Everyone wants to be the focus of someone’s love

Jeremiah 31:1-6

The chapter begins in this manner: “At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.”  In the English Standard version the last verse of the preceding chapter had this ending; “In the latter days you will understand this.”  And in the HCSB version, chapter thirty ends in this way, “In time to come you will understand it.”

This may be a comparison to coming out of Egypt and coming out of Assyria, at both times God showed His favor and grace.  It also could be about a time that is yet to happen.  As we look at verses two and three, give thought to your relationship with a Holy God.  “This is what the Lord says: They found favor in the wilderness—the people who survived the sword.  When Israel went to find rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away.  I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.”

As one who is reading this, you may not be Christian by title, you may not believe in a Creator, but would you like to be loved in this fashion: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.”  It is my experience that you would; everyone wants to be the focus of someone’s love.  And yet many fear to allow those we love to know us in fear that they would choose not to love someone like us. 

It is apparent that God, who sees all and knows all, is not delusional about our thoughts and actions.  A Father who loves you so much that He would choose before the creation to redeem you is worth your thoughts!  The question one must ask; do you desire to be beloved with an everlasting love?

Israel, much like you and I have a history of leaving God for what seems so inviting, so fulfilling, but as in the case of Israel, we end up in slavery.  We have broken vows, broken promises, and also violated a relationship; we become slaves to our stuff and often value it above people.  We, like Israel, have sinned and fallen short, and we blame others.  But it always comes back to God; He could have stepped in and not allowed this, but then it would not be love, then it would not be grace.

Now verses 4 and 5 give us a picture of God’s grace restoring a sinful people, not on their merit, but on His forgiveness and grace.  And verse six is why I believe this may be a time to come, the ten tribes of Israel are returning to the Temple to worship.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice 

Storms produce Fear of the Unknown

Jeremiah 30:23-24

“Behold the storm of the Lord!  Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.  The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind.  In the latter days, you will understand this.”

Storms have a fearful connotation in that they bring with them the fear of devastation and even death.  Living on the Texas coast, there was the underlining fear of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, and the possibility of losing your home, and your stuff, even if you left for safety.  Hurricane Carla, September 10. 1961 was the largest and most intense Gulf Coast hurricane in decades.  That was the year I graduated from High School, and a friend and I got some Red Cross armbands and with them got passed the police roadblocks so that we could go down to the T-heads in Corpus Christi.   No one ever said teenagers were all that smart, I recall my hat blowing off and going down the steps of the T-head and grabbing it before the massive waves took it out, really unintelligent.

On September 20, 1967, I was serving in the National Guard and Hurricane Beulah, came to visit with 20” of rain in a short time and reported winds of 136 mph.  I got to play soldier and rescue people in Robstown, Texas from their flooded homes.  But it was in 1970 I was married with a one-year-old little girl that we experienced a life-changing storm.  Hurricane Celia hit Corpus Christi on August 3, 1970, and was one of the most destructive storms to ever hit Texas, with damages estimated at $1.6 billion (in 1990 dollars).

On that morning as I prayed the Lord gave me clear instruction on what I should do, and the message was to take my family and leave, and we were not alone Thousand others did the same.  We were young in our faith, and I need to share that for months God had parked me on 1Thessalonians 5:18, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  And I was faithful to do so in lost sales and flat tires, but that day when we pulled up to our mailbox and 100 plus yards back where our home was, we saw destruction, and I hear a voice in my head that said, “now give me thanks.”  I did, and Jan believed that I had lost my mind, but it was a “But God” moment, for He began to show us that He was all-sufficient.

In Jeremiah 30:23-24, this storm is like none other mankind has experience, it did not happen in Jeremiah day, nor has it happen yet.  But it is coming, I do not have the date or the time, but this I’m sure of, the God of Promise, has said, and it will take place.  You and I need mercy; we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  But God, (l love those words) has made a way of escape in His Son, Jesus Christ and the finished work on the Cross.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Philosophy of Blame

Jeremiah 30:18-22

As a people, as a nation, as a culture, we are missing something vital.  Many of the older group that I fall into blames it on the breakdown of the family, the fatherless homes, and the latchkey child who comes home to an empty home.  And I believe all of that has a part of what is troubling our nation and maybe yours. 

