Jeremiah 24:1-10 Storms that Bring Revival

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

Through Jeremiah, God was continually calling His people back to revival. Jeremiah preached during the darkest chapter in Israel’s history—when the nation had drifted so far from God that judgment was inevitable. Jeremiah had warned them that a great storm was coming from the north. But it was not too late, he declared, heed the word of the Lord and come back. God’s mercies are new every morning.

The first wave of the storm had already struck. Now they faced the second wave. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem, carried away King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the princes, the skilled craftsmen, the mighty men of valor, and thousands of others into exile in Babylon. Among those taken were young men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—future pillars of faith in a foreign land.

Jerusalem remained standing, but it was a shadow of itself. Zedekiah, a puppet king installed by Babylon, sat on the throne. False prophets still proclaimed peace, assuring the people that the exiles would soon return and that Jerusalem was safe because the temple was there with them in Israel.

In chapter 24, God sent Jeremiah a message that cut through the deception. God showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord. One basket contained very good figs, like first-ripe figs—sweet, desirable, good to eat. The other basket contained very bad figs — rotten; so rotten they could not be eaten.

Why were there baskets of figs at the temple? It was common to bring an offering to the Lord from the produce of the land. It was a provision for the priests and an expression of honor to God. One basket was filled with good figs, the sweet first-ripened fruit. The other was bad, rotten figs. Did someone bring bad figs as an offering? They didn’t want to give God good, perfectly ripe figs; so they gave figs that were bad and worth nothing.

God was giving an object lesson through these figs; it was about hearts and the fruit God desires from His people. Figs hold deep symbolic significance in Scripture, often representing Israel itself—its spiritual condition: prosperity, or barrenness.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves to cover their shame after they sinned. A very poor attempt to hide from God and cover their shame.

Throughout the Old Testament, figs symbolized peace, security, and well-being; sitting under one’s fig tree was a symbol of blessing and rest.

But figs also warned of judgment: Jesus cursed a barren fig tree for its hypocrisy—leaves that should have produced fruit, but there was no fruit—signifying unfruitful Israel.

In Jeremiah 24, the good figs represented the first of the exiles taken to Babylon. Though they were going through a great storm of great trouble, God regarded them with favor.

The bad figs represented Zedekiah, his officials, and the remnant left in Jerusalem and Egypt—those whose hearts remained stubbornly closed to the Lord. The would not heed the Word God had sent to bring them back to revival.

The message is timeless: Revival is the fruit of returning to God with your whole heart. Storms—whether national calamity, personal crisis, or seasons of loss—often serve as the very means God uses to humble us, break our pride, and draw us into deeper relationship with Him.

The bad figs show what happens when hearts stay closed: spiritual rottenness consumes the heart, and trouble and judgment follow.

But for the open-hearted, even the fiercest storm can become the birthplace of revival, producing the beautiful, godly fruit that God desires.

God is serious about fruit in our lives. It’s a theme we see throughout Scripture. In Isaiah 5, God sings a song of His vineyard—Israel—where He did everything to produce good grapes: cleared stones, planted choice vines, built a watchtower. Yet it yielded worthless, bitter fruit—injustice and bloodshed instead of righteousness. “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done for it?” God asks.

Bitter fruit makes the soul ugly, while godly fruit is beautiful, transforming us into the glory of His character. This is a story of hardship and trouble. It’s also a story of revival. For some, trouble and storms make them hard of heart. For others, the trouble and the storm bring them to a place of revival.

I. Good Figs Respond with their Whole Heart

Verse 5 – “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans.”
God did not send the exiles away in anger alone; He sent them with purpose. In the crucible of Babylon, far from the familiar comforts of home and temple, their hearts would be softened. God declares in verses 6-7 that He would set His eyes upon them for good, to bring them back, build them up, plant them, and give them a heart to know Him fully.
It was about their response to what they endured. Revival comes when we return to God with all our heart—no half-measures, no divided affections. These good figs, like first-ripe fruit, symbolize the sweet, desirable outcome of a life yielded to God—prosperity of soul, even in the storms and troubles of life.

A. Storms can soften our hearts

The exiles lost everything tangible: land, homes, livelihoods, even the visible symbols of God’s presence in the temple.
Yet in that stripping away, their pride crumbled. In Psalm 107, God describes those who sat in darkness and the shadow of death, bound in affliction because of their rebellion.

