The Prophet Jeremiah Part 15

All right we are going to pray and we're going to get started and James DeBoer's hand is up.

Does he have a question already?

We haven't even got started.

Let's pray and then we'll figure out what to do with James here.

Lord Jesus again as we open up your word we ask that through your Holy Spirit that you would help us to rightly understand your

words so that we may not oppose you but instead abide in your words that promise us life

eternal and that we will never taste death.

All this by the merits of Christ who suffered in our place and took our sin upon ourselves so that we can be forgiven and

reconciled to God.

We ask this in Jesus name.

Amen.

All right so James DeBoer hang on a second here I'm going to check my chat.

He said oops accidentally raised my hand.

Okay so it was just an accident.

Okay absolvote.

You know he's forgiven.

We are going to continue with our study of the book of Jeremiah.

Today in Jeremiah 17 I'm going to give a little bit of how some of the

ancient pagan practices work because you need to understand the idolatrous

background of this portion of Jeremiah.

So here's what it says in this opening portion.

The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron with the point of a diamond.

It is engraved on the tablet of the heart and on the horns of their altars.

Now I make a quick aside here.

God knows that diamonds are the hardest substance here

that we have.

So you talk about diamond drill bits and things like this.

So when God talks this way this kind of speaks to us modern people who recognize yeah the hardest thing

ever is like a diamond.

Okay so it's written with a diamond on the point of the heart on the horns of their altars.

While their children remember their altars and their asherim beside every green

tree and on the high hills and on the mountains in the open country your wealth and all your treasures I will give

for spoils as the price of your high places for sin throughout all of your territory.

You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave you and I will make you serve your enemies

in the land that you did not know for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn

forever.

Now real quick this is obviously a reference to the idolatrous practice of worshiping

ashira and here's the issue.

Ashira is in the asherim.

These are fertility deities and an ashira pole is

well let's just say it looks a lot like a human phallus and this is intentional and if you want to understand

what's going on with this and how God is talking about beside every green tree and on the high hills

he's talking about the religious sexual practices that go with the worship of ashira.

So and all of this comes from Egypt and if you've ever heard the story of

Isis and Osiris and you know the legend behind that

then Osiris is basically a fertility deity and the idea is is

that how the narrative works in all of these pagan religions which have their anchoring and kind of like gnostic

Egyptian religion is that the fertility deity the

male aspect of it he germinates the

seed at the beginning of the winter solstice and then he comes

to maturity and at the harvest the fertility male deity is beaten into a

bazillion pieces.

So if you think of like ears of corn you know starts off with ears of corn and then you have all these pieces of corn and

so the idea then is is that there's this constant mythological cycle of death

and resurrection death taking place after the harvest as human beings consume the harvest

and all of the pieces of the fertility deity are then consumed the only thing left is the seed and then

at the winter solstice you have the the the re -germination of this

of the woman you know the one the earth if you would who then bears and all this kind of stuff.

So what ends up happening in these pagan gnostic religions is they take

the human sex act and it becomes part of the religious practice for

the purpose of fertility.

So if you've ever heard of magic sex or things like this it's kind of along those lines.

So as part of their practices they set up altars in high places every like

every hill every high place ends up getting its old pagan altar with with images to

Baal and Asherah you get the Asherah pole and then at the correct time of year

then the people who worship these deities those who are initiated into it

they participate in sexual rituals which are then to kind of invoke

fertility which will then cause the earth to become pregnant and then give birth

nine months later at the harvest time with the crops and it's just gross.

Yeah it's a load of hoopla so you know so when God talks about them on

every green tree in high place there's other passages that describe their activity in

kind of group sexual terms and it's just wrong and so

the idea here is is that this wasn't just somebody saying I've abandoned Yahweh to

worship Asherah they put on a pretense of worshiping Yahweh oh I believe in Yahweh but

I'm hedging my bets and so I worship Asherah and Baal and all

these other deities and participate in the ritual practices of worshiping these

fertility deities which is also going to involve sexual immorality.

So you'll note that sexual immorality seems to be one of the

almost predictable byproducts of false religion.

It's just crazy how that all works.

So and God then has promised that he's going to punish them and you'll note that he's kindled a fire that will

burn forever here God is talking about in making allusion to hell he's

referring to the unquenchable fire that Jesus further reveals.

So for this this rank breaking of the first commandment and also a whole host of other

commandments along the way that that God is going to act in judgment and the

the destruction that they see physically of Judea of Jerusalem is is

just if you would a foretaste of the real punishment.

The real punishment is that a fire is kindled forever and God is invoking eternal punishment in hell here.

