The Greater Jeremiah Pt. 2

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:11, emphasizing His sacrificial role for His sheep. In John 10:11, Jesus declares, 'I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.' This statement underscores the redemptive sacrifice that Jesus makes on behalf of His people. Just as Jeremiah in the Old Testament serves as a type of Christ, expressing care and intercession for Judah, Jesus fulfills this role completely. He not only guides but also sacrifices Himself, ensuring the eternal safety of His elect. This rich imagery highlights the profound love and commitment Jesus has for those He saves, making His relationship to believers personal and intimate.

Q: How do we know Jesus' intercession for us is effective?

Romans 8:34 assures us that Jesus intercedes for the elect at God's right hand, ensuring their justification. Romans 8:34 states, 'It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.' This verse is crucial in understanding that Jesus' intercession is not only ongoing but also effective. Unlike human intercessors, whose prayers may fall short, Christ’s intercession is grounded in His completed work of redemption. He stands before God as our advocate, guaranteeing that all for whom He died will ultimately be justified. Therefore, His role as an intercessor is both divine and authoritative, providing believers with assurance of their standing before God.

Q: Why is the concept of the New Covenant important for Christians?

The New Covenant, established by Christ's blood, ensures the forgiveness of sins and a personal relationship with God. The New Covenant is foundational to the Christian faith, as it represents the fulfillment of God's promise to provide a way for His people to be reconciled to Him. In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God promises to establish a new covenant with Israel and Judah, writing His law on their hearts and granting forgiveness of sins. Jesus, during the Last Supper, explicitly identifies the cup as 'the new testament in my blood' in Luke 22:20, indicating the inauguration of this covenant through His sacrificial death. This covenant removes the burden of external law and empowers believers to live righteously through the internal work of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing grace and relationship over mere rule-keeping.

Q: What role does Jesus play as our mediator?

Jesus serves as the only mediator between God and man, representing us before the Father. In 1 Timothy 2:5, the Apostle Paul writes, 'For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.' This verse affirms the unique and essential role of Jesus as our mediator. In His dual nature as fully God and fully man, He bridges the gap caused by sin. He not only brings our requests to God but also represents God’s holiness to us. This mediation is vital because it underscores the theme of grace in our approach to God—believers need not rely on their merit but can approach with confidence because of Christ’s righteousness. His advocacy ensures that we are accepted by the Father.

Q: Why does God remember our sins no more after our conversion?

God promises to remember our sins no more as a result of Christ's sacrificial atonement. Jeremiah 31:34 states, 'For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.' This divine promise is fulfilled in the work of Christ, who bears the sins of His people and removes them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). This means that upon placing faith in Jesus, believers are not merely pardoned but are also credited with Christ's righteousness. This assurance empowers Christians to live in freedom from guilt and shame, knowing their sins have been fully dealt with through the cross. It emphasizes the grace of God, offering security and peace in the believer's relationship with Him.

Thank you. Can anybody hear us now? Whoever mentioned that? All right. So they knew that Jesus was the Messiah. They knew all this. So back in John, whenever we see Jesus talking about the hirelings, back to John chapter 10, he says, the thief cometh not, but for the steel to kill and to destroy.

I am come that they might have life and they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. So Jesus here is saying that all other shepherds that came before him was not the good shepherd, that he is the good shepherd.

Of course, we see that, as I said, back in Jeremiah 17, where Jeremiah, who is the type of Christ, says, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee. We got a beautiful type and picture there. Look with me if you also at Hebrews 13 and verse 20, we see Jesus again depicted as the good shepherd. Hebrews chapter 13. And look if you would at verse 19 says, but I beseech you, the rather to do this that I may be restored to you the sooner, oh sorry, verse 20.

Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Now Isaiah said that he was a shepherd that had not decided to go away. He was being faithful to them.

But as with all human shepherds, we have our frailties. As a pastor, I am to be a shepherd, but I'm not a good shepherd. I'm not the good shepherd. I may do some good shepherding once in a while, but I'm not a good shepherd. I am fallible just like anybody else. All pastors are fallible despite what a lot of people think. Some people put pastors on such a high pedestal and everything and bow down and kiss their feet and all this kind of junk, but pastors are no different than anybody else. It's just that the call the Lord has called them into.