I think the answer is found in Jeremiah 2:11, “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods?  But my people have changed their Glory for that which does not profit.”  We find ourselves at a time in our history that seems unique, but it is not unique.  We have a philosophy of blame, and it is not a new thing, it can be traced back to Adam and Eve.  In our not so sophisticated society we are master of the blame game, if my husband/wife, if my parents, if my teachers if my boss or company had, and the list just keeps going.  But in our hearts, it comes down to if God!

So it comes back to us who go by the name Christian, and a verse that has great insight but is so overused, and it is as common as John 3:16.  “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)  

It all comes back to the “then if my people.”  Not the nonbelieving world, not the pew sitter, but the follower of Christ.  We have been called to be light, not Republicans, not conservative, but light in the darkness!  In the Gospel of Matthew 5:6, Jesus tells us how to be blessed, and it’s not chasing the little gods of this world, it's having a hunger and thirst for righteousness, for then we will be satisfied.

God promised Israel and Judah He would restore, and yet so many of us are looking to the new President, the House, and the Senate, as our hope of restoration.  Yes, God has used all kinds of people to do His will, some were evil, and some were good.  But it has always come down to “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”

 Now as we move to verses 21-22, Jeremiah is opening the window of what you and I refer to as the future.  It is a Messianic prophecy, and it tells us that He will call one of them, not a foreigner.  He will be like Melchizedek in that as the Son of God He can come face to face with the Father.  And He will declare, “You will be my people and I will be your God.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Unchangeable God

 Jeremiah 30:12-17

Do you ever ponder on what it would be like to never change, often at places where my friends from High School meet up, and now that I’ve been away from 3M for a few years, people will often say some foolish things, like you have not changed?  My first thought is they need glasses, or they need money, and foolishly believe I have some.  We change both in our values, looks and most of all in our beliefs.  Most of us have had a life since high school we married, had children, had careers and have many bought lessons, living life.  Some have not been blessed with good health, some by drinking and eating too much, others by inheriting bad genes.  It is my observation, a disciplined life brings blessing, and an undisciplined life brings curses.  But the bottom line is we change, and we are not the same as we were in school.

So when we encounter an unchangeable God often we try to make Him change so that we have an understanding of Him, and try to make God like us, we try to make the Creator into the created.  Now the rest of the story is if your God is so small that He now has become a conservative and you and he agree 90% of the time, you have become the creator of a little god.

Shall we explore verses 12-15, “For this is what the Lord says: Your injury is incurable; your wound most severe.  No one takes up the case for your sores.  There is no healing for you.  All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer look for you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your enormous guilt and your innumerable sins.  Why do you cry out about your injury?  Your pain has no cure!  I have done these things to you because of your enormous guilt and your innumerable sins.”  Many of us have heard the preacher proclaim, sin will always take you deeper than you are willing to go.  I know of no one whose goal was to be an alcoholic, no one got married so they could divorce.  No one would set out to be a sex addict or a drug addict, but sin has a way of taking us deeper than we desire. 

Israel and Judah believed they could bribe God with religious service while worshiping the little gods of sex, materials, and power, but the Lord said your injury is incurable; there is no healing for you.  In that they were His people He disciplined them with the discipline of someone cruel that is not a God most of us want to understand, for we do not know His ways.  But God has made it very clear in verse 15 why this has to take place.

