Warning to an Apostate Nation B

You realize God chose you before the foundation of the world you believe that he wants you to confront this world with the direct message is your heart broken so that there's a morning you fulfill your God ordained calling or you just want to be comfortable. What is our response.

I think it's more than just calling people to Christ. I think it's confronting their lifestyle calling for prompted many communities to revise their crisis plans. In contrast, remember what John MacArthur said yesterday on grace to you though man automatically thinks of a program in the face of a crisis. God immediately thinks of a baby. In other words, he thinks of specific people, the ones he providentially brings into the world to warn and to prepare people like the prophet Jeremiah on the eve of Israel's darkest days, God used Jeremiah to sound a warning and as a warning, even to the United States and really to every nation today.

God's word to an ungodly society. That's John's focus here on grace to you. So let's get to the lesson here is John. We live in a day when God is completely ignored. Men plunge headlong in device busy giving full expression to their reprobate minds evil abounds in our society and sadly has even filtered its way into the church.

I really believe that we've gone too far, too far in the church and too far in our nation, and I think we face a divine judgment. In these days, the prophet Jeremiah face the very same kind of time he faced the nation on the brink of a disaster. And this was not just any nation but the nation of Israel especially love specially chosen specially made the objective of God's plans and purposes in reaching the world. And yet this nation and rejected God and because they had rejected God. God was going to come against them in a very severe judgment and Jeremiah was the prophet of doom. Jeremiah is the one who brings to them the word of God.

Just before the judgment comes to pass.

Jeremiah chapter 1, Jeremiah had to face this fact people I want you to get this that he was called out that society that he had a divine mandate that lifted him out of that society. He was to preach judgment that was his calling three features can be seen in chapter 1 verses 4 to 10 that lead us to comprehend his divine mandate three features the tell us he was set apart for God service. First, he was prepared by God. Verse four then the word of the Lord came in to me saying before I formed the in the womb I knew the and before that came us forth out of the womb I sanctified the and I ordained the prophet unto the nation. Secondly, not only the preparation of God with the provision of God. Verse six then said I Lord God, behold, I cannot speak for I am a child. He says wait a minute you got the wrong guy, child what you mean. I mean I don't have the credentials. I don't have the experience. By the way, the word I cannot speak the word cannot there has reference to knowing something by experience Jeremiah saying I can't do this. I don't have any experience.

I'm not qualified, decries the Lord God sounds like Isaiah chapter 6 is and will always be the wrong guy. The shutters at the very thought of such a task, because he sees himself as inadequate just kind people, God uses you know the kind of people to line up and say here I am God. Would you like to use me. That is not interested. If you feel fearful feel inadequate will be in the prophetic succession, at least in that point Jeremiah was young. Most estimates are that he was 30 years of age.

Good time to start.

Jesus thought was a good time to start but he thought himself a child.

I'm just a child, I have no experience but look at the response in verse seven, but the Lord said unto me, say not. I am a child for thou shalt go to all that I shall send the and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak, be not afraid of their faces, for I am with the deliver the set the Lord. He says Jeremiah you don't worry about that are not only prepare you from the womb, but I made provision for you when you do the job.

I'm going to give you the words to say and you can open your mouth and I'll speak through you and you need not have any fear. Don't worry about your voice. Don't worry about your looks. Don't worry about your wardrobe.

Don't worry about your experience. Don't worry about your ability don't worry, your personality, you just open your mouth and let me use you. That's what is telling Jeremiah I'm Almighty God and I'm going to provide for you. Third, you have a divine mandate which involves preparation by God provision by God and thirdly power from God.

Verse nine then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth and the Lord said to me, behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day get this now set D over the nations, and over the kingdoms to root out to pull down to destroy the throwdown to build and to plant mean that is absolutely unbelievable. He's got one common guy from a little nowhere place and he says you are my man and you will speak to all nations, and you will lift them up and tear them down you not to be the king to have power to be the president to have power, you have to be the governor of the mirror Sen. or Congressman or assemblyman to have power. The greatest power facing a nation at any time is in the preachers of that country.

