Continued from blog post "Today."
My Understanding: This passage of scripture has so much truth to it that can be applied to today, to the church of today, to the USA and the church in the USA, to church leaders, to political leaders and to all of us in general.
Obviously this was written to the people in Jerusalem by Jeremiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God for a specific period in their history when he could honestly examine the squares of Jerusalem and he could see that no one was dealing honestly or was seeking truth, so these specific words of God were God’s words to them at that time. Yet, these words are God-breathed, so they are still alive today. The Bible says that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). So, we can still learn from this passage of scripture today.
Since I live in the USA and since I am part of the church in the USA, I will speak what I know and/or have experienced or what God has revealed to me by his Holy Spirit with regard to the USA and the church in the USA. I can honestly say that there is a great deal of dishonesty in businesses, in the government, and in the church, and even among church leaders in the USA today. In many cases, pastors are even being trained to lie to their people and to deal with them dishonestly. About 50% of USA marriages end in divorce, the majority of which happen with people between the ages of 20 to 24 years of age. There is obviously a breakdown in communication between married couples in the USA for nearly half of all marriages to end in divorce. So, dishonesty and communication breakdowns are definitely a serious problem both in the world and in the church in the USA.
With regard to people being seekers of truth, I also see a breakdown here, as well. The Lord has been showing me much about our government covering up and hiding the truth from the people because they are doing things they don’t want us to know about, and obviously they are not good things, but things that are intended to bring us harm and/or to bring harm to the people of the world. I know from experience that many people in the church are not seekers of truth. They believe whatever they are told or they make up their own beliefs, but many do not earnestly seek truth from God’s word for themselves. Many church leaders, as well, prefer to go with the flow or to follow what their denomination dictates or what they read in books written by men rather to seek God’s face and to seek the truth of God’s word or to seek to understand the truth of what is happening in today’s world or to see how God wants to apply his word to today’s world. Many prefer to keep their blinders on.
Jeremiah said that he would go to the leaders and speak to them. “Surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God,” he said. Yet, he discovered that “with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.” A yoke is a “tie or bond that keeps people together,” such as the yoke of marriage – Encarta. So, this is speaking about us taking on Jesus’ yoke, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light, because he carries the weight of it on his shoulders and all we have to do is to come under it. Yet, what Jeremiah was seeing is that even the religious leaders of his day had broken off that relationship with God to where they were no longer under his yoke. I also see that in many church people and leaders today. Many have forms of religion. Many have lip service. Many know all the right things to do and to say, yet their hearts are not yielded to Jesus. They are not under his yoke, i.e. he is not the one directing their paths and showing them daily what he has for them. So many are following after man and man’s teachings and man’s methods but they spend little time at Jesus’ feet learning from him.
The result of government leaders, family leaders, business leaders and of church leaders who deal dishonestly with the people, who practice telling lies, who cover the truth or who hide the truth or who are not seekers of truth, and who have broken off the yoke, i.e. that close, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ where he leads and guides them and whose words they follow, is that the offspring of these leaders have forsaken the Lord their God and they have sworn by gods that are not gods. For instance, many people swear by a particular denomination or they swear by a particular theology or practice of religion or by government leaders or by church leaders or even by “idols” on TV or in movies or in sports. They have made other things and people their gods instead of Almighty God being their only God.
This part really jumped out at me in v. 12 where it says that the people of this nation have lied even about the Lord. They said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.” And, then they made disparaging remarks about the servants of the Lord who were warning them of impending judgment. I can honestly say that this is happening today, as well. People say, “Prove it to me, then I will believe it.” So many of today’s churches soft pedal the gospel and give nicey-nice messages that people want to hear. They teach a “fast-food” gospel message that says that people can basically go through the drive-thru and get their ticket to heaven but that repentance is not required, that God will be pleased with them no matter what they do, that God will not judge them and then, as an added bonus, Jesus will take them to be with him before anything really bad happens (judgment of Revelation) so that they will be spared.
