The key to forgiveness is repentance

The Lord Jesus Is In the Saving Business

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Servant’s Mission

Book of Mark Chapter 2

As we go through these lesson’s this quarter, we are going to see our Lord Jesus Christ as a Faithful Servant.

As the Lord Jesus is our example in so many things, He is also our example of how to be a servant of God.

He loves us as His dear children, but He expects us to serve Him, not as slaves but out of love and obedience.

We always seem to forget our disobedience is our greatest sin. Just ask Adam.

Before the Lord Jesus ascended back to Heaven, He gave us a job to do.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This is the same job our Lord was doing before He went back to Heaven!

What is a servant?

A servant is a person who attends to another person for the purpose of performing menial tasks, at least that is the meaning used by the secular world.

The liberal side of America would tell us that all servants are slaves when a servant is a volunteer to do some work.

A child of God, who is also His servant, is someone who volunteers to get involved in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the Gospels that teach us how our Lord came here to serve His Father in Heaven, and give us the example we are to follow.

1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

The Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior, but He is also our loving Master!

Eph 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
Eph 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
Eph 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

We can be servants to the Lord Jesus because we know we are more than servants, we are in the family of God, His brothers, and sisters in Christ.

Somewhat like families, who follow in the footsteps of a parent who has done well, we are to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, it is a family thing! We do the work that our family does that our Father in Heaven has decided, and His Son Jesus has shown us how to do it right!

Our Father in Heaven “is in the saving business” and we are to follow Him and be in His saving business.

The first part of chapter two teaches us the healing powers of our Lord, as He heals a man who was paralyzed.

This miracle is so great, not just because this paralyzed man walked under his own power, but we see that word immediately, which means old muscles that had not been used and joints that had not had to do any work, all immediately began to work in this body that had been paralyzed.

As this chapter continues our Lord Jesus takes a walk on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, but not just a leisurely stroll because Jesus had a purpose behind everything that He did.

*Mar 2:13 And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

By this time, the crowds that followed Jesus were too large to be contained in one home.

By this time, some of the synagogues were closing their doors to the Lord, because He spoke with authority and His message was a message of truth.

This same thing happens in America today, the government and the media decide what is right even when they are wrong and close the doors to the real truth. This is corruption at its highest!

Mar 2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Mar 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

The people knew better and they flocked to Jesus to hear more about this coming kingdom He spoke of.

When these people had questions, our Lord Jesus could answer them because He knows all.

As a Servant to His Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus took every opportunity to teach the truth of the Scriptures.

And then, the Lord was also in the process of choosing the twelve disciples who would later become the twelve Apostles at least eleven of them would. One was a traitor!

*Mar 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

As the Lord Jesus walked and taught, He passed by a tax collector.

We can see that the Romans had a tax on just about everything like we have today.

Matthew was set up to tax the fishermen for their catch of that day.

Today there is a tax on rainwater in many places, and a coming tax on the methane gas that comes our farm animals, among other taxes to pay for our free spending governments.

In fact climate change is more about taxes than it is the truth!

Yes, the climate is changing, it has been changing since the Lord created it.

The greatest of all climate changes is the flood in the days of Noah.

Yet there is a greater climate change coming and it will be by fire and it will be devastating.

Climate change is then caused by sin more than anything else!

Yes, to live as humans we do produce some things that could harm our environment.

Yes we could do a much better job taking care of our world.

In fact it will be humans who will destroy our world. We are that foolish. Some governments are bound and determined to destroy our world.

No, it is not humans who are causing the climate change that we are see today.

It is natural elements that drive climate change just as they always have.

At least Rome was building roads to every nation that could be used to spread the Gospel.

We cannot get our own governments to fix the existing roads with the money dedicated for that purpose.

Our government is already plotting some sort of tax on electric vehicles to make up for road taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel that will be lost.

There was this man named Levi who was a tax collector who we know as Matthew.

The Israelites considered all tax collectors as traitors and sinners. They were bitterly hated.

They were looked upon as people who had sold their souls out to Rome.

Most of them were cheats and extortioners who lined their own pockets while collecting taxes for Rome and Rome did not care as long as Rome got what Rome demanded.

Most of them became wealthy off the backs of the people of their own nation.

We can believe that Matthew was this type of tax collector.

We can also believe that the Lord Jesus was always looking for an opportunity to save a lost soul.

Levi was an outcast and hated by those around him, but the Lord loved him as He did everyone else.

After loving on him for a moment, Jesus simply says, “Follow Me” and Matthew left the taxing table and followed the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew lived a life of being hated by those around him no matter where he went.

Matthew was surely craving forgiveness!

Jesus tells us all:

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

This is the same Matthew who wrote the Gospel that bears his name.

Most people called him Levi, even Mark and Luke, but Jesus called him Matthew and so, this is the name he chose for himself.

The name Matthew means “gift of Jehovah”. From then on, Matthew stressed God’s great mercy upon him.

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

The Lord invited Himself to dinner at Matthew’s house, and many more tax collectors were there and we see that the Israelites referred to them as “publicans”.

*Mar 2:15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

There were many such men as Levi who were considered outcasts to society, but many of them were like Levi they wanted forgiveness for what they had done.

This dinner became a huge feast.

Luk 5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

Matthew had discovered a peace and a comfort that he had never known, and he reached out to his friends who were like him, so they could learn of the peace that comes from forgiveness.

This world will not show forgiveness unless

It is a life-changing experience when we have a meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus gladly accepted the opportunity to meet with these sinners and Jesus took His own disciples with Him, even though they were wary of being associated with publicans.

Anyone who is willing to confess their sins has a willing ear to listen to them, when that ear belongs to Jesus Christ.

Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Act 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

What this modern generation does not understand, especially those who are transgender or gay, is that the Lord Jesus Christ cannot help anyone who is unwilling to confess their sins and repent!

The Church is open to all comers no matter their sin but all those who know the Lord as their Savior have repented and been Born Again.

What did Jesus teach?

Joh_3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The self-righteous, the self-sufficient, the self-dependent, feel like they have no need to confess their sins and repent of them.

Our Lord Jesus did not ever act above or act better than anyone and this is a great lesson for us all.

Our Lord Jesus also did never compromise His message of repentance!

The Church cannot compromise today or more people will go to Hell because they think they have no need to repent!

The Church must open the doors to all who would enter, no matter their walk in this life, but to be forgiven we must all yield to the Lord’s message of confession and repentance.

Our faith must be in the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He has done for our salvation, and then, we can confess our sins and begin that work of repentance with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Those unwilling to repent will find that they are not saved and in the end the Lord will say “I Never Knew You”.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Only after confessing the knowledge of the work the Messiah has done for our salvation and repenting of our sinful life, can we become that new person, being “Born Again” into a new life!

Those who are self-righteous will never understand these things!

*Mar 2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
Mar 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

If we have noticed the things that are happening in America, we must understand that the sins that America winks at are much worse than those that are already condemned.

Self-delusion, that we have no sin, is the sin that cannot be forgiven because it rejects the reason the Lord came in the first place!

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

There is no one in this world today who is not a sinner!

We can also know that we are to reach out to all sinners outside the Church, but we are not to run with them and partake in their sinful ways.

It is the sinner who can become a disciple and follow the Lord Jesus, and not the other way around.

You see, a religionist who is respectful of the ways of society, will become a judge to those who are trying to reach that society with the Gospel.

