Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 3. When I heard that Brother Mike
was coming to Millside, I thought about this passage of Scripture,
and my heart was drawn to Look at these verses again. So I want
us to look at Jeremiah 3. I'll actually be looking at verses
14 and 15, but I'm going to start in just a few minutes in verse
12. But let me say this. When the Lord is pleased to show
mercy, And we all know that Almighty God, according to Romans 9, has
mercy on whom he'll have mercy. He has compassion on whom he'll
have compassion. So then, the Scripture says,
it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that shows mercy. When the Lord is pleased to show
mercy, I'll tell you how you know it
at first. He sends a message to them. God speaks if God is going to
show mercy. If the Lord is silent, A few minutes ago we looked at
that in John chapter 11. Israel was taken captive. They were in Assyria, which was
to the north of Judea. And the Scripture says in Jeremiah
3 verse 12, the Lord is speaking to his prophet Jeremiah, and
he says, Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say,
Return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not
cause mine anger to fall upon you. For I am merciful, saith
the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. If the Lord is not going to keep
anger forever, He was never angry. If Almighty God is not going
to keep anger toward His people, He was never angry toward His
people. You say, how do you know that?
Because in the book of Malachi chapter 3, the scripture says,
I change not. Almighty God has never changed
one iota. He's never changed. The Lord sent a prophet to relate
to his people those that the Lord had put in captivity because
of their rebellion, and he sent his preacher to relate to his
people that he was not going to cast them off. The Lord admonished them in verse
12 to return from their backsliding ways. Return, verse 12, thou
backsliding Israel, saith the Lord. Now, you've heard that
term before. Backsliding. He just backslid. What does that mean? What does
backsliding mean? Turn with me to Hosea 4.16. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea. Hosea 4.16. What does it mean when we say
backsliding? Hosea 4.16 says this, for Israel
slideth back as a backsliding heifer. Now, the Lord will feed
them as a lamb in a large place. I looked that up. I wanted to
know, what does it mean, backslide? Whenever they would take a calf,
a young heifer, Untamed. Unaccustomed to the yoke. They were going to take this
and they were going to train this. They were going to break
him. They could do some plowing with him. And they put that yoke
on that heifer. And what that heifer would do,
he's unaccustomed. to that yoke. And so what he
would do is he would back up, try to turn to the side. He was
trying to get that yoke off of him. Man by nature, because of the presence of sin,
jerks, fights, and wars against Almighty God. In fact, that old
man that resides within every believer, that old man that's
still there, that's the war that's going on. There's an old man
that's within every believer that still jerks and fights and
wars against that which is right. From which come wars and fightings? But here the Lord remembers His
people. According to his everlasting
covenant, still in verse 12, back in Jeremiah chapter 3, I
will not cause mine anger to fall upon you. Oh, what mercy! What grace! Why? He says it, I'm merciful. I will not keep anger forever.
Micah 7, verse 18, Micah records under the inspiration of God's
Spirit, Who is a God likened to Thee, that pardoneth iniquity,
passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever,
because He delighteth in mercy. It just amazes me every time
I consider the mercy of Almighty God, because He chose to show
mercy. He chose to show mercy to His
people. I'm going to be compassionate
to those that He's everlastingly loved, everlastingly chose in
Christ. I'm going to show mercy to you. With all of the rebellion, with
all of the backsliding, with all of the fighting against Him.
We're going through these prophets. Each one of the prophets. Now
let me ask you this, is this not the message of every prophet? God sends a message through His
prophet and tells His people what they are. He tells them what they are.
You're rebels. And Almighty God has told them,
He says, I'm not going to judge you. He's judged His Son in the place
of His people. And put away the guilt of their
sin. And now, whenever they transgress,
whenever there's iniquity, that's what Micah said, Micah 7, 18.
Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth
by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? Who is a God
like that? Now you know, if Almighty God,
and He is, is just, God is just. What does sin demand? Death. The wages of sin is death. How can God be just and then
justify or to declare no guilt? That's what justification means.
Justify. No guilt. No guilt. How can God
be just and deal with sins? Only in a substitute. Only in
Christ. Who is a god like unto thee?
Passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage.