We are not the good shepherd. There is only one good shepherd, and that's Jesus Christ. So Christ was the fulfillment of the type that we see in Jeremiah. Now, as the good shepherd, we see that Jeremiah, if you'll turn back to Jeremiah and to the 14th chapter, we see that Not only was Jeremiah a shepherd to the people, but as the shepherd who fed them, he also interceded for them. Look at chapter 14 and look down with me, if you would, down to verse seven.

It says, oh Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake, for our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee. Oh, the hope of Israel, the savior thereof in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be as a stranger in the land and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldst thou be as a man, astoned as a mighty man, that cannot save. Yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name.

Leave us not." So here we see Jeremiah as the interceder for Judah here. We see that he is coming before the Lord, praying before the Lord, saying, we are sinful people before you. We are deserving. But what does he bring up? The Lord's namesake. But for your namesake, you have called us to be your people. You have called us by your name. Don't forsake us.

Is that not what Jesus did also, brethren? To its fullest extent though? See, Jeremiah can pray that all the day long. But whenever Jesus prays that, those prayers will be answered. Look if you would at Romans chapter eight. Romans chapter eight. Look with me if you would. At verse 31.

What shall we then say to these things if God before us Who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Brethren, there may have been a lot of interceding that the men of God of old did, but not any of them was effectual like the intercession of Jesus Christ, and still is. He is at the right hand of God interceding for us. Look, if you would, at Hebrews chapter seven. Hebrews chapter seven and verse 25. It says, wherefore he is also, he is able also to save them to the other most that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

He died as their mediator and substitute, but he lives to be their intercessor. He continues to intercede between God and man. Now, I would put forth, brethren, that his interceding as God and man, I've preached on this before. You guys have heard me say this many times.

There is only one mediator between God and man, and that is the man, Jesus Christ, not the Pope, not the preacher, the pastor, the evangelist, not the government. There's only one mediator between God and man, and that's the man, Christ Jesus. Now, as mediator, Most of the time, and at least I'll speak for myself, growing up, I only thought of it in one way.

I thought of it as him mediating us to God, because we are sinners and can't approach unto God, so he's mediating us to God, because God is holy, we are sinners. But brethren, that mediation was a two-way mediation. That's why Christ came as both God and man. He came to mediate on God's behalf, but he also came to mediate on man's behalf. He came to mediate man to God because man is sinful and God is holy. And there has to be a mediation.

There has to be someone who goes in our place as our advocate, because God, the holy righteous judge of all creation, will not let sin slip. Not one, but Christ, the Bible says is our advocate. And as our advocate or our lawyer, he goes in between us and the righteous judge. And he stands between us and judgment. And he declares the things that are true about us to God. What is true about us to God?

They are guilty. but their debt has been paid in full. Everything that your law demands has been met on their behalf. How was it met? Did they pay for it? All their years of coming to church, all the years of coming to Bible school, all their years of helping the poor and the sick and the needy, all the years of abstaining from all the lust of this world? Is that what the judge is gonna look at and say, well done, you're free to go? No, whenever the advocate for us stands there, what does he stand there as? Our substitute. Judge, I'm coming on behalf of all those people that you have given me, and I stand here and claim that my blood was shed for them. You require not sacrifices of bulls and goats and obedience, but you desire what? Sacrifice of a spotless lamb. You desire without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin. Well, these people have sinned but I've shed my blood for them.

So Christ is mediating us to God and God, whenever the mediator or the advocate comes between us and God, the mediator stands as our righteousness. So God sees Christ and not us. If God sees us, all he sees is sin. But what happens? God sees Christ and because we are in him, He sees nothing but perfection.

We have been mediated to God. But brethren, Christ also, as our intercessor, mediates God to us. He comes and reveals to us what God is like. God is a God who loves you. God is a God who has forgiven you. God is a God who has shown you mercy. God is a God who has given you grace. He has pulled you up out of the mire. Remember we looked at last week, Jeremiah was let down into the mire and who came and saved him? God did. When Jesus was brought down into the mire of sin and death, what did God do? God raised him up.