In verses 16, our unchangeable God is bringing Israel and Judah to a point where He can restore them.  The nations that were used by God to awaken His people are now experiencing the same and even worse than they did to Israel and Judah.  Neither you nor I can have a full understanding of God, and we sin when we as mere humans attempt to lower God to someone we have an understanding of.  This we can know, He is the same today as He was in the beginning, and He changes not.  Maybe we need to once more read Job’s replies to the Lord; “Then Job replied to the Lord:  I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.  You asked, “Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?”
Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.  You said, “Listen now, and I will speak.  When I question you, you will inform Me.”  I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You.
Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

“My servant Jacob.”

Jeremiah 30:4-11

As we look into this Scripture, we understand that Jeremiah is looking past the near future, even the 70 years it would seem.  But let’s begin with verse 4-6,“These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: “Thus says the Lord: We have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace.  Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child?  Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?  Why has every face turned pale?”  As we keep reading, we will see that God calls Judah and Israel “My servant Jacob.”  One might come to believe the men of Judah had lost their manhood in that they were living in fear.  When a man puts all his faith in man and his world begins to crumble, and he places confidence in himself, he will live in fear. 

In verses seven and eight we find God saying: “Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it.”  “That day is so great there is none like it.  “And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.” What comes to your mind?  Is it referring to “The Day of the Lord,” for on that day it will be different from all days?  A day of judgment of the nations and men will not be strong on that day, a day when they stand before Holy God.

In verse 9, we see God raising up a new King, one like David, but this King will be the Messiah they have longed for, the King they rejected as Mary’s baby boy, who came as a servant, not a warrior.  His title will be; “Messiah, son of David.”

Do you recall that God is calling both Israel and Judah “My servant Jacob,” as we explore verse ten it begins to take on new meaning?  “As for you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid—this is the Lord’s declaration—and do not be dismayed, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away, your descendants, from the land of their captivity!  Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him.”  When we see God using the term servant, we must remember He also refers to Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus as His servants. (HCSB)

But what peace it brings to me as age and gravity come into play in my life, that the LORD has declared this to each of His children; I will never leave you or forsake you.  This promise to Jacob must have brought new hope to the people who had lived so long without understanding the price of breaking a covenant with God.  This was the promise: “do not be afraid—this is the Lord’s declaration—and do not be dismayed, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away, your descendants, from the land of their captivity!  Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him.”

Verse eleven tells us it is not a wise nation that oppresses Israel they will fall into the hands of an angry God, and be destroyed.  And Israel will also be disciplined, but will not have more destruction.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

When the bridge is out

 Jeremiah 29:24-32

When the bridge is out, it is late into the night and one would hope someone, anyone would have placed a warning long before you get to the bridge.  God’s word is full of such warnings, but people have not changed, they are still doing what Shemaiah did in the time of Jeremiah.

Shemaiah must have been like many of us; he was upset with the direction or the plans God had for Judah.  He was not open to agreeing with God that Judah had broken the Covenant God had made with them.  He was not open to the fact that God had sent many prophets to address the sins of the nations, and they had killed some and ignored others as they had Jeremiah.  Shemaiah wanted life on his terms, so he appointed himself as God’s spokesperson.

Now if you think that's dumb, how many of you as teachers of God’s Word have put your own spin on the Scriptures?  How many of us have made statements about a Holy God that are our opinions but have no justification in Scripture?  It is our thought of what we desire, is that not putting yourself in place of God?  People do it all the time, they speak for God when God has not spoken, be very careful that bridge is out, and you must stop before receiving the judgment of your arrogance.

Shemaiah is proclaiming that Jeremiah is a madman and not only should they not listen to the message of building a house and raising families, marrying and giving in marriage, but put him into the stocks and neck-irons.  When a person, it matters not if it is your pastor or your priest proclaims; “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,” a wise person is going to listen, and an even more prudent person is going to check what is said by going to the Scripture.

Zephaniah, the priest, must have been a wise man in that he read the letter sent to him by Shemaiah to Jeremiah, and it seems God gave Jeremiah a reply very quickly.  This was it; “Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants.  He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.”