But he who shows mercy makes his people to know and to admit
their guilt. Look at verse 13. Only acknowledge
thine iniquity. that thou hast transgressed against
the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under
every green tree. And ye have not obeyed my voice,
saith the Lord." Now let me ask you this. Are
God's people guilty? Yes. Are they guilty? Yes. Are they sinners? Yes. Are they in themselves wrathful
children against Him, born of it? Yes. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. All of them. There's none that
doeth good. There's none righteous. Not one. What's the difference in a believer
and an unbeliever? In themselves, nothing. Out of
the same lump, Romans 9 says, God out of the same lump, God
made one vessel unto honor and another vessel unto dishonor. What's the difference then? The
grace of God. That's the only difference. There
is no difference in me or you. If we think that we've done something
that was more righteous, more holy, more acceptable than somebody
else, we're deceived. Almighty God set forth in verse
13 of Jeremiah 3, only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast
transgressed against the Lord thy God, hast scattered thy ways
to the strangers under every green tree. What does that mean? What does that
mean that they have scattered thy ways to the strangers under
every green tree? Obviously, it has something to
do with their guilt. The Lord told them, acknowledge your iniquity. You have transgressed. Remember
when the prodigal son, the Scripture says, he came to himself. How
does any man come to himself? The Lord has to give him a new
heart. How does a man come to himself
unless God gives him a new heart? He's dead. Remember? He's dead in trespasses and sins. And this prodigal son comes to
himself. Luke 15, 18, this is what he
says. I'm going to acknowledge my iniquity. I'm going to acknowledge
I've transgressed against the Lord. How did he say it? Here's what he said. I will arise
and go to my Father, and I will say unto Him, Father, I've sinned
against heaven. And I've done it before you. I've sinned against God, and
I've done it in your eyes. God's people transgressed against
His law, His love, His mercy, and has scattered thy ways to
the strangers under every green tree. Mr. Gill says this, and I've got
a Scripture that backs up what he's saying. He's right. John
Gill said this, that scattered thy ways to the strangers under
every green tree. He said that's a phrase expressing
the spiritual whoredoms that's committed with idols. Turn to Ezekiel 16. I want to
read you something. I've never read this passage
before. Ezekiel 16. And this is what the Lord says
His people are by nature. Ezekiel 16.25. We speak of spiritual whoredoms,
spiritual adultery, spiritual. Ezekiel 16. Verse 25, Thou hast built thy
high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty
to be of hoard, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed
by and multiplied thy hoardoms. Thou hast also committed fornication
with the Egyptians, thy neighbors, great flesh, and hast increased
thy hoardoms to provoke me to anger. Here's what the Lord said. What you've done is deserving
of my wrath. What you've done is deserving
of judgment. What you've done is deserving
of me putting you in hell. But I'm going to show you mercy.
I'm going to have mercy upon you. In verse 13, you've not
obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. You've not obeyed the voice sent
by the prophets. You've not regarded the voice
of Almighty God that sets forth, I'm the Lord. I'm God. I do what I will in the army
of heaven. In verse 14, turn, O backsliding
children, saith the Lord. Backsliders? Yes. But children? Children. Children of God. Children of Almighty God by His
choice. Now, I know that natural Israel
National Israel was the Lord's people, but that was a type,
that was a picture. The Apostle Paul says, not all
of Israel is Israel. What does he mean by that? He
means that not all of natural Israel, just because somebody
could trace their lineage back to Abraham, that did not make
them a child of promise. A child of God's election. Not
all of Israel is Israel. That's what he meant. Natural
Israel was the Lord's in type and picture according to His
covenant. But within the nation of Israel,
there was a people that God had everlastingly loved and He was
going to show them mercy. And they were backsliding just
like everybody else. Doing just exactly what everyone
that was not the Lord's was doing. They committed spiritual adultery. But Almighty God was going to
show mercy to them. Children of Almighty God. The Lord's people. Born in sin just like everybody
else. And here's the Lord telling them
what they are by nature. Why is He going to show mercy
to them? Look at the next part of verse
14. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you. I'm married to you. This is why
I'm going to call you. I'm going to call you out of
darkness. I'm going to show mercy to you. I'm going to have compassion
on you. Why? Because I'm your husband. I will betroth you, Hosea 2.19,
unto me forever. I'm married to you. You that
are committing spiritual adultery. That's giving yourself to everyone
else. I am your husband. Eternally
your husband. There's never been a time when
the Lord Jesus Christ was not the Husband. Hosea 2.19 just
told us, I will betroth Thee unto Me forever. Remember, God never changes. He saw and loved His people before
she ever fell in Adam. He came into this world in the
flesh being married to our nature. Married to His people. Redeemed
her by the shedding of His own precious blood. And earned her
righteousness by His obedience. His obedience is imputed, is
charged to His people. And though His bride has not
been openly displayed to be without spot and without blemish. In Him, she is. The bride of Christ has always
been the bride of Christ. He's always been married to her.