Christianity is not a religion; Christianity is medicine for the sin sick soul!

Religion is philosophy, Christianity is the truth of God!

The Lord Jesus expects us to change, but He also knows we need the help of the Holy Spirit to make that change!

It is the sick person (sinner) who knows he needs a doctor (Savior) because he knows he is sick (a sinner).

Those who do not know they are sick (a sinner) will not go to the doctor. (the Savior)

All those who have made themselves self-righteous will never repent!

Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

This is where the American society is failing today!

This is where the compromising Church is failing today!

Those who live in their own righteousness will not answer the call of Jesus Christ!

It is Jesus Christ who is the “Great Physician”!

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Those religionists just will not give up and they can ask some really foolish questions.

*Mar 2:18 And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?

What is fasting all about?

Fasting is the laying aside of food for a period of time when we are seeking to know the Lord in a deeper experience.

Fasting is to be done with the object of seeking to know the Lord in a deeper experience!

There are three types of fasting:

1) Normal fasting involves the total abstinence of food but not water. The Lord Jesus fasted forty days.

Luk 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Luk 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

2) There is the absolute fast for about three days.

Act 9:9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

3) There is the partial fast where there is just a restriction of diet.

Dan 10:3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
There are some physical benefits to this type of fast. It would be similar to dieting.

Daniel chose bread, meat, and grape juice to do without.

Remember all these fasts were done to get closer to the Lord!

When the early Church wanted to know the mind of God, there was a time of fasting and prayer and most all the church took part in this fast.

Very little fasting is done today!

What was the answer from the Lord Jesus?

*Mar 2:19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
Mar 2:20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

How could the disciples fast to get them closer to the Lord, when He was with them every day at this time?

The religious Jews fasted twice a week but for what purpose, we do not know because they were not getting closer to God.

They fasted simply because of religion. It was just another ritual for most of them! It was just another tradition with no real meaning! It was just something else they could brag about.

The disciples of John the Baptist also fasted twice a week just as the religious Jews because they did not have a clear meaning of the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ even though the Messiah was amongst them and John had pointed them to this fact.

They did not have the Holy Spirit until they understood the work of the Messiah.

What was the purpose of their fasting, it was just a ritual!

They should have been fasting for the release of John the Baptist, but it was time for John to cease and for the Messiah to step forward and John had also pointed this out to them.

They should have understood the purposes of the Messiah. They had little faith.

If fasting is not used to seek a closer relationship with the Lord, it has no purpose other than dieting to lose weight or for health.

Yes, we can fast for an answer to a prayer but if we do not have a close relationship with the Lord, how can we expect an answer to that prayer?

These religionists were just mocking the Lord Jesus asking, how could the true Messiah not teach faithfulness to religion.

Religion will not get you to Heaven! Only the Messiah can get us to Heaven!

If God had wanted John the Baptist out of prison, then he would be out of prison.

The time of John the Baptist had ended so, there would be no confusion about the true Messiah.

John was a powerful preacher whose message had been fulfilled.

Jesus simply stated there is a right way and a wrong way to fast.

In fact, Jesus again, as our example states, we must not judge others for keeping religious rituals.

Censuring and condemning others is uncalled for!

We must understand that all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ are condemned already.

We need to show them the only way to be redeemed and pardoned.

We will not be judged according to whether we keep or not keep religious rituals!

Only the Lord Jesus Christ can judge these things!

Rom 14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Rom 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

Jesus Himself said there were two reasons to fast.

1) Sometimes, we just do not feel the presence of the Lord, then, it is a suitable time to fast.
2) Sometimes, we feel we need that special empowering of the Lord to meet a special need, then, it is a suitable time to fast.

This fast must be sincere and we must lay out the rules of our fast with the Lord and the reason for our fast, and this fast must include sincere prayer.

We must understand that we are going to suffer in this world and it is going to get worse before we go home to be with the Lord!

We must also understand that the Lord is not trying to patch up our old way of life, but we will be “Born Again” into a new life, our old life passed away!

The Lord Jesus is not out to reform an old religious life, but He will regenerate us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

*Mar 2:21  No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. 
Mar 2:22 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

God says, if you want to alter the habits of some other person, we must begin by changing their principles.

If we are to plant the Gospel Seed into a rotten heart of some sinner and there must be some sign of progress.

To be a Christian is to be a new kingdom. That old life cannot be patched.

This is the downfall of many places of worship today. They are trying to patch up an old life and God says we must be Born Again into something entirely new.

There will be a New Heaven!
There will be a New Jerusalem!
The persons in both these places will be a New Person, the Born Again children of God.

2Co_5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Rev_21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

A patched up sinner will be worse than he was!

The word bottles in this Scripture means wine skins.

A new bottle made of an animal skin would be elastic enough to expand as the gases of fermentation built of pressure.

Old skins that had already been used would be hardened and they could not take the pressure of the fermenting process and that old bottle would burst.

Jesus said that He was bringing a new life built upon expansion and a new excitement for eternal life. A life never ending!

Our old sin nature cannot be repaired!

Just like corruption, it must be removed!

We must understand that all those old forms of religion in this world will one day perish and the only thing left will be Christianity.

The true foundation of life is the Lord Jesus Christ, and our “Born Again” new life will be clothed in the “Righteousness” of our Lord!

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We cannot be fixed in our own ways; we must be elastic and expandable in the life that Jesus offers to us!

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Amen

The Truth of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Samuel’s Farewell Sermon

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 12

Of all the tributes we can offer to the Lord, obedience to His Word is the greatest thing we can do to show the Lord that we love Him!

The next best thing we can do is to repent our sins.

Repent means much more than saying I am sorry.

To repent is a complete change of mind and a change of direction to mean walking as the Lord walked, walking with the Lord.

The next thing would be a faithful service in whatever we do in the ministry of the Lord.

We trust the promises of God because we know of God’s faithfulness to His Word!

God is faithful!

1Co_1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Fellowship with the Lord consist of the knowledge of His will for us, and an agreement with His design for this world, which means a world built around families with mutual affection conforming to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church is a group of families that worship together as the family of God.

Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1Jn 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

This has been the goal of our Lord Jesus since the first day of creation.

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

It is sin that breaks our fellowship with the Lord!

It is sin that is destroying our world, not climate change!

We must be faithful to the Lord once we know the truth!

Samuel had now become an old man and in all his days, he had been faithful to the Lord while being truthful to all of Israel.

Samuel would spend his last days on earth preparing the people of Israel to live under a monarchy.

Saul was now the first King of Israel.

Once both sides had repented, the people and the new king, they both could live a life of faithful service.

For the new government to succeed, the people would have to faithfully serve the Lord and faithfully fulfill their calling upon this earth.

Samuel preached this message to all of Israel and to the new King of Israel who was sitting within the voice of Samuel.

*1Sa 12:1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
1Sa 12:2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

Samuel closed his ministry before the people.

Samuel closed his ministry as Judge of Israel but he was still God’s Prophet!

As Samuel was stepping aside, he stressed the necessity for King Saul to be faithful to Jehovah God as he had been.

Our success comes from our ability to remain in the will of God all our lives, or from the day we repent and return to the Lord.

Samuel talked of his own righteous life, not bragging, but as an example of the expectations he had for King Saul.

Samuel declared to the people that he had done exactly what they asked him to do, to give them a king to rule over them.

