Jeremiah 27
Message of the LORD during reign of Jehoiakim verse 1
In the beginning of the reign of
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah
came the word unto Jeremiah from the LORD
saying
Object lesson of the yoke verse 2- 7
Thus says the LORD to me
Make you bonds and yokes – and put them upon your neck
and send them to the king of Edom – Moab – the Ammonites
Tyre – Sidon by the hand of the messengers which
come to Jerusalem to
Zedekiah king of Judah
Command them to
say to their masters
Thus says the LORD of hosts
the God of Israel
Thus shall you
say to your masters
I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the ground
by MY great power by MY outstretched arm
and have given it to whom it seemed
meet to ME
NOW I have given all these lands into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon MY servant
And the beasts of the field have
I given him also to serve him
And all nations shall serve him his son – his son’s son
until the very time of his land come
AND then many nations and great
kings shall serve themselves of him
LORD will judge any nation not submitting verse 8
AND it shall come to pass
that the nation and kingdom which will not serve he same
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon
and that will not put their neck under the yoke of
the king of Babylon
that nation will I punish – says the LORD
with the sword – famine – pestilence
until I have consumed them by his hand
Warning to not listen to lying prophets verse 9- 11
THEREFORE hearken not you to your PROPHETS – DIVINERS
DREAMERS – ENCHANTERS – SORCERERS
which speak unto you – saying
You shall not serve the king of Babylon
for they prophesy a LIE to you
to remove you far from your land
and that I should drive you out
and you shall perish
BUT the nations that bring their NECK under the YOKE
of the king of Babylon – and serve him
those will I let remain still in their land
says the LORD
and they shall till it and dwell therein
Jeremiah encourages Zedekiah to listen verse 12- 15
I spoke also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words
saying
Bring your NECKS under the YOKE of the king of Babylon
and serve him and his people – and LIVE
Why will you die – you and your people
by the sword – famine – pestilence
as the LORD has spoken against the nation that
will not serve the king of Babylon?
THEREFORE hearken not unto the words of the prophets
that speak unto you – saying
You shall not serve the king of Babylon
for they prophesy a LIE unto you
For I have NOT sent them – says the LORD
yet they prophesy a LIE in MY name
that I might drive you out – and that you might perish
you – and the prophets that prophesy to you
Jeremiah encourages priests and people to listen verse 16- 18
Also I spoke to the PRIESTS and to all the PEOPLE – saying
Thus says the LORD
Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy
to you saying
BEHOLD the vessels of the LORD’S house shall
now shortly be brought again from Babylon
FOR they prophesy a LIE unto you
Hearken not to them serve the king of Babylon – and live
Wherefore should this city be laid waste?
BUT if they be prophets and if the word of the LORD be with them
let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts
that the vessels which are left in the
house of the LORD
and in house of the king of Judah and at Jerusalem
go not to Babylon
LORD says all vessels of Temple going to Babylon verse 19- 22
FOR thus says the LORD of hosts concerning
the pillars – sea – bases
residue of the vessels that remain in this city
WHICH Nebuchadnezzar – king of Babylon took not
when he carried away captive Jeconiah
son of Jehoiakim – king of Judah
from Jerusalem to Babylon
AND all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem
Yea – thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD
and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem
They shall be carried to Babylon and there shall they be until the day
that I visit them – says the LORD
THEN will I bring them up
and RESTORE them to THIS PLACE
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me (The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982)
DEVOTION: Speaking to authority and powers can be an intimidating and fearful experience! God seems to repeatedly bring his leaders and spoke persons into confrontation with earthly authorities. From Genesis to Revelation the message must be spoken faithfully and without respect to civil powers. That is not to say that the people who spoke for God did not show respect and exercise wisdom and judgment while in the presence of authorities. Moses, Abraham, Joseph, Elijah, Esther, Nehemiah, Paul and many others are examples of this truth. In each instance the men or women recognized God was sovereign and directing their lives. When Jeremiah stood before the king and priests of Israel and declared the message he also acknowledged God’s sovereignty. Irving Jensen in his little book [Jeremiah and Lamentations, Moody Press, Chicago, 1976. 80.] states that Jeremiah’ message in these verses(1-8) involves a) the fact of sovereignty v. 5 b) the exercise of sovereignty v. 6-7, and c) the warning of sovereignty v.8.