So that says Yahweh cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh

his strength whose heart turns away from Yahweh.

He's like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any and not and shall not see any good

come he shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness in an uninhabited salt

sea.

So trusting in man here this is another idolatrous concept here we we Americans have a

really weird thing we do.

We put a lot of trust in our politicians.

I don't know what that's about.

Um you know any of you voted for the fellow who's currently in the office.

You were trusting in him.

And there was a lot of Christians trusting in the guy previous to him and even prophesying that he was going to be re -elected.

You know.

And yeah none of this really plays out really.

Well so bless is the man then who trusts in Yahweh.

Who trusts whose trust is is Yahweh.

He is like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream does not fear when

heat comes for it leaves its leaves remain green.

It is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit.

So you know the the the wonderful juxtaposition here as far as imagery the one who trusts in false

gods or trust in man they're like a shrub in the desert.

We've you know if you've ever driven through the Mojave desert you know of California you know you get these occasional

shrubs kind of distanced from each other you know.

And whereas the one who trusts in Yahweh is like a very very bountiful fruit tree

that is that is planted in a very great spot and even in drought it still bears fruit.

That's that's the image.

You know the juxtaposition.

And so you can see this that this is one of the recurring themes here is that sin and

idolatry have really very little to offer humanity.

In fact they have zero to offer to humanity.

And whatever benefits you think that they offer in the short term in the long term it's going to take you to hell.

But in reality you're not gaining anything real wisdom comes in

believing in and abiding by the words of God found in scripture

and seeing that his commandments that they are holy and that they are good and they are given for our benefit.

Not in order to bind us up.

It's it's really just fascinating how always and again people think of the law of God as somehow

some kind of a fetter to keep you from experiencing the good life.

When in reality sin is the thing that the devil's trying to convince you to

engage in to convince you to cast God's commandments behind you and the devil promises you

the good life and in reality it's not a good life at all there's nothing there.

Sin is not your friend.

Sin is not a plus.

And anyone who says to me well you know you preach salvation.

By grace through faith alone.

So you're basically saying we can do whatever we want.

It's like are.

You kidding me.

It's like what you know slavery to sin is slavery.

Christ has set us free from that.

So here comes another one.

The heart is deceitful above all things and

desperately sick.

Who can understand it now this this flies in the face of every Disney movie ever.

Okay just follow your heart right.

That's going to get you know you know.

And always and again you know in light of this passage i i like to say things like you know to the to the

fellow who says well the lord laid it on my heart.

It's like well then i don't want to hear it.

Whatever you have to say that comes after that.

Well the lord laid on my heart stop i just anything that's touched that thing i don't want to have anything to hear

to do with it.

Okay it's you know forget it.

Okay i mean i don't i don't even like eating food that falls on the floor.

Okay you know.

So there i am.

You know i'm making an egg or something like that.

And then i flip the pan up and one of my eggs ends up on the floor.

Guess what.

The dog's eating that thing.

I ain't touching it right huh.

Five second rule myth busters debunked that and i will never be the same.

Yeah so yeah luther's more like a three -second dog.

Yeah he's a yeah he yeah he's.

He's pretty jolly on the spot anyway.

So you know.

But the idea then is that if i'm not going to eat an egg that's falling on the floor there's no way i'm going to listen to anybody saying that i

have a message that the lord laid on my heart.

No no no no that ain't working here.

The heart is deceitful above all things desperately sick.

You can get a spiritually transmitted disease that way.

So i just you know i'm not gonna listen to what it was shaking their head

at me all right.

So i the lord i search the heart i test the mind.

I give to every man according to his ways according to the fruit of his deeds.

Now for christians we recognize then.

And this is where i'm going to make a big distinction today.

Um we recognize the difference between an award and a reward.

And i want you to listen carefully to what i say all right.

So this this past week was quite momentous as it came to the uh the awards ceremonies at the

oscars.

Okay because no talking about which movie won everyone's talking about will smith and and chris rock and

but all of that being said the way the world works is that you apply

yourself to excellence.

You do the right things you go above and beyond above and beyond.

And you are awarded.

You are awarded accolades glory honor power wealth.

And over and again when people think in terms of self -righteousness they think

that somehow that salvation is an award.

Or that god awards them on the day of judgment totally different than what the biblical concept is.

The biblical concept is an inheritance and god rewards very different

and in order the one that god rewards first and foremost has faith in christ for the forgiveness of

their sins and justification salvation as a gift not by works.

That being said then god does reward good works.

He does not award glory or things like that.

I make that distinction because this is i think is a useful one.

So it is true that god will give to every man according to his ways.

