Good morning, trust God's giving you a good Sunday and here we are. This is our third Sunday. I think I'm going to keep saying, counting the numbers as we go up and hopefully that number is not going to be too large and soon God's going to make it possible for us to be back together. But until then, we're thankful for you to be able to join us online and participate in worshiping God on the Lord's day, Jeremiah chapter nine and 10. is our text this morning, Jeremiah chapter 9 and 10. Parenting has some familiar phrases. If you didn't hear them in your home, you heard them in the shops. And I'm not saying that these are good phrases necessarily. The first one certainly probably is not. But you might hear something like, I'm going to count to five. And if you don't stop, and then you hear one, two, and it's very slow and gets slower as you get closer to five. Another one that you hear is children are to be seen and not heard. Another one, mind your P's and Q's, meaning mind your manners. Make sure that you're on your best behavior. If you keep making that face, it will freeze that way. Okay, if you want to act like a child, I'll treat you like a child. Or maybe you might hear someday, you'll thank me. Another phrase, if I could call it that, it's just one word phrase, it's reserved for times when chaos has happened It's been uncontrollable and the word means end the chaos and end it immediately. If it was written out, it would be all caps with an exclamation point on the end and that word is enough. Enough. And if your authority has to pull that out of the bag, those under that authority had better listen or severe consequences will follow. My message this morning is when God says enough. Mankind's out of control. Mankind is in chaos and sin against God, and God says enough. It's time to end that chaos and end it immediately. In Jeremiah 18, verse seven, God speaks about that idea of saying enough with his people, the nation of Judah. And in Jeremiah 18, verse seven, God says, at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it. If that nation against whom I pronounce evil turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to build and to plant it. If it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. "'Now therefore go to speak to the men of Judah "'and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, "'Thus saith the Lord, "'Behold, I frame evil against you, "'and devise a device against you. "'Return to you now everyone from his evil way, "'and make your ways good and your doings good.'" And it says, if God has said enough, this is it. This is time to stop, look, and listen. They were to respond immediately. They were to turn from their evil way and make their doings good. COVID-19 has been a wake-up call from God. It is God saying to our world, enough. Enough to the United Kingdom, enough to the United States, enough to the world. Do you believe that? As we examine what's taking place currently with the virus that has come, is it obvious to you that this is God saying to this world, enough? If it's not obvious to you at the beginning of this message, I hope by God's grace, at the end of this message, you'll look back and say, you know what? I can see that, that it is God saying enough. And to prove this, we're gonna take our Bibles this morning. We're gonna turn again to Jeremiah chapter nine and chapter 10, and we'll see the conditions, the consequences, and the considerations of when God says enough. Let's pray and ask God's help for our morning message. Father, we thank you for the grace that you give. We thank you for the privilege that we have as believers of having insight into truth by the Spirit of God, enabling us and giving us insight. The natural man receiveth not the things of God for their foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them because they're spiritually discerned. But Father, with the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God before us this morning, those who are believers will easily see this truth. But I ask for any unbelievers that would watch this message and listen into this message that their hearts too would be enlightened and illumined by the Spirit of God to see the things that are true, that God, you have said enough. And Father, I can't speak without your enablement and we can't hear without your help. And so father, I pray that the word of God would have free course. I pray that nothing would hinder it. And father, we praise you again and thank you for the technology that we have in our day to be able to continue as a church, to worship God and follow God and serve God and, and have a ministry of the word by our pastor to our people, even at a time where we can't congregate. But father, I can't speak without your enablement. I pray the spirit of God would guide my lips as I speak. I pray that you would please help me and guide me and direct me and father that all the ministry that takes place online for our church would be spirit-enabled, spirit-guided, spirit-guarded. And Father, our hearts would be very tender to you. Father, some of these truths in Jeremiah are difficult truths, so difficult that the king that received this book penned from the hand of Barak by the mouth of Jeremiah through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that king took that scroll and cast it into a fire. Father, by the grace of God, give even those that are maybe opposed to God and God's truth, give them grace to listen and not to throw out the Word of God, but to take it in. And Father, give us all grace to do that. This is a tough passage in some regards and yet not in many regards. May the Spirit of God just open our minds. May we, like little children, take the truth of God and apply it to our lives. It's in Christ's name I pray, amen. And so to prove this, that God has said enough, again