As sovereign God chose who would rule and who would serve. A lesson that we need to remember and take to heart as well.
CHALLENGE: Many times, we struggle with the path and leading of God when it is not prosperous and filled with sunshine. Jeremiah spoke clearly to a rebellious people of the path God had provided them to walk. As He directs us let us submit and not be rebellious. May we accept His sovereign rule of our lives and paths. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon. (3786 “sorcerers” [kashshaph] means a magician, enchanter, or one who practices the black magic arts)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel and Judah had strayed far from the LORD. They were practicing all kinds of false religion. They were looking to the stars for guidance. They were asking people to interpret their dreams. They were looking for people who could contact the dead to give answers. Finally, they were consulting with those who could perform magic. They were turning to everyone they could excluding the LORD.
Jeremiah tells the king of Judah, the leaders and the people that these individuals are liars. Their prophets that were telling them that the captivity would end right away were liars. The only one telling the truth was Jeremiah. Jeremiah warns the Israelites not to trust the words of this group of people.
We need to understand the same warning. There are many false prophets with false messages that are being quoted today. We still have false prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters and magicians in this world that say they have power that is given to them of God.
One of the rules in the Old Testament regarding anyone who said they had a message from God is that they had to be one hundred percent accurate. If they were not one hundred percent accurate, they were to be killed.
We don’t have that authority today but they should be as dead men to us. However, too often, these false dispensers of lies fool people who claim to be Christians. Don’t listen! Watch out! Some just want our money but others just want to lead us as far from the God of the Bible as they can. Watch who we follow!! Watch who we listen too! Watch want we read! There are Christians who look at their horoscope each morning. This is not what the LORD wants us to do. Some even look at the fortune cookies for their lucky numbers. LOOK to the Word of God and those who preach it only!!!
CHALLENGE: Watch who or what you depend on for your future outlook on life. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit should guide you.
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: 15 For I have not sent them, says the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in MY name; that I might drive you out, and that you might perish, you, and the prophets that prophesy to you. (5012 “naba’] means to deliver a prophetic mess, either of proper behavior to a standard or of future events, to cause to bubble up, be in prophetic ecstasy, or to be in a prophetic trance)
DEVOTION: The LORD sent prophets who would proclaim HIS message only. The problem is that there were individuals who said they were coming from the LORD but they were lying to the people.
Even today we find individuals who say they have been sent of God but are not saying what the LORD says in HIS Word. They are giving new ideas to what the Bible says and people are believing them because they are saying what they want to hear.
This was true in the Old Testament and it is true today. Many people don’t want to hear the truth of the Word of God but only hear what makes them feel good about themselves and the way they are heading which is further and further away from the LORD.
The children of Israel would listen to lies and not seem to care because the lies pleased them.
We have to ask ourselves when we attend church each Sunday if we are genuinely hearing the truth of the Word of God or just being entertained for a while and then feeling good that they had ben in church.
Just being in church is not enough. You have to be in a church that is preaching the truth of the Word of God and not just entertaining you with music and saying what you want to hear.
All believers need to be challenged to grow in the LORD which means hearing things they don’t want to hear that will improve their walk with the LORD. What do you want to hear? Truth or just be entertained?
CHALLENGE: The LORD wants you to read your Bible and go to a church that will challenge you to grow in your service to HIM and others.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, says the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place. (6485 “visit” [paqad] means attend to, muster, appoint, pay attention to, observe, or hunt up)
DEVOTION: We find that there are many false prophets in the days of Jeremiah. They were the ones lying to the people. However, the people would rather believe a lie rather than the truth from the mouth of Jeremiah.
There is a tendency in all of us to want to hear what we like rather than what we don’t like. We really don’t want to change our habits. We seem to enjoy our sinful habits and think that it is OK to keep them.
The LORD has sent many messengers with the instructions from the LORD to change their present habits and the LORD will take away the captivity. They didn’t want to hear it. They were going into captivity no matter what the false prophets had told them.
