FBC Morning Light – July 9, 2022

Jeremiah’s Call to Repentance and the Example of Israel

People of faith. Our reading today is in Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 31 all the way through Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 18. I'm going to give you a bit of an overview here. The Lord is giving a message to Jeremiah to tell to the people of Judah to repent and he's using Israel as the example.

Now Israel refers to the northern kingdom which fell in 722 BC and Jeremiah is well over a hundred years, at least a hundred years later now, with the threat of the Babylonians coming and which they overtook Judah in 586 BC.

So the idea here is that the Lord is using the example of Israel and how they went after the idols of all the people around them and pieces of wood, metal, and they worshiped them instead of worshiping Jehovah God.

And the Lord uses the picture of a harlot waiting by the side of the road just waiting for any man that comes by and that's what the nation of Israel did. Remember they built their, under Jeroboam, they built their altars instead of allowing the people to go back to Jerusalem to the temple to worship in direct violation of what God had commanded.

They went after the foreign gods and they quickly fell away from what they were supposed to do. And the Lord is continually in these chapters using them as an example saying Israel could still come back if they repented.

Don't be like Israel. And then in chapter 3 verse 11 there's a somewhat amazing statement to me here. Says then the Lord Jehovah said to me, that's Jeremiah, backsliding Israel, the northern kingdom, has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.

Now treacherous Judah, that means that Judah is acting one way but secretly doing something else. Secretly acting like they're doing all the right things of worship at the temple and acting like they are righteous but secretly they know in their hearts that they are not.

And that's why the call to repentance is out there for Judah. Well this is not unlike what it would be if we were to consider the modern evangelical world. We would look at different denominations and say they have not remained faithful to the Word of God.

They have not remained faithful to the gospel shown in the Word of God. They have not remained faithful to their Lord either in their actions or what they believe or how they view Scripture. And we might be tempted to say, oh that denomination over there, look at them, it's so unfortunate, look at what's happening to them as they choose to follow the way of this world instead of the way of Scripture.

And yet I think this warning that backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah could apply to us as well. Are we being treacherous in saying we believe the Word of God but not following it and saying we believe the gospel but not preaching it in our own lives?

Spiritual Fads, Christian Drift, and Trusting the Lord

There is that danger. As we consider this I'd like you to consider verse 36 in chapter 2. Verse 36 in chapter 2 says, Why do you gad about so much to change your way? Also you shall be ashamed of Egypt as you were ashamed of Assyria.

Now the idea here in the word gad means to jump about from from thing to thing, looking for the answer or the hope in the context here, going to Egypt or going to Assyria for help instead of trusting in the Lord.

And I would suggest to you that there are there over the last 50 years or so in in modern Christianity we have tended to do the same thing, in a different way of course, but tended to do the same thing.

How many of you remember reading books about spiritual warfare, This Present Darkness, and for a while there were people looking for looking for a demon to cast out in everything. I had a roommate that tried to cast a tooth demon out of my head when I had a toothache.

It's a story for another day. But also the the Weigh Down was a popular weight-loss program that was very popular in many churches until it was found out to be a cult and not everybody left the Weigh Down.

Some people, a good friend of mine chose to stay in the Weigh Down rather than go and choose truth. Maybe you remember the prayer of Jabez and and you were promised if you prayed this prayer for so many days that that things would go well for you and well a lot of these things are cloaked in Christianity but our trust needs to be in the Lord and in His Word and in following those things, not in the latest fad that comes along.

I'm not saying don't read Christian books, I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying though that there is a danger if we are hopping from thing to thing to thing rather than relying on the Lord and His Word.

Church History, Institutional Drift, and Hebrews 2:1

I've studied a little bit of church history over the last several years to know that there's one thing that's always, always a danger and that is drift. It is very easy for churches, denominations, institutions to leave their first love, to little by little gradually step away from the faith.

I could name names but most of your Ivy League schools were started as places to raise up pastors and missionaries to take the Word of God into this world and there is not a one of them, not an Ivy League school left where you would send your child to preach to the nations.

Let me read to you Hebrews chapter 2 in verse 1 in light of this. It says, therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. Drift is a constant danger. Let us hold fast to His Word.

Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your Word. Thank you for the caution you give us. Help us to look at our lives and what we believe, what we're trusting in. Are we trusting in you? Are we trusting in your Word?

Not trusting in our feelings or emotions? Help us to walk with you this day. It's in your Son's name, Jesus we pray. Amen. Have a blessed day, people of faith.