The Community Crisis and the Lord's Unfailing Love

Let's turn together now to the prophecy of Jeremiah and to chapter 31, and we can read at verse 15.

! Jeremiah 31 at verse 15.

! Thus says the Lord, a voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children because they are no more.

Thus says the Lord, keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord.

And so on down to verse number 21.

I think it's fair to say in life in general that sometimes circumstances hide from us the true reality of our situation.

And that can make difficult times even more difficult to manage for us.

And it's always great to have the kind of insight that enables us to see things as they truly are.

And here in this chapter, that's what God is doing for the people of God, for his own covenant people.

He is kind of giving them an aerial view of where they are.

So they will understand where they are in the light of who he is and what he is doing.

And that was really necessary in the days of Jeremiah.

When we read the history of God's people at this time, we see that Jeremiah lived in a chaotic world.

There was chaos everywhere amongst the people of God.

And when we read through this book itself, we see that there was a kind of permanent trajectory of people turning away from God.

The people were in rebellion against God.

And we see that the king himself, the royal palace, that there the king was responsible in many ways for leading the people away from God.

And in the midst of all of that, we have the ministry of this man, Jeremiah.

And it should not surprise us that his ministry was, first of all, a ministry of judgment.

And if ever there was an unpopular prophet or preacher in the world, here is one who certainly was.

He was the enemy of the people because they did not like his message.

Unpopular preaching, unpopular messenger because of the rebellion of the people of God.

And remarkably, we see that from chapter 30 of this book and to chapter 32, 33, we see that there is a message of comfort.

In other words, take note of my judgment, but don't ignore my comfort to you in these chapters.

The promise that God will bring his people back to himself.

And through, from verse 15 onwards, against the background of his everlasting love at the beginning of the chapter,

he wants to encourage the people of God.

I want to think about that today.

This is not unlike where we are at ourselves.

A nation, a society, racing away from God.

A royal household and government that has little sense of trusting or turning to the word of God.

And any sense of alerting a people to that is not acceptable, is often rejected.

And to do so is often resisted, perhaps, by those who should be doing that very thing.

It's not unlike where we're at.

So today, we want to think of the faith community crisis and the Lord's unfailing love.

Well, I think first of all, of the crisis and the encouragement.

We need encouragement when we're in danger.

And the encouragement comes because God is telling us what's happening.

It's all about how God sees things.

And the first thing that he sees, that there is a woman in a certain place.

And that's significant.

He looks down and here is a place called Ramah.

And if I can picture Jerusalem and the nation of Israel,

I think of Ramah on the boundary between Judah and Israel, north of Jerusalem.

And it's the kind of place where those who are being deported would be gathered together

and would be counted before they're carried away into exile in Babylon.

It was a place where people are recorded as they were taken away from their own homes

and transported to another environment, to another culture, to another society.

Ramah was a key place on the journey on which these people were traveling.

And there, at that very place, there is this woman called Rachel.

She was the wife of Jacob.

She's not living in these times.

But Jeremiah and God uses Rachel to represent the community of faith

and those who are the people of God.

She is especially the grandmother of Ephraim and Manasseh

that represent the northern part of the country.

Rachel has a close relationship, a loving relationship with those in particular

in Manasseh and Ephraim that the tribes are named after her own grandchildren.

Ramah and Rachel.

What we find there is where the people of God are represented.

What we find there is that there is a lament.

And what is Rachel doing?

She is lamentation and bitter weeping.

She is a broken woman.

She is not only weeping the tears,

but she is howling with a kind of grief and sorrow

that only a mother who has lost her children can mourn for

and can have that bitterness.

It's a deep sense of sorrow.

It's emotional.

It's psychological.

It's even intellectual.

It's everything that she feels and knows at this stage

finds expression in lamenting and in crying out and in weeping.

And she's doing that because her children are no more.

The place where all of her children, all of her descendants,

the place where the people of the community of faith

used to fill the place as according to the promise given to Abraham

that his seed would be like the sand of the seashore.

Previously, looking in this location,

the place was filled northward and southward

with those who were the people of God.

And now this woman who represents the people of God,

she's looking northwards.

