Now let's open our Bibles to
Jeremiah chapter 3. We've been speaking from this
chapter on the subject of the hope of Jerusalem. After having
brought charges against the people of Jerusalem, the people of Judah,
the prophet Jeremiah, as he was sent of God to bring those charges,
to show the people that they were sinful, idolatrous, and
deserving of all the punishment that God's justice can administer. And of course, as I've always
reminded us as we go through things like that, that that's
a picture of all of us by nature. That's Psalm 14 that I read.
That's us by nature, isn't it? The fool has said in his heart,
no God for me. And that's the way the people
of Israel were, the people of Judah. So after having brought
those charges and showing the total depravity, the sinfulness
of man, none righteous, no not one, none that doeth good, no
not one. And the fact that we can't get
ourselves out of the mess that we're in by our best efforts
keep the law. Our best efforts at religion.
In fact, they make us even worse in the sight of God. It's what
scripture teaches, isn't it? Knowing these things to be true,
Jeremiah preaches a message of hope. And that hope is not in
the nation itself. That hope is not in man himself. It's not in our works. But that
hope is in the promise and the surety, the assurance of God
of a glorious future that would be accomplished and worked out
and established in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It would
not be according to the terms of the old covenant. That's what
they're under right here in Jeremiah. Under that covenant of Sinai
for 1,500 years. This time they had around 500 more years to
go under that. But it wouldn't be according
to the terms of the old covenant, that conditional covenant upon
the nation. But it would be according to
the terms of a new covenant, a glorious covenant, a covenant
of grace. And that's what Jeremiah is talking
about here. We're going to begin at verse
16, and I'm going to read through the end of the chapter and make
some comments. Then I want to come back. And preach just a
few moments on this issue of the Ark of the Covenant that
he mentions here in verse 16. Look at Jeremiah 3, 16. Called a repentance in light
of this glorious hope of the future. He says in verse 16,
and it shall come to pass when you be multiplied and increased
in the land. In those days, saith the Lord,
they shall say no more. the ark of the covenant of the
Lord. Neither shall it come to mind. You might have in your
concordance there on that phrase, come upon the heart. In other
words, their heart won't be on the ark of the covenant. Neither
shall they remember it. Neither shall they visit it.
Neither shall that be done anymore. That service to the ark. that's
what it's talking about that won't be done anymore in that
day verse 17 at that time they shall call jerusalem the throne
of the lord jerusalem there being the city of peace and all the
nations shall be gathered unto it that's in reference to the
gentiles they'll be gathered unto it they'll be gathered to
the name of the lord That's the glorious, redemptive character
of God, His name. Remember that title, Lord, there,
what it means. We talked about that this morning.
That's the God of the covenant, the God of salvation. They'll
be gathered to Jerusalem, the city of peace. And it says, neither
shall they walk anymore after the imagination of their evil
heart. Now, this is a certain promise
of God for His people in the future. Neither shall they walk anymore
after the imagination. That word imagination, you might
have that in your concordance. It means stubbornness. It means
stiff-necked. He said, neither shall they walk
anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. Now, whoever
he's talking about here, there's one thing you know about them
right here. They will never walk again after the imagination of
an evil heart. Now he says in verse 18, in those
days. Now, I didn't mention this earlier,
but the term in those days and in that day, when you see that
in the prophetic scriptures, it's referring to the time of
the gospel, the new covenant. Not that the gospel wasn't here.
Jeremiah knew the gospel. Jeremiah wasn't walking after
the imagination of his evil heart. He was a sinner saved by grace,
wasn't he? And understand now, when he says they won't walk
after the imagination of the evil heart, he's not saying that
they're not still sinful people. We're still sinful people, but
we don't walk in the imagination after the stubbornness of an
evil heart in this sense. We have a new heart that looks
to Christ for all salvation. Now if you try to make it any
more than that, you're going to, I'll tell you what, you're
either going to do one of two things. You're either going to
go in the realm of a self-righteous Pharisee, or you're going to
go into despair. Because that's the only other
way you've got to go. So verse 18, he said, In those
days the house of Judas shall walk with the house of Israel.
