Friday, April 7, 2017, 2:42 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “No Less.” Speak, Lord, your words to my
heart. I read Zechariah 1 (Select
vv. NASB).
Your Evil Ways
(vv. 1-6)
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the
word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son
of Iddo saying, “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to
them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts,
“that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “Do not be like your
fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of
hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did
not listen or give heed to Me,” declares the Lord. “Your fathers, where are
they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But did not My words and My
statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers?
Then they repented and said, ‘As the Lord of hosts purposed to do to us in
accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.’”’”
I believe the Lord has a message
for America, through this, that he would have me share, parts of which may be
applied to other nations, as well, particularly to their close allies. I
believe the Lord is saying that he was angry with our forefathers. We are not
the Christian nation that many people in America think we are. Many of our
forefathers were Freemasons, which is a false religion of sorts, and which
worships a false god. Many of our buildings and statues in our nation’s capital
are patterned after Roman, Greek and Egyptian gods and goddesses. So, our
nation has been syncretistic from the very beginning. Our national symbols, in
particular our Great Seal, with the All-seeing Eye of Horus and the unfinished
pyramid tell the story of what our nation was and is about, and that is that we
were to be instrumental in the transitioning of the world to the rule of the
beast.
And, that has taken place and
is presently taking place. What is prophesied in Revelation 13 is a reality in
our world and in our nation today. The US government, in partnership with the
institutional church, serves as Babylon, the harlot of Revelation 17-19, and
she has gone throughout the earth murdering innocents, killing Christians,
devouring and overtaking nations, confiscating property not their own, and
covering-up their crimes against humanity with lie after lie after lie, which
they proclaim to the American people as truth via the “fake news” media (Fox
News, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc.).
Our forefathers did not
repent of their sins, to my knowledge, and thus they passed their sins on to
future generations, who have continued in their wicked ways and in their evil
plans. Not only has our nation and is our nation daily committing horrendous
crimes against the people of this world, and not only do they cover-up those
crimes with lies to the American people, but they have convinced the church to
partner with them, and to promote government worship within the church via the
pledge (vow) of allegiance (fidelity) to this evil government with hand over heart,
via the singing of patriotic songs, and via the honoring of our military as our
heroes.
So, God is calling out to his
church in America, and he is asking that she return to him as her ONLY Lord
(God), that she forsake her idolatry and her spiritual adultery, and that she
come out from Babylon (the harlot), so that she does not share in her sins and
in her punishment. He is saying that if the wayward church in America (and
throughout the world) would return to him, that he would return to her, only
many are not listening. They are not paying attention, for they feel licensed
to continue in their sin without guilt and without remorse, because their spiritual
leaders are lying to them and are telling them that God’s grace gives them such
license, and that God requires absolutely nothing from them other than some
generic humanistic faith which is not followed by any action, because none is
required.
So, God is visiting and will
visit our nation in judgment. He will do to our nation what he had purposed to
do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds. Yet, the purpose of this judgment
is to bring people to salvation from sin and to revive the hearts of God’s
people who have wandered off to go back after their sinful and worldly ways. He
is judging us in order to bring us to our knees in repentance so that he can
revive and restore us, not as a physical nation, but as the people of God, in
order to make us holy. And, in order that we might worship HIM ONLY as our God,
and that we might vow our fidelity to Him and to Him Alone.
Exceedingly Jealous (vv. 12-17)
Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, how
long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with
which You have been indignant these seventy years?” The Lord answered the angel
who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. So the angel
who was speaking with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of
hosts, “I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. But I am very angry
with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they
furthered the disaster.” Therefore thus says the Lord, “I will return to Jerusalem
with compassion; My house will be built in it,” declares the Lord of hosts,
“and a measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ Again, proclaim,
saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “My cities will again overflow with
prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”
When we believe in Jesus
Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, with God-given faith, we are
divinely persuaded as to God’s will for our lives, and so we submit ourselves
to his purposes and will. Thus, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin,
and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God
in true righteousness and holiness (See: Ro. 6:1-23; Eph. 2:8-10; 4:17-24). When
this takes place, the Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell within our hearts and
lives, and to empower us to live godly and holy lives while we wait for Christ’s
return (Tit. 2:11-14). We then become members of Christ’s body, his church, and
he becomes our husband, and we become his bride (Eph. 5:22-33). Our faith in
Jesus Christ is, thus, a vow of fidelity to our Lord to serve him faithfully throughout
our days.
So, if we wander away from
our pure devotion to him, and we go back after our sinful ways, and we don’t
listen when God rebukes us, and when he calls for repentance, then we are like
the wife or husband who commits adultery against his or her spouse, but who does
not repent. And, our God is a jealous God who longs for us to be his only, and
for us to not follow after the gods of this world. He longs to have compassion
on us and to have his wandering church return to him, their first love. He just
asks that those who have not repented of their sins, who are still trapped in
sin’s deceitfulness, to turn from their wicked ways and to return to him, and
he will return to them, and he will revive, renew and restore (rebuild) them,
his church.
Our Lord is not satisfied
with us just mouthing words of faith in him while we drift back into our
previous sinful practices. He is also not satisfied with status quo. He is not
ok with us just existing under the name “Christian” while we wander far from
him, or live to entertain ourselves, or if we are complacent about our present
spiritual condition (if this describes us). So, he will exercise divine
discipline in order to spur his wandering saints to repent of their wicked ways
and to return to him, because his purpose in saving us from our sins was that
we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for
ourselves, but for him who gave himself up for us (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15).
So, if you are wandering away
from him, and if you have not repented of your sins, I pray you will do so
today, and that you will let him renew your heart and to make you into the
image of Christ. Because of all that Jesus Christ did for us, in saving us from
our sins, we should love him and want to serve him with our lives, and not just
serve ourselves.
No Less / An Original Work / March 19,
2012
I can do no less than praise You,
Lord, for all You’ve done for me.
You died for my sins to save me,
So I would be set free.
I adore You! Lord, I praise You!
Jesus, Savior, King of kings!
You provided my redemption.
Your grace has pardoned me.
I can do no less than serve You.
Lord, Your witness I would be,
Telling others of Your love,
And why You died on that tree.
Tell of how You gave of Your life,
So from sin we’d be set free,
So we could worship You forever,
And live eternally.
I can do no less than love You,
Lord, for You have first loved me.
You gave of Your life so willing,
Because You cared for me.
Turn from my sin! Obey freely!
Live for You each passing day.
Read Your word, and follow Your lead,
Lord, as I humbly pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment