If you Repent, I Will Restore you . . .
"Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'If you repent, I will restore
you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you
will be my spokesman.'" (Jer. 15:19).
The destruction of Jerusalem and the
Babylonian captivity are imminent. God has been patient with the people
of Judah for hundreds of years--enduring their idolatry, sending miracle
after miracle to strengthen their faith, patient trying to correct their
sin so that He can bless them, sending prophet after prophet to try to
turn the people back to Him--but nothing has worked. Finally, at His wits
end so to speak, God is forced to say: "'You have rejected me,'
declares the LORD. 'You keep on backsliding. So I will lay hands on you
and destroy you; I can no longer show compassion. I will winnow them with
a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I will bring bereavement
and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways.'"
(Jer 15:6-7).
God has been patient with these people for years, but finally He has to take stronger measures. Yet in the midst of all of this, He still loves these people enough to provide them a way out! He cries out to them, "It doesn't have to be this way! 'If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman.'" (Jer. 15:19).
The Babylonian captivity was thousands of
years ago, but once again, God is at His "Wits end" so to speak! After
enduring our "idolatry" for thousands of years, putting up with
our lack of faith, still reaching out in love to us despite
our repeated sin, God is again coming to the point where He must
say: "You have rejected me . . . You keep on backsliding. So I will
lay hands on you and destroy you; I can no longer show compassion." (Jer.
15:6) Just as Jerusalem's destruction was imminent for the Jews, our own
destruction and the destruction of this world is imminent for all
mankind. Once again He will be forced to say: "Even if Moses and
Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people."
(Jer 15:1). Yet, just as He did those hundreds of years ago prior to
the Babylonian captivity, He continues to say to us: "'If you repent,
I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not
worthless, words, I will make you my spokesman'" (Jer. 15:19).
God's promise here seems to be for two
classes of people. To those who don't know Him, He calls out: "If you
repent, I will restore you that you may serve me!" It's as simple as
that, my friends! If you don't know Jesus, all you have to do is repent
and accept His gift of Salvation by grace! And the reward? Restoration
with Him in the New Earth! All we have to do is repent, and we will be
restored as His children!
This promise also includes another class of people: Those who think they
know the Lord, but really don't. Those whose words "say" they are
Christian, but who really aren't. Those who claim to have a relationship
with God but really don't. Those who trust in themselves instead of in
their God. Those who look to churches or pastors or any other human
source for answers, when they should be looking to God! But to these
people, God also offers an "out": "if you utter worthy, not worthless,
words, you will be my spokesman." (Jer 15:19) In other words, stop
talking about it and do it from your heart! And when you do, you will be
my spokesman!
So what is it to be, my friends? Will God ultimately have to say of you,
"I will lay hands on you and destroy you; I can no longer show
compassion'"? Or will you chose repentance and Salvation, truly
accepting God into your lives, not just in words, but in deeds as well?
The choice is yours to make!
If you have never accepted Jesus into your life, I urge you to do so
today! Claim that restoration into God's family. Do not wait
another day!
Click here
(http://answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html)
If you have been serving God in word and not in works, if you have been
blindly following a church or its leaders, if you have been negligent in
your personal Christian life, now is the time for change! Now is the time
to get to know Jesus personally so that He can fulfill you, make you whole, so
that He can make you His spokesman!
Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets (
www.sermonillustrator.org/minisermons/ ), Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org ,