Faith Is Still the Key Even in Sacrifice

 A Better Sacrifice

Book of Hebrews Chapter 10

The sacrifices under the Old Testament dispensation were all shadowy representations and types of that one great sacrifice of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all, whereby "He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

We know that these sacrifices came by the Laws of Moses, and they are "types" of the truth of Jesus Christ, but we know that the sacrifice did not begin with the Laws of Moses.

It is in the Garden of Eden in the early days of Adam and Eve where the Law of Obedience to the Word of God was first given!

All the sacrifices in the Old Testament can be considered to be "types" of the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ!

As in all things, it took "Faith" for any sacrifice to be received of God and then it must be a sacrifice true to the Word of God.

Heb 11:4  By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 

For instance "God says thou shalt not kill" so human sacrifice will only bring death to those who murder.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

Abraham's "faith" was in the fact that if God took His son Isaac, then God would have to raise him from that death.

We know that God did not allow the sacrifice of Isaac and He will not allow the sacrifice of any human by those who are Christian.

All vengeance belongs to our Heavenly Father!

The only acceptable sacrifice was the sacrifice of God's Own Dear Son, Jesus!

Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 

Let us begin Chapter 10 of the Book of Hebrews:

*****Heb 10:1  For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 

Heb 10:2  For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 

Heb 10:3  But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

We should understand that there has never been a perfect man!

Every individual will fall short of what they could become if they have not learned obedience to the Word of God!

Humans are lustful and immoral and the proof of this is seen every day in this world.

All this movement called LBJQT is about lust and immorality and rejection of the Word of God!

LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. 

All these things are abomination to the Lord Jesus, but God is willing to forgive even these things but just like all others so full of sin, they must repent after salvation.

God does not expect us to repent before salvation because we just do not have it in us to do so.

God says to come as you are and be saved and then the Holy Spirit will cause us to repent of our old life. 

This works the same for every sinner!

It is by the Holy Spirit who will give us the power to repent as we are "Born Again" into something new!

We can never live with God until we are "Born Again"!

If we had to the power to clean our sinful lives ourselves, then we would not need Jesus nor the Holy Spirit and many believe they have it in their own power to do this today and they are so wrong!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Even in animal sacrifices, those animals had to be pure and flawless, so why should we ever expect God to require less from humans?

1) An animal is not the same nature of a human no matter what evolution teaches.

2) An animal has not the same value of humans in the eyes of God.

3) An animal was not capable of consenting to be a sacrificed or volunteer to be substitute for that human that offered it.

There was no power in the sacrifices of the Old Testament to gain salvation and a fellowship the with God!

There is no power in our own sacrifice of ourselves because it brings our own death, and we would get not one step closer to the Lord.

It is only because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that we can have New Life!

Joh 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 

God knows we believe this when pray the sinner’s prayer!

Hos 14:2  Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. 

Rom_12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We must be capable of consenting to the fact of our sin before God will hear us!

It is only by the Holy Spirit that comes to live within us after we are saved, that we will have the power to repent!

God had no pleasure at all in the sacrifice of animals especially when the true meaning of those things was ignored!

*****Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 

Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 

The perfect sacrifice for our sin was in a Body specifically prepare by Jehovah God!

Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 

Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 

Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

It should be obvious, that both the Psalmist and the Holy Ghost inspired writer of the Book of Hebrews, were speaking of the Virgin Born Son of God.

Do not listen to false teachers and preachers who reject the "Virgin Birth".

The Lord Jesus had to be born of a virgin or his sacrifice would be the same as all those other sacrifices, which is worthless!

He also had to live a perfect life, so that He would be the ideal person to die for our sin!

He also had to be eternal Himself, in order to cover our sins eternally!

Remember Jesus died for all past sin from the day He hung on that Cross and all future sin since that day!

There is a reason His arms were reaching to the East and West of His body!

When God knew that no one person of earth could die for our sin, He came Himself to be the perfect sacrifice!

I am heartbroken to know that Jesus the Messiah had to die just I could be saved!

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

We must understand that God the Holy Spirit has taken the time and with patience to write down all the Word of God, just so we can come to this conclusion.

There is only One Body of Christ!

One in nature.

One in truth.

One in glory.

Jesus was mortal and natural.

Jesus is Supernatural and real.

Jesus is mystical (the Spirit of Jesus) yet magnificent in His truth.

Paul by the Holy Spirit wrote:

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

We must understand that the Lord Jesus Christ had to do the Will of God, or He too would have been a false Messiah!

