VIDEO The Book of Jeremiah

Dec 21, 2015

A study of the Book of Jeremiah with Chuck Missler.

Jeremiah is relevant to the times we are in today.

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The Book of Jeremiah

Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible
Jeremiah 1:17-19 – Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I [am] with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Jeremiah 3:16 – And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit [it]; neither shall [that] be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

Jeremiah 23:5-6- Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

http://www.bible-history.com/old-testament/bookofjeremiah.html

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Read The Book of Jeremiah

http://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/jeremiah/

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Summary and Analysis Jeremiah

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/old-testament-of-the-bible/summary-and-analysis/jeremiah

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The Prophet Jeremiah – Jewish History

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/464029/jewish/the-prophet-jeremiah.htm

It’s Time! Christians Are Called To Fight

 

Life isn’t easy – it’s a fight.

You have to fight for your marriage, the hearts of your kids, to pay the bills, to keep the weight off, to stay morally, physically and mentally strong. And if you get knocked down, you’ve got to get back up and keep fighting. Thank God there are moments of rest, but as a whole life is a fight.

In the words of Rocky Balboa, “Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows.”

The Christian life is the same way. It isn’t just one big positive experience that we all get to enjoy while waiting for our spiritual bus to pick us up and take us home to Glory. No, it’s a fight, too.

While we enjoy the tremendous blessings of being grafted into the Vine, adopted into the family of God, and set apart for God’s glory, there are times when Christians are called to fight for the faith – moments when God tells us to stand up and step into the battle between good/evil, truth/lies, light/darkness.

This is the reason why the apostle Jude wrote his letter to Christians living in the first century. His teaching is for all Christians today, especially for the rising generation of millennial believers in the face of the epic battles they face today.

Jude encouraged the believers, saying, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

If you’re a contender, that means you’re a fighter. For the two of us, one of our secret pleasures in life is watching the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Each champion has a list of “contenders” vying for his belt. The one thing all the contenders have in common is they all know they’re fighters and are ready at a moment’s notice to step into the ring and get it on. They aren’t just sitting around fat and happy, having no clue what’s happening around them.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the faith, many Christians don’t know they’re contenders and aren’t ready to fight. This is one of the reasons why the book of Jude was written – to exhort Christians to fight for the faith.

Although Jude wanted to talk about the good life of salvation and the blessings it brings to people and nations, he instead threw haymakers at those who “pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

He jumped right into the Octagon and, in the words of Bruce Buffer, UFC’s voice in the ring, he shouted, “It’s time!”

He wasn’t about to sit by passively while false teachers made room for “sexual immorality and perversion” to be tolerated by God’s people.

This is a message most pastors won’t even touch today. George Barna’s research at the American Culture and Faith Institute reveals 90 percent of today’s theologically conservative pastors believe the Bible speaks to the issues of the day, such as homosexuality amongst others, but only 10 percent of them will speak to it.

These brothers need to remember who they are. But maybe they’re afraid. Perhaps they haven’t been training to fight? Or maybe they don’t believe it’s their responsibility.

Either way, the book of Jude puts it to rest – we must “contend for the faith.”

This doesn’t mean we walk around looking for a fight or get selfishly excited to contend with ideas that stand against the truth of God. It does mean, however, that when godless ideas or agendas distort the truth of God and claim to be “champions,” Christians are called to contend with them.

The Apostle Paul believed the same when he said, “We tear down arguments, and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

So how do we contend? Jude tells us in verses 20-21:

Build yourself in the faith (v.20). This is the discipline it takes before you step into the ring, training and building yourself strong in God’s Word so that you’ll be ready to contend when the fight is on.

Pray in the Spirit (vs 20). On this verse, Matthew Henry said, “Our prayers are most likely to prevail, when we pray in the Holy Ghost, under his guidance and influence, according to the rule of his word, with faith, fervency, and earnestness.”

Stay in the love of God (vs 21). Love for God and others is the “it” factor the greatest spiritual contenders have. When love is our motivation, we’ll fight against ideas and notindividuals. Fighting for the faith must be done with compassion, making a difference between the weak and the willful.

Wait for His mercy (vs 21). Eagerly waiting for God’s mercy when He returns arms us against the snares of sin in our own lives. This hopeful anticipation renders us ready when the devil, our only true opponent in this fight, tries to take the belt of truth from us.