One of the benefits of believing in the LORD is the fact that HE is a God of HOPE. HE always gives a message of future hope to those who are believers. They might pay the consequences of their sins while they are still here on the earth but HE does restore after a time. We find this promise in this verse.
HE is going to bring the vessels of the house of the LORD back to the Promised Land after seventy years. We know from reading the rest of Scripture that it is the people who will bring the vessels back. The remnant that is believers will return.
Remember they were the ones the LORD told through Jeremiah to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar and be taken into captivity. The ones who refused to obey the command were killed. Even those who fled to Egypt were killed.
Jeremiah gave God’s instructions and those who obeyed would see the Promised Land again. Those who disobeyed were dead.
God still gives promises today. HE informs us concerning the future. We are to obey HIS commands to us while we are still here. We are to be witnesses for HIM to our world. We are to be ones who keep in close contact with HIM on a daily basis. We are the ones who humbly follow HIM.
CHALLENGE: The LORD through Jeremiah told HIS people what the future was going to be. It happened just as HE said. This is our HOPE.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODYi
Chastty (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
Intercession verse 18
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Priests verse 16
LORD’s house verse 16, 18, 21
Vessels verse 18, 19, 21
Pillars verse 19
Sea verse 19
Bases verse 19
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 18
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17 19, 21, 22
LORD of hosts verse 4, 18, 19, 21
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 4, 21
God of Israel verse 4, 21
Creator verse 5
Omnipotence verse 5
Outstretched arm verse 5
I have given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar verse 6
I have given Nebuchadnezzar – MY servant
the beasts of the field to serve him,
all nations shall serve him
his son, his son’s son, verse 6, 7
Punishment of God on nations not serving
Nebuchadnezzar verse 8
Tells Israel not to hearken to prophets
or diviners, or dreamers, or enchanters
or sorcerers verse 9
LORD has spoken against the nation verse 13
Word of the LORD verse 18
House of the LORD verse 18, 21
Promise to Israel: Day I visit them verse 22
Promise of restoration verse 22
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)
King of Edom verse 3
King of Moab verse 3
King of the Ammonites verse 3
King of Tyrus verse 3
King of Zidon verse 3
Nebuchadnezzar – king of Babylon verse 6, 8, 9, 11- 14, 17, 20
God’s servant
Nebuchadnezzar – God’s servant verse 6
All nations verse 7
Babylon verse 16, 18
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Consulting false prophets verse 9, 10, 14- 16
Consulting diviners verse 9
Consulting dreamers verse 9
Consulting enchanters verse 9
Consulting sorcerers verse 9
Lie verse 10, 14- 16
Listening to false prophets verse 14, 16
God has not sent false prophets verse 15
Prophesy a lie verse 16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
LORD speaks to priests verse 16
Not listening to false prophets verse 17
Future restoration verse 22
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jehoiakim- son of Josiah king of Judah verse 1
Jeremiah verse 1
Had word of the LORD
He was to put bonds and yokes
on his neck
He was to send a message to other
nations
Jerusalem verse 3, 18, 20, 21
Zedekiah – king of Judah verse 3, 12, 18
LORD spoke to him: bring your necks
Under the yoke of Babylon
Israel verse 4
False prophets prophesy a lie in HIS name verse 15
Don’t listen to prophets that verse 16
To serve the king of Babylon verse 17
King of Judah verse 18
Jeconiah- son of Jehoiakim – king of Judah verse 20
Nobles of Judah and Jerusalem verse 20
House of the king of Judah and Jerusalem
carried to Babylon verse 21
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Perish verse 10
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QUOTES regarding passage
27:14–15 Though 27:12 is addressed to Zedekiah, the plural pronoun “you” (27:14–15) and the plural verbs used throughout 27:12–15 (“bow … serve … live … die … listen … perish”) show that the entire nation was included in the appeal to Zedekiah. The Lord warned Zedekiah, as he had warned the rulers in 27:1–11, not to listen to the lies of the prophets because he had not sent them. Because they believed the false prophets, the Lord declared that he would banish both Zedekiah and the prophets who were leading him astray (see 39:5–7, where the fate predicted here for Zedekiah overtook him). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 244). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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Jeremiah then gave the same message to King Zedekiah (Jer. 27:12–15). Since the king had rebelled against Babylon and refused to pay tribute, he was now in serious trouble. When the king saw Jeremiah wearing the yoke, he surely must have gotten the message: “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live” (v. 12). Jeremiah warned the king not to listen to the deceptive messages of the false prophets, because they were speaking only lies in the name of the Lord.
