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00:11 [music] 00:21 [music] 00:27 [music] 00:34 male: Good morning and happy Sabbath. 00:35 I want to thank all of you joining us today, our online 00:38 viewers and our family here at Granite Bay. 00:41 We're glad you're here. 00:42 We're looking forward to an exciting Sabbath School lesson. 00:44 We are studying rebuke and retribution from 00:48 our studies in Jeremiah. 00:49 I'm interested in finding out what this lesson is all going 00:51 to be about. 00:52 We have a special guest who will be sharing with us, but 00:54 before he does, I'd like to share with you our 00:57 free offer for this week. 00:59 It is going to be "The Brook: Why Do Christians Suffer?" 01:05 when the brook died up. 01:06 We're going to be looking at this as offer 161. 01:09 If you want to call in for it, 161, it is... 01:15 Just call that number and ask for your free copy of 01:17 "The Brook Dried Up: Why Do Christians Suffer?" 01:21 At this time, I'm going to ask if our song leaders would come 01:24 out and lead us in some music for this morning. 01:28 [music] 01:37 Emma Quedzuweit: Good morning and happy Sabbath. 01:39 Welcome to our song service here for Sabbath School 01:41 Study Hour. 01:42 We're glad you're here to sing with us today. 01:44 Our first song is going to be number 245, "More About Jesus." 01:50 ♪ More about Jesus I would know, more of his grace ♪ 01:57 ♪ to others show, more of his saving fullness see, more of ♪ 02:06 ♪ his love who died for me. ♪ 02:10 ♪ More, more about Jesus. More, more about Jesus. ♪ 02:20 ♪ More of his saving fullness see, more of his ♪ 02:27 ♪ love who died for me. ♪ 02:32 ♪ More about Jesus let me learn, more of his holy will discern. ♪ 02:41 ♪ Spirit of God my teacher be, showing the things ♪ 02:48 ♪ of Christ to me. ♪ 02:51 ♪ More, more about Jesus. More, more about Jesus. ♪ 03:01 ♪ More of his saving fullness see, more of his ♪ 03:07 ♪ love who died for me. ♪ 03:12 ♪ More about Jesus in his word holding communion with my Lord ♪ 03:22 ♪ hearing his voice in every line, making each faithful ♪ 03:29 ♪ saying mine. ♪ 03:32 ♪ More, more about Jesus. More, more about Jesus. ♪ 03:42 ♪ More of his saving fullness see, more of his ♪ 03:48 ♪ love who died for me. ♪ 03:53 ♪ More about Jesus in his throne ♪ 03:58 ♪ riches in glory all his own ♪ 04:03 ♪ More of his kingdom's sure increase, more of his coming, ♪ 04:11 ♪ Prince of Peace. ♪ 04:13 ♪ More, more about Jesus. More, more about Jesus. ♪ 04:23 ♪ More of his saving fullness see, more of ♪ 04:28 ♪ his love who died for me. ♪♪ 04:37 Emma: You know, as we learn more and more about Jesus every 04:40 day, it makes us want to be more like him, doesn't it? 04:42 Have us be like him in every way that we can. 04:45 Our next song is going to be number 330, "Take My Life and 04:49 Let It Be," all five verses. 04:52 [music] 05:09 [music] 05:12 ♪ Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. ♪ 05:22 ♪ Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of ♪ 05:30 ♪ thy love, at the impulse of thy love. ♪ 05:39 ♪ Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. ♪ 05:49 ♪ Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my king, ♪ 06:00 ♪ always, only for my king. ♪ 06:06 ♪ Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee ♪ 06:17 ♪ Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold, ♪ 06:27 ♪ not a mite would I withhold. ♪ 06:34 ♪ Take my will and make it thine it shall be no longer mine ♪ 06:44 ♪ Take my heart, it is thine own ♪ 06:50 ♪ It shall be thy royal throne ♪ 06:55 ♪ It shall be thy royal throne ♪ 07:01 ♪ Take my love, my Lord. ♪ 07:07 ♪ I pour at thy feet its treasure stored. ♪ 07:12 ♪ Take myself and I will be ever, only all for thee, ♪ 07:22 ♪ ever, only all for thee. ♪ 07:36 David DeRose: Well, good morning to you each one of you. 07:40 If you're at all like me, as you've been on this journey for 07:44 now 3 weeks, we're into the fourth week in this study on 07:49 the book of Jeremiah. 07:51 Probably something's been running through your mind. 07:53 It has been mine. 07:55 I felt like in these first three lessons, we were speaking 07:58 a lot about background. 08:00 We were speaking about the kings of Judah, the final kings 08:02 on the throne. 08:04 We were speaking about Jeremiah's background. 08:06 And I knew that, as we were coming to lesson four, we'd be 08:08 jumping right into the book of Jeremiah, and I was thinking 08:12 maybe it's going to be the first five chapters of 08:13 the book of Jeremiah. 08:15 So, as we turn there to chapter four--to our lesson four 08:18 actually, "Rebuke and Retribution," I don't know, was 08:22 my reaction any different than yours? 08:25 Were you a bit surprised at where the lesson took us? 08:29 Let's look at what is the memory text for this week. 08:35 It's actually in the New King James version in the quarterly. 08:40 It's Jeremiah's own words. 08:43 "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed. 08:48 Save me and I shall be saved, for you are my praise." 08:56 Chapter 17, chapter 17. 09:00 Now, I have never taken a course in homiletics. 09:05 Now, some of you are sitting there, you know, nodding your 09:07 head, "Well, it's obvious," you say, "Dr. 09:09 DeRose, because we've heard you speak before." 09:11 But homiletics is the science, if you will, of preaching. 09:16 And at least when I think about homiletics, I think of two 09:18 great divisions, two different methods of preaching. 09:22 Now, this is why I'm telling you I don't have any formal 09:24 background in this, so if you went to the seminary and took a 09:27 class in homiletics, they'd probably break it down 09:29 a lot more than this. 09:31 But for my simple way of thinking, there is 09:33 exegetical preaching. 09:35 Exegetical preaching is where we just take the Word and we go 09:39 through it verse by verse, and chapter by chapter. 09:43 But then there's thematic preaching, where we preach 09:46 on themes of the Bible. 09:48 Now, for someone like me who's often a visiting speaker, we 09:52 tend to preach thematically because it's hard to walk 09:58 people through, let's say, a whole book of the Bible, even a 10:01 short one, in a single sermon. 10:03 But I know right here in the Granite Bay Church, and many of 10:05 you who view with us from week to week, you're used to people 10:08 preaching exegetically as well. 10:11 We've had people go through, in this very setting, the entire 10:14 Book of Revelation, or other books of the 10:17 Bible systematically. 10:19 That's exegetical preaching. 10:20 And so, when I see a title on a lesson where it says Jeremiah, 10:24 I'm thinking exegetical preaching. 10:26 We're going to march through the book of Jeremiah in 13 10:30 weeks, and we'll go from the beginning, 10:32 chapter 1 to chapter 51. 10:36 But I think--or 52 actually, you're right. 10:39 Some of you are looking at the lessons and you've been reading 10:43 through it, and you say, "Well, that's not 10:44 what's happening here. 10:46 This is a very thematic approach to Jeremiah." 10:49 Now, that's not wrong. 10:51 But the problem with it is is I think it feeds into a mindset 10:55 that we have in our culture, which is the 10:57 sound bite culture. 11:00 Are you following along with me? 11:01 Sound bite culture. What do we do? 11:05 We don't listen to anyone make a presentation. 11:08 We don't listen to speeches. 11:09 We don't read the whole context of things. 11:11 We just get a sound bite. 11:13 "Did you hear what--did you--did you hear what 11:15 that--and I heard the 30--" You don't know who it was, but, "I 11:19 heard the 37th minute and 15th second to 20th second of what 11:24 that person said in those 45 minutes, and I'm so upset." 11:28 Because that's all they played on the evening news. 11:32 Well, we don't want to make the same mistake with the book of 11:34 Jeremiah, so as I was preparing to share this lesson with you, 11:38 I said, "Listen, if we're going to jump into lesson 17, I'm not 11:41 prepared to talk about chapter 17 unless I read 11:45 chapters 1 through 17." 11:48 So, I wanted to make sure I did that this week just so it's 11:51 fresh in my mind, not that I hadn't read it before. 11:53 And as I was doing that--I'll be honest with you. 11:58 If I walked in this morning and one of you came and said, "Dr. 12:01 DeRose, my son has just broken a record." 12:06 Broken a record. Well, excited? 12:11 Son has broken a record, well, what did he--you know, 12:13 is he a track star? 12:15 Did he just get the highest grade on his exam, you know, 12:17 a standardized exam? 12:20 What is it? 12:21 Someone speaks about breaking a record, at least in my day, it 12:24 meant usually something different than what you may 12:27 hear about today. 12:28 In my day--now, some of you are looking at me and you'll be 12:31 completely confused by this, but we used to talk about 12:33 broken records when I was a young man. 12:37 And it wasn't talking about someone shattering the mile run 12:41 speed record. 12:43 It was actually talking about scratching the surface of one 12:46 of these vinyl discs. 12:49 Now, some of you are looking totally bewildered, 12:51 a vinyl disc. 12:53 Now, I think most of you realize that historically, we 12:54 used to have sound recordings on pieces of plastic. 12:59 And you put a little needle on it. 13:01 And some of you may want to read up on the history of this. 13:04 I know you're looking bewildered, but we would put 13:06 this little needle on it. 13:07 And if you weren't very careful, if you didn't have one 13:10 of those high-tech turntables like one of my college 13:12 roommates have that would, you know, slowly just lower the 13:16 needle right into the right place, then you 13:18 could scratch the record. 13:20 We call it a broken record. 13:22 And what did a broken record sound like? 13:26 Repeating and repeating and repeating. 13:30 Let's look at Jeremiah because we're going to find that much 13:34 of the book of Jeremiah sounds like a broken record, one of 13:38 those old broken records. 13:41 I'm actually jumping into an overview here that's actually 13:45 found in Sabbath Afternoon's reading in the lesson. 13:49 And if you look at the bottom paragraph in your quarterly, it 13:56 says, "This week, we'll start to look at the trials of 14:00 Jeremiah, whose ministry seemed to consist of nothing but 14:05 rebuke and retribution, he giving the rebuke and the 14:11 leaders giving him retribution." 14:16 Well, I think most of us know what rebuke and retribution 14:18 are, but I thought, just to be safe, I'd actually 14:21 go to the dictionary. 14:23 And we're told that rebuke is expressing sharp disapproval or 14:29 criticism of because of behavior or actions. 14:38 So, sharp disapproval or criticism based on actions. 14:44 And then what about retribution? 14:47 Well, retribution is punishment, punishment that is 14:51 considered to be morally right and fully deserved. 14:58 Interesting, huh? 14:59 Is it really a broken record? 15:01 Well, let's look at Sunday's lesson and see if we can make 15:06 this thesis and make it clear. 15:08 Actually, one of the interesting things that comes 15:11 out on Sunday is something that really jumps us into the book 15:17 contextually, and to this recurring theme, one of the 15:19 recurring themes of Jeremiah. 15:21 Look with me at the first few words. 15:22 If you don't have a lesson quarterly, by the way, you can 15:25 view those online. 15:27 You can also, if you're a member here at Granite Bay, 15:29 pick those up in the foyer. 15:31 But the two ways--the two ways are what is being 15:35 highlighted in Sunday's lesson. 15:37 It says, "From the earliest chapters of Genesis to the last 15:40 chapters of Revelation, the Bible presents us only two 15:43 options on how to live. 15:45 We either follow the Lord with all our heart and soul, 15:48 or we don't." 15:51 What do you think about that? 15:53 Is it really only two options? 15:56 Look with me at Jeremiah chapter 7. 15:58 I'm going to Jeremiah 7, beginning with verse 22. 16:02 Really, this is a very good synthesis of what Jeremiah 16:06 is dealing with in his day. 16:08 Jeremiah 7, beginning with verse 22. 16:13 And for all of us just to kind of recap where we've been over 16:16 the last 3 weeks, Jeremiah, the book of Jeremiah is being given 16:21 after, if you will, a sense of close of probation for the 16:24 Jewish people. 16:26 Now, I know most of you, when you hear about the close of 16:28 probation for the Jewish nation, you think of that great 16:31 time prophecy in Daniel and you think of 34 AD. 16:34 You think of the 70 weeks of Daniel and the time that was 16:38 especially given to God's people to make a full end of 16:41 sin, to accept the Messiah in essence, to 16:42 accept Jesus' ministry. 