"WE WILL NOT!"

May 22                     “WE WILL NOT!”                 Jeremiah 6:16

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.  But they said, ‘We Will Not Walk therein.’” (Jeremiah 6:16)                                                                                                  Jeremiah, chapter 6 gives us a vivid and prophetic description of the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonian invaders.  Jeremiah, the Prophet, warns them that repentance would be the only way to escape, but their reply was simple—“We Will Not…”  Because they “would not,” Babylon came and invaded the land.  The Babylonians were cruel and ruthless and inhuman in their invasion.  Jeremiah said that they would have no mercy.  All of this came about during Jeremiah’s lifetime; all because Israel would not walk in the ways of the Lord.  People today are still saying to God, “We Will Not…”  Even though, God wants us to have His very best.  In Matthew 11:29, He tells us: “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Because we “will not…” we Israel of old, are also being invaded by a cruel, ruthless and unmerciful ruler, by the name of Satan, himself!  Satan is using every tool at his disposal to make folks think that they don’t need God and he is being successful.  Just recently, I was sharing Jesus with a young man and when I got to the part about all of us are sinners, he stopped me and told me, flat out, that he was ok, and that he didn’t need my narrow-minded and prejudice way of life!  So, I asked him what he did need, and his reply was so sad.  He said, “I got my friends and I got my own way of doing things and I am just fine and I don’t need you or your Jesus.”  It reminded me of this scripture from Jeremiah.  Satan is a cruel and deceptive taskmaster and he has ruined the lives of countless thousands of people.  There is a high cost to rejecting God’s provision and love.  It is eternal damnation and eternity in the Burning Hell!  Those who say, “We Will Not…” are in for a huge loss.  When the cruel taskmaster takes over, their lives will be destroyed. They will have lost:  Their Self Respect! Their Influence! Their Health! Their Homes!   Their Friends!  And most of all---Eternal Life with God!  Jeremiah spoke to God’s people and they responded, “WE WILL NOT…”  Sin, and the evil taskmaster who promotes it, brought much misery and unhappiness to them, as a result. Someone has said in paraphrasing Jeremiah 6:16, “These are the words of the Lord: Stop at the crossroads; look for the ancient paths; ask, ‘Where, is the way that leads to what is good?’  Then take that way, and you will find rest for yourselves.”  We are at the crossroads right now; one way leads to the route of sin.  There are many traveling this way.  Proverbs 14:12 says of this route: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end there of are the ways of death.”  There is another way, the “ancient way!”  Is it “Old Fashioned?”  Absolutely NOT!  It is ageless.  God says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  My prayer is that you will say, “YES LORD, I ABSOLUTELY WILL!”  Are you in a right relationship with God?  If not, the answer is simple.  ADMIT YOU ARE A SINNER ("All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23): BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS, ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND THAT YOU TRUST IN HIM ALONE FOR YOUR SALVATION. ("Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." Acts 16:31): CONFESS YOUR SINS ("If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins." 1 John 1:9)…If you would like to invite Jesus into your life, pray this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I understand that I am a sinner and I ask You for forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins so that I could receive Your forgiveness and have eternal life. I ask You to come into my life right now and become my personal Savior. From this day forward, Lord, I give you control of my life. Make me a new person and help me to live for You. Amen… If you prayed to receive Jesus, I would like to know about it. You can contact me through this Facebook page. Praise God! Stay Strong, Stay Focused… Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE