Jeremiah 29
Jeremiah sends letter to exiles in Babylon verse 1- 3
Now these are the words of the LETTER that Jeremiah the prophet
sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were
carried away captive – and to the priests – and to the prophets
and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had
carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
(After that Jeconiah the king – and the queen – and the eunuchs
the princes of Judah and Jerusalem – the carpenters
the smiths were departed from Jerusalem)
By the hand of Elasah – the son of Shaphan
and Gemariah – the son of Hilkiah
(whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon
to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) – saying
Content of the letter: Multiple verse 4- 7
Thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
to all that are carried away captives
whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem
to Babylon
Build you houses – dwell in them
and plant gardens – eat the fruit of them
Take you wives – beget sons and daughters
and take wives for your sons
and give your daughters to husbands
that they may bear sons and daughters
that you may be increased there
and not diminished
Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to
be carried away captives
and PRAY unto the LORD for it
for in the peace thereof shall you have peace
Content of the letter: Don’t be fooled verse 8- 9
For thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
Let not your prophets and your diviners
that are in the midst of you deceive you
neither hearken to your dreams which you
cause to be dreamed
For they prophesy FALSELY to you in MY name
I have not sent them – says the LORD
Content of the letter: God is a God of hope verse 10- 14
For thus says the LORD
That after SEVENTY YEARS be accomplished at Babylon
I will visit you – and perform MY good word toward you
in causing you to return to this place
FOR I know the thoughts that I think toward you – says the LORD
thoughts of peace – and not of evil
to give you an expected end
Then shall you call upon ME
and you shall go and pray to ME
and I WILL HEARKEN UNTO YOU
and you shall seek ME – and find ME
when you shall search for ME with all your heart
and I will be found of you – says the LORD
and I will turn away your captivity
and I will gather you from all the nations
and from all the places whither
I have driven you
says the LORD
and I will bring you again into the place whence
I caused you to be carried away captive
Content of the letter: God is a God of judgment verse 15- 19
BECAUSE you have said
The LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon
Know that thus says the LORD of the king that sits
upon the throne of David
and of all the people that dwells in this city
and of your brethren that are not gone
forth with you into captivity
Thus says the LORD of hosts
BEHOLD – I will send upon them the
sword – famine – pestilence
and will make them like vile figs
that cannot be eaten – they are so evil
And I will persecute them with the sword – famine – pestilence
and will deliver them to be removed to
all the kingdoms of the earth – to be a curse
and an astonishment – and a hissing
and a reproach among all the nations whither I have
driven them
BECAUSE they have not hearkened to MY words – says the LORD
which I sent unto them by MY servants the prophets
rising up early and sending them
BUT you would not hear – says the LORD
Content of the letter: Special judgment to false prophets verse 20- 23
Hear you therefore the word of the LORD – all you of the captivity
whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon
Thus says the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
of Ahab the son of Kolaiah and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah
which prophesy a LIE to you in MY name
BEHOLD – I will deliver them into the
hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
and he shall slay them before your eyes
And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of
Judah which are in Babylon – saying
The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab
whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire
BECAUSE they have committed villainy in Israel
and have committed adultery with their neighbors’wives
and have spoken LYING WORDS in MY name
which I have not commanded them
even I know and am a witness
says the LORD
Letter of Shemaiah – a false prophet verse 24- 25
Thus shall you also speak to Shemiah the Nehelamite
saying
Thus speaks the LORD of hosts – the God of Israel
saying
Because you have sent letters in your name to all
the people that are in Jerusalem
and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah
the priest and to all the priests saying
Content of Shemaiah’s letter: Stop Jeremiah verse 26- 29
The LORD has made you priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest
that you should be officers in the house of the LORD
for every man that is mad – and makes himself a prophet
that you should put him in prison
and in the stocks
Now therefore why have you not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth
which makes himself a prophet to you?