16:44 Here's the point. 16:45 As a nation, God had called them for a special purpose. 16:50 And when we pick up the story of Jeremiah, they 16:53 have actually blown it. 16:55 They've blown it and God is about to take them into 16:58 captivity in Babylon. 17:00 Okay, that's really the setting, that's the background 17:02 of the book of Jeremiah, and Jeremiah's ministry during the 17:05 time of captivity and the various conquests of Babylon. 17:09 So, he's speaking to the kings prior to the conquest of the 17:14 Babylonians and during that process, because there were 17:17 three waves of conquest. 17:19 So, that's a summary of our first three lessons together. 17:22 But now as we're in Jeremiah 7, we're catching a glimpse of 17:25 this broken record message. 17:28 So, Jeremiah 7, verse 22. 17:32 "For I did not speak to your fathers," God speaking through 17:35 Jeremiah, "or command them in the day that I brought them out 17:39 of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices, 17:42 but this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey my voice, 17:46 and I will be your guide, and you will be my people. 17:49 And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may 17:52 be well with you.' 17:56 Yet they did not obey, nor incline their 18:00 ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil 18:06 hearts, and went backward and not forward. 18:09 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt 18:12 until this day, I have even sent to you all my servants, 18:15 the prophets daily, rising up early and sending them, yet 18:20 they did not obey me or incline their ear, but 18:23 they stiffen their necks. 18:25 They did worse than their fathers." 18:28 Now, this is quite a rebuke coming from God himself. 18:31 And you might say, as we're sitting here today, "I am so 18:34 glad we're not that kind of a people." 18:36 Okay, we don't have that problem. 18:38 We're obeying God. 18:39 We're right here fellowshipping together." 18:42 This is one of God's commands. 18:44 Paul encouraged it in the Book of Hebrews. 18:46 As we see the day approaching, we're supposed to come 18:48 together, we're supposed to encourage one another. 18:49 That's what we're doing. 18:51 We're keeping God's commandments." 18:55 But were the Jews of Jeremiah's day any different 18:59 than we are today? 19:03 This week, I was looking at a famous 19:05 archaeological inscription. 19:08 Now again, I'm treading on dangerous waters. 19:11 I'm not an archaeologist. 19:13 I could not even claim to be an amateur archaeologist. 19:17 I guess my greatest claim to archaeological training is I 19:21 had one master's level course at the seminary in archaeology, 19:25 so it hardly qualifies for much. 19:28 But it was in that very class that I was introduced to this 19:30 amazing inscription in a place--and I will try to use my 19:34 best pronunciation of the Semitic languages. 19:37 Quintelet Adruid. 19:40 There is there a structure, a building. 19:43 And there has been debate among the scholars, as best I can 19:45 tell, as to whether this inscription was actually in a 19:51 temple, in a place of worship, in a fortress. 19:54 You can see an image of it here. 19:57 And those of you who are like me that don't read Semitic 20:00 languages, you'll see some scrawling on it, but there is a 20:03 blessing here associated with this graphic image, as well as 20:09 other places, at least one or two other places 20:12 in this structure. 20:14 And it basically is proclaiming a blessing 20:18 from Yahweh and Asherah. 20:25 I bless you by Yahweh and Asherah. 20:30 Now, we know who Yahweh is. Yahweh is Jehovah. 20:34 He is the God of the Old Testament. 20:36 But who was Asherah? 20:39 Asherah was this female deity of the heathens. 20:44 This dates back somewhere back into the 8th or 9th century BC. 20:50 And it gives us a glimpse of what was happening culturally 20:53 for many centuries. 20:58 King Ahab, you remember that name? 21:02 What comes to your mind when you hear King Ahab? 21:06 Jezebel, wicked. 21:09 You know, if you lived in Ahab's day, it is likely you 21:12 would have thought highly of Ahab. 21:15 Ahab was one of the most competent, from a political and 21:18 economic standpoint, one of the most competent rulers of the 21:22 northern kingdom. 21:25 He lived in an ivory palace. 21:28 He was--actually, we find Ahab's name in 21:31 the writings of foreign kings. 21:34 Ahab was someone of prominence. 21:37 You would say, "I mean, we've got 21:39 someone important leading our country." 21:41 You say, "But the guy was wicked." 21:43 Actually, you know, there is something good said about Ahab. 21:45 Judgement was averted during Ahab's day because even his 21:49 repentance, at least on a certain level. 21:53 In Ahab's day, we know of that great ministry of Elijah. 21:57 Elijah gave a similar message of rebuke, didn't he? 22:03 Do you remember what Elijah said on Mount Carmel? 22:08 What was the key challenge he gave to God's people in his day? 22:14 Yes, "How long will you halt between two opinions?" 22:18 Now, this is where we get it wrong. 22:20 This is where we get it wrong. 22:21 In our minds, we're looking at Jeremiah's day, or you go back 22:24 several centuries to Elijah's day, and then where we get it 22:29 wrong is we think these people had tossed God out 22:33 and they're serving Baal. 22:35 That was not their problem. 22:37 Jeremiah didn't say, nor did Elijah say on Mount Carmel, 22:43 Elijah didn't say, "Stop serving Baal and start 22:49 following Jehovah." 22:50 He did not say that. 22:52 He said, "How long halt you between two opinions?" 22:58 In that era, those centuries, you could easily have walked up 23:02 to someone and say, "I bless you in the name of Yahweh and Baal. 23:08 I bless you in the name of Jehovah and Asherah." 23:12 Are you following along with me? 23:15 What I'm trying to help us see is the problem that they had is 23:20 something called syncretism. 23:22 Have you heard that phrase before? 23:23 Syncretism is pulling everything together and making 23:27 it all really--pronouncing your blessing on it. 23:32 It's like a patient I had many years ago. 23:34 Actually, may have been the wealthiest patient I ever had. 23:38 We'll call him Zachary. 