Check Your Direction - Jeremiah 30 - 34

The first eighteen years of my life were at home, on the bank of Raft Creek on the east side of a wilderness that was several miles wide and even longer; about 120 square miles where only one house and one old miser lived alone. Many times hunters would get lost and need help to find their way out of the woods. I was an avid hunter, and at an early age, when an experienced woodsman taught me how to find my direction while I was in the Raft Creek Bottoms. At the age of accountability, I became lost in the wilderness of sin and my Christian parents taught me how to find my way out. At age twenty-two, I finally used their advice, checked my direction, and found the way home, by way of the Cross. My compass that never fails was the Word of God. Have you CHECKED YOUR DIRECTION lately.

Under the Old Covenant, God sometimes appeared to man in a vision, dream, or even in a personal audible voice. He chose His leaders like Moses, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, and King David and sent them to His people to warn them of danger, to give them directions to live by, and even to lead them into the Promised Land. Some listened, obeyed and were blessed; but some refused to follow His leadership and suffered as did Judah in its Babylonian captivity. However, under the New Covenant, each individual has the responsibility of finding his own way. Our highway map is the Holly Bible and our counselor is the Holly Spirit. We were created with a soul; and an inner spirit that causes man to seek a higher power. There are many gods, but only one omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and sovereign God—He is in three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holly Spirit.

Man must personally choose his destination; it will be either Heaven or hell. The bible says there are two roads, one wide and one narrow. The road to hell is wide and well marked along the way with signs that are easy to read and many will travel this way. The road to heaven is narrow and the only signs you will have is the bible, and sadly, only a few will travel this road. We have the individual responsibility of finding our own way, and that is why we need to CHECK OUR DIRECTION.

For the past seventy years the Jewish people have been in bondage, and as God had promised they are now returning home. In chapter 31 he told them to: “Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, O Virgin Israel, return to your towns.” Then He asked them; “How long will you wander, O unfaithful daughter?” They needed to check their direction to make sure they all followed the right road back to Jerusalem.

In verse 27 God said: “The days are coming when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of men and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant.

Then in verse 31-34 the Lord declared: “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant though I was a husband to them.

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time; I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest, for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

The people in the days of Jeremiah learned that there would be a new covenant, and the news traveled down through time until John The Baptist came preaching that there was One coming soon who would save man from his sin. The new covenant was born in a manger in Bethlehem.

From the first day of Christ’s ministry until his ascension back to Heaven, He dealt with the minds and hearts of the people. He explained who he was, and proclaimed his mission to seek and save the lost, and expected people to understand with their minds. He proved himself by his actions, his miracles, and caring nature and expected people to accept Him into their hearts as Savior and Lord. This transformation is possible only when each individual experiences a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and for this reason we are personally responsible and must CHECK OUR DIRECTION.

The word “sin” must be the ugliest word in Webster’s dictionary. We don’t like to hear about it and ministers don’t enjoy preaching about it. There are so many sins that it is impossible for us to name them here, but for those who have studied the Word—God has provided a red flag that pops up, like a road sign in our minds and hearts, as our warning. We all have sinned and come short of God’s glory, but he is faithful and just and will forgive all who will repent and call on Him for forgiveness. However, there is one sin that will not be forgiven and that is the sin of personally rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord. There is no neutral zone; you have either “accepted Him” or you are “rejecting” Him. What choice have you made?

Settle Down - Jeremiah 26 -29

Have you ever been in a car wreck or witnessed one as it was happening? You may have spent your last dollar and did not know how you would obtain food for tomorrow. Try to imagine what was going through the minds of the survivors during the recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri and the first few minutes after. The most of us have had at least one experience that caused a torturous fear; an unreal nervous attack that plunged us into a condition of total despair. The first response necessary to regain normalcy is to SETTLE DOWN. Fear and worry, like anger, will destroy all ability to reason.