Now what he's talking about there is this is a united kingdom.
See Jeremiah was preaching with Isaiah and many of these prophets
after Solomon, You know how Solomon, his son Rehoboam, and then there
was Jeroboam, they split the kingdom. By the way, it was over
taxes too. That's why they split. And that
kingdom remained split all the rest of their days. The house
of Israel was the northern kingdom. The house of Judah was the southern
kingdom. House of Israel, the northern
kingdom, at this time had already been destroyed and carried away. Jerusalem where Jeremiah preached
and prophesied was the capital of the southern kingdom. That's
where the temple of Solomon at this time still remained. But
he says in that day, this day of the new covenant, it's not
going to be a divided kingdom. It's going to be a united kingdom.
united under the headship of Christ, founded upon the redeeming
work of Christ, standing before God in the imputed righteousness
of Christ, given life from Christ by the Holy Spirit. And he says,
they shall come together out of the land of the north to the
land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
Now the land of the north there is significant of bondage now.
And again now, there is a physical application of this to the nation
of Judah when they came out of the Babylonian captivities 70
years after they went in. Jeremiah says that. But that
was not the ultimate, eternal, spiritual fulfillment of these
promises. Those things didn't last. When
they got back into the kingdom and started rebuilding the temple
in the city of Jerusalem, they began to falter and fail. And
the prophets and the priests had to call them to repentance
again. They began to walk after the imagination of their evil
heart again. That's what we'll all do, apart
from the grace of God, isn't that right? That's what we're
born to, and that's what we'll continue to do, except God, by
His sovereign grace, works in us to preserve us and keep us. So he says in verse 19, but I
said, how shall I put thee among the children and give thee a
pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the host of nations? And I
said, thou shalt call me my father. The way that's put in the new
test, it says, it shall not turn away from me. So there's not
going to be any backsliding here. I know people talk about backsliding
Christians today, but you got to be careful with that. It's
not like what Israel did now and I'm like again now we're
sinners saved by the grace of God and the Lord doesn't keep
us, you know, we'll go away from him, but he will not let us go. We will not apostatize completely
forsake the Lord. But the way the New Testament
puts this is when you see the terms in I believe it's in Romans
chapter 8. And in Galatians chapter four,
when he talks about the assured fruit and result of the redemptive
work of Christ, which is the Holy Spirit's work in us to bring
us into such a close relationship to God through Christ, to where
we say, Abba Father, Abba Father. And that's what this is talking
about. They shall call me my father. God is my father. How can he be a righteous judge? as well as my father my loving
father my merciful father and it's only through the lord jesus
christ and he says they shall not turn away from me verse 20
he says surely as a wife treacherously departed from her husband so
have you dealt treacherously with me oh house of israel sayeth
the lord now again that's us by nature spiritual adulterers
spiritual harlots. Verse 21, a voice was heard upon
the high places, weeping and supplications of the children
of Israel, for they have perverted their way and they have forgotten
the Lord their God. This is the state of the nation
address, you might say. It's the way it is. Isaiah delivered
one too, didn't he? State of the nation. But look
at verse 22, return ye backsliding children and I will heal your
backslidings. And now here's the answer. This
is the way it would read in the original. Behold, we come unto
thee for thou art the Lord our God. Now here's the people brought
to repentance. And again, the ultimate spiritual
eternal fulfillment of them is in the true children of God,
spiritual Israel, made so by the grace of God. We come unto
thee, look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth
for I'm God, there's none else. For thou art the Lord our God.
You're the God of our salvation. We can't save ourselves. We cannot
make ourselves righteous. We cannot wash away our sins.