I’ve been told more than once this message; a word to the wise is sufficient.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Self-Proclaimed Prophets

Jeremiah 29:15-23

Verses 15-19 may or may not be a second letter from Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon, and we will leave that argument to wiser folks.  This writer has little interest in such knowledge, in that it misses the message of the Scriptures.  So what is taking place, two men, self-proclaimed prophets, Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah and they have the minds and hearts of the people.  The old is forever new, not much has changed, we still have men and women proclaiming what our ears want to hear and claiming they are God’s spokesperson, yet their message is not in agreement with the Scriptures.

These false teachers always look away from the moral sins and give flowers of empty hope, and by not calling sin what God calls it gives license to rebel against God’s instructions.  Such was the case both in Jerusalem and those who had been carried off to other nations like Babylon.  A big part of the message is, do not listen to crazy guys like Jeremiah who say you're going to be in Babylon for seventy years, we will be going home very soon.

So God used Jeremiah’s pen to write and tell them Jerusalem is not going to be the place you left.  He told them the following was about to happen. “Concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:16b-19)

How many times has this happened, the pastor is addressing a point in the message that you are not doing or have had victory over, and in your thinker, you are saying, give it to them pastor!  But often the next point hits you while you are basking in how righteous you are and that may be what is taking place as they read this letter.  Shall we reread verse 19 and pay attention to the last part of the verse.  “I will do this because they have not listened to My words” – this is the Lord’s declaration – “that I sent to them with My servants the prophets time and time again.  And you to have not listened.”  This is the Lord’s declaration.”

Now, do you understand it matters not if it was the first or second letter, as long as we listen and act on what God has said, and this was the message?  “Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the Lord.’”

A wise man taught me that rebellion brings curses and obedience brings blessing; choose wisely!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Taken Captive

Jeremiah 29:1-9

May it never be so for you, that you are taken captive moved to a land you do not know and made to learn a new language.  If that should happen I would pray that a Jeremiah was addressing a letter given to him by God, with instructions about the plan He has for you.

The sad news is sin has taken many a Christian captive, not to a foreign land, but a broken relationship, damaged fellowship with our Lord and King Jesus Christ.  And the only letter we will get from the Father is to come back home, do not build houses and plant gardens.  Do not encourage your children to crave the customs or to worship the little gods that cannot hear or see.  In that love letter of “come back home” the Father wants you to know this: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

What is so interesting to me in the letter that Jeremiah put on paper from the Lord is it was the plan of God for a select group of people from the nation of Judah.  Who were they: the king and queen, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsman, and the metal workers? 

The plan, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

As a follower of Christ, do you pray for the business that employs you, do you pray for the community you live in, the City, and the Nation?

But God’s message to them and you and me is not over, for just as there was a serpent in the Garden of Eden; they will be in our lives as well.  God’s letter penned by Jeremiah warned them of prophets and diviners, whose goal was to deceive the people, the same purpose that was the Serpent in the Garden.  We also have these same people among us today, but they have different titles, like the media, preachers, seminarians, and lawyers or politicians, to list a few.

As you read this part of the letter, it is a warning to pay attention, be on your guard. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.”   

And the letter comes with an expiration time; this promise found in verses 10-11, “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  

Maybe you are not a follower of Christ; perhaps you do not even believe in a God who loves you. There is a letter written to you from God the Father, and it is information that can change your life.  It is simple, get a New Testament, turn to the Gospel of John and ask God whom you may not believe in, to reveal Himself to you.  He changed my life, and He wants to have a personal relationship with you.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Hananiah died

 Jeremiah 28:1-17

Why would anyone tell others that the Lord had given them the words they are speaking or have acted out?  We have the example of Hananiah the false prophet in the days of Jeremiah; do we in 2017 have examples of a person doing such things in our timeline?  Yes, people do all kinds of evil and say God told them to; men leave their wives and family and say God wanted me to be happy.  People kill abortion doctors stating that they were told by God to do it, in fact, mothers have killed their children giving as the reason God told me to.  

