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Jeremiah 7:1-7 The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, "Go to the entrance of the Lord's Temple, and give this message to the people:
'O Judah, listen to this message from the Lord! Listen to it, all of you who worship here! This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says:
" 'Even now, IF you quit your evil ways, I WILL let you stay in your own land. But don't be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord's Temple is here. They chant, "The Lord's Temple is here! The Lord's Temple is here!" But I WILL BE MERCIFUL ONLY IF YOU STOP YOUR EVIL THOUGHTS AND DEEDS AND START TREATING EACH OTHER WITH JUSTICE; ONLY IF YOU STOP EXPLOITING FOREIGNERS, ORPHANS, AND WIDOWS; ONLY IF YOU STOP MURDERING; AND ONLY IF YOU STOP HARMING YOURSELVES BY WORSHIPPING IDOLS. THEN I WILL let you stay in this land that I gave you to your ancestors to keep forever.
I love you,
Verna
Last edited by Verna Perry; 05-13-2009 at 10:22 PM..
The futility of man leads into a pit. God promises to bless those who are faithful to Him - but alas, we have all fallen away. So our failures are not failures to Him - rather the vehicle to cause us to return and cry:
Quote:
Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. (Hos 14: 2-4)
At the end, He is faithful and true (Rev 19:11) and will have us reap what we have sown - but even the chastisement is there to bring us closer again to Him, to cause us to cry to Him.
"Covenant" is marriage, not a scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. The scriptures you've posted are the Lord entreating us to follow and the promises are true, it's what He does when we aren't faithful that reveals what a covenant truly is.
Hebrews 9:15
That is why He is the One who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that ALL WHO ARE CALLED CAN RECEIVE THE ETERNAL INHERITANCE GOD HAS PROMISED THEM. For Christ died to set THEM free from the penalty OF THE SINS THEY HAD COMMITTED UNDER THE FIRST COVENANT.
Hebrews 9:27
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgement, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sin OF MANY PEOPLE (NOT ALL!) < (my own insert). He will come again, NOT TO DEAL WITH OUR SINS, BUT TO BRING SALVATION TO ALL WHO ARE EAGERLY WAITING FOR HIM. (NOT EVERYONE WILL BE EAGERLY WAITING FOR HIM!) < (my own insert).
Hebrews 10:10
For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, ONCE FOR ALL TIME.......
........Hebrews 10:26
Dear friends, if we DELIBERATELY CONTINUE SINNING AFTER WE HAVE RECEIVED KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, THERE IS NO LONGER ANY SACRIFICE THAT WILL COVER THESE SINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.......Hebrews 10:27
There is only THE TERRIBLE EXPECTATION OF GOD'S JUDGEMENT AND THE RAGING FIRE THAT WILL CONSUME HIS ENEMIES. FOR ANYONE WHO REFUSES TO OBEY THE LAW OF MOSES WAS PUT TO DEATH WITHOUT MERCY ON THE TESTIMONY OF TWO WITNESSES. JUST THINK HOW MUCH WORSE THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TRAMPLED ON THE SON OF GOD, AND HAVE TREATED THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, WHICH MADE US HOLY, AS IF IT WERE COMMON AND UNHOLY, AND HAVE INSULTED AND DISDAINED THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO BRINGS GOD'S MERCY TO US.
Hebrews 10:14
For by that one offering He forever made perfect THOSE WHO ARE BEING MADE HOLY.
Hebrews 10:22
Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts FULLY TRUSTING HIM.
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the DAY of His return is drawing near.
......God rewards those who sincerely seek Him.....FAITH>>>FAITH!!!! It is all about faith...nothing more nothing less than faith...and faith without works is DEAD!!!!!!!!
But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and the sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities~~His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they whorshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and reptiles and animals.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises < (*covenant breakers), are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
God's Judgement of Sin.
Romans 2:1-16
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in His justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing such things, why do you think you can avoid God's judgement when you do the same things? Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God's righteous judgement will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But He will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil-for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good-for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. When the Gentiles sin,they will be destroyed, even though they never had God's written law. And the Jews, who do have God's law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law , show they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse themor tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim-that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone's secret life.
* covenant breakers: a der. of 4934; prop. not agree, i.e. treacherous to compacts: ~covenant breakers, 4934. to place jointly, i.e. (fig.) to consent (* bargain, stipulate), concure:-agree, assent, covenant.
