Rich Jones – 2026-05-24 Ezekiel 1:1-11

Great is Thy Faithfulness
Lamentations 3:17-33
May 9-10, 2026

Beginning in verse 17, title of our message, Great is Thy Faithfulness. Lamentations is a very short book. In fact, last week was our first message, and today is our last. It’s just a very short book. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you for your Word. We know that you send it to show us your heart, to reveal to us the way of life and blessing and honor to your name. We ask God that you’ll pour out your spirit through your Word, that you will meet us here by pouring out your spirit of life. In Jesus’ name, and everyone say, Amen.

Many believe Jeremiah wrote this book. It’s a book of lament, which is why it’s called Lamentations. Lamenting the destruction of Israel by the Babylonians. It’s a book of tears and sorrow written as poetry in acrostic form, meaning that there are 22 verses in chapters 1 and 2, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In chapter 3, there are 66, three verses per letter of the alphabet. It is written that way. Why? So that you can more easily memorize the book. Now, why is that important? Because they wanted to be sure that these tragedies would never be repeated. Learn the lessons so that it never happens again. That’s a great reason, of course. There are great lessons for us in this book.

It’s not just a historical book. It’s very much for us today, particularly in this chapter. It’s a very deep chapter, Love, chapter 3, particularly. Spiritual and nature, touching the deepest matters of life. In many ways, the capstone chapter is because it goes from the lowest point of despair to the highest mountain of hope, and the journey from one to the other is filled with very important, deep life lessons. I tell you, it’s for us today because if you’ve ever gone through something, or maybe you’re going through something now, you need these principles for the victory to show you the way through a dark tragedy, a difficulty.

There are tremendously important principles that God would give to us to bring hope, to strengthen us going through it. Now, Jeremiah begins this chapter by poetically writing as if he himself personifies the grief of all Israel. Notice how he writes, “I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of his wrath. He’s driven me and made me walk in darkness and not light.” Then for the next 18 verses, he just wave after wave of grief, verse after verse, wave after wave, and that’s the way of grief. If you’ve ever gone through a tragedy yourself, a dark night of the soul, perhaps you’ve lost a loved one, you know this is the way of grief.

It washes over you, comes in waves. Of course, it gets better in time. Still, after several years, waves of grief come over me, thinking about our daughter who was killed. Someone once asked me, “When do you get over it?” My response was, “Well, who says I want to?” She is always in my heart, and she always will be until we meet again in the presence of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Can we give God praise for that? Then, after describing waves of grief, he brings it to really the lowest point, which is verses 17 to 18, and that’s where we pick up our story because there is the turning point from that lowest point to the highest mountain of hope.

Let’s read it. We begin in verse 17, where he says, “My soul has been rejected from peace. I have forgotten happiness, so I say my strength is perished, and so is my hope for the Lord. Remember my affliction, my wandering, the wormwood, the bitterness.’ Then he says, ‘Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me.” What does he remember? Verse 21 is the beginning of the turn. Now we begin to climb. Now we begin to see hope. Now he begins to show us light. He says, “For this I recall to my mind. Therefore, I have hope that the Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease.

I. Recall This to Your Mind – and Find Hope

For His compassions, they fail not. They are new every morning. New every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. For the Lord is my portion,’ says my soul. Therefore, I have hope in Him for the Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord. It’s good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth.” We’ll see this. It’s interesting. “Let him sit alone and be silent since he has laid it on him. Let him put his mouth in the dust, perhaps there’s hope. Let him give his cheek to the smiters filled with reproach. For the Lord will not reject forever. If He’s caused grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness.”

I tell you, if you’ve ever been through or going through something now, there are very important principles, starting with this. Recall this to your mind, and then find hope. Noticed how he describes, firstly, the darkest part of the grief in verse 17. “My soul has been rejected from peace. I have forgotten happiness.” Now, I know you’ve experienced this. You’re going through something, it is anguish. You’re lying in bed. You’re just tossing this thing over and over, you can’t stop thinking about it, and it just brings anguish and anxiety. There’s no peace. Then he says, “It’s been so long since I’ve known happiness. I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”

Verse 18 is the real low point. He says, “So I say, my strength has perished, so has my hope. All hope is lost. Peace is gone. Happiness is gone. I have no strength. I have no hope. I am undone.” Then, just at the lowest point, just when the night seems the darkest, something stirs in his mind. “This I remember.” This is the key. Very important, if you’re going through this, to remember. “May your soul remember.” Notice he says, “Surely my soul remembers something is stirring. A truth is breaking through.”

A. May your soul remember

Now, verse 21, “For in this I recall to my mind.” Now, this is the breakthrough. See, the mind is where so many people are defeated. It’s how they are considering it, how they’re perceiving it, how they see the thing. The mind is where people are defeated, and the mind is where victory can break through. See, in other words, it’s not only about what happens. There’s a lot of things that happen. There are tragedies. There’s difficulties. There’s challenges. It’s not just what happens, it’s how you see it. It’s how you interpret it. It’s how you process through it in your mind that either will bring defeat or victory.

It’s about how you interpret the events, the tragedies, and the difficulties. There are many biblical examples. For example, there’s Asaph in Psalm 73. From his view, the way he saw it, it troubled him. He says that he saw the prosperity of the wicked. He says, “I was envious of the arrogant, and it bothered me.” This is how he saw it. It’s not right. This is not right. They don’t seem to be troubled like other men. They’re not plagued. They can openly defy. He said, “When I considered this, it was troublesome in my sight.” Then he says, “Until I came into the sanctuary of my God, and then I saw, then I perceived their end. Then I saw it from God’s perspective, God’s view.”

Now, one day they’re going to come to an end. One day, they’re going to have to stand and give an account of their lives. Then he says, “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good. Whom have I in heaven but you? The Lord is my strength, and the Lord is my portion. This, he says, “He is my glory.” It’s a wonderful thing. He shifted completely because he saw it differently. How do you see the thing? How do you perceive the thing? It will defeat you or give you victory if you can see it from the perspective of the Lord. For example, there’s Joseph in the Book of Genesis. He’s a young man, and God gives him this vision of grandeur that one day he’s going to arise in a great position of authority, and even his brothers would bow down to him. Wow, what a wonderful vision, he couldn’t wait to share with his brothers. They were not so excited to hear this vision, and so they decided to do something about this dreamer. One day, they had an opportunity. They seized him, threw him into a pit, and then some Midian traders who were coming by, so they sold him as a slave. Brought to Egypt, then purchased by this man Potiphar to be a slave in his house. He was an officer of Pharaoh.

Then it went from bad to worse. Then at one point, Potiphar’s wife betrays him, and then the result of that, he’s thrown into prison. Now, can you imagine what if Joseph perceived it from the view of anger and bitterness? What if he would have looked at all this and would have said, God, what is this? You give me a vision, and then what? Trouble upon trouble upon trouble? God, this isn’t right. It’s not fair, and I’m not going to follow you anymore. No. He saw it from the view of God. How you see the thing matters immensely.

How you perceive it, how you understand it. In fact, later on, of course, as we know the story, God used these very tragedies to bring about that vision, that greater purpose of his life. Later on, he, in fact, becomes one of the great ones, only Pharaoh is above him. The brothers do come to Egypt, of course, to find help from the famine. They don’t recognize him at first, but they bow down to him. Then he reveals himself. Then he says the words that give the right understanding of perspective. “Look, you meant it for evil. That’s how you saw it. You meant it for evil, God meant it for good.” God meant it for good. The way that you see the thing matters immensely.

Notice, for example, in verse 39, where he gives this perspective. Notice, he says, “Why should any living mortal or any man offer a complaint in view of his sin?” If we were honest about our sins, we would have nothing to complain about. What’s interesting is that the New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ gives a wonderful perspective on that. If we could see our sin from God’s view, we would understand what a glorious good news is this gospel, for God offers to take your sin and remove it from the pages of your heart and write it on the cross of Calvary, so that Jesus pays for your sin and pays for them in full, so that your sins can be forgiven and you can be reconciled to God. I’ll tell you what, that gives a completely different view of the thing.

B. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses never cease

From that perspective of grace, it causes your heart to be humbled, and it causes you to be very, very thankful to God for what He’s done for you with Jesus Christ. Amen. Let’s give the Lord praise right. Notice then, he says, “For this I recall to my mind. This is the key to the breakthrough.” What is it? He recalls that the Lord’s lovingkindnesses never cease. Kindness, God’s kindness, expression of his faithful love never ceases, never fails, and it never will. This he remembers. It calls to his mind. In spite of our ugly sin, in spite of our wayward hearts, his love never fails, it never has, and it never will.

See, when you remember a truth, you take hold of that truth, then it becomes yours, like I believe. Then you take hold of this truth, and you know that God is speaking a better word to your soul. God is speaking a word. Now you take hold of that word. Now that word abides upon your soul. Now it’s breaking forth. Now it’s bringing light. Now it’s bringing forth hope. Therefore, verse 21, that’s why I have hope. See, this is why I mentioned this Wednesday, but it’s important. This is why it’s so important that you and God have a history together.

See, when God has walked with you through the perils and difficulties and valleys and challenges of life, when you’ve walked together and you’ve seen God move in the troubles, you’ve seen God move in the difficulties, and He’s proven Himself to you over and over and over, then when you enter into another dark time or another valley or another tragedy, that you can then recall it to your mind. I know my God, and I know how He moves. He’s done it before, and he’ll do it again. See, this is very important. You and God have a history together.

I tell you, I’m getting old enough. I’ve walked many years on this earth, and I have seen God do it over and over and over. I can give you story after story after story. God has done it. God has saved. God has brought forth favor. God has done it over and over and over. I know he’s done it before, and every time I enter a new challenge, I say, I know He’ll do it again, and he’ll do it for you. Do you believe this? Can we give God praise for this? Right? “This I recall to my mind, verse 22 and 23, that his compassion, God’s heart of compassion, never fails. That his mercies are new every morning.”

C. His mercies are new every morning

Every morning, he’s breaking through the darkness. A light is breaking through in his soul. He remembers the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. You can begin again. God does not hold a grudge. He offers forgiveness and hope, and grace. You can begin again. Dawn is breaking upon the soul. This is such a wonderful truth that one of the greatest hymns of the church is based on Lamentations 3. Many of you will recognize one of the greatest hymns, I think, ever written for the church out of Lamentations 3. You’ll recognize it, I think.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not,

I’m not going to sing the whole thing for you.

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness,

Great is thy faithfulness,

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

Oh, it’s beautiful. You want to just declare it. You want to just sing it from your soul. Remember, never forget, call it to your mind. All that I have needed, thy hand has provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. It’s beautiful. It’s like, I recall this through my mind. When you’re going through it, recall it to your mind. Remind your soul. It’s a very important principle of even speaking to one’s own soul. Do you speak to yourself? Do you know that it’s a sign of intelligence to talk to yourself? I know. I looked this up on the internet, and it’s true.

You see examples of it. David, for example, would speak to his own soul. Why so downcast, O my soul? Why so downhearted within me? Trust in God, man. He’s speaking to his own soul. When you’re going through it, there’s anxiety in it that you can speak to it. This I recall to my mind, the compassions of the Lord do not fail. His loving-kindness never ceases. His mercies are new every morning. That hope, see there’s something beautiful about mercies new every morning. There’s something beautiful about that morning. There’s a bigger picture. This hope is not for this life only. This hope is eternal. When this life is over, there will be that bright, early, that morning that begins eternity after the darkness of this world has faded from sight. Oh, what a glorious morning. I was thinking of a story I read. Dr. Criswell, who was a pastor of a church in Dallas, wrote of a time that he was on a flight and happened to sit next to a well-known theologian. They were going to the same conference. He struck up a conversation, only to discover that the man had recently lost his son to death. He describes what happened.

He says, “My boy came home from school with a fever. At first, we thought it was one of those childhood things, but it was a very virulent form of meningitis. Doctors said that they could not save the boy, that he would die. We set up a vigil next to his bed. He said, The day came, it was the middle of the day. The little boy, whose strength was going from him and vision and brain were getting clouded, said, the middle of the day. He said, “Daddy, it’s getting dark, isn’t it?” He said to his son, “Yes, son, it’s getting dark, very dark.” He said, “Daddy, it’s time for me to go to sleep, isn’t it?” He said, “Yes, son, it’s time to go to sleep.”

He said he had a way of folding his hands under his head. He turned his head to the side, rested them on his hands. He said, “Goodnight, Daddy. I’ll see you in the morning.” He closed his eyes, stepped into heaven. The professor just looked out the window for a long time, finally turned back, and he said with tears, “I can hardly wait till the morning.” There’s something beautiful about the understanding of that bright morning. This dark world is going to fade from sight, and that glorious morning when we see him face to face and we hear those words, “Well done, well lived, my good and faithful son, enter into the joy of your master.” Amen. Amen.

II. The Lord is Your Portion

Then he gives us this pillar. Notice this next great pillar of faith in verse 24. “For the Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I have hope.” There it is again. This is why I have hope. What does he mean when he says the Lord is my portion? Well, when Israel entered the land that God promised them, they apportioned, divided the land by tribe. The larger ones got larger amounts, et cetera. The priests did not receive a portion or an inheritance. God says, “No, for the Levites, I will be your portion. I will be your inheritance. I submit to you that the Levites got the better part.”

If that is their inheritance, they have the privilege and the honor of having this great treasure that God himself would be their portion, their inheritance. It’s like what Asaph wrote in Psalm 73. “Whom have I in heaven but you?” Then he says, “Besides you, I desire nothing on this earth. You can take everything else away, but if I have God as my portion, I have everything my soul desires. He is the greatest treasure of my heart. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart. God is my portion forever.” That great treasure is God himself, and that great treasure is greater than any darkness, greater than any tragedy of life.

I was thinking of, for example, many of you know the story of Fanny Crosby, and that she was blind. Interestingly, she was not born blind. She was born with perfect sight. Something happened when she was very young, and an inflammation on her eyes, but the doctors wrongly applied a mustard poultice, and it burned her eyes, blinded her. She was blind the rest of her life. She wrote later, she says, “It seemed intended by the providence of God that I should be blind all my life, but I thank God for it. If perfect earthly sight was offered to me tomorrow, I would not accept it because something happened in her heart and in her soul. Her soul understood what many people do not understand.

In fact, she would go on to write more than 8,000 hymns and poems, some of the most powerful in the church. In her blindness, she experienced the presence of God in a beautiful and powerful way. She is the one who wrote, Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. Watching and waiting, looking above, which is a great line. She’s blind. Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love. This is my story. This is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story. What is your story?

A. Wait for the Lord for He is good

She says, “The story of my life is that God has done such a work that Jesus is mine, a foretaste of glory divine. He is my portion. God is the strength of my heart. This is my story, and this is my song. This is when my soul sings.” God has given me a song to sing. God has given me a story to tell. How about you? Notice then what comes next in verse 25. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. Notice, wait for the Lord, for He is good. What are you waiting for? You’re waiting for God to move. You’re waiting for God to answer the cry of your heart.

You’re going through something, and you pray. You cry out to God in it, and you’re waiting for God to do something, to bring an answer, to bring His favor, to open a door, do something. You’re waiting for God to move. Now, this is a great theme. We’ve seen it throughout our study of the Scriptures, waiting. Waiting, but waiting, it means to wait patiently, eagerly, but patiently. Psalm 130:5-6, “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word I do hope, for my soul waits for the Lord more than the watchman waits for the morning.” What a picture is that? You can imagine the watchman. He’s got the night watch, the most difficult watch, the darkest of the night.

Oh, how he waits and longs for the light of the morning to come. It’s like that. Oh, I’m waiting and waiting. With eagerness, I’m waiting. God, I know that you’ve done it before, and I know you’ll do it again, but I wait, and I wait for the Lord patiently. Psalm 27, “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage.” Yes, wait for the Lord. Don’t be impatient. If you look to God to be your help in time of trouble, then wait for it. Do not move until you have waited for the Lord and He shows you the way. Wait, don’t move. Notice this in verse 25, seek the Lord while you wait.

B. Seek the Lord while you wait

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. See, in other words, you’re not just waiting in idleness. No, while you’re waiting, you’re seeking Him in the waiting. This is a very, very important principle of life. I cannot emphasize it enough. You’re waiting, you’re waiting, you’re praying, you want God to move, but while you’re waiting, you seek Him in the waiting. For there, something’s happening in the waiting. You are renewing your heart. You’re renewing your soul. You’re drawing nearer and nearer. While you’re waiting, you’re abiding in the glory. You’re abiding in the nearness of God.

This is what it means to seek the Lord. Something happens when you’re seeking the Lord. When you’re abiding in the nearness of God, something happens in your soul. While you’re waiting, God is building something. God is renewing something. God is showing you something. God is preparing you for something. If you seek the Lord in the waiting, it will keep you in peace. Oh, how easy it is to have anxiety, but it will keep you in peace if you wait and seek the Lord in the waiting. Isaiah 26:3-4. Notice the steadfast of mind. Here it is again. The steadfast of mind you will keep in perfect peace because He trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord we have an everlasting rock. This is what you then recall to your mind. You speak these words to your heart. You begin to speak words of hope and strength and peace. Begins to hold firm and guard your heart and your mind. It’s like Philippians 4:7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, with thanksgiving, bring this request to the Lord, and then the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension.” People will look at you and say, this peace that you have is amazing. This peace is right. “Is beyond comprehension, and it will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.”

Notice what he means in the next few verses, starting in verse 26. “It’s good to wait silently for the salvation of the Lord. You’re waiting. It’s good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and be silent since He has laid it on him.” Now, I love verse 27 because it speaks a great truth, a very deep truth. If a person can learn this when they are young, they will have a tremendous understanding of life. It’s this, learn to endure well. Waiting with hope, knowing, recalling to your mind that His mercies are new every morning, that His compassions never fail. Learn to endure well.

Wait. Don’t be impatient. Don’t get agitated in your heart. Don’t complain. Don’t get angry. Don’t let your heart become bitter because it’s taking longer than you thought that it should. In other words, wait with a good heart. Wait. Endure well, waiting and seeking and recalling to your mind these great truths. As I was preparing this message, I felt like God wanted me to say to anyone who’s going through perhaps a troubled marriage, don’t give up. Learn to be patient. Endure well while you wait for God to move, but seek God in the waiting. If you seek God in the waiting, something’s going to happen in your heart and in your soul.

I tell you what, if God moves on your soul, God’s got something to work with. God can do great things. I’ve seen Him do it in many, many marriages. I’ve seen Him do it in many, many lives. He’s done it before, and He will do it again. Seek the Lord, do not give up. Weeping may last for a night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. If there’s grief, He says, “Ah, He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness. Wait for His mercies are new every morning.” Then the grand conclusion in verses 40 and 41. “Let us examine our hearts, probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord. We lift up our hearts. We lift up our hands toward God of Heaven.”

That’s an expression of revival. That’s an expression of returning to the Lord. It’s like Lamentations 5:21, the great capstone of it all, “Restore us to you, O Lord, to you, and then we will be restored. Renew our days as of old.” This is revival. You lift up your heart, you lift up your hands, and you return. There is where hope is found. There is where life is found. God will renew, God will rebuild, God will restore. This is what God does. He’s done it before, and He will do it again. Lord, we love you and thank you for wonderful truths such as these.

God, I want to pray for anyone here today going through it, that you would show them great truths that they could recall to their mind and therefore have hope. Church, as we’re praying, if that’s you, you’re going through something today, would you say to the Lord, I will wait. I believe that you will move. You’ve done it before, and I know you’ll do it again. I will wait, but while I wait, I seek more of you. I want more of you. Restore my soul first. Do a work on my soul. God, I seek you for this thing, whatever this thing is. I trust it to you. I will wait. I will wait for you to move, but I will seek you while I wait so that you will do a great work on my soul. Rebuild, restore, renew, and do this in me.

Is that your heart? Would you just raise your hand to the Lord as an expression of that prayer? God, I will wait, and while I wait, I will seek your face. I will believe that your mercies are new every morning. You have done it before, and I know you’ll do it again. Lord, thank you for everyone who’s lifted their hands to say, God, we believe. We will seek your face. We will return to you with all our hearts, and we will remember such great truths as these. The Lord’s loving kindness never fails. His mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy Faithfulness. We give you glory and honor for it all in Jesus’ name. Everyone say, “Amen, and amen.” Let’s give the Lord praise.

God Restores the Soul
Lamentations 1:10-20
May 2-3, 2026

Open your Bibles to Lamentations if you would. Lamentations, if you don’t know where that is, go to Jeremiah, turn right. It’s a very small book. The title of our message is God Restores the Soul. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together. Lord, we are so thankful for your Word. We know that you show us the way of life. Show us the way of blessing and honor to your name. We open our heart and just say, God, pour out your Spirit of life and meet us here in this place. We ask in Jesus’ powerful name.

Most Bible scholars believe that it was Jeremiah who wrote Lamentations. It doesn’t say that in the book, but he was known as the Weeping Prophet. This certainly is a book of weeping and tears. It is a lament, which is why it’s called Lamentations. It is a sorrowful response to the destruction of Israel at the hands of the Babylonians. Interestingly, whenever we go to Israel, we go outside of Jerusalem. There is a garden. There’s a tomb. At the end of the garden, there is a viewpoint, an overlook. There, you can see this cliff.

In the cliff face, the way the rocks are formed in such that when the sun comes over around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, it casts a shadow upon that cliff. What it reveals is the image of a skull, which is why it’s called Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, also known as Calvary. At the base of this mountain or hill is a grotto, a cave, and it’s called Jeremiah’s Grotto. Many believe that this is the place there where Jeremiah would have written the scroll of weeping.

How fitting that the very place that the Messiah and Redeemer of Israel would give his life as a ransom for these people and for the sins of the world would be the very place where Jeremiah would not only weep for the destruction of Israel but write words that would encourage and speak of the restoring of the soul. Now, it’s a very short book. It’s only five chapters, each chapter written in an acrostic form. What does that mean? It means, notice, for example, that Chapter 1 has 22 verses. Chapter 2 has 22 verses.

It means that every verse starts with the next corresponding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 letters. All five books are the same in that way, except for Chapter 3, which has 66 verses, three verses per letter. Now, you might say, “Why would he write using this form of writing?” Answer, so that all those who follow after could more easily memorize the book. It is a memorizing tool. You might say, “Why would anyone want to memorize something so sad?” That’s a very good question.

The answer is, so that anyone who reads these words takes them to heart, which is what you do when you memorize, that they would learn the lessons contained in it. There are very important spiritual life lessons in the book. These things were written that we would learn from their example. In fact, that’s exactly what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10, where he says it this way, “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all drank from the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from the spiritual rock which followed them,” interesting, “and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not well pleased.”

Now, these things happened as examples for us so that we would not crave evil things as also they crave. These things are written that we would understand the spiritual lessons and learn from them for our lives. Jeremiah here recounts what led to this unmitigated disaster. He writes it as a lament with great sadness that he looks back and thinks the place where God’s glory was so magnificent, and indeed, the temple was like a wonder of the world in those days. Words cannot describe the splendor, the glory of what Jerusalem contained, and now it’s all in ruins.

What led to that unmitigated disaster is a spiritual life lesson because the same spiritual battle, and really, I want you to see that it has been a spiritual battle behind what happened to Israel in those days, and that there is a spiritual battle that is happening today in which we live. There is a tremendous spiritual battle that’s happening in the world, and it’s a battle for souls, and it’s very, very much alive today that we must take note for our lives. Amen? That which brought disaster on Israel can bring disaster on anyone who does not heed the life lessons from the book.

Now, having said that, in the recounting of the downfall of Israel, at the same time, he holds out hope. God is the great restorer. He is the one restoring. We already read in Jeremiah, he prophesied, Israel will be restored. It’s also important to take hold of and see that it’s applied to our lives today. God is restoring souls today. That’s the point. That’s why he wanted them to memorize these verses. There are deep spiritual lessons in store for us in these chapters. For it’s in these chapters we read that God’s mercies are new every morning.

It’s in the book. That great is Thy faithfulness. It’s in the book. God’s mercies, I tell you, anyone who’s ever messed up their lives should take great hope in that great truth that God’s mercies are new every morning, that God will never give up, and that His heart is to restore. He is the great restorer. All right. We’re going to be in Lamentations 1. We’re going to do something just a little bit different. Many of you know by now that we typically do this on Wednesday. We are reading through the same chapters, verse by verse by verse.

We might do one, two, three, four chapters, however many we do. Then we take a section from it and then dive deeply into those verses over the weekend services. Here’s what I want to do, something a little different. I want to lift from this chapter certain verses that bring out this great theme that God is the restorer. Notice, for example, beginning in verse 10, God restores what the enemy has stolen. Verse 10, “The adversary,” the enemy, “stretched out his hand over all her precious things.” In other words, to steal, to take.

I. God Restores What the Enemy has Stolen

The enemy came even into the very sanctuary of their God and took the precious holy things that were meant for worship. It was a great, great tragedy: stolen. The very things of God, the enemy, the adversary, stole them. Notice, “As she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, the ones whom you commanded that they should not enter into your congregation.” He’s speaking here about the great tragedy of what was stolen, but it’s also implicated in the spiritual sins. There is a spiritual battle, and the enemy is a thief.

Notice, for example, what Jesus said in John 10:10. “The thief,” the adversary, your enemy, “comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that you would have life and life to the full.” In other words, the enemy is a thief. He means to steal and rob and, of course, kill and to destroy. The scheme of the enemy is to steal the precious things of God from your life. If he can rob you of the treasures of God’s glory, God’s joy, God’s peace from you, then you will become lost and lonely. Then he offers that which will poison the soul.

A. Sin is costly

The life lessons are very, very much for us to take hold of today. Starting with this, notice in verse 11 that sin is costly. It says in verse 11, “All her people grown seeking bread,” just bread. “They have given their precious things for food.” At first, their precious things were stolen, but then they came to the point when they had to give up the rest of their precious things just to have bread. Now, sin is costly. One of the reasons that sin is so costly is because sin distorts the mind. It clouds the judgment.

The wisdom which ought to guide your decisions is clouded by this sin that is distorting the mind, distorting the soul. The lack of wisdom and the cloud that comes because of this poor judgment affects every area of life, even financial decisions clouded by that sin. Now, no doubt you’ve heard the expression, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” That’s not in the Bible, but it is an expression that speaks of the value of wisdom, and that the one who is foolish makes foolish financial decisions.

The cloud of sin affects the judgment and the wisdom, and every aspect of life is impacted by it. Perhaps you’ve heard this expression also, “Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay.” Now, if the enemy has robbed you of any good thing, it’s important to hear a great truth. God speaks a better word. He is the great restorer. Notice Joel 2:25, “I will make up to you for the years that the locusts have eaten. You will have plenty to eat. You will be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord, your God.”

There are many people who can relate to the loss from all that the locusts have eaten. Marriages, how many marriages are on the rocks? How many are hurting because of this very thing? Families in despair, troubles at work, financial devastation. Yet the word for Israel was that God is the great restorer, the one who can restore. In other words, you can rebuild your life, but this time rebuild it on a rock, build it on the foundation, build it on the rock, and that rock is Jesus Christ. God is the great restorer.

Build it right this time on the rock of Jesus Christ. Lamentations 5:21 is like the capstone of this book. Notice the theme of it, “Restore us to you, O Lord, and that we may be restored. Renew our days as of old.” Notice, it’s to you that we’re restored, not just the things, it’s you. Restore us to you, O Lord. See, God builds, God edifies, God strengthens. If the enemy has stolen precious things from your life, your marriage, your children, your joy, or your purity, hear this today: God is the great restorer. He does not leave you in ashes. He rebuilds, He redeems, He restores what the enemy has stolen, for that is who He is, and that is what God does, and He’s still doing it today. Amen. Can we give God praise and glory for that?

B. Sin is heavy

Not only is sin costly, notice verse 14, sin is heavy. “The yoke of my transgressions is bound or tied up. By His hand they are knitted together, and they have come upon my neck.” Now, that’s an image that we can get, we can understand. It’s a heavy weight weighted upon the shoulders. Israel felt the full weight of their sin. Yes, it was costly, but it was a heavy burden laid upon their shoulders. Here’s where many can add their own testimony. I tell you, if you’ve ever gone after the world and made a mess of your life, you can add your own testimony.

You know it is a heavy, heavy weight. It is a burden upon your life and upon your soul. Now, that would be a tragedy if that were the end of the story, but that is not the end of the story. God speaks a better word. God sent His Son to take the weight of that sin, of that burden upon Himself. Probably the capstone verse of that has to be Matthew 11:28-30, where the Lord said, “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

A great theme of the heart of the Lord, rest. “Take my yoke upon you, learn from me, for I am gentle and humble and hard, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy, my burden is light.” See, Jesus carries your burden. He took the weight of your sin, paid for them in full when he died on the cross in your place. Now, this is so important to understand because people still today feel that they must somehow punish themselves for their sin, for their mistakes.

This is a very common way that people think that somehow they must punish themselves, and they often do it quite harshly. I was thinking of an illustration. There was a movie in the ’80s called The Mission that powerfully captured the wrongful way that people think of their burdens. The movie took place in South America, and it was about a slave trader by the name of Rodrigo Mendoza, who was cold-hearted. Now, I suppose you gotta be pretty cold-hearted to be a slave trader.

One day, he finds his brother in bed with his fiancée and flies into a rage and kills his brother, but it causes him to fall into a great despair. This that he has done, it’s just a grief and a weight. He’s carrying, he carry this weight of this grief of what he did. He goes to the Jesuit priest, Father Gabriel, who tells him that he must do penance. Now, penance is the punishing of oneself to pay for the wrong that you did. His penance, says the priest, was to fill a net with his armor and his weapons, tie them to himself with a rope, and then drag them up the mighty Iguazu Falls, which is tremendously difficult, great falls.

This is what he does. He gets in there, he puts his armor, his weapons in the net, ties them about his waist, and begins the arduous, difficult, exhausting climb. One step after the other, rock upon rock, the Jewish brothers are with him to make sure he, with all effort, gets there. By sheer effort, he’s getting slowly, slowly. Finally, exhaustion just takes hold of him, and he just collapses in sheer exhaustion. That’s when one of the Jesuit brothers, who can’t take it anymore, can’t watch this anymore, takes a knife and cuts the rope, and the whole thing comes crashing down to the bottom.

That ought to have been the highlight right there of the movie. The orchestra should have been swelling in grandeur. They should have let me direct this movie. I would have made it way better, because that should have been the highlight right there. Because if that would have been the grand moment, he cut the rope, the whole thing came crashing down. Free, cut free, that should be the grand finale. No, what happened was, he looked at the Jesuit brother with anger, climbed all the way down, tied the rope again, and started over again.

Sometimes people do this today. They don’t understand the mercy of God. Sometimes, when somebody does something really stupid, I know you’re not supposed to say that, but you can understand. Like, how many people have done something really stupid? Don’t raise your hand. I know, I don’t need you to raise, because I know everybody gets it. If you do something really stupid, you feel shame. You feel terrible for what you did. People start to punish themselves, oftentimes, very harshly.

In so doing, they’re missing out on the heart of God. They’re missing out on the mercy of God. Because here is the glorious good news: if you run to the mercy of the Lord, if you run to the tower of the Lord, he will take the burden of that shame, he will take the weight of that sin, and he will carry the weight of it on Himself. He will carry that and take your place. I give to you Isaiah 53, perhaps one of the greatest chapters in the Old Testament that points so clearly to Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53 says it in this way, “Surely our griefs he himself bore, our sorrows he carried. He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities, the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed. The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him.”

Those are some glorious verses that speak to what Jesus did for us when he carried the burden of our shame and the weight of our sin upon himself. That is the glorious good news. You can bring your burden to Jesus. He will carry what you cannot carry, and He will exchange the heavy yoke of your sin for the easy yoke of grace. That is the good news that God gives to the world today.

C. Sin weakens

Then we see this also in verse 14, the second part. Not only is sin costly, not only is sin heavy, but sin weakens. Notice, He has made my strength to fail. The Lord has given me into the hands of those against whom I am not able to stand. Sin weakens. Israel felt it. Their wayward hearts made the nation weak, something we ought to take very careful note of ourselves today. It’s not only true nationally, it’s true personally. Sin weakens. It drains your spiritual vitality.

Maybe a way to see it is this: it’s like pulling the plug out from the bottom, and the spiritual life just drains from your soul. That’s the picture we can get. Sin, it just drains your spiritual vitality, just draining right from you. That’s what sin does. It weakens the soul, but then God speaks a better word. God is the great restorer. With God restores, He strengthens. He strengthens the soul within. He strengthens the inner man. Spiritual strength increases as you draw nearer and nearer to the Lord, and He fills you with spiritual life.

You’re not being drained. Sin drains you, but the Spirit fills you. Be ye filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God. He pours out life. He pours glory. He adds and adds and adds, and you increase and increase and increase. God wants you to increase in strength so that you can have victory over that which comes against you. Is it possible to be victorious today? Absolutely, it’s possible by the strengthening of the soul in the inner man.

Now, perhaps one of the best expressions of this David wrote in 2 Samuel 22. If anyone understood how to take faith and put it into real life, it surely was David when he wrote this, for example, “It is by my God that I can run upon a troop, by my God, I can leap over a wall. He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and sets me on high feet, like hinds’ feet, and sets me on high places. He trains my hands for war so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your help makes me great.”

Many people would look at David and say, “Oh, the great one, David the great captain.” David would say, “Oh, no, it is God’s strength. God is the strength of my life. God has been my confidence since my youth. He is God’s help makes me great.” Physical strength is one thing, definitely helpful, but spiritual strength is even greater. The strength that abides in the inner man then comes forth in what you speak and how you live and what you do. The mouth speaks from that which fills the heart, the Lord Jesus says.

Whatever fills you are added unto, from that is how you live and how you speak and how you move. One of the great examples of that would be David himself. Later on in his history, his own son, Amsalem, conspired against him. The conspiracy was great that Absalom had an army with him and was intent on bringing that army to bear against Jerusalem, David’s precious city. David, wanting to spare his city from the theater of war, fled the city with his special forces and a few along with him.

As David is leaving the city, there is a man walking along on the other side of the gully, taking pace with David, throwing rocks at David and hurling insults and cusses. “Get out, you bloodthirsty, you deserve everything you’ve got.” He’s got a grudge; he’s been carrying a grudge. He’s just hurling rocks and insults and cusses at David. David’s general next to him said, “Shall I dispatch him?” David says, “No, let him curse. Perhaps God will hear. Let him curse. Let it go.” Then later, the story unfolds that the issue with Absalom is settled.

Absalom dies, as you know the story. Then David, who had gone to the other side of the Jordan, is now coming back to be restored to his rightful place as king. As he’s coming back over the Jordan, that man, the same man, Shimei, comes out to meet David, falls down before him and says to him, “I was wrong, sir. I was wrong, please. Please forgive. I was wrong.” David’s general next to him said, “Shall I dispatch him?” David responded, “There’s been enough dying today. Go in peace, my friend. Go in peace.”

Speaking out of a character, that spiritual strength, I tell you, is greater even than physical strength. God will give you the strength when you need it. I think of the example of Corrie Ten Boom. Many of you know her story. At one point, she asked her father if she would have strength to face the trouble if they were arrested. As you know, they were helping Jews to escape Nazis. Her father responded, when you need the strength, God will give it to you. God will meet you in that moment and give you strength when you need it.

I think of Psalm 73:26. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and God is my portion forever.” That is the great theme, actually, of Lamentations. God is the strength of my heart. Then notice this: how in verse 18, he sets down an anchor right in the middle of the chapter. The Lord is righteous. It is a wonderful declaration right in the middle of the chapter. The Lord is righteous. I am the one who rebelled against His command. Now this is a foundation of faith.

II. The Lord is Righteous

The Lord moves according to His righteousness, according to His character of holiness. Stand on that truth. You can depend on that truth. You can believe in that truth. It is to be applied to your life. In other words, everything God does, even His discipline, flows from His righteous, loving nature. Because He is righteous and all that He does is righteous, He desires to do a deep work of righteousness in your soul and mine. This is the great restoring. God will build something glorious and beautiful by His righteousness.

A. Holiness is beautiful on the soul

In other words, holiness is beautiful on the soul. Notice verse 16, for these things I weep. My eye overflows with water because the comforter who restores my soul seems far from me. He knows that it is God who is the restorer, the comforter. It seems far, but He knows the promises are there. Jerusalem is weeping because she has lost the beauty of her holiness. The enemy has prevailed, and the city is empty and desolate. It’s a picture of the souls of those who are now empty because of that.

Jeremiah declares boldly, the Lord is righteous in all that He does. God is righteous. It’s as though you’re saying, “You were right, God. You were right.” He then does this building work of restoring. By His righteousness, He does a righteous work upon the soul. Holiness is beautiful upon the soul. This is a transforming power, not just a theological truth. He is transforming us by this great truth. I tell you, many do not grasp the depth of this great truth. Dive deep into this with me, and it will transform who you understand yourself to be.

When God calls people to be righteous from holiness, He’s calling them to live according to that which fills their soul. Notice, for example, 1st Peter 1. He writes it in the New Testament similarly. “Do not be conformed to the former lusts, which were yours in ignorance, but be like the Holy One who called you. Be holy yourselves in your behavior, because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.” When God calls you to be holy, He’s calling you to something beautiful.

Holiness is beautiful. This is what many people do not understand. Holiness is beautiful upon the soul. Now, what is holiness? I used to teach a class sometime ago called What a Christian Believes. Part of that class was on the nature of God. What is God’s nature? As part of that, of course, we would say God is holy. I would ask, so what is holiness? Can you define holiness? Invariably, they would define holiness by comparing it to sin.

I would say we ought to be able to define holiness outside of comparing it to sin, because holiness has been around a lot longer than sin. How do we define it? What is holiness? Answer: Holiness is all that God’s nature and character is also. Every aspect of God’s nature is an aspect of His holiness. I submit that everything God is is beautiful on the soul. For example, God is love. This is who He is. This is an aspect of God’s nature.

God is love, but it’s an aspect of His holiness so that when He moves according to His love, He’s moving according to His holiness. Then, when He pours that in you, He gives that bearing to you. He pours His spirit, and the very presence of the living God is love, so that you then move according to God’s holiness by that same love. God is love. God is patient. Oh, we are so thankful for the patience of God. It is an aspect of His holiness.

He gives that unto you so that when it abides on your soul, then you are transformed by it so that you then move in a new holy patience. It’s beautiful. God is gracious. We’re very, very thankful for the grace of God on our lives. He gives that to you so that you abide in that same aspect of holiness, and that when you give grace, it’s an aspect of holiness. God’s holiness moving upon you, that you then move upon others with. God is forgiving. Oh, how thankful we are that God forgives.

Not only that you would be forgiven, but that the abiding of God’s presence is such that you move in it yourself, you become forgiving. It is an aspect of God’s holiness at work in you that you become forgiving, also because it is God at work. The more God fills your soul, the more your soul is made beautiful by that glory. Holiness and that which is beautiful is something you receive. He pours it in. As He fills the inner man, He is increasing by His glory and by His presence.

B. God overturns the heart

Therefore, the righteousness of God comes forth out of all those who are being restored. Then we see this also notice in verse 20, an important part of God’s restoring is verse 20. God overturns then the heart. What needs to be overturned, He will overturn it. Notice verse 20. “See, Lord, I am in distress. My spirit is greatly troubled. My heart is overturned within me.” This is a good thing. The Hebrew word overturned literally means turned over. It’s a good thing.

The heart is convicted and grieved and turned upside down. Now, whenever I think about this, I think of that day that Jesus came into Jerusalem, on that day we call the triumphant entry. He entered the temple, and there He saw money changers and those selling doves. These were taking advantage of the people who had come to worship, and they’re standing in the way. These money changers, these selling doves are taking advantage, and they’re standing in the way of those who want to honor God.

Jesus sees this, and He’s filled with a righteous indignation. He takes hold of these tables, and he overturns them. He just throws them, and doves are flying, money is flying. “Get out,” He says. “This is my father’s house. It is to be called a house of prayer, and you are making it a den of robbers.” See, in other words, if there’s anything standing in the way of God’s glory, if there’s anything that needs to be overturned, God in His great love is going to overturn it.

It’s good. It’s wonderful because it’s part of the restoring. If it’s in the way, if it’s standing in the way of what God would do in the great restoring, then the heart of revival says, “Do it, turn it over, God. If there’s something in my life that needs to be overturned, overturn it.” Interestingly, the next verse says, “Then the blind and the lame came to Him, and He healed them.” That’s so beautiful. He’ll overturn what needs to be overturned, and He’ll heal what needs to be healed.

He’ll do what needs to be done to restore because that is the heart of God. If the enemy has stolen, the enemy has deceived, the enemy has destroyed, then the great restorer comes and will rebuild, renew, revive, strengthen the soul of the inner man so that if there’s anything standing in the way, the heart of revival says, “Get rid of it. I want nothing to stand in the way of what God is doing in my life.” God, if there’s something needs to be healed, heal it. Restore, renew, rebuild, revive. Do it, God, do it in us today.

Amen. Let’s pray. Lord, we are so, so thankful. Your heart is revealed so beautifully in these words that you restore what the enemy has stolen, what is broken, the weight of sin is carried, the righteousness of God poured out. Lord, do it, do it in us today. Church, how many would say that to the Lord? If there’s anything standing in the way of what you would do in my life, God, overturn what needs to be overturned, heal what needs to be healed, and restore my soul to you.

Would you just raise your hand if that’s your prayer, your desire? You’d ask God to do this in you. Would you just raise your hand as an expression of it? God, do this in me, restore, fill, rebuild. Pour out your spirit of life. I want the revival that comes by the infilling of the Holy Spirit in my life. God, we love you and honor you and thank you. In Jesus’ name, and everyone say, amen. Let’s give the Lord praise and glory, amen.

 

Turn Your Heart Toward Home
Jeremiah 50:1-10
April 25-26, 2026 

Open your Bibles to the Book of Jeremiah 50, beginning at verse 1. This is our last of the Jeremiah messages. The title of our message is Turn Your Heart Toward Home. In many ways, it’s the grand finale. We, of course, have been in Jeremiah for a while. At our Wednesday service, we go through verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Then at the weekend services, we dive into some section from it in a deeper way. We’re just going through the entire Bible this way. We’ll just continue right on through. When we’re done, we’ll do it again. This is our fourth time through the entire Word of God.

Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together. Lord, we are so thankful that You send Your Word to reveal Your heart, to bless our lives, to show us the way of greatest blessing and life. Meet us here by Your Holy Spirit. Pour out Your Spirit of life through Your Word, we pray in Jesus’ name. Everyone said amen.

All right, this last message was written by Jeremiah to the exiles that were in Babylon in those days. Now at this point in the story, all of the warnings that Jeremiah had been given have all come to pass. Before the destruction of Israel, before Jerusalem fell, Jeremiah had been calling the people back to revival, back to himself. They had gone away from the Lord and gone after the gods of the world that were so appealing to their fleshly nature.

