God defines Israel as a nation that was greedy for gain.
He said, [“Every one of them from the least to the greatest was greedy for gain.”] (PARAPHRASE, Jeremiah 6:13)
Does that describe the United States of America to you?
The other thing He says about them is “„They [are] Saying, “Peace, peace,” but there is no peace.‟” (Jeremiah 6:14) Does that describe America? We‟ll talk about it today.
Is it no wonder, Beloved, that God‟s eyes are seeking for truth? (See Jeremiah 5:3) Remember that‟s the theme of our study this week: The Lord‟s eyes seek for truth. We know that truth means faithfulness. It means not just speaking what is true, but it means that you live it, that it‟s part of your being. And yet, what do we see in Jeremiah in chapter 5 and in chapter 6?
We see that these are a people that are filled with wickedness, that this is a nation that has wicked people in it, and they‟re not doing anything about their wickedness. He goes on to tell what He is going to do to them. Listen, in Jeremiah chapter 6, “Thus says the LORD…„They will thoroughly glean as [a] vine the remnant of Israel….‟” (Jeremiah 6:9)
You have to stop and ask: Who‟s the “they?” Who‟s going to come through and just take this vine and strip it of all its fruit? Who‟s going to take the fruit away from the vine? Who‟s going to devour it? He‟s saying, they, this enduring ancient nation, [this nation that is going to take its shepherds, its leaders, and its people and camp around Jerusalem and lay siege to it.] (PARAPHRASE, Jeremiah 6:3)
This “people” is doing this. And it says, “To whom shall I speak and give warning….” To whom should God talk to? To whom should God warn that they may hear? And He says, “…Behold, their ears are closed….” They‟re closed. They are literally uncircumcised. [They have ears, but they cannot hear.] (PARAPRASE, Jeremiah 5:21)
He says, “…and they cannot listen….” (Jeremiah 6:10) It reminds me of Acts chapter 7. Let‟s go there for just one quick minute. It is so interesting to watch how the Old Testament sets the stage and everything, and then you see the same thing said, or referred to, in the New Testament. In Acts chapter 7, in verse 51, He says, “„You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears…always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.‟” He said, “„Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you [have] received the law as ordained by angels, and yet [you] did not keep it.‟ Now…,” it says, “…when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.” (Acts 7:51-54)
At “him” whom? At Stephen; Stephen who was a man that was full of faith and righteousness and godliness, and he‟s speaking to that perverse generation, He speaking to the religious leaders of the day, and what do they do? They stone him to death. (See Acts 7:58-60)
Just as you‟re going to see, they tried to get rid of Jeremiah. He says, “…They cannot listen.
Behold the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them….” (Jeremiah 6:10)
Is that the way the Word of the Lord is with you? I don‟t think so. Because I don‟t think you would be listening to the program if it were. I thank you so much. I thank you because I know that you‟re hungering and thirsting for righteousness. I know that Jeremiah is a hard book, and I want you to know that I believe that your heart is pure towards the Lord, and that you want to grow. And this is why you‟re with me, and this is why you‟re e-mailing me.
But could it be that God is giving us these things, Precious One, so that you and I might share them with others, so that we might get the Word out? So that we might get the message out to people that have, it says, “…they have no delight in it.” (Jeremiah 6:10) And then he says, “…I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary [of] holding it in….” He says, “…„Pour it out on the children in the street…on the gathering of young men together; for both husband and wife shall be taken, the aged and the very old.‟” (Jeremiah 6:10-11)
He‟s still talking about this nation that is going to come from the north. That is going to be God‟s rod of judgment. And this is what he‟s saying, this is what they‟re going to do. “„Their houses [will] be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together; for…,‟” God is saying, “„…I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,‟ declares the LORD…from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain….‟” (Jeremiah 6:12-13)
You see many times even poor people can be greedy for gain. They‟re poor, but their hearts, their minds, their desires are set on riches. Now many times it‟s not riches that they get by working, but riches that they want from the government. And so He says, “„…from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. They have healed the brokenness [of the daughter] of My people superficially, saying, “Peace, peace”….‟” (Jeremiah 6:13-14)
They are not turning them to the Lord. I just think about when people get on television and they‟ve sinned, and now all of television is making a big deal of it. Are they saying the truth about God? Are they saying “God is holy? God is righteous? God cannot tolerate sin?
Sin is sin.
Jesus came to break the power of sin.
