This Lenten journey is a journey of repentance and turning away from the wickedness of following a different Jesus and other gospels. This applies to everyone, as every distinct group that calls themselves the church has rebelled against God’s word by going their own way. All have added to and taken away from God’s word to satisfy their own appetites, doctrines and theology. They say this is what the Lord says according to me and do not turn away from the false teaching that they hold with such high regard. If the church wants to be vindicated by God as we talked about yesterday, then the church must repent and return to God’s word. This means the church will turn away from the visions, dreams and teaching of man and the doctrines of demons that are so prevalent in the church and return to the truth of God’s word. Jeremiah said, Jeremiah 23:16 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ In days to come you will understand it clearly. 21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied.” Because the church has listened to the false prophets / teachers, the church has rebelled against God so this is a good place to start. Stop listening to the false teachers and acknowledge the sin of rebellion but the church must repent. Isaiah 59:12 “For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: 13 rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. 14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.”

    There is good news and repentance is always the answer. Jeremiah 33:8 “I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.” Isaiah 59:20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins, declares the Lord.” Mark 1:14 “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Jeremiah 3:19 “I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. 20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,” declares the Lord.” 12 “‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord, I will not be angry forever. 13 Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,’ declares the Lord. 14 “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.”

  The church must acknowledge that there is no other God and follow His word wholeheartedly. Deuteronomy 4:39 “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.” David said to Solomon 1 Chronicles 28:8 “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. 9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work. 20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.” Solomon listened for a little while, but then turned away. 1 Kings 11:4 “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.”

    Just as David gave all the plans for the temple to Solomon, all the plans, power and authority have been given to the church The church decided to change the plans and even suggest that God failed to provide plans which is why so many false prophets / teachers come up with their own plans but say this is what the Lord says. Those plans will come to nothing and will not last. Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin. 12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, 13 this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant.” Isaiah 44:24 “I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, 25 who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense.” Psalm 146:3 “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. 4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.” Instead of following God’s plan, the church made their own and rebelled against God and the church has been decimated because of it. As Isaiah said, “our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities.” The visons and plans of man have led us down a path to death and destruction. The church has proven that man’s plan will fail, so turn from the man-made church and return to God’s word. As Job said, Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”  Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.”