About the Loin Cloth | Ps. Jack

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

About the loin cloth?

Wow?

All right? So what is this loin cloth?

So I think I've spoken on something about Jeremiah that

God used him to use an object lesson, right, And

actually in Jeremiah is full of object lessons. All right,

you can you can just look it up and you will.

You need to do Google searching object lessons from Jeremiah.

You can see a list of the stuff that God

is using Jeremiah to speak to his people. And I

believe this message also applies to us. So the loin

cloth is this object lesson this time around in chapter thirteen?

Okay? And you know why God uses object lessons?

You know why ex kids uses object sense or even

in sermons, we do it as well, all right. We

show visuals, we bring something, we talk, we tell a story.

It's because God really wants us to understand. God really

wants to give his message so clearly, so effectively to us.

Right just like.

How you know, like I mentioned before, when you do

math in the class, and if you're not very good

at math, if the teacher just talks and talks and

talks and explains.

You won't get it.

But once she demonstrates to you and she shows it,

this is how. Or maybe even bring something and show you. Oh,

there's four chocolates here, you eat one? What happens to it?

How many is?

Laugh? Oh? Chocolate?

You know, because you love chocolate, you hate maths. You

are okay to receive that, all right? So chocolates, I

can see three laughs because I want one?

Right, So I understand.

So God uses these things object lessons, visuals, graphic to

really speak to us, and he really wants to make

the message very, very clear. So there's how much he

loves us, all right. He doesn't just throw us a

book and read it for yourself, you know, He actually

gives it to us. And he sends people to us,

all right. He sends the leaders to us. He sends

your friends to you, that brought you the church today,

that invited you, because he loves you and he wants

you to be in his house. He wants you to

know something, to catch something. So let's get ready for that.

Let's let's open up our hearts.

Let's be.

Willing and available to let him speak into our lives. Amen, Amen,

A right, so to encourage you that you can respond.

You can say amen, you can say yes, hallelujah. All right, yeah,

if you're giving you the license to do that.

Okay.

So now, so let's read Jeremiah chapter thirteen, verse one

to two. First, okay, so it's how it goes. Thus

says the Lord to me, go and buy a little

loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not

dip it in water. So I so I bought a

loin cloth, according to the word of the Lord, and

put it around my waist. Jeremiah says that. And so

let's look at a picture of a loin cloth. Okay,

all right, okay, okay, not so bad, not like some

people say. It's like undergarment. Okay, but maybe it is.

So it could be either.

One of it a loincloth, okay.

On the left side, you will see this is like

a basic loin cloth, meaning it's like this guy doesn't

wear anything else but this sometimes all right, I don't

know where which culture, but it's like undergarment, all right.

But on the other side, on the right side, it

could also refer to this, which is a priestly garment

where you know they just gird it around their waist,

and so it's it's kind of decorative but probably also

symbolic of, uh, you know, something about something clinging onto

uh someone, a part of a person who is very intimate,

very private. You know, you don't simply show this part

to anyone except someone very close to you, like, not

just anyone like like for example, me and my wife,

we are close, so we can see each other's this part,

all right, no one else. So this is this speaks

about closeness, about intimacy, So please don't show anyone, Okay,

don't simply show anyone, especially no, no, nowadays a fashion

they're like, you know, goes up like that you're showing.

Don't simply show anyone.

That's for the person that is going to be close

to you, the person who is going to be you're

going to marry. So all right, God your body, right,

So anyway back to this, the long cloth could be

either one of these, but nevertheless it covers an important

part of the body. Right amen, Yeah, so let's let's

go on, let's see what else this is talking about.

So all right, so sort of loin cloth speaks about

closeness to God.

As well, all right, so uh, and.

You know the last few weeks, you know, I did

talk about a covenant, a covenant, right, and so God

spoke about a covenant that he, you know, he made

with his people. And that speaks about when when you

say we talk about covenant, it talks about I'm reminded

of marriage. Right, So it's a promise I will do

my part and you do your part. So the loin

cloth speaks of that closeness. There's a covenant. And now

I want to highlight what's the next light? It's about this,

all right. The first word that we see just now

where we read go and buy a loin cloth, right,

So that word reminds me of how we have been bought. Right,

we are like the loin cloth, basically what I'm saying,

we are like the loin cloth.

