Grace in the Wilderness

Well, let's turn back to our reading in Jeremiah.

We're going to read again at verse 2 of chapter 31, verse 2 and 3.

Thus says the Lord,

The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness

! When Israel sought for rest,

the Lord appeared to him from far away.

I have loved you with an everlasting love.

Therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Next weekend, God willing, we have our communion weekend

when we look forward to visiting preachers coming to minister to us.

We look forward to being under God's word, taking communion.

But what does it mean to you?

What does that mean to you?

We hear phrases at this time such as taking communion,

sitting at the Lord's table, being or becoming a member.

We hear about meeting the session.

And perhaps we know little of what these things mean,

or perhaps we're very familiar with what these things mean.

What does it mean for you?

Is it something you are going to do?

Or do you see it as just something that is for others?

Well, at the heart of communion,

at the heart of what we are doing,

it's not any of the things I've mentioned.

At the heart of it is remembering what has been done for us by Jesus Christ.

By remembering what he did for us at the cross that he gave his life.

Because we, by our nature, are sinners.

Every one of us is that.

We are all in the same boat when it comes to being sinners.

But Jesus came to save his people from their sins.

And he did so by coming to give his own life.

So how are you sitting here today?

Or how are you sitting at home listening online?

When you hear all of these things,

are you thinking,

I am glad to be numbered among those who will come

and sit at the Lord's table and remember my precious Savior?

Remember his precious steadfast love

that saves me from my sins.

Or are you sitting here today or listening

and thinking,

I wish,

how I wish I could do that.

How I would long to come

and just show

that sense of giving to the Lord,

remembering him

for what he has done for me.

But I'm not good enough.

Or perhaps you're sitting here today or listening

and you're thinking,

it's not for me.

Not just now.

Not at this time.

Maybe another time.

It's just not for me.

Whatever situation you find yourself in today,

whatever situation you find yourself in

in this coming week

as we're thinking about approaching the Lord's Supper,

one thing we can say for sure,

we can only do it

by the grace of God to us.

The grace that he gives

and by faith in him

and him alone.

So this morning,

we're going to look at this passage

in Jeremiah,

a passage that reminds us

about this grace,

the wonder of God's grace.

And it's grace even in the midst

of hard times.

Grace even in the midst

of times of difficulty,

times of struggle,

times of challenge.

It's a grace that he gives.

And Jeremiah,

if you're familiar with the book at all,

you say,

well,

how can you find grace

in Jeremiah?

Because as you read through it,

you see,

you might say,

there's so little

here about grace.

Jeremiah,

the prophet,

was so often

one associated

with bringing

bad news,

associated with

a sense of hopelessness.

And you can read through

the whole of the book

of Jeremiah

and think,

well,

where is hope found

in the midst

of this book?

One person

described it in this way,

52 chapters

of almost uninterrupted

gloom

and doom.

It's not.

It is God's word

to us.

It's not gloom

and doom.

Yes,

there's challenges

in it.

But it's not like

what we see

on the news today.

If you watch the news

at all in these days,

that is doom

and gloom

all the time.

There's so much

sorrow,

so much sadness,

so many things

going on around us.

There's almost

nothing positive.

It used to be

you could watch the news

and you would get

that story at the end

when they would say,

and finally,

and there was

something positive

to speak about,

some good news story,

but seldom

do you even

see that now.

But as you look

at Jeremiah

and as you look

at the word of God,

the Bible as a whole,

what you see

is a story

about God's people

and the journey

that they are on

and reminders,

constant reminders

as you're going

through it of sin,

of waywardness.

We see all that

in these verses

that we're going

to look at

together today,

but we see

a God who cares.

And a God

who calls

his people.

And there are

a number of

encouragements

in the book

of Jeremiah.

It's not always

just that everything's

positive.

It's not.

There are challenges too,

but there are still

encouragements in it.

One of my own

very personal ones

is from this book,

chapter 8,

verse 20,

a verse there

that says,

the harvest is past,

the summer has ended,

and we are not saved.

It sounds gloomy.

The harvest has passed,

the summer has ended,

still you're not saved,

and yet it was a verse

that was used

in my own conversion,

preached nearly 23 years ago

by the man

who's now

out into the moderator

in Shabbos.

And those words

spoke to me,

challenged me,

but also spoke

about the grace

of God.

How,

although we can be

in that situation,

there is hope

as we look to Jesus.

One of the best

known verses

in Jeremiah

is Jeremiah 29,

11.

For I know the plans

I have for you,

declares the Lord,

plans for welfare

and not for evil,

to give you a future

and a hope.

These may be words

that you've heard

and know well.

They're encouraging words,

but they're in the midst

of difficulty

and in the midst

of challenge.

And so too,

as we turn

to the end

of chapter 30

and into chapter 31,

we see both challenge

and encouragement

in these verses

as well.

And what we have

is surrounded here

by the grace

of God.

And you see that

in verse 2,

which is really

our text,

if you like,

the people

who survived

the sword

found grace

in the wilderness.

Grace

in the wilderness.

And it's these,

that word,

grace in the wilderness,

that I want us

to think about.

And we see grace

here in three

different ways.

At the end

of chapter 30,

we have a grace

that warns.

A grace that warns.

And then as you

go into chapter 31,

we have a grace

then that reminds,

and then thirdly,

we'll see we have

a grace that renews.

A grace that warns,

a grace that reminds,

and a grace that renews.

So the first thing

we want to see here

is a grace that warns.

And we see that

at the end

of chapter 30.

Jeremiah had

a very long ministry.

He ministered

to the people

for about 50 years.

It's hard to imagine

preaching and ministering

for 50 years

in any kind of situation.

But Jeremiah's situation

was one where

it was 50 years

where no one listened.

There's no record

of anyone repenting,

of believing.

Nobody listened.

They mocked him,

they shunned him,

told him to go away.

They wanted nothing

to do with him.

Imagine 50 years of ministry

and no one's listening.

difficult.

But it does not mean

that his ministry

wasn't fruitful

because he was faithful

to the word of God.

And although it took time,

the people did come back.

But much of Jeremiah's ministry

was of giving warning.

And we see that

at the end of chapter 30.

In verse 23,

Behold the storm

of the Lord.

There is a warning here.

But it's a gracious warning.

It's a warning

that comes

from God.

Silence at times

can be bliss.

There are times,

I'm sure,

every one of us

would say,

I just want to get away

and have a time to myself,

a time of peace,

a time of silence,

to get away

from the noise

and the busyness of life

and just find a place,

a place of solitude.

It's lovely

to get that kind of place.

We need it

from time to time.

But silence

can sometimes

be an awful thing.

Silence

when you're waiting

for news

of maybe a loved one

who's missing.

It's an awful thing

not to hear anything.

It's an anxious time.

Silence

when you're crying

for help

and nobody's hearing.

silence

from someone

you love

who's not speaking

to you.

We can know

and maybe you do know

these kinds

of situations

for yourself

where silence

can be agony.

Silence

can be painful.

But where do we see

the greatest silence

that took place?

It's not for ourselves

but it's what was done

for us

and especially

as we think

of a communion week

it's where we look

to as we approach

a communion season

it's at the cross

where Jesus there

suffered

for our sin.

Where as we see here

behold the storm

of the Lord

that was coming

upon the people.

Behold

the storm

of the Lord

that we can have

in our lives.

As we look

to the cross

we see

the way that Jesus

suffered for us.

in Matthew 27

Matthew 27:45

verse 45

now from the sixth

hour there was

darkness over the land

until the ninth hour

and about the ninth hour

Jesus cried out

with a loud voice

saying

Eli Eli

lemma sabachthani

that is my God

my God

why

have you forsaken me?

