You Have Made it a Den of Robbers

“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’

“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of robbers.’

“And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.” (Luke 19:41-48 ESV)

We live in a day and time, at least here in America, where good is being called evil, and evil is being called good. And many are abandoning the faith, in practice, though not necessarily in profession, and in order to follow after the liars and their lies. For the lies make peace with their sins. The lies do not confront them in their sins and call them to repentance and to obedient walks of faith in Jesus Christ. For the lies tell them that they can “believe” in Jesus, have all their sins forgiven, be on their way to heaven, but regardless of how they live. But that is not the gospel that Jesus taught.

“The church” is now regarded as a building or as a church denomination or as a civic center or a social club or as a house of entertainment or as a business incorporated under the state now being marketed to the world just like any other man-created business which is being led by marketing schemes and goals and missions. But that is not the biblical church. The biblical church is the people of God, the universal body of believers in Jesus Christ who have died with him to sin and who are living to his righteousness. And we, as the body, are all ministers who are to be helping one another.

But what has largely happened is that Christians down through the generations have turned “the church” into a den of robbers (a business, a marketplace), which is against God’s will and purpose for his church. And so many of them now are modeling their gatherings after the same business role model for how to grow “their churches” (their businesses), and so marketing books and goals and missions are replacing the Holy Spirit and the Scriptures and God’s goal and mission and purpose for his church.

And so much of what is called “church” are these businesses of human-origin that do not resemble the biblical body of Christ, largely because they are not of God, Christ is not their head, and they are a conglomerates of people professing faith in Jesus Christ who give lip service only to God but who are living worldly lives, and those who make no professions of faith in Jesus Christ, and those of genuine walks of faith in the Lord who are doing his will and who are following him in obedience to his ways.

And so they do not operate as the biblical body of Christ for, as a whole, they are not his true body, and because the “churches” themselves are these businesses being run by those who are following marketing plans and goals and schemes. And it appears, at least here in America, that there are few gatherings of the true body of Christ being operated as the biblical body of Christ “with every part doing its work.” For our work is to do the work and will of God not the work and will of human beings.

And so the character of God/Christ, and of his gospel, and of his church, are all being altered to make them more acceptable and appealing to human flesh and to the ungodly of this world. And the character of Jesus Christ is right now under massive alterations via movies, TV shows, the internet, social media, advertisements, cartoons, “Christian” song lyrics, and the like. And this is in addition to all the marketing schemes being used in these gatherings of what are called “churches.” 

And so our Lord is indeed weeping over the spiritual condition of “the church” here in America which has largely drifted away from God’s will and purpose for her on this earth and has become so worldly. And I believe that “the church” here in America is already under the judgment of God, and part of that judgment has been him handing her over to her own devices (like in Romans 1:18-32). But he will most certainly come against her in judgment as he promised the five (of the seven) churches in Revelation 2-3.

So, please take this to heart, for the Scriptures teach us that it is a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (see Hebrews 10:26-31). And they teach that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord and to his commands, and not walks of holiness and righteousness, that we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. For Jesus said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father (Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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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