I know you don't like that idea.

But it's actually an honorable thing, right unless people hear you.

You don't wear underpans, right? You love your underpants, don't you, right?

Because without it it feels weird, it feels strange. We

all need our undergarments. It's the most important thing, the

first thing you put on right before anything else, all right,

I mean of course, when you sleep, that's your business.

That's your business. You want to sleep, you don't want

wear that, that's up to business, all right. But I'm

just saying when, especially when you go out where you're

going for something important, you're getting out, you're coming to church,

all right, you're going for a meeting. You better have

your undergarments on, right, Yeah, otherwise it's it's weird, it's shameful,

it's embarrassing, all right. So but so that's we are

like that loincloth. God treats us that way, meaning we

are we are close to him. We are close to

the point. I know he's uncomfortable, right, but we are

close to the point where we are like intimate. We're

supposed to be intimate with him. You're not just a

T shirt, right that he can change anytime. Right, You

are so close to him. He he you know you

are like an important piece of garment to him that

he wants to put you rows to where it's intimate.

All right.

So the first thing is this, I'm reminded of that

we have been bought, So go and buy we have

been bought. There's some scriptures to remind us about this.

First Corinthians chapter six, right, verse nineteen to twenty. Or

do you not know that your body is a temple

of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God.

You are not your own. We are not our own.

We don't own ourselves, right. Sometimes we act like we

own ourselves, we think like we own ourselves. We behave

this way right in our actions, in our thinking, in

our response, But we don't own ourselves. You are not

your own. For you were bought with a price. We

cannot own ourselves right, We can't handle it. That's why

we need to be bought. We needed to be bought

with a price. And what's the price. It was Jesus

going to the cross, Jesus coming all the way from

heaven to Earth, went to the cross, and then God,

you know, for his resurrection. So glorify God in your body,

Glorify God in everything you do. Always give God your best.

That is what passor can will tell us. Only give

God your very best. If that's the best you can

dress on Sunday, where that if you can come at

that time on Sunday, Come, that's the earliest you can come.

Come.

If you can serve, that's how you can serve. Serve

only give God your best because He gave us his best.

Amen. All right.

Next verse also first Corinthians, you were bought with a

price again another time is repeated in Corinthians.

Just the next chapter.

Do not become bond servants off man. First, it says

you don't own yourself. Next is no one else owns you,

not your boss, all right, uh, not even your parents.

Not your whoever.

Not your family, not anyone, not anyone you're afraid of.

Don't be a bond servant of a man or a human.

All right.

We belong to Christ. We have been bought with a price. Amen, hallelujah.

All right. So that's the first thing that caught my attention. Yeah,

all right. And so.

Next next part, okay, next one, next life, next part

is this all right, we're bought with a price. And

it says, wear it on your waist, this loin cloth,

he told Jeremiah, wear it on your waist. And what

does this remind us of? It reminds us that we

need to be close to God in an intimate way,

not just any close, but close and as an intimate way,

meaning no one else should come in between you and God. Right,

It's like husband and wife. They shouldn't be a third party, right,

we should be. She's faithful to us. We should be

faithful to him. Of course, you know we are weak.

But thank God for Jesus. He has done it on

the cross, and we hold on to Jesus. All right,

we can be faithful. We can be faithful. And this

speaks of us being clinging close to him. Let's look

at some scripture Joshua, chapter twenty three, verse six to eight.

Let's they say, therefore, be very strong to keep and

to do all that is written in the Book of

the Law of Moses, turning aside from it, neither to

the right hand nor to the left. Okay, keep it, keep, keep,

keep to the road, keep to the strait, that you

may not mix with these nations remaining among you, or

make mention of the names of their gods, or swear

by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.

So we serve no one else. We serve no other God.

