Jeremiah chapter 9. I haven't
forgot that we're in Genesis. I got a lot of notes on a message.
I ain't got a message yet. There's a difference between
having something that looks like food and something that is food.
You gotta wait till that thing bakes. It's gonna be a while,
but I saw this in Jeremiah as we was studying last week and
I just, I couldn't get away from it. I thought it was good to
see it. Jeremiah chapter nine. I'm gonna quote Paul a lot. In
first Corinthians, I believe whenever just what came to mind
to me, Whenever he wrote that letter, the first letter to the
church at Corinth, I believe he had Jeremiah 9. He just laid
it down. He might have read through it
that morning. And then he thought, hmm, I'll write a letter to the
church at Corinth. I think that was fresh in his
heart. I want to look at two verses here. It's one paragraph. It happens to be two verses broke
down for us. Jeremiah 9 verse 23. Jeremiah
9. Verse 23, thus saith the Lord,
let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty
man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory
in this, that he understandeth and knoweth
me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment,
and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,
saith the Lord." What a wonderful statement. The Lord tells us,
gives us instruction in one verse, tells us why. tells us what to
glory in, and then he tells us what he delights in. Two verses make up one paragraph. That's a thought that stands
alone. There's a colon at the end of verse 23. That means what
follows it will give us a better understanding of what was just
said. It's going to list it for us. What is this statement? What's the instruction we're
given? What's all mankind given? This is an open call to all mankind.
Verse 23, Thus saith the Lord, We're in Jeremiah 9, verse 23.
Thus saith the Lord. Would it do us any good at all
to hear what the Lord has to say? You think that'd suit us? How
many times have we read what God says, the Lord says, and
then, well, I, well, I just think, well, I just feel. I wish I could
read what God says bow to it and do it. That's what I wish.
I pray the Lord would enable me to do that. Thus saith the
Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the
mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in
his riches. This was a long time ago. Do
you know that? This was thousands of years ago,
1600 years ago. Jeremiah wrote this. Is there
anything different in our day that was different in Jeremiah's
day? There are three things that mankind is very interested in. All three are means to put ourselves
above another. Make this little worm right here
just a little higher on the dunghill than another worm. This is what
we're interested in. Wisdom. Wisdom. Our wisdom. I know something
you don't. Knowledge. Knowledge. Do you
know something? People say, well, I never knew
that. You know it now. Knowledge puffeth up, doesn't it? I know
something. I know something you don't. That
gives me an advantage over someone. The wisdom to get ahead. To beat
someone to the punch. Well, I got there first. I figured
it out first. That was me and a boy. We got
the same grade on tests in grade school. And we both got hundreds
on them in math class. But then it was a competition
of who could finish fastest. It took you 30 minutes, I did
it in 29. Because I had the wisdom to get there, get there quickest.
Wisdom, might, strength, yeah. Health, yes. Oh, look how healthy
somebody is. Look how mighty they are. They can pick up heavy
things and put heavy things down. But also empower it. Might and
position. Those that are wise, those that
empower. The king makers. Do you run that by me first? Is that mighty? I don't sound
it. Nobody checked with me before
that happened. That could be said real calm and patient, isn't
it? There's positions we have, but boy, how we desire those
positions, don't we? Riches, wealth and money. Yeah, we know what that is. Filthy
lucre. That's what it is. But also rich
in children. Maybe we have a bunch of kids.
Maybe we have good children. They're obedient. They are seen
and not heard. Children are to be seen and not
heard. Mine are seen and not heard. I'm rich. Look what I
have. My glory in that. What about
friends? Some people have a whole lot of friends. Some people don't
have friends and they get upset over not having friends. What's
God say? You want to have a bunch of friends?
Be friendly. Well, I don't hush and do what God says. Do what
the Lord says. He spoke it. You want to have
a bunch of friends? Be friendly. Some people have
great experiences. They've been around the world.