23:44 I don't know of a Zachary here today. 23:46 If there is, I'm not singling you out. 23:48 Zachary was a billionaire, literally. 23:52 And I was fascinated because as he came to one of our Seventh 23:55 Day Adventist health centers, he came with his idols. 24:01 And it turned out--and I'm exaggerating a bit as to how I 24:04 describe this, but on Sunday, Zachary was a Catholic, and on 24:08 Monday he was Muslim, and on Tuesday he was Buddhist. 24:13 Are you following along with me? 24:15 Everything was good, you see? Everything was good. 24:20 If you don't realize that this is the post-modern world in 24:23 which we live, there are many people that you say, "Well, you 24:27 know, I just went to a wonderful church service, and 24:29 we're studying the Bible." 24:31 I say, "Oh, that's so good, I'm so glad. 24:33 I'm so happy when people are, you know, spiritual. 24:36 And you know, I went to the Buddhist temple yesterday 24:40 myself and I had such a good experience, and then I was over 24:44 at the Jewish synagogue a couple of weeks ago." 24:46 Are you following along? 24:47 And so, it's this very neutral environment. 24:53 How are we today? How are we today? 24:57 Can you obey God just a little bit? 25:01 Have you ever thought about it? 25:03 How do you know if you're obeying God? 25:05 How do you know if you're really obeying God? 25:10 You only know if you really obeying God when God asks you 25:14 to do something that you wouldn't choose to do yourself, 25:18 and you do it. 25:20 Right? 25:22 "Oh, Dr. DeRose, I'm following 95% of what, you know, God is 25:26 asking me to do, 95% I'm following." 25:30 How much are you following? You're following zero. 25:35 You say, "Wait, how can you say that? 25:37 How can you say you're following zero?" 25:40 Because what you're telling me is that when you agree with 25:43 him, you're following him. 25:46 But when you don't, you're not. 25:48 So, who are you really following? 25:50 You're following yourself. 25:52 This was the problem in Jeremiah's day. 25:54 You think I'm making things up perhaps if you haven't read 25:58 much from Jeremiah. 26:00 Let's look at some examples here. 26:02 Let's look at some examples. 26:07 Let's actually look at Jeremiah chapter 5, Jeremiah chapter 5. 26:16 And I feel like I have some license to do this because 26:18 we're looking thematically. 26:19 Some of you are getting worried. 26:21 You're looking and you're saying, "Well, wait a minute. 26:24 Are we going to actually get through all of today's lesson?" 26:26 We're going to try to do this. 26:31 Look at what God judges in his people. 26:35 I'm in Jeremiah 5, beginning with verse 20. 26:41 Jeremiah 5, verses 20 and 21. 26:45 "Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah 26:50 saying, 'Hear us now, O foolish people without understanding, 26:55 who have eyes and see not, who have ears and hear not. 26:58 Do you not fear me?' says the Lord. 27:00 'Will you not tremble at my presence?'" 27:03 What's going on? 27:06 They don't have the right reverence for God. 27:08 They're not seeing, they're not hearing, they're 27:10 missing the whole point. 27:16 We'll pick up some of these themes a little bit more, but 27:18 we want to look at what Jeremiah is dealing 27:20 with in this context. 27:22 So, the broken record is God is calling you to obey. 27:26 You think you're obeying. 27:29 You're saying that you're following God, but you're not. 27:33 And God is calling you to return, and you're 27:35 refusing to return. 27:37 This is one of the essences of Jeremiah's message. 27:43 Sunday's lesson called us to look at Jeremiah 17. 27:46 It is a powerful chapter, so let's go there and look 27:49 together at Jeremiah 17. 27:57 So, here God is giving a message to his prophet, 28:00 Jeremiah 17, beginning with verse 5. 28:04 "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his 28:10 strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. 28:13 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see 28:17 when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in 28:21 the wilderness, in a salt land, which is not inhabited." 28:26 So, first you have this picture of judgement, right? 28:29 But then in the following verses, we read this. 28:33 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose 28:36 hope is in the Lord. 28:39 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which 28:42 spreads outs it--spreads out its roots by the river, and 28:46 will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and 28:50 will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from 28:55 yielding fruit." 28:57 They say beautiful words, encouraging words. 28:59 I want to trust Jesus. 29:00 I want to take part in those life-giving waters that are 29:03 promised to the faithful, right? 29:06 But contextually, there's a very interesting passage. 29:11 Go back just a few chapters because Jeremiah was struggling 29:13 just a few chapters earlier in Jeremiah 15. 29:16 I want you to see this. 29:19 Jeremiah 15, beginning with verse 16. 29:25 So, remember this is a book. 29:27 And so, if you want to get the full impact of the Book of 29:29 Jeremiah, you've got to read the book of Jeremiah. 29:32 You can't just look at the themes in Jeremiah. 29:36 But so, I'm now looking at Jeremiah 15. 29:39 And in Jeremiah 15, verse 16, Jeremiah gives us--it's one of 29:44 the more inspiring passages in the book. 29:48 "Your words were found, and I ate them. 29:51 And your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart, for 29:57 I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts." 30:02 You know God wants to give you that same experience? 30:06 He wants his Word to be your joy. 30:09 And if it's not there, if it's not your joy to read the Bible, 30:12 I might suggest to you that you haven't been reading it enough. 30:18 I didn't grow up in a culture that valued the Bible. 30:22 I was not raised in a home where the Bible was read. 30:25 I never heard of a Seventh Day Adventist growing up. 30:29 And so, I came out of the secular world. 30:31 Was it easy for me to read the Bible and become engaged by it? 30:34 Do you think it was easy to begin with? 30:36 No, it was very difficult. 