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The Bible Breakdown
Jeremiah 42: Don't Seek God Unless...
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, jeremiah, chapter 42, and today's title is Don't Seek God Unless Don't seek God unless. What this reminds me of is I used to have a friend of mine and pretty early in a friendship like we would have mutual friends and pretty early on he was one of those guys who would never really offer you his opinion. He was just always just a really easygoing guy. But pretty early on there would come a situation where he would say to somebody please don't ask me my opinion. And they would say no, no, I really want to know. And they said no, no, please don't ask me my opinion. And eventually it would come out that he would just say listen, I know that I'm a blunt person and I feel like if you ask my opinion, you want my opinion, and I don't know how to say it without offending you so like I would rather pay you a compliment than for you to ask me my honest opinion, because you'll find out, you know, and invariably what would happen is someone would say no, don't really tell me what you think of my outfit, or what do you think of this song I sang, or whatever in my world and people would get offended because he would say, no, it was trash, it was terrible or it was fine. You know, and really found out that what people didn't want is that they didn't want an honest opinion. What they wanted is for someone to encourage them or to validate them. And I don't know about you, but there's been many times when I've prayed to God and I would say God, your will be done. But I didn't mean it. What I really meant was God, may your will be what I want done rather than your will be done. And we're going to see that in today's text that there's people who are going to ask Jeremiah for a word from the Lord. They really don't want to know what God wants to say. They really want God to say what they want them to say. Right, and we're going to get into all that in just a moment.
Speaker 1:If you have your Bibles, I want to go ahead and open up with me to Jeremiah 42. While you're doing that, make sure you are like sharing and subscribing to the YouTube channel and the podcast. We have people subscribing every day and, if you didn't know, it's free. There's about half of the people who watch this that are actually currently subscribed to the YouTube channel, so make sure you are subscribing and you're also letting other people know that what we are doing around here is we are reading through God's word one chapter at a time, so that we can know God more. Also in the podcast, you will forever and always be my favorites. You are the OGs. Make sure that you are leaving us a five-star review it really does help. And make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people doing an amazing job and the more we dig, the more we find.
Speaker 1:Well, if you have your Bibles, like I said, you want to open up with me to Jeremiah, chapter 42, remember, the overall goal of Jeremiah is, throughout his life and ministry, he's grappling back and forth with these false prophets and the nation of Judah is slowly being harassed by these other nations and Babylon is coming. Just all of this stuff is happening, but in the middle of it, god's message is continually that he wants to give them a future and a hope. Well, that's fine and dandy when everything's going okay, but as chaos continues to build because we're only about 10 chapters away from the end of Jeremiah and spoiler alert it doesn't end well for the nation of Judah, and as they are getting closer, as that ball is rolling downhill, god. It doesn't end well for the nation of Judah, and as they are getting closer, as that ball is rolling downhill, god, he isn't giving up, but the nation of Israel, or Judah rather, is getting worse and worse. And so we're going to read this together and see how maybe there's a little bit of similarity in what we tend to do sometimes as well. Do we really want God's wisdom on something we want him to tell us us? We just want him to agree with us. Let's read this together and see if this will be helpful, maybe a little convicting at the same time. You ready. Jeremiah 42, verse 1, says this Then all the military leaders, including Johanan, son of Kariah, and Jezniah, son of Josiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached Jeremiah, the prophet, and said Please, pray to the Lord, your God for us.
Speaker 1:Now pause, already. They're not even acting like that. God is their God. You notice that they're saying pray to the Lord, your God for us. So they're like look, we don't know it, but we sure do want his opinion, allegedly. So they do that. They say please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, there is only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. Pray that the Lord, your God, will show us what to do and where to go. All right, jeremiah replied. I will pray to the Lord your God, as you have asked, and I will tell you everything he says and I will hide nothing from you. Pause. Again. I love how Jeremiah is like no, no, whether you want him or not, he's your Lord God as well. So I'm going to tell you what the God has to say. I love that. Verse 5,.
Speaker 1:Then they said to Jeremiah may the Lord your God so they keep on going back and forth be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do. Verse 6, whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you with our plea, for if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us. Pause. So you notice there's this subtle little back and forth where they're saying hey, jeremiah, go talk to your God for us. And then Jeremiah's like okay, I'll go talk to your God. In other words, he's your God. Whether you claim him or not he's truly God, then they go okay, fine, and whatever he says, we will do, and let God be a judge against us If we don't. Other words they're saying if we don't, then let God do whatever he wants to do. And then they are just kind of sweetening the deal by calling God our God as well. Well, look at this.
Speaker 1:10 days later, the Lord gave his reply to Jeremiah, which, by the way pause again also reminds us God operates on his timetable. He doesn't operate on ours, which is why sometimes it's so frustrating. But God does what he does for a reason he's God. So 10 days later, the Lord gave Jeremiah this reply, verse eight. So he called Johanan, son of Kariah, and the other military leaders and for all the people, from the least to the greatest. And he, jeremiah, said to them you sent me to the Lord, the God of Israel, with your request. And this is his reply Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am sorry about all the punishment I have had to bring upon you. Do not fear the king of Babylon anymore, for I am with you, I will save you and I will rescue you from his power. I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.
