Jerusalem, Jerusalem - It is time to seek the Lord.

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Today's Topic is: It’s Time To Seek The Lord

Date: Friday, February 12, 2021

Bible Reading: Luke 13:34-35 NIV

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Luke 13:34-35 NIV

Discussion Question: Are you ready to give your life to Jesus?

Since the beginning of time, God demonstrated His love for humanity. Of all the beautiful and majestic creatures God made, He chose man, and made man the object of His love and affection. As powerful and mighty as God is, yet He willingly stripped Himself, and made Himself vulnerable to man, vulnerable to our rejection, vulnerable to our ridicule and scorn. He lavished His affection on us, making His heart and His feelings susceptible to our decisions. He showered His sufficiency on us, making His compassion and kindness subject to our contempt. He put His trust in us, freely giving us the power and discretion to hurt Him, to break His heart.

God created the earth and adorned it with beauty untold, beauty that words cannot express. Yes, God made Eden a paradise on earth, to be our dwelling place, and to hide us under the shadow of His wings. But our eyes became jaded and haughty, and we fell in love with trivialities, clinging to possessions, pleasures and vain pursuits. We forgot that God is the Source of our bread and water, our wool and our linen, our oil and our drink, our silver and our gold.

We broke God’s heart when we touched the untouchable and ate the forbidden manna. Yet He rushed down from Heaven to us with desperation, like a loving Shepherd looking for His sheep that has gone astray. He hurriedly covered our nakedness, our iniquities, and our frailties, and still left us a blessing.

We broke God’s heart yet again when we turned from Him and made idols of the channels of His blessings to us. We denied Him His due glory, but rather, gave credit to our talents, our intellects, our hustle and bustle, our contacts and our networks.

Because we were ungrateful, we conveniently forgot God, banishing Him far, faraway from our lives, our hearts and our minds. Even in our waywardness, God reached out to us with warnings about His judgment, pleading with us to take heed now to purify our hearts, and turn from our wicked ways for His Spirit will not contend with us forever.

He sent us warnings through His Prophet Jeremiah saying, “This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it." Jeremiah 4:3-4 NIV

But we did not listen or even noticed.

He sent us another warning through His Prophet Hosea saying, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you”. Hosea 10:12 NKJV

And again, we paid Him no mind and amplified our rebellion.

Heartbroken and dejected, but stricken and compelled by His unfailing love, God sent His only Son for our salvation and redemption and made His life an offering for our sins.

But we despised and rejected Him. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave. Isaiah 53:4-5; 8-9.

Just before He was led away to be slaughtered for our sins, He cried out saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. Luke 13:33-34

Jesus offered us protection and salvation, but we were unwilling, and we rejected it. Today, as you hear His voice through this message, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEART. Do not wait until the day of your mercy has gone by.

Today, see Him as a merciful Savior. His blood is enough, and His mercy is complete. You do not have to bear the full judgement for your sins. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Loving God with all of your heart is the true essence of life and faith. True circumcision is of the heart, not simply of the flesh. That is what makes you His.

Circumcision in this context is the stripping away of the foreskin – the protective layer, which symbolizes sin, transgressions and wickedness. Stripping away the foreskin of our hearts exposes and brings our true hearts to the Lord. Cutting away the protective layer of our hearts makes our hearts to become sensitive and vulnerable again toward God. The word of God says, “Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?” Jeremiah 4:14 NIV

Are you ready to accept Jesus into your heart and life as you personal Lord and Savior?

Please say the prayer below and be sure to visit https://www.exolom.com/startyourjourney for more information.

Dear Lord Jesus,

I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came for us all. ​I believe you died for me on the cross and shed Your blood for my salvation. I believe you rose from the dead and ascended on high. I believe You are coming back again to earth. ​Lord, I confess that I am a sinner. I admit that I need Your mercy and Your forgiveness. Please forgive my sins. Cleanse me now with Your precious blood. Come into my heart. Save my soul right now. ​I give you my life. I receive You now as my Savior, my Lord, and my God. I am Yours forever, and I will serve You and follow You the rest of my days. From this moment on, I belong to You only. I no longer belong to this world, nor to the enemy of my soul. I belong to You, and I am born again. Amen

Stay blessed and uplifted in Christ always and live cheerfully everyday.

Leader Chinedu Nicholas Obodo for EXOLOM Fellowship. Find us at Exolom.com