30:38 But after a while as I continued to read it and I see 30:41 God speaking to me through his Word. 30:44 It's such a blessing, I don't want to miss having 30:46 my time to read the Bible. 30:48 It doesn't matter how early I have to be up and going, I'm up 30:51 early enough that I can read the Word. 30:56 So, Jeremiah is sharing his own experience, and it's an 30:59 experience he wants us to have. 31:01 And it doesn't come just by the sound bite, "Well, Dr. DeRose, 31:04 I read the devotional, you know, the three paragraphs. 31:07 And then I--you know, while I was eating my breakfast. 31:09 And so that--but I don't--you know, I just do it because 31:11 I'm supposed to do it." 31:13 No, you got to spend more time if you want to develop a taste 31:15 for tahini, and it's the same for many of us with the Word. 31:20 Jeremiah said, "Your word was, to me, the joy and 31:25 rejoicing of my heart." 31:26 But now listen carefully as Jeremiah 15 continues. 31:30 He said, "I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers." 31:36 I would have gotten bogged down if I wasn't--I actually think I 31:38 was listening to this at the time, someone reading it. 31:40 I would've gotten bogged down right on that verse. 31:42 You'll see why in a minute. 31:44 "Nor did I rejoice. 31:46 I sat alone because of your hand, for you have filled me 31:50 with indignation. 31:52 Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable which refuses 31:57 to be healed? 31:58 Will you surely be to me like an unreliable 32:01 stream as waters that fail?" 32:06 Jeremiah here, he starts by saying, "I'm rejoicing in your 32:09 Word, Lord. 32:11 But why are you treating me like this? 32:13 Why is this happening in my life? 32:15 Why have you given me this burden?" 32:16 God had commissioned him to give a ministry of rebuking. 32:23 Now, when I heard verse 17, my mind immediately 32:27 went to Psalm 1. 32:29 Go with me there. 32:31 And of course, I did that after I listened to the chapter or 32:33 the chapters I was reading. 32:35 Made kind of a mental note if I didn't write it down. 32:38 I said, "I got to go back to Psalm 1 because this sounds 32:40 like Jeremiah is quoting a Bible promise." 32:44 Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the council of 32:52 the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in 32:56 the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of 33:00 the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. 33:03 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water." 33:08 You say, "Now, wait a minute." 33:09 You catch what Jeremiah's saying? 33:12 As he's saying, "I delight in your word." 33:14 This is Psalm 1. 33:15 "I delight in your Word," and what's the promise? 33:17 The promise is if you're not sitting, what? 33:20 With the ungodly. That's what he's saying. 33:22 You see it there in Jeremiah 15. 33:24 "I'm not sitting in the assembly of the mockers." 33:28 He's saying, "I'm fulfilling the conditions of Psalm 1, but 33:34 why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable?" 33:41 Are you following along? 33:42 God is not delivering on his promise. 33:47 This is the age old challenge that we have 33:49 as believers, isn't it? 33:52 We're called to obey God, to trust him, and it seems 33:55 sometimes that he's not following through. 33:58 So, as you're reading through the book of Jeremiah, you're 34:00 seeing that Jeremiah's struggling with the message 34:03 he's been given. 34:04 But now, when we come to Jeremiah 17, and that's why 34:06 we're back in Jeremiah 17, you don't get the significance of 34:10 Jeremiah 17 unless you read Jeremiah 15, 34:13 unless you read what's before it. 34:15 Because what Jeremiah's been struggling with is, how come 34:18 Psalm 1 is not being fulfilled in my life? 34:21 How come it's not being fulfilled? 34:22 And God sits him down in Jeremiah 17 and he says, 34:27 "Know my promise is sure. 34:31 The man is blessed who trusts in the Lord." 34:34 Jeremiah 17, verse 7. 34:36 "He will be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads 34:42 out its roots by the river." 34:44 This imagery from Psalm 1. 34:46 God is saying, "My word is sure." 34:48 And then he goes on in his passage in Jeremiah 17, 34:52 with verse 9. 34:54 The heart is what? 34:56 "Deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. 35:01 Who can know it?" 35:03 So, Jeremiah, whether he's looking at his own heart or the 35:07 hearts of the people around him, what is he saying? 35:09 He's saying sometimes it doesn't look like we can trust God. 35:13 It doesn't look that way. 35:15 But God calls us to do what anyway? 35:18 To trust him anyway. 35:22 You know, if you're having experiences right now where 35:25 it's hard to trust God, instead of complaining, which, by the 35:30 way, it's okay to complain to God. 35:32 Are you aware of that? 35:33 Many of the great Bible writers complained to God. 35:39 But you've got to listen. 35:43 And what Jeremiah was being told by God is his word is sure. 35:46 Here's the thing. 35:47 When we're going through trials and challenges, these are the 35:50 times that strengthen our faith. 35:53 When you hold onto God when it's difficult, when God is 35:56 saying trust me, and then you see him deliver, these are the 36:00 things that establish our faith. 36:02 When you give in, that doesn't strengthen your faith at all. 36:06 We talk about this when we deal with addictions in 36:09 the medical community. 36:11 You know, I've told my patients, let's say they're 36:12 dealing with nicotine addiction, I'll say to them, 36:15 "You know what? 36:17 The temptation is not going to last forever. 36:20 Temptation is not going to last forever. 36:23 You're going to either give in to it, or you're going to 36:26 resist and it will pass. 36:30 But the consequences of what you do are very different, you see? 36:36 If you have that cigarette after a week of not smoking, is 36:41 the consequence going to be different than if you stayed 36:43 away from that cigarette?" 36:45 They're huge, right? 36:47 So, the point is when temptation comes, temptation 36:50 doesn't last forever. 36:51 Press close to Jesus. 