Jeremiah 17:1-13

It has become a common belief that the arrangement of the chapters are not necessarily in chronological order of life events, but rather a collection of thoughts, events and sayings throughout his lifetime.

In today’s message we will be looking specifically at the first few verses found in Jeremiah chapter 17.

I encourage you to open you Bible whatever form you bring, but I really would like you to have the Words of Scripture open to you as you follow along to today’s message.

Writers on this particular chapter have looked upon the verses and have realized that there is no set theme, no set direct purpose for this chapter which makes it hard to give you a clear message.

As I was looking over the chapters and deciding which chapters I should expound on, God directed me to this one.

You see as one commentator put it

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (7. Man’s Deceitful Heart (17:1–27))

This Chapter has no central theme but gathers together important proverbial sayings on the issues of life, sin, and the way of the curse and blessing.

This morning as we look into God’s Word, it is my hope that we walk away from His word changed not only in our thinking or our belief of the Word of God, but our actions as well.

This got me thinking,

Have you ever wondered what a pastor does on his holidays on Sunday?

I mean, we are to have the day off of church responsibilities, a rest from the normal work of ministry, but what do we do?

Well, Last Sunday, Heather and I watched on the internet and listened to another preacher.

We often enjoy downloading his messages to listen to as we travel and have been following him and enjoy learning from him.

The theme and message he taught last Sunday was the concept that Jesus taught his followers that it wasn’t just about believing but doing.

He pointed out that God is pleased when

Truth brought out through scripture is not just believed but is applied in our lives.

Belief vs doing.

That is why we describe a disciple is one who is seeking to know God, While being transformed into the image of Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit in the context of community.

There is an applied action, moving, changing in this statement.

There is drawing knowledge in and then using that knowledge and acting upon God’s calling in our lives.

This morning’s passage will look at different states of life.

Looking at sayings for the people of Jeremiah’s time and how they apply to our lives today.

To do this, we are going to look at states of Sin, Trust, our heart and finally the state of Hope.

Before we look into God’s Word, Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter 17 and we will begin reading from the beginning of the chapter.

Jeremiah 17:1–13 ESV

1 “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, 2 while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills, 3 on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. 4 You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.” 5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” 11 Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool. 12 A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.

The State of Sin

The first state that we will be looking at is that of sin.

Look at verse one

Jeremiah 17:1 (ESV)

1 “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart

One of the hobbies that I have done over the years is calligraphy. In fact, in Bible College, I used it as a means of gathering a few dollars writing out various poems and certificates for people.

In many ways, this art form has been lost with the production of quality printers in our homes.

I loved to use the back ink, but was very careful as if spilled or found its way to your fingers, it was permanent, or there for a really long time.

This ink was nothing like the description of the sin of Judah,

In fact the poetic verse used here shows the severity and far reaching result of this sin.

One person wrote,

“It is so deeply ingrained” ingrained in their lives.

On our holidays, we had the opportunity to walk through the Othello tunnels.

There were two types of Deeply ingrained images as you walk through the paths.

The first was, Carved in those tunnels. Chisels used to make the path for the trains to travel through.

The rock face is rough, hardened, and jagged. Even the stone path you walk on is rough.

The second was the smooth stones under and around the path of the river flowing through the canyons below.

Both had transformational changes.

Booth are deeply ingrained caused by different means.

One by the force of dynamite or chisels begin pounded upon while the other the relentless flowing of water shaping their rough jagged edges.

Either way, both have had a change in their appearance that will be forever altered.

Sin has this affect on our lives.

Allowing sin to continue in our lives will have a greater effect on our lives. Whether that sin is hard pounding like that of a chisel, or silently allowing in to continue in our lives like water rushing over and over until it has changed. Sin allowed to continue in our lives will forever change us.

Jeremiah’s text draws out to the readers the far reaching state of the Sin of the People.

It was etched permanently on their hearts. Their hearts were hardened like that of stone.

Is there something in your life that has become etched on your heart.

Have we been holding onto something or repeatedly bringing it into our lives that is now has become a permanent part of our lives.

We are marked by it. Known by it. If it is sin, it needs to be removed.

One author wrote.

“Judah’s rebellion was deep-rooted and ineradicable unless a deep change such as in described later in this book.”- Jeremiah New International Commentary on the Old Testament

How does ones sin become so etched in our lives?

How could their sin be described as such a state.

Well, you will notice it is because of their life practices.

They lived a double life.

The people continued in their worship practices of Yahweh, and yet held onto the pagan practices of the people around them.

Many of us would look at these verses and look at ourselves and we think we can’t possibly be like them.

Can we look at these verses again.

Are there trappings in this world around us that take our hearts away from God?

One of the greatest tragedies that the people faced in Jeremiah’s time was the lack of faith in the Sovereignty of God.

They held onto the accepted faith practices of the day, but also practiced those things of the world around us. Those things that they thought would help them as well as God’s commands.

Their trust was not in God alone.

The next verses in this text moves us to the state of trust.

There are two ways in which we can trust God.

Look at these verses

Jeremiah 17:5–8 ESV

5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

The State of Trust

Palms which by the way will be our focus for the fall. An Sunday overview and weekly in depth study of the entire book of the Psalms. More information will be coming out next week,

But they also give a comparison of two people.

Psalm 1:1–2 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

When it comes to trust in God, God doesn’t mix words.

It’s one way or another.

It can’t be a little of both.

You are or you are not.

Notice where their trust should lie.

In verse 5

Jeremiah 17:5 ESV

5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.

You see the people of Israel were in a convent relationship with God.

Their trust should have been fully in Him.

He was the one who will save them

He was the one who brought them out of the land of slavery.

This should be a warning for all of us as we walk with God.

If we believe we can achieve all things by our own strength, then we have removed God’s strength out of our lives.