And there's no one there.

She's looking southward.

And there is the very likelihood that those who exist to the south

are going to follow the same path as those who are northwards.

There are those who aren't there.

And there are those who are in danger of not being there.

And she's crying.

And she refuses to be comforted.

And today, if you are the child of God,

if you trust in the Lord Jesus as your Savior,

you will have a prayer.

And we can use this building itself as an example.

A prayer and looking,

not that the children are no longer there,

but they are not there in the same number.

And there is the fear accompanying your prayer

that because of the way things are,

that things can only get worse.

The lamentation, the grief,

stopped her from seeing anything positive.

She could only receive and see the negatives.

In her visible world,

there is nothing to encourage her

and the promise of God is not fulfilled.

And you may be praying today

for your family,

for your children,

for your loved ones.

And in your heart,

you're crying before God.

And nobody can see your tears today,

but you're crying before God

because nothing is happening.

Because your family don't know the Lord Jesus.

Because they may be far distant

from where they should be

and far distant from coming to know

that Lord Jesus as their Savior.

And no matter what anybody says to you,

you refuse to be comforted.

And no matter how people try to encourage you,

your response is,

but what about such and such?

What about such and such situation?

Refusing to be comforted.

And the encouragement begins

from this passage in knowing

that God is looking down

and that God sees

and that God is hearing.

And you may be downcast in your heart.

You may be lamenting

because of what God is not doing

and thinking that God doesn't care

or God doesn't know.

But it was God

that heard a voice in drama.

And today it is God who hears

the voice that arises from your heart.

Even in the silence of the worship of God,

there is that message that arises

and that God himself hears.

And the encouragement is because

God interrupts.

Isn't God a gracious God?

God interrupts.

God interrupts.

Keep your voice from weeping.

Stop the crying.

Just hold back what you're doing

and stop and listen to me.

There is, he says,

a reward for your work.

In other words,

God is hearing your prayer

and the time will come

when God is going to answer that prayer.

As he said to Abraham in Genesis 15

when he told Abraham,

I am your shield

and your exceeding great reward.

To the faith community at Ramah,

there is the interruption

that tells them

there is a reward for your prayers.

God is taking note.

God is going to answer.

And how is God going to answer?

God is going to answer

with this great promise in verse 16.

They shall come back

from the land of the enemy.

There is hope for your future.

There is going to be a homecoming.

The masses are gathered

hundreds of miles away from Jerusalem

where we think of the presence of God

in the Old Testament

and the reign of God

and the palace of God's king.

They are hundreds of miles away.

And the geographical distance

reflects their spiritual distance from God.

But here is the promise.

Here is why the prayer needs to be interrupted.

Here is why the lament has to stop.

The promise of God is

they are coming home

to where they belong.

In other words,

the absolute reversal

of the thing that Rachel thought

could never be reversed.

That in her mind

and in her thinking,

the invisible people

that were,

the people that were carried away

that were invisible

visible in her location,

that God will

make them present

and visible

in that very place

where they were absent.

And that's encouragement

for you and

for me today.

The invitation

to stop listening

to our own voice.

And that's difficult.

Especially in that crisis.

Stop listening to our own voice

and listen to the voice of God

who tells us

that he will

fulfill his promise.

That he will

save his people.

And that he will

bring his people

home.

And as you pray today,

don't lose sight.

And perhaps

allow God

to do the interrupting.

Because we can

lose sight

of God himself

in our lamenting.

Allow God

to interrupt you today

and to come

with your promise

that he will

save,

that he will

bring back.

And that there will be

this great

homecoming

of the people of God

from

their scattering

in the rebellion

to come back

to be

the faith community.

Those who trust

in the Lord Jesus.

Those who gather

around him.

Those who come

to sit at the Lord's table

because of their love

for the Lord Jesus

and because

of the everlasting love

that we read of

at the beginning

of the chapter.

There is the crisis

and there is

the encouragement.

Secondly,

there is the crisis

and

the engagement.

It is

certainly

through today

that

there are

loads of things

happening

and loads of

stuff going on

that we

know nothing

about.

