Amen so I want to look this morning here at Jeremiah's message that he preaches
to a group of people who are not right with God basically you have Israel at a
time when they are very backslidden they're on the cusp of being judged
severely by God and God's ready to send the the heathen hordes against them to
carry them away captive and he looks out for a man and sees Jeremiah and he sends
Jeremiah to preach a message and it's not a popular message but Jeremiah goes
ahead and he preaches in any way because that's what he's been commanded to do
and I want to look at that message this morning and the first thing I want us to
notice about Jeremiah's message is that Jeremiah's message is prescribed
it's prescribed meaning this that it God is the one that commanded him to preach
this message Jeremiah didn't just wake up one morning and say you know what I
feel like going out there and making a bunch of enemies and telling people a
bunch of doom and gloom and making them mad having them haul me off to prison
and go through this great trial and affliction you know this is something
that God came to him and said go preach this go tell my people so on and so
forth you look there in Jeremiah 26 look at verse 1 it says in the beginning of
the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from
Jeremiah's own imagination from Jeremiah's own heart because he just had
a bone to pick with the people no and you read the book of Jeremiah Jeremiah
often stops in the middle of these judgments that are being pronounced and
you have these prayers where he's just lamenting what is taking place he's
heartbroken for these people I'm sure this wasn't easy for him this wasn't
something that he enjoyed but it says there that this word came from who it
came from the Lord and he had a job to do he is told to go and preach this and
then you've noticed there in verse 2 he's told to hold nothing back he's
saying don't go there and just say what you feel like saying Jeremiah go to
these people and preach the whole council that I'm giving you preach
everything that I'm telling you to preach it says in verse 2 thus saith the
Lord stand in the court of the Lord's house and speak unto all the cities of
Judah which shall which come to worship in the Lord's house all the words that I
command thee to speak unto them diminish not a word diminish not a word and you
say why did God have to tell Jeremiah that because it might have been very
tempting for Jeremiah to say well surely the Lord doesn't want me to tell
them all of this I mean this is some bad news I'm about to share with them this
is the whole book of Jeremiah is just one long scathing rebuke it's just one
I mean it's just doom gloom judgment and you know maybe Jeremiah might have been
tempted because he like he is just a man you know and perhaps might have wanted
to hold something back I'm not saying that he did he certainly didn't hold
anything back but this is also you know an admonition for all those that would
come after him every man of God that would come after him has to understand
that when he preaches God's Word he needs to preach all of it and to
diminish not a word and if the Bible says that it needs to be preached
because people need to hear it you know these people would not have been served
by Jeremiah just going there and said everything's fine you're okay and then
they said well you know what who are what are all these Assyrians and
Egyptians and these Babylonians coming here and sieging our town and and and
you know we're we're starving to death Jeremiah I thought you said everything
was gonna be okay and you know what they had plenty of people back then that
we're gonna preach that positive only message to them there are plenty of
prophets in Jeremiah's day saying Jeremiah's lying he's a heretic he's a
false prophet everything's fine just go about your business but when a message
truly came from God when there really was a messenger from God that that came
that message was negative and there's a reason behind it and I'll get into that
here in a minute but the lesson is that preacher should not hold back God's
message I won't have you turn there but if you want to go to 2 Timothy chapter
4 2 Timothy chapter 4 because nothing's changed you know a lot of today people
think oh you know I don't want to go to that church because he gets up and yells
I don't want to go to that church because it's these negative message I
don't want to be told that I'm doing anything wrong I just want to go to a
church where they're just gonna say hey everything's fine continue on in your
sin God's not mad at you I just want to go to you know the bookstore and and
pick up a book by Joyce Meyer I want to pick up Joel Steen's book and just have
a feel-good you know a read and just walk away with the with the warm fuzzy
feeling and say everything's fine I don't have to change that's that's not
the case that hasn't changed it well that's Jeremiah back in the Old Testament
of course we know back then that's how preachers were supposed to preach
but we're supposed to preach the same way today it says there in 2 Timothy
chapter 4 verse 1 I charged thee before God so again who sent Jeremiah to sent
this bring this message it says it was the word came from the Lord okay and
Paul here is giving this charge to Timothy before who before God saying you
know don't don't diminish anything why because you're preaching before God okay
before God and Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at
the appearing at the excuse me at the peering and his kingdom preach the word
be instant in season out of season now what's in season out of season mean when
it's popular when it's not popular you know there was a time when hard hard
preaching was more popular well people would go to church and say I'm going to
get my face ripped I'm going there and and they they were going there and they
were expecting to hear hard preaching that's what the majority of people
wanted that was there have been times where that's been in season that's not
today today at this type of preaching is out of season people don't want that he
says to go there to and to preach the word to be instant in season out of
season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine for the time
will come when they shall not endure sound doctrine which shall heat to
themselves teachers having itching ears meaning what they just want someone to
go like this forum and say oh it's okay just grab that earlobe and just it's
alright everything's fine but that's not the way God called us to preach that's
not what God wants go back to Jeremiah chapter 26 Jeremiah chapter 26 he said
in Isaiah chapter 58 cry aloud and spare not lift up thy voice like a trumpet and
show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins Isaiah of
course is Jeremiah's contemporary someone else was preaching at that time
and he was told to what to show his people their sins you know a lot of
times it's easy for us to just preach against the world and say well let's
just talk about the world's sins let's just preach against the sodomites let's
just preach everything that's going on out there all and that's easy but the
real hard preaching is what it's in here when you start to show God's people
their sins and say you need to change you need to make a change you know and a
lot of preachers won't do that you can see why God would command Jeremiah to
say diminish not a word because it's really easy to get up preach against the
world's another thing to say hey we got to preach about something we got to deal
with something we got to make sure that we're right in God's house the Bible
says that judgment shall begin in the house of God it's where it ought to