And let me give you a text that i think is helpful along these lines.

Um in fact let me do this.

I'm you know it's like you know i'm i love having an hour to teach because i can go

down my bunny trails hold on a second here bunny trail.

Uh since we're you know we're just a couple months away from pentecost sunday.

It's like it's like two months from like right now.

Right.

Uh then the week after that we got trinity.

So in the athanasian creed which is a creed we sadly we only confess once

a year.

And i've really i no one's gonna stop me if i say you know if we have a fifth sunday we're going to confess

it on the fifth sunday.

No one's gonna stop me.

You know it's like the church council go why did you do the athanasian creed twice this year.

You're not going to do that.

So it's like this is on me all right athanasian creed.

There's a there's a bit here that is uh that oftentimes leads to

questions.

And the athanasian creed is the creed that we confess on trinity sunday.

And it lays out the doctrine of the trinity just wonderfully.

That being said the tail end of it the very last portion of the athanasian creed

talks in this way.

And by the way if you're sitting there going well where in the creeds does it talk about hell.

I would start here.

Um let's see so at for as a rational soul and flesh is one man so god.

And man is one christ who suffered for our salvation descended into hell rose again.

Uh the third day ascended into heaven is seated at the right hand of the father god almighty.

From whence he will come to judge living in the dead.

At his coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their

own deeds.

Those who have done good will enter into eternal life.

Those who have done evil into eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith.

Whoever does not believe it faithfully and uh firmly cannot be saved.

So what ends up happening is is that people read this and they so they hear this in the athanasian creed they go.

Oh no.

The church teaches salvation by works.

No.

And the reason i say that is because jesus actually uses these words.

And i think it's helpful to then consider what christ says in this regard in context.

So if we were to take a look at the gospel of john chapter five i believe i'm doing this from memory.

Let's see here.

Give

me a second here i'm scanning and the last time i scanned this chapter i missed it.

I'll find it.

Hang on.

All right.

Hang on a second here i'm gonna do this good.

And there

it is.

John 5 29.

Okay.

So i probably should just highlight it in the future.

All right.

John 5 29.

Okay.

So here's the language that christ uses.

Um okay

those who have done good to the resurrection of life.

Those who've done evil to the resurrection of judgment all we have to do is back up a little bit.

Here we go all right.

So here we're going to apply our three rules for sound biblical exegesis.

Context context context 5.

John 5 19 jesus says now if you ever hear me in my sermon when i'm preaching on a

text from the gospel of john the the the english translation in the esv says.

Truly truly.

And from time to time i'll just switch over to the greek.

Amen.

Amen.

It actually says amen.

Amen.

That's that's what it says.

So amen.

Amen i say to you the son can do nothing of his own accord.

Only what he sees the father doing.

Whatever the father does that the son does.

Likewise for the father loves the son and shows him all that he himself is doing.

In greater works than these he will show him so that you may marvel.

For as the father raises the dead and gives light gives them life so also the son gives life to whom he will.

For the father judges no one but has given all judgment to the son that all may honor the son just as they honor the father.

Whoever does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him.

Truly.

Amen.

Amen.

I say to you whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has

eternal life.

He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.

All right is jesus teaching salvation by works.

Or by grace through faith.

By grace through faith.

Okay.

So in that immediate context then where christ has already said i

say to you whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.

He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.

So you're going to know everybody who is in christ.

Do you have to face judgment regarding heaven or hell.

No.

You've already passed from death to life.

You're already in christ.

The judge has already declared you innocent.

And regarding hell that that's that's that's gone.

Now comes the next bit.

Truly truly i say to you an hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the son of god

and those who hear will live.

For as the father has life in himself so he has granted the son also to have life in himself.

And he has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man.

Do not marvel at this.

For an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out.

And those who have done good to the resurrection of life those who've done evil to the

resurrection of judgment is christ.

Here's teaching salvation by works.

No.

No.

He can't.

Because he just said that anyone who believes has passed from death to life and that doesn't come into judgment.

So the question always comes up then how does this work.

Because on a cursory reading this would look like some kind of a contradiction.

Am i saved by works or am i saved by grace.

You say that those who've done good are going to go to the resurrection of life isn't doing good of work.

Yeah of course.

So the the tiebreaker in this as i always like to point out is in the book of colossians

which makes it so clear how this works.

And this is.

This is where you can see the the in -between bits.

Colossians chapter 2.

Paul gives this admonition to the church colossi see to it that no one takes you captive by

philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental spirits of the world.

The elemental spirits of the world by the way are the commands.

