Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 2, 2017

“Let us now fear the Lord our God”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 5:14-31.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+5&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“14 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts,
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire
And this people wood, and it will consume them.
15 “Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord.
“It is an enduring nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.
16 “Their quiver is like an open grave,
All of them are mighty men.
17 “They will devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not make you a complete destruction.  19 It shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
Who have eyes but do not see;
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 ‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
23 ‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24 ‘They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who gives rain in its season,
Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The appointed weeks of the harvest.”  Jeremiah 5:14-24.

————————-

Despite the LORD’s almighty ability to punish Israel and despite the prophecy that the LORD indeed would punish Israel for forsaking Him and serving foreign gods, it is astonishing that Israel did not fear the LORD nor tremble in His presence.

”   ‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?  …”  Verse 22.

Despite the LORD’s almighty ability to bless Israel if she followed Him, Israel did not fear the LORD.

“‘They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who gives rain in its season,
Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The appointed weeks of the harvest.”  Verse 24.

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”  1 Corinthians 10:11-12.

“… Let us now fear the Lord our God …”  Verse 24.

“…  “But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”  Isaiah 66:2.

“3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The Lord hears when I call to Him.

4 Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.  Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the Lord.

6 Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!
7 You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.
8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.”  Psalm 44:3-8.

“9 Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.”  Psalm 96:9-10.

“8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”  Psalm 33:8-12.

“18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.”  Psalm 33:18-19.

“O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.”  Psalm 34:9.

“Praise the Lord!
How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.”  Psalm 112:1-3.

“Oh let those who fear the Lord say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”  Psalm 118:4.

“How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
Within your house,
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.
4 Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.”  Psalm 128:1-4.

“10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.”  Psalm 147:10-11.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 30, 2017

“Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 5:1-13.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+5&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“7 “Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And sworn by those who are not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot’s house.
8 “They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
9 “Shall I not punish these people,” declares the Lord,
“And on a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?

10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
But do not execute a complete destruction;
Strip away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s.
11 “For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord.
12 They have lied about the Lord
And said, “Not He;
Misfortune will not come on us,
And we will not see sword or famine.
13 “The prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
Thus it will be done to them!”  Jeremiah 5:7-13. 

———————

From the beginning, Scripture exhorts us to put the word of God in us.

“Hear, O Israel!  The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

What are the negative consequences of the word of God not being in us? 

“The prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
Thus it will be done to them!”  Verse 13.

What are the positive consequences of the word of God being in us? 

“Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.”  Psalm 119:11.

“Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.”  Jeremiah 15:16.

“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”  Luke 8:15.

“2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.”  Psalm 1:2-3.

But, despite knowing the negative consequences of the word of God not being within us and knowing the positive consequences of the word of God being in us, without the intervention of God, we all (Israel and Gentiles alike), go our own way, ignoring the word of God.

But, there is hope!

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.  “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it;  and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.  They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”  Jeremiah 31:31-34

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 29, 2017

“Seek refuge” in the LORD.

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah chapter 4.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+4&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the Lord,
“Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,
2 And you will swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory.”

3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,

“Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.
4 “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”

5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go
Into the fortified cities.’
6 “Lift up a standard toward Zion!
Seek refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7 “A lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins
Without inhabitant.
8 “For this, put on sackcloth,
Lament and wail;
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.”

9 “It shall come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.”

…

14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
16 “Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim over Jerusalem,
‘Besiegers come from a far country,
And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 ‘Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about,
Because she has rebelled against Me,’ declares the Lord.
18 “Your ways and your deeds
Have brought these things to you.
This is your evil. How bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”  Jeremiah 4:1-9 and 14-18.

————————————–

“Lift up a standard toward Zion!
Seek refuge, do not stand still,
For I am bringing evil from the north,
And great destruction.”  Verse 6.

Today’s Scripture was not only a warning for Israel, it can serve as a warning for us today.

“But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:7-9.

“6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.”  Isaiah 55:6-7.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.”  Psalm 91:1-10.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 28, 2017

“He (Christ) is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 3:15-25.

“15 “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.  16 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’  And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again.  17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord;  nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart.  18 In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

19 “Then I said,

‘How I would set you among My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 “Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her lover,
So you have dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” declares the Lord.

21 A voice is heard on the bare heights,
The weeping and the supplications of the sons of Israel;
Because they have perverted their way,
They have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, O faithless sons,
I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the Lord our God.
23 “Surely, the hills are a deception,
A tumult on the mountains.
Surely in the Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.

24 “But the shameful thing has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.  25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our humiliation cover us;  for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day.  And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”   Jeremiah 3:15-25.

