One More Loving Appeal
Or
A House Left Desolate
Sunday Sept. 11, 2022
Scripture To Consider:
“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 chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
“See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” Matthew 23.37-39
Something To Consider:
It must be noted that Jesus was not seeking revenge for His being rejected by the religious rulers and eventually the Jewish nation, with its capitol being Jerusalem. But rather, He was desirous of gathering them together as does a protective mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings unto a place of safety at the first sign of danger.
It is an endearing word picture that Jesus was and is still painting. But despite all His wishing, all His efforts, and all His energy, it would not change the heart of Jerusalem, its people, and its religious rulers. They were both deliberate and determined in their resisting His loving appeal.
And what is good or bad for a nation is also good or bad for the individuals of that nation, state, city, or village. And Jerusalem, in its grand splendor was no exception. Even to this day, Jerusalem remains steadfast in its rejection of Jesus Christ as its Messiah, as is the case for the majority of Israel.
There are some pockets of Messianic Jewish followers of Jesus who confess Him as the Messiah. And so the Lord will always have His few faithful who recognize Him for who the Word of God reveals Him to be! What about us, are we among His remnant of faithful followers of Him and His Word?
Something Else To Consider:
The writer of Psalm 91 captured the essence and heartbeat of an individual who has not resisted the loving appeal of a protective Almighty God, as he wrote; “He [or she] who dwells in secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’”
He continued, by stating; “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
The writer spelled out the plain truth of the safety provided an individual, a city, a state, or a nation that no longer resists the goodness of God’s love, but reaps the rewards of His mercy and grace. America was once that kind of a nation under God with liberty and freedom for all. But that is no longer the case!
Those original freedoms and liberties are one by one being revoked. For the nation as a whole has rejected Jesus Christ, the God of the bible, as the nation has also rejected the Word of God, the bible. How can we expect the heavenly protection of God when we refuse to heed His commandments and warnings?
How far from God will America and every other nation in the world go only to find each nation as a house left desolate? From God’s perspective, His will is that none perish, according to His Word. Therefore, we think there will always be one more loving appeal we can take advantage of. There is coming a day when there will be no more loving appeal! On what side will we eternally stand?
Yes, at some point, in the not so distant future, that final one more loving appeal will be no more. At some point, at some end time moment, the Antichrist will be revealed and He will execute the true prophets of God and the true faithful followers of Christ. But as they die and breathe their last earthly breath, they will be lovingly ushered into the presence of God for all eternity!
Something More To Consider:
But Jerusalem, like many other cities, decided against God’s better judgment and His many loving appeals. And so, the judgment decree was handed down, for according to Jesus; “See! Your house is left to you desolate.” How extremely unnecessary, but just forty years later desolation came upon the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish people for their stubborn rebellion and continual resistance to God’s loving appeals.
There is much to be learned from this lesson of a lifetime. Many houses have become desolate due to the rejection of God’s loving appeal to humanity through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The houses of nations, states, cities, and individuals have suffered much in their refusal to repent and to receive the righteous rule of Jesus Christ!
So, where does that leave us as individuals? Where does that leave our nation of America and other nations of the world? Hopefully we will not continue to resist and to reject His loving appeal. For no one knows when His loving appeal will be God’s last loving appeal.
A Few Final Words:
Where does that leave us and our loved ones? Have we responded favorably to God’s one more loving appeal today? Will we become part of houses blessed by the fragrance of the Holy Spirit and the sweet presence of Jesus Christ filling our lives and homes?
Or will we, by our rejection of all that is good and godly, become and remain for all eternity, a house left desolate, empty, void of the grace, mercy, and the forgiveness of our many sins, transgressions, and much practiced iniquity?
Someone has suggested that the human heart has no external handles, and that it must be opened to Jesus Christ from the inside, thereby avoiding the eternal desolation of one’s own house.
Let us not be among the billions down through the centuries and including this 21st century, who are destined to hear Jesus declare; “See! Your house is left to you desolate.” Let us not be named among the many!
Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, create in us receptive hearts to never neglect or reject Your loving appeals and thereby reverse the desolation process through repentance. Let us be found looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. In Him Always, Amen!
According to Jesus 