of old - God's work in Christ and the judgement for those rejecting Him. 

Heed the Shout of Justice

Jeremiah 25:30-31  
30 “Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: ‘The Lord will roar from on high, And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise will come to the ends of the earth— For the Lord has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the Lord.”   Jeremiah 26:3. Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.’

God will take justice into this world of evil rebellion against Himself in the end; all will not just go to heaven because God is love - He is also holy and just.  But if anyone listens to the good news of reconciliation in Christ, they can turn from evil to God and He will not give the due punishment in His court at time's end.  Jesus Christ will fight the final battle to put evil in its place, and those knowing Him will ride behind Him in victory.  Revelation 19:11-14

Wholeheartedly Turn From Sin to Him

Jeremiah 24:7; 25:5  
25:5 They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.

24:7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

God calls us to turn away from our own sin - those things offensive to His nature and commands - and towards Him.  This is so that we can live with Him in His presence.  Since this is impossible to be sinless, Christ as sinless God stepped in our place to give us a new heart in forgiving mercy and undeserved goodness that we can be His people and live forever with Him, made clean from our rebellious nature of sin.  We need only to belief, hand over our heart and life, and be made new.  Have you? 

Speak the Word of Fire as a Hammer Faithfully

Jeremiah 23:22, 28-29, 37  
22 But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings.   28 “The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the Lord. 29 “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?   37 Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ and, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’

If someone preaches or teaches God's word and does not align with what He really says (the Bible), then the hearers will not see them doing right and so will not do right either.  We must faithfully tell the things of God, cutting it straight with no concern for backlash; God handles the chaff and knows His wheat.  His word will break hard hearts and wills, and triumphs always.  So "what has God said?" and not "has God indeed said?" must be the guiding principle of His servants. 

False Peace of Personal Desires

Jeremiah 23:16-17, 22  
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They continually say to those who despise Me, “The Lord has said, ‘You shall have peace” ’; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’ ”  22 But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings.

Many still claim special revelation from God, when He is not speaking.  They claim transcendent peace and freedom from evil, but they speak contrary to God's word, the Bible.  It is only their own desires in the words they use.  But when God's words are spoken, then the "peace, peace when there is no peace" is clearly seen.  Acts 17:11 gives the right example - test all by the Word to avoid misleading or being misled. 

Hear and Obey for True Prosperity

Jer 22:16, 21  
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord.   21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, ‘I will not hear.’ This has been your manner from your youth, That you did not obey My voice.

We are not reconciled to God by doing good to others, yet if we have been made new, the we should desire to help the helpless.  Then our souls are well with God, just as when we heed all things He tells us, not living as we used to, piling up prosperity and doing what we want.

Gal 2:10  They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do. 

Way of Life or Death?

Jer 21:8-9  
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him.

As Judah was told their guilt and it's punishment certain to come, they were given a way out of the death they earned - submit, give up their lives to save them.  So God offers eternal life with Him in the new Jerusalem to come, by admitting we deserve the justice and its punishment we earned in rebellion to God.  Then we hand ourselves over to be delivered from that justice; deliverance is another word for salvation.  So the prize of life is given to those who give it up to Jesus Christ. 

Word Burns Within as Fire of Truth

Jer 20:9-12  
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.   11 But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten. 12 But, O Lord of hosts, You who test the righteous, And see the mind and heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them; For I have pleaded my cause before You.

When I am discouraged from speaking the truth in love, it is the flesh reacting to say nothing more; however, God's Spirit the moves me to continue.  He tests us to check where our mind and heart are at with Him.  He will shut the mouths of those who oppose His word, bringing them shame.  That is not my responsibility.  Bearing witness to the truth in love and not anger or vengeance is what we are called to.  Not the "coexist" sticker going around now, but the absolute truth with of "one way" for no compromise - and in love, not attack. 

Good Repaid for Evil by Grace

Jer 18:19-20   
19 Give heed to me, O Lord, And listen to the voice of those who contend with me! 20 Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You To speak good for them, To turn away Your wrath from them.

When others speak evil of me after I speak truth to them in love for their good and with compassion (not condemning), then I need to hand them over to God.  Unlike Jeremiah the prophet who prayed for God's harsh judgment on those against him, I must follow Jesus and the examples of the apostles to pray for them that God would give them a chance, and not simply smite them.  Nonetheless, it is God who judges and deals with those who oppose Him in His way.  I must forgive, beware, and follow my Lord and my God. 