” Are they saying that? Or are they just saying, “Oh, you know, it was just an issue. Every one of us, have our own issues? I just happened to get caught. I‟m glad I got caught.” No, no, no that‟s healing the brokenness of the daughter of God‟s people superficially. And you know what He says? “„…But there is no peace.‟” (Jeremiah 6:14)
I‟m telling you, listen carefully, until you deal with sin, until you recognize it, clarify it according to the Word of God, and deal with it, there‟s not gonna be any peace in your heart because you are not gonna be set free. God‟s looking for truth. “„…You [shall] know truth, and…truth [shall set] you free. …[Whosoever] commits sin [becomes] the slave of sin…[but] if the Son [shall set] you free, you [shall] be free indeed.‟” (John 8:32, 34, 36) Who is the Son? [He‟s the way, He‟s the life, He‟s the truth.] (PARAPHRASE, John 14:6) So it says, “„Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They [weren‟t]…ashamed at all….‟” (Jeremiah 6:15)
I mean, where is confession? Where is a godly sorrow? Where is repentance never to be repented again, to say, “I am cured of my sin because Jesus cures us of our sin. He breaks the power of sin?” “„…They were not…ashamed at all; they [didn‟t] even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at [that] time I [will] punish them, they [will] be cast down,‟ says the LORD.” Then he says, “Thus says the LORD….” (Jeremiah 6:15-16)
Now remember the third thing that I wanted you to see.
Number one this week: God‟s eyes seek for truth, for faithfulness.
Number two: The heart is the issue.
There‟s the heart that fears God. There‟s the heart that does not fear God. There‟s the heart that has no dread of the Lord within them that do not tremble at His presence. That is a hard, stony, uncircumcised heart. The third thing that I wanted you to see is: We come to a crossroads; we come to a crossroads, and he‟s saying, “Thus says the LORD, „Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.”‟” (Jeremiah 6:16)
So the question is:
Which way do you want to go?
Listen, you want to choose the ancient paths.
You say, “But that‟s not updated, that‟s not modern.” I don‟t care whether it modern, or updated, or anything. It‟s right. And it‟s right because God‟s ways never change. God‟s commandments, and statutes, and principles, and precepts do not alter with the culture. They do not change with the culture.
They are the ancient, endearing ways. [I have spoken and so it shall be.] (PARAPHRASE, Ezekiel 17:24) He said in Jeremiah chapter 1, “…I am watching over My Word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1:12) And His Word has not changed, the culture changes, yes, because they don‟t pay attention to the Word. And so He‟s saying, “Stand for the ancient paths.”
I mean, if you would go back, you would see that states had adultery as a breaking of the law. Homosexuality and lesbianism was not permitted. Same sex marriages? Never thought of, it was against the law. Why?
Because the laws had built into them the fear of God, the commandments of God, and divorce was a shame at one time.
So you go back and you look for the ancient ways. Abortion was removed off of the books in two short years, in New York State just by false advertising, by false marketing, by the marketing of evil.
Get the book, and read it by David Kupelian. It‟s an incredible, incredible book. Every one of us ought to read it.
So then He goes on to say this, “„…they said, “[I ] will not walk in it,”….‟” He says, “„…I set watchmen over you, saying, “Listen, to the sound of the trumpet! But they said, “We will not listen.”‟” We don‟t wanna hear. We will not listen. He says, “„Therefore hear, O nations, and know…congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth….‟” “Hear,” “listen,” it‟s a key word. “„…[For] I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their plans….‟” (Jeremiah 6:16-19)
Now the word “plans” there means “the fruit of their devices, the fruit of what they have plotted in their mind.” “„…Because they have not listened to My words…as for My law, they have rejected it also. For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba and the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable…your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.‟” (Jeremiah 6:19-20)
Hey! You‟re living this way, and you‟re still coming to church? You‟re still giving me an offering? It‟s not pleasing to Me. So what‟s He gonna do? We‟ll talk about it in just a minute.
If you listened to the news, January the 29th, the year 2009, you found that the President of the United States of America was doing everything he could to restrain his anger. He was so upset. He had just found out that 20 billion dollars had been paid in bonuses to Wall Street. Twenty billion dollars! Remember, I said that we were greedy for gain even as they were in Israel? We are greedy for gain.
You know, in “Christianity Today,” in February of 2009 they had an article, “Prosperity Gospel on Skid Row.”
And they were talking about different ministries, I‟m not gonna mention the ministry, you can get the magazine and read it yourself. But in Fort Worth, Texas a group reviewed a certain televangelist.