we're going to look at the conditions, the consequences, and the considerations of when God says enough. And so the conditions of when God says enough. It's undoubtable that in our text that God had said enough to the nation of Judah. And so Jeremiah 44, 13 speaks about that. He says, I have punished Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. And so as God said enough and God dealt with his people, God sent war, he sent drought, and he sent disease. Judas had, or I'm sorry, Judah had become the people of God in name only. They had been the people of God in reality, they had walked closely with God, but now as you examine the conditions that were in their life, they were no longer in reality the people of God, but the people of God in name only. It's much like the fact that Scotland and the United Kingdom and the United States are Christian nations now by name only. They were more Christian in other days. In reality, they had a close walk with God. They were missions sending nations and missions impacting nations and evangelical nations. And yet much like Judah, our condition is as unlike the people of God as in the days of Jeremiah. And so what do we see about the condition of Judah at this time? Well, they were a pagan nation. Jeremiah 8, verse one, It says, at that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem out of their graves. And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the hosts of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered, nor be buried. They shall be for dung. upon the face of the earth. And Judah had gone and turned from God and worshipping God and obeying God and being a nation that recognized true deity to a nation that bowed down to the moon, that bowed down to the sun, that bowed down as a pagan, heathenistic nation that knew not God and worshipped God's creation instead of God himself. That's paganism. That's heathenism. That's like in our day, Wicca, or Reiki healing, or tarot cards, or Ouija boards, witchcraft, and wizardry. And it is present in our villages, it is present in our cities. We have a very pagan culture in Scotland. Harry Potter was written by JK Rawlings and a lot of Christian families naively laughed about the idea that Harry Potter was bad, but Harry Potter has popularized paganism and witchcraft more than anything else in our day. I met a young lady, I don't know if this is what she read, but I met a young lady a few weeks ago down in Princeton Street Garden. She said, I turned to Wicca through just a book that I read that was a fictional book. And I don't know that it was Harry Potter, but I wonder how many have turned to paganism through this Edinburgh author's writings. Some closures are taking place in our day because of COVID-19 and they're not all bad, praise God. The pubs have been shut down and other wicked venues have been shut down. One such wickedness that would take place later this month is a large pagan festival. It's a festival that advertises that it's family friendly, but let it be known that there's nudity that's there, but they're family friendly and children are welcome to come up to this pagan festival. It's not held in some remote location. It's held in the heart of Edinburgh on Calton Hill and it's held annually. It's the largest festival of its kind. Paganism is right here in Scotland. God came to Judah. Paganism was there. It was a condition that brought God to say enough, and it's here present in our society. And so a pagan nation is a condition that God says enough to. A second condition is a rebellious nation. They were resolute backsliders. You know, there's a difference between tripping and jumping. And it wasn't that Judah had fallen into sin, it's that she had rushed headlong into sin. Jeremiah 8 verse 4, Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, shall they fall and not arise? In other words, they fall, but they're not even attempting to get up. Shall he turn away and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by perpetual backsliding? They hold fast deceit. They refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not a right. No man repented him of his wickedness saying, what have I done? Everyone turned to his course as a horse rusheth into the battle. They didn't stumble into sin like a horse that is anxious for the battle. They plowed into their sin and their rebellion against God. You know, is there remorse in our villages because of rebellion against God? Is Scotland weeping because they have fallen into sin and they want to be restored to God? Our prime minister, Boris Johnson, his first marriage lasted for six years. Then it was annulled. Nine days later, he remarried. Five weeks later, they had a baby. During that marriage, He had an affair, two babies were killed and aborted. Then he had another affair. Then he had another affair and a baby and then a divorce while another affair and baby are coming and that's the present condition that he's in. He's had multiple affairs and divorces and murder of babies. Our society isn't falling into sin, our society is running headlong into sin. In the government website, gov.uk, the number of cohabiting couple families continues to grow faster than married couples and lone parent families, with an increase of 25.8% over the decade from 2008 to 2018. And yet the Word of God says, God will say enough. That's enough sexual sin. God created one man, one woman for life until death do them part. And yet our society is not only falling into immorality and adultery, they're jumping into immorality and adultery. and fornication. The number of same-sex couples families has grown by more than 50% since 2015 with more than four times as many same-sex married couple families in 2018 compared with 2015. In 2016 our world rejoiced as in Scotland four of the six main party political leaders in our parliament