"What are you clinging to?"

Engage I don't know about you, but when I'm about to watch a movie, I'm glued from the get-go whenever there's that opening screen that says, "Based on actual events." In my mind, I'm thinking things like, "I bet this is gonna be crazy" or "This is going to be really interesting." It usually makes me slide to the edge of my seat in anticipation of what's to come. So, without further adieu... A young girl was awakened by her mother's hurried nudges. The whispers from the nervous voices in her house that night had been deafening, so when her long-awaited slumber was interrupted, that young girl wasn't in the best of moods. She stretched and groaned and tried to readjust in her bed with the hopes of ignoring her mom and going back to sleep. But she couldn't. The voices of her parents and the clanging of bowls made going back to sleep impossible. So, against her will, the young girl got out of bed to see what all the fuss was about. The sun hadn't come up, but there was a frenzy about her parents' home. Her mother was trying to gather together all the family's personal belongings, but her father kept shouting, "just the bowls and some clothes!" from the goat pen. "But these are my grandmother's!" shouted her mother that was met by her father's response, "Only the bare minimum. We've got to get moving, the first groups are already heading out." "Mama, what's going on?" the little girl asked. "We've been set free, sweet girl." "Free?" "Yes, free." "But where will we go? This place is all we've known." said the little girl. Her mother replied, "A place full of plenty and all to our own, but we don't have time to talk about that. Father says we've got to go now. Gather a few pieces of clothing and meet me outside." And so the girl and her family joined the others of their people and set out from the only place they've known as home for generations. At first, the excitement in the air was so exhilarating that leaving the comforts of home wasn't a thought for anyone, but after a few days along their journey, weariness set in. Bodies were sweat-soaked from the walk. Those aromas were enhanced by the goats and sheep that came along for the journey. Many a mother would no sooner quiet one child from persistently asking, "are we there yet" when another would cry out from exhaustion, "I just want to go home!" And as a few more days pass, a camp is set up along near the sea that the little girl and her people have been marching toward. But the mood that was once excited but had given way to exhaustion was now overcome by fear. Tension "Mama, I thought you said we were free?" "We are, sweet girl." "Then why does the army of our captors ride toward us? Surely they didn't set us free, but they've driven us to this place where we cannot run. Mama, are they going to kill us? Why did we have to leave? What are we going to do now?" And this is right about when there's a commercial break or that screen that says... But while I'll come back to this story, maybe the details aren't the same, but have you ever been in a situation where you've lost your way or there seems to be no way for you to go? What hope is there when our circumstances, our situations, our lives seem to be hopeless? Text Thinking of journeys, we've been following along the downward spiral of Judah over the last month. From the very top of the kingdom's leadership throughout all the ranks, there has been an utter and absolute societal decay. The kings of Judah have completely rejected the word of God. These were men who were expected to led and rule so that the people would be a light unto the nations, that living in obedience to God's word would shine the light of God's glory before those who were spiritually dying. And instead of honoring the Lord who had given them the territory that the people of Judah now occupied, they rejected God and the grace of his provision. Rejecting God has lasting consequences and what we've seen over the last few weeks of our studies as a church has been the expected fall of the kingdom. God's protection is soon to be withdrawn and the pagan nation of Babylon will soon overrun Jerusalem, destroying everything that is dear to Judah. God's been warning Judah of the eventuality of this through the prophet Jeremiah. The message from God through Jeremiah has been quite plain: "repent of your sin and surrender your lives to me or I will bring devastation upon you." Jeremiah's resisted the temptation to change the tune of this message that cuts certainly cut straight to the heart of everyone in Jerusalem, but most in Judah have resisted the message altogether. Investing in Hope (vv. 1-15) And as we saw last week, serving as God's messenger can mean rejection for the messenger himself. Rejection for Jeremiah meant being sent to prison for staying faithful and standing firm in God's word and as our text opens, Jeremiah is still a prisoner of King Zedekiah. Zedekiah hasn't been fond of the fact that Jeremiah's been saying that Babylon will take Jerusalem and Zedekiah will be a prisoner of the Chaldeans himself as we read in Jeremiah 32:3-4. Since Jeremiah 37, time has gone by and the hour is drawing very near that Jerusalem will collapse. No longer can the ignorant cynically dismiss that the end