Scripture
Don’t think this temple will protect you.
~Jeremiah 7:14, CEV
Quote
Anything or anyone that means more to you than Jesus is an idol.
~Ya’akov
Jeremiah was a 7th century prophet who witnessed the decay and death of the nation of Judah. This was a difficult thing for Jeremiah to watch. By his own admission, Judah’s sin and rebellion created a huge burden for Jeremiah to bear, one that brought sorrow to his soul and grief to his heart. The Jews had not only twisted and perverted God’s law, they were misusing the temple. Jeremiah said to them, “You are thieves and you have made the temple your hideout.” [Jeremiah 7:11] In the first part of chapter seven, Jeremiah gives us a list of things Judah was doing: they were killing their innocent babies by sacrificing them to pagan gods, they were putting their trust in worthless idols [things], they were cheating and lying to each other and being unfaithful in marriage. BUT they still attended church every sabbath and they believed that they were protected because of their faith in their temple [religion].
Not much has changed: Temple worshipers are in every church. They don’t miss a Sunday, they want their finger in every piece of the pie, to be on every committee. They are active and involved but they have no relationship with Jesus. They have a temple religion; they worship the institution instead of the Founder. Killing babies doesn’t bother them, nor does unethical business practices so long as they show up on Sunday and show their commitment to their god. Jeremiah told them point blank: “This temple is not going to save you.” He was right, the Babylonians made hash out of the temple and slaves out of the Jews. How do we reach these people? How do we get them to listen to the truth? Jeremiah was a much better preacher than myself and they didn’t pay any attention to him.
What happened when the REAL TEMPLE appeared? [John 2:19-21, Hebrews 9:11-14] They crucified HIM. The real temple is not a building, it is a person, the LORD Jesus Christ. If you desire to live in heaven eternally, you better get related to HIM. No temple, no church building or membership, and no form of religion is going to save you. Only Jesus saves!
You never know what a day is going to bring and that is a good thing. I hate moving and Holly is moving. Hartselle got a rain. I hope Barry will bring us all some rain.