36:53 James said, "Draw near to God, and he'll do," what? 36:56 "He'll draw near to you, whether you feel it or not." 37:01 Jeremiah 17 is a pivotal chapter, and I appreciate the 37:03 lesson highlighting it for us, about the deceitfulness of the 37:08 heart and yet the surety of God's promises, the surety of 37:12 God's promises. 37:14 Well, let's move on a little bit more. 37:17 In Jeremiah chapter 17, we were called to that very same 37:21 chapter again in Monday's lesson. 37:24 A little bit more of the immediate context talking just 37:28 about what we've been talking about as far as the background 37:31 of his messages. 37:33 In Jeremiah 17, the chapter began with these words, verse 37:37 1, "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, with the 37:42 point of a diamond. 37:43 It's engraved on the tablet of their heart and on the horns of 37:47 your altars, while their children remember their altars 37:51 and their wooden images by the green trees on the high hills." 37:57 What's going on here? 38:00 Well, God wants to write his law on our hearts, right? 38:05 How is his law written on our hearts? 38:10 Is it just a supernatural work? 38:13 I would suggest to you that part of it is supernatural, okay? 38:15 When we give our hearts to Jesus, he gives us his Holy 38:18 Spirit, he give us the desire to follow him. 38:21 But part of God changing our characters is based 38:24 on our obedience. 38:26 It's not just a miraculous work. 38:30 God calls us to obey him. 38:32 You read through the book of Jeremiah, even just those first 38:34 17 chapters, again and again the call is to 38:37 obey, to obey, to obey. 38:40 And when we obey, even if it's difficult, what happens? 38:46 It changes us. 38:49 The way we behave changes us. Are you aware of that? 38:53 There's a saying in psychological circles and it's 38:56 this: expression deepens impression. 39:02 Have you heard that before? Expression deepens impression. 39:08 So, if you come to church and you sing about Jesus' love, 39:11 what is that doing? 39:15 That's deepening the impression of Jesus' love for you. 39:19 If someone walks up to you and says, 39:21 "How are you doing today?" 39:22 and you say, "I am doing so terrible. 39:24 I had such a terrible week. 39:26 I mean, it was terrible at work, it was terrible at home, 39:29 it's terrible here in church. 39:31 I mean, nobody's treating me right," and you start going 39:34 through all this, and how do you start feeling? 39:37 The expression of negative thoughts is deepening those 39:41 negative impressions on your own mind. 39:44 Now, you may be feeling just as bad and someone walks up to you 39:48 and you say, "How are you doing?" 39:49 And you say, "I'm just so thankful to be here in church. 39:52 I'm just praising the Lord that it's Sabbath. 39:55 I'm just praising the Lord that I can come to a church and we 39:57 can study the Bible together." 39:59 Now, you may feel just as lousy as the person who was 40:02 complaining about how bad their week was, but 40:04 what's happening to you? 40:06 I mean, has it ever happened to you? 40:08 Have you ever actually started talking praise? 40:11 I mean, sometimes, God has had to put someone in my path to 40:14 get me out of a rut. 40:17 Really, someone, you know, they're having some terrible 40:19 day, and I'm not feeling all that good myself. 40:23 And so, I start trying to encourage them. 40:25 And what do you know, what do you know, then I start 40:27 encouraging myself. 40:29 We start talking about the Bible promises. 40:32 And you know, depressed people walk into my office, some of 40:34 them want me to open the Bible with them. 40:36 And I start studying the Bible and I just, 40:38 "Oh, what a blessing," you know? It's encouraged me. 40:44 Expression deepens impression. 40:47 The impression on the hearts of God's people, it was like an 40:50 engraved--it was engraved in their being. 40:56 "The compromise, the worship of the secular gods of the age." 41:04 Did you catch that? The secular gods of the age. 41:08 We don't worship Baal today. We don't worship Asherah. 41:12 But what are the secular gods of our age? 41:17 What are they? 41:18 What are the secular gods that try to intrude into your life? 41:22 And this is what Jeremiah's dealing with. 41:25 Well, we hasten on to Tuesday's lesson. 41:31 And Jeremiah, I mean, he had a rough time. 41:36 Jeremiah 11, our attention is called there, and some powerful 41:41 imagery here in Jeremiah 11. 41:45 Jeremiah's been giving faithfully these messages of 41:48 rebuke and how is it received? 41:53 Well, let's look. 41:55 Jeremiah 11, verses 18 through 23. 41:59 Jeremiah 11, verses 18 through 23. 42:04 "Now, the Lord gave me knowledge of it," speaking of 42:08 some of the Baal worship and things that were going on, "for 42:12 you showed me their doings. 42:14 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter, and I 42:20 did not know that they had devised schemes against me, 42:24 saying, 'Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us 42:28 cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may 42:32 be remembered no more.' 42:34 But O Lord of hosts, you judge righteously, 42:36 testing the mind and the heart. 42:38 Let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have 42:41 revealed my cause. 42:44 Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, 42:47 who seek your life, saying, "Do not prophesy in the name of the 42:51 Lord, lets you die by your hand.'" 42:53 That's what they were saying to Jeremiah. 42:56 "Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Behold, I will 42:58 punish them. 42:59 The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their 43:03 daughters shall die by famine. 43:06 And there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring 43:09 catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of 43:14 their punishment.'" 43:16 Anathoth, where was that? 43:19 If you remember Jeremiah chapter 1, that was Jeremiah's 43:24 home town, home town. 43:28 What were they saying about him? 43:31 They wanted to kill him. 43:32 I mean, you're picking up on the imagery here. 43:36 These lessons have pointed us to the book of John. 43:38 It's a good place to compare because Jeremiah's experience 43:41 is much like Jesus' experience. 43:45 I'm looking at John 1. 