JEREMIAH 44-452010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Jeremiah 44-45

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010. All right, well, this evening we're in Jeremiah chapter 44, and as we pick it up in chapter 44...

Jeremiah is writing now. He's sharing the things that he ministered to or shared with the remnants, the last remaining few people of the nation of Judah. And at this time, they are in the land of Egypt. If you remember from the past couple of weeks,

Babylon has come through and finally conquered Jerusalem for the third and final time. King Nebuchadnezzar had enough. He conquered and set up a new king and then conquered and set up a new king. And finally this third king rebelled against him. And so he had enough. He just demolished the city, wiped it out completely, and left a few inhabitants in the land. Just the poor, just a very minor group of people.

He left one person in charge as kind of a governor, not as a king any longer because, well, they didn't have sufficient numbers to be a kingdom even. They were just a town or a small group of people. And so he left this one guy in charge and this guy gets assassinated, uh,

While he's there in the land. And so now the people get freaked out. And they're fearful of Babylon coming back. And just, you know, not wanting to investigate. You know, they've had enough trouble there already. They're fearful of just getting wiped out. And so they run to Egypt. Egypt.

Now, God told them, they asked Jeremiah, we saw that last week, if they should go to Egypt or not. And God, through Jeremiah, told them, don't go to Egypt, stay here and I'll bless you, but if you go to Egypt, you're going to die. Well, they refused to listen still to God, and they flee to Egypt. And it's there in Egypt now that Jeremiah, again, hears a word from the Lord, and we've picked this up in chapter 44, verse 1. It says...

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdal, at Tophonis, at Noth, and in the country of Pathros, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah. And behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them. Verse 3. Because of their wickedness.

So as we begin in chapter 44, and God is speaking to and through Jeremiah, He first calls their attention back to Jerusalem, to the place that they fled to.

Now they're in Egypt. They've fled from Jerusalem. Why? Well, Jerusalem has been destroyed. It's completely inhabitant-less. There's nobody there. Just as God promised was going to happen, that's exactly what took place. And now it's just rubble. The land of Judah is empty. Many were carried away captive to Babylon. The few that were left now fled to Egypt. Now they're in Egypt.

And as God is speaking to them, He's calling their attention back. He's reminding them of the calamity that took place on Jerusalem. And we'll see why He's reminding them of this in just a few moments. But He tells the people why the calamity took place. Why was Jerusalem destroyed?

Why did this destruction take place? Why did this tragedy happen to the nation of Judah, to the city of Jerusalem? Well, he says quite clearly in verse 3, because of their wickedness, which they have committed to provoke me to anger. And we've seen that all throughout. God has been speaking to his people about their wickedness, calling them to repentance. Over several hundred years, giving them opportunity to turn back and to get right with him.

But we see that God is just. We've seen time and time again that God is merciful. And at the same time, God is just. And so the calamity that he brought upon the city of Jerusalem was just. It was right. It was a direct result of, God explains, they went to burn incense and serve other gods whom they did not know. They turned away from God.

And as a result of their disobedience to God and turning away from God, they brought upon themselves this destruction that has taken place. Now as we look at these things, these are not unfamiliar to us. If you've been here on Wednesday evenings, we've been looking at this same short time period for many weeks now. But let me ask you as we look at this and consider these things in Jeremiah chapter 44.

Has God changed? Do you think that God has changed from what has taken place here in the book of Jeremiah to today? Has God changed? Is He different today than He was at that time? Of course, I would declare to you that God has not changed. In Malachi 3, verse 6, God declares, I change not. Hebrews, I believe it's chapter 13, tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

we need to understand that God doesn't change and He has not changed. And that's important because, well, God's response to wickedness in Jeremiah's day is the same response in our day. God doesn't tolerate wickedness. He's patient for a season, giving opportunity for repentance. But that season comes to an end and the wrath that is stored up by the disobedience, well,

the judgment will fall upon those who are disobedient, those who have turned against God. We'll come back to Jeremiah chapter 44, but turn with me please for a moment to Romans chapter 2. Because I want us to reflect and consider and remember that God has not changed. Sometimes people make a distinction, the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament.