came out as homosexuals. It's called the gayest parliament in the world. by one newspaper columnist. You know, again, our society hasn't just stumbled into sin. Our society is promoting sin. Scotland refuses to repent of sin. It's not just sexual sin. It's drunkenness and profanity and abuse and godlessness. And so as we look at this condition that God says enough to, it's a condition of resolute backsliding. And certainly we see that condition in our society. Then a third condition, we see an ignorant nation, an ignorant nation, willfully ignorant of God's judgment. Jeremiah 8, verse 7 says, yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming, but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. And migration in birds is incredible. The Arctic Tern goes from pole to pole some 56,000 miles, and it knows when to leave and when to come back. And it's an instinctual knowledge that it has. And God looks at that and says, my animals have instinct that know when to do this, but my people know not the judgment of the Lord. Mankind is without spiritual instinct to recognize the judgment. of God. Our Prime Minister Boris Johnson and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, as far as I'm aware and as far as I can fathom and think, have not and will not call for a day of prayer for a nation that is facing the judgment of God. It's as if they have no understanding or no comprehension that this judgment is from God. In fact, much of our world, if we went out in our neighborhoods and said, this is the judgment of God, much of our world would laugh at that. They would mock at that. They're willfully ignorant of God's judgment. And then willfully ignorant of God's word. Jeremiah 8, verse 8, how do you say, We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us. Lo, certainly in vain made he it, the pen of the scribes is in vain. Israel had God's word, Israel had God's messengers, but it was vain. To what point? They boasted that they had the word of God, but in actuality, they despised it as if it wasn't the word of God. You know, here in Britain, the queen is the head of the church of England. Britain boasts of her Christianity as a Christian nation. Most Scots have a Bible, but for what point? It's vain that they haven't. Our MSP Colin Beattie for Midlothian, when the vote was taking place on homosexual marriage, I met him at a council meeting and I asked him, how did he vote? And he said he voted for it. And I said, you do know what the Bible says about it? And he says, no, I do not. And whether that statement is true or not, it's a willful ignorance of what God in his word says. The pen of the scribes is in vain. And then willfully ignorant of God's wisdom. Jeremiah eight, verse nine, the wise men are ashamed. They are dismayed and taken. Lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord and what wisdom is in them. The wisdom that's in them is the wisdom we talked about on Thursday night in our study of James that is earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom. It's not from God. It is of this world and it is of the devil. They substitute their law for God's law. It's a willful, complete rejection of God's word. Isaiah 5 verse 20, woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. And that word woe unto them is our word enough. That word woe in the Bible means a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief. It means ruinous trouble, calamity, affliction, economic woes. That's what the word means. And it's so fitting because that is our experience right now. And it's fitting as well that the term pride covers much of their actions because their heart is lifted up against God. They profess ignorance of his judgment, ignorance of his word, ignorance of his wisdom. And that's a condition of a nation that God comes to and God says, enough. And it's a condition that we find in Judah. It's a condition that we find in Scotland and the United Kingdom. And then a covetous nation. Jeremiah 8 verse 10 says, therefore, will I give their wives unto others in their fields to them that shall inherit them. For everyone from the least, even unto the greatest is given to covetousness. From the prophet, even unto the priest, everyone dealeth falsely. Every man from the least to the greatest, even those that profess to speak for God were given over to what they could personally get rather than what God desired. They only cared about what they lusted after, whether financial gain, position, prestige in the eyes of men. It's a sad day when even professed men of God state a message that is absolutely contrary to the word of God because they care not for God's word and God's work, but only for their own sordid gain. There's much about religion in modern day life that is full of covetousness. The Church of England has a net worth of $7.8 billion. The Vatican, they say, is priceless, but they say they have a net worth of $15 billion. Jesus said enough to the money changers in the temple. In John 2 verse 13, the Jews Passover was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and the changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small courts, he drove them all out of the temple and the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers money and over through the tables. and said unto them that sold doves, take these things hence, make not my father's house a house of merchandise. God will say enough to a nation that is bent on covetousness and lust and satisfying themselves instead of living a life that is pleasing to God. As we think about that this morning, do you see Britain, Scotland, the United States seeking after their lust and coveting? Do they meet that condition? And then we see another condition is that of a deceived nation, a deceived nation. Jeremiah chapter eight and verse 11 says, for