Jeremiah 26
Message of hope regarding Jerusalem verse 1- 3
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim
son of Josiah king of Judah
came the word of the LORD – saying
Thus says the LORD
Stand in the court of the LORD’S house
and speak unto all the cities of Judah
which come to worship
in the LORD’S house
all the words that I command you
to speak unto them
diminish not a word
If so be they will hearken
and turn every man from his evil way
THAT I may repent ME of the evil
which I PURPOSE to do to them
BECAUSE of the evil of their doings
Message of warning regarding Jerusalem verse 4- 7
You shall say to them
Thus says the LORD
IF you will not hearken to ME – to walk in MY law
which I have set before you
to hearken to the words
of MY servants the prophets
whom I sent to you both rising up early
and sending them
BUT you have not hearkened
THEN will I make this house like Shiloh
and will make this city a curse
to all the nations of the earth
So the PRIESTS and the PROPHETS
and all the PEOPLE heard
Jeremiah speaking these words
in the house of the LORD
Message of the LORD rejected verse 8- 9
Now it came to pass
when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking
all that the LORD had commanded him
to speak to the people
THAT the PRIESTS and the PROPHETS
and all the PEOPLE took him – saying
YOU SHALL SURELY DIE
Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD
saying
This house shall be like Shiloh
and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant?
And all the PEOPLE were gathered against Jeremiah in the
house of the LORD
Court met to decide fate of Jeremiah verse 10- 11
When the PRINCES of Judah heard these things
THEN they came up from the king’s house
to the house of the LORD
and sat down in the entry
of the new gate of
the LORD’S house
THEN spoke the PRIESTS and the PROPHETS
to the PRINCES and all the PEOPLE
saying
This man is WORTHY to DIE
for he has prophesied against this city
as you have heard with your ears
Jeremiah’s defends himself verse 12- 15
THEN spoke Jeremiah to all the PRINCES
and to all the PEOPLE
saying
The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house
and against this city
all the words that you have heard
THEREFORE now amend your ways and your doings
and obey the voice of the LORD your God
and the LORD will RELENT
HIM of the evil that HE
has pronounced against you
As for me – BEHOLD – I am in your hand
do with me as seems good and meet unto you
BUT know you for certain – that if you put me to death
you shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves
and upon this city
and upon the inhabitants thereof
for of a TRUTH the LORD has sent me to you
to speak all these words in your ears
Princes rule in Jeremiah’s favor verse 16
THEN said the PRINCES and all the PEOPLE
to the PRIESTS and to the PROPHETS
This man is NOT WORTHY to DIE
for he has spoken to us
in the name of the LORD our God
Elders give history of revival in Hezekiah’s time verse 17- 19
THEN rose up certain of the ELDERS of the land
and spoke to all the assembly of the people
saying
Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of
Hezekiah king of Judah and spoke
to all the PEOPLE of Judah –
saying
Thus says the LORD of hosts
Zion shall be plowed like an field
and Jerusalem shall become heaps
and the mountains of the house
as the high place of a forest
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and ALL Judah
put him at all to death?
Did he not fear the LORD – and besought the LORD
and the LORD REPENTED HIM of the evil
which HE had pronounced against them?
Thus might we procure great evil against our souls
Uriah the prophet killed for speaking the truth verse 20- 23
And there was also a man that prophesied
in the name of the LORD
Urijah son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-hearim
who prophesied against this city and against this land
according to all the words of Jeremiah
And when Jehoiakim the KING with all his mighty men
and all the PRINCES – heard his words
the KING sought to put him to DEATH
BUT when Urijah heard it – he was afraid
and fled and went into Egypt
And Jehoiakim the KING sent men into Egypt – namely
Elnatian the son of Achbor and certain men
with him into Egypt
and they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt
and brought him to Jehoiakim the king
who slew him with the sword
and cast his dead body into the
graves of the common people
Ahikam stood up to defend Jeremiah verse 24
NEVERTHELESS the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan
was with Jeremiah that they should not give him
into the hand of the
PEOPLE to put him to DEATH
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Thus says the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command you to speak unto them; diminish not a word. (1639 “diminish” [gara] means omit, reduce, subtract, decrease, to scrape off, to shave, remove, lessen, withhold, clip, keep back, or make small)
DEVOTION: The command throughout Scripture was not to add to or take away from the message of the LORD. False prophets added to or took away from the Word of God and were judged for it.