Jeremiah then delivered the “yoke message” to the priests and the people (vv. 16–22). The false prophets were claiming that the valuable articles of gold and bronze that the Babylonians had taken from the temple would soon be returned to Jerusalem, but Jeremiah knew this was a lie. Actually, these treasures weren’t brought back until God visited the Jews and the remnant returned to Judah after the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1–2). The important thing wasn’t to rescue the temple furnishings but to save the people from death and the city from destruction. This could be done only if the nation submitted to the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah taunted the false prophets by encouraging them to pray about the matter. After all, if they were true prophets of God, the Lord would surely answer their prayers. He told them to pray, not for the return of the treasures now in Babylon, but for the preservation of the treasures still in the temple. When the Babylonians organized a second deportation in 597 at the beginning of Zedekiah’s reign (Jer. 27:1; 28:1), it proved that the false prophets were indeed liars and that their prayers weren’t answered.
Jeremiah ended his message to the priests and people with a promise of hope: At the end of the seventy years of captivity, God would visit His people in Babylon and bring them back to their land. Even in wrath, God remembers mercy (Hab. 3:2). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 119–120). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Chapters twenty-seven and twenty-eight are intimately connected. Both alike treat of the general subject of passive submission to the Babylonian yoke. Strange as it may seem to those not conversant with the ways of God with man on earth as outlined in the Scriptures, it was He Himself who had raised up Nebuchadrezzar and had given His people and the Gentile nations into his hand. This, and the failure on man’s part (especially that of the “head of gold,” as the Chaldean monarch was declared to be), will all be found fully detailed in the book of Daniel. It was for Israel and Judah to own God’s righteousness in thus causing the dominion to pass from David’s house, because of their sin, and to be given to the stranger. This, Zedekiah, as we have seen, did not do; and from the present position it would appear that he and the kings of the surrounding nations, Edom, Moab, Ammon, etc., had attempted an organized coalition against the king of Babylon. Jeremiah is therefore commissioned to warn Zedekiah and his allies of the futility of any such attempt.
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To Zedekiah also a personal warning and entreaty was given. He was urged not to rise in rebellion, but to bend his neck to the yoke, thus saving himself and the people. In his court also were false prophets, who predicted the success of his effort to throw off subjection to Babylon, but the Lord had not sent them. They were prophesying lies in His name (vers. 12–15). (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 134). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 15. For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, &c.] See ch. 23:21: yet they prophesy a lie in my name; to deliver out a lie was a very wicked thing, sinful in them, and fatal to others; but to make use of the name of the Lord, and cover it with that, and back it with his authority, was much more wicked and abominable: that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish; being driven out of their own land, perish in another; which, though the false prophets did not intend by their prophesying, yet such would be, and was, the issue of it: ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you; for it would end in the ruin and destruction of them both; both of the false prophets, as the Targum here again calls them, and those that listened to their prophecies; both would fall into the same ditch. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 552). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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27:12–15. Jeremiah delivered the same message to the king of Judah. Again the prophet’s word contained two parts. The first part was God’s command to Zedekiah to bow his neck under Babylon’s yoke and to continue to serve Babylon as a vassal king. If he refused to serve Babylon, the judgment God had threatened would come on Judah. The second part of Jeremiah’s message was a warning not to trust the false prophets. Those predicting victory were prophesying lies because God had not sent them. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1165). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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13–15. Zedekiah was restless under the Babylonian yoke, and the false prophets found only too ready a hearing from him. He is addressed in the plural because his feelings were fully shared by the mass of the officers of state and by the people. (Barnes, A. (1879). Notes on the Old Testament: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Jeremiah, Lamentations & Ezekiel. (F. C. Cook & J. M. Fuller, Eds.) (p. 216). London: John Murray.)