Do not handle do not taste do not touch the things that have an appearance of holiness but

are powerless to actually stop the sins of the flesh.

So uh make sure that no one takes you captive by these things not according to christ.

For in him the whole fullness of the deity dwells bodily.

You have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and all authority in him.

Also you were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh

by the circumcision of christ having been buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised

with him through faith in the powerful working of god who raised him from the dead.

And you who were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh god has made you

alive together with him.

That's christ having forgiven us all of our trespasses by canceling the record of death that

stood against us with its legal demands.

This bears repeating on regular occasions.

So if you were to think of that we always know that the books are open on the day of judgment.

We all we all know this.

That being the case when the books are opened the record of debt is the section where your

sins were recorded.

Does your book contain a record of debt.

No it's not there.

He canceled the record of debt that stood against us with his legal demands.

This he set aside nailing it to the cross and so the.

So when christ talks about here in john chapter five he in one

sentence he says that whoever believes does not come into judgment has but has passed from death to

life.

And then he says on the day of the resurrection those who have done good to the resurrection of life those who've done

evil to the resurrection of the judgment.

The mechanism by which we can see the difference then is not salvation by works.

The mechanism has to do with the fact that no christian has a record of debt in their books.

The only thing recorded in a christian's book is are the good

works that they've done.

Yes mike.

Yeah.

Okay.

So you're when

the answer to your question is that there are some who receive greater rewards in heaven.

This is true.

Um and even uh even in the like book of isaiah it talks about those

in the new earth that even the least among them would become a clan and the greatest a nation.

And so the idea then is is that strata may not be the right way of putting it.

So if you were to take a look at the parable of the minus okay christ is going away you know

to receive a kingdom.

And he gives these fellows 10 minus.

And one fellow says look lord your minor produced 10 more good job good

well done good and faithful servant you will be over 10 cities.

Next guy comes up look lord your minor produced five minus more great job well done.

You'll be over five cities.

So you'll note then that when christ gives out rewards in that sense

that that your good works are rewarded.

And some people have done more than others and they are given

authorities that are greater than others in heaven.

But all are given authorities if that makes sense.

Okay.

And and the best way i can put it is is that i i wouldn't even sweat this stuff because most people uh

nowadays have such a such a poor view of what the scripture says regarding good works they're rich in good works and don't even

know it.

You know it's you know when when people seem to think well i've got to go and i got to change the world i've got to i got to

go you know dig fresh water wells and third world nations around the world.

Otherwise i'm not doing the thing that god has called me to do.

I'm not.

I'm not doing enough.

Well you're raising your kids.

Aren't you those that god told you to do that.

Those are.

You know those are your good works.

All.

Right.

Sheldon i see your hand hang on a second here you do understand that i'm nervous actually turning your

microphone on here at kong's finger.

Right.

So all right.

Let's see.

Is did it.

Did he freeze.

What.

What was that i can hear you

only because you're gonna you're gonna taunt me about how warm it is.

There.

I did the channel already.

Oh oh.

I'm glad i didn't see it.

Well it's in the chat you can go back.

And we were talking about some stuff.

Okay anyway before you were speaking on actually we were

discussing as well how how they see

because there was a question about um where they communicated with here in brazil.

So it was.

It was kind of most charismatic people that i know were in arabic.

Uh -huh.

And the large supper as well.

Right.

And this as a work but not a work that god is the one

doing.

They see it as a work that they are the ones doing.

And then some just deny what we believe in the bar supper.

Right.

So that's that was my point.

I didn't really have my hand you know.

But since you're muting me you know uh -huh.

Opportunity you could tell you how lovely the weather is here today.

I knew it i knew.

It all right enough from you.

I'm muting you absolutely wrong of you.

Okay.

So so he was pointing out the fact that uh that you know he has people who are

christians where when he talks with them about the means of grace baptism and the lord's

supper in particular that they see it as a human work.

I always point out that when you look at the promises that god makes in baptism that our sins are washed away

we're united with christ in his death and his resurrection.

Our hearts are circumcised by the hand of christ.

That it's a washing of regeneration.

I always point out that uh here in at kongsvinger um i baptize

with minnesota tap water.

And um if any of you've actually seen me baptize anybody.

Uh i have no magical abilities i i've never been to hogwarts and

uh and i just take water and i pour it on somebody's head three times and say i baptize you in the name of the father son

and holy spirit.

And when i went to seminary i was never taught how to circumcise somebody's heart.

I'm sure i would get arrested if i tried.

Um i've never been taught how to regenerate somebody.

Those are all things that god has to do.

So i always point people when people say that that the baptism looks like man's work go back

and look at the passages and ask which man can do these things.