they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying, peace, peace, when there is no peace. It's like God's judgment's coming and these men speak out to relieve them of their bondage that's coming because of the wrath of God saying it's not coming. Peace. Peace. It's not really judgment, it's peace. Peace. Declaring that the Babylonian captivity in this case would not come, but God said it would come, but they took away the fear of that by denying the truth of God's wrath. You know, the church and the government are lying to the people. They say God doesn't care about sexual purity. It doesn't matter, just in the name of love, do whatever feels good to you. They say that God doesn't care about life in the womb, that babies in the womb are not babies. They're actually teaching in school that it's not a baby until it's born. They say, don't worry, there is no God, or God is who you want him to be. And that's a deceived nation that God comes to and God says, enough, enough. And then a shameless nation, Jeremiah 8, verse 12, says were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush. Therefore shall they fall among them that fall. In the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. You know, when man sinned against God, God gave us something that is called a conscience. It's a knowledge of right and wrong that is in us. And God, when he originally gave it, it was very sensitive. In the Garden of Eden, as Adam and Eve violated God's law, they received that knowledge of good and evil from God. In Genesis 3, verse 9, it says, And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard that voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And Adam had the sense to be ashamed before God and to hide because he's naked. Our world is physically naked and they don't care. They're unashamed of their nakedness. They don't feel any need to cover up their body and they don't feel any need to cover up themselves spiritually. Their sin is naked and open the eyes of him with whom we have to do. And they care not about their nakedness. They're unashamed, they don't blush, there's no embarrassment about their sin, but rather boldness to boast about their sin. They are what Timothy speaks about, or Paul speaks about in Timothy when he says in 1 Timothy 4 verse 2, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. It's like their conscience is cauterized and is calloused and it can no longer feel shame or embarrassment. You know, it's pretty easy as we speak about these conditions to go, I mean, this is a condition when God judged Judah, it's the obvious condition of our society that is unashamed of their nakedness, of their sin in the sight of a holy God, a shameless nation. And then sadly, a lost nation. Jeremiah 8 verse 20 says, the harvest is past. The summer is ended and we are not saved. The harvest has passed, it's too late to take it in and we're not saved, we're not rescued, but it's too late to take them in. Harvest, when it's ready, you gotta get it in. When I, growing up, I lived in Wisconsin, and in Wisconsin, we can get a bad snowfall even as early as the end of October. One year, when I was in high school, we received what was called the Halloween blizzard, and we received three feet of snow there at the end of October. And so a farmer has to be mindful of the fact that, I mean, harvest, when it's ripe, it needs to be taken in. If it's not taken in, in the winter times come, then it is wasted. And sadly here in this text, it's like it's almost too late for Judah. The harvest has passed, the summer has ended, and the burdened heart of the preacher, Jeremiah, looks at those people and they are not saved. Luke 19 verse 10 says, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. If you're lost today and not saved, not having been brought to the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, that if you died in your sin, you'd be cast into the lake of fire and forever separated from God. And you're ignorant of who God is, ignorant of what Jesus Christ did on the cross as he died for your sin. And as he rose from the dead, it's the desire and the heart of the son of God to rescue you and to save you. And yet there comes a point when that opportunity is no longer available because the day of salvation has been lost. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 2, he saith, I have heard thee in the time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. There's some of you that have heard the gospel and you understand that Jesus Christ died for you and that he paid the price for your sin and that he rose from the dead and that you need to get saved, but you keep putting it off. And there comes a point in time where the harvest has passed, the summer has ended, and you'll not be saved. I'd remind you today that today is the accepted time. If God the Spirit speaks to your heart and says, you know what, you need to get saved, then it would be good for you to bow the knee right now and to embrace Christ and take Christ as your savior. Certainly there's coming a day where it's gonna be too late for Scotland as a nation. There'll be a nation that is cast aside because of their rebellion against God. A lost nation. And then a lustful, lying nation. Jeremiah 8, verse three says, and they bend their tongues like their bows for lies. Just like a bow bends, they bend their tongue like that for lies and shoot lies. They are not valiant for the truth upon the earth, for they proceed from evil to evil. And they know not me, saith the Lord, taking heed every one of his neighbor and trusting not in any brother for every brother will utterly supplant and every neighbor will walk with slanders and they will deceive everyone his neighbor and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thy inhabitation is in the midst of deceit. Through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. And