What Goes on at the Potter's House

God's Sovereignty over All Nations

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 18

A message I love dearly. The Potter's House. The main ingredients of the Potter's House are the wheel, the potter, and the clay to be molded.

We must understand that every message from the Prophet Jeremiah was given to him by the Lord!

Every time Jeremiah spoke, he spoke the words of the Lord.

Had Jeremiah spoken his own words, he would have spoken against the Lord.

Jeremiah wept because he knew that whatever Jehovah said was the complete truth and Jeremiah had a great love for his nation and its people. Even then he did not love them as much as the Lord did.

We may never understand what the Lord is doing but we just must understand that what the Lord is doing is the right thing to do!

So, let's go with Jeremiah down to the Potter's House.

*****Jer 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Jer 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

We must clearly understand that the work of the potter, even when those earthen vessels can be beautiful, they are fragile and easy to destroy. It is the same with human life!

The most wonderful of all God's creations are the human beings but we are very fragile and very easy to destroy.

In many cases the Potter can take that broken vessel made of this earth and put it back together as something brand new!

There are many things that we do not understand such as, why is there so much evil and wickedness in this world?

Why does God allow this evil to continue, when He certainly has the power to put a stop to it all?

The thing we must understand about the Potter is that his creations are under direct control!

The Lord has the sovereign right and the absolute power to save or to condemn as He chooses because He alone is God.

It is this same sovereign God who sets the standards for His creations to be saved or to be condemned.

Because of the "Mercy" of the Lord, He is never impulsive in His actions nor is He unreasonable in His request!

Our Lord is neither a dictator nor is He a tyrant!

He is just a loving God who expects righteousness because He is righteous in all His actions whether we agree or not!

We do not have the intelligence to say our Creator has done wrong or has done right according to our own expectations.

The LORD is holy in all the things He does!

We can all learn some valuable lessons down at the Potter's House!

*****Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

There is not one living person nor any religion, including evolution and atheism, that cannot understand the work of the Potter!

What did Abraham ask?

Gen_18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right"?

I can tell you today that the Potter, our Lord will always do right because He does not know how to do wrong!

Doing wrong is something that is very far from the Lord.

Humans are the greatest of all God's creations and He tolerates us enough to offer choices and He respects the choices we make.

He will still allow for our repentance when we have made the wrong choice. How can anyone find fault in the ways of the Lord because there are none!

The prophet Jeremiah was not to miss this important lesson and the Holy Spirit intended for us all to visually see this lesson from the wheel of the Potter.

If we cannot see it here, then maybe we need to take a trip to the potter's house that exist today. The same lessons can still be learned!

Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Even today there are craftsmen who make pottery basically the same way it was done in the days of Jeremiah.

There is the potter, the wheel, and his clay that he has chosen for a certain result.

Jeremiah was watching as the potter found a flaw in the work he was doing, and he looked to see if he had made a mistake when he saw a flaw in the clay and he had to start over again.

In the Potter's eyes every piece of clay contained its own individual master piece and He would make and remake each piece of clay until was satisfied that what he made was a true jewel of craftsmanship!

Then the Lord said to Jeremiah.

*****Jer 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

We must understand that we are all a creation of the Master Potter and we are certainly to be a work of His own hands.

The Lord can do to people, to communities, and to nations as He pleases and remember it is the goal of the Lord that every single individual to come into a personal relationship with Him.

Sometimes people reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of the Lord are still to be witnesses of the truth.

Sometimes our communities reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of the Lord still are to be witnesses.

Sometimes our nations reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of God are still to be witnesses.

It is our job to witness and pray in the locations the Lord has placed us and it is the Lord who will send the Holy Spirit to convict those who have heard the Word of God and the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is the Almighty God who truly holds all His creation in the palm of His hands!

Sometimes our clay is so full of debris that the Potter must break us and start over again. In fact, when we reach that point that we are broken down completely, this is when the Potter does His greatest work!