He raises us up out of the mire. the filth of who we are, God raises us up. Now that doesn't mean that we become sinless. It doesn't mean that we become holy and righteous in and of ourselves. He raises us up and he gives us a coat that covers our nakedness, that covers our sinfulness. And that coat is the coat of his righteousness. But he comes and he mediates God to us.

Guess what? Your sins have been forgiven. I will no more remember your sins as far as the East is from the West. Another word for you, justified. Can you imagine that? If you know how sinful you are to hear from the lips of God, and there's only one mediator between God and man, there's only one who delivers that message to the child of grace, and it's not the under pastors, it's the good pastor, the good shepherd, the good teacher delivers the message to your heart, justified. Can you imagine that? Y'all know your own sins, how wicked you are. You know how often you've broken God's law. You know how much you have despised and rejected the things of God, neglected the things of God. All the things that we do as sinners. And guess what?

Every day his mercies are new. Every day we wake up and the word is justified. Every day we wake up We are the righteousness of God in Christ. Well, I'm not in actuality. Child of God, get that Bible out and start finding out what you need to do. Get yourself to that point. Get out there and work for the Lord. Make yourself more righteous. That's what I used to preach, what I used to hear, what you hear in most preaching around the world today. is now that the Lord has done this, you owe Him, so pay Him back by becoming more holy. Wait a minute, wait a minute. What was the purpose of Him coming and being holy for you if now He turns around and expects you to do something that He had to come and do because you couldn't do it?

But Christ comes and mediates between God and man and tells the child of grace, I'm not gonna remember that sin. All those sins are sealed up in a bag, and I've remembered them no more. What does it mean? Is it just my old sins are sealed up in the bag? All the ones before I professed Jesus, before I came down to that old-fashioned altar and made Jesus my Lord and Savior? Is it just those sins, or just the sins that I remember and confess to Him? No, the Bible says that He has sealed all my sins in a bag. Know what that means? from this second forward in time, as long as I remain on this earth, every sin that I will ever commit is already known, determined by God, sealed in a bag, and died for on Calvary.

Every one of them. And as I've always said around here, we will sin every sin that God has died for, no more and no less. That's not a license to go out and sin as much as you want. I'm not telling you to go do that. I'm just telling you, stating you the facts of redemption that all of our sins have been covered. And Christ comes and teaches to the heart of his people by his spirit that you have been forgiven.

Jeremiah, was a prophet who interceded for his people on behalf of those that he knew was wicked and deserved the judgment of God, but yet come and knew for God's namesake, will you save? Can you save? And God did save. He saved a remnant, right? He did save a remnant. God didn't lie. God doesn't lie to us. He said that he would save a remnant that he had. Remember the other prophet, Elijah? Talking about this last week. Elijah, I'm the only one left. What did God say? I've reserved for myself a remnant.

You don't even know about it. often do we think we're the only ones around we're the only ones here you know i hear i see guys on online all the time saying you know uh i don't go to church because there there is no church you tell me show me and find me a church that is a biblical church and i'll go but i don't see any anywhere oh they're there because the bible promised that they would be there there's just not very many of them they're very small usually in number but they're there They're there. Jeremiah interceded for the people. Look, if you would, Luke chapter 23. Luke chapter 23, look at verse 32, this is whenever Jesus was on the cross. There were also two other malefactors led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Now, brethren, I don't know about you, but what a picture of love we see in that. As he sat there, you know what this tells me right here? That there were people there among that crowd who cried crucify, among that crowd that scourged and mocked and beat among that crowd that nailed Jesus to the cross with those nails in his hands and his feet, who shoved the crown of thorns on his head, who sit there at the foot of that cross and mocked him, come down. Among those people, he had his people. I mean, we know There were the disciples that were there already, the women that were there.

John, who was there. We also know that there was a centurion that was there, that if we look, seems to have believed upon the Lord. We know some of the religious leaders that were there, Nicodemus, not Nicodemus, was it Nicodemus? No, not Nicodemus. Who's the one that he used, borrowed his tune. I've not been able to remember names all weekend. Anyway, Gabriel will get it. Maybe it was. Was it Nicodemus? Well, we know Nicodemus seemed to be a believer, but we see here that Jesus in the very act of dying for us was interceding. Father, forgive them. They know not what they're doing. Joseph of Arimathea. Remember it. Joseph of Arimathea.

