Cursed Man, Blessed Man

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 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. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 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 heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “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.”

Opening Prayer

Those who are Cursed

Jeremiah 17:5 ESV

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

Cursed ??

Obstacle brought on by someone else

They may have success but ultimately the curse takes over and they are put back in their place.

Think along those terms

Except this person brought it on themselves

Trust in man and makes flesh his strength.

Trust in a wealth, power, material things

Trust in people more than God (this could include an unhealthy reliance on family)

Whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Notice how trusting in man also carries with it a departure from God.

The two go hand and hand.

Jeremiah 17:6 ESV

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.

“Like a Shrub planted in the dessert...”

They may do well for a time

But will ultimately whither away.

They are isolated from the resources they really need.

“… shall not see any good come.”

But some non-christians seem to have a pretty good life.”

They credit all their success to the flesh

Success serve to pull father away from God

He, “makes flesh his strength (and ultimately his) heart turns away from the Lord.”

“He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabitable salt land.”

We may be amazed at a shrub determination to thrive in this barren place

But ultimately it will succumb to the reality

WE ARE NOT MADE TO LIVE SEPARATED FROM THE BLESSINGS OF GOD.

To do so would be like trying to grow a shrub in an “uninhabited salt land.”

Those who are Blessed

Jeremiah 17:7 ESV

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

Trusts IN the Lord

trusts in the Lords ability to bless you

Sovereignty

trust in the Lords desire to bless you

Love and grace

Whose trust IS the Lord

He is the SOURCE of trustworthiness

He is the Source of blessings and love

Jeremiah 17:8 ESV

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.”

This is ultimately what separate us from those who do not truth in the Lord for favor.

What happens with trials come.

Those who trust in God are like a tree “Planted by the water.” (the source of life)

Your roots : what anchors you and feeds you live

that all comes from God.

Even in hard times you seems to still be nourished.

To understand this point...

What are trail in this life?

Isn’t it a loss of some material things (of this world)

To a person who relies on things of this world, they are truly lost.

To a person who trust in God, they are not in anguish because their trust isn’t in this world in the first place.

Who Can Search the Heart?

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

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

Jeremiah 17:10 ESV

“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.”

Who Can Cleanse the Heart?

When God searches your heart and mine we are left with the reality that “all have sinned and fall short” (Rom 3:12)

But God did not leave us in our sin, He sent Hos son, Jesus to provide a way to be cleaned, and not just on the surface.