The Lord Says, "These People Come Near Me With Their Mouth And Honor Me With Their Lips, But Their Hearts Are Far From Me

ISAIAH 29:13-14
“Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
”‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭29:13-14‬ ‭NKJV‬
‬https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.29.13-14.NKJ

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The people claimed to be close to God, but their disobedience showed that they were merely going through the motions. Therefore, God would bring judgement upon them. Their religion had become nothing more than routine and false.
Jesus quoted Isaiah's condemnation of Israel's hypocrisy when he spoke to the Pharisees, the religious leaders of His day (MATHEW 157-9; MARK 7:6-7).
Today, many Christians slip into routine patterns when they worship and neglect to give God their full love and devotion. Much of the church has become nothing more than a business and are actually in competition with one another.
Many churches leaders, out of desperation, have become people pleasers rather than God pleasers, preaching a prosperity Jesus with glamourised worship to draw people in to fill the tithes and offerings basket. As a result, the congregation worship the preaching and the worship rather than God, putting the preachers and worship teams on a pedestal rather than God.
My beloved, leaders operate with an expectation of a large financial return, and the congregation’s worship is empty and fruitless.
The church is run as a business and a career for the leaders.
If we want to be called God's people, then we must act like God's people, being obedient to the Word and worshipping God honestly and sincerely.
Anything less is hypocrisy and even adultery-God’s church is the bride of Christ, “For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused,” Says your God.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
(see also 1 CORINTHIANS 5:22-23).
Are you really being obedient to God? Are you worshiping Him sincerely, are you giving Him your full love and devotion, or are you simply going the motions?
Jesus gave His all for you, not with selfish ambition or for anything in return, but rather, out of selfless unconditional love, He gave Himself on a cross for you; surely, now is the time to give your all for Him.
Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:24-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
It is time to submit to the Lord, and operate within His ministry as written; “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
My beloved, today the old man made church is being dismantled, and Christ’ five fold ministry is being built.
The new wine is here, the old is depleted (JOHN 2:1-11).
But to pour the new wine, the wine skins must be ready to receive.
Jesus said, “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
My beloved, it’s time to let go of the old and embrace the new, for Jesus saved the best until last (JOHN 2:10).
It starts by cleansing of the Temple by shutting down the money making projects of man. It’s time to be a God pleaser, rather than a man pleaser.
“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.”
‭‭John‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
My beloved, church can no longer operate as a business, and ministry can no longer be a career; it is a calling, and the time has come for every member of Christ to take their position and operate solely by the leading of the head, Jesus Christ.
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
My beloved, the time is here to embrace the more excellent way, Jesus way (JOHN 14:6).
He said, ““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.