I believe of course, when preachers abandon the message then is a serious serious downfall. Jeremiah was unskilled and oratory, so God touched his mouth so Jeremiah I'm going to take care that part he put in him the living burning shattering building mighty power of the word of God so that that's simple, humble man was literally set over. I have this day. Set D over the word means to supervise, listen, Jeremiah became the supervisor of the world. When he spoke, things happen. He was able to root out and pull down and destroy he was able to build and plant. This is power like no politician ever had 30-year-old obscure man from an obscure town in an obscure country was told I have set you over all the nations and kingdoms of the earth.

Listen people, you realize what it is to have the power of God in your life you realize what it is to have been prepared by God before you were born to have been provided by God with the word to speak and empowered by God to take your place over the nations and kingdoms of this world with that kind of a resource in a divine mandate is be moving to us to stand boldly in the face of a dying nation and to speak the message that our preparation are provision and are power demands of us. We have a divine mandate to speak the truth. Secondly, Jeremiah not only had a divine mandate, but a direct message direct message.

He spoke directly to the issues of his day. He went right to the core of the matter. Chapter 14 verse 70 Lord, though our iniquities testify against us do it for thy name's sake for our backsliding's are many we have sinned against the Jeremiah preached on seeing I heard a preacher say one thing you can never do is preach on sin that turns people off. I never preach on soon you have to make people feel good you know and I sit and listen to somebody say that it does a lot of strange things to me. All I ever think about is God's word, that is an exact opposition today. Jeremiah spoke to the sins of his day. Jeremiah said in chapter 17 verse nine. Here is the real issue. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. In other words, you are vile, sinful people and you have wicked hearts. That's what needs to be said. That's the message and he zeroed in on what I mean. He went right for the jugular. Let me show you some of the sins he preached against chapter 3 verse nine. False religion is the first one came to pass through the lightness of her harlotry that she defiled the land committed adultery with stones and with trees all have vivid vivid. He says you've committed your adultery with stones and trees. What is he mean up in the groves to the idols you've committed your adulteries and those idols were not only spiritual adultery but they had physical adultery attached to their worship, your idolatrous chapter 9 verse 13 and 14. Same thing. And the Lord said, because they have forsaken my law which I set before them and have not obeyed my voice neither walked in it, but of walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after bail them again. False religion chapter 11 verse 10 there turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers. They've gone back before Josiah's time, refused to hear my words. They went after other gods to serve them. He says they broken my covenant you know what is sickening beyond everything is in chapter 7.

It tells us to look it up. It just says this but you kept coming to the temple.

You kept coming to worship me all the time you come and stand before me in this house and I say why are you delivered to all these abominations. What are you doing here you've got your false religion and you come over here to this house. This house, which is called by my name is become a den of robbers in your eyes. False religion play the harlot Jeremiah face the day of false religion. Secondly, face a day of corrupt leadership. Chapter 5 the people didn't even trust the leaders. They said in verse 13 of chapter 5 the prophets are windbags that preacher is a windbag. I've heard that said of me.

I'm in good company profits are windbags to verse 30 chapter 5 and appalling in a horrible thing is committed in the land.

The prophets prophesy falsely in the priest bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it. So in other words, the prophets, or phonies, and the priest can be bribed and that's the way the people love it.

There are false leaders. They never speak the truth and they take bribes. Sound familiar look alone time in our society to find somebody really tells you the unmitigated unadulterated open complete group.

Funniest people who lead in this country would just for one time.

Say what is it would sure straighten out a lot of people take bribes and they tell lies, and even the prophets. People set another windbags preaching is a whole lot of platitudes positive thinking possibility thinking make me feel good watered-down sermon it's for Christian nets and on and on. People speaking their own ideas.

Delusion is complete, the prophets have no credibility, it's right leadership in the spiritual and the leadership in the political end of Jeremiah's time was all corrupted. Not unlike our time. Thirdly, there was a perversion of marriage. Chapter 3 begins with a versa talked about divorce, there was no place in the whole land that wasn't touched by sexual vice. The land was totally polluted because people were messing up their marriages and playing the harlot was just a total dissolution of families. Fourthly, if you look at chapter 3 verse 24. There was general wickedness. It talks about shame, devouring the labor verse 25 we lie down in our shame, they were literally like pigs wallowing in shame. In chapter 5 the first two verses talk about lying and deceit. It says if you can find a man execute justice. Did you find anybody to give you real justice find somebody who doesn't swear falsely, everybody lies everybody's unfair Chapter 11 talks about unfaithfulness verses 8 to 10 people don't keep their promise, they abandon their vows they break their word. Know what we have people listen. You have unfaithfulness wickedness file that families spiritual adultery physical harlotry sexual evil rotten leadership corrupted priests and prophets.

