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.' "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. "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. Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim. (Jeremiah 7:1-15 ESV)
This verse reminds me of Jesus saying below:
Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.' (Jeremiah 7:4 ESV)
Jesus says
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)
I ask this question of myself and my faith as well as to the church and Christian body of Christ:
Are we doing the will of the Father?
Or are we trusting in church buildings?
Are we trusting in our good deeds?
Are we chasing after other Gods and then turning to The Lord without true repentance?
For God will not care for any of that.
He will destroy our churches and our false idols.
And our salvation is in Christ alone: that we have faith in him and that we live in him by the Spirit truly being Gods sons and daughters.
For we can live with God if we truly do.
But if we pretend and still live in the world by the ways of the world we cannot also live with God.
We have to choose.
Each day:
To live truly by Christ
Or to live in death in the world.
And far too often I have to admit I choose death over life. I choose my sinful desires over God and life eternal. I choose passing pleasure over the lasting and true Love of Christ.
God I confess my sin.
I want to follow you all the days of my life from now into eternity.
I ask forgiveness
I ask your help to reveal my sin, my idols, my false hope in salvation from anything not Christ.
Come Holy Spirit to refine my heart and my life.
I long to know you now and forever more Lord
Amen
But this command I gave them: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.' (Jeremiah 7:23 ESV)
ReplyDeleteWhy follow the law or God even in Christ? Not for salvation: but for joy: that it may go well with me and my family and my neighbor.
DeleteThis brings up a central question:
ReplyDeletewhat is Christianity all about?
Is it just doing what is right by a different set of rules?
Is it really different than other religions?
Why do we need Jesus or religion to be good?
Christianity is all about God
Not man
Creation is for Gods glory
Man is for Gods glory
Mans righteousness and sin is not what matters
Humanity only matters in as much as God loves us and is glorified in us.
The Cross is not about humanity but Gods love
Our obedience is not about us, but being with God.
God is not less glorified in our sin.
God is glorified in all things.
And yet he loves us
He saved us through Jesus
God invites us into eternity
Not because we matter
But because God loves us.
We did not earn it and we can not earn Gods love or salvation or eternity
But God gives it.
He gives us the choice:
To live with him
Or to exist in death lacking true life without him.
For:
The only way to truly live is as he intended us to live
And so obedience to God is how we experience true life here and now and in eternity.
Our obedience and following his will/law is not an obligation or a way to earn heaven. Our obedience combined with Christ's death and life in us is heaven in our life.
It is hard for me to understand
If I really believe and trust God
Then his law and righteousness is not to harm or limit me
But for me to experience life abundantly.
To experience eternal life and heaven here and now.
Not completely because of sin and the world.
But in part now and eternally
because of Jesus
Jesus on the cross bringer the chasm of sin and flesh to God and eternity