The Jewish people of Judah and especially the city of Jerusalem were awakened from a normal night of rest to find that they were being conquered by the Babylonian army and were being taken captive to live as prisoners and slaves in a foreign land. They must have been kicking and screaming and fighting back to no avail. In this lesson, Jeremiah is attempting to console these people and assure them that God would not forsake them or leave them and that they would fair better if they would just SETTLE DOWN and prepare to pay for the sins that had brought this devastation, and he gave them a direct order to pray for their enemies that conquered them.

Christians who have studied God’s word and believe it to be truth understand with their heart that they can trust the Lord and know that He has a plan for them in life’s unsettling experiences. The captives that surrendered and went peacefully and maintained their faith in God not only lived through it, but many prospered and actually assumed positions of prominence in Babylon. These were the leaders that brought the Jews back home some seventy years later…as God had promised.

This lesson starts with the 26^th chapter that states that these events took place under King Jehoiakim and that indicates that it was in 609-608 B.C. and just before the exile. God sent Jeremiah to the “courtyard” of the temple with the same kind of message that he preached in his temple sermon recorded in chapter seven. God told Jeremiah that just maybe the people would listen this time, and if they would repent He would spare them from destruction. Leaders, including priest, were angered and threatened to kill the prophet. God interceded on his behalf and his life was saved but the people were plunged into total despair. All the wealthy, educated, talented and skillful people were driven as slaves into Babylon. Only the weak, unskilled and poor were left behind without leadership, and subjected to foreign occupation. When the Jewish elite arrived in Babylon many were given a territory where they could build a new life, others were worked into the economy where their skills were needed. They were traumatized, a broken and distraught reminant under foreign rule, and they began to grumble and complain. [See 28, and 29: 1-14]

Jeremiah wrote these people a letter and said this is what the Lord God says to all that were carried away into bondage. SETTLE DOWN. “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat the produce. Marry and have children, direct your children to marry and multiply, increase, do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”[Paraphrasing] In other words, get back to normal as best you can…and depend upon God for the results.

Why were they given these instructions? Just like Christ has promised us that He will never place more on us than we are able to bare, God would give them a way out if they would only settle down and trust Him. They were told that in seventy years God would come to them and fulfill His promise to return them to their homeland. “Vengeance is mine and I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore their captors would be punished for taking them captive. In the following chapters the bible tells us that God kept his promise and the people and their nation was restored.

The conditions in Jerusalem became so catastrophic in the last days of the siege that the people were starving, actually became cannibalistic. Could this happen in America? I say to you that unless our government stops spending more than the taxes collected, the day will come when there will be no more credit available, and paper money without anything to back it up will be worthless. In my opinion, there has never been a time in our history when there was a greater need than now for God’s people to return to Jesus Christ, pray, and trust God for leadership.

Regardless of whether the American economy fails or prospers, many individuals will continue to experience difficult times. Earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods will increase in the latter days [the bible says so] and we see it happening all over this earth. Accidents and illness will continue, and at some point in the life of each reader of this lesson, a day of reckoning will come. Only the strong in spirit, mind and body will survive. The only way to surmount tragedy is to place your faith in our Lord, and truly believe in your heart that “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Just remember that he had a purpose in mind for each one of us when he made us and He will provide a way if we will “Only trust and obey.”

Keep Your Behavior In Line - Jeremiah 22 - 26

I believe that it is fair to say that most Christians, really deep down in their hearts, want to “Keep Their Behavior in Line” with what God would have them to do. If you are one of those, I suggest that you study the life of King Josiah in 2 Kings. The writer of 2 Kings says that “Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with his entire mind and with all his heart and with all his strength according to all the Law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him. His sons followed him as King of Judah, and unfortunately they did not follow in their father’s footsteps. The nation forgot God and became so sinful, worshipped other gods, and brought about the wrath of God who sent Jeremiah to warn them of their condition.

