In Lamentations, Chapter 4, we see Jeremiah grousing over the condition of his city.
Jerusalem was left in ruins by the Babylonians. He was not only discouraged, Jeremiah wanted to give up on the city he loved. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll draws a fascinating parallel between Jeremiah's despondence and our own. It's hard to watch the violence consuming our urban centers today. Most of us feel resigned and hopeless. In this study, Chuck urges us to face the realities of our times and to embrace a healthier response. Chuck titled today's message, Ugly Scenes of Utter Humiliation. We read Lamentations, Chapter 4 about a Jerusalem. I could insert other names there.
You could too. Cities out of control. Cities where people who've worked hard to build their shops now walk back to ruins. There's no racial issue there. That's lawlessness.
That's breaking the law and getting away with it. This is what he saw there. He saw the results of people that just released controls. We trusted in those days, it was the prophets and the priests who were the leaders. And he says, verse 13, it happened because of the sins of these false prophets and these phony priests who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood.
And then he pictures them as lepers. Look at this. Look at the words of this. They wandered blindly through the streets, so defiled by blood that none dared touch them. Get away, they say. Get away, they shout. The people shouted at them, you're defiled.
Don't touch us. And there's anarchy right here in the city that was once the jewel of the Jews. And he walks in the midst of it, never doubted, without protection no city is safe.
Without providing for the protection, there is no way to sleep comfortably through the night. That isn't simply the words of a preacher. Listen to Proverbs 21, 31. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. Listen to Psalm 127, verse 1. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with centuries will do no good. The Lord must be in charge.
He must be the preeminent one. What has happened? This is why it fell. Those who were given responsibilities of leadership let the people down. They lied to them. They misrepresented the truth.
And they called a lie truth. By the way, this is a good time to show you a passage of scripture. Turn to Romans 13, will you? Just the first few verses of Romans 13.
I would imagine it's been a while since many of us have read this passage, so allow me to do that for you from the New Living Translation. Listen and reflect. Put your mind in gear. Don't wander. Remember the news of recent weeks.
And listen to this. Everyone must submit to governing authorities, for all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong.
Would you like to live without fear? Fear the authorities? Well then do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God's servants.
Look at this. God's servants sent for your good, but if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have power to punish you. They are God's servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Am I saying all in authority are right?
Are you kidding? Do you remember Nero, who was emperor toward the end of Paul's life? Nothing right about Nero. Paul still wrote Romans 13.
Because there are a few wrong doesn't mean all are wrong. May we please remember that when it comes to those who watch over our safety, we need those who minister protection. Otherwise, the city builds itself in vain, says Psalm 27 one. Now back to Lamentations chapter four. Go back there, will you? Jeremiah is heartbroken when he comes toward the end of the chapter.
He writes what he does because he's so concerned about the city he loved. And now he tells everyone in verse 17, we looked in vain for our allies to come and save us. There were no allies. We used to have allies, but they've all turned against us. We were looking to nations that could not help us. We couldn't go into the streets without danger to our lives. This is 2,600 years ago those words were written.
Think of it. Our end was near, our days were numbered, we were doomed. Our enemies were so swift they were faster than eagles. We couldn't escape treacherous times. Not even our king could save us.
In those days the king represented the nation and when they counted on the king they couldn't rely on him. But there were those that laughed. Among them were the Edomites. So Jeremiah has a few words for the people of Edom. Verse 21, are you rejoicing in the land of us, O people of Edom? You too must drink from the cup of the Lord's anger. By the way, your turn is next. You may be laughing now, but the way you're living, the same result will happen to you. You'll be stripped naked in your drunkenness. And Edom, you won't escape your punishment, it's just beginning.
Soon your many sins will be exposed. It took courage to say that, for the Edomites were still in power. They were still strong. They were in their own power, not over Jerusalem, but they were a powerful nation. When I get through reading this fourth chapter I come up with a couple of traits that were true of Jeremiah.
Let me give them to you. Number one, regardless of how others responded to him, Jeremiah always told the truth. Let me say it again. Regardless of how others responded to him, Jeremiah always told the truth. That took commitment. Prophets had commitment. He wasn't looking to be popular. He wasn't looking to be accepted. He wasn't expecting a pay raise. He wasn't waiting for applause. His job was to hear the truth, believe the truth, declare the truth, so that others might do the same and live it out. Takes commitment.
