OMBS7/ No Hard Hearts

PRAYER - "They Should Have Prayed, And Not Threatened Murder"

When Jeremiah prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, "the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die." But the princes of the city argued that King Hezekiah did not kill the prophet Micah when he prophesied similarly. Instead, Hezekiah "besought the LORD." Resisting God is always futile. Prayer is always a better solution.

Jeremiah 26:19 - "Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them?"

PRINCIPALS - "Two Baskets Of Figs"

The LORD showed Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs sitting in front of the Temple, after Nebuchadnezzar began taking Judah away to Babylon. One basket contained good figs, and it represented the Jews who cooperated with their captors. God promised to bring them again to Jerusalem after the captivity was over. The other basket contained "naughty" figs - evil, because they resisted God's punishments. 

Jeremiah 24:10 - "And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers."

PRINCIPLES - "God Made The Earth, And Gives It To Whom He Pleases"

God instructed Jeremiah to send messengers to all the neighboring kings to deliver a word from the LORD. He informed them that changes were coming. To this very day, kings and nations fail to recognize (to their own hurt) that the destiny of all men is carefully in the hand of God.

Jeremiah 27:5 - "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; ...I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me."

PROPHECIES - "Seventy Years Of Captivity Prophesied"

The captivity of the Jews under Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon is one of the most significant prophecies in the Bible. Daniel 4-5 documents its fulfillment.

Jeremiah 25:11-13 - "And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations, ...all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied."

No Hard Hearts

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. - 2 Chronicles 16:9

The Pharisees had a heart condition that grieved Jesus. Their hearts were hard and insensitive. If you'll look in Mark 3, you'll see what I'm talking about. God was right there in their midst, and they, of all people, should have realized it. They knew the Scriptures backward and forward, and Jesus fit every messianic prophecy written there. But the insensitivity of their hearts literally blinded them to who He was. The hearts of the Pharisees were also hardened to the needs of the people around them. That very same thing is still happening today. Just think again about what those Pharisees were doing. They were. 1. Criticizing the minister of God. 2. Protecting their religious traditions instead of obeying the Word of God. 3. Worrying about their own welfare rather than that of those around them. Have you ever known any believers who fit that description? Sure you have! In fact, every one of us has done those things at some time in our lives. Every one of us, to one degree or another, has fallen prey to the same mistake the Pharisees did. We've gotten so caught up in doing and saying all the "right" things that we've let the tender warmth of God's love inside us grow cold. I know that's true because if it weren't, we'd be seeing tremendous moves of God among us. We'd be seeing revival on every corner. That's what God longs to do. God longs to pour out His Spirit in supernatural power and abundance through His Church. But we've developed a heart condition that's holding Him back. Today if you are desiring an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life and the manifestation of His power in your church, check the condition of your heart. If you find any hardness there, repent and ask God to change you. Ask Him to give you the kind of heart that will allow Him to show Himself strong on your behalf.

Plan of Salvation read acts 2:38