So we knew that there were some of his people, and who knows, out of all that crowd, who knows who were actually his elect that have yet to been called into grace, right? So we see that Jeremiah was a type and foreshadow of a perfect intercessor, Jesus Christ. Now we know that Jeremiah in his preaching and in his teaching had a message though for apostate Israel. Let's turn back to Jeremiah chapter seven. He had a message of not only the kingdom being there, not only of the coming Messiah, not of, but he had a message of a coming judgment upon the wicked. Look with me to Jeremiah chapter seven. Go down with me.

In verse eight, it says, behold, ye trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not, and come and stand before me in this house?

He's condemning them for mixing the idolatrous worship with the worship of God. And brethren, listen, there's a lot of that goes on in professing churches today. The mixing and mingling of idolatry with false worship with true worship. Or what they think is true worship. But here particularly, now remember again the context, brethren.

The Pharisees of Jesus' day That Judaic system was not the system that God laid down whenever he gave the law to Moses. Whenever he brought Levites, Aaron in as the first priest and began the lineage of the Levites to be the priest and the typology of all that. That's not what the Pharisees were following. The Pharisees were the Judaizers, the Judaic people of the time who had come out of Babylon and brought with them the Babylonian beliefs, the Babylonian worship. From the Kabal, from the Talmud, from all the things that were out of Babylon, They brought into the worship of God and into the things of God, and were mixing and mingling these things.

And listen, brethren, there is not a difference in that today, by the way. Those Jews that you see on TV, those people over there in Israel now, I'm not saying that there's not elect among them that God's gonna call out, and there's true people around the world who are probably Jews that are Christians, actual true Christians, I know that for a fact because he said, you're going to save people out of every nation, tribe, and tongue.

But that system that you are seeing over there is not following what God give to Moses. So they are not worshiping Jehovah. They're worshiping Baal. They're worshiping some other God. And that Judaic system is a horrible system of antichrist. But this is what Jeremiah is saying to him at that time. And guess what? Jesus came and said the same thing to him. We'll see that here in a minute.

He said, and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name and say, we are delivered to do all these abominations. Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord. But go ye now unto my place, which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not, and I called you, but ye answered not, therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out "'all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.'" Now, then it says, "'Therefore pray not thou for this people, "'neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, "'neither make intercession to me, for I will not hear thee.'" Now, I wanna stir the pot here just a little bit.

How many people do you see on Facebook's got the little Israel flag on their Facebook profile. Pray for Israel. Support Israel. Get Palestine out of Israel. We gotta kiss their feet. Send them all of our money. Send them all of our weapons. They are priority number one. Not your own people, but them. Pray for them. They're being persecuted by the Palestinians.

Brethren, listen to what this says right here. Therefore, pray not thou for this people. He's not saying don't pray for Jews that need the Lord. He's saying, don't pray for these people who are worshiping Baal and mingling it and saying that they're worshiping me. It's the Judaic system. He's saying, don't pray for them.

Pray not for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee. Now, while we're in Jeremiah still there, look at chapter 25, verse eight. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, because ye have not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant. Notice he called Nebuchadnezzar his servant.

Okay, God uses ungodly people, ungodly men for his purposes. I know people don't like to hear that kind of stuff. They don't have a category in their mind. And that's because, just like the rest of us, at one time we're ignorant of what the Word of God says. God uses sin and evil and wickedness and evil people to accomplish his purposes. But what does he say?

Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them and make them an astonishment and a hissing and perpetual desolation.

Moreover, I will take from them the voice of mirth. That's the voice of joy. Mirth means joy. I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bride. Brethren, listen, the types of here are just a plenty. The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. the sound of the millstones and the light of the candle.

And this whole land shall be at desolation. and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. And it shall come to pass when 70 years are accomplished that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. and I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. Now brethren, that was fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Every bit of that.

