Jeremiah chapter number 31. Now, Jeremiah 31, I don't think we're gonna get through all this today. There's 40 verses in Jeremiah 31. So I won't get it all. But as you look at this chapter, Remember that this is a continuing message that we're preaching. I call it a two chapter reprieve. It started in chapter number 30. And it goes down through chapter 32 is 30 and 31 is this is just there. But you know, the message is that these Jews that have been taken captive, and they're in Babylon. And in Jeremiah 29, in verse number four, down through verse number seven, is a time when God tells these Jews, don't be looking, don't be just so discouraged about all the things that's happening down here to you on this earth. Don't be discouraged about all this. It's going to happen. All right? And I thought, as I sat this morning, and I listened to devotion, and I listened to Brother Tim's message, I thought, these guys have been in my brain. Or maybe it's that God is a lesson for us. Maybe that's what it's about. that God wants us to understand that things don't change. I mean, these people, these Jews that were taken captive, that were taken way up north to the land of Babylon, they were told when they got there, what I want you to do, I want you to be settled, I want you to build houses. I want you to live in those houses. I want you to raise your children in those houses. I want you to let your boys and girls marry. Don't be afraid of that. But while you're doing all that, I want you also to remember chapter 30 and chapter 31. This, this is really what he's saying. And it's such an apt picture for us today, as we go through stuff that we don't want to go through. Is anybody here going through anything you don't want to go through? I see a whole bunch of green. Yeah, there's things that I'm going through that I don't wanna go through. I mean, and you don't wanna hear about it either. There's not that kind of thing we're preaching about. But understand that everybody goes through things that they don't wanna go through. And it's a discouraging thing if you just look at that. If that's all you look at, you'll get really, really down. And there's no medication that will raise you up. I found that true. I tell you what, God can raise you up if you get in his word and begin to study. I mean, time, when you study the word of God, time just passes away so very quickly. That's what happens. And this is what God is telling these Israelites. In chapter 29, when he tells them, when you're living in the Babylon, remember that God is telling these Jews, when you're living in Babylon, I will restore to you everything that you have lost. I will give you more when he tells them to build a house. He's gonna provide for them. That's what God is saying to them. And what God is saying to us in this life is that He will always provide for us. Sometimes I think that we just look at the things of this world, and boy, that will discourage you. That really will put you down. But if we look at the things of God, then we will not be so discouraged at all. We'll be encouraged, absolutely so. Now, in Jeremiah chapter 31, Notice here as we read verses 1 down through verse number 5, I think, verse 1 through 5. We're going to start here. At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith the Lord. The people which were left, of the sword, found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again, I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O Virgin of Israel. Thou shalt again be adorned with our tablets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria. The planter shalt plant, and shalt eat them as common things. Let's go Lord in a word of prayer today. Our Father, I thank you for that you've given these words of encouragement to us because you know, we need them. And Lord, I pray that you might help us to be right before you that we might see what you want for us to do. And Lord, I pray that you might break us down if that's what you want. Lord, I pray Lord that we might be submissive to you that we might always do what you want us to do. I pray Lord that might be on our mind on our heart. I trust Lord you'd have me as I preach this message that you will be done in these things today. Just forgive us now and keep us from harm portion Jesus name that I pray. Amen. The title of the message is again a two chapter reprieve. Notice In verse 1 down to verse number 5, God gives hope to those people that are in despair. He gives hope to those people that have no hope at all. Remember who he's writing to. He's writing to Israelites that are living in Babylon. They've been taken there. against their will. They did not want to go. They had to leave everything behind. They had to leave it all, maybe just the clothes on their back is all they took when they were taken captive. But the Bible says in verse number one, at the same time said the Lord, will I Be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. So there's going to be a change here. There's going to be a change. These Israelites are like us. Sometimes we have false gods. Sometimes we trust in things that we shouldn't trust in. Sometimes we rely upon things. Sometimes we want things that we shouldn't even want. Sometimes we think our lives would not be sufficient without those things. And God said this, I'm gonna take all those things away from you. I'm gonna strip you and you will have nothing at all. Sometimes we like to think that we need a car, that we need a house, that we need air conditioning in the house, and heat in the wintertime is real good. Sometimes we think that. But what did these people have? Remember that. What did they have? As they were going to Babylon, they had to leave it all behind. They could not hang on to anything at all. Their captors would not allow that to happen at all. And they were taken captive. They were taken captive by a foreign country. They didn't like that. They weren't used to that. They didn't even vote on that. They were taken captive. Somebody came in and took them out of their house. And somebody else would live in their house or destroy that house. They'd take all their belongings and just pile them up and burn them or distribute those however they want to distribute them. They called it spoils of war. All their wealth would be gone. And they were taken to a pagan land, into a land that didn't even speak the same language. God said, when you get there, When