It's obvious

and perhaps

doesn't need

to be said.

but for

this woman

here

and for

this community

of faith

here in this

case

they needed

to hear

about

what they

didn't realize

was happening

and the only

person who can

do so

is God

himself

and the

God who is

hearing the

prayers of

Rachel

the faith

community

representative

is also

the God

who is

seeing

Ephraim

in the

scattering

where he

is found

in Babylon

and the

surrounding

area.

He hears

Rachel

praying

and he

sees

Ephraim

in Babylon

and

when he

sees

Ephraim

he brings

a report

to the

people of

God

and the

report

is

I have

heard

Ephraim

grieving.

In

verse number

18

here is

Ephraim

one of

the northern

tribes

Manasi

and Ephraim

the northern

tribes

here is

Ephraim

representing

the people

of God

in that

northern

tribe

and

I hear

Ephraim

grieving.

Suddenly

this

representative

of those

who are

carried

away

because

of

their

rebellion

against

God

he is

found

in that

place

of

rebellion

and he

is

grieving

in the

sense

that

in the

Old

Testament

sense

of

perhaps

sitting

or

standing

in a

place

and

moving

backwards

and

forward

so

overcome

with

grief

and

with

sorrow

that

their

whole

beings

and

their

whole

bodies

are

shaken

and

are

falling

apart

a

shaking

of

the

head

a

shaking

of

the

body

the

whole

self

is

taken

up

in

sorrow

and

the

sorrow

we

see

is

vocalized

in

version

number

18

you

have

disciplined

me

and

I

was

disciplined

here

is the

prodigal

son

in

the

far

country

in

the

place

of

satisfying

himself

finding

his

joy

and

spending

his

resources

where

he

was

and

here

we

see

God

saying

with

regard

to

his

alienated

people

that

he

is

hearing

them

grieving

and

that

he

is

hearing

them

grieving

and

acknowledging

that

this

grief

is

because

of

God's

engagement

with

them

and

God

intervening

in

their

lives

and

our

own

encouragement

today

is

the

very

fact

that

that

is

what

God

always

does

and

no

matter

how

far

today

we

see

our

families

and

our

friends

and

those

close

to

us

that

we

pray

for

every

day

no

matter

how

far

away

they

are

God

has

one

way

and

one

way

only

of

bringing

them

back

and

that's

engaging

with

them

where

they

are

intervening

in

the

prosperity

of

life

and

bringing

them

to

the

place

where

they

are

broken

and

where

they

are

grieving

and

where

they

give

expression

as we

read

on

in

verse

number

18

I was

disciplined

like

an

untrained

calf

calf

calf

that

follows

the

orders

and the

direction

of the

farmer

and follows

the right

path

here is

Ephraim

an

untrained

calf

a

disobedient

rebellious

person

but now

coming to

acknowledge

and to

respect

the

fact

the

fact

that

the

rebellion

was

not

only

the

wrong

thing

to

do

but

that

it

was

sin

against

God

after

he

says

I

turned

away

I

relented

turned

his

back

upon

God

choosing

to go

in the

opposite

direction

going

along

this

path

of

being

carried

away

by

enemies

into

a

foreign

country

and

now

coming

to

realize

that

the

rebellion

was so

wrong

that the

action

was so

far

removed

from

what

he

had

done

and

it's

similar

to

in

Genesis

Genesis 6 · chapter mention

chapter

6

where

God

regretted

that

he

had

made

man

that

there

is

that

sense

of

regret

now

built

up

in the

heart

of

Ephraim

regret

that

they

ever

turned

their

backs

upon

God

and

so

in

the

far

off

country

of

exile

Ephraim

his

external

circumstances

have been

turned

upside

down

his

heart's

experience

has been

placed

into

turmoil

and all

of that

taking place

because

God

is

engaged

with a

person

who has

disobeyed

and gone

into

the

far

country

and

perhaps

today

you are

in

that

very

place

of

the

far

country

you can

sit

in

God's

house

hearing

God's

word

and

in your

mind

and in

your

heart

you're

miles

away

from

being the

child

of God

and you

will

continue to

be in

that

place

until the

moment

comes

in the

plan of

God

when he

will

engage

with you

when he

will intervene

in your

life

and when

he will

change

your whole

life

turn it

upside

down

so that

you will

engage

with

him

C.S.