Though we’d much rather sit and relax by the poolside of American Christianity, believing there is no fight, we feel compelled as Jude did to encourage believers to start contending for the faith today. “It’s time!”

by  the BENHAM BROTHERS 

IT’S TIME! CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO FIGHT

Fighting The Battle Against Sin

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

God established protective boundaries for His children because He knows the dangers of disobedience—for both the transgressor and others affected by the sin. His Word warns us not to give in to temptation but to follow Jesus Christ in a life of sacrifice, which is the only way to true contentment.

In contrast, the world says satisfaction is found in acquiring goods, wealth, status, and friends. Satan whispers the lie that gratification comes from self-indulgence. His goal of turning us away from God started with his temptation of Adam and Eve. The Creator had given them access to every tree in the Garden of Eden except one. The first man and woman stepped outside the limit set by the Lord, ate the forbidden fruit, and became separated from Him. Satan used doubt (“Has God said?”), deceit (“You surely will not die”), and self-delusion (“You will be like God”) to achieve his aim (Gen. 3:1-5). He made rebellion against God—which is the root of all sin—seem very attractive. And the enemy’s methods are the same today.

The only way we can withstand the world’s clamor, the devil’s whispers, and our own selfish desires is by immersing ourselves in the Word of God. We must focus our attention on knowing the heavenly Father in all of His fullness, believing His promises, and obeying His commands. Only through our relationship with Jesus Christ will we be able to fight the battle against sin and stand firm.

Clear your mind of any distractions, and allow the Lord to speak to you through His Word. He has much to tell you.

Whom They Pierced

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10)

For centuries now, Jewish scholars have pondered the meaning and interpretation of this verse, and as one might imagine, there have been many varied interpretations. Since they cannot allow admission that they themselves pierced Jehovah, some have applied it to the nation of Israel with its persecutions in mind. But to resolve the issue, the question must be answered: Who is this “whom” who has been pierced?

Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word translated “whom” is simply the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, aleph and tau, elsewhere denoting completeness and transcendency. Next, consider the fact that the primary name for God in Scripture, Jehovah, conveys a similar thought, although difficult to translate. Evidently the name Jehovah communicates, among other things, the all-encompassing and ever self-existing nature of God.

These two thoughts come together when our text for the day is quoted in Revelation 1:7-8: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

It is as if Jehovah Himself is asking the question: “Do you doubt whom it is you pierced? I am the Aleph Tau, the Alpha Omega, Jehovah the Almighty, the beginning and the ending of all things.” JDM

A Right Conception of God

For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods…. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. —Psalm 95:3, 6

The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God….

A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God.

It is my opinion that the Christian conception of God current in these middle years of the twentieth century is so decadent as to be utterly beneath the dignity of the Most High God and actually to constitute for professed believers something amounting to a moral calamity.

Lord, establish in me a proper conception of You, our great King, that I will have a strong foundation for my life of faith. Amen.

It Was OnceThe Blessing

In Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us… sanctification. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

Is it possible to become so enamored of God’s good gifts that we fail to worship Him, the Giver?

Dr. Albert B. Simpson, the founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, invited to preach in a Bible conference in England discovered on his arrival that he was to follow two other Bible teachers. All three had been given the same topic, “Sanctification.”

From the pulpit, the first speaker made clear his position that sanctification means eradication—the old carnal nature is removed. The second, a suppressionist, advised:

“Sit on the lid and keep the old nature down!”

Dr. Simpson in his turn quietly told his audience that he could only present Jesus Christ Himself as God’s answer.

“Jesus Christ is your Sanctifier, your all and in all! God wants you to get your eyes away from the gifts. He wants your gaze to be on the Giver—Christ Himself,” he said.

This is a wonderful word for those who would worship rightly:

Once it was the blessing;
Now it is the Lord!

Some are like what is fabled of the swan.

There are some that are like what is fabled of the swan. The ancients said that the swan never sang in his lifetime, but always sang just when he died. Now, there are many of God’s desponding children, who seem to go all their life under a cloud; but they get a swan’s song before they die. The river of their life comes running down, perhaps black and miry with troubles, and when it begins to touch the white foam of the sea there comes a little glistening in its waters. So, beloved, though we may have been very much dispirited by reason of the burden of the way, when we get to the end we shall have sweet songs.