Jeremiah 06: Choose Rest or Chaos

Transcript

Choose Rest or Chaos

Speaker 1 0:00

Hello everybody , welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host , pastor Brandon . Today , jeremiah , chapter 6 , and today's title is Choose Rest or Chaos . You're at a crossroads . You've got to choose rest or chaos . We're going to jump into that in just a moment , but , as always , if you like what we're doing here and you're new around here , make sure you like , share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast it doesn't cost you anything , but it helps us out a lot and the podcast it doesn't cost you anything but it helps us out a lot and make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook . We have a wonderful team of people that are doing devotions every single day . They would love to hear from you , so make sure you're commenting and you're sharing those posts so we can get more people reading those and engaging with God's Word . And make sure that you let us know what God's doing in your life . It really encourages us and it also lets us know what we need to do more of so we can impact the lives of others . Because , man , the more we dig , the more we find . We have your Bible . I want to open it up with me to Jeremiah 6 .

Speaker 1 0:54

Remember , the overall theme of Jeremiah is God's light in the darkness , that it gives us a future and a hope . And that's what Jeremiah is doing . As the train of judgment is coming and it's getting closer all the time , jeremiah is still pleading with the people , and this is over a period of like 40 years , like for a long time . Jeremiah is in the city of Jerusalem and he's grappling back and forth with these false prophets . Who is saying everything's fine , everything's okay ? And Jeremiah is saying , uh-uh , everything's not fine , everything's okay , it's not okay . Judgment's coming and so we need to get ready to run for our lives unless we turn back to God . And what we're going to see today is we get about halfway through this chapter after he's already talking about all this judgment that's coming and he's saying so listen , this is your last warning . You really got to come back to God . And then he says but you're at a crossroads . You can either choose chaos , all the bad stuff , or you can choose rest and come back to me . You're at a crossroads , you got to figure it out .

Speaker 1 1:59

And it reminds me of I had a daughter . I still have a daughter , but when she was younger , we would challenge her . Hey , listen , you need to not do this thing and we knew she wanted to do that thing . Something wasn't good and we would say , hey , listen , here's the thing . If you do the thing , then you're going to get in trouble . If you don't do the thing , you're going to be okay . Like you're at a crossroads here . And man I'm talking about she's a little girl like like four , five years old , you know , and you would see her doing the calculations in her head . So , okay , is what I'm doing ? Is it worth the trouble ? I'm going to get in . And sometimes she would say yeah , so she'd go do what she wanted to do and she would get in trouble and we'd be like , oh , what is going on here ? And that is exactly what's going on with Israel right now is Jeremiah , through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit , is saying these are the bad things that are about to happen to you and you have a choice to make . Please don't choose the bad thing . And they're having to do this calculation and going is it worth it or is it not ? And I think that in our lives a lot of times God kind of does the same things Like hey , listen , I got a big idea for you , but you got to decide . What are you going to do ? So let's read God's word and see where he says you have a choice to make .

Speaker 1 3:12

Jeremiah , chapter six , verse one , says this Run for your lives , you , people of Benjamin . Get out of Jerusalem . Sound the alarm , tekoa . Send the signal to Beth-Hakiram . A powerful army is coming from the north . By the way , that's Babylon Coming with disaster and destruction . O Jerusalem , you are my beautiful and delicate daughter , but I will destroy you . Enemies will surround you , like shepherds camped around the city . Each chooses a place for his troops to devour . They shout prepare for battle . Attack at noon . No , it's too late . The day is fading and the evening shadows are falling . Well then , let's attack at night and destroy her palaces .

Speaker 1 3:55

This is what the Lord of heaven's army says . Cut down the trees for battering rams . Build siege ramps against the walls of Jerusalem . This is the city to be punished for . She is wicked through and through . She spouts evil like a fountain . Her streets echo with sounds of violence and destruction . I always see her sickness and sores .

Speaker 1 4:16

Listen to this warning , jerusalem , or I will turn from you in disgust . Listen , or I will turn you into a heap of ruins , a land where no one lives . This is what the Lord of heaven's army says . Even a few who remain in Israel will be picked over again , as the harvesters check each vine for a second time or pick the grapes that were missed . To whom can I give a warning ? Who will listen when I speak ? Their ears are closed and they cannot hear . They scorn the word of the Lord . They don't want to listen at all .