She's always been His. He's always looked upon her in
mercy, grace, and compassion. He's always seen her as He expressed
to her, this is what you are by nature. In Christ, regenerated by the
grace of God, Given a new heart, the Scripture says, that sins
not. You know that which is born of
God sinneth not. 1 John tells us that. Here is
a new man that is without sin. And he's in a body that does
nothing but sin. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
telling that new man, This is what I made you. Now
let me ask you this. In Christ, right now, are God's
people in Christ, are they holy right now? The answer is yes.
I won't even make you think. The answer is yes. 1 John 4.17 says, Because as
He is, so are we. in this world. Here's the situation. God's people, regenerated by
the grace of God, are without rebellion against Him because
they sin not. And they're still in this old
body of death right now that Paul says, who's going to separate
me from this? And the Lord has revealed to
them, and they know it and believe it, He said, I'm married to you.
God's people know right now who their husband is. And they hate
it when they disobey Him. You say, well, I thought you
said they were without sin. There's one nature that is, and
there's one nature that isn't, and they're both me. Soon, she's going to be presented
before all of heaven with the dignity of His merit. And she's
going to be shown to be what Almighty God says she is in Him
right now. Without spot, without blemish.
But even now, while she wanders in this world, wanders scattered,
and she's not part of this world, He exercises all of the affection
toward her. as her husband. He provides for her every need. My wife looks to me to take care
of her and to protect her. To provide for her. And I want
to. And I plan to. But there's limitations
to what I can do. Because I'm frail, but not Him. Almighty God is going to keep
His people. And she's not going to fall.
And He's going to feed her and clothe her with His righteousness. And He's going to fellowship
with her. And He hears her pleas in prayer. and allows her to
bear His name and assures her continually of His love. And when she needs it for her
good and His honor and glory, He chastens her. And He promises her, she's never going to be left
behind. I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to leave you.
How do you know that? Look at verse 14. I'm married
to you, and I will take you one of a city and two of a family,
and I will bring you design." Here's the Lord assuring His
people again that though they're scattered throughout all of this
world, though they've lived in different times, the Lord is
going to gather His elect. Romans 11.5, even so then, at
this present time, Romans 11.5, there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. Romans 11.5. There must be an elect. There must be an elect. Romans 9.29 says, and Isaiah
said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth, had left us a seed,
we had been as Sodom and had been made like unto Gomorrah.
If God did not have an elect, if God did not purpose to save
a people, remember, all of us are maggots by birth. Rebels. Worms. Unless Almighty God had
chosen a people to show mercy to in spite of themselves. We'd have been just like Sodom
and Gomorrah and would have deserved it. Oh, the blessed promises
of Him who is the husband of His church. Because He's married,
I will take you one of a city, two of a family. How many times,
I'll guarantee you, there's not a person sitting in this room
today that knows Him, that won't admit, as your son out of my
family that God chose to show mercy to. I will take one here,
two here." And he said, I'll tell you what else I'm going
to do. Verse 15, I will give you pastors
according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge
and understanding. Yes, he's done. for a specific
reason, for the maturing and the teaching of His people. Have
you ever tried to read something and you just didn't know? And then in time, I heard Brother
Henry say one time, he said, you've got a question. He said,
just hang on. He said, your pastor will deal with it, I'm sure.
Ephesians 4.11, he gave some apostles some prophets, some
evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting,
for the maturing of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in
the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the fullness of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ gives pastors. There is a sign of His blessing.
He sends a pastor, a pastor after his heart. I know that there's
a lot of liars. If a man doesn't preach according
to this Word right here, God didn't send him. I'll send you
pastors according to my heart. They'll feed you with understanding. For the perfecting of the saints,
we all need to be taught. We all need to grow. We all need
to be strengthened, built up, comforted. As long as the Lord
allows His church to be in this earth, He's going to supply all
of their needs, thanks be unto Him, who is married to His people. He's going to take care of them.
He's going to provide for them. He's going to make sure that
everything she needs She has. Lord bless again these words
for our comfort and peace for Christ's sake.