God had warned them over and over through the prophet that this would end in disaster for them nationally. It would end in disaster for them personally. We know that’s true. Anybody who’s ever done the world thing will tell you it will end terribly in disaster. Over and over, he warned them about the disaster that would come, and that’s exactly what happened. At this point, the city of Jerusalem is destroyed. The temple where the glory of God dwelled has been burnt to the ground. The majority of the people had been marched off in chains to Babylon where they would be in exile there for 70 years.

Now, what’s interesting is that these last chapters of Jeremiah were written originally as a separate scroll, they were attached later, but he wrote these chapters in a separate scroll, gave them to a man named Seraiah who was the quartermaster, and said, “Take these with you to Babylon when you’re in exile. Then at some point, gather the people of Israel together and read them the words of this scroll, words from God Himself.”

These were words sent to encourage the exiles. God wanted them to know how this story ends. Are we ever going to come home? How does this story end? It’s a prophetic word describing the downfall of Babylon itself. You can just imagine how encouraging these words would be to hear that the empire that destroyed everything you ever held dear would one day itself be destroyed.

The words here in these chapters were also a call to revival. There in Babylon, God had declared that these who were exiled would be the ones in whom revival would come. This is important to understand. Going through the crucible of trouble, going through the difficulty, all that they lost, all that they suffered, all the tragedy which befell them, all of this, God is going to use to bring about something happening of revival. Something’s going to happen to them there. Going through the trouble, going through the tragedy, something’s going to happen.

We know this is true today. If you’ve ever been through a trouble, a tragedy, a difficulty, God can often use this to draw you back to Himself. Now, yes, they were exiled to Babylon because they had turned their back on God. Yes, they went out weeping because of their wayward hearts, but they’re going to come back transformed. Something’s going to happen to them there. God is not finished with them yet. Something of transformation and revival. It’s a word for us today, for God is still wanting to bring about a great revival in people today.

Notice Jeremiah 24 where he said it prophetically before. He said, “I will set my eyes on them for good. I will bring them again to this land. I will build them up, not overthrow them. I’ll plant them and not pluck them up, for I would give them a heart to know me, for I am the Lord. They will be my people. I will be their God, and they will return to me with their whole heart.” These exiles lost everything that was dear to them. They lost their land, their homes, their livelihood. Many of them lost family, every visible symbol of God’s presence in the temple. It was their response to the tragedy, their response to what they endured that would transform them. That is how revival comes. It’s your response through the trouble that you’re going through. Revival comes when we return to God with all our heart. No half measures, no divided affections. He calls these the good figs, the first ripe fruit symbolizing the sweet outcome of a life in revival, prosperity of the soul, even in the storms and the troubles of life. Prosperity of your soul. It’s all about your soul, the condition of the inner man within you. How is your soul today?

These chapters were read to the exiles there. Over and over, he describes in prophetic detail that Babylon the great would itself fall and be destroyed because Babylon had contended against God, and had contended against God’s people, so God’s going to contend against them, and God’s going to prevail. You can imagine how encouraging these words would be. God wanted them to know the end of the story so that they could hold on to hope.

I tell you, God tells us the end of the story, by the way. We know how this story ends, and He tells us in advance how this story ends so that we can hold onto hope. At the end of the age, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will set foot on the Mount of Olives. He will enter Jerusalem. He will rule and reign the nations of the world. There will be a great victory. Our God, our Savior, is King of Kings, and He will reign in that glorious day. Oh, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen? Amen.

He wanted them to know how this story ends so that they held onto hope, but also so that they would not lose themselves there in Babylon. I didn’t send you there to become Babylonians. Never forget who you are, He means to say, very much like what the Lord said. Be in the world, but not of the world. Don’t lose yourself there. It’s a vital tension. They were called to settle in Babylon, but don’t become Babylonians.

In the scripture, Babylon represents something. In all of the scriptures, there are two cities mentioned more than any other cities. Of course, Jerusalem, you could guess that one. Babylon is the second most mentioned city in the Bible, and it represents the system of the world. In Revelation 18, which we’ll see, he describes Babylon the Great in the latter days. Now, perhaps it’s an actual city, but it represents also the system of everything opposed to God, pride, idolatry, self, self-sufficiency, self-effort. It’s that which is opposed to God. God told them to live there, to build there, even prosper there. Don’t lose yourself there. Hold on to who you are. Never forget who you are. You are set apart, He says. In other words, I have a plan for you. I have a plan for you. He says, I know the plan that I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare, for good, not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. God declares the same. God has a plan for you. Come out of her. Don’t lose yourself there. God’s got a great plan for your life.

Here we are in Chapter 50. We’ll read it, starting in verse 1. The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet. Here it is. “Declare and proclaim among the nations. Proclaim that left upper standard. Don’t conceal it. Let’s say Babylon has been captured. Bel has been put to shame.” Bel is one of the great gods of Babylon. “Marduk,” also one of the great ones, “shattered, her images put to shame, her idols shattered, for the nation has come up against her out of the North.” He later says, “Medes and Persians,” names them, “It will make her land an object of horror. There will be no inhabitant in it, both man and beast, vanished off, wandered off, gone away.”

Then he turns to the Jews, his people, and he says, starting in verse four, “In those days, and at that time, declares the Lord, the Sons of Israel will come, both they and the Sons of Judah as well. They will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord, their God, that they will seek. They will ask for the way to Zion,” the hill on which sits Jerusalem. “Then turning their face in its direction, they will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten. For My People have become lost sheep. Shepherds led them astray, made them turn aside on the mountains, gone along from mountain to hill. They have forgotten their resting place. All who came upon them have devoured them.

Their adversaries have said, “Look, we’re not guilty. It is much– they’re the ones who sinned against the Lord, who is the habitation of righteousness, even the Lord, the hope of the Fathers. It wasn’t us. They did it.” He says in verse eight, “Come away from them. Wander away from the midst of Babylon. Go forth from the land of the Chaldeans. Be like the male goats at the head of the flock.” In other words, “Lead on. Turn your heart toward home and lead on.” These are the verses that we want to take hold of and see how God would apply understanding that Babylon represents something even today.

I. Babylon is not Enough for the Soul

In a similar way, in Revelation, he says to the people of the latter days, “Come out of Babylon, the world and all that it represents. Don’t lose yourself there,” because Babylon, he’s saying, is not enough for the soul’s deepest desire. You will not find your purpose in there, in Babylon. Babylon has been put to shame. Marduk has been shattered. Her image is put to shame. These two great Gods represented, of course, all that was occultic. It was meaningless and void. Those who pursue them will be like them. They, too, will be brought to shame. Oh, what a tragedy of shame that many people endure. I represent so much of the world of worldliness. Don’t lose yourself there, for Babylon is empty of meaning.

A. Babylon is empty of meaning

The soul searches. Today, even the soul searches for meaning, purpose, to be filled, longing for a deeper place of meaning. In those days, Babylon was, at that time, the largest city in the world. The power center of the Babylonian Empire. It was opulent. It was beautiful. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were world-famous, considered like one of the Seven Wonders of the World, amazing, opulence, beauty. Oh, wealth. The name “Babylon” in Greek means the gateway of the gods. It was occultic in nature. In Hebrew, it means confusion, which is perhaps a good name for it. It was a center of occultic religion in those days.

Interestingly, there is a direct connection from the occultic practices of ancient Babylon and the prophecies of the latter days. What it means is that it describes in the book of Revelation that the antichrist, the beast described there in the book of Revelation, it says, “Let him who has understanding, discern the number of his name.” He means by that that by using a system, which is called gematria, meaning that if you take a letter and it is assigned a value numerically that you can then add up the value of the number of a name. Discern and understand that you will know Him and discern him by the value of adding the numbers of his name. We already know what it is, 666.

What’s interesting is that that number 666 is the direct correlation to the occultic practices of ancient Babylon, of which we are now reading in Jeremiah. The high priest of Babylon, the occultic high priest, would wear an amulet on his breast. It would be a square containing 36 numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4, et cetera, 1 through 36. These numbers represented the gods of the constellations, the gods of Babylon. There were 36 constellations of the sky. They assigned to them a name of one of the gods and a number from 1 to 36 so that they then arranged these 36 numbers in such a way on this magic square that every row added together, each row equaled 111. There were six of these rows. The total, then, was 666.

What’s interesting is that if you added the columns, each of them also equaled 111. Being six columns equaled also 666. Interestingly, even the diagonals equaled 111. Therefore, the number 666 was designated to be the one, the god who was all over all the other gods. Therefore, the Antichrist, the beast of the latter days, takes upon himself this great number, designating him as the one who is above all the other ones. The mockery of that is, of course, a blasphemy against the Lord. He will be defeated in the latter days, when the Lord Jesus Christ defeats him in those glorious days. Amen? Amen.

It represents something even today. Babylon, it says, “God is against all that Babylon represents” because it stands in opposition to God. It’s empty and meaningless and destroys the lives of all who pursue her. When you’re in Babylon, it’s easy to lose yourself in Babylon. It’s easy to lose your way in Babylon. What’s not to like? Oh, everything that one might desire could be found in Babylon. There were theaters, there were restaurants, there were gardens. You could buy a house along the river in Babylon. There was a Starbucks on every corner in Babylon. Of course, in those days, they served Turkish coffee.

Have you ever had Turkish coffee? You’ve got to go to Israel with me. We will serve you. Oh, my goodness. What they do is this, they take coffee, grind it into a fine powder, and put it into the cup. Then they just pour water right over the grounds, turning into a nice thick mud. Then you just let it settle a bit, and then you just sip off of the mud. Oh, it will give you a nice Mediterranean buzz. I’m telling you. What? Oh, they serve Turkish coffee in Babylon. The food in the shops, you could buy the world’s finest Persian rugs in Babylon. Everything a person could desire could be found in Babylon, or was there?

B. God stirs the heart of those who desire more

In all its opulence of wealth, it wasn’t enough. God reminds them in Jeremiah 50, “Oh, there is so much more for the soul’s desire is not found in Babylon.” God stirs the heart of those who desire more. It’s not enough. There are those in their heart who know today that all that the world has to offer, it’s not enough. There’s something more. There are deeper places for the soul’s desire. There is more meaning and purpose than can be found in Babylon.

Psalm 63, “Oh God, you are my God. I shall seek you earnestly, for My soul thirsts.” You know this is true. The soul longs. The soul searches. The soul is thirsty. It thirsts for you. My flesh yearns for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water because your loving kindness is better than life. My lips will praise you, and I will bless you as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in your name, for in you my soul is satisfied as like with marrow and fatness.”

What a beautiful picture. It’s all about the soul. The most important part of who you are is the soul within you, the inner man. How is your soul? People spend so much time on the outward. How much time do we spend in front of the mirror or the hours we spend in the gym? The inner man is the most important aspect of who you are. These old bodies, we’re leaving these old things behind, but your soul is eternal.

I say it from this way. The pleasant things of the world are certainly pleasant. I agree. I agree. The pleasant things of the world are certainly pleasant. I understand. Lattes, caramel macchiatos, red Robin, ice cream, air conditioning, watching football while eating Doritos, and kettle corn microwave popcorn. The pleasant things of the world are so pleasant. Yes, but it’s not enough. It’s not enough for me. I want more than that. Anybody want to agree? It’s not enough for me. I seek for deeper places.

When Moses had brought the people out of Egypt, they came to Mount Sinai, and Moses was on the mountain those 40 days receiving the law. While he was there on the mountain, the people grew impatient, and they began to sin terribly. Moses came down. You remember the story. Saul of this became angry. Then at one point, he is interceding for Israel, praying, interceding. While he’s praying, while he’s interceding, he says, “Something for me. While I’m asking, something for me.”

I always like to ask, what is it that you would ask if you could ask God for something for you personally? What is the highest ask, the greatest thing that you would ask God for personally, for just you? What is it you want God to do for you? Moses says, “Show me your glory.” Now we say, why would he ask for that? He already has seen more glory than any living person, but that’s why. Because he has seen so much of the glory, he knew how beautiful it was. Show me your glory. I want more. In those days, the glory was in the temple. God wanted the Jews there in exile to long for Jerusalem, to long for the place where the glory of God dwelt, to seek God’s promises more than Babylonian treasures.

When I was younger, I read a book by Calvin Miller. He wrote a trilogy. The third one in it, it’s called The Finale. There’s a quote that I love. It goes like this. “The world is poor because all her treasure maps are of the earth, but her fortune is buried in heaven.” How beautifully described. How right it is.

Notice, for example, Psalm 137:1-5. They write it this way, “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and we wept when we remember Zion, the hill on which sits Jerusalem. Upon the willows in the midst of it, we hung up our harps. For there our captors demanded of us songs. Our tormentors demanded mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’ How can we sing? How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? Oh, if I forget you, Jerusalem, may my hand forget her skill. Long for the place where the glory dwells, for the soul longs for something deeper. There’s nothing in Babylon that will satisfy the deepest longing of the soul.”

It’s very much like an expression the Jews used for thousands of years after they were defeated by Rome and they were dispersed amongst the nations. They didn’t know, would they ever come back? Would they ever have their homeland again? An expression came about where, let’s say, a Jew would meet another Jew, and after they finished their discussion, instead of just saying, “See you later,” they would say, “Next time in Jerusalem,” holding onto this hope. Maybe one day, one day we’ll do it again, but we’ll do it in Jerusalem. Hold on to hope, man. Hold on to hope. That was the whole idea of the expression.

Today they have their homeland, but still there’s something missing, and that which is missing is their Messiah. They are still waiting and searching and looking for their Messiah. Now, we know who their Messiah is. He presented Himself to them, but they rejected Him. He will come again in the latter days, and He will present Himself to them again. It says, they will recognize Him, for they will look upon the one whom they have pierced. When they see Him, they will mourn as one mourns for an only child. Why will they mourn? Because they’ll recognize it was Him all those years before, and we missed it.

It says, He will pour out on them the spirit of grace and the spirit of supplication, and the same blood that covers our sins will cover theirs, and all Israel will be saved in the latter days. God is never going to give up on His people, Israel. Amen? Can we give a praise for that. Amen. We who are believers in Christ have found our hope, found our Messiah, and still we long for more. Here’s what I mean. God increases our capacity, the capacity of our soul to long for more, more glory, more of God’s peace, more of God’s joy. In other words, God is found in the seeking.

II. God is Found in the Seeking

Notice verse 4. In those days, at that time, declares the Lord, the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah, and they will go along, weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God that they seek. God wanted them to seek, to desire more, to long with great longing for the beauty of the glory of God in the presence there in Zion. Now it says, they go along weeping. Now this is a– you might call it a holy weeping. They’re weeping because it’s finally over.

They’ve waited a long time for this. Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Holy tears, beautiful soul, deep weeping of a people who finally left the emptiness of Babylon, and they have turned their heart toward home. He’s painting a picture of revival, turning genuinely away from that which was so empty and shameful, and I’ve turned my heart toward the glory.

There’s a beautiful picture I can see and imagine of the life that was crashed and then turned around and found its soul revived. There is this beautiful point. It’s described in the story, for example, of the prodigal son, where this young man asked for his inheritance early. He received a great sum of money. He went into the city and he spent it all on wild living, parties, women, you name it. It lasted a long time. He had a lot of money, but he spent it all, and then couldn’t find a job because a famine had hit the land. Then, he finally found a job, but it was the worst possible job for a Jew, feeding pigs, swine.

Oh, but it gets worse because he then gets to the point where he’s jealous because the pigs have food and he does not. He has come to the end. He’s come to the very bottom. He’s come to the very end of himself. It says, at that point, it says, he came to his senses. That is a glorious point right there. If you’ve ever crashed your life, you get to the point where you finally come to the end of yourself and something happens where you come to your senses and your eyes open. At that moment, he says, “My father’s servants are treated better than this. I’m going to go to my father, and I’m going to say, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and against you. I’m not worthy to be a son. I just need a job.”

He heads for home. He’s a long way off. The father sees him down the road, runs to meet his son, falls upon him, kisses him, and the son has his speech all ready to go. “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven, against you. I’m not worthy to be your son. I’m not coming home to be your son. I just need a job.” There, the glorious story, the father says, “This son of mine was lost and has been found. This son of mine who was dead, is now alive. Kill the fatted calf. We’re going to celebrate. Bring a robe and put it on my son. Bring a ring and put it on my son’s finger. Bring sandals for his feet, for this son of mine was dead and is now alive.”

There is a point where you turn your life around and you go home, but it’s a holy weeping. It’s a glorious moment when you turn your life around. May anyone who needs to hear these words take hold of them and turn that life around. Amen. Let’s give the Lord praise. Amen.

It says, “And they will go along seeking the Lord.” Now I can imagine somebody might say, “Well, wait. I thought God was the one who seeks after us. I heard you say it, Pastor. You said, ‘God is the one who pursues. He stands at the door, and he knocks. Anyone who hears his voice would open the door. He would come into them. I thought you said God is the one who pursues, and now yet you say that God wants us to seek Him,” to which I say you are correct. God is the one who seeks. He sent His Son to seek and to save that which was lost.

Jesus said the same. I love this. I tell you, it’s such a very important understanding. Jesus says, “My Father sent me to seek and to save that which was lost.” What a beautiful thought is that God is seeking sinners. That’s who He’s seeking, that which was lost. God seeks sinners? God is searching for sinners? See, this is important because so many people– I repeat this because it’s so important to understand rightly– so many people have this wrong. They believe that God rejects sinners, that God is against them, that God is offended by sin, therefore He’s offended by sinners and He pushes them away. He’s offended by them.

That’s not what Jesus said. Jesus said, “‘My Father sent me to go and find sinners, seek after them, and when you find them, bring them home.'” Yes, God is the one who seeks. God is the one who says, “‘I stand at the door and I knock.'” He’s pursuing. Yes, He is. “‘If anyone hears my voice,’ which is to say He’s calling your name, “‘If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and I will sup with him and he with me.'” In other words, we’re going to have glorious fellowship together.

A. Seek Him and then join yourself to Him

Here’s my point. Yes, God is the one who seeks first, but once you have been found, once you open that door of your heart, once you’ve been reconciled to God, then seek Him. Seek for more of Him. Desire more of God. Seek deeper places. Seek deeper relationship. Long for more of God’s glory. Go farther in, deeper into your walk with Him. This is how He says it, “Seek Him and then join yourself to Him.”

Notice verse 5. “‘They will ask for the way to Zion. Then turning their faces in that direction, they will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.'” What a beautiful picture. I tell you, this is a deep verse. You could write books on this verse. “They will come that they may be knitted together.” That’s what it means, joined together. He’s speaking here of an everlasting covenant.

Now, He’s referring to the new covenant He mentioned earlier in the book, Jeremiah 31. He says, “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.” “I will put My law within them. I will write it on their hearts.” It will be on the soul, a new covenant upon the soul. “I will be their God. They will be My people. They shall not teach again each man his neighbor, each man his brother and say, ‘Know the Lord,’ They’ll all know Me.” There’s a knowing, an intimacy of knowing in this. Declares the Lord, “I’ll forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more.”

Now, I’m here to tell you that if you have opened your heart, if He knocked on the door of your heart, called out your name and you opened the door of your heart, He has forgiven your sin. This is a covenant of the forgiveness of sin on the blood of Jesus Christ. The sin that you have committed has been paid for by the blood that Jesus shed. When He shed that blood, He then took that blood and applied it to your life so that your sins have been paid, and paid for in full. If you have received Jesus Christ, you are right now abiding under that same new covenant. Jesus says, “This cup is the cup of the new covenant initiated in My blood.”

He says in Jeremiah 50:20, “‘In those days, at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel.'” They will not find it. “‘Search will be made for the sins of Judah.'” They will not be found. “‘I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant. They will come that they could then join themselves to the Lord.'” What a beautiful thought. Knitted together with the Lord? Wait, sinners? Knitted together with the holy righteous God? Amazing thought. Deep understanding. It is so. Christ in us is the hope of glory. We are in Christ. We are knitted together. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We are knitted together such that we have found our place of peace.

Notice verse 6, “My people are lost sheep. They have forgotten their resting place.” Ah, the searching of the soul finds its answer in the presence of the glory of the Almighty God. Ah, peace. God desires that your soul would find its place of rest there in the beauty of the nearness of God. What a beautiful thought. The searching is over. There is a peace that resides deeply upon the soul, a joy indescribable, a peace that passes understanding. I know where my home is. I have found my resting place, a place of peace. Yes, let’s give the Lord praise.

Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “‘The eternal God is a dwelling place.'” Beautiful. “‘The eternal God dwell there. Peace is found there. Let your soul resound there, for underneath are the everlasting arms.” I was describing Moses. In Exodus 33, Israel there was at Mount Sinai. After all of this, it says that Moses set up a tent. He called it the tent of meeting, placed it outside the camp, and said, “Anyone who wants to meet God can go there to the tent of meeting and meet with God anytime you want.” No law, no requirement. You don’t have to. You don’t have to go. If you don’t want to go, don’t go. You can stay home. If you want to go, it’s there. There’s a tent of meeting outside the camp. You can go anytime you want. Would you go?

It says that whenever Moses would go, that as he left the camp, the people would stand on their feet and watch. For when Moses entered the tent of meeting, glory would descend, and it says that God would meet with Moses and would speak to Moses like a man speaks to his friend.” Isn’t that a beautiful picture? What fellowship, what– joined together in such a beautiful way, God speaks like a man speaks to a friend.

Jesus says, “I call you friend. You can meet with God anytime you want. Today the way has been opened. Anyone who wants to meet God can meet God. You can come in this place. We will worship, and the Spirit of the living God will meet you here in this place. The Word of God will be proclaimed and you can meet God in the proclaiming of His Word. You can meet God in your morning devotions. You can meet God driving down the road with your worship turned up loud. That’s the best way to do it.

Yesterday, it was such a beautiful day. I was driving around. I had some errands. I was running. I just turned on the worship and turned it up loud. I’m just singing. Who cares how loud I sing or how bad I sing? I’m just worshiping. It was funny. I stopped at the store, and I went in and got a few things. When I came out the store, I forgot that I had the music turned up so loud. I turned it up. Whoa. People looking at me like, “Oh, he’s a little weird.”

You can meet God anytime you want. For in there, something happens in the soul. When you meet God, something happens in the soul. Some people, the only meeting with God they ever have is their “come to Jesus” meeting. Well, great. You need a “come to Jesus” meeting, but if that’s the only meeting you’re ever going to have, it’s not enough. Seek deeper places. Seek for more of God’s glory.

B. Lead the way

Then, we’ll close with this. He says in verse 8, lead the way, man. Lead the way. Verse 8, “Wander away from the midst of Babylon. Go forth from the land of the Chaldeans. Be like male goats at the head of the flock.” What does that mean? Lead on. They’re the ones leading in the front. Let’s go. Encourage those around you. Let’s go. In other words, you’re going to lead, you’re going to follow. Which way will it be? You’re going to lead, you’re going to follow. Settle this between you and God. Don’t depend on anyone else. It’s between you and God. No one else. You and God, personal. Settle this matter. I know in whom I have believed. There is such a surety of that declaration, I know in whom I have believed. I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that great day.”

Verse 5, I love verse 5. “They will ask for the way to Zion, and they will turn their faces in this direction.” We’re going home. I know where home is. I’m going home. The cross before me, the world behind me, there is no turning back. Settle this matter with God. It’s all about your soul. Seek deeper places, the place where peace resides, where your soul is satisfied. I know where home is. I have set my course. I have turned my heart toward home, and there is no turning back. The cross before me, the world behind me, no turning back.

Let’s pray. Lord, thank You so much, so much, for such a beautiful understanding. That You’re the one who seeks first. You’re the one who knocks, calling out our name. “If anyone were to hear My voice, open the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with Me.” We’ll have glorious fellowship together. Then, having opened the door of your heart, He says– now there’s more glory. There are deeper places. The way has been made open before you. Meet with God anytime you want. Set your heart. Set your course. Settle this matter with God today.

As we’re praying, how many will say to the Lord, “I have turned my heart toward home. I have fixed my course. I know where my home is, and I’m on my journey home.” There is no turning back, no turning back. Is that you? Would you just declare that to the Lord by raising your hand as a way of just declaring it, just saying it to the Lord, “God, this matter is settled with me. I have fixed my heart. I have turned my heart toward home, and there is no turning back.” Oh, God, I seek deeper places. Let my soul reside in the deepest places of glory. We love You and honor You for it now. In Jesus’ powerful name and everyone said, Amen. Let’s give the Lord praise and glory and honor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abiding in God’s Will
Jeremiah 42:1-22
April 18-19, 2026

Let’s take our Bibles and open to the book of Jeremiah. We are going to get back to Jeremiah 42:1, and the title of our message, Abiding in God’s Will. Very important, what he has for us. Very, very important. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together. Lord, we are so thankful because we know that You show us the way of life, the way of blessing. In Your Word, You show that to us. We open our heart and just pray that You would pour out Your Spirit of life through Your Word. Meet us here by Your Holy Spirit. Show us the way of blessing in life. We pray in Jesus’ name. Everyone said amen.

Meanwhile, back in Jeremiah, it seemed like it’s been a while, we picked the story up where we left off. As I’ve been speaking, Jeremiah, of course, has been calling the people to revival because they had turned their back on God, pursued the gods of the world, and he warned them over and over, this thing is going to end in disaster nationally and personally. Now it’s happened. This is now exactly what happened.

Jerusalem, the city of David, the place where God chose to put His name there, it was in ruins. The temple burnt, the dwelling place of God’s glory destroyed, the majority of Judah marched off in chains to Babylon to be in exile those 70 years. Jeremiah 42 is about the remnant that remained, a small traumatized remnant that remained in the land. We don’t know how many there were, very few, a few hundred, a few thousand, we don’t know.

They were the ones that had hid out in caves and desert places, and now they’re coming together to consolidate whatever they got, strengthen whatever remains. The backstory here is very important. The backstory is that just days before the events of chapter 42, that they had a newly appointed governor. This was a Judean by the name of Gedaliah that Nebuchadnezzar himself appointed to be the governor, you might say, of that area.

He was assassinated by a man named Ishmael who was a descendant of David. Now we can surmise what perhaps motivated him. He was a distant relative of David. Perhaps he thought that he had a stronger claim to leadership than Gedaliah, but we know that it was also a conspiracy. Ishmael was backed by a foreign enemy. The king of Ammon, on the other side of the Jordan, had conspired with Ishmael to assassinate this governor to hinder any possible arising of strength.

Now with their leader killed, fear, now as you can imagine, spreading like wildfire through this remnant that remained, they were terrified that when this news reached Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon that he would send his army right back with overwhelming force and destroy them all. Now there is this detail of the backstory that we must not miss. They have come to a crux point, a decision point. What shall we do now?

This is important because many people come to a place in their lives when they’ve got to decide, what am I going to do now? They needed to formulate a plan. Many people have to formulate a plan. What am I going to do next? If they remain there in that area, they were afraid Nebuchadnezzar would retaliate. After all, he was the one who had appointed Gedaliah, and not only did Ishmael kill Gedaliah, but also the few Babylonian soldiers that were there to protect him. They died also, so they knew that the Babylonian king would not take kindly to all this.

If they stay, they were fearing danger. Legitimate fear. It’s legitimate. It’s legitimate. What do you do? Do we stay, or do we flee? Do we go to Egypt? Maybe we can go to Egypt, and then we would be safe, or so they thought. This is important. When you come to a decision point in your life, how do you decide? One of the ways that you decide is by predicting the outcome. Wisdom is necessary to predict the outcome. If I do this, then it could lead to that outcome. If I do this, it could lead to this outcome.

To be able to predict that is a deep aspect of wisdom, but they must seek the Lord. This is the good part of the story. Now, they have to decide. What’s interesting, and the backstory, the verses before this in the last chapter, chapter 41:17, tells us that they had gathered together at this place called Geruth Chimham, which is near Bethlehem. It says, “In order to proceed to Egypt.” Okay. All right, they have made up their mind. They have made the decision that they think the better course is to get out of the danger and go to Egypt.

They had made their mind, but they came to Jeremiah and said, “Jeremiah, pray for us. Pray to the Lord your God that the Lord may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.” This is good. Factor God into the equation. Factor God into the decision. This is good. Now, on the surface, it sounded so sincere. It was the right thing to say. The truth was more sobering. They were not genuinely seeking God. They wanted God to bless the plan they already made.

Now, here’s where people can relate to this. They wanted divine approval on their decision they already made. This is not how you factor God into the equation. Now, this is one of the most common and dangerous spiritual traps for people to fall into as believers. Today, the Holy Spirit will use this chapter to speak to every one of us about decision-making and abiding in the will of God, and abiding in the will of God.

Here is the message God wants us to see from this chapter, that abiding in God’s will is the only safe place. The only place of true blessing. The only place of genuine peace and fulfillment, even if His will seems unpleasant or difficult or completely opposite of what you may want. This chapter is not just about history. It’s a mirror to our own hearts because so many people come to a crux point and got to decide, what am I going to do?

How many times have we come to a crisis point and said, “Lord, show me Your will,” while secretly hoping that He would simply confirm the direction we had already chosen? How many have often promised, “I will obey You, Lord, no matter what,” only to pull that promise back the moment God’s answer required real sacrifice or real effort or real discomfort? The verses in this chapter are comforting, but also challenging, but also insightful for wisdom.

We need to know how to decide. How many decisions are you going to make in life? The crux points, the hinge points on which your whole life will turn, you must decide well. This is a great chapter. It calls us to a life of trusting obedience. We’re going to see that God’s will– Isn’t that a burden? No, God’s will is the pathway of greatest blessing, deepest peace, the most abundant life that you could ever know. It’s right there in God’s will.

The key is to abide in God’s will. For even if God says no, even if He says stay, even if His direction seems unpleasant, abiding in His will is the place of greatest blessing. Because where God is, there is life. Where God directs, there is hope. Where God leads, there is mercy. All right, I want to read chapter 42. It’s a fascinating story, and then we’ll look at how God would apply it to our lives. Chapter 42:1.

“Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan, son of Kareah, Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, small and great, approached and said to Jeremiah the prophet, please let our petition come before you, pray for us to the Lord your God, that is, for all this remnant, because we who are left are just a few, a few out of many, as your own eyes now see, pray that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.

So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words, and it will come about that the whole message which the Lord will answer, I will tell it to you. I will not keep back one word. So they said to Jeremiah,” now I want you to hear these words because they are really good. This is really good. If this chapter ended differently, this is a chapter you would put on your wall as a highlight of what is right, how to say the right thing.

Verse 5, they say, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us. Whether that message is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you in order that it may go well with us. When we listen to the voice of the Lord our God. So it came about that at the end of 10 days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces that were there, all the people, small and great, and he said, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before him.” This is what he says. Verse 10, “If you will indeed stay in this land, I will build you up. I will not tear you down. I shall relent concerning the calamity I have inflicted on you.” This will end. “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing. Do not be afraid, for I am with you to save you, deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and will restore you to your own soil.”

That is a great answer. What a promise of God. But yes, we have to say the rest of it. “But if you are going to say, we will not stay in this land so as to not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, if you say, no, we will go to the land of Egypt where we will not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or hunger of bread, we are going to stay there. In that case, then listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, If you truly set your mind to enter Egypt, to go and reside there, it will come about that that sword which you are so afraid of will overtake you there. It will find you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine about which you are so anxious, it will follow you closely after you there in Egypt. You are going to die there. All the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by sword, by famine, or by pestilence.

They will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity which I’m going to bring on them. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, as my anger and wrath poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go there to Egypt. You will become a curse, an object of horror, an implication, a reproach, and you will see this place no more. The Lord spoke to you, O remnant of Judah, saying, do not go to Egypt.” You should clearly understand that today. “I have testified this against you, for you have only deceived yourselves.”

He could see it. He knew what they were thinking. “You have only deceived yourselves, for it is you who sent me to the Lord your God say, pray for us. Pray to the Lord our God. Then you said, whatever the Lord our God says, tell us, and we will do it. You said that. So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tell you. Therefore, you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine, by pestilence, in that place where you are going to go to reside.”

I. Seek God’s Will with an Open Heart

All right. What a very important chapter. I tell you, there’s a lot for us to be taking hold of and applying, starting with this. Seek God’s will. It’s right. Seek God’s will, but when you seek God’s will, do it with an open heart. Now, they started out so well. They asked Jeremiah to pray for them. Right. Great. They had already made a plan. Now, I want to point out that starting out by making a plan is not necessarily wrong. That in itself is not wrong. Okay, they came up with a plan. Then they asked God to show us the way. Now, this is all okay. It’s all right.

How many can relate to this? How many have said to the Lord, essentially, this is what I think is best, but I want to hear from you, Lord. Don’t go with my plan, Lord. If you get a better plan, I want your plan rather than my plan. Now, see, there’s nothing wrong with having a plan, but the key is when you go to the Lord and say, if you get a better one, I want yours. This is important. For example, David. Remember King David? David wanted to build the Temple. He had it in his heart, “I got a plan.”

David wanted to build something glorious for the Lord, a great temple, glorious he wanted to build. He went to the Lord to ask. When you go to the Lord, you ask with an open heart. In other words, surrender your plan and then wait. Surrender your plan and wait. There’s nothing wrong with saying it. I tell you, I prayed it myself. I prayed, “Lord, this is what I think is best. This is what I think is best. You show me what you say.” You surrender your plan and then wait.

A. Surrender your plan… and wait

Notice that all the people came, both small and great, and they said to Jeremiah, pray and ask God. Leaders, common people alike, gathered together in what appears to be a moment of shared humility. It’s all right. Most of this chapter is so good. They recognized that they were over their heads. They were in danger, so they came to the prophet to ask. If there is genuine seeking of God’s will, desperate dependence, that is the soil in which God’s direction will come. The key is to surrender your plan.

It’s like this, “Father, not my will, but Your will be done.” Does that sound familiar? Yes, that’s exactly what the Lord Jesus said. This comes out of Matthew 26:36-39, the night in which Jesus was betrayed. It says, “Jesus came with them,” the disciples, “To Gethsemane, on the other side there of the Kidron,” just there across Jerusalem. “And he said to the disciples, sit here while I go and pray. He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John. He began to be grieved and distressed.

He said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here, keep watch with me. He went a little beyond them, fell on his face, and he prayed this prayer. Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Very interesting prayer. “Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not my will, but Your will be done.” What a beautiful expression of obedience, complete obedience. You may have a deep request. Lord, this is what I’m asking.

That’s perfectly fine. Lord, this is what I’m asking. If there’s any way, then let this or that be done, but I surrender my plan to You. This is the key to the whole thing right here. I surrender my plan to You. If You have a better plan, I want Your plan. Anybody want to agree with this? It’s very important in deciding. Jeremiah 42, the people came to Jeremiah. Yes, they already had a plan. They’re asking from the Lord a word. That’s not the issue. The issue is whether they will truly be willing to abide by God’s will when they hear it.

How do you know if you’ve truly surrendered your plan? It’s if you can say what they said and mean it. Notice verse 5, they said, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send us to you.” this is the right answer. “We will do whatever God says we will do.” This is the right answer. The Lord Himself said in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, if you do not do what I say?” This is the understanding of deep lordship, that His word is authority and wisdom itself.

B. Whether pleasant or unpleasant

Notice then in the next verse they say, “Whether pleasant or unpleasant.” This is so right. Verse 6, “Whether it be pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you in order that it may go well with us when we do listen to the voice of the Lord.” I tell you, this is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible in regards to abiding in God’s will. I don’t know if you can find a better verse in abiding in God’s will.

Abiding in God’s will means to stay there under the cover of God’s will even if it be unpleasant or difficult. Meaning, say they want God’s will until it costs them something, until it’s difficult, until it means saying no to something that they really wanted. Nobody likes to hear no. Try saying no to your kids. They don’t like no. Hear that verse again because I tell you it captures one of the greatest truths of obedience to God.

“We will hear, we will listen, we will abide whether it be pleasant or unpleasant. We will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we’re sending you,” notice, “In order that it may go well with us when we listen.” That’s so right. “It will go well with us when we listen.” This is wisdom itself. God knows the path of greatest blessing. Don’t miss out on that blessing by insisting on your own way, your own path, charting your own course.

As the famous American philosopher Frank Sinatra once said, “I did it my way.” Well, he’s saying it really, “I did it my way. I charted my course each and every by way. At the end of it all, I did it my way.” He’s very proud of this, of course. Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. We need to see beyond our own limited vision. There is a way. Seems right. This is why when you pray, you say, “God, this seems right to me. I think this is the right. I’m asking for your wisdom. Don’t let me do this if you’ve got a better plan.”

C. When God says ‘no’ – He has something better

In other words, when God says no, he’s got something better. This is one of the lessons of life. Life lesson. When God says no, he’s got something better in mind. Now, they formulated the plan. We know already they were afraid that Nebuchadnezzar would send his army, retaliate, even though it wasn’t their fault, by the way. They weren’t the ones that attacked the Babylonian soldiers. They didn’t do that. They were innocent in this thing, but their fear was real, and fear determined the path.

Now, we understand fear. Hey, we were born in the condition of man. That’s the condition in which we were born, and that is the nature of fear. We get it, but fear and fear alone should not determine the course. If fear and fear is the only thing that’s driving you, then you’re not making a decision by God’s wisdom. 2nd Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear.” No, God has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound mind.” Fear should not motivate the thing, but power and love and a sound mind.

Interestingly, God spoke to their fear. God addressed their fear. Verse 11, “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you are now fearing. Do not be afraid of him, for I am with you to save, I am with you to deliver you from his hand.” That is factoring God into the equation. God’s plan is better, and if they would listen to His voice, it would go well. God’s saying no to their plan because He’s got a better plan. It’s faith itself to believe that if God says no, He has a better plan.

I tell you, I have seen this in my life many, many times. I give you some of my favorite illustrations. For example, when I was in my 20s, I was part owner of a restaurant, and God opened a door for me to be a youth leader in a church. Ministry was my heart. When God opened a door for me to be a youth leader, I was excited, even though it meant living on far, far less. I can tell you what I made, $1,250 a month. That and love will get you your life.

I had wanted to be a pastor since I was 11. God opened the door. I was excited. I kept my partnership in the restaurant. Now that comes into play in the story. After a time, I realized that if I was going to be a senior pastor, which was what my real heart was, that I would need a good Bible education. I needed to go to a Bible college, but how to pay for it was the question. I came up with a plan, and my plan was this.

Again, I still owned part of the restaurant, and they were negotiating to add a restaurant, that we would have another restaurant. It was a really good deal. I thought, “Oh, I know what I’ll do. We’ll make this deal and get another restaurant. I’ll sell my partnership, take the profits, pay my way through Bible college. God, I am so clever. If you could just bless my plan.” As you can imagine, God said no.

How it came about was this. I remember it so clearly. I was at this marriage conference. It was a Friday night. My partner, he was the one negotiating. He had become a believer. He came late to the conference. He said, “Can I talk to you privately?” He pulled me aside. He said, “I’ve got to tell you, I killed the deal today.” “You did? Why?” He said, “I just don’t think these people are ethical, and I don’t want to be in business with people that I don’t think are ethical. I killed the deal, and I knew as a believer you would agree with that, so I didn’t call you. Deal’s done. Over.”

I felt like a punch in the gut. That was my plan. That was Friday night. Saturday, I’m just praying. All day, this was my all-day prayer, “Lord, what am I going to do? I can’t borrow this money. As a pastor, I can never afford to pay it back. What am I going to do?” That was my Saturday prayer. “Lord, I need a miracle. I need a miracle, and so that I know that it’s a miracle, and anyone who ever hears the story knows it’s a miracle, I’m not going to tell anyone I need this money.

I just need a miracle. If you want me to go to be a pastor, then I’m asking for a miracle.” That was Saturday. Sunday morning, I wake up. I am excited to get to church. I walk in the doors of the church. I’m 10 steps in, when a fellow steps in front of me, goes like this, “Stop. I’ve got to tell you, God put it on my heart this week that I’m supposed to pay your way to Bible college.” I thought, “Lord, your way is way better than mine.”

He meant every word. He said, “Just let my wife, as my financial secretary, you let her know what the bill is each semester, and we’ll pay it.” He got me all the way through bachelor’s. I said, “I’m going to go on to get my masters. You’ve done so well. Thank you. You blessed me so wonderfully. I release you. God’s going to do another miracle.” He came back and said, “I never said bachelors, I said education. You’ll greet your doctor if you want to. I’ll pay for all of it.” That man was obedient to the Lord, and God’s plan was way better than mine. God said no, and God had a better plan. Amen. God will do it for you.

II. Abiding in God’s Will Requires Faith

Here’s what I want us to see in Jeremiah 42. God’s will, abiding in God’s will, requires faith. It requires faith. It requires faith to believe that God’s way is better than your way, and faith to believe that if you listen to the voice of the Lord, that it will go well for you. That God knows the way of greatest blessing. That requires faith. “I am with you,” God says in verse 11. “I am with you. I’m with you to save. I’m with you to deliver.”

Now, I’ve been recently emphasizing the importance of wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to see, to predict the outcomes. Foolishness, of course, is the opposite. Foolishness cannot see consequences and doesn’t care about consequences. Those who want wisdom understand the essence of seeing, to see and predict outcomes. Here the Lord speaks to Jeremiah and tells them specifically the outcome of listening to the Lord by abiding in God’s will.

Verse 10, “If you will stay in this land, I will build you up.” This is the outcome. “I will plant you. I will show you compassion. I will restore you to your own soil.” Here’s the key, wait patiently for the Lord. Verse 7, “It came about after 10 days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.” 10 days. Now, 10 days does not seem like a long time until you’re right in the middle of something. Until you’re right in the middle of a crisis, then it seems like a long time. 10 days.

A. Wait …patiently …for the Lord

Now, God often, we see in Scripture, often makes us wait. It’s the principle of the Lord that we should wait, for God accomplishes much in the waiting. Lamentations 3, we’ll get there soon, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Now, maybe you’re in a waiting season right now. The attitude of the heart is very important. If you’re in a waiting place, don’t despise the waiting.

Some of the greatest Christian growth in Christian life happens in the waiting. God’s not late. God is not silent. He’s doing a deep work while you wait. We live in a culture, of course, that values immediacy. We want answers now. We want everything now. We want everything instant. We want resolution now. God often works differently. He often calls us to wait because something happens in the waiting.

Now, while you’re waiting, it’s important to recognize waiting is not passive. It’s not inactivity. No, something is happening while you’re waiting. You’re praying. You’re trusting. It’s an active posture of trust. It’s a willingness to remain where God placed. While you wait, while you seek His face, the Lord is good to those who wait. Waiting has a way of revealing the inner workings of the heart. It exposes whether we are truly trusting or whether we’re looking for just a quick solution. Waiting strips away the aspect of self, self-reliance, self-dependence.

It’s often in the waiting that God does His deepest work spiritually. Isaiah 40 is one of those wonderful verses that speak to it, “Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not faint.” Notice, they will gain. While you are waiting, you are gaining new strength. Something is happening spiritually. It says, they will rise up with wings like eagles. Isaiah here uses the picture of an eagle in flight to speak to those who wait. Mount up with wings of eagles.

