WEBVTT 00:00:01.690 --> 00:00:05.250 Jeremiah's world was coming apart at the seams. 00:00:07.089 --> 00:00:15.150 Maybe yours is too. The armies of Nebuchadnezzar 00:00:15.150 --> 00:00:18.730 had reduced the nation of Judah to the size of 00:00:18.730 --> 00:00:24.210 its capital city, Jerusalem. And now the armies 00:00:24.210 --> 00:00:29.839 surrounded the walls of the city. This was the 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:33.439 last piece of real estate and it was about to 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:38.619 fall to Nebuchadnezzar as well. Famine and disease 00:00:38.619 --> 00:00:42.060 were devouring the besieged residents of the 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:49.179 city. Jeremiah the prophet was among them. There 00:00:49.179 --> 00:00:53.000 was no future for them except death or slavery. 00:00:55.140 --> 00:00:59.700 In the midst of this scene, Something bizarre 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:05.060 happened. Jeremiah's nephew sought him out and 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:09.959 asked him to buy a field on behalf of his father, 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:15.040 a field that was in Anathoth, a village just 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:18.780 a few miles outside of Jerusalem, but which had 00:01:18.780 --> 00:01:23.760 already been seized by the invading armies of 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:29.739 Nebuchadnezzar. Was this a joke? Was he kidding? 00:01:32.060 --> 00:01:37.540 Who would want a field that had already been 00:01:37.540 --> 00:01:43.420 taken by the invading armies? And yet God, God 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:47.500 had informed Jeremiah in advance that his nephew 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:52.579 was coming and what he would ask. And God told 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:58.640 Jeremiah to buy the field. to redeem it in order 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:03.299 to keep it in the family for the future. Now 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:07.000 what is this curious incident about anyway? Was 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:11.520 it a good investment? Was this insider trading? 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.879 I hardly think so. The transaction would have 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:22.259 no value immediately. But there was a symbolic 00:02:22.259 --> 00:02:27.020 value beyond the economic. I invite you to open 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:29.819 your Bible to the book of Jeremiah, the 32nd 00:02:29.819 --> 00:02:34.500 chapter, and let your eyes fall down through 00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:37.120 the prayer of Jeremiah that we've been studying 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:41.500 to verse 25, which is really the end of the prayer, 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:46.919 where Jeremiah goes on to say, and thou hast 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:52.919 said to me, O Lord God, buy for yourself the 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:59.310 field with money. and call in witnesses, although 00:02:59.310 --> 00:03:04.710 the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans." 00:03:04.710 --> 00:03:07.349 Jeremiah's prayer stops at that point, and the 00:03:07.349 --> 00:03:13.129 word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, Behold, 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:22.909 I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything 00:03:22.909 --> 00:03:29.810 too difficult? for me. You see this transaction 00:03:29.810 --> 00:03:33.030 makes a statement about the faithfulness of God. 00:03:34.169 --> 00:03:40.650 All seemed lost to the citizens of Judah. But 00:03:40.650 --> 00:03:43.870 behind the dark clouds of their circumstance 00:03:43.870 --> 00:03:49.650 was a God who was arranging events with wisdom 00:03:49.650 --> 00:03:55.240 and purpose. And Jeremiah's action was a living 00:03:55.240 --> 00:04:00.699 parable to the nation that God had a future for 00:04:00.699 --> 00:04:09.020 it. And what we learn from Jeremiah's words today 00:04:09.020 --> 00:04:17.079 is that God is mighty in faithfulness. God is 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:20.889 mighty in faithfulness. This same prophet wrote 00:04:20.889 --> 00:04:24.490 another book of the Old Testament called Lamentations, 00:04:26.009 --> 00:04:29.089 a collection of five poems mourning the destruction 00:04:29.089 --> 00:04:34.389 of Jerusalem. Sparking like a diamond placed 00:04:34.389 --> 00:04:39.410 on black velvet are these words from Lamentations 00:04:39.410 --> 00:04:44.949 chapter 3 verses 22 and 23. The Lord's loving 00:04:44.949 --> 00:04:51.370 kindness indeed never cease. for his compassions 00:04:51.370 --> 00:04:56.449 never fail. They are new every morning, great 00:04:56.449 --> 00:05:03.189 is thy faithfulness." God's faithfulness flows 00:05:03.189 --> 00:05:09.569 out of his attribute that we name truth with 00:05:09.569 --> 00:05:16.810 a capital T. Truth means, as Louis Burcov states 00:05:16.810 --> 00:05:21.790 in his theology, God is perfectly reliable in 00:05:21.790 --> 00:05:26.389 His revelation and sees things as they really 00:05:26.389 --> 00:05:31.889 are. That's what God's truth means. He's reliable 00:05:31.889 --> 00:05:36.689 and He sees things as they truly are. God has 00:05:36.689 --> 00:05:42.550 never fooled. Paul ends, contributes more when 00:05:42.550 --> 00:05:47.850 he says, first, it means He is the true God. 00:05:48.170 --> 00:05:53.250 in distinction to all others. There is none like 00:05:53.250 --> 00:05:59.009 Him. And second, He is the truth in that His 00:05:59.009 --> 00:06:02.930 Word and His revelations are reliable. He can 00:06:02.930 --> 00:06:08.370 be trusted, says Inns. Jeremiah's words assure 00:06:08.370 --> 00:06:12.610 us that God can be trusted even when our worlds 00:06:12.610 --> 00:06:19.490 are coming apart. There are two features that 00:06:19.490 --> 00:06:21.490 I want to talk about this morning in relation 00:06:21.490 --> 00:06:25.110 to God's faithfulness. They arise out of the 00:06:25.110 --> 00:06:28.329 text that we've read. The first is this, that 00:06:28.329 --> 00:06:32.769 God's faithfulness is rooted in His covenant 00:06:32.769 --> 00:06:39.009 relationships. God's faithfulness is rooted in 00:06:39.009 --> 00:06:44.209 His covenant relationships. Notice that He says 00:06:44.209 --> 00:06:51.620 in verse 27, I am the Lord. Now your Bible should 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:56.060 have the word Lord all in capitals. In distinction 00:06:56.060 --> 00:06:58.180 to some other places where the word Lord in the 00:06:58.180 --> 00:07:01.579 Old Testament has a capital L and then small 00:07:01.579 --> 00:07:03.939 letters. That's because there are two different 00:07:03.939 --> 00:07:10.000 words. This word all in capitals is the Hebrew 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:15.569 word YHWH transliterated into the English. It 00:07:15.569 --> 00:07:20.470 is interesting that we have lost the pronunciation 00:07:20.470 --> 00:07:23.649 of this word down through the centuries. No one 00:07:23.649 --> 00:07:27.470 knows for sure how to pronounce it. But most 00:07:27.470 --> 00:07:30.610 likely it is pronounced something like Yahweh. 00:07:33.490 --> 00:07:43.990 And so he says, I am Yahweh. I am that I am. 00:07:45.610 --> 00:07:50.649 is the meaning of this name. The dynamic eternally 00:07:50.649 --> 00:07:54.649 existent one is Yahweh. But there's more than 00:07:54.649 --> 00:07:57.910 that. Aaron Potter says, it is like an unfinished 00:07:57.910 --> 00:08:02.949 statement, that is this name Yahweh, is like 00:08:02.949 --> 00:08:07.129 an unfinished statement to which we may provide 00:08:07.129 --> 00:08:15.600 the ending with our need of Him. The name Yahweh, 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:19.180 when God says, I am the Lord, He is saying, I 00:08:19.180 --> 00:08:31.959 am all that you will ever need. The name Yahweh 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:36.620 was God's self -revelation. As He made His initial 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:39.799 covenant in the Bible, which is sometimes called 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:43.850 the Edenic covenant because it was focused on 00:08:43.850 --> 00:08:51.029 the Garden of Eden. After man's fall, it was 00:08:51.029 --> 00:08:56.509 the Lord God who made the provision of the animal 00:08:56.509 --> 00:08:59.850 skins to cover their nakedness, shedding the 00:08:59.850 --> 00:09:03.210 blood of those animals as an atonement to cover 00:09:03.210 --> 00:09:07.610 the transgressions of Adam and Eve. Who was it 00:09:07.610 --> 00:09:15.759 again? It was the Lord God, Yahweh. Elohim. Yahweh 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:23.779 is God the gracious Redeemer who provides what 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:30.960 man needs and makes covenant. When God was about 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:36.320 to redeem Israel from slavery in Egypt, an historical 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:41.480 event of course that pictures slavery to sin. 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:46.600 When God was about to do that in history, you 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:50.039 may remember He chose a deliverer whose name 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:56.080 was Moses. And there came a time when God called 00:09:56.080 --> 00:10:04.179 Moses there on Mount Sinai, Mount Horeb. And 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:06.960 God appeared to him in a flaming bush that was 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:12.769 not consumed with the flames. God and Moses had 00:10:12.769 --> 00:10:16.509 a dialogue and Moses in Exodus chapter 3 verse 00:10:16.509 --> 00:10:21.269 13 asks for the name of the God who is appearing 00:10:21.269 --> 00:10:27.129 to him. He says, what shall I tell the people 00:10:27.129 --> 00:10:33.950 when they say, who sent you? And God said to 00:10:33.950 --> 00:10:41.779 Moses, I am who I am. He said, Thus you shall 00:10:41.779 --> 00:10:47.700 say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent you, 00:10:47.860 --> 00:10:52.179 has sent me to you. This is my name forever, 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:57.580 and this is my memorial name to all generations. 00:11:09.220 --> 00:11:15.320 expounded on His name, Yahweh. It is the name 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:18.080 by which God redeemed Israel and established 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:21.799 the covenant at Sinai with His people Israel. 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:27.419 My point is this. It is the God who has made 00:11:27.419 --> 00:11:33.039 covenant with Israel that now in Jeremiah's day 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:39.000 is disciplining them. and controlling and guiding 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:43.899 the circumstances of that discipline. Because 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:47.299 they, the people with whom God the Lord had made 00:11:47.299 --> 00:11:51.500 covenant, had failed in their covenant. They 00:11:51.500 --> 00:11:56.220 had not obeyed the Lord. And they had worshiped 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:59.519 other gods. And God is now bringing discipline 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:03.480 upon them because they had broken that covenant. 00:12:05.990 --> 00:12:10.389 God's faithfulness is rooted in his covenant 00:12:10.389 --> 00:12:16.309 relationships. And God was faithful to Judah 00:12:16.309 --> 00:12:19.649 even when he was taking Judah as it were to the 00:12:19.649 --> 00:12:27.029 woodshed because of the nation's sins. God's 00:12:27.029 --> 00:12:31.450 faithfulness is rooted in his covenant relationships. 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:36.379 And my friend, the reason that God can be faithful 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:42.720 to you is because you, in coming to Jesus Christ 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:46.279 and believing on Him as your Lord and Savior, 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:49.720 have established a covenant relationship with 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:56.200 Him. A covenant that is based upon Christ's own 00:12:56.200 --> 00:13:02.299 blood shed on the cross. And He will be faithful. 00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:08.059 to you. Because of that covenant, God's faithfulness 00:13:08.059 --> 00:13:12.580 is rooted in His covenant relationships. And 00:13:12.580 --> 00:13:18.659 He is the Lord who is all that you and I need 00:13:18.659 --> 00:13:29.149 in life. And He will be faithful to us. Now the 00:13:29.149 --> 00:13:31.250 second feature that I want to bring out of the 00:13:31.250 --> 00:13:34.269 text about God's faithfulness is that God's faithfulness 00:13:34.269 --> 00:13:37.250 rests upon His sovereignty. It's rooted in His 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:41.610 covenant relationships, but it rests upon His 00:13:41.610 --> 00:13:50.570 sovereignty. He says, I am Yahweh, the God of 00:13:50.570 --> 00:13:57.049 all flesh. That is the God of all humanity. God 00:13:57.049 --> 00:13:59.429 is pointing to the fact that there is no other 00:13:59.429 --> 00:14:05.049 God. He is the God of the Jews, but He is the 00:14:05.049 --> 00:14:07.909 God of all flesh, whether they recognize Him, 00:14:08.129 --> 00:14:12.169 whether they know of Him or not. He is, in fact, 00:14:12.570 --> 00:14:18.389 the God of all flesh. He is sovereign over all 00:14:18.389 --> 00:14:23.629 peoples. He's ultimately on the throne above 00:14:23.629 --> 00:14:31.620 all. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:34.259 His faithfulness rests upon His sovereignty. 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:40.679 God is truth. That is, God is reliable. And He 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:46.480 is able to perfectly be faithful because He has 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:49.220 authority and power to do whatever He wants. 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:59.769 His is the throne. And He is able to do anything 00:14:59.769 --> 00:15:03.830 He desires that is consistent with His nature. 00:15:06.230 --> 00:15:12.490 And so God's faithfulness rests upon that. We 00:15:12.490 --> 00:15:16.470 desire to be faithful also, don't we? But there 00:15:16.470 --> 00:15:19.789 are times we don't have the ability to be faithful. 00:15:22.509 --> 00:15:27.350 I think, for example, of the parents. who fled 00:15:27.350 --> 00:15:29.850 from their burning house thinking that all of 00:15:29.850 --> 00:15:32.629 the children were out and then realized that 00:15:32.629 --> 00:15:35.470 one child was still in the upstairs bedroom. 00:15:39.389 --> 00:15:41.690 Immediately they turned and tried to go back 00:15:41.690 --> 00:15:44.889 into that house as faithful parents wanting to 00:15:44.889 --> 00:15:47.669 save that child, but the flames and the smoke 00:15:47.669 --> 00:15:54.090 drove them out and their child perished. They 00:15:54.090 --> 00:15:57.009 were conscientious. They were devoted. They were 00:15:57.009 --> 00:16:01.450 faithful parents. But they were limited in what 00:16:01.450 --> 00:16:07.570 they could do. That stands in contrast to God, 00:16:08.389 --> 00:16:12.809 who is able to do anything that is required to 00:16:12.809 --> 00:16:19.450 come to the aid of His own. And so He says, is 00:16:19.450 --> 00:16:25.919 anything too hard, too difficult for me? Asking 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:28.440 that rhetorical question, God is but reflecting 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:32.100 the words of Jeremiah's own faith back in verse 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:35.100 17 when he said, nothing is too difficult for 00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:41.039 thee. Jeremiah has finished his prayer and he 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:45.019 is saying, Lord, what does all of this mean that 00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:48.860 I am to buy this worthless piece of property? 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:56.509 What's it about? The Lord says to Jeremiah, I 00:16:56.509 --> 00:17:02.490 am the Lord. I am the covenant -keeping Redeemer. 00:17:04.450 --> 00:17:07.930 And I am the God of all flesh. And Jeremiah, 00:17:07.930 --> 00:17:14.869 that includes the Babylonians. Is there anything 00:17:14.869 --> 00:17:21.069 that is too difficult for me? And Jeremiah's 00:17:21.069 --> 00:17:28.549 words come back to him. to test the faith of 00:17:28.549 --> 00:17:31.390 that earlier statement. Do you really believe, 00:17:31.390 --> 00:17:33.849 Jeremiah, that there is nothing too hard for 00:17:33.849 --> 00:17:39.829 me? Nothing? When we say that there is nothing 00:17:39.829 --> 00:17:44.750 too hard for God, it does not mean that God is 00:17:44.750 --> 00:17:49.410 like a genie in a bottle. and that He is going 00:17:49.410 --> 00:17:53.329 to appear in a puff of smoke as it were to fulfill 00:17:53.329 --> 00:17:59.569 our every wish. When God is faithful, it does 00:17:59.569 --> 00:18:04.369 not mean that. Nor is He always going to do for 00:18:04.369 --> 00:18:12.069 us what may seem to us like the best, or the 00:18:12.069 --> 00:18:16.960 most sensible thing, or the easiest thing. at 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:24.160 the moment. It does not mean that. Nor does it 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:27.000 mean that He is going to do for us what we can 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:31.980 and should do for ourselves. God is not a pampering 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:35.980 parent who foolishly spoils His children in the 00:18:35.980 --> 00:18:43.039 name of love or liberality falsely defined. God's 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:47.589 faithfulness to us, His children, is manifested 00:18:47.589 --> 00:18:57.049 in wise ways. An example of God's faithfulness 00:18:57.049 --> 00:19:00.970 in a wisdom that cannot really be comprehended 00:19:00.970 --> 00:19:06.069 is found in the present spiritual disposition 00:19:06.069 --> 00:19:11.650 of Israel. That's how Paul feels about it. I 00:19:11.650 --> 00:19:13.730 invite you to turn over to the book of Romans. 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:21.059 In the ninth chapter, Paul writes in this book 00:19:21.059 --> 00:19:24.660 regarding his own burden for the Jewish people, 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:29.640 his kinsmen according to the flesh. His burden 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:33.339 for them due to their failure to believe, to 00:19:33.339 --> 00:19:38.480 obey Christ. But that failure was not God's fault, 00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:43.880 of course. He says in Romans chapter 9 and verse 00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:47.539 6, it is not as though the Word of God has failed. 00:19:50.599 --> 00:19:53.880 In other words, Jeremiah says yes, Israel has 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:59.799 failed. And Israel is set aside, but that does 00:19:59.799 --> 00:20:04.859 not mean that God has failed. He goes on to say 00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:08.039 in this chapter that Israel rejected their Messiah 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:13.109 and said about to establish their own righteousness 00:20:13.109 --> 00:20:18.089 before God. One of works. Toward the end of this 00:20:18.089 --> 00:20:20.869 chapter in verse 30, notice his words. What shall 00:20:20.869 --> 00:20:25.829 we say then? That Gentiles who did not pursue 00:20:25.829 --> 00:20:31.750 righteousness, attained righteousness. Even the 00:20:31.750 --> 00:20:37.250 righteousness which is by faith. But Israel pursuing 00:20:37.250 --> 00:20:44.039 a law of righteousness did not arrive at that 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:49.220 law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:54.680 but as though it were by works. They stumbled 00:20:54.680 --> 00:21:00.700 over the stumbling stone. So Paul explains what 00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:06.579 happened to Israel. Israel stumbled over Christ. 00:21:08.650 --> 00:21:13.990 and in rejecting him set about a course to establish 00:21:13.990 --> 00:21:17.490 their own righteousness before God by their works. 00:21:19.509 --> 00:21:21.869 And in doing that they failed of righteousness. 00:21:23.990 --> 00:21:29.690 And so God set them aside as a nation. They stumbled. 00:21:29.769 --> 00:21:34.910 God set them aside as a nation. While at the 00:21:34.910 --> 00:21:40.569 same time calling a remnant of Jews to faith. 00:21:41.809 --> 00:21:45.710 To be joined together with Gentiles believing 00:21:45.710 --> 00:21:50.490 Gentiles in the church. See that in chapter 11. 00:21:50.549 --> 00:21:55.809 Look at verse 2. He says God has not rejected 00:21:55.809 --> 00:22:01.630 his people whom he foreknew. That's Israel. Or 00:22:01.630 --> 00:22:04.950 do you not know what the scripture says? in the 00:22:04.950 --> 00:22:07.650 passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God 00:22:07.650 --> 00:22:11.150 against Israel. Lord, they have killed thy prophets, 00:22:11.269 --> 00:22:13.829 they have torn down thine altars, and I alone 00:22:13.829 --> 00:22:16.670 am left, and they are seeking my life. Remember 00:22:16.670 --> 00:22:24.329 Elijah saying that? In the same way then, oh 00:22:24.329 --> 00:22:26.549 excuse me, verse four, but what is the divine 00:22:26.549 --> 00:22:30.970 response to him? I have kept for myself seven 00:22:30.970 --> 00:22:34.549 thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. 00:22:35.130 --> 00:22:38.769 In the same way then, Paul says, there has also 00:22:38.769 --> 00:22:43.170 come to be at the present time a remnant according 00:22:43.170 --> 00:22:49.970 to God's gracious choice. And so God set aside 00:22:49.970 --> 00:22:54.289 his people of the Old Covenant as a nation because 00:22:54.289 --> 00:22:59.589 they rejected the Messiah. And yet God is calling 00:22:59.589 --> 00:23:06.009 out from them a remnant to be a part of the church, 00:23:06.190 --> 00:23:11.789 which is largely Gentile in nature. And one day, 00:23:12.730 --> 00:23:15.789 he says at the end of this chapter, when the 00:23:15.789 --> 00:23:19.390 church is complete, when the fullness of the 00:23:19.390 --> 00:23:26.890 Gentiles has come in, he says, all Israel will 00:23:26.890 --> 00:23:33.630 be saved. Now what is Paul's point here? His 00:23:33.630 --> 00:23:36.250 point is that God, though he set Israel aside, 00:23:36.390 --> 00:23:41.150 is not finished with national Israel. Now when 00:23:41.150 --> 00:23:45.589 the church has been completed, when everyone 00:23:45.589 --> 00:23:48.410 that God has chosen to be a part of the church 00:23:48.410 --> 00:23:52.910 has believed and come to faith and been incorporated 00:23:52.910 --> 00:23:57.640 in the body, When the fullness of the Gentiles 00:23:57.640 --> 00:24:02.339 has finally arrived, whenever that is, God is 00:24:02.339 --> 00:24:07.539 going to return to Israel as a nation. And He 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:11.900 is going to save the nation of Israel. Verse 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:17.720 29 says, back up to verse 28, from the standpoint 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:20.559 of the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. 00:24:22.859 --> 00:24:25.579 Not that the church considers the Jews enemies, 00:24:25.660 --> 00:24:28.140 that's not the point, but they consider themselves 00:24:28.140 --> 00:24:34.160 enemies of the Gospel. But from the standpoint 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:38.619 of God's choice, they are beloved for the sake 00:24:38.619 --> 00:24:43.960 of the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. Verse 00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:47.480 29, for the gifts and the calling of God are 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:54.099 irrevocable. Then he warns he says for just as 00:24:54.099 --> 00:24:57.640 you once were disobedient to God you Gentiles 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:01.400 But now have been shown mercy because of their 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:07.019 disobedience So these also now have been disobedient 00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:10.299 in order that because of the mercy shown to you 00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:13.980 They also may now be shown mercy. You see he 00:25:13.980 --> 00:25:18.839 is pleading to show mercy to the Jews and giving 00:25:18.839 --> 00:25:22.839 them the gospel He says, for God has shut up 00:25:22.839 --> 00:25:25.599 all in disobedience that He might show mercy 00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:29.519 to all. And after going through three chapters 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:32.619 of explanation about how God had done this and 00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:36.380 God had done that, here's why. And God's choice 00:25:36.380 --> 00:25:41.160 is irrevocable. And God is faithful to His promises. 00:25:41.900 --> 00:25:45.099 God's Word has not failed, He says. Here's what's 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:48.539 happened. And then the apostle just exults in 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:53.079 praise of God's wisdom. Oh, the depth of the 00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:55.259 riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge 00:25:55.259 --> 00:26:04.119 of God. The Lord, who is the God of all flesh, 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:10.099 who has arranged these things that have happened, 00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:14.839 and will one day fully carry them out. He says, 00:26:15.460 --> 00:26:24.619 oh the wisdom of God. Just as God was faithful 00:26:24.619 --> 00:26:27.980 to the nation in Jeremiah's day, although allowing 00:26:27.980 --> 00:26:32.940 them to go into captivity in Babylon, so he is 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:37.819 faithful to Israel now, despite their unbelief. 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:41.319 And someday he is going to bring Israel to himself 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:44.819 and fulfill all of the promises that He made 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:55.700 to them. You see, God has a plan. And God is 00:26:55.700 --> 00:27:02.640 always working His plan. Always. His faithfulness 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:06.500 toward His people is always consistent with His 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:12.140 purposes. And he has the power that will ultimately 00:27:12.140 --> 00:27:16.700 bring all of his purposes to pass. Every one 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:25.099 of them. I want to close with a question and 00:27:25.099 --> 00:27:31.599 a consolation. I'm going to start with a consolation. 00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:38.640 The consolation is this, that God's faithfulness 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:45.039 reassures us in our crises, as it did Jeremiah, 00:27:46.339 --> 00:27:50.440 that He is working His greater plan in our lives 00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:57.839 today, and He will also achieve it. You and I 00:27:57.839 --> 00:28:03.940 cannot get beyond the faithfulness of God. That 00:28:03.940 --> 00:28:06.200 does not mean that God is going to heal your 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:10.119 every disease. He's going to solve your every 00:28:10.119 --> 00:28:14.380 financial predicament. It does not mean that 00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:17.359 God will necessarily restore your broken relationship 00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:23.140 and heal your broken heart. It does not mean 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:26.380 that God will nullify the consequences of your 00:28:26.380 --> 00:28:30.059 disobedience even when you confess your sins. 00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:36.140 God's faithfulness will not necessarily make 00:28:36.140 --> 00:28:43.299 life easy for you or comfortable. But what I'm 00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:47.559 talking about this morning lays the foundation 00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:52.220 for your life so that whatever you're passing 00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:55.359 through, you can be assured that God is working 00:28:55.359 --> 00:29:04.140 His plan faithfully. He will work all things 00:29:04.140 --> 00:29:10.259 together for good to them that love God, those 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:13.740 who are called according to His purpose. He will. 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:23.160 Jeremiah's world was falling apart. And in the 00:29:23.160 --> 00:29:27.299 midst of all of the crisis, God speaks and He 00:29:27.299 --> 00:29:35.500 says, Jeremiah, I am your way. And I am the God 00:29:35.500 --> 00:29:41.900 of all flesh. Is there anything too difficult 00:29:41.900 --> 00:29:52.319 for me? In preparing my thoughts for this morning, 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:57.440 I was reminded of a couple of people who are 00:29:57.440 --> 00:29:59.259 of my acquaintance, because I went to college 00:29:59.259 --> 00:30:08.559 with them. They married shortly after college, 00:30:09.740 --> 00:30:17.380 settled in western Michigan, and Bob was very 00:30:17.380 --> 00:30:20.660 good at his work. He was a man who was sensitive 00:30:20.660 --> 00:30:24.220 and compassionate, the kind of a husband that 00:30:24.220 --> 00:30:29.500 most women would dream about. He and Kay were 00:30:29.500 --> 00:30:32.079 very happy in their marriage with three children. 00:30:37.609 --> 00:30:41.549 And one evening, ten years ago now, when Bob 00:30:41.549 --> 00:30:45.829 was about 40 years of age, I would assume, he 00:30:45.829 --> 00:30:48.849 and Kay left the house, like they frequently 00:30:48.849 --> 00:30:54.369 did, together. He was to speak at the school 00:30:54.369 --> 00:30:59.009 board function that night. When he left, he did 00:30:59.009 --> 00:31:05.910 not know that he would never be back. During 00:31:05.910 --> 00:31:10.180 the speech, He suddenly seized the table and 00:31:10.180 --> 00:31:14.559 then collapsed. Within seconds, there were people 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:17.559 all around him. They began administering CPR. 00:31:20.400 --> 00:31:22.619 They were able to get his heart started. The 00:31:22.619 --> 00:31:24.720 ambulance came. They rushed to the hospital, 00:31:24.839 --> 00:31:27.900 his wife being taken there in a separate vehicle. 00:31:28.700 --> 00:31:31.539 She waited. The doctors finally came out and 00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:36.069 said, well, he's alive. But he's in a deep deep 00:31:36.069 --> 00:31:40.690 coma and we're afraid of the brain damage that 00:31:40.690 --> 00:31:47.369 may have been done And so they were in a vigil 00:31:47.369 --> 00:31:56.089 that night He lived And days piled upon days 00:31:56.089 --> 00:32:01.529 and weeks upon weeks and months upon months Deep 00:32:01.529 --> 00:32:04.559 coma little change, they went into intensive 00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:08.440 therapy, bringing things to his bedside that 00:32:08.440 --> 00:32:11.359 he would recognize, familiar music, touching 00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:13.519 him, talking with him, doing everything they 00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:17.279 could to stimulate his brain to come back, and 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:24.279 slowly he began to work his way back. Never fully 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:27.000 coming out of the coma, but awakening enough 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:31.640 to know, to be able to respond to something. 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:37.319 to something. But it apparently was so intense 00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:42.680 for him that he gave up and his condition deteriorated. 00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:52.759 Three years ago, Kay wrote an article for a magazine 00:32:52.759 --> 00:33:03.319 from our alma mater in which she writes, to Bob 00:33:03.319 --> 00:33:10.960 and tells him about the years that have now transpired. 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:23.460 Bob, in a nursing home, serenely sleeping, occasionally 00:33:23.460 --> 00:33:30.200 awakening, only enough to flail his now twisted 00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:36.220 arms around and to shriek of terrors that no 00:33:36.220 --> 00:33:42.299 one knows about, unable to express anything, 00:33:43.420 --> 00:33:51.440 not knowing anyone is there. And Kay writes in 00:33:51.440 --> 00:33:56.940 the article, which is entitled, In Sickness and 00:33:56.940 --> 00:34:03.789 in Health. Do we really mean it? About the roller 00:34:03.789 --> 00:34:06.869 coaster ride of emotions that she has been through 00:34:06.869 --> 00:34:14.130 At the time of this writing seven years After 00:34:14.130 --> 00:34:21.070 Bob For all practical purposes left never to 00:34:21.070 --> 00:34:28.000 return She says and I read in part this lengthy 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:31.780 article after 16 months of intense therapy. She's 00:34:31.780 --> 00:34:36.079 writing to him now recounting part of the process 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:39.159 We had to face the fact that there was nothing 00:34:39.159 --> 00:34:42.780 more we could do apart from God's intervention 00:34:42.780 --> 00:34:47.039 You would never be the same man I had fallen 00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:51.119 in love with Because you were so full of life 00:34:51.119 --> 00:34:54.940 and had So vibrantly fulfilled your role as head 00:34:54.940 --> 00:34:58.440 of our home, you left an awful vacuum when your 00:34:58.440 --> 00:35:02.639 illness took you away. It was as though all that 00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:07.139 was warm and secure had been sucked out, leaving 00:35:07.139 --> 00:35:13.219 a cold, dark space. I would never again hear 00:35:13.219 --> 00:35:17.880 your voice lovingly speak my name, enjoy your 00:35:17.880 --> 00:35:25.300 laughter or feel your your arms around me. You 00:35:25.300 --> 00:35:28.500 would not share in the joy of raising our children, 00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:32.820 offering them security and caring for their needs. 00:35:33.519 --> 00:35:37.019 I would not have the benefit of your wisdom or 00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:39.579 your sense of humor that lightened the dreariest 00:35:39.579 --> 00:35:44.739 of days. Never again would I see your eyes light 00:35:44.739 --> 00:35:49.380 up when I took you by the hand and told you how 00:35:49.380 --> 00:35:59.130 I loved you. Knowing that I could not give in 00:35:59.130 --> 00:36:05.670 to my feelings, she writes, I claimed Psalm 1830. 00:36:07.050 --> 00:36:15.590 As for God, His way is perfect. Faith in that 00:36:15.590 --> 00:36:20.530 promise gave me the courage to face life without 00:36:20.530 --> 00:36:31.159 you. the faithfulness of God when your world 00:36:31.159 --> 00:36:39.159 has come apart. And the consolation is that God 00:36:39.159 --> 00:36:46.000 is there. And He says by His name, I am all that 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:52.559 you will ever need. But there's a question that 00:36:52.559 --> 00:36:57.869 comes with this consolation. Because God's faithfulness 00:36:57.869 --> 00:37:00.690 not only rests upon his sovereignty, but is rooted 00:37:00.690 --> 00:37:04.610 in his covenant relationship. And the question 00:37:04.610 --> 00:37:09.269 is this, do you have a covenant relationship 00:37:09.269 --> 00:37:16.510 with God? There's only one covenant that's possible 00:37:16.510 --> 00:37:19.150 now between us and God. That's called the new 00:37:19.150 --> 00:37:21.630 covenant in the Bible. We'll talk about that 00:37:21.630 --> 00:37:26.429 in a couple of weeks. but it is a covenant by 00:37:26.429 --> 00:37:29.650 which we establish a relationship with God through 00:37:29.650 --> 00:37:35.190 our faith in the Son that He gave on the cross 00:37:35.190 --> 00:37:43.269 for our sins. Have you come to that cross and 00:37:43.269 --> 00:37:46.369 turned your back upon all of your religious works, 00:37:47.550 --> 00:37:50.289 all of your goodness that you have perceived 00:37:50.289 --> 00:37:55.139 in the past? And have you bowed your knee acknowledging 00:37:55.139 --> 00:38:00.940 your sin and received the Christ who died for 00:38:00.940 --> 00:38:06.760 you and rose again? Have you established a covenant 00:38:06.760 --> 00:38:14.199 relationship with God? If you haven't, you may 00:38:14.199 --> 00:38:18.659 do that today. The opportunity is open. This 00:38:18.659 --> 00:38:21.559 is the day of grace when God invites you to come. 00:38:23.599 --> 00:38:27.760 And if you have established that relationship 00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:32.719 with a faithful God, how is your life reflecting 00:38:32.719 --> 00:38:39.219 His faithfulness? How is that faithfulness being 00:38:39.219 --> 00:38:42.920 shown to your husband, to your wife, your children, 00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:54.059 your co -workers, your church, your God? God 00:38:54.059 --> 00:38:57.579 is mighty in faithfulness and He calls us to 00:38:57.579 --> 00:39:04.019 faithfulness as well. Let's pray together. Our 00:39:04.019 --> 00:39:07.599 heads bowed and our eyes closed. I want the Holy 00:39:07.599 --> 00:39:12.659 Spirit to open our hearts to receive the message 00:39:12.659 --> 00:39:17.739 that God has for us and to put His finger upon 00:39:17.739 --> 00:39:23.849 the decision that God wants us to make. Perhaps 00:39:23.849 --> 00:39:29.030 we need to confess unfaithfulness. God knows 00:39:29.030 --> 00:39:33.409 what that means. God is truth. There's nothing 00:39:33.409 --> 00:39:39.690 that we can hide from Him. He knows it all. So 00:39:39.690 --> 00:39:42.550 let's be honest. Let's be truthful ourselves 00:39:42.550 --> 00:39:45.389 and come to God and open our hearts and show 00:39:45.389 --> 00:39:54.429 Him what is there and confess our sins. And if 00:39:54.429 --> 00:39:57.170 you've not trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, 00:39:57.269 --> 00:39:59.889 will you receive Him into your life this morning 00:39:59.889 --> 00:40:06.289 as an act of faith? Relying upon Him alone for 00:40:06.289 --> 00:40:11.449 the salvation of your soul? Saying something 00:40:11.449 --> 00:40:15.250 like, Lord Jesus, come into my life and save 00:40:15.250 --> 00:40:21.510 me from my sin. I turn from my works. I turn 00:40:21.510 --> 00:40:26.719 from my past. to trust you alone, to rescue me 00:40:26.719 --> 00:40:33.159 from what I deserve. Be the Lord of my life and 00:40:33.159 --> 00:40:41.059 help me to be a faithful person. Perhaps as you 00:40:41.059 --> 00:40:43.239 sit there you've been struggling with God over 00:40:43.239 --> 00:40:45.699 the dark circumstances that have overwhelmed 00:40:45.699 --> 00:40:51.829 you. And like Jeremiah, you feel your world is 00:40:51.829 --> 00:40:54.090 coming apart and you're saying, God, what does 00:40:54.090 --> 00:40:59.789 this mean? And God is saying to you this morning, 00:41:01.110 --> 00:41:07.469 I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh. Is there anything 00:41:07.469 --> 00:41:14.730 too difficult for me? My friend, He is able to 00:41:14.730 --> 00:41:20.179 meet you where you are this morning. He is superintending 00:41:20.179 --> 00:41:25.960 the circumstances of your life. Give it all to 00:41:25.960 --> 00:41:37.960 Him. Rest in His faithfulness. Lord, may we all 00:41:37.960 --> 00:41:41.940 deal with this text this morning and be honest 00:41:41.940 --> 00:41:45.280 within our hearts to what the voice of the Holy 00:41:45.280 --> 00:41:52.559 Spirit is saying. in this hour. In Jesus name.