We know that God was the ruler of Israel so, to now have a king would be a terrible step backwards.

Samuel had lived a righteous life since he had been called at the age of twelve.

Samuel had executed justice to Israel all his days.

In order for Israel to prosper, King Saul would have to be faithful and execute true justice and we know that politicians are not really concerned for the people as they say, but most are more concerned with their own bank account.

Israel could have chosen the two sons of Samuel, but they were not considered to be like their father.

We do not know much truth about these two sons.

We do know that Israel was determined to have a king and that king like the kings of other nations, many of which they had destroyed or conquered.

Samuel knew he was too old to continue doing the things he had done all his life.

We all reach this time in our lives where we just cannot do the things we used to do.

Would Saul be a faithful king? We know that answer is no because we can read of his history.

Samuel had never stolen, or cheated, or oppressed anyone.
Samuel had never taken a bribe from the rich and powerful.
Samuel was not guilty of any wrong and if someone thought so, he would immediately make it right.

The people of Israel agreed with Samuel.

We know that King Saul was present as Samuel described his life, and we can just imagine what he was thinking.

Samuel had lived righteously, and this is what the Lord expects from each of us!

To be like the Lord Jesus Christ, we would have to be a lot like Samuel.

For Saul to be a great king, he would have to be a lot like Samuel.

1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

If we have the victory the Lord has given to us, then we need to abound in the work of the Lord!

1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Samuel reminded all these people that it was the Jehovah that had gotten them out of the slavery of Egypt and not some man.

*1Sa 12:6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
1Sa 12:7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

We see in America that many groups are insisting that the history of America not be taught in our schools.

History is about facts.

Certainly, there are parts of our history of which we are not proud.

Certainly, slavery is one of those things.

It was not slavery that built our nation!

Slavery in America came from human trafficking which still exist today, and it needs to be stopped.

The pure fact is, more money can be made trafficking humans than can be made by illegal drugs.

The slavery of Israel came about by the ruthless kings of Egypt.

It was Jehovah God who put an end to this slavery!

It was Jehovah God who called and brought forth Moses to lead this people.

It was Jehovah God who put Aaron the first High Priest in place, and this would continue except for the changes that took place with Zadok.

Zadok was still in the family line of Aaron and was a Levite.

The family line of Eli would be stopped by the Lord Himself.

These children of Israel had become blind to the workings of the Lord and the same thing is taking place in America today.

I do not see how the Catholic Church can defend such people as Biden and Pelosi and some others, knowing that the stand they take goes against the Word of God.

There are many so-called Christians in politics and most everyone of them go against the truth of the Gospel, and they are proud to say so.

What kind of ruler would Saul be?

If he trusted the Word of God and used it to rule these people, he would do an excellent job.

If he ignored the Word of God and rejected Jehovah, his kingdom would fail and we can read what happened because God included it in the Scriptures.

The leaders we have in America today will go down as the people who destroyed the only free society on this planet, and it is intentional.

Corruption cannot be stopped; it must be removed.

2Pe_2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

What was the most disturbing history of these people?

They had consistently forsaken the Lord!

They had turned away from the Lord and lived their own lives as they wished, doing their own thing and this is the recipe for failure.

The Lord had judged them and chastised them, and they lived this way until they cried out to the Lord with great promises, which they would not keep.

If you want to know true history, then it is easy to see that our Lord has saved and delivered all who turn to Him by faith!

Today, that faith must be in the Lord Jesus Christ and this faith can remove anyone from any bondage of sin and wickedness, and all other bondage, such as drugs, alcohol, the gay lifestyle, homosexuality, immorality, depression, hatred, false worship, and any other bondage of sin.

This is the promise that God makes, and He has never broken a promise!

These things were just as true in the days of Saul, but his life led to failure.

Samuel continues with some history:

God had sold them into the hands of Sisaro, to the Philistines several times, and the King of Moab.

They had cried out and the Lord had sent men such as Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah and others.

God had sold them into the hands of the King of Ammon, and they had not recognized the fact, that God had delivered than many times and they asked for a king.

*1Sa 12:12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.

In all these deliverances, it had been the Lord God who had delivered them who is much better than any king!

Samuel told Israel you already have a king, and He is the Lord God of all creation, there is no greater king than the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth to be King of the Jews, and He will bring all of us with Him to rule and reign upon this earth for one thousand years, and I believe this is true.

If we reject the Lord and ask for some human ruler, we are committing a serious sin, it is called idolatry.

Every time someone votes for a Democrat today are voting for the policies of the Democrats and they are exposing themselves to idolatry, because the policies of the Democrats have rejected the Word of God.

I know this sounds political, but it is only the truth.

It is the same for Progressives.

It is the same for many Republicans.

If we refuse to vote, we are just as guilty because we are only helping those who are against the Lord.

It is the same for anyone who goes against the Word of God!

We will be judged for all the things we do in this lifetime!

Israel had rejected the rule of the Lord by rejecting the Word of God.

They had turned away from the Lord and we must not fall into this trap, and it is a deadly trap.

They now faced God’s terrifying judgment!

America is now facing God’s terrifying judgment!

This is what Samuel’s last sermon was telling these tribes of Israel, yet they still chose idolatry.

Samuel says these are the things you know that are true of the Lord your true King, and now you can see the one you chose to replace Him.

*1Sa 12:13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.

If you have chosen Lord as your ruler, you have chosen a Theocratic form of government in your heart.

Why in the world would we ever choose some human ruler who does not follow the Lord?

This is what Samuel was asking Israel.

Saul was a giant of a man in his physique as compared to the average Israelite.

Saul was less than a grasshopper when compared to the Lord the true King.

God had proven throughout the brief history of this nation that He was their Savior.

He was their Provider.

He was their Protector.

He was their Guide through the wilderness called life.

He is the same in all these things for each Christian today!

To ask for a king like all those other nations was a terrible thing to ask for.

Sometimes God will give us what we ask for just to teach us a lesson!

It would have much better to ask for a king, “after God’s own heart”, which would have been much better.

This is the same choice we should all make when we get the opportunity to choose.

Those in power today are trying their best to take this freedom to choose away from us, along with many of our other freedoms.

*1Sa 12:14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
1Sa 12:15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.

What is the truth of God? If we will fear the Lord, serve Him, and obey His voice, which is the written Word of God, and not rebel against the written Word of God, which is a commandment for us and our rulers, and continue to follow the Lord, things will go well for us and our nation.

But if we rebel against the truth of God then, shall the hand of the Lord be against us.

We know our Lord never changes and He will not treat America any different than He treated Israel during these times of rebellion.

You cannot be a Christian and want some wicked ruler to rule over you!

Then Samuel says, just take a look at some small portion of the power of God.

*1Sa 12:16  Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 
1Sa 12:17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
1Sa 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
1Sa 12:19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

These people realized that they had only added to their sins against God.

You know, we can get forgiveness of our sins if we are sincere in asking for forgiveness.

In Israel’s case, they may have realized they were wrong but guess what, they still had Saul as king, and he would turn out to be an ungodly king.

There are a few men in the Bible that God would do things at their request but not many and not often.

We know of Moses and Joshua and the Lord had his own reasons each time.

We need to realize that our Lord is a Mighty God, with unlimited power and not some puny false god.

We will reap what we sow.

