What .Rights. When We Sin? ~ Kay Arthur

Jeremiah, Part 1 (Return To Me)
Program 25 – What .Rights. When We Sin?

God said about Israel, .=What right has My beloved in My house when she has done [all] these vile deeds…?‘. (Jeremiah 11:15) Let’s translate that. If you are a child of God, this body is God’s house. Let me ask you a question, are you doing vile deeds in this house? Or do you want everything in this temple to say “glory to the Lord”? If you do, you are living according to the new covenant.

Well, Beloved, we have looked at idols in Jeremiah chapter 10. We have looked at the covenant in Jeremiah chapter 11. And I want us to continue that, and I want us to see what happens to God’s Beloved, what happens to God’s inheritance, and how it breaks His heart to do what He has to do. I pray that as we do this study on Jeremiah, that you will understand that it is the last of the last days for Israel in the land. I mean, all the prophecies from Deuteronomy are now about to come to pass in respect to what God said in Deuteronomy 28, 29, and 30, of what would happen if they did not keep His covenant. He had set before them life and death, blessing and cursing. He had told them: Choose life.] (PARAPHRASE, Deuteronomy 30:19) But instead they were choosing death.

Somehow, they thought, “As long as I keep going through the ritual, as long as I keep bringing my sacrifices, and coming to the temple, God’s not going to send me out of the land like He is saying through Jeremiah. It’s what the other prophets say. [They’re prophesying peace, peace.” But listen, Beloved, there is no peace to the wicked. ] (PARAPHRASE, Jeremiah 6:14) And you and I have to understand this. We cannot flaunt our sin in the face of God and get away with it, because we are a covenant people. Even as Israel was a covenant people under the old covenant, so you and I, as Christians, I mean true Christians, are under the new covenant.

So taking that, and putting those truths together, let’s look at Jeremiah chapter 11 where we left off in our last lesson. And this is what He says, He’s telling Jeremiah, “Don’t pray for these people.” Verse 14, .=…Nor lift…a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me…,‘. now listen, .=…because of their disaster.‘. (Jeremiah 11:14) In other words, they have refused to return.

That’s what I want you to understand. If they had returned, He wouldn’t be doing this. If they had repented, He wouldn’t have been doing this. If they had come to Him and said, “Oh Lord, heal my unfaithfulness,” He would have responded. He would have healed. But they have not. And so, listen to what He says, .=What right has My Beloved in My house…?‘. And He’s talking about the temple there in Jerusalem. .=What right has My beloved…,‘. and I love that term, My beloved, .=…in My house when she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away…your disaster, so that you can rejoice?‘. (Jeremiah 11:15)

In other words, can you sin like this, then make a sacrifice and just get away with it? I mean, it’s like right now, if you’re in a crisis can you just pay God off? Maybe give a Little bit to the church, or to a charity, and then expect God to come in with His abounding supply? Oh no, your heart has to be right. It says, .The LORD called your name…,. He called you. .…=A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form‘; with [a] noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it….. (Jeremiah 11:16)

Here you are a green tree, and He’s bringing fire on you. .…And its branches are worthless. The LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel…,. the Northern Kingdom. .…and…the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me…offering up sacrifices [for] Baal.. (Jeremiah 11:16-17) Once again there is their idolatry which we started looking at in a greater depth at the beginning of this week. Then it says this, .Moreover, the LORD made…known to me and I knew it; then You showed me their deeds.. (Jeremiah 11:18) He’s talking about their deeds. .Moreover, the LORD made it known to me and I knew it; and you showed me their deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter…I did not know that they had devised plots against me….. (Jeremiah 11:18-19) I was unaware that they were planning on taking my life. They said, .…=Let us destroy the tree with its fruit…let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name [may] be remembered no more.‘. (Jeremiah 11:19) We don’t like this prophet. Let’s get rid of him. And see Jesus talked about this.

Let’s look at Matthew chapter 24. I want you to see the parallels because they are there, and they are so apparent. But in Matthew chapter 23, Jesus in His last trip into the temple of the Lord, the one built under Herod that God is again going to destroy. And He destroys it the very same day that He destroys Solomon’s temple. It says, .=Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in [the] synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of…the righteous blood shed on [the] earth….‘. (Matthew 23:34-35)

God sent them prophet, after prophet, after prophet, but they wouldn’t listen. And now they want to get rid of Jeremiah. They want to get rid of Jeremiah because they don’t like what he is saying. And Jeremiah said, .But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously….. (Jeremiah 11:20) Now that’s what you have to remember: If you belong to God, under the new covenant, the Holy Spirit is in you. Your body is His temple. And you cannot sin and not have God judge you. It says in Hebrews 12, .=…Whom the Lord loves He… [scourgeth] every son whom He receives.‘ It is for discipline that you endure…for what Son is there whom [the] Father does not discipline?. (Hebrews 12:6-7)