again, as we look at our nation in light of the text of the word of God as a condition for a nation to whom God says enough, a nation that is lying and deceived, that is wearing themselves to commit iniquity. We look in the text of the word of God and we say, you know what? I can see Scotland, I can see Britain, I can see the United States. We meet these conditions. And so again, the conditions that we see in the word of God in chapter eight of Jeremiah, it's a pagan nation, a rebellious nation, an ignorant nation, a covetous nation, a deceived nation, a lost nation, and a lustful lying nation. And we look at that and we say, you know what? That's where we stand and we are a nation to whom God will say enough. And when God says enough, what is the consequences when God says enough? And as we think about the consequences, I wanna remind us this morning that there is hope. And the hope is that we will respond much like Nineveh. Jonah comes into Nineveh and says, judgment's coming, that we can respond and we can say, dear God, forgive us. We repent of the ungodliness of our sin and our rebellion against God. And God, we take Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Ezekiel 18, verse 23. God said, have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should return from his ways and live? God says, do I get any pleasure by casting even a man into hell or sending judgment and wrath upon that man? Would I not rather that that man turn and repent of his ways and get right with me? And so I remind us as we talk about these consequences that God is a merciful God and God is a gracious God and yet consequences do come and consequences will come for those who remain in their sin. And so what does happen? Well, first of all, God will come in judgment, verse nine. says, shall I not visit them for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Shouldn't I come in wrath and take care of their sin? There's an ultimate time coming in the future when God is going to come in wrath upon this world. The time is called the Great Tribulation. You can read about it in the book of Revelation. Before that takes place, he will come and remove his own. 1 Thessalonians 4, 16 speaks about that imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ when it says, 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 7 says unto you who are troubled, persecuted, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is gonna come in fiery wrath against this ungodly world and all the things that you see of the judgments of God and the tribulation are gonna take place. COVID-19 is nothing. compared to what God will do when he comes in wrath in the end times. And it's just a little bit of a wake up call to the world to say, this is just a taste of what I can so easily do just from a little virus. And so God will come in judgment. That's a consequence. When he comes in judgment, another consequence is that livelihoods are destroyed. It says in verse 10 of chapter nine, for the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up so that none can pass through them. Neither can man hear the voice of the cattle, both of the fowls of the heavens and the beasts are fled, they are gone. Much of their livelihood was agricultural. and their livestock was going to be destroyed. They ate off the land, they fed off the land and so the birds and the bees were gone and their food was gone. Are you aware as we talk about this that we're seeing these very things take place in front of our eyes that men's livelihood, their jobs are uncertain. Businesses are failing. There is incredible uncertainty in the markets as to what economically is going to take place. I read yesterday that this could be worse than the Great Depression that took place. Food is uncertain. Praise God, the shelves have been restocked and yet supply chains are in jeopardy. If too many people get ill and that knock on effect could impact our ability to get food. And certainly we're blessed in Britain with what we have. And many, many nations in this world aren't as blessed and are certainly struggling a lot more than we are. But it ought to be obvious to us that the same consequences are taking place all around the world. Livelihoods are at risk. Food is in jeopardy. This is a consequence. of God saying enough. Then we see another consequence is that cities are desolate. Verse 11 says, I will make Jerusalem heaps and a den of dragons, and I will make the cities of Judah desolate without an inhabitant. And right now our cities are desolate, praise God, not because so many people have died or perished, but they're desolate and they become silent because of this contagion. It's amazing. The biggest cities in our world, Mexico City, New York City, London, are cities that are shut down and places that would have been thriving with people are empty. Stadiums are empty. Theaters are empty. Festivals are canceled. The Olympics are not going to take place. The tattoo festival that takes place in Edinburgh every year, that festival for the first time is canceled. The fringe festival, international festival in Edinburgh is canceled. Cities are desolate. You know, men had better wake up and go, this is a consequence of God saying to us as men, enough. As this is all taking place, another consequence of when God says enough is God's people declaring it. Verse 12 says, who is a wise man that may understand this? Who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken that he may declare it for what, what is the reason, the judgment of God, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness that none passes through. You know, God hasn't left himself without a witness. When God is at work, he has men declaring and letting it be known that this is of God. Do you know that today the pubs are closed, the gyms are closed, the malls are closed, the shops are closed, but praise God, the church is not? God in his mercy has messages being declared in platforms and places all over this world through the technology that we have, and the church has not ceased to exist and to proclaim the message that God has given to it. Even in prison, Paul was not silenced because the word of God is not bound. 