The two books were we find the commands not to add or take away are Deuteronomy and Revelation. Each time there was a warning of judgment that needed to be heeded. Jeremiah was to go to the temple and tell the leaders of the nation that this was a final warning. Jeremiah was given a hard assignment. The assignment was to prophesy that the land of Judah was going to go into captivity unless they amended their ways.
The people didn’t like what Jeremiah had to say. They wanted to kill Jeremiah. One man stood up to defend Jeremiah. He was an elder. They didn’t kill Jeremiah because one man was willing to stand in the way.
Jeremiah wouldn’t shave the message of the LORD to please the people. He wanted to be faithful to the LORD.
Do we sometimes hear shepherds or pastors shave the word of God to make it more acceptable to the people in the pews? Do we witness only part of the truth of the gospel being preached in the pulpits of our world? Are there pastors who want to preach on Heaven but not preach on Hell? Is the whole counsel of God being presented in our churches? Is the pastor of the church we attend systematically going through the Word of God, so that, we hear the complete message of the Word of God.
When was the last time there was a message on Obadiah preached in the church where you attend? We need to not withhold the word of the LORD when HE gives us an opportunity to share our faith. One man stood against the crowd and won. Praise the LORD! Are we willing to stand in the gap???
CHALLENGE: Present the whole counsel of God to those who are students of the Word of God. Each book has a message for our generation. Share that message.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. (2717 “desolate” [charab] means waste, decay, to be in a state of ruin or destruction, to dry up, to be in ruins, to be dried up, or be devastated)
DEVOTION: Can you image going to the house of the LORD and condemning someone who is speaking for the LORD. Jeremiah was a man that God had sent to his own people to warn them regarding their actions.
Most people don’t like people who want to help them help them. They think that there is nothing wrong with them that needs correction. So, they get mad at someone who had a message from the LORD to help them stay on the right track or get off their present track to the right track.
The children of Israel and the Christians of today are prone to wander from the commands of the LORD. The LORD usually uses HIS WORD the Bible to warn people about what they are doing but some people who claim to be followers of the LORD are not reading their Bibles or praying with the attitude that the LORD can speak to them about something they are doing wrong in HIS sight.
The children of Israel didn’t want t hear what Jeremiah had to say and so the answer was to kill him so they could have peace. The answer today is to find a church that makes you feel good and not have to think about changing.
We have to look for the warnings of the LORD when we are not worshiping HIM as we should. HE wants HIS genuine followers to listen and change. The children of Israel were not willing to listen.
CHALLENGE: Are you listening to the LORD each day for areas that HE wants you to improve on for your service to HIM? If not, start. If so, change! Our world is not heading in the right direction.
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: 15 But know you for certain, that if you put me to death, you shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. (5355 “innocent” [naqiy] means guiltless, blameless, clean, clear, pure, or free from obligation.
DEVOTION: Here we find the third time that the people wanted to kill Jeremiah. First we found that his home townspeople wanted to kill him. Then we read that the people of Jerusalem wanted to kill him. Here again we find that they were thinking of killing him. They really wanted to end his life.
Jeremiah stated that if they killed him they would be killing someone who is blameless of any fault. He was just relaying the message of the LORD to them. This was true in all occasion where they wanted to kill him.
He had just stated that if they would amend their ways or change their ways the LORD would relent of what HE had planned for them.
What was the LORD’S plan? HE was sending an army from Babylon to conquer the area because of the sins of the people. They were going to utterly destroy Jerusalem. They were going to kill all those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem or run to Egypt. Only those who surrendered to the Babylonians would be spared. They were promised by the LORD that they would return to the Promised Land in seventy years.
Why seventy years? It is thought that the people stopped celebrating the Sabbath rest of the land and that was the time period it would take to correct this sin of the people.
Those who were willing to kill him were the ones who thought if they killed him his message would not come true. They were lying to themselves.