In AD 70, God came and brought judgment upon Jerusalem, brought desolation upon them. I will make unto you their house desolate, He made it desolate. He destroyed it. It will not return. He scattered the people. He destroyed the system. And then what did he do? He turned around and judged Rome, who was his servant that came and did the very thing that he brought him in to do. Rome was God's arm, was God's servant in judging Jerusalem. But then God turned around and judged Rome by destroying Rome. Not long after that. Here's the type. Here's the foreshadow. But in Christ was the fulfillment of it all.

Why? Because there has always been a purpose for the old covenant to exist and for the revealing and the continual perpetuation. We are in the world and the world to come. The world that is, is the world of the old covenant that tells us who we are in our old man, who we cannot be before God, which is righteous. And it was given to be such, and it was given to condemn us. to show us our need for Christ. But yet God brought us into the new world to show us that in Christ Jesus, our sin has been forgiven, that we have been reconciled to a holy God, and that his people has been loved with an everlasting love. And though, even though this law has right to condemn us, it cannot condemn us because Jesus has died. And because he has died, we live. That's the new world. The rivers of living water that flow, the tree of life that blooms, the people feed and feast. They are never hungry. They are never thirsty. Why? Because Christ is their source. That is the life in the new kingdom. With our new king, we have come to Mount Zion.

Well, Jesus had the same words to say to these people, Look with me if you would at Matthew 24. Matthew 24, look at verses 1 and 2. Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, see not all these things.

Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as he said upon the Mount of Olives, the disciple came unto him proudly saying, tell us, when shall these things be? The things of them being torn down. And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? And I would put forth that he's talking about the sign of his coming and judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70 and the sign of the end of the world of the old covenant, that world.

And Jesus answered and said to them, take heed that no man deceive you for many shall come in my name saying I'm Christ and shall deceive many. and you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet, for nations shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom.

There shall be famines and pestilence and earthquakes in diverse places. That was foretold in Deuteronomy 28, by the way. All these are the beginning of sorrows, and then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake, which the apostles were. Then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another, which they did. And during the season of Jerusalem, the Jews began to fight against each other and begin to kill each other. "'And because iniquity shall abound, "'the love of many shall wax cold, "'but he that shall endure unto the end, "'the same shall be saved.

"'And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached "'in all the world for a witness unto all nations, "'and then shall the end come.'" Which the gospel was, Paul declared that the gospel was preached to all the world, and then the end came, the end of the old covenant. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel, the prophet, stand in the holy place, whosoever readeth let him understand. And then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains, which they did, they followed the Lord's command, and fleed into the mountains.

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house, neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes and woe unto them that are with child and them that give suck in those days, but pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall be a great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be, and except those days should be shortened, there should be no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not, For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very leg. But behold, I have told you before, wherefore, if they shall say unto you, behold, he is in the desert, go not forth, behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not.

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even under the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Or wheresoever the carcass is, there will eagles be gathered together. Also told in Deuteronomy 28. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Now, remember we looked at that whenever we was looking at Hebrews chapter 12. And that goes back, those are all images in the Old Testament that was talking about coming judgment. and was used whenever God was judging Egypt and judging them in Babylon in those days.

And said, and then shall appear the sign of the son of man in the heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth born. And as you see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he shall send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather together as elect from all the four winds from the end of heaven to the other.

Now, look with me if you would. Well, I guess I'll just, let me go ahead and just keep reading. Now learn the parable of the fig tree. When this branch is yet tender and put it forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near even at the door. So basically Jesus was saying, you know, just like whenever you see a fig tree with a branch and it's tender and it puts forth its leaves, you know that ain't long before fruit comes, right? So he's saying the same thing here.

Whenever you begin to see these things, then you know that it is nigh or near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass, or my doctrine shall not pass. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angel of heaven, but my father only.

Now look at here, but as the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. So in the account of Noah, Who was taken away? The wicked were taken away. And who was left? The righteous was left.

But what does all the modern day dispensational preachers tell you? There's gonna be this secret rapture and all the righteous will be taken away and the wicked will be left behind. And everything I often tell people whenever they It's talking about all that stuff about getting left behind and everything like that. I said, well, I hope I'm left behind. I hope I'm one of the ones that was left behind because the wicked are being taken in judgment and the righteous are left behind.

