Sunday Sermon Outline: Jeremiah 44

Jeremiah 44

A Spiritual Evaluation

I.   Deserved Desolation vs. 1-14

      “The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who were living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the land of Pathros, saying, [2] “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are in ruins and no one lives in them, [3] because of their wickedness which they committed so as to provoke Me to anger by continuing to burn sacrifices and to serve other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers. [4] ‘Yet I sent you all My servants the prophets, again and again, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing which I hate.” [5] ‘But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn sacrifices to other gods. [6] ‘Therefore My wrath and My anger were poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so they have become a ruin and a desolation as it is this day.

      [7] ‘Now then thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Why are you doing great harm to yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant, [8] provoking Me to anger with the works of your hands, burning sacrifices to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you are entering to reside, so that you might be cut off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? [9] “Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? [10] “But they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.’”

      [11] “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah. [12] ‘And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and meet their end by famine. Both small and great will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach. [13] ‘And I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine and with pestilence. [14] ‘So there will be no refugees or survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they are longing to return and live; for none will return except a few refugees.’””

II.  Deadly Defiance vs. 15-19

      “[15] Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying, [16] “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you! [17] “But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. [18] “But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.” [19] “And,” said the women, “when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?””

III. Disastrous Disobedience vs. 20-23

      “[20] Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women—even to all the people who were giving him such an answer—saying, [21] “As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them and did not all this come into His mind? [22] “So the LORD was no longer able to endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day. [23] “Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD and not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day.””

IV. Divine Determination vs. 24-30

      “[24] Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt, [25] thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: ‘As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, “We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!’ [26] “Nevertheless hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says the LORD, ‘never shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “As the Lord GOD lives.” [27] ‘Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone. [28] ‘Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

      [29] ‘This will be the sign to you,’ declares the LORD, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for harm.’ [30] “Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I am going to give over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.’””

LISTEN TO AUDIO MESSAGE HERE

Sunday Sermon Outline: Jeremiah 10

Jeremiah 10
“The Folly of Idolatry”

I.  The Delusion Identified vs. 1-5
     “Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. [2] Thus says the LORD, “Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens although the nations are terrified by them; [3] For the customs of the peoples are delusion; because it is wood cut from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. [4] “They decorate it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers so that it will not totter. [5] “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.””


II. The Distinction Made vs. 6-16
     “[6] There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. [7] Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You. [8] But they are altogether stupid and foolish in their discipline of delusion—their idol is wood! [9] Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; violet and purple are their clothing; they are all the work of skilled men. [10] But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure His indignation. [11] Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” [12] It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. [13] When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His storehouses. [14] Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; for his molten images are deceitful, and there is no breath in them. [15] They are worthless, a work of mockery; in the time of their punishment they will perish. [16] The portion of Jacob is not like these; for the Maker of all is He, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; the LORD of hosts is His name.”


III. The Discipline Required vs. 17-25
     “[17] Pick up your bundle from the ground, you who dwell under siege! [18] For thus says the LORD, “Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and will cause them distress, that they may be found.””

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

     “[19] Woe is me, because of my injury! My wound is incurable. But I said, “Truly this is a sickness, and I must bear it.” [20] My tent is destroyed, and all my ropes are broken; my sons have gone from me and are no more. There is no one to stretch out my tent again or to set up my curtains. [21] For the shepherds have become stupid and have not sought the LORD; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered.”
     “[22] The sound of a report! Behold, it comes— a great commotion out of the land of the north— to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a haunt of jackals. [23] I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. [24] Correct me, O LORD, but with justice; not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing. [25] Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You and on the families that do not call Your name; for they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him and consumed him and have laid waste his habitation.”

James 4:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10; 1 John 5:18-21


LISTEN TO AUDIO MESSAGE HERE

Sunday Sermon Outline: Jeremiah 9

Jeremiah 9
“A Treacherous Assembly”

I. The Prophet's Distress vs. 1-2
     “Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! [2] Oh that I had in the desert a wayfarers’ lodging place; that I might leave my people and go from them! For all of them are adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.”

Psalm 26:4-5


II. The Lord's Diagnosis v. 3-6
     “[3] “They bend their tongue like their bow; lies and not truth prevail in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me,” declares the LORD. [4] “Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; because every brother deals craftily, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. [5] “Everyone deceives his neighbor and does not speak the truth, they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. [6] “Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.”

Ephesians 4:22


III. The Lord's Disappointment vs. 7-11
     “[7] Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, I will refine them and assay them; for what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people? [8] “Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit; with his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, but inwardly he sets an ambush for him. [9] “Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “On a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself? [10] “For the mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a dirge, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of the cattle is not heard; both the birds of the sky and the beasts have fled; they are gone. [11] “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.””

Matthew 23:37


IV. The Lord's Dispute vs. 12-16
     “[12] Who is the wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD has spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined, laid waste like a desert, so that no one passes through? [13] The LORD said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, [14] but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,” [15] therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. [16] “I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.””

 Hosea 12:2


V. The People's Dishonor vs. 17-22
     “[17] Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the wailing women, that they may come! [18] “Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may shed tears and our eyelids flow with water. [19] “For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion, ‘How are we ruined! We are put to great shame, for we have left the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.’” [20] Now hear the word of the LORD, O you women, and let your ear receive the word of His mouth; teach your daughters wailing, and everyone her neighbor a dirge. [21] For death has come up through our windows; it has entered our palaces to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares. [22] Speak, “Thus says the LORD, ‘The corpses of men will fall like dung on the open field, and like the sheaf after the reaper, but no one will gather them. ’””

Revelation 3:17-18


VI. The Lord's Discipline vs. 23-26
     “[23] Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; [24] but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. [25] “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised— [26] Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.””

Deuteronomy 4:32-40


LISTEN TO AUDIO MESSAGE HERE

Sunday Sermon Outline: Hebrews 12:1-17

"Godly Discipline"
Hebrews 12:1-17

I.   Endurance  vs. 1-3
     “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”


II.   Discipline  vs. 4-10
     “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; [5] and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; [6] FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” [7] It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? [8] But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. [9] Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? [10] For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”

Matthew 6:10


III. Righteousness  vs. 11-17
     “[11] All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. [12]  Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, [13] and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. [14] Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. [15] See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; [16] that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. [17] For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”


Conclusion: Revelation 3:19; Romans 12:21; Hebrews 10:39


LISTEN TO SERMON AUDIO HERE