Jeremiah 12:1

 Jeremiah 12:1 says, Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?  Jeremiah begins by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and so should we when we speak to Him in prayer.  Whatever is happening in the world is not going to change the righteousness of God.  Jeremiah did not come to God making demands, but came pleading to Him.  He had valid questions about why it seemed that the wicked prospered, and we may ask the same question today, but we cannot do so while blaming God for treating us unfairly.  Verse two adds, Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.  Jeremiah said that God had planted the people of Judah, but that they had not taken root, or grown in the ways that they should as His people.  He said they only paid lip service to God.  Many people today profess to believe God, but their actions are not consistent with their words.  Verse three declares, But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.  Jeremiah said that God knew him and his heart.  God knows us better than we even know ourselves.  Jeremiah asked God to punish the wicked.  This is never our call to make, but we must simply put our faith in the fact that one day God will punish the wicked.  Verse four asks, How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.  Jeremiah asked God how long the land would suffer because of the sins of the people of Judah.  When those who profess to be God's people turn away from His will, then we should not be surprised if the whole land suffers.  Verse five declares, If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?  God gave Jeremiah his answer by asking if he couldn't even run with the footmen then how could he run with the horses.  In other words, if Jeremiah could not hold strong in the smaller problems, then how would he be strong when the bigger ones came.  Our faith in God should be strong enough to keep us true to God in the small problems, and if we question God then, how are we going to do when the really big problems come long.  Verse six adds, For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.  Jeremiah was warned to beware of those who professed to be his brothers but rally persecuted him for what he was saying.  Verse seven declares, I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.  God told Jeremiah that He had forsaken His people because they had forsaken Him and started worshipping other gods.  God will never just arbitrarily abandon us, but if we abandon Him we should not expect to still have His protective hand on us.  Verse eight adds, Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.  Those that were supposed to be the sheep of God's pasture had instead turned into ravenous lions, and God said He hated that.  Verse nine continues, Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.  God's chosen people had become a group who fought against each other and destroyed each other.  If we are truly one of God's people, we cannot be fighting against each other, and we certainly cannot be fighting against God's word and hope to be successful in our relationship to Him.

Jeremiah 11:11

 Jeremiah 11:11 says, Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.  God said that He would bring evil on the people of Judah.  Again, we can either view this as God actually bringing the evil or removing His protective hand and allowing it to happen.  Verse twelve adds, Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.  God told Jeremiah that the people would look to their false gods for help, but no help could come from them.  Whatever we are putting our faith in or worshipping today besides God will ultimately fail us.  Verse thirteen states, For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.  God said that the people of Israel were worshipping false gods in every city and on every street, especially the false god Baal.  This was not just an isolated case of idolatry.  Verse fourteen declares, Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.  Jeremiah was told to not even pray for the people of Judah.  They had refused to listen to God for too long, and now they were going to face His judgment.  If a person, or even a nation, refuses to listen to God for too long, there may come a day when they will no longer be able to find His forgiveness, but this will never happen without plenty of opportunities to repent.  Verse fifteen asks, What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest. God asked what evil had the people of Judah done in His house.  They had even allowed evil into God's house, and rejoiced in it.  When we do gather together today in God's house, the church building, we need to make sure that we do not allow evil practices or thoughts even to enter with us, and we certainly need to never rejoice if such things do occur.  Verse sixteen declares, The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.  God said that He had called the people of Judah to be fair and productive in bearing fruit for Him.  Verse seventeen adds, For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.  God reminded them that He was the One who had planted them, but that they had chosen to follow after Baal instead of remaining faithful to Him.  Verse eighteen states, And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.  Jeremiah then says that God gave him the knowledge and showed him their doings.  God will make His people aware of the evil that is going on in the world today if they are willing to listen.  Verse nineteen adds, But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.  Jeremiah said that the people of Judah desired to kill him and even remove the memory of him, and yet we read his writings all these centuries later.  Verse twenty declares, But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.  We can either view this as Jeremiah wanting to see God punish the people of Judah or as Jeremiah saying that he knew that God was going to punish them.  Matthew Henry points out that Christ taught us to pray for and forgive our enemies, so this should be the way that we live today.  Verse twenty-one states, Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:  Jeremiah said that the men of Anathoth warned him to not prophesy in the name of God and that they would not kill him.  What would we do in a situation like this?  Verse twenty two declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:  Verse twenty-three adds, And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.  God told Jeremiah that it was the people of Anathoth who would be destroyed completely.  God will ultimately destroy all those who do not hear His call and who work to destroy His servants.