There was silence.

but when we see here

a storm warning

we see it is

a gracious warning

because we see

that God is not silent

but God is speaking.

God is warning.

And Jeremiah

was warning

his people

here as well.

He was warning them

to learn

to heed

these warnings.

Professor John L. Mackay

who was a lecturer

in the

Free Church College

he wrote a commentary

on Jeremiah

and one of the points

he makes

on these verses

is

he says

there is a prevalent

tendency

to grasp

the promises

of the Lord

and to forget

the warnings

that he gives.

A warning

is given

that the future

time of blessing

and its continuance

are not to be

lightly assumed

as inevitable.

We must take care

not to repeat

the mistakes

of the past.

What mistakes?

Well as you look

at this passage

and as the end

of chapter 31

Jeremiah is warning

his people

behold the storm

of the Lord

he is warning them

that they have

made mistakes

that sin leads

us down

the wrong path.

The mistakes

of taking God

lightly

of not listening

of rejecting

him

they did it

for 50 years

they didn't

listen to a word

that Jeremiah

was saying.

You do it

I do it.

We don't listen.

We take God

lightly.

We can reject

him so easily.

And we can see

that there is

doom

and gloom.

The storm

of the Lord

can feel

very much

upon us.

There's a word

in the dictionary

and it's

Jeremiah.

And what does

it mean?

Well if you look

at what the

definition of

Jeremiah

it means

a prolonged

lamentation

or mournful

complaint.

That's very much

from Jeremiah.

You can see

it so clearly.

Do you feel

Jeremiah today?

Do you feel

that sense

of just the

weight

of everything

upon you?

the weight

of sin

the fears

of life

the worries

the anxieties

everything that

just comes

our way

so often.

We can feel

Jeremiah

doom

and gloom

but yet

what we see

here is that

God is still

in control

because even

as it speaks

of a storm

here

he says

in verse

24

the fierce

anger of

the Lord

will not

turn back

until he

has executed

and accomplished

the intentions

of his mind.

In the latter

days you will

understand this.

God has a

plan

and a purpose

even in the

storms.

Even in all

these things

God is saying

this is part

of my purpose

for you

in the days

of Jeremiah

and he says

it to ourselves

as well.

These are my

purposes for you

and in the

latter days

you will

understand

that there

are times

that we

cannot

understand

things.

Just like

the hymn writer

William Cowper

said

God moves

in a mysterious

way

his wonders

to perform

he plants

his footsteps

in the sea

and rides

upon the storm.

He moves

in mysterious

ways

but

as it says

he rides

upon the storm.

And so even

as we see

here the

warning

behold

the storm

of the Lord

the Lord

is riding

on that

storm

and he

is with

his people.

And so we

see the grace

of a warning.

But the second

thing we see

here is the

grace that

reminds

the grace

that reminds

us

of all the

wonders of

God

when we feel

that we are

in a wilderness

at times.

And that's

seen as you

go into

chapter 31

and verse

1 to 3.

At that

time

there is a

reminder here

that God

does not

forget.

At that

time declares

the Lord

I will be

the God

of all

the clans

of Israel.

He's not

silent

he's not

absent

he is very

much

with us.

John L.

Mackay's

words

we must

not repeat

the mistakes

of the

past.

That is

what Jeremiah

is focusing

on here.

Thus

in verse

2 the

people who

survived the

sword found

grace in

the wilderness.

He takes

them back.

He takes

them back to

the mistakes

they made

previously in

the days of

Moses as the

children of

Israel were

led from

Egypt to

the promised

land but

journeying

through the

wilderness.

They found

grace in

the wilderness.

But he

also is

taking them

forward here

as well.

He's speaking

to the people

in Jeremiah's

day who

were going

to be

taken captive

by Babylon

a powerful

nation.

They were

going to be

taken into

exile again

into the

wilderness

again but

they would

find grace

in the

wilderness

there too.

So what

does this

remind us

of?

Well it

reminds us

that sin

leads to

this

an exile

from God.

It leads

us into

this wilderness

that the

tragedy of

sin is

that keeps

God at

an arm's

distance.

And yet

grace calls

us in

the wilderness.

Grace speaks

to us in

the wilderness.

The people

who survived

the sword

found grace

in the

wilderness.

Think of

that in

your own

life.

What has

sin done

in your

life?

What is

it doing

now?

Sin is

always active

all around

us and

in us.

And what

sin is

doing is

keeping us

from God.

Keeping God

at an arm's

length at

times.

Even as a

Christian.

Even as

those who

will come

and sit

at the

Lord's

table.

In our

hearts

right now

we can

feel a

sense of

that sin

a distance

from God.

sin has

that tendency

to just

drag us

back into

the wilderness.

And all

we feel is

a sense of

unworthiness,

of burden.

And what

can we

do?

Well we

can look

to this

grace.

The grace

that has

been shown.

Because it

says they

found grace

in the

wilderness

when Israel

sought

for rest.

When they

looked for

rest.

John

Newton is

the author

of that

hymn

Amazing

Grace.

And

Jeremiah

31 was

one of

his

favorite

passages.

He often

returned to

it because

it reminded

him so

much of

his own

life.

He was

one who

had been

in the

wilderness

living his

life in

a wild

way,

away from

God.

He knew

the distance.

He felt

like that

wretch that

he describes

himself as.

grace.

But he

found grace

in the

wilderness.

Grace that

saved a

wretch like

me, he

says.

He found

the Lord

in the midst

of his own

storm, in

the midst of

his own

wilderness.

And Israel

it says here

they found

rest when

they sought,

they found

that grace

when they

sought for

rest.

And are

you seeking

for that

rest?

Are you

longing for

that rest?

That rest,

that grace

when you

feel like

you're just

in the

wilderness?

I learned

about something

this week

I'd never

heard of

before.

It was

about a

stone that

would be

familiar out

on the

moors many

years ago.

You can

still find

them in

different

places,

but when

the shillings

were used

more often

for tending

the sheep

and the

cattle out

in the

moor during

the summer

months,

there was

a stone

that would

be close

nearby to

the shilling

and it

was called

a

clachtasich,

or an

itching

stone,

because the

moorland is

barren in

many ways.

But as you

know if you

go out there

there's all

kinds of,

when you see

animals they're

always itching

whether it's

midges or

ticks or

whatever it

is and

there's no

relief for

them.

But these

stones would

be erected

beside the

shillings,

quite large

stones about

the size of

a wooden

strainer,

a fence

strainer,

and they'd

be put into

the ground

and erected

so that the

sheep or the

cattle could

come and

find relief

in scratching

themselves against

this stone.

Well when we

think of our

lives, what is

the stone that

gives relief

to us?

when we

have that

scratch, that

sin you

could almost

describe as

an unscratchable

itch, we

just can't get

to the heart

of it.

Where is our

stone?

Where is our

rest found?

Well it's in

the stone, the

rock that is

Jesus Christ.

When Jesus

says in

Matthew 11

28,

come to me

all you who

labor and are

heavy laden,

I will give you

rest, I will

give you

relief.

He's saying

seek me, and

when you seek

me you will

find me, when

you seek me

with your

whole heart, and

I will give

you rest.

They found

grace in the

wilderness when

they sought

for rest, so

can you, so

can I.

When we seek

the Lord, when

we look for

his grace, when

we come to

him, the

wilderness can

be a horrible

place to be.

But there is

still grace

there for us

when we seek

the Lord.

You think of

the prodigal

son.

There's so

much of that

in his life,

where you

think of him

going away

from his

father, into

the wilderness,

into the

wilderness, there

was life away

from the

father, thinking

it was the

bliss that he

was looking

for.

But it

wasn't.

But when

he came to

his senses,

he returned

to his

father.

Charles Spurgeon

has a great

way of showing

that coming

home.