begin so Jeremiah's message is not only prescribed it's commanded by God but
also it's not popular as I've kind of already illustrated and we see that in
Jeremiah 26 they didn't hear Jeremiah's preaching and say oh thank you for that
you know that I needed that Jeremiah good message didn't walk up and say hey
good sermon that really spoke to my heart I appreciate that is that what
happened in the story not even close it says in verse 8 now it came to pass
when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded
him to speak unto all the people that the priests and the prophets excuse me
that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him saying thou
shalt surely die now you can begin to see why God said don't diminish a word
don't diminish a word because you're gonna go preach something and it's gonna
make them so mad they're gonna want to kill you they're gonna want to put you
to death Jeremiah Jeremiah's message not only is it prescribed it's commanded by
God it's not popular when he preached this they were condemned he was
condemned by the people there was no great revival we all know the story if
we've read it God brought in you know brought in the heathen brought in bat
you know the Babylonians they were carried away captive and if you know the
story Jeremiah he came on the other side clean I mean he had to go through some
things he's lowered down in the mire he's given water and bread of affliction
he's in prison he doesn't know if he's gonna live or die but when when judgment
finally comes when the word comes true Jeremiah's set free he's giving some
money by the Babylonians and say hey go wherever you want obviously he's
heartbroken he didn't come out on the other side with an attitude like told
you so should have listened to me he was heartbroken over what happened
Jeremiah's message is not popular why is that because it's negative it's a
negative message that he was sent to preach look the popular preacher is the
positive only preacher today the guy gets up is only gonna tell you what you
want to hear that's the popular guy he's the one that's gonna fill a stadium he's
the one that's gonna you know preach to thousands upon thousands and sell books
and be on Larry King and you know get invited here and get invited there and
have a jet and he's everyone's gonna love him and all men are gonna speak
well of him the Bible said woe unto you when all men shall speak well when men
shall speak well of you for so did they the fathers of the false prophets okay
you got a positive only guy chances are in fact it's an you know almost a
guarantee that guy's a false prophet preaching a false gospel the very least
he's he's a not doing God's people any favors you know it was no different
Jeremiah's day in chapter 14 I'll read you says the prophets prophesy lies in
my name I sent them not neither have I commanded them neither spake and neither
spake unto them they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination and a thing
of not and their deceit and the deceit of their heart the positive only guy the
false prophet who's gonna prophesy laying lies in God's name he's there to
just prophesy out of the deceit of his own heart he's going after filthy lucre
all he wants is your money you know churches often get that that rap don't
they they say people go they just want your money you know that's true about a
lot of churches they all they want is your money you know I know because they
won't preach anything negative they won't preach anything that somebody
might hear and say I'm never going back they'll never preach anything that's
gonna send people toward that for the door you know but that's not what we're
called to preach here and I'm not trying to win a popularity contest in case you
haven't noticed because that's not what God has called God's preachers to do
he's called them to caught and get up and to hold nothing to back to preach
all the counsel of God and there's nothing new in Jeremiah's day he had his
positive only preachers and you know what you say well why is it that these
people these false prophets can can get away with it we'll go to Jeremiah
chapter 5 keep something Jeremiah 26 go to chapter 5 how is it that people can
just go in there and and and fill a stadium and sit there and listen to such
a liar like Joel steam or some other positive only preacher because that's
what people want to hear people today especially that's all they want to hear
they don't want to be told you need to change they don't want to be told you
need to get right that's not what they want to hear that's why let me look
there in Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 30 a wonderful and horrible thing is
committed in the land say wonderful and horrible how could that be that seems
like two different ideas well wonderful you know back then didn't really mean
the same thing it does today it's it's like it's it's shocking is what he's
saying we're in wonder you ever been in wonder or something here's some news is
you're left in wonder right we use it today in a different way but it says
there and wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land the prophets
prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means notice this and my
people love to have it so and what will you do in the end thereof the people
there that they've had these false prophets they loved it they said
prophesy to us lies tell us smooth things don't tell us things we don't
want to hear so that's Jeremiah's message it was something that was
prescribed it was something that was not popular but what specifically was his
message well his message is this amend your ways amend your ways that's the
title of the sermon amend your ways Jeremiah chapter 26 if you look at verse
12 it says then Jeremiah then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and all
the people saying the Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against
the city all the words that you have heard verse 13 therefore now amend your
ways and your doings obey the voice of the Lord your God and the Lord will
repent him of the evil that he had pronounced against you so what's the
difference between the false prophet of Jeremiah's day in the man of God what's
the difference between his message and the message of the false prophets of his
day is that his message was a message it was a call to change for people to do
what to amend their ways and their doings and to do what and obey the
voice of the Lord you know people don't like to hear that message obey right I
mean from the time we're this tall and even younger I'm just kids obey no and
you know what some of us never change we grew up that way I mean we might learn
to respect our parents and respect our bosses and respect our elders and so but
when it comes to God we still say no you know what God's got to get the paddle
out and go to work that's what he's doing here in Jeremiah that's what this
is all about it's one big spanking from God against his people he's getting all
the kids together and lining them up and just right down the row let him have it
why because they need to change they need to amend their ways they need to do
what learn to obey that's his message through and through go over to go over
to 2nd Kings chapter 23 but keep something in Jeremiah 26 all morning
we're gonna come back 2nd Kings 23 Jeremiah's message over and over again
amend amend change obey stop doing what you're doing quit committing
abominations quit getting into sin obey the Lord he said in Jeremiah 7 verse 1
the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying stand in the gate of the
Lord's house and proclaim there this word and say hear the word of the Lord