They've seen things, watched volcanoes erupt, and they've
had all these grand experiences. Some people have an abundance
of fruit trees. I hope to have fruit trees here
in a couple of years. We worked hard. I'm going to bring a message
on planting trees. Me and Matt worked a long time the other
day, and I was seeking counsel from half of you how to get these
trees in the ground. We're planted by still waters,
all the labor that the Lord put in. planting us by his waters. But whatever we have, we can
brag on, we can look at, we can glory in. We're very interested
in these things. We glory in them. In our wisdom,
our might, our riches. What does that mean to glory?
What does glory mean as a verb? It means to boast, to praise,
to celebrate, to commend, and to applaud these things. And
we do it, don't we? and we do it to others. We commend
others on how wise they were. Boy, you did such a good job.
Oh, you're so strong. You're in a good position. You
got your good job at work, didn't you? Look at all the riches you
have. Look at all these wonderful things.
You did great. You did great. God gave it, didn't
he? God gave it. How quick we are
to think we're being kind. It says in verse 23, thus saith
the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. Don't let
him praise it and celebrate it, commend it, applaud it. Neither
let the mighty man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory
in his riches. There are people that are wise.
There are people of ability and position. There are people that
have plenty in this world. And all of that is for our good. Do we see it as so? Or we cuss
the news channels? We get frustrated by it. Worldly
speaking, just because someone's rich does not mean they're going
to use you. Just because somebody's strong
doesn't mean that they're going to harm you or take advantage
of you. And just because somebody's wise
does not mean that they're playing an angle on you. The Lord gave
those things. The super smart, the super powerful,
the super rich. Are they not for the believer's
good? Are they? There's a few of them in the
news right now. They're all over the place. Real rich, real powerful. Are they not for our good? Didn't
the Lord put them there? Didn't the Lord give that for
our benefit and His glory? We question so many things, don't
we? Is it for God's glory? Shouldn't I just hush and praise
Him for it? Wouldn't that be the wise thing
to do? But the Lord of hosts, the self-existent One, says,
don't glory in those things. The Lord may have placed those
things in position. He may have gave people those things. There
have been believers that have been mighty. Job was the greatest
man of the East. David, Solomon, a whole mess
of them. Joseph, he had a bunch of storehouses,
didn't he? Packed full of corn in Egypt.
Mighty men, men of power. But don't glory in those things.
Don't glory in those things. Paul said, who maketh thee to
differ? What did you do different? And what hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
why dost thou glory? Do you know what I did for the
work of God? Do you know what I've done for the glory of God?
I ought to have better, right? Why am I glorying? Why do I have
expectations? Who made me different? What do
I have God didn't give me? If I can move a shovel, what
do I have that God didn't give me? He gave me the muscles, gave
me the blood that's in me, gave me the air that I breathe, gave
me the heart that beats. What a privilege it would be for me
to use whatever the Lord's enabled me to do. Reasonable service,
Paul calls it. Isn't that reasonable service?
Why dost thou glory in it? As if thou hast not received
it. As if I just turned it up, picked
myself up by my bootstraps. Well, I've done this and I've
done that. No, I didn't. I haven't. I'm talking to me. That's what
I'm doing. preaching to me this morning. What I do, I've received
everything. Any wisdom, don't get proud about
it, don't glory in it, God gave it. Any position, any health,
any power, don't boast it, Lord put you there. Any abundance,
so neither it is he that planteth anything, nor he that watereth,
but God that giveth the increase. I put 40 sets of potatoes in
the ground this year. The Lord's killed five of them
already, and we'll see here in another month or two if there's
any potatoes underneath it. If there is, He grew them. I
just bent over and kicked dirt over it, and He gave me the ability
to do that. Everyone, all, everybody, they
will glory in something. We will look up to something.
We're going to praise something. We're going to applaud something.
We'll promote something. We'll promote somebody. We'll
commend somebody. Oh, did you hear about so-and-so?
We'll do something, but what should we glory in? What should
we commend? What should we promote? Verse
24, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me. Here's what it's okay to praise.
Here's what it's okay to applaud, to commend. Here's what it's
okay to tell other people that I understand and I know the Almighty
God. I belittle that phrase. People
say, I accepted Jesus. I made him my personal Savior. It's a mockery by someone who
does not seek the Lord Jesus as Lord. That's a mockery. However,
the Lord will make his people profess him. They will glory
that they know him and know glory in him because of it. The Lord
may send a strong trial to that child that's quiet, that child
that doesn't tell others. or he may send great ease and
comfort. What the world calls blessings.