—————————————–

God elects (chooses) the specific people whom He will save.  “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 8:15-16.

And, God provides all that is needed for salvation of His elect.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby of Canons of Dordt.

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

“14   …  ‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And I will bring you to Zion.’

15 “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.”  Verses 14-15.

Other doctrine teaches that although God provides some things, man must provide some things including the repentance. 

But, today’s Scripture repeats yesterday Scripture that Israel did not repent through its own wisdom and will.

“Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her lover,
So you have dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” declares the Lord.”  Verse 20.

But, there is hope!

God provides even repentance for His elect.

“He (Christ) is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”  Acts 5:31.

“When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”  Acts 11:18.

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,”  2 Timothy 2:24-25.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 27, 2017

“‘For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.’”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 3:1-14.

“God says, “If a husband divorces his wife
And she goes from him
And belongs to another man,
Will he still return to her?
Will not that land be completely polluted?
But you are a harlot with many lovers;
Yet you turn to Me,” declares the Lord.
2 “Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
By the roads you have sat for them
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have polluted a land
With your harlotry and with your wickedness.
3 “Therefore the showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a harlot’s forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.
4 “Have you not just now called to Me,
‘My Father, You are the friend of my youth?
5 ‘Will He be angry forever?
Will He be indignant to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have had your way.”

6 Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did?  She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there.  7 I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’;  but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.  8 And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear;  but she went and was a harlot also.  9 Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.  10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the Lord.

11 And the Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.  12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,

‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not look upon you in anger.
For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God
And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And I will bring you to Zion.’”  Jeremiah 3:1-14.

————————-

History is “His story” (God’s story), and the history of Israel and Judah is God’s story of how He saved His elect summarized by “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

We see “TULIP” again in today’s Scripture.

We see the “Total Depravity” of both Israel and Judah, the “T” of “TULIP”.

Yes, there is the call for repentance.  But, do we see any repentance?

No, there was no true repentance by Israel.  There was no true return to the LORD. 

We see figurative speech from the LORD:  “I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’;  but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.”  Verse 7.  In other words, it would have been reasonable for Israel to repent and return to the LORD, but Israel did not repent and return to the LORD.  (Of course, the LORD knew the heart of Israel and all of Israel’s future actions, so this language by the LORD is figurative, not literal language.)

And, Judah, despite even seeing the LORD’s punishment on Israel in addition to the motivation of the reasonableness of repentance, also did not repent and did not return to the LORD. 

“Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the Lord.”  Verse 10.

We then see the LORD’s “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”.

“…  ‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And I will bring you to Zion.’”  Verse 14. 

Other doctrine is based on man being wise enough and good enough and willing to repent and return to the LORD.

But, Reformed Doctrine is based on the LORD’s sovereignty and “Unconditional Election”.  In order for anyone to be saved, that saved person must be unconditionally elected by the LORD for salvation.  Election is “the fountain of every saving good” as stated from the Canons of Dordt.

And, Christ must die for that saved person (“Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”) to purchase and provide all the saving gifts for that elect person, and God must irresistibly draw that elect person to Christ (“Irresistible Grace”, the “I” of “TULIP”), and God must preserve that elect person to salvation, otherwise that elect person “could not persevere in a state of grace, if left to their own strength” (“Preservation of the Saints”, the “P” of “TULIP” as stated from the Canons of Dordt).

“…  ‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And I will bring you to Zion.’”  Verse 14. 

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 26, 2017

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 2:14-37.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+2&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“14 “Is Israel a slave?  Or is he a homeborn servant?
Why has he become a prey?
15 “The young lions have roared at him,
They have roared loudly.
And they have made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 “Also the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have shaved the crown of your head.
17 “Have you not done this to yourself
By your forsaking the Lord your God
When He led you in the way?
18 “But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the Euphrates?
19 “Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter
For you to forsake the Lord your God,
And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of hosts.

20 “For long ago I broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.

…

“27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their back to Me,
And not their face;
But in the time of their trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’

“28 “But where are your gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can save you
In the time of your trouble;
For according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.”

….

“36 “Why do you go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, you will be put to shame by Egypt
As you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 “From this place also you will go out
With your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”  Jeremiah 2:14-20 and 27-28 and 36-37.

———————–

Israel trusted in Egypt and Assyria.  Verses 18 and 36.

Israel trusted in their own gods.  Verse 28.

Israel trusted in just about anyone or anything, playing the harlot, changing their way so much.  Verses 20, 27, and 36.

And, the LORD punished Israel for forsaking Him.

“From this place also you will go out
With your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”  Verse 37.