We must certainly keep in mind that what God does today is in preparation for His Master work in the future and He just allows and prefers us be a part of it!

It is the Scriptures that take us through the history of Israel, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Phoenicia, Greece and Alexander the Great, and Rome and the circle continues until it has reached back to Israel.

We are nearing the end of the Church Age and the Lord's next move has been taught by most all the prophets of the Old Testament, beginning with the Birth of Christ.

God does not create robots, or machines that would automatically praise and worship Him, so it should be obvious that the Lord is preparing those who choose to live with Him throughout eternity!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

And the truth of God as I have said, allows more than one chance to accept that what He says is true. In fact, until the day you die a physical death, you will have an opportunity to repent and be saved as long as you have not stepped over God's red line of forgiveness. Even God has a "Red Line" that must not be crossed. There is a sin unto death!

1Jn_5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

1Jn_5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

God says just leave all these things in His hands and just tell as many as you can about the truth of the 'Gospel"!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This truth will never change! Why would we think we could ever interfere with God's ultimate plan!

*****Jer 18:7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

Jer 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

We should also understand that the wrath of God comes when we least expect it.

Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Luk 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

The Lord teaches us to watch and He teaches us what to watch for, so we can know when an Age is about to end.

I firmly believe we are nearing the end of the Church Age because of the things we have already seen happen in our world and continue to happen.

The thing that is also true is the fact that when the Lord is chastising, He is craving for repentance, so He does not have to do the things He says He will destroy.

Anything that our Lord God does is out of love for His children. When God is your Father you can better understand all these things.

Again, the Lord gives us "Free Will" to make the choices we make, and the Lord will honor our choices and the Lord will spend some time teaching us why we made the wrong choice before He fulfills the things He said He would if we reject His words!

Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

We do not have the right to question the things that God does! We should never question the Lord's intelligence!

God does not owe us an answer to every question we ask Him! In fact the Lord does not owe us an answer to any questions we have.

The Lord says who He is and that should be enough, but He loves us too much to stop there!

*****Jer 18:9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

Jer 18:10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

As a people how can we deny that there is a power revealing itself in the changes and the choices of human history. There is a power shaping the course of this world until it reaches that place where He has decided.

When some unexpected calamity strikes down an individual sinner, most people see this as the "judgment" of God, but it may not be judgment at all.

We cannot deny that "providence" asserts itself in human affairs.

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

It cannot be denied that our Divine Potter has total control of His creation.

*****Jer 18:11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

We are also foolish if we cannot see that our God, our Lord, is all about repentance!

Our Lord would have everyone to be saved so He says, "Return Return". God has so much love for all His creation that He almost begs us for repentance.

God has established "free will" but He has also established "judgment" both are His laws that must be enforced. This thing we must believe!

We can trust the Word of God to be true!

It is the law of repentance that brings "salvation"!

Eze 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

If we choose to reject and deny the LORD, cursing His holy name, we will certainly face "judgment" and be condemned!

Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

What did the people of Judah say?

*****Jer 18:12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

The greatest problem we have in ourselves is, we refuse to believe that we cannot save ourselves!

It is these types that are hopeless and beyond repentance and the Lord knows who these people are, and He will recall the Holy Spirit from them and also His conviction.

These people know themselves that they are then on their own and without God!

They let the Prophet Jeremiah know he was wasting his time and again we see a reason for this Prophet of God to weep for his nation.

Carnal minds will continue to search for life’s answers in this world, where no such answers exist!

It is only by "Grace" that we can escape from the condemnation of this world!

It is only by "Faith" that we can have peace with God!

Many people are looking for salvation of another kind and another place, that simply does not exist!

So, history will certainly repeat itself on the Day of the Lord!

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Again, we see that word "therefore".

*****Jer 18:13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

God said to Jeremiah, ask all those in the world who worship false gods if they would leave such a God as Jehovah!

If you are searching this entire world for a God who makes such promises as the Lord, one cannot be found.

