Resting In or Presuming Upon?

JeremiahThis message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, September 23, 2007, and was taken from Jeremiah 7:16-29.

One of the most precious doctrine of the Christian faith is eternal security, or perseverance of the saints. It is also one of the most abused doctrine of our faith, sometimes called “once saved, always saved.” The difference between perseverance and presumption is the difference between heaven and hell.

While resting in God’s grace is a precious reality, to presume upon God’s grace is deadly deception, leading to destruction.

1. There is this startling, terrifying command in verse 16: “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. (Jeremiah 7:16, ESV) Thank God, that those of us who are children of God have an advocate with God, in the person of Jesus Christ. We should tell the unrepentant there is hope when they flee in repentance to Jesus, but we should not give an unrepentant sinner any hope of assurance, because there seems to be evidence to the contrary.

2. There is a devastating critique, beginning in verse 17: Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. Is it I whom they provoke? declares the LORD. Is it not themselves, to their own shame? Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.” (Jeremiah 7:17-20, ESV)
A. perv of worship
B. God has given them over to their complete lack of obedience.
C. Because of their stubborn refusal to acknowledge they are wrong
3. There is only left for God to announce a fixed and final judgment in verses 27-29: “So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. “ ‘Cut off your hair and cast it away; raise a lamentation on the bare heights, for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.’ (Jeremiah 7:27-29)

There is hope in Christ, in that, while there is life we can say to sinners “Flee to Christ.” If the truth of this message disturbs you in any way, rejoice and flee to Christ. There is hope.

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