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"No
Steeple, Just People" |
Is your heart so
hard that you can't see our own guilt?
Does the Word of
God stands against you?
Jeremiah 5:26-31 (NIV)
26 "Among my
people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and
like those who set traps to catch men.
27 Like cages full
of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful
28 and have grown
fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the
case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of
the poor.
29 Should I not
punish them for this?" declares the LORD . "Should I not
avenge myself on such a nation as this?
30 "A
horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:
31 The prophets
prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people
love it this way. But what will you do in the end?
Jeremiah 6:16-17
16 This is what
the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the
ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you
will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'
17 I appointed
watchmen over you and said, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But
you said, 'We will not listen.'
Luke 6:24-26
But woe to you who
are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who
are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of
you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
Matthew 19:21-24
Jesus answered,
"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow
me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad,
because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I
tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
I Timothy 6:21
Command those who
are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their
hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God,
who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command
them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and
willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for
themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may
take hold of the life that is truly life.
I Timothy 4:1-2, 6
The Spirit clearly
says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow
deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come
through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as
with a hot iron. If you point these things out to the brothers, you
will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of
the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
II Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers
of themselves, lovers of money, boatful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God --- having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Have
nothing to do with them.
Luke 12:15-21
Then he said to
them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a
man's life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions." And he told them this parable: "The
ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to
himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns
and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my
goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things
laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."
' "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your
life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have
prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with
anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Micah 7
1 What misery is
mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the
vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early
figs that I crave.
2 The godly
have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men
lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net.
3 Both hands
are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts
bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire- they all conspire together.
4 The best of
them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The
day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the
time of their confusion.
5 Do not trust
a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in
your embrace be careful of your words.
6 For a son
dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law- a man's enemies are the
members of his own household.
7 But as for
me, I watch in hope for the LORD , I wait for God my Savior; my God
will hear me.
8 Do not gloat
over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in
darkness, the LORD will be my light.
9 Because I
have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD's wrath, until he
pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into
the light; I will see his righteousness.
10 Then my enemy
will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me,
"Where is the LORD your God?" My eyes will see her
downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.
11 The day for
building your walls will come, the day for extending your boundaries.
12 In that day
people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even
from Egypt to the Euphrates and from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
13 The earth will
become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their deeds.
14 Shepherd your
people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by
itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan
and Gilead as in days long ago.
15 "As in
the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders."
16 Nations will
see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will lay their
hands on their mouths and their ears will become deaf.
17 They will
lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They
will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the
LORD our God and will be afraid of you.
18 Who is a God
like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the
remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight
to show mercy.
19 You will
again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and
hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
20 You will be
true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to
our fathers in days long ago.
Jeremiah 51:11-13
11 "Sharpen
the arrows, take up the shields! The LORD has stirred up the kings of
the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The LORD will
take vengeance, vengeance for his temple.
12 Lift up a
banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the
watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his
decree against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live
by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time
for you to be cut off.
{Connect this with Revelations 18, the destruction of Babylon. Which many believe to mean America.}
There's lots more! Read Hosea. That'll scare you!! Or Ezekiel. They're not just about the nation of Israel. Anytime someone does Behavior X, they should expect Consequence Y as a result. Well, whatever Israel did bring on God's judgement - we're doing X times 1000!!