Gateway Baptist Church
June 29, 2025
- To God Be The Glory
- Wonderful Words Of Life (Words Of Life Wonderful Words)
- When Morning Comes
- I'd Rather Have Jesus
- Jeremiah 2:1-8Joy is not the feeling of buying your first car or house. Joy is knowing that no matter what happens, I am secure in my destination because of Christ. Joy is being loved even when I was unlovable. Joy is knowing I am accepted because of the blood of Christ. Joy is knowing that Christ has restored my relationship with the Father, just as Adam and Eve had before the fall.Now that we have established our joy and returned to our first love in Christ, let us examine the sacred holiness to which we are called. Have you ever looked at your headlights when you first bought that new car? They were crystal clear, and the lights were bright. After years of owning the vehicle, they become tainted and stained. The same happens to us. When we first came to Christ, our light was bright, the joy was at times overwhelming, and we would not stop spreading the love of Christ. Over time, religion starts to taint us, cloud up the lights, and we begin to lose our joy, and this is not a relationship but an obligation. What is the sacred holiness we are called to?Sacred Holiness:The Lord called them “the firstfruits of His harvest.” They were the choice possession of the Lord, just as the first yield from the harvest belonged to God (Leviticus 22:10-16). This also implied that there would be future gatherings of other people, just as the first fruits of a tree anticipate additional fruit to follow (John 1:11-12).
Leviticus 22:10–16 NASB95 ‘No layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat of the holy gift. ‘But if a priest buys a slave as his property with his money, that one may eat of it, and those who are born in his house may eat of his food. ‘If a priest’s daughter is married to a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the gifts. ‘But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or divorced, and has no child and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s food; but no layman shall eat of it. ‘But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy gift to the priest. ‘They shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they offer to the Lord, and so cause them to bear punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’ ”John 1:11–12 ESV He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,They were “holy to the Lord,” meaning they were set apart. The Hebrew word is (go-des(h)), meaning apartness, sacredness, or holiness. They were not only His firstfruits, but they They were “holy to the Lord,” meaning they were set apart. The Hebrew word is (go-des(h)), meaning apartness, sacredness, or holiness. They were not only His firstfruits, but they were also set apart for Him to be priests for Him. Any nation that attempted to devour Israel was destroyed, and guilt and calamity fell upon them. Zechariah 2:8; 2 Peter 3:3-11Zechariah 2:8 NIV For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—2 Peter 3:3–11 NKJV knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,Rediscover Covenant Faithfulness:Verses 5-8 are like a court hearing. YHWH is asking what wrong He did for their fathers to abandon them? Why would they leave their refreshing fruit for rotten fruit? Jesus (YHWH) talks about His love for His people in Luke 11:11-13. They had zero gratitude for what God had done for them. He took them from the land of darkness to the land of fruit and goodness. His only expectation was one of thankfulness and obedience (Colossians 1:12–13 ).Colossians 1:12–13 ESV giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,The leaders whom He placed even ignored Him and chased after worthless idols. Can I say we are living in those times? Leaders that God has placed in authority have chased after man’s approval and stopped doing what God called them to do! These leaders, in Jeremiah,’s time were more concerned about their popularity with men than standing with God and His truth. Listen to what Paul said: 1 Thessalonians 2:4; Galatians 1:101 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.Galatians 1:10 ESV For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.Truth in Reconciliation:So, how do we examine our own life and heart? Very simple!Return to your first True Love, YHWH!Returning to God from our wayward paths leads us back to the source of true life and fulfillment found in Christ.Just as Israel was called back to its first love, we are called back seeking Christ, who embodies the love that God desires in His people. Leviticus 22:10–16NASB95
John 1:11–12NASB95
Zechariah 2:8NASB95
2 Peter 3:3–11NASB95
Colossians 1:12–13NASB95
1 Thessalonians 2:4NASB95
Galatians 1:10NASB95
- Softly And Tenderly
- The Bond Of Love