How can we ever expect some puny arm of flesh to replace the arm of God!

Is God showing the world that He can change the face of the heavens and persecute us with storms such as what is called “climate change”?

He did it once to Israel, why not do it today, to show this world which is so full of sin and idolatry?

We are in our own peril if we reject the power of the God of the Bible!

The Lord certainly has the power to bring judgment upon any people or all people at the same time!

For Israel it was an exceedingly rare thing for rain during harvest time, and we can be sure they lost a part of that harvest.

We know how destructive thunderstorms can be!

This sermon from Samuel had led the nation of Israel to confession.

Do we need a Samuel in America today to lead us to the point of confession of our sins, well this is not true because we already have the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins and who has given us the truth, and few are listening to His Words.

The truth is, rejecting the Lord will bring judgment against us!

If we forsake the Lord, forget, ignore, and neglect the Lord, we will face the judgment of God!

This also is the truth of the Scriptures!

People just do not want to hear the truth, because they are raised in a world where the truth is not important because we live in a world based on lies, beginning with evolution.

We must walk a righteous walk before God, no matter what this world is doing!

2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

*1Sa 12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
1Sa 12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
1Sa 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.

There is only one answer to the problems we face today, and it is to return to the Lord and to serve the Lord with all our heart!

If we have confessed our sins then, we can do this if we then repent and walk away from the lies of this world, and turn to the truth of the Lord.

The biggest problem people have today is that they do not want to give up their sin.

Almost everyone has a pet sin that they refuse to give up!

Sinners just do not want to repent and without repentance there is no forgiveness!

When sin becomes the most important thing in our lives, we are traveling on the road to damnation!

The Lord will not forsake any people who are committed to Him!

The Lord will not forsake any people He has made promises to.

The Lord Jesus will not forsake Israel because He has made promises to them.

The Lord will never leave us, nor forsake us, because He is bound by His promises to us.

You see our salvation is not on our own merits.

Our salvation has always depended upon the mercy of God and the promises He has made!

You see, if the Lord fails to keep even one promise, then His honor would suffer in this world.

The Lord must deliver Israel or He will be found to be a liar.

The Lord must deliver the true Church of He would be found to be a liar.

If the Lord God of this world does not keep His promises, then His Word is useless.

It is never too late to repent and return to the Lord while we are living.

It is impossible to repent after death!

The Lord made Israel His people.

The Lord made the Church His chosen people!

Then Samuel mentions prayer.

We immediately see that we sin against the Lord if we do not pray for sinners!

Samuel promised to pray for and to teach Israel all the days that remained in his life.

We must be intercessors for our children.
We must be intercessors for all our family, and it is a sin not to.
We must be intercessors for all sinners.

The key to our relationship with the Lord is to serve Him in truth that comes from the heart!

*1Sa 12:23  Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: 
1Sa 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
1Sa 12:25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

You know, if the Lord does nothing else for us after we are saved, He has already done much more than we deserve by saving us from a burning Hell.

The Lord also wants to bless us in this life, but we must have a personal relationship with Him.

We must respect the Lord who is also the Creator of all we see, and all we cannot see in this universe.

We should understand that the new King Saul was present during this sermon from Samuel and heard every word he spoke.

Then Samuel issues a final warning to all of Israel, but this applies to all leaders in this world and to all believers.

If we continue to sin, we will be judged and chastised by the Lord!

For Israel many were destroyed until ultimately, they were exiled from the Promised Land.

This is why the return of Israel to the Promised Land was such a momentous day in fulfilled prophecy!

We should understand that the problem with Israel was not to have a king who would go out and win battles for them.

The problem with Israel was internal and it was spiritual!

The problem with America is not that America is still the most powerful nation on earth, at least for the time being.

The problems in America is internal and they are Spiritual.

Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

America will have to return to God and repent, to have a better future just as Israel will have to do.

Israel has the promises of God, America does not, only the believers do.

No king and no leader are powerful enough to stop the hand of God in judgment!

There is no approach to God that does not begin with repentance!

Much of the Church has forgotten this.

We must turn away from sin, in order to come face to face with the Lord!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

The Word of God cannot be denied!

Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Amen

God’s Judgment Is A Sure Thing

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Departed Glory

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 4

A great lesson to learn in this passage of the Bible is that unbelievers will not be able to use Jehovah God to reach their own personal goals.

Israel was seeing something new from God.

Jehovah would begin speaking to Israel through the voice of a child.

We can also begin to see the importance of “childlike faith”.

We must encourage our children to have the right ideas about the Lord Jesus Christ, and not to get caught up in the things of this wicked world that is not going to get any better.

We must prepare our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren for what lies ahead of them, and it is not limited to climate change.

God brought Samuel along to revive the truth of God and to restore true worship to Jehovah.

Samuel would also be the last Judge of Israel deciding all cases according to the Word of God.

All of Israel began to notice that Samuel was established to be the voice of God.

Another reality we will see is God’s judgment is a sure thing!
God’s judgment will take place just as He teaches us in His infallible Word.

Today we are surrounded by evil!

Bad men and terrible things are all around us.

Corruption is dictating politics in America!

Wicked bullies are in charge of many nations including our own nation.

According to the Word of God, tyranny is a doomed thing! Thank Goodness.

*1Sa 3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
1Sa 4:1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

The Philistines were the bitter enemy enemies of Israel.

Most Christians believe that the Palestinians in Israel are the remnants of the Philistines.

These Philistines were the fiercest of the oppressors of Israel as they tried to conquer the Promised Land given to them of Jehovah God.

The Philistines had the same goal which was to conquer all of Palestine and the Palestinians have that same goal today.

Palestine gets its name from the Philistines.

They want to push Israel off into the Mediterranean Sea. They hate Israel.

The Scriptures say they came from Caphtor. Some say this was the island of Crete, but it could also be a part of Egypt, which is more realistic.

The Philistines began oppressing Israel during the period of the Judges and continued their dominance all the time of the “Judges Era” until the time of Samuel, all because Israel lost their love for Jehovah.

They thought they could use Jehovah to meet their own goals.
They did not understand the ways of God and treated God as an idol.

Israel had fallen away from Jehovah and God used the Philistines to humble them and be a punishment for their sins.

The present invasion of the Philistines into Israel came when the soldiers of the Philistines marched their soldiers into Aphek and made camp.

Aphek was a city that belonged to the tribe Issachar not far from Jezreel.

Aphek had been the royal city of the Canaanites whose king Joshua had killed.

This city is not a great distance from Jerusalem which King David made the capitol of all of Israel.

The Philistines were bold and ruthless.

Israel came out to fight with the Philistines and they camped at Ebenezer.

*1Sa 4:2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

We should understand that when Joshua led the armies of Israel, they had lost very few battles and each loss was because they had not been obedient to Jehovah.

Israel felt they could defeat any enemy at any time, but they had forgotten how they won those battles.

They won when the Lord was on their side, and they lost when He was not.

We would think they would realize this truth, but they had become blind to the Word of God and their hearts were gross.

Jdg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

This is not the way of God!

The pure truth is that most people think the right way is their way and the way of everyone else is the wrong way.

This is the theme going on in America today!

One small group of people are trying to push their way of life upon all people by force and the government is helping them.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ has shown us the right way and that right way is to be more like Him and His ways!

Four thousand soldiers lost their life in that first skirmish because Israel was disobedient to the Lord.