In the Potter's Sovereign Hand

Jer 18:4-6, 12, 15  
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.  6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!   12 And they said, “That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.”   15 “Because My people have forgotten Me, They have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, From the ancient paths, To walk in pathways and not on a highway,

God can do with us as He pleases, even remaking us when we mar His image in us.  Yet He first waits for us to choose His paths that were given from the beginning so that we stop giving up to our own evil heart desires.  Then he remakes us, from salvation in a new life to daily turning back when we stray afterwards.  It is never hopeless in the Potter's hands. 

Repaid by God's Work in Place of Ours

Jer 17:10.   I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

1Co 3:11-15.   11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Sanctification results as God works through our obedience.  He tests us so we rely on Him and, in so pleasing, become more as Jesus, conformed to His image.  Our ways in obedience do not earn salvation nor earn grace - but God still wants our hearts in it.  We still reap what we sow, and what is not honoring to Him will burn up in the end.  What glorifies God will bring reward, pleasing as a good and faithful servant toward eternity. 

Mere Edges of His Ways!

Job 26:14
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?”

Jer. 17:5-9   9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?  5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.  7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.

God knows what we think and feel - who we really are.  We deceive ourselves in our understanding, and must rely on God alone, not trusting our own feelings or reason.  His ways are so infinite that we only catch a glimpse of them, and His power to work in our hearts and the world go far beyond what we can grasp.  This should lead to awe, wonder, and worship from within. 

Words Found and Taken to Heart

Jer 15:16-17  
16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. 17 I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, Nor did I rejoice; 

Psa 1:1-2.  1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

Good company aligns with those following God's word, not those who mock Him or live against how He tells us to do.  So our hunger for His word must consume us to joy for the calling out and so work out our salvation in fearful trembling.  His word must roll through both tongue and mind all through the day. 

Prophets of Idols

Jer 14:15, 22 
15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, “Sword and famine shall not be in this land’—‘By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed!  22 Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these.

Many listen to popular speakers and teachers who lead people to what they like to hear instead of the truth.  Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others make many false prophecies that do not come true.  But those who God calls out and gives new life to know the idols such as the black meteorite in Mecca or supposed tablets from God in New York State cannot cause it even to rain, let alone change a life from the inside and then live within them.  Only the one God shown in Jesus Christ can. 

Humbly Hear and Give God Glory

Jer 13:15-17, 25  
15 Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the Lord has spoken. 16 Give glory to the Lord your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness. 17 But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly And run down with tears, Because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.  25 This is your lot, The portion of your measures from Me,” says the Lord, “Because you have forgotten Me And trusted in falsehood.

Much as the Jews trusted in lies told to themselves when they had God's word given to them as His chosen people, so His people now must avoid pride in their own or poplar teachers arrogance that ignores His clear word.  By allowing the lies that deny our Lord and the absolute inerrancy of His word, we open the church's doors to stumbling in the dark as we venture further from the light.  Jesus is God and man, there is one God, not many, and we are called to depart from evil if we are known by Him.  God weeps for those astray. 

Freedom's Dependence Day

FREEDOM:  Ezk 18:30-32.  
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

Freedom from the tyranny of sin and its just consequence of punishment can only find independence on the day the red coat of sin is washed whiter than snow by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Turning from your sin to Him who died in your place brings a new life - a new spirit and new heart.  God does not want to see you die in your sin; He takes no pleasure in that.  He wants so much for our independence from sin, death, and Hell that He gave up His life in exchange for life for us.  This is true freedom!  Romans 6:18-23 

Sheep for Slaughter

Jer 12:1-3  
1 Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? 2 You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind. 3 But You, O Lord, know me; You have seen me, And You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, And prepare them for the day of slaughter.

Why does evil in the world seem to go unchecked?  Why do bad people seem to get ahead?  They even talk about God - but He is not in their thoughts at all; it is just for show.  God will allow them to choose that path and face judgment, but His desire is not for them to suffer forever, but be forgiven in Christ.  All have gone astray and none seeks Him unless He calls and they listen to their Master's voice.  Ezekiel 18:23 

Knowledge is Revealed by God

Jer 11:18.  
Now the Lord gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings.