all you Judah and enter in at the gates to worship the Lord thus saith the Lord
of hosts the God of Israel amend your ways and your doings and I will cause
you to dwell in this place you know that's a that's a promise you know
that's shadowing a threat really when you listen when you hear what he said
there he said amend your ways and your doings and I will cause you to what
dwell in this place meaning this if you don't you're not gonna dwell in this
place you're not gonna remain in this land you're gonna become captives trust
ye not he said in lying words saying the temple of the Lord the temple of the
Lord the temple of the Lord are these for if you thoroughly amend your ways
and your doings if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his
neighbor if you oppress not the stranger the fatherless and the widow and shed
not innocent blood in this place and boy that's the message for America today to
stop shedding innocent blood in this place through the wars through the
oppression through the abortions neither walk after the gods to your hurt then I
will cause you to dwell in this place see we want to dwell people want to
dwell with God they want to have peace they want to have a nice life they want
to you know they want to let dwell in the land of their fathers forever and
ever but do they want to amend their ways do they want to obey do they want
to amend their doings quite often not but again that's the promise that if we
do amend our ways and if we do change that if we do obey you know God is gonna
be at peace with us I'm not saying we're gonna be perfect I'm not saying God
isn't have to deal with us from time to time we're all work in progress but you
know what we're not gonna have the hand of God coming down upon us we're not
gonna have the chastening hand of God come down in our lives and I want you to
notice where Jeremiah's message is being preached and I'll just you know I'll
just say it is that it's being preached in the house of the Lord isn't it he's
telling him to go stand in the gate of the Lord's house and proclaim this word
he's going to church and preaching this he's preaching this message to church
going people people that are there the prophets the priests and all the people
that have come to worship the Lord that's who he sent to preach to you know
what that tells me is that going to church isn't enough going to church
isn't enough if you think well I'm just gonna go to church on Sunday and check
that box off and God's gonna be happy with me and I can just do whatever I
want the rest of the week you're sorely mistaken the Christian life happens
outside this building you live for God when you walk out the doors that's when
that's really tested that's where God's blessing is out there and how do I think
you should be in church yeah of course but do you think that's how you know
God's blessing is just whether or not you go to church I mean how easy is it
come on how easy is it you know it's easy right you just show up and sit down
you know do this try to stay awake right it's easy well I came to church Lord
bless me did you did you do anything that you heard this week did you did you
apply any of that to your life no you need to mend your ways you change you
need to obey the voice of the Lord so this was doing done in the Lord's house
that's where it was preached but you know people just don't want to amend
their ways why because they get comfortable with their ways they get
used to their sin say why is it people just get stuck with certain sins and
they just never change I mean it could just be ruining their life just
destroying them just leading them down a path to certain destruction and they'll
just they're just perfectly content to stay on that path why is that because
that's what they're comfortable with the idea of changing anything frightens them
because change is hard it's not easy to say I'm gonna give up this habit I'm
gonna get rid of this sin I'm gonna start doing that I mean that's why
there's a whole culture out there of self-improvement right and people are
just making all this money from books about self-improvement because people
need help in that area because change is hard it's difficult people get really
comfortable in their ways which are not the Lord's ways and they need to change
look there in 2nd Kings chapter 23 verse 28 this is a great example of that it
says there now the rest the acts of Josiah and all that he did are they not
written in the books of the Chronicles of the King of Judah of course Josiah
was really the last godly king that they had and then he had his sons and they
didn't turn out so well it says in verse in verse 29 in his days a Pharaoh and
Pharaoh Nico king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the
river Euphrates and King Josiah went out against him and slew him in Megiddo when
he had seen him and his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo so
it was Josiah that was slain he was carried from Megiddo and brought him to
Jerusalem and buried him in his own sepulcher and the people of the land
took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in his
father's stead and Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to
reign and he reigned three months in Jerusalem and his mother's name was
Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah and he did that which was evil in
the sight of the Lord according to all that his fathers had done and that's a
phrase that comes up over and over and over again according to all that his
fathers had done according to all that his fathers had done you know people get
comfortable with their sways because well that's just the way daddy did it
that's the way grandpa was look my family's just been this way as long as I
can remember my daddy and my daddy and my daddy's daddy we just always been
this way and we're not gonna change the Bible says you need to change you demand
well I've just always been a drunk I got drunk young and my dad is one that got
me drunk and his daddy got him drunk and we've all been drunks and we all get
together and we get drunk change the Bible says amend your ways quit being a
drunk it's hard change anyway do something hard but that's how people
end up and you know with cirrhosis of the liver that's how people end up in a
hospital bed in a fiery wreck and they you know and they die if they're lucky
you know I'll just park it on there for a minute you ever seen these people that
get in some fiery car they get all drunk and they just go out and they just get
in some fiery wreck and they're just scarred horribly for life or worse yet
they weren't in the one that drunk some other guy that was drunk hit them I mean
what's it gonna take for people to change you know that's just one example
but people can know these type of things say yeah I know the statistics and I've
heard and I had friends went through that I mean I had a friend that went up
in a fiery wreck out drunk driving when I was in high school and I had a button
we were all friends with them you know what a lot of those friends are still
drinking to this day still doing the same thing they always been doing
because they don't want to change they don't want a man why because it's hard
well get over it and do something hard in your life you know life you know we
got it I don't know what it is about Americans these day I think we just got
it too easy everything's just right here so it's brought groceries are brought
and entertained for hours I don't have to go to church I can watch it right
here I mean that's how easy it is I mean it's just gotten such we've become such
a soft culture you know and I'm not taking those things for granted believe
me I appreciate things like climate control amen I appreciate things like
