The Israelites of Jeremiah’s time were sinning greatly against God. They were dishonest, liars, rebellious, idolatrous, adulterous, sexually immoral, senseless, stubborn, wicked, self-indulgent and treacherous people who did not honor God but who rejected the Lord and his commandments, and who gave themselves up to idols (other gods) to serve them, instead. And they were those who were listening to false teachers and who were accepting their lies.
So God sent his prophet Jeremiah to them to call them to repentance, to call them to return to the Lord and to put away their false gods and then to be faithful to the Lord. They were to put away the deeds of the flesh, and to set themselves apart for the Lord. They were to wash their hearts from sin that they may be saved, for their sinful thoughts were ever with them. They were skilled at making sin their practice, but not at walking in obedience to God.
Since they did not repent of their wickedness, but they continued in their sins, and not in obedience to the Lord, the Lord cast his judgment upon them, which he had warned them about, and he sent them into captivity in Babylon for a predetermined period of 70 years. But they had false prophets among them who were lying to them, and who were telling them that they would not have to be in captivity for 70 years, so this was God’s response:
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:8-13 ESV)
Now, let’s fast forward to the year 2024 and to the United States of America where about 70% of the population claims Christianity as their religion of choice. The church here in America, at large, is truly in a very similar situation as were the Israelites of Jeremiah’s day. And God is sending out at least some messengers (I know I am one of them), calling the people to repent of their sins of idolatry and adultery, but few seem to be responding.
It appears that the majority of those calling themselves Christians here in America are in a similar situation as the Israelites of Jeremiah’s day, maybe not all living in adultery and sexual immorality and such as that, but whose lives are not committed to the Lord in faithfulness to his calling upon their lives, for they have not set themselves apart for the Lord and for his service. They are idolatrous and worldly people who are following humans over God.
And who are these humans that they are following after over and above God? They are preachers, pastors, teachers of the Word, politicians, notable people, government heads, the news media, and book authors. They are those who are telling them that they can be saved from their sins and have eternal life with God, but regardless of how they live. And they tell them that God does everything for us and that nothing is required of us (no works).
And many are teaching the Scriptures out of their context and they are giving out false messages of salvation from sin, and false messages of health, wealth, and prosperity, and they are lying to the people that God will not judge them for their sins of idolatry and adultery and that he will just rapture them out of this earth while he judges all the other people who are walking in sinful lifestyles and who do not honor God as Lord of their lives.
And Jeremiah 29:11 is one of those passages that is being taught out of context to teach what it is not teaching in context. For this message, first of all, was not intended for us today, and it is not teaching that nothing bad will happen to us or that God will not judge us in this life for wrongdoing and for rebellion against him, and that we will have smooth sailing. And it is not a promise of salvation and eternal life for all who profess the name of Jesus.
For the Scriptures teach that to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God, by God’s grace, through God-persuaded faith in him, we must deny self, die to sin (not just once, but daily), and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And they teach that if sin is what we practice, and not walks of obedience to our Lord, and not righteousness, that we will die in our sins, and we will not inherit eternal life with God.
And they teach us that there is a cost to following Jesus with our lives and that we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS which God prepared in advance that we should WALK IN THEM. And that cost is not only dying daily to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord, but it is suffering for the sake of the gospel (the true gospel), and it is being persecuted for righteousness’ sake if we are obeying our Lord and not sin.
And we CANNOT DO ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens us. We cannot sin through Christ. We cannot jump off tall buildings safely. We are not superhuman. We cannot lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, be slothful, rebellious, and worship other gods. We are to be clay in the hands of the potter being molded by him. Read the Scriptures IN CONTEXT. Paul was saying how he had learned to be content, whether in need or not. This he could do in the strength of God (see Philippians 4:10-13).
And God will judge us as he said he would. And those who did not obey him but lived for themselves and for their selfish pleasures and not in surrender of their lives to God to do his will, regardless of what their lips profess, they will spend eternity in the fires of hell and not in the glories of heaven. So, please do not ignore this message as the Israelites ignored God’s plea to the people via Jeremiah, his messenger. For God’s word will STAND.
And when things begin to get much worse in all our nations, and we begin to experience even greater fires and floods and hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes and the like, look to God, not just to ask him to spare you from suffering, but to search your hearts and to inquire of him as to whether or not how you are living is what he requires of you. Let him show you what needs to be changed in your life, and then obey him. And honor HIM.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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