If you’ve ever seen an eagle soaring in heights, you know that they’re just effortlessly gliding on the currents that lift them. Rising not by self-effort. In contrast to, if you’ve ever seen an albatross trying to get off the water, [onomatopoeia] beating the thing trying to get off the slightest bit of water. Meanwhile, the eagle’s up there in the heights sailing. It’s not about self and all that self-effort. It’s about waiting for God to move.

Psalm 46:10, “Cease all this striving.” This is a good word. Cease all this striving. Striving means self. Self-effort, self-reliance, self-dependence. All this self. Stop. Cease all this striving and know that I am God. That’s faith. “Know this. I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth,” versus my self-dependence. No, I want God’s way. I tell you what, God’s strength is far greater than any self-reliance strength that I might come up with. God’s way is a better way.

It’s vanity, he says, emptiness itself. “They’re driven by their fears.” It’s times like that when faith arises and you say, “I know my God.” When you’re in the midst of it, this is such an important thing. When you’re in the midst of it, to be able to say, “I know my God. I know how my God moves. God is my refuge. God is my strength. I will not allow my heart to be troubled within me, for I know my God and my trust is in Him. I know how my God moves.” Cease all this striving.

Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage.” Yes, wait. Then lastly, I’m going to close with this, don’t go back to Egypt. There’s the grand conclusion. No, don’t go back to Egypt. “If you say,” this is verse 13, 14, “If you say, we are not going to listen to the voice of the Lord. You say, no, we will not listen. We will go to the land of Egypt. Then hear this. Then hear this.” See, God tells them the outcome.

B. Don’t go back to Egypt

This very thing, this very thing that is driving you to disregard the voice of the Lord is the very thing that you’re walking right into. Egypt throughout Scripture represents the world, represents false security, the place where people turn when they’re not willing to trust God fully. One of the most subtle dangers in the Christian life is the temptation to go back to Egypt. It begins with looking back. You remember the past. It seemed easier, more comfortable. Your memories are selective. You remember only part. You forget the hardship.

The children of Israel did this in the wilderness after they had been set free from the oppression and slavery of Egypt. There they went into the desert, where God did a miracle every morning by providing manna for them. It felt like dew. They would go out in the morning, harvest the day’s provision of sustenance in this manna. It was sweet. It tasted good, but they got tired of it and began to complain and grumble. They started looking back to Egypt.

“Oh, we remember. Oh, the good old days. Remember the good old days in Egypt? Huh. The leeks, the onions, the garlic, the fish. Don’t you remember the good old days in Egypt? Remember when we were slaves and oppressed?” Sometimes Christians do this, and it reminds them of the good old days. It never even reminds you of the pain and the emptiness, the despair. Abiding in God’s will is not always easy, but it’s always good.

It’s a place of greatest blessing, deepest peace, truest safety. Today the Lord is asking, will you abide in my will, whether it be pleasant or unpleasant, easy or difficult? Will you trust that I know the path of greatest blessing better than your path? Some of you have been asking God for direction while secretly hoping that He’ll just bless the plan you already made. Today is the day to lay that down, to surrender your plan, and to say, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Others already know what God said, but fear is tempting you to run to Egypt.

The voice of the Lord says, “Stay. Stay with me. I am with you. I’m with you to save. I’m with you to deliver. I have something better for you. Don’t run. Don’t run. Don’t go back to Egypt. Stay. I have glorious things.” No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has understood what God has in store for those who love Him. Stay and abide in God’s will, and He will bless you. It is the path of greatest blessing.

Let’s pray. Lord, we are so thankful for showing us such deep and wonderful insights into the ways of God, into the heart of God. It meets us right where we are. So many people are making decisions of life. Church, as we’re praying, perhaps you are making a decision. You’re at a crux point, and you’ve got to decide what you’re going to do. Would you say to the Lord today, not my will, your will be done, and I will abide in it. For I know that your way and your will is the path of greatest blessing, of peace, of a sure foundation. I want your will in my life.

Is that you? Would you raise your hand as a way of just expressing that to God, a prayer to the Lord? I want your will. I will abide in your will and your way. I trust you, God. I trust you. It is the way of greatest blessing. Father, thank you for everyone who has raised their hand as a show of obedience, saying, I want your way. God, pour out your Spirit upon us now. Meet us here and truly pour your life that our souls would be revived. As we wait, we gain new strength to rise up with wings like eagles and run and not get tired and walk and not faint. Do that in us, we pray. We ask in Jesus’ name, and everyone said.

The Triumphant King
John 18:1-40
March 28-29, 2026

Would you all open your Bibles to the Book of John? We’ll be in John 18, beginning in verse 1, the title of our message, The Triumphant King, as we’re celebrating the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together. Lord, thank you for sending your Word to reveal your heart to us, your desire to bless our lives. We open our heart to receive and pray that, Lord, you would pour out your Spirit of life through your Word. Meet us here today in Jesus’ powerful name. Everyone said, Amen.

The triumphant entry of the Lord as He came into Jerusalem, riding on the fold of a donkey, and the crowds, or great crowds surrounding Him, shouting, “Hosanna, hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” These were the words from the Psalm of the Messiah. Everyone knew that when you shout these words, you are welcoming in the Messiah and King. There were great crowds there in Jerusalem because these were the high holy days in Israel. That week began on Sunday.

The first month of the Jewish calendar is the month of Nisan. On the 10th day of that month, the day that we call Palm Sunday, is the day that they call Lamb Selection Day. That’s the day that they would select a lamb, an unblemished lamb, to prepare for the Passover that would be coming later that week. The day that Jesus came into Jerusalem, riding on the fold of a donkey, the day that we call Palm Sunday, was Lamb Selection Day. God was sending His Son and declaring, “This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is the Lamb that I have chosen, that He will redeem sinners and reconcile them to the living God through His Son, Jesus Christ.” Amen. It’s glorious to know. Let’s give the Lord praise. God’s doing a great work in that.

God has been leading up to this day, this day of Jesus, from the beginning. Jesus has an appointment with history. He came to fulfill the very purpose of God, to seek and to save that which was lost. He’s been healing. He’s been teaching. He’s been preparing the disciples, saying that He would go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and that He would be crucified. He told them the manner of His death, but that He would be raised up from the dead on the third day. Jesus had an appointment with history. His entry into Jerusalem were ordained, established by God before the foundations of the world.

From the earliest chapters of Genesis, God has been pointing to Jesus all through, showing that He would be the one who would shed His blood on the cross of Calvary as a covering for our sins as well. All throughout the Old Testament, I love going through the Old Testament and seeing all the ways that it points to Jesus over and over, chapter by chapter, prophecy by prophecy. It’s all there to read and understand. For example, in Isaiah 61, the words that Jesus quoted from the prophet as He began His ministry, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. The Lord has appointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to prisoners, and to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Then, of course, Isaiah 53, one of the most powerful prophetic chapters in the entire Old Testament, Isaiah 53:5, is such a key verse, “He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” God has been declaring it from the very beginning, but the Jews missed it. They didn’t recognize the signs of the times that were right before their eyes, thus fulfilling another Scripture that said that the stone which the builders rejected, meaning that the Messiah and King would come, but they would not recognize. They would even reject Him.

The stone which the builders rejected would become the chief cornerstone. On that stone, on that rock, He would build His church. On that rock, He would build the purpose of which He sent His Son to seek and to save that which was lost. They would not receive their King. Though He lived among them, the signs of the times were right before their eyes. The blind received sight, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk. He even raised Lazarus from the dead. These were the signs of the times right before their eyes, but they missed it because their hearts were hard and their eyes were blind.

Here’s where it must be seen as being personal. You don’t miss it. Don’t you miss the signs of the time? Each one must decide then, how will you respond to the one whom He sent to seek and to save you? The Jews are still waiting for their Messiah, but Daniel the prophet gave the exact number of years from a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to Messiah the Prince. Exact. No one can fulfill that prophecy except the one who already fulfilled it. For Jesus entered into Jerusalem on the exact day predicted and prophesied by Daniel the prophet. In other words, the purposes of God will be accomplished. Jesus entered Jerusalem the exact day appointed by God. Nothing could stop Him, and nothing could hinder Him.

Today, the Eastern Gate there in Jerusalem has been sealed up. When you go to Israel with us, we always take you to the Mount of Olives. You can see Jerusalem there. We always point out that the Eastern Gate, also called the Mercy Gate or the Golden Gate, has been sealed up. Why? The Muslims sealed it up many years ago, knowing and understanding that the prophecy of Scripture is that when the Messiah comes, He will enter in through the Eastern Gate. Thinking that they would thwart the will of God, they sealed it up. They even put a cemetery in front of it, thinking that no man of God would come through the place of the dead.

The Scripture says that when Jesus the Messiah comes at the end of the age and sets foot on the Mount of Olives, that the mountain will split wide open before Him. He will enter into Jerusalem to rule and reign the nations of the world, to which we say, “Oh Lord Jesus, come quickly, because this is a messed-up world.” Can we give God praise?

In other words, nothing can stop Him, and nothing can hinder Him. Jesus has an appointment with history. I also submit to you that everyone will have an appointment with Him. Everyone’s going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting. Sometimes we use that expression, “So-and-so, they need to have a come-to-Jesus meeting.” I’m here to tell you that everyone is going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting. The question is when. You can have a come-to-Jesus meeting today and get your heart and your soul right with God today, or you can have a come-to-Jesus meeting at the end of the age when everyone will stand and give an account of their lives.

Scripture says every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Every knee, every tongue is going to confess. Everyone is going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting. I submit to you that it’s much better to have a come-to-Jesus meeting now, now that you can be reconciled to the living God because of what Jesus did for you. You can enjoy the blessing and honor of a relationship to the living God. I tell you, this is a messed-up world. This world needs hope right now.

It’s times like these– Look at what’s happening in the world today. It’s times like these makes you think about what really matters. Makes you step back and consider the condition of your soul. There is an aspect of the human nature that’s searching and longing, and looking to fill that which is empty inside. Longing, longing, searching, “Where is that which would fill my soul?” You know what’s interesting is that the Lord sent His Son to seek out you. He’s the one actually knocking.

The Scripture says, “I stand at the door, and I knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him, and he with me.” In other words, we’re going to have glorious fellowship together. We must step back and understand, He’s the one doing the seeking. He’s the one doing the knocking. He’s calling out your name. He desires glorious fellowship with you. Everyone’s going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting. I want you to have that opportunity to get your heart and your soul right with God. It’s a beautiful story that we’re going to see in John 18 of encounters with Jesus.

After the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, He entered into the temple. There He saw the money changers and those selling doves and taking advantage of those who had come to worship. He overthrew the tables and money flying and doves flying. He chased them out. “Get out. This is my Father’s house. This is to be a house of prayer, and you’re making it a den of robbers.” Then He taught them. He healed them in the temple. Then later that week, when He had that last supper with His disciples, He says that afterward He crossed over into the Kidron Valley.

I. The Flesh is Weak

There in the Garden of Gethsemane, the story unfolds that we’re going to read here in John 18. That is such an important story because here we see why it’s so important that we need a Savior. Why we need a come-to-Jesus meeting. Why? Because we see the failure of the human condition in living color in the story. Firstly, there’s Peter. Oh, Peter. We can relate to Peter. We can see ourselves in Peter. He’s hotheaded, he’s overconfident, and he’s weak in the flesh, just like us. Oh, we’re just like him. We can relate. This encounter with Jesus is going to change him forever.

There’s Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Oh, he came to Jesus all right, but he brought Roman soldiers and officers to arrest Him. “The one I kiss is the one whom you seek.” Then there’s Pontius Pilate in the story, the Roman governor, an unwilling participant in the story, but he plays a very important role, and also a very important matter that we need to see ourselves in as well, for he must answer the question, what will you do with Jesus? That question still rings true today. What will you do with my son? What will you do with Jesus?

Let’s read the story of it. We’re in John 18, and we’ll begin reading in verse 1. “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron.” When you’re in Jerusalem with us, we’ll do this, you’re there in Jerusalem, you go east, right away, you go right down into the very short valley of Kidron. On the other side is the Garden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and we always go there. What a powerful moment to just consider, stand there when all these events unfolded, and consider the powerful things that happened in our behalf there in that garden.

He says He was there with His disciples, verse 2, “Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew of that place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the Roman cohort, officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing of the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ They answered, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’ He said to them, ‘I am He.'” I love this part of the story, “I am He.”

Judas also, who was betraying Him, was there standing with them. Now, when Jesus therefore said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. This is a powerful scene. You might know that the name of God in Hebrew is translated, “I am.” Here, He says, “I am He.” They drew back and fell to the ground. What a powerful scene. Then He says, “Whom do you seek?” Again, He says it. They answer, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Verse 8, “Jesus said, I told you that I am He. If, therefore, you seek me, let these go their way,” meaning the disciples, “that the word might be fulfilled which He spoke, of those whom thou hast given me, I lost not one.”

“Simon Peter, therefore–” Okay, here we go. “Simon Peter, therefore, having a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.” How exact is that? Not his left ear, his right ear, and we know his name, the slave’s name is Malchus. “Jesus therefore said to Peter, put the sword back into its sheath, Peter, for the cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it? The Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus, bound Him, led Him to Annas first, for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.”

Now this is the Caiaphas– Do you remember? The Caiaphas, who was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people? He had no idea the power of that word that he spoke, that it would become prophetic. “Now Simon Peter was following Jesus, so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, but Peter was standing outside. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.”

Now, when you go to Israel with us, we go here to this very place. Amazing to stand there, considering these events took place here. Amazing. Now, verse 17, “A slave girl, therefore, who kept the door, said to Peter, ‘You’re not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.'” Denied the Lord. “Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold, and they were warming themselves by the fire, and Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself with their fire. Now the high priest therefore questioned Jesus about His disciples and about His teaching.

Jesus answered, ‘I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues or in the temple where all the Jews come together, and I spoke nothing in secret. Why then do you question me, question those who heard what I spoke to them? Behold, they know what I said.’ When He had said this, one of the officers standing by gave Jesus a blow.” He struck him. “‘Is that the way you answer a high priest?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, then bear witness of the wrong, but if I speak rightly, why do you strike me?’ Annas, therefore, sent Him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said, therefore, to him, ‘You are not also one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it a second time, ‘I am not.’ Then one of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, ‘Wait. Did I not see you in the garden with Him?’ Peter denied it. ‘I tell you, I don’t know the man.’ Immediately, a rooster crowed.”

A. Live by the sword, die by the sword

Now this is a very important scene. We’re going to look at some other verses, yes, but I want us to understand here, this story is so important because it reveals why we need to come to Jesus, why we need a Savior, because the flesh is so weak. In that garden that night, Jesus, after He had returned from praying, found the disciples asleep and said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Oh, that is so true. That night, Peter was completely overtaken by his flesh. His hot-headed anger was about to get him into some real trouble. Had to be rescued by the Lord. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

He’s trying to help understand– We can say it this way. Live by the flesh, die by the flesh. Oh, that flesh is so weak. The condition of man, why we need a Savior, why we need to come to Jesus. That hot head of his is going to get him into some real trouble. He drew out a sword, struck the servant of the high priest, cut off his right ear. We know his name, Malchus. I think it’s fair to say that Peter, being a fisherman, was not skilled with the sword. He was not aiming for the man’s right ear. He’s not Zorro. He’s a fisherman who’s wielding the sword clumsily. I submit, he’s trying to take the man’s head off.

He’s wielding the sword, so Malchus ducks and cuts off his right ear. Jesus– The hot head, he just lost it. He just lost it to the flesh. His hot anger lost it. He’s just wielding the sword and then cuts off the man’s ear, so that Jesus then steps in to rescue him. Jesus– what an amazing scene. He goes over, picks up this ear. I like to think He probably shook it off. Then He puts it back on the man’s head. You would think that the whole crowd would like, “Let’s take this thing over here.” He puts it back on the man’s head, heals him. Jesus saves him. Jesus rescues him because his hot head got him into a lot of trouble.

B. The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh

I tell you, many people do this. Something happens, some crisis thing happens, and they lose it. They just lose it. Their flesh just takes over, and they get angry, and they just lose it. Oh, the flesh. Weak. Got many people into a lot of trouble. People do this all the time, and they make enemies of people that are not your enemies. Your wife is not your enemy. Your husband, your children, your boss, they’re not your enemies. When you react this way in the flesh, you give your enemy a foothold in your life. Ephesians 4, “Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Do not give the devil an opportunity.” Oh, how weak is the flesh.

II. God’s Love Never Fails

Then we need to see this in the story. Jesus told them in advance. He said, “You will all fall away on account of me.” Peter objected, “Not me, not me. I look at these others that you selected, and I can understand why you would say that about them. Not me. I would never deny you.” Jesus said, “Peter, this very night before the rooster has crowed, you will have denied me three times.” What was Peter saying? “My love for you is greater than any of them. I love you more. I would never fail you. I would never deny you.” He does. He failed. He does fail miserably.

A. Don’t follow at a distance

This is part of the story. We fail. God’s love never fails. Even while Peter is failing, Jesus is paying the price for that failure. Jesus is paying the price to redeem him from that failure. Then we read this story and understand tremendously important truths to apply. For example, verse 15, don’t follow at a distance. Oh, Peter’s following, but at a distance. He doesn’t want anyone to know who he is. He’s a follower of Jesus, but distant. Many people find themselves in the same place. Oh, they’re followers of Jesus, but they don’t want anyone to know. They don’t want to stand out. I call it the miserable middle.

They’re following Jesus, but at a distance. They’re miserable because they’re right in the middle. They have too much of the Lord to enjoy the world, and they have too much of the world to enjoy the Lord. It’ll make you fail. Being too far from the Lord is what gets people in trouble. It’s been true from the very beginning. Then it’s the nearness of God that is our strength. It’s the nearness of God that is our good. That’s the place we need to stand in. That’s Psalm 73:28. “As for me, the nearness of God is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge that I may tell of all your works.”

“I’m not ashamed. I want to tell everyone the glorious things you’ve done for me.” It’s the nearness of God that is my good. I’ve made the Lord God my refuge. I want to tell of all your works. Then there’s 2 Timothy 1:12. What a great verse is this. “I’m not ashamed, for I know in whom I have believed.” I am persuaded. I am convinced. This thing is settled with me. I believe that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him until that day. I tell you, I found it’s much easier just to declare who you are.

I remember when I was back in the workaday world, and I was going to Bible college, and I was still working in the restaurant business. We had started the church, but it was small. I still had a job in the restaurant. I got this new position at this restaurant. It was a high-class. I remember day one, I get there early, and the manager says, “Your trainer’s not here yet, so just stand in your section and wait. He’ll show up soon.” I’m over there waiting. Pretty soon, the fellow comes up and introduces himself. Then he says, “I’m a homosexual. Did you notice that?” I said, “Well, I picked that up.”

Then, about that time, another fellow comes up and starts talking about the party that he was at the night before in all the lurid details. I said, “I’ll just be over here.” I went a little distance away and just waited. Then, a little bit later, in the back, someone’s talking about some drug deal that was going on. This is day one. This is the way the night went. At the end of the night, they’re all standing around in a circle doing their tips. Someone says, “Hey, Rich, you’ve heard about us. Tell us about you. What do you do for your day job?” I said, “I’m the pastor of a church.”

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the sound of mouths dropping open, but that’s what happened next. Someone then said, “Oh, what you heard from us.” Then the stiff arm, the cold treatment, the rebuff. I went home that night thinking, “God, how did I get myself into this?” Ever had that corrective word of the Spirit just speaking to your heart? Like, “You go back there, and you’re going to serve these people, you’re going to respect these people, and you’re going to share Jesus with these people.”

I went back, and they were cold and stiff-armed, but I just served them and respected them. Little by little by little, they warmed up to me. Before I was done, I was able to share Jesus Christ with all of them. An interesting thing happened. One time, I was invited to speak. It was a real special thing that I’m invited to speak anywhere. I thought, “Hey, this is something special. Y’all ought to come hear me speak.” They go, “Us? You want us to come to church?” “Yes, you don’t have to sit in the front. You can sit in the back.” I said, “I’ll even introduce you.”

B. Don’t be warmed by the world’s fire

They said, “Really? You want to introduce us? How would you introduce us?” I said, “I’ll say to everybody, ‘Hey, everyone, I want you to meet my sinner friends sitting in the back.'” They all laughed, of course. They didn’t all come, but a few of them came. Here’s my point. Don’t warm yourself by the world’s fire. You invite them to come to your fire. You invite them to come and have the fire of the Holy Spirit get hold of them. That’s when God will move in power. Don’t warm yourself by their fire is a very important principle.

Here, Peter, falling at a distance in the courtyard, warming himself, making himself comfortable by their fire. Mark and Luke say that he sat down with them. While he’s making himself comfortable around this fire, he’s accused of being a follower of Jesus the Galilean. He’s in their midst. He’s in a party, you could say, warming himself. He becomes like them, which is the danger of warming yourself by their fire. You will become like them. Someone says, “Are you not one of His disciples?” “I am not.” He denies it.

Then someone says again, “Are you not one of His disciples?” “I tell you, I am not.” Then someone says, “Wait, I saw you. Didn’t I see you in the garden?” Now he’s vehement. “I tell you, I do not know the man.” Another gospel says that this third time, he says it with cussing to be all the more convincing. Now he’s a fisherman, so he knows quite a bit about cussing. “Didn’t I see you? Weren’t you there in the garden with him?” “I tell you, blankety, no, I don’t even know the man.”

At that moment, Jesus looked over at him. They met eyes. You can say a lot with eyes. What do you think Jesus would have said to him when He looked at him? I think Jesus would have looked with compassion, sadness, sorrow. I think He would have looked at him, and with His eyes, He would have said, “Peter, did I not say? Did I not say, Peter?” Scripture says that Peter then went out and wept bitterly, deep, deep, bitter weeping, so ashamed of himself, so ashamed of what he did. Have you ever done something that made you so ashamed that it hurt? Shame is a terrible condition.

Done something so shameful that you just hurt, weeping, weeping, bitterly. Now we know, of course, the story that it will come a time after the resurrection when Peter will have an encounter with the Lord. He will restore him. “Do you love me, Peter?” He will restore him. This is something beautiful to know. God takes the ashamed one, broken one, messed-up one. He’ll renew. He’ll rebuild. He will restore. He does not throw people away. He will not throw you away either. He will rebuild. He will restore. He will renew, and He’ll give you glorious purpose. He will not throw you away. That’s something that we know is glorious about the Lord.

III.  Everyone Sits in the Seat of Pilate

Before we close, we must look at Pilate in the story. He’s very important, of course, in the story, but I want us to understand how we connect, in the sense that everyone must sit in the seat of Pilate. In other words, everyone must answer the same question as Pilate. “What will you do with my Son? What will you do with Jesus?” Now, Pontius Pilate had never met Jesus before this moment, though likely he had heard of Him. By this time, Jesus had already developed a reputation of confronting the Jewish leaders. Probably pleased Pontius Pilate, because he did not like the Jews.

He had a reputation of being harsh, and now he’s in a predicament. What will he do with Jesus? At first, he tries to get out of it. Take Him yourself. Judge Him by your own law. They say, “We do not have the authority to bring death to this man.” Pilate then questions Him. Pick it up with me in verse 33. “Pilate therefore entered again into the praetorium, summoned Jesus, and said, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Look, your own nation and your chief priests delivered you up to me. Tell me, what have you done?’

Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews, but as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm.’ Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘So you are a king.’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this, I have been born. For this I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.’ Pilate answered, ‘Ha. What is truth?’ When he had said this, he went out to the Jews and said, ‘I find no guilt in this man.'”

A. Everyone must choose, “What will you do with Jesus”?

Pilate is in a predicament. He knows He’s innocent. “I find no guilt in Him.” He knows the Jews are just jealous of Him. Interestingly, his wife sent a message to him, and in that message she said, “Have nothing to do with this righteous man, for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” He’s pressured by the Jews to crucify. They’re pressuring him. The Jews knew that Pilate had a dangerous secret. They had leverage over him, and it has to do with the intrigue of what was happening in Rome. The intrigue was this. Tiberius Caesar was getting old and wanted to retire, so he appointed a regent to oversee, govern, rule over the Empire of Rome while he enjoyed retirement on the island of Capri, just off the coast.

That man, that regent that he appointed, was named Sejanus. Sejanus became the most powerful man in Rome next to Tiberius himself, but Sejanus was ambitious. He didn’t want to just be the regent. He wanted to be the next Caesar, so he hatched a plot to assassinate Tiberius. Then, when the plot became known, Sejanus was arrested and executed. Tiberius then issued orders to search out and find everyone associated with Sejanus. “I want to know–” The order was, “I want to know who is a friend of Sejanus and who is a friend of Caesar.” It just so happens that Pilate was appointed to his position by none other than the same Sejanus, and the Jews knew it. He had a dangerous secret.

John 19:12, Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out and said, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. You are no Amicus Caesaris.” It became a well-known phrase. Many people can relate to Pilate here in the story. In their heart, they know Jesus is the righteous one. They know, but they’re afraid of what others might think, and they’re pressured by that wanting the approval of others. John 12, an example, many even of the rulers believed in Him, but they were not confessing Him for fear that He would be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

B.  Truth is a person

“Pilate therefore said, ‘So you are a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this, I have been born. For this, I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.'” Are you of the truth? What does it mean, everyone who is of the truth? It means that they are honest seekers. They want the truth. When they hear the truth, it resonates in their soul. The Spirit bears witness with our spirit. They hear the truth, and it resonates as truth. They take hold of it, and thus their hearts are opened.

He came to bear witness to the truth. The sinners can be reconciled to the living God. God has made a way that He sent His Son to seek and to save that which was lost, that sinners can have their sins forgiven, paid in full by that which Jesus did when He shed His blood on the cross. He paid the penalty of your sin, and He paid it in full, so that anyone on whom that blood is applied has their sins forgiven entirely. He’ll give you the righteousness of God as a gift. He’ll give you eternal life. You will have glorious fellowship and the promise of eternal life.

Come to Jesus. He is the one inviting. He is the one pursuing. Can you hear His voice? “Behold, I stand at the door, and I knock. If anyone hears my voice, he’ll open the door. I will come in, sup with him, and he with me. We’ll have glorious fellowship together.” Can you hear His voice? He is inviting you. Come to Jesus. A glorious encounter that will change your life forever.

Let’s pray. Lord, how glorious it is to know of your heart that you are the one pursuing us. It’s amazing that you are the one inviting people like us, weak in the flesh, filled with shame, that you would pursue us, knock on the door of our hearts, call our name, invite us to glorious fellowship. It’s amazing. Church, as we’re praying, as we’re continuing to pray, if that is you, if you would say to the Lord today, “I want to come to Jesus, I want my come-to-Jesus meeting, I want to get right with God. I want God to come into my life because my soul resonates with the truth. I know who Jesus is. I just need to open my heart.”

Is that you? Would you open your heart? He’s inviting you. He’s knocking. He’s calling your name. If that is you, would you raise your hand that I could just pray with you and agree with you in the name of the Lord? God bless you. God bless you. Anyone else? God bless you and you in the front there. In the very back and the side. Oh, way over there in the side, I see you too. God bless you. Anyone else? I see you right back here in the middle. Come towards the back. I see you there. Anyone else? I see you right there. Yes, I see you too. God bless you. Anyone else?

I want to pray for everyone who just raised their hand to say, “I’m opening my heart. I hear you calling my name. You’ve reconciled me. I want to ask God for that promise of eternal life and for the forgiveness of sin. I want my soul right with God. We are so blessed by how you move by your Spirit upon us.” Church, let’s give Him praise. In Jesus’ name, we say an amen and amen. Let’s give Him praise. Can we do that? Amen. Amen.

Extravagant Love
John 12:1-11
March 21-22, 2026

Joining us online. Hope you’re all doing well. It’s spring. I’m feeling springy. It’s great to see you all. Hey, would you all open your Bibles to John 12:1? As we’re heading into the resurrection, we’re going to look at this wonderful story. The title of our message is Extravagant Love. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together. Lord, we are so thankful. We know that you send your word after us to show us the way of glory and of life. We open our hearts to receive from you now and pray that you would pour out your Spirit through your word. God, meet us here by your Holy Spirit, we pray in Jesus’ name. Everyone said amen.

All right. The events of John 12 take place just before the triumphant entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and the last supper that He had with his disciples there the night before He was betrayed and then arrested, and then later would be crucified. The backstory of this chapter is one of the most amazing stories in the New Testament, and it’s this. Jesus was friends with Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. At one point, Lazarus became deathly ill. Mary and Martha sent an urgent message to the Lord that Lazarus, the friend whom Jesus loved, had become deathly sick.

Jesus stayed two more days in that place, and when He finally arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days. Bethany, by the way, is just east of Jerusalem, just on the other side of the Mount of Olives, is very, very near. When Jesus arrives in Bethany, it was Martha that met him first, shortly followed by Mary, and both of them said to the Lord, “If you had been here, our brother would not have died.” Now, I don’t believe that they said this as a way of accusing, but rather as the cry of their heart, “Oh, if you had been here, our brother would not have died.”

Jesus then responded, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha gave a theological answer. She said, “I know, I know, I know that He will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” What we’ve come to understand in the story is that the death of Lazarus becomes an opportunity for God to reveal his power over death and the hope of eternal life. Jesus responded, “I am the resurrection, I am the life, and he who believes in me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Do you believe this? Jesus was strengthening faith by revealing the power of God over death and the hope of the resurrection.

For in just a matter of days, Jesus himself would be crucified, laid in a tomb very similar to that of Lazarus. He’s strengthening faith so that when they see Jesus raised from the dead, they can take hold of it and believe. In fact, the significance of that must not be misunderstood. Paul wrote in Romans 10, he said, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

All right, now here, as we come to John 12, Lazarus has now been raised from the dead. After being in the grave four days, he’s here now in the story, sitting at the table with Jesus, having supper. Mary is there, Martha is there, the disciples are all there. Then at some point in the meal, Mary took costly perfume made of pure spikenard and anointed his feet, wiped his feet with her hair. This is a beautiful story of amazing love. This is about extravagant love. The greatest and highest desire that God has for us is that we would love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, our mind, and our strength.

The reason to love becomes evident in the story. Let’s read it. We’re in John 12. We begin reading in verse 1. “Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.” They made a supper for him there, and Martha was serving. Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with him. “Mary, then, took, therefore, a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard or spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” As you can imagine, filled with the fragrance of this perfume.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, who was intending to betray him, said, “Why? Why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and the money given to the poor?” By the way, a denarii is the value of about one full day’s wage. Can you imagine 300 days’ wage for one bottle of perfume? Now, verse 6, he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and he had the money box, and he used to pilfer what was put into it. He was a treasurer, in other words, and he would help himself to the monies that were in the funds.

Jesus, therefore, said, “Let her alone. It is in order that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor, you have always with you, but you do not always have me. Now, a great multitude, therefore, of the Jews learned that He was there, and they came, but not only for Jesus’s sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.” Everybody wanted to see. That’s the one that Jesus raised from the dead. He was in the grave four days. He was in the grave so long that he stinketh, and Jesus raised him from the dead. We want to see this one, and they came in great multitude to see him.

I. Love God Extravagantly

Then verse 10 says, “But the chief priests took counsel that they might put Lazarus to death also.” They had already plotted to take Jesus’s life, but now, because of this, they desired to take Lazarus also. “Because, verse 11, on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.” What a beautiful, amazing story that must be seen as being personal and applied to our lives. In other words, love God extravagantly. That is what God is calling us as well. Imagine I capture this scene for a moment. It’s so beautiful. Lazarus is seated at the table after being raised from the dead, and it says, “And Martha was serving.”

See, I think that it makes special mention of the fact that Martha is serving because there’s some history here with Martha and her serving. Many of you know the story that there was another time when Jesus was waiting for a meal to be prepared. Mary was sitting at his feet listening to his words. Martha became irritated because Mary wasn’t helping. She came up to Jesus. Now, notice how she says it. She comes up to Jesus and says, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Tell her to help me.” Now, I don’t know if she said it that bossy, but I think she was bossy.

Jesus corrected her and said, “Martha, Martha.” Now, when Jesus says your name twice, you’re pretty much in trouble. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things. Only one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Now, here in John 12, Martha is again serving, and we get the sense that she’s serving with a good heart. Now, Mary then came to Jesus with this jar of extremely expensive perfume. Later, we read, of course, it’s worth 300 denarii. That would be approximate to the wage of an entire year’s labor. Maybe today $50, $60,000 perhaps, maybe more. Now, in case you are wondering, yes, there is perfume that expensive today. For example, there is the Clive Christian’s Imperial Majesty perfume for 215,000 per bottle. Then there’s the Opera Prima Bvlgari for 235,000. Then there’s the Shumukh by Nabeel for 1.29 million. Of course, there is Le Monde Sur Mesure by Morreale Paris, 1.5 million.

Now, I myself prefer something simple, less expensive, but ruggedly outdoorsy. Something like Chanel No. 5. The certain smell of a webbed horse just manly there. Anyway, back to our story. We know then that after Mary anointed defeat, Judas objected. Why was this perfume not sold, and the money given to the poor? Now he tells us, no, he wasn’t concerned about the poor, he was a thief. Speaks to the motive. Ah, the motive. Why do people do what they do? The essence of the question why do people say what they say? Jesus said that the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart.

We know now what filled his heart. What was his motive? We also know Mary’s motive, love. Oh, the extravagance of her love. Why? Because of what God had done for her. This is such an important understanding. You love God because of His love for you. Scripture says we love God because He loved us first in Jesus Christ. He loved us extravagantly in Jesus name. The other gospels tell us that Jesus told them in advance that the Son of Man must be handed over to His enemies, delivered up for crucifixion. He said this more than once. He said this on three separate occasions.

A. Love Him because of His love for you

Now, the disciples did not want to hear this. It seems clear that they didn’t fully grasp what He was saying. Mary had learned to listen to His words. More than that, I’m convinced that she heard His heart when He said, ” The Son of Man must be handed over to His enemies and be crucified.” She heard the words, took it to heart, and so she said, “Okay. Then, if you are to be crucified, then I will anoint you now for your burial.” Why did Mary love so extravagantly? She knew how much that Jesus had loved her. Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Something far beyond her expectation. Exceedingly, abundantly beyond her expectation, which is a great truth for us today.

I tell you, if we could only comprehend, if we could only understand fully the extravagance of God’s love toward us, it would radically change who we are. It would radically change how we live. Oh, people, I tell you, this is such an important, great truth. If we could only understand it, comprehend it, I tell you, it would radically change your soul. Paul wrote this in Ephesians 3:18-19, he says, “I pray like this is my prayer for you, that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints the breadth, the length, the height, the depth, and to know the love of Christ, which surpasses understanding that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

Can you imagine your soul being filled up to all of the fullness of God? I tell you what, you want to live, let your soul be filled to all of the fullness of God. You will understand life and the depth of it, because it comes from that great truth. Oh, if you could only comprehend it, He said, the greatness of God’s love and to be filled up with the fullness of God, that, my friends, is living. Amen. Can we give God praise and glory?

There is another time, another story, when Jesus was anointed with tears and with perfume. We then have an insight into the depth of why we love. Notice, you can turn there with me if you would like. It’s in Luke 7:36. The story unfolds. Now, one of the Pharisees was requesting Jesus to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. Now, behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner.

Now, you got to say it maybe a little different. “There was a woman in the city, and she was a sinner. When she learned that He was reclining at the table at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume. Standing behind him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and kept wiping them with the hair of her head and kissing his feet, and anointing them with the perfume.” Now, when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He wouldn’t know who and what sort of person this woman is, who is touching Him, and that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered and said, “Simon, I have something to say to you. ‘Say it, teacher.’ A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii.” Now we already know that is a huge sum of money. Another owed 50. Now, when they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. Now, which of them, therefore, would love him the more? Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” Jesus said, ” You have judged correctly.” Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet.”

This was a common courtesy of the day. “She has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, common courtesy of the day, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, a common courtesy of the day. She anointed my feet with perfume. For this reason, I say to you that her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much, but he who is forgiven little loves little.” Then he said to the woman, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

Those who were reclining at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” He said to the woman, “Woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” What a beautiful story. When you read that story, you can easily put yourself right in the story. When you begin to understand how much God has done for you, how much God has forgiven. I tell you what, I can look at my life, and I am very, very thankful. Oh, how thankful I am for how much God has loved me, how much God has forgiven me, how much grace He has poured out all my life. I am very, very thankful. Anybody want to join me in this? Amen. Yes, let’s give the Lord praise. 

B. Love first; serve second

Then you see this in the story, love first, serve second. It comes out of love. The highest, the greatest. Judas, he’s indignant. The perfume could have been sold, money given to the poor. Jesus corrects him, “Let her alone. She has done this to prepare me for the day of my burial.” The poor you will always have, but you will not always have me. Now, Jesus is not saying there is anything wrong with helping the poor. No, we know God’s heart. It’s so important to have a heart of generosity and compassion for those less privileged. We understand that. Mary understood the importance of loving God first and loving God extravagantly, and then out of the abundance of that heart comes a heart to serve. Mary understood it. Martha surely now understands it. Mary had learned the importance of sitting at Jesus’ feet, and that, Jesus said, was the better part. When you think about how to live your life effective, people want to live their life to be effective, to accomplish much, and you would think it would be to the one who strives more, applies themselves more to it, the one who works the hardest at it. No.

Scripture helps us to understand. No, you love God first. You believe God first. It comes out of that which God is doing in your life. You want to be effective? Start with this greater understanding. For example, Psalm 127. We love these verses. Let these be like life verses for you. Psalm 127, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” If God isn’t in it, it’s in vain. “Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” If God isn’t in it is in vain. Then He says, it’s vain for you. Empty. It’s vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors, for it is He who gives to His beloved even while he sleeps.

What a glorious understanding. You want to be effective? It comes out of that faith, that love, that relationship to the Lord. Here’s another illustration. When Israel was coming out of Egypt, God saved them out of the oppression and slavery, brought them into the desert. At one point, they encountered an enemy that unjustly attacked them, the Amalekites. Joshua is there in the battle. He’s directing the armies of Israel to take on this great battle, but Moses is on the mountain with his hands lifted in prayer. It says that as Moses lifted his hands in prayer, Joshua prevailed in the battle, but as his arms began to grow tired and weakened and began to be lowered, it turned the other way and they went against Joshua.

Aaron and who, who were alongside lifted his arms back up. As he lifted his arms in praise and in prayer, then Joshua prevailed in the battle. Of course, the point and the message is that if God isn’t in it will not be a victory. It comes from that first relationship. Love God first. Love God. Believe God. In fact, James 5 is a great verse. The effect of the fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Do you believe in the significance and the power of prayer? He tells us here a great word. The effect of fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.

Then there’s Isaiah 40. “It is he who gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might, he increases his power. For those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired, and they will walk and not faint.” What great promises are those? John 12, going back now to this chapter. Notice this picture of the fragrance filling the room, a picture of Mary’s heart. There’s a connection that is very important to see from a personal perspective. In other words, be a sweet aroma to God. She pours the alabaster jar of perfume. The room is filled with the fragrance. What a beautiful picture of Mary’s heart.

II. Be a Sweet Aroma to God

In the Scriptures, there is a similar word that connects that to the heart, the soul. Notice, he says, “We are a fragrance of Christ to God who manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” Beautiful. Understanding that the soul within, that there’s the aroma of Christ, the sweet aroma. Wouldn’t that be amazing that people can just smell, you might say, the aroma of Christ? That’s glorious. Of course, the opposite is not so good. If they smell like, I don’t know, something, there’s something, I don’t know, something doesn’t smell right.

It reminds me of many years ago, we used to live in Aloha. At one point, I came home, and I thought, this house doesn’t smell right. I said to Jordi, my wife, “Do you smell something?” Now, when you’re in it, you get used to it, you don’t want to smell it. She said, “Well, I don’t think so. I don’t know, maybe. I don’t know.” The next day I come home, to me it was a little stronger. I said, “No, there’s something. I smell something, I’m pretty sure.” They said, “Do you smell it?” I said, “I don’t know, maybe.” The next day I came home, it was like, “Oh, I’m pretty sure I smell something.”

Well, we were having guests coming over for dinner. I thought, we can’t have guests coming over with the house smelling like this. I had to know for sure. I thought, I’m going to call our neighbors, the Huggins, they go to our church now. I called them. I said, “Hey, Dean, can I borrow your nose? I need you to come over to my house because you have a fresh sense of smell. I want you to come over to my house. I want you to just smell my house and tell me if it doesn’t smell right.” He goes, “Well, sure. What are neighbors for?” He came and walked in the front door. Just a few steps in, he goes, “Oh, yes, something died.” Oh, no. What possibly could it be?

Then I just thought, I know it has to be this. Some possum decided to leave this mortal earth by crawling underneath my house and giving up his life, and leaving his carcass there under my house. I had to put on my hazmat suit, go into the house, and the closer I got, the more it smelled like death. I know. It was bad. I know. The smell of death, most unpleasant. You smell like that which you are near. You take on the smells of that which you are near. If you go outside and then come in, you will smell like outside. Outside has a smell. If you mow the lawn, you’ll come in smelling like you mowed the lawn.

I remember when I was in the restaurant business, every day I’d come home, I’d smell like the restaurant. You smell like that which you are near. There’s, of course, a tremendous, important spiritual application. The aroma of your character comes from the inner man, that which transforms death into life, that which is transforming that which is ugly and smelly to that which is beautiful. The transforming work of God is such that He transforms the soul such that people can see it. There’s the aroma of it. They can see that you’ve been changed.

A. Don’t waste your life

They can see the effect that God has had, this grace that you have, this peace that you have, this residing joy, this kindness in you. It’s beautiful. It’s wonderful. It is that which God does upon the soul. When you open the door of your heart, you are letting, you are inviting Christ into the most personal part of who you are, the soul within. There is the aroma, the fragrance of the beautiful soul that God does upon it. Then we read this, we understand this, when we look at John 12, don’t waste your life. In another gospel, we know that when Judas objected, he said, “Why this waste?” No. Of course, we understand his true motive. It wasn’t because he was concerned about the poor. He wanted an opportunity to pilfer from it. “Why this waste?” Judas confronted. It wasn’t a waste. It was extravagant love. I’ll tell you what was a waste, Judas. That was a waste. Judas had seen with his own eyes. Can you imagine all that Judas saw? With his own eyes, he was there when Jesus calmed the wind and the waves at the word of His command. He was there when Jesus healed 10 lepers at one time. He was there when He cast out demons by the word of His power. He was there when He healed blind Bartimaeus. He was there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Yet, after all that God has shown him, his singular priority was himself. What a waste.

Oh, how many people have been caught in that, that their singular priority is themselves. Ah, that is the condition in which man is born. The singular priority of self will poison the soul. Philippians 2:3-4, do nothing from selfishness. Ah, this is the condition in which man is born. Selfish. Do nothing from selfishness, but regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not mainly look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

He goes on to say, “Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who humbled himself to the point of death, even death on the cross, such that God highly exalted him and gave him a name that is above every other name, that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Yes, let’s get the little praise exactly right.