But he's going to give that child of God a reason to tell somebody,
I understand God and I know him. And I know him. There's times
I've seen bullets flying. Grave danger at hand. Everybody
else crawled on the ground. I said, maybe you want to get
a little lower. And telling them, that's my job. Get over there,
move this way. And they said, what's wrong with
you? So I understand God and I know Him. I'm the Lord's. I'm a child of God. Why am I
afraid of them bullets? I ain't afraid of that. Or on the other
side of that coin, when businesses are booming, anything you touch
is gold. You don't advertise and people
come to you for business. How does that happen? I'm a child
of God. I understand God and I know Him.
The Lord did this. It's His doing. It's ain't my
doing, it's His doing. And He'll do as He sees fit.
In the armies of heaven and earth, under earth, it don't matter.
He's gonna do what He wants. I understand Him. And, more importantly, I
know Him. I know Him. Understand and know. Understand what? The holy God
that is all wise. How smart am I? I'm nothing.
I'm dust. I understand He's the only wise
one. What about power and strength?
Might and health. He's the mighty one, the mighty
one of Israel. Has power over all things. What
about rich? I understand he is rich. And this whole universe is his. The cattle on a thousand hills
are mine. So I wouldn't ask you if I need
anything. I'm his. In a sense, all men are his. He owns everything. Everything
is his. And he's rich in mercy. Possessions,
He's rich. It's all His. He has all mercy. The only place mercy can be found
is Him, is in Him. He's rich and abundant in grace. Plenteous in grace and mercy,
isn't He? Glory in that. You want to promote something? You want to applaud something?
I understand who God is. He's all and in all. He's all
wise. He's all powerful. All riches are His. To know Him
is riches. But this understanding, it goes
hand in hand with something else. We understand who He is. Who
He is. But it also says there, and. Do you understand that? Do you
understand there's a sovereign God? How many people in this
county do you think would disagree with me on that? Not in action,
in practice they don't believe it. He does what He wants. He's all-powerful. If the Lord
saw fit to heal somebody of a sickness, He could do it. If He's willing,
He's able. A whole lot of people think that,
don't they? Satan thinks the same thing.
The devils, the demons know that. They say, is this the time? We
know you're going to judge stuff. You can cast us into them swine.
Why do they say that? They know He could. They knew
He could. They knew His day was coming.
But it says, Some people have an understanding of who the Lord
is. We can grasp His names, we can
go down to the names of the Lord and understand that, and we glory
in it, we praise that, but also, you who have a new heart. Here's
where the difference is. We can promote that we know Him.
We know Him. We understand Him, but we know
Him. What's that mean, knoweth? Knoweth. That's to love Him.
To have intimate communion with Him. That's to be made one with
Him. The Lord is all those things.
People all around the world listen to somebody's old man talk. God's
sovereign, He's on the throne, but... I know, but... Or they despise it. Oh, I wish
that wouldn't happen. How many times do I get frustrated
in the providence and the will of Almighty God? That just crushes
me. That crushes me. I understand
Him. Oh, but there's a new creation
inside His people. There's a new creation. There's a new birth
that takes place. And that incorruptible seed knows
Him, loves Him, has communion with Him because it's one with
Him. The next message goes right with
this. I will blur them all together, but it's right. We're one with
Him. Isn't that me boasting that I
love the Lord? No. No, it's not. It's with this
understanding He first loved us. I understand He first loved
us. That's why I love Him. I understand
He first knew me. That's why I know Him. He laid
down His life for us while we were yet sinners. He lived for
us. He died for us. And He intercedes
for His people right now. I understand that, in part, and
I know it. I wouldn't have it any other
way. I love it. I love it. I understand all those
things are for my good and his glory. I understand he is the
wise one, the strong one, the rich one, and I love it that
way. He says in verse 24, but let him that glorieth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth me. You got your doctrine
in order? It's a person. He knoweth me. What about him? What about this
me he's talking about? That I am the Lord which exercise
loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. What's
going on right now in this earth? Things are just falling apart. Pestilence just run through,
in a sense, for two years. Famine may be on the brink. Oh,
what's that? Oh, this earth. The Lord is exercising
loving-kindness, He's exercising judgment, and He's exercising
righteousness in this earth. For in these I delight. In these
things I delight, saith the Lord. The Lord delights in these things. Have you ever heard someone say,
if you do this, that'll make God happy? God wants you to do
that. Stop doing this. If you stop
doing this, that'll make God happy. It always benefits the
one that says that. Have you noticed that? Stop stealing
gas out of my car. Start washing my car. It always
benefits the one who says it. If you speak on behalf of the
Almighty God of heaven and earth, I recommend you say what He says.