The Lord presents us with a book of Scriptures that describe all His desires and all His actions and never leaves out the terrible times of His people, when others would.

Jehovah by His actions and by His Word shows that He is the only true Almighty God!

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

The virgin Israel has certainly done a terrible thing!

*****Jer 18:14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

We have gotten totally confused when we can forsake a greater good for something much less.

Pro 25:25 As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

We serve a God who has unlimited resources why in the world would we forsake our God for some false object that has no resources at all!

The worst thing that can happen to a military unit is for the enemy to get behind it and cut off its supplies.

When we forsake the true God of all "Grace" we have allowed Satan's false gods to come between us and our true God!

We have cut ourselves off from the fountain of living waters!

Jer_2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Jer_17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

When has nature changed her ways to suit the politics of any people!

The Lord God Jehovah will never change His ways to satisfy any one group of people nor for any or all people.

What was the verdict for the Judah of this day?

*****Jer 18:17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

What is the sinners doom, those who reject God's Divine Government?

They are guilty of idolatry.

They have rejected the "Mercy" of God.

They have become enemies of the Gospel.

They have forgotten the truth and traded it for lies.

They will see the wrath of God and if they do not repent. Then they will perish to a life that is not life but a place of eternal doom!

Amen!

Let's Pray!

God Cannot Defend Evil Nor Wickedness

God's Judgment on Judah

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 16

We can say that "judgment" is the power of determining anything to be true or false. In fact, in every instance of memory or perception there is involved some judgment!

We do this even without realizing what we have done. Every act of the conscious mind involves judgment!

We should understand that in most cases "Judgment" simply means God removes His hand of blessing from us and allows Satan a little bit of control over our lives.

God must judge all things that are unholy, and this "Judgment" is a necessary expression of God's character!

However, God's "Judgment" will always be fair and according to His truth!

Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

We must clearly understand this one thing!

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

We must also understand that even this is not the final "Judgment" which comes later!

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Those that love the Lord will meet Him at the "Judgment Seat of Christ".

Those that reject the Lord will meet Him at the White Throne Judgment.

*****Jer 16:1 The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying,

Jer 16:2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.

Jeremiah was to live his entire life separated unto the Lord.

Jeremiah was to be a sign to the people of Judah, a warning to the families of this nation and not just them but, a warning to all nations including those who are alive today!

The Holy Spirit did not include the Book of Jeremiah just, so we could ignore what God says here!

Jeremiah was a young man still but, unlike what the commentaries teach, a life dedicated to the Lord is a life of peace, but knowing that everyone experiences trials and tribulations and Jeremiah would have many of those days until the Lord gave him rest.

Jeremiah would certainly see the hardships of his nation, but he would not have to worry about his own family if he did not have one!

Sometimes when we think trouble is coming we will think of our family before we think of God and Jeremiah would not have these concerns because, he knew that serious trouble was in the near future for Judah and all her people.

Sometime later we will see that the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy a piece of land because those who had repented of idol worship would return in the 70 years allowed by the Lord and this land would always belong to Israel!

What did the Apostle Paul say to those who would dedicate themselves to the Lord?

1Co_7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

Even when Paul said these things by the Holy Spirit it was during a time when Rome was trying to stamp out Christianity and those times were very hard on the family.

1Co 7:26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.

1Co 7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

It would be the same for Jeremiah!

*****Jer 16:3 For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;

Jer 16:4 They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

Certainly, in the times of war it is just real hard to keep your family safe. When I was in Vietnam, we tried our very best to keep the families of South Vietnam safe. I cannot say this was the same for all units, but it was for my unit.

The Vietcong were made up of some volunteers but most of that rebel army was made up of men and children they kidnapped and by threats to other family members cause them to fight many of them no more than ten or twelve years old.

North Vietnam had an army of children also. Even the US was an army of young people because it is young people who fight wars! I turned 21 while I was preparing an ambush for the Vietcong.

