A decision to be made

Notes from a sermon heard on 3 March 2013 (pm)

JEREMIAH 42 VERSES 1 – 12

Whenever we are looking here at this chapter we are going back many centuries.  It was a difficult day in the life of Israel, dark and fearful time, a difficult time to live in.  There are many similarities to the situation we find ourselves in today.  It is all about a nation that has come to a crisis point, a crossroads.  A nation that has to make up its mind, a decision to make.  Maybe you have come to a serious crossroads, a road to take.  That is where this nation found themselves in verse 3.  They were eager to know the way of God.  Is there a hunger, a burden in your soul to know what God would have to say to you?  To what direction God would turn your heart to?  Consider the words Christ spoke “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”  There is an open way to Christ.

First of all think of the confession that is straight.  Chapter 41 gives the background.  The Babylonian king had invaded the nation and it hadn’t happened before.  He is happy to carry away the Northern part of Israel but now makes incision into the Southern parts.  He puts a young man governor to rule over the affairs.  Another man Ishmael was a callous man, deceitful man who comes against the government and puts him to death.  There is a change in circumstances now.  Up until this time things were going well.   There was trouble ahead.  This young man had been taken off the throne of Israel.  Now we find this nation, where are they turning to?  To the prophet Jeremiah.  We are in a difficult place here.  We want you to go and placate the throne room of heavenly grace for us.  To see what way God would have us get out of this situation.  We are talking about eternity tonight – where your soul will be not only this night, next week but a million years from now.  When we come to that place of death it is not the end.  The grave is not the closing point of our lives.  The body will go to dust but the soul lives on and goes out into God’s eternity.  There are 2 places for that soul – place with Christ which he has prepared for all those who trust him and follow after him.  There is another place prepared for the devil and all his angels.  There is a decision to be made.  Straight talking.  Your soul is too precious to miss out.  ”What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”  You soul can be lost.  Make no mistake about that.  People came with straight talking and went to Jeremiah "will you ask the Lord what way we should travel?"  Isn’t it wonderful how circumstances of life makes changes.  Enoch was a man who didn’t die.  The Lord took him before that.  His life was ordinary until one day a child was born into his home.  Something happened as a result of that birth.  He had the responsibility of a little child coming into his home.  He was transformed.  He began to walk with God.  Was there a moment when something like that happened in your life?  Was there a moment when you invited the Lord into your heart and life?  When you flung open your hearts door and asked the Lord to come into your life?  It is as real as opening the latch of a door and stepping in.  Have you ever done that?  In 2 Kings 4 we read of widow woman.  Her life was going on so well, her husband was bringing in the money and her children were growing up.  One day her husband died and with that her circumstances changed.  She fled to the man of God and she pleaded with him.  Are your circumstances changing?  Here was a people whose confession was straight.  "Jeremiah we don’t know what to do, we don’t know what God would have us to do."  Here were a people confessing they were lost.  That is the first step of getting saved – to confess we are lost.  They were afraid of this king of Babylon and didn’t know what way to turn.  The Lord knows all about our fears and doubts.  Sometimes God will settle the storm for the child but sometimes God allows the storm to settle the child.  Maybe you are in a storm.  Maybe you have not come to Christ.  People confessing and it was straight.  They were ready to admit they were lost.  No substitute to forsaking our sin although we need to be ready to step away from it too.  “If we confess our sin he is just and faithful to forgive us all our sins and he will cleanse us from all iniquity.” 

Notice a course to be sought.  They said to Jeremiah in verse 3 “pray for us, ask the Lord to show us the way.”  God’s way cannot be found by way of intellect.  Cornelius in Acts was on his knees, he wanted to know his sins forgive, to know he was on his way to haven and home.  That everything was right between him and his God.  He prayed that day.  The angel of the Lord came from the presence of God and stood beside him.  He told Cornelius what to do, 'send down to Joppa and there’s a man called Peter there and when he comes into you he will tell you words whereby you must be saved.'  The angels know nothing of redemption.  Peter came up and opened up the word of God.  As he preached the Holy Spirit came down and converted Cornelius and his family.  As the preacher preaches the word of God that is all he can do.  It takes the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts.  If you are beginning to see him, how he died on Calvary and are longing to get right with God it is not the preachers doing that but the Holy Spirit is beginning to open up that heart of yours, to show you your need of salvation, to show you the one who died to save your soul.  Is that happening for you tonight?  God is at work.  "It is not by might nor by my power but my Spirit saith the Lord."  There’s something happening.  Man has mapped his way through the darkest foreign continents, covered lands hidden for years, has sent rockets into space, stood on the moon but there is one thing he cannot do – find his way to heaven without Jesus.  When the Lord spoke to his disciples in John 14 knowing the cross was before him and he was leaving this earthly scene he said to them “let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you so.  I am going back to prepare a place for you, whither I go the way ye know.”  Thomas was standing and he doubted “we know not whether thou goes how can we know the way?”  Here’s a people here and they have a confession straight and a course they are seeking.  

There is a caution here that is very serious.  Verse 4 “I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words  and it shall come to pass that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you”.  He was being sure they could handle the truth.  When we know the way to heaven and home, that we can get to it by confession of sin he will forgive us every sin.  The next step is to respond.  When we confess we walk away from sin, leave it behind us then we believe.  I am trusting in thee.  A little ship got into difficulty along the Cornish coast.  A rescue ship came alongside the floundering ship.  The order was given to abandon ship.  One by one the crew began to abandon the ship.  All but 1 man and he clung to the side of the faltering ship.  The cargo on the ship was so precious.  He wanted to do everything in his power to make sure the ship stayed afloat.  Down went the ship and he with it.  Will you abandon the way you are going?  Will you turn and seek the Saviour?  Jeremiah said be sure you can handle the truth.  When the rich young ruler came he asked the question “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  He turned away when he heard the response.  Why?  Because he couldn’t take what Jesus said to him.  If you are not saved will you come to Christ, abandon everything you have depended on over the years, start for heaven and home.  Here’s a people who had their minds made up.  Maybe you have your mind made up that you are not going to be saved.

A courage here that was simple.  Verses 10 and 11.  They had their minds made up,   They were prepared to go down into Egypt for safety but they found out what God wanted.  They said “no we are going down any way.”  Maybe for you you are saying “I know what you are saying is right and true but you know I cannot give up the church, give up the way I have been working these past 40 years, everything I hold dear.”  You are prepared to cling on to the last moment and perish for all eternity.  When you could come to the cross and turn from your sin, believe on the Lord and be gloriously saved.