Israel claimed that it was innocent and did not go after other gods, but God’s anger was not turned away.

“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way in the valley!
Know what you have done!”  Verse 23.

“Yet you said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will enter into judgment with you
Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’”  Verse 35.

And, we too can claim innocence and that we do not go after other gods even though we too chase after gods of our own imagination and desires rather than diligently studying and embracing and trusting the God of Scripture. 

Augustus Toplady (1740-1778) was chiefly known as a writer of hymns including “Rock of Ages”.  He ministered in London, England.  Although he was originally a follower of John Wesley, in 1758 he adopted strong Calvinist convictions.  Consider his article.

The ‘god’ of Arminianism by Augustus Toplady

“I dare say, that, in such an auditory as this, a number of Arminians are present.  I fear, that all our public assemblies have too many of them.  Perhaps, however, even these people, idolaters as they are, may be apt to blame, and, indeed, with justice, the absurdity of those who worship idols of silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.  But let me ask:  If it be so very absurd, to worship the work of other men’s hands what must it be, to worship the works of our own hands?  Perhaps, you may say, ‘God forbid that I should do so.

Nevertheless, let me tell you, that trust, confidence, reliance, and dependence, for salvation, are all acts and very solemn ones too, of divine worship:  and upon whatsoever you depend, whether in whole or in part, for your acceptance with God, and for your justification in his sight, whatsoever, you rely upon, and trust in, for the attainment of grace or glory; if it be any thing short of God in Christ, you are an idolater for all intents and purposes.

Very different is the idea which Scripture gives us, of the ever-blessed God, from that of those false gods worshipped by the heathens;  and from that degrading representation of the true God, which Arminianism would palm upon mankind.  Our God (says this Psalm, verse the third) is in the heavens:  he hath done whatsoever he pleased.  This is not the Arminian idea of God:  for our free-willers and our chance- mongers tell us, that God does not do whatsoever he pleases;  that there are a great number of things, which God wishes to do, and rags and strives to do, and yet cannot bring to pass …  Is their god the Bible-God?  Certainly not.  Their god ‘submits’ to difficulties which he ‘cannot help’ himself out of, and endearours to make himself ‘easy’ under millions and millions of inextricable embarrassments, uncomfortable disappointments, and mortifying defeats. …  This said scheme ascends, on the ladder of blasphemy, to the mountain top of atheism;  and then hurls itself from that precipice, into the gulf of blind, adamantine necessity, in order to prove mankind free agents!

… One great contest, between the religion of Arminianism, and the religion of Christ, is, who shall stand entitled to the praise and glory of a sinner’s salvation?  Conversion decides this point at once;  for I think that, without any imputation of uncharitableness, I may venture to say, that every truly awakened person, at least when he is under the shine of God’s countenance upon his soul, will fall down upon his knees, with this hymn of praise ascending from his heart, Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but to thy name, give the glory:  I am saved not for my righteousness, but for thy mercy and thy truth’s sake.”

“21 Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob
And anger also mounted against Israel,
22 Because they did not believe in God
And did not trust in His salvation.”  Psalm 78:21-22.

Other doctrine does not believe in the Sovereign Almighty God of Scripture and does not trust in His salvation revealed in Scripture, but it prefers a god of its own imagination chained to the alleged free-will of man and prefers its own salvation based at least partially on man’s own contribution of works or will.  Other doctrine tries to put man in control of salvation, because it teaches that God loves everybody, Christ died for everyone, and the only reason why some are saved and others are not saved is that the saved provides their own works or will to be saved.

But, Reformed Doctrine believes in the God of Scripture and fully trusts in His salvation revealed in Scripture as summarized by “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation which teaches that God alone elects those whom He will save and that God saves all of His elect and provides all that they need for salvation.

“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:15-16.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:4-8.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.”  Proverbs 3:5.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 25, 2017

God is “The fountain of living waters” and God’s election is “the fountain of every saving good”.

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 2:1-13.

“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,

“I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 “Israel was holy to the Lord,
The first of His harvest.
All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”

4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.  5 Thus says the Lord,

“What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after emptiness and became empty?
6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no man dwelt?’
7 “I brought you into the fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
8 “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after things that did not profit.

9 “Therefore I will yet contend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.
10 “For cross to the coastlands of Kittim and see,
And send to Kedar and observe closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
11 “Has a nation changed gods
When they were not gods?
But My people have changed their glory
For that which does not profit.
12 “Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.”  Jeremiah 2:1-13.

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Despite God’s blessing and faithfulness, Israel forsake God and sought other gods.

“7 “I brought you into the fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
8 “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after things that did not profit.”  Verses 7-8.