Young people in our day should study this lesson and learn that failure to follow Godley advice given by parents and grand parents can and will bring disaster in their future. The breaking of man’s laws will bring a fine, a jail sentence or even prison. The breaking of God’s law will just as surely bring disaster, and it may far exceed a prison sentence. Judah’s failure to worship the True God carried them into Babylonian bondage. Read again the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and you will find that the political life and military issues involved in the life of this nation were very complex; however, the spiritual issues were very simple. When the nation was faithful to God, He blessed them; when they rebelled against Him, he judged them and allowed their enemies to destroy them. America—heed this warning! Awaken, listen and learn from Judah’s mistake.

The most important thing to remember is that if the sons of Josiah, who succeeded him, had kept their ‘Behavior in line with that of their father’s Judah would have been spared from total destruction. Just as surely, if the government leaders of America will follow in the footsteps of Josiah, and trust God for their wisdom and ability to govern fairly, God will continue to bless America.

The first 21 chapters of this book have emphasized the fact that God is a jealous Creator who will not tolerate any person or nation that worships false gods. However, the emphasis has now switched to include man’s personal relationships with each other and tells us that He will not tolerate those who treat their fellow man unfairly and without compassion. The examples given here refer to the ungodly kings that followed Josiah and their treatment of their subjects.

The word ‘woe’ means misfortune or excessive suffering, and the following verses introduce a pronouncement of divine judgment against King Jehoiakim because of the tactics he used to build his royal palace. Verse 13 “Woe for the one who builds his palace through unrighteousness, his upper rooms through injustice, who makes his fellow man serve without pay and will not give him his wages, 14 who says: ‘I will build myself a massive palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ He will cut windows in it, and it will be paneled with cedar and painted with vermilion……..17 But you have eyes and heart for nothing except your own dishonest profit, shedding innocent blood and committing extortion and oppression.” [Emphasis mine.]

The good king, Josiah died in war at the battle of Megiddo in 1609 B.C. His son, Jehoahaz, followed him and reigned for only three months before he was captured by a Pharaoh in Egypt, where he remained until his death. Jehoiakim succeeded his brother as king of Judah and was in power during the time of Jeremiah’s warnings, for he was evil and oppressive during his reign. Neither son imitated his father. God’s judgment was on them and they could not claim their father’s blessings because they had not inherited his faith in God. It is so with us today, we may inherit the wealth of our parents but we cannot inherit their faith. Each person must acquire their own relationship with the Heavenly Father. Christ said that YOU must be born again.

In verse 21, God said, “I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me.” Evidently this man had been hardheaded and hardhearted since his youth and surely did not follow his parent’s advice. Wealth and power became his God, and meant more to him than his right relationship with the Almighty. There is a terrible price to pay anytime any of us becomes so satisfied with our position, wealth, home, cars and things than we have no time for God.

It does not stretch our imagination to see that this pronouncement of divine judgment would apply to any king, president, politician or any employer that has the position or power to force people to work underpaid or under oppression. The first thing that comes to my mind is the fact that many [if not most] of our elected officials all the way from county judges to the president of the United States are able to live lavishly for the rest of their lives; some after serving only one or two terms of less than ten years. It is without doubt that their excessive gain resulted from dishonest gain at the expense of the citizenry. No doubt, many have lived and died with this sin over their head, but one thing is sure and that is that there will be a pay-day—some day.

This lesson teaches us that we must first fear God and trust him for guidance. It teaches the young that they must honor their parents and follow good parental advice. It teaches all of us that a good reputation and Godly character is always much more important than riches. And finally, it teaches us the ‘Golden Rule’ is a very clear way; that we should treat others as we would have them treat us—so we must “KEEP OUR BEHAVIOR IN LINE.” May God bless you, real good!

