Trusting in God is both a wonderful and a fearful thing I think. If He says he will do something, whether it is salvation or judgement – He will do it. The Lord promised a Saviour, but He also promised the total overthrow of Jerusalem. Always best to be on the winning team. Jesus simply says “Follow Me”.
Jeremiah 33: The LORD Promises Peace
1 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard:
2 "Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it---the LORD is his name:
3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
4 For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defence against the siege mounds and against the sword:
5 They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil.
6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.
7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first.
8 I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.
9 And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.
10 "Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, 'It is a waste without man or beast,' in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again
11 the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD: "'Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!' For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD.
12 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks.
13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD.
The LORD's Eternal Covenant with David
14 "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.'
17 "For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,
18 and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever."
19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
20 "Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time,
21 then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers.
22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me."
23 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
24 "Have you not observed that these people are saying, 'The LORD has rejected the two clans that he chose'? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight.
25 Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth,
26 then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them."
Jeremiah 34: Zedekiah to Die in Babylon
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities:
2 "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
3 You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.'
4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the LORD concerning you: 'You shall not die by the sword.
5 You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!"' For I have spoken the word, declares the LORD."
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem,
7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained.
8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them,
9 that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother.
10 And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free.
11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves.
12 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
13 "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,
14 'At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.' But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me.
15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbour, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name,
16 but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.
17 "Therefore, thus says the LORD: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, everyone to his brother and to his neighbour; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the LORD. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts---
19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf.
20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you.
22 Behold, I will command, declares the LORD, and will bring them back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant."
Things to think about…
1. One of my favourite verses in scripture is Jer 33:3 – as we call out to Him he reveals great and hidden things to us – Hallelujah! The Jews thought they could do what Hezekiah did and pull down their houses etc, to better fortify themselves against the Babylonians. Jeremiah said this was futile. But he says it will not remain so, this city would again be a joy and a praise to Him. There will be sorrow, but praise will come again – therefore call unto Him – and He will show you. What are you wanting? Ask the Lord to show you. The promise is that as you call, as you pray, this is revealed!
2. Jer 33:14-26 shows the point of it all. Jeremiah reminds the Judeans again – that a Righteous Branch will be raised up. He will be their righteousness. He will be their Saviour – This Branch will be the Lord Himself. Jeremiah of course is prophesying about the future ministry of Christ. The righteous will live by faith. How do they become righteous? By accepting Him as their Saviour and Lord. This understanding started the Protestant Reformation when Luther saw this for the first time in 1517, as he was studying Romans, especially Rom 1:16, 17. Sola fide “Faith Alone”. Is this where your trust is today? May it fully be in the finished work of the cross. Pray the Jewish people also see this fulfilled in our day, that they will see Yeshua as their righteousness.
3. Zedekiah was a bit fickle as a king. He would start to do the right thing and then fall back into old ways. We see this as the case in Jer 34, he returned slaves that had been bought and sold by the Lord’s people, something that shouldn’t have been named among them. But then he allowed them to be taken back as slaves, Jer 34:8-12. Jeremiah says, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and the Lord set them free, and then asks why they put their own people back into slavery, Jer 34:13, 14. This would be like us being set free from sin and then returning back to the darling sins that we loved when we were in the world. How are you going with this sort of stuff? You have been saved from all sin, don’t go back into the world and embrace slavery again.
4. There is a promise for Zedekiah in Jer 34:21, 22. He would be taken by the Babylonians. Though the Lord took them away because they returned the slaves, because they took the slaves back, so the Lord would bring back the Babylonians and they would be brought into captivity again as they were in Egypt, Jer 34:13. This He finally did in 586BC. Zedekiah was taken and the Lord kept His promises. This is where the word of the Lord and faith in Him is both wonderful and fearful at the same time. The best idea is to rejoice in the things that the Lord rejoices in, and hate the things that He hates. Things seem to go well for us when we keep this as our focus. Can you think of something that the Lord delights in within your life that He is blessing at the moment?
Vision Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the school holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sunday’s sermon “Let me boast a little” – reading 2Corinthians 12:1-10
1. Paul had a significant spiritual experience. He went into the third heaven. He saw and heard amazing things. What is the most intense spiritual encounter you have had with the Lord?
2. Paul listed off a whole heap of trials he had endured in 2Cor 11. What trials have you endured? Paul said he boasted in trials and weakness, because that is when God’s strength is shown, 2 Cor 12:10. How is it possible to boast in your weaknesses?
3. Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble and not go into conceit and spiritual pride. He had lived a previous life as a Pharisee so he knew what spiritual pride was. This thorn wasn’t a pin prick, but more a tent peg. Why does God sometimes send Satan to us as He did to the Apostle Paul. Discuss this challenge.
4. If you can say “I believe in Jesus”, that is the most miraculous event that can happen in anyone’s life. Discuss.
Prayer Points
1. Continue to pray for Brett Dwyer and the Dunn household and others with this virus as they recover.
2. Ministries as they have started back.
3. That we see Christ even as Covid goes through the community.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Brett Dwyer on the mend.
2. People returning to church as Covid is passing through the church and community.
3. And families who have recovered from Covid.
4. People encouraged by Sunday’s message.
5. Joy in our service, great times in the cafe.
6. Worship and technical team. Thanks Josh, Ben, iMan and Tim.
Announcements
1. Cell groups back. A new cell group has started at the church for residents around Karalee. This will start on Wed 7pm at church.
2. Kidz@Church every Sunday
3. Members Meeting after the service 27th Feb
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for February...
Q. 16. Who should partake of the Lord's Supper? A. Only those who repent of their sins, believe in Christ for salvation and live according to his word.
