Thursday April 30, 2015

Read Jeremiah 4:3-31

As we have seen already this week, our God is a God of love and compassion. He is a God who longs for people to return to Himself and lavishes them with love when they do return. Yet there are many churches today that simply preach the love of God. “God loves you” is the staple diet of many churches today. Some even go the next step and encourage people to continue in their current ways because they are loved by God.

The call from God to repent is always joined with the coming judgement. Jeremiah 4:4 pictures it perfectly.

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.

Chapter 4 ultimately is a chapter about the coming judgement.  Verse 4, as we saw, announces the coming judgment. Verse 5 announces the coming judgment from the north, probably picturing Babylon the great super power north of Jerusalem.  Verse 7 pictures that judgement as a devouring lion.  In verse 11 it’s pictured as a destroying wind and in verses 23 -26 judgement is pictured as a reversal of creation.

Those churches that speak only of the love of God are only painting half the picture. The New Testament speaks about judgement as does the Old Testament. In fact, the New Testament has a far greater urgency about judgment than the Old Testament. Our job is to proclaim and cry out the need for repentance so that as many people as possible will hear and, God willing, turn away from their sins so that they too can avoid the coming judgment. It’s much like a child sitting and playing in the gutter of a major road. Surely our job is to warn that child and remove it from the certain danger careering towards it. So our job is to warn the world of the certain danger careering towards it as the judgement of God draws nearer.

Our job is to draw people back to the God who yearns to lavish them with His love and compassion. But we must not think that God will pour out His saving love and mercy on all peoples. While God’s love is shared among all in a generic sense (see Matthew 5) His saving love is reserved for those who repent and turn back to Him.

But repentance and judgement like rebellion is not a popular topic and isn’t something a lot of people want to hear.

Prayer Points:

Using today’s Bible passage and reading notes spend time in adoration, confession, thanks and supplication.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray that your church would understand the balance between the love of God, repentance and judgement and that it would faithfully proclaim the gospel at every opportunity.

· Pray that those who teach in your congregation would be faithful to the Scriptures and that they would willingly, even joyously, teach the whole counsel of God.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What false teachings can arise if all we teach is ‘God loves you?

2. Why is it necessary to teach repentance and judgement at church?

3. What role does the fear of the Lord play in judgment, repentance and our calling to preach to the nations?

Wednesday April 29, 2015

Read Jeremiah 4:1-2. Exodus 19:5-6

As we’ve already said many times repentance is not a popular topic. Many churches do not preach repentance and steer clear of any talk of sin or transgression.  Love is the order of the day but it’s not a love that comes through repentance and returning to the Lord.

But in 4:1-2 we see again the call to repent and to return to the Lord together with an interesting parallel. God calls the nation of Israel to repentance, to return to Himself and to worship Him as the only true and living God. God calls the people to put away their lifeless idols and to worship only Him, the only true and living God. 

In verse 2, the outcome or blessing of that repentance is given to us. And it’s not what we expect! As Israel repents, the nations will be blessed and they will glory in Him.

Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation ministering God and God’s blessings to the entire world. See Exodus 19:5-6. But the nation, as we’ve seen, turned from this purpose and pursued its own purposes. Israel soon turned away from God. And yet we see God’s gracious and loving character displayed again. God’s promise in verse 2 is that if the nation were to repent and return to the Lord, He would restore her original purpose and bring it to fruition.

The church of the New Testament has the same goal given to it as did the nation of Israel. Even though the church is not a nation, we are called to be making disciples of all nations. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus clearly lays out the plan for us.

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We can only anticipate that the same condition applies to us as did to Israel. If the church indulges in sin and worship of idols and statues or even pastors, buildings and finances, then it cannot expect to be used by God for its original purpose. A big church is not necessarily a biblical church and a small church is not necessarily an unbiblical church.

But as the church repents and returns to the Lord we can expect to see that original purpose fulfilled and many many people turning to God and glorying in Him. We can expect Jesus to fulfil His promise to be with us always as we seek to take the Great Commission out into the world.

Prayer Points:

Using today’s Bible passage and reading notes spend time in adoration, confession, thanks and supplication.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray that the churches in your city/region would be taking the Great Commission seriously and that many people would come into the Kingdom as together we all seek to be making disciples of all nations.

· Pray for the work of the Myanmar Reformed Bible College in Yangon as it seeks to train up ministers to make disciples. Pray that the students learn well and are thoroughly equipped to be making disciples of all nations. Ask God to provide for the college all the resources it needs to do the work given to it by the Lord.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Where does the Great Commission sit in your own personal life? How much importance do you give it?