Lewis

speaks

about

God's

megaphone

God

whispers

to us

in our

pleasures

he speaks

in our

consciences

but shouts

in our

pains

it is

his

megaphone

to rouse

a deaf

world

and I

want you

to think

today

of what

is happening

in your

life

I want

you to

think of

any

difficulties

that you

are facing

any

challenges

of everyday

life

whether it's

work or

school or

home or

in the

community

or amongst

friends

what are

the things

that are

making

life

difficult

and I

want you

to think

that where

there are

such things

to think

that God

is putting

his hand

on your

shoulder

these things

are not

meaningless

they are

there in

the purpose

of God

in order

to awaken

you

to alert

you

to remember

who God

is

to remember

your sin

against God

and to

remember

your need

to be

at peace

with God

and the

need

for you

to

recognize

that

so that

there is

that

movement

of your

whole being

towards

the only

true and

living God

who sent

the Son

to be

our

Savior

here

and

we are

encouraged

much today

by hearing

of

a so-called

quiet

revival

a gentle

movement

towards

God

but I want

to tell you

that

the quietness

of the

revival

that God

works

is an

external

quietness

that

where there

is

a revival

initiated

by God

in your

heart and

mind

it's not

quiet

it's chaotic

it turns

life upside

down

it stirs

us up

it turns

our whole

beings

into a

place full

of noise

and full

of voices

and full

of cries

it's never

quiet

and that's

why God

is saying

here

that

that he

heard

Ephraim

groaning

when God

puts his

hand on

her shoulder

there is

this movement

in God's

direction

there is

a stirring

up

and there

is the

beginning

of turning

to God

and Ephraim

goes on

and the

Lord goes

on to

speak about

the way

in which

the whole

purpose

of this

engagement

is to

stir up

in Ephraim's

heart

and life

a desire

for God

for after

I had

turned

away

I

relented

and after

I was

instructed

I

struck

my

thigh

and

at the

end of

verse 18

bring me

back

that I

may be

restored

for you

are

the

Lord

my

God

the

engagement

brings

about

stirring

up

and chaos

and crying

the

engagement

produces

a desire

the

engagement

produces

a desire

and a

longing

for God

and that's

exactly

how God

works

in your

life

and in

mine

for you

are the

Lord

my

God

Ephraim

is

awoken

at last

to

recognize

who

this

Lord

is

the

Lord

who

has

made

covenant

the

Lord

who

has

loved

with

an

everlasting

love

it's

recognizing

who

this

Lord

is

and a

desire

a

longing

to

come

home

God

is

calling

Ephraim

home

and God

is

deciding

to come

home

and there

is that

sense

of

embrace

in this

engagement

so that

they are

both

wanting

the

same

thing

and that's

the

matter

of

God's

engagement

and

bringing

us

from

death

to

life

from

a

far

country

to

be

his

own

people

from

rejecting

the

Lord

Jesus

to

loving

the

Lord

Jesus

that

he

plants

the

desire

in

our

hearts

and

that

then

we

long

for

the

Lord

Jesus

and

in

this

moment

if that

is your

longing

it is

because

of what

God

has

done

if

it is

your

desire

to

know

the

Lord

Jesus

to

love

the

Lord

Jesus

to

live

your

life

for

the

Lord

Jesus

then

that's

because

God

has

worked

and

God

has

created

that

desire

in

your

heart

God

has

given

to

you

that

new

heart

which

longs

to

be

at

peace

with

him

the

engagement

we

thank

God

that

he

does

not

leave

us

go

your

own

direction

but

that

his

hand

will

come

on

our

shoulder

and

his

hand

will

come

into

our

providence

when

we

least

expect

it

to

arrest

us

to

turn

us

around

and

to

remember

rebellion

against

him

and

to

seek

him

with

all

of

our

hearts

and

thirdly

and

much

more

briefly

there

is

the

crisis

and

the

endearment

what

is

the

great

message

of

God

to

the

community

of

faith

in

the

days

of

Jeremiah

it's

not

the

great

message

about

what

God

is

going

to

do

in

them

it's

a

great

message

of

why

he

is

doing

that

and

we

read

on

from

verse

20

these

