Listening companion — Unfaithful Israel, Continued.

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Listening companion

Unfaithful Israel, Continued.

Jeremiah 4:1–31 (NIV)
Lee Arnold
Be Bold for Jesus

The passage

1“If you, Israel, will return,” declares the Lord, “then return to me.” “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, 30What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you. 31I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, a groan as of one bearing her first child— the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, “Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers.”

Also referenced today

Hebrews 12:29Philippians 3:3Psalm 19:91 Thessalonians 4:16–171 Corinthians 15:51–52Daniel 9:27Revelation 6:1–2Revelation 6:4Revelation 6:5–6Revelation 6:8Revelation 6:9–11Revelation 6:12–17Matthew 24:152 Thessalonians 2:4Revelation 13:16–18Revelation 16:12–16Revelation 19:11–21Matthew 25:31–46Revelation 20:1–6Revelation 20:7–15Revelation 9:15Genesis 1:22 Kings 9:33Hebrews 9:27Proverbs 27:12 Corinthians 6:2Hebrews 3:15

The shape of the message

Call to return and a true view of sin
God’s character: love, truth, mercy, and judgement held together
Hard hearts, fallow ground, and the need for conviction
Circumcision of heart versus outward religious confidence
Certain judgement pictured: Babylon’s invasion and Jeremiah’s anguish
From Judah’s warning to end-time judgement and urgent personal response

Questions to hold while you listen

Where do you see the temptation to treat God as “all loving” in a way that ignores truth, judgement, and righteousness, and what changes when you hold those together?
What are examples of “heart-hardening sin” that keep God’s Word from taking root, and what does it look like to let conviction do its work rather than resisting it?
What outward religious markers do people trust in today, and how does Philippians 3:3 redefine what it means to belong to God?
Why do people prefer “pleasant messages” that do not convict, and how can that preference shape what we listen to and believe?
When you think about judgement and Christ’s return, what do you feel for friends and family who do not know Jesus, and what are you doing to alert them?

Notes

This week

Do not postpone responding to God: say yes to Jesus personally, and then speak to at least one friend or family member about the coming judgement and the mercy and grace of Jesus. Watch for the temptation to assume you have “tomorrow,” and choose to act “today” instead.

sermons.bb4j.comJeremiah 4:1–31 · NIV