Word – God’s Gracious voice: Isaiah to Malachi

who are elected and raised up will be those who speak out for the most vulnerable,

provide for those who are in need,

making sure that resources and needs are given to those who are without.

We pray, Father, that we would seek to keep our leaders accountable,

but that we would also pray for them,

praying that they would know the help of God in their lives

as they seek to lead a nation.

And yet, Father, we thank you that you have not left us in the dark

to any of these things.

You have given to us your word.

And so we want you to speak to us afresh today,

that we would listen carefully,

be aware of what you are saying and applying it to our lives.

So please help us all this morning in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, if you'd turn, please, to Deuteronomy chapter 18.

Deuteronomy 18 · chapter mention

That's where we're first going to start this morning.

Deuteronomy chapter 18.

Deuteronomy 18 · chapter mention

As you're looking that up,

we've been looking at the big story of God.

And the wonderful story of the Bible

is that God who spoke and created this world in which we live

and breathed physical life into us

has made himself known to us.

And we call this revelation.

So God reveals himself to us

by speaking to us through his words

so that we can know him,

so that we can love him,

and enjoy him.

You see, unless God spoke to us,

we would not know what God is like

or how we should live in this world.

So right at the very beginning of the story,

right in Genesis,

we see God telling us who he is

and how we should live in relationship with him.

Now, one of the primary ways that God speaks to us

is through his chosen prophets

or through people like Moses.

So have a look at Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18.

Deuteronomy 18:18

So this is God speaking through Moses.

And this is what he says, God says.

Verse 18.

I will rise up for them a prophet like you

from among their brothers.

I will put my words in his mouth

and he will tell them everything I command him.

If anyone does not listen to my words

that the prophet speaks in my name,

I myself will call him to account.

So the prophets were God's mouthpiece

speaking the very words of God to others.

So as the prophets spoke,

God's voice is heard.

It was God's primary way of communicating

with the people he had made for himself.

Now the prophets, like Moses,

other people like Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha,

these prophets really came to the fore

during the time of the kings

as we were looking at last week.

You see, the kings were also God's leaders

set in place over the people

to lead them towards God.

But instead, the kings were leading them away from God.

So instead of relationship with God,

there was further rebellion against God.

So in place of the kings, as it were,

God raised up prophets

who would speak his gracious word

into their lives and into the situation,

reminding them of who God is

and how they should live in relationship with him.

Now one of those prophets

that we're going to be looking at this morning

was a man called Jeremiah.

So you can go to the prophet Jeremiah.

Keep going forwards in your Bible.

Jeremiah chapter 1.

Jeremiah 1 · chapter mention

There's roughly 17 main prophets

that are recorded for us in the Bible,

starting with Isaiah and finishing with Malachi.

And one of the big prophets

was a guy called Jeremiah.

So Jeremiah chapter 1.

Jeremiah 1 · chapter mention

Has somebody got a page number

and I can call it out?

755.

755 if you're using a red covered Bible.

755.

Jeremiah chapter 1.

Jeremiah 1 · chapter mention

So here's one of the prophets

that God raised up in that time

to speak to the people.

We'll pick it up in verse 4.

The word of the Lord came to me.

That's Jeremiah saying,

Before I formed you in the womb,

I knew you.

Before you were born,

I set you apart.

Now on an aside,

they're great words for those

who want to change the Eighth Amendment,

aren't they?

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Ah, sovereign Lord, I said,

I do not know how to speak.

I'm only a child.

But the Lord said to me,

Do not say I am only a child.

You must go to everyone I send you to

and say whatever I command you.

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you

and will rescue you,

declares the Lord.

Then the Lord reached out his hand

and touched my mouth

and said to me,

Now I have put my words

in your mouth.

God's mouthpiece, you see,

speaking the very words of God to others.

Now when we look at the prophets,

there's lots that they have to say,

but we can really say that their message

comes in three different parts.

There's three parts to their message.

Here's the first one.

God's word confronts our sin.

You see,

one of the ways our relationship with God

is explained

is by using the illustration

of marriage.