you know indoor plumbing I'm not saying let's get rid of that do something hard
I'm just saying look we should be not be such soft people spiritually that when
God says change we're willing to change sometimes you need to amend your ways
and look at things and say what am I doing wrong here what do I need to
change in my life and this goes for all of us I mean if we were all did some
soul-searching we all you know we might not have some open sin but you know we
might have a poor attitude in our heart we might have covetous you apply it
however you see fit I just don't want people to get the idea you know because
a lot of times when you preach on sin that people don't you didn't mention my
sin I know I talked about drunkenness and fornication and adultery but you
didn't mention this sin so you know you know I can't I can't get up here every
Sunday and preach with us and make sure I touch on every single person sin one I
don't know what everybody sins are but you do you know it's usually that one
you're thinking about right about now when a sermon like this gets preached
the one that makes you hope he doesn't say hope he doesn't bring up okay that's
the one all right that you apply it there and you change that okay where did
I have to go second Kings 23 where were we and they kill you he dies they make
his son King and then it says in verse 32 and he did that which is easel aside
evil the side look according all that his father's did had done verse 33 and
Pharaoh Nico put him bands at ribla in the hand of Hamath and he might not reign
in Jerusalem and put the land to a tribute of 100 talents of silver and a
talent of gold and Pharaoh Nico made Eliakim the son of Jiah Josiah King in
the room of Josiah his father so then he gets his other brother and there that's
what's going on he takes the one out what's the other one in and turned his
name to Jehoiakim so he takes Eliakim and puts him in the room of his brother
right Pharaoh Nico the king of Egypt and notice what he does when he puts him in
there he turns his name to Jehoiakim and you know the in the vibe in the Bible
Egypt is a picture of the world okay when you think about it when they came
out of an exodus when they came out of Egypt that's a picture of you getting
saved right then the blood was applied to the door posts and the plagues you
know didn't touch the children of Israel they were separate right and they came
out you know that's us coming out of the world we're getting saved we're made
separate we're sanctified we're sealed by the Spirit you know you could see the
image all the way through the story of the story of Exodus then they go down
in the sea that's your baptism they come up on the other side and then they have
to fight in the land of Canaan you know there's punishments along the way they
backslide that's a picture of the Christian life and Egypt in that picture
represents the world and it does often throughout Scripture and I want you to
notice that when when Pharaoh Nico the king of Egypt came and took Josiah his
father and turned his name into Jehoiakim what's the application here
the world's got a plan for you look the devil has a plan for your life the devil
and the world they want you to just they want you to live a certain way they want
you to be perfectly comfortable with what they've laid out for you that's why
people don't change they get comfortable with the world they get used to they say
they look around say well everybody else is doing it so why don't I I'm just you
know I'm perfectly comfortable being like they are being just like them he
changed his name and he got comfortable and he came to Egypt and died there they
are comfortable with the way of the world you know we should not be
comfortable with the way of the world you should not have this attitude of
well that's just what they taught me in school you know that's what I that's
what Oprah said to do you know that's what my relatives told me but their
worldly philosophy and their worldly way of living you know sometimes people take
advice from the wrong people just because they're relatives just because
they're a friend just because they're what comfortable with them and they just
go along because they don't want to make ways with people that they're what
comfortable with they don't want to mend their ways because they don't want to
offend grandma or mom or dad or a sister or whoever and they take advice from
people that have no business giving advice you know advice like about
marriage you know the last person you should take advice from or about
marriages anyone who's divorced I'm not saying that to be mean that's just the
truth I'm not going to take parenting advice from people who have terrible
kids unless they're telling me what they did wrong you know but that's it's
usually how it goes people who have made mistakes in these areas are the first
ones to offer advice a lot of times and people go ahead and take it why because
they're comfortable they're gonna take it you know grandma's and auntie so and
so is advice on marriage because well I don't want upset her but they've made a
wreck out of her look I've seen it over and over and over again happens all the
time let's just move on a story here we'll go back to well no let's just stay
there let's stay there in 2nd Kings 2nd Kings says there in verse 35 and
Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh and he taxed the land of the to
give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh he exacted the
silver and the gold of the people of the land everyone according to his taxation
so Pharaoh Nico has just got these people right under his thumb right where
he wants them you know why a lot of people refuse to change people refuse to
amend their ways because they're comfortable with being oppressed they've
never known anything else they're just used for somebody having them right
there and look the world it wants to you know get you comfortable with them and
it wants to oppress you they want you living in sin they want you just
disregarding the things of God not going to church not reading the Bible not
living for the Lord and you know what you can get real comfortable with that
why because that's what everybody else is doing it's real easy to get
comfortable with that because that's the vast majority of people today that's
majority of people you know this might comes a shock are not independent
fundamental Baptist this morning they're not King James Bible believing soul
winners they're worldly people and they have and they have their problems I'm
not saying if you live for God you're never gonna have another problem again
but look I'm not gonna have a lot of the problems that they have you know I don't
have the marriage problems that a lot of people have it's because I don't follow
the world's advice on marriage you know I don't have the problems with my
children that a lot of people have because I don't follow the world's
advice when it comes to raising children now I'm not saying you can't find a
nugget of truth there and there and apply it but this is the ultimate source
of all things that pertain unto life and godliness this will teach you how to
raise your family this will teach you to have how to have a good marriage this
will teach you how to live a quiet and peaceable life and all godliness and
honesty this book not dr. Spock which is probably known most people in your
don't know that is or whatever you know New Age neo child-rearing theories out
there and they're just making more books trying to sell more because look people
are looking for answers aren't they they're all right here and they're tried
and they're tested and they're true and they work but people get comfortable
