If you look at Jeremiah chapter 25 in verse number 4 it reads and the Lord
have sent unto you all his servants the prophets this is these words rising
early and sending them rising early the title for the sermon this morning is
rising early now when we think about rising early don't you think about
getting up early right waking up early and sometimes getting up early rising
early is hard hard work you know I'm sure we've all experienced so we set our
alarms we want to start the day early we want to get a lot done we set our alarms
in the morning and then it ring you know the arm goes off and you kind of turn it
off right and then you turn it off and then maybe you wake up late and you kind
of have those regrets and so you know rising early does have that element of
course of right why is it that we would rise up early in the morning it's
usually because we want to get a lot done we want to start the day quickly
and be productive in our day that's why we would rise early and well while that
element is true and look at the rising early aspects of this chapter it's about
acting quickly okay when the Prophet speaks about rising early he's saying
look I'm acting quickly I'm not delaying okay and so basically if you as the
title is rising early you can also title this sermon I guess acts quickly or
don't delay okay it's the same kind of idea and I want to take these thoughts
of acting quickly rising early and applying it to the whole chapter okay
because there are certain things in our Christian life that we ought to act
quickly upon okay not delay upon and I think if you act quickly upon these
aspects that we look through in this chapter you're going to have a more
fulfilled a more peaceful Christian life okay so let's start there in verse number
one Jeremiah 25 in verse number one it says the word that came to Jeremiah
concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of
Josiah king of Judah that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
the which Jeremiah the Prophet spake unto all the people and to all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem saying okay first thing I want you to notice as we
begin this chapter is who he's preaching to if you hear for Jeremiah 24 we saw
that he was preaching to the temple to the people of God right to the house of
God because he saw those two baskets of figs before the temple of the Lord well
now who is he preaching to he's preaching to in verse number two unto
all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem so this our
prophecy this this are these words that Jeremiah speaking is more general it's
to everybody that makes up the land believers unbelievers it doesn't matter
it's to all the people in Judah verse number three verse number three tells us
how long Jeremiah has been in the ministry how long Jeremiah has been
preaching this message of destruction this message of judgments it says from
the 30th sorry from the 13th year of Josiah the son of Ammon king of Judah
even unto this day okay so this is when he started on the 13th year of Josiah to
this day as he's saying these words it says that is the three and 20th year so
23 years this has been Jeremiah's message he's preaching this think about
this for 23 years I'm kind of getting tired preaching for Jeremiah every week
okay imagine preaching these words for 23 years God's gonna judge you turn from
your sins you know get back to God you know turn away from your so 23 years
could you imagine and the people are still in their weakness the people are
still not right let there be encouragement to you that go door to
door soul winning okay I don't think you're gonna go 23 years without seeing
the soul saved you're gonna see some fruits in your so daughter so invite you
may go weeks of not seeing somebody say you may go months without seeing someone
saved well if you start to get discouraged just remind yourself
Jeremiah 23 years and the nation is still as far from God as they've ever
been okay so let's keep going there the three and 20th year I've got some free
it says the word of the Lord came unto me and this is this so as soon as the
word of the Lord comes on to Jeremiah he says and I have spoken unto you rising
early and speaking but you have not hearkened what did Jeremiah saying as
soon as God's word came upon me I acted quickly I didn't delay I came
immediately and told you what I was revealed to by God okay so as we saw you
know this is 23 years of full-time ministry of Jeremiah I'm in my fourth
year as a pastor I'm my fourth year I'm still a baby compared to Jeremiah I'm
still in my early days compared to Jeremiah but I want to notice as soon as
he heard the Word of God Jeremiah acted quickly he rose early he acted
immediately we've got God wanted him to do with the words that he's heard now
keep your finger there please and go to James chapter 1 in your New Testament
keep your finger there in Jeremiah 25 and let's go to James chapter 1 because
there is an important lesson that we can learn from we see that a good man like
Jeremiah as soon as he hears God God's Word he rises early as soon as he hears
it he acts quickly amen well we have something similar that we ought to act
upon when we look at the Word of God in James chapter 1 in verse number 22 James
chapter 1 verse 22 it reads but be doers of the word and not hearers only
deceiving your own selves all right let's apply that today whatever you hear
from God's Word today that's great okay but what does God want you to do with
what you've heard he wants you to be a doer if you're not if you're not a doer
of what you hear you'll be deceiving yourself look at verse number 23 for if
any be a hearer of the word and not a doer he is like a man beholding his
natural face in a glass that's like a person look a glass is basically your
mirror you know you behold yourself you look at yourself in a mirror and then he
says in verse number 24 and he'd be a heart of himself and go off his way and
straightway forget of what manner of man he was but who so looketh into the
perfect law of liberty hey that's the Bible and continue if therein he be not
a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his
deed what do we learn here we learn that as soon as we hear from God's Word we
ought to act upon it quickly when we look at the perfect law of liberty when
we look at this mirror this glass it's like looking at yourself it's looking at
your reflection you know when you read the Bible you ought to see yourself in
the Word of God hopefully you see some good examples of yourself but many times
you're gonna see many of your sins you're gonna see many of your failures
you're gonna see many of your weaknesses just when you look at a mirror you may