Just as God showed Jeremiah that men were trying to kill him for doing God's work, and just as He also warned others such as Paul, so God shows circumstances to keep us safe or to guide us to the truth of things in His word.  The "mystery" of God living in a believer, giving the mind of Christ to understand the mind of Christ - this is what makes walking with God unique to the Christian.  No mere religion provides this.

1Co 2:12,16  12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 

Man's Way is Not in Himself

Jer 10:21-24  
21 For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.  23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. 24 O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.

When God's shepherds of the church stop seeking and pursuing knowing and walking with Him, their ministry and congregations suffer (or are broken up).  We each must remember that God in Christ by the Spirit leads and guides us, that we dare not take that navigation upon ourselves.  A spirit of broken humility that acknowledges He is just and only mercy and grace sustain us - this brings fruitfulness and is well pleasing to the Father. 

Wisdom of God's Design

Jer 10:12-13  
12 He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. 13 When He utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”

How awestruck I am when considering all God created!  His wisdom in the design of DNA to create sustained life, how atoms and solar systems hold together, the cycles of rain and power in lightning, and the intricate details and beauty of nature - these all bear witness to His greatness.  God spoke, and it was.  When He speaks now, do we listen in awe, wonder, and trembling? 

There is None Like Our God!

Jer 10:6-7
6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord (You are great, and Your name is great in might), 7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.

Jer 10:10-11  10 But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. 11 Thus you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

People worship false gods and think all are equal, but forget this: there is only one God who made everything and who has the right to judge and rule over us all.  He is due all honor, fear, obedience, love, and thanks.  All others will bow to him at he final judgment, and then acknowledge He is Lord of them - even as they tremble for not believing and following Him in this life.  Oh, that God loved us enough when we did not love Him to send His Son to pay our price to bring us reconciliation! 

To Glory in God Alone

Jer 9:23-26
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.  25 “...For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.”

If we are circumcised in our hearts, then what is cut away are those things that cause spiritual infection.  To be circumcised in our heart means we glory in God, knowing Him and understanding His character, finding joy in Him - not in our own wisdom, strength, or wealth.  He then finds joy in us as we give Him glory in our words and actions, lifting up His mercy, judgment, and righteousness.

Col 2:11. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 

Need to be Valiant for Truth

Jer 9:3-6 
3 “And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” says the Lord.  5 Everyone will deceive his neighbor, And will not speak the truth; They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves to commit iniquity. 6 Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord.

When people choose lies over truth, when they do not valiantly seek it out, speaking and living it - they live for sin and so refuse to draw near to God to know Him intimately.  Just as with Judah, so His people now will suffer from their sin when turning from Jesus Christ to sin and deceit.  This is another reason to know what God says and to correct errors by speaking truth in love.  But speak we must, or we agree with the lies... Romans 1:32  “who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." 

Know Judgement or No Peace

Jer 8:6-11 
6 I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle. 7 “Even the stork in the heavens Knows her appointed times; And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow Observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the Lord. 8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.  11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace.

When we go our own way, doing wrong and ignoring what God says about accountability and judgment, claiming wisdom and piling up teachers who deny the truth to make ourselves feel better - we ignore truth and cannot say we follow Christ.  When we say there will be peace and work toward making the world heaven, we miss the heaven to come after the worst has come first.  God will have His way by His word, for He is Sovereign of all. 

Truth is Not Relative but Absolutely from God

Jer 7:28  
“So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.’”

Slowly lies creep into the church as in every generation; there is nothing new under the sun.  Today those identifying themselves as Christians do not all want to do what He says, do not want to be corrected when they so sin.  Truth seems to be gone, while new age, gnostic, self-proclaimed prophets, psychology, and other lies are not only accepted, but fill the books and teaching seminars and churches around us.  God's word is truth; let Him be true and every man not in agreement a liar.  Jesus Christ is God come as a man, and the Bible is absolutely true.  

His People Obey in His Way

Jer 7:22-23   
22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. 23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’

To obey is better than sacrifice; we can try to earn God's favor by doing good - feeding the poor, building hospitals, etc. - but He wants our hearts.  He desires that we listen and live out His will in both heart and actions.  This is not forced obedience, but a burning desire to please God in response to and with thanksgiving for the grace that delivered us from death and Hell that we rightly deserve.  Walk with Him with your whole heart, mind, life, and strength. 

