Jer2TwoGreatEvils
“Two Great Evils”
(Jer. 2:13)
Scripture Reading: Jgs. 2:10-15
Accompanying Song: #x “Is Thy Heart Right With God?”
Subject: Backsliding, Forsaking the Lord
Objective: To encourage the listener to avoid making the same mistake Israel made when they exchanged the true, living God for a lie.
Location: C:\Users\Mike\Documents\1 My Documents\1 Christian Topics\Bible Teaching Materials - New & Improved\Sermons\Old Testament Sermons\Jeremiah\Jer2TwoGreatEvils.docx
Introduction:
1. About 600 years before Christ, the nation of Judah was facing difficult times...
- Northern kingdom of Israel - taken into Assyrian captivity
- Manasseh and his son Amnon, very wicked kings, had led the nation into idolatry
- Young Josiah, son and grandson of such kings, struggled to do what was right, tearing down all of the pagan forms of rituals and doing his best to restore the kingdom to a state of faithfulness.
2. During this same period of time, God raised up a prophet named Jeremiah (Read Jer. 1:4-5).
a. Young man at this time (about 20)
b. Lacking confidence to speak (Read Jer. 1:6)
c. God did not accept his youth as an excuse (Read Jer. 1:7-8).
3. Jeremiah was sent to remind Jerusalem of her past faithfulness (Read Jer. 2:1-3)
4. Jeremiah was also to condemn their current state of apostasy and idolatry (Read Jer. 2:4-11).
5. This is a sad statement on the part of Israel…here was a nation that was hand-picked by the Lord of all the peoples of the earth to be His SPECIAL PEOPLE.
6. They didn’t appreciate what the Lord had done for them and eventually, they drifted to the point where they exchanged the true God for a lie!
7. Jeremiah called to the heavens to look on in astonishment and great fear as God accused His people of committing two great evils (Read Jer. 2:12-13)
8. Title of our lesson “Two Great Evils”
9. The two great evils God accuses his people of were (Jer. 2:13):
a. Forsaking the Lord
i. He was described as “the fountain of living waters”
ii. “Living water” – a phrase oft used to describe running water such as springs, fountains or running streams
b. They have hewn themselves “broken cisterns that can hold no water”
i. Cisterns – lined pits in the ground that was used to hold rain water
ii. As opposed to living water, which would be fresh water, the Judah is accused of choosing stale, stagnant water from cisterns over God, who offers “living water”
iii. Worse yet, they cannot even hope to hold water in these cisterns – they are cracked, leaving them dry with no water at all!
10. Could we become guilty of similar evils today?
a. Yes, very much so…
b. Let’s take a much closer look at these two great evils Israel committed and see how they might apply to us today…
Body:
I. Israel forsook the Fountain of Living Waters
A. God himself was this Fountain
1. He was the source of life (Gen. 1-3)
2. (Read Jer. 2:6) It was the Lord who delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage…
3. Jeremiah reminds them that it was the Lord who led Israel through the wilderness wanderings
4. (Read Jer. 2:7) It was the Lord who led them into this land they now enjoy…their land of milk and honey.
B. In spite of all God has done for them, Israel has forgotten their God
1. (Read Jer. 2:8) It began with their priests and rulers
2. Jas. 3:1 let not many become teachers for they will receive a stricter judgment
3. Are we teaching/training the next generation (the answer = yes – we are always teaching the question is what have they learned by observing us)
4. (Read Jer. 2:9) One generation forgot and it passed from one generation to the next
5. (Read Jer. 2:10-11) Even the nations who worshipped pagan gods had not forgotten their gods
6. Shame on us when we see others who do not have the truth acting more godly than we do (helping neighbors, evangelism, etc.)
7. Instead, Israel changed their Glory (God) to a God that did not profit!
C. Could we forsake our Fountain of Living Waters?
1. Like Israel, we have a God of living waters as well. Jesus spoke of these living waters:
a. To the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:13-14)
b. Promised to provide living water to all who believe in Him (Jn. 7:38)
c. Later, when the apostle John received a revelation, these waters are promised again (Rev. 7:13-17)
d. These living waters are located in the new Jerusalem (Heaven) (Rev. 22:1)
2. We must be careful! Just like Israel, each of us possess the possibility of departing from the Living Waters (Heb. 2:12-14)
3. Any time we turn our back upon God and substitute Him with other waters, we are removing God from our life and replace Him with other things that promise life but do not deliver…
a. Turn on the television and watch the advertisements (if you dare)
b. The world sends a message loud and clear…
i. Religion is out, independent thinking is in…
ii. God cannot give you happiness…cars, swimming pools, entertainment, vacations and the like…if you want happiness you will find it at Disney World! You can purchase it with your American Express Card!
iii. Inner beauty means nothing, so spend your money on clothes, tanning, Cover Girl makeup, hair products and perfumes…that is what can make you beautiful!
