All right, let's take our Bibles and look together in Jeremiah chapter five for our scripture reading. Jeremiah chapter five. Here in this chapter, of the Jewish nation. Religious, but in their religiosity, they were hypocrites. And how the Lord purposed to take them into captivity for their idolatry. Oftentimes the Lord will chasten a nation based on those things that the nation desires and seeks. And so here was this Jewish nation that had been given the truth through the sacrifices and through the priesthood as a type of picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they made light of what God had given as that one way of worship. And they assimilated all other sorts of practices within their worship. And so the Lord, in essence, said, if you enjoy idolatry so much, how about spending 70 years in a foreign nation where there's nothing but idolatry? And so he brought in the Babylonians and put them away into captivity. So this is what Jeremiah is foretelling. There had already been 10 nations that had been taken away by the Assyrians a couple hundred years previous. And now these last two tribes of the south, Benjamin and Judah, the Lord would take them into captivity. And Jeremiah lived through this time. The Lord preserved him and took him back down to Egypt rather than go into captivity. But he was raised up to announce this impending judgment. So we see that in this chapter. And the reason for that was their apostasy and their idolatry. It's a message of warning, even for us today. Read about the churches that are mentioned in Revelation, the warnings that were given them, lest the candlestick be removed, lest the gospel be removed. How precious is the gospel to us here gathered? I trust that the Lord has made Christ and his work precious to us and that we would be kept looking to him and him alone. Here in verse one of Jeremiah five, you see that none could be found who was looking to the Lord. Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see now and know and seek in the broad places thereof. If ye can find a man, if there be any that execute judgment, that seeketh the truth, and I'll pardon him. This reminds us a little bit of Abraham beseeching God on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. We got down to 10. and two daughters, and his wife turned back. In the days of Noah, there were eight that were preserved alive, and the rest of the world perished. Again, we see that here, and often we may wonder how many are there truly today in this world, in this city, where they seek the truth, It says there, and I will pardon him. It's talking about God being merciful. The elects it. He'll bless an entire company, I believe, many times for one of his election. It'll cause others to perish and to go away. And though they say the Lord liveth, that's the way it is today. Everybody's got the Lord on their lips. God be praised. Surely they swear falsely. In other words, speak of a God they do not know. O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? Again, as in the New Testament, here in the Old, the truth is upon His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that's the truth. Thou hast stricken them, but they are not grieved. Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock, they have refused to return. That's how you can tell the difference between a mere profession and one who's true to the Lord, because one who's the Lord's, when they're chastened, corrected, it brings forth fruit under repentance. Where you see a heartening, bitterness because of the Lord's afflictions, that's an indication of deadness. Therefore I said, surely these are poor, they're foolish, for they know not the way of the Lord. or the judgment of their God. I will get me unto the great men and will speak unto them, for they have known the way of the Lord. Who are the great men? Those would be God's elect, those would be his preachers. And the judgment of their God, but these have altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds. We will not have this God or it says in Psalm 2, they spoke against and rose up against the Lord and his anointing, that is God and his anointing, which is Christ. Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evening shall spoil them. A leopard shall watch over their cities. Everyone that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased. How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. This is talking about false worship and spiritual adultery. The harlot's houses were those false places of worship which they had built up versus the one place where God had caused his name to be put, and that was in Jerusalem, at that temple. With those sacrifices, that priesthood, how it pictured his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But they went a-whoring. These harlot's houses are places of worship, even like today, don't call them churches. They're places of worship where Christ is not honored. Oh, they, just like here, they'll say the Lord liveth, but they swear falsely. They'll use the name of Christ without even knowing who he is, what he accomplished for his people. They were as fed horses in the morning, everyone made after his neighbor's wife. Shall I not visit for these things, said the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? As far as God's concerned, you're either in Christ or His wrath abides upon you. And here's the warning to all those that play the hypocrite when it comes to this matter of worship before a holy God. There's only one way to be justified before Him, and that's in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And every other way shall be punished. Go ye up upon her walls and destroy, but make not a full end. Take away her battlements, for they are not the Lord's. This is talking about looking to ways to find peace and security other than in the Lord. And the nation of Israel at this time, they were looking for alliances with some of these other nations, thinking they would be protected. It says, for the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, said the Lord. Again, what was their sin but idolatry? Going another way in worship other than what God had revealed. They have belied the Lord and said, it is not he, neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword or fan. And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them, thus shall it be done unto them. We have the word today declares clearly who God is, who Christ is, his judgments, his salvation, and yet men in their rebellion and ignorance will still deny that it is so, and say they'll be okay. Evil shall not come upon us. Wherefore thus saith the Lord, verse 14. Notice, God opposes, because ye speak this word, Behold, I will make my words, and thy mouth fire, and this people would, and it shall divide. People say, well, they don't understand how a loving God could send people to hell. Well, he loves his righteousness more than the creatures that he has created. He said, I will make my words, and thy mouth fire, and this would people This people would, and it shall devour them. That wrath of God has not fallen on the Lord Jesus Christ on a sinner's behalf. It is nothing for God to put people in eternal condemnation for their sins, and it is eternal. That's the thing to consider here. It shall devour them. Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, House of Israel, this would be Babylon, said the Lord, it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. This is the part I was saying, you wanna follow their ways, their idolatry, all right, I'll put you right there in their midst. Their quiver is an open sepulcher, they're all mighty men, and they shall eat up thine harvest and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat, they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds, they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees, they shall impoverish thy fenced cities wherein thou trustest with the sword. That was the key there, wherein thou trustest. They were claiming all of this as their doing, the works of their hand. The Lord said, all right, let's see how well you can defend it. Nevertheless, in those days, said the Lord, I will not make a full end with you. There's God's grace and his remnant. Why did God not utterly wipe out these nations, particularly Judah? That's where the seed of Christ was to come, that tribe. So it wasn't for their sake that he says, I will not make a full end of you, but it was for Christ's sake And it's always that way. If any are spared, it's always for Christ's sake. It shall come to pass when ye shall say, wherefore doth the Lord our God all these things unto us? Isn't it amazing that the hardness of the heart always blames God? People think that they don't deserve such condemnation. But when they say, it shall come to pass when ye shall say, wherefore doth the Lord our God all these things unto us, then thou shalt answer them. Like as ye have forsaken me and serve strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours. There's the equivalency. You like the way they worship, give you a one-way ticket, go dwell a month. declare this in the house of Jacob and publish it in Judah, saying, hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, which have eyes and see not, which have ears and hear not. That's an unconverted soul. They had the gospel and type and picture of prophecy and promise, and yet it meant nothing to them. Like people sitting here. They hear with ears, but don't hear. They see, they don't see. That's a judgment, that's a condemnation. Fear ye not me, verse 22, sayeth the Lord. Will ye not tremble at my presence, which hath placed the sand for the bow of the sea by perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it? And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet they cannot, can they not prevail? Though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? It will stand on the edge of the ocean. You feel safe just watching those. Everybody likes the water coming in, going out, water coming out. Think about the volume of water. What's restraining that water from just completely overtaking you and the land behind you? It's the Lord. But what he's pointing out is if he ever takes his hand off it, He's saying, what restrains these nations all around you right now? It's his hand. But this people, verse 23, have a revolting and a rebellious heart, and they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth reign, both the former and the latter in his season. Notice, in his season. All of creation is His. He reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. The predictability of planting, sowing, and harvest, where does that come? From the hand of the Lord. Your iniquities have turned away these things. And your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men. They lay wait, It's he that set a snares, they set a trap, they catch men. What's he talking about here? He's talking about false leaders. He's talking about false preachers and false prophets. This is where we're reading this in connection with what we're gonna see about Absalom. Where the scriptures say that he stole their hearts by his devious deeds. Here it's described as men laying wait Let's talk about preachers in our day. They don't seek men's good and God's glory. They lay wait, they set snares, they set a trap to catch men. They call it evangelism. Christ said that once they've crossed land and sea to make one proselyte, they become twice full, a child of the devil. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Talk about religious houses. All these places of worship they've set up, therefore they're become great and waxen rich. They're waxen fat, they shine, yay, they overpass the deeds of the wicked by giving them a false sense of hope, false assurance. Overpass the deeds, they tell them, do certain things in order to have their sins forgiven, yet it's not pointing them to the cross or the work of Christ. They judge not the cause, the cause of the followers, yet they prosper. And the right of the needy, do they not judge? Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful, that's not in a good sense, This would be in a sense of judgment, which causes a wonder, a wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land. In other words, when God brings his judgment. Here it is in verse 31. The prophets prophesied falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means. I know some will argue and say, well, we can't help it if they're not preaching the truth. What does it say here? And my people love to have it so. Those that follow these pretenders and these false preachers are just as guilty as the ones preaching for them, because they continue to support them. It says, what will ye do in the end thereof? So trust it, it helps us see the seriousness meet with other people that call themselves Christian. We're just stuck up. No, we're here because of one thing. The Lord has taught us by his grace. And his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can never compromise what he's taught us. Let's have a word of prayer. Gracious Father, thank you for your word to consider that you could just have easily left any one of us to ourselves. to be taken away with the way of the world, the pursuits of this world and religion, false worship. I pray, dear Father, that you would instill in each of your own here, gather that fear of who you are, to know of your holiness and justice, wrath, It took the very death of your son to put away the sin of your people. How great is that sin, that sinfulness. Oh, how great is that work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ready to ignore that, ignore the glory of your son, and to follow after any other way. And do nothing but continue to build up wrath against the day of So I pray, Father, for us to look to Christ alone. Cause us, as we hear your word, to be strengthened in our inner man, and to cause us to run to Christ and to seek our refuge in him alone. I give you the thanks and praise and honor and glory in your Savior's name, amen. you