He says this for a very good reason. To focus on oneself, to make singular priority on self, is to poison the soul. If a person spent their life pursuing wealth or status and then achieved it, and then spent the rest of their life singularly prioritizing self and indulging their own desires, would we not say, what a waste? What a waste. To whom much is given, much is expected. Judas’s life takes a tragic turn. He will betray Jesus to the Jewish leaders for money. We know how much. Thirty pieces of silver for money. What a waste. In the 60s, during the drug culture of the day, when a person would get high, they would say he was wasted. Oh, so-and-so got wasted last time.

That generation was rebelling against the culture of the day. They didn’t want to waste their lives on materialism or corporate cronyism or government corruption. To get wasted and to waste your life is no answer either. There were others in the 60s, hippies of that generation, who sat at Jesus’ feet, heard His words, listened to His heart, fell in love with Him, began to take hold of a glorious purpose. Begin to teach others in such that tens of thousands have been transformed because of those from that generation who did not waste their lives, but used their lives for God’s glorious purpose.

B. Have no regrets

You want to do something with your life, live it with God’s glorious purpose. Don’t waste your life. In other words, have no regrets. Several days later, Mary would be there seeing Jesus on the cross, seeing His words fulfilled. Son of Man would be given over to His enemies and be crucified. She saw Him there hanging on the cross. I cement that when she saw Him there that day, that she had no regrets over loving Him extravagantly. I’m so glad I anointed Him when I could. In fact, Jesus says, we read it in Matthew, He says, “Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done shall be spoken of in memory of her.”

What are memorials for? They are for remembering a life well lived, a life well spent. God gave you your life to spend it well. You see Mary’s extravagant love. I’m so thankful I loved so extravagantly, never regretted. May you come to the end and know that you spent your life well, that you loved God extravagantly, that your life was a memorial and a testament of His love for you. A life well lived, a life well spent. How will you spend it? How will you live it? May you long to hear those words, “Well done, well lived. My good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.”

You know, when I think about this, I think about this man, William Borden, who was heir to the Borden family fortune, born wealthy. In 1904, he graduated from high school and his parents, for his graduation gift, gave him a trip around the world. As the young man traveled Asia and Middle East, and Europe, he saw people hurting everywhere he went. Something stirred in his heart for these hurting people. He wrote home that he wanted to give his life or to be a missionary. One friend expressed disbelief. “You would throw your life away as a missionary?”

In response, Borden took out his Bible and turned to the back of it. He wrote two words, “No reserves.” In other words, “I’m holding nothing back. I give it my all.” He went on to go to Yale. His classmates saw in him that he wrote something unusual, a full surrender to Christ, a man of spiritual strength, a settled purpose in his life. When he graduated then from college university, he received several high-paying job offers, which he turned down. Opened his Bible again and wrote two more words, “No retreats.” In other words, “No turning back. I have decided.”

His missionary call narrowed to the Muslim Gansu people of China, so once he fixed his eyes on that goal, he never wavered. Others said of him, there was a true strength in him, always felt that he was the stuff martyrs are made of, heroic missionaries of our modern time. Because his work was to be with Muslims, he stopped first in Egypt to study Arabic. While there, he contracted meningitis, and within months, 25-year-old Borden would be dead. A wave of sorrow went around the world. Was his life a waste? Not in God’s eyes, not in God’s view. Ah, a life well lived.

In fact, before his death, he wrote two more words in his Bible, “No regrets. No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.” You will never regret loving God extravagantly and living your life well to His glory. Let’s pray. Lord, we are truly so thankful for this beautiful story that helps us to understand that all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ has won our hearts. You’ve won us, Lord, in such that we want to live for Your glory. We want to know what it means to love God extravagantly, to live well. We want to hear those words. Well done. Well lived. You loved God extravagantly. You served Him to His glory. Well done. Church, how many would pray that as we’re praying together? How many would just make that declaration to the Lord, “God, I want to love You extravagantly. I want to live to Your glory. I want to spend my life well.” Is that You? Would you raise your hand unto the Lord just to declare it? Just to say to the Lord, I want to live my life well. Lord, I want to love you with all my heart. I want to love you extravagantly. God, we are so, so thankful for all that you’ve done in us. We give you glory and praise and honor in Jesus’ name. Everyone said, give God all–

A Heart after God
Acts 10:1-23
February 28-March 1, 2026 

Welcome everyone joining us online. Hey, would you all open your Bibles today to the Book of Acts? We’re going to be in Acts 10. Take a little break from the Book of Jeremiah, letting that guy on Wednesday catch up to us. He is so slow, one can’t believe it. The title of our message is A Heart After God. Very important what God has for us in His Word. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together. Lord, we are so thankful. We know that You used the Word to draw us to Yourself, to pour out the Spirit of life. Through Your Word, we pray that You would meet us here by Your Holy Spirit. God, we open our heart to receive from You today.

A heart after God. A sincere, authentic faith. That is what God is desiring, to see and do, a heart after God. How important is it? The Scripture says that God sees not as man sees. Man, look at the outward appearance. God sees the heart. In fact, that is where life is transformed. Jesus said that the mouth speaks and the life is lived from that which fills the heart. This is such an important aspect to our relationship to the living God. Proverbs 4:23 says, Guard your heart with all diligence. Watch over your heart, for from it flow the streams of life.

In John 4, when Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman there at the well, the Samaritan woman, Jesus said, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I give will never thirst, and the water that I give will spring up in him as a well of life, springing up to eternal life. The life is lived from that which fills the heart. God is transforming lives by transforming that heart. The church here in the book of Acts, born early in this book, the great revival broke out there in Jerusalem, but then a great persecution arose against the church. It was dispersed throughout Judea, Samaria, and outer regions. They were dispersed, and they brought the gospel with them and brought it to the Jews.

This is primarily how the church was born, out of the Jews. In Chapter 10, God is about to do something shocking, at least it was shocking to them, in that now the gospel must be broken out to the Gentiles. Peter was, no doubt, very proud of his Jewishness, and for good reason. God chose Israel as His chosen people. They are the ones who received the promises of God. They knew that the whole world would be blessed from the Messiah, the Jewish Messiah that would come, but they considered Gentiles, they rejected Gentiles, considered them unclean. They made it rules and traditions that were not biblical. They would not eat with Gentiles. They would not even eat food that was prepared by a Gentile. They would not invite them into their house, and they would not even sit at a table with them.

In Matthew 28, Jesus told the disciples to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, but He didn’t mean just to take the gospel to the Jews that might happen to live at the end of the earth. He meant it for all people. God’s heart is for all people. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Someone once famously said, the ground at the foot of the cross is level. God’s heart is for all people.

Acts 10 is about two men. One is Cornelius, and the other is Peter. Cornelius is an officer in the army of Rome. He’s Gentile. He’s a Roman officer, however, of the Italian cohort. Interestingly, he’s an amazing man with a great heart. He seeks after God. He came to Israel, heard about this God of the Jews, and something happened to him, and he took hold of God for himself. He then gave to the Jewish poor generously, praised God continuously. He loves the light. God’s going to give him more light. He’s hungry for truth. God’s going to give him more truth. He longs to be closer to God, and he’s about to receive the Holy Spirit in an amazing way, which is an interesting principle. To everyone who has, more will be given, and we’ll have an abundance. This was true for Cornelius.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is about to be offered to the Gentile world, and it’s all going to begin with this amazing man, Cornelius. The story is also about Peter and what God must do to change his heart. He thought of the Gentiles in the same way. Things need to change. His heart needs to be transformed in order for God’s glorious purpose to be revealed. This thing is standing in the way of that which God desires to do. Now interestingly, God was preparing Peter for this. As Peter was traveling through these parts, he was called upon to heal two Gentile people.

One of them was this man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed for eight years. Peter came to him and says, “Arise and make your bed.” What powerful words. “Arise, make your bed.” They were powerful words because I have said those same words to my kids for many years, and they never did them.

All right, that was a bad joke. All right, let’s go with it. Acts 10. Let’s read the story of it beginning in verse 1. Now there was a certain man at Caesarea. Go to Israel with us. We go to these places. Caesarea is on the coast there in northern Israel. Of Caesarea, his name was Cornelius, a centurion Roman officer of what was called the Italian cohort. He was a devout man, one who feared God, the God of the Jews, he and all his household. He gave many alms to the Jewish people, prayed to God continually.

Now about the ninth hour of the day, that would be three in the afternoon, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come into him. He said, “Cornelius.” fixing his gaze upon him. Being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” He said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now dispatch some men to Joppa. Send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying with a certain tanner named Simon whose house is by the sea.” By the way, Joppa is about 35 miles or so south of Caesarea on the coast also. When we go to Israel, we go to Simon the tanner’s house. It’s quite amazing.

Now, when the angel, verse 7, who was speaking to him had departed, Cornelius summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were in constant attendance upon him. After he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. Now on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up to the house stop about the sixth hour to pray, about noon. He became hungry and was desiring to eat. While they were making preparations, he fell into a trance. He beheld the sky opened up and a certain object, like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground. There in it were all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.

A voice came to him, “Arise, Peter, kill and eat.” Peter said, “No, by no means, Lord. I have never eaten anything unholy or unclean.” Obviously, there were unclean animals in this. Then a voice came again a second time to him saying, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” This happened three times. Then immediately the object was taken up into the sky. Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what this vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate. Calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there. Now, while Peter was reflecting on this vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, these three men are looking for you. Arise, go downstairs, and accompany them without misgivings, for I myself have sent them.” Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason you have come?” They said, “Now, Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear a message from you.”

And so Peter invited them in, Gentiles though they be, and gave them lodging in the house, and they spent the night. Now, on the next day, he arose and he went with them. As we know the rest of the story, he goes to Cornelius’s house. The Holy Spirit falls on this place, and revival breaks out. He shares the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ is going to break through to the Gentiles. It’s an amazing story, and a lot for us in the story to understand. Starting with this, when it comes to the heart within, the soul within, that is important for us to understand, that you have a say in the matter. The kind of heart that you have, you have a say. You can choose who you will become.

I. Choose Who You Will Be

I was thinking of an illustration many years ago. Our granddaughter, many of you know we adopted our granddaughter when she was younger. One day she did something that was less than obedient. I asked her what was happening. She said, “That was my naughty self.” I said, “But you get to choose what self you will be.” That was cute. You have a choice to choose what self you will be. There are different conditions of the heart. We are free to choose who we will be. Jesus, interestingly, gave a parable that the heart is like different types of soil, and the Word of God is sewn like seed upon that soil, different types.

There’s hard hearts. We certainly know that’s true. Hard hearts that cannot receive the Word of God at all. Others are like soil that has rocks, so that the soil is thin, and then it receives the Word, but it doesn’t make any depth of root. Then when the heat of the sun comes, they’re easily offended, He says, and they wither. Others have soil with thistles and thorns and weeds, and it chokes out anything good. Anything of the Word of God, it chokes it out, and it produces nothing. Other soil, He says, they hold fast to the Word of God, and they are the ones that produce 30, 60, 100-fold.

A. A good heart seeks after God

One of the lessons, of course, in the story is that God is working to change the heart. Hearts can be changed. Hearts can be transformed. That is what God is doing now. If a heart is hard, it needs to be broken because it needs to be changed. If a heart is hurting, God’s going to be healing. If a heart is good, God’s going to move to bring something of depth. Cornelius is a man that has a heart that’s good, but it needs to be changed yet. He’s hungry. He seeks after God. God’s about to give him, however, the greatest news that the world could ever hear, that God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to the living God. He’s hungry for more, and God is going to give that desire.

The soul is searching. The soul is desiring. We know this is true. The soul is longing. Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” One of the things that comes out of the story is that a good heart is seen in this, that a good heart seeks after God. Now, as a typical Roman, he would have been familiar with all of the Roman gods that were a very important part of the Roman culture, Jupiter, Venus, Apollo, and many more. When he came to Israel, he discovered the God of Israel, and it resonated, his spirit, it resonated in his spirit.

It reminds me of that Scripture that the spirit bears witness to our spirit. The spirit within hears this about God, and the spirit testifies to our spirit. Something stirs within. He discovered the God of Israel and became devout. He gave generously. He had a consistent faithful prayer life, and he revered God. He says he feared God. It means he revered. It’s a very important word. It means to put God in the place of highest honor in your life. It’s very important to understand that this is what God desires. Notice Deuteronomy 10:12, “What does the Lord your God require from you?’ This is a great verse. What is it that God desires? What is it that God is seeking that you would have in your life?”

He says this, “That you would fear the Lord your God, revere Him in highest place, that you would walk in His ways, that you would love Him, and that you would serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” That is a great verse. That helps us to see God’s desire for our lives. Cornelius understood what many people have yet to understand, that your relationship to God should have a direct impact on how you live your life. He was well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews. He treated them well. He was very generous in giving of alms to the people that were poor.

He prayed. He gave. No doubt, a heart that’s good is generous. That’s true. I’m convinced that he was generous because he was rich toward God. I love that perspective, being rich toward God. When I think about that, I think about a story I read a number of years ago, and I want to read to you some of it here now. The story is called The Rich Family in Church, written by this lady named Eddie Ogan. She said this, “I’ll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14. My little sister Ocy was 12. My older sister, Darlene, was 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. Our father had died five years before, leaving a mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.

By 1946, my older sisters were married and gone. My brothers had left home. Then, a month before Easter, the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken up to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and to give sacrificially. When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. That would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for this offering. Then we thought, if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible, didn’t listen to the radio, we could save money on that month’s electric bill.

Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible. Both of us babysat for everyone we could, and for 15 cents, we could buy cotton loops to make pot holders to sell for $1. We made $20 on pot holders. Now that month was one of the best months of our lives. Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night, we’d sit in the dark, talk about how that poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. Now there were about 80 people in our church, so we figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would be surely 20 times that much.

After all, every Sunday that month, the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering. The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store, got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all of our change. We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never seen so much money before in our lives. That night we were so excited we couldn’t hardly sleep. We didn’t care that we didn’t have new clothes for Easter. We had $70 for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church.

On Sunday morning, rain was pouring, and we didn’t own an umbrella, and the church was a mile from home, but it didn’t seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill her holes. The cardboard came apart and her feet got wet, but we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about how the Smith girls had on their old dresses, and I looked at them in their new clothes, but I felt rich.

When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting in the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill. Each of us kids put in a $20 bill. As we walked home from church, we sang all the way home. At lunch, Mom surprised us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs and fried potatoes for lunch. Later that afternoon, the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was. She didn’t say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money.

There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 bill, and 17 $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn’t talk, just sat, stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn’t have our mom. We had a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and to see who got the spoon or the fork that night. We had two knives that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn’t have a lot of things that other people had, and they never thought we were poor.

But that Easter, I found out that we were. The pastor had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn’t like being poor. I looked at my dress, my worn-out shoes, and I felt so ashamed. I didn’t even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor. Then I thought about school. I was in ninth grade at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew we were poor. I decided I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade, which was all the law required.

We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark. We went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally, on Saturday, Mom asked what we wanted to do with the money. We didn’t know. What did poor people do with money? We never knew we were poor. We didn’t want to go to church, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn’t talk on the way. Mom started to sing, but no one joined in. She only sang one verse. At church that Sunday, there was a guest speaker, a missionary from Africa. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun-dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs.

He said, $100 would put a roof on a church. The pastor said, “Can’t we all sacrifice and help these poor people?” We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom reached into the purse, pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy and Ocy put it in the offering. When the offering was counted, the pastor announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn’t expected such a large offering from such a small church. He said, “You must have some rich people in this church.”

Suddenly it struck us. We had given $87 of that “little over $100.” We were that rich family in the church. Hadn’t the missionary said so? From that day on, I’ve never been poor a day in my life. I’ve always remembered how rich I am in Jesus.” That is a great story. Amen.

B. We all need Jesus

Back in Acts 10, the story is this, that we all need Jesus. He’s a good man. He’s generous, but it’s not enough. We all need Jesus. The angel of God appears to convey us with this message to send some men to Joppa, ask for this man named Simon Peter, who will tell them what he must do. Here’s an interesting question. Why didn’t the angel just explain the whole thing? Because that’s not their mission. It’s our mission.

2 Corinthians 5:20, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were entreating through us. Therefore, we beg you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. This is what God is doing today. He is reconciling sinners to himself, and he’s using us to be the ambassadors that bring that gospel of reconciliation to the world. Amen. Now, there’s no question that Cornelius was a good man. If anyone could be considered qualified to enter heaven on merits, it would be Cornelius. He needed Jesus because it’s on the basis of faith in His name that we receive the forgiveness of sin. Without our sins forgiven, we cannot be reconciled to God no matter how good a person may be.

Romans 3 says, there is none not righteous. No, not even one. All have sinned in falling short of the glory of God. No matter what good things they may have done, they’re not right with God until their sins are forgiven, and their sins are forgiven because the blood of Jesus Christ has washed their sins away. Only then can they be made right with God. Interestingly, I read a story about this guy who was golfing, and he happened to see that Bob Hope was on the golf course, so he thought that he would come up to him and share the gospel. As he came up to him and started to speak, Bob Hope cut him off and said, ”Look, when you’ve given as much money to charity as I have, then I’ll listen to you.”

He presumed that he was right with God because he had given something to charity. Now, Bob Hope was very funny, but Bob Hope was no Cornelius. Here’s a great verse, Deuteronomy 10:17. This is one of those verses that just stand above so many other verses. Notice, ”For the Lord your God is the God of Gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, the awesome God who does not show partiality, nor does He take a bribe.” That’s a mic drop verse right there.

II. Let God’s Word Instruct Your Heart

Meanwhile, back in Acts 10, back at the tanner’s house is Peter. Something’s going to have to change in Peter. This thing, this attitude, toward others, is standing in the way of that which God desires to do. It starts with this, ”Let God’s word instruct.” Something’s going to have to change here, ”Let God’s word instruct.” Peter’s in Joppa, a small port town. It’s near the airport if you ever go to Israel. He’s up in the house stop at noon, falls into this trance of vision. If the gospel is going to break forth this thing that stands in the way, God must remove it.

A. Be teachable

But first it starts with the attitude of being teachable. This is very true today. Peter’s vision, something like a sheet is lowered down, all kinds of creatures that were unclean according to the Jewish law. Then a voice comes, ”Arise, Peter, kill and eat.” He says, ”No.” Like, emphatically, ”By no means.” Now, many pastors and Bible teachers give Peter a really hard time here because he says, ”No. I’ve never eaten anything unholy.” He’s like, ”No.” Now interestingly, of course, in Leviticus 11, the Jews were given clear instructions in regards to what is clean or unclean that they could eat. Now many people know, of course, that Jews do not eat ham or bacon. Other things are less obvious.

For example, Jews are not allowed to eat owls, particularly spotted owls. If you’re from Oregon, you get that joke. Vultures. No, they cannot. Skunks, bats. Not that anyone would want to eat these, but no, cannot eat them. These things were detestable. Just the sight of them were detestable to Peter. He recoiled even seeing such things. They were detestable to him. Today, it’d be like a healthy vegetarian being told to eat a burrito from Taco Bell. It’s like, ”No.” It’s like, ”No.” Why did this happen? Why was it necessary that this thing happen three times?

I think of two possibilities. One, Peter may have thought this was a test. That this was a test of his heart to hear, to obey. Interestingly, there was an example of this very thing in Jeremiah 35. We’re about to get to that chapter at our Wednesday study. In chapter 35, God used the resolute spirit of a people called the Rechabites to teach Israel a lesson. Now, the Rechabites weren’t Jews. They lived some distance away, but they came to Jerusalem seeking protection because the Babylonian army was bearing down on the region, as we know the story.

They come into the city, and God instructs Jeremiah to use the Rechabites as an object lesson for Israel. He tells Jeremiah to bring the Rechabite people into the House of the Lord and to set before them pitchers of wine with cups and then say to them, “Drink.” This was an object lesson. He brings the Rechabite people into the House of the Lord, sets before them pitchers of wine with cups, and he says to them, “Drink.” They respond, “No, we cannot drink.” They resolutely refuse. No, they’re not even Jews. “No.” There comes the lesson, Jeremiah 35. God says, “Will you not receive instruction by listening to my words?” declares the Lord.

The words of Jehonadab by which he instructed his sons not to drink wine are observed, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not listened to me. Perhaps Peter thought this was like that, a test. Perhaps he thought that he was passing the test, but he said no. When he was told three times, that changed everything. In the Middle Eastern culture, it’s still true today that there is a custom that if something is said three times, then it’s meant sincerely. Persians today call this taarof.

For example, a Middle Eastern host is obliged to offer anything the guest might want, and then the guest is equally obliged to refuse it. By politeness, this is a custom. When something is said three times, that changes the matter. Now it’s meant. Now it’s sincere. We have something like that today. If you’ve ever been to lunch with somebody, and then the check comes, and then you say, “Oh, let me get that.” Then the person says, “Oh, no, let me get that.” Then you say, “Oh, no, let me get that.” At some point, you realize, “Oh, he means it.” Then you say, “Oh, thank you very much.” It’s like that.

In Eastern cultures, it’s three. It’s exact. It must be three times for it to be considered like you mean this sincerely. Now there’s been some interesting stories of this backfiring when a Persian meets an American. As you know, Americans are famous for saying what they mean the first time. A Persian invited an American to his house. While they’re having a meal or whatever, the American says to the Persian, “What a beautiful Persian rug.” Persian rugs are famous around the world. They’re handmade. Some of them are worth like $40,000, $50,000. They’re amazing.

The American says, “Oh, what a beautiful Persian rug.” The Persian, out of taarof, says, “Oh, you like it? Please have it.” The American says, “Really? That’s amazing. Thank you so much,” and rolls it up and puts it in his car. Then the Persian’s got to go call an American friend, “Help me out of this. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t say it three times.” By the way, speaking of Persians, we need to pray for what’s happening in the Middle East today. Pray for the peace of Israel, peace for Jerusalem, but peace in the Middle East. This may end up bringing greater peace, but now we ask God to end this and bring peace and security to the Middle East. Amen.

When I think of what I think of this, I’m reminded of a number of years ago, there were two Persians that came into church. Two Persian men came into church. Went up the stairs and asked to speak with the pastor. I came out, and one of them in particular wanted to speak. I sat down with him, and I said, “How can I help you?” He said, “I’m here from Iran on a work visa. And I asked my friend to find a church, and he brought me here because I have heard about a God who hates. All my life, I’ve heard about a God who hates. Tell me about a God who loves.” Then I got to share the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with him.

I didn’t lead him to faith in Christ. Because I wanted him to come to faith in his own mother tongue, in Farsi. I have a friend. He’s an Iranian pastor. Many of you know we have an Iranian church as part of our ministry here. They meet on Sunday afternoons. I called my friend, Pastor Kaveh. Pastor Kaveh met with him and shared the gospel with him in Farsi. He received the Lord Jesus Christ in his mother tongue, and he got baptized right here. Isn’t that a glorious story?

Amazing. In fact, we have seen many come to faith in Jesus Christ. We have seen many come to faith and baptized right here. Did you know where in the world that there is a revival happening today? It’s in Iran. God is appearing to them in their dreams. Jesus is appearing to them in their dreams, and they are receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s amazing. God is on the move. God is transforming lives. God is still doing that today amazingly. Can we give God praise and glory? Amen. Amen.

B. Don’t call unclean what God calls clean

Then comes a lesson. Don’t call unclean what God calls clean. People do this today. This is not about food. This is about people. People reject other people just because of who they are or whatever background, ethnically, or whatever they may be or whatever station of life they may be. They reject them. Peter immediately applies this lesson, welcomes them in the house, gives them lodging for the night. Do not call unclean what I have called clean. By the way, you can also reverse that. Don’t call clean what I’ve called unclean. There are many things in the world, God says, are detestable in my sight, yet are highly desired by the people of the world.

Secondly, then we see this in the story, that this is Peter. Peter is the one who failed the Lord. Three times he denied that he even knew the Lord. Failed miserably, yet he’s the one that God is using for a glorious purpose. This is what God does. He takes the broken, the messed up, the failures. He reconciles them to himself. Then out of that reconciliation, he does something glorious. He puts glorious purpose into their lives. This is what God is doing now. God is still calling sinners, failures, rejects, nobodies, making them sons and daughters of the Almighty God and then giving to them glorious purpose.

Lord, I pray that you would do that very thing in us. Thank you, God, that you don’t reject us for our failures, our sins, our brokenness, whatever ethnic or station of life you don’t reject. But you invite us to draw near to be reconciled by forgiving our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, the blood that was shed is applied to our lives, that the sins that we all have, have been forgiven and forgiven in full. Then being reconciled to God, you give us glorious purpose.

You use the filled, reject broken people and give them glorious purpose. Church, as we’re praying, how many would say to the Lord today, then do that in me? Lord, I want your glorious purpose. I want to move by your glorious purpose. I want to ask God that you would do this in me. Is that you, Church? Would you raise your hand? As a way of saying that to the Lord today, I’m asking God that you would do this in me. I want your glorious purpose. I want to move in it. God, thank you for reconciling failures, sinners, broken ones, and building something glorious. Oh, God, how we love you and honor you and thank you for all that you’re doing in us now. In Jesus’ powerful name, and everyone said? Amen.

How to Live by Faith
Hebrews 11:6-16
February 14-15, 2026

Welcome everyone in the sanctuary. We welcome everyone joining us online. Hey, would you open your Bibles today to the book of Hebrews? We’re going to be in Hebrews today. Hebrews 11. We’re going to begin in verse 6. We’re going to let that guy that teaches on Wednesday catch up to us. He is so slow.

The title of our message is “How to Live by Faith.” Very important what God has for us here in Hebrews 11. Let’s pray and receive from God’s word together. Lord, We thank you. We know that you send Your word to reveal Your heart, Your desire to bless, to show us the way of life and faith, to strengthen us in our walk. God, meet us here by Your Holy Spirit and pour out Your life through Your word, we pray in Jesus’ name. Everyone say amen.

How important is faith? Faith is so important that the Scripture says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. He describes in verse 1 of this chapter what faith is. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. The conviction of things not seen. Faith is the key to the victorious spiritual life that God desires for us to have and the foundation on which He will build upon it.

God, in other words, wants you to have faith, victorious faith. We need victorious faith. It’s a theme that runs through the entire Bible. We need victorious faith because we live in a broken and evil world, and yet we do not need to be defeated or discouraged. We can have victorious faith. It is believing that God is with us and God is for us. The Scripture says, if God is for us, then who can be against us? This you believe by faith. Then we have the flesh of ours. We were born with this, we will die with this, but it need not master us. We can be victorious in our faith.

Anybody, believe me. God is able to make us victorious, we believe, because we have the faith to understand that God is our Father, our Abba Father, that He has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to the living God through His Son, Jesus Christ. That He has sent His Holy Spirit to strengthen the soul within, to ignite our soul to have life and life to the full. The capstone, I think, of our faith is found in verses like these in Romans 8. “In all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Love that phrase, overwhelmingly conquer.

For I am convinced, these are the words of faith, I am persuaded, I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. In other words, not just victorious faith, but surpassingly victorious, lopsided victory, like at the Super Bowl.

That kind of lopsided victory, that’s the word. Speaking of sports, the Winter Olympics are going on, and there have been remarkable feats of courage, sheer grit, and determination stood out in the annals of sports history. Many sports have a hall of fame. There’s the basketball hall of fame, the football hall of fame, the baseball hall of fame, to recognize those who stand above the rest, accomplishing great things. There are others that you’ve probably never heard of that have accomplished great things. For example, have you heard of Hans Kammerlander? He recorded the fastest-ever ascent of Mount Everest, climbing 29,000-foot summit in 16 hours, 45 minutes, all without extra oxygen.

Then there’s Diana Nyad, who swam 112 miles from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Florida, when she was 62 years old. Then there was Dennis Kipruto Kimetto. He is the world record holder of the fastest marathon ever, running 26.2 miles in just over two hours. That is running 13 miles an hour for two hours straight. I couldn’t do that on my bicycle. This is amazing. Now, in the Bible, there is also a hall of fame. We call it the hall of faith, and it’s right here in Hebrews 11. Those heroes that accomplished great feats, the significance of what they accomplished is eternal, however, in aspect.

There were men and women who made a difference in the world because of their faith. They didn’t just believe. No, their faith moved them. Their faith became the driving force of their life. They believed God. They relied on God for what they accomplished in their life. Now, they were ordinary people like you and me. We’ve got to start with that. Ordinary people like you and me. Not perfect, that is for sure, but they believed God, and that made all the difference in their lives and in the lives of those around them. You know what’s interesting is that each of these were common ordinary, you might say common ordinary sinners like you and me, but there’s no mention of their failure in this chapter.

There’s no mention of their sin in this chapter. God gave them a second chance, and what He celebrates, what He highlights, is the victory of their faith. It might remind you of what we were just studying last week in Jeremiah 31, and also quoted again in Hebrews 10, that aspect of the new covenant where he says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now, see, the good news is that your story isn’t over either. Everybody has sin and failure, but you can get up, arise in your faith, and finish well, and what God will highlight, God will highlight and celebrate the victory of your faith in finishing well, your sin and your lawless deeds he will remember no more.

See, people who are strong in faith, in other words, are people who made a difference. Instead of being drawn backward by the people around them, no, they arose in their faith, and they led by their faith, by the example of their faith. They made a difference. That’s a great lesson. These heroes of faith inspire us to arise in our faith, and these verses show what living by faith looks like. We’re in Hebrews 11. We’ll begin in verse 6. We won’t read all of these verses, but the key ones, starting with this. “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is the rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Then he gives us some of the examples, “By faith, Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence, which means in reverence of God because of his faith, he prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” That verse right there is loaded with amazing depth.

Then, “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance, and he went out not knowing where he was going, but by faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.” Notice this, “For he was looking for a city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Not an earthly city, a heavenly one.

Then move down to verse 13. “All these died in faith without receiving the promises, but having seen them, having welcomed them from afar. Having confessed that they are strangers and exiles on this earth, and those who say such things, make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. Now, if indeed they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have opportunity to return, but as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared such a city for them.

I. Strong Faith Pleases God

These are amazing verses that we want to see how God would apply it to our lives. Starting there in verse 6, strong faith pleases God. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. With faith, with strong faith, God is well pleased. For example, when David faced that Philistine giant by faith, God was well pleased. David said, “You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord God of Israel.” By faith, he moved. God was well pleased.

Then later, when David declared, “You are my hope, O Lord God, and You have been my confidence since my youth.” God is pleased with faith like that. Faith. This chapter inspires faith. When you see victorious faith lived out in the perils. Difficulties of life. That is faith. God is well pleased with faith like that. Here He displays one hero of faith after the other. Notice, for example, Noah. The name Noah means rest. His parents gave him that name, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands.” There’s a lot of parents that could have named their kids Noah.

By the way, Noah is not a picture of Jesus Christ, as some presume. He’s a picture of those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, of those who rest in that which God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Noah’s ark, however, is a symbol of Jesus Christ. He is the refuge. Jesus is the refuge from the gathering storm that will culminate in the judgment of the world. Jesus is the ark which saves, the Scripture says. I am the way, I am the life, I am the truth, and no man comes to the Father but by Me, Jesus says. Notice then also here, God warns in advance to strengthen faith.

A. God warns in advance; to strengthen faith

Verse 7, “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things that he had seen, became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” See, God warned Noah in advance that judgment was coming on the earth because the wickedness of man was great, and every intent and thought of his heart was only evil continually.” Interestingly, Jesus gave a similar warning in Matthew 24, speaking of the latter days. He says that the latter days will be like that of Noah. They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, giving in marriage.

In other words, they were partying and living it up oblivious until the flood came and took them all away, Matthew 24. Because lawlessness is increased, this is the condition of the latter days, most people’s love will grow cold, for the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah. Noah was warned by God about things that he had seen. For up to that point, it had not rained, a canopy covered the earth creating the famous greenhouse effect, but by faith Noah, he did God’s warning, and then it says, out of reverence, out of faith, he did what God instructed him to do.

Now, even if the world does not end in cataclysmic judgment in your lifetime, the moment you die is the end of the world for you. Are you ready? That’s the point. God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to the living God and have any hope for eternal life. God has made a way for salvation. The ark of God, you can say, is Jesus Christ, and by faith you enter in and become an heir of righteousness, which is according to faith. Then we see this here in a chapter, like by faith influence those around you, by faith lead. See, Noah did not follow the crowd. We know the condition of things in the world, but he did not follow the crowd, which is amazing in and of itself because following the crowd is human nature.

B. Influence those around you – by faith

That’s the nature of man. For example, I was thinking many years ago when we were taking regular teams to Russia, and we brought medical supplies, and we had outreaches and concerts and whatnot, but we had downtime. I would go shopping. I wanted to buy some things for the kids, things for the momentos. I would go to these stores, and you never know what’s there. You got to just look through all the displays. I noticed that if you just stood long enough and stared at something, that a crowd would gather to see what you’re looking at.

The nature of man to follow a crowd. For example also, when I graduated from high school and left for college, went to Oregon State. I left my family behind, my friends behind, I left everything behind, and now I’m alone. I felt a longing to belong to something, to be part of a group and a community, so I joined a fraternity, which is a terrible idea. I do not recommend it because it was a terrible influence. I’m just following the crowd. I’m just at parties every weekend, which was a shock for a country boy like me growing up and going to the little country church, and then going to the university, and there’s parties every weekend.

I’m just following the crowd. We’re just traveling along the path of destruction together. Then I got elected to be president of the fraternity. I’m not just following the crowd. I’m leaving this thing now. Then I couldn’t do it anymore. God just got a hold of my heart, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I remember that day very well. It was a Sunday morning, the night before we had another epic party. I got up, and I was just so empty and just so alone. I remember I just had to go out and get some fresh air. I went out to the front in the sunshine. Had a walk through the smell of the beer and the sticky floors.

I went outside. I stood in the sunshine on a Sunday morning. I said, “God, I miss you.” I can’t do this anymore. This is no way to live. There’s no life in this. I can’t do it. I went back to my room to get my Bible. I’m ashamed to say it took way too long to find my Bible. Got in my car and just drove until I found a church. I just walked in the back, sat down, and church was already going. I just sat down and just cried, “Oh, God, it’s so good to be home. I just love being in church.” Then God made it possible for me to become a pastor and have the privilege of leading many to faith in Jesus Christ.

God has turned this thing around, and God will turn your life around, too. Amen. Can we give God praise? Right. Noah lived in a time of great wickedness on the earth, but not only did he not follow the crowd, he became a preacher of righteousness, and he did it alone. 2 Peter 2:5, “God preserved Noah, preacher of righteousness, with seven others when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.” No, he was a preacher of righteousness. No one listened to what he preached. He’s going to stand alone. If you’ve got to stand alone, you’re going to stand alone.

He spoke the truth, even if they wouldn’t listen. We’re not responsible for whether people receive the truth. God tells us to speak the truth in love and trust God with the results. You never know what impact you could have. Even if you only impacted one person, it would be worth it. I tell you what, if you impacted your children, it would most certainly be worth it. Abraham Lincoln once credited his mother with instilling in him his great character, which we know became famous. The Apostle Paul mentioned to his young son Timothy about his mother and grandmother, calling them by name, their influence.

2 Timothy 1:5, “I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first was in your grandmother Lois. Then your mother Eunice, and I’m sure it’s in you as well.” One generation spoke the truth to the next generation. Generational impact by faith. Make a difference in this world. Whatever your sphere of influence, God wants your faith to arise. Make an impact. Do you want to make a difference in this world? By faith, lead. Notice what he’s showing us. By faith, be men of action. By faith, Noah, thanking God at His word, took action, built the ark.

II. By Faith be Men of Action

Notice verse 8. By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going to a place. Not knowing where he was going. Living as an alien in that land of promise. In other Words, faith moves. Faith does something. Faith takes action. It moves. It makes a difference in the way the life is lived, not just what you believe. It’s what you do with that belief. When Abraham was living in the land of Haran with his relatives, God said, “Leave it all behind. Leave that land.” Go to that land which God would show him, a place he’d never been before, that place that God would give to his people in Israel, and it’s still true today.

A. Walk by faith and not by sight

The impact of what Abraham did is affecting the world today. Abraham believed. That’s the point. He trusted. He believed. By faith, he took action. In other words, you walk by faith and not by sight, the Scripture says. Live your life in this way. Walk by faith. Many people, they would love to have a blueprint for how their lives are going to turn out. Give me a chart, God. Let me know in advance how it’s all going to work. Send me a memo. Send me a text. Send me a tweet. Is that still a thing? I don’t know. Do something, Lord. Tell me how it’s going to turn out.

No. God doesn’t want it to work that way. He doesn’t tell you in advance. He expects you to trust that God knows the way through this wilderness. All we have to do is follow one step at a time, and He will reveal through the ordaining of your way, the steps of the righteous are ordained by the Lord. He moves in your life. For example, in the early days of the church, a great persecution arose against the believers in Jerusalem, and they were therefore scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. God used it for His purpose. Those who were scattered went about preaching the Word.

Now the gospel is going forth. Before that, they were all there in Jerusalem in the first days of the church, enjoying fellowship, enjoying one another, just all together there in Jerusalem. Then a persecution arose, scattered them all to Judea and Samaria, but God used it to bring the gospel forth to the reaches of Judea and Samaria. God used it for His great purpose. This is something I have seen over and over and over in life, that which you think is against you is oftentimes the very thing that God would use to be for you. The things that you think are against you are the things that God would use to reveal His favor in your life.

Oh, I tell you, I have seen it over and over and over, and God’s not done yet. Those who believe look for God to order their steps. One of those was Philip. As he was going from village to village preaching the gospel, an angel of the Lord told him to go out onto the desert road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. No explanation. Wasn’t told in advance what was going to happen. Just go out onto the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. He’s on the road, and he sees a chariot. The Spirit tells him, go up to this chariot, and who should be there? A court official from Ethiopia who had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning on his way back to Ethiopia.

He just so happened to be reading from a scroll of Isaiah. We can see what happened. He went to Jerusalem to worship and obtained a copy of the law. Now, you got to understand, in those days it was a very valuable thing to have a copy of the law. Every copy was handwritten by scribes. Today, if you want the Word of God, you can order it on Amazon. It’ll be here in the morning. In those days, very rare, very valuable, handwritten by scribes. This Ethiopian, he has obtained a copy of the law. He’s in the chariot reading it out loud. Philip approaches, and he just so happens to be reading from Isaiah 53.

Now, if you know Isaiah 53, you know it is the most amazing chapter in the entire Bible describing that which Jesus, the suffering Messiah, who would, by His scourgings, we are healed, on Him the iniquities of the world would be paid. Oh, it’s an amazing chapter. He just so happened to be reading from the scroll of Isaiah. Just so happened to be reading from Isaiah 53. Do you believe things like that just so happened? No, God ordains your way. This is by faith, to believe you will begin to look and see how God is moving in the step along the way.

Philip approaches him and says, ”Do you understand what you are reading?” The man says, ”How can I unless someone explained it to me?” Then the man says, ”Is he speaking of himself here?” The prophet, ”Is he speaking of himself or someone else?” Philip says, ”I’m glad you asked.” Beginning from that point, begins to explain Jesus, begins to explain how God sent His Son as the Savior and the Redeemer of the world, and that those who believe in Him would have everlasting life.

As he’s explaining Jesus to him, the Ethiopian says, “Oh, I see what prevents me from being baptized?” He baptized him in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. History tells us that Ethiopian went back to Ethiopia, and a great revival broke out. The ordaining of your steps. God will do great things who walk according to their faith. Men of faith are men of action, but they’re also men of faith. In other Words, they’re men of action because of their faith. They do what they do out of a desire to honor God. I want my life to matter.

I think there are many people in this room that want their life to matter. Faith. Walk by faith. It’s not just what you believe, it’s what you do with that faith that matters. We walk by faith and not by sight. As we walk by faith, our faith tells us then how to walk. It matters then how we walk. When you walk by faith, you walk by the way of God’s character. There is a way to walk. There is a way to walk such that it honors God in how you walk. For example, Colossians 1:9-10, where he says, “We have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord,” notice, “to please Him in all respects.”

God is well pleased when you walk like this, bearing fruit in every work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Some people believe that the end justifies the means. As long as they’re accomplishing something, it doesn’t matter how they do it. Not so. That is not the way of the kingdom of God. You may have a worthy goal, but if you’re hurting people along the way, you’re not doing it God’s way. Character matters. “As you walk,” he says, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”

How you walk matters. Character matters. Integrity matters. How you walk matters. To quote the famous Wesley from the movie Princess Bride, “We are men of action. Lies do not become us.” I just love that phrase. “Lies do not become us.” That’s a great word to apply to a believer. Lies do not become those who walk to honor the Lord. Integrity matters. Character matters. You’re walking by faith because you’re walking because of your faith. Walk in that way that God’s heart and God’s character is revealed in how you walk. Then we see this.

B. Faith looks to the reward

Faith looks to the reward. It’s an interesting, intriguing theme that runs through these chapters, that an aspect of faith, perhaps part of the reason for faith, is looking to the reward. that God has in store for those who believe. Now, I want to run through a number of verses that speak of looking to the reward and then see how that they would mean something important to us, starting with the previous chapter, chapter 10, where He says this in verse 35, “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence.” that’s another expression of faith, confidence in the Lord. Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Hebrews 11:6, “He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” This is very important where He’s moving us. Chapter 11:9-10, “Abraham lived as an alien in the land of promise, dwelling in tents, for he was looking for that city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Not an earthly one, but a heavenly one. Hebrews 11:13-14, “All these died in faith without receiving promises, but having seen them and welcomed them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on this earth, for those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.”

Not on this earth, a heavenly one. They desire something greater, something beyond this earth. We’re all strangers here. We’re all exiles. This world is not our home. We’re just passing through. We have a home, and those who trust in God have their hearts turned toward home. In other words, don’t get too comfortable here. This earth is not your home. We’re strangers and aliens here. There’s nothing on this earth that will satisfy the deepest longings of the soul. There is built into all of us a great looking forward aspect of our nature. What is that? What is that?

There’s always a looking forward. As I mentioned, when you’re young, you look forward to getting your driver’s license. “If I could just get my driver’s license, then I’ll be free. I can drive. The world will open up to me.” Then later, if I could just graduate from high school, I’ll be free of my parents. Then later, “If I could just get a career and get a job, I could have some money, and I can do what I want to do. I can spend. I’ll be free.” Then later, “If I could just retire, then I’ll be free.” Always looking forward. What is that?

In fact, it’s an interesting thing. If people don’t have something to look forward to, many find themselves in a crisis. They have nothing to look forward to. Life has lost its meaning, and the world comes crumbling down. Why? Because there’s built into the human soul a great looking forward. Why? Because there’s a longing in the soul for something beyond this world, something greater. The soul longs to be satisfied looking. I suggest to you that there’s nothing on this earth that can satisfy the deepest longing of the soul. Oh, there’s things on the earth that appeal to the flesh, but they cannot satisfy.

There’s nothing on this earth that can satisfy the deepest longing. The soul longs for something greater than this world. Something better. Let me give you an interesting analogy. In the year 410 AD, something happened that shocked the world. Something happened that people thought could never possibly happen. Rome, the great city of Rome, was sacked, pillaged, brought to its knees, defeated. What? Rome? The people in those days were shocked. Unfathomable. The great Rome? How is that even possible? In fact, it was called the Eternal City.

