JUDGMENT TRUTH

“Now the LORD has brought it, and has done just as He said. Because you people have sinned against the LORD, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you” (Jer. 40:3 NKJV).

This message about judgment comes from Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard in the Babylonian army. He is speaking to Jeremiah about the judgment that has fallen upon Judah. This tells us that God can use even a heathen to testify against His people when they have rejected Him. Nebuzaradan spoke here of the source of judgment, the sureness of judgment, and the sin for judgment.

Source of judgment – “Now the LORD has brought it.” The Babylonian army may have wrought havoc in Judah and Jerusalem, but it was decreed by the LORD as a form of judgment on the Jews. And so at times when disasters and tragedies strike, it may be wise to consider whether it is the Lord bringing judgment against sin and wickedness.

Sureness of judgment – “As He said.” Israel was repeatedly warned by the LORD that judgment that would come if they persisted in disobedience. God’s Word is sure. If He promises judgment, then judgment is certain. We must be careful not to mock the Word of God. What He has promised will surely come to pass be it judgment or blessing. Fulfillment of Divine prophecy is as certain as a twenty-four hour day.

Sin for judgment – “Because you people have sinned against the LORD, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you.” Judah’s disobedience to the LORD led to the judgment of the Babylonian invasion. We cannot blame the LORD for judgment; judgment is a result of our sin. When we ignore God’s Word and instead live life our own way, judgment will surely come upon us “because you people have sinned.”

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The way to take the fear out of living is to put faith in the Lord!”

Charles Stanley (1932 - )

American Pastor, Theologian and Author

Word Study

Do good

In Luke 6:33 we read, “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same” (NKJV).

Do good is the Greek word agathopoieō (ἀγαθοποιέω = ag-ath-op-oy-eh'-o). It is made up of two words: “agathos” which means good, and “poieō” which means to do. Thus the word means to do good to another person or behave or act in a proper manner. Agathopoieō does not occur in classical Greek literature. In the Septuagint agathopoieō carries the idea of doing good or to make good. In the New Testament, agathopoieō also carries the idea of doing good. It is the opposite of doing evil, or to do harm. In fact, after questioning the Pharisees on whether or not it was “lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil,” the Lord Jesus proceeded to demonstrate doing good by healing the man with the withered hand (Mark 3:4-5; Luke 6:9-10). To do good, therefore, is to imitate the Lord Jesus and to administer the grace of the Kingdom; it is tantamount to saving a life.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would provide freedom from the bondage of sin (Isa. 61:1)

New Testament Fulfillment – John 8:31-36

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10).

Bible Quiz

According to Mark 6, how expensive would it have been to feed the crowd of 5,000 men?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: Who ran for his life from a woman and then told God he had had enough and wanted to die? Elijah (1 Kings 19:3-5).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Savior”

"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world!” (1 John 4:14 NKJV; cf. Luke 2:11; John 4:42).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus is our salvation.

2. Insights – The Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, come to deliver us from the power of death. He is the One who seeks and saves the lost

3. Related Titles – Pioneer / Captain of Salvation (Heb. 2:10); Deliverer (Rom. 11:26); Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69); Salvation (Luke 2:30).

Did You Know – Christian History

John Campanius was born on August 15, 1601 in Stockholm, Sweden. He was a Lutheran clergyman and missionary among the Delaware Indians.

Campanius was educated at the University of Upsala, where he studied theology and graduated in 1633. He was ordained into the Lutheran ministry during 1633. He served as the chaplain to the Swedish delegation in Russia in 1634. When he came home, it was to serve as a schoolmaster and then as a chaplain in an orphanage.

Campanius was recommended by one of the King’s advisors as chaplain for a party of Swedes sailing to Delaware. On August 16, 1642, he took his family with him and they landed in Delaware on February 15, 1643.

Convinced that his responsibility extended beyond the European settler to Native Americans, Campanius reached out to the local Algonquin Indians. Visiting one of his services, they were at first suspicious of him because he did almost all the talking. Nonetheless, he gained their confidence and affection and learned their language. Thus, several years before John Eliot began his pioneering work among New England’s natives, Campanius was teaching the Delaware Indians. In fact, he translated Luther’s Shorter Catechism into the Lenni Lenape tongue (it was not printed until 1696).

Campanius was also a weather observer. Between 1644 and 1645, he recorded observations of the local weather twice a day, becoming the first man known to have kept such observations in North America. Because of this, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issues one of its highest honors under the name of the John Campanius Holms Award. This is awarded to volunteer weather observers.

On September 4, 1646 Campanius consecrated the first Lutheran church built in the new world. This was a log building on Tinicum Island, south of what is now the City of Philadelphia. The next month he broke ground in its cemetery, burying "Catherine, the daughter of Andrew Hanson."

In addition to these labors, Campanius farmed a tract of land. In 1648, he returned with his family to Sweden where he pastored churches at Frosth'lt and Hernevi until he died in 1683. Some of his writings were published by his grandson, John Campanius.

A Little Humor

A minister preached a very short sermon. He explained, “My dog got into my study and chewed up some of my notes.” At the close of the service a visitor asked, “If your dog ever has pups, please let my pastor have one of them.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Christ who tells us of heaven with all its happiness also tells us of hell with all its horrors”