But often we find people of sound mind and good hearts saying God wanted me to do this, and that can be very dangerous if it is not in agreement with Scripture.  Often we are given commands in Scripture such as love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself; a person would be correct to say God told me to do this.  Often people use “ God told me” to elevate one's credibility.  That is very dangerous, and God is jealous for His name.  Often the person is only using the name of God for self-elevation.

Chapter 28 begins “In the same year” placing the incident in keeping with Jeremiah’s prophecy of putting on or taking the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  Now, this is what we know about Hananiah; he is from Gibeon, and he is the son of Azzur, and Gibeon is a city of the priest about five miles from Jerusalem.

Scripture recorded, “ Spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

Now we have two prophets both claiming they are speaking for God, and one is lying.  In chapter 27, Jeremiah has given this message. “But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the Lord, until I have consumed it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish.”

What is one to do, Jeremiah gave both Hananiah, the people, and the priest, this word; “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words you have prophesied come true …” Then Jeremiah gave those in his hearing a history lesson on how the prophets of time past had prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many nations and yet others had prophesied peace.  How did one know who was telling the truth, the one whose prophecies came to pass, then and only then will a person know who has been sent by God? 

Hananiah broke the yoke on Jeremiah's neck, and Jeremiah went his way, and later God spoke to Jeremiah these words: “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.’” And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’”

In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Watch out

Jeremiah 27:16-22

 If we were to give a title to this paper it would be, “Watch out,” yes, watch out for false teachers!  Jeremiah is addressing the priest and the people in regards to what the false prophets were saying.  They were much like men of our day who will not call sin, sin, and only preach a message that is optimistic and upbeat.  What kind of people will be drawn to this type of false teacher?  The answer is found in 2 Timothy 4:3-4. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

One of my dad’s favorite sayings was; history has a way of being repeated, in that we do not learn from it.  We are not that much different than in the time of Jeremiah because the people were listening to men who said what they wanted to hear, much like it is in 2017.  But Jeremiah was a man who understood this truth that the apostle Paul taught young Timothy many years later; found in 2 Timothy 4:2, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

The message from the false prophets, “Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon.”  But the prophet of the Lord said that is a lie and goes on to tell them to serve the king of Babylon and live.  Jeremiah asked this question; “Why should this city become a desolation?”

Then Jeremiah gives them this word of wisdom. “If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, that the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.”

Many of us who grew up with Paul Harvey giving the news, always looked forward to the rest of the story, in verses 19-22 we find rest of the story.  “For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away, when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I visit them, declares the Lord. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.”

A word to the wise is sufficient, if you're under the teaching and preaching of the silver tongued one that teaches all is right, and mankind is getting better, run, do not look back.  But find a man of God who tells you the truth of God’s Word, as found in 2 Timothy 4:2, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice  

A Sermon that few will receive

Jeremiah 27:8-15

It is important that we recall Jeremiah is walking around town with yoke bars strapped to his neck.  It is also worth reflecting on this thought; Jeremiah is not arguing or complaining to God about how foolish he looks and feels.  What is he doing?  Jeremiah is obeying the commands of his Master. 

The sermon God gave Jeremiah did not play well in his time or now. “But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the Lord, until I have consumed it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the Lord.”’

The Lord may be speaking these same words to many of you whose denomination has traded the Word of God for a secular gospel of this world.  I’m sure examples are not needed, but just in case let me share one, marriage.  God’s design is one man and one woman for life, and it matters not what the U.S. Supreme Court rules, for they have no standing before our Lord.  “So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you,” and let us add judges, preachers, and teachers in the year 2017 if they are not abiding by the teaching of Scripture.

For the ones that rebelled against the message God had given Jeremiah was not going to work, not then and not now.  But to those who obeyed God life was going to be better: no foreign land, no strange customs and food, and no new language to learn.

God’s Prophet had a special message from Judah’s king to Zedekiah: “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live. Why will you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as the Lord has spoken concerning any nation that will Not serve the king of Babylon? Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for it is a Lie that they are prophesying to you. I have not sent them, declares the Lord, but they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.”