Submit to Divine Discipline - Jeremiah 19 - 22

Many of you who are reading this lesson will be either parents or grand parents and a Christian. Have you ever wondered why your children are or were prone to be disobedient? Have you ever instructed your children in matters that would be very obviously of benefit; instructions that, if followed, would actually bring joy, peace and maybe financial or other types of gain—and they still refused your advice? Do you want at least one possible answer? Just look in the mirror. Why don’t you “Submit to Divine Discipline?” I think it is because your children and you inherited a sinful nature. Your divine nature was forfeited in the Garden of Eden. You and your children may have been ‘born again’ spiritually speaking, but you still maintain the human nature to sin: and that includes a tendency to rebel against both Divine, and parental Discipline? It is sad and often costly, but we usually must undergo disciplinary action before we will submit. Ask yourself, why do I disobey God when I know there will be a price to pay?

Biblical history was recorded by divinely inspired prophets to give all posterity important information regarding God’s approval or disapproval of the action of His people. We have the opportunity to profit by the mistakes of our forefathers. Read chapter 19 and you will learn that Israel had reached low ebb in human history. As you read this scripture, it will help you to know that the Valley of Ben Hinnom was a place where the people of Jerusalem dumped their garbage; and Topheth was located in the valley. The word Topheth means ‘fire-place” and is probably where their children were burned as a sacrifice to other gods.

Jeremiah wrote this warning during his ministry somewhere between 627 and 586 B.C. and it came true, the first time, about 100 years later, in 586 B.C. during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—and again in A. D. 70 when Titus destroyed Jerusalem. During the siege, food became so scarce that the people became cannibalistic, actually eating their own children. You can find that not just Jeremiah, but others too, had prophesied that these things would happen, by reading Moses in Leviticus 26 and again in Deuteronomy 28. The actual accounts where these predictions came true are found in 2 Kings, 6 and Lamentations 2 and 4: 10. Listen to me now, today; John Vandiver is telling you that these things happened because the people were stiff-necked and would not listen to God’s words [19:14]. Do you think…do you honestly believe…that God will turn his head the other way while Americans do the same things that these people were doing?

We must not blame God. He loves us, [everyone] but He will not condone our sins. Read in 20: 4 and on where He tells us that we are a terror to ourselves and He will hand us and all our wealth over to another nation who will conquer and kill, plunder our land and enslave us. I realize that He was talking about Judah, but He is talking to America too. We must hear [listen attentively] and believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Some of you may want to discredit me for writing this, but just remember that Jeremiah was also discredited, beaten and put in stocks because he told the truth, and the people did not want to hear the truth of God’s Word.

The first six verses make a sad statement regarding the fact that a priest [church official] whose name was PASHhur was the one that heard Jeremiah’s condemnation of the sins of the people and condemned him. He ordered Jeremiah to be beaten and put in stocks overnight. Sadly, I tell you that we have Baptist ministers today that feel that it is more important to be ‘politically correct’ than it is to preach the real truth. Just recently, one told me personally that this is necessary in order to maintain his ability to deal with people today, and not be rejected. His feelings seem to be that it is not advisable for Christians to condemn the Islamic threat and other ‘cult’ religions for fear of hurting the feelings of others who may not agree. He said that his job was to win people to Christ…and I agree. However, I believe that people also need to know the dangers that lurk as “Sheep in the skin of lions” and Islam is definitely a threat to Christianity.

The Gospel Ministry is not an easy job, and has never been, and Jeremiah is a perfect example [Read 20: 7-18]. He was so disappointed and distressed that he accused God of deception and even cursed the day he was born; and it was all because he had preached the truth as God had instructed him—and was persecuted for it. The New Testament warns us that the people have itching ears—they want to be told what they want to hear rather than be warned of their errors. Preachers today are not beaten and placed in stocks, but they get fired when they step on too many toes. No wonder we do not hear more messages condemning the sins of our people.

You must read chapter 21 to find that blaming the preacher and persecuting [firing] him will not atone for our sins. And ministers must learn that they cannot compromise the gospel messages because they are not pleasing to their congregation. Jeremiah’s prophesies became real, Jerusalem was attacked by Babylon…the siege started and the same man that put Jeremiah in stocks, Pashur, was sent to Jeremiah by the Jewish King Zedekiah to ask him to beseech God to come to their rescue. He said, “Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he [Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon] will withdraw from us.”

