#DailyDevotion If You Didn’t Deserve To Die Eternally, You Wouldn’t Die Temporally

November 12th
Read Jer 25:1–18
Jer 25:3-7 “For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. (4) You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, (5) saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. (6) Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ (7) Yet you have not listened to me, declares the LORD, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

Despite what some people think, the Lord God is extremely patient with his people. Just through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord pleaded with Judah to repent of her ways. That’s not including all the prophets he sent to her and Israel since the time of Joshua. How long do you take to discipline your kids? The people of Israel didn’t listen and they were destroyed and sent into exile. Judah didn’t learn the lesson and was worse than Israel. The Lord God pleaded with her also and she didn’t listen. So the Lord during Jeremiah’s time was going to send the Babylonians to punish Judah and carry them into exile. Not permanently like Israel, for Judah was the carrier of the promised seed. But for 70 years she would be in exile then the Lord would send the Persians and the Medes to punish Babylon and deliver the Jews.

Now for the last 2000+ years the Lord Jesus has sent his prophets, pastors and people into the world preaching a message of repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Peter reminds us, 2Pe 3:5-10 “For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, (6) and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. (7) But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (8) But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” And Ezekiel reminds us, Eze 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone,” declares the Lord GOD; “so turn, and live.”

Jesus is calling out to you this day, “Confess your faults, your sins and iniquities. Own up to them. I have paid the price and reconciled you to your Father in heaven. We do not want you to perish eternally but rather to live with us eternally at the resurrection of the dead.” In as much as it is possible with the grace of our Lord, we are called to turn away from evil, do good and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for his righteousness on the last day. There is no reason to enter into judgment with the Father and the Son. Jesus’ death and burial are your pardon and his resurrection your life. We need only believe even in his name and the gates to paradise are open unto us. But unfortunately, some of you will deny that there is a judgment or that you are worthy of judgment. You think you haven’t done anything deserving of eternal death. But if that were so, you wouldn’t die temporally.

Lord Jesus Christ, give us ears to hear your warnings of judgment and faith to believe in your pardon. Amen.