Yet, God promised that he would be true to his word and that he would bring the judgment that he promised. He promised in the book of Revelation that at the end of time, as we know it, that he will judge mankind and he will judge the earth, and that judgment will come. He also says that he will judge his church, so we are not immune to his judgments.
The reason he will judge, or one of the main reasons he will judge will be to get his children to return to him, to listen to him, to see what he’s been trying to show them, to get them to acknowledge him on a daily basis, to fear (reverence, respect and awe) him. Instead of revering and honoring him for who He is, not just for the things he has done, the people have rebelled against him. He says they have stubborn hearts that have turned aside and have gone away from him. Does he, a just God, not have the right to discipline his children for this? he asks.
The heart of the matter is really wrapped up in this last verse 31. It speaks of prophets who prophesy lies and priests who rule by their own authority. This could be translated to today that there are church leaders who teach lies and who rule by human authority rather than by the authority of Almighty God. Then, he says, “and my people love it this way.” Wow! That really is the heart issue. The people “love it that way.” They are perfectly fine with the lies and the deceit and the cover-ups and church leaders who follow men and men’s teachings and men’s philosophies for how to “do church” and marketing schemes for “growing a church,” etc. So, why are they fine? Why do they love it that way?
I would suggest that it is because it is less convicting to themselves personally, it is easier, it serves to satisfy their own fleshly desires, they are apathetic, they are too busy, or whatever the case may be that keeps them satisfied with “status quo” rather than them being seekers of God and seekers of truth and seekers of God’s word. I can tell you from personal experience that once God begins to open your eyes to the truth of his word and to the truth of the gospel and to the truth of what is really going on in our world and how it relates to the prophecy of scripture, that you won’t be able to accept the lies, the deceit, the cover-ups, the half-truths, the fleshly appeals, the temptation to remain apathetic or the soft pedaling of the gospel of Jesus Christ any longer. Your heart and mind will hunger for righteousness and you won’t be satisfied with anything less.
Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.
My Understanding: This passage of scripture has so much truth to it that can be applied to today, to the church of today, to the USA and the church in the USA, to church leaders, to political leaders and to all of us in general.
Obviously this was written to the people in Jerusalem by Jeremiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God for a specific period in their history when he could honestly examine the squares of Jerusalem and he could see that no one was dealing honestly or was seeking truth, so these specific words of God were God’s words to them at that time. Yet, these words are God-breathed, so they are still alive today. The Bible says that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). So, we can still learn from this passage of scripture today.
Since I live in the USA and since I am part of the church in the USA, I will speak what I know and/or have experienced or what God has revealed to me by his Holy Spirit with regard to the USA and the church in the USA. I can honestly say that there is a great deal of dishonesty in businesses, in the government, and in the church, and even among church leaders in the USA today. In many cases, pastors are even being trained to lie to their people and to deal with them dishonestly. About 50% of USA marriages end in divorce, the majority of which happen with people between the ages of 20 to 24 years of age. There is obviously a breakdown in communication between married couples in the USA for nearly half of all marriages to end in divorce. So, dishonesty and communication breakdowns are definitely a serious problem both in the world and in the church in the USA.
With regard to people being seekers of truth, I also see a breakdown here, as well. The Lord has been showing me much about our government covering up and hiding the truth from the people because they are doing things they don’t want us to know about, and obviously they are not good things, but things that are intended to bring us harm and/or to bring harm to the people of the world. I know from experience that many people in the church are not seekers of truth. They believe whatever they are told or they make up their own beliefs, but many do not earnestly seek truth from God’s word for themselves. Many church leaders, as well, prefer to go with the flow or to follow what their denomination dictates or what they read in books written by men rather to seek God’s face and to seek the truth of God’s word or to seek to understand the truth of what is happening in today’s world or to see how God wants to apply his word to today’s world. Many prefer to keep their blinders on.