You're the God, the Lord our God. And said verse 23, truly
in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills and from the multitude
of the mountains. The hills and the mountains representing
idolatry. You see, truly is salvation,
hope for, in vain is salvation. It's worthless to look anywhere
else but Christ. That's what he's saying. And
this is where a repentant sinner comes to. Truly in the Lord our
God is the salvation of Israel. And that word salvation, we looked
at, we saw that this morning. Remember the first time in the
Bible where you see that word. over there in Genesis 49 verse
18, and it's the word Yeshua, which is Joshua, which is Jesus. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
Truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel. Now
remember what Israel means. It means the people who have
prevailed with God, just like Jacob in Genesis 35 when he wrestled
with the angel. Here's a sinner who has no place
else to go, and he will not let go of Christ. And how does a
sinner prevail with God? By pleading Christ, by pleading
His blood and His righteousness alone. You can't prevail with
God any other way. And that's the victory that God
gives. So he says in verse 24, For shame hath devoured the labor
of our fathers from our youth, the works of man aimed at salvation,
their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters,
a cursed land. That's what he's talking about.
We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us. For
we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers.
Now the people to whom Jeremiah is preaching did not say these
things. So he's talking about people whom God brings to repentance. And mainly in the future, he
says, from our youth even unto this day, we have and have not
obeyed the voice of the Lord our God. Now again, Go back to
verse 16 now. Let's speak of this in the ultimate
fulfillment of it. He talks about the ark. Verse
16, it shall come to pass when you be multiplied and increased
in the land. Ultimately speaking and prophetically
speaking of the increase of God's nation, His people, under the
preaching of the gospel of His grace in Christ. The scripture
says of the increase of his government, there shall be no end. God has a people. He chose them
before the foundation of the world. He sent Christ to redeem
them. And the Holy Spirit's going to
regenerate them. They're going to be born again.
They're going to be increased in the land. It's going to be
from every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation. Not just one. Paul wrote it's to the Jew first
and to the Greek also. Greek meaning a general name
for Gentiles at that time. And they're going to be multiplied
and increased in the land. The land is an eternal land.
It's the new heavens and the new earth, prophetically. They
were increased in the land of Judah for a little while. When
they began to return from Babylon, I think the first wave of people
that returned were about 50,000, but a vast majority of them remained
in Babylon. because they loved Babylon. But
there were a few, so there was a little increase, but it didn't
last very long. They were still a conquered people
and they remained so for 500 years up until the time of our
Lord's incarnation and public ministry on this earth and then
destroyed in A.D. 70. Some people say this may
refer to a future restoration of the physical land of Israel.
I don't agree with that, but if that's so, that's all right
with me. Let them be increased. That'd be all right. I know this,
however, it's increased. It's going to be under the headship
of Christ and not by denying him. Now you mark that down,
how, whatever happens on this earth or in heaven or, or in
the new heavens and the new earth, God's people are going to come
under the headship of Christ. not denying him now we start
out that way but that's not the way we're going to continue and
he says in those days they shall no more say the ark of the covenant
of the Lord now he says neither shall it come to mind this this
ark remember I told you this is the last prophetic mention
of the ark of the covenant in the Bible right here it's mentioned
in the New Testament and referred to as a type and a picture This
is the last prophetic mention of it. The last historical mention
of it is in 2 Chronicles 35. But what happens here, as you
know, the ark is destroyed. Now there's a lot of different
theories about what actually happened to it, but the temple
and the ark was destroyed. Look back at Exodus chapter 25
with me. Now what you need to understand
about what's being said there is this, that that temple Now,
well, let's start off with the tabernacle, that tabernacle in
the wilderness. And then later on that temple
that was built by Solomon. The very reason that that tabernacle
and that temple existed was to house this one piece of furniture
here called the Ark of the Covenant. Sometimes it's called the testimony
of the Lord. Sometimes the ark is just referred
to as the law in general. But that whole system was revolved
around this ark. The priesthood, the high priest
himself and the other priests, they existed to serve ultimately
this ark. Now only the high priest could
go in where this ark was in the Holy of Holies. But this was
the center of their existence right here. Now what was that
ark for? You know, I read a commentator
on this, Jeremiah 3, and they said the reason that they would
say they wouldn't think of the ark of the Lord is because they
used it as a weapon and they wouldn't need that weapon anymore.