questions

and

these

statements

is

Ephraim

my dear

son

is he

my

darling

child

for as

often as

I speak

against

him

I do

remember

him

still

there is

an

insight

in

this

verse

into

the

turmoil

in the

heart

of

God

if you

can

describe

it

like

that

not

turmoil

in the

sense

of

confusion

but

a

stirring

up

in

the

heart

of

God

because

of

his

relationship

with

Ephraim

that

moves

him

and

that

leads

him

to

reach

out

to

Ephraim

where

he

is

to

intervene

in

his

life

and

to

bring

him

back

to

himself

!

It's

an

insight

into

the

character

and

the

personality

of

our

God

who

sent

his

son

into

the

world

to be

our

saviour

this

is

why

he

is

doing

everything

because

his

people

are

his

dear

children

because

his

people

are

his

darling

children

those

in whom

he

delights

those

who

are

precious

to

him

those

whom

he

loves

and

even

though

he

speaks

against

him

I

do

remember

him

still

and

the

speaking

against

is

what

brings

the

pain

to

Ephraim

the

speaking

against

it

is

what

left

Ephraim

crying

and

grieving

the

speaking

against

is

what

left

Ephraim

broken

hearted

the

speaking

against

is

what

left

Ephraim

desiring

God

but

all of

that

is

because

God

was

remembering

him

and

God's

remembering

is

a

remembering

that's

completely

in

his

covenant

relationship

with his

people

it's

God's

remembering

his

promise

and

when

God

remembers

it's

not

a

remembering

that

finishes

with

reflection

which

you

remembering

our

minds

so often

is

it's

a

remembering

that

brings

action

the

action

through

which

he

will

fulfill

his

promises

and

the

action

through

which

in

remembering

his

covenant

he

remembers

all

those

who are

his

people

who are

scattered

across

our

communities

and

who still

do not

know

the

Lord

Jesus

he

remembers

those

who are

his

chosen

people

who sit

and hear

the gospel

and still

are not

saved

he remembers

and even

when you

and I

forget him

as we

do in

our

disobedience

and in

our

turning away

from him

he remembers

his heart

is moved

and in

accordance

with his

purposes

and his

plans

and his

timetable

there is

a date

of birth

and that

date of

birth is

when you

and I

are born

into the

kingdom

of God

and God's

remembering

of his

promise

to save

his covenant

people

is realized

in that

moment

when you

and I

are born

into the

family of

God

become his

children

because

this father

never forgets

what he

said

and this

father never

fails to

do what

he has

promised he

would do

and today

we are here

as the

children of

God

because

of what

God has

done

the

endearment

behind

everything

is the

everlasting

love of

God

that we

read of

at the

beginning

of this

chapter

and that

should

speak

encouragement

and assurance

into the

hearts and

lives of

the community

to which

Jeremiah was

writing and

speaking

and that

speaks

encouragement

and assurance

to ourselves

today

let's not

give up on

our praying

let's be

thankful that

God engages

with those

who are

disengaged

and let's

be thankful

that God's

love never

fails

and that

he will

bring all

of his

people

home

may God

bless his

word

let us

pray

most

gracious

God

we do

rejoice

in you

as the

God

who never

forgets

as a

God

who never

stops

loving

as a

God

who never

stops

giving

and we

pray that

you will

bless us

in our

hearts

here today

that we

may all

love you

individually

and personally

and love

you together

as a

great God

and saviour

that you

are

and that

we may

all have

in our

hearts

that desire

for you

that desire

for the

Lord Jesus

as our

saviour

and that

desire

to live

our lives

for you

as your

children

here in

this world

in preparation

for at

last

that great

home calling

and home

coming

when you

will gather

your people

into the

everlasting

home you

have prepared

for them

so hear our

prayer

accept your

thanks we

ask for

Jesus sake

Amen

the closing

psalm is

psalm number

28

in the

Scottish

Psalter

it's on

page

238

psalm

28

and we're