with the worldly philosophies and they are just exacted then I mean it's not
their literal money I mean he's exacting them of their substance like
they're silver and gold that people just have all their energies everything is
just sapped right out of them because they're just spinning their wheels
because they're comfortable with the world's advice the worldly philosophies
they're comfortable with being treated poorly by the world and that's exactly
what the world does they're comfortable with being in bondage people just get at
ease with that don't they why don't people change say well I've just always
had these shackles on and I don't know what I'd do without them my whole
wardrobe is is centered around my my handcuffs you know I've accessorized to
this to this bondage in my life if I got rid of that boy nothing's you know it
just ties everything together you know that's the illustration I'm using and it
might seem silly but that's a spiritual reality for a lot of people look I've
just always had this sin I don't know what I'd do without it you know I mean
when it comes to any sin I mean think about a sin like smoking right and it is
a sin smoking is a sin you're the temple of the you're the temple of the Holy
Ghost okay you know you don't want to defile that temple you know God has got
you've gotten that on loan let's not destroy it and smoking Bible doesn't say
thou shalt not smoke do I think it's the worst thing in the world though it
won't take you to hell you'll just smell like you've been there okay but look
people say I can't quit because I mean it's just it's I've done it for years I
don't know what else to do one of the hardest things about quitting is that
they tell you you need to find something to do with your hands because there's
that you know that fidgeting I remember I had an uncle who quit he'd smoked for
decades I'd never known it you know by the time I I knew him in my life he
quit for years and years and years I always noticed me always had like a
piece of black electrical tape rolled up just a little piece and he's always
doing something with it he's always or he had a twisty tie and he was always
or he's chewing gummy bears a lot until you know then he had to give that up to
a poor guy couldn't catch a break right but I remember that I asked my aunt why
does he do that well he used to smoke and now he had always asked that was the
one thing that helped me quit you just to have something to replace I can't
quit doing this what am I gonna do with my hands I gotta put something in
between my lips I get some gum take the wrapper do like my uncle did this is all
I'm saying is that people don't want to change because they're comfortable with
bondage they get comfortable with sin just having just ruling their life and
ruining it you know and those of us that have either gotten past that I mean
maybe we could have a little more sympathy or those of us that have never
been in bondage to a sin like that we look at that and just we go how can
anybody be in heroin addict and put that stuff in their veins when they know what
it does to them I mean haven't you seen the the mugshots you know how could you
get cooked on meth you ever seen that mugshot you know the time-lapse of the
meth addicts that came through that one department over and over again over the
years is like their face just slowly melted it's sad we look at I can't
understand that who would do that that's the power of bondage that's the power of
addiction and a lot of times those people do want to change but they're
just so comfortable with it they can't imagine life being any other way the
Bible tells us in a glacious Galatians 5 to stand fast and liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage
now I know that primary application is you know not to be Judaized not to go
back into the you know practicing Old Testament law and things like that but
look Christ has given us freedom from sin you know there is no sin in your
life that you can't have the victory over I'm not saying it's gonna be easy
I'm not saying there isn't some sin that you might really struggle with and it
might take a lot of concerted effort on your part to get over it but you have
Christ's Spirit he's for you you have that way of escape through prayer it's
always there there's no temptation of taking you but such as is common to man
God will not tempt you but that you're able to with the temptation make a way
to escape that you may be able to bear it it's always there but people don't
want to take that route because they're comfortable with bondage says in verse
36 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old we began to reign and he reigned
eleven years in Jerusalem and his mother's name was Zebuda the daughter
of Padiah of Rumah and he did that which is evil which was evil in the sight of
Lord according to what all that his father's had done he's just comfortable
he's running Israel right into the ground and he's there he's getting
judged firsthand he's just gonna keep on doing what he's doing because that's
just what my dad did that's just the way it's always been in my family they're
comfortable with generational sin look someone's got to break that eventually
you come from a long line of whatever why don't you why don't you be the the
odd branch in the family tree you know I mean why don't you know we'll break off
all together and graft into another one once you break that cycle that
generational cycle of addiction in your family you know I'm gonna be the first
one who you know doesn't turn into alcoholic I'm gonna be the first one
that has a marriage that goes the distance I mean the first one that raises
some godly kids I mean the first one that whatever lives for the Lord I'm
gonna be the first independent fundamental Baptist in my family and
I'll stick out like that sore thumb I don't mind because I'm not comfortable
with bondage anymore I want to change I knew having this printed on both sides
was gonna mess me up they're comfortable with being a bondage let's
go back to Jeremiah chapter 26 Jeremiah 26 and we'll we'll wrap this up look
people need to amend their ways because of the fact that God's gonna judge them
if they don't people get comfortable with the way the world they get
comfortable with the way things have always been the philosophies of the
world and people don't want to amend their ways they get comfortable you know
what they need to amend their ways because of the fact if they don't they're
going to get judged and that's what Jeremiah was trying to get across look
you need to get right with God or you're gonna get judged okay go to 1st
Corinthians 5 because a lot of times when we talk about God's judgment you
know a lot of people can just take that as a very you know abstract idea and
it's it's crazy because things can happen in their lives they'll say well
maybe that isn't God's judgment I mean I look back at my life I look at
circumstances I was in in seasons of my life that I went through and go that was
definitely God judging me there's just no doubt about it a lot of people can
explain that away ah it's a coincidence because things happen right but you know
there's one concrete judgment there's one concrete thing that can happen in
your Christian life that there's just no question about it it's judgment it's
called getting kicked out of church and this is this is a concept that a lot of
churches don't practice you know to their own detriment but it's one that we
practice you know we we do kick people at a church and not because I like it
but again I'm to not diminish a word from the Word of God you know and my job
as the overseer of this flock is to protect it and to keep sin out because I