You have this wholesale thing going on in Jeremiah's land which is the same as we face today. People will want to kid our society we have to preach sin. We have to preach rottenness in human hearts after preach judgment or there is the other side after preach love and grace because that's there to Jeremiah summed up this lesson in chapter 13 verse 15 by saying here and give ear be not proud, for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness before your feet stumble on the dark mountains and while you look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness pieces, you better change because if you don't change, it's going to be a tragic doom God will cause you to stumble in the dark mountains and you will be looking for a light annual fall in the blackness that introduces to us 1/3 part of Jeremiah's calling.

Yes, a divine mandate. Yes, a direct message, but finally just briefly also a deep morning a deep morning. Did you look at verse 17 there is salable. It seems Jeremiah's pretty cold-blooded does he do this with glee. With the lack of compassion with a sense of superiority. No no no.

Look at verse 17 but if you will not hear it. My social weep in secret places for your pride and mine eyes shall weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive was a taste of blood.

If you don't preach judgment with tears you don't preach it the way God intended. If you can identify with Jesus Sue knowing he was going to bring judgment in 70 A.D. on the city of Jerusalem yet sat over its brow and wept tears and said Jerusalem Jerusalem, thou the cellist the prophets and stone us them that are sent under the loft. I would've gathered the is a him gather at the root but you would not if you can identify with Jeremiah who could preach out a fire in his bones who could preach judgment like no other Old Testament prophet perhaps and all the while while you're preaching that judgment has such a heart of compassion for the loss that your eyes run down with tears, then you missed the right mentality was due care at all souls are perishing, you care at all if you cared at all you would warn you would recognize a divine mandate.

The direct message and with a deep morning you would cry. I wonder sometimes how we can sit around speculating about when the rapture will occur. We can sit around speculating about who the antichrist is, we can become so detached we look at the tribulation when all hell breaks loose and we do it with a theological eye that has absolutely no grief for the lost, it is better that we should shut our mouths than to have such a conversation we are becoming indifferent evangelical eggheads. We know more than we need to know so many people stockpiling themselves in Bible studies, convinced that the essential thing is to debate semantics in all we do. In such debate is reveal our cold hearts. People are perishing, and we are content to be in nonstrategic functions, doing everything to pad our seat better. Our lot be more comfortable, more successful and we are I see toward people bound for Hill.

Jeremiah was not he was so grieved in verses 17 and 18. He called for the official morning women to come and cry. Nothing will tear some people think tears of the act of a coward, but they're not. There are tears of strength in Jeremiah's case. Jerusalem was in laughter. That's the funny part of it. See you didn't think anything was going to happen. He thought Jeremiah was crazy so far. The party was on and Jeremiah was a sad man at a party, they might have to him and he threw them in jail and shot him up because he was rated on their parade are tears will not be understood. I message will not be understood because the world rarely goes to hell. We may weep a little, but we weep if we care. Spurgeon had a great word.

I can identify with this.

He said this, I hate my eyes.

I feel as if I could pluck them from their sockets because they will not weep as I desire over poor souls who are perishing, but mere weeping is not enough. It isn't enough just to weep.

We not only to have a deep morning.

We are to have a direct message. We must speak there is hope you know there is hope even in Jeremiah's case, there was a little remnant, who believed and who heard in Jeremiah 1511. Just listen.

The Lord said, verily, it shall be well with thy it's going to be okay for little group to believe in you know in America today. Sometimes I get so upset I get so distressed I sometimes have tears in my eyes when I see the things that go on in our country and I see the innocuous useless efforts of a watered-down religion in combating and I grieve in my spirit and I wonder if anything is ever going to happen in our day, for the glory of God. And I'm reminded that there will be a remnant.

Jeremiah said in chapter 33 verse three for God. He said this: to me and I will answer the and show the great and mighty things, which thou knowest not listen for the responding heart. There is an answer for the responding spirit there is salvation for the one who listens judgment is averted in Jeremiah 3117 and there is hope in vine and Seth the Lord there's hope. I mean it isn't all over there going to be some that God will reach out and claim for his own.