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2. The Call to Submit and to Serve the King of Babylon: Verses 12–22. He speaks to the king and to the priests and calls them to submit to the new government established with Nebuchadnezzar. He urges them not to believe the lying prophets with their false, optimistic message, who promised smooth things. Every message they uttered, contradicted the Word of God. It is the same in Christendom today. The rationalistic critics have a message of unscriptural optimism concerning the conditions of this age, which contradicts everything made known in the prophetic Word. Part of the vessels from the temple had been carried away. The false prophets said that these vessels would shortly be returned. The Lord dispels this lying message, for He reveals through His prophet that the remaining vessels shall also be taken to Babylon. (Gaebelein, A. C. (2009). The Annotated Bible: Proverbs to Ezekiel (Vol. 4, p. 222). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
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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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Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.” (J.I. Packer)
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“A God whom we could understand exhaustively, and whose revelation of Himself confronted us with no mysteries whatsoever, would be a God in man’s image, and therefore an imaginary God, not the God of the Bible at all.” (J.I. Packer)
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There is a common misconception in the Christian world that if you are doing the Lord’s will, you will not suffer hardships for it. The example of the Jews rebuilding the temple certainly does not support that supposition. The Lord clearly intends for them to rebuild the temple, yet they suffer opposition the entire time. It is not necessarily a sign of God’s displeasure when work begun for Him fails. There may be other reasons for the failure, which are hidden in His sovereignty. That is why it is so important to be in fellowship with Him. If something we are doing fails, we have confidence that it is not because of our sin, but His sovereignty. (Quietwalk July 3 by Walk thru the Bible)
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In 2011, the Human Rights Campaign launched a video series that, according to HRC’s president, would “help drive the national conversation about same-sex marriage.” And it did just that. The series featured professional athletes, movie stars, politicians and civil rights leaders. And look where we are today.
Looking back, it’s clear that while opponents of same-sex marriage made much better arguments, the advocates changed the cultural imagination.
Well on Monday, the HRC announced a new video campaign called “Americans for the Equality Act.” This time, Christians need to be prepared to respond.
According to Andrew Walker of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, “the Equality Act represents the most invasive threat to religious liberty ever proposed in America.”
I agree—with the caveat that the Equality Act seemed virtually unpassable when it was first conceived all the way back in 1974. In fact, it seemed unpassable in 1984, 1994, 2004 and even 2014.
But today, what seemed unthinkable seems quite possible.
Despite the name, backers of the Equality Act aren’t seeking a balance of LGBTQ rights with religious rights. As Andrew told me recently on the BreakPoint Podcast, the Equality Act “is a winner-take all solution. It takes the categories of gender identity and sexual orientation and elevates them to a protected class in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
That would men in every area of public life—public accommodation, public education, and even Christian education—gender identity and sexual orientation would receive the highest level of federal protection.
Even worse, the Equality Act specifically targets the Religious Freedom Restoration Act—a bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed by President Clinton. So in cases involving claims of discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation, religious rights would be tossed aside. The Barronelle Stutzmans and Jack Phillips of the world—or any Christian trying to live out their convictions in public life—wouldn’t stand a chance.
That means that religious conviction about sexual behavior or gender realities would immediately, as Andrew said on the podcast, be put “on the opposite side of federal law . . . Our viewpoints on marriage and sexuality and how we define male and female,” would be considered irrational. And that we hold them not with good will, but with animus. “The Equality Act,” Andrew continued, “effectively turns Billy Graham into Jim Crow.”
The new Human Rights Campaign videos, which will feature actress Sally Field, figure skater Adam Rippon, Jamie Lee Curtis, and a host of other celebrities, are designed to “drive the conversation” for the Equality Act.
In fact, part of the campaign is to actively recruit “local sponsors” for the Equality Act.
To be as clear as I can, every single Christian needs to know how to talk about gender identity and sexual attraction in light of our larger rights to live out of our deepest convictions about God’s design for human sexuality and human flourishing.
The supporters of the Equality Act don’t want debate or discussion. The Equality Act is designed to effectively shut down debate about human sexuality, about gender, about same-sex attraction. That’s a national debate that we’ve actually never had. It will instead force an answer on Americans that self-determination in those areas is the same thing as race.