want the Spirit of God on this church that's what I want because I'm here to
do a work for the Lord and God isn't gonna bless a church where people are
bringing in sin and an open sin okay and there's several of these sins that can
get you kicked out okay say well that doesn't sound very nice you know what
tell it to the Apostle Paul Apostle Paul in 1st Timothy chapter 1 said he's
out he ended you know a nice little epistle to Timothy of whom is Hymenaeus
and Alexander I mean he's naming names here I'm in a s and Alexander well you
shouldn't mention names well Paul did and he didn't just you know say it on
Facebook didn't just say it on a sermon one Sunday he wrote it down in the
eternal Word of God for everyone to read for millennium I mean I you could debate
whether or not these guys are saved if you know my opinion is they probably
weren't but maybe they were I don't know I haven't really studied that out too
much but you know if let's say Hymenaeus Alexander are in heaven you
think they're maybe they'll want to change their name you know you could
just call me Manny for short I'm Alex Alexander yeah so when were you for you
from where what happened you know what's your story why I was around possible for
a while really you weren't in the Hymenaeus and Alexander were you yeah
yes I was right Paul and look Paul called out names and he said this whom I
have delivered unto Satan that's a very powerful Satan statement when you think
about it here's the Apostle Paul saying there hey there's these two guys and I
just went here you go Satan have your way with them why that they may learn
not to blaspheme there was it wasn't just because Paul's mean and Paul Paul
you know just didn't like them you know they did Paul dirty or whatever it's
because they were blasphemers and Paul said have at it Satan so that they can
learn to what to amend their ways to change and to stop being blasphemers
that's the whole point of church discipline is so that people will change
it says in 1st Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 I wrote it to you an epistle not
to company with fornicators yet not altogether with the fornicators of this
world or with the covetous or extortioners or with idolaters for then
you must needs go out of the world he's saying look don't keep company with
fornicators meaning you know you can't have them in church but he says there
yet now together the fornicators of this world so he's talking about people who
are in church look is if we were to go around say well I can't company with any
fornicator in the world that would make living life very difficult wouldn't it
you know you call lyft or an uber you get in are you a fornicator okay well
just I can't talk to you you know I can't company you go to the checkout
lane the the you know the the teller the cashier wants to make a little small
talk while she's ringing up your groceries well before we have any
company together are you a fornicator no okay let's talk it's nice weather
today right he's talking that's the fornicators of the world okay he's
saying yet not all together fornicators the world or with the covetous or
extortioners why then you for then you must needs go out of the world look if
that was the standard let's go start that commune right let's just go live
under and under paths let's go let's just all move up on Mount limit and live
in the sticks and just you know eat acorns or something or whatever there
is to eat always comes back to food with me for some reason he says but now
I have written unto you not to keep company if any man that is called a
brother okay so who is the brother you know somebody that's been coming to
church brother so-and-so they're saved they've been coming to church he says
look at that person be what a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railer
or a drunkard or an extortioner with such and one know not to eat saying
don't have fellowship with these people they cannot be in our company okay
because God will judge that and it sets a bad example to everybody else around
them now look are there churches out there that have all these people in them
yep by the droves and that's why people go there because they know if they go
there no one will ever talk they're not gonna tell me to stop being a fornicator
they're not gonna stop telling they're never gonna tell me to stop being a
covetous they're not even gonna stop me to tell us tell me to stop being an
idolater they could say oh you could keep that statue of Mary I know you're
Catholic but you can come to our ecumenical services and we're all you
know we all worship the same God they're never gonna tell me to stop being a
railer they're never gonna tell me to stop you know get off Facebook or
bad-mouthing people behind their back I'm not saying get off Facebook I'm
saying bad-mouthing people on Facebook you can get on Facebook it's okay just
don't be a railer you're never gonna tell me to stop being a drunkard that's
a big one isn't it those are probably the two big ones in this list right that
we're gonna ever gonna deal with I mean we could deal with these other ones I
mean obviously covetous people who want to just come in and they're just there
to try to give you a business card get you in their pyramid scheme they're just
looking for business contacts because our whole life is just about money
money money money they're covetous you know what they're not that we're not to
keep company with them they're not allowed okay we're probably never gonna
deal with an idolater although we could you know somebody's gonna come and just
say you know I'm gonna worship this statue right or a railer now that we
will probably have to deal with or an extortioner you know someone's gonna
come in and just try to blackmail people or something like that we're probably
not gonna deal with that there's a chance you know what we are gonna deal
with in 2021 America fornication and drunkenness because those are two
things that run rampant in our country today those are two things that are just
lifted up as that's just having a good time that's just what everybody's doing
getting drunk and fornicating and the Bible says if you're a fornicator a
drunk that you are to be that we're not to eat with such in one that they are to
be put out look there in 1st Corinthians look at chapter 5 verse 1 it
is court reported commonly that there is fornication among you you know and this
is to the church at Corinth and such fornication so not as much as named
among the Gentiles that one should have his father's wife that's not talking
about incest talking about this is probably this guy's second wife you know
wasn't his mother but he's that's who he's committing fornication with it you
know if it's fornication that probably means that the father's passed on
otherwise would be adultery he says in verse 2 but notice what's making Paul
mad here it's not the fact that that somebody's committing fornication it's
the fact that it's being tolerated that he's saying oh and that the church is
saying oh it's okay it's all right and it's it's not so much as named among the
Gentiles but look at verse 2 and you're puffed up you're saying oh yeah we're
such a great church we have such a loving spirit here we're such a loving
people that we're more loving than God we just let fornicators and drunkards
and extortioners and idolaters we just let them come right in and just get right
right at home with us because we just love them so much because we're just so
loving Paul says you're puffed up who do you think you are you're puffed up
what's puffed up mean it means you're full yourself I'm so spiritual right
that's what it is I'm so puffed up is what he's saying you're puffed up and