In a sense, such a shock that Augustine, living in those days, wrote a book in response to this shock. The book is called The City of God. The thesis of the book is, you put your hope in the wrong city. That’s what? I suggest to you that there is a modern analogy. The sacking and the defeat of Rome brought to its knees there in 410 AD, has a modern analogy. It would be as if the United States was brought to its knees. Unfathomable. Impossible. The great America? The greatest nation on the face of the world? The great power? The wealthiest nation that the world has ever seen by far?

How is that even possible? There is arising today a change in the world order. There is an alignment of nations arising, Russia, China, and others. I suggest that it has epic spiritual and prophetic implications. Scripture describes that there will be a vast army that comes from the north, more than a million coming against Israel, and that Israel would be defeated if it were not for the intervening hand of God when God sends His Son, the Messiah and Redeemer of Israel, to intervene. How is it possible that such a vast power could arise? I suggest to you, only because that which stands to check it and contain it today, which is America and the West, is brought to its knees.

Unfathomable. Are we not seeing before our eyes the weakening of this nation and the West? Augustine wrote this book, and I suggest to you that his thesis has every implication for the times in which we are now living. You put your hope in the wrong city, Augustine wrote to the people of Rome. If you put your hope in America, you put your hope in the wrong city. He wrote, you can call it a tale of two cities, the earthly city, Rome, and the City of God. It’s based on Hebrews 11. That’s the name of the book, The City of God. That which says, Abraham longed to see.

The earthly city consists of those who have immersed themselves in the cares and pleasures of this present passing world. They find their greatest treasure is here. It’s here on earth that they look to fill the longing of their heart. Those who are of the City of God have fixed their eyes toward heaven. Their greatest treasure is there. They look for that reward, their future, and their hope is fixed there. He means it to be personal, like settle this matter. Those who have their hearts fixed on heaven know that there’s something beyond this world, something greater, something glorious, something wonderful, something beautiful. We have a home. This world is not our home. We’re strangers and aliens here.

We have a home, and we have turned our heart toward heaven. It’s a long walk home from here, but God will walk with you on the way. When you have fixed your heart, you know the direction in which you are walking. Do you know the direction of which you will live? Do you know the direction of which you are walking? It’s a beautiful journey from here, not an easy one, because the journey and path is through a wicked and dark world, but I’ll walk with you, Jesus says, “I will not leave you. I will not forsake you. I will walk with you on this path, this journey. We will walk it together. It’s a long walk home, but it’s a beautiful walk when we walk it together.

When you’re done walking, you will find yourself home in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God our Father, the living God, the Almighty.” That is where my heart is fixed. I know in whom I have believed, and I have set my course. I know the direction of which I am walking, and there is no turning back. No turning back. Let’s pray. Lord, Father, we thank you and honor you for how beautiful it is to walk by faith. Not easy, but how beautiful. For you walk with us in it. God, move upon us now. Help us to settle this matter.

As we’re praying, as we’re continuing to pray, how many today would say to the Lord, “I know where my hope is found, and it’s not here. It’s not in this world. My hope is found in heaven. I have turned my heart toward home. I know in whom I have believed, and I have set my course. I am walking home. I know in whom I have believed.” Would you say that to the Lord by just raising your hand? You’re going to declare it by raising your hand to the Lord.

“God, I want to just say it. I have settled this. I know where my hope lies. I know where my treasure is. I have turned my heart toward home, and I’m just going to keep walking. God, walk with me on this journey. It’s a long walk home, but it’s a beautiful walk from here. Thank you, God, for walking with me in it.” Father, thank you for everyone who’s stirred of the Lord, who understands that you are speaking life through your word. We honor you now in Jesus’ name, we pray. Everyone said, giving you God praise and glory and honor, Amen.

The New Covenant
Jeremiah 31:31-34
February 7-8, 2026

Bibles and open to Jeremiah, the Book of Jeremiah, chapter 31. We’ll begin in verse 31, and at the time of our message, the New Covenant. Very, very important what God has for us in His Word today. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together.

Lord, we are so thankful because we know that Your Word reveals Your heart. You show us the way of life, of blessing, and honor to Your name, so our prayer, God, is that You would pour out Your Spirit of life through Your Word that You would meet us here by Your Holy Spirit now. We pray in Jesus’s name, and everyone said, “Amen.”

We’ll be going verse by verse now through the Book of Jeremiah. He’s taken us through some of the darkest valleys, some of the darkest days in the history of Israel, and then suddenly into the highest mountaintops of hope. Jeremiah sent by God to preach to Israel to call them back. They had gone wayward, gone towards the gods of the world, and He’s preaching to them in the final days before Judah and Israel was defeated and taken into captivity to Babylon.

He was warning them, weeping. In fact, He’s called the weeping prophet, watched as that nation that God had chosen, delivered from Egypt, and wedded to Himself. He says, “I was a husband to them, but they turned away again and again and again.” In the old covenant written on tablets of stone sealed at Mount Sinai, they broke this covenant over and over and over. God had been a faithful husband. They had been an unfaithful bride.

Then right in the middle of the pronouncement of this judgment and consequence of their hearts turning away, God inserts amazing, breathtaking promises. In the very shadow of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, He says, “I know the plans that I have for you, plans for welfare, for good, for peace, not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope,” Jeremiah 29.

Then, here, in Jeremiah 31, “Days are coming, sayeth the Lord.” Not “maybe,” not “I hope.” “Days are coming when I will make a new covenant.” This is one of the most important passages in the entire Old Testament. It’s quoted almost word for word in the Book of Hebrews, chapters 8 and 10, and it’s the foundation of everything that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross of Jesus Christ.

This New Covenant is not just patchwork on the old. It’s something entirely new. Something far better. Something that changes entirely our relationship to the living God through Christ Jesus. These four verses in Jeremiah are some of the most powerful verses in the entire Old Testament, and the spiritual application cannot be clearer that if you are in Christ Jesus, you are already living under the New Covenant. The law is no longer external stone. It’s internal life.

You don’t have to strive to know God. You can know Him personally, intimately, from the least to the greatest. Your sins are not just covered. “They are forgiven,” He says, and remembered no more. He won’t hold it against you. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Old Testament glory. It’s meant to be applied personally. It’s meant to set you free, filled with joy, empower you to live a life that pleases God from the inside.

Let’s read it, Jeremiah 31:31. “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah. Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke. Although I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord, ‘but this is the covenant which I will make with the House of Israel after those days,’ declares the Lord. I will put my law within them, on their heart, I will write it. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'”

Now, we’ve seen these words describing the relationship that God so desires to have with His people. “I will be their God. They will be my people. We will have glorious fellowship together.” It’s God’s heart. He says, verse 34, “And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord, for they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.'” Oh, what wonderful verses.

I. The New Covenant Transforms Your Soul

Well, look at the other verses around this. Of course, at the Wednesday verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter service. Here, He gives us amazing words, comparing the old to that which is greater in the new, starting with this, that the New Covenant transforms the soul within. Notice verse 33, “I’ll put my law within them. I’ll write it on their heart. I’ll be their God. They’ll be my people.” See, the old covenant was external. The new is internal. This is a very important and great difference, and that changes everything in regards to our relationship made possible through what He has given us in the New Covenant.

Now interestingly, in the Old Testament, Old Covenant, there is a tremendous aspect of the glory of God. It’s a very important part of God’s relationship to Israel, the glory. Love talking about the glory of God. What we understand, however, is that the glory of God in the Old Testament was external, and in the New Testament, there is a great emphasis and understanding on the glory of God as well in the new. In the new, it is internal, abiding in the soul.

Here’s what I mean. When Moses led the nation of Israel out of their captivity in Egypt through the Red Sea into the desert, he brought them to Mount Sinai. There, God told Moses to ascend Mount Sinai, and he would receive the law. Moses dwelt with God on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. He dwelt in the glory. This is amazing to consider; 40 days, 40 nights, directly dwelling in the glory of God such that when he descended from the mountain at the end of that 40 days, 40 nights, carrying the tablets of stone, there was a radiance of glory that was visible to the eye. In other words, people can see a radiance of glory. He had been in the presence of God. The glory was visible to the eye. Amazing, but the glory was external.

Now in the New Covenant, yes, we receive glory, and interestingly, it’s the same glory– this is important. The same glory that abided upon Moses abides upon the soul of the believer, but it is internal in the soul. Notice 2 Corinthians 3:7-8. If the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, that’s clearly the old covenant, the law, if it came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face– I mean, that’s how brilliant it was. In fact, he put a veil over it. Notice, fading as it was.

In other words, the more that he was away, the longer he was away from the mountain, from the glory, it began to fade bit by bit. Fading. Fading. Fading. He says, “If that had glory, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fill to be even more with glory?” This is important. In other words, the glory that we receive under the New Covenant is greater than the glory that Moses received under the old covenant. This is amazing to me. Consider the glory that abides in the soul, the beauty, the wonder, that same glory abides with us.

A. God wrote the Old on tablets of stone

But notice this, that God wrote the old on tablets of stone. Very important distinction. Old covenant, written on tablets of stone. New covenant, written on tablets of the heart. Tablets of stone. Tablets of heart. Now, the old covenant, written on stone, given to Moses to bring down the mountain for the nation of Israel, became known as the “Law of Moses.”

Now, what was the purpose of the law written on those stone tablets? Well, firstly, to reveal God, to reveal His heart, to reveal His character, to reveal His righteousness, His justice, His purity and love, to show the way to live in a covenant relationship to God and with one another. The problem was that it had no power to transform.

Now, we can see the issue in living color when you consider the day that Moses came down the mountain carrying the tablets in his arms. Moses was there on the mountain 40 days. People became impatient, and so they said to Aaron, Moses’s brother, “Come make a god who will go before us, for we don’t know what’s happened to Moses.” So Aaron told them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives and your sons and your daughters and bring them to me.” So he took the gold, fashioned it into a golden calf, and said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

Then Aaron made a proclamation and said, “And tomorrow shall be a feast to Jehovah.” Now, did you notice what happened there? So Aaron fashioned a god of a golden calf and then said, “And tomorrow we’ll have a feast to Jehovah.” What? Wait. They get both? The golden calf, they get the golden calf of worldliness, and they get Jehovah? God says, “I think not.”

Now, it says the next day, they rose early and brought offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and then they rose up to play. All right. Now the Hebrew makes it clear. It’s a party. They’re rising up to play. They’re dancing and there’s music. The Hebrew suggests, “And it’s lewd.” It’s a party. When Moses is descending the mountain along with his servant Joshua, Joshua said, ”I hear there’s the sound of war in the camp.” Moses said, ”That’s not the sound of war. That’s the sound of music. That’s the sound of singing. That’s what I hear.” That their people are partying down there. “I’m hearing Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones. That’s what’s going on down there.”

He got so angry, he threw the tablets down and busted them. Imagine the contrast. Moses had been in the glory 40 days, 40 nights. Oh, the wonder of the glory. Then he comes down, and the people are like, ”Party.” There is the whole story right there. Glory of God, nature of man. What a living color right there it is. That’s why this covenant, New Covenant in Jeremiah 31, is so important.

Notice, for example, Romans 8. Romans 8 is one of the most amazing chapters in the Bible. Great verses here. Notice Romans 8:3-4. ”For that which the law could not do, God did.” This is amazing. ”For that which the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.”

You can write books on that one sentence right there. That one sentence is deep. [chuckles] ”That the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” What was it that the law could not do? It couldn’t make you righteous, it couldn’t make you holy, it couldn’t transform your life. No. It was a taskmaster, a schoolmaster with a stick telling you every time how you failed.

B. God writes the New Covenant on your heart

Then when you failed, it would wrap you on the hands. ”No. That wasn’t right. No. Not this. No. No. Not that.” It couldn’t transform. Then comes Jeremiah 31, where he says, ”God writes the new covenant on your heart. I’ll put my law within them,” verse 33, “and on their heart I will write it.” The law written in stone had no power because it was external. It had no power to transform. In fact, the law created the desire to sin even more.

Notice Romans 7:5, ”For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions of the flesh,” which we all understand what that means. ”While we were in the flesh, the sinful passions,” notice, ”which were aroused by the law,” like the law aroused sinful passions. ”They were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.” Let me give an illustration of how law causes or arouses even more desire.

Imagine this. You go on a diet. A diet is a great illustration because you say, ”Okay. I got to go on a diet. No sugar for me. No junk food for me.” As soon as you say, ”I’m going on a diet, no sugar, no junk food,” what is the one thing you think about all day long? Sugar and junk food. It makes you want Hostess cupcakes all the more, and Doritos and Ding Dongs. Anybody know what Ding Dongs are? Oh, my, I was addicted to Ding Dongs when I was in my 20s. I had Ding Dong-stained fingers. Oh, the chocolate cake with ooey goodness inside, wrapped in aluminum foil like a hockey puck.

Oh, and Snickers bars. Oh, I love Snickers bars. Oh, the chocolate, the peanutty caramel. Oh, the nuggets. Oh, it was amazing. As soon as you say, ”No more of that,” you wanted more. We were born in that. That was the nature and condition in which we were born. As soon as you say to a kid, ”Don’t touch that,” what’s the one thing he wants to touch? That.

I remember hearing a story from Gayle Erwin. He’s a conference speaker for Calvary Chapels and a friend of mine. He was telling a story about when his kids were young. He and his wife went out to dinner and hired a babysitter. Just as he’s getting ready to leave, he says– I don’t know why I said it because I never said it before. Maybe he thought it was funny, just as he’s leaving the door, he says, ”Don’t put any beans up your nose, kids.” Yes. They spent the night in the emergency room with the doctor taking the beans out of the nose.

The new covenant is altogether new. Instead of law written on stone tablets, the law is written on the heart. It touches the very passions of the soul. It touches the very desires of the heart. It touches the very longings, the deepest longings of the soul. It’s internal, and that’s where the power to transform resides. It’s the fullness of God that resides within the soul.

Here’s an illustration. Some of you know or have heard about Hudson Taylor. Hudson Taylor was a great pioneer missionary in China. He wrote a letter to his dear sister in which he describes an amazing spiritual transformation that happened for him. It later became known and written in a book. I have the book in my library. It’s called Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret. What was his spiritual secret?

Well, before this understanding, he was living his Christian life as if under the old covenant way. He hated his sin, but there was no strength against it. He agonized. He fasted. He prayed. He made resolutions. “I resolved trying everything to live a holy life and a powerful life, but it only brought failure and guilt and defeat.” Then one day, a letter from a friend opened his eyes. The truth of the New Covenant broke through, and now he understood the power of living in a New Covenant relationship to God through Jesus Christ.

Now he understood that he needn’t strive to get more out of Christ, somehow striving to get more out of God for him to have strength. No. He began to understand. He was already in Christ, and Christ was in him. In fact, he says, “‘The fullness of Christ dwells in me.” Now he understood. It’s not the striving, harder in the flesh. No. It’s about resting in the exchanged life, Christ living through and in Him.

Now he began to understand. It’s not the striving. He says, “I am dead, and I’m buried in Christ, and now Christ lives in me. The fullness of God arising is the power that I need in my life.” He says, “I have striven, and I have striven, and I have striven, and I will strive no more.” It’s not about striving. It’s about resting in He who abides in me. It’s the arising of God in my soul that brings forth the power to transform my life. The letter says, “And His ministry was never the same.” Ah, such a glorious transformation happened.

In other words, 2 Corinthians 5:14, “The love of Christ compels me.” I’m driven by this love. When I understand how much He loves me and what He’s done for me and that how He abides in my soul, in the fullness of God, it compels me. Here’s an example. Did you know that there is a law, modern law written in the books? It’s the law that parents are required by law to take care of their children. It’s the law. Parents, do you take care of your children because it’s the law? No. You take care of your children because love compels you. You don’t need a law telling you to take care of your children. Love compels you to do such.

II. A Better Covenant with Better Promises

That’s the way of Jesus Christ. It touches the very deepest passions of the soul. It touches the deepest desires of the heart. It touches the very deepest longings of the soul. It compels me. It’s a beautiful understanding. Ah, it’s the rising of God that brings the transformation. That’s why He then says in Jeremiah 31, he’s showing us that the new is a better covenant with better promises.

By the way, that one phrase right there, “A better covenant with better promises,” that right there, that one sentence summarizes the entire book of Hebrews. The whole book of Hebrews right there. “Better covenant with better promises.” It’s a new covenant altogether. He means it to be new to you. It means it to be personal. God’s covenant for you is to make you altogether new. Hebrews 8:6. But now Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry by as much as He is the mediator of a better covenant which has been enacted on better promises, because it’s founded, enacted, initiated by His blood.

Everything that Jesus did for us on the cross opened the door to everything that’s behind the name of Jesus and all that’s in the New Covenant. It’s all about the blood. When Jesus, on the night in which He was betrayed on that last supper, He took the bread and He said, “This is my body given unto you. Do this in remembrance of me.” He then says, “And this cup, this cup is the cup of the New Covenant, initiated, enacted in my blood.”

It’s all about the blood that is applied to your life. It’s all about the blood being sprinkled, applied to your life. You can climb any mountain in search of God. You can memorize every holy book. You can pray until your knees are calloused and bloody, but if you don’t have the blood of Jesus Christ, you are not entering into a relationship to the living God. Give me your praise and glory for that understanding.

Amen. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. Old things pass away. Behold, new things have come.” He shows us what it means. For example, “And they will all know me.” Verse 34. “They shall not teach again. Each man his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ No. They will all know me from the least to the greatest of them.”

A. “They shall all know Me…”

Now, see, this was not the way it was in the old. In the old covenant, only the priests could approach God, and only a few of them, and only the high priest, one man, could enter into the holy of holies, the place where the glory of God dwelt, there in the temple of the living God. One person. One time a year. Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Then he could only enter in on that one day if he was carrying the blood of bulls and goats, on which he would sprinkle the blood seven times on the mercy seat in the holy of holy places was the Ark of the Covenant, covered by the mercy seat, which represented the very throne room of God.

The temple there was an image of that which resided in heaven, a copy of that which resided in heaven. The holy of holies represented the very throne room of God, and the mercy seat represented the very throne place where God’s glory would abide. Wonderful understanding. But he would come in on this one day and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. On the throne room? On the throne? It’s a very deep understanding. This was the old. It was in shadow, a shadow of greater things.

In the New Covenant, everything changed. “God has made a way for anyone, from the least to the greatest,” it says right here. “From the least to the greatest, to enter into a relationship to the living God.” Not one priest one day for one year. Anyone. He’s made a way for sinners. Can you imagine this with me? Sinners, from the least to the greatest, they’re all invited to come into the holiest of holy places. He’s inviting you.

See, when Jesus died on the cross, Scripture says that the veil was torn into from the top to the bottom. The veil in the temple was made of sewn material of blue and purple and scarlet threads of fine twisted linen, four inches thick, 60 feet high. Torn from top to bottom on the day that Jesus died. The veil in the temple separated man from God. The only one who could enter past that veil was the high priest, caring and offering for sin.

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn and the way into the holy of holies was now open to sinners because Jesus became our high priest. Do you know that you have a High Priest? His name is Jesus Christ. He’s your high priest. He’s your king. He’s your Lord. We give God praise. Right? This is our understanding.

As our high priest, as the high priest of the old would enter behind the veil bringing blood of bulls and goats, sprinkling the blood on the throne itself, it says Jesus became our high priest. He shed His own blood as an offering for sin. Then He entered the temple, not the temple made with hands, but the temple in the heavenlies. That temple made with hands was just a shadow. He entered into the heavenly place because He shed His own blood. He brought the shedding of blood into the throne room of God. Then He sat down on the throne next to the right hand of God the Father. Hebrews 4. This is absolutely amazing and deep.

He became the first fruits for anyone who follows after him, who has the blood sprinkled upon them can enter into the holiest of holy places. Oh, I want you to understand the depth of that great understanding. He has made a way for any sinner who desires relationship to the Holy God. You have a high priest who gave his own blood so that you can enter that holy place. God has made it possible because God loves you so much that He is inviting you into the nearest place, the holiest place.

B. God will forgive iniquity

Now you can know the Lord intimately. Now you can know the Lord personally. Nothing needs stand in the way between you and the living God. You say, “Well, my sin stands in the way.” Well, then, let me remind you of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31. He says, “God will forgive your iniquity, and He will remember your sins no more.”

Now this wasn’t the way of the old covenant. There were daily offerings for sin, daily reminder of their sins. It was always there. Like, for example, what reads in Hosea 7:2. Look at this great verse. What a contrast it is. “But they do not realize.” God says, “They do not realize. I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulfed them. They’re always before me.” Jeremiah 2:22. “Although you wash your soul with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before me,’ declares the Lord.”

The stain brings the shame, but in the New Covenant, Christ died once and for all. The stain has been removed, the shame has been removed, and there is no need for any other offering. “It is finished,” Jesus declared on the cross, to tell us that it’s over. It’s finished. God has accomplished that for you. Yes. Sure. Let’s hear the little praise.

Hebrews 10:3-4. “In those sacrifices, there is the reminder of sins year after year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” In Christ Jesus, it’s not the blood of bulls and goats that takes away your sin. It’s the blood of our high priest, Jesus Christ, that takes away our sins. He brought that blood into the throne above the heavenlies and then sat down at the right hand of our Father. He says not only will He forgive your sin, but He will remember it no more. He will never hold it against you. Other people may hold it against you, but God will never hold it against you.

Hebrews 10:12-14, “But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God for–” notice, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” You need no other offering. One sacrifice has caused the righteousness of God to be in your heart and in your account that you would see be perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Therefore, since God has made a way for sinners to draw near, then draw near. He’s made a way. He’s made a way of forgiveness. Nothing needs stand between you and God.

Since He’s made a way, then draw near, but draw near with full assurance of faith. Notice Hebrews 4:16. What a great verse is this. “Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.” Now, this is counterintuitive to the way people often think. They don’t think of confidence when it comes to approaching God. They’re ashamed of their sin. They shrink from the presence of God because of their sin. No. He says, “Take hold of this by faith, understand what God has done for you, believe in what God has done for you. He’s made a way. Draw near with all confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Here’s another one, Hebrews 10:21-23. “Since we have a great priest, a great high priest over the House of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Having our hearts sprinkled clean, sprinkled by the blood of Christ from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water, let’s hold fast this confession of our hope, do so without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

Now, what does it mean to have a sincere heart? It means to have a heart that’s true, genuine. You mean it. I remember reading Chuck Smith talking about a guy in Texas that used to advertise on TV that he sold genuine simulated diamonds. People said they needed real money to buy a genuine simulated diamond. The English word “sincere” is rooted in the Latin “sin cera,” and it means literally in Latin, “no wax.” What does this have to do with the word “sincere”?

Well, in the Greek and Roman culture, artisans would carve statues from marble. When you go to Athens or Rome today, you’ll find so many of these amazing, glorious, beautiful statues carved by hand out of marble. Now, can you imagine an artisan working the marble for months by hand, crafting a beautiful statue, and then just as it nears completion, a piece falls out? Oh, no. Months of work, months and months of work. What does an unscrupulous disreputable artisan do? Take some of the chunks of the marble, grind it into powder, mix it with wax, and put it back?

You won’t even know. You can’t even tell until you put it in your back patio, and the heat of the day, the sun starts to rise, and then you start looking at that statue and think, “Did that nose move? Wait. He sold me a statue with wax. I can’t believe it. That statue’s got wax.” So the artisans had to issue a certificate. When you went to go buy a statue, the certificate would say, “This statue is sincere. It has no wax.”

When it comes to relationship to others, we want to sell a better version of ourselves. Then it’s real. We want to hide our flaws. We don’t want people to see our flaws. We want to conceal them, so we put wax. Oh, it’ll come out in the heat of the day, but we want to hide it. Therefore, many people think they can do the same with God. They want to sell a better version of themselves to God, but this is a great mistake. It keeps them farther from the very one who can help them in their brokenness. He’s your advocate.

Well, first of all, it’s ridiculous to deceive ourselves into thinking that He doesn’t already know the flaws. People hide their flaws because they’re ashamed. They’re embarrassed. We certainly understand that. They either want to hide it forever like skeletons in the closet, or they think they can fix it on their own. Oh, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard somebody say, “I just got to figure this thing out. I just got to work this thing out. I will get this thing. I will figure this thing out.”

My answer is always the same. No. You won’t figure this out. It’s you figuring things out on your own that gets you into this problem. No. You need an advocate. If you’re in deep trouble, wouldn’t you want a friend who could come alongside to help and advocate someone who wouldn’t cast you out? But would come to stand with you? That’s what God would do.

I remember many, many years ago, a friend called me he said, “I’ve done something really stupid. I just need a friend. Please, don’t judge me. I just need a friend to help me.” I thought, “What would Jesus do?” I said, “You’re my friend. No matter what it is that you’ve done, I’ll stand with you. I’ll walk with you. We’re going to walk through it together.”

You come to God with a sincere heart, knowing that He is for you. If God be for you, who could be against you? That He is your advocate. It says that Jesus is your advocate. He is interceding in your behalf to the Father. In Him, you will find help in time of need. Therefore, draw near. He’s inviting you. Draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, with full assurance of faith. Ah, it’s the arising of God in your heart that is the power that transforms your life. It’s not the striving of man. It’s the arising of God. Draw near to the throne of grace, and you will be transformed from the soul within. This God is inviting you today. Let’s pray.

Oh, Lord, how we thank you. What wonder and glory you reveal to us in these verses, describing all that you’ve done for us in the New Covenant under the blood of Jesus Christ. God, you’ve made a way for sinners like us to draw near to the holiest place. Church, how many would say to the Lord today, “Lord, I want to draw near with my whole heart in full assurance of faith”? Is that you? Would you say that to the Lord today? I want to just declare it, God. I want to draw near with my whole heart in full assurance of faith.

Would you just raise your hand as a way of declaring that to the Lord? God, I want to just say it. I want to just declare it. I want to raise my hand of way of just saying it to you right now, God. I’m so thankful. I’m so thankful that you would invite someone like me to draw near to you. God, I want to draw near with my whole heart in full assurance of faith. We love you and honor you for all that you’ve done for us in your Son, Jesus Christ. Church, let’s give Him glory and praise. Can we give Him, Amen?

The Plans God Has for You
Jeremiah 29:1-14
January 24-25, 2026

Open your Bibles, if you would, to Jeremiah 29 as we’re continuing our study through the entire Bible. We’re just working our way through all the way to Revelation, and then we’ll do it again. The title of our message, The Plans God Has For You. Very important what God would have for us in the Word today. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together. Lord, we thank You. We know that You send Your Word to reveal Your heart after us, Your desire to bless our lives. We open our heart to receive from You and just pray that You would pour out Your Spirit of life through Your Word. Meet us here in this holy place and stir us up, Lord, to hear Your heart. In Jesus’ name, and everyone said, Amen.

We live in a world obsessed with the future. Everyone wants to know what’s going to happen next. Is the stock market going to go up? Is it going to go down? Will we get that promotion? How will our children turn out? Indeed, there’s a whole industry built on predicting the future. There are economic forecasts. There are weather models, which we appreciate when they get it right. The human heart is anxious about the unknown. Some, sadly, even turn to psychics or horoscopes.

I remember back when newspapers were a thing, that there would be horoscopes printed in the paper every day, and people were like, “Oh, I wonder what’s going to be in my future.” This is a terrible idea. Anybody want to agree with this? God says, I have a plan. I have a plan, and that plan is good. God’s hand is the hand that moves. We crave certainty. We don’t know what the future holds. When we hit a season of trouble, the bottom falls out, or we lose a job, or relationships fall apart, or we find ourselves in a place we never intended to be, anxiety skyrockets, and you feel like you’re in a dark tunnel. You just want the light to come at the end of the tunnel.

We want this thing to be over. We want God to just fix it. This is exactly the situation facing the people of God in Jeremiah 29. Here in Jeremiah, they are now in exile. They are in Babylon. They are far from home. To understand the power of this text, you’ve got to feel the weight of it. In 597 BC, the King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem, surrounded it with his armies. Jeremiah had told them, this city will fall, this city will burn and give yourselves up. If you do that, then you’ll have your life as a reward.

Nebuchadnezzar took many of the best people of the city and put them in exile. He took away the royal family, the king, the queen mother, the children, the family, the skilled craftsmen, the soldiers, and priests. He marched them 900 miles across the desert to Babylon, modern-day Iraq. Imagine the trauma. One day, you’re living in Jerusalem, surrounded by all that you’ve ever known and held dear. Next day, you’re forced to march to a foreign land, surrounded by pagan idols, strange languages, hostile culture. They were displaced, and they were depressed.

Psalm 137 speaks of it. “By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” They hung their harps on the willows. They couldn’t even sing. They just were waiting. Waiting for God to end this nightmare. They didn’t even unpack their bags, you might say. They’re just sitting, “Surely God won’t leave us here. Surely this is temporary.” To make matters worse, there were false prophets feeding them lies. There was a man named Hananiah, in particular, that was telling them, “No worries, no worries, two years, two years, and God will break the yoke of Babylon, and we’re going home, two years.”

That was the message they wanted to hear, the message of quick relief, immediate restoration, but it was a lie. God had a different plan, a harder plan, but a better plan. God spoke to Jeremiah, who was in Jerusalem, told him to write a letter to the exiles in Babylon. This is the letter that we’re going to read now. It was the letter that shocked them. It changed their entire perspective on what they were going through, their suffering. It is a letter that God would use for us today.

You may not be living in Babylon, certainly not, but you may be going through what you feel like is an exile. Maybe you’re living in a marriage that feels lonely, or maybe a career that’s in a dead end, or season of chronic illness, or grief, or financial wilderness. You feel stuck, and you want out. Then God sends a letter like this, “I have a plan. It’s not what you think, but it’s good.” Let’s read it. Jeremiah 29. We’re going to actually begin in verse 4, where he says, “Thus says the Lord of hosts.”

I. Bloom Where You’re Planted

This is the letter. “To all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, build houses, live in them, plant gardens, eat their produce, take wives, become fathers of sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands that they may bear sons and daughters, multiply there. Do not decrease.” Verse 7 is famous. Then he says, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will have welfare.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let the prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams which they dream, for they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord. For thus says the Lord, when 70 years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you, I will fulfill my good word to you, and I will bring you back to this place.”

Then the very famous verse 11. “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call on me, and you will come and pray to me, and I will listen to you, and you will seek me, and you will find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to that place where I sent you into exile.”

These are the words that we want to see and apply to our lives. We’ll look at the other verses around this at our Wednesday verse-by-verse service, but notice how he would apply this today as he speaks this word to us now. “Bloom where you’re planted.” He says, the first part of God’s plan is faithfulness. Right where you are. You’re in exile. You’re in a place you don’t want to be, but bloom where you’re planted. Faith now. He said, God shatters the illusion of a quick return, telling them, you need to unpack your bags and settle in. You’re going to be there for a while, but not just wait. Live.

A. Trust in the sovereign hand of God

He’s wanting them to see something very, very important. Starting with this, trust in the sovereign hand of God. Notice how the letter begins. Jeremiah isn’t just giving advice here. He’s giving them a word from the throne of heaven itself. Notice verse 4, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem.” Notice, whom I have sent. This changes everything.

From the human perspective, it looked as though Nebuchadnezzar sent them into exile. It looked as though the Babylonian army was the one in charge of this whole thing. They were just victims of geopolitics and military defeat. Then God pulls back the curtain and says, “No, Nebuchadnezzar is a tool in my hand. I sent you there. This is the hand of God. This is the bedrock of faith and peace, no matter what you’re going through, this is the substance of peace.”

See, if you believe that life is just a series of random events, random accidents, that you’re just a victim of other people’s bad choices, then you will live your life bitter and angry and fearful and full of anxiety. If you believe that God’s hand still moves, that if His eye is on the sparrow, then surely His eye is on me, then you can find peace no matter where you are, even in Babylon, even in exile. Yes, the exile was judgment. Yes, it was. It was consequence of their idolatry, but this is now the divine hand of God.

See, this is hard to understand. We want to blame somebody. We want to blame the enemy. We want to blame the economy. We want to blame the boss. All those things have a part, but the believer looks deeper and says, “God, I know that You have a purpose and that Your hand still moves.” I believe that God’s hand still moves in our lives today. Anybody want to agree with me on this? His hand still moves. See, acceptance is not just resignation. Okay, fine. No, it’s not giving up. It is a spiritual posture that stops fighting what’s happening and starts looking for what God is doing in it. God’s doing something. God is moving somehow.

See, as long as the exiles were listening to the false prophets thinking, “Ah, two years, we’re going home,” they couldn’t grow. Their lives were on hold. Their lives were on pause. Many people are like that. They’re in waiting mode. They’re waiting for something to happen before they can live. “If this could happen, then all will be well.” Many people are like, “If I could just get that promotion, if I could just get a raise and have more money, then I would be content. If I could just buy a house, then I would be happy.”

Of course, there are a lot of single people who would say, “If I could just get married, it would solve all of my problems.” Of course, there are many married people who would say, “No, it’s not going to solve all your problems.” This is the way people are. They’re always waiting for something. “I can’t wait till I graduate from high school. When I graduate from high school, then I’ll live. If I could just graduate from college, then I’ll live. If I could just get a job, get a career going on, then I can live. If I could just get married, then I’ll live. If I could just have kids, life would have such meaning. If my kids could just sleep through the night– If my kids could just graduate from high school, then I could live.”

B. Engage your faith

Then at one point, “If I could just retire–” There’s always something. Always waiting, always waiting, always waiting. God says, stop putting your life on hold. There is a reason where you are. God is going to do something now. He’s telling them, engage your faith. In other words, engage your faith. Once they accepted that God sent them there, God gave them a surprising command, build something there. Engage your faith.

Notice verses 5 to 6, “Build houses, live in them, plant gardens, eat the produce, take wives, become fathers of sons and daughters, multiply there, do not decrease.” Build, plant, marry, multiply. These are the words of a life, permanence. Don’t just survive. Bloom where you’re planted. Thrive. It’s a radical command. Who builds a house when you’re in exile in a foreign land? Who plants a garden when you expect to leave tomorrow? Only people who trust that God is with them. In other words, don’t just count the days. Make the days count.

God’s doing something now. Don’t just wait for something. Don’t just count the days. Make the days count. I was thinking of an illustration. This took place in World War II. During the war, there were many thousands of Allied soldiers who ended up being POWs held in prisoner of war camps such as Stalag Luft III, where this story actually takes place. True story. It was in a book. Conditions are terrible there. Overcrowded barracks, barbed wire fences, machine gun towers. No idea how long this thing would last. Turned out it would be years.

Most men battled crushing boredom, despair. A group of soldiers decided that they would not just sit and wait, but they would make the days count for something. They founded what later became known as the Barbed Wire University. They realized that amongst the POWs were professors, scientists, lawyers, linguists. They organized a school inside the prison camp, organized full curriculum, teaching classes, law, engineering, history, languages. They even arranged for the Red Cross to bring official exams from the University of London while they were there in captivity. They earned college credits.

Instead of just pacing and pacing and worrying and being angry, instead of counting the days, they made the days count. Many of them left the camp at the end of the war, not just with freedom, but with degrees that were honored, that prepared them for the rest of their lives. They couldn’t control when the war would end, but they could control who they were when they walked out that gate. Don’t just count the days. Make the days count. The exiles wanted to make Babylon a place to give up. Do nothing. God says, make this a place of harvest.

It’s tempting when you’re going through a hard season to withdraw, curl up, give up. That’s when people stop dreaming. That’s when people stop looking for what God’s doing. Never stop looking for what God is doing. God is doing something now. Don’t just say, “I got to get through it. Just got to get through it.” No, build something. Engage your faith. It means don’t put your life on hold. Make your days count.

I remember when I was young, I was single, and I really wanted to be married. I was talking to a pastor friend of mine, and I was telling him, “Oh, one day when I get married–” and he said, “Look, can I give you some advice? Don’t wait until you’re married to live your life. Build. Now is the time. While you are single, now that you’ve got time, now build something. Invest in your faith. Strengthen your faith. Strengthen your life. Become the man of God that God wants you to be, and then you will be prepared for when God will bring you that who will come alongside of you.” Good advice. Amen?

Surely God understands. He wants you to now look for what God is doing now. It means that if you’re in a job that you hate, don’t just do the bare minimum. Work as unto the Lord. Yes, you’re waiting for something new to happen, but work as unto the Lord. Build something there. Engage your faith. It means that if you’re sick, don’t let this illness define you. Find ways to bless others from the weakness.

I was thinking of an illustration. I remember reading or hearing from Luis Palau. Many of you know Luis Palau and the worldwide ministry that he led. He’s with the Lord now, but he battled lung cancer, even though he smoked not a day in his life. I remember him saying that they’re in the hospital, going through the various treatments that he had to go through, that whenever the nurses would come in, he would pray for them, share the Gospel with them. It turned out that all the nurses on the floor wanted to take care of Luis Palau because he was always blessing them.

Multiply there. Do not decrease. God wanted them to increase. God wants your faith to grow. He wants your character to grow. Don’t let the trouble shrink your soul. Multiply there and increase. It’s like the Scripture. Going through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring. The Valley of Baca is another way of saying a valley of trouble, like Death Valley in America. Going through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring. They pour out around them. Then it’s interesting what he says next. He says, “Seek the welfare of the city.”

C. Seek the welfare of the City

Now, if the command to build houses was surprising, the next command was almost scandalous. It went against every patriotic and religious instinct they had. Notice verse 7, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord on His behalf.” The word in Hebrew is ‘shalom’. Seek the peace of Babylon. Babylon, the city that destroyed our homes. The city that mocks our God. Pray for them? This is not what people would want to do. People in this circumstance would want to pray against them. Burn it down, Lord. Take us out of this God-forsaken place and burn down this city. That’s what many people would say.

Jesus said in very similar word, “Pray for those who persecute you.” Radical Christian understanding. Very different than the way the world would be. The kingdom principles are higher. The ways of God are higher. Pray for those who are against you. Pray for its peace. Work for its good. For in its peace, you will have peace. Now this is a profound principle. God is calling His people to be a blessing in the world, even a world that’s hostile to your faith. In other words, we’re called to be salt and light. Jesus said this. “You are the salt of the world. You are the light of the world.”

Salt doesn’t do any good if it stays in the salt shaker. It must be pressed into the meat. I remember reading a book when I was in Bible college called Out of the Salt Shaker and Into the World. That’s when you’re effective. Light doesn’t do any good if it’s hidden under a bushel. That’s what Jesus says. If a person has a light, do they hide it? No, they put it on the lampstand to give light for all to see. God placed them in Babylon, not just to discipline them, but to be a witness to Babylon.

Notice Daniel. We’re going to soon get to his book. He was one of the exiles. He served in the court of the king with excellence. He sought the welfare of the city. Because of Daniel, the pagan kings of Babylon ended up praising and honoring the Most High God. It’s a principle that the Lord Himself gave to us. Be in the world, but not of the world. Here is the tension, and it’s a vital one. They were called to settle in Babylon, but they were not called to become Babylonians. Very important distinction. You can live in Babylon, but don’t become Babylonian.

See, Babylon is a picture of the world. It represents a system of values very much opposed to God. Pride, idolatry, self-sufficiency, all that the world stands for. God told them, live there, build there, prosper there, but don’t lose yourself there. Don’t become a Babylonian. Hold on to who you are. Do you know who you are? Hold on to your faith. Be distinctly different. Never forget that you are God’s chosen people. It’s the New Testament principle. Be in the world, but not of the world. They were to be residents, but remain distinct. They were to participate in the economy, but don’t participate in the idolatry.

They were to walk the streets of Babylon, but their hearts were to remain in Zion where the glory of God dwelt. This is exactly our calling today. We live in a culture more and more increasingly like Babylon, and it’s hostile to our faith. It has very different values than the kingdom of God. Anybody want to agree with this? Our temptation would be to either isolate from it or assimilate into it. God says, no, neither one. If you isolate, you’ll have no influence. If you assimilate, you’ll have no testimony. It’s tempting when going through things like this to curl up, give up, isolate, withdraw. Many people do this. They just withdraw.

I was thinking of– some of you remember back in 1999, Y2K. Anybody remember Y2K? Only old hands are raised. It stood for Year 2000. The idea, of course, was that the computers in those days used two digits to represent the number, right? 96, 97, 98, 99. Then when it turned 2000, the year would show up as 00, and the computers of the world wouldn’t know what to do. Chaos would ensue. What would happen with the nuclear codes? It could be chaos. Everybody was very, very worried. This was a thing in ’99. Very worried about chaos ensuing in the world.

This fellow that I knew decided he was going to withdraw. He was going to pull up stakes, take his family, move to the hinterlands of Idaho, and live in the wilderness of the Rockies somewhere. This is exactly what he did. He pulled up his stakes. He moved, and never to be seen again. He’s probably living off the grid in the Rockies right now, thinking that there’s a nuclear chaos going on in the world. It’s tempting to isolate, to withdraw. I remember back in ’99, we had discussions, and people were like, “What are you going to do, Pastor? If it turns to chaos, what are you going to do? Are you going to move to New Zealand?”

I said, “Look, if it turns to chaos, I’m going to be right here. We need to be right here in the middle of it. If this thing turns to chaos, we need Christians to step up and be leaders in the midst of it. That’s what I’m going to do. That’s what we need to do. That’s where I’m going to be, and that’s where you’re going to be.” Amen? Let’s give the Lord praise, right?

No, don’t isolate, but don’t assimilate either. Don’t become Babylonians. You’ll have no testimony. There’s a line. Work hard, love your neighbor, seek the good, pray for those who persecute you, pray for the welfare of the city, but never forget who you are. Never forget your true citizenship, that we are ambassadors for Christ. An ambassador lives in a foreign country, speaks the language of that country, obeys and respects the laws of that country, but represents another king altogether. Be in the world, but don’t let the world be in you. Prosper there in Babylon, but keep your window open towards Jerusalem.

II. Trust that God’s Plan is Good

When we get to Daniel, we’ll read his story. Three times a day, he would open the windows and pray with his heart turned toward Jerusalem, the place where the glory of God dwelt, the place of God’s honor. He never forgot who he was. Yes, he was in Babylon, but his heart was always in Jerusalem. Then there’s this. Out of Jeremiah 29, “Trust that God’s plan is good.” The first part of God’s plan was about bloom where you’re planted, engage your faith, believe that God is doing something in it. The second part of God’s plan is to hold onto a promise for the future.

A. Trust in God’s timing

When you’re going through a valley, when you’re going through an exile or Babylon, you’ve got to have a promise. You need something to hold onto. It means something you can firmly hold onto of your faith, a promise like this. First, before he gives them that promise, he gives them timing, the timeline of it. Notice in verse 10, because he’s telling them, trust in God’s timing. Notice verse 10, “For thus says the Lord, when 70 years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you, I will fulfill my good word to you, and I’ll bring you back to this place.” 70 years.