But you shall cling to the Lord your God, just

as you have done to this day. This reminds us

of how we should cling on to the Lord, just

like the loin cloth on his waist.

Amen.

And I think there's another Scripture Deuteronomy ten. You shall

fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and

hold fast to him. Other versions will say cling on

to him. You shall serve him and cling onto him,

and by his name you shall swear.

All right. What is this talk about?

You know, when you serve him, you are clinging onto him, right.

But when we stop serving him, then we are letting go,

all right? Because you know, it's like it's like, you know,

like a like a company. When you sign up for

the company, you're supposed to work for the company, right,

Maybe you stop working, then you're you're not part of

it anymore.

Right, So if you're part of God's company, work for him,

do it for him.

Work however you you you you want to do that,

work for him, all right? It could be in his house,

it could be when you go out there when you

do your work. Are you working for the man or

you're working for God? Work for him a man. Don't

work for the money. Work for God and people will

see it, and the money work come, and the promotions

will come because promotion comes from God.

It will come.

But if you work for promotion, you work for money,

you work for people, then no glory goes to God.

But if you give glory to God, it all comes

in a package.

Amen, it's even better. Hallelujah. If you want to migrate,

migrate for God. Right. Don't migrate for the money, don't

migrate for the job. Right.

Don't migret for the greener pastures because it's not greener.

It's brown, because it's a desert, it's a sand. All right,

it's kidding, But do it for God. I said earlier,

give only your best to God. But when you do anything,

do it for him. Amen, hallelujah. All right, and uh yeah, okay,

let's go to the next slide would be the next point.

And then okay, this one, this is still on the

verse one first one or Jeremiah thirteen. It says right first,

it says by next thing says cling cling on. Next thing,

God says, do not dip it in water. You notice

that do not dip it in water? What does this

mean meaning don't wash it? Don't wash it? I think

because maybe when they first buy a new loin cloth,

they normally wash it first because they know where it's been.

The are the guys who make it. I don't know

why it's made off flat all right, so maybe not

normally they clean it first, they wash it, because if

you don't wash it, then if you wear it, you

get itchy. I'm just assuming, lah, why they don't dip

in water, all right, don't wash it.

So but then this reminds me of how we have

been washed. We have been washed. We are not dirty.

You know why.

Later in the story you will as you read, you

will read that, you know, God asks Jeremiah.

To do something really strange.

Bring it all the way to some far away place,

put it under the rock, go back to your home.

It's really far away, and I'll show you later.

And then after that, a few days later, go back again,

go and look for that longcloth again, right, and then

it will discover.

It's all rotten.

It's all rotten, maybe because you didn't wash it in

the first place, right, But that is a very sad

story because he's then God reminds this is how my

people are.

The idea.

They are getting rotten, and they're going to be sent

to a far away place.

And so.

Give them this message that you guys are rotting. Okay,

but thank god, I'm reminded that we have been washed,

have been washed. Let's look at some scripture concerning that

first Corinthian chapter six. They say, long, okay, or do

you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the

kingdom of God.

Do not be deceived.

Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men

who practice homo sexuality, so clearly written, right, okay. Nor thieves,

nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers nor swindlers will

inherit the Kingdom of God. So clearly listed all these things.

Don't do these things right, because these things that people

do will not we will not be able to inherit

the Kingdom of God.

All right, and such were some of you.

But you were washed, you were sanctified, You were justified

in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the

Spirit of our God. So thank God, hallelujah, we have

been washed. All right, let's receive that. Let's say, thank you, Lord.

I have been washed. I have been sanctified from my sin,

and I have been justified in the name of Jesus

and by the Spirit of the Lord. And that's why

it's so important to have the Holy Spirit, you know,

to walk with the Holy Spirit. Don't just say Oh,

I've been washed by Jesus and that's it. I need

just go carry on my life. You that the Holy

Spirit give He gave us the Holy Spirit, and we

need to walk in the Holy Spirit because the Holy

Spirit keeps us sanctified. The Holy Spirit keeps us washed,

because he reminds us and he leads us into righteousness.