Den of Thieves or Place of Worship?

Jer 7:9-11  
9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.

Jesus used this passage to show the religious people that God's house was for Him, not their own profit while worshipping other things and justifying all the evil in God's name, as some believers now say that they are saved and so sin to get more grace.  We are saved from sin, not to sin. God is to be prayed to and worshipped, not as a means of gain.  His church is not to be a place of sin and injustice, but His house of worship (1 Peter 2:5).  

Mat 21:12-13  12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” 

Hear, Believe with Repentance, and Live

Jn 5:24 
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

Hearing His word includes "repent, for the kingdom of God is near."  It is not enough to just "believe in Him" from this verse to have eternal life and to escape judgement; hearing all Jesus said gives the full picture as Paul brings out in the Epistles many times.

1. Repentance implies confessing sin.

2. Confessing means agreeing with God that all are sinners and fall short (effort not enough).

3. Hearing the gospel, His word, brings faith as God gives ( Jn.6:44 ).

4. Believing in Jesus as the Christ and all He did in our place to die that we by faith might live is then the turning point to salvation, with the previous not undone.

5. Life that does not end and forgiveness from just punishment for sin are the results, ones which nobody can take away - not even us.

24 ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὁ τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων καὶ πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί με ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται, ἀλλὰ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν. 

Peace Found Only in God's Way

Jer 6:13-16  
13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. 14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. 15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord. 16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Just as Israel, today some of God's people live for the things of the world, wanting things, cheating to get ahead, and then telling others there is peace as the times get worse - as if their works can change the path the world is on by their effort over God's decrees.  Things such as immorality and homosexuality no longer shame their speech.  We need to walk in the ways He laid out from the beginning.  Peace is only found in God's way, which is in Jesus Christ.  That is rest and peace in the soul.  

Do You Not Fear God?

Jer 5:22-25 
22 Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord. “Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it. 23 But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; They have revolted and departed. 24 They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” 25 Your iniquities have turned these things away, And your sins have withheld good from you.

Do we fear God?  For the unborn, until the conscience awakens to their sin and its just reward, they do not.  For the reborn, we do not fear eternal consequences of punishment anymore, but should fear the one who bought us at such a price and seek to obey out of love (not fear).  But fear of the holy and almighty creator God of the universe should remain, beyond mere awe.  

God's People Know to Do Good

Jer 4:22 
“For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge.”

Do you know God in Christ, or do you struggle to understand and so do what is good in God's eyes, by His standards?  Jeremiah shows God telling the people that they are silly and foolish because these things prove they did not know Him.  Knowing God changes us to know and seek out what is good by His standards, and be simple concerning evil.  God's people know to do good because of His goodness to them and by His work in them. 

Rom 16:19   For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 

Circumcised Hearts

Jeremiah 4:2-4, 14, 18  
And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives, ’In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; The nations shall bless themselves in Him, And in Him they shall glory.”  4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, And take away the foreskins of your hearts,...  14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved.  How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?  18 “Your ways and your doings Have procured these things for you.  This is your wickedness, Because it is bitter, Because it reaches to your heart.”

Acknowledging God as truth, just, and righteous - this glorifies Him.  Cutting back the evil in our hearts, washing clean in repentance as John came doing, this is the gospel told even in Jeremiah's time.  God does not change; He wants to deliver us from sin, from within the heart and not just in outward religious show.  We earned our sin's punishment (justice), but God's grace in Christ is freely given, not earned.  It all begins with turning from sin to Him.  

Heartfelt Confession of Sin for Mercy

Jeremiah 3:10-15, 25   
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.  12...For I am merciful, ’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever.  13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,...  25 We lie down in our shame, And our reproach covers us.  For we have sinned against the Lord our God, We and our fathers, From our youth even to this day, And have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”   15 And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Just as Israel and Judah turned away and not towards God, so do we now.  He desires the whole heart and not half-hearted rituals of religious outward showing.  He requires that we admit and not excuse our sin, turning from it to Him by doing all He says.  He even gives us shepherds to teach and guide us from His word so we can know, understand, and obey from the heart out of love and thankfulness for the grace and mercy shown at the cross and resurrection.  We are reconciled and bought at a price, yet set free. 

