A
Restaurant / Christian Mission Outreach in Spruce Pine – Homemade Tropical
dishes (Fish tacos with a side of Creamy Mango Sauce!) and Guatemalan handmade
goods for sale, with profits and the gospel going back into the villages of
Guatemala – near Mt. Celo Church – site last night of our final Conversational
Spanish class for the semester.
My Meditations on Today’s Readings
(Ellipses are mine
and are used for contemplation.)
Key Words: Logos:
Thus says the LORD, the word of the LORD,
a lamp, a light, Your righteous judgments, Your law, Your testimonies, The Holy
Scriptures, all Scripture, a heritage forever, the time of their punishment…their calamity, declare, proclaim Preordination: this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a
day of vengeance, the appointed time, the
day of their punishment, of their calamity, forever, to the very end, in the
last days…Woes: fear, war, punishment, woe….stand, prepare
yourself
Woes – Jeremiah
45 and 46 (Facts: What It Says –
Summarized) A Self-focused Perspective and
Pronouncement of Woe: Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe and captive among the
Jews in Egypt, pronounces woe on himself, “Woe
is me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.”
God’s reply to Baruch through Jeremiah: “Behold, what I have built, I will break
down; and what I have planted, I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. And do you seek great things for
yourself? Do not seek them; for behold,
I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the LORD. “But I will give your life
to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” A God-focused
Perspective and Pronouncement of Woe: Judah is destroyed. Johanan has followed his own desires rather than
God’s command not to go to Egypt. The
Jews and all captives are with him (including Jeremiah and Baruch) in
Egypt. God said he would destroy them
there by the very calamities they sought to avoid by leaving Judah – the sword,
pestilence and famine. God is bringing
Babylon against Egypt to destroy it and the disobedient Jews. “They
did not stand…because…the LORD drove them away…the time of their punishment…of
their calamity…had come upon them.”
But…a remnant is saved. God’s reply to His
people through Jeremiah: “Jacob
shall return, have rest and be at ease; no one shall make him afraid. Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the
LORD, “for…I am with you; for…I will make a complete end of all the nations to
which I have driven you…but…I will not…make a compete end of you. I will rightly correct you…for…I will not
leave you wholly unpunished.” Principle: Over and over this truth is established and
fulfilled: God’s Word stands firm. “If it
tarry, wait for it. It will surely come.”
(Habakkuk 2:4) Here is the
difficult part taught over and over as well in the Bible in the lives of God’s
people. He will save, bless, be with us;
He will also punish us as necessary. Though forgiven, we will often face hard
consequences as a result of our sins – and the sins of others.
How to Persevere in
Times of Woe – Psalm 119: 105-112 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) The
Woes of David (“sweet psalmist of Israel”; “a man after God’s own
heart”) “I am afflicted very much…my life
is…continually…in my hand…the wicked have laid a snare for me.” Recall the truth of this: David was constantly fighting internal and
external battles in his life. The Affirmations of David: 1) “YOUR word…is a lamp to my
feet…and…a light to my path. 2) I have sworn…and confirmed…that I will
keep…YOUR righteous judgments. 3) Yet…(in spite of my woes) I do not forget…YOUR law. 4) Yet (in
spite of my woes) I have not strayed from
YOUR precepts. 5) YOUR testimonies…I
have taken…as a heritage…forever…for…THEY
are the rejoicing…of my heart. 6) I
have inclined my heart…to perform…YOUR statutes…forever…to the end. The Requests of David: Revive me… LORD…according to…YOUR word. Accept…I pray...the freewill offerings
of my mouth, O LORD. Teach me…YOUR judgments.” Principle: God’s will and way for
our lives - for His kingdom work - is illumined for us through His Word. We must commit ourselves to obeying His Word,
standing firm in the midst of trials, and humbling ourselves under His
omnipotent Hand.
Woes of the Latter Days – 2 Timothy 3 – (Facts: What It Says – Summarized) These will be “perilous times” - not just annoying or irritating, but
perilous. What Believers will see: 1) Men who are lovers of themselves, 2) lovers of money, 3) boasters, 4) proud, 5) blasphemers, 6)
disobedient to parents, 7) unthankful, 8) unholy, 9) unloving, (10)
unforgiving, 11) slanderers, 12) without
self-control, 13) brutal, 14) despisers of good, 15) traitors, 16) headstrong, 17) haughty,
18) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God, 19) having a form of godliness,
but denying its power. Sound
familiar? How Believers should respond and
why: “And
from such people turn away. FOR…of
this sort…are those who creep into households and make captives…of gullible
women…loaded down with sins…led away by various lusts…always learning and never
able to come to the knowledge of truth.
These also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds…disapproved concerning
the faith. But…they will progress no further…for…their folly...will be manifest
to all.” How Believers should conduct
themselves: “Carefully follow…continue in…the doctrine,
manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,
persecutions, afflictions” as Paul did.
Tall, Difficult Order, Why? Paul
Suffered Constant Horrors. “And the Lord delivered him out of them all.”
Things will become worse for the Christian in the latter days…And…all…who
desire to live godly…in Christ…will…suffer persecution. But…evil men and impostors…will grow worse
and worse…deceiving and being deceived." How
can we do this? Through the Sufficiency of
Scripture: 1) You have known the
Holy Scriptures…which are able…to make you wise…for salvation…through
faith…which is in Christ Jesus. 2) All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God…and is profitable…for doctrine, for
reproof…for correction…for instruction…in righteousness…that…the man of God…may
be complete…thoroughly equipped…for every good work.” Principle: This is no health, wealth and prosperity gospel –
at least from a human perspective. Jesus
warned us of this. This is about God’s
Plan for the world – for eternity – with eternal consequences. This is Coram
Deo – in the presence of, under the authority of, to the honor and glory of
God.
My Lessons and
Applications: How did many of our modern
churches get so far off the mark? Was it
to tickle the ears of the hearers? To
increase church attendance? For the sake
of growth in numbers and wealth? The attendance and numbers fell far short, if
that was the goal. As we near the end of
our study through the Bible, have you seen what I have? How we have been taught incorrectly in so
many of our churches on what God’s Word – in the full counsel of God – REALLY
says? We need to use the wonderful
online resources to delve into the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic – to know
what the original intent was. We need to
be more like the Bereans in Acts 17: 10-11: “And the brethren immediately
sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the
synagogue of the Jews. These were
more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were
so. “ We need to study alone with God and study
Scripture together – in community as believers - not just in denominational
isolation, diligently searching the Scriptures to know and live the truth. We must do this ourselves. This is our honor and duty to study and know
the Word of God personally, not just to sit under the Ministry of the Word – as
important as that is. And then…we must
live what we know, what has been revealed to us – to the honor and glory of
God.
“The "show business," which is so incorporated
into our view of Christian work today, has caused us to drift far from Our
Lord's conception of discipleship. It is instilled in us to think that we have
to do exceptional things for God; we have not. We have to be exceptional in
ordinary things, to be holy in mean streets, among mean people, surrounded by
sordid sinners. That is not learned in five minutes.”
“If we are cut loose from the anchor of God's Word, we
will not be free. We will be slaves of personal passions and popular trends.”
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