What was the result? In verse 3 we read that Jeremiah told him; “Tell Zedekiah, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the…and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you.” This simply means that their weapons will not be sufficient to protect them and God goes on to tell them that they will even suffer from a plague [probably something like, a flew epidemic or typhoid fever]. Not only that, but their food supply will play out and people will suffer famine; then those that survive will be taken into captivity by Babylon. Finally, before they leave Jerusalem, their soldiers will destroy the city by burning it to the ground.

God always has a limit beyond which he will not tolerate our sins. His greatest wrath has always been toward those who deny Him, forsake Him for other gods. God is good, and gracious, [by his grace we are saved] but He is also a jealous God. Please try to imagine how displeased he must be with our government that is allowing His Name to be removed from our money, our pledge, and all public places! Our time and opportunity must be drawing close to the end of his patience. Am I an alarmist? Was Jeremiah an Alarmist? No. We are more like Paul Revere who road at night, just warning you that the British [in this case God] is on his way and there is danger ahead. Even the Communist has warned America that we would perish from within. Our presidents and congress have failed to heed His warnings ever since Rowe vs. Wade; don’t show, don’t tell, and especially since the ugly 1960’s.

Even when we consider the conditions during the days of Jeremiah, there has never been a time in all of history when it was more important for a people to SUBMTI TO DIVINE DISCIPILINE. You and I may not be able to control what politicians do; however, we are responsible and can control what we do as individuals. Have you surrendered to God?

Never Say It's Hopeless - Jeremiah 16 - 20

Just after Katrina hit New Orleans, thousands thought things for them was hopeless. The city is thriving today even more than it was before the flood and many people are better off than they were before the hurricane. In the early 1940’s the Germans had become so successful that most of the citizens in England and France [Europe] thought their countries were doomed; then American troops landed on the Normandy Beach Head, and the rest is history. Twelve disciples gave up their home life, their jobs and professions, and followed Christ to the Garden where he prayed with them and explained that he would be crucified; He hung on the cross the next day and they suddenly felt hopeless and went fishing. They thought their hopes were gone; life became hopeless, only to become revived again three days later. Our American way of life is in jeopardy but you and I still have the freedom to vote for NEW MANAGEMENT. We must never say that life is hopeless; Christ gave his life to prevent that from happening. As long as we are alive there is always hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Have you ever battled the feelings of hopelessness? If so, what was the change factor that helped you to enjoy a better day? I have been there; done that; and can tell you that it sometimes takes a huge effort and much time to be able to look back and see that God had a hand in establishing peace and confidence in the future. Time and experience makes it possible for us to see that there were many incidents, many of which were unpleasant, that God use to change hopelessness to an optimistic attitude regarding the future. His unfailing promise to “Never leave or forsake me” was one of my greatest spiritual catalysts.

Have you thought about the great number of ‘makeover’ programs that are popular on television today? Some have to do with ‘a new home,’ ‘remodeling of present home,’ ‘new furniture’, ‘hair style for women,’ ‘skin care,” ‘losing weight,” and I like the one that answers the wishes of some fatally ill child with a ‘trip to Disney World.’ Why are these programs so popular? In most cases it is because these programs represent a ‘dream come true’ to a hopeless person or persons that had actually given up their dream of ever being what they wanted to be, owning things they desired to have, or going places they wanted to go. There is good news; God wants to help us move beyond our past failures into a useful life for Him. A broken life in God’s pottery house can become a new vessel. Broken and failing hope can be renewed; however it requires repentance and rededication. It definitely requires the inclusion of God in the lives of both men and in any nation. The government’s present plan to remove the name of God from our money, our pledge of allegiance, and from public view is a sure way to invoke God’s wrath upon a wayward nation. Please God, help us to pray and work to keep You in our personal lives and the life of the United States.