43:48 In John chapter 1, we're reminded that Jesus is the Word. 43:52 He has been God's thought made audible from the 43:55 beginning of time. 43:57 And so, by the way, when you're reading the Word, you're not 44:01 just interacting with a book, you're interacting with 44:04 a person, you see? 44:06 Jesus wants to personally reveal himself to you through his Word. 44:11 And if you're not having that experience, just ask him to 44:13 show himself to you, to give you something that will make a 44:17 difference in your life. 44:18 I've found God extremely faithful on this point. 44:22 I mean, my life has been changed by things that God 44:26 shows me in my morning worship time, changed. 44:28 I'm dealing with some issue and I'm reading systematically 44:33 through something. 44:35 I'm not looking for an answer to a problem I'm dealing with 44:37 and the Lord puts the answer right in front of me. 44:38 The Lord is willing to do that for you. 44:40 Now, other times, you know what he does? 44:42 Just what he did for Jeremiah. 44:44 And I'm scratching my head and I'm saying, "Why are you 44:46 allowing this to happen, Lord? 44:47 What's going on? 44:49 I thought I'm following your will, and it's not working out." 44:51 They're both part of the Christian experience. 44:54 John chapter 1. 44:56 Jesus, the Word being revealed here. 44:58 It says in verse 11, "He came," where? 45:02 John 1:11, "He came to his own." 45:05 He came to his own. And how did they receive him? 45:11 They didn't receive him. 45:15 And as we read through the Gospel of John and the gospel 45:17 stories, we see that Jesus was treated just like Jeremiah was. 45:22 In fact, just like we saw in Jeremiah and those earlier 45:24 chapters, God was pleading to his people through his 45:29 prophets, and they kept saying no. 45:40 Wednesday's lesson calls us to Jeremiah chapter 12. 45:46 It's a theme that we've already seen as we've been 45:49 looking--it's a recurring theme in Jeremiah and a recurring 45:51 theme in the Bible. 45:53 And it's worth us spending a little bit more time with it. 45:56 Jeremiah chapter 12, verses 1 through 4 is the focus. 46:02 Jeremiah 12, verses 1 through 4. 46:05 We're speaking about what is called in 46:07 theological circles theodicy. 46:10 Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? 46:15 Why do the wicked prosper and the good seem to suffer? 46:20 Jeremiah is dealing with it in chapter 12. 46:22 Jeremiah 12, verse 1 and onward. 46:25 Jeremiah 12, beginning with verse 1, "Righteous are you, O 46:28 Lord, when I plead with you. 46:31 Yet let me talk with you about your judgements. 46:34 Why does the way of the wicked prosper? 46:37 Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? 46:42 You've planted them, yes, they have taken root. 46:46 They grow, yes, they bear fruit. 46:48 You are near in their mouth, but far from their mind." 46:51 Interesting, isn't it? 46:53 I mean, do you see, do you see how all these 46:55 things are fitting together? 46:57 One of these themes is, why does it look like 46:59 the wicked are prospering? 47:03 And what he's saying in Jeremiah 12 is he's arguing 47:06 with God again. 47:08 Jeremiah is saying, "How come Psalm 1 is not being fulfilled? 47:12 The wicked are prospering. 47:13 They're the ones that are like the green tree." 47:16 Verse 3, Jeremiah 12. 47:19 "But you, O Lord, know me and you've seen me. 47:23 You've tested my heart toward you. 47:25 Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter and prepare them 47:28 for the day of slaughter. 47:29 How long will the land mourn and the herbs of the field wither? 47:32 The beasts and birds are consumed, for the wickedness of 47:36 those who dwell there, because they said, 47:39 'He will not see our final end.'" 47:41 They're basically saying--the wicked are saying, 47:43 "God is not going to judge us." 47:48 You know, we've been looking at verses that were highlighted in 47:51 this lesson, but I will tell you if you read through 47:54 Jeremiah 1 to 17, you're going to see that, mingled with the 47:58 expressions of judgment, are ample calls to come back. 48:04 God is continuing to call to his people to return. 48:08 And that's the message that Jeremiah was given as well. 48:12 Go with me to a parallel chapter in the Bible, Psalm 37. 48:17 Psalm 37, the psalmist is dealing with this very same 48:20 issue as to why--and it almost starts the very 48:23 way Jeremiah 12 starts. 48:25 It starts with some words that sound like the writer is 48:28 praising God, but it immediately descends into 48:32 a severe struggle. 48:34 Psalm 37 says, "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be 48:47 envious of the workers of iniquity." 48:51 This is pulling back the curtain on where we should be going. 48:54 "For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither 48:58 as the green herb. 48:59 Trust in the Lord and do good. 49:01 Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness. 49:04 Delight yourself also in the Lord and he shall give you the 49:07 desires of your heart." 49:10 Do you know what a palindrome is? 49:14 Palindrome is where you go one direction, and then you go 49:18 backwards and it's the same. 49:21 Able was I ere I saw Elba, same forward and backward. 49:28 Psalm 37, if you had a palindrome with another verse 49:33 beside it, it would be 73. 49:36 Psalm 37 and Psalm 73, okay? 49:43 Psalm 73. 49:47 This is the one I wanted to look at first if you were wondering. 49:50 This is the one where it starts with an expression 49:52 of God's goodness. 49:54 "Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart." 49:59 But look at verse 2, "But as for me, my feet had almost 50:03 stumbled, for I was," what? 50:08 "Envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity 50:12 of the wicked." 50:13 Psalm 73 goes on and it says things are not happening like 50:17 Psalm 37 promised. 50:20 The wicked are prospering, until you come down in Psalm 73 50:25 to a very, very specific verse, verse 16 and 17. 50:33 "When I thought how to understand this," the 50:36 prosperity of the wicked, it was what? 50:39 "Too painful for me until," until what? 50:47 "I went into the sanctuary of God. 50:50 Then I understood their end." 50:53 You know, some people think that Seventh Day Adventists are 50:57 legalistic or shortsighted because they look back to the 51:00 Old Testament and the sanctuary. 51:02 The sanctuary explains this great controversy theme. 