of Jerusalem looms. Hope for the kingdom's survival has been dashed. The mood among many is as defeated as those who surround the bedside of one drawing near to death, for though no one needs to even mention the word in that setting, death's eventuality and finality is well-understood by all. And it's in the bleakest of situations that God speaks to Jeremiah and he tells him in Jeremiah 32:7 "7 Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, 'Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.'" And sure enough, 'ol cousin Hanamel makes a visit to Jeremiah's prison and invites his cousin to buy his field in Anathoth. Now, I can only quickly go over some of what's happening in this exchange between Jeremiah and his cousin, but first and foremost, Anathoth is Jeremiah's hometown. And if we can remember back to Jeremiah 11, we will discover that there's no water tower on the edge of town that says "Home of Jeremiah the Prophet." No, Jeremiah isn't the town's golden boy, but rather he's despised so much that the people that knew him best threatened him, saying, Jeremiah 11:21 "Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or you will die by our hand." So this land is in a place that he's unwelcome because of what God has called Jeremiah to. Secondly, Anathoth is north of Jerusalem and is already under the control of the Babylonians. And there's this thing... Invading armies tend to think that their claim to land will overrule any claim that some other might have to the land. Yet, Hanamel comes to Jeremiah talking about this land being Jeremiah's right to redeem. For this land to be Jeremiah 32:7 "the right of redemption by purchase" for Jeremiah, this is a reflection of the law of redemption that we will find outlined in Leviticus 25. Family land was considered to be a sacred inheritance and it was important to keep it from passing into the hands of someone else. For Hanamel to offer the land to Jeremiah, it suggests no one wanted it any more or no one had children to inherit it. Why his cousin wants to sell him the land, we cannot be certain of, but what we can be certain of is that because God told him to do it, Jeremiah does it. And in buying the land, he makes for certain that there is a lasting record of the purchase. So, let's take a step back for a moment and consider what's going on. For decades Jeremiah has been preaching about God withdrawing his hand of blessing as an act of judging his covenant people for their disobedience and now everything God has led him to say is very present and very real. Jeremiah knows that God hasn't failed him yet, that God hasn't been wrong yet, so when God tells him to invest in something that seems hopeless, he does it. It seems crazy, right? I mean, if you think about it, this is wilder than the oceanfront property in Arizona that King George sings about. But Jeremiah's not the first guy to do something crazy for the Lord. Think about Noah. God tells Noah, "I need you to build a boat." "Uhm, how big of a boat?" "Well, here are the dimensions," say God. "I've got big plans for it." So Noah starts after it. Cutting down and milling trees for lumber. He involves his sons in this. And it's a family affair for what many believe to be about 75 years. 75 years. And naturally, everyone thought Noah was crazy, but he stayed after what God told him to do. God told him to gather food on the boat and he did it. God told him to gather the animals and creatures and he did it. And everyone thought he was crazy until that first clap of thunder after the hand of God closed the door of the ark. › God commanded Jeremiah to spend some money. God commanded Noah to sacrifice his reputation and time. Friends, the investments that these men made were in a future hope. When you're living for Jesus, even the closest of your family are going to challenge you. "You're giving how much to that church?" Or you'll hear after talking about coming to church Sunday and Wednesday, "I'm glad some people have time to spare. I stay too busy to show up at church as often as you do." But the life of the disciple involves giving ourselves in service to Jesus. Money, time, energy, talents, you name it... Every one of those things are gifts from God that a disciple of Jesus returns to him as an offering of sacrifice and praise, not because there's an expectation of immediate gratification, but because there's an expectation of Christ's return. Doubts Erased (vv. 16-35) "That's easy to say, preacher. It's harder to live." Trust me, I know it is. Living between this present reality and the deliverance that will come in Jesus' kingdom isn't supposed to be easy. No one said it was going to be. Just think about your family functions and how many of the people in your mental picture are living for Jesus. Probably not many, right? And everyone's actually really content to talk about the Cowboys or politics but if you start talking about Jesus, it's like you walked into a roach-infested room and turned on the light. You can start to feel alone and unsure of it all. Jeremiah felt that. Jeremiah invested in that land because God told him and he had a hope for the restoration that God promised, but Jeremiah was as human as the rest of us. He could see with his eyes very plainly that