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March 22, 2021 2:00 am
How near or far we feel from the Lord often depends on how closely we're drawing near to Him every day. Join Skip as he shares how the Lord used Jeremiah to draw His people back to Him.
This teaching is from the series The Bible From 30,000 Feet - 2018.
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Individual churches individual congregations can can lose steam can lose the love relationship you say I don't want that to happen to us, then don't let it happen to you personally. What happens to all of y'all happens all of us and all we are is the combination of all of us.
Your heart right with the Lord. Let this speak to your heart. You you get back to that intimacy reject remaking the choice to draw new to God for stray away from today on connect with Skip Skip shares how God calls his people back to himself through the prophet Jeremiah and why it's important to cultivate intimacy in your relationship with respect. That will give you fresh insight on what Jesus resurrection pretty obvious that this world is filled with imperfect people and that's on purpose God is into restoring human beings he could make perfect people and populate heaven with perfect people, but he doesn't do that. He takes people ordained up beat up bruise by time damaged by sin, and he does a full resto job on complete restoration celebrate the joy and beauty of redemption. The morning that changed everything with high thick this DVD collection of six hope filled Easter weekend messages is our thanks to you when you get $35 or more today to help connect more people to God's word and the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.
Restoration is based on redemption and redemption is tied to resurrection to give call 800-922-1888, or get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer the book of Jeremiah as we get into the teacher would sacrifice my brain that is my skeletal structure was not hidden from you when I was made in secret, skillfully rocked in the lowest parts of the earth your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed and in your book. They were all written the days fashion for me when there was as yet none of them.
Dave is going to the womb. For an example of God's power goes to the heavens, but he does now look in the womb because God's view of personhood begins at the moment of conception solar professor in an ethics class presented this dilemma to. He said how would you advise a mother pregnant with her fifth child. Based upon the following. Her husband has had syphilis. She had tuberculosis.
The first child was born blind. The second child died the third child was born deaf.
The fourth child had tuberculosis now with this pregnancy.
The mother is considering an abortion would you advise her to have one. Most of the students agreed that this mother, this woman should have an abortion and the professor then said congratulations you just killed one of the greatest composers ever. Ludwig von Beethoven. The professor went on to say, those were the circumstances in that family all about to say this got us a plan for you and it began long before you were even born. God shows this profit when he was yet unformed. That's how God begins with this, so it's pretty exciting to know that God shows you way way before you even came into this world for sex that I said Lord God, not a great reception to God's word Lord God, behold, I cannot speak for I am a you know Jeremiah is Bobby in his 20s. The latest the Lord said to me, do not say I am a you even know he was a you don't don't begin with that. Don't dwell on that. Don't say that I am a youth for you shall go to all to whom I send you and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces know this is good for any speaker is when a speaker looks at a crowd of faces. There are what experts call yes faces and no faces, their faces to their resting faces very pleasant but there are others whose resting face.
They just look grumpy. They can't help but my resting face if I just look serious is pretty grumpy look and I'm looking out of some pretty grumpy looking dude.
Right now, but not all. Not all you all summer are yes faces some are no faces, but what would you tell a 20 something who says I'm afraid to speak well, don't be afraid at looking at their faces don't go by that because I called you, for I am with you per se to deliver use, as the Lord, do you ever notice in Scripture how God uses the very people who think they're unqualified to be used. Moses said, I can't speak. I'm a man of uncircumcised I starter God sent him to be a spokesman Isaiah when God called him, said woe is me.
I'm undone by a man of unclean lips.
I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips got the don't worry about it. I'll clean your lips. I'll give you the power.
So if I miss it here I am, send me Paul the apostle said, I am less, than the least of all the saints, and yet he recognized God called him to speak the unsearchable riches of Christ, the general principle is this God chooses the most unlikely. The weakest night, didn't. Don't look for the best or latest model and usually the people who say that I'm awesome I can't believe God is using me more God will often bypass the find the one to say I don't know if God could ever use me bingo. You're the one I've been looking for. I've had you on my mind all along even before you were born. I'll put my words in your mouth and I will be with you, says the Lord well. Jeremiah is called.
That's chapter 1 verse. The first part of the outline Jeremiah's preparation is formulated. He goes from here and he preaches for 4 to 5 decades along healthy ministry. Are you listening now be very hearsay is most important are very long ministry, but absolutely unfruitful. We would call Jeremiah's ministry unsuccessful.
Most ministry boards most mission boards would call him home. Dude you been there 40 years in the 50 years you haven't seen a single stinking convert your coming home. I can pay your wager you off the mission field. Jeremiah didn't see one person at least recorded obey him returned back to the Lord.
So was he operating in his sweet spot in his peace zone. I don't think so, but he was obedient he did what God called him to do. Jeremiah chapter 2 to chapter 45 are those proclamations I told you about, and these are the proclamations against Judah. Jeremiah reviews their backsliding somebody does it with pathos with tenderness. Look at chapter 2, verse one.