Psalm 107:12-13, Therefore, He humbled their heart with labor; they stumbled, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses.

Storms have a way of exposing what we truly rely on. When health fails, relationships fracture, finances collapse, or dreams shatter, the illusions of self-sufficiency vanish.
It causes us to look toward heaven and call to God for help. The exiles in Babylon could no longer pretend that all was well; the reality of hardship turned their hearts toward God.
Like the prodigal son who “came to his senses” when he got so low that he was feeding swine. Hardship became the merciful reminder to return to his father who had never stopped loving him.

Illus – It brings to mind King David when his own sin had brought more trouble than he had reckoned. The result was a betrayal by his own son who conspired against him. So deep was this conspiracy that David had to flee Jerusalem to save the city and himself. There in exile, on the other wide of the Jordan, David cried out to the Lord…

Psalm 42:7-8, Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; all your breakers and waves have rolled over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and his song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.

Storms strip away the pretenses so we can seek God with undivided hearts, much like God clearing stones from His vineyard in Isaiah 5 to produce good fruit.

B. Revival draws us back to God

Verse 7 — One of the most beautiful promises in Jeremiah: “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, for they will return to Me with all their heart.”
This is language of relationship —God restoring the intimacy that sin had broken.
Notice the progression: God gives the heart, they return with all of it, and relationship is renewed. This echoes the new covenant promise Jeremiah declares…

Jeremiah 31:33, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Revival is never self-generated; it is God-initiated. He gives the desire, the capacity, the very heartbeat to know Him.
God gives the invitation, He knocks on the door, He calls out your name. He pursues you.
In Babylon, you see this in Daniel and his friends. Stripped of privilege, they purposed in their hearts not to defile themselves. They sought God through prayer, fasting, and obedience, and God honored them with wisdom, favor, and influence.
Their storm produced revival—not just personal survival, but a testimony that reached kings.
It’s a question of the heart. Some go through trouble and open their heart; they need God and wait for God to move upon their heart.
Others harden their heart, get angry and accuse God of withholding His love.
The heart of revival bears the fruit of God Himself. God gives His Spirit and then the Spirit brings the fruit – the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23, The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These aren’t just qualities of virtue; they reflect God’s Spirit bearing the fruit in us that reflect His glory.
With a new heart, we produce beautiful fruit—sweet fruit, like good figs—transforming our souls from ugly bitterness to godly beauty.

Isaiah 61:1-3, The Lord has anointed Me… to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.

C. Revival is love that abides

Verse 6-7 — “I will set My eyes upon them for good… I will build them up again and not overthrow them; I will plant them and not pluck them up… they will return to Me with all their heart.”
Revival produces fruit that endures—renewed purpose, restored relationships, enduring faith.

James 1:2-4, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The good figs became the remnant through whom God preserved His people and ultimately brought the Messiah.
It’s how you respond. It’s what you do in the midst of the storm that determines the course…

Galatians 6:7-9, 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 will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Sowing to the Spirit in storms yields the fruit of the Spirit.
Whatever storm you face today — chronic illness, wayward children, financial ruin, deep grief — sow to the Spirit. Deep calls to deep. God will bring revival out of the storm and that revival will bring the fruit that will bless your life.
The fruit will be sweet; deeper intimacy with God, stronger faith, and a testimony that blesses others. God is not finished building and planting in your life, just as He pruned branches for more fruit in John 15, it leads to fullness of joy.

II. Without God the Figs are Rotten

Verse 8 – “But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness—indeed, thus says the Lord—so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt.”
The bad figs were not merely overripe; they were spoiled beyond use—rotten, repulsive, inedible. This describes hearts that, even in the face of calamity, refuse to turn to God. They represent religious stubbornness, prideful resistance, and hardened unbelief.
Their end was destruction because they would not return with their heart. In Scripture, bad figs symbolize condemnation, as in Jeremiah’s vision distinguishing deliverance (good figs) from judgment (rotten ones).

A. We reap what we sow

Those left in Jerusalem convinced themselves they were the favored ones— “We are the remnant; God will protect us because the temple stands here in Jerusalem.” But their confidence was in outward things, not in heartfelt repentance.

Jeremiah 7:2-4, “Stand by the gate of the Lord’s house and proclaim, ‘Hear the word of the Lord… do not trust in deceptive words, saying, “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord… Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail.”

