The Father's Heart - Jeremiah 36

Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: ² “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. ³ It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”--Jeremiah 36:1-3


Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him.  And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.  Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words.  Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.--Jeremiah 22-26


Do you hear the Father's heart for His children in the first three verses of Jeremiah 36.  His heart so wants them to turn from their sin and come to Him.  This brings tears to my eyes.  The Lord is so ever ready to forgive.  He just wants to hear you say, "I am sorry," and turn so your sin does not destroy you and put you into an eternity without Him.  God had Jeremiah write all that He had spoken to His people over the last 22 years in the hopes that Judah would hear and repent.  God truly gives us every opportunity to turn and come to Him. .  He does everything and anything He can short of violating our free will to bring us into a relationship with Him.  He gives us warning after warning and even put stumbling blocks in our paths to prevent us from sinning more egregiously.


Hebrews 10 warns us:  

"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."


Reading on in Jeremiah 36, we see an example of someone who thinks he knows better than God.  Who truly as it says in Hebrews trampled the Son of God underfoot, the Spirit of God underfoot and burned the Word of God. Fighting against God is so stupid.  The king reviled God's word  as evidenced by his cutting it with a knife and then burning it in the hearth by his feet.  Some people just decide based on no reading nor any evidence to despise the word of God and spend their life doing just that.  Maybe the king thought by destroying the word he could keep it from coming to pass.  There is no escape from His word.  God's word will come to pass.  Check out all the prophecies that already have.  Check out especially the prophecies about Jesus...the Bible was written by someone outside of time...it is a supernatural book.  What He has said He is going to do.  You may not believe it...you may ignore it or even trample it underfoot but you will not win...The king tried...but God's word still came to pass. It is now too late for the King to turn...but it is not too late for you.

Jesus spoke about hell more than He spoke of heaven.  Most of us know the truth...we know the Gospel.  We, however, continue despite that knowledge in our own stubborn, sin filled ways...fighting against God all the way.  I know I did it for years until God in His graciousness and kindness to me in Christ Jesus brought me to a point where I could literally not go on without Him.  Pride once picked up is a very hard thing to put down.  Our Lord brought mine crashing down on my head.  It got my attention like nothing else did...and you know...I will be eternally grateful to Him. Don't be eternally sorry...put down your pride...go to Him NOW...no matter what condition you are in...God doesn't care...confess your sin and need...He is looking for an excuse to be gracious to you.

Be blessed both temporally and eternally this new year....

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” -- John 3:14-21

The Simple Gospel....

But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) ⁷ or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”^] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”--Romans 10:6-13


These are some of the most beautiful verses in Scripture.  The gospel message is so simple.  You don't have to climb up into heaven or descend into the land of the dead to get it.  The word is near you...it is within your reach...it is yours for the taking.  There is nothing about it that is difficult to understand. God's salvation is right in front of us. He comes to us...there is no where we can go from His Spirit.  All we need do is respond by a simple confession with our mouth acknowledging that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead and we are saved.

Now why does it say believe in your heart?  The heart is the seat of the will.  If you truly believe something with your heart your words and deeds will follow.  Your heart needs to line up with what you say as you make Jesus the Lord of your life. Read what Jon Courson says about heart belief.

"Why believe in your heart? Why didn't Paul say believe in your mind? I suggest it is because the Lord is after our heart first. "You shall love the Lord with all your heart and mind and strength and soul" (see Mar_12:30). You see, my mind can be swayed very easily. I'm convinced about something—until I get a new set of facts and change my mind. Or I have an opinion one day and then I flip-flop the next.
But if something is in my heart, I don't change my mind about it daily. For example, at one time in your life, a boyfriend or girlfriend may have turned his or her back on you. Yet your heart was still drawn toward him or her because it's difficult to change your heart. Your mind changes easily, constantly, with every new bit of data. But the heart? It doesn't change so easily. It breaks, but it doesn't change. And so the Lord says, "I want you to believe in Me with your heart—not simply rationally, but emotionally and intimately."

That's it.  That is the gospel message. Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  Don't miss the last verses...we are all saved the same way...by grace through faith.  There is no difference or distinction between Jew and Greek.  the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him...For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. "

Whosoever will come...


Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 


Rev 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.