Skip to content The Cost of Ignoring God's Word: A Study of Jeremiah 16 Feb 12 · 13 min ...more
The Cost of Ignoring God's Word: A Study of Jeremiah 16
February 12, 2025 · 13 min
Understanding God's slow approach to judgment and His desire for our repentance through the prophetic words in Jeremiah 16.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand February 12, 2025 · 13 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
Understanding God's slow approach to judgment and His desire for our repentance through the prophetic words in Jeremiah 16. ...more Show the full description Show less Understanding God's slow approach to judgment and His desire for our repentance through the prophetic words in Jeremiah 16.
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The Call to Repentance and God's Patience 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word Today, Jeremiah chapter 16. And here's the question that pops up in today's passage. Why? Verse 11, then you shall say to them, because your0:21 fathers have forsaken me, says the Lord, they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them and have forsaken me and not kept my law. Now the message of God through Jeremiah should0:33 be, very, very clear by this point as we're now in chapter 16. It it it almost reminds me of a a father, present company included, driving a car with0:45 kids, little kids in the back seat acting up, and you're repeatedly saying, if you don't straighten up, I'm gonna pull this car over. Now let me just ask you, has anyone experienced that0:57 scenario? Well, you're always hoping that the threat would be sufficient to reform the behavior, but but in many cases, I would eventually find a place to1:09 pull over. In fact, the, the kids when they were little got pretty good at identifying what they called spanking places alongside the road. So here's why God is slow to pull over.1:22 Peter writes about this in second Peter chapter 3 verse 9. He says, the lord is not slow for to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that1:34 any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. You know, as we read, in this chapter, god, he doesn't forget. Okay? God God doesn't forget what we've done.1:45 He forgives if we repent, but time does not cover our sin, only his grace when we repent of our sin. There were those in Jeremiah's day1:57 who very similar to what we have in our day that did 2 things, 1 of 2 things. 1, they didn't believe the words of god to be true, or b, they were so focused on the things of this world and what they saw, what2:09 they felt, and what they touched that they were deceiving they were deceived into believing that it was permanent, that nothing would ever change, that nothing would happen to them, that this judgment that was being2:20 prophesied by Jeremiah wouldn't wouldn't come to pass. Now, this short chapter, it's pretty short chapter, can be broken into 4 parts. The first being the restrictions that were placed on2:32 Jeremiah. That is in verses 1 through 9. Let's begin in verse 2. You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place, for thus says the lord concerning the sons and the daughters who were born2:44 in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them, and their fathers who begot them in this land. They shall die gruesome deaths. They shall not lament nor shall they be buried, but they shall be like refuge2:56 refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beast of the earth. For thus says the Lord, do not enter the3:08 house of mourning nor go to lament or bemoan them, for I have taken away my peace from this people, says the Lord, loving kindness and mercies. Wow. That's that's tough. Look3:20 at verse 8. Also, you shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink. He's told not to marry, not to have children. He's told not to participate in the mourning of the3:32 dead or joining in occasions of celebration. Now this, I think, is something that Jeremiah alluded to in his complaint to god back in chapter 15 verse 173:44 when he said this. He said, I sat alone because of your hand. So why? Well, I think the restrictions from god were both practical as well as prophetic. First, he was going to live3:55 through becoming judgment. And without a wife and children, he could be singularly focused on god's mission that he was called to. You know, as the people continued with life as normal during4:07 this time of warning, his counterculture actions, I think, would draw attention, giving him the opportunity to both speak and to show the seriousness of the4:19 pending judgment that the clock was ticking. It was also I I also think it was this. I think it was God being merciful to him to spare him of the grief of4:31 seeing his family endure what was about to unfold. So he knew. See, when when we see what is happening, when we have an understanding of what god is doing, there's a burden that comes with it, and he saw that. Alright.4:43 The second division here, the second aspect of this chapter is a restatement of the indictment against Judah answering the question why, and that's in verses beginning in verse 10. And4:55 it shall be when you show these people all these words and they say to you, why? Why has the lord pronounced all this great disaster on us? Or what is our iniquity?5:07 Or what is our sin that we have committed against the lord, our god? Going back to the analogy of pulling the car over. I mean, correcting our kids off. Why? Why? You know, we get that question, why?5:19 Well, then you shall say to them, verse 11, because your fathers have forsaken me, says the lord, they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them and have forsaken me and not5:31 kept my law. So they say, wait a minute. Wait a minute. That was our father's, but look at verse 12. And you have done worse than your father's for behold, each 1 follows the5:43 dictates of his own evil heart so that no 1 listens to me. Wow. Therefore, I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your5:55 fathers, and there shall you shall serve other gods day and night where I will not show you favor. You you you wanna serve other gods. You wanna follow idols? Alright. Have it