Verse 10 warns of sword, famine, and pestilence until they were consumed from the land.
This reminds us of Pharaoh in Exodus. Plague after plague came, yet “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen.”
Every time a man shakes his fist, his heart becomes more hard and calloused.

Proverbs 29:1, A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

B. Don’t waste your tears

Verse 3 emphasizes the figs were “very bad, so bad they could not be eaten.”
These are the ones who went through troubles just as difficult as those who were exiled to Babylon. But they wasted their tears. Instead of revival, it was hardness of heart and distance from God.
Hebrews 6:7-8 contrasts ground that drinks rain and yields vegetation with hard ground that produces only thorns and thistles.
God expected good figs but got worthless ones—bitter fruit from unripe souls. Don’t waste your life like overgrown bushes yielding no fruit.
Storms and troubles expose what’s inside the heart and soul. It’s about the heart.

Psalm 126:1-6, When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting… Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes forth to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

C. God’s arms are always open

Even in judgment, God’s heart is merciful. Verse 10 — destruction comes “until they are destroyed,” but the door of repentance remains open until the end.

2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow about His promise… but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth.

The thief on the cross, enduring his final storm — nailed to a cross, facing death — opened his heart, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
It’s never too late to turn. Don’t delay. Why let rottenness spread when revival is right at the door? Don’t waste your tears, don’t waste your sorrows.
What storm is raging in your life right now? Perhaps it feels like exile—disorienting, painful, isolating. God speaks through Jeremiah: Storms can bring revival when hearts open fully to Him.
The good figs remind us that sowing to the Spirit in times of trouble leads to a new heart, intimate knowledge of God, and lasting restoration—beautiful fruit like love and joy.
The bad figs warn that closed hearts produce only rottenness of the soul.
God offers the promise of good fruit — revival, renewal, relationship. Return to Him with all your heart.
Abide in the vine, sow to the Spirit, and bear the fruit God desires. Yield your heart fully. Let the storm become the door to revival. God is ready to give you that heart to know Him.

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.

Jeremiah 24:1-10 NASB

24 ¹After 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! ²One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness. ³Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad figs, very bad, which cannot be eaten due to rottenness.”

⁴Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁵“Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans. ⁶For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. ⁷I 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, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

⁸‘But like the bad figs which cannot be eaten due to rottenness—indeed, thus says the Lord—so I will abandon Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land and the ones who dwell in the land of Egypt. ⁹I will make them a terror and an evil for all the kingdoms of the earth, as a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse in all places where I will scatter them. ¹⁰I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.’”

Tormentas que traen avivamiento
Jeremías 24:1-10
17-18 de enero de 2026

Jeremías 24 – La Biblia de las Américas

1 Señor me mostró dos cestas de higos colocadas delante del templo del Señor después que Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, desterró a Jeconías, hijo de Joacim, rey de Judá, y a los oficiales de Judá junto con los artesanos y herreros de Jerusalén, y los llevó a Babilonia. 2 Una cesta tenía higos muy buenos, como los primeros higos maduros; y la otra tenía higos muy malos, que de podridos no se podían comer. 3 Entonces el Señor me dijo: ¿Qué ves, Jeremías? Y dije: Higos; los higos buenos son muy buenos, y los malos, muy malos, que de podridos no se pueden comer. 4 Y vino a mí la palabra del Señor, diciendo: 5 Así dice el Señor, Dios de Israel: «Como a estos higos buenos, así consideraré como buenos a los desterrados de Judá que yo he echado de este lugar a la tierra de los caldeos. 6 Porque pondré mis ojos sobre ellos para bien, y los traeré de nuevo a esta tierra; los edificaré y no los derribaré, los plantaré y no los arrancaré. 7 Y les daré un corazón para que me conozcan, porque yo soy el Señor; y ellos serán mi pueblo y yo seré su Dios, pues volverán a mí de todo corazón. 8 »Pero como a los higos malos que de podridos no se pueden comer —así dice el Señor— de la misma manera abandonaré a Sedequías, rey de Judá, a sus oficiales, al remanente de Jerusalén que queda en esta tierra y a los que habitan en la tierra de Egipto. 9 Los haré motivo de espanto y de calamidad para todos los reinos de la tierra, de oprobio y refrán, de burla y maldición en todos los lugares adonde los dispersaré. 10 Y enviaré sobre ellos espada, hambre y pestilencia hasta que sean exterminados de la tierra que les di a ellos y a sus padres».