So we have to understand, He’s disciplining Israel; He will discipline us. He’s disciplining these that did not listen to His Word. If you are walking in sin and yet, paying a token of obedience to the Lord, or speaking about Him, or saying, you know, “I’m a Christian,” and that, but you’re not living it. You’re just giving Him a token sacrifice. It’s not going to cover the sinful situation that you’re in. And so, then He says, .…Let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have committed my cause. Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life….. (Jeremiah 11:20-21)

Now if you go back to Jeremiah chapter 1, you know that Jeremiah is from Anathoth. It’s this small little village, so to speak, compared to Jerusalem, where priests lived. And here are these priests that are corrupt, the men of Anathoth and the others in that village, that want to put Jeremiah to death. It says, .=…do not prophesy in the name of the LORD…,‘. they are saying that to Jeremiah. .=…so that you will not die at our hand.‘. (Jeremiah 11:21) In other words, “You shut up, we don’t want to hear this message.”

Now, I want to stop. And I want to commend you for sticking with me with Jeremiah. It is not an easy message, but you’re going to see next week how important it is that you stick with it now, so that you can compete with the horses that are coming, with the trials and the tribulations and the testings that are going to come upon us and upon our nation. He says, .Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, =Behold, I am about to punish them…!‘. (Jeremiah 11:22) They are not gonna get away with what they are doing to you. And I want you to know that everyone that has persecuted you unjustly is going to be held accountable to God, Precious One.

So He says, “I am going to punish them.” .=…The young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; and a remnant will not be left to them, for I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth—the year of their punishment.‘. (Jeremiah 11:22-23) And so he turns around and he says, .Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You….. (Jeremiah 12:1)

What God has shown him is: In My righteousness, because I’m a covenant-keeping God, I am going to have to deal with this nation. I’m going to have to bring judgment on this nation. But I also want you to know, Jeremiah, that I am going to bring judgment on those individuals that treat My servants, My prophets this way. This, in a sense, brings relief to Jeremiah, but then it pushes him a little bit more as he talks with God. Now as you read this all the way down through verse 6, what you want to do is you want to color code every reference to “Jeremiah” so you know that the “I” is not God and the “You” is not the people in Judah, but it is God and Jeremiah right now.

As a matter of fact, I have written at the top in pencil, in my Bible, Jeremiah to God. He says, .…Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You: Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?. (Jeremiah 12:1) And in all the crisis that you’ve been going through in the United States, it seems like people get away with it. One of the things that just distressed me was here, a man who is an open homosexual runs for office. I can’t remember if it was a senator or a congressman, and the people elected him knowing that he was walking in disobedience to God. Or maybe false prophets were saying, “Hey, that’s not true. God’s not against homosexuality.” Listen, God’s against homosexuality; God’s against adultery and immorality. We’ll talk about it when we come back.

Do you ever think: If God is God, if He is all powerful, then why do the wicked get away with what they get away with, and not only that, but why do they prosper? There’s a whole Psalm written on that and it’s Psalm 73. And you might want to write it down, and then read it after the program.

But listen to what Jeremiah is saying to God about the wicked. .You…planted them, they have also taken root….. (Jeremiah 12:2) Now all of this goes back to Jeremiah chapter 1, because He’s talking about Jeremiah that He is going to plant, and also that He is going to uproot. And so he’s saying, “God, here are the wicked. You planted them. They grow. They even produce fruit. You are near to their lips. They are talking about you. It’s just like 2 Timothy 3, [These wicked men have a form of godliness, but they know nothing of the power thereof.] (PARAPHRASE, 2 Timothy 3:5) He says, .…You are near to their lips, but [You] are far from their mind.. (Jeremiah 12:2) They never think about you. .But You know me…LORD; You see me…You examine my heart‘s attitude toward You….. (Jeremiah 12:3) Now remember, he’s having it rough, and the wicked are at ease. He says, .…Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter…set them apart for [the] day of carnage!. (Jeremiah 12:3) Get ’em God. You know what? God says, “I’m going to.” .How long…,. he says, .…is the land to mourn and the vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, animals and birds have been snatched away….. He says, .…because men have said, =He will not see our…ending.‘. (Jeremiah 12:4) They don’t pay any attention. They think that they can be wicked and they can get away with it. But just know this, judgment begins at the house of God, but it doesn’t end there. God will judge the wicked. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 makes that very clear. (See 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