The ark of the covenant was not a weapon. I don't care what Hollywood
says. It was not a conduit for electricity. It was not a weapon. Here's what
it's for. Look at it, verse 21. of Exodus
25. Here's why the ark of the covenant
was in the center of the tabernacle in the temple, in the center
of Israel as it were. It says in verse 20, and thou
shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark. You know the ark
was a box. It was made of chitim wood and
covered with gold. And that was a picture of the
deity and the humanity of Christ. And inside that ark was the broken
law, the broken tablets of the law, representing that man has
broken the law of God. We're sinners. We've missed the
mark. We've transgressed. We're iniquitous. We don't measure
up. We deserve condemnation. Now,
above that ark was a covering. again and the covering was pure
gold and it says and thou shalt put the mercy seat above the
ark upon the ark and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony
that I shall give thee look at verse 22 and there will I meet
with thee and I will commune with thee from above the mercy
seat from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the
testimony of all things which I will give thee in commandment
unto the children of Israel. Now that's the purpose of the
ark. That's where God's Shekinah glory dwelt. That's where God's
presence among his people was. That's where God met with his
people and communed with his people from above that ark. And
you know how it goes. You know how the service went.
One time a year on the Day of Atonement, They brought the blood
of the lamb from off the altar of sacrifice, the brazen altar,
and the high priest, one time a year, would go into the very
Holy of Holies. He was the only one allowed to.
The high priest signifying, typifying, picturing Christ, our great high
priest, with the blood of the lamb, and he would sprinkle that
over the mercy seat and all around, and it's upon the basis of that
blood which represents the death of a substitute. Satisfaction
to law and justice. There's the propitiation related
to this term mercy seek. Satisfaction to God's law and
justice based upon the death of a sacrifice, a suitable sacrifice
that God would meet with his people, bless his people, talk
with his people, commune with his people. Everything was right
there. Now, he says over here in Jeremiah
3 that after these days, that that's not going to be the case.
Now, why is it? Well, it's not needed. It's not even missed, he says. They won't even think about it.
You see, the temple's gone. That service is over. That covenant
is finished, it's abolished, not because it wasn't any good,
it was good for the purpose that God gave it, but now it's abolished. Why? Because it's been fulfilled. I hear preachers today talking
about the heresy of replacement theology, they say. It's not
replace, there's nothing to replace it. It's been fulfilled, you
see. It's fulfillment theology. Why
don't we have a human priesthood today to represent the people
of God? We have a human priesthood because
we're all made priests under God. But why don't we have a
human high priest to represent us and a human priest... Why?
Because Christ is our priest. He's our high priest. Why don't
we sacrifice lambs today? I remember one fellow talking
about how he and his wife began to read the Bible from Genesis
on, and how they got up into the book of Leviticus, and he
told his wife, he said, you know, according to this, we ought to
be sacrificing lambs. And he heard Henry preach on
TV, behold the Lamb of God, John 129, behold the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world. and he heard for the first time
in his life how that lamb was a picture and a type of Christ.
Why don't we sacrifice lambs? Because we have the Lamb of God
and He's all we need. That was just a picture and a
type that was given for a particular time to be abolished when it
was fulfilled. Why don't we have an earthly
temple made with hands? All of these things, you see,
those things are no good anymore because Christ is our ark. wherein
the shekinah glory and presence of God is seen. If you want God
to meet with you, look to Christ. If you want God to commune with
you, look to Christ. If you want God to talk with
you and you want to talk with God in prayer, look to Christ.
He's our great high priest. We come under the throne of grace
through Him, through His blood and His righteousness alone.
You want a right standing before God, look to Christ. Isn't that
it? All these other things. He is
our propitiation, 1 John 2 and verse 1. He's our altar. He's our burnt offering. He's
our land. He's our high priest. He's our
ark. He's our mercy seat. Christ is. Now, there was no ark in the
second temple. You know, when they came back
after Jeremiah here, you see, after 70 years, they came back.
And they were going to rebuild the temple and that was the second
temple. You remember what happened? We
studied this. I don't know if you remember all this or not. But
we studied this when we studied the minor prophets and the prophets
after the captivity. And they began building that
ark and some of the older people who had been around during this
time when the temple of Solomon was still standing, And they
were rebuilding the temple. They got discouraged because
that second temple that they were building under Zerubbabel,
it didn't even compare to Solomon's temple. I mean, it was just,
I mean, it's like comparing a shack to a mansion, you know, that
kind of thing. And they got real discouraged.