see many of your blemishes you may see I've got a lot of freckles I see a lot
of freckles right you know teenagers go you know I tend to have pimples you're
gonna see those pimples you know as you age you get wrinkles you're gonna see
that in the mirror but the idea here is if you come to church and or you know
you hear from God's Word you read your Bible and you don't act upon it it's
like looking in a mirror going away and forgetting what you look like in other
words if you don't act on what you hear if you don't act upon it quickly you're
gonna forget okay you might say to me oh brother pastor Kevin that was a great
sermon this morning yeah but if you don't act upon it this week you're
gonna forget it in a few days later I'm gonna ask you what was that sermon
about so I don't know I forgot and that happens to all of us even I forget
sometimes when I preach okay if it happens to me it's gonna happen to you
all right and so we ought to the the first point that I have in regards to
this chapter is we need to rise early and be a doer rise early and be a doer
what does rise early mean again acts quickly don't delay you hear from God's
Word you'd be like Jeremiah Jeremiah says I got God's Word and I rose early
and I preach God's he acted immediately with what God wanted him to do that's
how you need to be rise early and be a doer of God's Word go back to Jeremiah
25 for me please Jeremiah 25 in verse number 4 Jeremiah 25 in verse number 4
Jeremiah says and the Lord have sent unto you all his servants the prophets
now what are all these prophets doing rising early there it is again and
sending them but ye have not hearkened nor inclined your ear to hear hey who's
rising early in this passage and sending them well if we saw that it's the Lord
that sends his servants the prophets so the one that he's sending them is rising
early you know who else acts quickly the Lord God okay as soon as he saw this
nation falling apart turning their backs against him he rose early the Lord
acted quickly he didn't delay and he started to send his prophets to get them
right back with the Lord but I want you to notice who it is that sends the
prophets it's the Lord okay why am I the pastor of this church God sent me okay
whenever you have a preacher come behind the pulpit your mindset should be you
know whether it's your pastor or some other man here that's getting up to
preach God's Word you ought to have the mindset God has sent this man God has
risen early God has not delayed he's acted quickly and he sent this man this
preacher or this pastor to come and teach us God's Word but then it says
here the verse number at the end of the verse number four but ye have not
hearkened you're not listened nor inclined your ear to hear what does it
mean to incline your ear it means to angle your ear to incline your ear means
hey pay attention okay and sometimes we can come to church and we hear the
preacher and it's and to you it's blah blah blah who knows what he said that's
not how we ought to be when we come to the house of God remind yourself God has
sent me this preacher there's something this preacher has to say something God
has to say through this preacher and I'm required to incline my ear I'm required
to pay attention I'm required to be focused and not be distracted with what
am I going to do after church or be distracted what am I going to do this
week no you ought to be in the house of God incline your ear listen to what God
has to say now as I told you it's God that is sending the prophets here you
know every time they travel from the Sunshine Coast God is sending me to to
this house to this body to preach God's Word remind yourself this brethren it's
not just my crazy idea to travel it's God that is sending me okay God has a
message for you this is why church is so important okay otherwise you're going to
miss the message that God has for you okay church is so important point number
two is rise early and go to church rise early and go to church acts quickly
don't delay and sometimes some of you do have to rise early you know I know our
family we have to rise early because we've got so many people we have to get
ready for right the 11 kids we've got to get up early and even then we're
sometimes struggling to get to church on time but you know what this is an
important part of your life you know when someone says hey it's Sunday we've
got to be in church we've got to be in the house of God you have to say yeah
you know what forget everything else God is sending a preacher God is sending
someone God has risen early to send me someone hey we've got to act quickly
we've got to make sure we don't delay we want to be in the house of the Lord
please don't delay the house of the Lord it's not just a preaching you come to
be part of and to listen to it it's the singing of God's praises don't miss the
singing you know this is our chance to worship God collectively as one body
what a great honor to be amongst the brethren you know nothing gives me
greater joy than hearing the brethren you know belt it out and singing the
praises unto the Lord it gives me joy how much joy does it give God though
okay so we need to rise early and go to and look keep your finger there as well
please go to 1st Corinthians chapter 12 please go to 1st Corinthians chapter 12
and verse number 18 because I'm not trying to talk myself up I'll pass the
Kevin you're saying God sent you well God has sent me we see that in the Bible
God sends his prophets God sends his preachers but it's not just a preacher
you know every one of you in this body has been sent by God to be part of this
body okay 1st Corinthians chapter 12 verse
number 18 1st Corinthians chapter 12 and verse number 18 look what it says here
and the context of this is when it talks about the body it's about the church the
local church it says but now have God set the members every one of them every
one of them in the body as it have pleased him say why am I in blessed hope
Baptist Church this morning because God has taken you and set you here for his
purpose for his reason okay you didn't just randomly decide to come to church
no God said you know what I need to set you in the house of God I just set you
at blessed hope Baptist Church right it says at the end of verse number 18 as it
have pleased him you know it pleases God that you're in church it pleases God
that you are here acting as a member of this church so it's not just a pastor
not just a preacher that got sent to God to be in this house to preach his word
no each one of you are important each one of you God has said you know what
I'm gonna take this person and put them here in blessed hope Baptist Church to
hear the preaching of my word God has acted quickly God has not delayed okay
and so we ought to react in the same way point number two was rise early and go
to church back to Jeremiah 25 please back to Jeremiah 25 verse number five
Jeremiah 25 verse number five so what is it the prophets that have been sent by
God what are they preaching it says in verse number five they said turn ye
again now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your doings and dwell
in the land that the Lord have given unto you and to your fathers for ever
and ever brethren we learn something about pastors he or preachers okay if
God is sending a prophet if God is sending a preacher this is what they're
going to preach okay turn ye again now everyone from his evil way you know
preachers are supposed to call out sin preachers are supposed to preach against
the wickedness that's in this world and preachers are supposed to call on God's
people to turn away from their wicked ways that's what I preach that he said
by God that's what he does that's what he preaches you know the preacher that
refuses to preach against sin that preaches that refuses to preach against
the wickedness of this world you can choke it down they're not sent by God
because the Bible tells us that all his servants all the prophets are preaching
this same message to turn from your wickedness okay to live a life that is
holy and pleasing unto the Lord let's keep going verse number six and go not
after other gods to serve them and to worship them and provoke me not to anger
with the works of your hands and I will do you no hurt what is that God saying
if you don't walk in my ways I'm gonna hurt you but if you you know if if sorry
if you don't walk in my ways is that why I said I hope that's what I said if
you don't walk in my ways I'm gonna hurt you that's what God says but if you do
work walk in his ways he says I will do you no hurts verse number seven yet ye
have not hearken unto me saith the Lord that ye might provoke me to anger with
the works of your hands to your own hurts so God is saying yeah I'm gonna
hurt you but really it's your own hurt you're doing it to yourself because
you're not listening to the preaching of God's Word point number three that I
have for you brethren is rise early and turn from your evil ways rise early act
quickly don't delay whatever sin you have brethren and you know you've seen
this week don't tell me I'm not a sinner you're a liar okay if you say that the
Bible says that if you say you have no sin the truth is not in you okay you're
deceiving yourself you're not deceiving anybody else you're only deceiving
yourself okay listen we all have sin you need to act quickly when you sin don't
delay what am I supposed to do when I sin pastor Kevin first thing you do is
bow your head humbly before the Lord and say sorry go ask God for forgiveness of
sins okay I'm not talking about salvation here okay salvation its own
topic I'm talking about as a believer as a saved Christian you're gonna sin
every day of your life as you will even the 40s or foolishness is seen the Bible
says okay you think a foolish stupid wicked thoughts that's a sin hey rise
early don't delay okay don't let God become angry and hurt you what's the
point of that okay we don't want to be hurt by God you know we don't want to
live a life where we're constantly contrary to God and we never humble
ourselves and say God please forgive me and why would we do that because God is
merciful he's long-suffering he loves us we're the children of God he's gonna
forgive us and he's going to allow us to be in his fellowship to be in his
presence you know we come to church to be in the presence of God okay but if
you're full of unconfessed sin you know you're just full of pride and you just
can't lower yourself and humble yourself or challenge yourself with the Word of
God you're not going to enjoy the fellowship you're not going to enjoy the
presence of God in his local church so point number three brethren is rise
early and turn from your evil ways that is what God is commanding of you look at
verse number eight therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts because you have not
heard my words all right now we're about to read some really difficult verses
some really challenging verses here okay we're gonna be reading about God's
judgment so it's important to rise early okay and and turn from your evil ways
and one aspect of doing this is well we'll have a look at this let's read
verse number eight therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts because you have not
heard my words behold I will send and take all the families of the north saith
the Lord sorry let me just tell you who the families of the north is so you may
remember that the Babylonian Kingdom is coming to judge Judah they're coming
from the north when God refers to the families of the north he's talking about
how Babylon is an empire and it has multiple nations many families right
many nations many families under its power and so the Babylonians they're not
coming that it's not just the Chaldeans that are coming but all the other
nations that make up that Empire they're coming from the north saith the Lord
let's keep going verse number eight nine and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon
my servants Wow God's servants this wicked man you know what if God needs to
take a wicked government and judge a nation that's what he's going to do
that's still the servant of the Lord even a corrupt government official is
still the servant of the Lord okay my servants and I will bring them against
this land and against inhabitants thereof and against all these nations
round about and will utterly destroy them and make them an astonishment and
a hissing and perpetual desolations moreover I will take from them the voice
of myrrh and the voice of gladness and the voice of the bridegroom the voice of
the bride and the sound of millstones and the light of the candle God is
speaking about his judgment that it's going to calm perpetual desolations
desolation basically means destruction or damnation and God say look it's going
to be forever destroyed if you don't turn back to me and he's talking about
all the people of the lands where all the nations round about against all
these nations round about remember Jeremiah is a prophet to the nations
this message that he's preaching to Judah he's also preaching the same
message to all the nations round about yes including Australia we're going to
apply this they yes including Australia we can see here that God's judgment will
come you know if a nation is wicked if they turn against the Lord God's
judgment will come and brethren when you I'm to make you as an individual when
you live a life of sin unconfessed sin okay prideful against the Lord you know
