All right, Jeremiah chapter 10. Now I've entitled this message,
the glory of Jacob's portion, the glory of Jacob's portion.
And obviously, as you read through this with me, I've taken that
title from the last verse of this section that I'm going to
preach on. Verse 16, look at it. It says the portion of Jacob
is not like them. Now you see that colon there,
that means there's going to be an explanation of this statement. The portion of Jacob is not like
them. Like who? Like the idols of the
Gentiles that had infiltrated the people of Israel. The portion
of Jacob is not like those idols. And then it says for he. Now
this portion of Jacob is a person. And this portion of Jacob is
God himself, but he's the covenant God of Israel. He's the covenant
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This portion of Jacob is the
God who saves sinners. And that's who Jacob represents.
You know Jacob's name, Supplanter. You know the person, Jacob. You've
read the history. And this portion of Jacob, Jacob
deserves no portion, does he? Jacob has earned no portion.
But he has a portion, and that portion is God himself in the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, you could just as well
scripturally and honorably say that the portion of Jacob is
another one of the many, many names of the Lord Jesus Christ
in the Old Testament. Isn't that something? For he
is the former of all things, he says. He's the one who forms
all things. He's the originator of all things. All things come from him. John
1 says all things were made by him and without him there was
nothing that was made that was made. And then it says, and Israel
is the rod of his inheritance. You see that? Now he's the portion
of Jacob. What does that mean? He's the
savior of sinners. And when he saves sinners, what
do those sinners become? They become Israel. Those who
prevail with God. You remember Jacob's name was
changed to Israel. I think that's recorded in Genesis
32. And that's what it means. It means he prevailed with God.
That's after he wrestled with the angel, which I believe was
a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. And he prevailed not
by his own power, but he's a picture of a sinner who grabs onto Christ
and will not let go. And we know that's by the grace
of God. So Israel is the rod of his inheritance. The Lord
of hosts is his name. That's God who cannot be defeated.
Now, this chapter begins with a word of proclamation. And that's
what these first 16 verses are. It's a word of proclamation.
And what he's proclaiming, what the prophet of God is proclaiming,
is this. that there is only one true and
living God and he's the portion of Jacob and there is absolutely
no comparison to be made between this true living God the portion
of Jacob and the idols of the Gentiles that had crept into
Israel and in their worshiping corrupted them Now, beginning
at verse 17, we're not going to get to this tonight, but beginning
at verse 17 and through verse 22, he has a word of preparation.
And what he's setting forth there is the destruction of the Jews
is near at hand. And he's simply saying, be ready,
literally what he's going to say, be ready to be slung out
of your homeland. God's taken away your inheritance
of this land because of your sin. And then in the last verses,
verse 23 through 25, there's a word of supplication. And there
Jeremiah the prophet, he expresses his sorrow once again over the
people and he pleads for the people. So tonight we're going
to look at this word of proclamation. And here it is. And that's this. Idols are not to be compared
with the true and living God. His glory His majesty, His power
is so high and so far above what men think and imagine by nature
in their idols that it is not even to be compared. They're
not even on the map when it comes to the greatness and the majesty
of God who's identified as the portion of Jacob. Listen to the
words. He says in verse 1, Hear ye the
word of the Lord. There's Jehovah God, Savior. He speaks unto you, O house of
Israel. That's the nation Israel. And
he says in verse 2, Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of
the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the
heathen are dismayed at them. Now you know what he's talking
about, the signs in the heavens, that's the stars, that's the
planets, that's the sun, the moon, He goes on in verse 3,
he says, the customs, for the customs, that's the ordinances,
the commandments of men, of the people, they're vain. They mean
nothing. That's what he means when he
says this. They don't have any value whatsoever. their customs,
their religion is what he's talking about. He says, for one cut of
the tree. Incidentally, these verses here
are verses that many people use, uh, to, to say, well, the Bible
speaks again, putting up a tree and decorating. That's not what
he's talking about here. I'll show you that in just a
minute. But he says for the customs of the people are vain for one
cut of the tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the
workmen with an ax. And he says, they deck it with
silver and gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers,
that it move not. Now the picture here in the language
suggests that what they're doing is they're cutting down these
trees and they're carving things out, they're carving idols out
and they decorate them. And it says in verse five, now
listen, it says, they are upright as the palm tree, but speak not. Now the literal, if you translated
that literally from the Hebrew, It would read something like
this, is they stand upright like a scarecrow. In other words,
they look scary. They may look beautiful. They
may even look scary. They may look like something
majestic, but they speak not. They have no words for you. There's
no life there. He says, they must needs be born. You have to carry them. He says,
because they cannot go. They can't walk. They can't get
from A to B. They have to be carried. In other
words, they're dependent on man. Now that's the way people are
today. They want a God who's dependent on man. Isn't that
right? Dependent on man's works. Dependent on man's ways. Dependent
upon man's will. You know, let God do this. Let
God do that. My friend, that God you're going
to let do something, He's not the true and living God. He's
not the portion of Jacob. He's an idol. And I know that
sounds harsh, but it's just so. You know it's so. He says, be
not afraid of them. Don't be afraid of those scarecrows.