you get there, I want you to do something. I want you to build a house. You're gonna be there for a while, 70 years. You'll be in that place, understand. Some of you will be there longer. You know the man Daniel? I don't think he ever went back to the land of Israel. Daniel, if he was 15 years old, When he was taken captive, you had 15 and 70, and you get 85. When you get older, you can't travel like you did when he's younger, you can't do things at all. And so Daniel probably died in the land of Babylon. He died a faithful man looking to the Lord at all times. The Bible said, notice this, in verse number one of Jeremiah 31, God said, I will still be with you. I will still be with you. In verse number two, I think here, God says to them something that is very true. Thus saith the Lord, the people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness. All the people of Israel did not survive. Some of them died. Some of them were taken captive, but some of them died. could have very well been that some of these Jews that were taken captive would remember that the Babylonians had killed their friends. What'd God say? God said, I want you to go to Babylon. I want you to build a house. I want you to, I want you to, even when you're there, I want you to pray. You pray. for those people that you may have peace in the city in which you're living." Do you think that wouldn't be hard? That would be a difficult proposition, but that's exactly what God said to do. I want you to pray for the peace of the city in which you're living in Babylon. I want you to pray for that. Notice, he says, You have found grace. And where did they find grace? In the wilderness. They found unmerited favor in the wilderness. They found help of God in the wilderness. When they were away from all of their possessions, because they didn't have any possessions. They were taken captive. They were gone. But notice, what they found. This is such a great, great thing, that if we would look, we would find the same thing is true for us today. Notice what they found. The Bible said in verse 2, Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him rest. God can give rest when nobody else can. Well, that's the truth. I mean, that's the truth. God can give peace when nobody else can even come close. There's been times that at a funeral, I've not known what to say. I've not known. And I still don't. To give comfort to people that need it, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say. I just don't. At all. But some of those people, not all of them, but some of the people, have blessed me so much. when they simply say it, thank you for being here. And I'm thinking, I didn't do nothing. God had given that person rest. That's what I want you to see. God had given that person individual rest and peace with the whole thing. He says, and notice that they don't find rest or peace their possessions. They don't have any possessions, they are gone, and they've come to the place of realizing, they've come to the place, understand this, when they were living in the land of Israel, they were they were trusting their possessions, When they were living in the land of Israel, they had comfort because they had their houses. They had their, well, they didn't have cars, but they had their horses or chairs or whatever they had. They had things that they could depend upon. But apply it to us today that we need the Lord more than anything else. We need the Lord. to give us peace and comfort. The comfort that we have is real, but it comes from God alone. Notice again in verse number three. And he says this two times in verse number two. He says that I'm gonna give you rest and peace when your possessions are gone. He says that in verse number two, the first time it gives him grace in the wilderness. And then secondly, he says that when I went to cause him to rest, God did this to cause these people to have rest. When your bank account is gone, when there's no money at all, When there's nothing, nothing, you can find rest in Christ. And sometimes, that's where God brings us to. He will do that. God can do that. He is very able to do that. No problem with Him at all. In verse number three, notice again, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. This is the third thing, the third way that God takes us, why God takes away our possessions. Because sometimes we trust in our possessions more than we do God. Sometimes we trust in our reputation more than we do God. We shouldn't do that. We're placing ourselves above God. Don't do that at all. With loving kindness have I drawn thee. That's what it says. You know why God does all this? Because he loves us. When a parent loves their child, what do they want to do? They want to give that child the best of everything, right? And sometimes we get it all mixed up. Sometimes we think that getting the child the best is supplying them with everything they need. All the cars, all the clothes, all the modern conveniences, all the little devices, little phone, overloading hand, We're gonna do that, right? You know what the best thing you can ever give your child? Is confidence in the Lord. That's it. And these people, these are grown-up people. And they had to leave, they had to leave their homes, they had to leave their lands, had to leave all their possessions before they could come to the place of really trusting the Lord. And we got nobody else. That's what they had is trust in the Lord. He said, in verse number three, verse number four, he says, again, I will build the don't worry about it. Don't worry about your possessions. Who's Jeremiah writing to? Again, this is a letter that Jeremiah has written in two chapters. to people that left the land of Israel, and they're in Babylon. That's where they are. He says, again, I will build. He said, don't worry about stuff. You trust in the Lord. And you think, how in the world could these people ever build a house when they didn't have anything? You think God can't survive it? You think God can do that? Yeah, I see some of you nodding, yeah, I think God can. But if you trust what you got, God will let you trust in it until it's all gone or you die. It'd be a lot better to not have nothing at all. That's what God is saying. God is telling these people, I want you to go into a foreign land and I want you to build a house up there in that foreign land because you're gonna be there for a long time. and I'm gonna