I don't know i don't know a single man who's capable of of performing the promises that are given to christians in

baptism.

You know only god can be doing that.

So.

But good question.

Good question.

All.

Right.

So coming back then having looked at this when we look at jeremiah you're going to note this is

not a contradiction that we see in jeremiah as it relates to god saying that he

will give to every man according to his ways or according to his deeds.

And you'll note that that's the big mercy of christ.

Because the record of debt has been canceled and has been ripped out of our books and nailed to

the cross that on the day of judgment we god is going to

only give to us according to our ways

good not bad.

Every sin that you have committed has bled has bled for died for.

And it's the whole record of debt.

The entire thing has been canceled it there.

So but for those who persist in sin and unbelief you don't want to be

forgiven.

Okay let's open up that book if there's any evil in

it you're in deep kimchi and it's and it doesn't work out the way the egyptians talk about it.

So the egyptians uh they believed that.

You know you take a man's heart and put it on a scale and weigh it against a feather.

Okay.

And if the good that you've done causes it so that your your heart uh you know that the feather

will cause your heart to lift up then then you know you go on to the next the next level.

But you know and a lot of people think that's how this works regarding judgment.

Well i i'm not i'm not a saint but i've done more good in my life than

i have done evil just by confessing that you've admitted that you've done evil you you don't

want any evil in.

Your book.

But the egyptians is actually worse than what you described with the other.

It actually has.

Yeah okay yeah that's the thing is like if you if your heart is heavy because you know you feel that you've

done all these bad things then you go to hell right.

But if you feel like i'm the greatest.

Person ever.

And i'm perfect then you're fine.

Yep that's that's terrible.

Okay all right.

So coming on that i i always search the heart i test the mind.

I give to every man according to his ways according to the fruit of his deeds.

Likewise the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch.

So is he who gets riches but not by justice.

I did not know that partridges gathered broods that they didn't hatch.

I had no idea.

I i watched the partridge family for years as a kid and never saw that.

So you know sorry not even the cartoon opening.

Okay i was watching episodes

of the brady bunch that were brand new.

Okay had never.

They weren't reruns.

They were legitimately like first run.

I anyway.

So here we got a fellow who's getting riches but not by justice.

This is constantly a problem.

Breaking of the commandment.

You shall not steal.

So in the midst of his days they will leave him and at the end he will be a fool.

A glorious throne set on high.

This sounds like proverbs.

A glorious throne set on high from the beginning of its place of our sanctuary.

Oh yeah.

Yahweh 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 yahweh the fountain of the living water.

So those who fall away from god the scriptures say in the new testament that their condition is worse

than before they were christians.

So jeremiah then prays this is a good prayer.

Heal me.

Oh lord.

Oh yahweh.

And i shall be healed save me.

And i shall be saved.

For you are my praise.

And that is a great prayer.

Okay.

So one of the things we say as lutherans we say that what the gospel demands the gospel provides all right.

And when we're when we use language like that we are standing.

We're standing.

Two things in juxtaposition to each other.

So if you were to think of it this way the law demands do these

things.

And you will live.

Does the law give you any power to obey it.

No.

So there's the law yelling at you.

You will have no other gods.

And then you start trusting in your money.

And the law starts screaming at you really loud guilty guilty guilty guilty.

Right.

You've sinned.

You are an idolater.

Okay.

So the law.

Then you know the condemnation of the law comes in.

So the law says do this and you live.

And you don't do it.

And the law is just screaming at you that you haven't done it.

And you know it's if if i can give you a metaphor here if you've seen the harry potter movies like you've ever

received a howler.

Okay.

You know you know some poor kid at hogwarts gets a howler from

his parents.

And it's it's it's the screaming you know thing you just you just want to sit there and hang your head in shame

while it's scolding you in front of all of your schoolmates.

Right.

That's what the law is.

The law is a howler all.

Right.

How dare you disobey the commandment.

To have no other gods.

You are an idolater you're an idolater oh when you broke the fourth commandment oh you've decided your parents

oh you're a thief thief thief thief steal oh you're.

A liar too coveter.

You just think how do i get this thing to shut up.

Okay this is how the law is all right.

So what the law demands it does not ever provide.

I should become an auctioneer.

No.

All right all right.

So here's what the gospel does.

The gospel comes and says believe this and you will live.

But we are dead and trespasses and sins we're not capable of believing.

So what the gospel demands the gospel provides god gives you faith as a gift

and so you'll know this is a great prayer.

Heal me.

Oh lord i will be healed.

Save me and i will be saved.