Also, I need to mention that some Christians are currently exploring legislative efforts to compromise with the Equality Act in order to gain protection for Christian institutions. But this would grant into law something that’s not true about our most fundamental identity as human beings—something that’s central for human flourishing. And such attempts might protect certain religious institutions, but would do so at the expenses of individual Christians in the public square. That’s not religious freedom.
Right now, the Equality Act has no chance of passing in this Congress. But elections matter: If just a few seats flip in the next election, we may very well get the Equality Act, unless we begin to act now.
Start by learning about the Equality Act. Come to BreakPoint.org, click on this commentary, and I’ll link you to an excellent article by Andrew Walker called “The Equality Act Accelerates Anti-Christian Bias.” Share it with your friends, with your clergy, with public officials. Link to it on Facebook. I’ll also link you to the podcast episode with Andrew Walker.
Christians were caught napping in 2011. The HRC and supporters of the Equality Act are counting on us to be asleep at our posts again. We can’t let that happen.
BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today’s news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions.
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The Pharisees and Sadducees attempt to discredit Jesus through treacherous questions.
INSIGHT
In today’s passage, we see one of the most marvelous teachings in the New Testament. An attorney, intrigued by the quality of the answers Jesus gives to the Pharisees who are trying to discredit Him, asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is. He only asks for one; Jesus gives him two.
The Lord says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . [and] your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these”(Mark 12:30-31). The Christian life can be very complex, but at its heart, it is very simple: love God and others. (Daily Walk)
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NEW CREATURES
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:4
There is no point in our saying that we believe that Christ has died for us and that we believe our sins are forgiven unless we can also say that for us old things are passed away and all things are become new, that our outlook toward the world and its method of living is entirely changed. It is not that we are sinless, nor that we are perfect, but that we have finished with that way of life. We have seen it for what it is, and we are new creatures for whom everything has become new.
But I can imagine somebody saying, “Don’t you think that this is rather a dangerous doctrine? Don’t you think it is dangerous to tell people that they are dead to sin, dead to the law, dead to Satan, and that God regards them as if they had never sinned at all? Won’t the effect of that make such people say, ‘All right, in view of that, it does not matter what I do’?” But Paul says that what happens is the exact opposite, and that must be so because to be saved and to be truly Christian means that we are in Christ, and if we are in Christ, we are dead to sin, dead to Satan, dead to the world, dead to our old selves. We are like our Lord.
Let me put that positively. We have not only died with Christ—we have also risen with Him: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). We live in “newness of life.” We have been raised with Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: If we are in Christ, we are dead to sin, dead to Satan, dead to the world, dead to our old selves. (From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 120-121, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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With Friends Like That . . .
It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him. PHILIPPIANS 1:29, NIV
As Bob Lepine, my cohost on FamilyLife Today, was leaving for work one morning, he put his arm around his wife and prayed, “Lord, I ask that You would stretch Mary Ann today, that You would challenge her spiritually and cause her to grow in the image of Christ.” And when he “amen”-ed his way to a close, Mary Ann looked back at him and said, “Would you mind just praying that I’d have a nice day and that the kids would behave?”
Even though I can certainly sympathize with Mary Ann, I also recognize how important it is to pray for my wife to grow spiritually—even if it requires asking for a little “stretching” to occur. The key is to know her and to be tuned in to her truest, deepest needs. There are clearly times when you should pray that your wife has a good day filled with all the things that give her joy—or for your husband to be blessed with success and a sense of God’s favor on his work. But there are also times when it’s appropriate to pray that the Lord will deepen your wife’s faith or expand her view of God. There are times to pray that the only way your husband will taste the thrill of victory is when he allows Jesus Christ to work in and through him to conquer a particular challenge in his life.
Prayer is so much more than a wish list at a candy store. Communicating and relating to God on behalf of each other means understanding that what your husband or wife wants may be the last thing he or she needs. Be willing to pray bold, farsighted prayers. And be willing to have them prayed over you. The secret of spiritual fitness is often found in the stretching.
DISCUSS: Share with one another a couple of things that you could use prayer for—challenges you are facing. (Moments with YOU by Dennis & Barbara Rainey)
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