When the army of Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the cities of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, many would die for lack of food and water.

These were grievous deaths as friends and family looked on them with no way to make things better except to surrender to the enemy which the Lord told them to do.

There was no one to cry for them and there was no one to bury them and when the army of Babylon left for home with all the spoils of Jerusalem and the Temple, the bodies of the Jews would just lie in the fields to rot away or be eaten by animals.

Many would die in the battle.

Many would die by famine.

Many would die because of sickness from being near dead bodies.

War is just a nasty thing that needs to be avoided!

One of the most terrible things of war is that human beings are no longer seen as human beings but, no better than animals in need of destruction.

Amo 6:14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.

These people brought this upon themselves because they rejected Jehovah who could have kept them safe from any army!

These things happen when God removes His hand of blessings!

Times worse than these came when Titus destroyed Jerusalem and times even worse than this will happen when the Lord returns to deal with the Jews and set up His kingdom.

All for the same reason for all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the God of peace removes His peace, this world will crumble under the rule of sin!

*****Jer 16:5 For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.

Jeremiah was commanded not to comfort anyone who had lost a member of their family even before war came.

God said these people should be happy because they had received exactly what they asked for.

Sometimes what we ask for will be the beginning of our miseries!

They had pushed God out of their lives and out of their nation and worshipped false gods.

God would deprive these Jews of all His mercy and all His loving kindness.

God said, surely people must be happy when they receive exactly what they ask for!

We wonder why Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, it is easy to see why!

Some would even begin to wonder even before these things came upon them because they would remember what Jehovah had said to their forefathers!

Deu 31:17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

The Lord knows the ending and the beginning, and He repeatedly told these Jews what he would do because He knew what they would do.

Those that do not know the Lord will not understand that Jehovah had to do these things to remove the sin of Israel and he will do much to remove the sin in our world.

Isa 27:9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.

Isa 27:10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.

Isa 27:11 When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.

We wonder what will happen to America, maybe we should just look at Israel during the time they had left their first love! Our God never changes!

What else is very true? God is no respecter of persons!

*****Jer 16:6 Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:

Jer 16:7 Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

We must clearly understand that sometimes it may seem very hard to be a Christian, but the Lord said we are to take our stand on the Word of God, even if we are the only one standing!

We can just imagine as some of these who would die were most certainly part of Jeremiah's own family.

If we remember the time Elijah had defended the Lord against pagan priests, cutting themselves and removing their hair was a part of pagan rituals when attempting to get the attention of false gods.

Those that know the Lord need only to obey the Lord and pray and the Lord will hear every word of that prayer!

The rich would die with the poor because in the end, we are all poor without Jesus Christ! When we stand on the Word of God we are building treasures in Heaven.

We can be sure that none of these false priests would dare to show up to celebrate the death of any believer because all of them were dying also, their gods of no use to them.

Amo 8:10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

Amo 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Jeremiah was forbidden to attend funerals, mourn for the dead or show sympathy to any of those who would die, even his own family.

All those of the nation of Judah had to realize that God had moved His hand of protection.

God had withdrawn His Mercy.

God had withdrawn His Love.

God had withdrawn His peace.

God had withdrawn His comfort because He had been rejected.

It was a custom among the Jews, when they had any friend, that had lost his relations, to send them some meat (for among the Hebrews all things they ate were called bread) and then to go and sup with them and speak comfortably to them. They would also send wine, so they could drink away their sorrows; this is called, The cup of consolation.

Jeremiah was not only forbidden to go into the houses of mourning, he was also forbidden to the times of feasting!

*****Jer 16:8 Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.

Jer 16:9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

Jeremiah could not participate in festive occasions!

The Lord has said that there may be pleasure in sin for a short period of time, but that time of joy would turn to a time of sorrow.

Jeremiah was in his person to reflect the "Judgment of God"!

We can see that God used Jeremiah to represent a complete loss of fellowship with our Creator.

These people desperately needed to repent, or they had better prepare to meet the God they had rejected.