For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon – saying
This captivity is long – build you houses – and dwell in them
and plant gardens – and eat the fruit of them
And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah
the prophet
Jeremiah commanded to send open letter about Shemaiah verse 30- 32
Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah
saying
Send to all them of the captivity
saying
Thus says the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite
BECAUSE that Shemiah hath prophesied unto you
and I sent him not
and he caused you to TRUST in a LIE
THEREFORE thus says the LORD
BEHOLD – I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite
and his seed
he shall not have a man to dwell among this people
neither shall he behold the good that I will do for
MY people – says the LORD
BECAUSE he hath taught REBELLION against the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 – Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Recently a young man enrolled into college and was denied because his social security number was invalid. When he began to investigate it was discovered that he was a missing child and had once been on the milk carton highlighting missing children. He has since been reunited with his mother and picking up the pieces of several years of silence. While people go missing from families and fall off the grid in order to not be detected, Jeremiah reminds his readers, and us, that the Lord knows where we are and what we are involved in. That can be cause for joy or fear depending on your lifestyle but the fact remains the same. God was informing Jeremiah and instructing the Jewish exiles how to live while in captivity. What an encouraging piece of information for them at their difficult time.
CHALLENGE: God does not forget or lose track of us as we move through different situations or life events. In fact, He assures us of the opposite! As He declares in v. 7 you are to seek peace where you are as you will live in that peace! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in MY name; I have not sent them, said the LORD. (8267 “falsely” [sheqer] means liar, breach of faith, causing someone to believe an untruth, deception, fraud, or deception)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah is a true prophet of God but in his day and in our days there are people who claim to be prophets of God but are frauds. They sound good but they are speaking lies that people what to hear and believe.
Too often those who are genuine believers are listening to those who are not really saying what the LORD wants them to say in a given situation.
We are told in Scripture to try the spirits of those we listen to. If the Holy Spirit which indwells genuine believers warns you that you shouldn’t be listening to someone because they are not speaking for HIM then DON’T LISTEN.
In the church today we have people who are saying what the listeners want to hear instead of what the LORD is genuinely saying regarding a situation. Our prayer life has to be one where we genuinely read the Word of God and pray for guidance.
Watch out for just hearing what you want to hear instead of what the LORD is really saying to you.
There are just as many false teachers and preachers today as there were in the days of the writings of the Old Testament and New Testament.
CHALLENGE: The Bible tells us to “try the spirits” of those we are listening to. The HOLY SPIRIT will give us insight if we ask HIM!
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: 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (8615 “expected” [tiqvah] means hope, looking forward, thing that I long for, a cord, or an outcome.
DEVOTION: God is always thinking of HIS people. HE is thinking of them even while HE is judging them for their sins. They were not listening to HIS prophets. HE had stated that if they repented, HE would stop the invasion of the Babylonians. They didn’t want to hear it.
Now they are going into captivity because of their disobedience. The captivity was going to last seventy years.
Jeremiah was told to send a letter to those who had surrendered to the Babylonians that they were to build houses, have children and make peace with the people in Babylon. They were to live their lives according to the commands of the LORD for the seventy years.
If they obeyed HIS command through the letter of Jeremiah they would have peace in the land of Babylon. Their condition would improve if they prayed to the LORD.
However, there were false prophets who were saying that Jeremiah was wrong and the captivity wouldn’t last too long. The LORD told them through Jeremiah that HE had not sent time and they were not to listen to the false prophets.
Here HE states that HE has a plan for them and that HE is working HIS plan. HE was thinking of them even during their time of captivity. HIS thoughts were thoughts of HOPE. HE had thoughts of restoration. HE didn’t have thoughts of more captivity. HE wanted them to have the knowledge that this was not going to last over the seventy year period. HE still loved them.
God knows our outcome. HE only has thoughts of peace toward us, but HE also gives us correction when we need it. They had an end that had HOPE. We have an end that has HOPE.
Our present situation might seem bad but with the LORD there is always HOPE. Remember to TRUST HIM alone. HE never lies to HIS people. Are we living as if we are a people of hope? Does the LORD guarantee the future? YES HE does. It is a future with hope of eternity with HIM in heaven. Praise HIS name.
CHALLENGE: Know what the Bible teaches regarding our future. Know that we have a message at present that we can give to those who are suffering presently. God’s timing is always right.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart. (1875 “search” [darash] means to inquire, to be sought, resort to, seek, consult, or look for.)
DEVOTION: There are time periods in the life of Israel that the LORD stated that HE would not listen to their prayers. HE told them to pray to their false gods and see if they could help. HE knew the answer but HE wanted HIS people to understand that they had drifted far from HIM and they could not come back until they had paid the consequences of their actions.
Now HE is informing them that HE is going to listen again if they listen to HIM regarding HIS instructions regarding their seventy year stay in Babylon.