Notice jeremiah and say well i'm gonna do my best here lord.

And hopefully i can save myself.

No save me lord and i'll be saved.

Heal me i'll be healed.

Behold they say to me where is the word of yahweh.

Let it come.

I have not run away from being your shepherd nor have i desired the day of sickness.

You know what came out of my lips.

It was before your face.

Be not a terror to me you you are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Let those be put to shame who persecute me but let me not be put to shame.

Let them be dismayed but let me not be dismayed.

Bring upon them the day of disaster.

Destroy them with double destruction.

Yeah.

So that says yahweh to me go and stand in the people's gate by which the kings of judah enter

and by which they go out and in all the gates of jerusalem and say hear the word of yahweh.

You kings of judah and all judah and all the inhabitants of jerusalem who enter by these gates.

Thus says yahweh take care for the sake of your lives and do not bear a burden on the

sabbath day or bring it by the gates of jerusalem.

Do not carry a burden out of your horses on the sabbath or do any work but keep the

sabbath day holy as i commanded your fathers.

Yet they did not listen or incline their ear but stiffen their neck that they might not hear and receive

instruction.

So one of the things that's going on here is that sunday morning the gates are

open and the merchants are bringing in their goods and

the beasts are carrying their loads.

This is the day off.

This is the this is the day that the lord has consecrated for the people of israel to rest

and to gather in the synagogue to hear the word of god.

Are they doing that.

No right.

So you know this is a sign that they've totally tuned out

hearing god's word altogether totally tuned it out.

But if you listen to me note the concert distinction.

If you listen to me declares yahweh bring in no burden by the gates of the city on the sabbath but keep the sabbath day

holy and do no work on it.

Then there shall enter by the gates of the city kings and princes who will sit on the throne of david riding in

chariots and on horses.

They and their officials and men of judah and the inhabitants of jerusalem in this city shall be inhabited forever.

And the people shall come from the cities of judah and the places around jerusalem from the land of benjamin from

from the hill country and from the negev bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices great

offerings and frankincense and bringing thank offerings to the house of yahweh.

But if you do not listen to me to keep the sabbath day holy and not to bear a burden and

enter by the gates of jerusalem on the sabbath day then i will kindle a fire and its gates

and it shall devour the palaces of jerusalem and shall not be quenched.

So you'll note the day of rest is the day you're supposed to be hearing the word of god.

They're not doing it.

And they're fishing or doing work or whatever.

Too busy too busy to hear your word lord.

And god says all right.

Fine.

Don't want to hear my word.

Well then i'm going to burn your palace down.

That's fine.

All right.

No.

Always consequences for sin.

Always.

So the word that came to jeremiah from yahweh arise and go down to the potter's house

and there i will let you hear my words.

Now we'll make this clear this we're not talking about that place

where td jakes is.

Okay.

Okay.

That's that's not what we're talking about.

This is in texas.

All right.

The actual potter's studio.

There i will let you hear my words.

So i went down to the potter's house and there he was working at his wheel.

It's an interesting thing if you've ever ever seen like youtube videos of guys can actually work in clay

or women who can work it's it is fascinating.

But if you've ever watched it it's kind of fascinating because there they are.

They you know they got their foot pumping on this thing that turns this table and they take this lump of clay and next thing you know

they're bringing their fingers up and they start to take shape and form.

And if they mess up have you ever seen what they do with it.

Just go.

They take that thing and they go.

They just thump it.

Right.

Yeah grab a little bit of water put it on and we're going to start all over again.

All right.

It's it's really interesting to watch.

And so i i the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand.

So he reworked it into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to do so

then the word of yahweh came to me oh house of israel can i not do with you

as this potter has done declares yahweh.

Behold like the clay in the potter's hand.

So are you in my hand.

Oh house of israel.

If at any time i declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that i will pluck up and break down

and destroy it.

And if that nation concerning which i have spoken turns from its evil.

Now here's where we're going to note that this is one of the recurring things in

scripture.

So over and again the only word that god gives that will

not come true is a word when he has decreed destruction and somebody says

i'm wrong i repent please forgive me.

It's the only and you got to know that applies to all of us because we have all been it has been decreed

that there is an everlasting eternal fire that awaits all of us.

But by faith we have trusted in christ we've repented of our sins and god

has relented of that disaster.

I always like to point out that this is the the whole sub current of the book of jonah

which is just a spectacular story.

All right.

You know if if oh man oh hang on a second here.

Um he could judge the states.

Um yeah.

Have you heard that california is thinking about uh making infanticide legal.

They can kill your child your infant up to 28 days after birth.

That's an actual piece of legislation they're looking at right now.

