God’s prized possession

Jer 12:10,11 — Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my portion; they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. 11 They have made it a desolation; desolate, it mourns to me. The whole land is made desolate, but no man lays it to heart.

God has a special place for his people — Israel. He calls them as “my vineyard”, “my portion”. Its beautiful to see such possesiveness from God. How prizely possessed are His people. He treasures them.

Is that true for the church as well? What about these statements?

• “I will build my church”.
• The church has been given the guaranteed deposit of the inheritance — the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us and in the church
• The church is a nation of priests — interceding for the unreached.

The NT relationship is much bigger than the covenant relation in the OT. We now have a greater piece of God — the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Jesus in our midst, the mantle of gospel given to every disciple — the gates of hades cannot hold us. NT covenant relationship is much more demanding. It’s not just the prophets of the old who had to undergo the repercussions for revealing the truth to Israel/Judah but every believer is invited to take up the cross daily and die daily — to take the gospel to the unreached. If the master was not spared can his disciples be? Certainly the church is God’s prized possession. Who else is called Christ’s bride?