Don't be afraid of those false gods, those idols. For they cannot
do evil. You see, the idols are not responsible
for the evil. It's the men and women who worship
the idols that are the evil ones. But they can't do anything. They
can't do anything bad to you or anything good to you. He says,
they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. That's those idols. He's exposing
these idols for what they are. Now, remember back here, he says,
verse 2, learn not the way of the heathen. Well, that's man's
way of salvation by works. And it takes many forms. And
it always springs from and ends up in idolatry. Now, what do
you mean by that? Well, whenever man's way conceives
and creates a God of our imagination who will accept what we have
to offer, our works or our ceremonies or whatever it is, one who cannot
save, you see, that's an idol. Cain came to God expecting God
to receive him based on his works. Now the God that Cain imagined
in his mind and in his heart was not the true and living God.
Because the true and living God would not accept any Jacob, any
sinner, based on their works. You see what I'm saying? The
only true and living God saves sinners by free, sovereign mercy
and grace based on the blood and the righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The God of the Bible will not
save, accept, or bless any sinner based on works of righteousness
which they do, try to do, or intend to do. There's none righteous,
no, not one in the eyes of the God of this book. He's the portion
of Jacob. He saves sinners. Christ said,
I didn't come to seek and to save the righteous. They don't
need salvation. I came to seek and to save sinners."
The whole need, not a physician. You say, sinners. That's who
God saved. That's why he is identified here
as the portion of Jacob, a sinner in need of mercy. A sinner who's
in need of a righteousness he cannot produce and bring to God. So don't learn the ways of the
heathen, even if they call themselves Christian. Don't be upset at
their signs, since their customs were in vain. The heathen are
upset at the signs. You know, people get upset at
what they call signs. Whether it be the stars, or their
horoscope, or whatever, you know, some circumstance. That's what
the nations do, you see. You know, looking for signs,
let me read you some passages, maybe you can turn to them, but
look at Matthew chapter 16. Looking for signs, is the way
of the heathen. That's what Jeremiah is saying.
Now, what is the way of the children of God? Well, what did he say?
Hear ye the word of the Lord. The heathen look for signs. The
children of God search in God's word. There's the difference.
That's why we study the Bible here. That's why we don't study
the headlines and the horoscopes and the signs. We study the Bible.
This is the Word of God. You can bank on God's Word. That's
a strong foundation. But look at Matthew chapter 16.
Look at verse 1. The Pharisees also with Sadducees
came and tempting desired Him, that's Christ, that He would
show them a sign from heaven. Give us a sign. And he answered
and he said unto them, what is it when it is evening you say
it will be fair weather for the sky is red, and in the morning
it will be foul weather today for the sky is red and luring?
Oh, ye hypocrites, you can discern, you can judge the face of the
sky, but can you not discern the sign of the times? You know
what he's telling him? He says, you're better weathermen
than you are theologians. You know, we say that red sky
at morning, sailors take warning, red sky at night, sailors delight,
all that. But listen to what he says in
verse four. Now this is significant. A wicked and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign. Now who seeks after signs? A
wicked and adulterous generation. And there shall no sign be given
unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonas and he left them and departed.
Now what is the sign of the prophet of Jonas? That's the resurrection
of Christ from the dead. He's risen. He finished the work. He satisfied the justice of God. He brought in everlasting righteousness. He finished the transgression.