have not rather what mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken
away from among you saying you should have put him out these should be taken
away from among you shouldn't be there fornicator he says for verily I as
absent in the body but present in the spirit have judged as though I were
present concerning him that had done this deed in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ this isn't just Paul's opinion Paul's not just pulling this out of a
hat and saying what you know just because I feel like it he's saying do
this and what in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the name of God when you're
gathered together in my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ deliver
such on one there it is again unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh you
think this is a heart sermon you think I'm being mean Paul was a whole lot
harder preaching I'll ever be he's saying you take that person and you
deliver them unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh why it's so
that they can learn their lesson that fornication is a wicked sin and you
apply this to any one of these sins that are listen they're drunkenness
covetousness extortion whatever now it is limited those five sins you know so
don't come to me and say well we need to kick so-and-so out because I don't like
their face and people and I'm they don't it's not that that's not their exact
terminology their exact excuse but I people try this kind of thing well you
know the Bible says we should kick people out yeah for these five things
okay my hands are bound by that right and I'm not by the way I'm not on a hair
trigger to kick people out of church I'm trying to grow a church what's the
purpose of this what's the purpose of not tolerating these sins in church is
so that people will do what amend their ways and amend their doings and be
obedient to what the scripture says again this is what the scripture says
this is thus saith the Lord this isn't my opinion this isn't just a matter of
what makes sense for people this is what matter this is a matter of whether
or not you want to be right with God now whether or not you want to make life
easier what's more convenient it's a matter of whether or not you're gonna be
right with God well I know I shouldn't drink but you know I'm gonna go ahead
I'm just gonna drink a little less you know I'm gonna I won't drink hard
liquor anymore you know switch to Coors Light or something like that I'll just
drink a 12-pack well you know I'll just cut it down that doesn't make you right
with God that your logic doesn't play into this when it comes to these these
sins and people want to just reason things away or they want to act like
well that's just what that that's just your opinion brother Corbin that's just
what the church you know that's just your dogma you know this is doctrine
okay doctrine is what the Bible teaches dogma is what a church believes and a
person a creed is your personal belief and here our Creed your Creed our dogma
should all lined up with what doctrine okay this isn't just the church's dogma
this is Bible doctrine about whether or not you want to be right with God forget
about being right with the church what about God you know I want to be right
with God look if you want to be right with God you'll be right with the church
and you'll be right with everybody else in the church if you're what right with
God first and I want to be right with God because I don't want to get
delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh he's saying look that the
Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus look you can be saved and be
all these things you can be saved and being drunk you can be saved be
covetous you can be saved on your way heaven be a fornicator but you know what
you can also have the destruction along the of the flesh along the way and you
can catch the disease and have all the problems and everything else and not be
right with God on your way to heaven that's an option for you that's you know
a lot of people go that way I'll tell you right right now this is probably the
number one subject one of the most you know one of the main subjects that
people quit church over fornication and remarriage after divorce those two
things more people quit this church over those two things than anything else why
because that's what's prevalent in our society and you say well it's worth it
you know it's just that's just what you got fine I'll go but here's the thing
getting kicked out of church is the least of people's problems I mean he's
being delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that's what
he's saying you know the most concerning thing here is not whether or not I get
to be in church or not it's whether or not God's wrath is going to be on my
life or not reason why that the Paul wanted this person put out of the
churches so that there's no collateral damage so when God's wrath doesn't come
down it doesn't take out a bunch of other people with them and drag them
down you know you let drunkenness and fornication these things stay in the
church you know then the young people see that and say oh well I guess the
preacher isn't that adamant about not committing those sins because obviously
you know he's letting it in the church so maybe it's okay and then those people
just start to drag all the other people around them down Paul is saying get them
out why because they're a ticking time bomb for God's wrath so you know getting
kicked out of church is the least of those people's problems it's God's wrath
coming down in your life that's what should be most concerning if we're you
know if we're guilty of these sins that's what it says in 1st Corinthians
chapter 5 look at verse 12 for what have I to do to judge them that are
without also that are without do you not judge them that are within but then that
are without God judges so when we put people out they're now out and who
judges them at that point God does but we don't judge the world we don't go
around trying to you know I don't I'm not gonna go home this afternoon and
knock on my neighbor's door and turn him over 1st Corinthians 5 say look I
noticed you're committing adultery here and you know why because he's a sinner
he's unsaved he's not in the tree he doesn't he doesn't come here it's not my
job it's not my place God will judge him you know when it comes to this church
this house you know we do have judgment here and this is how we judge according
to the scripture drunkenness fornication covetous not allowed because we don't
want we don't want God's wrath we don't want to be there when God's wrath comes
down on people and more than that we want people to do what to amend their
ways and to change and to obey because then they can have God's blessing in
their life and look people think well it's not that big a deal you know
especially today with with sins like drunkenness and fornication to say it's
not that big a deal well I'll remind you that you know in the Old Testament God
killed like in one day 30 and 20,000 people were killed over the sin of
fornication in one day God just said take him out now that's the obviously
that's how we're advocating here but that is that's just how shows you that's how
God's feels and he and he references that first Corinthians chapter 10 I'll
read to you verse 8 neither let us commit fornication as some of them
committed and fell in one day three and twenty thousand neither let us tempt
Christ as also some of them as also tempted and were destroyed of serpents
so those things are written for our admonition this is Jeremiah's message
it's a you know this is my message right now but Jeremiah's met my it's similar