Israel was guilty of the most horrible sins and wickedness.

All these gross sins are described in the Book of Judges.

You see God does not hide these things from us.

Most authors would have left out mentioning all those wicked things in the Book of Judges.

*1Sa 4:3 And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

Why was Israel losing this war with the Philistines?

Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Isa 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Isa 59:4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

The officers of the armies of Israel held a council of war to decide the best way to defeat these Philistines, but when they should have repented and turned to God, they chose to use the sacred things of God instead of faith.

There is nothing in this world that can replace our faith!

It is true that the priest of Israel carried the Ark of God in the time of Joshua, but then the Ark was located in the Tabernacle at Shiloh after the battle of Jericho.

It was then time for “faith” to lead the armies of Israel and not the Ark which symbolized the presence of God, but the actions of Israel showed disdain for the things of God.

Eze 39:23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.
Eze 39:24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.

The judgement of God is terrible, and Israel should have known the truth of God.

They had forgotten their own national history.

The death of Eli and his two sons and the capture of the Ark were a clear picture of the “judgment of God upon Israel”!

The Ark taken from the Tabernacle brought a false hope for victory!

*1Sa 4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
1Sa 4:5 And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

What is going on in the Church today? God is treated more like an idol than the Supreme God and a corrupt priesthood are making things much worse.

The army of Israel was puzzled because the Philistines had so easily won that first battle, wondering why God had allowed such a thing.

The Ark was a symbol of the presence of God, but in fact it was just an ornate wooden box that had no power to change the outcome of any battle.

We cannot be superstitious in our worship of Jehovah God!

So, when the Ark was brought to the battlefield the result was catastrophic.

It is the same for our salvation.

If we treat God like an idol and only call upon Him when we think it will do us some good and then spend the rest of our time doing things our own way, we may find that instead of salvation we will see the “judgement of God”.

The truth of God cannot be viewed superstitiously!

The Ark of God was not some good luck charm!

If the world and the flesh still rule in our heart, we certainly will not make it to Heaven because it is the Lord Jesus Christ who must rule in our hearts!

The Levites may have carried the Ark according to the Laws of Moses, but with the two sons Eli with them, it did not ensure the presence of God, in fact, it only insured Israel’s defeat.

Many already knew the prophecy of Samuel and the prophecy of God is always true and it is always real.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

In other words, to remain an unbeliever and blame everything on God’s people is a sure way to see the wrath of God.

Though the shouts of the army of Israel was loud enough for the Philistines to hear them, they would have no victory this day.

*1Sa 4:6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
1Sa 4:7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

The Philistines considered the Israelites to be foreigners even though they themselves were also foreigners having no place to call their home.

The same thing can be said of the Palestinians today. The land of Palestine was never their homeland. Those that did own some of the land taken over by Israel, were paid for that land and they left.

No matter what Israel thought of the Ark of God, God will not be used as some good luck charm!

It was wrong for Israel to do this thing!

For Hophni and Phinehas to be associated with this event, should have shown these Israelites that God was not in this thing.

All of Israel knew the sin of these two sons of Eli.

The Philistines became curious of what was happening in the camp of Israel and then realized, according to their frame of mind, that Israel had brought its god to the battlefield.

We have to realize that we cannot take God anywhere.

If God is in any such activity, He will already be there.

They had never seen such a thing before in all their battles.

Saying to themselves that it was Israel’s gods that defeated Egypt and the Amorites who these Philistines could not defeat.

The Philistines then determined to fight with everything they had, or they would become slaves of the Israelites.

They said, “woe to us” if we lose this battle.

Then these things gave them added strength.

*1Sa 4:8 Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
1Sa 4:9 Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
1Sa 4:10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

These Philistines had openly admitted that the God of Israel was stronger than their own false gods.

They rightly said Elohim, the plural form for God is a Trinity.

In fact God had destroyed Egypt before Israel entered into the wilderness.

This despair before Israel only made them more determined to defeat Israel which they accomplished, and thirty thousand more soldiers met with death on the battlefield because of a corrupt government.

A complete victory for the Philistines.

The Philistines saw Israel as only a band of escaped slaves and not a nation at all.

These Philistines became aroused to fight for their lives and launched a fierce attack on Israel killing many not realizing that Israel suffered from the “judgment” of the God who sat on that Ark.

Israel was so much in despair they did not return to their camp, but each soldier went back home in fear of their lives and of their family’s lives.

They realized that God had not fought for them on this day.

When we feel like God must act in our defense no matter how we treat Him, we are thinking wrong.

God will not be used to satisfy our own whims.

It is we that are to be in the will of God and not the other way round!

When we are unfaithful and have not repented of our sin, God is not obligated to come to our defense!

In fact God is not obligated to us in any way if we are not committed to Him.

Our hope is in the promises of God and our faith is that God will remain faithful to His promises.

It is us who must be committed to the will of God!

God will always conduct His sovereign plan, but for us to be a part of that plan, then we must obey the Word of God and repent of our sin showing faith in the truth of God.

Sinful, wicked behavior will always result in the “Judgment of God”!

Even in their wicked behavior, Israel made the necessary sacrifices and came to the Tabernacle at the appropriate time, but their hearts had waxed gross, and God looks into the heart.

These people were returning to the days of Noah.

Gen_6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The world we live in is doing the same thing today!

What had God required of Israel?

Deu_10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Israel was failing in this.

Notice that phrase “to walk in His ways”.

A true child of God will walk in the ways of God and the example He has given to us is His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God knows what is in our hearts!

Psa_44:21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Far too many innocent people fall in wars that are unnecessary.

The Philistines were the enemies of Israel, but God will sometimes use our enemies to bring His judgement!

Even the Ark of the Covenant to Israel was taken by a people who did not know the truth of God.

*1Sa 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

The fact that Hophni and Phinehas died was a fulfillment of the prophecy given to Samuel and Samuel had made Eli aware of what God had said.

These things took place because of national wickedness and a corrupt priesthood.

If we look at America today, we see national wickedness and a corrupt priesthood, and it cannot be denied.

Why in the world would we think that God would do anything different today than He did in the time of Samuel.

The Philistines would regret that they had taken the Ark of God, but God would take care of this Himself without the help of Israel.

God will not be in the same space as a false god!

Once the Holy Spirit has moved into the heart of a Christian, the Devil nor his demons can move back into that Christian, but we can be sure he will do his best to make our lives miserable if we allow him to do.

Jas_4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Wicked behavior may be idolatry or a corrupt priesthood.

As for Eli, he had allowed his sons to continue in committing adultery in the House of God and stealing from offerings that were made to the Lord.

Eli had allowed his two sons to take the Ark of God into battle knowing what God had said about his two sons.

God will punish unworthy hands that refuse to repent!

So, no matter who that person is, God will bring judgment upon them!

If we remember where we came from, we will not expect God to do anything less than bring judgment!

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Eli also died that same day again fulfilling the prophecy given to Samuel.

*1Sa 4:17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
1Sa 4:18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

It was twenty miles from the battlefield to Shiloh, but a messenger thought it was best for Eli to know that the Ark had been taken.

Eli did not respond much to this message of this messenger, until he found out the Ark of God was stolen.

The Ark had been Eli’s greatest concern, but he had allowed it to be taken from the House of God.

1Sa 4:13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

As Eli became excited and tried to stand, he fell, and his neck was broken, and he died the same day of his sons.