America is a land of broken lives today, extremely indicative of the people of Judah that Jeremiah wrote about in these five chapters in our lesson today. He both warned and encouraged the people of Judah to return to the Lord. I hope and pray that as a teacher of the Word, I will be able to do the same for those that read and think upon these writings. Let us pray that God will replace our complacency with overt action; and renew our dependency on our Creator, Friend and Savior.

You who are older will remember that before the typewriter and computer when people wrote a document that they did not want to fade, they would use an indelible pencil whose markings were difficult to erase. In chapter 17, God stated that Judah’s sins were indelibly “Written with an iron stylus, on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars.” God knew that it would be difficult for them to erase their mistakes, because of their unwillingness to repent and become humble. We must repent, humble ourselves and pray in order for God to hear and answer our prayers and heal our land, restoring America to one nation Under-God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

The last nine verses of chapter 17 are dealing with sins that God considered to be of great importance. Judah was guilty. America is guilty today. Two commandments were being broken. They were instructed again to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, and were told that their failure to comply would bring sure destruction. The Sabbath was set aside to be used in worship and praise and failure to comply always breaks the first commandment which is to “Have no other Gods before Me.” Many of our church pews are empty at Sunday morning worship, while professing Christians exhibit their love for rest, recreation and other preferred activities.

There is no doubt; living a Christian life has never been easy, and has always required some sacrifice. God is a loving deity; but He is also a jealous God, and because of his monumental sacrifice for us, He expects our commitment to Him to precede any other love or concerns we have. Regular attendance at your church indicates your commitment to Him. Your frequent and continued absence indicates that you have other Gods [interests] that come before your creator, The Lord, Jesus Christ. Allow me to be very specific; young people you must not put pleasure first, before God in your life—first attend church and then go play. Parents and grand parents if you truly love your children take them to church first and then go watch them water-skiing, playing ball, or competing in their favorite game or sport. “Bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and then you have God’s promise “In their latter years they will not depart from God.”

Young people; think and remember—your teachers, deacons, pastor, and other leaders in the church are growing older and will soon leave these positions to you. You soon will be expected to accept these responsibilities and therefore you need to be in church and Sunday school where you study God’s Word and learn how to be a Christian leader. Think again, you attend school six to eight hours a day, five days a week to learn how to live, work and pursue your chosen profession—and you only have two to five or six hours each week to learn how to handle your Christian obligations. Man’s law says you must attend school; but only YOU are responsible for your Christian education.

There are great lessons for all of us being taught at the Potter’s House in {Jer. 18: 1-25}. Read about it now. The first lesson concerns judgment and repentance, and the other deals with the relationship between God and man; His sovereignty and our freedom. God sent Jeremiah to the Potter’s house where he was taught a lesson that he never forgot; and where he received his instructions to pass on to us. It is obvious that in this story the potter represents God and the clay represents people. We are in the hands of God being molded each day of our lives. The noun “potter” comes from a verb called “yatsar” which means ‘to shape’ ‘to form’ or ‘to fashion’ and this is what God does with all willing people whom he created.

In this story the clay being used became flawed and the vessel being made became useless so the potter reclaimed the clay from the wheel and he re-made the vessel into a beautiful and usable container. Jeremiah reminds us that this is what God does for each of us on a regular basis when we are willing to submit our lives into his hands. We are His creation, he made us and therefore He has the sovereign right to re-mold our flawed lives into a useful vessel for Him.

Israel was in the hands of God, just like the clay in the potter’s hand. They were ‘flawed’ and sin abounded and so God told them that they could both repent and yield their lives to Him or be destroyed. Please note in verses 7 to 10 that his order extends to other nations…even America. Please remember that man’s history repeats itself and often throughout Biblical history God has allowed evil nations to prevail over his people when they became disobedient and failed to repent and turn to Him. God has limits that only He knows, beyond which he will not go. Farmers reap what they sow. Both Christians and nonbelievers will do the same, and wild oats sometimes multiply rapidly. What kind of crop will you gather