2 Timothy 2 verse 9 says, wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even unto bonds, but the word of God is not bound. I preach this message this morning as a testimony to the truth of this passage that as these consequences come, one is that the word of God will be declared that this is from God. This is God's judgment because we rejected God's law. In verse 13, the Lord saith, because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them, and they have not obeyed my voice, neither walk therein. A lot of people want a Santa Claus type God that's jolly all the time that you can abuse and you can really be naughty and still get away with it and he still loves you and he still is just gonna be good, good, good, good because he's Santa Claus. Yet the God of the Bible is a God that gave us his law and men forsook it. And when men refuse to obey God and walk in his law, that God and his love for us comes and says enough. This is God's judgment because we rejected God's law. This is God's judgment against humanism and idolatry. Verse 14 says, but have walked after the imagination of their own heart, humanism, and after Balaam, idolatry, paganism, which their fathers taught them. Paganism and humanism and idolatry corrupted their heart against God. They thought it was fine. The God of their fathers taught it to them. It's like the government saying to us, it's okay to disbelieve in God. It's okay to rebel against God. It's okay to go in sexual sin against God. It's okay to just live like there is no God. Which their fathers taught them. And it's not a fun message that we have to preach. It's not exciting for us to declare it unless by God's grace, the heart of men repent and get right with God and get saved and understand the truth of the word of God. And yet a consequence of God saying enough is preachers declaring it and saying, this is God's judgment. It's bitter is another consequence. 15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even as people with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. 16 When Jesus drank of the wrath of God, it was a bitter cup which he drank. 17 He said to Peter, Put up thy sword into thy sheath, the cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it? And Jesus Christ took that cup of the wrath of God that was cursing and hitting and abuse and whipping and the filth of sin and the naked shame of death upon a cross. And it was God's wrath. COVID-19 is horrible. It is bitter to all, not just to have COVID-19, but the economic woe and the uncertainty woe and everything about it. But that bitterness ought to remind God that this is not natural, that this is supernatural, that this is a consequence of a nation that's rebelling against God and to whom God has said, enough. Then another consequence is there is death. Verse 21 says, For death has come up into our windows and has entered into our palaces to cut off the children from without and the young men from the streets. You know, our palaces have been visited in Britain. Prince Charles and Boris Johnson have both had COVID-19, praise God in his mercy. They've both been spared. But nobody is immune to this contagion. It can enter a residence easily, enters in through the window. It can touch anybody. You know, when God said enough to Egypt, every household had death in it. And we're right when we see that there's death involved in a judgment of God, we are right to realize that this is from God, because the judgment for sin is death. Romans 5 verse 12, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned, and ultimately, Physical death is not the end judgment, the eternal death, the lake of fire is the end judgment, but physical death is also a consequence of men's sin. Men would be foolhardy indeed not to recognize the hand of God when death is involved. In Psalm 68 verse 20 says, he that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death. And to a believer that is a comfort to us. You know what? God is in control. And when it comes to the issues of death, God has that firmly in his hand. It is appointed unto men, appointed unto men once to die, but after that, the judgment. And so for a believer, we take comfort in the fact that the issues of death are in the hand of God and an unbeliever ought to fear God because God takes away their breath and they die. Is it obvious to you today that we're seeing the consequences of God saying enough? Have we seen God visiting us in judgment? Have livelihoods been destroyed? Are cities made desolate? Are preachers declaring God's judgment? Is it bitter? Is there death? We met the conditions. I think it's pretty obvious that we're seeing the consequences. And so the third thing is the considerations of when God says enough. The considerations, a wise man would stop and think wisely about what is taking place. If your boat is sinking, you put on a life jacket. If your house is on fire, you evacuate. And so what should we be considering? What should we be thinking about as we come into the fact that, you know what, we meet the conditions for God to say enough, but we're seeing the consequences of God saying enough, what should I wisely think about? Well, first of all, consider what is temporal. Consider what is temporal. If it's temporal, it ought to be discarded. If your boat is sinking, you don't fill your pockets with gold coins. If your house is on fire, you don't try to drag the safe out. You discard the things that are temporal. And so