Meaning that when God speaks, we need to listen and when God warns us, He is very serious!

Eli had judged Israel for forty years, but he had also indulged in the sin of his sons and most all of Israel was aware of his sin.

The Bible mentions Eli being obese to warn all God’s priests that it is not good to live a life of indulgence in the riches of sin.

God’s judgment is fixed!

God’s judgment will definitely take place!

All those who reject the Word of God will face the judgment of God!

All those playing church without being sincere will face the judgment of God!

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Mar 8:37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mar 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Jesus Christ is specific.

We must deny ourselves and take up our own cross and follow Him.

The cross is a sign of death so, we must be willing to give our life in our own pursuit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The God of Glory had departed from Israel on this day.

Amen

Repent Submit Be Blessed

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Repentance, Submission, and Blessing

Book of Job Chapter 42

What we will see in this last chapter of the Book of Job is that although Job had not sinned, there were many things that he did not have the right understanding of about the Lord.

Job did not have the Bible that we have today to guide Him, Job only had those things of knowledge that had been passed down from his forefathers and what he could learn talking face to face with the Lord.

Job was not very many generations from Noah, so the fear and the power of God should have been near to Job’s heart.

We should clearly understand that we are to take the Word of God He has given to us, to learn all we can about our God and fools not to do so!

We are only temporary residents of this place called earth.

My mom is 91 years old, but many of us will not live that many years, but we will live eternally with the Lord so this little time we live now, is nothing compared to eternal life.

2Co 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
2Co 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The one thing every child of God knows is, that our Heavenly Father has a plan, and we are smack dab in the middle of it and we will not be left out of God’s plan.

We serve a Great Big God of All Power and we are blessed that He is a Loving and Merciful God!

The greatest wrong we do today may be the fact that, we speak too much before we have the right understanding!

This becomes really serious when we are speaking of our Lord and Savior.

*Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

What is awe? Awe is fear mingled with admiration or we could say, fear mingled with reverence.

Psa 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
Psa 33:9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

In the days of Job, the rainbow had much more significance than it does today for it reminded the people of the awesomeness of God.

Today most people do not give the rainbow a second thought, but we should!

If we do not have these same thoughts that Job had, then we are the sinners, not Job.

There is nothing that God cannot do except sin. God cannot sin and God cannot lie, and God cannot be unrighteous!

It can never be said that God will do foolish things and it be true!

God can hear the smallest whisper because God can hear the thought that is in our heart before it gets to our mind and causes some action good or bad!

Job admitted he had talked about things that he had not clearly understood.

*Job 42:3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

What is the one greatest thing that Job had learned in all this?

We have no right to question the ways of God!
We have no right to complain to God for the things we go through!
We have no right challenging God’s wisdom!
We have no right challenging God justice!

We should think about these things as we have seen the results of the recent elections!

Did we vote according to the Word of God?

God does what God does anytime God wants to do so!

What did Job learn?

That he must bow in humble submission before His Creator and admit, it is God who is sovereign!

Isa 14:24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

Isa 46:8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Isa 46:11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

To be honest, we must accept all the things that God does as the right things to do, no matter how we feel about them!

Jehovah is a righteous God!

We may not ever understand all the Word of God, but the more we study ourselves, the more we listen to the Preacher, the more we attend Sunday School, the more we will understand how our Lord works in this world.

In fact God will never go against anything He has given to us in writing!

We do need to have an accurate Bible written, according to the Greek and Hebrew Manuscripts of the Received Text.

We will never understand the Bible unless the Holy Spirit lives within us and we will never have the Holy Spirit live within us, until we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

The world can never know the truth of the Scriptures unless a child of God, led by the Holy Spirit, teaches them and of course the Holy Spirit is the greatest of all teachers and He will always, “always” lead us to Jesus the Messiah.

God has every right to demand we live according to His Word!

*Job 42:4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

We must also understand that we must be willing to live without our questions being answered!

This is what “faith” provides!

Faith allows to go on with our life knowing that everything that God does is the right thing!

We serve a righteous God!

When our “faith” is strong our suffering will be short!

Satisfaction comes with the knowledge of the truth!

We must clearly understand, that because we have accepted the truth of God, the truth of the Lord Jesus, we are the children of God and the Lord knows best what we need in this life, and He has prepared us a place for us to live in our eternal life, where there will be no problems at all.

Another thing we must know is that we are not perfect, and we always have some sin to repent of.

Our thoughts are not always pure!
Our actions are not always right!
Our non-actions can be sin!

There are always some things that we have not done knowing we should have done!

You see, the closer we get to the Lord the better we will be in this life!

The more we know about the Lord the better we will be in this life!

When we pray, we should have a greater knowledge of the Lord’s answer, if we are familiar in what the Lord has done in the past.

If we are God’s child, then we can know that He will answer our prayer and we will get what we ask if we ask in faith.

The key to our relationship with the Lord and answered prayer is our “faith”!

As one man wrote “we should be crushed under the weight of God’s “greatness”, if we think about it!

*Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

As God had said, Job was the most perfect man on the earth at that time, yet Job had never grasped the greatness of God.

I believe we all fall short in this category!

It is a true statement “that we need to get off self and get on the Lord”.

We are nothing more than a sack of dirt, yet in the eyes of our Savior and our Creator, we are the most brightest shining jewel, upon this earth.

He is not going to harm us!
He is not going to allow this world to harm us until it is time for us to go home!

The Lord never said it was going to be easy being a Christian in fact, the Lord said just the opposite.

Joh_16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

We need to be over-comers of all the things that happen to us in this world!

The Lord teaches us to hate evil.

Joh_7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

The works of this world are always evil in some way!

The world sees an act of goodness as the first step of domination.

We must see sin as something that needs to be eradicated from this world!

We cannot allow corruption to be victorious!

For the most part we tolerate sin, when we need to express that hatred for sin the Lord teaches us to have.

This does not mean that human being, but it does mean that sin!

If Jesus testified of the works of sin, then if we are “like Christ” (Christian) then we need to testify of the works of sin!

The world does not see that being a Christian is being like Christ Jesus!
The world does not see that being a Christian is to live according to the Word of God!

We must always repent of any sin that we have, and this does not mean to tolerate the sin of others!

We are not found sincere in these things unless we have submitted to the Lord!

Now God speaks to Eliphaz.

*Job 42:7 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

You see it was right for Job to reject the error of these three so-called friends and Elihu.

The things they had said to condemn Job, were wrong!

It was Job who had said things that were right according to the truth of God!

Eliphaz had been a bad example for those other three who followed after him in accusing Job.

We see that Jehovah had chastised Job, but His wrath was against those three men.

God’s own children will never see God’s wrath upon them!

This is another type in the Book of Job.

God does chastise His children and will keep His children from His wrath to come.

Rom_5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, “we shall be saved from wrath through him”.

But the children of disobedience will see the full force of the wrath of God.

Rom_1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against “all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness”;

Rom_2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Job had remained true to God through the assault of these worldly men!

Eliphaz was a type of the world and those with him were his followers.

And the Lord does not ever change, He will reward those He has justified, and He will punish those who are disobedient sinners who refuse to accept the Lord Jesus Christ, and refuse to repent!

When we have been “justified” by the Lord it does not matter if we are wrongly judged by the world.