His 3.6 million dollar jet did not have tax-exempt status, 3.6 million dollar jet.
On top of that, the ruling came after the ministry whose 1500 acre campus includes a 6 million dollar church-owned, lake-front mansion, this man refused to release his salary to those people. Then he goes on and tells about what happens when another pastor and his wife have a big fight out in the parking lot of the church, a very famous well-known wife of this pastor.
And he talks about prophets prophesying falsely.
These are people that are pitching a prosperity gospel which is not in the Word of God. We work in 150 countries. We work in 70 languages. We take relief into a lot of these countries. We can‟t talk about it because they are Muslim countries, but I will tell you this, our people‟s lives are on the line. As you look at Israel, as you look at the United States of America, you and I need to discern between what is genuine and what is false.
And that‟s the way chapter 6 ends. He says, “„I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, that you may know and assay their way.‟
All of them are stubbornly rebellious, going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; they, all of them, are corrupt.” He says, “The bellows [are blowing] fiercely…,” He says, “…the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, but the wicked are not separated.” (Jeremiah 6:27-29)
Now as you look at this, He says, “The wicked are not separated. They are not drawn off.”
And this is what would happen in the purifying of silver. They would put it under fire, they would put it under heat so then the impurities would rise to the top, the lead, everything that‟s not silver, would rise to the top, be scraped off. But He says this is not happening. They will not release their wickedness. They will not stop. And this is what He goes on to say, “They call them rejected silver…,” I like the King James, “reprobate silver.” “…Because the LORD has rejected them.” (Jeremiah 6:30)
This is the way chapter 6 ends.
So let‟s go back, He‟s saying, “Stand at the crossroads. Choose the ancient paths.”
How many of them will choose the ancient paths? How many of them will deal with sin? Because part of the ancient path was if a man is doing this on the Sabbath, that is a sin against God, and he is to be dealt with.
[If a woman lies with another man or a man catches a woman in a field and rapes her, then he is to be put to death because he‟s taken a woman that‟s been betrothed to another man.] (PARAPHRASE, Deuteronomy 22:25-27)
I mean, this is what you do, you look at it, you discern what is evil, and then you get rid of it. You stand at the crossroads. So, now listen carefully to what He says. Verse 21, “Therefore, thus says the LORD, „Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, fathers and sons together; neighbor and friend will perish.‟” (Jeremiah 6:21)
Because you won‟t get rid of wickedness then God is saying, “I will get rid of wickedness. You won‟t do it? I will. “Thus says the LORD, „Behold, a people is coming from the north land…,‟” we told you to mark that. “„…a great nation will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.‟” And then He‟s describing His judgment, “„They seize bow and spear; they are cruel and [they] have no mercy; their voice roars like the sea…they ride on horses….‟” See Israel didn‟t have a cavalry, but this nation has a cavalry. “„… [They ride on horses,] arrayed as a man for the battle….‟”
(Jeremiah 6:22) Habakkuk describes them in the same way, but he talks about their colors. He talks about their cruelness. He talks about their ferocity. (See Habakkuk 1:6-11)
He says, “„… [They come arrayed as a…battle] against you, O daughter of Zion!‟ We have heard the report of it; our hands are limp. Anguish has seized us, pain as of a woman in childbirth. Do not go out into the field…do not walk on the road, for the enemy has a sword, terror is on every side. O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth…roll in ashes…,” he says. “…Mourn as for an only son, a lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.” And then He turns to Jeremiah and He says, “„I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, that you may know and assay their way.‟” (Jeremiah 6:23-27)
So He‟s done the same with you and me, Beloved. He‟s called you to take this Word, to take this truth, and to tell of a [God that loves them so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that they might have forgiveness of sins.] (PARAPHRASE, John 3:16)
So that they might move from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the kingdom of God, so that they might become a child of God, part of His forever family. He wants us to get that message out. But He also wants us to warn them to flee from the wrath which is to come, to warn them that just as there is a heaven, there is a hell, to go to the wicked and say, “The wickedness has to stop, and if it doesn‟t stop you will feel and experience the eternal, everlasting judgment of God.” In our churches we have to assay the people. And we have to say, “Hey! The wicked are going. We are going to practice church discipline. No, this is not going to go on.”
See the world look at us and they say, “Hey! Hey! God‟s not judging.” Don‟t listen. Listen to the Word of God. It is “…a sure word of prophecy; [under which you] do well that [you] take heed… [it is] a light that [shines] in a dark place….” (2 Peter 1:19, KJV)
Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
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