Growth Group: Prayer Meeting 2 Feb 2024

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Intro: In this section of the book, Jeremiah is lamenting because of his nation, the Jews.

The Jews were given the law God wanted them to follow (and God revealed himself to them) but instead of following his law, they decided to turn away from it.

Jeremiah 7:23 “But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’”

Jeremiah 7:24 “But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”

How bad was it?

They sacrificed their children by burning them which was evil.

Jeremiah 7:31 “And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.”

They went their own way.

Jeremiah the Prophet CH9 mentions the Jews are adulterers, liars, slanderers and unashamed of it.

Even the priests were liars. (8:10)

Because of this the Lord is going to punish the wayward people.

The land will become desolate and ruined.

There will be no cattle. (9:10) There will be no grapes on the vine. No figs. (8:13)

Many people will die. (9:22)

Then God says this:

Jeremiah 9:23 “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,”

To rely and trust on anything besides God is going to lead to death.

To think we are self made men is us going our own way.

The Jews went their own way and they were punished severely.

So when we pray…

What are we asking for and why?

Are we asking God to make us strong?

Are we asking God to make us rich?

Are we asking God to make us loved by everyone?

Are we asking God to make us powerful?

Are we asking for these things so we can honor God? Or honor ourselves over others?

Don’t ask for it if it’s to honor yourself.

Don’t ask for it if it if you will boast to others what you earned as if God didn’t give it to you.

For no reason will ever a man be able to boast for anything he has.

Jeremiah 9:24 “but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.””

Our greatest treasure is this: that we know who he is.

Know is the word “yada” in Hebrew and that same word “ginosko” is in Greek.

Gen 4:1 Adam and Eve.

Because the Divine Son took on human nature and then died for us on the cross, we can know God.

John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

1 Corinthians 1:26–31“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord”

APPLICATION:

So when we approach the throne of grace now to pray, we come before the sovereign King knowing we owe all to him.

There’s nothing we can claim.

There’s nothing we deserve.

Our prayers should align to what his will is, what he delights in.

We need to ask in every situation…what is your will? What is going to magnify you here.