The world thinks we are all hypocrites, anyhow!

We are not of this world just pilgrims passing through this world!

The world that rejects the ways of God cannot then judge the godly!

1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Then God shows mercy to these men rather than “judgment” at this time.

*Job 42:8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.

As I said at the beginning of our lessons in the Book of Job, we see Job was considered a Priest in his day.

This is also another proof of Job’s innocence.

Here again we see that Job was told to do these things before the 613 laws were given to the Jews.

2Ch 29:21 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD.
2Ch 29:22 So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.

That word “folly” means foolishness, but it also means wickedness.

Those who defend these three men should know that Jehovah said they were wicked!

Wicked people do wicked things, insisting they are only trying to help, just as corrupt people do corrupt things insisting that is was only for the good of our nation, and everyone to vote in our recent elections and they do not see the wrong in doing so to achieve their goal, a quest for power.

This is the same goal of the Antichrist, “power”!

These three men did exactly what the Lord told them to do, and we can be sure Elihu was watching and listening just as he had been doing all along, but was probably not near 30 years of age.

*Job 42:9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.
Job 42:10 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Before Job could offer up a sacrifice for these three men, he would have first had to offer up a sacrifice for himself and God had accepted that sacrifice along with this sacrifice for these three men.

Remember these three men had been inspired and used by Satan, and God put a stop to it, and again placed that hedge of protection around His child Job.

What did Solomon teach after such things?

Ecc 9:7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
Ecc 9:8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
Ecc 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

We also see that the Lord also took Satan out of the picture for the rest of the days of the life of Job!

Once Job was healed and his grief ended, we see that Job was accepted again by his friends and family who had also been influenced by Satan.

*Job 42:11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

Job had suffered for no wrong that He had done and when we suffer in this way God smiles! Why?

Because we are growing to be more like His Son.

Again we see Job as a type of Christ.

1Pe 2:19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
1Pe 2:20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Job was humbled by his conversation with the Lord and he now knew much more about the ways of God.

These are the reasons that the Book of Job, and all the wisdom books are in the Bible.

This is why the Book of Job is considered a wisdom book, because we can learn the ways of our God and we are very wrong when we do not try to learn about Him.

We need to understand the way the Lord deals with sin and His children.

We say the patience of Job and Job was a great man of God, but I still do not understand why the Lord puts up with us.

I do not know how God could have sent His Son to pay for my sin and all our sin.

Notice how Job’s friends and family return, still blaming God for bringing evil upon Job, still not claiming God to be a righteous God.

They do now show the signs of true comforters.

1) They came in respect. We must show respect to our brothers and sisters in their time of need.
2) They brought food. We should bring food because many will not fix for themselves.
3) They brought money. When possible or when needed we may have to provide for their necessities.
2Co_8:14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
4) They came with the intention to comfort. We must come as comforters and not accusers!

Yes, God allowed these things, but we should be thanking God for these valuable lessons we have learned and can learn for the Book of Job.

Notice how God will always make us pay for the harm we cause our brothers and sisters.

Their comfort was not in their money nor that gold, their comfort was in remembering that they should have supported Job from the beginning and not have abandoned him.

It is God who blessed Job!

*Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

Notice how Job was now twice as rich as he had been before.

We do not know the time frame for all these things that happened to Job, but I do not think it was a long period of time.

We see that God knew exactly how many animals Job had before they had vanished.

God knows more about us than we know ourselves!

As the children of God there are some things we need to understand!

1) All our earthly troubles will sooner or later have a blessed ending.
2) Our success in this life is not what we have in the beginning but what we have at the ending.
3) Our afflictions are not penalties but for correction and sanctification.
4) At the end of this day if it ends in peace, we should be devoutly thankful and press onward till we reach that ending that sums up our lifetime upon this earth, remembering that we need to cling to our integrity as a “Born Again” child of God.
5) All true blessings come from our Heavenly Father!

Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The Lord also blessed Job again with seven sons and three daughters and this time we know their names.

*Job 42:13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.
Job 42:14 And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch.

The greatest treasure that God allowed to be restored was children.

Job again had seven sons and three daughters.

Some would say why not 20 as with the animals.

Job had the knowledge that those first ten were in Heaven!

As head of the family, it was still Job’s job to try to make sure that these ten would live righteously and when Job got to Heaven and when their time on earth ended there would be twenty of Job’s children in Heaven.

Jemima a beautiful child meaning “as beautiful as the day” some also say it has the meaning of “dove”.

Jezia (Cassia) meaning, “sweet-scented”.

Psa 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

Kerenhappuch (Kehren Happook) meaning “horn of cosmetics” taken from the Hebrew words meaning “ivory” or a ray of light added to “glowing” as in “glowing eyes”.

No doubt Job’s three daughters were the fairest in all the lands in their day!

*Job 42:15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

In the day of Job it was the men who were left an inheritance and the women were expected to marry and that husband provide for his wife but Job decided to go against the grain and he equally left all ten of his children an inheritance and Job was rich, that inheritance was great.

So many say that the Bible does not treat men and women equally but we see God always treats everyone equal but he also insist in the order of the family with the man the head of the family in a Christian home led by the Lord.

There will be order in the Church the Lord the Head of the Church and that Christ called man of God to be the shepherd of the Church.

But God was not through blessing Job.

*Job 42:16 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.
Job 42:17 So Job died, being old and full of days.

Job lived to see his grandchildren, his great grandchildren, and his great-great grandchildren and Job’s life was full.

Full meaning, abounding in love and grace and peace for a hundred and forty more years.

Jas 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

The Lord Jesus was very compassionate and merciful also, but today He has patience greater than Job as that old accuser is constantly in His ear accusing those Jesus died for.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

The Lord’s patience has an ending and according to many scriptures the Lord could return at any time and redeem His children!

Amen!

God Will Regather True Israel

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Regathering of Israel

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 23

Before we get started in our lesson we should see to whom the Lord is directing these words. We only have to back up one chapter to chapter 22 verse 29.

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

We should know that all these things that went on in the time of Jeremiah took place during his lifetime, but these things have a great meaning for the nation of Israel today and further still in the future and we as Gentiles and the Body of Christ need to listen and learn from all these things.

If we had read these things we would realize that King Coniah or Jeconiah, both are the same. Coniah was of King David’s line through King Solomon and the rights to this throne was cut off by the Lord. Joseph the husband of Mary would be of this same line and God said the Messiah could come from the line of David which the Lord had just ended.

Had Jesus been born the natural way instead of the Super natural way, He would have no claim to the throne in the line of King David.

Had Joseph chosen someone besides Mary to be His wife, it would have broken the chain to the Messiah.

Since the plan of God cannot be altered, Mary was also of the line of David thorough his son Nathan who was the first born of David and Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, being conceived by the Holy Spirit holds the royal title to the throne of David, which He will possess when He returns.

Since the Lord cannot die then His throne is eternal!

Chapter 23 verse 1

*****Jer 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the LORD.

Things had gotten so bad that Jeremiah had decided to quit on God, but he found that he could not.

Jer 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name but his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

God had rejected this generation and He would be their enemy!

Jer 21:5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Jer 21:10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

Jer 22:6 For thus saith the LORD unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

Jer 22:9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

It will never be good for those who have rejected the Lord God Jehovah!

*****Jer 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

These shepherds included the spiritual leaders of this nation but also the political leaders of this nation!

