The word of the Lord came to me [Jer. 2:1]
Last week we looked at ‘How do I know the Bible is true?’ …one of the ways is that no other religious writings profess to be inspired by God…of the five major religions in the world… Buddhism… Hinduism…Islam…Judaism…and Christianity…only Christianity claims their writings are divinely inspired…that they were received directly from God.
Here we see the proof of that…Jeremiah writes…the word of the Lord came to me…then to add emphasis to that he makes the statement…this is what the Lord says [2] leaving no doubt as to who is doing the speaking.
Only in the Bible is such a statement made…at least a dozen times Jeremiah makes that statement…no other religious cult…organization…or sect can in any of their writing state that claim…Jeremiah continues:
“I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me [Jeremiah 2:1–3]
Thus says the Lord, what injustice did your fathers find in Me that they went far from Me…they went after the worthless and became worthless themselves [Jer. 2:5]
God is telling Jeremiah that He is concerned because the people of Judah had allowed their hearts to drift apart from Him.
A little history…because Israel had forsaken God and had deviated so far from His laws God withheld His blessings from them…as a consequence Jeremiah was called to prophesy regarding God’s decision to destroy Jerusalem.
Let me say something about that…because it needs addressing…today there is no shortage of preachers prophesying God’s coming judgment on the United States because of Americans’ disobedience to God’s laws…SO, is there any truth to that?
A messianic rabbi in New Jersey writes in his book The Harbinger explaining the mystery of what’s behind 9/11, the war in Iraq, the crash of Wall Street, and much more.
That 9/11 was a warning to America regarding God’s impending judgement.
He attempts to make a comparison between the United States and the September 11 attacks to the destruction of Israel by taking two verses out of Isaiah and applying them to the 9-11 attack…problem is… these verses were about the Assyrians attacking the northern tribes of Israel…they have nothing to do with America or the world.
Back in 2015 Billy Graham’s daughter predicted God’s judgment is coming to America…her assessment was: ‘it’s going to be ugly.’
Then there was the four blood moons hoax preached by a pastor in Texas who predicted if not the end of the world at least the Second Coming, or the beginning of an apocalyptic tribulation event…nothing happened.
Just so you know the same messianic rabbi who preached a warning about 9/11 was also preaching the four blood moon hoax as well…as a Jew he obviously failed to read what God said about false prophets…but he is much richer.
Then enter Covid-19…God’s obvious judgment against America.
Just look at history regarding world pandemics:
HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC Death Toll: 36 million
FLU PANDEMIC (1918) Death Toll: 20 -50 million
THE BLACK DEATH (1346-1353) Death Toll: 75 – 200 million
BUBONIC PLAGUE (541-542) Death Toll: 25 million
That’s obviously not all of them…so, was that God’s judgment on those people as well?
If social media serves no other purpose it reveals how dumb people are… conspiracy theorists proclaiming ‘the day of reckoning has begun’ …basing their reasoning on Jesus’ statement regarding certain events that will occur before He returns…with one of those signs being pestilence…but not in this case.
The Coronavirus…9/11…four blood moons or any other thing is not the beginning of the end of the world or God’s judgment on American…here’s the importance in studying the Bible…some of these guys should try it.
I want to share with you three Greek words that dispel any attempt to tie what is happening in America or anywhere in the world to God’s judgment so you’re not taken in by these pontificators who want to scare people.
FIRST…is the Greek word judge(κρίνω) (kree’-no) that word or a derivative is used 182 times in the New Testament…there is no instance of that word or word group referring to judging nations in the Church Age.
There are no passages stating that nations are being judged by God during the period of time in which we live.
If God judges nations during the Church Age, why didn’t the New Testament writers mention it?
Stephen’s statement in Acts 7:7 regarding the judgment of nations is a quotation from the Old Testament. He was reciting Israel’s history. In several instances Jesus speaks of judging cities like Chorazin or Bethsaida (cf. Matthew 11:21–24; Luke 10; 13–14). The main subject however in each passage is illustrating the Great White Throne Judgment. Each foreshadows the future Great White Throne Judgment (cf. Revelation 20:11–15) which is explicitly directed toward individuals not nations. This judgment will take place after the Church Age.
2. The Greek word for nations (ἔθνος) (eth’-nos) in the 168 occurrences in the New Testament is never used in the context of judgment.
3. The Greek word for repentance (μετανοέω) is never used in reference to nations…no nation during the Church Age is ever called to repent—individuals are.
When Jesus called the disciples to proclaim repentance to the nations in Luke 24:47, it is clear from the parallel passage and context of Matthew 28:18–20 that nations refers to all the individuals within a nation. https://capmin.org/is-god-judging-america-today/
People take words from the Bible out of their context, and “sound bite” them giving them an entirely different meaning than when they were originally spoken…our task is to discover what the text means, and to settle for nothing less than the correct meaning so the Bible can’t just mean anything.
It’s not up to us to redefine those meanings to fit our own interpretations; it’s our task to understand what those words meant when originally uttered.
When we look around today,
…Do we see the proliferation of sin to be more abundant?
…Do the sins of people today seem to be done in a “bolder” manner?
…Do we see things occurring we never would have imagined a few years ago?
I would say ‘YES’ to all those…but it doesn’t mean God is ready to invoke his judgement or wrath on America or the world.
A cursory study of the Book of Revelation and Matthew 24 reveals the beginning of the end…here’s the key… nothing that happens in Revelation or any of the horrors spoken of in Matthew 24 occurs during the Church age…it all occurs after the Rapture.
People have this mistaken idea that somehow America is center stage for how God deals with the rest of the world…even claiming that the United States has replaced Israel as God’s chosen nation because in the past we have aligned ourselves with God, even claiming to be ‘one nation under God’…But here’s the difference.
The difference between God’s covenant with Israel and America’s relationship is just exactly that…God initiated His covenant with Israel…God chose Israel… Israel will always be God’s favorite…liked you best…America on the other hand chose to be called a nation under God. America has not replaced Israel.
Back to Jeremiah…because Israel had forsaken God and had deviated so far from His laws God withheld His blessings from them…and as a consequence Jeremiah was called to prophesy regarding God’s decision to destroy Jerusalem.
In fact, to show God’s love for Israel…a third of the Old Testament…or seventeen of the final books of the Old Testament, repeats a call for Israel to return to their worship of the One True God.
Jeremiah refreshes their memory but not in giving them a play by play account of all that God had done for them but by simply stating…He remembers them.
Is anything more pleasing to hear than to have someone come up to you and say: ‘I remember you’ …possibly because of something memorable you did in their life…here’s God telling Israel… “I remember” …the Lord never forgets his people…He remembers!
God knows who we are…where we are…and what we need…He remembers His promises…He remembers His covenant with us…even when we sometimes don’t think He does.
How can we know for sure God is thinking about us today? …there are so many people in the world, why would He be personally interested in me?
David asked the same question thousands of years ago in Psalm 8:4… ‘what is man that you are mindful of him’… it’s an amazing feeling to realize God has our name engraved on His hand [Isaiah 49:16] …that He really sees us…cares about us… and knows us by name!
The problem is never with God…it’s always with us…knowing all the things that God did for Israel, what would cause the hearts of the people to drift away from Him…with all that God did for them why would they want to separate themselves from Him?
Jeremiah gives them a history of their relationship…He starts off reminding them of the pleasant honeymoon period they at one time enjoyed ‘The devotion of your youth’, ‘Your love as a bride’.
Ever think about the time when you first came to know Jesus as your Savior… He’s reminding them of the early times when they followed the LORD.
But Jeremiah quickly turns to the inconsideration and ingratitude of the people:
5 What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went (away) from me,
What we’re seeing here is not just isolated to Israel…this is the history of religious defection in every age.
The overwhelming influence of worldly interests and concerns coupled with the lusts of our own sinful nature whereby we render ourselves worthless by not appreciating the good things of God.
They went after the worthless and became worthless themselves [5]
God is sharing His frustration with Jeremiah…for those whom I have done so much for…yet they turn away from Me…preferring other things which can do them no good.
How easily the people forgot the miracles of mercy which God had performed on their behalf:
—when after 400 years in captivity He brought them out of Egypt
—how He killed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea
—how He sent them manna from the sky, and water out of rocks
—how He guided them by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night
—how He defended them from those who messed with them
What would cause people to so easily forgot those types of blessings…the book of Jeremiah is essentially a long essay on apostasy…people falling away from God…here’s the key…Jeremiah makes mention of it…of particular interest is the evidence of the incredible power leaders have to influence people for good or for bad.
The inconsideration and ingratitude of the people was a result of those who professed to be the spiritual leadership in Judah: [2:8]
The priests quit asking, “Where is the Lord?” The experts in the law no longer knew Me, the rulers rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by (another god) and followed useless idols.
…when Divine blessings are abused
…when Sacred things are desecrated
…when those who ought to be leaders and examples are worse than those they’re trying to lead
…when those who are called to be servants of the Most High God lose sight of God’s guidance and become the greatest law-breakers
…When pastors who ought to guide and feed the flock become like the blind it ultimately affects the church
One reason people are being led astray: the power of personality…gone from the pulpit is the scholar-saint whose priority was with books and learning …whose focus was on the shepherding of the flock God entrusted to him.
This has all changed. In its place is the new “celebrity” style of pastor…tall… wide…and handsome…a leader who works by manipulating the feelings of the congregation…whose charismatic personality is more focused on enhancing his own image through personal stories about himself than preaching.
The power of someone’s personality can easily override the authority of Scripture in the church.
Here’s the danger…people become so trusting in their pastor that they can’t discern when he’s leading them astray…as a result… people change their views on issues of morality based on their pastors’ ideals.
Because of the personal relationship and trust they’ve put in him they believe him…something I pray for is that God will give our church discernment so we can unmistakably know God’s voice.
When the church…referring to people…fails to recognize God’s voice over those misguided leaders then just like with Israel…the warning from God becomes just as powerful a warning to the church as it was for ancient Israel.
In Hosea [4:1] we see the same emphasis that God placed on His leaders as in Jeremiah…there is the same scolding:
Hear the word of the LORD… because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds…bloodshed follows bloodshed.
What was the reason? You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you [5] …everything starts with the leaders…it’s because the leaders go astray that the people go astray.
When pastors and leaders of the church go astray it is usually because they have rejected the knowledge of God…here’s the consequences:
“Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; [Hosea 1:6]
Not what you want to hear from God if you’re a pastor or teacher…that is why God is especially more judgmental on preachers/teachers:
Let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment (James 3:1).
As a pastor I need to be careful to teach Scripture not from my personal beliefs …my desire and calling is to teach you what Scripture says…and if that means injecting Greek or Hebrew into my message to help you understand Scripture, I’m doing it.
So you can be aware of false teachings…like the foolishness regarding God judging America using COVID-19.
Second reason people are being led astray is because of the power of sin. People have become trapped by sin or living in a way they refuse to give up… the disappearance of guilt is a contributor to that…in reality we should feel guilty especially when we are guilty of sin but when pastors justify our actions that leads to complacency…for Christians that is a real danger.
Third reason people are being led astray is because of being preoccupied with other things.
There’s a difference between why people leave the church and why people attend church less often…why people leave the church is a whole different sermon…but…why people are less involved in church is simply because they became preoccupied with other things…as a result they fall out of the habit of going to church…they neglect the gift God has given them and their purpose as a Christian.
Fourth reason people are being led astray is because of discouragement
There’s an old story…maybe some of you have heard it…it’s about the devil having a garage sale…he’s auctioning off his tools…laziness, pride, hate, envy, and jealousy…demons came from all around to see what they could purchase to improve their shameful skill.
Some of the goods were useful but pricey…especially one old worn and tattered box priced far above all the other evil tools of the trade.
One demon asks Satan why is that old dingy box so expensive…Satan declared, “that’s the tool that I have used most often and with the greatest amount of success! That tool is called discouragement.”
When the trials of life cause a person to become discouraged, they often begin focusing on those problems and take their eyes off Christ because they don’t see any benefit in going to church.
At theother end of the spectrum is the Fifth reason that leads people astray from Church is abundance.
Americans are so fat with our own prosperity that we often make wealth our god…a recurring theme throughout the entire Bible…People struggle, God blesses them, they become prosperous, and then they depart from God.
The chances are great that you probably don’t feel like you are prosperous but the reality is that nearly all Americans are extremely blessed and have more abundance than the vast majority of the population of the planet.
If you are an American, you are most likely already a “One-Percenter” meaning you’re wealthier than 99% of the world’s population.
People of abundance often choose recreation over worship. Why go to church if you could be out golfing, boating, camping, or going to sporting events?
Satan wants us to be prosperous, because prosperity and abundance often lure people away from church.
So, we’ve come full circle…Jeremiah without necessarily saying it…has defined the root problem of Israel’s deficient relationship with God…it’s a term we use today called ‘backsliding’ …describing when we’re moving away from Christ rather than towards Him.
Thinking about your life…jobs going well…paying the bills…having a good relationship with my spouse…kids aren’t too much of a headache…and maybe if you’re younger you’re thinking…school life is good…academics are good…doing well with the opposite sex…so obviously God is blessing my life!
BUT…when everything is stripped from us can we stand in front of God with praise and assurance…even when everything in life is going South…still thank Him and proclaim…God is enough in my Life?
Jeremiah is reminding the people that the overwhelming influence of worldly interests and concerns coupled with the lusts of their own sinful nature renders them worthless by not appreciating the good things of God…then as a result:
They went after the worthless and became worthless themselves [5]