I think that'd serve everybody better. You say what He says.
What does the Lord say He delights in? What makes Him happy? What
does He delight in? Exercising loving kindness. What does that mean to exercise?
Does He pick it up and put it down? No. Does He jog in place?
That means He creates. That's the same word in Genesis
1 when God created the heavens and earth, when God created the
earth. He exercised, He created, He made, He makes loving kindness. He's the source of that and He
performs it. He's the source of loving kindness
and He performs loving kindness. You can be kind to someone and
not love them. Do you know that? I was kind
to a stranger that asked me direction the other day. I didn't know
him from nobody. I didn't love him. I told him
the right way to go. Gave him directions. But you
cannot love somebody and not be kind to them. The Lord exercises,
he performs, and he's the source of loving kindness. That comes
first. Love comes first, doesn't it?
Love does something. It does something. It bears all
things. It believes all things, it hopes
all things, and it endures all things. Brother Bruce Crabtree,
I put the article there in the bulletin. on what love does. That's true. Paul told us that
it's a charity. Love, it suffers long and is
kind. It envieth not. Charity volunteeth
not itself. It's not puffed up. It doth not
behave itself unseemly. Love doesn't seek her own. It's
not easily provoked. It thinks no evil. It rejoiceth
not in iniquity. What the Lord tells us, don't
rejoice, don't glory in our wisdom, our strength, our knowledge.
Love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth. He's
truth. Christ is truth. Love bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures
all things. And charity, love, never fails. It doesn't fail. It doesn't quit. Isn't that what
the Lord said? My people, they'll love me to
the end. If it's true love, it don't quit. Well, I'll do it
next week. Maybe the foosball game's on. No. Love don't quit. Love don't quit. The Lord spoke
through John in 1 John 4. In this was manifest the love
of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten son
into the world that we might live through him. From that love
has manifest in Christ. We see it. Christ coming to this
earth that we might live here in his love. Not that we loved
him, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation
for our sins. This congregation ought to know
what that means. I said it 255 times before. That's a mercy
seat. That's a bloody sacrifice. That's the accepted bloody sacrifice. That's where God will meet sinners.
And he sent it. He provided it, didn't he? John 13 1, he loved his own which
were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Why? It's finished. All the way. What
about now? To our end on this earth he loves
his people. He delights in exercise and judgment. I thought of Ezekiel. Three times there in Ezekiel,
the Lord tells us he has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. How do you sort that? It just
lands on your plate. How do you digest that? He delights
in judgment. He says I delight in exercise
and judgment. But he says he doesn't delight in the death
of the wicked. For I have no pleasure in the
death of him that dieth, saith the Lord. wherefore turn yourselves
and live." Tells him to repent. How could he delight in judgment?
He delights in justifying his people, in declaring judgment,
in executing judgment, in exercising judgment on his son, his people
on his son. He removed all condemnation.
He removed all judgment for those that he loved. those that he
had loving kindness for. That was him exercising loving
kindness. It's him exercising judgment of his people in his
son. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten son. Because of that love, he gave
his son. And the judgment for those in
Christ, those he represented, it took place on Calvary. The
earth was dark for three hours. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy, the delight, that
was set before him endured the cross. He went and took our judgment
that delighted him to do so." What a thought. Is that love?
