Jeremiah 8:4

“You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return?”

The above verse is from this week’s Old Testament reading. The text goes on to show just how unrepentant man is. But the Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, is able to repent of evil when it befalls him. The Spirit empowers us with the ability to return to Jesus when we sin. In fact, we sin daily, and each time we return to the Lord in what turns out to be a mini-resurrection. That’s what repentance is, the living out of our baptismal resurrection in Christ. We fall into death when we sin but in repentance we rise again to new life in Christ. Should the Lord delay his return, one day you will fall into death for the last time, and because you have been connected to Christ in a death like His, you will be resurrected in a resurrection like His, never to die again!

Romans 6:3-11

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 7:15-23

“Not everyone who says to me [Jesus], ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Continuing with last week’s theme, there are many who call themselves Christian who are deceiving themselves. This is a statement of truth that Jesus makes clear. If the above passage is not enough to stir one’s heart to repentance and submission to Christ, then perhaps a look at the parable of the ten virgins will be of service.

Matthew 25:1-12

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’