Jeremiah 7:1-4 ESV
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”’”
Now I am going to look at this passage of Scripture today in light of where we are today under the New Covenant. For the Lord’s house, his temple, is no longer a physical building, and the buildings called “church” today are not the church, the body of Christ. And we are only “the church,” i.e. the body of Christ, by God-given faith in Jesus Christ, which requires that we are dying with Christ to sin and that we are living to Christ and to his righteousness.
So, if we would be one who would give a message to the church today, it could be given anywhere the body of Christ might gather together, such as on the internet, or in people’s homes, or in restaurants, or in any public place or private place where Christians may still be allowed to gather. Or the messages could be directed to individual professers of faith in Jesus Christ, as well, depending on the message and where it applies (fits).
Now this message could be for those of genuine faith in Jesus Christ who once walked in the ways of the Lord but who have fallen back into sin and who need to repent. And/or this message could be directed at those who make false professions of faith in Christ, which are surface only, who give lip service to the Lord, but whose hearts are far from him. And so they need to repent of their sins and surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.
So, if we are professing faith in Jesus Christ, but we are still living in deliberate and habitual sin, or we have returned to walking in sin, and no longer in righteousness, then this is a call to repentance and to genuine walks of faith in our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands and in holy living. And it serves as a warning to us that if we do not repent, we will not dwell in the house of the Lord forever (New Testament teaching).
So, what are the deceptive words we are not to put our trust in? In our day and time they are that we can “believe” in Jesus once in our lives (not usually biblically defined), and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us and it can’t be taken away from us regardless of how we live. And so we have many professers of faith in Jesus Christ who are still living in deliberate and habitual sin against God convinced God will not judge them.
And then there is another aspect to this, as well, and that is those who believe that if they just show up for a “worship service” once a week that they get credit for that from God, or as though that makes them “Christian,” when it does not. For you can have liars and thieves and adulterers coming to your weekly “worship services” in your buildings called “church” and it have no impact on their lives whatsoever in relationship to God.
Jeremiah 7:8-11 ESV
“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.”
Wow! That nails it, doesn’t it! What hypocrisy this speaks of! This is speaking of all those who today profess faith in Jesus Christ, who are probably attending weekly “worship services” in buildings called “church”, but who are still committing adultery, and lying, and cheating. And they are morally impure, and they are idolatrous, and unfaithful, for their true worship is of the idols of this world, and of the flesh, and not of God.
Yet, they will stand before the church and claim they are delivered from their lives of slavery to sin only to go on practicing all these abominations. And this is not claiming that we will be absolutely perfect once we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. But if our faith is genuine heart-felt and divinely persuaded faith, we should have died with Christ to sin and we should now be walking in his holiness in obedience to his commands.
And then God asks the question if his house has become a den of robbers. Now, again, his house today is not a building called “church,” but it is all those of genuine faith in Jesus Christ who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. But this can also speak of the gatherings of the church.
And when I hear “den of robbers” I think of when Jesus Christ cleared the temple and scolded the people for turning his house into a “den of robbers” or into a “marketplace,” i.e. a place of business and not a place of prayer and true fellowship with God. And that has indeed happened in our day and time that so many gatherings of what is called “church” today are just businesses of men marketing “the church” to the world.
And so these gatherings have largely been turned into social clubs and places of entertainment and fun, and places where they can go and hear feel-good messages which do not confront them in their sins nor call them to genuine repentance (the forsaking of their sins), nor call them to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). And they also do not warn them that if they continue in deliberate sin, and not in walks of holiness and obedience, that they will not inherit eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
So, please know the truth. Know what the Scriptures teach, in whole, and not in part, regarding the gospel message and our salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. So, please take this seriously.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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