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Lying Words |
Dear Brethren,
In Jeremiah’s day, knowledge of God was mostly
ignored or forgotten. Today in America, we have a lot in common
with those times in that – though we profess to be a Godly
nation – in fact we have very little understanding and knowledge
of the true ways of Jesus Christ. About ninety-four years
before Jeremiah began to prophesy, the ancient nation of
Israel fell to Assyria because of their Sabbath breaking and
idolatry – they neglected the worship and adoration of the true
God. Today we have Church congregations splitting in two
because one group wants a certain man as leader – while the
other group has organizational government on its side. What
does Jeremiah's prophecy have to do with national captivity, and
church break-ups?
Much in every way! God's mercy, patience, love,
compassion, understanding and the unity of Christ were missing in
both instances. You would think that the nation of Judah would
have heeded a warning of that magnitude and returned to the true
worship of God – but they talked themselves into believing that
a catastrophe could never strike them. God sent Jeremiah to
give Judah more warnings. We know the story – just like America
– and just like the Church – Judah would not listen. They
trusted in the Temple – lying words. “Trust ye not in
lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord,
The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.”
(Jeremiah 7:4)
What that means is that Judah figured that as
long as they had God’s Temple in Jerusalem – they had the inside
track to God, and He would not let anything happen to His
Temple. So Judah went on ignoring what happened to Israel in
the north and continued in even worse conduct. Jeremiah warned
Judah to take into consideration what God had done to Israel.
Even though God had originally placed His name at Shiloh –
also a very sacred site – Shiloh had been destroyed (Joshua
18:1, 1 Samuel 4). “But go ye now unto My place which was in
Shiloh, where I set My Name at the first, and see what I did to
it for the wickedness of my people Israel.” (Jeremiah
7:12)
God meant for Shiloh to be an object lesson, not
only to Judah, but also to us today. Yes,
America will soon fall as surely as Israel did, but the
spiritual ramifications for the Church are even
greater. The Church of God – led by God's Spirit – should know
how to put the principles of Christ into action before
division takes place. Instead, Church leaders act like the
priests of Jeremiah's day: "We are delivered to do
all these abominations." (Jeremiah 7:10) Now,
one thing we know for sure is that God is faithful to those who
are truly faithful to Him. Because of Israel’s and Judah’s
unfaithfulness, God caused Shiloh’s fall and He brought about
Jerusalem’s overthrow. Can political Church leaders hope to
escape? The men of Israel trusted in a "Tall Saul." The men of
Judah trusted in the Temple, the Temple – lying words.
What do we trust in today, a man, an organization,
a headquarters, having the power in our hands, having the
control, or the authority...? Where do we find the mercy, the
love, the forgiveness and the unity of Jesus Christ in those
things? The answer is – we do not.
The priests of the Temple, including the High
Priest, were convinced that God worked and spoke solely through
them. This led them to believe that God was backing them in
everything they did. They even thought that God was more
concerned with the authority of their office than their attitude
of service toward God and man. They just naturally assumed that
the Lord would back their policies no matter what they did.
They were wrong then, and their counterparts today
are following in their steps. Jeremiah campaigned tirelessly
against false religion, whether practiced at pagan shrines or in
the name of the Lord Himself.
"For the children of Judah have done evil in
my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in
the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. And they
have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of
the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the
fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my
heart." (Jeremiah 7:30-31)
Is it possible that we have
the same problem today of trusting in substitutes
for true Christianity? In the same way that America's
Constitution failed America when God was removed, no council,
vote, ballot, task force, committee, nor set of amendments can
lead the Church of God without the Love of Jesus Christ.
Much of the Book of Jeremiah is prophetic and
much corresponds to the conditions extant in the nation and
Church today. Why aren't the people of the Church rejoicing?
God says: “When the righteous are in authority, the people
rejoice… Then there are times when God is not pleased with
the shepherds. “But when the wicked bear rule, the
people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2) Each shepherd
answers directly to God for his care of the sheep. Some members
are being taught once again that, "Headquarters is always
right," and that will not serve them well – because those are
lying words.
Consider this warning from Jesus Christ given to
all the leaders and ministry who cast out the innocent while
feathering their nests. They are in clear violation of
the high standards of Christianity as they promote their own
agendas. At the very time they should be causing the brethren
to repent and draw near to God – they are telling them that they
are doing just fine. When the error of their ways is pointed
out to them, the ministry has become so calloused and their
conscience seared so badly that they are not even ashamed of
themselves. God says that they will not prevail for very long:
“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that
they may hear?...behold, the Word of the Lord
is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it... For from
the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is
greedy for gain; and from the prophet even unto the priest every
one deals deceitfully. They gloss over the destructive
affliction of the daughter of my people as inconsequential,
saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Were they ashamed
when they had committed abhorrent abominations? No,
they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush:
therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that
I visit them they shall be cast down, says the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 6:10, 13-15)
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" Lying Words"
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