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Topical Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville The post Ready to Give an Answer appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Old Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville Life or Death? Jeremiah 21-23:8 Introduction: As we look at this next section of Jeremiah we must keep in mind the purpose of our study. There are parts of the Prophets that we greatly enjoy because the message is prophetic of the Messiah, his Kingdom, and the blessings enjoyed by his disciples. In other words, it is about us! But there are also prophetic messages that do not seem applicable to us since it is a prophecy of judgment on Israel or on the nations. We might have a tendency to skip those sections. Therefore, let’s remember that God intends our primary focus to be knowing him. We are learning about our God who created us and who desires to do us good all our days.  Listen to the words of Moses when he desired to intercede for the people: “Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight” (Exodus 33:13). This is the purpose of our study, that we may know him in order to find favor in his sight! Setting the Scene You will notice in the first verse that his section (21–23:8) has quickly jumped over the kings following Josiah to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah’s monarchy. Not only is this in the days of Zedekiah, this is in the last year of Zedekiah’s reign just as the Babylonians have gathered for their final siege of Jerusalem. The year is 588 BC, about 18 months prior to the fall of Jerusalem. 21:1-7 sets the scene for the rest of the text.  If we were wondering why Jeremiah’s writings suddenly skip so many years, the irony of the text explains it. Jeremiah had been warning every king from Josiah to Zedekiah of the coming invasion by the Babylonians. Each of the kings following Josiah had ridiculed and punished Jeremiah for his words. But now that Nebuchadnezzar’s armies are gathering outside the walls, suddenly the king wants to hear from Jeremiah! What a joke. Though this man, Pashur is not the same as Pashur the priest in chapter 20, his character is the same. In 38:1-6 after Jeremiah’s reply that the people can save their lives by surrendering to the Babylonians, Pashur convinced the king to allow him to murder Jeremiah for discouraging the soldiers from fighting their enemy. Thus Pashur put him in a muddy pit with no water so that he would die there. Further, notice Zedekiah’s presumption. “Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous deeds…” Zedekiah may be remembering how God saved Hezekiah from the Assyrians under similar circumstances. What arrogance! As king, Zedekiah is the opposite of Hezekiah. Major lesson here! Just because a we acknowledge God, does not mean he will tolerate our lack of repentance and persistent negligence in obeying him, especially when God has repeatedly warned us of this outcome. Jeremiah’s answer is priceless! Nebuchadnezzar is the least of your worries. You are not fighting against a mere king of the Babylonian Empire, you are fighting against God himself. God will fight against your own weapons of war and God will fight against you with anger and in fury and in great wrath. Cf. Luke 12:4-5 21:8-10 “And to the people you shall say…” What we see here is one last chance for the people to receive the mercy of the Lord. Surrender to the Chaldeans and live. What would you do if you were one of the people? It is the exact words of Deuteronomy 30:15ff.  How motivated would you be to leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians? Does it not make more sense to take your chances behind the walls of the city? As often is the case, human reasoning conflicts with God’s commands.  Now consider the options more carefully. There is a third option that God does not mention. The reason God does not mention it is because it is a human option. It is in fact an option that Zedekiah and his family and princes will later follow. The option is to sneak out of the city at night and run for the hills, hoping that the Babylonians do not notice. Of course, it did not work. The Babylonians did see them [it was God you were trying to escape!] and pursue them. Zedekiah was captured, forced to watch as his sons were murdered, and then his eyes were gouged out. He was taken to Babylon where he lived out his days as a trophy of the Babylonians and a warning to other kings.  That brings us back to God’s options. God has two options, and there have always been just two options. Obey and live, or disobey and die. But to this day, it is shocking is to hear people say, “But there are so many other things I want to do and need to do. I want to do what makes me happy.” Okay, that’s fine. You have a right to that decision. By the way, would you like to read the short book of Lamentations and hear what it was like for those who made the same decision you are making? Would you like to hear the cries of those who stubbornly followed their own heart? You have no idea the regret you will have. The choice is simple: obey and live, disobey and die. How seriously do we take this choice and this text? Not one thing has changed about God’s options to this day! It is insanity to not take God seriously about the options before us. Messages to the House of David 21:11—22:30 This is a rather large section in which God first addresses Zedekiah, his servants, and the people (21:11–22:10) concerning the kind of repentance God is expecting [do justice and righteousness, 21:12; 22:3-4].  In the next section (22:11-30), the Lord reminds Zedekiah and the people of the messages to the three kings that preceded him and what happened to them when they refused to obey. 22:11-12 Reminder of God’s message to Shallum (Jehoahaz) who was the first son of Josiah to reign. Message: Zedekiah, you need to listen. Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt and will die there, never returning to Israel again. The next message is to Jehoiakim who followed Jehoahaz (22:13-19). He built his wealth on unrighteousness and injustice, causing people to work but never paying them the wages they deserved. God’s message to him was, when he dies, no one will lament for him and he will have the burial of donkey, dragged and dumped outside of the city of Jerusalem. Remember Zedekiah? That’s what happened to him. The final message was to Jehoiachin, who reigned only three months and was taken to Babylon (22:24-30) The curse exacted upon him is that he would be childless in the sense that none of his children would ever reign as king in Judah. Again, the message is a reminder to Zedekiah: don’t be like your previous family members! It is notable that Jehoiachin is king through whom Jesus comes and reigns (Matthew 1:12). How then can the prophecy say that none of his offspring would reign? The key phrase is, “sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah. There would never again be a descendant of David reigning in Judah. The significance of that today is that the general premillennial doctrine is that Jesus would return and reign again on earth in Jerusalem for 1000 years. This little verse/prophecy destroys that entire doctrine. What needs highlighting in each of these is the beginning phrase of verse 11: “Hear the word of the Lord, O house of David!” This introduction is a clear reminder of who they were supposed to be. As we see in Kings and Chronicles, the ideal king reigns according to the ways of King David. These kings boasted in their position as a descendant of David, but most never met up to his standards.  The Righteous Branch Brings Life, 23:1-8 Verses 1-2 Contrast between the “shepherd/kings” of Judah and the coming righteous Shepherd. The Lord repeatedly referred to the kings of Judah as “shepherds.” This is what made David such a great king. He did not seek his own benefit and exaltation. He cared for the people, especially those who were weak and downtrodden. This does not suggest that the leaders of Israel were the only problem. In 16:12, God described the people as having a “stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me.”  Further, we all must recognize our responsibility to “shepherd one another.” We are to “stir one another up to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). We are to restore a person in sin “with a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). Jude 22-23, “Have mercy on those who doubt, save other by snatching them out of the fire.”  Notice the failures of these “shepherds”:  They “destroy and scatter the sheep.” They destroyed them by putting them in fear of what the king would do to them, shedding the blood of the innocent and taking from them what was rightfully theirs in order to enrich themselves. They scattered the sheep by not teaching and feeding them with the word of God causing them to be taken into exile. “Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.” (Ezekiel 34:2-4 ESV) The above is exactly the responsibility of leaders within a church. When Christians are scattering from a church, the fault typically begins in the leaders, whether it be the preachers, the elders, the deacons, or those who are leaders in other ways.  Are the sheep being fed? Are the weak being strengthened? Are the straying and the lost being sought? Are the leaders using force and harshness? Notice that God promises to be the good shepherd.  “Bring them back to their fold.” Notice it is a remnant that God brings back. This is not the physical nation, but bringing his people out of sin from all over the world. “They shall be fruitful and multiply.” These words bring us back to Genesis and God’s original purpose for man to fill the world with his image. “I will set shepherds over them who will care

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