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THEREFORE THUS SAYS THE LORD

Text: Jeremiah 15
25 October 2009

(I) SPIRITUAL CRISIS ALERTED

1. Dejection

“Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have neither lent for interest, nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me .” Jeremiah 15:10

2. Depression

“Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?” Jeremiah 15:18a

3. Doubts

“Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?” Jeremiah 15:18b

(II) SPIRITUAL CRISIS ANALYSED

“Therefore thus says the LORD:
‘If you return, then I will bring you back:
You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them.” Jeremiah 15:19

1. The danger of wrong application of “identification”

a) Ill-advised identification

b) Wrong identification

c) Undiscerning identification

i) Unable to distinguish between the precious and the vile

ii) Unwilling to separate the precious and the vile

2. The Challenge to re-think

a) About returning to the Lord

b) About being restored by the Lord

c) About not going back to one’s personal way of doing things (wrong)

d) About standing before God as His servant (Cf. Jeremiah 1 )

(III) SPIRITUAL CRISIS AVERTED

“And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; and they will fight against you. But they shall not prevail against you: for I am with you to save you and deliver you, ‘says the LORD.’ I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.’ ” Jeremiah 15:20-21

1. Return to original calling

a) To be a fortified bronze wall ( Jeremiah 15:20 )

b) To recall God’s original word ( Jeremiah 1:18 )

i) A fortified city

ii) An iron pillar

iii) Bronze walls

2. Remember the context of this calling

a) There will be resistance ( Jeremiah 1:18 )

i) Kings of Judah

ii) Princes

iii) Priests

iv) People

b) They will fight against the Lord’s true and faithful servants ( Jeremiah 15:20b )

3. Reflect on God’s promises

a) God’s promise of His presence ( Jeremiah 15:20d )

b) God’s promise of deliverance ( Jeremiah 15:20 )

i) From the wicked ( Jeremiah 15:21a )

ii) From the terrible ( Jeremiah 15:21b )

(IV) THUS SAYS THE LORD (JEREMIAH 15:19, 20e)

1. A crisis arises when God’s Lordship is dimmed

2. The crisis is resolved when God’s Lordship is brought back into focus