The Fountain of Life

The Cross of Jesus Christ

Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not a mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, " declares the LORD.

I. 'I LIKE JEREMIAH!'

He was a true prophet . . . and probably true prophets aren't too pleasant to have around. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. He somehow shared in the suffering of God for the needs of his people. He was God-called. He didn't ask for the job. He was a lover of king and country— but he was NOT a blind patriot. He had an un-popular message; it went against the tide of his day. Sort of like saying

America is not necessarily God's favorite!
or, which might seem more sacrilegious,
"Super Bowl is NOT a part of the church calendar!"
The religious leaders of his day had for the most part decided they needed to "go with the flow" and put their trust in what they could do.
[They remind me of Pogo's pigeon. Just doin' their job.]

II. THE SPIRITUAL TRAGEDY OF JEREMIAH'S DAY

The religious leaders were not in tune with God.
Jer. 2:8 "The priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' and those who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers (or shepherds) also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and walked after things that did not profit."
1. "Priests" speak of the services of worship: Their worship services were man-centered instead of God-centered. This can be more subtle than we may realize! We may want more excitement, more "emotional pay-back", instead of more confrontation with God and with the living Word of God!
2. "Rulers/Pastors" speak of the spiritual leaders or shepherds: The people who were thought of as leaders were not examples; but they themselves were transgressors.
3. "Prophets" speak of those who preached! The proclamation of God's word, His will— a special sort of called person, highly regarded: These respected men had taken to prophesying by Baal— the fertility gods of the people by which the Israelites were surrounded.
The people of God, understandably, since their leaders were corrupt, had lost the vital connection with God.
Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."
Not finding satisfaction in God, even though they were made BY Him and FOR Him, they had turned to other things that could not satisfy them. Perhaps they weren't entirely evil— they were a lot like people today, no doubt— but they wanted "Peace" without knowing the God of peace.
The people to whom Jeremiah preached wanted an end to their problems (whatever THEY were)...but they didn't want a radical cure (Jeremiah 6:14 and Jeremiah 8:11 "They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying "Peace, peace, when there is no peace!")

III. JEREMIAH'S MESSAGE RINGS TRUE FOR TODAY, RIGHT NOW—

Our day's evils seem overwhelming to us, even as the needs of his day must have to Jeremiah:

FIRST-AID TREATMENT CAN NEVER DO
The problems of our society serious. They are complicated. Abortion, AIDs, poverty and hunger, broken homes— [Pastor Leite said yesterday that of 50 weddings of teenage people in Boston last year, 38 ended in divorce before the year was up.]— these ills, and many others are not going to simply "go away."
We believe the "cure" our sick society needs is God, and God's grace. But somehow the "church" is not changing society at large! All the remedies and legislation and sermons haven't saved our cities. Oh, there have been some exciting inroads. And there will be more! But we need to see that the ills of our society are not going to be cured by "lovingkindness and education" nor are they going to be cured by "justice and law and order" nor will they be cured by "righteousness and pious living!" Somehow we need all of these— and MORE!
When we seek to address the our deepest needs, and those of our fellow humans, we tend to come from one extreme viewpoint or another— from one pole or another; we see only spiritual needs, or we emphasize only moral solutions— justice! Or, we try to be tender in the exclusion of knowing how or when to be firm.
THIS IS TRUE IN EVERY HUMAN ENDEAVOR— IT IS TRUE IN PARENTING, IN ANY HUMAN ORGANIZATION FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND PARLIAMENT TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF A COLLEGE OR A HOSPITAL OR A PRISON OR A FACTORY. We need to listen to God's answer:
GOD'S PRESCRIPTION IS SIMPLE: HAVE CONFIDENCE ONLY IN ME! Jeremiah's message is:(txt) have confidence in/know Me!
1. THE 'IN-WARD' TASKS OF THE CHURCH MUST BE GOD-CENTERED: IN OUR WORSHIP, IN OUR FELLOWSHIP, IN OUR EDUCATION/PROCLAMATION
  - OUR WORSHIP— which we describe as "informal" or "liturgical" or "charismatic" or " " must have the touch of God! Whatever our cultural background, the Church of Jesus Christ must be constantly in touch with Almighty God! Our call must ever be, in regard to our worship: WHERE IS THE LORD?
  - OUR PASTORING— SHEPHERDING— which we think of as done by a pastor— and no doubt it begins there— but this must be shared by every mature believer, and it must be the responsibility of men and women who are in harmony with God's Spirit! There can be no 'do as I say, and not as I do' or our little ones and converts will be turned away!
  - OUR PULPIT— God help us!— must declare the whole counsel of God without fear or favor! It is never a light thing to teach a class or disciple a convert or say what the Bible really "means!."
2. THE 'OUT-WARD FUNCTIONS' OF THE CHURCH MUST ALSO REFLECT TOTAL DEPENDENCY ON GOD: OUR EVANGELISM AND OUR SERVICE (2:13)
  Forsake the broken cisterns! When we have tasted the living spring water, we don't need to drink out of the mud puddles and gutter water of the world! LOOK TO GOD FOR THE SATISFACTION OF OUR BASIC NEEDS! Establish or re-establish the "Living Water Connection!"

Isaiah 55:1/John 7:37

[Conclusion:]

WE CAN ONLY BEGIN TO 'KNOW GOD' WHEN WE COME TO THE CROSS!

This is a strange sort of message, perhaps, for the evening of Palm Sunday— the message from an Old Testament prophet weeping because so many people had gone far away from God. His message is:

There is only one thing that counts! Knowing God! But this message is echoed in the words of St. Paul:

THERE IS ONLY ONE PLACE WHERE WE DARE PUT OUR FULL CONFIDENCE:

Galatians 6:14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

If Christ ever changes this world through His church— if He ever works the miracle of grace through you and me— it will be because we have been to Calvary.

We will not simply "learn a lesson" or "grasp new insights." But there we will come face to face with love both just and compassionate. There we will know the awful holiness of God that hates and destroys sin, and there we will meet the loving-kindness that reaches even where we are. It is in the cross of Jesus Christ, and ONLY in the cross of Jesus Christ these seemingly irreconcilable elements meet: loving-kindness and justice and righteousness on the earth as it is in heaven!

At the cross, Paul says, the world will lose its power over us forever: it will be crucified to us! And there, too, we will be crucified to the world, and the ties that bind us to it. This is the message this turned the world upside down! It is the message that Paul proclaimed. If God's people put their confidence in HIM, then through His people our Lord will execute loving-kindness and justice, and righteousness over all the earth! May it be so! Amen.

#23 (Exalt Him) Jesus Comes with All His Grace