So look at chapter 2,

verse 1.

Again,

and just make note of all the reference,

the word coming to Jeremiah.

So the word of the Lord

came to me.

Go and proclaim

in the hearing of Jerusalem.

I remember the devotion

of your youth.

How as a bride

you loved me

and followed me

through the desert

through a land not sown.

So here we've got

a wonderful picture

of a faithful,

loyal marriage.

God has loved us.

He's made us his people.

We belong to him.

We are,

verse 2,

his bride.

Now a marriage relationship

is to be exclusive.

So when someone

in the marriage

is unfaithful,

that means

the relationship

breaks.

And that's what we see

happens

to God's people,

Israel.

Have a look at chapter 3,

verse 6.

Chapter 3,

verse 6.

So during the reign

of King Josiah,

the Lord said to me,

have you seen

what faithless

Israel has done?

Remember Israel

where it was the nation

in the north?

She has gone up

on every high hill

and under every

spreading tree

and has committed

adultery there.

In other words,

she's given herself

over to other gods

and to other things.

Verse 7,

I thought that

after she had done

all this,

she would return

to me,

but she did not

and her unfaithful

sister Judah

saw it.

I gave

faithless Israel

her certificate

of divorce

and sent her away

because of her adultery.

Yet I saw

that her unfaithful

sister Judah

had no fear.

She also went out

and committed adultery.

You see,

there's nothing

more hurtful

than a husband

or a wife

leaving

for someone else.

The one left behind

is heartbroken,

their love

has been betrayed,

their intimacy

is shattered,

all trust

has been lost.

So it would take

an enormous,

immense love

to reach out

to the person

who has left

and had an affair

or had an adulterous affair,

to reach out

to them

and to welcome

them back

and to say,

I forgive you.

And that's what

God does.

God is jealous

for his people

because he loves

his people.

He reaches his hand

out to them

and says,

come back to me.

Look at verse 11

of chapter 3.

The Lord said to me,

faithless Israel

is more righteous

than unfaithful Judah.

So go proclaim

this message

towards the north.

Return,

faithless Israel,

declares the Lord.

I will frown

on you no longer

for I am

a merciful God,

declares the Lord.

I will not

be angry

forever.

Only

acknowledge

your guilt.

You have rebelled

against the Lord

your God.

You have scattered

your favours

to foreign gods

under every spreading tree

and have not obeyed me,

declares the Lord.

God is

reaching out

to them,

calling the people,

come back to me,

return to me,

take responsibility

for your sin,

own up to your

adulterous affair

and I will have

mercy on you.

You see,

God's aching

desire

is that

his people,

that people like us,

that we would

return

return to our

true love.

Verse 14,

return,

faithless people,

declares the Lord,

for I

am your

husband.

Our relationship

can be mended.

I can

forgive you.

We can start

afresh,

come back to me,

come back

home

with me.

But yet God

pleads for them

to return,

but they do not

repent.

Verse 20,

like a woman

unfaithful to her

husband,

so you have

been unfaithful

to me,

O house of

Israel,

declares

the Lord.

You see,

it's a tragic

story,

isn't it,

of broken love,

of broken

relationship.

And the

uncomfortable

truth for us

as we listen

to this story

is that we

are so like

Israel and

Judah.

In his love,

God has made

us.

God has

provided us.

Think of all

the things that

we have and

all that we

enjoy.

God has given

to us

everything.

He sustains

us with life,

giving us the

very breath we

breathe right

now.

He's given us

a world to

enjoy.

He made

us,

He created

us for a

relationship

with Him,

to know and

experience His

love.

But like an

unfaithful spouse,

we have given

our love to

other things

and other

people.

We don't

love God

with all our

hearts and

with all our

soul and

with all our

mind.

Our love is

so often

self-centered.

We hurt

others with

our words

and we

ignore what

God has

to say.

But

incredibly,

God does

not give

up on us.

He reaches

out across

that broken

relationship and

He offers to

take us back

again and

again.

Only,

He says,

acknowledge your

guilt.

