Jeremiah 12:7-13. Hebrews 10:26-31
We would be naïve to think that the church is completely filled with believers. In reality the church is comprised of believers, those who are not sure and even unbelievers. There would even be in some
The situation in Judah in Jeremiah’s day was no different. Some loved God. Some were unsure and others were antagonistic towards God, choosing to follow their own stubborn hearts and inclinations.
It is towards these last two groups that God poured out His warnings both then and now. It is to these last two groups that God uses fiery and explosive language to turn people away from their sinfulness towards repentance and the love of God. In Jeremiah 12:7-13 God speaks of abandoning His house, of giving His beloved bride away, of hating His chosen people, of wild beasts devouring the nation and of a wasteland. Only a fool would continue to reject God’s warning.
In Hebrews 10:26-31 we see a similar warning.
Hebrews 10:26–31 (NIV84)
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,
27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
This warning is not given to genuine believers who love the Lord and seek to please Him but to those who think that the grace of God is a license for immorality and for sensual indulgence. It’s written for those who continue to sin and to reject God’s authority as many were doing in Jeremiah’s day.
The Lord continues to purge His house of unbelievers and to bring people into a saving relationship with Himself. In Jeremiah’s day as in ours, there will be hard hearted people who refuse to listen and adhere to the Lord’s warning. Part of our job is to take that warning to them and to plead with them to repent and to change but ultimately we can only plead with them and pray for them. Their blood is on their own hands if we call them to repentance and they choose not to repent.
Prayer Points:
Using today’s Bible passage and reading notes spend time in adoration, confession, thanks and supplication.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
· Pray that God would grant repentance to those in the church who need to hear God’s warning and that they would be granted repentance and faith in Jesus. Pray that God’s house would more and more be filled with people who love Him and serve Him joyfully.
· Pray that you would be granted repentance in the areas where you need it - none of us are perfect. Pray that this repentance would come joyfully and graciously and cause many more to repent as well.
1. What role do warnings from God play in the Bible?
2. What role do they play in the life of New Testament believers?
3. If nothing can remove a believer’s salvation then how does your answer in verse 2 change?
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