Can you imagine 70 years? That is a long time. For a 20-year-old hearing this, it means he would be 90 before the exile is over. For an elder hearing this, it means you’re going to die there. This is not the two years of Hananiah’s promise. No, this is a long time. 70 years? Why 70 years? In 2 Chronicles 36, we’re told that God said, “I am going to give the land its Sabbath rest.” See, God’s word has said to them that they are to give the land a Sabbath rest. Every seven years, the land is to have rest.

Now, we know this is true. The science of agronomy today even verifies, you’ve got to give land rest, or it will not produce. It was true, proven by agronomy, but it was a principle of faith in those days. Do not plant, do not harvest. They could harvest whatever, glean whatever volunteers, we would say, that came up, but give the land rest. We know it’s true. We know it’s true. Not only give the land rest, give the people rest. Can you imagine having a year off every seven years?

In fact, modern-day companies give, oftentimes, people a sabbatical. It’s named after the Biblical principle of the Sabbath rest. Some of them even peg it to the seven years of the Bible, which I think is wonderful. Today, on a sabbatical, you don’t get a year off. I thought I would just clarify. You get a few weeks off, but you get a rest. In those days, they get a year off. The land rested, but for 490 years, they didn’t obey. They did not believe. See, it takes faith to believe. It takes faith to give the land rest, not to harvest, not to plant and harvest.

God says, “Trust me, I will do more with six than you can do with seven because you keep plowing and planting and harvesting, you’re going to wear out the land. I can do more with six if you just trust me. Just trust me. Faith, engage your faith.” For 490 years, they did not. God says, “Then I’ll do it. I’ll give the land its Sabbath rest. I’ll bank up for every Sabbath year that you missed.” 490 divided by 7 is 70 years. “When 70 years are completed, I will visit you. I will restore.”

See, 70 years, God is doing something, purifying His people. Deep transformation takes time. We want everything to be instant. That’s why we love our microwave ovens. We want instant. God says, things take time. God is patient. God will leave you in it for as long as it takes. God works slowly. God works deeply. God works thoroughly. Did you know that after those 70 years, when they came back to Jerusalem, they never did the idolatry thing again? They were done with that. It was a long, long transformation, but something amazing happened. 70 years.

I was thinking of an illustration. It reminds me of the saguaro cactus that grows here in our own American West. It’s a symbol of the desert, standing majestic and tall, sometimes reaching 40, 60 feet in height, but its growth is agonizingly slow. Did you know that in the first 10 years of a saguaro cactus, it grows only about an inch? An inch in 10 years. If you walk by it, you hardly know it was there. You might think, “Well, that’s a failure. 10 years? What have you been doing for 10 years?” Building roots, growing depth. It’s like that Scripture, planted by streams of water. They do not fear a year of drought.

God is doing something in this picture. You’re going through a long time, long period. You set down roots, deep roots, so that you can endure the drought. It takes, interestingly, almost 70 years for the saguaro cactus to grow its first arm. “When 70 years are completed, I will visit you.” The long seasons of waiting, building, preparing, spiritual depth. If He answered your prayer immediately, you would not have the depth of faith, and depth of soul to sustain the blessing. Maybe you’ve been praying for something for a long time, a wayward child, a healing, a spouse, and you’re tired of waiting, and you feel like God’s forgotten you. Verse 10 reminds us, “There is a time for every season under heaven.” God is patient. Trust God’s timing.

Then there’s this. God’s plan is a future and a hope. While we wait, we cling to one of the greatest promises in the Scriptures. This is the verse that we put on plaques, hanging it on the wall. This is the verse that we write in cards to encourage people that are going through a difficult time. I was thinking of Pastor Jon Courson. Many of you know that he was a Calvary Chapel pastor in Southern Oregon. Huge church, now retired, but went through terrible tragedy. When he was 29, he was pastoring at the time. When he was 29, his wife died in a car accident.

A few years later, his daughter died in a car accident. Just in the depths of grief, he was just praying, “God, why? Why?” He’s going through the Scriptures looking for God to just be his strength, looking for a promise to hold onto. Then his eyes came to Jeremiah 29:11. “I know the plans that I have for you, plans for good, not for calamity. To give you a future and a hope.” This verse, it just became an anchor to his soul. “I’m going to hold onto this.” Then the next day, Pastor Chuck from Calvary Chapel goes to him, and he said– Pastor Chuck called him and said, “Jon, I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m standing with you. I want to pray with you, but I have a verse for you, Jeremiah 29:11.” It’s like confirmation. God has a plan. God has a plan to give you a future and a hope.

B. God’s plan is a future and a hope

The people in exile thought God was angry. They thought God was done. They looked at their circumstances, ruin, captivity, loss, and they could conclude, “God’s against us. Look at our situation. God’s against us.” Many people think that today. They go through a valley of despair. They go through their own Babylon experience, and they think, “God is against me.” God interrupts that despair. He says, “I know the plans that I have for you. I know.” It’s emphatic in the Hebrew. “I myself know very well the plans that I have for you, plans for welfare, not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”

The nature of that plan is peace. It’s the word ‘shalom’, peace, completeness. I have a plan, a plan for you. It’s not for calamity, not for evil. This is the heart of God for His children. I have a plan, and it’s a good plan. Even when He leads you through the valley of the shadow of death, He’s leading you through it to the table that He’s prepared for you. It requires faith to believe. To believe that God’s plan is good means that you believe God’s heart for you. I know the plans. It’s because of His heart for you, plans to prosper you, the welfare, peace.

Faith is trusting in the Father. Even if you say, “God, I don’t like this, it hurts,” you say, “But I trust. I trust your thoughts toward me. I trust your plan for me. I trust your hand in my life.” For the exiles, it meant the future return to Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the city, the rebuilding of the temple, the coming of the Messiah. For us, it’s the understanding that God is doing something in the soul, transforming us, preparing us for the eternal weight of glory. See, your story does not end in whatever you’re going through. It does not end in Babylon. It does not end in exile. It does not end in divorce court. It does not end in bankruptcy. Whatever it is, that’s not the end of the story.

C. God wants you to seek Him

God has more. God has a plan for you, and it’s good. Anybody who want to agree with me? It’s good. God has a future. God has the hope. Notice this. This is a very important part of the story. It would not be complete without understanding this, that God wants you to seek Him. This is the key. He reveals the ultimate purpose in His plan, not just to build houses or to plant gardens. No, the plan is to restore. Notice verse 12 and following. “Then, at the end of all that, He declared, then you will call on Me, you’ll come and pray to Me, I’ll listen to you, and you will seek Me, and you will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart, and I will be found by you.” This is restoration.

In Babylon, stripped of everything, they came to realize all they needed was God. I need thee. Every hour, I need thee. They came to a place of understanding. “When you search, you’ll find Me. When you find Me, you will find all that you need for your soul’s delight.” Search with all your heart. Now you might say, “Wait, Pastor, I thought you said that God searches for us.” You would be right. That’s true. Jesus said, “The Father sent me to seek and to save that which was lost.” You would be right.

God is the one pursuing. God is the one calling out your name, knocking on the door of your heart. God is the one pursuing sinners to reconcile that sinner to Himself. You would be right. Once that sinner has been reconciled, how is that sinner reconciled? Because God has made a way for the sins of that sinner which have separated you from God. He’s taken all of your sins, and He placed them on the cross of Jesus Christ so that they are paid for and paid in full. Forgiveness is yours when you ask the Lord Jesus Christ. He will forgive you of all your sins. Ask.

He pursued you. He’s offering you, and He’ll reconcile you. Having been reconciled, having now a relationship made possible only because of what Jesus did for you, having been reconciled, then He says, “Now seek. Now you seek. You seek for more. You search for me with all your heart. Search for more.” Jesus said it. He said, “Ask, seek, knock.” Jesus said, “I want you to ask, I want you to seek, I want you to knock. Ask God for more. Ask, and it will be given. Seek, and you’ll find. Knock, and the door will be opened unto you. For anyone who asks for more of the Holy Spirit, God delights to give it.”

This is what God is saying to you. You’re going through a valley, going through an exile. You feel like you’re in Babylon. Trust that God’s doing something in it, yes, but the greatest thing that God is doing is calling you to seek for more of Him. Revival comes when you understand this is the most important of it all. Seek Him. Search, and you’ll find. All that your soul desires is found in Him. After that, nothing else will matter until you have found that which God gives to your soul.

Let’s pray. Lord, we are so thankful that You give such promises as these. We can trust Your hand that moves. God’s doing something. We can believe that Your plans for us are good, to give us a future and a hope. That You’ve called us to a deeper place to seek, to ask, to knock. Church, how many would say to the Lord today, “I trust Your hand. I believe that You are doing something even now. I believe Your hand moves. You’re doing something in this. God, I believe that Your plans for me are good, to give me a future and a hope. I believe in Your plan because I believe Your heart.

God, You say to me that I should seek. Well, I seek You with all my heart. I do want more. I’m asking. You said I could ask. I’m asking. I’m seeking. I’m knocking. I want more. Oh, God, do a great work in my soul. I want more.” Church, is that your heart and your desire? Would you just raise your hand as a way of saying that to the Lord today? “I trust Your hand. I know You’re doing something in it. God, I believe Your plans for me are good. I will seek You with all my heart.”

Just raise your hand to the Lord and say it by that– “Lord, do this great work in me. Do this in me, God. Pour out Your Spirit of life. I seek You with all of my heart because I believe that Your plans for me are good.” Father, we honor You and thank You for it all. In Jesus’ name, and everyone said– Can we give the Lord praise and glory and honor..

 

Storms that Bring Revival
Jeremiah 24:1-10
January 17-18, 2026

Verse 1 and the title of our message, Storms that Bring Revival. Very important one God has for us in His word. Let’s pray and receive from God’s word together. Lord, we are so thankful because You reveal Your heart, Your desire to bless, to show us the way of life, to honor Your name. And so, God, we pray that you would pour out Your spirit of life through Your word. Meet us in this place. By Your Holy Spirit, we pray in Jesus name. Everyone said, amen.

Jeremiah is the prophet that God sent to call Israel back to revival. He’s been preaching to them to come and to get your heart right with the Lord, because they had wandered away and pursued the gods of the world. He has been warning them over and over that there’s a great storm on the horizon, that there’s a great storm coming from the north. Then he also said, but it’s not too late. He always held out this hope. It’s never too late to turn this around. You know what? It’s a timeless message. It’s never too late to get your heart and your life right with God.

Now when you come to this chapter 24, it’s happening. The first wave of Nebuchadnezzar’s army from Babylon have come, and the first wave has been taken to exile. Now the second wave is happening now. Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem, carried away King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the princes, the skilled craftsmen, mighty men of valor, thousands exiled to Babylon. Among those taken were young men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah. They would become pillars of faith there in that foreign land.

Jerusalem now remained standing, but it was just a shadow of itself. The king that was there was Zedekiah. He was the last of the kings before the downfall of Jerusalem entirely. Interestingly, he was a puppet king installed by Babylon. Also, interesting, false prophets were still proclaiming peace. They were assuring the people, it’s all going to be fine. The exiles will soon return. Jerusalem is safe because the temple is here in Jerusalem and it’s still standing. Much on that later.

In chapter 24, God sent Jeremiah a message to cut through the deception. He showed him two baskets of figs. Here, again, He’s going to use an object lesson to make a prophetic sermon, a prophetic message. Two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord. One was good, very good, like first-ripe figs; sweet, desirable, good to eat. The other basket was bad, very bad, so rotten—not just overripe; rotten, that could not be eaten.

Now why were there baskets of figs in the temple? Well, it was common in those days to bring an offering to the Lord from the produce of the land, and the idea was to bring the first fruits. The best of what God has given, you bring that to the temple. It was fairly common to bring baskets of whatever was produced. It was for the provision for the priest. Also, it was a way of honoring the Lord, of thanking God for the harvest, and so you bring the best, the first fruits.

One basket was good, sweet, the first-ripe figs. You’ve ever had really fresh, good, sweet, ripe figs, the kind that drips down your chin? It’s just so good. I know you like fig newtons, but these are– fresh figs are so sweet and so good. Did someone bring bad figs? Why would someone bring bad figs and give them to the offering to the Lord? Well, they didn’t want to give God the good, perfectly ripe figs. That would be a waste, wouldn’t it? Let’s bring the bad ones, the rotten ones. We’re going to throw them out anyway. Might as well give those to the Lord. There’s the point of it. It’s about the heart and the fruit that God desires from His people.

Figs hold deep symbolic significance in Scripture. Often it represented, in Israel itself, its spiritual condition, whether that be spiritual prosperity or bareness. In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve sinned, they sewed fig leaves together to cover their shame after they had sinned. A very poor attempt at hiding from God and covering shame. Can’t be comfortable at all.

Throughout the Old Testament, fig trees could symbolize blessing. If a person had a fig tree, they could sit under the fig tree and rest. It was also a picture of judgment when there were no figs. For example, Jesus in the Gospels, He cursed a barren fig tree for its hypocrisy. It had leaves, which promised there’d be figs, but there were none. It represented unfruitful Israel.

Chapter 24. The good figs, he says, represented the first of the exiles taken to Babylon. Though they were going through a great storm, a great trial, a great trouble, God is going to regard them with favor. Something is going to happen there to bring them to a place of revival. The bad figs represented Zedekiah, his officials, and the remnant that were left in Jerusalem, and some who had fled to Egypt. These were the hard-hearted ones that refused to give heed to the word of God and refused to come bring their hearts right to the Lord. Because Jeremiah had told them, this is inevitable. The fall is inevitable. Give yourselves up. They’re hard-hearted, refusing to rely on the Lord.

I. Good Figs Respond with their Whole Heart

It’s a message that is timeless. Revival is the fruit of going through a trial or a trouble, and then trusting in the Lord with all of your heart through it. Storms, whether they be national calamities, personal crises, or seasons of loss, often serve as a way that God uses us to bring us to a deeper trust, a deeper faith, a place of deeper revival.

The bad figs show what happens when hearts stay closed and hard. Some people get angry when things happen that are trouble or difficulty. These are the- he describes as spiritual rottenness consuming the heart. Trouble upon trouble will follow. For the openhearted, even the fiercest storm can be the birthplace of revival. Beautiful, godly fruit that God desires. Because God is serious about fruit. It’s a spiritual analogy that He uses in many places in the Scriptures.

For example, we were just studying Isaiah. In Isaiah 5, it says that God sang a song to His vineyard, His people, Israel. It’s a beautiful picture. Can you imagine the picture of God singing to His vineyard? He says, He did everything for it to produce good fruit, good grapes; cleared the stones, planted choice vines, built a watchtower, hedged it in with the hedgerows of rocks. Yet, it did not produce good. It only produced worthless, bitter fruit.

He says, what more could I have done that I did not do for My people, My vineyard? There’s that picture. The bitter fruit makes the soul ugly, while godly fruit is beautiful, transforming the soul into the glory of his character. It’s a story of hardship and trouble. It’s a story of revival. It’s a story that some, troubles and storms make their heart hard; others, it brings them to revival. It’s all about the heart; the good things, the bad things. A great lesson for us today.

Jeremiah 24:1, let’s read it. “After Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs. The first ripe figs. The other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten due to rottenness. Then the Lord said to me, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ And I said, ‘Figs. The good figs, very good. The bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.’ Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: like these good figs, I will regard as good the captive ones of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans.'” In other words, to Babylon. Notice, “For I will set My eyes on them for good. I will bring them back again to this land. I will build them up and not overthrow them. I will plant them and not pluck them up. And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord, and they will be My people, and I will be their God.”

Now that expression there is a very common way that God would describe His relationship to His people. I will be their people, they will be, my God is saying, and we will walk together gloriously. This is the relationship that God desires. You see it all the way from Genesis all through Revelation. “I will be their God. You will be My people.” He says, we’re going to walk together in this journey gloriously in fellowship together. That’s what he’s saying.

When they’ve returned to Me with all their heart, with their whole hearts.

“But like the bad figs, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness, indeed, thus says the Lord, ‘I will abandon Zedekiah of Judah, and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and the ones who went down dwelling in Egypt. I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, and reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them. And I will send sword and famine and pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave them and their forefathers.'”

All right, these are the verses– As I mentioned, we’ll look at the other verses around this at the Wednesday, verse by verse message, but these are the words that we want to take hold of and see how God would apply them to our life. Starting with this: that the good figs, they represent those who return with their whole heart. It’s a picture of revival.

He sent them away to Babylon to bring about a purpose. That there in the crucible of Babylon, there in the crux of the trouble of being in exile, in a foreign land, something would happen there. Something would cause their heart to turn there. The trouble, the exile, the crucible of it all, would do something, cause something to happen there. Their hearts would become softened.

God declares that He would set His eyes upon them for good, to bring them back, build them up, plant them, give them a heart to know Him fully. It’s all about how you respond to the crucible of the trouble, to what they endured. Revival comes when we call out to God in the midst of it. No half-hearted measures, no divided affections. Good figs, like first-ripe fruit, describe the sweet, desirable outcome of revival, prosperity of soul, even in the storms. In fact, the storms bring about the revival. In fact, storms, in other words, can soften hearts.

The exiles lost everything. Can you imagine losing everything, everything that you counted as that which was dear to you? Security is often found in the things that people have in their lives. They lost their homes, they lost their income, many of them lost family. Can you imagine being stripped of everything that you held dear, it’s all gone? Even the tangible symbol of the presence of the temple, it’s gone. Stripping away all things, something happened. It made them turn even more. It brought them back. It caused their hearts to look toward heaven. That they understood now, when it all is stripped away, we need God now. We need God now more than we’ve ever needed Him before.

Reminds me of– I will mention the story of losing our daughter and how she was killed. Many of you know she was murdered. A few months after where the fellow came. I had not seen him in years. He came to give his condolences, which is much appreciated, but then he said, “I’ve been thinking, like how is your faith through all of this?” Because then he said, “I don’t see how you could have a shred of faith left.” I thought, “You came here to say that? Let me tell you something. I know in whom I have believed, and I know that my God is able to keep that which I have entrusted to Him until that day. I know my God, and I know that I have entrusted my daughter into His hands, and I know in whom I have believed.” Amen.

A. Storms can soften our hearts

It’s times like these that we need God more. That song that we sing, “I need thee. Lord, I need thee. Every hour, I need thee.” When you’re going through it, that’s when– Every hour. It brings you back to that place. When all is stripped away, and you call out to God, that’s when God brings about a revival through the trouble. Reminds me of Psalm 107, “He humbled their heart with labor. They stumbled, and there was none to help. Then they cried, then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and the Lord saved them out of their distress.”

Somehow, some way, God uses this. I’ve seen it over and over. I’ve been through many troubles. I’ve seen it over and over and over. Somehow, some way, God will use this for His glory and my good. God works all things together for good for those who love God and called according to His purpose.

Storms have a way of exposing what you rely on. When health fails, when relationships fracture, when finances collapse, when dreams shatter, the illusion of self-sufficiency vanishes. Many have the illusion of self-sufficiency, yes, until it all comes crashing down. It causes then to understand, what is it that you are standing on? What is that rock that you are standing on? What is it that you rely on? When all comes down to that, you know what you’re standing on. It causes us to look to God for help. The exiles in Babylon could no longer pretend that all was well. The reality of the hardship, it caused their hearts to turn toward God.

Reminds us perhaps of the prodigal son, I just mentioned on Wednesday, where this young man went to his father and asked for his inheritance early. He went into the city with a large sum of money, and he spent it all on wild living and parties and women. He’s just living it up in the world, and then he spent all of it. Then he needed a job. He couldn’t find a job because a famine had hit the land. Finally, he found the worst possible job for a Jew; feeding swine. It was then, it says, that he came to his senses. See, the hardship became the reminder that his father never stopped loving him, and it caused him to go home. His heart was drawn back.

It maybe brings to mind King David when his own sin brought more trouble than he had reckoned, and in fact the result was his own son betrayed him, Absalom, who then brought about a conspiracy to overthrow David. The conspiracy was so deep that David had to flee Jerusalem to save the city and to save himself. There on the other side of the Jordan, in exile, David cried out to God. Something inside the heart longed more and more for the Lord.

I love Psalm 42. I love these words. He says “Deep calls to deep.” I love that understanding. “Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls. All Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.” Troubles upon troubles have rolled over me, but the deep places of my soul cry out for the deep things of God. “The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and His song will be with me in the night.” I love that right there. David understood.

B. Revival draws us back to God

In the night, oftentimes that’s when you’re going through the deepest struggles of the soul. It’s then, he says, I sing a song. The song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life. For deep calls to deep. Storms strip away the pretenses so that you see God with undivided hearts, for it says, revival draws us back to God. That’s the point. He says, “I will give them a heart to know me, for I am the Lord, and they will be My people. I will be their God, and they will return to Me with all their heart.” It’s the language of restoring intimacy that sin had broken.

When you’re going through it, when you’re going through a storm, the first thing to rebuild is your faith, is your relationship to the living God. God will restore it. It’s like it’s never too late. You can always know that He welcomes you back. God will restore it. God will restore it. It’s like that Scripture that He will restore that which the locust have eaten. God will restore it. God will bring you back. Notice the progression, though. It says, God, I will give them a heart to know Me, and then they will return to Me with all their heart. God gave them that heart.

It echoes a promise that Jeremiah writes later in Jeremiah chapter 31. We’ll get there very soon. He says, “I will put My word, My law within them, and on their heart, I will write it.” I will write it on the tablet of their heart. In other words, it will mean something. When God writes it on your heart, it means something. It’s a great treasure to you. It means something. “And I will be their God, and they will be My people.” There it is again.

Notice, revival is never self-generated. It’s God-initiated. In other words, God is the one pursuing. This is the point. God pursues. God gives the invitation. God is the one calling out your name. God is the one knocking on the door of your heart. This is very important to understand, and I know I’ve repeated it, but it’s very important because so many people have it wrong on this point. So many people are convinced that because God is offended by sin that He’s offended by sinners and that He rejects sinners. Many people are convinced that God is angry at them, and is rejecting them, and pushing them away. Big God, I have nothing to do with thee, they think that God says, but that’s not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

No, what I see in the Scriptures, Jesus said, no, the Father sent Me to seek sinners and to save them, to seek and to save that which was lost. That’s the heart of the Lord. God sent His Father to go and find sinners and to bring them home and to reconcile sinners to Himself. God is still reconciling sinners today. He’s not done yet. He’s still calling people back. He’s the one pursuing them. He knows that you messed up. He knows that your heart is drawn away. He’s the one pursuing you, knocking, calling, showing how much He loves. And He calls them back.

You see this in Daniel and his friends, stripped of everything, stripped of all the privilege and everything; they purposed in their hearts that they would honor God. They sought God through prayer and fasting and obedience, so God honored them with wisdom and favor and influence. In other words, the storm, the crucible of the storm, brought revival, not just survival. There’s a big difference between survival and revival. Survival is when people say, “Well, I just got to get through it. Just get to the other side. Just get through it.” Revival is another thing altogether.

When something happens in the heart– because it’s about the heart. Some go through trouble. They get angry. They accuse God of withholding his love. “You say You love me, and yet now I go through this trouble.” Other people, they go through trouble, and they rely on God more than ever before. The heart of revival bears the fruit of that revival. Notice, but it’s the fruit of God Himself.

God gives the Spirit, “I will give them a heart to know me,” like God gives the Spirit, and then the Spirit brings forth that good fruit. I’ll give you a great verse. Galatians 5:22-23. We love these verses, but notice the emphasis, the fruit of the Spirit brings forth this. I will reconcile sinners. I’ll bring them to a place where I will revive them with My Holy Spirit. He pours out His Spirit. Anyone who opens their heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, He will give the Holy Spirit to reside in the soul, to bring forth a transformation of that soul by the fruit of the Spirit. It’s God’s Spirit that brings forth this. God does this. He’s the one that revives this.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love.” God is love. When you reside in that love, when you reside in the glory, and His love pervades your soul, like abide in that love, something’s going to happen to you. He will stir something. He will move in this. The Spirit will bring forth the fruit of this and uncommon love. Not born of man; born of Spirit. God did this. Love. God is love. He wants you to be as His heart is: love, joy. Jesus says, My joy, I give to you. Joy indescribable, uncommon joy, a deep-seated joy that resides in the soul because God did something glorious. Peace that passes understanding. So deep is this residing peace of the soul. It’s beautiful.

Patience is a glorious quality of a beautiful soul. Ever met someone who’s truly patient? I mean, uncommonly patient. It’s the Spirit that brings that fruit: goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, even self-control. These aren’t just qualities of virtue. They’re the qualities of the residing Holy Spirit that brings the fruit, that reflects the glory.

With the new heart, they produce good fruit, sweet fruit. Fruit is good. Fruit is sweet. Fruit is delicious. Fruit is wonderful. God is doing that even today; transforming souls that are in ugly bitterness to godly beauty. That’s what God is doing. That’s what God does by His Spirit. We were born in an ugly condition; transforming those from that ugly bitterness into godly beauty. God does that.

Reminds me of Isaiah 61:1-3. “The Lord has anointed me to grant those who mourn in Zion,” notice, “giving them a garland of beauty instead of ashes.” Oh, we love that. It’s a dear, dear promise that God can bring beauty out of ashes. Whatever trouble, whatever difficulty, somehow, some way God can bring beauty.

I tell you, this promise here has meant so much to me. Any aspect of that beauty that God brought out of the tragedy of our daughter’s death, I tell you, I hold on to every aspect of beauty that God brought forth. God is still bringing beauty out of ashes today, and He’ll do it in your life as well. Can we give God praise? Amen.

“Giving them a garland of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. And they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.” The Lord planted that tree, that oak of righteousness. It’s a great picture, because oak trees are strong, but one of the strongest trees, if you’ve ever seen one of these massive oak trees, man, their roots run deep, their branches are strong. There’s a great picture there. An oak of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.

C. Revival is love that abides

In other words, revival is love that abides. Something happens deeper; a deeper move upon the soul. Revival, firstly, is love. We pray for revival. We want to see revival. What is revival? It’s when people fall in love with the Lord, when they understand how much God has done for them through Jesus Christ, His Son. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. When you see how much He loves you, and then you return with all your heart; revival is love, but is love that abides. It produces fruit that endures. A deeper-rooted love.

James 1:2-4, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.” Now it’s not the trial that brings forth the joy. No, it’s in knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, the strengthening. The word testing here means the strengthening of your faith produces endurance, and then let endurance have its perfect result so that you may be perfect and complete. In other words, mature of spirit, lacking in nothing. You will be like an oak of righteousness, a planting of the Lord.

Now the good figs became the remnant through whom God would preserve His people, and the Messiah would come. It’s all in how you respond. It’s what you do in the midst of the storm that determines the course. Notice these verses out of Galatians 6. We love these verses, and notice the principle that He gives us here. “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit–” This is the principle that we want to understand. How does one sow to the Spirit? This is the one who will, from the Spirit, reap life. Sowing to the Spirit in storms yields the fruit then of the Spirit.

It’s in that place of abiding nearer and nearer that you then are moving in the things of God, the spirit of praise instead of the spirit of fainting. You’re worshiping, you’re honoring, you’re trusting, you’re looking, you’re sowing to the Spirit. Whatever storm you may face today, whether it’d be chronic illness, or wayward children, or financial ruin, or deep grief, sow to the Spirit in the midst of it.

Deep calls to deep. God will bring revival out of it when you sow to the Spirit, and the fruit of it will be sweet; deeper intimacy with God, stronger faith, a testimony that blesses others. Wouldn’t it be awesome and amazing if you went through some great storm, some great tragedy, and then someone said to you, “I saw how you moved in that. I saw you come through that storm. I saw your faith. That was amazing what God did. I love to see what God did there.” It’s a testimony. It’s a testimony. Wouldn’t you love to have a testimony that God did something?

II. Without God the Figs are Rotten

God is not finished building and planting. Just as He pruned the branches for more fruit, in John 15, it will lead to a fullness of joy, because this is what we also see, that without God, the figs are rotten. That’s the other part of this story. Without God, the figs are rotten. They’re spoiled beyond use. They’re not just overripe. No, they’re rotten.

A. We reap what we sow

It describes the heart that refuses to turn. They get harder or more angry. It describes stubbornness, resistance, hardened hearts, and the end would be, He says, in destruction and destruction, for we reap what we sow. This is what He’s showing us. Interestingly, those who were left in Jerusalem were convinced that they were the favored ones. We are still here in Jerusalem. We are the favored ones. After all, we have the temple, but their confidence was in the temple, not in God whose glory filled the temple. There’s a big difference.

In fact, it might remind us of Jeremiah chapter 7, a few verses back, where God said to Jeremiah, “Go and stand by the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim there these words, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. Do not trust in deceptive words that say, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. You are trusting in deceptive words to no avail.'” In other words, what was the temple for? It was a place where the glory of God dwelt amongst them. That’s what it was to be; a picture of the throne of God.

You look into the articles and the construction, all of it was modeled after the throne of God in the heavenlies. What a glorious picture is that? It’s a picture of God sitting on the throne in the midst of them. You rely on the temple and not the glory that dwells in it? You don’t trust? You don’t bring your heart? See, it’s interesting. These that were saying, “Oh, peace and safety. We got the temple,” were the same ones that built altars to Baal, and Molech, and Ashtoreth in the courts of the house of the Lord. You’re supposed to say, “No, they didn’t.” They did. In the courts of the Lord? They did. Then they had the audacity to say, “Peace and safety. We got the temple with us.”

God says, you have missed My heart. The temple was a picture of My glory. Rely on My presence, not this thing, this house, this thing. In fact, He says in another place, you turn your heart away from God and rely on the gods of the world, I’ll destroy this house. You think this house means something? It’s just a house. I’ll destroy it. No, it’s your heart that must become the temple of the living God.

In fact, He says today to believers in Jesus Christ, do you know that you are the temple of God today? The glory of God still resides on this earth. It does. Where? Right here in this place. The glory of God resides in this place. You have become the temple of the living God today, but it’s because His glory resides there. Rely on that. The presence of the living God abides in your soul.

They didn’t understand that, and so they would not abide in the word. They would not heed the word. In fact, when troubles came, they got hard. Might remind you of Pharaoh there in Egypt, in the time of the Exodus. Plague after plague came, but it only made Pharaoh’s heart hardened. See, every time a man shakes his fist, his heart becomes harder, more calloused. It might remind us of Proverbs 29:1, “A man who hardens his neck after much reproof–” It’s really a powerful proverb. There’s been reproof. God has been reproofing. God has been trying to show, God has been trying to wake this person up, but no, he hardens his neck. “He will be broken beyond remedy.”

B. Don’t waste your tears

Because what is He showing? He is showing us this, don’t waste your tears. Don’t waste your tears. The ones that remained in Jerusalem, they went through difficulty, but they wasted their tears. Instead of revival, there was hardness of heart and distance from God. God expected good fruit of revival, but got worthless ones because they wasted their tears, they wasted their sorrows. It made them angrier rather than softer. Storms and troubles expose the deepest levels of the heart. It’s all about the heart.

Notice this, Psalm 126 speaks of when they return, prophetically they will return, we read it, but here in Psalm 126, interesting. “When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, our tongue with joyful shouting.” Then notice, they show a principle. They understood something. Notice, “For those who sow in tears will reap with joyful shouting.”

What does that mean, they sow in tears? As they were going through the tragedy, the sorrows, the crucible of Babylon, they sowed to the spirit in the midst of their tears. “Those who sow in tears will reap a joy, a joyful shouting. For he who goes forth to and fro weeping,” but notice, “carrying his bag of seed–” What a great picture is that? You’re going through the trouble of it, you’re going through the crucible of Babylon, but you got a bag of glorious, you’re sowing to the spirit, the seed of righteousness. “They will come again with shouts of joy, bringing their sheaves, the harvest with them.”

C. God’s arms are always open

Then we see this. We’ll close with this. God’s arms are open wide. Even in judgment, God’s heart is merciful. The thief on the cross, enduring his final storm there, nailed to the cross, facing death, opened his heart, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom,” he said. Jesus replied, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.”

In other words, it’s never too late. It’s never too late to turn your heart. Revival is right at the door. Don’t waste your tears, don’t waste your sorrows. Revival is right at the door. God wants to bring a revival. Abide in the vine, sow to the Spirit, bear the fruit that God desires, yield your heart fully to Him. Let the storm you’re going through become the door of revival. God is ready to give you a heart to know Him. He’s the one pursuing. He’s the one calling, and God wants to bring about a revival through this thing that you’re going through now.

Lord, we honor You and thank You for showing us a wonderful truth, that those who go through the crucible of troubles and then turn their heart toward You, find the joy and revival. It’s what you do in the midst of the thing that matters. Churches were continuing to pray. How many will say to the Lord today, I know in whom I have believed? I know my God. I know that He will keep that which I have entrusted to Him. I will not relent. I will stand on this rock. I will turn with all my heart to the Lord, and know that He will bring forth the fruit of it. By His Holy Spirit, He will bring the fruit of it. How many will say to the Lord, this is my desire. Do this in me. I know in whom I have believed. I want to declare it to You, Lord, I will not relent. I will not faint. I will stand on this rock for You are my hope. You are my rock. You are my fortress on which I stand. Would you just raise your hand as a way of declaring that to the Lord. God, I want to just declare it. Do this in me, God. Do this in me. We pray in Jesus powerful name, and everyone said. Let’s give the Lord praise and glory and honor.

Church, let’s stand to our feet. Let’s worship. It’s that song of the heart that honors the Lord. While you’re doing that, I want to remind you that if you’re here today and carrying any burden or trouble, the prayer team will be here at the front and sanctuary, they’ll be at the prayer room also. Don’t leave with the burden. They would love to pray with you.

Also, if you’re here, and the Spirit has really just been speaking to your heart. He’s the one calling. He’s the one knocking. He’s the one inviting. If you’re here, and you understand the urgency of getting your heart right with God, don’t wait. Do not wait. He’s the one offering forgiveness of sin. He paid the price for it all. When Jesus died on the cross, your sins were paid in full. But come, He says, I’ll forgive. You ask, I’ll give. I’ll pour my Spirit of life. I’ll give the promise of eternal life to you. Any who come will receive. If that’s you, I’m going to ask that you would make a point of speaking to the prayer team and just say, “I want to get my heart right with God. Pray with me.” They would love to pray with you. Oh, it will be a day of rejoicing.

Church, I love you. May you walk in the nearness of God, and may His favor rest upon you. Love you, Church. God bless you.

Lessons from the Potter’s House
Jeremiah 18:1-6
January 10-11, 2026

Have a seat if you would do that. Welcome, everyone, in the sanctuary. Welcome, everyone, joining us online. Hope y’all are doing well. It’s the New Year. I don’t know. I love a new year. I don’t know why. I guess I just love opportunity. What might God do this year? I just pray God will bring about great revival in your life and in our church. Amen. Amen. We are in Jeremiah. We’re going to get back to our study through the Bible. Many of you know, of course, that we started some years ago in Genesis.

We’re continuing our way all the way through until we get through Revelation, and we’ll do it again. This is our fourth time through the entire Word of God. Stick around, and you’re going to get a foundation in the Word of God. Remember, of course, Wednesday, we cover the verses around where we’re studying today. That’s our midweek verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter service. The title of our message is “Lessons from the Potter’s House.” Lessons from the Potter’s House. Let’s pray and receive from God’s Word together.

Lord, we are so thankful. We know that you send your Word to reveal your heart, your desire to bless our lives, to show us the way of glory and honor to your name. We pray, God, that you would meet us here by your Holy Spirit. Pour out your spirit of life through your Word. We pray in Jesus’ name, and everyone said, amen. Jeremiah is, of course, a prophet. During the most difficult and troubled times in the history of Israel, he was sent by God to call the people back to revival.

They had turned their hearts away from God. They were pursuing the gods of the world and the nations around them. The results would be predictable, disaster, national, a disaster. God sent Jeremiah and other prophets, called to speak hard truth. To people, he didn’t want to hear hard truth. They wanted to hear pleasant lies. Now, Jeremiah struggled with this. We saw in Jeremiah 12, where he was weary of running with the footmen, yet God told him that he was preparing him to run with horses.

God was going to strengthen him for greater things. Then here in Chapter 18, God is doing something different. He doesn’t give Jeremiah a word to speak. He gives them an object lesson, a picture to see. Some days, we need to see the truth with our eyes to understand it with our hearts. He tells him to go down to the potter’s house. The potter’s house was likely at the end of the valley of Hinnom, there, south of the city.

Interestingly, Pastor Matthew and I were just in Israel last month. At one point, we went to the house of Caiaphas, who was the high priest during the days Jesus was arrested that night in which He was betrayed. They brought Him to Caiaphas’ house, where he did this mock trial. Well, at Caiaphas’ house, there is an overlook over the valley of Hinnom, and there is the potter’s field. There’s Jeremiah come to life right there. It’s right by the water gate, which, of course, was needed because you have to have water to make pottery.

Jeremiah had to leave the temple courts. He had to leave the city center and go down to the workshop of a common laborer. Why did he have to go there? Couldn’t God have spoken to him in the city? Yes, but God wanted Jeremiah and us to understand the relationship between the potter and the clay as a picture of the relationship between God and His people. Jeremiah came to the potter’s house, and he stood there and watched as the potter worked the clay.

The wheel spinning and spinning. The clay working under his hands, but then something happened. There was a flaw, perhaps a hardened piece of dirt, or a small pebble came to the surface as it was being worked. The clay vessel was ruined by that flaw. The pebble marring the clay vessel with every spin, every turn of the wheel. The potter started over. He pressed down the marred clay down upon the wheel and made something altogether different, made another vessel.

Then came the spiritual point, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” God was going to do something altogether new in Israel. He wasn’t going to give up, wasn’t going to throw them on the waste heap. This thing, this flaw, this fatal flaw just turning their heart away and going after the gods of the world. This thing, this thing has got to be removed. I’m going to do something altogether new.

In fact, earlier, in this book, he prophetically proclaimed, “You have no idea what amazing things that God is going to do in you, O house of Israel.” First, you got to be pressed down and shaken. It reminds me of that verse in the book of Hebrews that, “Everything that can be will be shaken, so that the things which cannot be shaken will remain.” This passage brings us to one of the most challenging and comforting truths in all of the Scripture, that he is the potter and we are the clay.

We must, therefore, trust that as the potter works his hands upon the clay that he is doing a beautiful work, even if it feels like you’re hard-pressed, full mold-shaped, in other words, even when it hurts. All right, we’re going to read it. We’re in Jeremiah 18. We’ll begin reading in Verse 1. As I mentioned, we’ll cover the other verses around this at our Wednesday verse-by-verse service.

Chapter 18:1, “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ‘Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I shall announce my words to you.’ I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was making something on the wheel. The vessel, the clay vessel that he was making of clay, was ruined, spoiled. Something was wrong with this vessel, and it was spoiled in the hand of the butter, so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.”

I. You are in the Master’s Hands

“Then the Word of the Lord came to me and said, ‘Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does,’ declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O, house of Israel.” These are the words he want us to understand and apply to our lives that he’s saying to Israel that he’s going to do a new work altogether new, but the application is also ours today. In other words, you are in the master’s hands.

Jeremiah stood in the doorway and watched. He saw the wheel spinning. By the way, in those days, it would’ve been two wheels. The upper wheel on which the clay sat, the lower wheel in which the potter would spin with his feet. Constantly spinning, constantly in motion, constantly attended to, constantly his hands molding and shaping. He had a plan. There was a design. There was a purpose. He was working a vision, a purpose upon the clay with his master’s hands.

A. God takes mud and makes something useful

In other words, God takes mud and makes something useful; see that the clay cannot make itself useful. Left alone, it’s just a lump of dry earth. No, it’s the master potter who shapes purpose into the clay. What is the value of clay in the dirt? Virtually nothing. In the master’s hand, it can go from that worthless lump of dry, hard clay into something of investible value because of the master’s hand when you feel worthless. Remember that it’s not the value of the clay. It’s the fingerprints of the master upon it.

In the days of Jeremiah, clay did not arrive at the potter’s house ready to use. He couldn’t just call Amazon and order some clay. Amazon is good, but they’re not that good. No, in those days, you had to go and get it out of the dirt. It began as hard as stubborn earth. Now, that’s a picture right there. Isn’t that a picture of us? Began as hard, stubborn dirt that has to be processed before it can even touch the wheel.

Potters or apprentices would take a shovel and would dig the raw clay from the bank of the potter’s field. At this stage, it’s just rock hard, dry, full of rocks, full of clumps. Then that rock clay was thrown into a pit or a trough and covered with water, and let it just soak. It just had to stop being hard. It would just soak there and soak there. This allowed all the debris to settle to the bottom, and then the potter would then start to sift out all of that foreign matter, the stones, the sticks, the roots, the pebbles.

You can’t make anything. There’s not going to be anything made if these things remain there. You can’t make anything. It’s useless without taking these things out. In many ways, it’s a very important picture. There are things that are in people’s lives that stand in the way of that which God desires to do. God has a plan. God has a purpose. God has a design. These things, the rocks, the stones, the pebbles, the dirt clods, all of these things have to be removed.

They stand in the way. I tell you what, I want God to do all that He desires to do in my life. I don’t want anything standing in the way of that which God desires to do in my life. Anybody want to agree with that? If there’s anything standing in the way, I want it out of my life. Anybody want to agree with that? Amen. Let’s give the Lord praise. Get it out of my life.

Even a small pebble hidden in the clay might go unnoticed, but then, when the master starts to work upon it, that hidden pebble would tear the clay apart. Some people have got a lot of clods in their life. We used to call people “clods” when we were kids. Don’t do that. A lot of clods, a lot of rocks. We were born in that. These are the things that must be removed for God to do some great work. God removes it, molds it into something beautiful, something useful.

Then the next step after He would remove the debris and the rocks and the roots, it would sit there. It would get thicker and thicker that it might hold a shape. Then He would take the clay mud, put it upon the floor, and then begin to work it with His feet. Now, the tread thing is a long process. Isaiah 41 makes a mention of it. Isaiah 41:25, as the potter treads the clay, the clay is on the floor. The potter takes off his sandals and begins to work the clay with his feet, trending upon it for hours and hours.

This is so important because it’s not pliable. It has to become pliable, yielded. It has to become soft enough to be yielding in the master’s hands. Otherwise, it will break at the slightest disturbance, the slightest trouble. Then the final step, once the clay is ready, then you’ll take the lump. You’ll bring it onto the bench and begin to knead it by hand. Similar to kneading dough, but with much more force.

The primary goal here of kneading the clay by hand is to remove air, the air bubbles. If an air pocket remains in the clay, even the small one, the heat of the kiln will cause the air to expand. The vessel will explode and be ruined. A vessel with air pockets may look fine on the outside, but it cannot survive the fire. The kneading, the pressing, the folding is to remove all the hot air. I’ll tell you what, there’s a lot of people with a lot of hot air.

Pride, hypocrisy, fiery trials of life, then make their pride and their anger explode in the heat. Grind it all. Then notice this, all of that to make it ready to be put on the wheel. The potter then took that. That lump of clay begins to spin and spin, begin to work the clay with intent, with purpose. He knows what he wants to make, and he begins to work it upon the clay, but something happened. The vessel was marred. It was worthless.