Only take

responsibility for

your sin.

Return,

faceless people,

for I am your

husband.

Loyal,

loving,

caring.

I will not

let you down.

Our

relationship can

be mended.

I can

forgive you.

We can

start afresh.

Come back

to me,

O people.

Come back

home with

me.

This is the

God who

confronts us

with our

sin and

calls us

back to

Himself.

God.

The second

big message

that the

prophet brings

is he

announces

our

judgment.

You see,

God held

out His

hand to

the people,

but because

of their

persistent,

unrepentant

sin,

God said

He would

bring His

judgment

upon them.

And the

way in which

He would

bring His

judgment is

He would

send the

Babylonians,

this growing

nation in

the north,

who was

going to

come down

to Judah

and take

them all

off to

slavery.

So have a

look at

chapter 4

verse 5.

Follow with

me,

chapter 4

verse 5.

Announce

in Judah

and proclaim

in Jerusalem

and say,

sound the

trumpet

throughout the

land.

There's a

message,

there's an

announcement.

Cry aloud

and say,

gather together,

let us flee

to the fort

cities,

rise the

signal to

go to

Zion,

flee for

safety,

without delay,

for I am

bringing disaster

from the

north,

even terrible

destruction.

Verse 16.

Tell this

to the

nations,

proclaim it

to Jerusalem.

A besieging

army,

that's Babylon,

is coming

from a

distant land,

raising a

war cry

against the

cities of

Judah.

They

surround

her like

men

guarding

a field

because she

has rebelled

against me,

declares the

Lord.

Why will

this happen?

Your own

conduct and

actions have

brought this

upon you.

This is your

punishment.

How bitter

it is.

How it

pierces

to the

heart.

God's

judgment.

Now to

help us

grasp the

seriousness of

these words,

the seriousness

of God's

judgment,

Jeremiah gives

us three

pictures,

three visual

pictures to

help us

understand.

First picture

that he gives

us, chapter

13, he

says it will

be an

unbearable

future, this

judgment of

God.

Have a

look at

chapter 13.

In chapter

13, God

says to

Jeremiah, I

want you to

go out and

to buy a

belt.

And this

linen belt is

something that he

would wear around

his waist.

It was a

precious, a

very important

part of their

clothing.

So Jeremiah

goes out and

buys it and

then God

tells him, I

want you to

take this

belt, this

expensive belt,

and bury it in

the crevasse of

some rocks.

Now let's

pick it up

in verse 6

of chapter 13.

Many days

later the

Lord said

to me, go

now Jeremiah

to Perth and

get the belt

I told you to

hide there.

So I went to

Perth and I

dug up the

belt and I

took it from

the place

where I had

hidden it,

but now it

was ruined

and completely

useless.

Then the

word of the

Lord came

to me.

This is what

the Lord

says.

In the

same way

I will

ruin the

pride of

Judah and

the great

pride of

Jerusalem.

These wicked

people who

refuse to

listen to

my words,

who follow

the stubbornness

of their

hearts and

go after

other gods

to serve

and worship

them,

will be like

this belt,

completely

useless.

us.

You see,

the attitude

of the

people was

this,

God's

never going

to judge

me.

God's so

forgiving.

After all,

he rescued us

from Egypt.

He wouldn't

do that.

Well,

God does

forgive,

but he will

not ignore

the stubborn

hearts who

refuse to

repent.

For those

who do not

turn back to

God,

the future

will be

unbearable.

Just as

this belt

rotted away,

so the

nation will

be completely

ruined and

destroyed.

They will

become useless,

slaves in a

distant land,

not fit for

anything.

Why?

Look at the

end of verse

11.

They have

not

listened.

But he

also had

another

picture.

He said

it would

be an

inescapable

punishment.

Look at

chapter 19,

verse 1.

Chapter

19,

verse 1.

This is

what the

Lord says.

Jeremiah,

go and

buy a

clay jar

from the

potter,

and take

along with

you some

of the

elders of

the

people and

some of

the

priests.

Now read

verse 10.