HE informs all those who seek HIM that they will find HIM. There is even one stipulation regarding this time period. They have to inquire of HIM with their whole heart. HE doesn’t just want them to come to HIM with a special need. HE wants them to come to HIM because they want to have fellowship with HIM. They want to get to know HIM better. They want to meet with HIM face to face.
This is true in our life as well. We have to face the consequences of our actions if they are disobedient to the LORD. Once we have faced them HE gives HOPE. HE gives the assurance of fellowship to those who are obedient. The fellowship is sweet. HE answers their prayers. HE instructs them in the right way to go. HE helps them be a witness to those around them of HIS love and compassion.
Realize that the LORD knows our inner workings. HE knows if we really mean business with HIM or if we just want a generous God who will give us what we ask for and leave us alone at other times.
CHALLENGE: Approach HIM with genuine love. Approach HIM with a genuine desire to please HIM and give HIM glory.
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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)
Israelites in captivity were to pray for peace
with neighbors verse 7
LORD promises to answer Israel’s prayer
after seventy years to return to land verse 12
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest verse 25, 29
House of the LORD verse 26
Jehoiada the priest verse 26
Officers in the house of the LORD verse 26
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 20, 30
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 4, 7- 11, 14- 17, 19- 23, 25, 26, 30- 32
LORD of hosts verse 4, 8, 17, 21, 25
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 4, 8, 21, 25
God of Israel verse 4, 8, 21, 25
I have caused them to be carried away verse 4
Not sent false prophets verse 9
Says there is going to be seventy years of
captivity verse 10
Thoughts of peace toward Israel verse 11
Not thoughts of judgment verse 11
I will hearken to you verse 12
I will turn away your captivity verse 14
I will gather you form all the nations verse 14
I will bring you again into the place verse 14
I will persecute them verse 18
MY servants the prophets verse 19
I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon verse 20
I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite
and his seed – he has taught rebellion verse 32
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)
Nebuchadnezzar verse 1, 3, 21, 22
King of Babylon
Roasted Zedekiah and Ahab in fire
Babylon verse 1, 3, 4, 10, 15, 20- 22, 28
Nations verse 14, 18
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
False prophets verse 8, 9, 21, 31
Deceive (Prophets or Diviners) verse 8
Hearken to dreams verse 8
Prophesy falsely verse 9
Evil verse 17
Not hearken to word of the LORD verse 19
Lying verse 21, 23
Committed villainy verse 23
Committed adultery verse 23
Trust in a lie verse 31
Taught rebellion verse 32
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Pray for peace verse 7
Seek peace verse 7
Good word verse 10
Thoughts of peace of LORD verse 11
Call on the LORD verse 12
Seek the LORD verse 13
Find the LORD verse 13
Search for the LORD verse 13
Servants verse 19
Listen to the LORD verse 20
Reprove a prophet verse 27
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah verse 1, 29
Wrote a letter to elders, prophets,
priests and people
Jerusalem verse 1, 2, 4, 20, 25
Elders verse 1
Jeconiah the king verse 2
Judah verse 2
Elasah the son of Shaphan verse 3
Gemariah the son of Hilkiah verse 3
Zedekiah the king of Judah verse 3
Israel verse 4
Told to build houses and plant gardens
in captivity verse 5
To seek peace where they have been taken verse 7
Told to pray for peace where they are verse 7
Don’t let prophets or diviners deceive you verse 8
Seventy years of captivity verse 10
Return of Israel verse 10, 14
Bring Israel back verse 14
Prophets in Babylon verse 15
Throne of David verse 16
Ahab the son of Kolaiah (false prophet) verse 21, 22
Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah (false prophet) verse 21, 22
Captivity of Judah verse 22
Shemaiah the Nehelamite verse 24, 31, 32
God sent him NOT
Caused people to trust in a lie
Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest verse 25, 29
Jehoiada the priest verse 26
Prophet verse 26
Jeremiah of Anathoth – made himself a
prophet verse 27
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Slay Ahab and Zedekiah verse 21
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QUOTES regarding passage
29:11–12 The Lord assured the people that what had happened was not a series of unplanned, accidental events. He said, “I know the plans” (lit. “I, I know”; emphatic in Heb.). His plan was not intended to hurt them but to give them “hope and a future” (perhaps a hendiadys, “a hopeful future”). He encouraged them to pray, for he would listen to them. However, see 11:14 and 14:11, where he told Jeremiah not to pray, for he would not listen. (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 254). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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12–14 The remainder of this section stresses the nature of the hopeful future. The Lord says that he can and will be entreated of the exiles (v.12). The promises, however, are contingent on their wholehearted repentance (v.13). Then the Lord will listen to them and will make himself accessible to them. In v.14 the declaration “I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you” looks far beyond the Jews’ return from Babylon to their future restoration from worldwide dispersion. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 555). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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29:10–14. The restoration of the exiles to Judah would happen only when God’s 70 years of judgment were completed (cf. 25:11–12). Then God would fulfill His gracious promise to restore the exiles to their land. The 70-year Exile was a part of God’s plans to give Judah hope and a future. The judgment prompted the exiles to seek God wholeheartedly (cf. Dan. 9:2–3, 15–19). Once they had turned back to their God He would gather them from all the nations where they had been banished and return them to their land. The larger purpose of the Exile was to force Israel back to her God (cf. Deut. 30:1–10). (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. 1166). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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Those Who Have True Hope (vv. 10–14). True hope is based on the revealed Word of God, not on the “dream messages” of self-appointed prophets (v. 10, NIV). God gave His people a “gracious promise” (v. 10, NIV) to deliver them, and He would keep His promise. God makes His plans for His people, and they are good plans that ultimately bring hope and peace. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid or discouraged.
