by David Brenneman
"Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23-24.
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:15-23.
And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:4-14.
"We cannot have a Christ of our own concoction. We cannot have a Christ of our own discovery. The only Jesus we have any validity in believing is the Jesus as He is presented to us in the Bible." Pastor Alistair Begg.
That last quote from Pastor Begg tied in with where I was reading in Jeremiah today. That springboard went to Matthew that you just now read as well. That Jesus said "For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.".
Are you spiritually aware enough to discern God's own truth from the errors taught in the world today?
Are you even concerned that the world's errors are creeping into your day-to-day thinking?
Read 2 Timothy 2:1-7 "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything."
How serious are you taking walking with Jesus? Are you taking it seriously at all?
The admonition of Paul to his beloved Timothy wasn't just because he was a Pastor. The admonition goes for all of us.
Jesus went to every soon to be Disciple and said "Follow Me."
He certainly didn't say "When you find the time, fit me into your schedule. We'll do lunch or something. Call my secretary."
Have you created your own version of Jesus to follow that fits your life as you want your life to be?
That's not how a life in Christ is supposed to be.
We absolutely do not want to be in that camp that Jesus Christ says "Depart from Me for I never knew you."
God indeed is the God of second chances. There's soon coming a day when the promised return will take place. Will you be ashamed or eager? Are you thinking about it now? I hope so.
Jesus said that He is the Way.
Jesus said that He is the Truth.
Jesus said that He is the Life.
A life in Christ is going to be a life well lived. It will also be a life that has battles to overcome. Will be one that the world will not understand.
Did you catch that last part of the first quote from Jeremiah? The part where Jesus says He delights in these things?
Do you indeed want Jesus to be delighted? Do you want to hear "Well done!"?
My Dear Reader please be careful of what you allow into your heart and mind. That is what Paul was telling Timothy. The world is full of opinions. The Bible is full of truth. Big difference.
Make sure that the Jesus you follow is the Jesus of the Bible.
In a world that still goes on with "WWJD?" What Would Jesus Do?", they have no clue at all. There are none that seek the God of the Bible who are crafting a Jesus to follow that doesn't offend anyone.
Jesus will return...and sadly many MILLIONS of people will be left behind who thought they were saved. They will be among those who will cry out for Him to come back.
Easter marks not some day to enjoy of brightly colored eggs and chocolate bunnies. It marks the history changing, life altering, world shaking, universe disrupting power of God through the obedience of Christ Jesus's death, burial and resurrection defeat of sin and death...the penalty paid in full.
Easter is the single greatest defeat of Satan in all eternity.
"Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior, vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Love your neighbor as yourself.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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