The Lord Jesus Christ took away the First Covenant by fulfilling it, so He could establish the New Covenant!

Notice that verse 7 should have been in Red Letters because this is Jesus speaking, though by the Holy Spirit!

*****Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 

Because the Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice and the sacrifices of the Law were imperfect, then those sacrifices became useless!

This what the Scriptures above have proved.

The sacrifices of the Law were powerless to remove sin because of a lack of faith!

The removal of sin would take a perfect sacrifice!

God loves His created beings, and it is God's will that as many as will believe be saved.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

The Lord Jesus came to do the will of His Father!

This is the same thing that our Heavenly Father expects from us, to do His will for us!

The fulfilling of the will of God is spoken of as a substitute for sacrifices.

The Divine will of God is our redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ and is perfectly fulfilled by Him!

No other sacrifice will work and there is no other way to approach God, but by His Only Begotten Son!

*****Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

The perfect sacrifice, the offering of the body of Christ, makes people holy once-and-for-all.

This work of the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied the holiness, the righteousness, and the justice of God once-for all!

When a person comes to God by the Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of Christ Jesus is applied to that person and covers all that person’s sins!

Only then, can we have a complete fellowship with our Heavenly Father, all because of the work Jesus Christ did for us!

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

All the shame that comes from our sinful lives will be removed, because we can be at peace with our Creator.

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Our sin could never be removed by some earthly priest nor the sacrifices that they offered!

*****Heb 10:11  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 

The earthly priests were never done with their work.

Our Heavenly High Priest has completed His sacrifice, by making one sacrifice that last forever!

The Lord Jesus gave His own life willingly, that we could be reconciled to His Heavenly Father!

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 

*****Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 

Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 

The fact of the matter is, that after completing the work He came to do, the Lord Jesus Christ is now at this time, sitting at the right hand of God.

He would not be in this place if His work were not finished!

He accomplished these things because He obeyed!

No matter how much we think we know about our Heavenly Father, the most important thing we can do is to obey Him no matter what He ask of us!

Remember God will never ask us to do unreasonable things!

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

How long will the Lord Jesus Christ be sitting at the throne of God?

He will sit there until God the Father has separated the goats from the sheep!

This is what is going on in our world today!

The Lord Jesus Christ has already taken away our sin and now He is in place to deliver us from sin, from the evil in this world, from disease, from corruption, from death, from evil spirits, and from Satan.

We will find none of these things in Heaven!

These things are reaching their peak today as we have seen and continue to see!

He will deliver those who love Him eternally! 

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 

Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 

Eph 1:20  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

Eph 1:21  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 

Eph 1:22  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 

Eph 1:23  Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. 

Those old sacrifices could do none of these things!

*****Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 

Heb 10:15  Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 

Heb 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 

Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 

Notice it is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that has caused our sanctification!

To be sanctified is to be set apart to God!

To be sanctified is to be made holy!

To be sanctified is to be consecrated, dedicated to the service and the worship of the One True God!

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

1Co 1:2  Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 

1Co 1:3  Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Pe 1:2  Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 

1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 

1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 

Amen

Knowing and Then Submitting to the Will of God

Submission to God's Will

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 27

What is a lie? Many things are said to one another through ignorance of the subject end up being untruths, but a lie is an intentional violation of the truth.

The father of all lies is Satan the Devil.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

There were many so-called prophets in the day of Jeremiah, but Jeremiah was called of God and He spoke the words God had given to him.

Today there are also many false prophets from the family of Satan who are roaming the earth to confuse the children of God.

Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Satan roams to and fro through this earth and he and his demon family to can temporarily change into the children of light again to cause the confusion of God's children.

2Co_11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Today we have the complete Word of God, that God gave to His prophets and a few other men by the Holy Spirit and all the Word of God is the undisputed truth for the Church!

2Pe_1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We must clearly understand that everyone who call themselves a man of God, or Pastor, or Preacher, or the one most abused Reverend are men who were not called of God as Jeremiah and the true prophets and the other writers of the Holy Scriptures and those who have asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come in their heart today.

What did Jesus say?

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; "but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven".

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Today as we witness for the Lord, we will find that there are many who may dispute the Word of God.

There are many who intentionally twist the Word of God into a lie and they are in the family of their father Satan!

God has warned us and all this world that there is only one way "to be close to Him and that is by His Son Jesus Christ"!

Let's begin Chapter 27 at verse 1

*****Jer 27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Jer 27:2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

The writings of Jeremiah may not be in chronological order, but he does provide many time lines that can be proven by history.