If your pastor and the elders in your place of worship are more into winning an election for some political group than preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, who is our only hope, why are you still attending?  It could be you need a class taught by the Spirit of the Living God and a great place to attend such a class is in a quiet place with your Bible and prayer.  I like to begin in this way; Father, You are acutely aware of my needs, my hopes, and my many failures, guide me back into the Light.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God You want me to do What?

 Jeremiah 27:1-7

Shall we set the stage in 2017 you are preparing to introduce yourself to a new boss, your fiancé’s parents, or the new President of the United States of America.  Now that’s a big deal, you are a little apprehensive and God tells you to dress in a way that does not add to your appeal.  That is not all; God has instructed you to say to that person or persons something that is not going to make them want to see you again unless it’s your funeral.

I bet some of you are contemplating, why would the Lord want me to dress in a way that would make me look foolish, or even make a terrible impression?  Then you allow how you would feel to kick in and tell your will if you obey it would look and feel foolish if you listened to God.  The next thing you know you are in charge of your life and wonder later what happened, why is my life such a mess?  Note: You have never made up your mind on anything; you made up your “Will”.  The mind gathers information; your emotions work on feeling they both send information to the brain that processes it and sends it to your Will.  As my friend Bill taught me “Will” is like a light switch, it makes a choice, yes or no.  One of Bill’s key concepts – Never look at your emotions as the main barometer of spiritual reality. 

Jeremiah learned at a very young age to obey, and that makes me wonder, did he have a friend or a parent that taught him some of the concepts that I learned from hanging around Bill and Anabel Gillham? 

Bill Gillham; “You must line your behavior upon God’s Word.  You must walk by faith, not by feelings.”  Bonus; “All knowledge is the outgrowth of obedience.  Everything else is just information.  Your information must be converted to knowledge, or it will do you no good.”

“A word from God to Jeremiah, In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.”

Tomorrow shall we examine what is promised to those who obey, and to those who do not?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Heroes of Faith

 Jeremiah 26:20-24

The question often asked, what is a hero?  Many would say, as I can, my dad was one of my heroes.  Not when I was young, then he was the dad who slept during the day often, because he worked shift work at a plant and his second job was selling uniforms to people.  

Let me not forget to tell you that his children playing in the house or our friends yelling outside his window often awakened him.  We often saw him as an old grouch, not as the man who loved us and would put ace bandages around his swollen knees so he could walk to work and provide for us.  My dad did not like his job, but I never heard him say that, in that he did not complain about anything.  He was tough and believed that a job worth doing was worth doing right.  He had a strong relationship with the Lord, and yet I had no understanding of him as a hero till I became a dad.

Many in our culture have heroes because they play a game well, or they have a role in a movie or have a good voice, but few ask; do they have integrity?  My dad was a man of integrity.  Why would you want a hero that did not have honesty and truthfulness as their core values?

In Hebrews chapter 11, we find heroes of Faith, and in the very first verse, we’re told what faith is.  “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”  The author goes on to say our ancestors won God’s approval by it.  And we are informed that it requires faith to understand that the universe was created by God’s command so that what was seen has been made from things that are not visible.  We have a list of many great people who walked by faith, and many like Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim were murdered for being faithful to what God had commanded them to do or say.  The author of Hebrews 11 gives this account in verses 37-38a, “They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.  The world was not worthy of them.”

It takes no jump of faith to see they are talking about men such as Uriah, the son of Shemaiah.  “He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah. And when King Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. Then King Jehoiakim sent to Egypt certain men, Elnathan the son of Achbor and others with him, and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people.” 

They killed Uriah, God’s prophet for proclaiming a message from God to the people, a message that if adhered to would have saved them from the coming disaster.  Have you been confronted with a word from God, a word you did not want to hear, maybe it came from a preacher or teacher, or from a book you are reading, and you now have a choice, do I receive it or ignore it?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice