October 17
Jer 30:1-31:26 | PS 87:1-7 | Prov 25:18-19 | 1 Tim 2:1-15
I just don't understand the resistance so many have to approach the Bible as they would any other book or movie. The Bible tells a story from beginning to end. If you choose to exclude portions it will result in an incomplete and often erroneous picture. If you approach the book with preconceived thoughts and not an open mind to simply allow the words to speak literally as they are written, as you would any other book, you will also dissect this book to make it say things that it doesn't. When we read a novel we move forward. We don't focus on one chapter or a few lines. When we watch a movie we watch the entire movie, we don't just watch a scene or two. The Bible is not a textbook meant to be torn apart, it is God's story which is meant to be read and understood. God wrote it through people for me and you, not for a handful of experts to bring down to our level. Please don't say you don't believe in this or that concerning faith when you haven't even bothered to read the source of faith. Please don't state whether you believe in Jesus or not, unless you have read the Bible in its entirety, with your own unadulterated eyes and not the rants of some self-proclaimed or others-proclaimed expert. Stop jumping into rabbit holes or trying to uncover one hidden meaning after another when God is not playing some cosmic game with us. He loves us and has left us with His story if we would only humble ourselves before Him, trust Him, open our hearts to Him, and allow Him to lead us through the pages of His story. There are no shortcuts. It is not meant to be a self-help book, though your self will indeed be helped through the process. If you finish the Bible, great. Then just start over again. God has given us all the gift of time, and there is no better use of your time than to spend it in God's Word.
We read so many promises concerning Israel and Judah in the pages of Scripture: past, present, and future. The entirety of Scripture does not allow one to remove Israel from God's promises as is so often done. I don't really care who the "expert" was or is, the Bible simply does not allow for this if you care enough to read it through. We read in Jeremiah 30:3, "For the time is coming when I will restore the fortunes of my people of Israel and Judah. I will bring them home to this land that I gave to their ancestors, and they will possess it again. I, the Lord, have spoken!”" We then move to the future, to the time of the Great Tribulation and into the future Millennial Kingdom, as we read in 30:7-10, "In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end they will be saved! For in that day, " says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will break the yoke from their necks and snap their chains. Foreigners will no longer be their masters. For my people will serve the Lord their God and their king descended from David - the king I will raise up for them. So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel," says the Lord. "For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize them."
Who is this "king descended from David"? He is our living hope as we read in 1 Timothy 2:5-6, "For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity - the man Christ Jesus. He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time." The promise has a conclusion as long as one takes the time to read the entire story, not just our favorite parts, favorite verses, etc. This is not the intent of Scripture. So, what is so important that a relationship with the Creator of the Universe, the Savior of the world is not more important. We only have life because He gave it to us. We only have breath in our lungs this day because He chose to give it to us. We have families, jobs, etc. because He has blessed us with these things. In response, does it make any sense to tell the One who has lavished us with all of these things that we don't have time for Him, or don't care enough about Him to get to know Him better. It has been, it is now, and it will always be about relationship with God, not religion. He wants us to love Him not because we are forced to do a bunch of things out of obligation, but because He wants us to relate to Him just as any earthly father or mother wants their children to relate to them. Please, pick up His Word, the Bible, and never put it down.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: