WEBVTT 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:06.160 Someone asked me a few minutes ago when we're 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.839 going to get to meet Pastor David Ward, and I 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:13.439 said well he has been here But I began to think 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:16.019 that perhaps he hasn't been in the first service. 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:18.260 He's always in the second service this first 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:20.260 hour He's involved in some of the small churches 00:00:20.260 --> 00:00:23.760 getting to know people But he will be tonight 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:26.399 leading our prayer time at six o 'clock, and 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.140 so if you've not had a chance to meet our newest 00:00:29.140 --> 00:00:31.420 pastor. I encourage you to come tonight at six 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:34.539 in room one and pray with us and he will be the 00:00:34.539 --> 00:00:37.659 one who will be leading and orchestrating our 00:00:37.659 --> 00:00:42.340 prayer time together. I invite you now to open 00:00:42.340 --> 00:00:51.600 your Bible with me to Jeremiah chapter 32. God 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:58.820 longs to bless us. God yearns to do us good. 00:00:59.039 --> 00:01:04.459 Do you believe that? God is not sparing. He is 00:01:04.459 --> 00:01:10.900 not stingy. God is full of grace and generous. 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.859 There is absolutely nothing that can keep God 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:26.459 from doing what is good for you. God has already 00:01:26.459 --> 00:01:30.420 purposed that everything, everything in your 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:37.480 life will work out in the end for good. He has 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:40.280 promised that what he has begun in you, that 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:44.379 good thing he has begun in you, he will complete 00:01:44.379 --> 00:01:52.299 at the day of Jesus Christ. God has willed your 00:01:52.299 --> 00:02:00.540 good. A Swedish hymn captures this truth. I'm 00:02:00.540 --> 00:02:02.500 not going to try to pronounce the name of the 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:04.819 author of these words, lest it be shown that 00:02:04.819 --> 00:02:09.240 I'm not Swedish. Unfortunately, this hymn is 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:11.800 not in the hymnal we currently use, but listen 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:16.240 to how this man of God captures how God has willed 00:02:16.240 --> 00:02:27.840 your good in Jesus Christ. Rejoice, indeed! O, 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:30.819 may the thought banish all your sadness that 00:02:30.819 --> 00:02:35.099 in his blood you have been freed, that God's 00:02:35.099 --> 00:02:39.960 unfailing love is yours, that you, the only son, 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:44.740 were given, that by his death he has opened heaven, 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:49.219 that you are ransomed as you are. If you seem 00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:53.699 empty of any feeling, rejoice, you are his ransomed 00:02:53.699 --> 00:02:58.219 bride. If those you cherish seem not to love 00:02:58.219 --> 00:03:02.500 you, and dark assails from every side, still 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:06.759 yours the promise, come what may, in loss and 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:12.039 triumph, in laughter, crying, in want and riches, 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:16.520 in living dying, that you are purchased as you 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:21.919 are. It is a good every good transcending that 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:26.979 Christ has died for you and me. It is a gladness 00:03:26.979 --> 00:03:31.879 that has no ending, there in God's wondrous love 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:37.819 to see. Praise to you, O spotless lamb, who through 00:03:37.819 --> 00:03:42.240 the desert my soul are leading, to that fair 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:47.180 city of joy exceeding, for which you bought me 00:03:47.180 --> 00:03:54.759 as I am. God has willed your good. He is determined 00:03:54.759 --> 00:04:00.520 to bless you. However, this does not mean that 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:04.879 God can bless us with all that He would like 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:11.620 even when we fail to obey or believe Him. God 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:14.159 is determined that everything is going to come 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:18.310 out for good, but in the process, Your obedience 00:04:18.310 --> 00:04:21.490 and mine, or our disobedience for that matter, 00:04:21.670 --> 00:04:26.149 determines the nature and the measure of what 00:04:26.149 --> 00:04:30.750 we experience from God. God desires to bless 00:04:30.750 --> 00:04:37.209 us and never more so than when we recognize that 00:04:37.209 --> 00:04:41.509 we have gone astray and we repent of our backsliding 00:04:41.509 --> 00:04:47.009 and we seek Him anew. God is quick. to forgive 00:04:47.009 --> 00:04:52.050 and then to renew us to our fellowship and our 00:04:52.050 --> 00:04:56.870 walk with Him. This truth is illustrated in the 00:04:56.870 --> 00:05:00.350 text that we're looking at today. We're devoting 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:04.509 our last message in Jeremiah chapter 32 to this 00:05:04.509 --> 00:05:11.129 theme that God is mighty in restoration. You 00:05:11.129 --> 00:05:15.259 see Israel had sinned. against God. The people 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:19.720 had backslidden. God makes this clear in his 00:05:19.720 --> 00:05:23.139 response to Jeremiah. In verse 30, for example, 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:26.959 he says, Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:31.819 of Judah have been doing only evil in my sight 00:05:31.819 --> 00:05:38.860 from their youth. And he goes on to express in 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:42.100 words that are strong and yet words that are 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:47.360 filled with pity regarding Israel's disobedience. 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:54.759 Israel had sinned. But one day, God says in this 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:59.560 text, Israel will turn away from its sin and 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:03.579 to Him again. And when Israel does that, He will 00:06:03.579 --> 00:06:07.779 do them good. He will give them the blessings 00:06:07.779 --> 00:06:13.240 that He yearns even now to give them. Our text 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:17.740 today begins in verse 36 of Jeremiah 32. Follow 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:20.839 along with me in your copy of the Bible as I 00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:24.680 read. Now therefore thus says the Lord God of 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:29.000 Israel concerning the city of which you say it 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:31.459 is given into the hand of the King of Babylon 00:06:31.459 --> 00:06:34.540 by sword, by famine, and by pestilence. What 00:06:34.540 --> 00:06:40.040 city is that? Jerusalem, exactly. He says, Behold, 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:42.500 I will gather them out of the lands to which 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:46.439 I have driven them in my anger, in my wrath, 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:50.759 and in great indignation. And I will bring them 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:54.139 back to this place and make them dwell in safety. 00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:58.220 And they shall be my people, and I will be their 00:06:58.220 --> 00:07:03.839 God. And I will give them one heart and one way, 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:07.600 that they may fear me always for their own good. 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:10.620 and for the good of their children after them. 00:07:11.860 --> 00:07:13.959 And I will make an everlasting covenant with 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:16.879 them, that I will not turn away from them, to 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:21.279 do them good. And I will put the fear of me in 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:23.800 their hearts, so that they will not turn away 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:27.639 from me. And I will rejoice over them, to do 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:31.360 them good. And I will faithfully plant them in 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:35.160 this land with all my heart and with all my soul. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:39.899 For thus says the Lord, just as I brought all 00:07:39.899 --> 00:07:45.000 this great disaster on this people, so I am going 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:47.759 to bring on them all the good that I am promising 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:52.100 them. And fields shall be bought in this land 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:55.420 of which you say, it is a desolation without 00:07:55.420 --> 00:07:57.839 man or beast. It is given into the hand of the 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:02.819 Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for money, sign 00:08:02.819 --> 00:08:05.959 and seal deeds, and call in witnesses. in the 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:09.000 land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:11.740 in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the 00:08:11.740 --> 00:08:14.459 hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and 00:08:14.459 --> 00:08:18.120 in the cities of the Negev. For I will restore 00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:23.959 their fortunes, declares the Lord." And in these 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:29.959 words, God answers the implied question in verse 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:35.070 25. When Jeremiah says, Lord you have ordered 00:08:35.070 --> 00:08:39.610 me to purchase this land and it's worthless. 00:08:40.649 --> 00:08:45.990 And the implied question is, what's up? Why should 00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:50.250 I do this? And now God gives him the answer. 00:08:51.409 --> 00:08:54.169 And in doing so, God shows himself to be a God 00:08:54.169 --> 00:08:58.570 who is mighty in restoration. He is eager to 00:08:58.570 --> 00:09:02.740 bring good things into the lives of those who 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:07.879 fear Him, that is those who respect Him and live 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:13.200 under His Lordship. In His faithfulness, God 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:18.200 will discipline us when we are disobedient, as 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:23.779 He did Israel. But His discipline will be followed 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:29.740 by blessing. When God disciplines us, He never 00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:37.220 forsakes us. He is committed to our good. He 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:43.779 is faithful to his word. There are three truths 00:09:43.779 --> 00:09:47.600 about restoration that I see in our text today. 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:52.580 The first one is this, that restoration is presaged 00:09:52.580 --> 00:10:00.110 in the purchase of the land. The command to purchase 00:10:00.110 --> 00:10:04.909 this land that God gave to Jeremiah made absolutely 00:10:04.909 --> 00:10:09.629 no sense. And in fact, it was the occasion for 00:10:09.629 --> 00:10:12.590 this prayer that we have spent all summer studying. 00:10:15.610 --> 00:10:18.509 God told Jeremiah to buy the land, that is to 00:10:18.509 --> 00:10:23.850 redeem the land that his nephew offered to him. 00:10:25.889 --> 00:10:28.740 And Jeremiah could not understand why. and so 00:10:28.740 --> 00:10:34.080 he got on his knees before the Lord. He called 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:37.139 in, he obeyed what God told him to do in buying 00:10:37.139 --> 00:10:42.700 the land, and he called in witnesses to the transactions 00:10:42.700 --> 00:10:45.139 so that everyone in public would know that he 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:47.820 had done this, and yet Jeremiah didn't understand. 00:10:49.500 --> 00:10:52.399 What he is learning now is that what he did in 00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:54.779 purchasing the land was like a living parable. 00:10:57.129 --> 00:11:02.330 It was a display of God's faithfulness and God's 00:11:02.330 --> 00:11:07.870 intention to keep His promises to Israel. That 00:11:07.870 --> 00:11:13.970 which was indeed worthless and was Jeremiah bought 00:11:13.970 --> 00:11:19.409 would one day be valuable again and that land 00:11:19.409 --> 00:11:23.049 would be restored to the right family in Israel, 00:11:23.509 --> 00:11:26.779 the one to whom it belonged. and others would 00:11:26.779 --> 00:11:31.220 buy land, and deeds would be signed and sealed, 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:35.100 and transactions would take place again in this 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:40.500 land, this land that was now worthless because 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:46.580 of Nebuchadnezzar's armies besieging it. You 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:50.080 see, in this transaction, in this purchase of 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:56.909 the land, there's a presage of God's restorative 00:11:56.909 --> 00:12:02.549 intent. God is causing Jeremiah to do this, to 00:12:02.549 --> 00:12:06.809 picture in public that this land was going to 00:12:06.809 --> 00:12:11.690 be restored to them. The second truth about restoration 00:12:11.690 --> 00:12:15.649 I see is that restoration is promised in the 00:12:15.649 --> 00:12:22.330 prophecies of the prophets. It is presaged in 00:12:22.330 --> 00:12:27.759 the purchase of the land, but it is promised 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:32.019 outright in the statements that Jeremiah makes. 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:35.019 Now, the book of Jeremiah, as I explained at 00:12:35.019 --> 00:12:36.840 the beginning of the summary, is not laid out 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:41.100 chronologically. It is more arranged thematically 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:45.879 than chronologically. And in chapters 30 through 00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:52.360 33, you have the major statements that God made 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:56.480 to Jeremiah and through him to the nation regarding 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:01.940 restoration. They were not all necessarily given 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:05.059 at the same time, but these are the prophecies 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:07.899 in which God said he would restore the nation. 00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:12.519 Now we're going to just dip into these chapters 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:16.179 because I want to show you that the prophecies 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:22.029 that Jeremiah gave were promises. of God's restoration. 00:13:24.009 --> 00:13:25.990 But we're actually going to begin in chapter 00:13:25.990 --> 00:13:29.269 29 because there is in chapter 29 the record 00:13:29.269 --> 00:13:35.149 of a letter that Jeremiah had sent about 10 years 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:40.149 or so before the time when Jerusalem was besieged 00:13:40.149 --> 00:13:42.450 and Jeremiah offered the prayer that we've been 00:13:42.450 --> 00:13:49.149 studying. As you may recall, Nebuchadnezzar attacked 00:13:49.309 --> 00:13:54.250 Israel or Judah on three different occasions. 00:13:56.009 --> 00:14:03.789 First in 605 BC, the second time in 596 -97 in 00:14:03.789 --> 00:14:07.389 that neighborhood, and then the final time when 00:14:07.389 --> 00:14:14.149 he destroyed the nation in 586 BC. Now Jeremiah 00:14:14.149 --> 00:14:18.029 wrote a letter sometime after that middle attack. 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:21.820 Exiles had been carried off to Babylon. The nation 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:24.419 continued on as it was allowed to exist and have 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:28.639 a king, a puppet king. But exiles had been carried 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:33.980 into Babylon. And so Jeremiah receives a prophecy 00:14:33.980 --> 00:14:37.779 from God and he writes them a letter regarding 00:14:37.779 --> 00:14:42.679 what God had said to him. The letter itself, 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:45.960 the text of the letter begins in verse 4 of chapter 00:14:45.960 --> 00:14:51.009 29. Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, 00:14:51.090 --> 00:14:59.129 to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile 00:14:59.129 --> 00:15:02.009 from Jerusalem to Babylon. Notice God is taking 00:15:02.009 --> 00:15:06.669 credit for what Nebuchadnezzar did because God 00:15:06.669 --> 00:15:09.990 has raised up Nebuchadnezzar to discipline Israel. 00:15:12.350 --> 00:15:14.669 And basically what God tells them in the first 00:15:14.669 --> 00:15:18.700 part of the letter is Learn to live in Babylon. 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.379 Give your children in marriage there. Pray for 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:26.799 the cities where you have been sent in Babylon. 00:15:26.940 --> 00:15:29.559 Basically he's saying learn to live as normally 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:34.200 as you can where I have sent you. And be a blessing 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:38.059 to those people, those pagan people that you 00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:44.360 must live among as captives and as slaves. And 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:47.259 after saying that, God gives them a promise that 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:51.940 someday they and their children will return. 00:15:53.419 --> 00:16:15.639 In verse 10 he says, Plans for welfare and not 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:19.419 for calamity. To give you a future and a hope. 00:16:20.460 --> 00:16:23.200 You see, these people did not think there was 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:28.860 a future. They had no hope. But God is sending 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:32.620 them a word of promise. And He says, when 70 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:35.740 years have been fulfilled for Babylon, I'm going 00:16:35.740 --> 00:16:40.000 to fulfill my promise. There is a future. I give 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:43.649 you a hope. and I am going to fulfill and restore 00:16:43.649 --> 00:16:47.309 you. Verse 12 says, then you will call upon Me 00:16:47.309 --> 00:16:49.870 and come and pray. I will listen to you. You 00:16:49.870 --> 00:16:53.070 will seek Me and find Me. Verse 14, I will be 00:16:53.070 --> 00:16:57.269 found by you and I will restore your fortunes. 00:16:58.950 --> 00:17:02.830 So you see, God is sending this promise to encourage 00:17:02.830 --> 00:17:07.700 them. The 70 years for Babylon, by the way, may 00:17:07.700 --> 00:17:10.559 not be the same 70 years that we talked about 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:13.619 a couple of weeks ago, which were designated 00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:18.420 for Israel's captivity. The language here seems 00:17:18.420 --> 00:17:21.700 to suggest not only did God outline 70 years 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:25.019 for the captivity of Israel, but God also outlined 00:17:25.019 --> 00:17:28.900 70 years for Babylon's existence. And it's interesting, 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:31.279 if you mark off the time of Babylon, you come 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:35.670 up to at least 66 years. from the time that Nebuchadnezzar 00:17:35.670 --> 00:17:39.109 became powerful and the time that Babylon fell 00:17:39.109 --> 00:17:43.150 to the Medes and the Persians. So God probably 00:17:43.150 --> 00:17:47.089 has that 70 -year period that he had enumerated 00:17:47.089 --> 00:17:50.910 for Babylon in mind in what he says in verse 00:17:50.910 --> 00:17:54.190 10. And you recall it was then when the Medes 00:17:54.190 --> 00:18:00.170 and Persians overthrew Babylon that the Jews 00:18:00.170 --> 00:18:04.269 were allowed to return under Cyrus. to Jerusalem. 00:18:05.069 --> 00:18:08.690 And God's very promise here was fulfilled. Well, 00:18:08.690 --> 00:18:10.690 so much for this letter. Let's turn on to chapter 00:18:10.690 --> 00:18:14.069 30 to one of the statements, the sermons really, 00:18:14.069 --> 00:18:20.049 of Jeremiah to the nation. God is here speaking 00:18:20.049 --> 00:18:26.329 to Israel and Judah. And just to taste it a bit, 00:18:26.369 --> 00:18:33.619 look at verse 7. He says, There is none like 00:18:33.619 --> 00:18:37.359 it. He's talking about the time of awful sorrow 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:41.920 for the people. It is a time of Jacob's distress. 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:51.640 Jacob's trouble. But, he will be saved from it. 00:18:53.420 --> 00:18:57.299 Notice. In one of the sermons that Jeremiah gave 00:18:57.299 --> 00:19:00.359 in which he announced a time of trouble was coming 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:05.430 for them. But God says he will be saved. Look 00:19:05.430 --> 00:19:08.829 at verse 10. Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, declares 00:19:08.829 --> 00:19:12.930 the Lord. Do not be dismayed, O Israel. For behold, 00:19:12.990 --> 00:19:16.730 I will save you from afar and your offspring 00:19:16.730 --> 00:19:19.990 from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall 00:19:19.990 --> 00:19:22.750 return and shall be quiet and at ease, and no 00:19:22.750 --> 00:19:26.329 one shall make him afraid. For I am with you, 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:30.279 declares the Lord, to save you. For I will destroy 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:32.859 completely all the nations where I have scattered 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:36.599 you only I will not destroy you completely But 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:39.980 I will chase in you justly and will by no means 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:45.400 leave you unpunished And so in this text that 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:47.940 we're reading God says there