not caring about the things of God God will bring his judgment upon you okay so
point number four in order for you one aspect of getting right with God point
number four is to rise early and fear the Lord rise early and fear the Lord
act quickly have a fear of God in your life I promise you this if you have a
fear of God you're going to walk more righteously you know children that have
a fear of the parents right you know that I know if I disobey I know if I
don't do this or that my parents are going to come with a rod and smack me
they're going to correct me you know that fear can drive people to do what
he's right well that's the same thing you know we need to rise early act
quickly have a fear of the Lord upon us hey don't think well you know what I've
been sinning hey where's God's judgment God's judgment is coming okay sometimes
God just is long-suffering he's merciful he gives you time to get right with him
before his judgment comes down but listen if you go a long time we've been
far from the Lord when his judgment comes it's going to be hard okay it's
going to be severe perpetual desolations God will take you down God will take you
down even as his child okay if you turn against him if you rebel against him if
you just have a healthy fear of God understand that God gets angry okay that
God hates your your wicked ways and and you know God is giving you time you have
that fear it's going to help you to walk in a righteous path point number four
brethren was rise early and fear the Lord act quickly if you don't have a
fear of the Lord today get one today get the fear of the Lord today can you
please keep your finger there and go to Psalm 34 for me Psalm 34 Psalm 34 verse
11 Psalm 34 verse 11 how do we get the fear of the Lord
Psalm 34 verse 11 it says come ye children hearken unto me I will teach
you the fear of the Lord you know what parents we need to teach our children
the fear of the Lord you know pastors are supposed to teach their church the
fear of the Lord okay and you know I don't know what you think of the
Jeremiah series I don't know if you think it's too negative it's you know
why did pastor choose this book to go through this year well you know what I'm
teaching you the fear of the Lord okay that's what we command us to do to teach
our children the fear of the Lord drop down to verse number 16 in the same
Psalm it basically keeps going it starts to explain some of that fear of the Lord
but in verse number 16 it says the face of the Lord is against them that do
evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth okay so notice this if
you do evil God's face will be against you okay we think about the wicked
nation we live in or all the the abortions and the wickedness the the
adultery the fornication that's going on in our land guess what the Lord's face
is against them that do evil if you remind yourself this man if I do evil if
I sin God's face is going to be against me that's going to help you understand
the fear of God develop that fear of God in your life back to Jeremiah 25 verse
11 Jeremiah 25 verse 11 parents teach your children the fear of the Lord okay
it's good to teach them the love of God it's good to teach them the gospel and
salvation it's good to teach them all those things but you must teach them the
fear of the Lord you must teach them the fear of Lord this is what's going to get
your children to walk in the right paths okay we're up to verse number 11
Jeremiah 25 verse 11 it says and this whole land shall be a desolation and an
astonishment and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years this
is the first time that the 70 years is mentioned I love the Bible it's so
amazing like just the prophecies like God you know this this you know whatever
you think of Jeremiah this proves that Jeremiah is a prophet of God because
that's exactly how long the nation was on the Babylonian captivity for 70 years
all right now I'm going to quickly read to you from Daniel chapter 9 you don't
need to turn there Daniel chapter 9 as you know in the book of Daniel that he
and his three friends they were taken into captivity during this time by the
king of Babylon and there's something that I like what Daniel says in Daniel
9 verse 1 it says in the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus and the
seed sorry of the seed of the Medes which was made king over the realm of
the Chaldeans this is this in the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by
books the number of the years where of the word the Lord came to Jeremiah the
prophets that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem
okay so Daniel as is in captivity by the Babylonians he goes oh you know what I
found the books of Daniel I started to read it during the first year of King
Darius and there I learnt that we're going to be here for 70 years I just I
love those little things I love those little you know connective things that
we see in the Bible and what if a good man like Daniel is reading Jeremiah then
you'd better get your head into Jeremiah as well okay it's such an
important book there's so many great prophecies again don't think of this
book as just something in the past as we keep going into this chapter you're
going to notice there's a lot of relevant things about our future okay or
at least the last generation of Christians that will go through the end
times all right verse number two I'm not saying that when necessarily that that
generation by the way I'm not here making a prophecy that Christ is going
to come back in 10 years or 20 years let's have a quick story back in my sort
of mid 20s I was attending a church and I kind of had a desire already then to
become a pastor and I was thinking oh man what do I have to do go to Bible
College okay Bible College they'd say it's like three or four years all right
and then I'll have to probably go and they call it deputation where you go
around churches and you ask churches that they're gonna basically help
support you you know one church will give you $50 a month not just give you
$50 a month not just might give you $100 a month another church might give
you $20 a month so you're trying to you're going around churches it's called
deputation you're trying to build up in enough support so you can go out there
and start a church or something like that right something okay four years
Bible College two years six years before I get out there and start a church
that's what I was kind of thinking about mid mid 20s and then my pastor you know
gets up and he goes you know what this was so what's my mid 20s what year was
would have this been in the early 20 mid mid 20 tens or something right and is
that right anyway yeah you guys know but he goes oh you know what I'll be