Amen.

So I want to encourage all of you church. You

need to walk with the Holy Spirit. If you've been

a bit very mysterious with the Holy Spirit, you're kind

of almost like rejecting the Holy Spirit because you don't

you're not comfortable. We want people to say about the

Holy Spirit. I want you to to stop that. You've

gotta receive and accept what the Holy Spirit is doing

in our lives because that's what Jesus.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us.

He said, now as I go, the Holy Spirit will come.

Amen. So we need to embrace the Holy Spirit. Speak

to the Holy Spirit.

Pray, speak in tongues, pray and cry out to the

Holy Spirit to lead you.

Amen. It is because he is God with us here

right now. Amen.

And then is there another scripture for that? I think

that's it. Yeah, Oh, all right, okay, so we'll continue.

We'll continue right now in Jeremiah chapter verse three. Okay,

chapter thirteen, verst. Three, let's read on. And the word

of the Lord came to me a second time. Now,

this is what I mentioned earlier. Take loincloth that you

have bought, which is around your waist right now and arise,

go to the u afraid ephraate ease, okay, and hide

it there in a cleft of the wrong. What an

interesting thing that God is asking him to do.

But I mentioned earlier this is an object lesson. This

is an object lesson.

He is doing something to show people what God is saying,

all right, And then so I went, he obeyed. I

went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord

commanded me.

Right.

So sometimes I just possible while you know, you feel

like God is showing you and telling you to do something,

and it feels like, why.

Does this makes any sense of my doing this?

And I believe you know, if you know that God

and that God is leading you to do it, then

there is a message in it. There is something he's

speaking to you. If it's not you, he's telling someone,

He's gonna get you to tell someone. One about this

strange thing maybe that you're doing, but you know it's

from the lawn. Amen, So let's obey him. Okay, so

let's carry on. Was ah, okay, I'll show you. Is

that the next slight? All right, let's let's finish this.

And after many days the Lord said to me, Arise,

go to the Euphrates and again, so againna, and take

from there the loin cloth that I commanded you to

hide there. And I went to the Euphrates. He obeyed

again and dug out, and I took the loin cloth

from the place where I had hidden it. Well he

remembers where maybe he might there or whatever. And behold,

the loin cloth was spoiled. It was good for nothing.

You can't wear that anymore. Please don't. All right, it's

gonna be sharp stuff booking on you and stuff like that, okay,

rocks and stuff and spoiled maybe a holes. So it's

almost pointless wearing, you know, undergarment with holes. So anyway,

what let me show you the map. I hope you

can see. It's a bit small, some of these things.

But I just google map la where is you know?

I believe you know where Jeremiah was was around here

in Jerusalem, right, okay, and then you pretties river is

you know, it's like a river la, So it's just

getting a spotlight. Could be any spot but you look

at the thing. Drive, just drive drive this short way

it is the longer way short way twelve hours drive

twelve hours drive. Now that's quite long. Okay, hey, sorry

that the longer is twelve hours. The shot is nine hours.

So I think like l to Pinang five okay, Jojo

tou pinang n around around there?

All right.

But if you look at this part here, you know

you can google map walking right eight days.

Walking is non stoppment. Nobody does that. It is non stop.

He probably stopped and breaks or whatever. All right, okay,

all right, I mean, of course, some some some scholars

will argue, will argue, it's it's it's not exactly you know,

he went somewhere that has the same name or something

like that, but whatever it is, all right, I think

there's a better story. Okay, sick to this, uh and

I think it's it's it's believable he traveled and it

probably disappeared from you know, the people for a while,

and we're probably like, oh good, Jeremiah is not here,

keep keep saying stuff, and it's like so difficult to accept.

You know, I don't like what he say. So they

probably had some relief.

For a while, right, and then his back and then

got us to go again.

So she went twice back and forth to do this

all right? Uh.

And the significance of this is your pretties is I

believe where the area of where the people eventually was

exile baby on.

Okay. So God is showing a story.

God is showing the future saying these guys are going

to be sent They're gonna be sent away, sent far away.