*bargain 1. An agreement or contract. 2. The terms or conditions of such an agreement."he met his part of the bargain by giving us what we had asked for" 3. The property acquired or services rendered as a result of such an agreement. 4. Something offered or acquired at a price advantageous to the buyer. Over and above what is expected. To agree on the terms of a purchase or joint undertaking. To expect; count on...to arrive at an agreement.
Hebrews 9:15
That is why He is the One who *mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that ALL WHO ARE CALLED CAN RECEIVE THE ETERNAL INHERITANCE GOD HAS PROMISED THEM. For Christ died to set THEM free from the penalty OF THE SINS THEY HAD COMMITTED UNDER THE FIRST COVENANT.
Hebrews 9:27
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgement, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sin OF MANY PEOPLE (NOT ALL!) < (my own insert). He will come again, NOT TO DEAL WITH OUR SINS, BUT TO BRING SALVATION TO ALL WHO ARE EAGERLY WAITING FOR HIM. (NOT EVERYONE WILL BE EAGERLY WAITING FOR HIM!) < (my own insert).
Hebrews 10:10
For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, ONCE FOR ALL TIME.......
........Hebrews 10:26
Dear friends, if we DELIBERATELY CONTINUE SINNING AFTER WE HAVE RECEIVED KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, THERE IS NO LONGER ANY SACRIFICE THAT WILL COVER THESE SINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.......Hebrews 10:27
There is only THE TERRIBLE EXPECTATION OF GOD'S JUDGEMENT AND THE RAGING FIRE THAT WILL CONSUME HIS ENEMIES. FOR ANYONE WHO REFUSES TO OBEY THE LAW OF MOSES WAS PUT TO DEATH WITHOUT MERCY ON THE TESTIMONY OF TWO WITNESSES. JUST THINK HOW MUCH WORSE THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TRAMPLED ON THE SON OF GOD, AND HAVE TREATED THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, WHICH MADE US HOLY, AS IF IT WERE COMMON AND UNHOLY, AND HAVE INSULTED AND DISDAINED THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO BRINGS GOD'S MERCY TO US.
Hebrews 10:14
For by that one offering He forever made perfect THOSE WHO ARE BEING MADE HOLY.
Hebrews 10:22
Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts FULLY TRUSTING HIM.
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the DAY of His return is drawing near.
......God rewards those who sincerely seek Him.....FAITH>>>FAITH!!!! It is all about faith...nothing more nothing less than faith...and faith without works is DEAD!!!!!!!!
I love you,
Verna.
*mediator. 3316. from 3319; a go-between, i.e. (simply) an internunciator <(Messenger), or(by impl.) a reconciler (intercessor):-mediator...
...Jesus is our only Way to have a relationship with God the Father...IF WE WALK N THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST!!!!...Certainly not if we walk in the flesh!!!!
Verna - the Faithful One creates in us the heart to follow Him.
That's enough; I stress the role of God, and you stress the role of man. Both are involved, but it starts and ends with Him - I won't see it differently.
Verna - the Faithful One creates in us the heart to follow Him.
That's enough; I stress the role of God, and you stress the role of man. Both are involved, but it starts and ends with Him - I won't see it differently.
Love,
LE
...We do agree that The Faithful One creates in us the heart to follow Him...Those He chooses to Baptize with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are the ones who receive the power to overcome their own will, and overcome the power of sin in their lives, and are enabled to obey God and live in His will...through His Spirit...the Holy Spirit IS the Power of God's Holy Word...Jesus...and if one is not filled with His Spirit, they can not possibly have the power to choose God's will over their own...so they choose their own will, which leads to death...destruction...and yes, OF COURSE it begins and ends with Him...this is VERY, VERY clear!!! << No argument there either!! Where we differ little elmer, in our interpretation of His Word is; for some reason you think that when He says all will be reconciled back to Him, you take that to mean that all will be with Him in His Kingdom for all eternity, and I'm sorry, but you are so wrong...that is NOT what His Holy Word says at all...it is what you want it to say, and you truly believe that you are right...and I am prooving over and over again what The Word truly says concerning this...maybe your misunderstanding is because you have not received revelation knowledge...you said...