A través de Jeremías, Dios llamaba continuamente a su pueblo de vuelta al avivamiento. Jeremías predicó durante el capítulo más oscuro de la historia de Israel—cuando la nación se había alejado tanto de Dios que el juicio era inevitable. Jeremías les había advertido que venía una gran tormenta desde el norte. Pero no era demasiado tarde, declaró, escucha la palabra del Señor y vuelve. Las misericordias de Dios son nuevas cada mañana.

La primera oleada de la tormenta ya había llegado. Ahora se enfrentaban a la segunda oleada. Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, sitió a Jerusalén, se llevó al rey Jeconías, a la reina madre, a los príncipes, a los artesanos hábiles, a los poderosos hombres de valor y a miles de otros al exilio en Babilonia. Entre los capturados había jóvenes como Daniel, Ananías, Misael y Azariah, futuros pilares de fe en una tierra extranjera.

Jerusalén permaneció en pie, pero era una sombra de sí misma. Ezequías, un rey títere instalado por Babilonia, se sentó en el trono. Los falsos profetas seguían proclamando la paz, asegurando al pueblo que los exiliados pronto regresarían y que Jerusalén estaba segura porque el templo estaba allí con ellos en Israel.

En el capítulo 24, Dios envió a Jeremías un mensaje que cortó el engaño. Dios mostró a Jeremías dos cestas de higos colocadas delante del templo del Señor. Una cesta contenía higos muy buenos, como los higos recién maduros: dulces, deseables, buenos para comer. La otra cesta contenía higos muy malos — podridos; tan podridos que no podían ser comidos.

¿Porqué habían cestas de higos en el templo? Era común llevar una ofrenda al Señor de la cosecha de la tierra. Era una provisión para los sacerdotes y una expresión de honor a Dios. Una cesta estaba llena de buenos higos, el fruto dulce que maduraba por primera vez. La otra eran higos malos y podridos. ¿Alguien trajo higos en mal estado como ofrenda? No querían darle a Dios higos buenos y perfectamente maduros; así que dieron higos que eran malos y no valían nada.

Dios estaba dando una lección objetiva a través de estos higos; se trataba de corazones y del fruto que Dios desea de su pueblo. Los higos tienen un profundo significado simbólico en las Escrituras, representando a menudo a Israel mismo—su condición espiritual: prosperidad o esterilidad.

En el Jardín del Edén, Adán y Eva cosieron hojas de higuera para cubrir su vergüenza tras pecar. Un intento muy pobre de esconderse de Dios y encubrir su vergüenza.

A lo largo del Antiguo Testamento, los higos simbolizaban paz, seguridad y bienestar; sentarse bajo la higuera era un símbolo de bendición y descanso.

Pero los higos también advertían sobre el juicio: Jesús maldijo a una higuera estéril por su hipocresía—hojas que deberían haber dado fruto, pero no había fruto—lo que significaba un Israel infértil.

En Jeremías 24, los higos buenos representaban a los primeros exiliados llevados a Babilonia. Aunque atravesaban una gran tormenta de grandes problemas, Dios los miraba con favor.

Los higos malos representaban a Ezequías, sus funcionarios y los restos que quedaban en Jerusalén y Egipto—aquellos cuyos corazones permanecían obstinadamente cerrados al Señor. No atendían la Palabra que Dios había enviado para devolverles al avivamiento.

Es un mensaje que no caduca: el avivamiento es el fruto de volver a Dios con todo tu corazón. Las tormentas —ya sean calamidades nacionales, crisis personales o temporadas de pérdida— a menudo sirven como el medio que Dios utiliza para humillarnos, romper nuestro orgullo y acercarnos a una relación más profunda con Él.

Los higos malos muestran lo que ocurre cuando los corazones permanecen cerrados: la podredumbre espiritual consume el corazón, y siguen problemas y juicios.

Pero para los de corazón abierto, incluso la tormenta más feroz puede convertirse en la cuna del avivamiento, produciendo el fruto hermoso y piadoso que Dios desea.

Dios toma en serio el fruto de nuestras vidas. Es un tema que vemos a lo largo de las Escrituras. En Isaías 5, Dios canta una canción de Su viñedo—Israel—donde hizo todo lo posible por producir buenas uvas: despejó piedras, plantó vides de elección, construyó una torre de vigilancia. Sin embargo, produjo frutos amargos y sin valor—injusticia y derramamiento de sangre en lugar de rectitud. “¿Qué más podía hacer por Mi viñedo que no haya hecho por él?” pregunta Dios.