what are the things that we ought to willingly discard and think, you know, this is no longer important. God's judgment is coming. Our house is on fire. Let's discard the things that are temporal. What should we discard? Well, human wisdom, verse 23, thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. It's human wisdom. It's the world of flesh and the devil wisdom that we spoke about. David Attenborough is a brilliant man, but his wisdom is earthly wisdom. I love listening to him narrate those series, The Hunt, Planet Earth, but I despise his earthly wisdom that rejects the creator God and gives glory to a false science. It's time for us to discard books like The God Delusion. It's time to stop listening to scientists who are obviously biased evolutionally and against God. Don't trust in your wisdom. Human wisdom, discard it. Human might. It says, neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Don't let somebody grab a hold of themselves and say, but I'm strong enough to withstand the wrath of God. I read an article about the fighter, Conor McGregor, and he was speaking about his training and how he trains and his immune system goes very low and it makes it more susceptible to viruses and things. But he says, but right now I'm feeling bulletproof. And he said that in reference to COVID-19. Well, it doesn't matter how bulletproof somebody feels like they are, how strong they feel they are, they ought not trust in that because that will not protect them ultimately from the wrath of God. So don't trust in human wisdom, don't trust in human strength, don't trust in human riches. It says, let not the rich man glory in his riches. You know, can you purchase health right now? It doesn't matter how much money you have. We've seen some very wealthy people that have had this contagion of which there is no cure. There is no vaccine. Likewise, everyone is equal when they stand before God and it comes to God's judgment. Matthew 16, verse 26 says, for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Sadly, hell is gonna be full of people that had a lot of wealth in life, but had no ability to purchase anything with that in eternity. And so as we think about what should we be thinking about, we meet the conditions, the consequences are here, what should our consideration be? Let's not trust in human wisdom. Let's not trust in earthly riches. Let's not trust in earthly strength. Discard that which is temporal. And then consider what is eternal. consider what is of real value. With our children at our holiday Bible club, we often play a game. It's the game I tell them. It's the only time you can steal at church. It's called steal the bacon. And you lay some objects out there in the center and both teams are back on a line on their side. And they have to run to the center and grab some items. And I give different values to different things. And if it's a wise a young person that's thinking as they get into that game, they run out to the center and they grab the thing of most value and they take that back because it's not about how much you get, it's about what you get of value. A lot of people in life, they're running out and they're getting a lot of things, but what matters is coming out and grabbing that which is of most and ultimate value. You know, there's only really one thing in life that counts for eternity and it's called a soul. It's the only thing you take in eternity. Job said it well. He said, naked I came into this world, naked I'm gonna leave this world. You can't take anything with you. The only thing that goes is your soul and the soul of others. We sing a chorus with our kids as well. More precious than gold, much better than silver is the price of a soul God wants to deliver. The Bible says in Proverbs 11, verse 30, the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that winneth souls is wise. A man well said, pastor, my greatest fear is living my life for that which does not count for eternity. If we wanna consider rightly today, we stop and we think, what is of real and ultimate value? At the top of the list would be understanding and knowing God. Verse 24, says, but let him that gloryeth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me. If you want to boast about something, boast about this. I know God and I understand God. I went into the Apple store and I was curious about the Apple watch and I didn't know that much about it. And there was a man that was there at the Apple store working and And I went up to him and he had an Apple Watch on and he could take that thing out and touch it and show me everything. And he knew a lot about the Apple Watch. And as I turned to leave, I pulled a track out of my pocket, I handed it to him and I said, you know what? You know a lot about the Apple Watch. I said, I know a lot about God. I'm a preacher and I love the word of God. And I can tell you as much and more about God as you told me about the Apple Watch. Now there's things in life that we need to know for our employment, and I'm not saying it's bad for him to know about the Apple Watch, but it is most important for us to know the Bible, to know the Word of God, to know who God is. Why? Because that is something that lasts, because it impacts my soul. Understanding and knowing God. Secondly, on that list should be submitting to the Lord. Understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord. There's a saying that says he's either Lord of all, or he's not Lord at all. And it's that I know enough to submit to God that he is authority, that I acknowledge the Lord's work. It says in our text, verse 24, which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. You know, the men, the men who do not thank God for his goodness and blessing are the same that do not recognize his judgment and truth. But we ought to be among those that look out and