But they did get it built, that second temple. And when Christ
came along on the scene in his humanity, that's what was there,
but it was built up because Herod, old King Herod, he's the one,
he started rebuilding that temple because he knew the people wanted
it. And it was something impressive to see. You remember when Christ
in Matthew 24 on the Mount of Olives in Mark 13, He walked
out and the disciples were impressed with all these buildings around
the temple. And you remember He told them, He said, this is
gonna be gone. He said, don't let this impress you so much.
That's the work of men's hands. But there was no Ark of the Covenant
in the second temple. There's no Ark, you know, Ezekiel.
We won't go there, but Ezekiel describes in a vision that he
was given a temple that was going to be in the millennium. And
there was no ark there. You see, in those days, what
he's talking about under the new covenant, saith the Lord,
they, the true people of God, chosen of God, redeemed by the
blood, regenerated by the Spirit, they're going to find their rest
and their peace in the true ark. the Lord Jesus Christ in the
true mercy seat and they're going to say no more the ark of the
covenant of the Lord neither shall come to mind neither shall
they remember and neither shall they visit it neither shall that
be done anymore or neither shall they miss it neither shall it
be made anymore now why is that well turn over with me to Hebrews
chapter 10 Now keep in mind, look at Hebrews
chapter nine first. Now you remember there was no
ark of the covenant. What that signified for all those
years is that the presence of God had left this nation. And here was a nation destitute.
Here was a nation conquered. Yeah, they did. They never really
took possession of land because even when Christ came, they were
under Roman occupation. And then it was destroyed. Now,
you remember when Christ was on that cross and he's suffering
for the sins of his people. Here's the Lamb of God actually
fulfilling the purpose of God. He told his disciples, this is
why I came into this world to do this. They wanted to keep
him from doing it. That was because of their human
love for him. That's the way we are. Emotions
and all of that. But he said, I've got to go to
Jerusalem. I've got to be arrested. I've
got to suffer and bleed and die. Because if I don't, the Comforter
will not. There's no life without his death.
That's what he's teaching there. There's no spiritual life without
the death of Christ. So here he is on the cross. And
he speaks from the cross, seven signs, we won't go over them
all. But one of them he says this, recorded in John 19 and
verse 30. Remember what he said, he said, it is finished. He's talking about the completion
of something. Talking about the completion of his work. His work
of redemption was finished, complete. The law and justice of God was
completely satisfied. The righteousness that he came
to establish by which God would justify the ungodly. That was
finished. That was established. That's
his obedience unto death. Our sins were imputed, charged
to him. He was actually guilty based
on sin imputed. Charged with our sin and God
punished him. Pleased the Lord to bruise him.
Don't ever think that was fake. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He suffered. He bore our iniquities. such
suffering we can't even, his soul suffering, the travail of
his soul, it's said in Isaiah 53. And he suffered unto death. And in that he brought forth
that everlasting righteousness called the righteousness of God
revealed in the gospel that's imputed to all of his people. Abel saw that. Noah saw it. Abraham saw it. Isaac and Jacob
saw it Joseph saw it all well they all all the true believers
that remnant of grace down through the ages saw it and There he
comes in time and he fulfills the law and he goes to the cross
He does his work and he says it's finished now. You remember
what happened Matthew 27 Remember what he said what happened the
veil in the temple now? What was that veil for what you
remember what that veil was for is a thick veil and And it went
all the way up from the ceiling down to the floor. And what was
behind that veil? The Ark of the Covenant. What
happened when he said it's finished? The veil was torn in two. Signifying
what? That that's done away with. It
was already gone physically. But even that covenant that it
represented was now accomplished and fulfilled. Look at Hebrews
chapter 9 and verse 1. Listen to this. He says, Then
verily the first covenant, that's the old covenant, had also ordinances
of divine service and a worldly sanctuary. That's a physical. For there was a tabernacle made,
the first wherein was the candlestick, the table, the showbread, which
is called the sanctuary, that was the holy place where all
the priests ministered. And after the second veil, the
tabernacle, which is called the holiest of all. Now that's the
holy of holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was. Notice how
he calls it the tabernacle. In other words, what he's saying
is this, without that Ark of the Covenant, the tabernacle
really had no purpose. even though it did exist even
after the covenant for a while after the ark was destroyed rather
he said had the golden censer the ark of the covenant overlaid
round about with gold wherein was the golden pot that had manna
Aaron's rod that budded and the tables of the covenant that's
the broken law and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing
the mercy seat of which we cannot now speak particularly now when
these things were thus ordained what he's saying there is he's
talking about he's talking about how these things represent Christ
and he's not dealing with that right at this point he says the
priest went always into the first tabernacle accomplishing the
service of God that was the ordained service of the old covenant for
their ceremonial cleansing and atonement for that nation Remember
we read it last week, if the blood of bulls and goats did
sanctify to the purifying of the flesh. Now look, verse 7.