Luke 2;6

 Luke 2:6 says, And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  Verse seven states, And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  Verse eight adds, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Verse nine declares, And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  Verse ten adds, And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  Verse eleven continues, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  Verse twelve states, And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  Verse thirteen adds, And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Verse fourteen concludes, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. That is the real Christmas story, and we can either believe it or not.  If we do, and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we should live at peace in the world and have good will toward our fellowman and most of all give glory to God in the highest.  Merry Christmas and may God bless everyone.

Luke 2:1

 Luke 2:1 says, And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.  We are going to look briefly at what was going on just before that first Christmas day.  People were not shopping and celebrating, but were traveling to the place of their ancestors to be taxed.  Verse two adds, (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)  This was by the decree of the ruler of Syria.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people were ruled over by a foreign government at that time.  We may think that we have things bad today, but they were much worse for the people of Israel at that time.  Verse three states, And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  There was no revolt against this tax, but the people traveled to the city of their ancestors to be taxed.  How much different that Christmas Eve was than the one we celebrate today.  Jesus, the reason for the season was yet to be born.  Certain promises had been made to Mary and Joseph by God, and had yet to be fulfilled.  As they were traveling, did they still wonder about these promises?  Too many people today still refuse to believe that Jesus came to fulfill the promise of God and become the Messiah, the Savior of all people who will put their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord.  Until someone does, it will always spiritually be the day before Christmas for them, not with the celebration and all, but with the harsh reality of life without any real hope.  Verse four says, And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)  Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, the city of David, because he was a descendant of David.  God fulfilled at least two prophesies because of the decree of the king of another nation, one that did not believe in God.  Jesus was a descendant of David who was born in Bethlehem.  Verse five concludes, To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  Mary, who was about to give birth, had to travel with Joseph.  Those decreeing that the people return to the home of their ancestors were not concerned with her condition, so she had no choice but to go.  Still, God was with her to protect her and bring her safely to Bethlehem.  God will always be with His people and protect them spiritually no matter what demands the world may make on them today.

Jeremiah 11:1

 Jeremiah 11:1 says, The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  Verse two adds, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;  God called on Jeremiah to first hear the words of His covenant and then to speak them to the men of Judah.  Before we can speak God's word, we must first hear His word.  In order to do this, we must be in a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse three states, And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,  God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Judah that those who did not obey the words of His covenant would be cursed.  Today, if we do not enter into a covenant relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord then we are likewise cursed.  Verse four adds, Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:  God reminded the people that the covenant relationship was established when He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, but also that it was a perpetual covenant that each person would have to enter into from then on.  Verse five declares, That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.  God said that He promised them a land flowing with milk and honey if they were faithful to their part of the covenant.  Jeremiah replied, So be it, O LORD.  All we can do when we know what God wants us to do and be successful followers of Christ is to say, So be it Lord  Verse six adds, Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.  God told Jeremiah to proclaim all these words in the streets of Jerusalem, calling on the people to obey His word and to live up to His covenant.  This is what we are to do today.  We are to proclaim the gospel and call on people who profess to be Christians to live in accordance with God's word.  Verse seven continues, For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.  God said that when He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt that He earnestly called on them to obey His covenant.  God still calls on people to earnestly enter into a covenant relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ.  God would not have any to perish spiritually, but He will allow them to do so if they refuse to accept His gift of salvation.  Verse eight declares, Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.  God said that the people of Judah had all failed to follow His covenant and therefore He was going to bring about the punishment that was promised if they did not.  If we are truly following Christ, we must obey all that God teaches us in His word.  Verse nine declares, And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  God said that there was a conspiracy among the men of Judah.  They were all involved in living outside if God's covenant.  Verse ten adds, They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.  God said that the people of Judah and of Israel had gone after other gods and had broken their covenant relationship with Him.  We cannot allow other gods to come between God and us and still expect God to bless us.