He made an end of sin. That's the only sign we need
when it comes to salvation and blessedness and eternal life. The Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians
chapter 1 spoke of it. He said in verse 22, he said,
the Jews require a sign. 1 Corinthians 1, 22, the Greeks
seek after wisdom. but we preach Christ crucified
under the Jews a stumbling block and under the Greeks foolishness,
but in them which are called, called by the spirit of God,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom
of God. Christ is that sign. You know, that's stated in the
Old Testament. Let me show you this. This is interesting. And
if I don't get through this first part tonight, that's okay. But
just look back at Isaiah chapter eight. This will bless you. This
will show you something about real scriptural interpretation
in light of Christ. Remember he told them, search
the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life,
there they which testify of me. But look here in Isaiah chapter
8. Look back up at verse 13 of Isaiah 8. Now this is probably
about, some say 70 years, some say about 100 years before Jeremiah.
But it's the same message. And he says in verse 13, he says,
sanctify the Lord of hosts himself. In other words, you set God apart.
He's not to be compared with idols. You see, God is holy. Hallowed be thy name. You see,
that's the problem with man by nature. He has no fear of God.
He has no respect for God. And he says, and let him be your
fear. Worship him. and let him be your dread. Verse
14, and he shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling
and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for
a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Now,
who's he talking about? You know who he's talking about.
He's talking about Christ, God in human flesh, the God man. in whom dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Verse 15, it says, and many among
them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be
taken. You know, he's talking about
the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the people of Israel who denied
him. He says in verse 16, he says,
bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples, and I
will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house
of Jacob, and I will look for him And then verse 18, behold,
I and the children whom the Lord hath given me. Now that's quoted
in Bover in Hebrews chapter two and verse 13, when he speaks
about who the, who the every man there is Christ tasted death
for every man. Well, who is the every man? It's
not every man without exception. But he begins to identify them.
He has about ten ways that he identifies every man there. And
one of them is this. And again, I will put my trust
in him and again behold I and the children which God giveth
me. Remember Christ said all that
the Father giveth me. Well look at verse 18 of Isaiah 8. Now
listen. Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are
for signs. Who's he talking about? Christ
and his church and for wonders. His name is wonderful. His salvation
is wonderful. What a wondrous thing, an amazing
work of grace, not of man, but of God. They'll be for signs
and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts which dwelleth
in Mount Zion. Do you see that? Isaiah is prophesying
of Christ just like Jeremiah is when he speaks of Jacob's
portion. And the promise of the coming
of Christ as a sign and a wonder of the future salvation and restoration
of Israel through a remnant according to the election of grace. And
that's spiritual Israel. Turn the page back to Isaiah
7. Remember this prophecy? Verse 14? Look at this. Isaiah 7, 14, therefore the Lord
himself shall give you a sign. Well, what sign is he going to
give? Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall
call his name Immanuel. Christ is all the sign you need. He's all the sign I need. His
person, his death, burial, and resurrection. Think about it. Remember old Simeon, Luke chapter
2, when he took the Christ child up in his arms? And then he said,
my eyes have seen thy salvation. It's recorded in verse 34 there,
it says, send me and bless them, that is Mary and Joseph. And
he said unto Mary his mother, behold, this child is set for
the fall and rising among again of many in Israel. In other words,
the fall of those who believe not, the rise of those who believe.
And he says, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. In other
words, there'll be many who come against him. Well, look over
at Isaiah 8 one more time. Look at verse 19 now. You see,
that sign is Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen. Now,
the heathen, their signs are in the stars or in the weather
or in, you know, they spread the bones, read the palms, or
they go to church. And they look for emotions, something
other than the word of God. Well, look at Isaiah 8, 19. Now,
he says they're going to be for signs and wonders. Well, look
at verse 19. And when they shall say unto
you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits. Now, a familiar
spirit is a lying spirit. They tell you a lie. And unto
wizards that peep, that's peer. That's what that means. They
peer into the crystal ball or they peer here or peer there.
and that mutter, that is they mumble and they speak in gibberish,
should not a people seek unto their God? Now, these familiar
spirits, these wizards that peer and mutter, they think they are
seeking God, but they're not. Should not a people seek unto
their God for the living to the dead? He says, verse 20, to the
law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to his
word, it is because there's no light in there. You want to seek
the Lord? Seek him in his word. Don't seek
him in your experiences. That won't help you, you see.
Look back here at Jeremiah. Seeking for signs leads to idolatry
and death. That's what he's saying. That's
what he's saying here. Idolatry and death. Searching
God's Word when the Spirit reveals Christ is to find salvation. Search the scriptures for in
them you think you have eternal life. They are they which testify
me. Paul wrote to Timothy. He said
the scriptures are able to make thee wise unto salvation. The Apostle John wrote in 1 John
5.10, He that believeth on the Son hath the witness in himself.