Then take

this clay

jar and

break the

jar while

those who

go with you

are watching

and say to

them,

this is what

the Lord

Almighty

says,

I will

smash this

nation and

this city

just as this

potter's jar

is smashed

and cannot be

repaired.

they will

bury the

dead in

Topheth

until there

is no

more room.

You see,

the point has

come where

there is no

time to

turn back.

There is no

time to

repent.

That time

has passed.

Judgment

is going to

come.

It will be

inescapable for

the people.

There will be

nowhere to

run,

nowhere to

hide.

Verse 12.

This is what

I will do

to this

place and

to those

who live

here,

declares the

Lord.

I will

make this

city like

Topheth.

Now,

Topheth was

like the

city dump

where everything

was thrown

out,

except for

now,

he says,

the whole

city is

going to

become a

dump.

Not a

rubbish,

but a

dump of

dead

bodies.

Why?

Verse 15.

This is what

the Lord

Almighty,

the God of

Israel,

says,

listen,

I am

going to

bring on

this city

and the

villages

around it

every

disaster I

pronounced

against them

because they

were stiff-necked

and would

not listen

to my

words.

Now,

what we

read

should

shock us,

but we

shouldn't be

surprised.

You see,

Jeremiah is

now 40

years into

his ministry.

He's been

calling them

back to

God over

40 years,

but they

haven't

listened.

In fact,

800 years

have passed

since their

rescue from

slavery in

Egypt.

That means

800 years

of persistent

rebellion and

rejecting God

and his grace,

walking further

and further

away from

him.

God is so

patient,

longing that

the people

would return.

But yet,

as we

read of

these images

and these

pictures,

what happened

to Judah

is a

picture of

how seriously

God takes

our sin

and our

rebellion.

God

longs for

people to

return to

him,

but he

cannot and

he will

not overlook

the ongoing

evil that

he sees

all around

us.

In fact,

what happened

to Judah

when Babylon

came in

and took

over them

is a sign

of a

universal

judgment

that is

to come.

And here's

the third

picture that

he gives

us.

Go to

chapter 25.

In chapter

5 we have

this very

disturbing

vision that

Jeremiah is

given.

And in

this vision

Jeremiah,

as it were,

is taken

before all

the nations

of the world

and before

the nations

of the world

he's telling

them that

they have

to drink

this cup

and this

cup is

filled with

God's

judgment

and the

nations of

the world

are to

drink it.

Verse 15

This is what

the Lord,

the God of

Israel,

said to me.

Take from

my hand

this cup

filled with

the wine

of my wrath,

my anger,

and make

all the nations

to whom I

send you

drink it.

And when

they drink it

they will

stagger and

go mad

because of

the sword

I will

send among

them.

You see

Israel,

God's

people,

they had

rebelled

against him

but not

only them,

all the rest

of the

nations

had done

it as

well.

So they

too must

drink it.

So look

at verse

19.

Pharaoh,

king of

Egypt,

his

attendants,

his

officials,

and all

his people,

and all

the foreign

people there,

and all

the kings

of us,

and all

the kings

of the

Philistines.

Verse 22,

all the

kings of

Tyre.

24,

all the

kings of

Arabia,

and all

the kings

of the

people who

live there.

And verse

25,

all the

kings of

Zimri.

Verse 26,

and all

the kings

of the

north,

near and

far,

one after

the other,

all the

kingdoms on

the face

of the

earth,

and after

all of

them,

the king

of

Sheshach,

which is

Babylon,

will drink

the cup

too.

No one

is excluded.

No nation

is led

off the

hook.

This is a

universal

judgment.

Verse 28,

and if they

refuse to

take the

cup from

your hand

and drink,

tell them,

this is what

the Lord

Almighty

says,

you must

drink it.

See,

I am

beginning to

bring disaster

on the

city that

bears my

name,

and will

you indeed

go unpunished?

You will

not go

unpunished,

for I am

calling down

a sword

upon all

who live

on the

earth,

declares

the Lord

Almighty.

Suppose

you take

a walk

around

Carragoline

one night,

and as

you go

for a walk

you get

attacked.