But the reality is it's the same God. He has not changed. Now there's been a change in that we get to come to God by faith in Jesus Christ, but that does not change the character and nature of God and His response to wickedness. Look at Romans chapter 2, picking it up in verse 5. It says,

But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart, you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each one according to his deeds eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality.

But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. But glory, honor and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for there is no partiality with God.

Here in Romans chapter 2, the Apostle Paul explains the same thing that is happening in Jeremiah chapter 44. He explains that God says, everyone will be repaid according to their words, according to their deeds, according to their lifestyle, according to the way that we live, God will deal with us accordingly. To those, he says, who are doing good, seeking God,

Eternal life is their reward. But for those who disobey, for those who are self-seeking, for those who do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, what's in store for them? Just like what happened in Jerusalem. Calamity, indignation, and wrath, and tribulation, and anguish. I think it's important. I believe God wants us to remember something I share often, Galatians 6, verse 7 and 8, that we ought not to be deceived because God is not mocked.

And whatever we sow, that is what we will reap. Has God changed? Is God different today than He was at that time? And if He's not different at that time, then how should that affect the way that we live? Going back to Jeremiah chapter 44, understanding what Paul is saying, that He repays and renders to each one according to his deeds.

Looking at the wickedness of the nation of Judah, how they turned away from God and worshipped these other gods. How should that impact the way that you and I live? If God is the same and he judges idolatry and he judges disobedience, how should that impact the way that we live? Has God changed or is he the same?

I'd like to point out that during this whole time in Jeremiah's day, the people still went to church. They still attended the temple. They still went through the rituals. They still did the sacrifices that Larry was sharing about. They still did all those things. But in addition to those things, they were worshipping these other gods. And I share this not to bring a layer of condemnation upon you, but as we talked about on Sunday, to

Hopefully, pierce through the confusion, pierce through the delusion. For any who would think that, well, it's okay because of what Christ did and because of grace that I continue in this lifestyle, that I continue doing these things that I'm doing, thinking that perhaps God has changed, that He deals with us not according to what we do, not according to our deeds any longer.

We approach God on the basis of faith because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. But that does not give us the right to live in disobedience. God tells Jeremiah, because of their wickedness which they've committed, they've provoked me to anger. This calamity has come upon this city. And if God has not changed, then we need to take that into consideration. Going on to verse 4, back in Jeremiah 44, it says,

He says,

And so as God continues to give this message to Jeremiah, He reminds the people, it was because of wickedness, but I also sent my messengers, God says. I sent the prophets. And it wasn't late in the time, you know, when it was too late. They were already deeply entrenched. He says, rising up early, I was sending the prophets. I was sending the messengers. Don't do the things that I hate. Turn away from sin. Don't live in disobedience.

But God says they didn't listen. They didn't pay attention. And so the result was that his fury and his anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and Jerusalem. Verse 7. Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, why do you commit this great evil against yourselves to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant out of Judah, leaving none to remain?

Verse 9, Verse 10,

They have not been humbled to this day, nor have they feared. They have not walked in my law or my statutes that I set before you and your fathers. Here as God continues the message, He really gets to the point now. He says, Remember, this is what happened. It happened because of their wickedness. I sent messengers. I sent reminders. I called them back to repentance. They wouldn't listen. And now He says to the audience at hand, the audience that's right there in the land of Egypt, He says,

Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves in continuing the practices that brought judgment upon you back in Judah? They hadn't learned the lesson. They hadn't turned from the abominations that they were practicing before. They're in Egypt practicing those exact same things. And notice what God says there in verse 7. He says, why do you commit this great evil against yourselves? Here's the reality of what sin is.

Sin is sin because God says that it's sin. But God calls it sin because the things that He calls sin are harmful to us. When we sin, we sin against ourselves. Yes, we sin against God. But it's ourselves that we're hurting in addition to those around us. It's bringing hurt upon our own selves. And just as if you give instruction to a child...

