This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, August 12, 2007, and was taken from Jeremiah 5:20-6:15.
Do you pay any attention to car alarms? We are too familiar with them because they are so common. When one goes off we pay them no mind. What about warning labels? We don’t bother to read those either. The same goes for severe weather bulletins on TV. That is exactly how it was for Jeremiah. The people had heard Jeremiah’s singular message for so long, and nothing happened, that they quit listening.
How is it for us today? Are we listening? In our post-modern post-Christian context it is important to understand God’s hatred for sin, and that He will come in judgment to deal with that sin. Our culture today no longer believes God is holy and that He will ever come in judgment. Even the church today acts as if this is the case.
Three truths are evident from the passage before us.
- God’s righteous judgment is coming for those who refuse to heed his warning, and fail to give the reverence that is due Him (vs. 20-25).
- God’s holy justice will overtake those who have grown fat on the backs of the poor and the oppressed (vs. 26-31).
- The fire of God’s wrath will bring an end to all false prophets and priests (vs. 5:31, 6:13-15).
These are sobering words worthy of our serious consideration. There is no question that God is coming, but are we prepared? “What will you do when the end comes (5:31)?