Jeremiah Cracked Cisterns

(S1) — Why would anyone take something of value and exchange it for something worthless?

Boy/trade up/Marbles/Gi Joes

Goal was always to trade up…

Why would anyone trade the good for the bad? Good marriage/One night stand — Good health/sickness/disease — Good life, exchange it for pig squaler — Good Job/Jail

FDA Speaker — Jump suit — One decision away

(S2) — Jeremiah’s message Israel… God’s indictment, accusing them of exchanging the good for the bad

Jeremiah 2:11 (NLT)

Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols!

Prophet margins — How they went from a faithful nation to an idolatrous people

Allegory — Parable — Something familiar to teach a lesson

Hosea — Marriage: Devoted relationship to an adulterous one

Isaiah — Yielding luscious fruit...to producing only wild grapes...

Jeremiah — Mother’s womb/Intimacy of God’s call…to be overtake by their enemies

Today Jeremiah takes us from life-sustaining wells of ever-flowing water to cracked cisterns that only run dry.

The people had known the goodness of God — Abundance,, provision, life-sustaining relationship. But they traded it all for, what was meaningless.

Romans 1:22-23 “Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.”

How did they get there? Marriage: A flourishing Relationship...

Jeremiah 2:1-3 I remember...

The early years of Israel’s history, the people were, for the most part, devoted and faithful to the LORD. Their deliverance from Egypt up through the wilderness wanderings. As a youthful nation, the people did at times slip away from God, murmuring, complaining, and committing acts of wickedness. But they soon confessed and repented of their sins, turning back to the LORD.

Their backsliding never lasted long and they never deliberately or recklessly tried to corrupt the way of righteousness that was spelled out by God’s commandments.

During these years Israel was like a bride who loved the LORD and followed Him wherever He led (v. 2). Israel was holy, set apart to be God’s pure and righteous people (v. 3; Ex. 19:1–20:26). Israel was chosen to be the first body of people—to follow, worship, and serve the LORD. Jeremiah-I (Chapters 1–29) (King James Version) (A. The Lord’s Indictment against His People, 2:1–3:5)

From being devoted — Faithful — Loving — Trusting to seeking only other Gods

Two questions — Why did they get there — Why do the faithful today fall away from a relationship with God?

(S3) — If you have not noticed, the church is in decline —

“A growing group in America: “religious nones.” This group describes themselves as “nothing in particular” when asked if they identify with a specific religious group. The vast majority are ex-Christians, and most are under the age of 35.”

Look around, who do you know who is not here?

Why? Whole host of reasons… If it can happen to others, it can surely happen to us —

“Bible not written to us…it’s written for us

(S4) — What can we learn from the apostasy of a nation — A people who had left God — Exchanged the good for the bad?

Jeremiah 2:5 (NLT)

This is what the Lord says: “What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me? They worshiped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves.

Notice theirs was not an abrupt turning away they slowly drifted away...

Marriage’s don’t go bad overnight...

They would exchange the goodness or glory of God, for what was worthless. they went from being faithful to living a life of unfaithfulness.

(S5) — The Lord’s case against his people

Jeremiah 2:13 (NLT)

“For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all

1. They had FORGOTTEN God!

Jeremiah 2:5 “They worshiped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves.”

They traded what was VALUABLE for what had no value. What was meaningful for what what was meaningless. In their forgetting, they stopped worshipping — replaced God with worthless things.

Jesus tempted in the wilderness...

Luke 4:8 “Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and Him only him.’””

To forget, is to replace it with something else. To trade our devotion to one thing to another.

What replaces God in your life today? Time — Spending — Habits. Your here...but how easily we leak…as things are always competing for our time.

(S6) — 2. They dug their OWN well!

Jeremiah 2:6 “They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness— a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?’”

They chased after their own purposes. Stopped seeking the Lord. Self oriented — Self-interest in their Pursuits: Success — Fame — Fortune

Tic Tok — Make a fortune on social media — Girls in Savanah taking selfies

They traded what was ETERNAL for what was TEMPORARY? They were Living on man-made broken wells that leaked

How I dug my own cisterns — God pursued me

Do we pursue Him, seek him out with the same passion he chased after us?

