Luke 13:34-35 NKJV

34“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! 35See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Jesus Christ spoke this to the Jews, to the Israel of the Old Covenant, the majority of whom rejected Jesus as their Messiah, the Christ who was to come but who had now come. And largely they, as a people, had also rejected the prophets of old who God had sent to them, time and time again, to call them to repentance, to forsake their idols, and to follow God as Lord of their lives, in obedience to his commands. Many or all of the prophets of God they stoned and also killed. But this message is not for them alone.

This message can also be applied to much of “the church” today, to all who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but whose hearts are far from God. Outwardly they claim to be the people of God, saved by God’s grace, forgiven of all sins, and on their way to heaven to be with our Lord for eternity. They might go through the motions of religious practice, attend institutional “church” gatherings on a consistent basis, and they may do some good deeds, but their lives are not surrendered to Christ as Lord.

But, despite their rebellion, despite their idolatry, despite their treatment of the prophets who were the messengers of God to the people, God the Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit still loved them, and he still longed for them to turn from their sins and to follow him in surrender to his will in walks of obedience to his commands. And this reminds me of Jesus’ words to the church in Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22), where he said he was standing at their door knocking, waiting for them to open the door and to let him inside.

But sadly, the majority of the Jews of Jesus’ day denied him as their Lord and Messiah. And the Bible teaches us that all who deny Jesus as the Christ are the antichrist. And this includes both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) in our world today. But one can profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but still deny him with their actions, with their refusal to die with him to sin and to follow him in obedience to his commands, and to let him truly be LORD of their lives, and for their sinful flesh to no longer be Lord over their lives.

But just as the Jews largely rejected God’s messengers who were sent to them by God to call them to repentance and to obedience to our Lord, many who profess to be Christians today do the same. And this includes many who call themselves pastors of “church” congregations. So many of them are being trained in business and marketing schemes and tricks and gimmicks, and they are being warned against people like me, i.e. “people with strong convictions.” And they are being encouraged to get rid of us messengers.

So much of what is called “church” today is repeating the same offenses against God and against his messengers as did the Jews of Jesus’ day and of the days before them. For so many of them are marketing their gatherings to the people of the world, and so they are altering and short-cutting the gospel message to make it more attractive to the ungodly and to human flesh. And they are giving many professing Christians the idea that they do not have to die to sin or obey God, for they call that “works salvation.”

Therefore, all of us who are still teaching the gospel that Jesus taught, and that his New Testament apostles taught, are largely being rejected and cast out of these institutional “churches,” which is good in some ways, since we are warned not to partake with them but to come out from among them. But it still means that the people who profess to belong to God are still casting out his messengers because they don’t like the messages. They don’t want to hear that God requires that we deny self, die to sin, and obey our Lord.

But one day Jesus will return. He will come to judge us all. And all who are following him in obedience at that time when he returns will be welcomed into his heavenly kingdom, Jew and Gentile (non-Jew) alike. But all who are still denying him, not just with their lips, but by how they live, still living for the flesh, they will not gain entry into God’s eternal kingdom. But they will be cast into hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for eternity. So, deny self, die to sin, and obey God – all in the power of God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Jerusalem

An Original Work / May 2, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

…you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God… Hebrews 12:22

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear now your King of kings.
He speaks to you, Jerusalem, in all His majesty.
Oh, listen now, Jerusalem, He’s calling out to you.
Hear Him call you, Jerusalem; He’s waiting now for you.
Won’t you bow down, Jerusalem? Let Christ make you anew!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear God’s call to obey
Your Lord and Savior, Christ the King; trust Him without delay.
Turn from your sin, Jerusalem; let Christ rule in your hearts.
Invite Him now, Jerusalem, to save you; grace impart,
And purify, Jerusalem, your hearts of all your sin!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear your God’s final plea
To come to Him, Jerusalem, right now on bended knee.
Make Him your Lord, Jerusalem; He’s your Messiah, King.
Honor Him as the Holy One, your off’rings to Him bring.
And serve Him now, Jerusalem, for He is Christ your King!

But You Were Not Willing
An Original Work / May 15, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love