"...I won't see it differently."
Love,
LE
...and I take this to mean that you have made up your own mind that you WILL NOT SEE IT DIFFERENTLY...you have made a decision to be closed minded to any other idea than your own...no matter what. What about the scriptures that I have posted little elmer?...do they speak to you at all? Do they cause you to stop and think at all, that maybe...just maybe you may be acting in a prideful way?......Little elmer...the scriptures you use, are saying that even those who rebell, and continue in their sin, and continue to disobey God's commandments will also come to realize, while they are going through, and after they have received His judgement...(which His judgement will be to them, "GUILTY!")...they will THEN realize that He IS GOD...but it will be too late for them...judgement will have been given...their eternal torment will be their separation from God for all eternity...
Please don't be closed-minded little elmer...allow yourself to open up to receive ALL of His Word...not just the parts that sound good to your ears...you are too precious...there are people in your life who are and will be affected...think of them...stick to the WHOLE Word...please...don't teach others that no matter what they do, they will end up abiding eternally with God in His Kingdom...this is a lie...according to His Word...please don't. If you are not sure...be still and quiet, and seek Him with your whole heart...pray that you too will receive His truth...and search yourself for it...passionately!
This is what I am doing little elmer...the very thing that I am asking you to do...I am seeking His truth with my whole heart...sticking to EVERY Word that proceedeth from the mouth of God...and you have brought some real thinking points to me...and I have pondered and prayed about what I read from others here on this forum...I realize everyone has a good heart, and we all want the same thing...to know God's heart...and I know that we ALL would give anything...everything, to know how He thinks...to know what is truly in His heart...but we can not. So we continue to seek and search for ourselves, and pray for enlightenment...revelation knowledge...I can not judge you, nor can I judge anyone, that would make me just as guilty...but I am so sorry for some...I don't know...I ask God to help me...I want to do the right thing in His eyes...I want to please Him...I love you little elmer..I hope I have not offended you in any way...I speak from my heart to you...
Little Elmer is one of the last people on here that should be described as prideful, I know that much. Little Elmer is one of the last people on here that should be accused of not humbling himself before the Lord.
Little Elmer is one of the last people on here that should be described as prideful, I know that much. Little Elmer is one of the last people on here that should be accused of not humbling himself before the Lord.
Really...I'm just astounded.
StirringWaters, I do appreciate your concern for little elmer...him and I, together, have shared our hearts very openly and honestly throughout this entire thread thus far...in love, and with much respect for one another...his thoughts have stretched me into areas of contemplation that I would not have otherwise gone to...he has expanded my thinking, and for that I am very grateful to him...and I only want to affect him in the same way...I believe he understands this...I believe our differences benefit each other in a very profound way...I'm only looking for a commonality, and little elmer is a wonderful person to have debating with me on my thread. I have enjoyed his participation and his imput...truly, there was no harm intended...and I believe I made that perfectly clear...and I also believe he knows this, and that I truly love him.
Your "interpretation" of what I had to say to him isn't how it was said...or meant to be understood...not even close. Why is it that the only post you take the time to post here is one where you are in astonishment over what I am discussing with little elmer? It would be much more productive to have you participate in this discussion concerning our covenant relationship with God instead...I would love to hear what you have to say concerning the topic at hand...
Jesus spoke...
"Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don't beg Me to help them, for I will not listen to you. Don't you see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they pour out liquid offerigs to their other idol gods! Am I the One they are hurting?" asks the Lord. "Most of all, they hurt themselves, to their own shame.
So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "I will pour out my terrible fury on this place. It's people, animals, trees, and crops will be consumed by the unquenchable fire of my anger."
This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: "Take your burnt offerings and your other sacrifices and eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: 'OBEY ME, AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD, AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE. DO EVERYTHING I SAY, AND ALL WILL BE WELL!"
But My people would not listen to Me. THEY KEPT DOING WHATEVER THEY WANTED, FOLLOWING THE STUBBORN DESIRES OF THEIR EVIL HEARTS. They went backward instead of forward. From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send My servants, the prophets~~day in and day out. BUT MY PEOPLE HAVE NOT LISTENED TO ME OR EVEN TRIED TO HEAR. THEY HAVE BEEN STUBBORN AND SINFUL~~EVEN WORSE THAN THEIR ANCESTORS.