Continue in the verses

Jeremiah 17:6 ESV

6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Jeremiah gives a picture of the shrub that is barely surviving in a land that is lacking.

One has even described this analogy as even though rain would come, it would pass by the shrub because is has become accustom to living without water.

What a tragedy.

Some of you may know people like this. They have lost their faith in the provisions of God that when they do come, they do not notice or even pass it by because their hearts have gone so cold to the working of God.

The people of Jeremiah were in this state, yet in the midst of this tragedy, God shows the other side.

The good side of trust is also found in these verses.

Jeremiah 17:7–8 ESV

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

There are many things of trust in this part of the poem.

First,

There is the blessing of God. Some have taken this to be a physical blessing, yet you will notice later in the passage that it produces fruit.

The blessed man has a clear understanding of what it means to trust in the sovereignty of God and then lives out their lives in God’s sovereignty.

It’s a two part act. It not just a believe in Him but surrenders his life to God.

Trusts in the Lord- it is a head knowledge (Belief)

trust is in the Lord- It is an applied action ( Doing)

Verse 8 then moves to the part where does one gather their security.

The roots of the tree are were a plant will draw its life from.

Notice.

When our faith is in God. Like that of a tree, When the hard times or the drought then we still will stand strong and full.

Not only is the plant not worried during those times of drought, it flourishes and produces fruit.

So to the man or women who has their trust in God’s sovereignty will they survive those hard times, but they will also produce a life of fruitfulness for God’s kingdom.

As I read through these verses it reminded me of our holidays.

We began our holidays going away during one of the hottest times of the year. It was great for us as we were by a body of water that we could go in and cool off, but I was worried about my three flower pots.

The one, I placed a rock in the backyard pond and semi submersed the bottom of the pot in the pond. The roots were not lacking in water during the entire 3 days that we were away. Sure the broad leaves showed some stress, but it continued to grow.

My two growing pots of geraniums that were taken inside during the cold days of spring were placed in the wheelbarrow and I filled the wheelbarrow full of water to self water the pots.

They two survived the days and are continuing to grow.

So where do you place your trust.

like my potted plants, they need daily watering especial during these hot days in order to survive.

Do we daily seek God’s word to help us in understanding and growth in our walk with God.

Do we place our trust in the things we can control or is our faith and trust in a God of abundance that will never run dry.

The state of trust found in these verse are intentional.

It is either one way or another.

Trust in God or not.

There is no half way

The next state is that if man’s heart

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

The State of the Heart

Given to our own and relying upon ourselves will not end well because we have been born into sin. We started out in this world with a desire to be against God.

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We have fallen so short, and we are in need, in desperate need of a heart transplant.

The good news this morning is that one can receive a change of the heart.

But to fully understand the change you need to fully understand the condition of the heart.

My son the other day sent me a link to a car that he was looking at getting.

Now you must understand that I am not a car guy. That is I am not an expert in cars, but I do know a few things and I was thrilled that my son was asking my advice.

He sent me a picture of this car and from the picture it looked not bad.

I then began to read the description.

Look at verse 10

Jeremiah 17:10 ESV

10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

I read the description and knew immediately to tell my son to stay away from the car.

Here was the description.

Car runs well, but is missing its catalytic converter and the muffler has been removed from the front of the car it is loud.

Search and test. I knew enough that this car needs work

God searches and tests our heart.

He knows and in fact he watches for the results.

Verse 11 sums up the person who heart is in his own strength

Jeremiah 17:11 (ESV)

so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.

A fool.

Not a wise man but a fool.

Riches and not just that of physical riches, gained by any other means than from God will slip through ones fingers as quickly as they amassed.

Where is your heart this morning?

Have you judged your heart according to God’s Word or that of your own thoughts. Have you thought I’m a good person and that is good enough?

Sometimes in our lives we go around showing our lives like that of the car my son was looking at. Everything looked well, but we did not or cannot look at the heart.

But God does.

If you are sitting here this morning and on the outside things are looking good.

You have been going through the motions of what is acceptable on the outside, but have not taken into account the way God looks at your heart, folks you can be deceived.

Jeremiah was warning the people and by that we are also warned.

The state of one’s heart if left alone without God’s help will not end well.

This leads us to the final state, one that is wonderful

The state of Hope

Jeremiah 17:12–14 ESV

12 A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. 14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

The State of Hope

The state of hope is found in Christ.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our hope is found not in the things of this world but in the risen savior, Jesus Christ by the work on the cross.

He came because of the state of our Sin,

He Came so that we can trust in Him

He Came to give us a new heart, a heart seeking after God

He came so that when we put our trust in Him, our hope in him there is life everlasting.

Because of the Fall, man’s heart has been in separation from God, Christ came to this earth, died on a cross for our sins, rose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the father.

That is the trust we have,

The hope is that one day, Christ will return, and we will not only be a people who have been redeemed but a people that will be restored.

This morning, if you haven’t given your life over to the one who holds life everlasting, why not.

Do you have a list of reasons why you haven’t, the list doesn’t match up to God’s Abundance love and grace.

Do you want to be described as a person seeking after the things of this world that will perish and fade away or known as one who seeks after a life of abundance.

God’s strength and abundance is there for each one of us and we need to seek after Him.

Today is a good day to turn from you own ways and give them all to God. May I strongly encourage you to do that today.

Conclusion

As the worship team comes up,

to lead us in the final song of response, may I encourage you to examine your life and the various states laid out in this morning’s scripture and follow God.

Acknowledge the state of your sin and ask God to forgive, he will

Turn your state of trust to the Almighty God and fully trust in Him

Is your heart fully given to God, no matter what is happening.

All of this is based upon the hope promised in Scripture.

Team

Benediction

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