Jeremiah 10:18

 Jeremiah 10:18 says, For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.  God had called the nation of Israel. or Judah in this case, together, and now He was going to allow them to be dispersed and He had protected them and He no longer would.  God calls us to Him, and if we become a follower of Christ He will protect us spiritually, but we must be obedient to Him in order to receive His protection.  Those who were called God's people at this time were His people in name only and were not really in a true relationship with Him.  Verse nineteen declares, Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.  Jeremiah said that he was full of woe because of what was going to happen, but that he must bear it because it was what God had said was going to happen and therefore would.  Though we as followers of Christ may look forward to the second coming of Christ with joy personally, we should be filled with woe for those who do not know Christ as their Savior and Lord.  They will be going away to everlasting punishment, and this is something that we should never celebrate.  Verse twenty states, My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.  God said there there was no one left to do what was required of them to worship Him.  The people of Jerusalem had totally turned away from God, and this was why they were in the situation that they were in.  Verse twenty-one adds, For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.  The pastors, the ones who were supposed to proclaim the word of God, had become brutish and had not sought the LORD.  Some pastors today proclaim a message that is not consistent with the word of God, and they will never prosper spiritually, no matter how much they may prosper materially.  Verse twenty-two says, Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.  Jeremiah said that the commotion of the people to the north of Judah could be heard.  If we are hearing and seeing the fulfillment of the prophesies about the second coming today, it should call us to work even harder to share the gospel with the world.  Verse twenty-three declares, O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.  Jeremiah said that it was not in man to do what is right by his own ability.  We can never be righteous enough of our own merit to be saved, because we will never surrender everything that we are or have to God until we enter into a personal relationship with Him, and the only way to do that is by acknowledging our own sinfulness and accepting salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-four adds, O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.  Jeremiah called on God to correct him, but out of mercy and not anger.  We will always stand in need of God's mercy if we are to avoid His anger.  Jeremiah made this request not just for himself but for all of God's people.  Verse twenty-five concludes, Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.  Jeremiah called on God to pour out His fury on the heathen, but unfortunately at that time that included most of those who were supposed to be His people.  If we are followers of Christ in name only, then we will also have God's fury poured out on us in the judgment day.

Jeremiah 10:11

 Jeremiah 10:11 says, Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.  God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Israel that the false gods, those that had not made the heavens and the earths, would perish from the heavens and the earth.  There is coming a day when all the false gods, which is anything that we allow to become more important to us than God is, are going to disappear.  We can have no other  gods before God nor can we love the things of this world more than God and still be faithful to Him.  Verse twelve declares, He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.  God said that Jeremiah was to tell the people that God was the One Who had created everything by His power and under His design.  Though many people claim that the world is a cosmic accident, if we are truly followers of Christ then we must acknowledge that God is the source of all creation.  God created everything by His wisdom and nothing is ever just a random part of creation.  We either believe this or not.  Verse thirteen adds, When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.  God said that He made the lightning and the rain.  God is in control of the universe, except for the power that He still allows Satan to have today and the fact that He allows each individual to say no to His will.  There is coming a day when even this will no longer be true and all things will be done according to God's will.  Verse fourteen declares, Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.  God said that those who believe in false gods that have no power are brutish in their knowledge.  They are  unwilling to let go of the lies and believe the truth.  Verse fifteen adds, They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.  God said that these other gods were a vanity. or nothing, and that they would perish when the judgment comes.  Verse sixteen continues, The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.  God said that He, the God of Jacob, is not like the other gods.  He is the former of all things and He is the judge of all things.  Verse seventeen concludes, Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.  God told them that it was time to gather up their wares from out of the land and to come to the fortress of God.  The only place that we can find real peace and security is in the will of God.