51:06 It explains that there is a God who is willing to be the 51:09 sacrifice for our sins, who reminds us no matter what we've 51:14 done in the past, no matter how things look, we can come with 51:17 confidence, as Paul put it in Hebrews, 51:20 to the throne of grace. 51:22 So we can find mercy, we can find grace to 51:25 help in time of need. 51:27 Aren't you glad for that? 51:28 Jeremiah, yes, he had a ministry of rebuke. 51:33 And we didn't spend much time about that. 51:35 I think we need balance in the church. 51:38 We need to be free to speak when we think 51:40 something is not right. 51:42 But most of the people that feel that way, that's all they 51:44 do is complain. 51:46 Hopefully you're not in either camp, but that we're calling 51:49 ourselves to be accountable. 51:51 You know, if you're still struggling with these things, 51:52 we have good news. 51:54 We do have a free offer that I want to remind you of, it's 51:57 free offer 161. 52:00 You can get it, the booklet is called "The Brook Dried Up: Why 52:05 Do Christians Suffer?" 52:07 a great follow-up to the themes that we've looked at in the 52:09 Book of Jeremiah. 52:11 Free offer 161, you can get it by calling 866-STUDY-MORE. 52:15 That's 866-788-3966. 52:21 And until our next lesson, hopefully we will be doing what 52:26 Jeremiah did, diving into the Word, finding it to be the joy 52:31 and the rejoicing of our hearts. 52:34 female: "Amazing Facts" has impacted my life. 52:36 male: And I just praise God for "Amazing Facts". 52:38 male: "Amazing Facts" actually did have 52:39 an impact on my life. 52:41 male: This whole process getting to where I am today-- 52:42 female: "Amazing Facts" has been-- 52:46 female: I began reading the Bible. 52:48 female: I got baptized into-- 52:50 male: I realized that there had to be more to life. 52:51 male: God is really doing this. 52:53 male: The life that he's given me. 52:55 male: This message was so powerful. 52:58 male announcer: "Amazing Facts," more than 45 years of 53:03 proclaiming God's message around the world. 53:05 male: And then the logo pops across, Amazing Facts Presents. 53:09 I've listened to a lot of different ministers, but this 53:12 was the first time that he's actually saying something where 53:15 I had to grab my Bible and actually pick it up, and, 53:18 "I've never heard this before. 53:20 Let me look through and find this." 53:22 Then I just couldn't get enough. 53:23 male: And so, I started doing Bible studies. 53:25 Every single one of these guys started being changed, 53:29 including myself. 53:30 female: My question was, "Why did that happen to me, God?" 53:34 The Lord was able to reach out and I actually 53:36 saw him as a Father. 53:38 female: I lost everything, and that was when I realized 53:41 that it was God missing in my life. 53:44 male: I went to a prophesy seminar, which knocked me out. 53:47 This message was so powerful and so irrefutable, I just 53:51 went, "This is real. 53:53 This is--this is amazing." 53:57 [music] 54:02 announcer: "Amazing Facts" began in 1965 with a 54:06 God-inspired concept. 54:08 Joe Crews: Hello, this is Joe Crews on the "Amazing 54:10 Facts" broadcast, facts which affect you. 54:13 announcer: Each radio broadcast would begin with an 54:15 amazing fact from science, nature, or history, followed by 54:20 a Bible message that touched the hearts of listeners from 54:23 every walk of life. 54:24 The program was an instant success, and the ministry soon 54:28 began expanding to include Bible lessons. 54:31 In 1986, "Amazing Facts" added the medium of television to its 54:36 growing outreach efforts, offering soul-winning, 54:39 evangelistic messages for viewers around the world. 54:43 In 1994, Pastor Doug Batchelor assumed leadership of the 54:47 ministry, adding the "Bible Answers Live" call-in radio 54:51 program, and new ministry TV programs began airing on 54:54 multiple networks around the world. 54:57 For 50 years, the driving vision of "Amazing Facts" has 55:01 been the bold proclamation of the everlasting gospel. 55:05 And with a team of evangelists circling the globe, and 55:08 thousands of men and women being trained through the 55:12 Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism program, AFCOE, the 55:15 ministry is helping God's church see a rich harvest of souls. 55:20 "Amazing Facts," God's message, our mission. 55:30 female: So, my mother passed away when I was three, and my 55:33 paternal grandparents decided they would care for my two 55:37 older sisters and I so that my father would 55:41 have time to mourn. 55:43 We never really had a mother or a strong fatherly figure, and 55:47 I'm not blaming my dad. 55:48 I'm just saying that's how things worked out. 55:52 When I was in high school, my oldest sister got into an 55:58 argument with our father, and my sister and I decided to 56:03 have--we would take her side, and so that caused a split in 56:10 our family. 56:13 For 4 years we lived in the same house, we ate from the 56:17 same pot, we used the same restroom, we walked by each 56:20 other, but we never said anything to our father, and he 56:23 never said anything to us. 56:27 A year later, I had decided I would move out for college. 56:31 He wasn't very happy with that. 56:33 We got booted out of the house. 56:36 We went back to apologize, but we weren't really accepted 56:40 back. 56:43 I have felt so alone a lot of my life. 56:47 I've felt like I've had to fend for myself. 56:49 I've been missing a fatherly love. 56:53 I don't have family with me. I don't have a lot of things. 57:03 But I have God and I've been fulfilled. 57:07 I've been satisfied. God has been my Father. 57:22 announcer: Together, we have spread the gospel much farther 57:25 than ever before. 57:27 Thank you for your support. 57:35 male announcer: Can't get enough 57:37 "Amazing Facts" Bible study? 57:38 You don't have to wait until next week to enjoy more 57:40 truth-filled programming. 57:43 Watch "Amazing Facts" television by visiting aftv.org. 57:49 At aftv.org, you can view "Amazing Facts" programming 24 57:53 hours a day, 7 days a week right from your 57:56 computer or mobile device. 57:58 Why wait a week? Visit aftv.org. 58:02 It's that easy. 58:06 [music] 58:21 CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.abercap.com |
Revised 2015-10-21