For their benefit, right? Don't touch that thing that's hot. Not because you just want to make some rules, but because you want to protect them. You want them not to get hurt. In the same way, God gives us His laws. He gives us His word. He calls us to be obedient. Not because He just wants us to run around and jump through hoops, but He wants to protect us so that we don't hurt ourselves.

And so he calls out to the people and he says, why do you commit this great evil against yourselves? I've shown you. You've touched the hot thing and you've gotten burned. Now why are you there doing it again and bringing this trouble upon yourself? Why are you so disobedient against me? Provoking me, he says in verse 8, to wrath with the works of your hands. You're practicing disobedience. You're bringing my judgment upon you, God is explaining to them.

He says in verse 9, have you forgotten? You know, and that's why we spend time in the book of Jeremiah, so that we don't forget. He says, have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers? And he goes on and lists all these kinds of wickedness that was going on. As you look at this, you get to begin to understand why the judgment against Jerusalem was necessary and why it was necessary to be so severe.

The wickedness of the fathers, the wickedness of the kings, the wickedness of the wives, the wickedness of themselves, the wickedness of their wives. There was all this wickedness. There was just flat-out rebellion against God. It demanded justice. It demanded judgment. God calls him back. Don't you remember? Sometimes we forget. It's why we need to remember that God does not change. We need to remember that God deals with sin.

He doesn't overlook it. He doesn't just bypass it and say, oh well, good thing that Jesus died on the cross. He deals with it. When we live in disobedience, we put God in a position where He must, because He is just and holy and righteous. When we live in disobedience, we put God in a position where He must address that issue. Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten the wickedness?

It's like what Paul said in the book of Romans. What did you profit in your past life before Christ? What did you benefit from those things that now you're ashamed of? Have you forgotten that wickedness and what it brought in your life? And how miserable you were because of sin? He asked them, have you forgotten that this wickedness brought upon this great calamity? But notice verse 10. He says, they have not been humbled enough.

to this day. This gives us a little bit of a snapshot of the heart and the condition of the people's hearts. God dealt with the sin, but they had not been humbled. They refused. They were hard-hearted. They refused to be humbled. They refused to be corrected. They refused to receive from the Lord. He says they've not humbled, nor have they feared. They've not feared God. They

They had lost the reverence for God. They did not allow the situation that God had brought upon their lives to correct them and give them that reverence for God. And they have not walked in my law or my statutes. They haven't walked in obedience. I want to suggest to you this evening that we need to do exactly the opposite of what the nation of Judah was doing. Let's be humble. Let's humble ourselves.

There's a place in the Psalms, and the number is escaping me at the moment, but where God says, don't be like the horse or the mule, which have to be controlled by a bit and bridle. Respond when God speaks. Be humble. Receive from Him. As God is speaking to your heart, as God is dealing with issues in your life, don't forget what wickedness brings in our hearts and brings in our lives and how miserable it makes us. Let's humble ourselves. Let's respond.

Now God speaks to us and often we think, "Ah, it's not that big of a deal. It's not a huge issue. No real problem there." But let's not esteem what we think more than what God says. Let's esteem what God says over what we think. And so we may think it's not a big deal. But let's respond. Let's humble ourselves and say, "God, You're most important. What You say is really what matters. Let's fear God. Let's have a reverence for God.

Let's honor Him. Let's revere Him. Give Him that rightful position in our lives. Let's walk in obedience. The children of Judah, they refused. Even though all of these things had taken place before their eyes and upon them, they had not been humbled, they did not fear, and they did not walk in obedience to God. Verse 11 says,

Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will set my face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all Judah.

And I will take the remnant of Judah, who have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt to dwell there. And they shall be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die from the least to the greatest by the sword and by famine. And they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach. For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem by the sword, by famine and by pestilence.

so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah to which they desire to return and dwell. For none shall return except those who escape. Here God says, you've not been humbled, you've been disobedient, you've forgotten what took place, you've refused to listen, and you continue and persist in your sinful activities, and so therefore...