He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth
not the record, what's recorded, the Word, the written Word, the
record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, John
says, that God hath given us, to us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son. Life through Christ. Now, don't look at these scarecrows
in a field. That's what false religion is.
They'll scare you, but they cannot do you any harm, and they cannot
do you any good. They certainly can't save you.
But look here. Look at verse 6, Jeremiah 10. For as much as there is none
like unto thee, O Lord, thou art great. And thy name is great
in my heart. How great thou art. We sing that
hymn sometimes, don't we? God is great and it's shown forth
in his name. He says, thy name is great. Well,
what is his name? Well, his name is that which
identifies and distinguishes him from idols. And he has many
names, all of the one God. Here his name is the portion
of Jacob. Here his name is the Lord of
hosts. Or Lord, the true God, the living
God. All of these names identify him.
Every idol, or no idol, can take those names. Think about it. And this is his power and the
reverence that belongs to him in comparison of whom all the
wise men of the nations are brutish. Look at verse 7. Who would not
fear thee, O king of nations? Notice there he's the king of
nations, not just the Jews. Now we know God is the sovereign
ruler of this whole universe. But he's the king of nations
in a redemptive sense too. He has a people out of every
tribe, kindred, tongue and nation and he sent Christ to redeem
them. Jew and Gentile. He says, for to thee doth it
appertain. In other words, these things
about greatness, sovereignty, power, and wisdom, they only
appertain to God, not to idols. He says, for as much as all the
wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is
none like unto thee. Man at his best is altogether
vanity. The best man, the highest man,
cannot, cannot even compare to God. The best man, the highest
man, the richest man, the wisest, the most powerful cannot save
you, me, or even himself. This is God, the God of salvation. So Christ is the Holy One. And there's none like our God.
He's a just God and a Savior. Remember that's how Isaiah identified
Him in Isaiah 45 when he set up that contrast. Here they are
praying to a God that cannot save. But who is the God who
saves? He's a just God and a Savior.
He's the one who saves Jacob based on the righteousness of
Jacob's portion, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man who was made
sin, sin imputed to him that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. And he says in verse 8, look
here, he says, but they are altogether brutish and foolish. Brutish
means they don't have understanding. They don't have discernment.
They don't It's like he's saying they don't know any better. And
by nature man doesn't. He's ignorant. He walks in darkness.
And you know what foolish means. Unwise. Without wisdom. And he says the stock. Now the
stock is that idol. They cut a tree down. Wooden
idols. They had stone idols. They had wooden idols. They had
gold. They had silver. But the stock that he's referring
to is that idol. And it's a doctrine. It's the
teaching of vanities. It's worthless. It's worthless. He says in verse 9, silver spread
unto plates is brought from Tarshish. That's supposed to be the best
silver. In other words, man's not slacking on this thing. He's
trying to do his best. That's what's being pictured
here in verse 9. He says in gold from Uphaz, the best gold, the
purest gold, the work of the workmen, they worked hard. He says in the hands of the founder,
somebody melting silver and gold to form these things. Blue and
purple is their clothing. You see, we take this stuff for
granted today, but blue and purple were very expensive dyes. And
if somebody wore blue and purple, they were not recognized to be
rich. They had that, you know, who was it? Lydia was a, was
a maker of purple, you know, and that, that was a, that was
a good living. And so what he's saying here is they are all the
work of cunning men. In other words, they're not slacking
here. Their problem is not insincerity or lack of due diligence or not
trying to put forth their best. Their problem is they don't know
God. Their problem is they don't know
Christ. Look at verse 10. He says, but
the Lord is the true God. Some translations say the God
of truth. Well, He's both. He's the true
God and He's the God of truth. He is truth. Let God be true
in every man alive. Christ said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. He's the living God. And He's the God of the living. There's life in Him. We have
life. from the death of Christ, don't
we? That's how we have life. That's how us Jacobs have life.
And then He's the everlasting King. Some translations say the
King of eternity. He is. He's the eternal God. He's the Alpha and the Omega.
