The Failure of the Pharisees - Part 6

Matthew 23:23-24

6-29-08

Holding on when life comes at your hard!
6-22-08

the Failure of the Pharisees Part 5
6-15-08

Jer 2:23-37

23 “You say, ‘That’s not true!I haven’t worshiped the images of Baal!’But how can you say that?Go and look in any valley in the land!Face the awful sins you have done.You are like a restless female cameldesperately searching for a mate.24 You are like a wild donkey,sniffing the wind at mating time.Who can restrain her lust?Those who desire her don’t need to search,for she goes running to them!25 When will you stop running?When will you stop panting after other gods?But you say, ‘Save your breath.I’m in love with these foreign gods,and I can’t stop loving them now!’
26 “Israel is like a thiefwho feels shame only when he gets caught.They, their kings, officials, priests, and prophets—all are alike in this.27 To an image carved from a piece of wood they say,’You are my father.’To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say,’You are my mother.’They turn their backs on me,but in times of trouble they cry out to me,’Come and save us!’28 But why not call on these gods you have made?When trouble comes, let them save you if they can!For you have as many godsas there are towns in Judah.29 Why do you accuse me of doing wrong?You are the ones who have rebelled,”says the Lord.30 “I have punished your children,but they did not respond to my discipline.You yourselves have killed your prophetsas a lion kills its prey.
31 “O my people, listen to the words of the Lord!Have I been like a desert to Israel?Have I been to them a land of darkness?Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God!We don’t need him anymore!’32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry?Does a bride hide her wedding dress?Yet for years on endmy people have forgotten me.
33 “How you plot and scheme to win your lovers.Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!34 Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor,though you didn’t catch them breaking into your houses!35 And yet you say,’I have done nothing wrong.Surely God isn’t angry with me!’But now I will punish you severelybecause you claim you have not sinned.36 First here, then there—you flit from one ally to another asking for help.But your new friends in Egypt will let you down,just as Assyria did before.37 In despair, you will be led into exilewith your hands on your heads,for the Lord has rejected the nations you trust.They will not help you at all.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Look at how Israel try’s to justify her sinfulness and deny her wrong doing when confronted by the Lord. Sin has so captured the hearts of the people that they cannot see the depth of their sin and their offensiveness to God. The examples that God uses to show the domination of sin in their lives are harsh and paint a picture of a nation that cannot help themselves any longer. It has become more natural to accept the presence of foreign gods in their lives than it is to honor God. Even hard core sinners could learn a thing or two from them. But what is amazing in this prophetic word is Israel’s inability to own up to their sin. There is no brokeness and no desire for restoration. When they do admit they have sinned it is only because they have been caught or confronted. Does that sound or look familiar? Without brokeness and ownership of our sin, there is no reconciliation to God! What the Lord wants Israel to do is see the utter contempt they have toward God when they act in this manner. Instead of bowing in shear horror over what they have done, they continue to hold on to their sin. Therefore, God must allow their sin to bring brokeness. Examine your hearts before the Lord. Do as David did in Psalm 51 and ask God to search your heart to see if there be any hurtful way in you. Own your sin and humble yourself in the presence of God. David said very clearly, “You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Jeremiah 2:14-22

20 “Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you
and tore away the chains of your slavery,
but still you said,
‘I will not serve you.’
On every hill and under every green tree,
you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
21 But I was the one who planted you,
choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best.
How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
22 No amount of soap or lye can make you clean.
I still see the stain of your guilt.
I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!

The key thought in these passages is this: Israel is the one responsible for what is about to take place. God was faithfully by Israel’s side and extended much mercy and grace towards them, however, the time had come when their sinful behavior could no longer be tolerated. God lets them know it is their fault! It is their doing that has brought this on. In verse 17 and 19 He says, “you brought this upon yourselves” and “your wickedness will bring its own punishment!” We like to blame Satan and God for a lot of things that happen to us in life. But the reality is that much of what we go through is the consequence of our own choices and decisions. There are consequences to choosing sin. Sometimes we recover from those bad choices and cry out to God for forgiveness and He gives it. But our prolonged sinful behavior will have its effects on us and our lives. It leads to consequences we do not anticipate. I talked to a salesman recently who told me he wasn’t doing so well on this particular week of sales. When I asked why he said, “I am paying the price for choosing to slack off on monday. Now I am behind the 8 ball and need to get going and I am not making any headway.” He sees the consequence of making a simple choice that cost him the rest of the week. Let’s remember today that there are always consequences to the choices we make. We can eliminate much of the pain we endure by making right choices. Choose the Lord and His ways right now as you start your day!

