NOT YET SAVED

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!” (Jer. 8:20 NKJV).

Using figurative language, Jeremiah speaks of the duration of the siege on Jerusalem that lasted for two years. The wicked inhabitants of the city kept thinking that deliverance would come soon, but it had not come yet. Harvest time had passed and the summer had passed and they were not yet delivered from Babylon. This sad lament by Jeremiah has an application for many folks today regarding their spiritual need. They have come to the end of another year of their life, yet they are still not saved. The reasons they are not saved correspond to the reasons Jerusalem was also not saved.

They were not concerned – Being a faithful shepherd, Jeremiah identified with the hurts of the people and his heart fainted (v. 18). He mourned in horror as he felt the heavy burden that was crushing the land. And though in peril, the rest of Jerusalem was were not concerned. How true this is today regarding the unsaved - often it is the saved that are concerned for the lost, rather than the lost themselves. If folks are not concerned about their own salvation, they will never get saved.

They would not confess - Israel’s problem was their sin. Yet they would not confess their sin. They so embraced their sin that they were not ashamed of their sin and did not even blush over their evil (Jer. 8:12). The Bible states in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” On the other hand, if there is no confession of sin, there will be no salvation.

They hoped in the wrong conqueror – Instead of looking to the Lord to save them, the people of Jerusalem were looking to Egypt to save them. They felt that the Egyptian army would come and rescue them, and so they were not overly concerned about the Babylon armies. Spiritually speaking, many folks are trusting in their works and other things instead of Christ to save them. However, just as Egypt did not rescue Jerusalem, neither can anyone save the soul except the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured!”

Rick Warren (1954 – Present)

American Baptist Pastor and Author

Word Study

Distinction (difference)

In Rom. 3:22 we read, “Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction!” (NASB).

Distinction (difference) is the Greek word diastolē (διαστολή = dee-as-tol-ay'). It means difference or separation; a variation. Literally, the word means a drawing asunder (into parts). Metaphorically diastolē describes a clear and marked distinction or difference.

In classical Greek, diastolē means dilatation or separation and was used medically to describe dilatation as of the heart or lungs, as well as a physical separation by a boundary or fence. With regard to people, diastolē is used to mean discrimination or distinction.

In the Septuagint diastolē carries the idea of separation. In the New Testament, diastolē is only used by the apostle Paul and means difference.

In context, when it comes to needing salvation, there is truly “no distinction (difference)” between people. All are sinners and all need salvation. In that sense, there is “no distinction (difference)” between the morally bankrupt and the morally upright. Both are lost and separated from God.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah’s would be the sin-bearer for all mankind (Isa. 53:6)

New Testament Fulfillment – 1 John 2:2; 4:10

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that the Law leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:24).

Bible Quiz

According to Matthew 21, out of what did Jesus say God perfected praise?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to the Book of Acts, who “thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money?” Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:18-20).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“God”

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!” (John 1:1 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus is God (cf. Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8).

2. Insights – The Lord Jesus Christ is in His very nature God and all the fullness of that essence is in Him. He is worthy of our worship.

3. Related Titles – Fullness of God (Col 2:9).

Did You Know – Christian History

Donald Cargill was born in 1619 in Rattray, Scotland. He was a Scottish Covenanter who worked to uphold the principles of the National Covenant of 1638 and Solemn League and Covenant of 1643 to establish and defend Presbyterianism. Covenanters were members of a 17th Century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The name Covenanter was derived from Covenant, a Biblical term for a bond or agreement with God.

Donald Cargill attended Aberdeen and St Andrews Universities where he read and re-read the books of John Knox and Andrew Melville. However the biggest influence on his life was his tutor, Samuel Rutherford. In 1655 he became minister of the Barony Church in Glasgow.

Two years after the Restoration of Charles II, Cargill got into trouble for preaching against the king and had to go into hiding. He had to go into hiding, but kept preaching in the fields. After being badly wounded at the battle at Bothwell Bridge, Cargill was left for dead. However, he survived, went to Holland for a while, and then came back to join Richard Cameron in preaching in the fields throughout Scotland.

After preaching at his friend Richard Cameron’s funeral service, Cargill then held a massive meeting at Torwood where in the name of Jesus Christ he excommunicated King Charles II - the highest punishment of the church.

Determined more than ever to catch Cargill, the government offered a large amount of money to anyone who would catch him, dead or alive. He was finally captured in July 1681, found guilty of treason and hanged in Edinburgh. To the Covenanters, Donald was a martyr for the faith that many Scots had vowed to uphold

Just before he died, Cargill wrote: “This is the most joyful day that I ever saw in my pilgrimage on earth. My joy is now begun, which I see shall never be interrupted.” He had complete confidence that all his sins had been forgiven by Christ, and so he was not afraid to die.

A Little Humor

Adam bit the apple and, feeling great shame, covered himself with a fig leaf. Eve, too, felt shame and covered herself with a fig leaf. Then she went behind the bush to try on a maple leaf, a sycamore, and an oak

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Suppose you could gain everything in the whole world, and lost your soul. Was it worth it?!”