Oh the abortion from beginning to end is murder.

And this is this goes beyond.

This is now double murder.

This is infanticide.

So but let me let me let me let me kind of throw this into the mix.

Okay jonah now if you've ever heard a bad

sermon on jonah.

All right.

It always starts off with something to this effect.

All right.

See there's jonah and god gave him an assignment breathed into his ears his purpose and he decided to go the

other way.

And then god swallowed him up with a big fish.

And now he's given him another chance to obey him.

And so what is what is your nineveh.

You know what is the thing that god is calling you to that you're running away from.

This is always how this goes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Apparently when pastors do that their nineveh is sound doctrine.

Okay.

So it's all right.

But this whole story really legitimately hang on a second.

I'm gonna go with i'm gonna go versus jonah.

There we go.

This whole story is about god relenting of a disaster that he promised.

And the reason jonah flees is specifically because he knows that god is merciful.

All right.

The word of yahweh that came to jonah the son of amitai saying arise go to nineveh that great city call out against it

for their evil has come up before me.

Ninevites are assyrians and uh they were.

They make the nazis look like school girls.

They were so cruel uh the way they treated their their captives when they took over a city when they you know

they attacked uh the the men who fought against them.

They would they would kill them by putting their bodies on a pike.

And it was an early it was an early forebearer of crucifixion.

All right.

And they they were just horrible horrible with what they did.

And there were plenty of jews who suffered in this way.

Um and so the word of lord says go to nineveh and cry out

call out against it for the evil that has come up before me.

But jonah rose to flee for tarshish and from the presence of yahweh he went to joppa found a ship

going to tarshish.

So he paid the fare and went down into it to go to them to tarshish away from the presence of yahweh.

But yahweh hurled a great wind upon the sea.

There was a mighty tempest on the sea.

Oh look at that yahweh sends tempests.

You better let kat ker know.

And so that the ship threatened to break up.

Then the mariners were afraid and each cried out to his god.

So we got these mariners are pagans and they believe in false deities.

They hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.

But jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and laid down and was fast asleep.

That sounds like a type of shadow of christ.

If you ask me when jesus was asleep on the boat.

Um when it was on the sea.

So the captain came and said to him what do you mean.

You sleeper arise call out to your god.

Perhaps god will give a thought to us that we may not perish.

And they said to one another come let us cast lots that we may know whose account this evil has come upon us.

So they cast lots and the lot fell on jonah.

So they said to him tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us.

What's your occupation.

Where do you come from.

What is your country.

And of what people are you.

And he said to them i'm a hebrew i fear yahweh the god of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.

Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him what is this that you've done.

For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of yahweh because he had told them.

So then they said to him well what shall we do to you so that the sea may quiet down for us.

For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

And he said then pick me up and hurl me into the sea.

Then the sea will be quiet.

It will quiet down for you.

For i know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.

Nevertheless the men rode hard to get back to dry land but they could not.

For the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.

Therefore they called out to yahweh oh look at that pagan mariners now invoking the one true god.

Okay.

Oh yahweh let us not perish for this man's life and lay not on us innocent

blood for you.

Oh yahweh have done as it pleased you.

So they picked up jonah hurled him into the sea and the sea ceased from its raging.

And then the men feared yahweh exceedingly.

And they offered a sacrifice to yahweh and they made vows.

So now they are firm believers in yahweh.

Okay you kind of see where this is going.

So then jonah prayed to yahweh his god from the belly of the fish all right.

Which has just got to be the most uncomfortable and smelly thing ever.

Okay i would be throwing up and then throwing up because i'm sitting in my throw up

it would just just be a mess.

All right.

So i called out to yahweh out of my distress.

And he answered me out of the belly of sheol.

I cried.

And you heard my voice.

You cast me into the deep into the heart of the seas and the flood surrounded me.

All your waves and billows passed over me.

And then i said i'm driven away from your sight.

Yet i shall again look upon your holy temple.

The waters closed in over me to take my life.

The deep surrounded me.

Weeds were wrapped around my head.

That sounds like jesus the crown of thorns around his head.

That's kind of the point.

And jesus says that this is the sign that he will give you know the sign of jonah at the roots

of the mountains.

I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever.

Yet you brought up my life from the pit.

Oh yahweh my god.

When my life was fainting away i remembered yahweh.

And my prayer came to you into your holy temple.

Those who pay regard to vain idols they forsake their hope of steadfast love.

Listen to that those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.

You don't want you don't want to be forgiven.

You go ahead and worship those vain idols.

But i with the voice of thanksgiving i will sacrifice to you what i have vowed i will pay.