Is that love and kindness? Boy, we don't know what love
is, do we? We're learning. It teaches. "...despising the
same, and he sat down on the right hand of the throne of God."
It's finished. That love and kindness that he
delights in, oh boy, he showed it. He manifested it. That judgment
he delights in, he's finished that judgment. There's no condemnation
right now for his people, never will be. There's no judgment
for us. How could a just and holy God exercise loving kindness
and judgment? How can that be? He can't wink
at it. We understand that in our court systems. We all want
to be part of the good old, we hate the good old boy system
unless it's time to be a good old boy. Then you want to be a good
old boy. If one of our children had a heinous crime committed
against them, and that judge said, you know what? I'm just
into mercy. I feel like forgiven. We'd protest and storm the courthouses. No! Justice! You ain't just! You're crooked! That's why them
cartel members and all that, they're like a crooked judge.
I ain't afraid of them. They're scared of the one that sticks
by the law. How can our holy God that must do right? He is
just. How can He do that and still
be loving kindness towards us, still show us? How can that take
place? How can all this come together?
It's because it was exercised. It was performed, it was made,
it was created by Him, and the source of it is in righteousness. Righteousness is how. He delights
in exercising righteousness. How is righteousness exercised?
In Isaiah 53, Where did this justice and mercy
seat meet together? It was in the person and work
of Christ Jesus, the Lord our righteousness. That's what we'll
see next hour. Perfect judgment, perfect justice, perfect holiness
was maintained. Love was showed, justice was
satisfied, and that met in Christ our Lord. The Lord delights in
him. He's the Lord our righteousness.
He delights in exercising him. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. It pleased the Lord. He delighted to bruise him. What
a thought. I got chill bumps just reading
that. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. Who's he going
to see? You. That incorruptible seed
Christ puts in you, dwells in you. When he put his Son, when
it pleased him to bruise him, when it put him to grief, When
he made his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his people.
He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and
the pleasure of the Lord, the delight of the Lord, shall prosper
in his hand. He shall see the travail of his
soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities."
By his knowledge. You understand him? Do you love
him? Do you know him? I understand
who that is. I understand. I got a, I got
a handle on God. Really? Do you like him that way? As
he declares that he is, as he is in reality, I wouldn't have
it any other way. Does that puff it up? Puff up?
Well, that don't. That humbles the stuff. What
was the cost of me understanding him? What was the cost of me
knowing him? He had to lay down his life.
He had to know me first and he had to do something about it.
He had to exercise loving kindness. He had to perform judgment. and
all of it was exercise in righteousness. Here's why I think Paul just
read this. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 1.
And I'll close. 1 Corinthians 1. Verse 26. 1 Corinthians 1, 26. For you see
your calling, brethren. You see your calling, your understanding,
your knowledge. How that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble, not many rich
are called. Aren't you thankful it doesn't
say not any? Aren't you thankful it doesn't
say not any? Not many. But God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise. God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
in the base things of the world, those things that aren't noble,
the things which are despised, hath God chosen yea, and things
which are not, they're nothing, to bring to nothing, to naught,
the things that are, that are noble. Why? That no flesh should
glory in his presence. Are we glorying in him? The Lord
told us what glory is. We understand him. We know him.
Why? Because he knows our frame. He
loved us first. We got a handle on that, don't
we? He had to do it. but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of
God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord. Let him glory in that one that's
loving kindness, that one that's satisfied judgment, and that
one who is our righteousness. That's what we're glorying. I
have no shame. I am unashamed. in times of great
sorrow or times of great benefit to say, I'm in exactly where
I am because God's on his throne. I understand that. I love it
that way. And he loved me first. Is it
so? In pain and in pleasure, is it
so? I pray he'll make us that way.
All right. Father, thank you for this hour. Lord, thank you
for your word. Allow it to be fresh to us and
new, and allow us to see the work that you perform, that you
exercise, Lord, and teach us to be loving and kind. Allow us to walk in this world
as children that are free, your children, as children that know
God. Lord, forgive us for what we
are. Forgive us our sin. Be merciful
to us as you promised you will be. When you look upon us, look
upon your son. It's in his name that we ask
it. Amen. All right.