We see right off that it is the job of the Pastor to feed his flock and that food was to be the Word of God!

The job of the Pastor has not changed today, they are to be shepherds to the flock that the Lord has given to them.

These had caused the people of God to be scattered rather than to be gathered together as one people.

**Do we not see this thing today as many so-called Christians have joined with the evils of our nation and the Church is scattered in its beliefs.

We are to gather in one accord with the truth of God!

We simply do not see righteousness and true justice in our society of today.

What had God promised? Peace, security, and prosperity if, God’s people would obey Him.

Joh_8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

When those behind the pulpits of today fail to do their duty, the children of God will be confused. This confusion would go away if they would study the Word of God themselves and remove all those who teach lies rather than the truth of God!

What do we know? Those who scatter God’s people are the same ones who increase their personal wealth, their positions, and sometimes even power, while they condemn God’s people!

God says it is He who will repay them for the evil that they have done!

Psa 62:9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
Psa 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
Psa 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
Psa 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

We should clearly understand God will eventually punish everyone who oppress God’s people.

It is necessary at this time for these things to take place, so all humans can have an opportunity to repent.

How many will remain true to the Lord?

*****Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Some say this is what is going on now and it is but most of these today are not Christian. When the Lord gathers after or even during the Tribulation Period they will truly be His people.

God expects every government to take care of its people. In fact if the people at home are not cared for then our government should not provide our resources to other governments, especially to those that mistreat their people!

Jer 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
Jer 25:34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.

Those that believe that there is a power greater than the Lord are trusting in vanity!

And for all the naysayers, Israel will one day occupy all the land that was given to Abraham!

Even today with the leaders Israel has, the people of Israel are not very afraid of all those larger enemies that surround them, but must never let pride enter into their politics ever again!

What has God promised?

*****Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

What is the sign of the true Pastor? They are called of God!

God gives us all a job to do but God calls His Pastor in another way, so they can know they have been called. All others who claim to be a Pastor but are not called of God, are imposters!

The true Pastor will not fear what the government can do to him and he will instill this into the flock of God.

As Christians we must never fear what this world can do to us because at death we go to the glory land!

And a greater promise of them all, the Lord Jesus Christ will return and this time He will claim the throne of David!

There are many lessons and many prophesies of the Second coming of the Messiah and this is just one of them.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Jeremiah and Isaiah both knew these things were to be in the future then and still are today, but the time draws very near that the Lord will soon return.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

He will have a name much grander than them all:

*****Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

To the Jews His name would be “Jehovah-Tsidkenu”.

To each Christian, since we have no righteousness of our own, He is called The Lord Our Righteousness.

It is because Our Lord spent a sinless life upon this earth that He could take our place on the Cross on Mount Calvary!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, God applies the Righteousness of His Dear Son to us and it is because of this that we can become acceptable to Him.

So who is the Messiah? The Messiah is none other than the righteous Son of God, The Lord Jesus Christ!

The truth is we did not have the ability to become “righteous” on our own.

Isa_64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

In fact there has never lived one person upon the face of this earth that has lived a righteous life beside the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom_3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The days we live in now are the days of the Church but the soon coming Age will be the days of the restored nation of Israel.

*****Jer 23:7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 23:8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

This prophesy will not see it’s fulfillment while the Church is still upon the face of this earth! The Church will already be in Heaven and then return with the Lord when He returns!

When the Lord sits upon the throne of David, then He will gather His people from all the countries of the world and lead them back to the Promised Land.

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Promised land of the Jews is not heaven, but it is a symbol of Heaven.

What we see going on in Israel today is just a partial filling of this prophesy of Jeremiah!

There is a big difference between the Prophet Jeremiah and the false prophets of his days.

*****Jer 23:9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

What is the truth of those false prophets?

Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

This same thing is true of those false preachers of today in the Church.

Jeremiah had thoughts like many today. Just how could a loving God allow the destruction of His people.

First, we need to describe God’s people.

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

If cannot fit yourself into these words of the Lord, then you are not God’s people. It is just that simple!

These false prophets will cause many to go astray but only if they reject the truth of God!

It breaks the heart of God for these things to take place, but He can never go against His Word in any case!

What is one of our greatest problems? We cannot always realize the truth of today until it becomes our past.

It seems we always want more truth when we have the greatest of all truths in the Scriptures preserved for us in the Word of God!

We must know God well enough to know that He never does things because of anger. He does things because these are the things that He said he would do.

The Lord never does things because of a lack of love, He does these things because this is what He said he would do and He will never go against His Word.

It is because of the Holiness of His Words.

Holy words are those words that lead us to obey the will of God!

The Word of God is Holy! The Word of God is set apart as the complete truth in a world full of lies and deceit!

*****Jer 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
Jer 23:11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

We should know that most false worship in the adjacent nations involved sexual sin. Adultery here refers to sexual adultery and more important “Spiritual Adultery” which is idolatry.

The false prophets and the false ministers can commit no greater sin than immorality, sexual or Spiritual.

The Prophets of God are held to a higher standard just as those who preach the Word of God today are!

When a so-called prophet of God turns away from the Lord they have committed apostasy!

It is the same as running away from the Lord as did Jonah. Jonah returned but these had rejected the Lord and the Word of God refusing to repent.

These men had broken the heart of God and God was already bringing drought and famine.

The land was mourning and refused to provide for these people.

The land of Israel never regained the power to provide for Israel, until the children of Israel began to return as Israel was “Born Again” on May 14, 1948. Israel has since blossomed into a truly pleasant land.

This was a sign to them all, that they would certainly face the judgment of God!

The prophets and the priests had chosen wickedness for their model of right and wrong.

Sounds more and more like the America we live in today!

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

How many today have forgotten this simple verse of Scripture?

This is just the opposite of what God has called us all to do!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

It is for this reason their life would be made miserable.

*****Jer 23:12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

We know that the persecution of Christians has increased many times over, but we can also be sure that those who preach a false message will be persecuted by God Himself, when the time is right.

It is a terrible thing to walk into a place we do not know when it is too dark to see. When we find that the walkway is also slippery it just adds to our fright.

These priests in the day of Jeremiah would walk in the daylight as if it was total darkness and stumble about until they fell for good.

They would be banished from ever serving God again!

Psa 35:1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
Psa 35:2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
Psa 35:3 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
Psa 35:4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
Psa 35:5 Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.
Psa 35:6 Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.
Psa 35:7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.
Psa 35:8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.

We sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that God will continue to allow these things to take place, but the Scriptures prove to us the God will cause these things to end and those that do these things to come to a wicked end themselves!

They had Blasphemed themselves as they had committed blasphemy in the Temple of Solomon!

As we live day by day as Christians we have the responsibility of keeping ourselves clean without even having the appearance of evil.

The message of the false prophets has not changed much from the time of Jeremiah till the day we live in!

In fact the world keeps telling us that things are better than they ever have been, which is just one of the lies of today!

Spiritual leaders are saying as long as you do things in moderation God will forgive, which is another lie. God may forgive but that forgiveness will not come without repentance. God does not change His ways!

When we reject the truth, we are believing a lie, it’s just that simple!

There is not one nation upon this earth that is immune to the truth of God!

God will gather all the Jews one day and I believe He has started now but most of that fulfillment comes after the Church is taken out of this world.

God always does what He says He will do!

Amen

Let’s Pray!