The consequences of Sin
Jeremiah chapter 19:1-19:13
Introduction-
This morning I would like for you to turn to Jeremiah chapter 19:1-19:13.
We are going to look at the prophet Jeremiah and what God told him to tell the people of Israel.
Jeremiah was a young prophet that watched as the chosen people of God continued to rebel against God, continued to do things that he knew would bring God’s judgment down upon them.
If you are familiar with the book of Jeremiah, in chapter 18 Jeremiah was told by God to go down to the potters house and watch him at the potter’s wheel create fine clay pots.
Jeremiah 18:2
“Go down to the potter’s house and there I will give you my message. So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot that he was shaping from the clay was marred in His hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me; O house of Israel, can I not do so with you as this potter does?”
Jeremiah had an assignment, it was a hard assignment-
Go to the people of Israel, remind them as people of God that God had the right to mold them and shape them as He saw fit, and that if they didn’t listen that judgment would come harshly to them.
I want you to see something, God is using Jeremiah to warn Israel, for their rebellion, and the consequence of judgment was coming.
Even though this is directly issued to Israel, we can apply the principal today that rebellion to God will being consequences to those that rebel.
Jeremiah chapter 19:1-19:13 read from Bible
There is something important I need you to grasp unto this morning.
This seems like a harsh, harsh way of communicating His words to the people of God.
You must take them in context to understand the harsh words, and to understand that there are some things that has not changed for us living today.
Context was that if Israel did not turn back to God that Judah and Jerusalem would be taken over by heathen nations.
He calls for the elders and leaders to hear Jeremiah warning and to listen and then repent.
He tells them that if they continue practices that are not of God , consequences will happen.
Foreign Gods, forsaking and forgetting God, idol worship, shedding of innocent blood, human sacrifices to Baal.
He even talks about eating the flesh of sons and daughters – That is harsh and unimaginable, but God is saying that the takeover of Jerusalem will be so hard and so bad that the Babylonians who had practiced cannibalism and the siege so severe that people will be doing the unimaginable.
Some say that I cannot imagine God doing such a thing or allowing such a thing to happen. God did not do it, God was warning and warning us even today that we need to repent and come back to Him.
There are 2 principals today that we need to take deep into our hearts.
One principal is that God loves you and God loves me.
There is nothing He would not do for us, it is why he sent Jesus to be our redeemer.
He loves us, He sent Jesus, by our rejection of Jesus does not mean He loves us any less, but by rejecting Jesus, we choose to move away from His love.
The nation of Israel had a choice to repent and turn back to God or face the consequences of not following God.
The second principal is that God is a Holy God-
Because He loves us, he provided away of salvation.
He offered to Israel his love as they moved toward him and consequences if they did not.
The Holiness of God is this- He cannot tolerate sin, a holy God cannot take a blind eye to sin and rebellion, it must be dealt with.
It is the character of God that does not change.
God’s love for us does not change.
God’s holiness does not change.
God cannot lie, but will do what He has said that He will do.
There is consequences for our disobedience and our actions.
We love to grasp the love of God, that He would not do anything to harm us., but we have a hard time grasping that His holiness and that sin can only be covered by Christ atonement on the cross.
I have sat with people where a loved one has died and they say that “so and so “ was not religious, did not go to church, their lives did not show any kind of relationship with God, yet…I have a peace that they are in heaven. “So and so” rejected God his/her whole life by choice, God will not force them to do something that they did not want to do.
Illustration-
I want to tell you a story about a local church. They had a pastor with a message straight from God. In fact this pastor is an ambassador who came on behalf of God with a word of warning. The words that the pastor shared were not his own, but God’s. This pastor began by illustrating how much God loved His people. The people seemed to enjoy this story of mercy and love. But the pastor was faithful to his calling and he shared a bold message that proclaims that if God’s people fail to repent, they will suffer some tragic consequences. The people were not as impressed with the word of wrath as they were the proclamation of God’s love. The people were offended and ignored warning of the coming wrath of God. Some of these people joined together and plot against the pastor and begin to ignore his message and spread lies about him. The pastor warned and they failed to repent.
This is the preacher Jeremiah and his church is the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
There are godly preachers across the globe trying to reach a rebellious people to turn them back to God before the day of judgment comes. Prophets, preachers, teachers, telling people they need to repent and the majority are not and will not listen and they go in the opposite direction.
Repent- to turn back to God
Repent- to do a 180 degree turn and change direction.
Repent- think differently
Rev. 3:19
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
You have to be sorry enough to quit what you are doing-
Jeremiah cried out to them that danger is coming, danger is coming.
Danger, bridge out- They ignored it.
You don’t think that this world is spinning out of control
C.H. Spurgeon
“A time will come when instead of feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.”
That is a wakeup call to all that walk up to these pulpits and for each of us to stay focused on the things of God.
Here is what we need to take away this morning
1. unrepented sin brings discipline
2. unrepented sin brings disgrace when believers don’t live what they profess.
3. unrepented sin brings eternal death
Sin is clearly talked about and clearly going to be dealt with. God rebukes and chasens desiring that we come back to Him.
Like the clay on the potter wheel-
We have a choice to let God take that messed up marred clay and make something out of your life.
We give him that right when we accept Christ as Lord and savior.
Sin separates us from God, when we rebel it divides us even further from God and us being in a right relationship with him.
Like Israel we are given a fair warning by God what is ahead for those that reject God’s love.
Israel took the Lord for granted.
They did not turn from their wickedness.
They created altars for idol worship of foreign gods.
And when the holy God confronted them and warned them they refused to repent and turn from their selfish ways.
Israel would never be able to stand before God and say that they did not know, and with technology today, we are not able to say we did not know.
Last thought, recap- Holy God who loves you, a God whose character does not change gives Israel a chance to repent, today on this side of the cross, He offers the same thing through His son Jesus and many will not heed his warning or accept His love.
The potter is still at the wheel of your life and desires to make something out of it. You are allowed many do-over’s, mistakes are forgiven with repentance, but things that are not allowed is rejecting him and jumping off the wheel when he is trying to do something amazing in your life.
God has patience and God has persistence
He does not throw the clay out, but will make something out of your life.
It can be painful at times, but he never gives up on you.
I know some of you throw in the towel almost daily, but will you let God finish what he has started?
Some of you are running from God and his warnings. Warning don’t last forever.
Every time I do a funeral I am reminded that time is not forever this side of heaven.
Know something about clay, if clay hardens, and it is not taken care of, it does not mold together and does not stay together. Pieces are not able to be put back together.
Our prayer as we close this morning
Lord please allow me to hear the warnings you give me and us as a church.
Help me to not become hardened and un-useable.
Mold me Lord into something you can use for your honor and glory
Lastly,
If you have never given your life over to Christ, that is the first step of salvation. Admit that you are a sinner and you not only want to acknowledge it, you want to repent of it.
You must be willing to turn away from it.
Today by choice, you make that decision to follow Jesus.
For others, today I clean out my closet , I acknowledge that there is stuff that needs to go so that your relationship might be restored with the Lord today.
Amen.