El fruto amargo hace que el alma sea fea, mientras que el fruto piadoso es hermoso, transformándonos en la gloria de Su carácter. Esta es una historia de dificultades y problemas. También es una historia de renacimiento. Para algunos, los problemas y las tormentas les endurecen el corazón. Para otros, los problemas y la tormenta los llevan a un lugar de avivamiento.

I. Los higos buenos responden con todo su corazón

Versículo 5 – «Así dice el Señor, el Dios de Israel: ‘Como estos buenos higos, así consideraré buenos a los cautivos de Judá, a quienes he enviado de este lugar a la tierra de los caldeos.»

Dios no envió a los exiliados lejos solo con ira; los envió con propósito. En el crisol de Babilonia, lejos de las comodidades familiares del hogar y el templo, sus corazones se ablandarían. Dios declara en los versículos 6-7 que pondría sus ojos en ellos para bien, para traerlos de vuelta, edificarlos, plantarlos y darles un corazón para conocerle plenamente.

Se trataba de su respuesta a lo que habían soportado. El avivamiento llega cuando volvemos a Dios con todo nuestro corazón—sin medias tintas, sin afectos divididos. Estos buenos higos, como frutos recién maduros, simbolizan el dulce y deseable resultado de una vida entregada a Dios: la prosperidad del alma, incluso en las tormentas y dificultades de la vida.

Las tormentas pueden ablandar nuestros corazones

Los exiliados perdieron todo lo tangible: tierras, hogares, medios de subsistencia, incluso los símbolos visibles de la presencia de Dios en el templo.
Pero en esa pérdida que los exiliados sufrieron, su orgullo se desmoronó. En el Salmo 107, Dios describe a quienes se sentaron en la oscuridad y la sombra de la muerte, atados en la aflicción por su rebelión.

Salmo 107:12-13, Por eso humilló su corazón con trabajo; tropezaron y no había nadie que pudiera ayudar. Entonces clamaron al Señor en su aflicción, y Él los salvó de sus penurias.

Las tormentas tienen la capacidad de exponer en qué realmente dependemos. Cuando la salud falla, las relaciones se fracturan, las finanzas se derrumban o los sueños se rompen, las ilusiones de autosuficiencia desaparecen.
Nos hace mirar hacia el cielo y pedir ayuda a Dios. Los exiliados en Babilonia ya no podían fingir que todo iba bien; la realidad de la dificultad volvió sus corazones hacia Dios.

Como el hijo pródigo que “volvió en razón” cuando se decayó tanto que alimentaba cerdos. La dificultad se convirtió en el recordatorio misericordioso para volver a su padre, que nunca dejó de amarlo.

Illus – Me recuerda al rey David cuando su propio pecado había traído más problemas de los que había imaginado. El resultado fue una traición por parte de su propio hijo, que conspiró contra él. Tan profunda era esta conspiración que David tuvo que huir de Jerusalén para salvar la ciudad y a sí mismo. Allí, en el exilio, al otro ancho del Jordán, David clamó al Señor…

Salmos 42:7-8 – La Biblia de las Américas

7 Un abismo llama a otro abismo a la voz de tus cascadas; todas tus ondas y tus olas han pasado sobre mí.

8 De día mandará el Señor su misericordia, y de noche su cántico estará conmigo; elevaré una oración al Dios de mi vida.

Las tormentas eliminan las apariencias para que podamos buscar a Dios con corazones indivisos, igual que Dios limpia piedras de su viñedo en Isaías 5 para dar buen fruto.

El avivamiento nos devuelve a Dios

Versículo 7 — Una de las promesas más bellas de Jeremías: “Les daré un corazón para que me conozcan, porque yo soy el Señor; y ellos serán mi pueblo, y yo seré su Dios, porque ellos volverán a mí con todo su corazón.”
Este es el lenguaje de la relación —Dios restaurando la intimidad que el pecado había roto.
Fíjate en la progresión: Dios da el corazón, ellos regresan con todo a el corazón, y la relación se renueva. Esto refleja la promesa del nuevo pacto que Jeremías declara…

Jeremías 31:33, “Pondré Mi ley en ellos y en su corazón la escribiré; y yo seré su Dios, y ellos serán mi pueblo.”