to Jeremiah's message in the fact that what it's negative it's not popular you
know what else it is it's prescribed it's prescribed it's what I'm supposed
to preach wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't preach it wouldn't be doing any
favors if I didn't preach it say well I'm not guilty of that good keep it that
way keep it that way Jeremiah's message and I'll close on this it's powerful
it's not popular but it's prescribed we know what it is it's powerful and not
just in his dynamic delivery I'm saying it's powerful because of the fact that
it has the power to change people's lives it changes lives you know one
thing I've learned you know I've seen it and now I've seen it firsthand hard
preaching works you'll never build a church preaching like that want to bet
because there's people out there they want to be told change there's people
that want to go to a place that's going to help them what change they're tired
of sin they're tired of being under bondage they're tired of the way of the
world they're tired of the devil having his there his way in their life the
worldly philosophies of everything going wrong and they want to change and sure
there's plenty of people that don't and you can find a church that will never
challenge you on any of that and people can just go right on their merry way
with their sin but we preach this message here this negative message not
only because it's biblical but because it has power to change lives it does he
said in Jeremiah 26 verse 13 if you would go to Jeremiah 18 we'll end there
but he said in Jeremiah 26 we already read it verse 13 therefore now amend
your ways and your doings and obey the voice of the Lord your God why and the
Lord will repent him of the evil that he has pronounced against you you know a
bigger reason why we ought to amend and change our ways is so that God repents
him of the evil that he'll do to us and and people get this saved you gotta
understand when you got saved you became God's child and God is a Heavenly Father
he's not an absentee father he's present in your life he's right there and he's a
good Heavenly Father and he's a loving father you know what he's gonna do he's
gonna chase in you the Bible says in Hebrews 12 that he chaseneth every son
whom he receiveth neither is there any son with whom he chaseneth not and it
goes on and says further and if you be without chastisement then you're
bastards and not sons meaning if you could just go on keep sinning and never
have any repercussions for it then you're not saved you're not God's child
you know that's one way to preach it but think about it this way that means that
if you are saved God's chastening is guaranteed in your life and if you
don't want to amend your ways and you don't want to change you know God's
gonna be right there to paddle you spiritually to do what to just be mean
no to convince you to change I mean is that why we discipline our children
because we get some sick deranged pleasure out of it it's because we want
them to behave you know we slap the little hand when it reaches for the hot
iron because we don't want them to burn themselves we teach them to come when I
say come because I don't want to be out at the park when they haven't run
towards some busy road and completely ignore me when I say come here I want
them to associate the words come here coming out of my voice with you know if
I don't do that you know there's repercussions that make it difficult to
sit it's called spanking right that's why God wants us to change that's that's
why we need to amend our ways because we want God to repent him of the evil we
don't want God's chasing we want his blessing look at Jeremiah chapter 18
verse 1 look the message is clear isn't it amend your ways change you're doing I
mean did anyone wonder what Jeremiah was saying when he said it did they have to
sit there and go what does he mean by amend our ways he said he's saying you
know honor the Sabbath you know if you read it quit committing a you know
idolatry amend your ways change they didn't wonder the message is clear but
here's the thing the choice is always yours whether or not you're gonna do
that I can't twist people's arms and make them change sometimes I wish I
could I'll be honest I wish it was that easy just a full Nelson you know say it
I'll change let him go you know well that would be easy you know that's not
easy though it's not that easy you got to get up and you got to just show
people what the Bible says and give them opportunity to change but at the end of
day you always have to understand the choice is always yours whether or not
you want to amend your ways it says in Jeremiah chapter 18 verse 1 the word
which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying arise and go down to the potter's
house and there I'll cause thee to hear my words then I went down to the
potter's house and behold he wrought a work on the wheels and the vessel that
he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter so he made it again
another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it so this guy's down
there he's making a pot and you know it falls over or whatever has some
imperfection it doesn't turn out right so the guy starts over and makes a new
one that isn't mark and God is sending Jeremiah down there to give him a
picture it's he's using it as an illustration for Jeremiah it says in
verse 5 then the word of Lord came to me saying Oh house of Israel cannot not do
with you as with as this Potter sayeth the Lord behold as the clay is in the
potter's hand so are ye in my hand Oh house of Israel at what instant I shall
speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck down and to pull down
to pluck up and to pull down and destroy it if that nation against whom I have
pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I have thought
to do unto them at what instance I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning
a kingdom to build and to plant it if it do evil my sight and then it obey not my
voice then I will repent of the good wherewith I I said I will benefit them
so saying look this that vessel was marred it was broken like he's gonna do
to them he's gonna mar that vessel he's saying but I could start over again I
can create a whole new thing I can start all over again and make it just the way
it ought to be it's an illustration he's and obviously this is applying to the
nation but we could apply this to ourselves you know we might look at our
lives and just see a lot of chips in our vessel so to speak there might be some
big crack in it maybe the paint's wearing off whatever we might be marred
by life and and and sin and all that but you know what God can make us new again
God can renew us God can still use us if we'll do what if we'll amend our ways
if we'll amend our doings if we'll be obedient and change you know I know
that's true because this room is filled with marred vessels that's how I know
that's true you're looking at one I know for a fact that if people amend their
ways and change their doings and obey the voice of the Lord God will use them
God will bless their life God will work in their life for the good you know what
else I know is that if they refuse not to if they refuse to say you know what
I'm just gonna keep doing I'm doing I also know God that is still going to
work in their life just not in a way that they would want so the choice is
yours and to me if the choice is obvious change amend do right because you're
God's gonna work in your life one way or another I would rather have God's
blessing than his anger in my life so that's the message this morning amend
your ways change let's go ahead and pray