your way.6:07 Verse 17. For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from my face, nor is their iniquity hidden from my eyes.6:19 And first, I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin because they have defiled my land, and they have filled my inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable6:31 and abominable idols. They defiled the land. Remember, god cleansed the land. He pushed out the inhabitants, vomited them out because of their abominations and their sin,6:43 and they were warned, don't do what they did. Don't follow the practices of worshiping the idols, human sacrifice, sacrificing children, engaging in sexual immorality,6:55 and what they do, they did it. But notice again that that god's judgment does not come without a cause or without warning. He says your fathers forsook God. They worshiped and served idols. They7:07 rejected God's word. But this generation, they did even worse, building upon the sins of their fathers. The result, God says, you will experience your sins in the fullest7:19 as you are carried away to a land of idolatry. You know, I've said this before, but we see this repeatedly. Sin is often its own punishment. Here is, I think, the nail in the7:30 coffin. This this is the worst of what God pronounces here is no favor of God. He says, I I I will not be with you. I will not show you favor. The7:42 favor of god is like well, it's like the cloud and the pillar of fire that they experienced in coming out of Egypt. It's the shade in the desert. It's the path in the wilderness. The favor of god is irreplaceable.7:55 Nothing can replace the favor of god upon your life. Number 3, restoration is promised. Okay? So we we see a restatement of the indictment, but let's go back to verse 148:07 and we see a restoration that is promised. Verse 14, Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the lord, that it shall no more be said, the lord lives who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,8:18 but the lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where he had driven them, for I will bring them back into their land which I had I have given to their fathers.8:31 This speaks to the return after the Babylonian captivity, but it also speaks, as we see in these prophetic messages, it speaks to the end time gathering of the children of8:42 Israel back to their land. The vanguard of which I believe we are seeing today, beginning in 19 48, and it is unfolding as we continue to see even an increase after October the8:54 seventh 20 23. As I've spoken to Israeli officials, been over there, been briefed, there is a a strong, or a growing movement of those9:06 coming back to the land of Israel. In fact, a number of my friends who are Jewish that have, returned to that land or have gone to that land. Alright. Reformation, number 4, final,9:18 Reformation of sinners as a result of God's judgment. You know, Proverbs 19 25 says, strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence. Reprove a man of understanding, and he will gain9:30 knowledge. Look at verse 19. Oh, lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction. The Gentiles shall come to you from the ends of the earth and say, surely, our9:42 fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness, and unprofitable things. Will a man make gods for himself which are not gods? Shall man make gods though men themselves are not gods?9:54 Think about that 1 for a moment. Shall man make gods though men themselves are not gods? How do how does a man, a mortal man create a god? Verse 21, therefore,10:06 behold, I will show I will rather I will this once calls them to know. I will cause them to know my hand and my might, and they shall know that my name is10:18 the Lord. Alright. So this brings us back to that original question, why? Why does God punish and judge his people? Here here it is in the very10:30 last sentence of this chapter. They shall know that my name is the Lord. It all comes back to this. It all comes back to the glory of God, that men, women, and children should know10:42 him, their creator, and worship him and honor him as such. That is why. Father, we thank you, for your word once again. Lord, I I10:54 pray that we would not. I know that we can look at this and we can read this and we say, how could it be so foolish? But, father, I pray for introspection. I pray that the Holy Spirit would shine that bright11:06 light of your word upon our lives and that, Lord, that we would be sanctified through your word and through the work of the Holy Spirit. Show us those areas of our lives, Lord, that are incompatible11:19 with walking with you and bringing glory and honor to your name. Father, we pray for mercy upon our nation. That, lord, we would turn back to you in repentance so that you would forgive our sin. We know11:31 you're not gonna forget it, but I pray, lord, you would forgive it as we repent and as we turn back to you. I thank you for many of the things happening in our country, Lord, but I pray for spiritual revival, not11:41 superficial reform, but spiritual revival. And we pray and ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. And do me a favor. Invite someone else to join us on this11:53 journey. Now we're gonna be moving in the next few months in June. We go to the New Testament, but we're we're pretty far along in this journey, but it'd be it still would be, I think, encouraging for12:05 others to get in the word of God. That's what we need more than anything today is we need believers to be in the word of God, sharing the word of God, finding the strength and the hope and the direction that comes from12:16 the word of God. So share this with your friends. Also, if you're on social media watching this, like it, forward it so that others will see it, and, experience the peace and12:27 joy and the guidance that comes only from the word of god. Until next time, keep standing on the word.12:38 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you12:50 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot o r g slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Call to Repentance and God's Patience94K followers
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