But into the second went the high priest alone once every
year, not without blood. Sin demands death. Satisfaction. Which he offered for himself
and for the heirs of the people. Verse 8. The Holy Ghost this
signified. Now here's what was being taught
by the Holy Ghost then. that the way into the holiest
of all was not yet made manifest. What does that mean? Christ had
not yet come. That's what that means. While
as the first tabernacle was standing. As long as that first tabernacle
stood, that was the Holy Spirit's way of showing that Christ, the
Messiah, the promised true ark and mercy had not yet come. Now
what happens when he comes? He said, well those things, verse
9, he says, which was a figure for the time then present. Listen
to what it says, it was a figure, it was a type for the time then
present in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that
could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining
to the conscience. Could not remove, could not soothe
the guilty conscience, the condemned conscience. because it didn't
stand in anything eternal. Verse 10, which stood only in
meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances imposed
on them until the time of reformation, until the time of change. And
then he says, but Christ, there's the time of change. Well, jump
over to Hebrews chapter 10, look at verse 19. Here's the key to it, verse 19
of Hebrews 10. Now this is all based upon the
sacrificial work of Christ. Having therefore, brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, not the blood
of an animal. By a new and living way, not
that old way. Not that dead way. but a new
and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, which Christ
himself did and accomplished and set apart for us as our substitute
and representative, through the veil, that is to say his flesh,
he offered up himself, the God-man, and having an high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, that's
an honest heart, that's a sincere heart, that's a convicted heart,
that's a broken heart, contrite heart, In full assurance of faith,
that's looking to Christ, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience, remember the blood of bulls and goats couldn't
do that, but the blood of Christ cleanses that guilty, condemned
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. That's the signification
of being washed in the blood of Christ. Now that's what Jeremiah
is pointing forward to. Look over at Hebrews 12. This
is what Brother Terry read. This is the hope of Jerusalem.
Spiritual Jerusalem. Heavenly Jerusalem. And remember
he said all nations are going to be gathered into it. So where
are we going to go? Point me the way that we're going
to go to Jerusalem. Well listen to this. He says
in verse 22, But you are coming to Mount Zion. Remember he mentioned
Zion. And under the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels." I believe he's talking about ministers there. I believe
that Jeremiah was talking about that, the pastors and teachers
which will feed you with knowledge and wisdom and understanding.
Preach the gospel. He says, to the general assembly
of the church of the firstborn which are written in heaven,
the names of God's elect written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and
to God the judge of all, how are we judged? In Christ on the
cross, our sins charged to Him, His righteousness to us, and
to the spirits of just men made perfect, that is those who have
gone on to be with the Lord, and to Jesus the mediator of
the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh
better things than that of Abel. You see, the future and the hope
of Jerusalem. It's a bright future. It's a glorious future. It's a future that brings his
people to repentance of dead works and faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. We know man by nature left to
himself will not do these things, but God according to his promise
and in his power will bring his people to see that glorious hope
of jerusalem in christ fulfilled in christ