Jehoiakim was the second son of King Josiah who we already know was a king who knew the truth of God and followed it, but at a young age, he died in a war that did not concern Judah.

The first son of Josiah, Jehoahaz had been deposed by Pharaoh-Necho of Egypt.

These were very turbulent years for God's people, but they were the cause of their own demise.

Many visitors representing the kings from the surrounding nations came to Jehoiakim to try to convince him to join them in a rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar.

Many false prophets from all those nations, including those from Judah tried to convince their kings to link up so they could destroy the King of Babylon but The Lord God Jehovah, by Jeremiah, said to surrender to this king so that they could live, and this would stop the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the things of the Temple but also the desctruction of those nations.

Nebiuchadnezzar would have been just as happy to make them all vasals of Babylonia and serve him.

The result of these things is that these deceitful leaders rose up in opposition to Jeremiah, the Lord's true prophet.

A bond is a physical means of restraint and metaphorically signifies oppression and captivity

A yoke is an instrument normally made of wood to make powerful animals useful in man's labor.

A yoke is then a symbol of servitude and slavery.

These two things are terrible, but they are not death and to go against the Word of God brings death!

What did God say to Adam?

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, "thou shalt not eat of it": for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Jeremiah was to wear these things as he spoke the Word of God to the king and his officers and the elders of Judah.

Jeremiah was to also make enough of these things to send to the kings of the surrounding nations who were already in bondage to the King of Babylon. It was these kings who were trying to get Jehoiakim to join in a rebellion against the King of Babylon when they should have remained under his control but living in their own nation.

*****Jer 27:3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;

These nations who were neighbors to Judah had sent representatives to the King of Judah and it would be these representatives that Jeremiah would present these yokes of bondage to take back to those kings with the Word of God.

Jeremiah warned them that they were all wrong to defy the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.

We should believe it was nothing unusual for a Jewish Prophet to be listened to with respect, when addressing a foreign nation

Jehoiakim had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon and Jeremiah insisted that King Zedekiah give this same message to the King of Egypt instead of words of rebellion.

All these things may sound foreign to our way of thinking, but it was the King of Babylon who was used to "judge" Judah and no power on earth could overcome him until God allowed it to happen.

Eze 17:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Eze 17:12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

Eze 17:13 And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:

Eze 17:14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.

Eze 17:15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?

Eze 17:16 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

Eze 17:17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:

Eze 17:18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

What was God's message for all these kings? With their own eyes they could see Jeremiah approach wearing the yoke he had prepared for himself by the Word of God.

*****Jer 27:4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;

Jer 27:5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

Jehovah God is the Creator of man and beast and He will do as He pleases.

The greatest truth of Creation is the fact that all things age until they have died, including this earth that we live upon.

This goes against everything that evolution stands for!

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

This earth we live upon is not eternal and it could not have happened by chance. It is not the work of many gods because it has only one Maker!

When we are thinking right, we know that we could not survive alone because we depend on too many things that we cannot provide for ourselves!

We suffer depression when we stop short of recognizing we have a Creator!

We are foolish when we reject the truth of the Lord!

Rev_1:8 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.

We must understand God gives us many gifts but we do not ever actully have the right of ownership.

"The Lord gives and the Lord takes away"

We are temporary tenants on this land but we are not owners.

God does what He pleases with His Own Creation!

*****Jer 27:6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

Jer 27:7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

At this time in history, Nebuchadnezzar was used of God.

Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

God is in control of His Created World!

Deu 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

Deu 32:7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

Deu 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

Deu 32:9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

We seem to always forget these things today. We readily admit that our Lord never changes but we soon forget what He has already said and done!

Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

Nebuchadnezzar was told that his empire would belong to another and it was Jeremiah who said Judah would only be in his hands for 70 years and it was Isaiah that said it would be Cyrus would cause this to happen, all according to the Word of God.

God is very serious about His plan to come about just as He has spoken!

*****Jer 27:8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

Have you ever noticed that God puts a plan into action where the most human beings can live? Even during the time of wars and rumors of wars if we would just listen to what God has to say we can live peaceable and meaningful lives.

When we go against the Word of God we will see death by the sword or wars, death by famine or death by disease.

Pro 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

Pro 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

Pro 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

Pro 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Pro 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

Pro 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

Pro 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

Pro 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

We must understand that God will give us what we ask for even if it is the wrong thing, as long as it does not interfere with His plan for all the ages!

God will certainly use one nation to punish another nation, if they will not serve the Lord who preserved them!

We should also understand that as the father of the prodigal son, the Lord will certainly rush out to meet His people who are on the way back to Him!