judgement against Judah was near. Jeremiah was confident that what God has spoken through him about repent or face the judgement of God is true. But Jeremiah got so focused on what was immediately in front of him that he couldn't see the forest for the trees and it has him questioning if he has more shekels than sense. And so Jeremiah does what we Christians all say we should do, but neglect. He prays. We see this time of prayer in Jeremiah 32:16-35. From Jeremiah 32:16-25, Jeremiah models for you and I an excellent way to approach prayer. He prays with adoration for God's amazing creative ability. He prays with confession of the Lord's righteous reign over creation and humanity. He then prays back Scripture itself, recounting God's purposes with delivering from Pharaoh's hand and leading Israel to the Promised Land. Jeremiah explains his understanding of why the land of promise is now being taken away and how evident that the time is near. And he asks, making himself absolutely vulnerable before the Lord, Jeremiah 32:25 "25 Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, "Buy the field for money and get witnesses"-though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.' "" And from Jeremiah 32:26-35, God responds to Jeremiah in this time of prayer. In fact, God explains all the reasons why this judgement and punishment is necessary for Judah from Jeremiah 32:28-35 which I will summarize in this way: I think many have the conception that Israel had to keep the law as a means of earning their salvation. But to hold that view is wrong. In his grace, God had already delivered the people from Egypt and given them the land flowing of milk and honey. Obeying the law was an act of obedient response to God's grace for God's covenant people to remember him, to honor him, to serve him, and to testify to him as they were to be a people that are a light unto the nations. This punishment comes in the same way that you and I understand when we as parents give discipline or we as children receive it. I remember as a child, looking very selfishly at things, initially receiving discipline as an unloving act. And I had to pick my own switch from out back, so it's not like I didn't have time to think about it. Yet as a parent, when I have given discipline, it's one of the most significant expressions of love that I can offer my children. So this coming judgement isn't a sign of Judah's damnation, but is a disciplining act because of their failure to carry out their God-given mission. This is the mission that they inherit from Abraham to be a blessing to the nations. See, Jeremiah has got that part down. But he's at that crossroads like Doubting Thomas. Thomas was a disciple of Jesus who didn't really buy that Jesus had been raised from the dead because he hadn't seen Jesus for himself. And Jeremiah's saying, "God, I bought this land, but I've got to confess, I don't see how this is going to work out." But do you know how awesome God is? See, this question raised in prayer is met with response by God because of the relationship that Jeremiah has with God. God speaks to Jeremiah, and notice how God answers the question of doubt for Jeremiah. Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" Friend, doubts are a plenty. Stutterin' Moses doubted that he could speak. It wasn't because of he spent hours at Toastmasters honing his craft, but the Lord made Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. Little Gideon doubted that God was calling him to lead Israel's army and then he doubted that God would bring the tiny army he led to victory over their enemy. It wasn't because Gideon studied for years at a military academy, but it was God who went before the army and won the day. Thomas doubted the reports of Jesus' resurrection because if there was one thing Thomas knew well, it was that dead people stay dead. But it was very God in the Person of Jesus Christ who entered the room where Thomas was and said in a sense, "Is anything too hard for me?" › Friend, you've come to worship at this church today for somewhere between your first time and your last time. What do you know of the God whom we worship who is three Persons in One, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Do you doubt his ability to give your life purpose? Do you doubt his willingness to forgive you of your sin? Do you doubt his ability to save you? Do you doubt that there is future for this planet that is better than our present day? › Do you really believe there's anything too hard for God? Reassurance of Hope (vv. 36-44) When the word of God asks such a question, God raises it to erase any doubt of his ability or his purposes. The Lord continues to give response to Jeremiah's question of doubt in Jeremiah 32:36 and in so doing, he calls Jeremiah to be reassured in the hope of what is to come. See, God had elected Israel to carry out the mission of sharing the joy of living in relationship with him. Israel's portion of the relationship was to be carrying out the law of God in obedience, but as Paul explains in Romans 9:32, Israel didn't pursue this relationship in terms of faith in the everlasting God, but they pursued a relationship "as if it were based on works." Like they had to do things in order to earn God's