You get

beaten up,

and you

get robbed.

And later

in the week

you get

news from

the guards

that the

guy who

did it

has been

caught,

and you've

got to

go to

the court

to appear

as a

witness.

And when

you get

to the

court,

the judge

stands up

and he

makes this

statement,

case

dismissed,

what has

happened

does not

matter.

How would

you as a

victim feel

if a judge

said that?

Of course

it matters.

Where's the

justice?

Now do you

think God,

who is

judge of

all the

earth,

will dismiss

everything that

goes on and

just say,

you know

what,

it doesn't

matter.

The rape and

the torture and

the beheading of

ISIS?

It doesn't

matter.

The trafficking

of children

as sex

slaves?

It doesn't

matter.

The wars and

the power

struggles that

leave millions

homeless and

without food?

It doesn't

matter.

The hundreds

of children and

other people who

have died as

they've tried to

make their

escape from

Syria across

the Mediterranean

Sea?

It doesn't

matter.

and the

lies and the

hurts that

we cause?

It doesn't

matter.

Our selfish

actions,

our stubborn

behaviour,

throw it all

out,

case dismissed,

it doesn't

matter.

Live as you

like and do

as you please.

Of course

it matters.

God looks

and he sees

upon the

history of

this world

and the

nations and

he sees

everything.

And God

longs for

us and

for the

world to

return to

him.

But he

cannot let

us carry

on as we

please forever

ruining and

destroying our

lives and

the world

around us.

He cannot

ignore

persistent

and unrepentant

sin.

God will

bring his

judgment.

And one

day,

each and

every single

person,

every single

person,

ourselves included,

will stand

before God

and give

an account

of our

lives.

Not one

person will

be excluded.

God's

judgment will

come and

it will be

unbearable.

It will be

inescapable

and it will

come to

all.

But there's a

third part to

Jeremiah's

message and

that is a

promise of

hope.

You see,

while judgment

should be

expected,

God also

holds out

this promise

of hope.

hope.

You see,

the Babylonians

did come

to Judah.

They did

take them

off into

exile to

Babylon where

they were

slaves.

And there

they would

remain for

70 years.

And while

they're in

captivity,

Jeremiah

writes this

letter to

them.

Have a

look at

chapter 29.

Verse 10.

These are

well-known

words,

often quoted,

important to

read them in

their context.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 10:20

chapter 10

verse 20,

sorry,

Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 29:10

verse 10.

So here's

this letter

that Jeremiah

writes to

these people

who are

sitting in

judgment in

a foreign

land in

slavery.

This is

what the

Lord says.

When 70

years are

completed,

for Babylon,

I will

come to

you and

fulfill my

gracious

promise to

bring you

back to

this place.

For I

know the

plans I

have for

you,

declares

the Lord,

plans to

prosper you

and not

to harm

you,

plans to

give you

hope and

a future.

Then you

will call

upon me and

come and

pray to

me and I

will listen

to you.

You will

seek me and

you will

find me and

when you

seek me with

all your

heart.

I will

be found

by you,

declares the

Lord, and

I will

bring you

back from

captivity.

I will

gather you

from all

the nations

and the

places where

I have

banished you,

declares the

Lord, and

I will

bring you

back to

the place

from which

I carried

you into

exile.

What a

letter to

receive.

Could you

imagine hearing

those words?

this is a

promise of

hope.

Just as

God had

rescued them

from slavery

all those

years ago

in Egypt,

God is

going to

come and

redeem them

from exile

in Babylon.

Because this

is the kind

of God

that we

have.

His grace

and mercy

surprises us

at every

turn.

When we

think there

is no

more hope,

God intervenes

once again

and delivers

his promise

of hope.

Now just

as God's

word has

reminded us

of our

failure,

so God's

word tells

us of a

better future,

something God

is going to

do,

something new,

something

better.

There's two

big things

that Jeremiah

tells us.

He promises

a new

relationship

with God

for the

people.

Chapter

31,

verse 31,

God promises

a new

relationship

for the

people.