B. The vessel was marred; it was worthless

Jeremiah watched. Something goes wrong. The clay, when in hold its shape, maybe a hard lump, a stone, impurity. The wheel spins, and the thing collapsed, distorted, spoiled, marred. This is important to see because I think many people can understand the spiritual application. God was doing something. God was doing something, and then what happened? It got ruined, failure, fault. God was doing something.

Paul gave another analogy. You were running so well. Who cut in on you? What happened? You were running. You were running well. It’s like that. God was doing something, and then failure, fault, and people are marred. Failure, stubbornness, hard lumps of resistance. Sometimes people look at their lives. They see all the cracks, the master flaws, the imperfections, and they think, “I’ve ruined it. I messed it up. I messed up so much. I’ve ruined it. God can’t use me now. I’ve done so much. God can’t use me anymore.”

You see, the story doesn’t end there. The potter doesn’t fill the marred vessel in the waste heap. No, he removes the hard lump or the stubborn heart, presses it down, and begins to make a new vessel. I was thinking of an illustration many years ago when God put it on my heart, a vision to become a pastor. Then God made a way, miraculously providing for being able to go to Bible college. A fellow paid for all of it. It was a miracle.

I was sharing all of this with a friend that God called me in the ministry. I’m so excited. God’s made a way of provision, and I’m sharing this with him. He says, “Oh, man, I’m so jealous. I wish I could join you.” I go, “Really?” “Yes, man, that would be amazing. I wish I could join you.” I said, “Let’s do it. Come on, man. Let’s do it.” “Really?” “If you want God to do that, let’s do it. We’ll do it together.” He said, “No, you don’t understand. I’ve made a mess. No, my life is a mess. If you knew my past, you wouldn’t say that.”

C. The Master makes all things new

Honestly, I was taken aback. I said, “Isn’t that the whole point of the gospel? Isn’t that the whole point that God takes messed-up, broken life? Isn’t that the point, and that He redeems? Isn’t that the gospel that God takes the sinner and reconciles them to God and then does something beautiful in his life?” God will do it. See, in other words, the master makes all things new. The master, he says, Verse 4, made it into another vessel as it pleased the party.

He didn’t throw it away. He didn’t scrape the thing off the wheel and toss it into the waste heap. “This clay is defective. I got to find something better than this.” No, he gathered it up in his hands, pressed it down, and started over. He made it into something altogether new. This is the gospel of the second chance and the third chance and the fourth chance, because God is the God of new beginnings.

God is still doing a work that is new. He will take the broken, messed-up life, and He’ll do something altogether new. There are testimonies all through this room. How many went out their testimony, “Man, I was a mess, and God did something amazing in my life. I didn’t deserve any of it, but God did something beautiful in my life”? You want to raise your hand and say, “Yes.” Can we give you our praise? That’s what God does.

God is the expert at taking marred and messed-up lives and remaking them into something beautiful. Think of the great heroes of the faith. They were marred vessels. Let’s start with Moses. Moses was a murderer and a fugitive. He was hiding in the desert for 40 years as a fugitive. 40 years. He was a marred vessel, but God put him back on the wheel and remade him into the great deliverer of Israel. Israel forever looked back on Moses as the great deliverer. He was once a broken murderer and fugitive, but God made him something altogether new.

How about Paul in the New Testament? Paul was the number one enemy of the Church. Oh, he persecuted the Church. He would drag Christians out of their homes and arrest them, bringing them under heavy– He even saw to the stoning of Stephen, despised, number one enemy. Then God literally knocked him off his high horse, blinded his eyes, humbled him, and then revealed Himself, put him back on the wheel, and made him into one of the greatest apostles of all time.

Paul never forgot. Oh, he never forgot. He would refer back in those days and say, “I was the chief of sinners. That’s how bad I was. I was the worst of the worst. I was the chief of sinners.” What God did, God can do that to Paul. He could do that to you. He’s an expert at taking broken lives. Notice, He made another vessel from the marred one, as it pleased the potter to make. He made it into something altogether new.

The new work that is pleasing to the one who made it, molded it, and shaped it, according to that which pleased the potter. I love this understanding that God takes broken, messed-up lives, and then transforms them, and He delights to see it. I love that understanding of God’s heart. Ah, this new work is a beautiful work, and God delights. Ah, he takes great pleasure in that which he does now in the transforming work of God upon your life.

It reminds me of Ephesians 1:5, “He predestined us for adoption as His sons, according to the kind intention of His will.” What is the intention? It’s out of the kindness of that to do something altogether new and altogether wonderful and altogether beautiful. Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare or good prosperity, not for calamity, to give you a future and to give you a hope.’ That is my good pleasure. I will do this.”

God sees the finished product before the clay even takes shape. We see the spinning and the spinning and the spinning. He sees a soul transformed. We see a myth. He sees a beautiful work, and He is working according to His good pleasure. His good pleasure is to make you into a vessel of honor. That’s His good pleasure. That’s the transforming hand. In other words, God’s purpose is a beautiful soul.

II. God’s Purpose is a Beautiful Soul

I love this theme. It’s one of the most beautiful themes, one of the most grand themes. It reveals the heart of God in transforming. He takes a messed-up sinner, redeems that sinner, forgives the sin in its entirety, reconciles our sinner to God that you may now call God your Father, and then begins to do a work and is a beautiful work. The first festival was marred, not as the master intended, so He pressed it down and made it into another vessel that pleased the potter to make.

There was purpose in what the potter was shaping. That purpose is the transformed, glorious soul. He’s making all things new and beautiful in its time. Notice Ecclesiastes 3:11, that wonderful verse, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” It takes time. It’s on the wheel a long time. Imagine the hours and hours spinning, spinning under the hand of the master, patient waiting. Sometimes people want to get off the wheel way too early.

Now, He makes all things beautiful in its time. One day, you’ll look back, and you’ll see the way God sees, and you’ll agree. God made all things beautiful in its time, even the difficult things God used, even the things that hurt. In other words, sometimes it hurts, but you’re in the loving hands of your Father. Sometimes it hurts, but you’re in His loving hands. In John 15, Jesus describes the Father as a gardener. A gardener with shear is a prune.

A. Sometimes it hurts; but you’re in His loving hands

The gardener never cuts to hurt. He cuts to cultivate the pruning. He prunes because he sees that the future harvest will be greater. If this thing is pruned, it will produce something more glorious. Hard to see it at the moment. The pain you feel today, it’s not the end of your story. It’s preparation for the glory yet to come. God has something beautiful. The purpose that He intends is something glorious. Oh, but it hurts. It hurts.

The questioning of dreams, broken relationships, or the refining of character things. Look at those hands, whose hands you are in. These are not the careless hands of fate. These are the scarred hands of a savior who paid a great price to redeem you. Out of his great love, He rebuilds you. God said this through the prophet Isaiah, “See, I have engraved you in the palms of my hands.” You’re not just held by those hands. He has etched you into those hands.

The safest place in the universe is not in the absence of trouble. It’s in the grip of His grace. Trust those hands. They bled for you. They died for you. They redeemed you. In those loving hands is the safest place you could ever be because you’re in your Father’s hands, and He loves you. I was thinking of a story that I think illustrates it. I think back on our oldest daughter, Nicole, when she was nine. She’s the one who passed away.

When she was nine, she came down with a mysterious condition. She had a fever of 106.5. That’s very high. She had a rash on the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet and on her neck. Every joint hurt to move. Extreme pain just in the movement of any joint. She would lay just flat off the board. We called the doctor. Doctor said, “Bring her in right away, but bring her to the back door in case she’s got something contagious.”

We brought her in. Doctor looked at her and said, “We have no idea. We’ve got to get her to the Children’s Hospital OHSU right away. Don’t wait for the hospital. Take her now. I will call ahead. Get there now.” I picked her up. She’s stiff as a board. I walked up, put her down in the bed. The doctor started to work on her. This test, that test, blood work, this scan couldn’t– No, we have no idea. We’re going to have to just start eliminating stuff. We have no idea.

Meanwhile, the family is starting to come in. In fact, the church gathered. Pastor Matthew, I know that night, led the church in a great prayer gathering. The whole church prayed. My family’s now coming into the room. Then at one point, the doctor says, “We need to do a spinal tap to eliminate meningitis, and I’d like y’all to leave the room.” I said, “Why?” He said, “Because we have to fold her into a tight ball, and the pain will be so bad. We don’t want you to see it. I think you should leave the room.”

The family starts to leave. I stay behind, and I say to the doctor, “No, I need to be here. In fact, if anyone is going to inflict this kind of pain upon my daughter, it should be me because she will be in my arms, and she will know that I love her and that she’ll be safe.” The doctor says, “And you should.” I came over to explain what we had to do that it was going to be so painful.

I turned her toward me. I put one arm around her neck, one arm around her knees, and I started to squeeze, and she started to scream. She screamed, and she screamed as I made her tighter and tighter and tighter until I had her into a tight ball. The doctor could then do the spinal tap. Then, when the doctor was finished, we let her back down to lie flat. I just held her in my arms, and we cried together.

Even if it hurts, you’re in your Father’s arms. He’ll never leave you. He’ll never forsake you. You’re safe in His arms. You know what’s so interesting– By the way, it turned out that they believe she had a condition called Kawasaki syndrome. Very, very, very rare. They treated her with gamma globulin. It took her a long time to recover her strength. She was nine years old.

Then at 19 years old, she had cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, that was so bad that it was growing so fast in her lymph nodes, in her chest, that her chest was expanding every day more and more. At 19, they had to treat aggressively this cancer, but she survived. It took years to recover from it. 9, she had Kawasaki. 19, she had this cancer. Then at 29, she was killed. Oh, we went through so much together, so many things, but we were always close.

In fact, the night before she was killed, as I mentioned, we sat outside. It was a hot August evening that we sat together the night before. We were outside just drinking something cold, talking about life, love, family, God, the future. Then the next day, she was gone. Now, she’s in my Father’s arms, and her Father’s arms, and she is still safe. “No one will snatch you from my Father’s hands,” Jesus said, and it’s still true today. Amen. Give God praise. Amen. Amen.

B. The clay must yield

Then there’s this and the story, the clay must yield. Now, here’s where the analogy of the clay needs an adjustment. There’s a distinct difference between us and clay on a potter’s wheel. The clay is inanimate. No will or soul, but we do have a will. We have a soul with the capacity to choose. We’re not just mud. We’re men and women created with the ability to say yes or no. Paul speaks of this in 2 Timothy 2, where he says that in a great house, there are vessels of honor.

There was a lot of pottery in those days. Glorious vessels of honor, and that there are vessels of dishonor. The vessel of honor, you put on the counter. Let its purpose be seen for all. The vessels of dishonor, you put under the sink, you put under the counter. Then he says, “If a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel of honor,” which is what God intends for Him to do in your life.

Now, the dishes sitting on the counter. They don’t have a choice whether they’re cleaned or not, but we do. The choices we make are our own and often times lead to disastrous consequences. People chase after things that mar their soul. They pursue things that leave them broken, but God will gently place His hand, shape, and mold. The clay starts out hard and resistant. As He continues to work His hands upon the clay, it begins to take shape. It is transformed under those hands.

Reminds me of Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We’re not mud. The renewing of your mind, the renewing of your heart, the renewing of your soul. That’s the work that God does in the inner man, so that we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. A.W. Tozer once wrote very profound truth, “We are, to a large degree, the sum of our loves. We will, of moral necessity, grow into the image of that which we love most because love is a transforming power.”

It will transform you. What you love will change, mold, and shape. One of the ways that the potter shapes the inner man is by transforming what you love. Love is a transforming power. He changes our desires so that we love as He loves. Because if you love wrong things, you will be shaped by them, marred by them. Think of the power that turned a little boy, a pink-chinked little boy, into a Nero or a Himmler.

Was Jezebel always the accursed woman of evil? No. She was once a little girl. When she was a little girl, she dreamed of girlish things. At some point, she became interested in evil, worldly things. Then she admired them and then went on to love them. Thus, Jezebel, like clay, was slowly turned into what she became. What an interesting phrase. She slowly turned into what she became.

What you love is of everlasting importance. If you love the world, the world will shape you, mold you, squeeze you into its image. If you love the Lord, if you yield your heart to Him, His love becomes the transforming power upon your soul that will shape the image of Christ upon the inner man. Ah, that is the work of revival. That is the work that God does. God is love. What was the greatest and highest, and the foremost of all the things that God has ever said?

Jesus says the greatest, the first, the foremost is this, that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. There’s where revival comes from. There’s where transformation comes from. That’s why we must yield. We must bring our loves to the potter and say, “Lord, change my heart. Make me love what you love.” When you yield your will to His will and yield under the hands of the master potter, that’s when the shaping process will begin in earnest.

C. The clay is strengthened by fire

Then there’s this. We’ll close here. The clay must be strengthened by fire. Now, there’s one final stage of pottery that is not mentioned explicitly in these verses, but it’s implied in the nature of the craft. If the vessel is shaped, it must go through the fire. It must go into the kiln. Clay that has not been fired is just dried mud. If you pour water on it, it’ll go right back to mud. It’s not useful yet. It’s the fire that strengthens it. It’s the fire that sets it so that it becomes useful, a vessel of honor.

Reminds me of 1 Peter 1:6-7, “In this, you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, these fiery ordeals, so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold,” take note of that, “which is perishable, even though tested by fire, but you may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The heat you’re feeling right now in your life, that’s not God rejecting you. That’s God refining you.

That’s God strengthening the character of God in the soul. We saw this in Jeremiah. He was tired. He says, “Just running with the footman,” but God was preparing him to run with the horses. How? By putting him through the fire. The fiery ordeals of life is what strengthens when you walk by faith. That’s the key to it when you walk by the faith in it. By the time Jeremiah faced the destruction of Jerusalem, he had become a pillar of iron and a wall of bronze.

There’s a very interesting art form. It’s a Japanese art form called kintsugi, and that is that when a valuable bowl is broken, it’s not thrown away. Instead, they take powdered gold, mix it with lacquer, begin to apply it upon the broken pieces, and make something altogether new. The result is that the vessel is even more beautiful than it was before, and even more valuable than it was before. The scars, the imperfections, become lines of gold.

This is what God does. He takes marred, broken, cracked vessels, begins to apply grace. The gold of His grace, you could say in the analogy, fills us with His spirit, making you a vessel of honor, cracked, broken, but not rejected. Made more beautiful, more valuable than you were before. What is the lesson from the potter’s house? It’s the lesson of hope, and it’s a call to yield. Are you resisting? His hand pressing. Are you arguing with the design? Instead of fighting and resisting and arguing, say, “Lord, you are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me. I yield. I yield. Mold me. I trust your hand. I believe your heart. I yield. You’re the potter, I’m the clay. Make me. Mold me. Have thine own way.”

Reminds me of that hymn we used to sing when I was young. Simply, you might remember the words, “Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thy will, while I’m waiting, yielded and still. There. There. There is the posture of revival. Yielded and still. I yield.” It’s a lesson of hope. If you’re marred, you feel messed up, broken, He’ll remake you even more beautiful and more valuable than you were before. God’s not done.

As long as you got breath, as long as you got life, you’re still on that wheel. His hands are still shaping and molding. If you could open your eyes to see it, you would see in the hands of that potter, the scars of the nails that redeemed you, paid the price for your sin, that you might be reconciled to God, and being reconciled to God, that He will then begin the beautiful work of transforming your life into a vessel of honor. Useful to the master, prepared for every good work, yield. Let Him do His beautiful work.

Lord, we are so thankful. What a beautiful truth. What a wonderful understanding that you delight to take broken, marred, messed-up people, and do a new work, something altogether new, altogether wonderful, altogether beautiful. When we yield, when we say, “God, take this stone, this thing that’s marring my life, this thing, I want this out of my life. God, I am yielded. I yield. I trust you. I trust your loving hand. I know that I am safe when I am in the hands of my Father. Mold me. Shape me. Make me new.”

Church, would you say that to the Lord? Would that be your prayer to the Lord? Would you just raise your hand as a way of giving expression to the Lord? I yield, Lord. I yield. Mold me and shape me. Do something altogether new, altogether wonderful, altogether beautiful. I trust your hand. You are the potter, I am the clay. I trust your hand. I yield. Do something wonderful and beautiful.

God, we honor you. Thank you for everyone who has lifted up their hand as a prayer to you that you would do this transforming work. We trust your hand. You are the potter, we are the clay. Do something wonderful, God, something beautiful. We honor you for it in Jesus’ name. Everyone, stand. Can we give God praise and glory and honor? Amen. Amen.

 

Blessed are Those Who Trust in the Lord
Jeremiah 17:5-10
December 13-14, 2025

Open to Jeremiah. We’re going to get back into our study of Jeremiah, and we’ll begin in verse 5. The title of our message: Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. Been gone a couple of weekends. Pastor Matthew and I were in Israel. It really was an amazing week there. We were with 1000 pastors from around the US gathered there in Israel. We went to the site of that attack on October 7th at the Nova Festival site.

We heard from some of the survivors, and we heard stories, of course, of tragedy. We prayed, and we worshiped and prayed for the peace of Israel, prayed for Jerusalem as the Scripture tells us to do. We went to the Kibbutz. There were many that were attacked, but we went to the main one and walked through the streets. This is where 65 were killed, I think 19 taken hostage. We walked through the streets.

No one is living there now, but we walked through. It’s just tragic, just breaks your heart. The bullet holes are there, the destruction is there. They have these little memorial placards in front of each home as who died there. Interestingly, the IDF soldier, this girl that was guiding us through at one point said, “My brother died here.” Just moving. So many stories of heroism as well as tragedy.

Then also we went to Jerusalem and gathered on the southern steps that led up to the temple. These would be the same steps that Jesus would’ve walked to enter into the temple. Can you imagine 1000 believers in Jesus Christ, pastors from all over the country gathering there worshiping. We spent the evening worshiping. You could see the city there laying out. It was surreal. I recorded some of it on my phone, and just amazing. Can you imagine just worshiping boldly in the name of Jesus there in Jerusalem? It was powerful.

Then we went to Mount of Olives, the place where Jesus ascended, of course, in the Book of Acts. Also, where, on that triumphant entry, when Jesus descended on the Mount of Olives. There, he saw Jerusalem laid out before Him, and He prayed, really crying, said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I’ve longed to gather you as a hen will gather her chicks under her wing, but you will not have it. Behold your city is laid to you, desolate,” as He wept over them. There in that place, we gathered together on Sunday morning, and we worshiped, we prayed. It was surreal, just amazing.

We went to the site of Shiloh, which is where when Israel first entered into the Promised Land, they set up the tabernacle there at Shiloh. They carved out the rock, set up the tabernacle. We were standing in the place where the holy of holies dwelt, and worshiped and prayed. It was just amazing. Just so thankful for the opportunity. Of course, can’t wait to go back to Israel. Many of you will be joining us. We’re going to take a trip there come this fall. I’m excited for that as well.

Anyway, glad to be back. Glad to be in Jeremiah, and let’s open our hearts to receive from God’s word. Let’s pray. Lord, we honor you and thank you for your word. We know that you ascended in power to reveal your heart after us. God, we ask that you pour out your Spirit of life through your word, that you would meet us here to reveal your heart, your glory to us through your word. We pray in Jesus’ name. Everyone said, Amen.

God sent Jeremiah to call the people back to revival because the nation has wandered away from God. He’s going to give them, you’ll read it here, warnings about what happens to a people or a nation that wanders away, turns their heart away from God. As He’s calling them to come back, you have no idea the blessings that God would do if you had only come back. That’s why the message, blessed are those who trust in the Lord. He’s casting a vision over their life.

It’s good for us. The same vision is true. You have no idea what God would do. He is wanting us to understand if we would trust in the Lord, because He’s showing us and them that faith or the lack of faith has real-life consequences. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. You’ll see it in your life. There is a source of life. There is a well of living water that not only refreshes the soul but becomes the source of blessing in your life.

It’s one of the great themes that runs through the entire Bible. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. It stands in direct contrast to the barrenness of the human condition of relying on anything else other than God. They were relying on the false words of the prophets. Oh, we’re good. No worries. We can trust in this false message. If not, no worry, we got Egypt to fall back on. They’re relying on any other than the Lord.

It’s like, where does your help come from? On whom do you rely for strength? In whom do you put your trust? Jeremiah is calling them to revival. Put your trust in God and God alone, and blessings will be yours, and strength will be yours as a nation. Now, that’s an important word, a nation. You look at our nation today, if you look around in our nation, could you guess as to what might be our national motto? What is the motto of the United States of America?

Maybe perhaps it’s capitalism is the way to glory. Maybe it’s to thy known self be true. Maybe it’s he who has the most toys wins. You might be surprised to know that the official motto of the United States is In God We Trust. It’s written on our currency and is actually the law of the land passed by Congress in 1956, that it would be our national motto that it must be on all the currency.

It actually started in the Civil War. The Union soldiers wanted to strengthen their morale and belief that God was with– In God We Trust, but it became official under President Eisenhower, passed into law so that it is the official law of the land; In God We Trust. Problem, it’s not true. The nation no longer relies on God. In fact, great efforts are made to remove God from all institutions. I submit to you that the farther that this nation removes itself from God, the weaker that it will become.

Anybody want to agree with me on this? This is a great problem, a great concern because there is a spiritual principle at work. That spiritual principle applies whether it be a person, a people, or a nation. That is that when you rely on God, you are strengthened and increased. When you turn away from God and rely on anything else as a source of strength, you’ll become weaker and weaker and weaker. It’s true as a people, as a nation, or as a person. It’s a question and a matter of faith.

In Jeremiah 17, the prophet is telling them that God called them out of all the nations in the world, God called them to be the people of God, a people of renown, under the name, a people of praise, and a people of glory. In other words, you have no idea what God would do. He wants to do so amazing blessing on your nation, on your families, and on your lives. A people of renown, a people of glory, a people of praise. He wants to do so much wonderful things.

If you would turn away from God and put your trust in idols or the wisdom of the world or in Egypt or any other place, then you’ll find that the nation is barren and weak and empty. You’ll be like a shrub in the desert, parched places in the wilderness, and you’ll be lost and alone, empty, and barren. That’s the warning, but there’s an encouragement of blessings with it. Let’s read it. Jeremiah 17, we begin in verse 5.

I. Beware the Dangers of Reliance on Man

“Thus says Jehovah, thus says the Lord,” notice, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength.” He’s turned away. His heart has turned away from the Lord. “He will be like a bush in the desert, and he will not see when prosperity comes.” No, he’s removed himself. He’s living in the desert. “He lives in stony places in the wilderness, a land of salt without habitation.” Then he turns to the other blessings. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose trust is the Lord, for he will be like a tree planted by the water.”

That’s the opposite of a bush in the wilderness. “It will extend its roots by a stream, and it will not fear when the heat comes. Its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious or fearful in a year of drought, it will not cease to yield fruit. Then verse 9 is famous. He’s bringing it right down to the crux of the matter, the heart. He says, famous verse, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. “Who can understand this?

Now he’s calling attention to the fact that we were born in the condition of man. This is describing the condition in which everyone is born. That the heart is deceitful above all else and is desperately sick. This is our condition, but thanks be to God, the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ is such that you don’t have to live that way anymore. That God sent His Son to seek and to save that which was lost because of the sin and condition of man, that He would redeem them out of that condition reconcile them to the heavenly Father, and that they would be given a hope and a life and a glory and a Savior that is beyond compare. That’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. Can we give God praise?

Then he says in verse 10, “For I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind,” literally the inner man, or in Hebrew it’s the kindies, it’s the inner man. “I even give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” It says here in this verse that everyone will give an account of their life. At the end of the age, everyone will stand before the throne of the Almighty and give an account of their lives.

Here again, the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because if you have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then you have had your sins forgiven, even reconciled to God, and He gives to you as a gift the very righteousness of God, which is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Then on that day when you stand before the throne of the Almighty God, you can stand there knowing that the righteousness of God is yours.

You can stand there with the confidence of knowing that God has given you the hope of eternal life. You can be confident on that day your sins have been removed, and the righteousness of God is yours. That’s a glorious day. Can we give God praise? That’s our understanding of the gospel. [applause] These words are very important to understand. We’ll look at the other verses, of course, Wednesday at the midweek verse-by-verse service.

Starting with verse 5. Notice he’s giving the warnings. Beware the dangers of reliance on men, on anything other than God. In fact, he says, “Cursed be the man.” Very strong word. It’s an important word to understand. I did a deep dive into this word. It’s important. Now people don’t like the word, which I couldn’t certainly understand why. It brings to mind the realm of spiritual darkness, bringing perhaps spiritual power against them.

That’s not what he’s referring to here in chapter 17. He’s not speaking of the realm of spiritual darkness. He’s speaking of God himself, who can bring blessing and the opposite of blessing. Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of the Lord. Let me remind you of what God said in Genesis 12 to Abram, later known as Abraham, where he said a great promise, “I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse.” They are opposites of one another, which helps us to understand what He gives here as a warning.

A. Do not wander in waste places

He’s saying in verse 6, “Do not wander into waste places.” Notice verse 6. The one who walks away from the Lord, turns away from God, will be like a bush in the desert. He will not see when prosperity comes. He’ll live in stony places in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitants. Don’t wander in waste places. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy if you got to the end of your life and you look back and you thought, “I wasted my life?”

Life is precious. Life is a gift. Life is to be lived to glory. What a tragedy if you look back and you thought, “I wasted my life.” Back in the ’60s, when the drug culture was really permeating society, someone would take drugs, and then they would say they got wasted. That is an appropriate word. You’ll waste your life. What a tragedy. It’s the condition of one who’s wandered away from the Lord, and instead of trusting in the Lord, he trusts in flesh as his strength. He’s turned away from the Lord.

There is this contrast between blessing and being cursed. You might think of it in terms of subtraction and addition. Here’s what I mean. If a person wanders away from the Lord and wanders into the wilderness, it’s really a picture of the wilderness of the world. He is removing himself from the place of blessing and favor and bringing himself into waste places. That is subtraction. You wander away from the Lord, into desert places, and you’re walking away from all that God would bless you. Subtraction, subtraction, less and less and less.

I tell you what, the blessing of God is very important to me. I don’t want anything to stand in the way of God’s greatest blessing in my life. Anybody want to agree with that? Nothing in the way. I want nothing to take away. See, it’s subtraction when you wander away. Subtraction. Less and less and less. It’s like that proverb, ‘A fool and his money are soon parted.” Less and less and less.

The one who wanders away from God will soon find that he’s walked away from the greatest blessing of his life. He’s wandering into a wasteland. It’s like the person who walks and does the world thing. Anyone who’s done the world thing knows that the spiritual life is drained. It’s like someone took the plug out of the bottom, and the spiritual life is just being drained, drained, drained out of the soul. It’s not a good condition. You can feel the spiritual life just being drained out of you, subtraction, taken away, taken away, less and less and less.

B. Don’t be a bush in the desert

In other words, he’s saying, don’t be like a bush in the desert. It’s powerful imagery. Picture a lone, scraggly bush in the Judean wilderness, twisted, thirsty, barely clinging to life. He says, “And he will not see when prosperity comes.” Because he’s removed himself from the place of blessing and so when it rains, it does not bless him because he’s out there in the desert. He’s not living in the fruitfulness or vibrancy of blessing of God. No, he’s removed himself. He’s living in waste places.

He says, “He dwells in salt lands uninhabited.” Salt land, of course, evokes the idea of the Dead Sea, where nothing grows. It’s a symbol of desolation. The one who wanders into the wilderness is living in a land of salt. It’s the appropriate description because salt is poisonous to a tree. It cannot flourish. It’s a picture, of course, of the worldliness of the world that poisons the salt. Instead of fresh living water, they drink salt water.

It’s a perfect illustration. Have you ever seen a documentary or read about people that are shipwrecked or whatever, and they’re on the ocean, and they’re on a raft, and there is the water. There are days and days they’re out there, and they’re just thirsty and thirsty, and they’re thirsty surrounded by water. What is that old expression? Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. They’re thirsty, they’re driven, and they’re so tempted to drink this seawater, the saltwater, because they crave, they desire water.

There’s water, and they’re thirsty so they drink the water, and it makes them worse. Salt water makes you worse. Little by little and kills them. That is an image. That’s such a perfect picture of those that are drawn, the human soul thirsts. We know it’s true. The soul within us long searches, craves, desires. It longs for meaning and purpose and significance and relationship and love. We weren’t made for love.

We look along for love, and we look along for meaning and relationships. We’re searching. We’re thirsty, and we’re thirsty. People go into the world because there’s water everywhere. It’s everywhere. Water is everywhere. They drink it because it’s water, but it doesn’t satisfy. It makes it worse. They’re worse at the end than they were at the beginning. Little by little, it’s killing them.

It reminds me of a story. My wife and I knew this woman many years ago, who went from man to man to man to man, from one relationship to the other, they pursued a need to feel wanted. She was looking to fill that emptiness. She thought a man would do it. She was looking and searching and would go from one to the other. It only made it worse. Every time she met a new man, he was a knight in shining armor and could do no wrong.

Then shortly thereafter, it all soured and went bad, and he could do no right, so she went to another guy, another one, and then repeated it over and over and over. She was drinking seawater and little by little, it’s killing her. The Lord in Jeremiah 17 is describing a spiritual condition of those whose trust they look to the flesh to satisfy the desires of the spirit. It won’t satisfy. Their lives become arid, fruitless, like a bush in the desert.

II. God Blesses Those Whose Trust is the Lord

Praise God, the passage that’s down there, it pivots to blessing and offers hope to any who have ears to hear. Notice verse 7, “God will bless those whose trust is the Lord.” Notice verse 7. It’s very subtle, distinction, endeavors, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.” Subtle but important. Trusting in God means that you rely on him for help and provision, but trust, when God is your trust, it’s a much deeper understanding.

It’s like you understand that, oh God is that which fills my soul. The very presence of God is the abundance of my heart. It’s a very different thing, much deeper. See, if wandering away from the Lord is subtraction, less and less and less, then dwelling near to God is the blessing of addition. More, adding, adding, more and more and more. I tell you, it’s a wonderful prayer when you pray, God fill me with more. Add to my life.

I am asking that you would even let my cup overflow, Lord. More and more. Add, add, increase. I want to be in that place of greatest blessing. Blessing is addition. That’s when God’s hand is adding favor, wisdom. You want to walk in this life in a way that’s good? You need wisdom. God says, “I will pour my wisdom into you.” A wisdom. Wonderful counselor. He will give the wisdom that will increase your bearing of life. We need wisdom. Anybody want wisdom in their life? God says, “I’ll pour it into your life.”

What happens when God blesses the ground? He has favor to it so that it produces fruit, lush green leaves that do not wither. A land flowing with milk and honey. What a contrast. You contrast that to the desert. He says, “You will be like a tree planted by the water. It extends its roots by a stream.” It’s a beautiful picture. A tree planted by streams of water is strong. Its roots run deep. They have found a source of life that fills and nourishes every branch.

A. You will be like a tree planted by the water

They’re just drawing in. Filling. They’re drawing in. They’re being filled with living fresh water. That’s why their souls are blessed, contented, and filled. It’ planted there, strengthened by that which it draws in. Without that, it becomes nothing. I was thinking of an illustration. A number of years ago, somebody bought a house, and it had some palm trees. They didn’t want the palm trees. They knew that my wife likes palm trees.

My wife has a thing for palm trees. We live in Oregon, of all places. She loves palm trees, and so someone said, “Hey, you want these palm trees?” She said, “Oh, I would love those palm trees.” Then, of course, somebody has to go get them. [laughter] I called my former Marine son, “You can help me with this.” I said, “Let me dig it out. I want to make sure there’s nice roots. It needs roots. Let me dig it out myself.”

We get there, and the person says, “Oh, the landscaper was here. They did it.” I looked at it, the landscaper just cut the roots right off. No, it’s like a little tiny ball. This is August. This is not the time to be planting trees. We brought it home and dug the hole and put some dirt in it, and packed it in. Sure enough, what once was vibrant, verdant leaves started to– one by one, they all withered. Finally, after some months, funny, there was one. One thing left.

Then it started to die from the tips and get less. We started cutting it back. Finally, there was just one branch was just that much leaf. That’s it. I called it my miracle tree. If it survives, it’s a miracle. We had some friends over at one time, and I was showing them my miracle tree. I said, “It’s done. It’s over. We’re going to have to dig it up.” They said, “Oh no, don’t dig it up. Give it a little more time. Give it a little more.” Okay, all right. You don’t want to be a quitter. Okay.

Then I thought of this idea. You ever seen these– they’re like these bikes. They’re like pipes with holes in them, and they got a little point on them, and you can drive them down real far. I got one of these, and I drove it right down. I thought, we’re going to put the water right down to its roots. I drove it down, put the little water thing in it. Little by little, it started to put new shoots in it. Now, several years later, woaah, it came back.

Water. It’s the water. You need to be filled. If you’re not filled, then you’re going to wilt up and die. It’s like John 15:4-5, Jesus says, “He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing.” Abiding means that you’re dwelling there on the vine. The sap of the branch fills and fills. You’re receiving more and more. This is the key to the life of the spirit, needing to be filled. God will add and add and add.

It’s a right prayer. God add to my life, let my cup overflow even. “For apart from me, you can do nothing.” That fruit is the result of abiding. The fruit comes then out of your life. It’s the result of God adding and adding and pouring in so that you bring forth fruit. It’s like Luke 6:45. I love quoting this verse, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good, for the mouth speaks,” notice, “from that which fills the heart.”

It’s about that which fills. You need to be filled, filled, added to, added to, added to. The treasures of the Lord are the word of God, the Spirit of God, the glory of God, the joy of the Lord. God will add and add and fill and fill, and thus fruit will come out of you. Notice this fruit that comes in season. In other words, it takes time. There’s a maturing process that comes from abiding. You stay there, keep going, keep abiding, stay steadfast, and you will see that which will flourish when you stay in the place of abiding and receiving and growing.

Can you imagine your life? What if you dwell there near the streams of living water? You were drinking from the river of God’s delight. I love that phrase. It’s just a beautiful phrase. I think it’s Psalm 36, “Drink their fill from the river of your delights.’ You do that, can you imagine your life? If you did that for one year, what your life would be like? If you just dwelt there, just receiving God, pouring and pouring, a year.

What transformation would come? How about two years? How about five years? What if you did it for 10 years? What about 20 years? Can you imagine in your life, 20 years of that? What would your soul be like in 20 years? What if you did that such that you were an old man or an old woman, you got gray hair now, but you’ve been doing it so long that God has done such a great work in you that the glory of God is greater at the end than it was at the beginning.

Isn’t that what God wants to do? It comes from abiding, comes from staying in that place where you just let God pour in and pour in and pour in, pour in. It’s the Holy Spirit. I love that description of the– it’s called the fruit. He bears fruit because see, it’s a good word. Fruit is good. Fruit is sweet. Fruit is pleasant. Fruit is delicious. It’s a good word. It pictures that that which God does is beautiful. When God does that work of transforming, it’s beautiful.

It’s beautiful fruit. It’s sweet. It’s good. It’s like the fruit of the Spirit. It’s sweet. It’s wonderful. Notice, it’s not the vegetables of the spirit, it’s not the Brussels sprouts of the Spirit. It’s the fruit of the Spirit because it’s wonderful and good. Notice Galatians 5:22-23, “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” Love is beautiful. If you have been dwelling in the nearness of God, drinking from the river of His delight, He’s pouring Himself.

B. He does not cease to yield fruit

God is love. You can’t help it. You’re going to be transformed by that love. Can’t help it. You drink from that river of delight, something’s going to happen. You have joy. People would look at you and see this joy and say, “You have this joy. Where did you get this joy?” To me, that’s a great phrase. Where did you get it? God gave it to you. It comes from God pouring joy. Jesus says, “My joy I give to you. I give it to you.” “Where did you get that joy?” “God gave it to me. God poured that.”

Peace. You have this deep residing peace. “Where did you get that?” People say, “Where did you get such peace?” God did that. God gave it to you. Patience. Patience is beautiful. Where did you get such patience? It’s amazing this patience that you have. Where did you get it? You weren’t born with it. God gave it to you. It’s the result of God. God gave that to you. Kindness. Kindness is beautiful. Treat people with kindness.

Where did you get that? You weren’t born with it. We were born with selfishness. Where did you get the kindness? God gave that to you. Goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. Where’d you get that? Where did you get that? You weren’t born with it. God gave it to you. Self-control. Where did you get that? You weren’t born with it. God gave it to you. Notice it says, “He does not cease to yield fruit. He bears fruit.”

You know the difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea? You say, “Well, yes, the Dead Sea’s dead.” Right, but why? Why is the Dead Sea dead, and the Sea of Galilee not dead? Answer, because the Sea of Galilee it receives fresh water. From the waters of the Jordan, fresh water pours into the sea, but also it pours it out. It receives, and it pours it out. It gives it. Dead Sea, it receives and receives and receives, and nothing ever comes out, and so it’s dead.

James 4:3, “You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” It’s the one who always takes, takes, takes always. “It’s always me. It’s always about, “I want me.” Take, take, take and never gives. The person who never appreciates what people do for them. They want more. They never give. The one who receives living water and is transformed by that living water refreshes and blesses those around them. That is the fruit that blesses those around them.

It’s like Matthew 6:33, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,” and notice, “And all of these things will be added.” Added, added, added. He will give and increase, adding and adding. I tell you what, you’ll never regret planting your life by the streams of living water, by delighting in the word of God, by delighting in the river of His delight. You have found a source of life, plant there, stay there, and God will pour blessings upon blessings.

I tell you what, if you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, He begins by pouring out forgiveness. Oh, what a glorious gift is the forgiveness of God. Every sinner who’s been forgiven is thankful for that. Amen. Then He gives to you reconciliation. He reconciles you to the Father. Then He gives to you the Holy Spirit of the living God. “Be ye filled,” that’s what the word says. Ephesians. “Be ye filled.” Filled means filled, poured into, poured into, poured into. That’s the word of God.

“Be filled by the Holy Spirit.” God is adding to your soul. The fruit of the Spirit is beautiful. He says, “You want more? Ask.” I love it when people ask for more. You want more? I’ll give you more. Luke 11:9-13, Jesus says, “I say to you, I say, ask.” You want more? Ask for it. “And it will be given to you. Seek, and you’ll find it. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, to him that knocks it will be opened.”

You want more? Ask. I would love to pour more, more into your heart. It’s a right prayer. Just pray to the Lord, “God, pour more,” because that’s what transforms you. That’s what blesses your life and blesses the people around your life. Then he gives an interesting analogy. He says, “Now, suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish? He wouldn’t give him a snake instead of a fish.” Nobody. “Or if his son asked for an egg, he wouldn’t give him a scorpion. No. If you then being of the world know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

C. He will not fear when the heat comes

Ask. He loves it when you ask. Then he says, here’s the result, “He will not fear when the heat comes.” Now, this is an important verse. There will be heat, there will be trouble, there will be difficulty. “But the one who trusts in the Lord will be like the tree planted by the water and will not fear when the heat comes.” He will not even fear, it says, in a year of drought. In Israel, it’s famous, it’s hot. There are droughts.

We’re going to read about some of that in Jeremiah. There are droughts. Even a year of drought. You know what’s interesting? There is a place in Israel that, no matter how bad the drought is, it’s always green. It doesn’t matter how bad the drought is, it’s always green there. Where? It’s in the Jordan River Valley. I don’t care how bad the drought is in Israel, you go down to the Jordan River Valley, and they got acres and acres and acres and acres, thousands of acres of trees, date palms. They produce some of the best dates in the world.

No matter how bad the drought is, it’s always green there. Why? Because the river flows and anything planted next to it does not have to fear a drought. It’s like Philippians 4:67, “Be anxious for nothing.” Anxious, fear, worry, anxiety, troubles, bad news, be anxious for nothing. “But in everything, by prayer, by supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” From anxiety, from anxiety, from worry, fear.

Psalm 112:7, “Blessed is the one who reveres the Lord,” it says, “For he will not fear bad news.” Why? Because his heart is steadfast. Trusting in the Lord. “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.” The world is full of bad news. There will be bad news to the end of the age. There can be bad news on a personal level, bad news from a doctor, bad news at work, bad news in relationship, bad news financially, but this one is planted by the streams of living water. His soul is steadfast.

He knows that God will be with him, that God will add His presence and His strength. He will never leave him, never forsake him. That He’ll walk with him through every trouble and every trial of life. His heart is steadfast because he trusts in the Lord. “Blessed is he who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.” Plant your life right there by that stream of living water, drink from the river of His delight, and your soul will be refreshed and filled.

May your prayer be to the Lord, let my cup overflow, Lord. Pour more and more and add and add. Let my cup overflow. That is the prayer that God delights to hear. Lord, we love you and thank you. We honor you for the promises that you pour out to us. You show us the way of life, but also the warnings. Don’t waste your life. There is a place where your soul can dwell and be blessed because He will add and fill and increase and pour out.

Church, how many would say to the Lord today, Lord, fill and overflow my soul. You said I can ask for more, I’m asking for more. I’m asking that you pour your Holy Spirit of life upon my soul. God, do it. Do that in me. Let my cup even overflow because you have poured forth your presence and your glory and your Spirit upon my life. I’m asking God more and more, pour more. God, I want to drink from the river of your delight.

I want my soul to be filled and overflowing. Church, is that your prayer? Would you raise your hand as a way of saying that to the Lord today, God, that’s my prayer. Do this in me, Lord. Thank you, God, for everyone whose desire is to be filled with more of you. The blessings of being filled and overflowing are amazing. We give you glory for it all. In Jesus’ name, and everyone said. Let’s give the Lord praise and glory. Can we do that?

Running with the Horses
Jeremiah 12:1-6
November 22-23, 2025 

Jeremiah, please, chapter 12. As many of you know, of course, we’re going through the entire Bible. We’ll cover the verses around this at our Wednesday midweek, verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter service. The title of our message, Running with the Horses. Very important what God would have for us to strengthen our faith today. Let’s pray and receive from God’s word together. Lord, we are so thankful. We know that you reveal your heart after us in your Word. You show us the way of life and way of blessing and honor. God, just pour out your Spirit of life. Meet us here in this place and revive us through your Word. We pray in Jesus’ name, and everyone said, Amen.

The subtitle of the message could be, God is preparing you for greater things. It’s a very personal message. The theme that we’ve been seeing in the book of Jeremiah is the theme of revival. God sends His prophet to call the nation back to Him, to revival, because they’d gone toward the world and gone towards the gods of the world. Here in chapter 12, it’s a personal message. It’s really a prayer concern that Jeremiah has for himself. What God gives to him is a tremendous message to encourage and strengthen him.

Jeremiah has been standing alone against princes and kings and prophets and priests. Really, he’s been standing alone against the whole nation, and it’s come to a point where he’s exhausted, weary, frustrated, fatigued. He’s been preaching truth to a nation that hates truth. He’s been mocked, plotted against, abandoned, betrayed. In fact, the people from his own hometown were plotting to take his life. Here in Jeremiah 12, Jeremiah brings a raw, honest complaint to God. He’s frustrated, he’s tired, discouraged, and he wants to understand. These people that are standing against him, why are they not suffering consequences for this? Their heart’s not right with God.