He's the great I Am. He's the ever-present, eternal
I Am. And at His wrath the earth shall
tremble. Now this earth is headed for
destruction. This earth is not our be-all
and end-all. And the nation shall not be able
to abide his indignation. No nation or the nations together
cannot stop it. And look at verse 11. Now, there's
something interesting about this verse. If you were to pick up
a Hebrew Bible, an original Hebrew Bible, and if you could read
that in Hebrew and just go along, all of a sudden you come to this
passage here in verse 11, this phrase here, and it's in a different
language than the original. It's in the language we sometimes
know as Aramaic. Or they call it the Chaldean
language. And what that was, it was like
a common national, international language that was spoken by a
lot of people, mostly learned people, but it was kind of like
a, some called it the language of the merchants because when
they go from country to country, this is the language they spoke.
And that's how they were able to trade and communicate and
trade. And there's a lot of speculation over why this is in a different
language. Why the Holy Spirit inspired
Jeremiah to speak this in a different language. Now that's not the
only verse in the Bible. There's a verse in Daniel that's
like that. Daniel was in Babylon. And he spoke the Aramaic language
in a couple of verses in the book of Daniel. Spoke the Chaldeans.
You know, the Babylonians were called the Chaldeans. Also, we
see it in the New Testament in Matthew 27 when the Lord quoted
from the Psalms when he said, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthanah.
Now, there is a rendition of that in the original Hebrew,
but here's what it's saying. Look at it, verse 11. Thus shall
you say unto them. Now, who's he speaking to? He's
telling the Israelites who are going into captivity, this is
what you tell them. The gods that have not made the
heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth and
from under these heavens. That common language. And most
commentators suggest this is a formula for telling their Babylonian
captors that their gods are idols and all who trust them shall
perish. You tell them in their language
that their gods are no gods. Tell them the truth. There's
only one true and living God. That needs to be spoken to everybody. It's like the gospel. The gospel
must be preached in all the earth, the Lord said. and then the end
will come. In whatever language. Here's
Peter and the apostles at Pentecost standing there preaching the
gospel in their language but men and women heard it in their
own language. What a sight. It's an international
language in this sense that it exposes the sinfulness of all
nations, of all human beings by nature and the need of salvation
by the grace of God for any, whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. But look at verse 12. And now
this verse goes back to the original Hebrew, but here's the counterpart.
It says, God hath made the earth by his power. God hath established
the world by his wisdom. You see, Christ is the wisdom
and the power of God. And it said, hath stretched out
the heavens by his discretion. That means he put them the way
he wanted them and put them where he wanted them. Shall the pot say to the potter,
why have you made me thus? God did it at his discretion.
And it was with power and wisdom. We may not know the exact answer
as to the whys and the wherefores of all of it, but that doesn't
matter. God is God and we are who we
are. It's like I've told you that
one thing, there's a false preacher, and he's just got frustrated,
come down to the end of his life, and he said this, he said, I
know two things. He said, out of all my studies
and all my experiences, all my preaching and all that, and he
never did preach the gospel, the true gospel, but he said,
out of all that all, I've come down to I know two things. And
the fellow said, well, what are the two things you know? He said,
there is a God and I ain't Him. And that's right. He said two
things right. There is a God. Oh, what a God. And I'm not Him. And you aren't
either. He did it according to His discretion. Verse 13. When
He uttereth His voice, there's a multitude of waters in the
heavens. God brings the rain when He speaks it. He causeth
the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth, the clouds,
the mist. He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth
the wind out of his treasures. That's the treasure of his power,
his wisdom, his order, his discretion. He's the God of creation. Now,
no idol can claim that. But I think about this, you know,
anytime I read about the God of creation, I think about 2
Corinthians 4 and verse 6, where it talks about God who commanded
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ." The God of creation is the God of salvation.
They're one in the same. And look at verse 14. He says,
every man is brutish in his knowledge. In other words, he has no judgment.
He has no discernment. Every founder is confounded by
the graven image. Those who pour the metal, melt
and pour the metal and form it, confounded by the graven image,
they don't know anything is what he's saying. He says, for his
molten image is falsehood, it's a big lie, and there's no breath
in them, there's no spirit there, there's no life. There's only
life in Christ. He is our life. He is our spiritual
life, our eternal life. There's no life without Him.
And then verse 15, he says, their vanity, worthless, and the work
of errors, everything about them. I've heard people say, well,
you know, they have some truth over there. You know what truth
mixed with a lie is? It's a lie. I used to teach my
students in English classes in middle school about half-truths.