The Lord does not ask us to live righteously, He demands that we live righteously!

As Christians we are never to mix and mingle with this lost world.

We are never to attend worldly events where sin has become a lifestyle!

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

We must remember God had been talking to Jeremiah while he was still in the womb of his mother.

Jeremiah had to not only speak the words God had given to him but, he was also to live as a picture of God's coming judgment!

The truth is, when the Lord is not the central part of our lives, then we will see the things around us change for the worse.

When we become self-righteous we will ask, why has the Lord pronounced all this evil toward us?

We will ask, what evil have we done?

We will ask what is our sin or what is our iniquity?

We will ask these things because we have become fools who have rejected our only means of righteousness!

We will never reach a point in our lives where we are righteous enough to get into Heaven.

Our Father in Heaven can only see the righteousness of His Dear Son.

1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Jesus said it very plainly:

Joh_15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: "for without me ye can do nothing".

We are nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ and we cannot be nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ!

It was the same with these Jews, they could be nothing without Jehovah!

We live in a nation today that is rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, and many will be asking these same questions soon because God never changes His ways and until the end of the Church Age finally comes, "Repentance" will still be the key to stopping the judgment of God!

What is the truth?

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

So how will the Lord answer all these questions?

*****Jer 16:11 Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;

Jer 16:12 And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

This is not only the way of the world today but, is the way of our own nation today. Not many are listening to what God is saying.

Many because they are fooled by that word "God".

Many reject God but many who believe in an ultimate Creator, just do not know who He is!

The absolute truth is because our world exists then there must be a Creator.

Without any argument our Creator explains who He is in the Scriptures.

Because our world, some say cosmos exist in order and in a useful arrangement then, we know we have a Creator of order and arrangement.

Without a doubt we can see that our Creator is loaded with intelligence and purpose and His vast creation is in harmony with itself.

Psa 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

Psa 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psa 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

Psa 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

Psa 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.

Psa 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

All talk of accident and evolution are just a foolish denial of the truth.

Our creation had its beginning because Elohim, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, has a purpose for His creation!

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

One day after the Church, all the Born-Again Christians have been removed from this world and reside in the Glory World, this world will ask these same questions, why has God abandoned them when the truth is they have rejected the truth of Jehovah God, The Lord Jesus Christ!

My prayer is, that when I am gone and the many more of my age, I hope that there will still be many who follow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What was Jeremiah's message?

These people of Judah had not only rejected Jehovah, they had done even more evil than their forefathers!

Anything or any object or any way of life we put in place of our Heavenly Father becomes an idol of worship, Apostasy!

Those who teach "to follow your own heart" are foolish teachers.

The heart that has not been given to the Lord Jesus Christ is an evil heart that is following its own path which is evil!

What was God's judgment on this day?

*****Jer 16:13 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.

We should remember Pharaoh of Egypt how he had hardened his heart against Jehovah well these people were doing the same thing, hardening their heart against the one who had brought them out of Pharaoh's bondage.

The days of our life are good or bad depending on the choices we make!

We should clearly understand God will honor the decisions we make right or wrong.

God will never force Himself on anyone!

God has given us His Word delivered to us by the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and it is our choice to believe or not to believe.

All the good things in the Word of God are true!

All the things God has judged as evil, then He will do as He says, and all these words are also true!

God never changes. God is the same God today as the God that created our world just over 6000 years ago!

The Jews of Judah would be cast out of the land they had lived on since the time of Joshua.

Remember "Joshua" in the Greek is "Jesus"!

To be in a favorable relationship with our Lord is to repent and obey all the Word of God! It's just that simple!

Job 4:6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

Job 4:7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

Job 4:9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

God is a God of promises and God never breaks a promise!

Amen

Let's Pray!

Sin Enslaves Us Then Destroys Us

The Sin That Brought Destruction

Jeremiah 13: 1-15

What is pride? Pride is said to be inordinate and unreasonable self-esteem, attended with insolence and rude treatment of others.