Speaker 1 4:49

So now I am filled with the Lord's fury . Yes , I am tired of holding it in . I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets and on gatherings of young men , on husbands and wives and on those who are old and gray . Their homes will be turned over to their enemies as their fields and their wives , for I will raise a powerful fist against the people of the land , says the Lord . From the least to greatest , their lives are ruled by greed . And the prophets to priests , and all of them are frauds . They offer superficial treatments for my people's mortal wounds . They give assurances of peace when there is no peace . Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions ? Not at all . They don't even know how to blush . Therefore , they will lie among the slaughtered and they will be brought down when I punish them , says the Lord . This is what the Lord says .

Speaker 1 5:42

Stop at the crossroads and look around . Here it is . Ask for the old , godly way and walk in it . Travel its paths and you will find rest for your souls . But you reply no , that's not the road that we want . I posted watchmen over you who said listen for the sound of the alarm , but you replied no , we won't pay attention .

Speaker 1 6:05

Therefore , listen to this all you nations . Take note of my people's situation . Listen all the earth . I will bring disaster on my people . It is the fruit of their own schemes . Because they refuse to listen to me , they have rejected my word and there's no use offering my sweet frankincense from Sheba . Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands . I will not accept your burnt offerings . Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me . Therefore , this is what the Lord says I will put obstacles in my people's path . Fathers and sons will both fall over them . Neighbors and friends will die together . This is what the Lord says . I will put obstacles in my people's path . Fathers and sons will both fall over them . Neighbors and friends will die together . This is what the Lord says .

Speaker 1 6:45

Look , a great army coming from the north , a great nation is rising against you from far off lands . They are armed with bows and spears and they are cruel and show no mercy . They sound like a roaring sea and they ride forward on horses . They are coming in battle formations planning to destroy you . Beautiful Jerusalem . You have heard reports about the enemy and we wring our hands in fright . Pangs of anguish have gripped us , like those of a woman in labor . Don't go out to the fields , don't travel on the roads . The enemy's sword is everywhere and it terrorizes us at every turn . O my people , dress yourselves in burlap and sit among the ashes , mourn and weep bitterly for the loss of an only son , for suddenly the destroying armies will be upon you .

Speaker 1 7:34

Jeremiah , I have made you a tester of metals that you may determine the quality of my people . They are the worst kind of rebel , full of slander . They are as hard as bronze and iron and they lead others into corruption . The bellows fiercely fan the flames and burn out the corruption , but it does not purify them , for the wickedness remains . I will label them rejected silver , for I , the Lord , am discarding

Choose Peace Over Discipline

Speaker 1 8:04

them .

Speaker 1 8:04

Wow , notice how he is saying . You're at a crossroads . You can choose what he said , the old , godly pathways and there's joy and peace and rest . But if you go this way , I love you , but I'm going to judge you , I'm going to be just , I'm going to let the bad things happen . And here's the thing about God's word All the promises of God are yes . All the promises of God are yes . That means the good ones and that means the bad ones . And God says I want rest for you , but if you don't turn back to me , then I'm also going to keep the promise and I'm going to let what needs to happen happen .

Speaker 1 8:46

And so the answer for that is choose . Choose the right way , choose what is good , just like I was telling you with my daughter . We would , we would tell her baby we want you to choose the right way , make the right choice . But it is for you to choose . You can choose peace or you can choose discipline Please choose peace . And she would do the calculation and go . But you know , I really want you know . And then we would say okay , and no matter how much it hurt us , we had to teach the lesson .

Speaker 1 9:16

And here's the thing is I wonder how many times God is like I love you so very much , but there's a price to pay for the sin that you are continually falling into . There's a price , there's a price , there's a price . And so I wonder if , today , if you are grappling with something that you know God wouldn't smile at , you know it's a sin , but it's medicating a broken place in your life what if you turned that over to God ? Because I wonder if God would say I don't want you to suffer the consequences , I don't want it . I don't want it , I don't want it . But sin is not free . It costs somebody . I paid the price for your sins to wash them all away , but if you don't give them to me , you got to pay for them . So my question for you today is to grapple with as we finish this is there anything in your life that God wants you to turn over to him ? And if so , can I tell you he's not mad at you . He loves you , but he wants you to turn it over to him .

Speaker 1 10:12

Today let's pray , god . Thank you so much for today . Thank you that you are with us and you are for us . I pray today , god , that we will be honest , be transparent and open to you . If there's anything in our lives , god , that we need to turn over to you . I pray we will do it today so we can have that peace and that joy that you want for us . In Jesus' name we pray , amen . God's word says in Jeremiah 29 , verse 13, . He says this if you look for me wholeheartedly , you will find me . I love you . I hope you find the Lord new and fresh every day . I'll see you tomorrow for Jeremiah , chapter 7 .