Are you willing to be faithful you realize God chose you before the foundation of the world you believe that he wants you to confront this world with a direct message is your heart broken so that there's a morning are you willing to be a servant or are you just trying to be a success. You fulfill your God ordained calling or you just want to be comfortable. What is our response.

I think it's more than just calling people to Christ. I think it's confronting their lifestyle and calling for a holiness and righteousness that pleases God. That's pretty father. I hear the words of Jeremiah chapter 23 verse five is he says, behold, the days come, Seth. The Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and the King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the earth in his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name. The Lord our righteousness over father. We do look to that day. But even in this day know that the Lord our righteousness is made. The provision for salvation. Even now I pray for any were caught in the doom of the dying nation. They might be part of that remnant that reaches out to the one who is the Lord our righteousness to take hold of that nail pierced hand hand of the one who died for them and father for the rest of us. Help us to preach faithfully to rebuke a godless day with tears so they hear the message and CR love and and so hearing and seeing are drawn to the one alone can save the terrible future that you may receive the glory and if, like Jeremiah, no one ever listen may obedience be its own reward. And if perchance some are used to reach the remnant May the glory always along to you. Thank you Christ.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us today.

John looked at how in Christ alone. We find a source of unlimited living water.

It's part of John series God's word to an ungodly society. John, in your closing words you said that we have a responsibility to confront the world with a direct message and with that in mind, what would you say has been the church's downfall in that area.

One of the weak spots in terms of how evangelicals are now reaching out to a dying world. I think were all pretty much aware of this, I would say over the last 3040 years the church has manipulated itself into a position where it tries to win the affirmation of the unconverted. It wants to be popular with the world so it develops the world's music. The world style, though, even though the wardrobe of the world.

The notion is that somehow if are going to win the world. We've got to make the world like us the way we are and that means we have to hold back the things that offend them and so much of the offense of the gospel is so is removed in contemporary evangelicalism that has been for a long time.

I written a number of books on this. You know, when the church courts. The favor of the world. It is impossible not to compromise, because the gospel is an offense. The gospel is the most offensive thing you could ever say to human being can you think of anything more offensive to say to a human being than you are a sinner. Everything you do displeases God, even the best that you do displeases God, even the things you think are good are filthy rags in his eyes and for all of that, you're going to come under his divine judgment and be sent to hell were you burn forever and ever mean that is it absolutely terrifying message and you want to offend somebody try that.

So what has the church done but sucked that all out and you got this :-) quote unquote preacher telling people God likes to just the way they are wants to give him everything that ever dream for wished for turning God into some benign, loving, gentle grandfather type personality rather than the holy judge shoes full of wrath against sinners, so that's what the church has done and as a result of it.

It's lost the power of its witness. We have to confront.

And that's why were doing this study on God's word to and on godly nation and by the way this is available to you, is available to download God's word to an ungodly nation.

The audio files a written transcripts are available. This go to GT Y.org for the MP3s in the transcription.

We still have some CDs available.

If that works better for you.

You can order them from grace to God's word to an ungodly society. That's right.

And also friend. Perfect companion to this series would be John's book right-thinking in a world gone wrong, it will show you how to think biblically and how to avoid compromise when it comes to the most pressing moral issues of the day to pick up that book or to download God's word to an ungodly society. Contact us today. You can order by phone, dial toll-free 855 grace or log on to our website@gty.org right-thinking in a world gone wrong addresses issues like abortion or living in a secular economy illegal immigration much more you can order your copy when you call 855 grace or log onto the website@GT Y.and to download every lesson from John's current study God's word to an ungodly society go to GT Y.org. There you will also find any previous series that we bared on Grace to you and hundreds of lessons that we haven't yet put on the radio. In fact, all of John's sermons from 53 years of public ministry are free to download an audio or transcript format that GT Y.and to find out what series will be airing in the coming days. You can follow us on Facebook twitter or Instagram now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson. Keep in mind, grace to you. Television airs this Sunday. Check your local listings for channel and times and then be here next week when John shows you what will happen when Jesus comes. That's the title of the series. John begins Monday with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on Grace to you