Charles Spurgeon

said the

prodigal saw

his need to

come home.

But listen to

this, his

last steps

before entering

the house

were with a

kiss still

warm upon

his cheek

and the

welcome still

musical in

his ears.

Isn't that a

wonderful way

of looking at

it?

How could he

say that?

Because of

what the

father did.

the father

ran to

the son.

The son

knew that

grace in

the wilderness

and the

father came

from afar.

And you

see that in

verse 3

here, the

Lord appeared

to him

from far

away saying,

I have

loved you

with an

everlasting

love.

That is the

love of

God the

father, shown

to the

prodigal and

shown to

all of his

people who

are in the

wilderness, but

seek after

the Lord.

the kiss

still warm

on his

cheek because

the father

had run to

him.

He is

faithful and

he gives

us amazing

reminders of

a grace that

loves, an

everlasting

love.

So we are

to come,

we are to

come to

seek him

and not to

come to the

Lord's

supper praising

ourselves,

slapping our

own back,

saying,

well done

you.

But to

come sometimes

broken,

sometimes weary,

sometimes just

with that

weight still

on, but

coming thankful

for the

love that

he has

shown.

That love

that he

speaks of

here, I

have loved

you with

an everlasting

love.

Therefore I

have continued

my faithfulness

to you.

he didn't

leave his

people.

Even though

you could

say they

deserved it,

the same is

true for us.

We feel we

didn't deserve

his grace.

But it is

his love

that's without

beginning and

without end.

That is the

love that we

are to look

to.

And if we

know that

grace,

if we love

and know that

love of God,

then we are

to come.

Come and

seek him

and find

that grace

in the

wilderness

that gives

us rest.

The final

thing we

see here is

that grace

that renews.

I said

earlier that

when we

watch the

news, it

seldom now

we get

that final

story,

and finally

there's some

good news.

But here we

see that what

Jeremiah is

saying in this

section is

and finally

there is

good news.

truth.

Truly,

there is

good news

because this

closing section

of this

passage really

is a sense

of rejoicing.

A rejoicing

that God

is able to

help.

God is able

to give.

And you

could go

back to

verse 18

of chapter

30 where

it says,

There is

hope.

There is

hope.

There is

hope.

But then you

see it again

in verse 4

and 5 of

chapter 31.

with that

repeated

phase again

three times

in these

two verses.

And look at

what he

says,

Again I

will build

you and

you shall

be built

up,

virginess.

Again you

shall adorn

yourself with

tambourines

and shall

go forth in

the dance

of the

merrymakers.

Again you

shall plant

vineyards in

the mountains

of Samaria.

Three times

he says

again.

Because there

is a sense

of renewing

here.

the blessings

that they

had enjoyed

in the

past they

are going

to enjoy

again.

The people's

lives were

ruined by

sin.

And they

were going

to be

ruined.

They were

going to

be taken

into exile.

Their

homes would

be gone.

Their joy

would be

gone.

Their

vineyards

would be

gone.

All these

things that

were important

and precious

to them

all gone.

Brought

into the

wilderness.

wilderness.

But here

is God

saying I

will bring

you home.

I will

renew.

I will

restore

you.

And so

you see

the three

things that

will

restore

their

homes,

their joy,

their

vineyards.

All that

was important

for life

was going

to be

renewed.

There was

going to

be a

newness

to it.

Even in

the midst

of the

mysterious

ways of

God

working.

William

Cowper's

hymn goes

on to

say,

Judge

not the

Lord

by feeble

sense,

but trust

him for

his grace

behind a

frowning

providence.

He hides

a smiling

face.

His

purposes

will ripen

fast,

unfolding

every hour.

The bud

may have a

bitter taste,

but sweet

will be the

flower.

You see

there just

how he's

speaking of

the frowning

providence,

not understanding,

and yet

God is

in control

and his

grace

unfolding

his

purposes

hour by

hour,

so that

even when

there's a

bitter taste

initially,

the flower

will be

sweet in

the end.

