Could It Happen Here?
Jeremiah 2:4-13
America is taking major steps away from the God of the Bible – the God who blessed this nation with tremendous natural resources and allowed Americans to build this great nation.
In January, 2014, at the Grammy Awards, the female artist known as Queen Latifah officiated at the mass wedding ceremony of several gay and lesbian couples. On national TV, during an awards program that should have had nothing to do with homosexuality. But, in order to taunt Christians across the country, the producers thought it would be a good idea. America is taking major steps away from the God of the Bible.
But that’s nothing new…
HISTORY OF JEREMIAH
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah and Jerusalem in three waves – in 606 B. C., when he took 10,000 of their leaders into captivity, in 597 and 587 B. C.
God had told Jeremiah to tell the Israelites to submit to the Babylonians, go into Babylon and serve there. He told them that they would stay there for 70 years so they should build their houses there, plant their gardens and vineyards. When the time was right and they had repented of their sins, God would bring them back to the promised land.
Jeremiah wept over the spiritual condition of his people. He wept over the fall of Jerusalem. It seems that Jeremiah had been preaching for 20 years before the first invasion of Nebuchadnezzar and he continued for another 20 years, for a total of 40 years of preaching.
The work of Jeremiah is much like the work of Christians in 21st century America today. Let’s take a look at Jeremiah’s work a little more closely.
GOD CALLS JEREMIAH TO PREACH – 1:7-10:
When God calls, man has to answer. We cannot make excuses because God never calls the wrong person. Jeremiah faced many difficulties and suffered persecution. But, he did the best he could.
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PAST BLESSINGS – 2:1-3:
God reminds Israel what her past blessings were.
JEREMIAH’S MESSAGE FOR OUR CONTEMPORARIES – 2:4-13:
Verse 4 – First, we call on our contemporaries to hear the word of the Lord. Whether in Jeremiah’s time or our own time, it will be the word of the Lord that strengthens our families and our nation. It is the word of God that is the power unto salvation.
Verse 5 – What was/is it about God that makes people want to turn their back on Him? What did God do that was unjust? Unfair? It motivated Israel to pursue emptiness. Our society today worships other things too – Wall Street or Hollywood.
Verse 8 – Even the religious leaders did not seek after God – “Where is the Lord?” the priests asked. Even those who “handle the law” did not know God and pursue His word. The leaders sinned against God and the preachers (prophets) prophesied by Baal and walked after things that provided no value spiritually speaking.
WHAT GOD WILL DO
Verse 9 – God will contend with them. God will argue with them. God will present His side and He will win the argument!
Verses 10-11 – God calls on Israel to look all over their homeland and see if the pagans treated their own gods the way Israel has treated their gods. “My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.”
Verse 13 – Israel, to be blunt, has committed two evils: They have forsaken God, the fountain of living waters and created for themselves cisterns – broken cisterns – that can hold no water.
Let us return to the source of our blessings and serve Him faithfully by calling our nation back to the God of the Bible and having the courage to present His truth.