And many of us here we've been sent far away

from somewhere, Okay, including us Malaysians.

Many of us are not original.

People here from China. Do you'll know you're China ancestry?

We know we say some Hakka, some hawk and some

this is up. It's places in China, all right, Mine

is my dad is They got Gong Sai. Gong Sai

Saya Sai is western West, Canton West. Never been there before.

I don't think I'll ever go and dig up my

ancestry and look at stuff like that and they recognize me.

No, great grandchild. I don't speak the language, all right.

I think it's Cantonisa, but you know, in a different version.

And so anyway, many of us were sent from far away,

all right, So I know many of you as well,

from Nigeria, from Philippines, from India, right, uh yeah, So

that that I think that speaks to us that they

should speak to us. We've been sent somewhere. But now

let's let's look at that for a while. Where we

now next light?

All right? So then the word of the Lord.

Came to me, so God explains. This reminds me of

how Jesus he tells the parable, and then he explains

to his disciples because they didn't they didn't get it right,

so God explains, Thus says the Lord, even so, will

I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride

of Jerusalem. This evil people who refuse to hear my words,

who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after

other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be

like this.

Loin cloth, which is good for nothing. All right.

So this story is sad, But like I mentioned, you know,

I was reminded even through that first verse that.

We have been bought. We have been washed. So it's

a different story for us.

Praise God for his grace, for Jesus Christ, for his

for him saving us white salvation man. But this one

we could have been good for nothing, right, but God

turned it around.

So he's saying to these people.

But I want to highlight these words here even so

I will well, I spoil the pride of Judah and

the great pride of Judsalem. There's something God wants to

spoil in us, which is very clearly that word there, pride.

It's pride, many things. The problem comes from pride, many

of it, right, and all of us have it, even

the best of us, right, even past us.

I tell you the truth.

I have been learning a lot being a pastor, right,

I've been learning to humble myself and be patient every time.

Every time.

You can ask a lot of people who knew me

back then, how I to them? Okay, all right, you

can ask them and they will tell you. I don't

know where to remember how I was. But many people

tell me, well, you're very patient, Jack, You're very patient

if you knew me back then, all right, But I

tell you the truth. They think I'm patient. They think

I'm patient. You should come to my house and stay

two days. You will experience the real me. Okay, all right,

in the church in front of everyone. I try my

best to act patient, but if you you see the

inside of me, you see me when I'm driving. I

don't know if anyone saw me earlier. Just now, when

I'm coming to park the car and someone didn't part properly.

You know, I don't know why the problem here with

the people here in this hotel. You realize they don't properly.

You can't see the line. They always put two fuckings.

And I was with me. I was like, so I

got cleaner bad words. Nowadays the bad words.

Come out, but it's cleaner, all right, it's not as

dirty as somebody as younger, younger guys who I'm not

saying young people are like that.

They're saying.

When I was younger, the bad words were so dirty,

all right, But I don't say those bad words any

well in my mind maybe happy then you know, it

comes up, but it's harder to come out filtered, filtered,

a lot of filter.

But then the cleaner bad words come out. All right.

It's not good, it's still not good, but I'm telling

you pride is real for all of us, all right,

and God wants to deal with it. Tell you, if

if there's nothing you caught today, catch this. God wants

to deal with your pride, our pride, my pride, okay,

and we will it will continue to struggle with this

because it just keeps coming, right, pride, right, And the

more you grow you realize there other kinds of pride.

You have to deal with it right in terms of

so many other things, right, because when you grow older,

you have more status. You you know, you're you're more

comfortable with things and people now rock the body go like, hey, hello,

I'm fifty years already. Come on, I'm not talking about

the fifty old people here, but I'm getting there. Just

that's why. So all right, I know my stuff, okay,

don't question me.

Whoa right?

Right?

But God wants to deal with it. He always wants

to deal with it.

He wants to destroy it, Amen, because when he when

he deals with that pride, there's a lot of things

that can be done. We can we can do a

lot of things we can. There's a lot of faith

that will rise up from from dealing with pride, Amen,

Because pride is what makes us say no many times,

But once the pride is dealt with, the yeses come easily.