Tell them all this, BUT DO NOT EXPECT THEM TO LISTEN. Shout out your warnings, BUT DO NOT EXPECT THEM TO RESPOND. Say to them, "THIS IS THE NATION WHOSE PEOPLEWILL NOT OBEYTHE LORD THEIR GOD ANDWHO REFUSE TO BE TAUGHT. Truth has vanished from them; it is no longer heard on their lips. Shave your head in mourning, and weep alone on the mountains. For the Lord HAS REJECTED AND FORSAKEN THIS GENERATION THAT HAS PROVOKED HIS FURY.'
In establishing an EVERLASTING covenant with His people, God designed two different covenants to bring man into a relationship as His COVENANT PEOPLE:
1. The Old Covenant established with Israel on Mount Sinai.
2. The New Covenant established on Calvary and fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.
Each one of these covenants fulfilled a SPECIFIC purpose in God's plan. God did not make a mistake in establishing the Old Covenant. It was absolutely indispensable for working out His purposes.
Paul gives us a description of these two covenants in his letter to the church in Galatia: "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking: for these women are two covenants, one proceeding from mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother...So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman' (Galatians 4:22-26,31).
In the house of Abraham, the father of the faithful, were born two sons...Ishmael, who was born of Hagar, the slave; and Isaac, who was born of Sarah, the free woman. Ishmael was born after the flesh and the will of man, Isaac was born through the promise and the power of God.
Paul compared the Old Covenant to Ishmael, which was dependent upon the flesh and the will of man. The New Covenant he compared to Isaac, which isbased upon faithand the quickening power of the Holy Spirit.
In every covenant there are two parties. THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THE COVENANT DEPENDS UPON BOTH PARTIES REMAINING FAITHFUL TO THE TERMS AGREED UPON.
The Old Covenant God established with Israel was totally dependent upon man's obedience to the Law. He revealed the Law and His commandments through Moses, then He told Israel, "...OBEY MY VOICE, AND I WILL BE YOUR GOD, AND YE SHALL BE MY PEOPLE: AND WALK YE IN ALL THE WAYS THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU, THAT IT MAY BE WELL UNTO YOU" (Jeremiah 7:23).
It was IMPOSSIBLE for man in his sinful state to keep the Law and obey all of the commandments God had given him. Even before Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets containing the ten commandments, the Israelites had turned their backs on God. They had turned away from the Almighty God, Jehovah, and had begun worshipping a golden calf they had fashioned with their own hands.
Israel disobeyed and the covenant with God was broken!!! THROUGH THEIR DISOBEDIENCE, THEY FORFEITED THE PROMISED PRIVILEGES of the Old Covenant and reaped the curses pronounced upon the disobedient. THROUGH THEIR DISOBEDIENCE THEY"...limited the the Holy One of Israel" (Psalm 78:41).
You may be wondering...Why would God require something of the Israelites that was totally impossible for them to do? Why would God establish a covenant with Israel knowing they were not able to keep the covenant and would be continually breaking it? Why would God establish a covenant that was totally insufficient for freeing them from the bondage of sin?
God's purpose for establishing the Law under the Old Covenant was to convince man of the awfulness of sin...its misery...its bondage into slavery. The Law was given to reveal to man his total inability to save himself and his need for a Savior. Paul told the Galatians: "What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added ~ later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt ~ because of transgressions and (to make men more conscious of the sinfulness) of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the SEED (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it (the Law) was arranged and ordained and appointed through the instrumentality of angels (and was given) by the hand (in the person) of a go-between ~ an intermediary person (Moses) between God and man" (Galatians 3:19-20).
The Old Covenant was only in preparation...a foreshadowing of the New Covenant which God would establish as an EVERLASTING covenant, which would not be broken!
I love you!!!
Verna.
Last edited by Verna Perry; 05-16-2009 at 09:24 PM..
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Christ Is The Perfect Sacrifice...
...Little elmer...the scriptures you use, are saying that even those who rebell, and continue in their sin, and continue to disobey God's commandments will also come to realize, while they are going through, and after they have received His judgement...(which His judgement will be to them, "GUILTY!")...they will THEN realize that He IS GOD...but it will be too late for them...judgement will have been given...their eternal torment will be their separation from God for all eternity...