I'm going to bring catastrophe upon you. There's going to be great destruction. The few that are left there in Egypt are going to experience the judgment of God because they've refused. He says, look, you guys are going to be like a curse and astonishment. People are going to be taken aback at what happened. I kind of get the picture, and forgive me if it's not very religious or spiritual, but I picture the three little pigs.

You know the three little pigs, right? The wolf comes and says, I'm going to huff and puff and blow your house down. And he does. The house gets blown down and the pig runs to his other brother's house. And this one's a little bit stronger. The wolf comes and he huffs and he puffs and he blows the house down. And so then they run to their other brother's house and that one's made of brick. And of course, the wolf can't blow that one down. That's kind of like what happened. The nation of Judah, as it was there in the land,

Babylon came against the land because of their rebellion, as God promised. God gave them warning. God says, I'm going to huff and I'm going to puff and Babylon's going to come down and he's going to cause destruction. And so the strongholds of Judah were conquered. The cities of Judah were left desolate. The people that survived fled into the city of Jerusalem.

But they didn't turn. And so God says, I'm going to huff and I'm going to puff and Babylon's going to come back down and they're going to conquer. And they still didn't turn. And so then Babylon conquers. And so then they now run to Egypt. And God says, I'm going to huff and I'm going to puff and Babylon's going to come down. They're trying to escape. They're trying to persist in their rebellion against God and get away with it. Only Egypt is not made of bricks. Babylon will be successful.

the people will be conquered, just as God said. And so God says, I'm going to punish them because they insist in rebelling against me. Verse 15, Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods and all the women who had stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt and Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you.

Verse 2,

The women also said, And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her to worship her and pour out drink offerings to her without our husband's permission? And so the people now respond to this message of God through the prophet Jeremiah. And they say, No way. Forget you, Jeremiah. The thing that you said, that's not the thing that we're going to do. Here's what we're going to do. The thing that we said, that's what we're going to do.

They're insisting still on following their own ways. And they very clearly say, we're going to worship this God. And we're going to offer sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven. They insist on idolatry. Not only that, but their sin has, well, it's darkened their understanding and it's confused them.

And so their proclamation is, hey, you know, when we used to worship this queen of heaven, everything was smooth and great and wonderful for us. And we had plenty of food. Everything was wonderful. And it's only since we stopped worshiping this queen of heaven that we've had all this trouble. They've got it backwards. They're confused. But that's what sin does. And the women also excuse themselves. They say, hey, look, our husband's new. Don't be talking to us like that.

That wasn't our fault. So they're confused. They're brushing off the blame, deflecting, and saying, no, we're not listening. We're not going to pay attention to that. We're going to do what we said. Verse 20, Then Jeremiah spoke...

To all the people, the men, the women, and all the people had given him that answer, saying, The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them and did it not come into his mind? So the Lord could no longer bear it because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without inhabitant,

Jeremiah sets the record straight. He says, No.

It wasn't because you stopped worshipping the Queen of Heaven that all this happened to you. No, this happened to you because you insisted on worshipping the Queen of Heaven. This happened to you because you insisted on sinning and rebelling against God. This happened because you refused to turn back and to get right with God. And notice he says in verse 22, so the Lord could no longer bear it. God was very patient with them. He was very patient, giving them opportunities to repent.

To turn back and to get right. But there comes a point where the Lord can no longer bear it. And then he deals according to our words. He deals according to our disobedience. And so Jeremiah said, this is because you've sinned against the Lord. And you've refused to obey him. That's why this has taken place. Your sin caused the judgment. Verse 24 says,

Moreover, Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, hear the word of the Lord, all Judah, who are in the land of Egypt. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, you and your wives have spoken with your mouth and fulfilled with your hands, saying, we will surely keep our vows that we have made to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.

You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows. Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt. Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God lives.

Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine until there is an end to them. Here God continues on now to speak through Jeremiah to the people. Jeremiah says, Your profession, people, is that you are going to fulfill your vow. And you're going to do what you said and worship this false god. And Jeremiah said,

And you're going to be faithful to fulfill that vow. Your promise to worship this other God is something you're going to be faithful to keep. But he goes on to say, just as you're faithful to keep that promise of worshiping the false God, understand that God is going to be faithful to keep his promise of judging that sin. He says, hear the word of the Lord. He says, behold, I have sworn by my great name.

God's going to keep His word. He's going to watch over them for adversity and not for good. Because they continue to insist on rebelling against God, God says, okay, that's your promise that you're going to rebel? Then I promise I'm going to bring the judgment. I'm going to address that sin. I'm going to deal with that issue. You vowed and you're going to keep your vows. God says, I'm vowing and I'm going to keep my vow. Verse 28 says,

Verse 2.

Thus says the Lord, behold, I will give Pharaoh, Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life. As I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life. So God says, there's going to be a tiny remnant. There's only a tiny remnant left now. Of that tiny remnant, there's going to be a tiny remnant. A few people.

God always has those who have not bowed their knees to Baal, those who are faithful to him. But it's not true of the whole for the nation of Judah. The majority, they have insisted on rebelling against God. And so God says, I'm going to bring judgment upon this land. To all those who are there, nobody there is going to say, you know, the Lord lives any longer.

He says, "Just wait and see. We'll see whose word will stand, your word or my word." The people's word was, "Hey, ever since we worshiped the Queen of Heaven, everything's been great. And when we stopped, that's when all the tragedy happened. And so we're going to worship the Queen of Heaven so that we can be blessed." God says, "Don't do it or you'll be cursed." He says, "We'll see whose word will stand." Whose word will stand? Your word or God's word? Who's going to win at the end of the day? We can't escape.

Again, this is why we need to remember God is not changed. We can't outrun Him. We can't run from house to house to house and think, well, sooner or later we're going to find a brick house and God's not going to be able to blow it down. No, God's Word will be fulfilled. He gives us time to repent so that we can repent. Not so that we can keep running, but so that we can repent. He says, look, I'm going to give you a sign.

This Pharaoh, he's going to be handed over to his enemies. Now, it's possible that it's talking about when Babylon conquers, but it's probably more so talking about this specific Pharaoh was...

was in charge, he was in command during kind of a civil war in the land of Egypt. And so historical accounts differ a little bit, but he was captured by another ruling party in the land of Egypt. And so that was probably the sign that God's referring to, that there's this division, there's those who are seeking his life,

And the sign that Babylon's going to come and conquer is when those other people within the land of Egypt take this king. You'll know my word is going to be accomplished. So God gives them a sign. Just as God sets this account before us this evening as a sign. So that we can know God's word is fulfilled. God has not changed. So we really need to do the opposite of what the children of Judah did.

We need to humble ourselves. We need to fear God. And we need to walk in obedience to Him. Going on into chapter 45, it's just a few verses, so we'll spend a few moments here. It says in verse 1, The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch, the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch,

You said, woe is me now, for the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing and I find no rest. Here as we look at chapter 45, it's a special message that's given to Baruch and it's given quite a bit earlier than what we read about in chapter 44. This is before Jerusalem has been conquered. Jerusalem will be conquered about seven years after this message to Baruch is given.

But God speaks to Baruch because Baruch has said, Woe is me. He's distressed over his situation because he's in a place where he's the servant of Jeremiah. He's the scribe. He writes down things for the prophet Jeremiah.

And yet he sees the condition of the city, he sees what is happening, and he's distressed. Babylon is going to come and conquer. The king took the first letter that Baruch took to him from Jeremiah and threw it in the fire. And so there's this opposition to the message of God. There's this impending doom upon the nation. And so Baruch cries out and he says, Woe is me.