You know what a half-truth is? A half-truth is a lie. That's
right. You see, don't get fooled. and confused by the you know
they have a little trick you know uh... truth makes with a
lot of it's the work of errors and i'll tell you something here's
the point i don't care where they go what they do what they're
hearing if they don't end up with a complete and total dependence
upon the lord jesus christ alone as he's identified and distinguished
in this book if they if they don't have in Christ alone for
all life all righteousness all forgiveness what they've been
hearing is a lie now that's right and he says in the time of their
visitation they shall perish but verse 16 look at it the portion
of Jacob is not like them Malachi 3 6 remember I am the Lord I
change not therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. There is therefore now no condemnation
of them which are in Christ. Think about this. In the portion
of Jacob, old Jacobs like us stand cleared of all guilt. Righteous
in the sight of God based upon his righteousness accounted,
charged, imputed to us. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can condemn us? It's Christ that died. and he
says he says he's the former of all things how many things
all things he's the origin of all things he's the origin of
earth of this universe of all creation and thank god he's the
origin of salvation because if he weren't old jacobs like us
could not be saved salvations of the lord and israel the princes
prince of god Those who prevailed with God, how? By His grace through
Christ Jesus. I'm gonna tell you something,
you go unto the Father pleading the Son, you're gonna prevail
with the Father. Not because you're strong and
good and wise, but because He said, this is my beloved Son,
in whomsoever I am pleased, hear ye Him. I'm well pleased in Him. You go to the Father pleading
the righteousness of Christ, you'll prevail with Him because
that righteousness honors Him. God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross, Paul wrote. The death of Christ. That one
who died for my sins and put Him away and was buried in rose
the third day. Israel is the rod of His inheritance.
That word rod there means the offspring or the shoot or the
generation. In other words, the portion of
Jacob Christ out of his death comes his inheritance and his
inheritance there's not that word inheritance there's not
like we normally think of an inheritance this that means his
possession it's what it means his possession because he worked
for this he did the work he was obedient unto death even the
death of the cross and we're his possession Israel's his possession
this portion of Jacob He died for those Jacobs, God's elect,
His sheep. And out of His death, being the
originator of all things, especially salvation, all things in salvation,
He has a possession. Who? Israel. Spiritual Israel,
His people. We belong to Him. That's right. We belong to Him. And the Lord
of hosts is His name. He cannot be defeated. Spiritual
Israel is the tribe of His possession. And as a result of what he accomplished,
we Jacobs are now Israel. Now let me ask you this question
and I'll close. Why does idolatry have to be targeted so much and
so many times in the Bible? Why does idolatry? There's two
reasons. Number one, because we're by
nature idolaters. That's what we are. And as I
told you, all who seek or claim salvation by their works or based
on anything other than the blood and righteousness of Christ,
that's an idolater. The true and living God will
only save you based upon His mercy and grace in Christ. You
see, that's why faith in Christ means repenting from idolatry.
Paul told the Thessalonians, he says, you turn from your idols
to serve the living God. We repent of dead works coming
to Christ. Those dead works are works offered
to a dead idol. We're submitted to his righteousness
and we worship God in spirit and rejoice in Christ and have
no confidence in the flesh. But the second reason is this,
and I want to read you a portion from 1 John to conclude this.
The first reason is because we by nature are idolaters. Every
one of us now, I don't care if you were raised in a church.
Listen, before you came, before God brought you to a saving knowledge
of Christ, you and I were idolaters. But here's the second reason.
Because man by nature, even believers, are still so prone in the flesh
to idolatry. Now that's so. Remember Paul
talked to the Colossian believers about covetousness which is idolatry? You know what that is. Covetousness
which is idolatry. I'll tell you what it is. It's
any desire that you have or I have that diverts our attention or
takes us away from the worship of God in Christ and serving
Him. Don't you have to fight that?
I do, even as a pastor, even as a preacher. But look at 1
John 5 and verse 18 and then we'll close. John writes here,
we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not. Now I believe
what he's talking about there is not that we're sinlessly perfect
in ourselves, but that we're sinless in Christ and we won't
leave Christ. That's the context. I won't go
into all that tonight. But he that is begotten of God
keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not. Satan can't
have him. Christ has a hold on him. And
we know that we're of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness,
or literally, in the wicked one. First John 5, 19. And verse 20,
and we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an
understanding. See, that's the opposite of being
brutish. He's given us an understanding. He's made us wise unto salvation
because He's shown us Christ. That we may know Him that is
true. And we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus
Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. Now look at verse 21. Little
children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. All right. Let's sing as our closing hymn,
Have Thine Own Way. Lord, hymn number 388, Have Thine
Own Way.