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Old Testament Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 4:1 – 8 (NASB) |
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Jer 4:1 “If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD, “Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, And will not waver,
Jer 4:2 And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ In truth, in justice, and in righteousness; Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.”
Jer 4:3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.
Jer 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My wrath go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”
Jer 4:5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go Into the fortified cities.’
Jer 4:6 “Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek refuge, do not stand still, For I am bringing evil from the north, And great destruction.
Jer 4:7 “A lion has gone up from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations has set out; He has gone out from his place To make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins Without inhabitant.
Jer 4:8 “For this, put on sackcloth, Lament and wail; For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us.” |
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New Testament Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:1 – 10 (NASB) |
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1 John 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life–
1 John 1:2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us–
1 John 1:3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:4 And these things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
1 John 1:5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
1 John 1:7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
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Transforming Power Statements:
#1) The biblical view of fellowship with God is only that which is achieved through a proper relationship of sinners to His Son, Jesus The Messiah (Christ), through faith in Him alone for the remission of all sin, and the receipt of a free gift by the grace of God alone.
#2) The result of having proper fellowship with God is full joy and therefore, security in our salvation, and continual growth in the things of God.
#3) As our fellowship with God develops, our faith grows and our knowledge of sin increases, as well as our desire to please God; this produces the motivation to confess the sin to be forgiven and the desire to forsake it known as progressive sanctification. |
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