And then Jesus uses what we just read in Jeremiah, an image that was there. He said, then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken and the other left. The millstone will be left silent.

Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your father doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watched the thief would come, he would have watched and would have not suffered his house to be broken up." Now this is where Jesus is beginning to cast a dispersion upon the religious leaders. He's saying if the good man of the house would have known, he would have watched, he would have known, he would have made preparations, but these men were not good shepherds. These men were not good pastors to these people.

He said, therefore, be also ready for the hour as you think not a son of man cometh, who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season. Blessed is that servant whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, which is just exactly what the Pharisees were doing, and to eat and drink with the drunken.

Now they didn't do that outwardly, but they were doing that inwardly with those of Baal, with their mixed worship. The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour that he is not aware of and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So brethren, we see here in Matthew 24, Jesus also preaching and proclaiming the judgment that is to come upon Jerusalem in AD 70, whenever he comes back to judge them. We also see it in Luke 21. And we'll turn there. Luke 21 and verse 20. Jesus said, and when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. And we know that that took place also in AD 70. Rome come and surrounded Jerusalem and was on the outskirts of Jerusalem for a long period of time. And it was during this time, whenever they were encompassed around Jerusalem, that the people started killing themselves inside. They began to starve, there was famine. They began to eat their own, Women began to eat their babies. That's why Jesus told them, pray that you're not pregnant during this time period. Why? Because they're gonna be eating their babies. All this took place during that time period.

And when you shall see Jerusalem can pass with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains, let them which are in the midst of it depart out, and let them that are in the countries enter therein too.

For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." See, Christ is the fulfillment of all those things. Jeremiah was the prophet who prophesied and was the foreshadow of them. Jesus was the fulfillment of them. While they proclaimed, and I know I'm going long here, while they proclaimed the judgment, they also proclaimed the beautifulness of the new covenant. Go back to Jeremiah. I think y'all know kind of where we're probably gonna go here, Jeremiah 31. Jeremiah 31, and look at verse 30, 31.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. So not according to the old covenant. I'm gonna make a new covenant. I'm not gonna revive and I'm not going to clean up the mess of the old covenant that the Judaizers made.

See, that's what we think is going on right now, is that the Judaizers, they just need to be cleaned up. You know, kind of like what the Protestants thought that they were going to do with the Catholic church, we're going to reform it. We're going to reform the Catholic church, which they didn't. And they themselves need to be reformed because they also are not following the Lord, and their baby baptizing, and their state churches, and their many other things, their sprinkling and all that kind of stuff.

But no, God was not going to clean up the old covenant. He said a new covenant is gonna come. Behold, the day is cometh that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, In the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they break, although I was a husband under them, saith the Lord, but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people." Notice, brethren, in the old covenant, He gave them an external law for them to keep. And whenever they keep that law, that proved that they were God's people. That proved that He was their God. How am I gonna show, how are they gonna show that this is my God by keeping my commands?

If you love me, you will keep my commands. That was the old covenant. Under the new covenant, we still have, if you love me, you will keep my commands, but it's not an external command that he gives. It's an internal command that he himself works in us of faith towards Christ and love for the brethren. We love God and we love the brethren.

He says, I will write them on the inward parts. It's not gonna be an external law anymore. It's gonna be an internal working that I will do in them. Not an outward work that they will try to do. It'll be an internal work that I will do. And he says here, and we'll be their God and they shall be my people. Now, brother, that's a hard shall. That's a hard shall. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Under the old covenant, They had to show that they was his people by following his commands. But yet what did they do over and over and over and over again?

We show that we don't. We don't do that. We can't do that. And we never can do that. That's why I'm saying to preach the law and to preach your obedience as pleasing the Lord and gaining a righteousness before God and before man is futile because none of us can do it. That's why Jesus called these men hypocrites.

They on the outside look like they were good, but on the inside, he said, you are dead bones. You are a whitewashed sepulcher. You're white on the outside, clean, you look nice, but inside you're a dead man's tomb. You're where rotting bones live. You're dead. And they shall teach no more.