2. Where does the Great Commission sit in your church? How much importance does your church give it?

3. How can a church that has lost its way make the Great Commission its driving force once again?

Tuesday April 28, 2015

Read Jeremiah 3:6-25

God is gracious and loving and slow to anger. Each and every major section of the Old Testament presents God in this fashion. Here in the major prophets we again see God being slow to anger and abounding in compassion as He calls the people back to Himself. In chapters 3 and 4 the word ‘return’ is used 9 times. Thus these chapters deal with the concept or idea of repentance which involves several things.

· a return to God  from the false gods and statues, heavenly luminaries etc that the people were worshipping,

· an acknowledgment that God’s ways are right and just and best and that their ways were and are sinful/wrong (3:13),

· a change of heart (4:4) and mind regarding God’s ways and our ways and

· an actual change of our ways (4:1).

Jeremiah again turns to parable and picture language using the imagery of adultery and prostitution to convey the seriousness of Judah’s sin. Verses 4-5 convey the picture in all its ugliness

Have you not just called to me: ‘My Father, my friend from my youth, 5 will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?’ This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.”

Jeremiah then puts salt on the wounds by looking at Israel, the northern kingdom. Relations between north and south were tense and often hostile. Many in the south hated those up north and saw them as compromised believers. To stand in Jerusalem and to preach about the North was to put one’s neck on the guillotine.

Verse 10 is the punch line.

In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretence,” declares the Lord.

Then in full hearing of the southerners, Jeremiah preaches a call of repentance to northern Israel. One can only imagine the chagrin in the ears of the hearers. But as Jeremiah preaches he reveals some heartfelt truths that we all need to hear about God’s abounding compassion and slowness to anger.

In 3:19 we see that God will treat all who return as sons. In John 1:13-14 we see that Jesus gives us the right to become children of God. In Jeremiah 3:22 it is God who cures the people of backsliding. In 1 John 1:9 God purifies us from all unrighteousness. The God of the Old and New Testament calls people to repentance and lavishes all who return with love and grace.

There are two types of repentance in Scripture;

· the Initial repentance when non believers come to Christ in repentance and faith. Acts 2 and 16 show this kind of repentance and

· the ongoing repentance where believers are called to turn away from sin in their lives with a renewed heart and mind. This is what Jeremiah preached.

The Church today is charged to call for both types of repentance – a charge that is definitively not  popular. But it’s not all gloom and doom. As we saw, In John 1:13-14 those who repent are given the right to become children of God and in 1 John 1:9 we are told that God Himself will purify us from all unrighteousness. What an amazing God we serve.

Prayer Points:

Using today’s Bible passage and reading notes spend time in adoration, confession, thanks and supplication.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray for the MOPS / Playpals ministry that runs alternately on Wednesdays. Ask the Lord to be granting repentance and faith in Jesus to more and more people in these groups. Pray that the church would grow as more families come to faith in Christ.

· Pray that those who help in these ministries would be blessed with more helpers so that the work load is distributed more evenly. Jesus Himself told us to ask the Lord of the harvest for workers into the harvest field. Ask for this in faith, knowing it is God’s will.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Why should the church call for repentance today?

2. What grace is included in the call for repentance?

3. Why should grace always be included in the call for repentance?

Monday April 27, 2015

Read Jeremiah 2:1-3:5

The young Jeremiah began his ministry by calling the nation of Judah to repentance. Warren Wiersbe in Be Decisive tells a funny little quip. Young pastors wonder why many more people don’t come to listen to their sermon. Older pastors look back and wonder why anybody came at all! And yet as Jeremiah kicks off his ministry to the people of Judah and beyond he speaks with courage, compassion and conviction. He has a message that pricks the ears of everybody within hearing range.  Jeremiah’s sermons drew great attention.

Jeremiah  brings charges against the people of God from God Himself. The great tragedy of the Bible is that God’s own people are charged by God.

Verse 9 of chapter 2 reveals the state of the nation.

“Therefore I bring charges against you again,” declares the Lord. “And I will bring charges against your children’s children.

Verse 11 shows the nature of the charge.

Jeremiah 2:11 (NIV84)

Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.

Verse 13 puts it into picture or parable language,

The people have forsaken God, the spring of living water and have sought to dig their own cisterns. They have sought to provide for themselves by worshipping false and foreign gods.