And what

you see

here is

that journey

of God

leading his

people from

warning to

reminding

them and

then finally

to renewing,

to say

that yes,

you lost

it all in

the wilderness,

but again

you will have

all of these

things.

But what

is the

most important

thing you

see restored

here?

It's what

you have

in verse

6.

It's great

that they

have their

homes,

their joy,

their vineyards

restored,

but look at

verse 6.

for there

shall be a

day when

watchmen

will call

in the

whole country

of Ephraim,

arise and

let us go

up to

Sion,

to the

Lord our

God.

What is

being restored

there?

A right

worship.

A right

worship.

Let us

go and

worship the

Lord our

God.

The watchmen

had a vital

role.

They were

often the

ones who

warned of

danger

approaching.

They were

often the

ones who

warned of

seasons changing,

of new

moons and

all of

these things,

times of

harvest,

times of

festival.

Well here

they are

saying the

day is

coming when

the watchmen

will call,

arise,

let us go

to Sion,

to the

Lord our

God.

Do you

see the

change that's

taken place?

Where God

is speaking

initially in

verse 22 of

chapter 30,

and you

shall be my

people and

I will be

your God.

It's in the

future, but

here is a

day when that

is renewed.

Let us go

up to

Sion, to

the Lord

our God,

a relationship

restored.

That is what

we long for.

It's great

to have

material

blessings,

the blessings

of homes,

of joy,

of vineyards,

Jeremiah is

saying, but

your greatest

blessing of

all will

be to once

again worship

the Lord

as your

God, a

relationship

restored.

Our lives

in the

wilderness are

hindered by

sin, but

the good

news is

there is

grace in

the wilderness.

And that

that grace

is able

to renew.

What do

you want in

this communion

weekend?

Surely, above

all, we

want to

come and

worship the

Lord our

God, to

give him

that praise,

that worship

that he is

due.

And it

comes if we

see the

grace that

he has

shown.

If we

seek after

that grace

as he

speaks of

there in

verse 2,

the people

who survived

the sword

found grace

in the

wilderness

when Israel

sought for

rest.

Seek that

rest.

Find it

in the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

And then

you can

come,

arise,

let us

go,

and worship

the Lord

our God.

John

Newton said,

it was grace

that taught

my heart

to fear,

and grace

my fears

relieved.

How precious

did that

grace appear,

the hour

I first

believed.

May you

find how

precious this

grace is,

even in the

wilderness,

even in the

trials, the

storms of

life, God's

warning is

there graciously.

God reminds

us of his

grace again

and again,

and God

is able

to renew.

Let us

pray.

Lord, our

gracious God,

we thank you

for your

word, we

thank you

for your

grace, and

we pray to

seek it with

all our

hearts, and

to know the

rest that you

are able to

give to us

through our

Lord Jesus

Christ, as

we ask all

these things

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

We'll

conclude now

by singing

to God's

praise in

Psalm 4

once again.

We'll sing

these last

stanzas from

verse 6.

Oh, who

can show us

any good?

I hear so

many say,

O Lord,

shine on us

with your

light, show

us your

face, I

pray.

We'll sing

from verse 6

down to the

end of the

psalm.

Amen.

Amen.

O who can

show us

any good,

I hear so

many say,

O Lord,

shine on us

with your

light, show

us your

face, I

pray.

You

filled my

heart with

greater joy

than others'

men have

heard, as

they

rejoice at

harvest time,

when pain

and wine

are

burned.

I will

lie down

and sleep

in peace,

my heart

will

rest

secure

for you

alone,

O

righteous

Lord,

will

keep

me

safe

and

sure.

After the

benediction, I'll

go to the door to my

left.

Now may grace,

mercy, and peace

from God,

Father, Son, and

Holy Spirit, rest

upon and abide

with you all,

now and forever

more.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.