Work as God Works in Us to Desire and Do

Philippians 2:12-13  
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Obeying God is how we do our part to work out our salvation; God's working in us is how His will is accomplished in and through us.  We can do nothing apart from Christ, yet in Him as we follow in doing the things He taught us in His word, so we work it out - our sanctification (the continuing change of salvation in us).  The salvation itself is all by the grace and mercy of God in Christ; the out working day to day afterwards is the conforming to His image (sanctification).  So we do not work FOR salvation, but WORK OUT that which we have been given. 

Examples to Learn Admonition From

1 Corinthians 10:11-13

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Continuing from yesterday with Jeremiah 2:11-19 on examples to learn from, these show how we need to watch out because we can fall as easily as Israel in the OT.  Pride says we are better, and sets us up - so we must carefully watch to avoid by learning from the past examples.  But we have Christ to bear us up and go to for help; He promises a way out of temptation, a way to bear it when it seems we cannot.  So we have examples and God's presence to get us through now. 

Forsaken without Fear

Jeremiah 2:11-19 
Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods?  But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.  17 Have you not brought this on yourself, In that you have forsaken the Lord your God When He led you in the way?  19 Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you.  Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the Lord your God, And the fear of Me is not in you,” Says the Lord God of hosts.

Glory, honor, profit - these things rightly found in God should never be given up for cheap substitutes that become objects of worship.  When we walk away from God, we bring only problems on ourselves; following God as a content (with godliness) servant leads to fearing and loving Him.  Fear of what was going to happen, love for the mercy and grace that is in Jesus Christ.  These things were written for us to learn from, examples not to follow... 1 Corinthians 10:11-13. 

God is With Us to Deliver

Jeremiah 1:19

They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you.  For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”

When we live and speak faithfully for God, there will be those both within and from outside the church who will resist or even fight against the truth of God.  But if He is with us, who can be against us?  God is greater and surely can deliver from any raging lion.  So if we are about our Lord's work, we need to press forward and be faithful in return. 

Known From Eternity

Jeremiah 1:5   
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Romans 8:29.   For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God knows me from before I was created or born.  He set me aside to be His child, to be reborn in Christ, that I may become like Him as I daily grow in sanctification.  Whether a call to ministry like Jeremiah or another gift or service, I can rest fully in His purpose for this life of His in me. 

He Knows Our Thoughts and Worship

Isaiah 66:16-18, 23-24  
For by fire and by His sword The Lord will judge all flesh; And the slain of the Lord shall be many.  Shall be consumed together,” says the Lord.  18 “For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.  23 And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.  24 “And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me.  For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

God is love, but do not forget His holiness and wrath against sinners who do not turn from it.  They will (as in Mark chapter 9) suffer forever where "worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched."  How much better in contrast the repentant sinner who finds in Christ the right to worship in God's presence forever, seeing His glory!  He knows the thoughts of our hearts toward Him and our obedient sincerity of worship.  

We are Where God Dwells - Tremble in Humility

Isaiah 66:1, 2, 5. 
1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool.  Where is the house that you will build Me?  And where is the place of My rest?  2 For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.  5 Hear the word of the Lord, You who tremble at His word: “Your brethren who hated you, Who cast you out for My name's sake, said, ‘Let the Lord be glorified, That we may see your joy. ’But they shall be ashamed.”

God is above all He made, so our buildings we meet in are not for Him, but merely a place to meet together - what He wants is to live within us so we worship from out of our hearts, our lives.  That is why He looks for humility and total reliance on Him and His word to us to guide us.  And if we so transparently live and avoid empty ritual and tradition, there will be those who say they are His, yet will speak evil of us.  They will be ashamed as we see God truly glorified in sincerity and truth. 

God Blesses All Things New in Truth

Isaiah 65:16-17, 24 
So that he who blesses himself in the earth Shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes. 17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. ... 24 “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

The God of truth is who blesses, and who takes away the old man to create anew, even to remaking the universe when it is time.  Then the problems and sin of these days will be forgotten.  So now we have the assurance that, as with salvation, He hears even before we cry out to Him, answering prayers that align with His will even before we ask.  This grace is His blessing for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ and no other.