Sometimes there are people today who think if they don’t go to church and hear the true of the Word of God, it won’t happen. It is sad but true. The problem is that the LORD only changes HIS actions toward HIS people when they repent and turn in a different direction. If they don’t turn HE will send HIS judgment.
Believers have to examine themselves on the basis of the Word of God on a regular basis to make sure they are following the LORD. HIS presence needs to be evident in their lives. There has to be regular growth. There has to be obedience.
CHALLENGE: We need to ask ourselves if we would have been part of the plot to kill Jeremiah because we don’t want to hear the message of change the LORD wants to happen in our life.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah,
so that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to
death. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: When God protects His word and workers, they are untouchable. Jeremiah proclaimed a message that was not received and the people wanted to kill him. Every time he spoke the anger and condemnation was evident against him. Yet he continued to speak and to be a public figure in spite of the hostility. Ahikam was a member of a very prominent Jerusalem family who held government office under Josiah and Jehoakim. Ahikam’s father, Shaphan, was royal secretary during the reign of Josiah (2 Kgs 22:3–20). Ahikam’s brothers, Elasah (Jer 29:3) and Gemariah (Jer 36:10–12, 25), and Gemariah’s son Micaiah (Jer 36:11–13), were also court officials. [The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 113.] This family apparently was able to keep Jeremiah from the people who desired to silence him.
We also have individuals and special guardians that the Lord brings into our lives and ministries to protect and place as buffers between us and the opposition. Sometimes we are aware of these individuals and sometimes they are at work in silent and obscure ways. Rest assured though that the Lord is watching over you and providing protection.
CHALLENGE: Christ calls us to proclaim His word in a harsh and cruel world. One that is opposed to his message and messengers! Take courage as He has promised that he would provide a comforter and people to protect and provide for us. Paul was reminded of this in Acts 18:9-10 when the Lord spoke to him and said, “…Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” Be strong and courageous as you minister for Him this week! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Hezekiah feared the LORD and besought HIM verse 18,19
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Court of the LORD’S house verse 2
speak to the cites of Judah
Worship in the house of the LORD verse 2, 7, 9, 10, 12
Priests verse 7, 8, 11, 16
wanted Jeremiah to die
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word from the LORD verse 1
Law of the LORD verse 4
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 4, 7- 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18- 20
House of the LORD verse 2, 7, 9, 10
LORD can relent of HIS judgment verse 3, 13, 19
I purpose to do to them because of
the evil of their doings verse 3
I may repent ME of the evil (judgment) verse 3
If you will not hearken to ME
to walk in MY law which I have
set before you verse 4
MY servants = the prophets verse 5
I have sent the prophets
who both rising up early verse 5
I will make this house like Shiloh verse 6
I will make this city (Jerusalem) a curse verse 6
Name of the LORD verse 9
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 13, 16
LORD your God verse 13
LORD will repent HIM of the evil that HE
Has pronounced against Jerusalem verse 13
LORD our God verse 16
LORD of hosts verse 18
LORD relented HIM of the judgment verse 19
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nations of the earth verse 6
Egypt verse 21- 23
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Evil verse 3, 13, 19
Not hearkening to LORD’S prophets verse 4
Not hearkening to the LORD verse 4, 5
False priests wanted to kill Jeremiah verse 8, 11, 16
False prophets wanted to kill Jeremiah verse 8, 11, 16
Murder verse 8
All the people gathered against Jeremiah verse 9
Shed Innocent blood verse 15
Afraid verse 22
Killing of prophet Urijah verse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Worship the LORD verse 2
Commands of the LORD verse 2, 8
Don’t diminish word of the LORD verse 2
Hearken to the LORD verse 3- 5
Turn from evil way verse 3
Walk in the law of the LORD verse 4
Servants verse 5
Prophets verse 5, 8, 11
Sent of the LORD verse 5
Speak for the LORD (prophecy) verse 12, 16, 20
Amend ways verse 13
Amend doings verse 13
Obey voice of the LORD your God verse 13
Truth verse 15
Fear of the LORD verse 19
Besought the LORD (prayer) verse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jehoiakim -son of Josiah verse 1, 21 – 23
sought to put Jeremiah to death
sent men into Egypt
Elnathan – son of Achbor
certain men with him
fetched Urijah out of Egypt and
brought him to Jehoiakim
that slew him
Josiah – king of Judah verse 1
Jeremiah verse 2- 24
Stand in the court of the LORD’S house
