Are You Trusting in a Lie?

Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, saying, “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has made you trust in a lie,” therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants; he will not have anyone living among this people, and he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has preached rebellion against the Lord.”’” (Jeremiah 29:30-32 NASB1995)

The Israelites were in captivity in Babylon, under the judgment of God, for a 70 year period of time, because of their rebellion against the Lord and due to their failure to respond to his calls to them to repent of their wicked ways and to now follow him in obedience to his commands. But they had false prophets prophesying lies to them, telling them that they would not have to be in captivity for 70 years, so the Lord said to them to not listen to the lies.

And we have a similar or parallel situation going on in our world today, and perhaps centered more in America right now, but perhaps the whole world. I live in America (USA), so that is what I know best. So I mostly speak from that vantage point, although these truths speak to all people all across the globe. So, what is our situation today? It is similar to their situation talked about in the book of Jeremiah where the people were rebelling against God.

The people who professed God as their God were living in rebellion against the Lord and against his commands, and they were engaged in idolatry, adultery, sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stubbornness, self-indulgence, and the like. They did not honor God as their Lord (Master), and they were living in disobedience to his commands. And they were listening to false teachers, and they were accepting their lies instead of the words of God.

And so it is today, at least here in America, it is. For the gospel message taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles has been and is being altered and diluted and willfully misrepresented in order to deceive the people into believing that they can continue living in their sins, and in disobedience to the Lord’s commands, but that God will not judge them for their deliberate and habitual acts of rebellion against the Lord.

Does God’s grace cover our sins? Yes, if we are repentant and obedient to the Lord, in practice, and if we are not deliberately and habitually sinning against the Lord and against our fellow humans. Does this mean we must be perfect in every way? No, it doesn’t, but it does mean that sin should not be what we practice, but obedience to our Lord should be what we practice, if we are true followers of Jesus Christ. We should want to do his will.

So, what if we have been following the Lord with our lives, but then we fall back into sin, does he cut us off? If we read the Scriptures carefully we will see where the apostles regularly spoke to the Christians about some of their sinful practices, and where they counseled them to forsake their sins and to walk with the Lord in obedience, but where they also warned them that if they continued in their sins and not in obedience that they would be cut off.

So, when is the cut off point? I believe it is when Jesus returns to judge and to take his faithful ones to be with him for eternity. This is when we will all be judged by the Lord according to our deeds. If we are those who are walking in obedience to our Lord, in practice, and who are not walking in deliberate and habitual sin, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. For those who have chosen the path of sin, and not of obedience to God, even if they profess Christ as Savior, they will not inherit eternal life.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

And why is it important to talk about this? Because we have so many liars these days convincing the people that they can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ but that how they live will not impact their eternal security. They are lying to them that God will not judge them, and so many feel a freedom to continue in deliberate and habitual sin, without conscience, convinced that all sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed to them.

And if we do not tell them the truth, they may end up in hell, and not in heaven, but on the promise and hope of heaven fed to them by the liars who were convincing them that God would not judge them for their sins. But this isn’t just about that final judgment where we are assigned heaven or hell, but this is about our world today. In the book of Revelation we have letters written to the churches warning most of them against walking in sin.

5 of the 7 are told that they must repent of their sins and obey God or that God would send some type of judgment upon them. And this is followed by the declarations of the judgments of God of these last days before the return of Christ on those who have disobeyed the Lord and who did not bow to him as Lord, but who continued in their sins and did not repent when God called them to repent and to warn them of impending judgment.

I am of the belief that we are in these final days before the return of Christ and that God is presently judging the people of my nation who have not bowed the knee to him in surrender of their lives to him but who have continued in their sins and in disobedience in rebellion against the Lord and against his commands. I believe he is presently judging his adulterous church here in America for believing the lies and not the truth.

Although we are going through difficult times now, and I believe it is only going to get worse, this is for our good, I believe, to bring all of us to our knees in humble surrender to our Lord in obedience to his commands and in the forsaking of our sins before we face that final day of judgment and our eternal destiny is determined according to whether or not we obeyed the Lord and whether or not we forsook our sinful practices. For faith = obedience.

The Rock of My Heart

Lyricist: Bassford, Matthew W.; Psalm 73

Composer: Schales, Glenda Barnhart

My Lord, I need nothing beside You;

Without You, I could not have stood.

Your promise is my hope and my refuge;

Your nearness, my strength and my good.

When I was distressed and embittered,

By things I could not understand,

Your presence was continually with me;

You always took hold of my hand.

I know that Your counsel will guide me

In wisdom, devotion, and love,

And afterward You’ll call me to glory

To dwell in Your presence above.

My heart may be broken within me;

My earthly strength may depart.

But You are my portion forever,

You are the Rock of my heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9SQe7t748Q

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Are You Trusting in a Lie?

An Original Work / February 24, 2025 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love