Jeremiah 37-39

When Jerusalem fell Zedekiah was the King. (Jeremiah 37:1) The people refused to take heed of God’s word as spoken by Jeremiah.

King Zedekiah would not openly show his faith in Jeremiah, instead he chose to secretly seek information (Jeremiah 37:17), but even then he was too weak to stand against his people and submit to God’s will.

Jeremiah 37:7-10, 39: 17-18, 20-23

God’s message to His people was for them to surrender to the Chaldeans and their lives would be spared and the city would not be burned with fire. If they had but only listened they would have been spared.

“Zedekiah was afraid of the Jews, afraid of ridicule, afraid for his life. After years of rebellion against God, Zedekiah thought it too humiliating to say to his people, I accept the word of the Lord, as spoken through the prophet Jeremiah; I dare not venture to war against the enemy in the face of all these warnings” PK 457.2

The results of king Zedekiah’s disobedience was witnessing the death of his sons followed by the plucking of his eyes (Jeremiah 39:6-7). The walls of the city were broken down and people’s houses burnt (Jeremiah 39:8).

Often we face the same fears, the fear of judgement by peers, and the fear of ridicule because of our beliefs; we then disobey God’s clear commands in exchange for acceptance by man. We should always stand for God’s word, love the truth and hate sin because God is willing to show us mercy if we choose to submit to His requirements.

Colette Lisutu

1 Corithians 10:1-6 

As the Israelites started their journey they all started together but some were overthrown along the way. They encountered a number of difficulties as they travelled. We will describe these difficulties as valleys.

Valley of Murmuring (Exodus 15:22-24)

Sometimes we focus on the small minute things of life. We tend to complain and forget about all the good God has done for us.

Valley of Pleasure (Exodus 32:6, 1 Corithians 10:7)

Sometimes we allow the devil to take the best of us because of small pleasures.

Valley of Lust (Numbers 11:4-6; 33)

The Israelites lusted for the meat of Egypt and because of this lust many of them died.

Valley of Discouragement (Numbers 13: 27-33)

The Israelites saw God destroy the whole Egyptian army and yet they were afraid to enter the land of Canaan. When you are faced with challenges focus on God Deuteronomy 1:21 God will be with you.

Valley of Rebellion (Numbers 16:1-4)

Korah and Dathan died because they did not respect the authority that God had given.

Valley of Materialism ( Numbers 32:1-4)

Some people chose not to enter Canaan beacause of material things of this world. Do not settle for less when God has prepared so much more for you.

As we live life we are all on a journey as the Israelites were and we may encounter similar journeys. Of the Israelites that left Egypt only 2 managed to make it into the promised land. Will you finish the journey? The choice is yours.

Acts 2:38-39
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call”
Everyday starts with a decision 💭 As you wake up, resist from thy inclinations and yield not into the devil’s temptations… Repentance is a daily act, where we die to self and give of ourselves to Him holistically so we may receive the gift of The Holy Spirit to counsel and to guide us.

Thabani Mtsi

Mathew 7:7 This verse clearly states that we will be given what we ask for but sometimes we ask and we do not receive what we ask for, why is that? Often the problem is what we are asking for or the motive behind it. Matthew 5:3 When we pray we need to recognise our need of God, that we are poor in spirit. When we think of prayer we often think of a blank check, that we can have whatever we want Matthew 7:9-11 Often we ask for the wrong things, things that may not be good for us. The Pharisees were seen then as the most righteous kind of people Matthew 5:20 but here Jesus sets the standards way higher than seems attainable. This way it seems impossible to get into heaven. Interestingly Jesus teaches the people how to pray in the next chapter. This is the solution to the dilemma. When we pray we should not pray for our own selfish needs but in order to attain the standards of heaven. Many of us believe that Matthew 7:7 is a blank check when in fact it is a blank voucher. We can only ask and are sure to receive that which we ask according to God’s will.

Adapted sermon from Ps Baxter

Psalm 124.If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, men would have rose up against us and they would have swallowed us alive, if it had not been for the Lord on our side. This was the testimony of Israel, it was their evidence that they had gathered of their own personal walk with God. This spiritual walk is not easy, it is  thorny, rocky and it is a narrow path and there are only a few that find it ( Matthew 7:13-14). Our past might be used against us as stumbling blocks, our mistakes can be used as thorns and our flaws as rocks that cut us deep, but keep your eyes on the saviour (Acts 9:20-22) and increase in strength proving that this Jesus you have faith in is the Christ and in all this gathering your evidence of your own walk with God, having your own testimony. Lamentations 3:20-26, God is always faithful even when we are not and let us always remember that with we are never tempted beyond what we are able to take (1 Corinthians 10:13). And let us remember to bear each other’s burdens and do good at all times and be a bretheren’s keeper ( Galatians 6:9-10).