In every situation, however, God’s people have the responsibility to seek the Lord, pray, and ask Him to fulfill His promises, for the Word and prayer go together (Acts 6:4). The purpose of chastening is that we might seek the Lord, confess our sins, and draw near to Him (Heb. 12:3–13). According to Jeremiah 29:14, these promises reach beyond the Jews captive in Babylon and include all of Israel throughout the world. Jeremiah was looking ahead to the end of the age when Israel will be regathered to meet their Messiah and enter their kingdom (Isa. 10:20–12:6). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 123–124). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (ver. 11). That which they desired was also His desire for them. The looked-for end should surely come, but only in His own time. How precious thus to learn of God’s intimate concern in the welfare of each saint! His thoughts toward those who are redeemed by the precious blood of the Son of His love are ever thoughts of peace—never of evil. David entered into this when he cried, “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with Thee” (Ps. 139:17, 18). But we must never forget that He has declared, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8, 9). Though He permit sorrow and disaster to beset our footsteps, He will at last guide us into our destined haven where “there remaineth a rest for the people of God.” (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 142). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers)
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Ver. 12. Then shall ye call upon me, &c.] When the expected end is about to be given; when God intends and is about to bestow a mercy, he gives his people a spirit of prayer to ask for it; and even the promise of it is a considerable argument to encourage and engage more to pray for it: and ye shall go and pray unto me; walk in my ways; so Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech; or rather ye shall go into your private closets, or into those public places where prayer was wont to be made, and there put up your petitions; or it may be the meaning is, that they should continue praying unto him; should pray without ceasing, until they enjoyed the blessing, and had the expected end given them: and I will hearken unto you; God is a God hearing prayer; he listens to the requests of his people, and answers them in his own time and way; which is no small encouragement to pray unto him. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 558). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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I will not only give you a temporal salvation and deliverance, and bring you into your own land, but you shall go thither with new hearts; you shall worship idols no more, but you shall worship me, and be serious and diligent in your addresses and applications to me, and I will listen to you in those applications. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 581). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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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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Acts 7
Stephen is arrested for preaching the Gospel.
INSIGHT
The New Testament was written in times that, in many ways, seem barbaric to us. That respectable people would clamor for a crucifixion or incite a mob to riot or pick up stones and kill another man is difficult for us to imagine. Yet culture was different then. Today we do not kill a person to get rid of an unwanted message. Instead, we use other tactics. We can kill the message by making it look foolish or by discrediting the messenger. We even attack God Himself, declaring that He is dead or that He has no relevance to our era. But unless we accept the message of salvation that Stephen preached we are as guilty before God as the ones who threw the stones. (Quiet Walk)
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OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES FULFILLED
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
2 Corinthians 1:20
What does the Old Testament tell about Christ as it focuses attention upon Him and compels us to consider Him? First, it says that He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies and promises. The great central statement of that is in 2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” They come to a focus, to a point, in Him.