4. I recently saw a comedy show that demonstrated how ignorant some people are about the world surrounding them.
a. The man on the show would walk up to a fast food restaurant and place an order and then pretend to forget his wallet.
b. He would ask the cashier if she would accept a 1 oz. American Gold Eagle dollar instead of the eight dollar meal he owed them for (FYI Gold is currently trading for over $1500/oz.) so, he was offering them a $1,500 coin and asking for no change!
c. All of the people shown on the show turned the coin down!
d. Like that coin, some fail to recognize the value of God in their lives. In stead, they trade Him for something that resembles a God, but carries empty promises.
5. Some people have made the mistake of trading God, who is like something worth more than silver and gold and trading it for something made of sequins and glitter!
D. We must learn to appreciate the value in having a sincere relationship with the Lord!
II. Israel had also hewn cisterns that held no water.
A. Israel had their god – the false gods like Baal
1. I am sure they felt peace and security serving these so-called “gods”
2. Likely convinced themselves that these gods would bless and protect them better than the Lord would.
3. These gods would prove themselves to be cisterns that held no water.
a. Like a cistern – the promise of water…the promise of hope.
b. But when the cistern is examined, there is no water to be found – the cistern walls are full of cracks and unable to hold anything.
B. Symbolic of so many things in this world that offer nothing but empty promises.
1. If we are not careful, we can leave the Lord for false gods today
2. Though paganism in its purest form is not widespread in our immediate area, the “god of self” is more often worshipped than the true God (Col. 3:5 “materialism…immorality…which is idolatry”).
3. We can be guilty, just as Israel was…
a. They heeded false prophets
b. We can be led astray by false ideas just as they were (2 Pet. 2:1-3)
i. Such ideas can lead us into a divisive, sectarian line of thinking
ii. Jesus was against any such thinking (Jn. 17:20-21) and the oneness of faith was emphasized by Paul (Eph. 4:3-6)
c. Other teachers lead us astray through the health and wealth gospel, new age philosophies, humanistic philosophies and those who refuse to call nearly anything anyone else believes to be wrong.
4. Just as Israel relied upon false gods who offered empty promises, those in the church can become guilty of doing the same, just as the church at Laodicea did (Rev. 3:17-18)
a. They had the wrong view…
b. Considered themselves to be rich, wealthy and a people who “had need of nothing” in reality they were “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”
c. Like the congregation who looks as though they have everything running like a well-oiled machine…
i. Elders…
ii. Deacons…
iii. Preacher (eloquent speaker)…
iv. Large membership (numerical growth is on the rise)…
v. Many members involved in all sorts of activities…
vi. By many standards they appear to be blessed by the Lord (“The Ministry is growing…God is blessing our efforts”, they may say.)
vii. (1 Cor. 10:12) - Principle applies in this area
viii. Because they are neither hot nor cold, the Lord proclaims they make Him sick…He wants to vomit them out of His mouth!
d. If we are not careful, we can drift away from God and never know it…
e. We can leave the Lord and exchange Him for a substitute of the true religion!
Conclusion:
- Adam Clarke, in his commentary, describes the two evils committed by Israel...
- "First, they forsook God, the Fountain of life, light, prosperity, and happiness."
- "Secondly, they hewed out broken cisterns; they joined themselves to idols, from whom they could receive neither temporal nor spiritual good! Their conduct was the excess of folly and blindness."
2. How much more would it be an excess of folly and blindness for us today...
A. To forsake God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, by neglecting our devotion and obedience to the Word of God!
B. To spend more time drinking from "broken cisterns" (teachings and traditions of men), than from the
fountain of living water (the living Word of God)
Invitation:
1. May the unfortunate example of Judah serve as a warning as to where get our "water", and may we ever be open to the wonderful invitation extended at the end of the book of Revelation: "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." (Re 22:17)
2. Are you drinking from "the water of life", or from "broken cisterns that can hold no water"...?
3. If you would H-B-R-C-B-LF then the Water of Everlasting life is available to you at this time…
Note: Several of the thoughts and points were borrowed from Mark Copeland’s website http://executableoutlines.com/text/jer2_13.htm
Michel D. Mahler Page 3 of 6