The Lord's added grief to my sorrow and I fainted from sighing. I find no rest. He's distressed over the situation. And so God continues to speak to him in verse 4 saying, Thus you shall say to him, thus says the Lord, Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself?

Hear God's message to Baruch is, Baruch, you're worried about the destruction of Jerusalem. Understand, it is going to be destroyed. What I built, God says, I'm going to break down.

Again, as a result of their rebellion against God, he's going to break it down. He says, those that I've planted, I'm going to pluck up. This whole land is going to be affected. God says, my word is going to be accomplished. So he says, Baruch, do you seek great things for yourself? Is this distressing to you because, man, one day you were hoping to be the mayor of Jerusalem and now you're realizing, well, it's going to be destroyed and those hopes are dashed, those dreams are crushed.

Do you seek great things for yourself, Baruch? Are you hoping for a lofty and high life and something wonderful? He says, do not seek them. He says, I'm going to bring adversity. Times are going to be tough. But he says, I'm going to give you your life as a prize. Wherever you go, I'm going to take care of you. But just don't set your sights on the here and now. Don't set your sights on prosperity in this city because I'm going to tear it down. I think it's a...

an important message for us as well. Do you seek great things for yourself? I would encourage you, chapter 45, and take some time this week to really consider, do you seek great things for yourself? What is it that you're seeking after in your life? Because what God said to Baruch is true in our day as well. He says, I will bring adversity on all flesh. Now, as we look at chapter 44 and understand that God has not changed,

and that persistent and consistent rebellion against God brings upon a people judgment, we can look around at our nation and understand that we are well on the way to judgment. We're far down the path. This nation is in rebellion against God. Well, there's a minority, there's a few. Hopefully you're part of those few, as God always has those few. But as a whole, you look at the nation,

The laws that are passed, the acts that are done under the blessing of the government, under the protection of the government, the things that this nation allows are things that bring judgment. The things that our nation rejoices in are things that bring judgment. Do you seek great things for yourself? Look around. God has not changed. We don't know God's plan. We don't know what God's going to do, how He's going to accomplish it.

We know we're in the end times. We don't know where America falls into that picture. And maybe it's for a good reason that America doesn't fall into that picture. Or maybe God will be merciful and patient and nothing will change until the end. But we don't know. Here's what we do know. God has not changed. And His people consistently rebel against Him. As they insist on worshipping false gods and sinning against Him. There comes a time where He can bear it no longer.

Because of the evil of our doings. Because of the abominations that are committed. And judgment is brought upon a people. As a nation and individually. So do you seek great things for yourself? What is it that you're looking at? And you're looking to accomplish in this life? What is it that you're hoping for? What are your sights set on? Adversity is coming. Adversity is coming. Don't let your life be tied up.

material things or the world system or the American system. Instead, be consumed with God. It doesn't mean we can't go and do great things and have roles and opportunities within the nation, within our lives to do great things. But what is it that you're seeking for yourself? A relationship with God? Are you seeking to be right with God? To do His will? To accomplish His purposes?

Or are you caught up in this system that you're seeking great things for yourself? And so when adversity comes, you're going to be shaken. You're going to be trembling. You're going to be distressed like Baruch. Woe is me. Because all your hopes and dreams were in this system that is bringing upon itself the wrath of God. This evening, I want to encourage you. Don't seek great things for yourself in the sense that you pursue the priorities and passions of the world.

In the sense that you pursue and persist in sinful activity. And you insist in rebelling against God. Instead, let's humble ourselves. Let's fear God. Let's walk in obedience to Him. The worship team is going to come up and lead us in a song. And as they do, I just encourage you, I exhort you. Consider verse 10 of chapter 44 and verse 5 of chapter 45. Search your heart. Let God speak to you.

As Jeremiah pronounced this message to the nation, he's pronouncing it to us this evening. They responded by saying, no, we're not going to listen. We're going to do what we want to do. And the things that we said we're going to do, that's what we're going to do. Is that how we will respond? I pray not. Let's worship the Lord.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.