We must cling to the Word of God which is always the truth in every age!

*****Jer 27:9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

Jer 27:10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

When will we ever learn that we live in a world of "deceivers"!

Satan is the invisible agent of evil in our world!

In the end, God will remove him. There has never been but one way to overcome him and his evilness.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Satan is the power behind false prophecy.

Satan is the power behind every false preacher and every false teacher.

Satan is the power behind diviners and soothsayers, and enchanters and all sorcery.

Satan is the power behind every lie that has ever been told!

Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

These things were no different in the days of Jeremiah, so he preached the infallible Word of God, which is "always" the truth!

It is this same evil that has a goal to remove everything that God has placed in our hands by His Dear Son Jesus, including our testimony.

He cannot remove us from being in the family of God.

These Jews will always be the "apple in God's eye" but who is truly a Jew?

Rom_2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

Rom_2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

God knows who His children are!

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Joh 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

Joh 10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

When the Lord tells us something then we need to listen to what He has to say and not only to listen, but we need to obey His every Word and His every thought, which He has written down for us, so we do not get confused!

*****Jer 27:11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

Notice God was not talking to just these Jews of Judah but to all the surrounding nations who could all for the most part stayed at home even if they had to pay taxes to Babylon for 70 years.

Much worse things than these would happen if they went to war with a nation that the Lord had guided to this position in order to keep the greatest majority of His people safe, just by keeping them informed about what was happening.

We can never alter the plan of God, we can only make our lives miserable when we reject the truth of God!

What these people did not understand is, if they would be subject to the King of Babylon they would still be safe and secure from an invasion from any other power.

In fact God would have caused the land to produce plenty enough to pay the tribute to Babylon and then have enough for their personal means.

The politicians and elders of the Jews were just too full of the Devil to listen to what God had to say.

They were too greedy to give up any power they thought that they had!

This same thing is happening in every nation around us today. They refuse to listen to what "thus sayeth the Lord"!!!!!

Since they rejected the words of Jeremiah, then God said for them to surrender and those that were carried away would still live!

The study of the Book of Esther, Nehemiah, and Ezra are the proof along with the Prophets Daniel, Ezekiel and others.

Jer 42:9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;

Jer 42:10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.

Jer 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

God made sure the King of Judah and the rulers of Judah clearly understood these things.

*****Jer 27:12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

God's people understand what going through a little hardship means but those who live by riches and power do not understand the meaning of hardship!

2Ch 36:11 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.

2Ch 36:12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.

2Ch 36:13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

It was the King of Babylon who had placed Zedekiah upon the throne of Judah, but he was an evil man who then sought his own place in a power vacuum in Judah.

Why do politicians never understand that hardship is much better than disaster!

God has only one question for all those who reject His message of salvation!

*****Jer 27:13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

Rejecting the Word of God is accepting eternal damnation. Therefore false preachers and teachers teach that there is no Hell or that Hell is a place that you can escape from, both terrible lies and deceit.

This is the same question all the prophets of God asked and we as the witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are to ask today!

God has no pleasure in the death of any human being!

Eze 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Eze 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Everyone that dies without Jesus Christ has lost something that they formally had in their possession which is "Life"!

There are not many who will not give up all they have just to have a good life and God offers eternal life in a place that the beauty of cannot be described by words and so many reject this life and choose death instead! Not just death but damnation!

They who die because of sin that God ask them to repent of, and because the Lord has already paid for that sin, are no more than just being foolish!

Eze 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

The function of every true prophet of God, with respect to the government of the world and of the people's walk, is always a testimony to the judgment which hangs over all unfaithfulness.

When we reject the Word of God we are calling God a liar!

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God just ask us to believe!

*****Jer 27:14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.

We started this lesson by asking what a lie is. A lie is not something said out of ignorance of the subject.

A lie is anything spoken intentionally which deviates from the truth in any manner!

This person is a deceiver! A deceiver is an imposter who attempts to lead others in some wrong manner!

These are the preachers and teachers who intentionally spew out false messages because they reject the truth of God.

These are the false so-called prophets of this world who deny the existence of a Supernatural Deity.

These are those who spit out evolution as a science when it to is a bunch of lies from those who reject the truth of God.

Peter said:

2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2Pe 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; "by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of".

2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

John said:

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God":

1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The spirit of the anti-christ has been with this world since the time of Adam!

What did the Lord say will happen in the end?

Eze 13:22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:

Eze 13:23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

We have the truth of God.

We are fools not to believe Him!

Amen

Let's Pray