El avivamiento nunca se genera por sí mismo; es iniciado por Dios. Él da el deseo, la capacidad, el propio latido del corazón para conocerle.
Dios da la invitación, llama a la puerta, llama a tu nombre. Te persigue.
En Babilonia, esto se ve en Daniel y sus amigos. Despojados de privilegios, se propusieron en su corazón no profanarse. Buscaron a Dios mediante la oración, el ayuno y la obediencia, y Dios les honró con sabiduría, favor e influencia.
Su tormenta produjo un avivamiento—no solo sobrevivencia personal, sino un testimonio que llegó a los reyes.

Es un asunto del corazón. Algunos pasan por dificultades y abren su corazón; necesitan a Dios y esperan a que Dios se mueva sobre su corazón.
Otros endurecen su corazón, se enfadan y acusan a Dios de retener su amor.
El corazón del avivamiento da el fruto que viene Dios. Dios da su Espíritu y luego el Espíritu trae el fruto – el fruto del Espíritu.

Gálatas 5:22-23, El fruto del Espíritu es amor, alegría, paz, paciencia, bondad, bondad, fidelidad, gentileza y autocontrol.

No son sólo cualidades de virtud; reflejan el Espíritu de Dios dando frutos en nosotros que reflejan Su gloria.
Con un corazón nuevo, producimos frutos hermosos—frutos dulces, como buenos higos—transformando nuestras almas de amargura fea a belleza divina.

Isaías 61:1-3, El Señor me ha ungido… conceder a quienes lloran en Sion, dándoles una guirnalda de belleza en lugar de cenizas, el aceite de alegría en lugar de luto, el manto de alabanza en lugar de un espíritu de desmayo. Se les llamará robles de justicia, la plantación del Señor.

El avivamiento es un amor que perdura

Versículos 6-7 — Porque pondré mis ojos sobre ellos para bien, y los traeré de nuevo a esta tierra; los edificaré y no los derribaré, los plantaré y no los arrancaré. 7 Y les daré un corazón para que me conozcan, porque yo soy el Señor; y ellos serán mi pueblo y yo seré su Dios, pues volverán a mí de todo corazón.
El avivamiento produce frutos que perduran: un propósito renovado, relaciones restauradas, fe perdurable.

Santiago 1:2-4 La Biblia de las Américas

2 Tened por sumo gozo, hermanos míos, el que os halléis en diversas pruebas,

3 sabiendo que la prueba de vuestra fe produce paciencia,

4 y que la paciencia tenga su perfecto resultado, para que seáis perfectos y completos, sin que os falte nada.

Los buenos higos se convirtieron en el remanente a través del cual Dios preservó a su pueblo y, en última instancia, trajo al Mesías.
Depende de cómo respondas. Es lo que haces en medio de la tormenta lo que determina el rumbo…

Gálatas 6:7-9 – La Biblia de las Américas

7 No os dejéis engañar, de Dios nadie se burla; pues todo lo que el hombre siembre, eso también segará.

8 Porque el que siembra para su propia carne, de la carne segará corrupción, pero el que siembra para el Espíritu, del Espíritu segará vida eterna.

9 Y no nos cansemos de hacer el bien, pues a su tiempo, si no nos cansamos, segaremos.

Sembrar para el Espíritu en tormentas da el fruto del Espíritu.
Sea cual sea la tormenta que enfrentas hoy —enfermedad crónica, hijos descarriados, ruina económica, dolor profundo— siembra al Espíritu. Lo profundo llama a lo profundo. Dios sacará el avivamiento de la tormenta y ese avivamiento traerá el fruto que bendecirá tu vida.
El fruto será dulce; una intimidad más profunda con Dios, una fe más fuerte y un testimonio que bendiga a los demás. Dios no ha terminado de construir y plantar en tu vida, así como podó ramas para dar más frutos en Juan 15, eso conduce a la plenitud de la alegría.

Sin Dios, los higos están podridos

Versículo 8 – “Pero como los higos malvados que no pueden ser comidos, por la podredumbre—en verdad, así dice el Señor—así abandonaré a Sedequías, rey de Judá, y a sus oficiales, y al resto de Jerusalén que permanece en esta tierra y a los que habitan en la tierra de Egipto.”
Los higos podridos no solo estaban demasiado maduros; estaban estropeados hasta el infinito—podridos, repulsivos, incomestibles. Esto describe corazones que, incluso ante la calamidad, se niegan a volverse hacia Dios. Representan la terquedad religiosa, la resistencia orgullosa y la incredulidad endurecida.
Su final fue la destrucción porque no volverían con su corazón. En las Escrituras, los higos malos simbolizan la condenación, como en la visión de Jeremías que distingue la liberación (los higos buenos) del juicio (los podridos).