Speaker 1:But God is very careful about saying but if you refuse to obey the Lord, your God, and if you say we will not stay here, instead we will go to Egypt, where we will be free from war, the call to arms and hunger, then hear the Lord's message to the remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord of heaven's armies, the God of Israel, says Now pause. Now, once again, god is saying if you will stay here in this land and we also have to understand the land was extremely important to the nation of Israel and Judah. This was what God had given them so many years before, that it was a very, very important thing to these people. And what God is saying is stay here, stay in the land I have given you. I haven't wanted this punishment for you, so stay and everything will be okay.
Speaker 1:But then he says but if you refuse to obey me, like you said you were not going to do, then he says this if you are determined to go to Egypt and live there, the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you and you will die there. That is the fate awaiting every one of you who insists on going to live in Egypt. Yes, you will die from war, famine and disease. None of you will escape the disaster I will bring upon you there. This is what the Lord of heaven's armies, the God of Israel, says. Just as my anger and fury have been poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so they will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing and mockery. You will never see your homeland again.
Speaker 1:Listen, you remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you do not go to Egypt. Don't forget this warning I have given you today, for you were not being honest when you said to me to pray to the Lord, your God. For you, you said just tell us what the Lord, our God, says, and we will do it. And today I have told you exactly what he said. But you will not obey the Lord, your God, any better now than you have in the past. So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine and disease in Egypt, where you are going.
Speaker 1:Wow, so what's going on here in this moment is that God has sent this message to these people who have said hey, listen, jeremiah, you go talk to God for us. Whatever he says, we will do. And then God tells them great, I've got a big idea for you, I've got a great plan for you. If you'll do things my way, according to my words, man, I'm going to heal you, I'm going to bless you. You don't have anything to be afraid of, no matter how big your enemies are, don't be afraid. Just do it my way and watch what I will do. And then they're like no, no, of course not, of course we don't want to do that. Because he says you're not going to obey me. And because you're not going to obey me, all these bad things are going to happen. But if you would just obey me, I've got a big idea for you. And so, in other words, what God is basically saying is don't seek me unless you're willing to follow me, because if you don't follow me, bad things will happen.
Speaker 1:All of God's promises are true, both the good ones and the bad ones. So be sure, if you're going to follow God, follow him. And that seems so very easy when we're reading about a group of people that lived about 2,500 years ago 2,600 years ago. But isn't it true that, speaking to the same people that we met yesterday, same people we drove by this morning, maybe the same people sitting in our own seat right now, that it is so easy for us to seek God when we think he's going to agree with us, but the moment he doesn't agree with us, we don't want to hear what he has to say anymore?
Speaker 1:What if, today, we truly were to realize that anything God tells us is for our own good? Think about it for a moment. What good does God get out of telling us anything? The answer is nothing. He's God all by himself. No matter what happens in our life, it doesn't change who he is. So, therefore, anything that God's word tells us to do is for our own benefit. It's to help us and to bless us and to be with us and to reveal himself to us and help us to walk in freedom and wholeness and remove all brokenness and just all the good things.
Speaker 1:But we got to follow it. And what God's word is saying is is if you follow me, you've got nothing to be afraid of. I don't care how big, bad and ugly your enemy is Nothing to be afraid of. But if you don't follow me, you have a very good reason to be afraid. Is that maybe what God's word is saying to us today? If you will just follow me, you don't have to live in fear. That doesn't mean that Nebuchadnezzar is not going to be staring right at you. It doesn't mean that Babylon is not going to march against you. It just means he's not going to win. But if we don't follow God's word, then we have a very good reason to be afraid. So let me ask you the question today Are you following God's word? If so, do not let the enemy lie to you and tell you you have a reason to be afraid. But if you're not be afraid until we turn our hearts back over to him, let's pray.
Speaker 1:God, thank you so much for today. Thank you that you're with us and that you're for us in every way. God, it can be so difficult sometimes to parse out the difference between following you and following what we think you'd want us to do. God, I know that, you know that and you know our hearts, and so I pray you will lead us, help us to see your will in your word and then to follow you with all of our hearts. We celebrate you today In Jesus' name. We pray Amen, amen.
Speaker 1:Well, god's word is true, and it says in Jeremiah chapter. What is that it says in Jeremiah chapter? I can't find it. See, this is how you know that this is real. Okay, I lost my verse there. It is there. It is right there. Hold up, I found it. See, this is real. This happens right now. Okay, jeremiah says in 29, verse 13, say it with me because I'm getting embarrassed. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. And one more prayer God, let my technology work tomorrow. Thank you, I love you very much. I'll see you tomorrow. For Jeremiah chapter 43.