Israel’s rebellion against their God is appalling.

“12 “Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.”  Verses 12-13.

Let us forsake things that do not profit and seek “The fountain of living waters”.

“Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.”  Isaiah 55:7.

“7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.”  Psalm 36:7-9.

“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”  …  Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst;  but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”  John 4:10 and 13-14.

But, let also realize that even though it is plainly clear and sensible that we should forsake things that do not profit and seek “The fountain of living waters”, we won’t do so, because of our natural condition of “Total Depravity”.  We are dead in sin, unable to understand, hostile to God, and enslaved to sin and Satan.

Our hope is not within ourselves.

Our only hope is that God will elect us to salvation and provide all that is necessary for our salvation.

Article 9.  This election was not founded upon foreseen faith, and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any other good quality of disposition in man, as the pre-requisite, cause or condition on which it depended; but men are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith, holiness, etc., therefore election is the fountain of every saving good;  from which proceed faith, holiness, and the other gifts of salvation, and finally eternal life itself, as its fruits and effects, according to that of the apostle:  “He hath chosen us (not because we were) but that we should be holy, and without blame, before him in love,” Ephesians 1:4.  FIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of Divine Predestination of Canons of Dordt.

Thus, we need to know not only that God is “The fountain of living waters”, we need to know that God’s election is “the fountain of every saving good”.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 23, 2017

“For the Lord loves justice”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 1:11-19.

“11 The word of the Lord came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”  And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.”  12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time saying, “What do you see?”  And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.”  14 Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land.  15 For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord;  “and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah.  16 I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.  17 Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you.  Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them.  18 Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land.  19 They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 1:11-19.

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“Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth;  for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Other doctrine forms their god according to their desires to be some type of Santa Claus who only shows lovingkindness.

But, Reformed Doctrine presents the God of Scripture Who shows justice in addition to lovingkindness.

Today’s Scripture shows God’s love of justice in His expressed intent to pronounce judgments against the wicked and to punish the wicked. 

“For the Lord loves justice
And does not forsake His godly ones;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.”  Psalm 37:5.

“He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.”  Psalm 33:5.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.”  Psalm 89:14.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 22, 2017

“everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak.”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 1:1-10.

“The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 “Do not be afraid of them,
For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”   Jeremiah 1:1-10.

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Like Jeremiah, we may feel like we do not have the ability nor the favor of our audience to boldly preach or teach.

“Then I said, “Alas, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth.”  Verse 6.

But, we notice the reply of the LORD to Jeremiah.

“7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 “Do not be afraid of them,
For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.”  Verses 7-8.

So, we go out and boldly preach and teach.  And, God encourages us through Scripture that He brings to our attention, and we feel that God is working in us and is pleased with our preaching and teaching. 

But, we still don’t draw many to our church or our class, and we may wonder why are we not getting better results.

And then, God encourages us again through Scripture as He did with Ezekiel in the following Scripture.

“Then He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you!”  As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet;  and I heard Him speaking to me.  Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me;  they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.  I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’  As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.  And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions;  neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.  But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.”  Ezekiel 2:1-7.

And, we are reminded of “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  And, then we understand that the question is not why aren’t more people listening to us;  the question is why anybody is listening to us, because man in his natural condition is dead in sin, unable to understand, hostile to God, and enslaved to sin and Satan.

But, there is hope!

God is sovereign and able to make the dead alive and able to irresistibly draw His elect to Christ as taught by “TULIP”. 

And so, we persevere, because God is at work within us. 

And God both saves some through His lovingkindness and condemns others through His justice for their failure to listen and their rebellion.  

“See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”  Verse 10.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | June 21, 2017

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”

Today’s devotion comes from Isaiah 66:18-24.

“18 “For I know their works and their thoughts;  the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues.  And they shall come and see My glory.  I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations:  Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory.  And they will declare My glory among the nations.  Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the Lord, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.  I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites,” says the Lord.

22 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth
Which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord,
“So your offspring and your name will endure.
23 “And it shall be from new moon to new moon
And from sabbath to sabbath,
All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord.
24 “Then they will go forth and look
On the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm will not die
And their fire will not be quenched;
And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”   Isaiah 66:18-24.

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Today’s Scripture, the concluding Scripture in the Book of Isaiah, in verses 18-21 remind us of God’s gracious intent and work to bring Gentiles from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” into His kingdom.

As stated by God in the previous chapter:

“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which did not call on My name.”  Isaiah 65:1.

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby of Canons of Dordt.

“And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals;  for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God;  and they will reign upon the earth.”  Revelation 5:9-10.

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