Speak to the cities of Judah
that come to worship in the
LORD’S house
Speak what I (LORD) command you
diminish not a word
Made an end of speaking for the LORD:
people wanted him to die
Reason: he prophesied that Jerusalem
and house of God would be like
Shiloh and city shall be desolate
People wanted to kill him because he
prophesied against Jerusalem
Says: the LORD sent me to prophesy
against this house and against
this city all the words that
you have heard
Tells them to amend their ways
Message: LORD will repent HIM of the evil
that HE has pronounced against
Jerusalem
He said: I am in your hand: do with me
as seems good and meet to you
BUT know you for certain, that
if you put me to death
You shall surely bring innocent blood
on yourselves, and this city
and on the inhabitants thereof
For of a truth the LORD has sent me
to you to speak all these words
in your ears
Princes said This man is
not worthy to die : for he
has spoken to us in the name
of the LORD our God
Judah verse 2, 18, 19
LORD’S house verse 2
Shiloh verse 6, 9
Jerusalem verse 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 18, 20
Prophets -wanted Jeremiah to die verse 7, 8, 16
People wanted Jeremiah to die verse 8, 11, 16
Jeremiah verse 7, 9, 12, 20, 24
Princes of Judah verse 10- 12, 16, 21
Elders verse 17
Spoke to all the assembly of the people
saying: Micah the Morashthite
prophesied in the days of
Hezekiah king of Judah
And spake to all the people of Judah
saying:
Micah the Morasthite verse 18
Prophesied in the days of Hezekiah
king of Judah: thus says the
LORD of hosts Zion shall be
plowed like a field and
Jerusalem shall become heaps and
the mountains of the house as
the high places of a forest
Hezekiah – king of Judah verse 18, 19
Zion verse 18
Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim verse 20, 21, 23
Prophesied against Jerusalem
Prophesied against the land
Fetched out of Egypt
Killed by Jehoiakim
Put in grave of common people
Elnathan verse 22
Ahikam – son of Shaphan
was with Jeremiah
prevented Jeremiah from death verse 24
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Death verse 15, 19
Die verse
Micah put to death verse 19
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QUOTES regarding passage
26:3–5 These verses imply that we are free to accept or reject God’s words, but we will suffer the consequences. God blesses obedience and punishes disobedience. God’s attitude toward sin and disobedience does not change, but we can change. The disobedient can become obedient; the obedient can become disobedient (18:1–12; cf. Ezek 18:21, 24). Judah refused to listen to the Lord’s prophets, though he had sent prophets to them “again and again” (lit., “rising early and sending,” a favorite expression of Jeremiah; it is found elsewhere in the OT only in 2 Chr 36:15). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 235). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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4–6 Here we have a kind of precis of the longer address in chapter 7. Perhaps because of their very succinctness, vv.4–6 convey a clearer note of pleading than chapter 7 does. In the precis three things stand out: (1) the necessity of obeying God’s law (v.4) if the coming punishment is to be averted; (2) Jeremiah’s alignment with other prophets in Judah who had preached repentance or judgment (v.5); and (3) the unrelieved gravity of the sentence on the temple and on the city of Jerusalem (v.6). Shiloh was not far from Jerusalem; the people could see the evidences of its destruction (c. 1050 b.c.)—a destruction that overtook it even though it had been the first resting place of the ark of the covenant in the land. Even worse, Jerusalem and Judah would become notorious among the nations as an example of God’s execration. Debased before the nations, Jerusalem would be an object lesson of the consequences of incurring God’s wrath. What a contrast to the promise in Genesis 12:3! (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 538). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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26:4–6. The content of the message was one of judgment for disobedience. If the people refused to follow God’s Law and to listen to God’s servants the prophets (cf. 7:21–26), God would make the temple (this house) as desolate as the tabernacle that once stood at Shiloh (cf. 7:14). Also people would curse the city of Jerusalem (cf. comments on 24:9). (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 1162–1163). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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This chapter should be studied in connection with chapter 7, because they both deal with Jeremiah’s courageous sermon given in the temple. The sermon is summarized in verses 3–7, and you will note the emphasis on hearing the Word of God (see 25:3–8). Jeremiah preached exactly what God commanded him to preach and didn’t alter the message in order to please the people. The false prophets preached what the people wanted to hear, but Jeremiah preached what the people needed to hear. “Whatever I command thee thou shalt speak” (1:7).