supply everything for you. I want you to pray for the peace of the city in which you live. God said, I will provide everything for you. He said in verse four, begin, again, I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel, and thou shalt again be adorned with thy tablets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria. What? You get that? Where is the mountains? They're going to plant vines? The mountains of Samaria. He said, you're coming back. You're coming back. You're not going to stay. You're not going to stay in Babylon. No, you're coming back. I'll tell you what. God, God did that in Nehemiah's day, and God did that in Ezra's day, and God is still doing that. God is making the Jews real uncomfortable anywhere. Have you ever seen any videos or talked to anybody that, any of the Jews that have come back to the homeland, back to Israel? And they say, oh, there's nothing like it. It's just like me going back. I'm satisfied at home. I mean, that's where I live. I'm very satisfied right there. Now, used to, I was satisfied in Arkansas. There's no place in the world like Arkansas. But God showed me when he moved me to Missouri that there's other places. God showed me when he moved me over to Illinois that there's other places. And then God showed me again, when he moved me back to Arkansas. God really showed me down in Mississippi. Then I moved out of Mississippi, I came back to Arkansas. Oh, and Mississippi's Louisiana. But I came back, I came back to Arkansas then. But then I came up here. And this is home. This is home. Nothing like it at all. I was thinking about Brother Fayard a while ago. But he says, You're going back, and you'll plant upon the mountains of Samaria. He said, I want you to know this, that I'm going to bring you back. God said to the nation of Israel, when they were in Babylon, He said, I want you to read this. And you spend some time reading this. You know, in those days, they didn't have television. I think they could write. But then they didn't have any any phones. No phones, not even a rotary dial. Didn't have one that I don't think he had electricity either. I don't think so. So what they do at night. When the day was gone, what they do. He said, Here's what I want you to do. I want you to take some time and I want you to read the Bible. I want you to read the writings of Jeremiah. And what what what I tell you here, because you're going to come back, you're going to come back to Samaria, and the planner shall plant and shall eat them as common things. Well, there's nothing like there's nothing like old homegrown potatoes. Nothing like green beans. There's nothing like this turnip greens. I like it all. Mix it all together in a big old pot. Boy, I mean, that's good stuff. I like that. But he says something else. In verse number six, he gets into this thing. And there shall be a day that the watchman upon the Mount Ephraim shall cry, arise ye and let us go up to Zion unto the God, unto the Lord our God. There's going to come a day that the watchman, this is something that the Israelites all look forward to, that there's coming a day that the watchman upon the Mount Ephraim And there's much to be said here about Ephraim. I don't think I can get it all in at all. But if you would, turn to the book of John 11, and I want to read to you the only passage in the whole New Testament that speaks of Ephraim. This is the only place in the New Testament that the word Ephraim even shows up. It's right here. John 11 and verse number 53. I want you to see something here. This is typical of what Christ has done, and this is what he wants us to do. In verse number 53, John 11, 53. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. Now the Jews, they despised Christ. They hated Him with a passion. He was against everything that they believed in. And what did Christ do? The Bible says in verse number 54, Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews. But went thence into a country near to the wilderness, a place near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. This tells us in this one place that when Jesus Christ had nowhere else to go where he went, he went to Ephraim. Look in the book of Jeremiah 31. The Bible tells us here in this place about Ephraim. And let's begin our reading in verse number 15. Well, let's begin in verse number 18. It says, I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus. Thou hast chastened me, and I was chastened as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned. For thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented. And after that I was instructed. I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is it for my dear son? I think God is speaking here. In verse number 20, this is where God begins to speak. He says, it's Ephraim, my dear son, is he a pleasant child? For since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore, my bowels are troubled for him. This is what Christ is saying to the tribe of Ephraim. This is his firstborn. Well, it's Joseph, but it's secondborn, but God has chosen Ephraim to be his firstborn. He said, therefore, my bowels are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Set thee up way marks, make thee high heaps. Set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou winnest. Turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities. If you would, look in the book of Hosea. In the book of Hosea, chapter four. Hosea, chapter number four. Hosea has much to say about Ephraim. Hosea was written before Israel went into captivity. I'm speaking of Israel as the 10 tribes. In Hosea chapter number 4 and verse number 17, the Bible says here about Ephraim, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Now remember that Ephraim has been chosen of God to be a great nation, but they have rebelled against him, continually rebelled against him, just as sometimes we rebel against the leadership of the Lord. And look what God will do. He says, let him alone, their drink is sour. They have committed whoredom continually, her rulers with shame do love, give ye. The winds have bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices. But notice, in the book of Hosea, the name Ephraim appears some 32 times. I want you to look at, oh, it's about the, it's almost to the end of this. It's, let me get there. Here it is. Ephraim, let's see, Hosea 13 and verse number one. And this is a very tragic tale to think