Jeremiah then presents picture after picture illustrating how the people have forsaken their God, the one true living God and turned to false idols in adoration and worship. It’s clearly and succinctly summed up in verse 17.

Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when He led you in the way?

As we turn and survey the church at large today, it’s clear that many sections, like the people of God of old, have also rebelled against God. Buildings, pastors, budgets, even music and performance have become the idols of worship today. Goals have changed from pleasing God to building grander buildings, raising millions of more dollars and perfecting the image presented to the world. Other churches have simply forgotten the gospel and speak nothing of the wrath of God – a wrath that the NT speaks plainly about. Other churches have simply blended into the world, trying desperately to attract people with the ways, the wisdom and the walk of the world.

Yet we all know almost instinctively that what is popular is not always right. How true it is when we consider the role and function of the church. Many churches simply jump on the band wagon assuming that popular trends are worth grabbing hold of.

But God calls us to what is right, not necessarily to what is popular. Often the truth will be unpopular. People in Jeremiah’s day didn’t want to hear about judgement. They wanted what was popular. Since then neither the character of God nor the character of mankind has changed. What is right is still not always popular and what is popular is not always right.

Prayer Points:

Using today’s Bible passage and reading notes spend time in adoration, confession, thanks and supplication.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Ask the Lord to bless your leadership with discernment and godliness so that they can lead the flock and pastorally care for them as they guide and grow the congregation in godliness.

· Pray that the Lord would grow a spirit of generosity among your congregation and that each person/family would be tithing sacrificially.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What popular trends have you personally witnessed in the churches that are not biblical? Discuss how you came to the conclusion that they were not biblical.

2. If an unbiblical trend or program were adopted into your church, what would you do? What are some ungodly ways to react? What are some godly ways to react?

3. If you were to give Jeremiah 2:1-3:5 a heading, what would it be? Why?

Saturday April 26, 2015

Read Jeremiah 1:19, 2 Tim 4:18

I was asked once to conduct the funeral for a Bikie gang leader’s mother. The particular gang was feared throughout the land for its violence and brutality. I was afraid of the implications and potential threats.

 But I shouldn’t have been afraid. I shouldn’t have been anxious. Jeremiah was told he would go into a far worse situation and he was promised in verse 19,

They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

God makes a similar promise to us through 2 Tim 4:18. Do you know the reality of that promise? Does it allow you to strive forward and to step out in faith especially in dangerous and life threatening situations? Have you taken this promise to heart and memorised it?

In 2 Tim 4:18 God promises us;

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord will rescue you from every single evil attack. Evil will not prevail. Evil will not win the day. God will deliver you safely into HGis heavenly kingdom no matter what happens in this life. Jeremiah found it out to be true. Paul knew it to be true. Paul was in jail and had been betrayed by people he thought were friends. He could be beheaded at any moment but he still trusted in the Lord God Almighty.

Whatever situation we find ourselves in, God will rescue us from every evil attack. That doesn’t mean we will come through unscathed or unharmed. I have just finished reading ‘The Heavenly Man’ where Brother Yun endured great torture and suffering for Christ but came out stronger in the Lord and closer to Him. God rescued him time and time again. In other testimonies I’ve read that Christians have given their very lives in the Lord’s service.

God’s promise does not mean that He will wrap us in cotton wool and give us a cushy and easy life. It means that God will use whatever we suffer for our good and for our growth and for the blessing of others in the church. It means that God will protect our eternal salvation and should we die in service to the Lord we can be 1 billion trillion squad-zillion percent assured that we will be with Jesus in His blessed presence for all eternity. Nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

I had nothing to fear that day, even though several bikie guards were posted around the chapel. God was in control and indeed, it was a good work which He had prepared in advance for me to do. My job was to faithfully proclaim the gospel, not to fret and worry about what might happen.

Prayer Points:

Using today’s Bible passage and reading notes spend time in adoration, confession, thanks and supplication.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray that your church service tomorrow will be faithful to the Word of God and that the Word will be powerfully proclaimed. Pray that God would be powerfully at work among your congregation so that the saints are edified and so that the world sees Christ in us.

· Pray that fear would be cast asunder as believers take up wholesale trust in God and turn to Him for protection.  Pray that this would cause a great outpouring of the gospel so that thousands, even millions of people hear the gospel and many repent and believe in Jesus for salvation.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Why do Christians give way to fear?

2. What is the antidote to fear?

3. How can we encourage each other away from fear?

4. What would your church look like if no one had any fear except the fear of the Lord?