The people in the temple, however, encouraged by the priests and false prophets, rejected Jeremiah’s message and treated him like a false prophet who deserved to die. To them, it was blasphemous for Jeremiah to declare that Jehovah would allow the holy city and His holy temple to fall into the defiling and destructive hands of the heathen the way the ark at Shiloh fell into the hands of the Philistines (1 Sam. 4). Since God’s covenant with David protected the city and the temple, Jeremiah was actually denying the covenant! He was leading the people astray and deserved to die (Deut. 18:20).
Receiving a report about a tumult in the temple, the officials left the palace and came to the temple to see what was occurring. (This reminds us of Paul’s experience recorded in Acts 21:27–40.) After hearing the people, priests, and prophets charge Jeremiah with blasphemy, they gave the prophet opportunity to speak. Jeremiah then presented three arguments in his defense.
First, what he had spoken was commanded by the Lord because the Lord had sent him (Jer. 26:12, 15). If they killed him, they were killing one of God’s prophets, and he would rather be faithful to God and die than unfaithful and live. Second, they were the ones in danger; he was the one seeking to rescue them! (v. 13) If they repented and obeyed God’s Word, the Lord would relent of His plans to judge the nation and would deliver them. Third, if they killed him, they would shed innocent blood, and that would only make their impending judgment worse. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 116–117). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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He had been commanded by the Lord to stand in the temple courts, evidently on the occasion of some one of the yearly feasts; for he was to “speak unto all the cities of Judah which come to worship in the Lord’s house.” He had no choice as to the matter of the discourse, for he was told to speak “all the words” (not merely the thoughts or ideas clothed in language of his own choosing, as the opponents of verbal inspiration would fain have us believe) that the Lord commanded him—diminishing nothing (ver. 2). See 1 Cor. 2:13. Notice that the very words spoken by the apostle were, as in Jeremiah’s case, those which the Holy Ghost taught.
If the people of the cities of Judah would hearken, and turn from their evil way, the Lord might repent Him of the evil which He purposed to do unto them because of their iniquities. If they refused to heed the message, and persisted in their wilful course, He would make His house desolate like Shiloh, where He had dwelt of old, and Jerusalem should become “a curse to all the nations of the earth” (vers. 3–6). (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (pp. 126–127). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 4. And thou shalt say unto them, &c.] What follows is the substance of the prophecy, and the sum of the sermon or discourse he was sent to deliver, without diminishing a word of it: if ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law which I have set before you; first by Moses, by whose hands it was given to their fathers; and by the prophets, the interpreters of it to them; before whom it was set as a way for them to walk in, and a rule to walk by; a directory for them in their lives and conversations; and which continues to be so, as it is set before us Christians by our King and Lawgiver Jesus Christ; though not to obtain righteousness and life by the works of it; which should not be sought for, nor are attainable thereby.
Ver. 5. To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, &c.] The interpretations they give of the law; the doctrines they deliver; the exhortations, cautions, and reproofs given by them in the name of the Lord, whose servants they were; and therefore should be hearkened to; since hearkening to them is hearkening to the Lord himself, in whose name they speak, and whose message they deliver: whom I sent unto you, both rising up early and sending them; they had their mission and commission from the Lord; and who was careful to send them betimes, if they might be instruments to do them good and prevent their ruin; they had the best of means, and these seasonable, and so were left without excuse: (but ye have not hearkened:) neither to the Lord, nor to his prophets; but went on in their own ways, neglecting the law of the Lord and the instructions of his servants. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 546). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Over and over again I have encountered evangelicals who are so enamored by the “newness” of modern theological ideas that they abandon the real giants whose writings have stood for centuries. (p. 198, (No GOD but GOD: Breaking with the Idols of Our Age by Os Guiness and John Seel)
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When you walk in darkness you are blind to your personal faults. Since only those who agree with your pain are allowed an entrance into your soul, you choose a path where you are able to see the wrongdoings of others with undimmed clarity, but you will be near stone-blind to your own glaring faults. (p. 28)
The judgmental person actually has a beam in his own eye and what he sees in others is but a speck. (p. 28)
The more a person becomes involved in sin, the less he sees it. Sin is a hideous disease that destroys a person’s ability to comprehend its existence. (p. 29)
No wonder Paul warned that we should not be deceived by the “deceitfulness of sin”! Gallagher says the person who refuses to deal with his sin often thinks he is the most spiritual! (p. 30) (When You’ve Been WRONGED – Moving from bitterness to forgiveness by Erwin W. Lutzer)
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Jesus is perceived as an earthly king as He rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey.
INSIGHT
When Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, why does the crowd rush out to greet Him? The answer is found in Jewish culture and history. In Old Testament times, one of the ways a king was inaugurated was to get on a donkey and have a large retinue of people walk along behind him shouting, “Long live the King!”
The crowd in the temple wants to make Jesus king. When they see Him riding toward them on a donkey, they use it as an opportunity to precipitate a coronation. That He was crucified shortly afterward indicates that they were looking only for a national leader rather than a personal Savior. How do you see Him? (Quiet Walk)
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THE ESSENCE OF SANCTIFICATION
…that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
The essence of sanctification is that I love the God in whom I believe and who has been revealed to me with the whole of my being. Indeed I do not hesitate to assert that if I think of sanctification in any lesser terms than that, I am being unscriptural. This is scriptural holiness. This is the holiness, the sanctification, that is produced and promoted by the truth of God, because it is the truth concerning God.
Then it follows from that—I think directly—that a man who thus loves God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength does so because he is called upon to do so and is commanded to do so. To such a man the main thing in life is to glorify God and to show forth His praises.
This is the argument of the apostle Peter when he reminds the people to whom he is writing that at one time, before they became Christians, they were not a people. “Which in time past,” he says in 1 Peter 2:10, “were not a people but are now the people of God.” You who are called out of darkness into light are a “peculiar people”(verse 9). Why? What is the object of it all? “That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). “Praises” there means “excellencies”or “virtues”; it means the glorious, marvelous attributes of God. And so sanctification is that condition in which we praise God just by being what we are. Of course, it includes not doing certain things, but it is not only that. It is much more. By being what we are in all the totality of our personalities and in the whole of our lives, we reveal and manifest the virtues and the excellencies of God.
A Thought to Ponder: Sanctification is that condition in which we praise God just by being what we are. (From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 91, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Contend for the Faith
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3)
Jude long ago addressed a problem in his day that is still very real in our day among Christians. It is easier and more comfortable just to teach and preach about the blessings of our common salvation than it is to contend for the faith, but the latter is more “needful.” The word conveys the idea that he was so constrained, evidently by the Holy Spirit, as actually to be in distress about this compelling need. Similarly, his exhortation to “earnestly contend” does not mean to “be argumentative,” but rather, to “agonize with intense determination.” It is one word in the Greek, epagonizomai (literally, “agonize over”). Defending and contending for the faith is serious, urgent business.
That which we are to defend is “the faith”—the whole body of Christian truth, wherever it is under attack. It would, of course, be especially important to contend for the doctrine of special creation, which is the foundation of all others, and which is the doctrine perpetually under the most concerted and persistent attack by the adversary.
That faith has been, long ago, “once delivered” to the saints. The sense of these words is “once for all turned over for safekeeping.” The Lord has entrusted us with His Word, completed and inscripturated, and we must keep it, uncorrupted and intact, for every generation until He returns, preaching and teaching all of it to every creature, to the greatest extent we possibly can.
Finally, note that the safeguarding of the faith was not merely to specially trained theologians or other professionals, but to “the saints.” Every Christian believer is commanded to “earnestly contend for the faith.” (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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