Jer 2:10-13

10 “Go west and look in the land of Cyprus;
go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
as strange as this?
11 Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols!
12 The heavens are shocked at such a thing
and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
says the Lord.
13 “For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all!
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Sometimes you don’t realize how good you have it in life until you make a bad decision and end up suffering consequences and pay a price. Israel had the blessing and presence of God watching over them and were greatly blessed as a nation. But slowly they let that relationship fade and started to blend into their daily lives the worship practices of other nations around them until those practices totally took over their lives. That’s why God speaks through Jeremiah and points out to Israel that no other nation around them had ever done such a 180 when it came to their god. It was shocking and a horror to behold. But it did not happen over night. It was a gradual turning away! Israel was not careful to cultivate their relationship with God and ended up deceived and believing the lies of false gods. Isn’t that the way it happens with all of us? We fail to cultivate our relationship with God over time and gradually end up with a empty relationship and in a bad place mentally where other things can dominate us. That’s when we make more bad decisions that take us further away from the God who brings us life! Don’t let your relationship with God slip away. Make it the priority of your life and you won’t find yourself in the predicament of Israel!

Jer 2:4-9

4 Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! 5 This is what the Lord says:
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me?They worshiped worthless idols,only to become worthless themselves.6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness—a land of deserts and pits,a land of drought and death,where no one lives or even travels?’
7 “And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness,you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you.8 The priests did not ask,’Where is the Lord?’Those who taught my word ignored me,the rulers turned against me,and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,wasting their time on worthless idols.9 Therefore, I will bring my case against you,”says the Lord.”I will even bring charges against your children’s children in the years to come.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

There is a quick and easy way to put your life on the road to worthlessness. Ignore the God of the scriptures and seek after other things in life to make you happy. Pursue other gods and adapt to the world’s view of goodness and greatness. If you do these things you can rest assured your life will become void of purpose and significance and the Lord Himself will take up His case against you just as He does here in this prophecy against Israel. God has given us significance and purpose and wants us to be a reflection of His presence and a reminder of His purposes to those around us. But like Israel, we have to be aware how easy it is to stray away from what God purposes for us and to chase after other things in life that take us down rather than build us up. Those other things become the idols of our lives that eat away our time and energy and lead us down a path of destruction. So if you want to put your life on the road to worthlessness, take this path. But if you don’t want to find yourself on that road, do what Israel did not do! Humble yourself before the God who saves, set aside those things that have moved you away from Him and be what God has called you to be; His people!

Jeremiah 2:1-3

1 The Lord gave me another message. He said, 2 “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says:
“I remember how eager you were to please me
as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me
even through the barren wilderness.
3 In those days Israel was holy to the Lord,
the first of his children.[a]
All who harmed his people were declared guilty,
and disaster fell on them.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”

God remembers the day you first committed your life to following Him. He remembers your joy and the steadfastness of your commitment. He remembers how you read His word and followed His ways. He remembers how your only desire was to be free from your sin and to do what God wanted you to do. Like Israel, God remembers the honeymoon with you, when all seemed well. Jeremiah starts out this prophetic word from God with remembering. Do you remember when you first committed your life to living for Jesus? Do you remember the joy and your desire to please only God? Do you remember how clean and fresh it felt to be forgiven your sin and your willingess to pursue God with your whole heart? As we start this week, take time to remember the events that led you to your personal commitment to accept what God had done for you on the cross and to live your life under His lordship! It may have been over a period of years or in a bible study with friends. Give thought to what God brought you through to be in fellowship with Him and then………………Give Thanks to the Lord!

The Failure of the Pharisees Part 4
Matthew 23:15
6-8-08

Jer 1:11-19

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time saying, ” What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, ” Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 “For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord; “and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah. 16 “I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. 18 “Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. 19 “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

God had to raise up the prophet Jeremiah to get the bad news out to Israel. It had been many years of silence from God. The only prophets speaking in the land prior to Jeremiah were false prophets, all saying the kinds of things Israel wanted to hear. But now the time had come for the true words of the Lord to come forth. The rod represents the discipline which God will inflict on Israel as a result of their sin. The three things they were guilty of is first, they had forsaken God, second, they had offered sacrifices up to other Gods, and third, they became proud of their own goodness. God wanted Jeremiah to stand up against Israel and proclaim the consequences of ignoring His word. He specifically sent Jeremiah in that day to get His warning out to the people. But, we don’t need Jeremiah today! What we do need are followers of Christ who are willing to stand up for the truth of God’s word as Jeremiah did in that day. What we need is followers of Christ who will warn those in the Church what the consequences are for setting God’s word aside. So don’t just read God’s word, but be willing to live it out in this culture that has forsaken God, offered sacrifices at the alter of materialism and Hedonism and has become enamored with themselves. Get on the Jeremiah bandwagon for God! Tell them the bad news and then give them the good news!