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, thus says the Lord. I remember you.
The kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal when you went after me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. He's reviewing their history. When God called them out into the wilderness of Sinai out in the desert and there they were obeying the calling of God, leaving Pharaoh being delivered to the Red Sea trusting completely in the Lord. Learning how to walk by faith learning tough to believe in water coming from Moroccan and red falling from heaven and God says, and I remember those early years and I miss them. I miss that relationship we have.
I miss that trust that you have so in the most beautiful relational terms. God is rebuking his people releasing what I miss most is you and artists in the relationship of intimacy that we have. This is similar to the church of Ephesus in the New Testament in Revelation chapter chapters the first few chapters there are seven letters to seven churches and the first letter that Jesus gets really a postcard is just a very short little few words he says to the church of Ephesus.
I have something against you. You have left your first love. You lose your first love. I hear that often misquoted you've left your first love. You don't love me the same as you did at first.
He said that to the church of Ephesus there's what's amazing about that. We believe that Paul the apostle founded the church of Ephesus in A.D. 52. In A.D. 62. 10 years later, Paul the apostle writes the letter to the Ephesians. Very tender, healthy letter. In A.D. 66. It is grown to the point where the apostle John needs to move there and pastor the church that Paul start. So we have 8052 8062 8066. In A.D. 96, John gets exiled to the island of Patmos. There he gets a vision from the Lord and right out of the chute he sends a first postcard to Ephesus, saying you have left your first love. I have that against you. Only 44 years after the church at Ephesus was founded by the apostle Paul is backslidden to a state where Jesus asked to review. Good for leaving that love relationship that should be a warning to us, church history is littered with movements and churches that go this way. They start out well.
They can even mushroom and be even bigger than they start to decline individual churches, individual congregations can can lose steam can lose the love relationship and you say I don't want that to happen to us, then don't let it happen to you personally. Because what happens to all of y'all happens all of us and so all we are is the combination of all of us. And so you keep your heart right with the Lord, you let this speak to your heart you you get back to that intimacy with Christ. Verse nine.
Therefore, I will bring charges I can see is a well. I will bring charges against you, says the Lord, and against your children's children.
I will bring charges that the legal term for him to file a lawsuit against you in court. Verse 11 has a nation changed its gods, which are not God's. But my people have changed their glory for what does not profit what he means by that is you've left that glorious relationship with the only true and living God, and you have put up altars all around Judah you're worshiping pagan gods were listening to false prophets and bad politicians you have fallen from your glory for what does not profit. Verse 12 be astonished no heavens at this and be horribly afraid. Be very desolate, says the Lord. Verse 13 for my people have committed two evils is the first. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water since the second day of hewn themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold water.
Thousands of years ago there were only two ways to get water. Number one moving water River fountain spring, a well something the bubbles up and moves, and if it's moving water like a river. They call that living water. That's where the term living comes from.
It's moving such stagnant or they would collect rainfall.
There are two basic rainfalls in the land of Israel, the early rain of the D-Day and the latter rain called the mother of Kush when it rained early in the season. In the winter and late in the winter, early spring.
In places where there was an living water.
They were collected in a cistern they would take a rock they would cut out a big hole in it. Dig deeper and dig deeper. 10 2030 4050 feet deep at a solid rocket that would maintain it. But there was a problem when digging out a cistern. Sometimes they would dig it out and they would find this fissure that is in the rock and they would know until the rain came in they collect all the water they go the next day hoping to water and is empty because the crack and let it leaks out. They were then going and try to plaster it and and and and fixing's, and sometimes are successful. Sometimes a work surface will gotta say there's two things you done wrong. You forsaken me, the fountain of living water. True refreshment and you have turned to your own passions and visions and devices to get filled up to get satisfied on your own and you discovered it doesn't work because all of those pursuits are nothing more than broken cisterns that hold no water.
You forsaken me, the fountain of living water dugout, broken cisterns that hold no water. If you forsake God or if you stop seeking God one thing will happen. You you will get thirstier and thirstier and thirsty and you will never be filled up, no matter where you seek Jesus said to the woman at the well of Samaria you could write this over every earthly pursuit drink from this water and you will thirst again if you're seeking fulfillment in a relationship Rick about water you will thirst again if you're seeking fulfillment for your life in a position, a job or career drink that water, but you will thirst again. If you look for it anywhere else other than God, you just get thirstier. I think it needs to be said on this day July 3, the eve before July 4, that we in this country what Jeremiah said to his country.
I think we could say that this country I think we live in a nation that is basically tried to rule God out of national life push got out of the public square. Don't mention God. No mention Jesus ever and don't ever pray at a public meeting or get a lawsuit filed against you. I know or pray in public schools that are not about students taking tests. They always pray in public schools of the teachers just don't know about, but you know for years I have heard people say America better watch out, or God is going to judge America. I am under the belief that got you are experiencing the judgment of God. I don't think it's future. Oh, it will be worse.
But I think we are under God's judgment. Now I develop this in our study in Roman several weeks ago, I command you listening to that because the first step or evidence that God is judging a nation is when he gives them over to what they so desperately say they want you want independence for me. You want no morality. Do what you want sleep with who you want male or female or anybody or anything. Habit.
When God gives you over to those desires is an indication that God is judging that nation. So I think it's Artie begun Arnold Toynbee who was a very renowned historian. I said that out of 22 civilizations appearing in history 19 of the 22 collapsed when they reached the present moral condition of the United States of America.
He said that a generation ago. 19 of them in his expert study on human history collapsed. You might be witnessing now. Like Jeremiah was witnessing the very collapse of our nation under the judgment of God, not try to scare you but I want to prepare you. There's hope for us. As you know chapter 3rd chapter 3 verse 14 return to backsliding children all speeded up. I promise, says the Lord, for I am married to you.
There's another relational term. I will take you one from one city to from a family and I will bring you to Zion will bring them back down to verse 22 return all backsliding children and I will hear your backs kill your backsliding 16 times in this book 16 16 the word or term backsliding or backsliding's appear you're familiar with what backs a backslider is right.
It just means to move backward. If you want to get an illustration of backsliding never try to climb up a slide on a playground. If you try to climb it and you let go of the side rails, you will your slide backwards, you will lose ground. You may try to gain ground, but you will more quickly lose ground so this is a metaphor and in the book of Jeremiah is filled with a metaphor like this. 21 different pictures of judgment and that's because I Jeremiah was a good communicator. You know he even just tell people here at he wanted people to see it, so he chose very, very vivid language for that app is another example.
Chapter 4 verse 3C were making progress. For thus says the Lord, to the men of Judah and Jerusalem break up your fallow ground of the saga are agricultural terminology and do not so among thorns, circumcise different metaphor obviously circumcise yourselves to the Lord and took away the foreskin of your hearts, you men of Judah you inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my fury come forth like fire and burn so that no one can quench it because of the evil of your doings now. Chapter 5 in chapter 6 happen to be during that reform.
I told you about member Mitch and King Josiah. The good king who heard the lock tore his robe humbled himself turn to God in sincerity. Some of the leaders did too but it was really a superficial turning as far as the general population was concerned, you know okay man the kings into this, we we better get into it to any pig can fly in a hurricane. And anybody can jump on the bandwagon and SI gathers there's a Jesus movement happen, jump on and there's a revival have okay to get Eckersley and of the King. I want him to be happy with me so I'll get all due to so was very superficial was in a national turning it all. There was no real change so chapter 6, verse 13 kind of isolates one of the problems here says because from the least of them even to the greatest of them.
Everyone is given to covetousness and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of my people slightly, saying, peace, peace when there is no peace. Then there's a couple of bad groups here. One group is politicians which I generally find this is a bad group anyway just honestly speaking very hard to find a good one. I find good godly ones very rarely there out there, but I also know God uses them.
I and I know God use them, and God sets them on thrones and brings them down, raise them up Bible says that were told pray for them anybody in elected office.
You should pray for whether you voted for them or not, whether you like them or not, whether you like their policies are not whether you agree with their tweets and were not here to pray for every single leader them is not right or wrong you so bad. Group number one politicians here to tell you why in a minute.
That group number two prophets and as suspect is politicians are preachers often time I'm very suspicious of preachers. I am one, but I'm still very very skeptical of of many of them, if not most of them and in this case you have politicians and prophets. Preachers who wanted the people of Judah to not be worried about the reports of Jeremiah saying the sky is falling, the sky is falling.
Babylon is coming. They wanted a quiet that kind of anxiety in the hearts of the people and so politicians went to form alliances with other nations, rather than trusting God recover that last week and prophets wanted to preach and feel good, happy messages.
Enter Jeremiah the prophet who brought truth and they didn't want to hear the truth, it will get him in trouble then wraps of Skip message from the series divided from 30,000 right now to Skip with the message you know you can never be out of Jesus reach no matter what you've done, no matter where you come from, no matter where you're going. He loves you and he is ready to welcome you when you come to him. That's great news that the world needs to hear, and you can help share that news, and keep these teachings coming to you through your support today. Your gift helps connect more people with the love of Jesus.
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Visit connectwithskip.com/donate to give your gift today that's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1880 coming up tomorrow by six years of God's word. Jeremiah and how it can do the same for you and for Jeremiah. Likewise, God's word motivated him on DL Moody was a preacher in Chicago a century ago.
He said I know the Bible is buyer visit inspires me something about God's work gets me.
Yours truly, many of Castle Skip visitation of connection communications changing truth ever-changing time