The Certainty of Judgement
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
“Back in the day” people used to get all worked up and excited at a good “hellfire and brimstone” sermon. They wanted preachers to preach with what Kirby Smart might call today: fire, passion, and energy.
No one wants a boring preacher, but we also don’t want to hear that God’s judgment is coming on us either. We know it’s coming one day on the whole world, but we don’t want to be caught up in it. That’s precisely why some people just want to escape in the rapture.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to have to go through the Tribulation either and I sure hope the rapture is coming first, but we need to know that the overwhelming pattern in the Bible is also that God’s people will endure hardships and sometimes right alongside of the nation that they live in that is being judged.
That’s exactly what happened to Jeremiah. He was delivered through the trouble, but not spared from having to endure it. That does not mean that there won’t be a rapture before the Great Tribulation starts, but for Israel, their judgment came much sooner, and so can ours!
If it does come, we can know that we have God’s assurance to be with us. However, for Jeremiah, he was preaching a hell fire and brimstone kind of message. He sure let the fire fall and God used him to speak judgment on the people that was sure to come.
In God’s mercy, He still gave them chances to repent, but they never did and judgment did come.
Tonight, we are going to take a look at the certainty of judgment that Jeremiah prophesied about.
5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!’
6 Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring disaster from the north, and great destruction.
7 A lion has gone up from his thicket, 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 “In that day, declares the Lord, courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ whereas the sword has reached their very life.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse,
12 a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them.”
13 Behold, he comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles— woe to us, for we are ruined!
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim.
16 Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, “Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah.
17 Like keepers of a field are they against her all around, because she has rebelled against me, declares the Lord.
18 Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart.”
Pray
1. Illustrations of Judgment
1. Illustrations of Judgment
A Lion coming out of the thicket (v.7)
7 A lion has gone up from his thicket, 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.
A hot wind from the desert (vv. 11-12)
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse,
12 a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them.”
Winds from the west brought refreshing rain in such a drought stricken region because they came from the sea
Winds from the east were coming off the desert and were so powerful they would scorch the earth
These winds were not useful to winnow or cleanse (drive away the chaff)
Clouds and a strong storm (vv.13-18)
13 Behold, he comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles— woe to us, for we are ruined!
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim.
16 Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, “Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah.
17 Like keepers of a field are they against her all around, because she has rebelled against me, declares the Lord.
18 Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart.”
The army was like a whirlwind of a storm coming to destroy
Illustration:
You know, I was with the youth last night and the phrase came up in conversation, “Back when Helene came through.” We don’t really give a name to any storm unless it’s a really bad one, and we forget the named ones unless they affect us directly.
When Helen came through, there were memories of Matthew that had come through a few years earlier, but we had not experienced anything like Helene before in our lifetime.
And, even if someone had said, “Well that’s nothing like the storm we had back in ‘76!” That would do nothing to offer us comfort in this storm.
There will certainly be future storms as well and scientists and meteorologists are constantly studying these systems to try to learn more so that we can warn more people and save lives.
But if we have the greatest warning system on earth and yet fail to listen to the warnings, these systems will do no good.
The people of Israel had the prophet Jeremiah to speak to them on behalf of God himself, and yet they wouldn’t listen.
The people of Jerusalem had Jesus speak directly to them and they wouldn’t listen.
We should not be surprised if we speak to our generation and they won’t listen.
However, if you don’t listen, you can blame no one but yourself.
2. A False Assurance of Hope (vv.9-10)
2. A False Assurance of Hope (vv.9-10)
9 “In that day, declares the Lord, courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ whereas the sword has reached their very life.”
God had not promised peace, but the false prophets had
God cannot lie
The people might have thought that since there was a revival of sorts under Josiah, that judgment was going to come. However, the can was just kicked down the road.
Think about Nineveh. God spared them at the preaching of Jonah, but later they would be taken by the Babylonians.
While God cannot lie, God can allow a lying spirit in the mouths of the prophets (See 1 Kings 22:22)
The first step of God’s judgment on the people is actually to remove His Word from them.
Have you ever considered how blessed we are to live in a time where we have such access to God’s Word as we do now?
Though we have access, we will not be held guiltless for that access.
Because the Word was removed, the people had no direction for their lives and did whatever they wanted
Proverbs 29:18 (ESV)
18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.
Illustration:
The doctor who gives the wrong diagnosis
Imagine going to a doctor because you have a serious disease.
The doctor looks at your test results and says:
"Everything looks great. Don't worry about it."
You go home relieved.
But another doctor looks at the same results and says:
"You have a serious problem, and if you don't treat it, it will kill you."
Which doctor loved you?
The first doctor may have made you feel better.
The second doctor actually told you the truth.
That's the difference between Jeremiah and the false prophets.
False assurance can feel compassionate while actually being cruel.
When we tell sinners that everything is fine when they are living in rebellion against God isn't loving them.
We’re helping them walk toward destruction while telling them they're safe.
3. A Posture of Repentance
3. A Posture of Repentance
Warn one another (v.5-6)
5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!’
6 Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring disaster from the north, and great destruction.
Humble themselves (v.8)
8 For this put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back from us.”
Abandon their evil ways (v.14)
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
Conclusion
We are going to see this message repeated often in the Book of Jeremiah. God allowed Jeremiah to prophesy for approximately 40 years.
This is not the action of a vindictive God. This is grace and an opportunity for mercy.
We all must understand that while God does permit some things, we are responsible for the consequences of our sins. We cannot blame God.
And yet in the ultimate act of mercy and compassion, Jesus came and bore our sins on the cross so that God’s judgment would fall on Christ and not us.
If we reject that grace, we have no one to blame but ourselves.
