Read Jeremiah 37
37:1 Zedekiah son of Josiah was made King of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. 2 Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray to the LORD our God for us.”
The contradiction is glaring. The people, the King and all the royal household paid absolutely no attention to the Word of God. They dismissed the Word of God. They loathed it. They despised it. And yet in vs 3 they sent messengers to Jeremiah to ask him to pray to God for their situation. Did they really think that God would hear them, given that they paid no attention to the Word of God?
It pictures for us the skin deep “Christian” who is always too busy to attend church on Sonday. Work, family, sport and sleeping in take a much greater priority than God. He or she rarely if ever prays because life is good and things are rosy. Why bother God when life’s good, right? Why waste time, right? He or she never reads the Word for themselves and the concept having a quiet time before God evokes nothing but a chuckle. Yet when tragedy strikes, this “Christian” cries out to God and upon receiving no answer spits the dummy and fumes against God. Picture the stamping feet and the thumping fists and the beetroot red face turned towards God in raging anger.
Our God is a jealous God and will not play second fiddle to anyone or anything. He is not a God who takes kindly to being treated like a vending machine – we put in our prayer coins when we have a need and then demand immediate answers. Our God hates being treated like a genie whose bottle we can rub with prayers only when in dire straits. Just like we can’t expect money for nothing so we can’t expect God to appear and disappear on cue as needed. We are brothers in arms standing before an awesome and majestic God who demands respect, holiness and life-style worship. The walk of life with God entails hearing the Word and, more importantly, doing the Word.
As James 1:22-25 so plainly tells us:
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
King Zedekiah made the fatal mistake of thinking that he could live life his way and call on God only when needed. I pray that you and I would not make the same mistake.
Prayer:
Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for
Adoration:
Confession
Thanks
Supplication:
· Pray for the work of Roger and Margaret Crane and other PIM padres as they seek to bring the gospel to inland Australia. Pray for open doors into station and towns. Pray that many would be willing to listen to the gospel as they travel through our vast interior.
· Pray that God would continue to bless the work of Student Life in Australia and Uni Impact in NZ as they seek to make disciples of uni students.
1. A non believer confesses to you that he can’t worship your God because his wife died with cancer. He tells you he prayed but God still let her die. How can you respond?
2. How would your answer and approach change if the above person told you he was once a believer and went to church regularly?
One on One
D u r i n g t h e reformation we read the account of a protestant lady. Constantia Bellione, a protestant lady, being apprehended on account of her faith, was asked by a priest if she would renounce the devil and go to mass; to which she replied, "I was brought up in a religion, by which I was always taught to renounce the devil; but should I comply with your desire, and go to mass, I should be sure to meet him there in a variety of shapes." The priest was highly incensed at what she said, and told her to recant, or she should suffer cruelly. The lady, however, boldly answered, that she valued not any sufferings he could inflict, and in spite of all the torments he could invent, she would keep her conscience pure and her faith inviolate. The priest then ordered slices of her flesh to be cut off from several parts of her body, which cruelty she bore with the most singular patience, only saying to the priest, what horrid and lasting torments will you suffer in hell, for the trifling and temporary pains which I now endure. Exasperated at this expression, and willing to stop her tongue, the priest ordered a file of musqueteers to draw up and fire upon her, by which she was soon despatched, and sealed her martyrdom with her blood.
Foxe, John (2012-05-11). Fox's Book of Martyrs Or A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant Deaths of the Primitive Protestant Martyrs (Kindle Locations 2772-2780). . Kindle Edition.
It’s sad that many believers think that true spirituality is measured by the miracles one does, or the great feats one achieves in God’s powerful name. Wouldn’t we be more willing to pay to listen to a Christian speaker whose has done many miracles rather than listen to a Christian who has lived an ordinary life of obedience?
Biblically speaking genuine spirituality is NOT measured by miracles or exorcisms or great signs and wonders. Jesus said in Matthew 24:24 ’For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible.’ Clearly miracles are not the be all and end all of spirituality. Earlier in Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus also said Matthew 7:21–23
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Doing a miracle does not make you spiritual. What makes you spiritual is walking in obedience to the Word of God. False prophets will come and go, doing many false miracles but they will never walk in faithful, long term obedience.
Will you walk in faithful obedience?
Personal Questions
1. How’s your prayer life?
2. Describe your current thought life?
3. How’s your relationship
with your spouse or your parents?
4. Discuss how and if you’ve struggled with sin/
temptation this week.
5. How
are you worshipping God through work, family and social networks?
Read Jeremiah 37:1-3
Pray
For a
spirit of obedience to come upon you and your entire church.
Pray
that God would grant repentance to those who are currently
walking in disobedience.
Pray
that God’s Word would well up in your own heart and lead
you to greater heights of obedience.
Reflection:
1.
Why should Christians be concerned
with obedience to the Word?
2.
Are there any areas of your life
that you are walking in or bordering on disobedience? What will
you do to promote obedience?
3.
What role do other believers play in your own personal obedience?
4. Obedience is both individual and corporate. What do you think
about this statement?
5.
Outward
obedience is not necessarily a guide for what’s inside.
Discuss this statement.
6. What role does the heart play in
our obedience?
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