favor. And as Paul explains, Israel "stumbled over the stumbling stone." So in their stumbling, they're going to be punished. They're going to be conquered and sent away from the lands that God has given to them, but notice what God declares to Jeremiah: Jeremiah 32:37 "I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety." But more than that, look at what God is speaking in his word. He's not content to just return the land to his covenant people, but beyond that, he desires to remove the stumbling block that is the law altogether. The law had a list of things that Israel had to do in order to atone for their sins against God. Each and every sin requires a sacrifice. Blood is required to cover sin. This is an unchanging truth that God demands. And under the terms of the Old Covenant that was given to ancient Israel, these people lost sense for who God is and for what the purpose of the law was. So beyond returning Israel to the Promised Land, God declares Jeremiah 32:40 "40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me." Friends, what the word of God pointed Jeremiah to was the expectation for the New Covenant. It's the New Covenant that was ushered in when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. It's the New Covenant that does not require us to perform any action to atone for our sin against God, but rather calls us to look to the cross where Jesus died and trust that the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover your sin. Someone asks, "I don't need to do anything to be saved?" Answer: you don't. Nothing you can do can save you. You can't try to live a good enough life. Someone else asks, "Why would God do this? What does he get out of it?" Answer: Joy. God rejoices in sinners surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, placing their faith in Christ alone unto salvation. Look at Jeremiah 32:41 "I will rejoice in doing them good." God rejoices when the words of the hymn writer become the words of a perishing soul that he has saved: "Alas, and did my Savior bleed and did my sovereign die. Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?" Look to the cross of Jesus, friend. At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the Light And the burden of my heart rolled away, rolled away It was there by Faith, I received my sight And now I am happy all the day › God rejoices in offering you the joy of salvation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Application Let's make sense of this all. Do you remember the story of the young girl that was based on a true story? That story was drawn from what you'll find recorded in the Bible in Exodus 14 when God liberated Israel from their enslavement to Egypt. After God's insistence, and that's putting ten plagues mildly, Pharaoh had released Israel but then recanted his release. He sent his army after the nation and they found themselves defenseless and unable to run anywhere because their backs were to the Red Sea. Doubts and fear settled in. They thought death was imminent. They looked at their immediate situation and had forgotten that God called Moses to lead the nation to the Promised Land. Their situation and circumstances seemed bigger than God. They were clinging to their present and doubting the hope that God had promised. Jeremiah was clinging to his present and doubted the hope that God had promised. What are you clinging to, loved one? Your possessions? Your money? They won't last. Are you clinging to guilt or shame? You're not strong enough to carry those. Are you stuck in the endless news cycles of how this world is falling apart? Do you have a hope for a brighter tomorrow? Your life will feel empty unless it is filled by the hope of Jesus Christ. Inspiration Ira Stamphill wrote a song that speaks to this reality for the child of God, who has been born of the Spirit by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. It inspires me when those days seem dark and dreary. Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand; But I know who holds tomorrow, And I know who holds my hand. Action What are you clinging to? The reality is that if you have not come to faith in Jesus Christ, you're clinging to everything that is empty and robbing you of life. If you have yet to publicly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, what keeps you from coming forward to do just that? For the doubting Christian, be encouraged that there are better days ahead because the New Covenant will be completed at the return of our Lord. Until then, by faith, our actions, be them giving, investing, serving, or anything for Jesus is a testimony of the eternal hope we share in the resurrection and new creation. We cling to his hope because life will be empty unless it is filled by the hope of Jesus Christ. And in the darkest of hours, when we feel as though there seems to be no way, we remember the ultimate truth that it's not us who cling to Jesus, but it is he who is lovingly and tenderly, holding us by the hand, assuring us that nothing is too hard for him. Not the kingdoms of this earth. Not our sin. Not even death. Ephesians 2:4-8 "4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God," Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 1:59 PM September 4, 2022.