Amen. And I will tell you this, A faith has

to do with yes.

Faith somehow has to do with yes. Right, Okay, just

somehow has to do it. So you just right, let's

just take that, take that, preach it, amen, yesterday, Amen.

Loujah.

All right, we're gonna come to a close readio. Okay,

I think I've talked quite a lot already. Let's see

what o the slides we have here? Then we we

close it, all right, So you want to remind us

all right? I mentioned this in the earlier message Jeremiah twelve.

They are going to be sent far away, and they

are gonna be sent for a discipleship program in Babylon.

Not only that, they're gonna be sent. As they go

through discipleship, they're gonna be missionaries. And that's why we're

all here, sent from far away, being sent to more

and more. All right, you're gonna some of you, you're

gonna go home, You're gonna go back, gonna go somewhere.

You're as you're being sent, be reminded that it is

God who orchestrates it is God who sends all right,

let's let's let's allow him as he sends us. Maybe

it's first for training, it's for training, it's for discipleship.

Then he also wants to use you to be a missionary,

to be a blessing to the people around you, to

help them, especially to come to the to know the

salvation of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

All right, next night, right, I already mentioned this. It

was a spoil our pride to nothing.

Okay, all right?

And then next one, so yeah, For as the loincloth

clings to the ways of a man, so I made

the whole house of Israel and the whole house of

Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might

be for me a people, a name, a praise, and

a glory. But they will not listen. Now, let's let's

remember what this is talking about. God made Israel and

Judah cling to him. But how all right, let's look

at the next one, which is Exodus, and that will

is it? There is the most nicer Okay, okay, So

here we go. You yourselves have seen what I did

to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle's

wings and brought you to myself, all right. So this

was the time of Moses. They were oppressed by the Egyptians.

So God delivered them right Tan plagues split the Red

Sea and delivered them and destroyed the Egyptian army under

that water. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my

voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured

possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.

So you know, there was the ten commandments, and got

made a covenant. Right. He met with the people.

He met with Moses during this time, and he spoke

to them, and they replied. And let me tell you

that they replied, and you shall be to me a

kingdom of priests and a holy nation. And we see

this in a Peter as well Rte Book of Peter.

These are the words that you shall speak to the

people of Israel. So Moses came and called the elders

of the people and set before them all these words

that the Lord had commanded.

Them of him.

All the people answered together and said, let's already together, one, two, three,

all that the Lord has spoken, we will do. That

was kind of the effect of how it sounded like.

They answered, And Moses reported the words of the people

to the Lord. So this is where this comes from

the Covenant. We're talking about that God said, will you will

bring Israel and Judah to cling on to him because

they agreed, right, But then now they're turning away from him.

They're turning and they're worshiping other gods. There they are

doing abominable acts. They're sinning outready, they're killing babies, they

are joining the temple prostitutes. So that's what hurt God, right,

because they say all that the Lord said we will do,

and they're turning. It's like, you know, you're it's like

a spouse turning against you, turning to someone else, having

a third party doing something else behind your back. Right,

And is there another slight here? I think it's a

final slide. Right, Oh sorry, okay, So that's the one

for Peter. Right, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,

a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that

you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you

out of darkness into his Mauveleos's light.

And then finally.

This right from these verses, we are like the loin cloth.

Remember this whole message is this we are like the

loin cloth. We have been bought. We cling on to

the Lord. We have been washed, and for what to

be to the Lord, a people, a name, a praise,

and a glory. God has a purpose for you being

his loin cloth. Right, whether you are, you see yoursel

as the loin cloth like the under garment okay, which

is still good right, or like the priest's loin cloth

is tied on the waists to signify and represent closeness

to God. And we represent him, We represent his name,

we represent a praise. So if we're not praising, we're

not representing him. If we represent him, praise him, hallelujah.

Amen. If we represent him, give him glory. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church dot org.

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that this week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you, Godless