Time to Remove the Trash

A man of God who cried out against the altar of Jeroboam by the word of the Lord. He cried, “O altar, altar! Thus, says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’” [1]

King Jeroboam’s altar and his priests were his attempts to have God on his own terms.

18 kings of Israel and 300 years later, the Lord fulfilled His Word. King Josiah of Judah desecrated the false altars and monumental tombs of false prophets which Jeroboam started.

But there is more to this story… sadly, the man of God who gave God’s Word to King Jeroboam was soon afterward deceived by a false prophet. [2] God mightily used him at one moment, but he was not careful, and was deceived by the devil in the next. The devil did not come to him as an ugly monster, but us as an angel of light. [3] The false prophet told the young man of God what he wanted to hear, but it was not what God told him. Thus, Jesus taught us to pray, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” [4]

Paul warned his followers to beware of false teachers who teach that men must be circumcised to be approved of God. He wrote, “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” [5] He used strong and derogatory words against false teachers because there is NO path to God except by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul told them, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” [6] Saving sinners is God’s work. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no comes to the Father except through Jesus. [7]

Paul went on to say that he counted his former life of self-righteousness as rubbish because he wanted to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness (self-righteousness), which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. [8] Faith receives Christ and all that HE has done for our salvation. Christian salvation is based on trust in the merits of Christ and not in our own merits. Trusting in one’s own merits for salvation is self-righteousness and it is rubbish… trash to be thrown out.

Paul described those who trust in their own merits as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their god is their belly. They glory in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. In contrast to them, true believers their citizenship in heaven. We wait for Christ to transform our lowly bodies into the image of His glorious body, because only Christ is able to subdue all things to Himself. [9]

[1] 1 Kings 13:1-2
[2] 1 Kings 13:18
[3] 2 Corinthians 11:14
[4] Matthew 6:13
[5] Philippians 3:2
[6] Philippians 3:3
[7] John 14:6
[8] Philippians 3:7-9
[9] Philippians 3:18-21