Coming Judgment
Notes
Transcript
Handout
A Powerful call
A Powerful call
Setting: A time when Israel is in captivity in Assyria, Judah is still in much idol worship and Jeremiah a prophet of God in 7th Century BC- and some into the 6th Century came with a message that the people did not want to hear, much less adhere too.
Chapter-4 will continue the prophets call to repent and return to the Lord having already seen what happen in Israel (Northern Kingdom).
Theme of this chapter will show the devastating consequences of turning away from God or ignoring His warnings.
Outline of chapter
Repentance: A call for a heart transformation (Jer4:1-4)
Reckoning: A call to heed the warning (Jer4:5-9)
Refuge: A call to seek your shelter (Jer4:10-18)
Return: A call to embrace His grace (Jer4:19-31)
Jeremiah Chapter 4:1-31
Jeremiah Chapter 4:1-31
One of the things we have been learning to do over the years is to read and make general thoughts on the passage we just read, so listen up, read along as we look at the passage.
1 “If you will return, O Israel,” declares the Lord, “Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, And will not waver, 2 And you will swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ In truth, in justice and in righteousness; Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.”
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. 4 “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go Into the fortified cities.’ 6 “Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek refuge, do not stand still, For I am bringing evil from the north, And great destruction.
7 “A lion has gone up from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations has set out; He has gone out from his place To make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins Without inhabitant. 8 “For this, put on sackcloth, Lament and wail; For the fierce anger of the Lord Has not turned back from us.”
9 “It shall come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.” 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the throat.”
11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too strong for this—will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.
13 “Behold, he goes up like clouds, And his chariots like the whirlwind; His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!” 14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan, And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim. 16 “Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim over Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers come from a far country, And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 ‘Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about, Because she has rebelled against Me,’ declares the Lord. 18 “Your ways and your deeds Have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!”
19 My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war. 20 Disaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the standard And hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 “For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, But to do good they do not know.”
23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. 26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord, “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction. 28 “For this the earth shall mourn And the heavens above be dark, Because I have spoken, I have purposed, And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees; They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; Every city is forsaken, And no man dwells in them. 30 And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful. Your lovers despise you; They seek your life.
31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child, The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, Stretching out her hands, saying, “Ah, woe is me, for I faint before murderers.”
What is your first impression as reading through this chapter?
Is there anything in particular that stands out to you?
Repentance: A call for heart transformation
Repentance: A call for heart transformation
God calls for true repentance, to removed the items of idolatry and to circumcise your heart
A spiritual circumcision a cutting away of things that can hinder you in your walk with Christ.
Let the Lord break up any fallow ground in you, so can cultivate new growth in you.
Reckoning: A call to heed the warning
Reckoning: A call to heed the warning
There is the warning of the pending invasion from the north.
Jeremiah foretells the disaster for Judah if they do not turn from their ways.
We are reminded of the seriousness and the consequences of sin
Jesus came to warn us and to redeem us. Are we heeding His call?
Refuge: a call to seek shelter
Refuge: a call to seek shelter
Jeremiah laments the destruction that was coming.
Jeremiah asks why are people preaching peace when there is no peace?
The people are embracing falsehood, Jeremiah again is calling them to seek shelter, to repent.
Return: A call to embrace His grace
Return: A call to embrace His grace
Jeremiah expresses his deep anguish over the coming calamity.
Do you think it hurts the heart of God when we disobey Him, when we act foolishly?
Consider this passage
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!
God’s desire is for men to repent and return. For He has mercy, grace, compassion.
But, God is just and sin must be dealt with.
“God’s call to return is motivated by love, and responding to this call requires acknowledging the gravity of sin and embracing the grace offered in Christ.”
I had not forgotten one more point:
Jeremiah through a vision looks back at chaos, chaos before creation, yet God restrains complete destruction.
One day total destruction is going to come and that day it will be too late to repent and return.
This world will be burnt up
1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
Does this catch your attention? It did Jeremiah’s and he made a mighty call as the Lord gave him words to proclaim to the people to repent and return.
Lessons from Jeremiah-4
Lessons from Jeremiah-4
Repentance it is personal and it is transformational.
God calls us not just to an outward action, but an inward repentance, a circumcision of the heart.
Sin has consequences
Israel was judged, Judah was facing judgment and we too one day will have to face judgment, it will be judgment by His word, do you know where you stand?
God’s desire, God’s will is a restored relationship
When in the midst of a very strong warning, God’s ultimate goal is redemption and renewal.
