Jeremiah didn’t preach Grace

The prophesies of Jeremiah are some of the most wrath-filled in the Bible. He definitely wasn’t preaching a gospel of grace. For those who ignore or mis-understand Jesus in the New Testament, it’s easy to see why they might believe in “works righteousness.”

Praise God for Jesus! I don’t want “the judgement my actions deserve.” I want to confess my sins to Christ and have Him present me to the Father. My works are not and never will be good enough to earn a place in the Kingdom of heaven. As a sinner (which Jeremiah does point out clearly in the verse before this one) my only hope is Christ. I can’t work to earn God’s favor. I strive to do good works which God has called me to accomplish, but I don’t put my faith in those works to save me before the judgement of God.

Jeremiah 17:10 NLT

“But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.””

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Jer17.10.NLT

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Circumcision of the Heart

Paul was not the first Biblical writer to point out God is most interested in the condition of our hearts, much more than our success in following prescribed rituals.

Jeremiah 9:25-26 NLT

““A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit— the Egyptians, Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, the people who live in the desert in remote places, and yes, even the people of Judah. And like all these pagan nations, the people of Israel also have uncircumcised hearts.””

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Jer9.25.NLT

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Lovers of God Do Not Hate Brothers & Sisters

Whenever we hear someone use the word “hate” we should pay attention. We are called to hate sin but NOT hate other human beings. We operationalize our faith in and devotion to God through our love for Him and others.

1 John 4:20-21 NLT

“If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.”

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/1John4.20.NLT

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Faith is what counts

“It’s all about faith,” says the apostle Paul.

Philippians 3:7, 8 NLT

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ”

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Phil3.7.NLT

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No Obscene Jokes

There is a guy in our Friday morning men’s group who needs to read and heed these verses. 🙁

Ephesians 5:4, 5 NLT

“Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.”

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Eph5.4.NLT

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Don’t Argue With God

God has created and fashioned each of us for specific purposes. We are called not to argue with God, but seek to understand and fulfill our purposes.

Isaiah 45:9, 10 NLT

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father, ‘Why was I born?’ or if it said to its mother, ‘Why did you make me this way?’

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Isa45.9.NLT

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An Army from the East

Since I am reading about The Mongols in “The Fourth Part of the World,” this verse of prophesy from Isaiah makes me think of Kahn and his swift horsemen in the 1200s who pillaged to the doorstep of Europe. This is likely one of the verses cited by medieval Europeans who believed in Prester John. Read more about this fascinating history on:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prester_John

Isaiah 41:2 NLT

““Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.”

See it at YouVersion.com:

http://bible.us/Isa41.2.NLT

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