Verse 31,

the time

is coming,

declares the

Lord,

when I will

make a new

covenant

with the

house of

Israel and

with the

house of

Judah.

That covenant,

that relationship,

I'm going to

bring that

marriage relationship

back together.

God has

come and he

promises to

change them.

You see,

in the past,

they didn't

listen and they

wouldn't obey.

But now,

verse 33,

this is the

covenant that I

will make with

the house of

Israel after

that time,

declares the

Lord.

I will put my

law in their

minds and I

will write it

on their

hearts and I

will be their

God and they

will be my

people.

God has

come and he

promises to

change them

on the

inside.

I will give

you a new

heart to

follow my

ways.

God's going

to turn their

minds and

their hearts to

him.

So instead of

a desire to

love someone

else or other

things, they

will have a

desire to

love God and

to follow

him.

But there's

something more

to this

relationship.

Look at the

end of verse

34.

He says,

I will

forgive their

wickedness and

will remember

their sins no

more.

God is going

to no longer

hold their

sin against

them.

Every sin is

going to be

removed and

wiped out.

Never be to

be remembered,

never to be

reminded.

And so a

new relationship

will be

established.

The past

failures forgiven

and a new

heart to

live for

God.

God says,

I'm going

to promise

this new

relationship

for you.

But he

also promises

something else

for the

people.

He says,

I promise

you a new

city.

Look at

verse 38.

The days

are coming,

declares the

Lord, when

this city,

which had

been destroyed,

will be

rebuilt for

me.

From the

tower of

Hanel to

the corner

gate, the

measuring line

will stretch

from there

straight to

the hill

of Garib

and then

turn to

Goa.

So these

are the

great big

boundaries of

the city.

The whole

valley where

dead bodies

and ashes

are thrown

and all the

terraces out

to the

Kidron Valley

onto the

east as

far as the

corner of

the horse

gate will

be holy

to the

Lord.

This city

will never

again be

uprooted

or demolished.

You see,

the city

was always

a place

of peace

and security.

People

came into

the city

for protection,

to escape

from harm

and danger.

But when

they did,

Babylon

came in

and overtook

them and

the city

was destroyed.

Now God

is saying

to them,

I'm going

to build

you a

city,

end of

verse 40,

that will

never be

uprooted

or demolished.

But read

it carefully.

This isn't

just a

city for

God's

people,

this will

be a

city for

God

himself,

verse 38.

The days

are coming,

declares the

Lord,

when this

city will

be rebuilt

for me.

God

and the

people will

dwell in

this city

together where

there will

be no harm

and no

danger will

ever come

to it.

What a

plan,

what a

future.

A new

relationship,

a new

heart,

a new

city,

a new

people.

This is

the promised

hope of

God,

spoken

through his

prophets.

How is

God going

to do

all of

that?

How can

he on the

one hand

announce this

judgment that

is going to

come, a

universal

judgment,

and then at

the same

time promise

this amazing

hope and

a future?

How can

you have

those two

things together,

judgment and

hope, side

by side?

Well,

Jeremiah's

message didn't

end there.

Jeremiah was

the prophet who

spoke of one

to come.

Have a look

at Hebrews

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

Hebrews

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse

1.

You see,

God had

promised,

you remember

how we

started this

morning in

Deuteronomy?

God said,

I would raise

up a prophet

and I would

put my words

into his

mouth and

he would be

my mouthpiece

to the

nations.

Well,

that prophet

did come.

Chapter 1

verse 1.

In the

past,

God spoke

to our

forefathers

through the

prophets,

through people

like Jeremiah

at many times

and in various

ways.

But in

these last

days,

he has

spoken to

us by

his

Son.

Jesus is

the last

and ultimate

prophet,

the fulfilled

prophet.

So everything

that God

has to say

to us

now is

now said

in Jesus.

Jesus

didn't just

come speaking

a message,

Jesus

himself

is the

message.

It's all

about him

and what

he does.

And as

we read

on in

the story,

we meet

Jesus who

is the

perfect