Pride then is sin because we are to love others as we love ourselves and pride is looking down on others making yourself to be better and greater than them.

Pride is the first sin that occurred because it was Lucifer who committed the first sin and not Adam! Adam committed the second recorded sin

Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Another thing we should consider in this lesson is , what is the Jewish girdle in the day of Jeremiah?

In the days of Jeremiah, the people of Judah wore loose fitting robes and much like we use a belt, the girdle would keep the robe close to the body.

It is our own "faith" that serves as our girdle to keep us close to God!

Verse 1

*****Jer 13:1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.

Jer 13:2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.

The linen girdle would be those that were appointed for the priests to wear.

Most others would wear a girdle of wool with the military wearing a girdle of leather.

We know that John the Baptist wore a girdle of leather because he symbolized a soldier in God's Army!

Jeremiah was first instructed to get a new linen girdle and wear it for some time without washing it. In fact, Jeremiah was to wear this linen girdle long enough for the people to notice that he had not washed it and it became filthy.

God used all His prophets to teach His people in many ways.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

It will be obvious before we finish this passage that this girdle will symbolize the character of the people of Judah during this age of Jeremiah.

We must know by now that God offers us the "free will" to choose based on the information that we have. By choosing idols instead of the truth of God they had buried themselves in the ways of a foreign land, so the Lord would soon place them under the control an evil nation.

They had become so corrupted that they were good for nothing!

It is these lessons that we must understand, these are great examples of the way God deals with the sin of a nation that claims to obey the Lord, such as we say we do here in America.

*****Jer 13:3 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,

Jer 13:4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

First, God has made all those who call upon His name to be very near to Him.

Many debate the mention of the River Euphrates here but we know that it was Babylon who captured Judah, so we have no need to question the Word of God, even though this river was at least 2500 miles from Judah!

Jeremiah was used of God and Nebuchadnezzar was used of God and this King of Babylon understood these things.

Jer 39:11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,

Jer 39:12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

The Euphrates River represented the power of the nations North of the land God gave to Israel, just as the River Nile represented the power of Egypt.

We could say that the Prophet Isaiah also prophesied of this time of Judah.

Isa 8:7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

Isa 8:8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

The one thing we should understand is, it did not matter what Judah was doing, Jeremiah was to trust and obey the Lord!

We must understand, no matter what is happening in our world, we are to obey the Word of God at all times. Jehovah was not suggesting for Jeremiah to do these things. Jeremiah understood these words to be the commands of God!

The Word of God is not a book of suggestions as many believe. It is a Book of the Commands of God!

*****Jer 13:5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

Jer 13:6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

We should understand that the Jews took great pride in their religious heritage but at this point in history, they had become useless to Jehovah!

The downfall of Judah had not happened over night because this is not the way Satan works. Satan will draw you away from the Lord one little step at a time until he has you within his grasp.

Even today we know that Satan cannot take us out of the hands of the Lord, but he can sure ruin a good testimony!

The nation of Judah had become worthless to the Lord. The Lord expects us all to be witnesses of the Gospel and Judah was also to be a witness for the truth of God, but they had rejected that truth again at this time.

Without this nation repenting of their wrong, they had bound the hands of God to come to their defense because the Lord cannot defend evil nor cause a blemish to His Sinless Name!

We cannot live in any manner we want to and expect the Lord to come to our defense, it simply will not happen!

When we bind the hands of God to do good, then we must realize that God must chastise us to get us back on track!

We must never stray from the truth of God, to become of no more use than a rotten belt which can no longer do what it was intended to do!

What lesson did Jeremiah learn, and Judah would soon learn?

*****Jer 13:7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

We must understand that when we invite the Lord Jesus Christ into our heart and He then fills us with His Holy Spirit, so we can worship Him in Spirit and in truth but then He gives us all a job to do.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

When we can no longer do that job because of our sin, we have become marred and useless in this work God has given us to do!