Here's the second trait I notice. Regardless of what others did to him, Jeremiah never retreated, never ran scared of the pain that took courage. Prophets had courage. Commitment and courage. Where did he get that?
When did that start? How do you rear children with commitment and courage? That's what I want to know when I read this. It's so much for Jeremiah, and I admire him, but I'm not dealing today with Jeremiah's. I'm dealing with today's people, and you are too. So what can we find from this Jeremiah's life that might have prompted such commitment and courage?
I'm glad you asked. Look at Jeremiah chapter 12, verse 5. Go back before Lamentations. Go to Jeremiah 12. I don't have many pages turning. Jeremiah 12. Okay? Jeremiah 12.
Verse 5. Got it? Give me another week. I'll be there, and I'll find it. Here I am. You want to know something? It's the first verse in Jeremiah I ever memorized.
First one. I was challenged when I was a part of the Navigator organization by the Navigator representative to take this verse and commit it to memory. If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, how would you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace were you trusted, they wearied you, how would you do in the swelling of the Jordan? Reads the King James, which is what we memorized back when the earth's crust was just cooling, and I was memorizing verses of scripture with the Navigators. Now it reads a little differently. Look at it. Look at what God says to the prophet early in his life.
He's maybe about 20 years old. Listen to this counsel. Let me start with the name Jeremiah. Jeremiah, if racing against mere men makes you tired, how would you race against horses? Pause right there. Jeremiah, if you can't keep up with the foot soldiers, don't read on.
No, stay with me. If you can't do this with the foot soldiers and the terrain is pretty plain, it doesn't have many obstacles, what are you going to do when the cavalry comes over the hill and the horses are bearing down on you? If you can't stay up when the foot soldiers are fighting, how are you going to handle the cavalry?
Now the next part. And if you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thicket near the Jordan? If you ever go to Israel, you'll want to visit of course the River Jordan.
You'll often find thickets along the banks of the Jordan River in some places so thick you can hardly get to the water. What are you going to do when you have, well, let's call it what it is when you're involved in jungle fighting, when you're dealing with guerrilla warfare, when you've got nothing but obstacles to deal with? Jeremiah, toughen up. I never promised you a rose garden.
You've got a tough calling, Jeremiah, and I'm going to say to every one of us, so do we. Life is not a bed of roses. Some of you know that better than others.
You who are older know it well. Life was not a bed of roses. It's full of pain, hardship, disappointment, obstacles, difficult people, resistance, those that don't want to hear truth. Listen to the way one man handles.
This is really a reprimand. I can feel the Lord's index finger, if you will, punching against Jeremiah's sternum. Get this, Jeremiah, and get it straight early in life because you're in for a lifetime of tough stuff.
This is the way one man writes it. Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? Take this personally, by the way, men and women.
This is for all of us. Are you going to quit at the first phase or wave of opposition? Are you going to retreat when you find there's more to life than finding three meals a day and a dry place to sleep at night? Are you going to run home the minute you find that the mass of men and women are more interested in keeping their feet warm than in living at risk to the glory of God? Jeremiah, are you going to live cautiously or courageously?
I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. It is easier, I know, to be parasitic. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of the average. Easier, but not better.
Easier, but not more fulfilling. Jeremiah, I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living, and I promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny. Now, at the first sign of difficulty, are you ready to quit? Before I read on, that's a question for you to consider. Are you quitting? Are you backing off? You're not, are you? You're not just turning off the TV at eight o'clock and turning in early at night and forgetting to pour your heart out for your country, are you? You're not shrugging your shoulders at stuff you're seeing, are you?
You're not doing that. The Lord says, Jeremiah, if you're fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts? The race with the swift and the determined horses. What is it you really want, Jeremiah?
You want to shuffle along with this crowd, or do you want to run with the horses? He weighed the options. He counted the cost. His response when it came was not verbal, it was biographical. I love that line. It wasn't verbal, it was biographical. His life became his answer, I'll run with the horses.
And for the rest of his life, he ran with the horses. Every one of us must answer the same question. I answer it in my ministry every week of my life.
Before every Sunday service I review my life, I take a close inventory. Am I backing off a little because I'm this age or because I'm a little tired or because I'd like to have a break? I'm backing off.
Let's not back off. Each one of us has a sphere of influence that we touch. Yours may be a precious child that you're shaping. Yours may be an individual who is infirmed and you're there to help along. Be there for them.