is a time of discipline 00:19:47.940 --> 00:19:50.779 a time of trouble that is coming alas for that 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:55.440 day It will be a day of great sorrow Among my 00:19:55.440 --> 00:20:01.380 people, but I will save them and I am with them 00:20:01.380 --> 00:20:05.140 even as I discipline them, and I will restore 00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:13.519 them," he says. Let's go on to chapter 31, where 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:18.700 we have the basis upon which God will restore 00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:23.440 His people given to us. God's restoration is 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:27.460 based upon a new covenant, as He calls it in 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:31.660 verse 31. In our text that we read earlier in 00:20:31.660 --> 00:20:35.420 chapter 32, he calls it the everlasting covenant. 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:40.900 This covenant is in contrast to the old covenant 00:20:40.900 --> 00:20:45.259 of the law, by which Israel had been related 00:20:45.259 --> 00:20:49.660 to God. That covenant being delivered on Mount 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:55.279 Sinai by Moses. It was a covenant that was conditional. 00:20:55.640 --> 00:21:00.779 If you do this, God says, I will do that. But 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:03.799 God is here saying there is a new covenant that 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:07.000 He will make. And on the basis of that covenant, 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:10.259 He will ultimately restore His people Israel. 00:21:11.180 --> 00:21:15.339 And it's an unconditional covenant. And by the 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:19.019 way, this new covenant that God speaks about 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:23.700 here is the new covenant that was sealed in the 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:28.230 blood of Jesus of the cross. It is the very same 00:21:28.230 --> 00:21:30.950 covenant by which you and I have been saved, 00:21:31.230 --> 00:21:35.910 who are a part of the church in this age. It 00:21:35.910 --> 00:21:40.529 is an unconditional covenant that God will do 00:21:40.529 --> 00:21:46.410 us good. Not based upon our works, but based 00:21:46.410 --> 00:21:52.250 upon what Jesus did for us at the cross. Jesus 00:21:52.250 --> 00:21:56.130 said, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. 00:21:57.110 --> 00:22:01.269 drink it in remembrance of me. It is that covenant 00:22:01.269 --> 00:22:04.450 that the Lord has in mind when He says what He 00:22:04.450 --> 00:22:09.569 says here. Israel had persistently failed. Now 00:22:09.569 --> 00:22:14.289 why is that? Because of a heart problem. There 00:22:14.289 --> 00:22:16.690 wasn't a problem with the law, it was good and 00:22:16.690 --> 00:22:18.890 holy and righteous, but there was a heart problem 00:22:18.890 --> 00:22:23.670 with Israel. And so God in this new covenant 00:22:23.670 --> 00:22:26.240 says, that He's going to give them what they 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:32.619 need. Notice in verse 33, He says, I will put 00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:38.480 My law within them, and on their heart I will 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:41.660 write it. And so God is saying here He's going 00:22:41.660 --> 00:22:45.819 to give them a new heart. In the new covenant, 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:50.920 He's going to give a new nature. One that is 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:56.750 capable of obeying. It goes on to say, I will 00:22:56.750 --> 00:22:59.329 be their God and they shall be my people. Those 00:22:59.329 --> 00:23:03.210 are covenantal words. Those are words of relationship. 00:23:03.390 --> 00:23:05.650 And so he says, I'm going to give you a new relationship 00:23:05.650 --> 00:23:09.789 with me. Up to this point, I've been your God, 00:23:09.849 --> 00:23:11.930 you've been my people based upon this covenant. 00:23:11.990 --> 00:23:13.869 But now, I'm going to be your God and you're 00:23:13.869 --> 00:23:16.250 going to be my people based upon this covenant, 00:23:16.450 --> 00:23:24.619 the new covenant. Verse 34. He says, They shall 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:28.259 all know me from the least of them to the greatest 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:32.339 of them." And so God promises in the new covenant 00:23:32.339 --> 00:23:35.819 there's going to be a new understanding of God. 00:23:37.299 --> 00:23:43.059 A more intimate knowledge of God. And then he 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:46.140 says, for I will forgive their iniquity and their 00:23:46.140 --> 00:23:51.940 sin, I will remember no more. So the Lord promises, 00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:55.049 finally, in this new covenant that there will 00:23:55.049 --> 00:24:00.809 be a new cleansing. A new cleansing of sin. Not 00:24:00.809 --> 00:24:04.410 just an atonement provided for through the sacrifice 00:24:04.410 --> 00:24:07.869 of animals. But God is going to do something 00:24:07.869 --> 00:24:14.470 that will remove the record of sin. And of course 00:24:14.470 --> 00:24:19.390 we know that that is the work of the Lamb of 00:24:19.390 --> 00:24:25.079 God who takes away the sin of the world. God 00:24:25.079 --> 00:24:28.339 goes on to say here that Israel's future is guaranteed 00:24:28.339 --> 00:24:34.640 by two very visible material witnesses. Verse 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:39.259 35. Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for 00:24:39.259 --> 00:24:41.799 light by day and the fixed order of the moon 00:24:41.799 --> 00:24:44.500 and the stars for light by night, who stirs up 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:48.240 the sea so that its waves roar, the LORD of hosts 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:52.359 is His name, if this fixed order departs from 00:24:52.359 --> 00:24:55.559 before me, declares the LORD. then the offspring 00:24:55.559 --> 00:24:59.700 of Israel also shall cease from being a nation 00:24:59.700 --> 00:25:04.039 before me forever." The first witness that God 00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:09.960 points to is the immutable order of nature. God 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:13.400 says, here is one evidence I'm giving you that 00:25:13.400 --> 00:25:16.960 Israel will never cease to be and that I will 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:19.940 be faithful to this people and will one day restore 00:25:19.940 --> 00:25:25.119 them. Look at the order of nature. If that changes, 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:30.359 then I will forget them. And then notice the 00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:32.980 next verse, verse 37. Thus says the LORD, if 00:25:32.980 --> 00:25:36.599 the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:40.440 of the earth surged out below, then I will also 00:25:40.440 --> 00:25:42.960 cast off all the offspring of Israel for all 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:45.940 that they have done, declares the LORD. The second 00:25:45.940 --> 00:25:50.619 guarantee is the infinite universe. God says 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:53.329 you can't measure it. Well, we're trying. We're 00:25:53.329 --> 00:25:59.670 doing our best. You can't measure it. God says 00:25:59.670 --> 00:26:02.650 if it can be measured, and if we can figure out 00:26:02.650 --> 00:26:08.869 the foundations of the earth, then I will reject 00:26:08.869 --> 00:26:13.529 Israel for all that they have done. So indeed, 00:26:13.589 --> 00:26:16.569 God is saying here that because of these fixed 00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:21.029 signs, He will restore Israel. And now we've 00:26:21.029 --> 00:26:24.829 looked at chapter 32 this whole summer. So now 00:26:24.829 --> 00:26:28.970 let's go to chapter 33, where we have in this 00:26:28.970 --> 00:26:33.950 sermon of Jeremiah a reaffirmation of the covenant 00:26:33.950 --> 00:26:40.029 with David. In 2 Samuel chapter 7 and verse 16, 00:26:40.089 --> 00:26:43.930 God said to David, your house and your kingdom 00:26:43.930 --> 00:26:48.430 shall endure before me forever. Your throne shall 00:26:48.430 --> 00:26:55.180 be established forever. And so God in this chapter 00:26:55.180 --> 00:26:59.619 now is telling the people that that covenant 00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:05.839 is still in force. And He says, you may not understand 00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:08.960 what's happening, but verse 3 says, call to Me 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:12.640 and I will answer you. And I will tell you great 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:14.740 and mighty things which you do not know, which 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:17.299 you cannot know, which you cannot discover. I 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:22.589 will tell you. At the beginning in verse 6, he 00:27:22.589 --> 00:27:25.349 says what he's going to do. Now these words refer 00:27:25.349 --> 00:27:29.970 to the immediate future. What is going to happen 00:27:29.970 --> 00:27:33.230 in the few decades, he says, I will bring you 00:27:33.230 --> 00:27:36.930 to health and healing. I will reveal an abundance 00:27:36.930 --> 00:27:40.609 of peace and truth. Verse 7, I will restore the 00:27:40.609 --> 00:27:43.829 fortunes of Judah and Israel. I will rebuild 00:27:43.829 --> 00:27:47.309 them. Verse 8, I will cleanse them. I will pardon 00:27:47.309 --> 00:27:51.880 all their iniquities. and it shall be to me a 00:27:51.880 --> 00:27:55.660 name of joy." Remember what we said a few weeks 00:27:55.660 --> 00:27:58.559 ago when we talked about the name of God? We 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:00.740 said that that represented God's reputation. 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:05.740 So God is saying, I'm going to restore Israel, 00:28:06.359 --> 00:28:10.880 and that is going to be for me a reputation of 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:14.799 joy and praise and glory before all the nations 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:17.380 of the earth, which shall hear of all the good 00:28:17.380 --> 00:28:22.369 that I do for them. But there seems to be, in 00:28:22.369 --> 00:28:28.750 verse 10, a switch. And the words that are spoken 00:28:28.750 --> 00:28:32.109 here seem not only to apply, in some sense, to 00:28:32.109 --> 00:28:36.009 that immediate future, but to a distant future. 00:28:37.829 --> 00:28:40.630 For example, in verse 14, Behold, days are coming, 00:28:40.910 --> 00:28:43.630 declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the good 00:28:43.630 --> 00:28:45.970 word which I have spoken concerning the house 00:28:45.970 --> 00:28:48.750 of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days, 00:28:49.210 --> 00:28:53.559 at that time, I will cause a righteous branch 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:59.859 of David to spring forth, and he shall execute 00:28:59.859 --> 00:29:05.720 justice and righteousness on the earth." Now, 00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:08.180 if you are a student of the Bible, you know that 00:29:08.180 --> 00:29:10.880 this is one of the great Messianic prophecies 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:15.839 of the Old Testament. The branch of David is 00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:23.150 the Lord Jesus Christ, David's greater Son. And 00:29:23.150 --> 00:29:25.269 Jeremiah is saying that God is going to raise 00:29:25.269 --> 00:29:28.730 up this Messiah King, who's a branch of David, 00:29:29.710 --> 00:29:31.829 and thus a fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. 00:29:33.109 --> 00:29:37.210 And he's going to exercise justice and righteousness 00:29:37.210 --> 00:29:40.089 on the earth. In those days, Judas shall be saved, 00:29:40.170 --> 00:29:43.309 and Jerusalem shall dwell in safety. This is 00:29:43.309 --> 00:29:45.769 the name by which he shall be called the Lord 00:29:45.769 --> 00:29:51.309 our righteousness. In those days, Israel... or 00:29:51.309 --> 00:29:54.490 Jerusalem rather, was not known for righteousness, 00:29:54.710 --> 00:29:59.410 but for harlotry, for its unfaithfulness to God. 00:30:00.490 --> 00:30:02.630 But in this day of restoration, it will have 00:30:02.630 --> 00:30:07.230 a new reputation. Its name will be Jehovah, Yahweh, 00:30:07.470 --> 00:30:10.809 Sidkenu, which means Jehovah is our righteousness. 00:30:13.230 --> 00:30:16.210 Thus says the Lord, David shall never lack a 00:30:16.210 --> 00:30:18.670 man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. 00:30:19.019 --> 00:30:21.599 and the Levitical priest shall never lack a man 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:24.740 before me to offer burnt offerings," and so on. 00:30:25.099 --> 00:30:27.640 So God is here reaffirming the Levitic covenant. 00:30:28.519 --> 00:30:34.079 But as I said before, we do not see these words 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:41.279 fulfilled in the restoration of Israel under 00:30:41.279 --> 00:30:45.900 Cyrus, or in the decades or centuries that followed. 00:30:46.329 --> 00:30:49.490 We do not see these words fulfilled in the first 00:30:49.490 --> 00:30:53.950 coming of the Messiah. These are among those 00:30:53.950 --> 00:30:57.369 many prophecies of the Old Testament that have 00:30:57.369 --> 00:31:03.230 a partial fulfillment in that ancient day, with 00:31:03.230 --> 00:31:06.769 which can only be fulfilled and explained in 00:31:06.769 --> 00:31:12.569 a yet future fulfillment. And so Jeremiah is 00:31:12.569 --> 00:31:14.970 talking here about an immediate restoration. 00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:19.059 but also one that will come in the future. We 00:31:19.059 --> 00:31:23.480 read earlier about Jacob's trouble. The Bible 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:26.640 says that there is yet a future trouble for Jacob. 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:32.240 And though Israel has been restored as a nation, 00:31:33.019 --> 00:31:36.619 awful days are ahead for the Jewish people in 00:31:36.619 --> 00:31:40.900 the tribulation period. A time of great distress 00:31:40.900 --> 00:31:44.319 when God will discipline His people. And as a 00:31:44.319 --> 00:31:47.420 result of that, as a nation, they will come to 00:31:47.420 --> 00:31:51.039 faith in the Messiah that they have rejected. 00:31:52.019 --> 00:31:55.500 And then the branch of David will return from 00:31:55.500 --> 00:32:01.640 heaven with his church, I might insert, his glorified 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:06.259 saints, and come to the earth and establish his 00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:10.180 kingdom, and will execute justice and righteousness 00:32:10.180 --> 00:32:17.080 from Jerusalem over all of the earth. Restoration 00:32:17.080 --> 00:32:21.259 is promised in the prophecies of this prophet. 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:25.440 And you can just sense the delight of God in 00:32:25.440 --> 00:32:31.119 anticipating that day. God's joy in looking forward 00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:35.220 into the future when His people will again serve 00:32:35.220 --> 00:32:38.900 Him faithfully and be restored to Him on the 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:44.259 basis of the New Covenant. based upon the blood, 00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:50.880 the shed blood of the Messiah at the cross. In 00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:54.099 closing, there is a third truth regarding restoration 00:32:54.099 --> 00:32:57.559 that I see here, and that is that restoration 00:32:57.559 --> 00:33:02.680 is provided in the profundity of the nature of 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:11.900 God. The profundity of the nature of God. Jeremiah 00:33:11.900 --> 00:33:16.539 knew what God told him to do, but he couldn't 00:33:16.539 --> 00:33:20.819 understand why he was to purchase this land. 00:33:22.359 --> 00:33:24.740 And when Jeremiah couldn't understand what he 00:33:24.740 --> 00:33:29.220 knew he should do, he did what all of us should 00:33:29.220 --> 00:33:33.700 do when we're in similar circumstances. He went 00:33:33.700 --> 00:33:41.240 back to what he knew about God. And he prayed. 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:45.759 And I'm talking to some here this morning who 00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:47.839 have great questions in your life, and you say, 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:55.759 I don't understand what God is doing. This does 00:33:55.759 --> 00:34:01.299 not make sense to me. And I want to encourage 00:34:01.299 --> 00:34:04.099 you that Jeremiah was in that very same spot, 00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:07.140 and he left you an example of what you must do. 00:34:07.259 --> 00:34:10.940 You must go back to what you know to be true 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:16.940 about God and pray. And this whole summer we 00:34:16.940 --> 00:34:21.760 have been studying what Jeremiah knew to be true 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:29.360 about God. And he recited that to God and left 00:34:29.360 --> 00:34:35.989 God the question and God has answered. And God 00:34:35.989 --> 00:34:40.670 will answer you and God will show you when His 00:34:40.670 --> 00:34:46.630 time comes. All that God does, He does to glorify 00:34:46.630 --> 00:34:51.869 Himself. To make Himself known. To give Himself 00:34:51.869 --> 00:34:55.389 a reputation. And God is at work in your life 00:34:55.389 --> 00:34:58.090 giving Himself a reputation in what He's doing 00:34:58.090 --> 00:35:02.369 in you. And He wants that to be as a reputation 00:35:02.369 --> 00:35:05.269 of joy and of glory for Him, for all who hear 00:35:05.269 --> 00:35:08.130 about it. Because God is writing a message in 00:35:08.130 --> 00:35:11.610 your life, as He wrote a message in the lives 00:35:11.610 --> 00:35:15.269 of these ancient people. And His whole purpose 00:35:15.269 --> 00:35:17.530 is that He might make Himself known to you and 00:35:17.530 --> 00:35:21.829 to others, and get a reputation for the great 00:35:21.829 --> 00:35:29.460 and mighty God that He is in this world. The 00:35:29.460 --> 00:35:33.260 God who restored Israel and who will again restore 00:35:33.260 --> 00:35:39.159 Israel is standing by today to restore anyone 00:35:39.159 --> 00:35:45.719 who turns to Him. It may be I'm talking to someone 00:35:45.719 --> 00:35:54.619 today who has been, as it were, exiled. You have 00:35:54.619 --> 00:35:58.500 come under the discipline of God. and your way 00:35:58.500 --> 00:36:03.400 has been difficult. And it's not because God 00:36:03.400 --> 00:36:06.079 doesn't love you. In fact, it's because God does 00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:10.079 love you that He allows you to experience. He 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:18.280 sent you into that captivity. God waits. He longs 00:36:18.280 --> 00:36:21.619 to do you good, and He wants you to turn back 00:36:21.619 --> 00:36:30.230 to Him. God wants to restore you. Even we who 00:36:30.230 --> 00:36:33.210 are under the new covenant can wander away from 00:36:33.210 --> 00:36:37.610 God in backslide and be in need of restoration. 00:36:39.409 --> 00:36:42.789 Jeremiah tells us today that God is mighty in 00:36:42.789 --> 00:36:49.650 restoration and He waits on our repentance so 00:36:49.650 --> 00:36:52.929 that then when we have turned back to Him, He 00:36:52.929 --> 00:36:56.610 may do us good and give all the blessing into 00:36:56.610 --> 00:37:04.389 our lives. that he yearns to put there. I hope 00:37:04.389 --> 00:37:13.909 that the 70 years is up for somebody today. That 00:37:13.909 --> 00:37:16.690 you have been in captivity long enough to have 00:37:16.690 --> 00:37:21.750 learned your lessons. And that now broken and 00:37:21.750 --> 00:37:26.550 contrite, you will say to God, I'm ready to turn 00:37:26.550 --> 00:37:34.500 back. I'm coming home to you. The Lord Jesus 00:37:34.500 --> 00:37:38.059 Christ, in the last picture we see of Him in 00:37:38.059 --> 00:37:42.559 the New Testament, stands among the lampstands 00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:45.780 of the churches, among His people, and to most 00:37:45.780 --> 00:37:51.159 of His own people, in the New Covenant, He says, 00:37:51.960 --> 00:38:00.929 repent. Repent. Isn't that amazing? Tragic. They're 00:38:00.929 --> 00:38:05.369 truthful. And so he says to you and me, repent 00:38:05.369 --> 00:38:10.090 and be restored, and let me do for you what I 00:38:10.090 --> 00:38:23.489 will want. And so he waits. Father in heaven, 00:38:23.670 --> 00:38:29.619 I pray that wherever we may be, in our spiritual 00:38:29.619 --> 00:38:32.679 journey today, that you will use this message 00:38:32.679 --> 00:38:39.039 to effect the kind of response in our lives that 00:38:39.039 --> 00:38:44.420 you want. And especially do I pray for those 00:38:44.420 --> 00:38:51.659 who are away from you, and who need to come home, 00:38:52.380 --> 00:38:56.739 and who are broken. Oh God, I pray that today 00:38:58.960 --> 00:39:01.860 that you will put within them that which is needed 00:39:01.860 --> 00:39:06.360 of your grace to bring them back that you might 00:39:06.360 --> 00:39:14.460 bless them. Before I go on, I just want to say 00:39:14.460 --> 00:39:21.300 a word to you with your heads bowed. I am today 00:39:21.300 --> 00:39:24.500 pleading with you who need to be restored to 00:39:24.500 --> 00:39:29.730 come back to the Lord. I don't know what issue 00:39:29.730 --> 00:39:32.010 it may be, I don't know where it started, but 00:39:32.010 --> 00:39:40.269 you know and God knows. And as we sing the closing 00:39:40.269 --> 00:39:43.570 hymn in just a moment, I'm going to invite you 00:39:43.570 --> 00:39:50.090 to take that hard step, but that important step, 00:39:51.809 --> 00:39:56.780 to saying, I'm coming back to the Lord. You split 00:39:56.780 --> 00:39:59.300 down and come, and I'll pray with all who come 00:39:59.300 --> 00:40:04.320 after the service. Say, well, I don't like to 00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:06.019 admit this. I don't like to do this in front 00:40:06.019 --> 00:40:09.719 of people. Listen, you forget that anybody else 00:40:09.719 --> 00:40:11.699 is here. The most important thing is that God 00:40:11.699 --> 00:40:17.480 is here, and you're here, and you need to be 00:40:17.480 --> 00:40:25.340 with God. Lord, I pray that you will give grace 00:40:25.340 --> 00:40:29.440 now to do what we need to do to obey in Jesus' 00:40:29.960 --> 00:40:32.960 name. Amen. Would you take your hymnal, please? 00:40:33.000 --> 00:40:39.119 We're going to turn together to hymn 341, which 00:40:39.119 --> 00:40:42.559 is a hymn written in our day, but could well 00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:45.300 have been written and sung by some of those people 00:40:45.300 --> 00:40:49.239 in ancient Judah. I've wandered far away from 00:40:49.239 --> 00:40:55.440 God, but now I'm coming home. And as we sing 00:40:55.440 --> 00:40:58.460 this hymn on the very first verse, I plead, I 00:40:58.460 --> 00:41:03.340 urge you to step out and to come. Let's stand 00:41:03.340 --> 00:41:04.539 together as we sing.