about Ephraim and what happened to him. But remember this, that God is still on his throne. He is still able to watch over people. He's still able to do that. In verse number one, when Ephraim spake trembling, I'm reading it, Hosea 13, verse number one. When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel. But when he offended in Baal, he died. And you know what that means. He is, that's over. I mean, that's over. God has said that he has turned his back upon that people. But notice in Hosea 14 and verse number 8, And instead of reading verse number eight, let's go up and read verse number four. Hosea 14 and verse number four. He says, I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely for my anger is turned away from him. From him. I will be as a dew of unto Israel. He shall grow as the lily, and shall cast forth her roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They shall dwell under his shadow, shall return. They shall revive as the corn, and grow up as the vine. The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. In verse number 8, Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him, I am like a green fir tree, for from me is thy fruit found. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things, prudent, and he shall know them, for the ways of the Lord are right. and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein. The Bible is telling us here that Ephraim one day will return. I think they will. What I can see about this, I know that they've died, but look at this. I read in Jeremiah 31, And verse number 17, I read this before, a couple of weeks ago, but I'll read it again today to you, because it's absolutely the truth. In verse number 18, he said, I've surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, that has chastened me and I was chastened. as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, turn unto me, turn thou me. He is saying, God, you must turn me. I cannot turn myself. That's what he's really saying. And each of us come down to the same place in salvation that God must turn us. God must show us the truth. We can't find it. We're like a blind man in a house. We can't even find any where the rooms are. We don't know anything about that. We must have the Lord to turn us. He said, if you turn me, I will be turned. For thou art the Lord my God. Then he said in verse 19, surely after that I was turned, I repented. Not before. He turned by the power of God, and then he repented, and then he was instructed. And that's the way salvation is, and that's the way our life is. God has to do it all. To him be the glory and the honor for it all. He said, then I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yet even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. And how many of us have been saved, and yet we still remember the wicked things that we did. I tell you what we need. I tell you what we need in a desperate way is for the Lord. Well, one of these days, the Lord will wipe all that memory away. But until then, we need the Lord's good grace upon us that we might do what God wants us to do. Every day, we need that. Every day, every hour, we need that. He says in verse number 20, Zephariah, my dear son, is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still. You know, I'm glad that the Lord remembered me when I was dead in trespasses and in sins. And God will remember his son, Ephraim, even though he is dead in trespasses and sins, and he will bring him to life. He'll give him new life, and he'll be able to rejoice in that good life that God will give to him. all of that. No, no, I'm wrong. It's not all of that. Because I haven't even touched it yet. I've just scratched the surface of what it what it means here, or what what this Ephraim is. But it is a place of refuge for Christ. When the world hated him, he went to Ephraim in the wilderness to that little city there to find refuge, and his disciples were the same way. That's what he's talking about, that we can find refuge and hope in Christ. That's where all that came from is in verse number six, but there's more. There's much, much more that we can't get into today because of our time at all. God says to Ephraim, well, I'll tell you what. I'm gonna stop right there, but if you have, if you have, if you've seen any kind of refuge or hope in Christ, that's what Ephraim has found. Whenever he didn't have anything at all, but he found refuge in Christ. And that's the way that it really is. We can find hope in Christ when there's nothing else. And we don't deserve it at all, any more than Ephraim did. Did you know that Ephraim, the whole tribe of Ephraim, at one point went against Ahab? Did you know that? The whole tribe. There was three. There's two of the foreign nations, and then Ephraim. And God said, in 65 years, that's going to be done. And it was done. So we'll get into that later. If we have time, if we can, but I pray that you might understand that God is God, that he moves in the mountains, he moves on this earth, he watches over everything and nothing steps by him at all. And God can take care of the smallest detail of our life. This is so what's the marvelous thing about God. He can take care of us in all our struggles, and he can take care of our enemy as well. And we don't have to worry about it. The worst thing we can ever do is to worry about our enemies, to worry about things. That's the worst thing we can ever do. The best thing we can ever do is to trust the Lord. He'll take care of it all. How's He gonna do that? I don't know. That's God's business. My business is to concentrate upon the Lord and do what He wants me to do, and God will take care of everything. If we ever try to manipulate things around to our advantage, we'll wind up on this disadvantage. And that's the way it is. That's the way it is. Well, if you're lost today, we pray for you. The Lord would bless you. You know, I'm glad that I'm saved. I didn't do anything to deserve it, and you don't either. If you're lost, I pray that the Lord would give you his salvation, and he would give you his confidence, and he'd give you his strength. You need the Lord. In a great way, you need the Lord. If you're lost, I can't save you. This church can't. But Christ has died on the cross of Calvary to give you everlasting life, and he can do it. He can do it. I pray that the Lord would help you today. It's our prayer, okay? We'll stop right there.