surprised if Jesus doesn't come back in five years like if Jesus doesn't come
back within five years I'm gonna be surprised the pastor said now he didn't
say Jesus will come back in five years he just said I will be surprised and I
just thought well that's my pastor right here's a me is a wise man of God he
knows God's Word five years but for me six years before I start church I guess
it's not gonna happen well I thank God I didn't go about Bible College to be
honest but anyway I'm just trying to show you I'm not trying to put words I'm
not please don't walk away with misunderstanding I'm not saying that
we're gonna be the last generation we could be I don't know okay but the end
times might still be a hundred years away two hundred years away we don't
know okay it doesn't matter we hear what God's Word says and we do what God Word
says regardless of what situation what period of time we're in and we make sure
we do what is right okay what verse am I up to Jeremiah 25 verse 12 all right
12 and it shall come to pass when 70 years are accomplished that I will
punish the king of Babylon hold on God that was like the servants yep okay so
this is what's great because Nebuchadnezzar is wicked now I believe he
gets saved at the end his life but he's weak he's a wicked man at this point in
time right and his kingdom is wicked they've got false gods and all these
kinds of things and you might say well God it doesn't seem fair that you would
use such wicked people you know such wicked authorities to make our life
difficult you know to judge this nation God may use that as his servants but I
promise you this God would judge those same people okay God would judge those
same people and it says there I will that I'll punish the king of Babylon and
that nation say for Lord for their iniquity and the land of the Chaldeans
and will make it a perpetual desolations God is saying when I judge Babylon
they're going to be destroyed forever that Babylon Kingdom of this day does
not exist anymore okay but to the Jews those of Judah it wasn't this perpetual
desolation because they knew that would be in captivity for 70 years and then
that would be brought back into the land all right so we see God's judgment
there between the Jews but also his judgment on the Babylonians the same
people he would use to judge the Jews all right verse number 13 and I will
bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it even all
that is written in this book which Jeremiah have prophesied against look at
this all the nations that includes Australia don't forget I keep saying
this because I don't want you to feel detached from Jeremiah I want you to
understand and see the day we live in is the same as what we see in Jeremiah all
right verse number 14 for many nations and great kings shall serve themselves
of them also and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according
to the works of their own hands so what's the promise the promise is that
our nation will be judged by God okay God is a judge of the nation's then you
know the wickedness that goes on in our land will not go unnoticed okay verse
number 15 and he won't go unpunished verse number 15 for thus saith the Lord
God of Israel unto me now look at this take the wine cup of this fury at my
hand and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it and they shall
drink and be moved and be mad because of the saw that I will send among them then
took I the cup at the Lord's hand and made all the nations to drink unto whom
the Lord have sent me so this is quite an interesting thing God would use
Jeremiah with this I guess this prop you know Jeremiah as he would go not just
after preaching to Judah he would go throughout the nations and he would take
with him this cup all right this cup that would represent you know alcoholic
wine all right and and so you know he would go with this illustration and say
hey this will be the cup that you drink of this is God's judgment this is God's
destruction that will come upon you you know I'm reminded with brother Dave when
he gets up to preach doesn't he often like to bring like a little illustration
I remember when you did a net near my didn't you have some bricks or something
I remember I remember seeing some bricks what else you brought something else the
yo that's what I'm thinking about I thought I thought you were hanging
people you know brother you know brother brother Dave reminds me of this kind of
preacher right he's got his little illustrations going around preaching or
Jeremiah had a cup is going around the nations right say this cup represents
God's judgment God's destruction upon you and then so you know he's not going
around making people literally drink the cup it's just it's it's an illustration
right it's it's to represent God's judgment you know this is actually this
is wine because it makes them mad it makes them drunken in a sense okay and
you know this is sort of beyond the scope of the sermon but why would you
drink this substance you know the same substance that represents destruction
that represents God's anger and God's wrath upon a wicked nation why then
would you drink alcohol you know if it's to destroy a nation what's it going to
do to you okay it'll destroy you as well let's keep going verse number 18 to wit
or to witness Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and the kings thereof and the
princes thereof to make them a desolation and astonishment and hissing
and a curse as it is this day now we're going to go through a list of nations
that God will judge verse number 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants
and his princes and all his people and all the mingled people and all the
kings of the land of Oz and all the kings of the land of the Philistines and
Ashkelon and Azar and Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod Edom and Moab and the
children of Ammon and all the kings of Tyrus and the kings of Zion and the
kings of the Isles which are beyond the sea the Isles are the the nations that
are in the sort of Mediterranean region okay that's that they're referred to as
the are the Isles verse number 23 Dedan and Timah and buzz and all that are out
in the utmost corners and all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the
mingled people that dwell in the deserts and all the kings of Zimrai and all the
kings of Elam and all the kings of the Medes and all the kings of the North
Pharaone one with another I say oh man Australia's not mentioned thank God and
all the kingdoms of the world which are upon the face of the earth that's all of
them that includes us that includes our nation okay and it says and the king of
Shishak shall drink after them now I'm not sure what Shishak is exactly I'll
give you an idea that this this this sort of nation is mentioned twice in the
Bible and only in the book of Jeremiah so if you can keep your finger there and
go to Jeremiah 51 and Jeremiah 51 Jeremiah 51 verse 41 I don't think it's
complex I think this is the correct interpretation but just in case I'm
wrong it could be something else but I think Jeremiah 51 gets it right here
Jeremiah 51 verse 41 Jeremiah 51 verse 41 it says how is Shishak taken so
there it is and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised how is Babylon
become an astonishment among the nations so what we see here in Jeremiah 51 verse
41 all the nations will be surprised when Babylon gets judged okay and then
we saw the beginning of verse 41 how is Shishak taken so I believe Shishak is
just another name for Babylon okay which kind of makes sense because God is using
the Babylonians to go and and wipe out these nations all right to take him into
captivity to kill to you know to pillage and then it says and the king of
Shishak in verse number 26 Jeremiah 25 the king of Shishak shall drink after
them so God will judge as we saw God will also judge Babylon once he's
finished using them for his purposes all right verse number 27 therefore thou
shall say unto them thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel drink ye and
be drunken so you can see it's alcohol and spew and fall and rise no more
because of the sword which I will send among you and it shall be if they refuse
to take the cup at thine hand to drink then shalt thou say unto them thus saith
the Lord of hosts you shall certainly drink you know what after Jeremiah's
going around with his cup preaching their judgment God's going to the
destroy you and they're like the people of the land of the other nations we're
not gonna drink of that cup God's not gonna judge us you know we're not part
of this judgment what's Jeremiah saying right you shall certainly drink even if
you don't want to God's judgments gonna fall you know sometimes I when we go
door-to-door soul winning you ask people and and maybe you say something like you
know are you concerned after you show them that the sinner goes to hell that
does not believe on Christ and they'll say something like well I don't believe
in hell you know they'll say well I'm not worried cuz I didn't believe in
hell well whether you believe in God's judgment or not okay you shall
certainly drink they're gonna face God's judgment whether they want it or not
okay it regardless if they believe it or don't believe it you know and here's the
truth everybody believes us you know within the heart of man everybody knows
that one day they're gonna stand before God it's just that these people that say
they don't believe it they just don't want to think about it you know they
don't want to acknowledge God that they don't like he having to consider those
things well that's our job right our job is to preach them God's Word because
faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God now verse number I lost
my place again verse on 29 29 for lo I begin to bring evil on the city which is
called by my name and should ye be utterly unpunished ye shall not be
unpunished for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth
saith the Lord of hosts God promises he's going to bring he's gonna call for
a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth okay God's gonna judge this whole
earth okay and we saw the direct context of this is what the Babylonians
okay and then the Babylonians will be destroyed right now this is where we
want to take what we've read and apply it to the coming judgment of God you
know God right now you know is holding his wrath to some extent okay one day
his wrath is gonna fall civilly upon this earth the day of the Lord the day
of God's wrath is coming it's not going to be toward just one nation it's going
to be to the entire world we read about this in the book of Revelation and again
I'm teaching you this because I don't want to feel this attached I don't want
you to think well that was the past pastor Kevin you know we're living in
relatively peace right now how does Jeremiah apply to us today well there's
still a future to come we may be that final generation we don't know okay so
keep your finger there and please go to Revelation the last book in the Bible
Revelation chapter 14 Revelation chapter 14 Revelation chapter 14 where we're
looking forward to a time when God will destroy this earth with his wrath when
we read the book of Revelation these are the seven the seven trumpets and the
seven vials okay in Revelation 14 verse number 10 I want you to notice the kind
of language God uses to describe this coming judgment in Revelation 14 verse
10 it says the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence
of the Lamb so God's wrath to come in the future the end times is being
caught in same way this cup this cup of wine okay this cup of God's anger
indignation his hatred toward wickedness and the ultimate destination for those
that face God's wrath will be in the lake of fire tormented with fire and
brimstone forever and ever Reverend God's judgment is coming on this wicked
world sometimes I you know you have this mixed feeling you know you pardon me I
want to see God's judgment on the wicked you know God please take out your
enemies take on take these people out they hate you and that make our lives
difficult but then I consider what they're gonna burn for all eternity
you're right and this is where the other part of us we go out so win we try to
preach the gospel and I try to get people into the kingdom of God that they
would be right with God and not face this wrath we've got that kind of mixed
emotion right as a believer but I don't don't move away from revelation we'll
come back to a revelation chapter 14 but the fifth point that I have for you
brethren on this topic of rising early rise early and rest on God's impending
judgments rest on God's impending judgment you know it may seem sometimes
that how is it that the wicked just get away we've just doing crazy things you
know Christians sometimes even just read this in the book of Psalms Christians
sometimes may get discouraged Lord I'm trying to live righteously I'm trying to
live godly I'm trying to keep myself pure Lord but when I look at the rest of
the world and I look at you know even those that aren't necessarily so wicked
Lord they're living lives that are unholy and they just seem to prosper
they seem to be so happy they seem to just be getting away with it Lord and
and that can get you unsettled that can get you maybe even frustrated when you
know you're trying to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord but the whole