But listen to what He says. And God says to him, .=If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, [how] then…can you compete with horses? If you fall down in [the] land of peace…,‘. he says, .=…how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?‘. (Jeremiah 12:5)

I’m going to teach this to you next week because I believe it is such a critical, vital message for the days in which we are living. But He says, .=…Even your brothers and the household of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you, even they have cried aloud after you….‘. (Jeremiah 12:6) Even your own family is against you. That’s hard. .=…Do not believe them, although they…say nice things to you.‘. (Jeremiah 12:6) And then listen to what He says, .=I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned My inheritance…,‘. (Jeremiah 12:7) “My house, My inheritance, My Beloved,” we’ve heard. .=…I have given the beloved of My soul into the hands of her enemies. My inheritance has become to Me like a lion in the forest; she has roared against Me; therefore I have come I‘ve come to hate her. Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the beasts of the field, [and] bring them to devour!‘. (Jeremiah 12:7-9) I’ve had it. My righteousness, My justice demands that I judge. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 28, because I told you that I set before you life and death, and blessing and cursing. (See Deuteronomy 30:19) I want you to know that I am going to have to carry this out. I am a covenant-keeping God. You made a covenant with Me. And you said, .=…All that the LORD has [said] we will do…! [We will obey.]‘. (Exodus 19:8) You agreed that it was right.

But now listen, in Deuteronomy chapter 28, He’s saying in verse 49, .=The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you [do] not understand….‘. (Deuteronomy 28:49) He’s talking about Babylon. .=…A nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. Moreover, it [will] eat the offspring of your herd…the produce of your ground until you are destroyed, who also leaves you no grain, new wine, or oil, nor the increase of your herd or the young of your flock until they have caused you to perish. It shall besiege you in all your towns….‘. (Deuteronomy 28:50-52)

“Besiege” is a keyword. Remember He says, “The siege is coming.” .=…Until your high and fortified walls…which you [have] trusted [in] come down throughout your land…it shall besiege you in [your] all your towns throughout [the] land which the LORD your God has given you. Then you shall eat the offspring of your own body….‘. (Deuteronomy 28:52-53) And He goes on to talk about the siege and the distress. And He talks about what’s going to happen.

And then we move from there over to chapter 30, in verse 14. And listen to what He says, .=…The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. See, I have set before you life and prosperity…death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways…to keep His commandments….‘. (Deuteronomy 30:14-16) And He says, .=But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but [you were] drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you…that you [will] surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land [which] you are crossing [to] the Jordan to enter and [to] possess it.‘. (Deuteronomy 30:17-18) That is about to come to pass. And so that’s what He says, “I have done this to My people.”

He says in verse 10 of Jeremiah 12, .=Many shepherds have ruined My [land] they have trampled down My field; they have made My pleasant field a desolate wilderness. It has [become] a desolation, desolate, it mourns before Me; the whole land has been made desolate….‘.(Jeremiah 12:10-11) It’s just like He said in the covenant. It’s the result of breaking the covenant. He says, “Why does it happen?” .=…Because no man lays it to heart. On all the bare heights in the wilderness destroyers [are coming] for [the] sword of the LORD is devouring from one end of the land…to the other….‘. (Jeremiah 12:11-12) The enemy is come. The siege is started. .=…There is no peace for anyone. They have sown wheat and…reaped thorns, they have strained themselves to no profit…be ashamed of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the LORD.‘ Thus says the LORD concerning all [the]…wicked neighbors who strike at [My] inheritance….. (Jeremiah 12:12-14) All these that have come against you, with which I have endowed My inheritance that I’ve given to My people Israel. .…=Behold I am about to uproot them….‘. (Jeremiah 12:14) They’re going to be My rod of judgment, but I’m going to uproot them.

And remember, Jeremiah was to talk about this to the nations and you see this in Jeremiah 47 to 49. .…=[I] will uproot the house of Judah from among them…it will come…that after I have uprooted them, I will again have compassion on them…,‘. on those nations. .=…I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance….‘. (Jeremiah 12:14-15) There’s hope for Edom and Moab and all of these, each one to his land. .=Then if they will really learn the ways of My people…,‘. if they will learn from Israel, .=…to swear by My name, .As the LORD lives,. even as they taught My people to swear by Baal, they will be build up in the midst of My people. But if they will not listen…I will uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it,‘ declares the LORD.. (Jeremiah 11:16-17)

Precious One, do you know how holy, how righteous, how just God is? If so, you as His Beloved, are going to want everything in this temple to say, “Holy to the Lord.”