Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20050202.htm

JEREMIAH: STAYING UPRIGHT AMIDST EVIL PRESSURES
Part IV: Prophecies Concerning Judah
N. Our Need To Heed God's Call To Repent Before 'Sinning Unto Death'"
(Jeremiah 14:1-15:9 with 1 John 5:16-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. God is very gracious, slow to anger and plentiful in mercy, a truth that is revealed both in the Old and New Testaments of Scripture, cf. Psalm 103:8-11 with John 6:37.
    2. Yet, there is an end to God's patience with the sinner, for even a believer can sin to the point where God judges him with premature physical death, 1 John 5:16-17. This truth is dramatically illustrated in Jeremiah 14:1-15:9 with necessary application for us today:
  2. Our Need To Heed God's Call To Repent Before "Sinning Unto Death," Jer 14:1-15:9; 1 John 5:16f.
    1. In keeping with the Mosaic Covenant, God reminded Jeremiah of the suffering He had recently leveled against Judah by way of a drought as a warning for her to repent of her sins, Jeremiah 14:1, 2-6:
      1. The Mosaic Covenant had long before warned that droughts under the Law were God's discipline for the disobedience of His people to His Law, Deuteronomy 28:15, 23-24.
      2. Accordingly, God had sent a severe drought upon Judah to warn her to repent for her sins, Jer. 14:1.
      3. The description of that drought is presented in Jeremiah 14:2-6.
    2. In response, Jeremiah interceded for Judah, begging God not to destroy her, Jeremiah 14:7-9.
    3. What followed was a discussion between God and Jeremiah that revealed Judah had "sinned unto death":
      1. God replied Jeremiah was to cease interceding, for Judah was obstinate in her rebellion, 14:10-12.
      2. Jeremiah responded, implying the people were not entirely to blame for this state, for they were influenced to believe the lies of the messages they heard from the false prophets, Jeremiah 14:13.
      3. God answered, claiming the people were still without excuse: the prophets who taught what God had not said would be judged with the sword and famine against what they asserted would occur, 14:14-15; yet, God noted the people were still responsible for choosing the messages of these false prophets versus heeding Jeremiah's words from the Lord, so they would be judged for their own CHOICE of the false messages, 14:16. Thus, God explained Jeremiah was to announce Judah's fall in judgment due to her yielding to the false teachings of the prophets and priests, Jeremiah 14:17-18.
      4. The people of Judah then appealed to God to have mercy on them, for their false gods could not give them the provisions of a good life that God could give, Jer. 14:19-22; Bib. Know. Com., O.T., p. 1148.
      5. Yet, since they still did not turn from their false idols though they acknowledged God was the true God, the Lord responded that even if Moses and Samuel, two former godly intercessors for Judah were to intercede for the nation, He would still not relent from sending His judgment upon them, 15:1. God even told Jeremiah to inform the people they would experience death by disease, the sword or by famine or go into captivity according to the fate God had assigned for each of them, Jeremiah 15:2.
    4. Other sins God revealed had made Him irreversibly decide to punish Judah was the bringing of idols into God's temple and mass murders committed by Manasseh, Jeremiah 15:3-4; 2 Kings 23:26; 24:3-4.
    5. God thus announced an end to His even considering relenting of His judgment against Judah, Jer. 15:5-9.
Lesson: The people of Judah came to the point of NO RETURN regarding failure to repent and not heeding the lesson of the current drought in accord with the stipulations of the Mosaic Covenant, so there was NO more USE in even GODLY intercessors pleading with God to relent re: His judgment: reasons for this judgment unto death included (a) stubbornness against God, (b) heeding false words over heeding God's truth, (c) refusing to give up false idols though admitting God was the true God, (d) adopting syncretistic, ecumenical beliefs and practices and (e) mass murders of innocent people!

Application: (1) Though God is PATIENT with us, His patience ENDS if we sin to the point of not heeding His short-term disciplines, and we turn (a) obstinate against Him, (b) if we heed false beliefs versus His truth, (c) if we refuse to give up errant crutches instead of trusting Him, (d) if we promote syncretistic, ecumenical beliefs and practices and (e) if we abuse many people. (2) May we NOW repent of these ESPECIALLY if short-term trials occur to signal our need to repent!