world is contrary to you hey they may even mock you in the way you live your
life well the Bible tells us to rise early and rest okay rest on God's
impending judgment it's coming the wicked will be judged God will balance
the books okay the people that have done you wrong though the wicked people this
ungodly world they have done you wrong whatever that wrong may be brethren it's
not your responsibility to take vengeance it's not your responsibility
to take judgment past judgment leave that in God's hands I promise you you
will be much happier when you can rise early you act quickly don't delay and
just say well God you balance the books you settle things maybe some of you have
been cheated out of money out of great wealth maybe you've lent money to people
and they've not paid you back you know maybe they've gone on a holiday and you
know boy what you know why didn't you just pay back your loan that you promise
to pay back okay you know what's gonna give you peace God's gonna balance the
books well whatever wrong someone has done to me God will balance those books
and you move on with your life whatever it is brethren whatever wrong they've
done to you you know act quickly rise early and rest on God's impending
judgment it is coming God's judgment is coming and listen God's timing is better
than your timing okay God knows when it's the right time to pass judgments
I'm glad God is merciful I'm glad God waits because some of us would not be
here in this church right now if God acted quickly on his judgment and
destroyed you okay so we need to afford that to other people you know that we
give them time for God to get them rights or you give them time for God's
wrath to be built up you know for God's judgment to come it's going to give you
great peace rise early and rest on God's impending judgment I hope you're still
there in Revelation 14 keep your finger there go back to Jeremiah 25 because I
want to show you just the parallels with God's judgment you know between the book
of Jeremiah and the book of Revelation verse number 30 it says therefore
prophesy thou against them all these words and say unto them the Lord shall
roar on high and utter his voice from his holy habitation he shall mightily
roar upon his habitation he shall give a shout as they that shred the grapes
against all the inhabitants of the earth what other parallel that we see
here the treading out of grapes that's how you make your wine whether alcoholic
or non-alcoholic the first process is to to trample on the grapes now you're
there in Revelation 14 as well go back there and go to verse number 19
Revelation 14 verse number 19 again speaking about the end times wrath to
come verse number 19 it says and the angel thrust any sickle into the earth
and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the
wrath of God and the winepress was trodden without the city and the blood
came out of the winepress even unto the sorry unto the horse bridles by the
space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs you see the parallel there with
Jeremiah tramping out the grapes well God's wrath is coming again it's coming
severely okay it'll be like just the blood the bloodshed that's coming in the
judgment of God it's you know I mean the imagery that God wants us to think about
is the grapes being crushed and the juices just flowing out okay it's severe
judgment that's coming on the earth keep your finger there in Revelation still
let's go back to Jeremiah 25 verse number 31 Jeremiah 25 verse 31 the
Bible reads a noise shall come even to the ends of the earth for the Lord have
a controversy with the nations he will plead with all flesh and he will give
them that are wicked to the sword save the Lord so I want you to notice that
about the Lord he doesn't just start with destruction and judgment he pleads
with all flesh okay that's the job of the preacher go out there speak God's
Word I'm not saying preach behind the pulpit I'm saying as you preach God's
the gospel you are a preacher all right you are pleading with all flesh believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved okay that is pleading but then
if they don't listen to it they don't hearken God says it will give them that
are wicked to the sword safe Lord verse number 32 thus saith the Lord of hosts
behold evil shall go forth from nation to nation and a great whirlwind shall be
raised up from the coasts of the earth and the slain of the Lord shall be at
that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth they
shall not be lamented neither gathered nor buried they shall be dung upon the
ground and so the Lord sent us here when his judgment comes through you know
again by the hands of the Babylon we saw this already in other chapters of
Jeremiah where we saw that you know in Judah there's going to be bodies just
laying on the ground slain bodies they're not going to have time to bury
the bodies and you have wild beasts that will just come and devour the flesh
okay well God is saying the same thing is going to happen to other nations the
other nations that have rejected God they're not going to be the bodies
aren't going to be gathered there's not enough time to lament you're not going
to be able to mourn okay because of the of the captivity that's coming it says
they shall be done upon the ground the idea of course you know it's like it's
going to fertilize the ground it's just going to sit there it's going to rot
away and again that reminds us of the end times okay so go back to Jeremiah
Revelation now but this time Revelation chapter 19 and verse number 19 I just I
just think the parallels between these two books that are too too great to
ignore okay revelation 19 verse number 19 so this is toward the end of the wrath
of God revelation 19 is the great chapter on the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ to establish his kingdom in verse number 19 revelation 19 19 the
Bible says and I saw the beast that's another name for the Antichrist and the
kings of the earth so multiple kings of the earth multiple nations and their
armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and
against his army and the context of course the one on the horse is Jesus
Christ verse number 20 and the beast was taken and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received
the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image these both were
cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone but look at verse 21 and
the remnants were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse which saw
proceed of out of his mouth who is and all the fowls were filled with their
flesh so as as Christ comes and destroys these armies that are against him again
their bodies aren't going to be buried these bodies just going to lay on the