Salvation belongs to yahweh.

And then yahweh spoke to the fish and it vomited jonah up out onto the dry land.

And all the kids went.

Okay.

So jonah became fish vomit.

And now the story continues.

You know it's a pretty quick story.

So then the word of yahweh came to jonah the second time saying arise go to nineveh that great city.

Call out against it the message that i tell you.

So note if you've ever heard a pastor say that god spit jonah out at nineveh.

Nineveh is landlocked.

Okay.

The closest beach to nineveh is about the closest beach to grand forks north dakota and oslo minnesota.

There are no beaches around here.

All right.

So you'll note that now the word of the lord comes back to jonah and

jonah seems to be keen on obeying god.

Now all right.

So jonah arose went to nineveh according to the word of yahweh.

Now nineveh was an exceedingly great city.

Three days journey and breath.

And this is the days before buses.

So you know three days journey.

If you're walking.

Jonah began to go into the city going a day's journey.

And then he called out.

Yet 40 days and nineveh will be overthrown.

All right.

That's his message.

Y 'all are doomed.

God's gonna nuke you from orbit health.

It's gonna be fire and brimstone.

And you guys are gonna be toast.

And the people of nineveh believed god.

So they called for a fast.

They put on sackcloth and the greatest of them to the least.

So the word reached the king of nineveh.

He arose from his throne removed his robe covered himself with sackcloth sat in ashes.

And he issued a proclamation.

And he published throughout through nineveh by decree of the king of and his nobles.

Neither let man nor beast herd nor flock taste anything.

Let them not feed or drink water.

Let them let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and let them call out mightily to god.

Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

Who knows god may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger so that we may not

perish.

Isn't that exactly what jeremiah just said.

Yeah it's the same thing.

So when god saw what they did how they turned from their evil way god relented of the disaster that he had

said that he would do to them.

And he did not do it.

Last chapter.

But it displeased jonah.

So revival has broken out in nineveh and jonah is just upset.

Okay.

He was exceedingly angry and he prayed to yahweh and said oh yahweh is this not what i

said when i was yet in my country.

That is why i made haste to flee to tarshish.

I knew you are a gracious god merciful slow to anger abounding in steadfast

love relenting from disaster.

Therefore now oh yahweh please take my life from me for it is better for me to die than to live.

And you always said do you do well to be angry.

So the whole reason why jonah went the opposite way is because he knew god would forgive him if they relented.

And he wanted those assyrians to burn in hell.

And now that they weren't he's really angry.

No not them.

So jonah went out of the city and he sat to the east of the city.

And he made a booth that's a tent.

He made a tent for himself there he sat under it in the shade until he should see what would become of the city.

Now yahweh elohim appointed a plant made it come over jonah that it might be a shade over his head to

save him from his discomfort.

This is the days before sunscreen.

So that was really kind of god.

So jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.

But when dawn came up the next day god appointed a worm attacked the plant so that it withered.

Then the sun rose.

God appointed a scorching east wind the sun beat down on the head of jonah so that he was faint.

And he asked that he might die and said it's better for me to.

Die than to live i don't want to live anymore.

Forgiven none of us.

No okay.

God said to jonah do you do well to be angry for the plant.

And he said yeah i do well to be angry angry enough to die.

And god said you pity the plant for which you did not labor nor did you make it grow which came into

being in a night and then perished in a night and should not.

I pity nineveh that great city in which there are 120 000 persons who do not know

their right hand from their left and also much cattle.

That's the whole point of jonah is that god is having mercy on these people and

relenting of disaster.

And if god can forgive ninevites i'm pretty sure he can forgive the folks at kongsvinger right

including their pastor.

So coming back if any at any time

i declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that i will pluck up break down and destroy it and if

that nation concerning which i have spoken turns from its evil i will relent of the disaster that i

intended to do it.

And if at any time i declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that i will build and plant it and if it

does evil in my sight not listening to my voice not listening then i will relent of the

good that i intended to do it.

Now therefore says the men of judah and the inhabitants of jerusalem thus says yahweh behold i am shaping

disaster against you devising a plan against you return every one

from his evil way and amend your ways and your deeds.

But they say that is in vain.

We will follow our own plans.

And will and will everyone act according to the stubbornness of his heart.

Yeah it sounds like today.

That sounds like today.

And the thing is that i'm not talking about the world talking about churches.

So if this is taking place in actual places they call themselves christian churches now.

So here's where we're going to jump off today and so i'm going to uh end our in our

study.

Um we're going to end our study here and lord willing if i'm breathing next week then we'll do this next week.

So peace.