Jeremiah said that he would go to the leaders and speak to them. “Surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God,” he said. Yet, he discovered that “with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.” A yoke is a “tie or bond that keeps people together,” such as the yoke of marriage – Encarta. So, this is speaking about us taking on Jesus’ yoke, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light, because he carries the weight of it on his shoulders and all we have to do is to come under it. Yet, what Jeremiah was seeing is that even the religious leaders of his day had broken off that relationship with God to where they were no longer under his yoke. I also see that in many church people and leaders today. Many have forms of religion. Many have lip service. Many know all the right things to do and to say, yet their hearts are not yielded to Jesus. They are not under his yoke, i.e. he is not the one directing their paths and showing them daily what he has for them. So many are following after man and man’s teachings and man’s methods but they spend little time at Jesus’ feet learning from him.
The result of government leaders, family leaders, business leaders and of church leaders who deal dishonestly with the people, who practice telling lies, who cover the truth or who hide the truth or who are not seekers of truth, and who have broken off the yoke, i.e. that close, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ where he leads and guides them and whose words they follow, is that the offspring of these leaders have forsaken the Lord their God and they have sworn by gods that are not gods. For instance, many people swear by a particular denomination or they swear by a particular theology or practice of religion or by government leaders or by church leaders or even by “idols” on TV or in movies or in sports. They have made other things and people their gods instead of Almighty God being their only God.
This part really jumped out at me in v. 12 where it says that the people of this nation have lied even about the Lord. They said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.” And, then they made disparaging remarks about the servants of the Lord who were warning them of impending judgment. I can honestly say that this is happening today, as well. People say, “Prove it to me, then I will believe it.” So many of today’s churches soft pedal the gospel and give nicey-nice messages that people want to hear. They teach a “fast-food” gospel message that says that people can basically go through the drive-thru and get their ticket to heaven but that repentance is not required, that God will be pleased with them no matter what they do, that God will not judge them and then, as an added bonus, Jesus will take them to be with him before anything really bad happens (judgment of Revelation) so that they will be spared.
Yet, God promised that he would be true to his word and that he would bring the judgment that he promised. He promised in the book of Revelation that at the end of time, as we know it, that he will judge mankind and he will judge the earth, and that judgment will come. He also says that he will judge his church, so we are not immune to his judgments.
The reason he will judge, or one of the main reasons he will judge will be to get his children to return to him, to listen to him, to see what he’s been trying to show them, to get them to acknowledge him on a daily basis, to fear (reverence, respect and awe) him. Instead of revering and honoring him for who He is, not just for the things he has done, the people have rebelled against him. He says they have stubborn hearts that have turned aside and have gone away from him. Does he, a just God, not have the right to discipline his children for this? he asks.
The heart of the matter is really wrapped up in this last verse 31. It speaks of prophets who prophesy lies and priests who rule by their own authority. This could be translated to today that there are church leaders who teach lies and who rule by human authority rather than by the authority of Almighty God. Then, he says, “and my people love it this way.” Wow! That really is the heart issue. The people “love it that way.” They are perfectly fine with the lies and the deceit and the cover-ups and church leaders who follow men and men’s teachings and men’s philosophies for how to “do church” and marketing schemes for “growing a church,” etc. So, why are they fine? Why do they love it that way?
I would suggest that it is because it is less convicting to themselves personally, it is easier, it serves to satisfy their own fleshly desires, they are apathetic, they are too busy, or whatever the case may be that keeps them satisfied with “status quo” rather than them being seekers of God and seekers of truth and seekers of God’s word. I can tell you from personal experience that once God begins to open your eyes to the truth of his word and to the truth of the gospel and to the truth of what is really going on in our world and how it relates to the prophecy of scripture, that you won’t be able to accept the lies, the deceit, the cover-ups, the half-truths, the fleshly appeals, the temptation to remain apathetic or the soft pedaling of the gospel of Jesus Christ any longer. Your heart and mind will hunger for righteousness and you won’t be satisfied with anything less.
Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.
