Video Talk

The following was a specific promise given by God to a specific people at a particular time in history under very distinct circumstances which are not relevant to us today. The people of God were under the judgment of God for a period of 70 years. So, the Lord was giving them specific instructions for them only. For they had false prophets lying to them about the 70 years, and so the Lord was correcting those errors. And then the Lord told them that when the 70 years were completed that he would visit them, and that he would fulfill his promise to them to bring them back to their homeland. Then he said:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Now, although these words were spoken to God’s people under their specific circumstances, and so in that sense that they were given to them they do not apply to our lives, still there are biblical principles contained within these words which do apply to our lives today. And so we can learn from this passage of Scripture what those are in relation to our relationships with Jesus Christ and in relation to the gospel of our salvation.

So, what plans does God have for our lives? We who believe in Jesus, and those who are yet to believe in Jesus, were predestined by God to be conformed to the image (likeness) of Jesus Christ. And he has called us to a holy calling, and to be holy is to be different from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. And this was his plan for our lives even before he created the world. And we are to be holy in all our conduct.

[Ps 139:13-16; Rom 8:29; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Eph 1:3-4; 1 Pet 1:14-16; 1 Co 12]

And the plans for welfare and not for evil are found in the teachings of the gospel of Christ. For we learn that Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self and take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) the Lord Jesus. For if we hold on to our lives of sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if we die to sin and follow our Lord in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life (Luke 9:23-26; cf. Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14).

And this is to give us a future and a hope, but this future and hope are contingent upon us dying with Christ to sin, not just once, but daily, and us walking in obedience to our Lord in holiness and in righteousness, and not in sin. For if sin is what we practice, and if obedience to our Lord is not what we practice, then we do not have a future and a hope. But we will die in our sins, and heaven will not be our eternal destiny, and we will not inherit eternal life with God. So, we need to take this to heart.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Now, we cannot call upon God of our own doing. We can only come to faith in Jesus Christ if God the Father first draws us to Christ (John 6:44), i.e. if he first persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness and of our sinfulness and of our need to repent of (turn from) our sins to follow him in obedience. For the faith to believe in Jesus is not of our own doing, but it is gifted to us by God, for it is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 12:1-2).

But then we will call upon him, and we will come to him and pray to him, and then we will seek the Lord with all our heart if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine God-given faith which dies with Christ to sin and which lives to him and to his righteousness. But not everyone has such faith. Many are relying on human faith alone and on humanistic teachings which do not require repentance, obedience, or walks of faith in Jesus Christ. And sadly, they do not have a future and a hope in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

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If That Isn’t Love

By Dottie Rambo

He left the splendor of heaven
Knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha
There to lay down His life for me

And if that isn’t love
Then the ocean is dry
There’s no stars in the sky
And the little sparrows can’t fly
Yeah if that isn’t love
Then heaven’s a myth
There’s no feeling like this
If that isn’t love

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