Matthew 6:33 “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

They forgot God who rescued and brought them into a land of abundance and dug their own cisterns, chasing after their own pursuits…

Why? Because they LEAK! They strayed away…

(S7) — They forgot Got and dug their own wells

I. They stopped SPEAKING of Yaweh!

...the one who rescued them

Jeremiah 2:6 (NLT)

6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness— a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?

Greek (ask) — Stopped mentioning, thinking about God — No longer told the stories

Problem with erasing our history

(S8) — They no longer spoke His name

II. They CORRUPTED God’s goodness!

(CEB) “Disgraced my heritage”

What they had…they corrupted with their idoltry

Jeremiah 2:7 (NLT)

“And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you.

God’s presence (protection) — Provision (Abundance/plentiful — Goodness My land — heritage

(S9) — They defaced God’s name

III. They trusted in UNFAITHFUL leaders

Deception came from the top...

Jeremiah 2:8 (NLT)

8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who taught my word ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on worthless idols.

Distorted the truth with falsehood

Galatians 5:7-10…Paul’s warning to early Christians

Book — Another Gospel — Progressive Christianity

(S10) — They defaced God’s name

IV. Their actions affected FUTURE generations

Jeremiah 2:9 (NLT)

9 Therefore, I will bring my case against you,” says the Lord. “I will even bring charges against your children’s children in the years to come.

What we do or don’t do, affects our children and their children’s children

Role of Parents — Grandparents

Exodus 13:12 “you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the Lord, for they belong to him.”

If they leak, then we leak. If we know this is possible for the people who saw God…knew his glory…that isn’t it possible for us today — The faithful to become unfaithful?

Like marriages that fail, t isn’t over night. Our relationship with God can become less important — Covid…Activities…Work…Social Media…even relationships can cause us to forget God and chase our own desires.

Like a slow leak in a tire you can drive it for a while, but eventually you end up on the side of the road.

The truth is, WE LEAK too — How can we avoid this?

(S11) — Four days of focus — Four practical steps

I. Become more GRATEFUL

Give thanks in all things — Count your blessings — Express it often

Psalm 9:1 “1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.”

(S12) —

II. Check your DISTANCE from God

To stray, means a gradual separation. What is competing for your time? Causing distance in your relationship with the Lord?

(S13) —

III. Stay ENGAGED in the WORD of God

Drink from the well that brings LIFEJesus is the living water who has came to bring life...

John 7:38 “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ””

“Someone who engages the Bible 4 or more times a week is”

407% more likely to memorize scripture

228% more likely to share faith with others

59% less likely to view pornography

30% less likely to struggle with loneliness.

(S14) —

IV. Do it all for God’s GLORY not yours

Give PRAISE to whom its deserved. Give CREDIT to the one who rescued you.

John 8:54 “54 Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’”

Pursue what has eternal meaning over what will not last.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

They went after what had no eternal benefit…things that won’t last…meaningless

Matthew 6:19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.”

They were trying to fill broken cisterns of their human soul with things that always needed replenishing...

This is a never ending life of seeking and never finding what satisfies: Success — Fortune — Unhealthy relationships —

Our Amway business

They had strayed so far, that they became what thy pursued — Apart from God and all the blessings…exchanging the good for the bad

If you have ever had something so good, why would you ever want to go without it?

Would we ever trade what is good for what is bad? Not on purpose…it happens over time

Truth is we are all broken cisterns. On our own we will run dry — WE LEAK — Why we need Jesus

Because of sin, we are broken cisterns — unless we are intentional about pursuing Jesus who is the living water, the well will always run dry!

“I don’t think there’s a believer out there who hasn’t felt an unnerving disconnect from the Lord. It leaves us feeling anxious and sad. It can have us unsure, unsettled, and empty.” Val Marie

John 4:13–14 (NLT)

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

We leak! Why we need Jesus, who is the living water!