You may have a marvelous job and you're in charge of a number of people and your leadership speaks volumes to others. You certainly have a family circle. And your relationship with those, so important. We all have neighbors.
We all have people around us. They're all scared. If they're not scared, they're on the other side.
They've got it confused. The truth will awaken you to the fact that there's a big job to be done and time is short. And energy for doing it is essential. Commitment and courage are the fuel for that energy. Go strong after what you believe in. Don't just yawn your way through another week. Go after it.
Give it all you've got. I promise you I will do the same. Bow with me, will you?
Just sit quietly there at your place and listen closely. You may have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. You may have never come to the cross, the one true cross of the one true Savior who provided the one true sacrifice for your sins. Today is the day to come to him.
Pour out your heart to him and let him know you mean business. You want your life to count for eternity. You're tired of living for yourself. You want to turn your life around and by the grace of God reach other people and help them turn their lives around. You want to begin to speak kindly rather than harshly to others. You want to be known for patience and grace and mercy and understanding, compassion and love that will make you so unique others will want to know how in the world did that happen in your life. Come to Christ.
That's the way he lived his life. That's available to you as well. Most of you know the Lord Jesus and this is a wonderful time for you to evaluate yourself in a commitment to pray every day. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I'll hear from heaven. I'll forgive their sins. I'll heal their land. I'll heal their land if they'll pray. Make that commitment today that you'll become a person of genuine, consistent prayer.
Start today. Our Father, we thank you for this place where we're able to speak the truth. Thank you for the opportunity to do so today and for those willing to hear. May they be known as those also willing to do what they've heard. Those without Christ, I pray that you'd bring them to yourself.
Those who have become, well, mediocre, passive, nonchalant in their lifestyle. Break that habit Lord and bring from among us people of commitment and courage who are willing to take a stand and to represent the Savior in this broken world, in this needy land. These things I ask through Christ, our Savior and Lord, everyone said, Amen. With Chuck Swindoll's closing prayer, we complete message number seven in the eight-part study of Lamentations. Let me suggest that you listen to Insight for Living again tomorrow because Jeremiah takes a positive turn in the fifth chapter of his Journal of Woes. To learn more about this ministry, we'd invite you to go online to our website.
You'll find us at insightworld.org. In light of today's heavy subject, let me point you to an uplifting book Chuck has written. It will remind you that even in dark seasons of discouragement, we can rise above the pain of our broken world. Chuck's book is called Encourage Me, Caring Words for Heavy Hearts.
His book contains two parts. The first section is for those who need encouragement and the second part urges us to be encouragers. And to purchase a copy of Encourage Me, just go to insight.org slash offer. Remember that when you give voluntary donations to Insight for Living Ministries, you're becoming an extension of His grace to people around the world who desperately need encouragement.
While many churches have been required to curtail their indoor services, this daily program has continued without interruption. And in fact, we're reaching more listeners than ever before as people access Chuck's teaching through the radio, the web, our mobile app, the daily podcast, through their smart speakers at home and in the office. These are just a few of the many convenient ways you can hear Insight for Living. It's all made possible because of our faithful monthly companions and all who give one-time contributions. So to give a donation today, call us. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. And you can give online by going to insight.org slash donate.
Most of us have been heartbroken to witness civil unrest in the public square, eclipsing the urgent medical needs imposed by the global pandemic. At Insight for Living Ministries, we believe there's never been a better time to extend God's grace to those in need. In this emotionally charged era where shouting matches are commonplace, where people feel voiceless and overlooked and even condemned, would you be among those who give generously so that we can spread the fragrance of God's grace to those desperate for a second chance? We're looking to add more monthly companions to the team. Become a monthly companion today by calling us. If you're listening in the United States, call 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org slash monthly companion. My friend, more than ever, Insight for Living Ministries is determined to serve as a lavish garden for people all around the world who long to smell the aroma of God's matchless grace, a safe place where imperfect, sinful people are forgiven, taught the truth and redeemed. To become a monthly companion, call us. If you're listening in the United States, call 1-800-772-8888 or go to insight.org slash monthly companion. I'm Dave Spiker, inviting you to join us again tomorrow when Chuck Swindoll begins his final study in the Lamentations series, right here on Insight for Living. The preceding message, ugly scenes of utter humiliation and the sound recording were copyrighted in 2020 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-03-17 02:58:09 / 2024-03-17 03:06:21 / 8