One Year Bible - October 15, 2010

JEREMIAH 26:1 - 27:22                                                                                                     

WHEN THINGS ARE FALLING APART: There is resultant confusion, uncertainty and conflict in the land, especially concerning the prophets ("political advisor").  God sent Jeremiah to this weak, vain king to warn him of the coming destruction if they did not repent.  God wants them to repent.   And so, there is an official gathering with a trial. Priests, prophets, and princes hear him out.  There was some disagreement whether they should kill him or not.  But Jeremiah just talked louder, that if they put themselves in God's hands, He will withhold judgment.  But a fellow-prophet did not do as well - he was hunted down and killed.

TWELVE YEARS LATER: Zedekiah is vassal-king, serving Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Jeremiah was instructed by God to make and wear an ox yoke around his neck and shoulders - and then making matching yokes for the Heads of State of the surrounding nations, too!  The message that accompanied the yokes was that if they didn't get in that yoke and serve Nebuchadnezzar and his sons, that God would punish those nations that refused. (Nebuchadnezzar loved this, by the way.)

WHEN THINGS ARE FALLING APART: (part 2)  So don't listen to people that are saying what you want to hear.  They are lying to you!  Submit to the King of Babylon (to be sifted and cleansed) and live.  Go outside and surrender and you'll survive.  Of course, Jeremiah was accused of being a traitor.  He was the only one telling the truth.  The others were prophesying good times ahead!   In times of pressure, false prophets come out of the woodwork!

RESPONSE:   Would you rather be enslaved and cleansed, or be dead?  That's not much of a choice.  I don't like either option. My answer is to repent and beg God for mercy, but ultimately to submit to God's hand.  Jeremiah went to jail.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:1-18                                                                                            
PREPARING FOR BATTLE AGAINST THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS: One thing we learn at the outset from the Thessalonians, is that we can't allow our circumstances to get on the inside of us.  We internalize them when we react emotionally.  We internalize them when we accept the world's values and standards. So how do we prepare for this? How can we "guard our hearts" ? (Prov 4:23)
(1.) 2Th 1: Persecution and tribulation are opportunities for God to be manifested and glorified in us. We don't escape, we can't go around, we can rebuke it away, or insulate ourselve from trouble.  Our "patience and faith" are expressed by instructing our hearts to "believe and trust God, that He is manificent and in charge, God is faithful and full or mercy, He will show us what He expects from us, etc."
(2) 2Th 2:"Stand fast" (hold onto) for the Truth of the Gospel. This means "to take your stand for", "do not give way or compromise" the Truth. The "Mystery of iniquity" is that we can be deceived and are our own worst enemy.   Unrighteousness always leads to self-deception. Then we believe "the lie".  The original language suggests that this is speaking of a particular lie.  And that lie is that Life is man-centered.  When we get into that lifestyle, then we start assigning degrees to sin. We think some sins aren't important - "no big deal".  We are deceived. When we walk in any sin, we are walking in UN-truth, UN-reality.

(3.) 2Th 3: Choose carefully whom you emulate: your "mentor" must be a hard-working servant. Jesus said, "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mat 20:27-28)  What this translates to is this: you give up your rights.  Paul had a right to expect the church to support him; he was a minister.  But he gave up his rights; servants only have obligations. Jesus had the right to act like God and receive God's service and worship while on earth, but He gave up all those rights (Phil 2).  People who won't work, claiming to be "living by faith"  are an embarrassment to the Gospel - and we shouldn't have anything to do with them. Notice what is called "disorderly" here: NOT working.  And when we don't work, we spend our time being "busybodies", getting into other people's business as a way of "participating" in their work.  It is self-righteous to expect others to wait on us or to contribute to our wellbeing.   It is self-preservation to refuse to wait on others or to contribute to their wellbeing.   Self-righteousness and self-preservation are what Satan uses to lead us around by the nose - because we are always being offended.   Look what Satan told God about us: "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life." (Job 2:4) He thinks we'll do what we have to in order to save our SELF-life. And so, Rev 12:11 says, " And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."  THAT is the mindset that overcomes the devil - a hard-working servant.

RESPONSE:   My mom used to always tell us (when we complained about having to do chores, especially when we had to hoe corn), "If you don't like work, you're no good."  Remember yesterday's Psalm 84:7 says that the more we work, the stronger we get - we don't wear out!  I am talking about our hearts, of course - we get more and more courage, more insight, more delight, more joy, more peace - etc., just from working at what God put before us.  Sometimes it doesn't even feel like work! Besides, then the devil can't touch me!  I already "touched" myself!  I took the humble, self-denying path, and even if the devil kicks me, I have nowhere to fall!  I am a servant!

PSALM 85:1-13                                                                                                              
HOW GOD RESTORES US: Sometimes I ignore the Holy Spirit when He tells me to do something that I don't want to do! Sometimes I let my circumstances dictate how I FEEL - and get whiny and complaining. That is sin.  God doesn't just ignore sin. So, how does He restore me to His Presence when I am still struggling with my "issues"?  Here's the pattern: (Psa 85:1-3) God has forgiven me and I am freed from the spiritual consequences of sin. So He doesn't deal with me on the basis of "wrath".   (Psa 85:4-7) We ask God to "turn us" - bring us back to where we were with Him.  Jesus said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:" (Jo 6:44) so being drawn and brought back is important.  Actually, the Greek word for "draw" means "to drag"!)  When we don't desire God, we ask Him to give us back our heart-hunger and to put spiritual vitality back in our lives ("revive us again")  (Psa 85:8-9)  And when God speaks, I will respond quickly with REPENTANCE.  I won't go back to my "foolishness".   (Psa 85:10-12) When we respond to God, heaven and earth come together in me. "Mercy and truth" and "righteousness and peace" bring the reconciliation I am seeking.  I am in His Presence once more!  Notice, it was not anything I did except seek it and repent. (Psa 85:13) "The way of His steps" is the pattern of righteousness that God lays out for us.  He has given us all we need to walk in obedience to His voice.  Now do it!

PROVERBS 25:16                                                                                                             
As good as honey is, too much honey will make me vomit.  Too much of a good thing - is a bad thing.  Just like the following verse - don't overstay your welcome.  Too much honey (sweetie-pie) will make me vomit.  Don't overload the mind or emotions either.

RESPONSE:  If we linger too long in our independence from God - because our circumstances "drove us" to having a fit, or being whiny - if we let it go on too long, we get dried out spiritually, and there comes a point where we just like our self-pity.  THEN, we must go to God, thank Him for forgiveness and for His faithfulness, and ask Him to give us back our hunger.  Ask Him to restore our spiritual vitality, so we can "rejoice in Him" (Psa 85:6) again. I had a pastor once who said, "Always keep short accounts with God".  In other words, don't allow yourself to grow a list of trespasses (overstepping our boundaries) - so that you don't know where to start, when you finally repent. You know you need to repent anyway - so do it quickly. Otherwise, it is too easy to repeat your foolishness and before you know it, a bad habit has formed.