He says why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do the faithless live at ease while he’s suffering? It doesn’t seem right to Jeremiah. He’s praying, why? Why? Maybe you’ve prayed something so raw and so honest. What’s interesting is that God doesn’t comfort Jeremiah with a pat on the back. God doesn’t say, “No, they’re there, Jeremiah. It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be all right. This too will pass. Just hang in there.”

No. Instead, God gives to Jeremiah one of the most sobering, one of the most strengthening, hope-filled corrections in all of Scripture. Really, the crux of it is found in verse 5, where God says to Jeremiah, “If you run with the footmen and they tire you out, then how will you run against horses?” In other words, it’s going to get worse, Jeremiah. You ain’t seen nothing yet. It’s going to be worse. If you have fallen down in the land of peace, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? Now, this is not rejection. It’s revelation. It’s not minimizing Jeremiah’s pain. It’s magnifying Jeremiah’s purpose.

In this single verse, the Lord tells Jeremiah, and He’s telling us today, “I am preparing you for greater things. There are greater troubles ahead. That’s true. There are storms on the horizon that are greater than you can ever imagine, but I am preparing you for a greater purpose that will come with those greater troubles.” When you go back on the history, when God first called Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nation, he was a very young man. He said to the Lord, “I am just a youth.”

The Lord responded and said, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for I will be with you. The words that you speak will be the words I give you to say. I make you like a fortified city, like a pillar of iron, like a wall of bronze against the whole land. They will fight against you, but they will not prevail, for I am with you to deliver.” Now, he’s right in the thick of it, and they are fighting against him. He’s discouraged. Jeremiah has been proclaiming the word of the Lord to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and he immediately felt their wrath. They didn’t want to hear a message of correction.

No. They wanted to hear what the other prophets were saying, “Ah, you’re all good. You’re good. Don’t worry. No troubles will come to you. You don’t have to worry.” Jeremiah’s message was, “Oh no, you need to be concerned. There’s a storm coming, because your hearts are wrong. You need to come back to revival.” They didn’t want to hear that. In fact, the people from his own hometown threatened him with bodily harm. That’s in chapter 11, right before this, where they said, “Do not prophesy anymore in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand.” This is getting serious. God says, “That’s running with the footmen. You will have to learn to run with horses. Greater troubles. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

The life lesson that comes through this story is that God’s going to use the troubles to strengthen Jeremiah to be able to run with horses, to be strong against the thicket of the Jordan. It’s really a theme that runs throughout the Bible, that the very things that you think are against you are the very things that God will use to accomplish a greater purpose. The struggles, the trials, the very things that God will use to show His favor and reveal a greater purpose. Greater things are yet to come, and God is preparing you to run with horses.

I. Present Trials are Preparing You

God is strengthening you, even now, for a greater purpose. Let’s read chapter 12. We’ll just read the first six verses, and then we’ll read the other verses Wednesday in our midweek service. Chapter 12, verse 1. Notice how he begins, by declaring that he knows God, that you’re righteous. I know you’re righteous. “Righteous art thou, O Lord, I know, so that I can plead my case with you. Indeed, I would like to discuss matters of justice with you.” Why? Why? He looks, and he sees. Why? “Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all of those who deal treachery at ease? You planted them, they take root, they grow, they produce fruit. You’re near to their lips, but far from their mind.”

In other words, they’re right with God. They’re just putting on the look of the thing. Their hearts are far from you, God. They’re not right. Then verse 3, he says, “Lord, you know me. You know my heart. You see me. You examine my heart, attitude toward you.” Then he brings back his complaint. “So drag them away. Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter, and set them apart for a day of carnage. How long will the land mourn?” He’s seeing that the suffering of the land is attached to their waywardness.

“How long will the vegetation in the countryside wither? Wickedness of those who dwell in it. Animals and birds have been snatched away because men say, ‘Oh, He won’t see our later ending.'” Then God responds with that famous correction. “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how will you run with horses? How will you compete against greater troubles? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” Then he’s like, “I understand.” Verse 6, “Look, even your brothers and your own household of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you. I understand. It’s bad. I understand. Even they have cried aloud after you.”

Then He says, “Don’t believe them, even if they speak nice things to you.” There is a betrayal. I understand, but God wants him to see a bigger picture. Bigger picture. In other words, present trials are preparing you. He doesn’t minimize Jeremiah’s pain. He doesn’t deny his weariness. It’s real. The opposition is harsh. The loneliness has been crushing. It hurts. Life can hurt. We certainly understand. Life can be hard. We understand. Maybe you’re going through a season of grief, or a chronic illness that makes you feel like every day is mile 20 of a race you never signed up to run, or a job that’s just so frustrating.

There’s politics and gossip and unethical demands that are just draining your soul, or maybe there’s a prodigal child that keeps running farther and farther away, farther than it seems your prayers can reach. It’s hard to see the bigger picture of what might be happening when you’re going through such present pain. I was thinking of an illustration. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, it hurts, and it becomes the most important thing in your life. At that moment, in the big picture of things, it’s not all that much, but at that moment, it’s the most important thing in your life.

A. Why do the wicked prosper?

In other words, pain and frustration can make you lose your perspective. This is what’s happened in Jeremiah. His pain has clouded his view, and he sees things that are not right. They’re standing with a wicked intent, treachery. He says, “Look, why do they prosper? Why do the wicked prosper?” Now, notice that Jeremiah is not accusing God. He starts out, “I know God, you are righteous always. I know. I have to ask why do the treacherous seem to thrive? Why do the faithless have barns full of grain and laughing children and zero consequences while your prophet eats tears and pain for breakfast?” His tears and his pain have darkened his understanding, and he can’t see through the tears.

Now, we can understand that frustration. If you’ve ever watched a corrupt politician get richer or seen a cheating spouse walk away unscathed while the faithful one is crushed, you have prayed Jeremiah’s prayer, whether you knew this verse or not. There is a perspective. Perspective is everything. How do you interpret the things that you see and experience in life? Now, first, we must shatter the assumption that the appearance of outward success equals divine approval. Now, sometimes the opposite is true. Prosperity is not always a blessing. Prosperity can be a path leading towards judgment or destruction.

When you read those words, it might remind you of the famous Psalm 73, which was written by Asaph. He was in David’s court. He was the chief director of worship. He wrote exactly what Jeremiah felt and what other people have felt at various times. Psalm 73. He starts out wonderfully and faithfully, where he says, “I know that God is good to Israel. I know. I know that God is good to those who are pure in heart. My feet came close to stumbling. My steps almost slipped because I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. It seems to me they’re not in trouble like other men. They’re not plagued like mankind. Pride is our necklace. They mock. They speak of opposition. Always at ease, they’ve increased in wealth. When I pondered to understand that, it was troublesome in my sight.”

Then he adds, “Until I came into the sanctuary of my God.” He could see now much farther than he could see before. When he came into the sanctuary of God, when he worshipped with his soul, abiding in the glory, he then could see. I perceive their end. Then I could see much farther. Ah, he says, surely you set them in slippery places and cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are destroyed in a moment and suddenly swept away. You see, in Asaph’s perspective, it seems like he’s defeated and shattered, but then he lifts his head, begins to rise. He came into the sanctuary of God, and he abided in the glory, and it changed everything in his perspective.

Jeremiah, too, is in that place where the pain of that treachery has hurt. He’s like, “Why are they at ease?” He didn’t seem to understand. They ought to suffer. They ought to be suffering because of their unrighteousness and their wickedness of heart. This is a common understanding. When Job was suffering, one of his friends said that which everyone assumed to be so. There are Scriptural principles that say it. Job 4, where he says, “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble will harvest it.” That’s actually a true principle. That’s actually true. “By the breath of God, they perish, and by the blast of His anger, they come to an end.”

For example, it’s in Hosea 8:7, “If they sow the wind, they’re going to reap the whirlwind.” Galatians 6, very famous verse. “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked for not which a man sows he shall also reap.” It’s right in there. The principle is there. “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.” This is true. Jeremiah is trying to understand then why isn’t it so? What God will show him later in the chapter is that God will settle all accounts. You need a longer view. You need to see farther down. Oh, the Babylonian Empire is going to come. There will be a day of reckoning. Jeremiah, you just need to see farther. God will settle all accounts.

B. God will settle all accounts

There was much that Jeremiah could not see. The pain had clouded his perspective. God will show him, “No, there is a greater purpose yet hidden from your eyes. You need to have a longer view. You need to see it from a different perspective.” For example, Romans 9, where Paul writes this. He says, “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy which He prepared beforehand for glory?”

That’s you. This is what he’s speaking of. God is very patient toward them, for He has done this, that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, and He is prepared beforehand glory. When Asaph pondered to understand, it troubled him until he came into the sanctuary of God. When he worshipped with the saints, when his soul was made right, it allowed him to see much farther than he could ever see before. He came to understand that God settles all accounts. Surely, you set them in slippery places. Surely you cast them down to destruction.

In other words, a day is coming when the last will be first, when the humble will be exalted, when every tear will be wiped away by the hand of the one who Himself was rich, yet for our sake became poor, so that we, through His poverty, might be blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places forever and ever. Amen and Amen. Can we give God praise. It’s a declaration.

II. Greater Things are Yet to Come

That is a blessing no thieves can steal, and no moth can destroy. The message He’s speaking to Jeremiah is to see further because greater things are yet to come. The very troubles that weary you today are the very things that God will use to prepare you for greater purpose tomorrow. Perspective is everything. By way of illustration, I’m reminded of the most famous story in the history of Israel. One of the most famous in the history. You will recognize it. The armies of Israel had gathered, had camped in the valley of Elah, grew up in battle array against the Philistines.

The Philistines are on the mountain on one side, Israel stood on the mountain on the other, and there was a valley between them. A Philistine giant came out. Every morning, every evening, the Philistine champion would come out taunting and shouting at the ranks of the armies of Israel, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Send out a man that we may fight.” Day after day, the champion stood and shouted his taunts and his insult against the armies of Israel, who were dismayed when they heard it. Were greatly afraid when they heard it.

Then David comes into the scene. David was too young to serve in the armies of Israel, but one day his father sent him the check on his older brothers. They were serving in the armies of Israel. When David entered the camp, and he heard that Philistine giant taunting the armies of Israel, and then he saw that no one came out to face him, a righteous indignation rose in David, and he said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should dare to taunt the armies of the living God?” This righteous indignation.

When those words that David spoke were heard, someone said it to Saul, who said, “Bring that young man to me.” This speech is critical to understand this point of Jeremiah 12. 1 Kings 17. The story unfolds. Saul then said to David, “David, you’re not able to fight against this Philistine. You are, but a youth, and he has been a warrior since his youth.” Then David said to Saul– this is very important understanding of faith.

The principle that is revealed is right in Jeremiah 12. David said to Saul, “Look, your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him, i attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth. Then, when it rose up against me, I seized him, struck him, and killed him. Your servant has killed a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has dared to taunt the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the lion and from the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Then go, and may the Lord be with you.” David declared a principle that he had already faced the lion and already faced a bear, and God did not have to apologize to David that he had to encounter such a challenge of life. Most people go through their lives, they never encounter a lion. David faced a lion and a bear. God didn’t have to apologize because God was measuring, God was weighing, God was using David’s trouble to prepare him for a greater purpose yet to come.

In fact, I submit to you that without those troubles, David would never have become the captain of Israel. Those very troubles were the very things that God would use to prepare him for that which God had purposed for David’s life to become. They were necessary challenges. They were necessary difficulties. They were required in order to make David the man who would fulfill a great purpose of God in his life.

Later, we read that Saul became envious of David, David’s success. He betrayed David, turned it about, and now he’s pursuing David, kill him. He could see that the anointing of the Lord was on David and that the Lord was preparing to make him the next king of Israel. Saul sought to thwart the will of God by killing David. He pursued him with the armies of Israel. He’s pursuing David for 12 years.

Can you imagine? David, at one point, wrote that he was one step away from death. For 12 years, he went on running for his life as Saul pursued him with the armies of Israel he’s pursuing David. 12 years. God is going to use these years, all of these difficult years are preparing him for a greater purpose. Can you imagine 12 years? One, two, three, four, five, all these years. During this time, it says that David drew to him all those who were in distress, all those who were in debt, all those who were discontented, and then gathered around David, and David made them some of the mightiest men in the history of Israel.

It’s a wonderful story. David understood the point. David understood the principle. He can take the ragtag, malcontents, the rejects of the men of Israel, and make them mighty, because he took those principles of God’s heart and he put it to bear into their lives such that they became some of the mightiest men in the history of Israel. One of those is a man named Benaiah. I love Benaiah. He’s famous as one of David’s great mighty men, accomplishing great feats. It says he was son of Kabzeel, one of the great valiant warriors. It says that he killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. David made him captain of the royal bodyguard to serve at David’s side. What an amazing feat of accomplishment.

I love to imagine scenes unfolding in Scripture. I have this picture in my mind, the scene where a hiring manager is reviewing resumes to recommend someone to hire to be the royal bodyguard. He’s going through the resumes, and he’s giving interviews. The first candidate comes up, and the hiring manager says, “What are your qualifications?” The applicant says, “I took some classes of security at the University of Jerusalem.” “You took some classes? You’re studying security? Interesting. Next.”

The next candidate comes in. “What’s your qualifications?” “I served on the security team at the Jerusalem Square Mall.” “You’re a mall cop? Interesting. Next.” Then in walks Benaiah. I just love imagining this scene. In walks Benaiah, “My name is Benaiah, Son of the great Kabzeel. I killed a lion on a snowy day in a pit.” “Now there’s a resume. Hire that man.” Isn’t that the point of a resume? Isn’t that the point to show the history of how did you become who you are today?

When you apply for a job, and you are in an interview, one of the most common questions that the interviewer will ask is this. He’ll say, “Tell me about some time that you encountered a great trouble, that you encountered a great problem. Then tell me how did you respond to that?” Because they want to know, what are you made of? What do you do when you face great troubles?

If you respond, “Oh, I shrink from troubles. I run when troubles arise,” they will look for someone else. They want to know. In fact, Scripture suggests that one of the measures of a man is the size of the problems that he can be victorious through. God is building a story. God is building a story, and your story isn’t over yet. God is preparing you for greater things yet to come. That’s part of the story of your life. Go back over the history. God and you are building a history.

A. God is preparing you to run with horses

 Maybe part of your story is this. You look back on your life, and maybe you can say, “Man, I was messed up. I made a mess of my life, but God got a hold of my life, and God restored and rebuilt, and renewed. God has done a great work in my life.” That’s part of the story that God is building, but that is building you for something greater still yet to come. In other words, God is preparing you to run with horses. If you run with footmen and they tire you out, how will you run with horses?

There will be greater troubles. Life gets hard, challenges become great. There is greater purpose also in it. I was thinking back. I remember when we were first married, and we had our first baby. I had no idea how difficult it was to have a baby. Night after night, you have to get up. I thought we were never going to get a normal night’s sleep. Our first one, Nicole, she had colic, and so we had to get up and take turns every two hours. I had to get up at 6:00 in the morning to go to work.

I know. I’m never going to get any sleep. Little did I know that a time would come when we would have five teenagers in the house at the same time. Oh, there were greater troubles to come. Little did I know that there would come a day when we would have to face unimaginable pain that a parent should never have to face. When our oldest daughter was killed, she was only 29 and the mother of 2 beautiful children. Life gets hard, but God is preparing you for a greater purpose.

Jeremiah’s horses are coming. Within a few years, he would stand alone against kings and priests and prophets and the invading Babylonian empire. He would be lowered into a muddy cistern, and they would drop rocks at his head. He was carried captive to Egypt and died in obscurity. Yet his words would outlast every empire that opposed him. His words are still preached 2,600 years later, while the names of his enemies are forgotten in the footnotes of history.

Oh, there are horses yet to come in your life, but there is also greater purpose. God is preparing you maybe for a ministry that you have not even yet imagined, maybe a mission field that you’ve not yet seen, a mantle of intercession that will shake families or churches, or cities. Maybe a moment will come when you’ll have to stand when everyone else sits, or speak when everyone else is silent, or suffer when everyone else compromises, but God will not let you face those horses alone. He loves you too much for that. He will be with you in every battle. He will be with you in every trouble, and He will be with you every step in the journey that is before you. Amen? Let’s give the Lord praise. Amen.

In other words, do not despise the day of small beginnings. Don’t quit when the race is still just against foot soldiers. Now, God is preparing you to run with horses that you might learn to rely on His strength, that He is a very present help in times of trouble. I was thinking of an illustration. Some of you remember Walter Payton, who was the famous running back for the Chicago Bears. At one point, he had just made another great run, and the announcer said, “Walter Payton has now run 9 miles while carrying the football.” The other announcer said, “Yes, and he was knocked out every four and a half yards, too.”

You can run farther than you think you can run. David said, “By my God, I can bend a bow of bronze. By my God, I can run upon a troop.” By my God is the principle of his faith. God’s help makes me great. David, in another place, Psalm 27, wrote, “The Lord is my light, the Lord is my salvation, you tell me whom shall I fear?” If the Lord is the defense of my life, then whom should I dread? Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear. The war arise against me, in spite of this, I shall be confident.

This is a great theme. This is one of the great themes that run throughout the Bible. God is teaching you and me a victorious faith such that you would have confidence in Him. You might be surprised to hear this, but God does not want you to be self-confident. I know. It’s the mantra of the age. There’s all kinds of books, there’s all kinds of videos. There’s all kinds of the world– some mantra of the world to teach you how to be self-confident, but God does not want you to be self-confident.

“He doesn’t? What does He want? Should I be fearful and insecure?” No, but are those the only two options? No, there is yet still another option. See, the very definition of self-confidence is confidence in self. If your confidence is in self, then you’re limited by whatever self is. If you are self-sufficient, then your sufficiency is in self. There is a whole nother aspect of faith. To be confident in God is a whole nother thing altogether. They even understood what many do not understand, how to take living faith and to live it in life, such that your confidence, that victory that God has for you, is because you know in whom you have belief and your confidence is in Him.

B. Troubles are the doorway of hope

I know by God, and I know how He moves, and I know how He moves in my life. My confidence is in my God. For troubles are the very doorway of hope. See, here’s what many people miss, that God’s hand of favor comes to those who suffer gravely, those who endure great troubles. The trouble, the distress that you’re going through becomes the doorway by which hope is given, by which the favor of God is revealed in your life. There will be many troubles in his life, but God blesses those who are steadfast of faith.

I like what Paul wrote to his young son of the faith, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 4:6-7, where he says, “The time of my departure has come.” He’s at the end, and he is looking back now over his life, and he said, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I’ve kept the faith, and in the future there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord will award me on that day.” There is this understanding. Paul writes, “Life is hard, but I have fought the good fight. I have stayed true to the course. I have kept the faith, and I know that there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord will reward me on that day.” God blesses faithfulness. Sure, let’s give the Lord praise. Amen.

Jeremiah didn’t know it yet. There were greater troubles but greater purpose. God would use Jeremiah. The words that Jeremiah speaks are going to be used to strengthen the faith of the entire nation of Israel. God has greater purpose. God is building you toward a point of maturity. God is moving, building, strengthening in you toward a point of maturity such that you would say with the writer of Psalm 112 when he says this– This is the point of maturity that God is moving you toward. “How blessed is the man who reveres the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands, in His word. He will not fear bad news.”

This is a victorious faith. This is the understanding that whatever I encounter in life, no matter what trouble, no matter what distress, no matter what challenge that I encounter, I know my God, I know that He is a very present help in times of trouble, and He will not fear bad news. Notice, because his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld, and he will not fear. This is a point of maturity that God is moving you and me toward.

It’s a victorious faith that takes real faith and puts it into real life, such that you would have a victory that stands on that great truth. Psalm 138 speaks of it as well. He writes, “You, God, did this. You made me bold with strength in my soul.” God did that. God will strengthen the soul within you. This is what God is doing now. He will strengthen the soul within you. He’s moving you toward a point of maturity, a victorious faith. You did this, God. You made me bold with strength in my soul, and though I walk in the midst of trouble, I know my God. I know that, God, you will revive me, that your right hand will save me, that the Lord will accomplish what concerns me today for your loving kindness, O Lord, I know never fails. It is everlasting.

I know my God, and I know how He moves, and I know that He is moving you toward a point of maturity such that your faith would be a real faith that moves in real life. God will strengthen the soul within you, for there are great troubles of this life, but there is great purpose. God is not done yet. Lord, we love you, honor you, and thank you. Your word is amazing. Your heart after us is amazing. Church, how many we say to the Lord today, “God, strengthen my soul. I want to move in every purpose you have for me.” I want victorious faith like that. I want faith like that. I want to take real faith and move it into real life. I want to have a confidence in you, and I want to move in the purpose of God in my life. Church, would you raise your hand as a way of just saying that to God?

God, I want to move in every purpose that you have for me. I want that kind of strength in the soul, such that I would’ve faith, real faith that moves in real life. I know that you’re not done yet. I want to move in the purpose that you have for me. Lord, we honor you and thank you. We bless your amazing, powerful name for what you have done in us today, in Jesus’ name, and everyone said, Amen. Let’s give the Lord praise and glory and honor. Can we do that? Amen.

The Power of a Transformed Life
Jeremiah 7:1-19
November 15-16, 2025

The title of our message, The Power of a Transformed Life. Very important what God to have for us in His word today. Let’s pray and receive from God’s word together. Lord, we are so thankful for Your word. We know that God, You send it in power to reveal Your heart, Your desire after us to show us the way of life, the way of glory and honor to Your name. God, pour out Your spirit of life through Your word. Meet us today in this place in Jesus’ name and everyone said Amen. The theme of Jeremiah as all of the prophets as we’ve been seeing is revival. God sends Jeremiah as a young man really to call the people back because they’re wandering away going after the gods of the world.

They have forgotten all that God did for them. You go back over the history of Israel, God amazingly, miraculously blessed them. Saving them from the oppression and hardship of their slavery in Egypt, brought them through the Red Sea on dry land, sustained them miraculously in the desert with manna every morning. It’s a miracle every day and water from the rock, miraculously God revealed Himself to Israel. More than all of that, God did wondrous things. All of that, more than that, God gave Israel the greatest possible gift He could give. He gave Himself. He made Himself known to them. Of all the nations in the world, He made Himself known to them.

He revealed his glory and His Majesty, and He showed them the beauty of His desire to love on them. This is the very thing that Moses desired, sought more than all things. When Moses had an opportunity to ask for something personal, for something for himself, what did he ask? Now, this is really a very important moment in the history of Israel and in Moses’s life. What would you ask if you get to ask for one thing, the greatest, highest request for you personally? What would you want God to do for you personally? Moses says, “One thing for me, show me Your glory.” That’s the one thing he wanted more than all things. Why?

He had already seen more glory than any living person, but that’s why. He has seen the glory. He knew how wonderful, how beautiful, amazing. “I want more. Show me Your glory.” Therefore, it says that Moses set up a tent of meeting outside the camp. Anyone who wanted to, no requirement, no law, anyone who wanted to meet God could just go out to the tent of meeting and have a meeting with God. This is amazing. Would you go? How often would you go?

It says that whenever Moses went out to the tent of meeting, the people would stand on their feet and watch because whenever Moses would go, the visible glory of the Lord would descend in that place and that God would speak to Moses like a man speaks to a friend. Now, I love that scene. It’s a very important part of where we’re going in Jeremiah 7. It leads up to God’s desire for Israel to meet them, to be them in a relationship of glory and honor. It’s a very important part of the story. Israel forgot all of this. Jeremiah was born during what could be considered the greatest revival in the history of Israel. Josiah was the king.

Josiah, if you remember the story, saw how far Israel had gone away from God, that they had gone so far that they had built altars to Baal or Asherah or Moloch, all the gods of the world, not only in Jerusalem, in the temple itself. Right away he said, “No, not there.” In the temple they, built altars to Baal and Asherah. When Josiah arose as king, there was this righteous indignation that rose up in Josiah, “Get those things out of here. Cleanse the temple. Raise money. Repair the temple.” A glorious revival happened. Then when Josiah passed from the scene, he died in the battle with the Egyptians, the next king was bad. The next king after him was bad.

Then led Israel down the path again towards destruction, away from God. Jeremiah comes on the scene. Here in Chapter 7, God sends Jeremiah to stand at the gate of the House of the Lord, at the gate of the entry into the temple, with a message to all the people of Judah not to trust in deceptive words, saying, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” Now, how are these deceptive words? There is a deeper message here that’s very important. It’s all about revival, but not just any kind of revival, the kind of revival that will transform the soul and transform how life is lived.

I. The Temple was Meant to be Emmanuel

That’s the message of Jeremiah. It’s about the power of a life that’s transformed by authentic revival. Jeremiah 7, we’ll read the first few verses and, of course, we’ll cover the other verses around this at the Wednesday verse-by-verse service. Chapter 7:1, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying this, stand in the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim there this word and say this, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter by these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Amend your ways. Amend your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words, saying this is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.'” Three times.

In Hebrew, when you say something three times, it’s very emphatic. Like, “Holy, holy, holy,” emphatically declared. These are deceptive words when they say such things to you. How so? We’ll see. “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you don’t oppress the alien, the stranger among you, or the orphan.” Who would oppress an orphan? Now, this is the problem. The heart. The heart. If you do not oppress the widow, no, you ought to be protecting widows. Do not shed innocent blood in this place or walk after other gods to your own ruin.

“Then I will let you dwell in this place and in the land that I gave to your father’s forever and ever. Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words.” Really? “Would you steal and murder and commit adultery and swear falsely, lie, and then offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known? Then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and then say, ‘Oh, we’re delivered that we might do all these abominations.’ What has this house, which is called by My name become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I have seen it. Even I have seen it, declares the Lord.”

These are the verses that we want to look at. Really very important things that God would have for us to understand. Starting with this, that the temple was meant to be Emmanuel. What does the word Emmanuel in Hebrew mean? It means God with us. That’s always been the heart of God, to be Emmanuel. You could go from Genesis to Revelation and see this is a wonderful, beautiful theme. God wants to be with us in relationship to us, Emmanuel. The temple was meant to be God with us and be Emmanuel. Therefore, when He says, “Do not trust in deceptive words saying, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.'”

Why are these deceptive words? They didn’t understand the purpose of the temple. They didn’t understand the heart of God, and they certainly didn’t understand revival. They thought it was enough that the temple is restored and repaired. Wasn’t that enough? God, isn’t that enough? No, there was a deeper message that God meant to touch their soul. They did not understand revival. You know what was interesting, during this time of Jeremiah there were two distinctly different messages that were being proclaimed to people of Israel. There was Jeremiah, who really stood alone, and then all the other prophets of peace.

Jeremiah, he was trying to wake them up from their spiritual stupor, from their spiritual fog and misunderstanding and to open their blind eyes. Like, “Can you not see the danger? Can you not see on the horizon, there’s a great storm arising? Can you not see?” All the other prophets were proclaiming a false message of peace safety. “All is well,” like Jeremiah 6:13-14, everyone deals falsely. “They have healed the brokenness of my people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace.'” There is no peace. Can you not see? This is Jeremiah 5:12. They’re lying about the Lord.

They say, “Oh, no God would never bring misfortune on us. No, we will never see sword and famine. All is well. Don’t worry. All is good. Don’t worry.” Jeremiah is like, “Can you not see? The signs of the times are right before your eyes, can you not see?” Now, that might remind you of the very message that Jesus gave to the leaders of Israel, trying to help them to understand, “Can you not see?” This is Matthew 16:2-3. Jesus replied and said to them– Now, He used a very interesting analogy to show the blindness of their misunderstanding. He uses weather.

This is interesting. He says, “Now, look, when it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather tomorrow because the sky is red.’ Then in the morning, you say, ‘Oh, there will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.'” Now, by the way, we have a similar saying today, we say red at night, sailors delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning. Anybody ever heard of this saying? You don’t have to be just from the South to know this. It’s a saying because when it’s red at night, the way the weather works, it means that it’s going to be a nice day tomorrow, but in the morning, when you see red, it means there’s a storm coming on the horizon.

Jesus says, “What? You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, you can’t discern the signs of the times? I can’t wake them up. Can you not see the signs of the times right before your eyes?” The people of Israel thought that there cannot possibly be a disaster if the temple of the Lord was there in Jerusalem. They misunderstood. It brings a very important principle, and that is that there is a distinct difference between the symbol and that which it represents. The temple represented something. It was a massively glorious symbol, however, of something much grander, glorious. The temple of the Lord was a picture of the throne of heaven.

It represented something glorious, but it was a symbol. There’s a great difference between the symbol and that which it represents. We can understand that. We have people that use a cross, maybe a jewelry, or on the wall of the home, a cross or whatever. It’s a symbol. Of course, what it symbolizes is something amazing. The gospel is represented in all that Jesus did for us on the cross, but the cross itself, a jewelry thing, it’s just a cross. There’s a big difference between the thing and that which it represents. Religious symbols, things do not have power unto themselves.

However, it’s interesting, words themselves are symbols. They represent a deeper understanding. The heart. In other words, they represent, words represent something. That’s why, for example, when God accuses Israel, He says, “Israel, they honor Me with their lip service.” Ah, there it is, lip. You know what lip service is. They’re giving lip to it, but they don’t mean it. There’s the problem. There’s a disconnect between the words and what they represent. You don’t mean that. Sometimes I think parents even do that with their kids. For example, young Billy bonks his brother with a toy truck, and his brother starts crying. Mom says to Billy, “Now, Billy, you go say you’re sorry.”

Billy, he may not feel sorry at all, but he’s got to go over there and say, “I’m sorry.” Lip service. This is why we hate lies, because the words are disconnected from their meaning. Integrity. What does the word integrity mean? It means that there’s a consistency of that which is spoken and done and the construct of the heart. It means something. There’s a big difference between the thing and that which it represents. The thing itself has no power. I was thinking of an illustration. When we were kids, we grew up very poor, and we used to play this game in our family called kings.

The way it works was this, somebody found a broken chair, and there was a leg. The leg of the chair had all these swirly things. Somebody thought, “Hey, that looks like a king’s scepter?” Whoever has the leg of the chair is the king of the others and can tell everybody what to do if he had the scepter, the leg of the chair. I’m number five in the list, five out of six. I never got a chance to hold the scepter and be the king. I know. One day, there’s a big melee, and they’re all wrestling over the thing, all six kids are in there, and the thing fell. I rushed in there and grabbed it, and I go, “[laughs] Now, I’m the king. I can tell everybody what to do. I’m the king.”

A. Without God it’s just an earthly vessel

They said, “Oh, you? You got the thing? Game’s over.” I have been in counseling ever since. This thing has no power. See, this is the point they misunderstood. Without God, this thing is just an earthly vessel. They misunderstood something. Without God, they thought there was a power unto itself, simply in the construct of the temple being there. No, it’s a massive religious symbol, but it has no power. It’s just empty unless God’s glory is in it. They misunderstood. It’s like back in their history, like when Israel faced the Philistines in a battle, and somebody then had the bright idea, “I know what, let’s go and get the Ark of the Covenant and bring it down into battle.” It’s got power. What does it represent?

It represents the presence of God. “Go get the Ark of the Covenant.” He misunderstood. They bring it into the battle. When it shows up in the field, all the soldiers go, “Yes,” they’re all roaring. The Philistines are saying, “What is happening in the camp of Israel?” Someone says, “Oh, the Ark of the Covenant is there.” “Oh, we must try much harder.” They defeat Israel and take the Ark of the Covenant. They misunderstood that things don’t have power. Things don’t have power to bring good fortune or good luck.

There’s no such thing as good luck. There is no such thing. There are no such things as lucky charms, even if some are magically delicious. Some people carry a rabbit’s foot for luck. The thing they think it’s luck. Although it wasn’t very good luck for the rabbit, which is, by the way, the point. By the way, this is an interesting– the idea of a rabbit’s foot bringing a good luck actually originates from a biblical truth that was distorted and turned. The idea is that the death of the rabbit, the rabbit clearly suffered death and clearly suffered misfortune, so that when you carry that rabbit’s foot, then all the misfortune that you would have experienced is transferred to the rabbit.

Now you say, “What? That sounds like the gospel of Jesus Christ. All that I deserved fell upon Jesus.” What a distortion. There are people who believe that things, religious symbols, have power unto themselves. Certain churches, I think the Orthodox church still today, has icons that they will put in their car or in their house, and believe that that will protect the car or the house. Help a lot if you drove well. They think a symbol would protect. No, the temple without glory is just an empty building. They thought it was enough that the temple was there. Isn’t that what God wanted? Wasn’t it enough? No. The temple without glory is just an empty building.

By the way, the same is true for you and me. Without God in the soul, the soul is empty. We’re just an empty vessel. Without glory, we’re just an empty vessel. Unless God is in it, it’s in vain. The word vain in Hebrew means empty. God isn’t in it, it’s empty. Psalm 127, we love this. Psalm 27:1-2, “Unless the Lord builds the house,” in other words, if God isn’t in it, it’s a vain. It’s empty. “They labor in vain, who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, if God isn’t in it, the watchman keeps awake in vain.” It’s empty. “It’s vain for you to rise up early to retire late, to eat the bread, the painful labors.” If God isn’t in it, it is vain, it is empty.

“Do you not know?” He says in that verse, “That it is He who gives to His beloved even while he sleeps. It’s not by your effort. It’s not by might, nor by power, by my Holy Spirit,” says the Lord God Almighty. It’s like this in 2 Corinthians 4, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” We are the earthen vessels here in the analogy. An earthen vessel was, in those days, a clay pot, just a simple clay pot, earthen vessel. That’s us. We’re the clay pot. The older we get, the more we look like clay pots. It’s true. We’re just simple clay pots. God puts His glory in simple clay vessels. That’s amazing. That’s what makes it something, God’s glory.

B. The temple was a place to meet God

We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power would be of God, not of ourselves. Therefore, we do not lose heart for though the outer man is decaying, the physical body, the more you get old, the more you know that’s true. The inner man, however, that’s where the glory resides, is being renewed day by day. The temple is a place to meet God. That was what it was there for. They thought the temple was made for God. After all, it’s called the house of the Lord. We did it. We built You a beautiful house, Lord, and got lots of decorations and beautiful tapestries and carvings overlaid with gold. What more could God want? The temple was made as a place to meet God.

It was a place where the soul could behold the beauty of the Lord, a place where the soul could reside in the presence and the glory of the Almighty. A tent of meeting, but way more beautiful. A place to meet God. What’s interesting, God says in Isaiah 66:1-2, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Heaven is my throne. Earth is my foot stool. Where is the house you will build for Me? Do you think I need a house?'” I just love this idea. Look, “All of heaven is My throne. Earth is my footstool. Where is the house You will build for me? You think I need a house? Where is the place that I may rest? My hand made all these things, and thus all these things came into being,’ declares the Lord, but to this one, I will look.”

I love this. “All of heaven is my throne, but to this one, I delight. To him who’s humble, contrite of spirit, who trembles at My word.” Ah, I will be Emmanuel. Something beautiful, something glorious. I will be Emmanuel. A place where the soul can meet God. Beautiful picture. When Solomon, after he had built this glorious house of the Lord, he called all Israel together, stood before them to dedicate that marvelous house, the place where God’s glory would dwell among them in Jerusalem. He lifted up his voice in amazing prayer, dedicating the house of the Lord. He said, “Oh, Lord God of Israel, there is none like You in heaven and on earth, keeping covenant, showing loving kindness to your servants, notice, who walk before you with all their heart.”

That’s the what it was meant to be. On and on, and he continued in this beautiful prayer of dedication. God responded, this is 1 Kings 9. God says to Solomon, “I heard your prayer, and I have chosen this place. My eyes will be open. My ears will be attentive to the prayer offered in this place.” It’s a place to meet God, to offer prayer from a soul that’s right. “My eyes are open, my ears will be attentive to the prayer offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there always.” A place to meet God. If you turn away, if you don’t meet God anymore, it’s a place to meet God. I’m not going to be here alone.

“If you turn away and go forsake My statutes and My commandments, and then go and serve other gods and worship them, I will uproot you from this land and this house that I have consecrated for My name. I will cast this house out to out of My sight. You think this house is for me? You think that I need this house. I will cast this house out of my sight. I’ll make it a proverb and a byword among the people.” No, it’s for you to meet God there. Interesting, back in Jeremiah 7:11, he says, “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den robbers.” What is a den of robbers? It’s a mancave for robbers. It’s a place for them to bounce together.

What? Do you not understand? This was the accusations. It’s a den of robbers. Now, you might recognize that phrase, by the way, Jesus used that phrase. He quoted it on the day of the triumphant entry, the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem. He saw those who were buying and selling in the temple and money changers and seats of those selling doves at exorbitant prices. Many changing at exorbitant prices. They’re standing in the way, taking advantage of those who want to worship. Jesus, you know the story, righteous indignation rises up in Jesus, and He takes hold the tables and He overturns down, doves flying, money flying.

“Get out, this is My Father’s house. It is to be a house of prayer, a place to meet God. You have made it a den of robbers,” quoting from Jeremiah. God is not impressed with empty words, empty hearts, or empty religion. It’s a place to come to  behold the beauty of the Lord, to meditate there in His temple. I love quoting David. Psalm 27, the one thing David asked, the highest foremost that David asked, “One thing I ask and that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord.” David understood what many people do not understand. Oh, I tell you, if people can only understand this, it would transform their lives.

II. Life is Lived from that which Fills the Heart

That is the point. Life is lived from that which fills the heart. That is the point. Life is about living. God connects the heart to the way the life is lived. In other words, how you live matters. It is the result of meeting God. How you treat your neighbor, how you care. Do you care? Do you care? That’s the thing, do you care? It’s like those who love God, love others. One comes from the other. If you love God, you’ll love others. See, Jesus connects the heart to the words, to the life. Luke 6:45, love quoting it. Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart will bring forth what is good.” Where do you get good treasure? Where do you get this? Abiding in the beauty, abiding in the word which is life, abiding in the glory.

A. Those who love God love others

“The good man out of the good treasure will bring forth out of that which is good.” Now, that’s true. We know where evil comes from. “Out of the evil heart will bring forth that which is evil.” For the mouth speaks, the life is lived, from that which fills the heart. God connects the life live to the heart. Those who have a heart after God will find that their lives follow in the ways of God. The greatest and foremost of all that God ever said, Jesus was asked, “What is the highest, the greatest of all the things that God has ever spoken?” Jesus quoted Deuteronomy and said, “The greatest, the foremost is this, that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” Comes from the soul, doesn’t it?

The highest, the greatest that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, all your strength. The second greatest is like you. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. He said, “On these two, hang the entirety of all of the law and prophets.” The Old Testament hangs on those two great ones. Those who love God, love others, because when you dwell there in that place, it’s a place to meet God. You can meet God today because His Holy Spirit is resident in the soul. You are called the temple of the Lord today. There’s a temple. There’s no temple in Jerusalem, but there’s a temple right here. When you’re present, the Holy Spirit is present.

You can meet God, you can know Him, and to know Him is to know His ways. I want to know your ways. In that prayer I quoted earlier, Moses said this in that prayer, he said “I pray, let me know your ways. I want to know you. I want to know you. Show me you. I’m going to know you. I want to know your ways. I want to know your heart. I want to know you because I want to find favor in your sight. I want us to have a relationship with beauty and glory. I want to know you more. I want to know your ways. Show me your ways.”

There in Jeremiah 24:7, it’s a great theme, “I will give them a heart to know me, for I am the Lord, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me, and they’ll return Me their whole heart.” When you abide near to God, you meet God. You want to know Him. That’s why you do that. I want to see the beauty of the Lord. I want to know your heart. I want to know your ways. I want your ways to be my ways. I want my life to be changed. God will show you His ways. Like Exodus 23:4, the ways of God are higher than our ways.

He says, “Look, if you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey, and it’s wandering away, got out of the pen, and it’s wandering away, go and get it and return it to him.” Now, that’s not the way a man, that’s not the way we are. If you have an a so-called an enemy, someone that you dislike, someone who dislikes you, I suppose, and then you see his ox or donkey got out of the pen, it’s wandering out toward the desert, a lot of people say, “Serves him right, the old sticker.” God says, “No, that’s not My way. Go get it and bring it to him.” Love your enemies. Pray for those to persecute you.

Jesus said, “No, My way is different than your way.” If you know God, then you know His way is different than your way, and you want His way to be your way. Exodus 22, if you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, in those days, somebody can borrow something, and they give a pledge, a cloak was very valuable. They would sleep in their cloak. It would keep them warm at night. “If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, I want you to return it to him before sun sets because I am gracious. That’s who I am. That is my way. I want you to be gracious because I am gracious. I want you to be loving. I want to love your neighbor.

B. The beautiful soul comes from God

I want you to love the orphan. I want you to care for the widow. I want you to have truth in your business. This is the way I am. I want this to be the way you are.” It comes because you have abided there in the nearness of God. The beautiful soul comes from God. God wants to do and transform your work in your soul. If He transforms your soul, it will transform your life. People will see it. They’ll see your life. On Wednesday, I used the analogy of the moon. The moon has no glory into itself. The moon has no light. It’s just dark until the light of the sun comes upon it.

Then on a dark night, you look up, and it’s a full moon. It lights up the earth because not of its own light, because it reflects the glory, the light of the sun, and in the same way, it’s the glory of God upon our lives that people can see something of God’s glory besides the people. Wouldn’t it be amazing if somebody could look at your life and say, “What is it about you? What is it? There’s something about you. What is that? Something very beautiful, something amazing. What is it?” Wouldn’t that be amazing? Then you would know, and you could say, “God did that. God’s done something amazing in me. God did that. You know me from before, I was a mess. Look what God did. God did that.”

You were reflecting the glory, you’re giving glory, you’re speaking glory because you met God. You saw how beautiful, God did something beautiful on you. Meet God. He’s inviting you to know Him. “I want you to know me. Know me. I want to be Emmanuel to you. Let’s walk together in this. This journey of life, let’s walk this together. It’ll be beautiful. Oh, there’ll be hard things. There’ll be difficult things, but I’ll be there with you.” Even through the valley, the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thy word with me. “I’ll walk with you, and I’ll show you My ways, and then you’ll know how your ways can be transformed by it.”

Let’s pray. Lord, we are so thankful, how amazing You are that You have invited us to the place in the nearness of God to behold the beauty, to know His ways. Church, how many would say to the Lord today, “I want to know You more. I want to know You. I want to know Your ways. I want to know the beauty. I want to know the glory. I want to know more of You. I want to walk with You in this journey of life. I want You in it. God, without You in it, it’s empty, it’s nothing, it’s vain. I want You in it. God, that’s my heart. That’s my soul. I want You. I want to know You.”

Church, how many would say that to the Lord as a prayer of your heart? Would you just raise your hand as a way of expressing that prayer to the Lord? “I want to know You more. I want to know Your ways. I want Your ways to be my ways. I want to know the beauty. I want to know the glory. I want to walk with You in this journey.” God, we love You and honor You. You’ve stirred us up. You’ve drawn us to Yourself. You poured out Your spirit of life, and we give You praise and honor for it. In Jesus’ name, and everyone said– Yes, let’s give the Lord praise. Can we do that? Amen.