He is the fulfillment of the promise that was given in the Garden of Eden when God said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). There is also the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 17 about the seed. Paul refers to this in Galatians 3:16: “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
Take, for instance, the promise given in Genesis 49:10: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” That is a tremendous promise and a most vital statement, and it was literally fulfilled in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a fact of history that the scepter and lawgiver did remain with Judah until A.D. 70, and since then, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the casting out of the Jewish nation among the nations, that has no longer been the case. The scepter and the lawgiver remained there until Christ came, and then it departed, in that external sense. And likewise the statement “and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” obviously has been fulfilled and only fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: Christ is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies and promises.
(From God the Father, God the Son, p. 248., by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree and signs of His second coming.
INSIGHT
Matthew 24 and 25 offer some of the most comforting — and terrifying — verses in the Bible. They detail some of the judgments to fall on mankind at the end of history. Yet God will not be caught by surprise. He is able to protect His spiritual children.
If someone comes along and says, “I am Christ,” we do not have to be confused. We know he is a false teacher, for Jesus will come in the twinkling of an eye — there will be no time for such statements. The God of power is also the God of the future, and we can rest in His sovereign care as we trust in Him (Quiet Walk)
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SANCTIFICATION IN THE LIGHT OF THE RESURRECTION
…who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.
Romans 4:25
It is only in the light of the resurrection that I finally have an assurance of my sins forgiven. It is only in the light of the resurrection that I ultimately know that I stand in the presence of God absolved from guilt and shame and every condemnation. I can now say with Paul,“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) because I look at the fact of the resurrection. It is there that I know it.
You notice how Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 15:17 when he says, “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” If it is not a fact that Christ literally rose from the grave, then you are still guilty before God. Your punishment has not been borne, your sins have not been dealt with, you are yet in your sins. It matters that much: Without the resurrection you have no standing at all; you are still uncertain as to whether you are forgiven and whether you are a child of God. And when one day you come to your deathbed you will not know, you will be uncertain as to where you are going and what is going to happen to you. “Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). It is in the resurrection that I stand before God free and absolved and without fear and know that I am indeed a child of God.
So you see the importance of holding on to this doctrine and why we must insist upon the details of doctrine, and not be content with some vague general belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are concerned about your life in this world and the fight against the world, the first thing to do, says the apostle Paul, is to take an overall look at the great doctrine of the resurrection of our Lord.
A Thought to Ponder: Without Christ’s resurrection you have no standing at all.
(From Sanctified Through the Truth, pp. 144-145., by Dr. Martyn Llloyd-Jones)
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The Doctrine of Christ
“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed.” (2 John 1:10)
This apparently harsh instruction seems at first to conflict with the many biblical exhortations to show hospitality, but it needs to be placed in context. The one-chapter epistle of 2 John was addressed to “the elect lady and her children” by John, who also extended greetings from “the children of thy elect sister” (vv. 1, 13). These unusual phrases, together with the general tone of the epistle, make it almost certain that John was not referring simply to two individual Christian women, but to two churches, symbolically personified as two noble ladies with the “children” being the new converts in the churches.
The warning, then, is primarily against the danger of allowing a false teacher to come into the church, as a pastor or a teacher or even as a visiting speaker, who would not bring “this doctrine.” The doctrine mentioned is obviously “the doctrine of Christ” (v. 9). This doctrine of Christ is not, however, simply a set of doctrinal tenets about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is not the doctrine about Christ, but of Christ—belonging to Him—His doctrine. The word “doctrine” is didache, meaning literally “teachings.” The meaning clearly is “the teachings of Christ,” that is, not just one or two least-common-denominator statements about Christ to which all nominal Christians could give assent, but the entire body of teachings that had come from Jesus.
Further, since He taught that all the Old Testament is inspired and authoritative and also promised the same to the writers of the New Testament, this “doctrine of Christ” includes “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), from Genesis through Revelation. How important it is not to allow false teaching to get a foothold in a local church. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Talk to some offended people and they will spill out their resentment to anyone who is willing to listen. You’d think that the offense happened yesterday, last month, or last year. Turns out it happened twenty years ago, but the wound is constantly opened, constantly talked about, or constantly used as an excuse for one thing or another. (p. 38)
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Where to go from here:
First, you must confront your idols of bitterness.
Second, you must turn the offense – the stumbling block into a stepping stone to growth.
You have to give it to God.
Are you willing today to let Jesus pull that offense out of your heart? (p. 40 When You’ve Been WRONGED: Moving From Bitterness to Forgiveness by Erwin W. Lutzer)