It had to be humiliating to Judah when Jeremiah preached this lesson comparing Judah to a rotten girdle!

*****Jer 13:8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Jer 13:9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

1) When we accept the Lord Jesus into our heart then we have mended that broken relationship caused by the sin of Adam.

We must realize that the sin of Eve came from a lack of knowledge, but Adam's sin was intentional, and he had broken his relationship with the Lord God Jehovah. God will wear His children as a girdle but also as a badge to show the world how proud He is of His children.

2) Jeremiah wore a linen girdle which meant that he was a priest who was bound to God. As Christians we are also to be priests.

1Pe_2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

3) Just as those in the day of Jeremiah would gird up their loins so they could work, then we are to gird up the loins of our mind to be of use to our Master.

1Pe_1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

4) Again, the girdle of a priest was worn as an ornament or a badge and we are to wear the badge of Christ, unashamedly!

Rom_13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Gal_3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

We must never be ashamed of the Lord and we must never claim the Lord and then intentionally sin!

*****Jer 13:10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

These Jews of Judah had now become firmly attached to man-made idols and they stubbornly refused to admit that they were wrong.

To the Lord they had become worthless in the work of the Lord and the Lord said that they were an evil people.

The Scriptures teach us that there is a sin unto death and I believe that this sin can become real when we destroy our fellowship with the Living God, Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

When we have refused to have fellowship with the True God of all Creation, we have placed ourselves on treacherous ground from which we will never recover!

Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

These Jews had begun to walk as the Gentiles walked, in the vanity of their mind.

The Lord explains these things very well in verse 11.

*****Jer 13:11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

When we reject the Lord Jesus Christ, as these Jews have rejected Jehovah(both are one and the same) they had destroyed their only reason for living.

God had preserved this nation of Israel to preserve and bring the Word of God into the future and this would certainly happen, but these people were not a part of this very important job!

Nothing we do can hinder the work of God! When we reject Him we either lose rewards that we could have had, or we will spend eternity in a Burning Hell. Yes, Hell does exist!

Only a righteous life can bring triumph over the trials and temptations of this world! Just so we know the truth, we have no righteousness ourselves we live or die by having the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Next, we see that word therefore.

*****Jer 13:12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?

Jer 13:13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

To understand this passage, we must understand from verses 1-11 that the people of Judah had become worthless to the Lord.

Now a wineskin has only one purpose and can be used only one time. Their purpose was to be filled with wine (or grape juice)!

God had forbidden drunkenness for the children of Israel and they knew this thing.

Isa 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.

Isa 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

These children of Judah were not only represented by that worthless linen girdle, but they were also represented by these wineskins which were to be filled with the abominations of this world that were forbidden for the Jews and for the Christians.

We are to be filled with the righteousness of the Lord and nothing from this world!

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

These are the things that had filled the children of Judah. These are the things that fill every sinner!

Jas_1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

This is the formula for becoming worthless in the army of God, in fact, a traitor and deserter!

How did Christ Jesus put it?

Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

These things will always be true in this world!

What is the truth of what the Lord is saying?

*****Jer 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

Jer 13:15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.

The most important thing we can do as Christians is to pay attention to what the Lord is saying and then obey Him!

We already understand that the Lord does not ever change. The Lord will be just as true in His wrath as He is in His Mercy!

It is the will of God that everyone be saved but He promises His wrath to those who reject His love!

We live in a world where it seems that love and natural affection have disappeared, but the Lord has and endless supply of Love, mercy, and Grace and these are the things that we better hear.

The Word of God is very clear, we are to be filled with the God the Holy Spirit who will lead us to God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Sin enslaves the flesh just as all alcoholic beverages do, along with all drugs. Those who are slaves to these abominations of this world, will never know just how wonderful it is to be in the family of God!

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Come to Jesus Christ who has paid the price of our freedom!

Without Jesus Christ we are just stumbling around in this dark world!

Amen

Let’s Pray!