Cosechamos lo que sembramos

Los que quedaban en Jerusalén se convencían de que eran los favoritos— “Somos el remanente; Dios nos protegerá porque el templo está aquí en Jerusalén.” Pero la confianza de ellos estaba en las cosas exteriores, no en el arrepentimiento sincero.

Jeremías 7:2-4, “Estad junto a la puerta de la casa del Señor y proclamad: ‘Escuchad la palabra del Señor… No confíes en palabras engañosas, diciendo: “El templo del Señor, el templo del Señor, el templo del Señor… He aquí, confías en palabras engañosas sin éxito.”

El versículo 10 advierte sobre la espada, el hambre y la peste hasta que fueran consumidos de la tierra.
Esto nos recuerda al faraón en Éxodo. Plaga tras plaga vino, pero “el corazón del faraón se endureció, y no quiso escuchar.”
Cada vez que un hombre sacude el puño, su corazón se vuelve más duro y calloso.

Proverbios 29:1: El hombre que endurece el cuello tras mucha reprimenda será de repente quebrantado sin remedio.

No malgastes tus lágrimas

El versículo 3 enfatiza que los higos eran “muy malos, tan malos que no se podían comer.”
Estos son los que pasaron por problemas tan difíciles como los que fueron exiliados a Babilonia. Pero desperdiciaron sus lágrimas. En lugar de avivamiento, fue dureza de corazón y distancia de Dios.
Hebreos 6:7-8 contrasta la tierra que bebe lluvia y produce vegetación con suelo duro que solo produce espinas y cardos.
Dios esperaba higos buenos pero recibía inútiles—fruta amarga de almas inmaduras. No desperdicies tu vida como si hubieran arbustos demasiado crecidos que no dan fruto.
Las tormentas y los problemas dejan al descubierto lo que hay dentro del corazón y el alma. Se trata del corazón.

Salmo 126:1-6, Cuando el Señor trajo de vuelta a los cautivos de Sion, éramos como los que sueñan. Entonces nuestra boca se llenó de risas y nuestra lengua de gritos de alegría… Quienes siembran llorando cosecharán con gritos de alegría. Quien va de un lado a otro llorando, llevando su bolsa de semillas, volverá con un grito de alegría, trayendo consigo sus gavillas.

Los brazos de Dios siempre están abiertos

Incluso en el juicio, el corazón de Dios es misericordioso. Versículo 10 — la destrucción viene “hasta que sean destruidos”, pero la puerta del arrepentimiento permanece abierta hasta el final.

2 Pedro 3:9, El Señor no tarda en su promesa… sino que es paciente contigo, no deseando que nadie perezca, sino que todos lleguen al arrepentimiento y al conocimiento de la verdad.

El ladrón en la cruz, soportando su última tormenta —clavado en una cruz, enfrentándose a la muerte— abrió su corazón: “Jesús, acuérdate de mí cuando entres en tu reino.” Jesús respondió: “Hoy estarás conmigo en el Paraíso.”
Nunca es tarde para cambiar. No te demores. ¿Porqué dejar que la podredumbre se extienda cuando el avivamiento está justo a la puerta? No desperdicies tus lágrimas, no desperdicies tus penas.
¿Qué tormenta está arrasando en tu vida ahora mismo? Quizá se siente como un exilio—desorientador, doloroso, aislante. Dios habla a través de Jeremías: Las tormentas pueden traer avivamiento cuando los corazones se abren plenamente a Él.
Los buenos higos nos recuerdan que sembrar al Espíritu en tiempos difíciles conduce a un nuevo corazón, un conocimiento íntimo de Dios y una restauración duradera—frutos hermosos como el amor y la alegría.
Los higos malos advierten que los corazones cerrados solo producen podredumbre del alma.
Dios ofrece la promesa de buen fruto — avivamiento, renovación, relación. Vuelve a Él con todo tu corazón.
Permanece en la vid, siembra al Espíritu y da el fruto que Dios desea. Entrega tu corazón por completo. Que la tormenta se convierta en la puerta al avivamiento. Dios está dispuesto a darte ese corazón para conocerle.

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