say, you know, everything that I have is just the goodness of God and everything in life is because of the goodness of God. And as I see this coming, I see the judgment of God and I acknowledge that. And I submit to that. And I say, God, you are Lord. Acknowledging the Lord's work and then pleasing the Lord. It says in verse 24, for in these things, I delight, saith the Lord. It's not too late for Scotland. It's not too late for the United Kingdom, the United States. It's not too late for anybody that would share this message that is in rebellion against God and sin against God to humble their heart and say, you know what? I get it. I see it. I'm a sinner. I've broken God's law. This is just a little glimpse of the wrath of God. But I want to humble my heart and submit to God and say, God, I submit to you. You know what God says that pleases me. That would delight the heart of God today for his creation to humble themselves and to turn to him. It's not too late if we respond. The third consideration, consider what's temporal, get rid of it. Consider what's eternal, embrace it, knowing God, understanding God, submitting to God. But then third, consider the judgment to come. Look at verse 25 and 26 of our text, chapter nine. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised, Egypt and Judah and Edom and the children of Ammon and Moab and all that are in the utmost corners. That's all nations. So he's talking about Jew and Gentile, all nations that dwell in the wilderness for all these nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel, are uncircumcised in their heart, and circumcision was a sign of the covenant. It just meant this, they are not rightly related to me, God said. And because of that, there's a time coming when I'm gonna judge all nations. That judgment is hell. The Bible says in Revelation 20 verse 15, whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And if you've looked at this message this morning and say, you know what, I can see what you're talking about, that the conditions, we meet those conditions and the consequences are taking place, then your consideration ought to be, you know, the judgment of God is coming. Hell is coming. I need to be ready and accept Jesus Christ as my savior. You know, if your earthly authority has had to say enough, then you're wise to listen, to immediately respond and say, you know what, I'm gonna, okay, I was in chaos and it was kind of crazy, but okay, stop, I'm stopping, I'm stopping because my authority has said enough. It's a wise person today that looks at this text and says, you know what? God has said enough. It's obviously that we meet the conditions. We're pagan, rebellious, ignorant, covetous, deceived, lost, lustfully lying. All those things are taking place. I get that. I see that. We deserve the wrath of God. And then you look at it and you see that the consequences are taking place. COVID-19 is just a very small picture of the consequences that are coming, but God has come in judgment. Livelihoods are destroyed. Cities are desolate. Preachers are declaring God's judgment. There's bitterness, there's death. And you get that and you go, right, I get it. The consequences are here. Then let me ask you this morning, what are you considering? Have you discarded the temporal? Not just unbelievers, but believers as well. What are you living your life for? I mean, it's a wake-up call, not just for the lost, it's a wake-up call for those that are living their life as if there is no eternity. And to stop and reevaluate our life and say, you know what, I want to make my life count for Christ. Riches, earthly wisdom, these things don't matter. Earthly strength. Have you submitted yourself to God? accepting Jesus as your savior, humbling your heart and going to God, thanking him for his goodness and his love that sent the savior to die on the cross for your sin and taking him into your heart, into your life and submitting to him as Lord. And again, not unbeliever and believer coming to that point of saying, God, okay, I submit. I can't just continue in this sin. It's not okay. No matter who says it's okay. It's rebellion against God and I discard it. And then are you saved from the great future judgment, John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, go to hell, but have everlasting life. Jeremiah 18, 11 says to those nations that God said, let them know I've said enough. He says, return ye now everyone from his evil way and make your ways. and your doings good. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to our hearts now as we consider what we have looked at in the Word of God. Father, surely any person that would set aside bias could look at the word of God and say, you know what? Maybe I don't even agree with the word of God, but I can see that we meet the conditions of this nation of Judah, that Scotland is just like them. And father would stop and honestly consider and say, you know what? I can see the consequences. Cities are desolate. God has come in judgment. There's death. Livelihoods are lost. And father, that would bring us to the considerations. And Father, I pray that by the grace of God, so many that hear this message would respond and say, you know what? I've been living my life for temporal, that's gotta stop. It's not worth anything. That they'd live their life for the eternal, knowing God and understanding God and submitting to God. And Father, that they'd be ready for that day where every man's gonna stand before God. And whosoever has not found written the book of life is going to be cast into a lake of fire. Father, I pray that none that hear this message would experience that, but by the grace of God, they turn and accept Jesus Christ as their savior even today. And so Lord, would you put your blessing upon this, your word. It's in Christ's name we pray, amen.