PROPHETIC MESSAGES Lesson # 10
CALLING TO REST THOSE WHO ARE RESTLESS
JEREMIAH 3:12-18.
I. Introduction:
Q Why do some folks not come to church?
An = As they give their answers, write them on the board or a 3×5 card.
Note: All of us believe that there is a difference between coming to church and coming to God.
Q Can you articulate this difference in your own words?
Q What are some other reasons people will not come to God?
An = Add to the answers on your board or on your card. Then add after the reasons people will not come to church the letter “C”. Then mark with the letter “G” the reasons you have for people not coming to God.
Q Do some of you think there is any hope for the people who are away from God?
An = After their answers let them turn to >>> Matthew 9:12-13 and have someone read these verses.
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Q Can being in church keep you from coming to God? Looking at Matthew 9:12-13, how could that happen?
An = Is it easy to think that non-church goers are the ones that are sick and not us. It could be that we are very unmerciful to the non-churched due to our sacrifice of being involved in church
II. The First Call To Repentance: Jeremiah 3:12-13.
>>>> Have someone read Jeremiah 3:12-13.
Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord, I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful, declares the Lord, I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt – you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,” declares the Lord.
A. God’s Action and Character as Proper Authority.
Q What does God ask Israel to do?
An = To return. In Hebrew the word behind “return” literally means to “turn”. In Hebrew the word for turn and repent are the same term (shuv). Actually, Jeremiah says: “Turn, O turnable Israel”, or “Change, O changeable Israel”. God says Israel is fickle. They started with Him, then they let Him go (or turned away) and now God says, “turn again”. You turned once (away), now turn again (return).
Q Why should Israel turn according to verse 12?
An = The reason is God’s open attitude. He wants them to come home. The sick need a doctor. In English verse 12 says “I will not frown on you no longer” or “I will not look upon you in anger”. How it is literally phrased in Hebrew is “I will not let my face fall”. A frown was when the mouth curved down and so becoming despondent or frowning was when you “let your face fall”. In other words, God will not grimace or scowl at you. No one likes to come back to frowning authorities.
Q Is body language important between a child and an adult?
An = Yes! Jeremiah says the Lord promises that His body language will not be disapproving. We need to know we can come to Him because of how He is disposed towards us.
Note: In the next phrase of verse 12 in English it says “God will be merciful or gracious” and in Hebrew the word is hesed which has more the meaning of “consistent or loyal love”. In other words, the Lord is promising to be consistent in His love, in contrast to Israel’s love for God.
Note: The final phrase of verse 12 is literally (in Hebrew): “I will not bear a grudge forever”.
The Lord is saying “Come home, Mr. and Mrs. inconsistent because I will not frown at you, but consistently love you and not bear a grudge against you for your past inconsistencies.
B. Our Action and Character As A Proper Authority.
Q If we are to be like God does that necessitate that we need to stop holding grudges?
An = This is who God is and we are to be like Him. Many of us have experienced our children “returning” and part of their return was tied to our decision to “stop frowning”. We decided we will be loyal despite their lack of such a quality, and forgive. We will be there for them and not hold a grudge. If America wants the church to grow by having new people come who have sordid pasts, it stands to reason that America must stop holding grudges and “stop frowning” inside. Otherwise people are not going to come where they are not wanted.
Q Is this hard to do? Is it hard to stop frowning? Why?
EX I visited a church several ago and spoke to their young families on an extended four week basis. During one week I passed out a series of questions about leadership. One of the most consistent responses from the younger folks was a hesitancy to take up any leadership position because of the constant criticism that was leveled by the older folks. So the young people stayed away. People will not go where they are not accepted unless they appear to be perfect.
Q Will people not come to God if they are convinced the church will never forgive them?
C. Prerequisites to Repentance.
Q What are the prerequisites, the conditions, for returning to God according to 3:13?
An = Acknowledge that you are a sinner. We do not like to admit we are wrong, even to God.
Q How does one do this: verbally?
III. The Second Call to Repentance: Jeremiah 3:14-18
>>>> Have someone read Jeremiah 3:14-18.
“Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you — –one from a town and two from a clan — and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. At that time they will call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
Note: Again God calls changeable Israel to change. The call to return was preceded by a reason for returning: God is open to receive you. Now a new motivation is given.
Q What is the motivation this time for repentance?
An = The opening reason in 14b is that we should return because the Lord is our rightful “master” or “husband”.
In Hebrew the word behind “master” or “husband” in your English text is the Hebrew word: “baal”. There appears to be a play on words here.
Q What was the name of the principle male deity that the Israelites often deserted the Lord for? Who was the main Canaanite deity? Who was the rain god?
An = He was called “Baal”, but the term literally meant master or lord. The Lord is saying through Jeremiah that He is their true master, their true “baal”.
Note: The next reasons given for repenting are found in 14c-18 and I think they are grouped in my opinion under the rubric: “I will bless you”.
Q What will God do according to 14c-18?
An = Hand out a sheet (that is passed out) on which the following numbers are written with each number on a separate line (The numbers: 14, 15, 16-17, 18). Now go through each verse and fill in the theme of each promise? Ask them to do this for each verse on their 3×5 card or sheet.
Q What does 14 promise?
An = God promises to bring them home from captivity as individuals. He promises: that He will bring one here, one there, not in mass. This sounds different than some of the mass meetings preachers are so fond of, rather than getting to know individuals.
Note: In verse 15, God promises to give them good leaders, implying that they did not have such in the past.
>>>>Have someone re-read 3:16-17
In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. At that time they will call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord.
Note: In verses 16 and 17, it is implied by the “ark” metaphor that we should not hold to all the past religious forms. Sometimes we confuse “religion” with true communion with God. God wants to move from a box (the Ark) to a whole city so that all the nations can be invited.
Q What does this mean for our church or group?
An = God wants to change some of our religious forms so that foreigners (new people) can come in. The great Name of Jesus should go out to the Nations, to the Neighborhood.
Q Do most churches want this?
Q What does 18 promise?
An = God is promising unity. Not unity between the nations but between rival believing groups. In other words, God is promising unity between Christian denominations or groupings.
Q Do we want this in our church?
IV. For next week finish reading chapter 3. It contains a confession of sin. See if you could re-write these verses in your own words.