earth and the birds the predatory birds they're going to come and feast on the
flesh of these people who's doing this by the way in revelation Jesus low meek
Jesus okay the lowly meek Jesus that people think that's different from the
God of the Old Testament it's Jesus doing this in the book of Revelation it's
Jesus doing this in New Testament times guess which God is passing judgment on
Babylon and the surrounding nations in Jeremiah the same Jesus the same Lord
God it's the same wrath it's the same judgments it's the same person carrying
out this okay again don't get in your head Jesus was soft and lowly and all
love and he was different to the God of the book that's the father no it got
there is one God and God is made up of Father Son and Holy Ghost okay Jesus is
the same Jesus is the same God in the Old Testament the one that's destroying
the Jews in the Old Testament is the same Jesus is destroying these nations
in the book of Revelation don't forget that okay have a fear of the Lord have a
fear of Christ okay we are his people we ought to be living in his ways now we're
going to verse number 34 in Jeremiah 25 sorry Jeremiah 25 and verse number 34 so
this is the last segment of this chapter and I want to pay attention to this if
you're a leader if you have authority so me as a pastor yep applies to the
church because it begins by saying there how ye shepherds we know Shepherd is
another way of saying pastors so yeah this can be about pastors I'm not trying
to remove myself from this equation but we'll assume that this is about anybody
in authority this is about governments this is about politicians people in
power okay you know this could be you know the employer in the workplace if
they have authority in the workplace could be to them this is definitely to
fathers you've got authority in your house you're the head of your house
mothers you also you also have authority okay over your children okay so if you
have authority you say well I'm not over anybody pastor Kevin well you got
authority of yourself you know the new man is supposed to bring in line the old
man that you battle with in the flesh okay so apply this and don't forget this
is written the chapter started by Jeremiah prophesied to all the people of
Judah and then he's prophesying to all the nations okay so this is not just
about one office this is about anybody in authority verse number 34 how ye
shepherds because why shepherds because shepherds lead a sheep they've got
authority over the sheep so if you're a leader this is about you and cry and
wallow yourselves in the ashes then it says this ye principle of the flock so
principle means you're the head it's like in a school you've got your school
principle he's kind of like the head of the school the same idea right so this
is about the leader ye principle of the flock for the days of your slaughter and
of your dispersions are accomplished and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel and
the shepherds shall have no way to flee nor the principle to the flock to escape
our voice of the cry of the shepherds and inhaling of the principle of the
flock shall be heard for the Lord have spoiled their pasture you know what the
Lord can spoil your pasture the Lord can spoil those that you have authority over
God can spoil the institution that you're over okay God can do you harm okay
let's keep going verse number 37 and the peaceable habitations are cut down
because of the fierce anger of the Lord he have forsaken his coverts as the
lion for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor and
because of his fierce anger okay so it God has been referred to in verse number
38 as a lion he had forsaken his covet or covet okay he's forsaken the place
that he was hiding the lions come out and has destroyed the pasture the lions
come out as destroyed the sheep the lion has come and destroyed the institution
that God has put you over leaders fathers okay pay attention why is this
happening because they refuse to hearken to the words of God they refuse to walk
in God's ways okay and God says well I'm going to destroy your pastures I'm going
to destroy your sheep the people that you are leading over it's going to be
destroyed if you don't walk in my ways God will be like a lion that comes and
destroys what you owe what you own what you're over okay this is a lesson to
leaders the sixth point that I have for you brethren is rise early and lead okay
rise early and lead lead the people that you're over in the ways of the Lord lead
your family to instruct them to walk in God's ways lead your children to love
the Lord to love the church to walk in God's ways lead those that you're over
hey if you're an employer and you've got an employee and you see that employees
slacking off and doing a bad job hey rise early act quickly don't delay help
that person get right and be productive in the workplace you know what if I see
a great sin in this church I ought to rise early act quickly don't delay and
get that sorted in our church okay if we don't do it brethren if we don't act
quickly if we don't lead the people that God has put us over God may very well
come out as a lion and destroy okay why is it that I see so many children when
they grow up leave church not want to be in the house of the Lord why is it that
I see pastors children okay they grow up they don't care about church it breaks
my heart that's one reason I did not want to become a pastor because I look
at other pastors and I see the kids and I'm like man I don't want that to happen
to my kids say why does that happen why does it happen because the pastor okay
was too busy with his church and did not raise his children to love the Lord he
did not spend time with his children okay we ought to raise our children we
ought to be kept mindful about the people that we're over I need to be
mindful about this church lead us in God's ways okay but we need to act
quickly don't delay we see something not right we need to fix it you know it
can be uncomfortable to fix sometimes all right but if you don't rise early
God promises you destruction is pre promises you failure if you don't act
quickly okay rise early and lead okay if you're a if you're a leader if you've
got authority over whatever institution that may be rise early and lead so
brethren in conclusion let me just give you those six points once again as we
look through this chapter number one rise early and be a doer be a doer of
his word number two rise early and go to church number three rise early and turn
from your evil ways number four rise early and fear the Lord number five rise
early and rest on God's impending judgment and number six rise early and
lead okay let's pray heavenly father