Every man, their neighbor and every man, his brother saying, no, the Lord. And we got missionaries all over the place trying to run around, get people say, get people say by telling them about the Lord. He said, under the new covenant, you won't have to tell every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying, know the Lord for they shall all know me. Just a side note to all those primitive Baptists that are out there that believe that there'll be some people that are eternally elected, but not conditionally, say, they're eternally saved, but not conditionally saved. That in this time period, They may never come to know the Lord. That's false. Right here it says, and they shall all know me. They shall know me. They shall know Christ. I have heard, well, I've heard Armenians say it.

Billy Graham said at one time, there are going to be people in heaven that never did even know Jesus, but yet they're there because of God's love for them and Christ dying for them. And their primitive baptists said, there are gonna be some in heaven because they were eternally elect. Christ died for them, but they never heard the gospel. They never believed the gospel, but yet because they were eternally elect and died for by Christ, they're gonna be in heaven. Well, Jesus says, they shall all know me from the greatest to the least, for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more. Now, brethren, is this not exactly what Jesus also said?

He proclaimed the new covenant. Look, if you would, in Luke chapter 22. Luke chapter 22 and verse 20. Jesus says, then let them which are in Judea Oh, wait a minute, I'm on the wrong page. And truly the son of man goeth as it was determined, but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed. I think I wrote down the wrong verse there. I'm sorry, it's verse 20. Likewise, also the cup after the supper, sorry, brother.

Likewise, also the cup after the supper saying, this cup is the New Testament or the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you. Jesus preached the new covenant. But he preached the new covenant wasn't in what you do. He preached that the new covenant is in what he did. His blood is the new covenant.

The New Testament. Look, if you would, at Hebrews chapter 8. Hebrews chapter 8. Verse six. It says, but now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, talking about Jesus, but now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant. I wanna make a side note about this. I actually preached a message about this. It's been quite a while back. But I asked a question one time when I preached this message.

Who was it that mediated the Old Covenant? To a lot of people, their first instinct is to say, well, Moses did. Moses mediated the Old Covenant. Well, no, according to this, Jesus did. Look what it says there and read closely. Hebrews 8, verse 6, but now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry. Now, if you look at the verse before that, it says, who serve unto an example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle. For see, saith he, that thou maketh all things according to the pattern shown to thee in the mount, but now hath he." Well, who is the he? Well, the one that the tabernacle was to represent, which was Jesus. The one who is the high priest, which Moses was the first. the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, Jesus Christ.

He says, but now have he obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also, there's that word also, he is the mediator of a better covenant. Well, if he is also the mediator of a better covenant, then that goes to say that he was also the mediator of the older covenant. which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

For finding fault with them, he saith, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." Now that's what Jeremiah told us, right? We just read that. Jeremiah said that there was gonna come a time in Jeremiah 31, 31, there was gonna become time when there was gonna be a new covenant with the house of Israel, house of Judah.

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continue not in my covenant and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my law into their mind and write them into their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest, for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old, Now that which is decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Now remember, it had not vanished away yet when this was written, because the judgment on Israel had not taken place, but it was ready to vanish away.

It was decaying, it was going away. How? By the preaching of the gospel. God had laid aside Israel, was about to make them desolate, had sent Paul, and the gospel unto the rest of the world to be preached throughout all the world. And it had to be preached throughout all the world before that judgment will come, in which it did. After it was preached to all the world, the judgment came, and then it vanished away.

In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old. So Jesus preached a new covenant, brethren. And this new covenant is not a rework or refurbished are a reinstituted old covenant. He said under this covenant, he would gather his people, Jeremiah 23, again. Jeremiah chapter 23, verse three. Jeremiah 23, three. I'll start in verse one.

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord. That's foreseeing the religious leaders of Jesus' time, even though it happened in their day. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people. Ye have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not visited them. Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doing, saith the Lord. Here it is, verse three.

And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries. Now notice brethren, he's talking to Judah and to Israel, and he's saying that he's going to do this in their time, which he did. But notice here, he says, out of all countries. As we look at the greater fulfillment, which is the spiritual fulfillment of these things, We know that the Israel of God is out of every nation, tribe, language, tongue. It is gathered from all nations.

And here he says, and I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries, whether I have driven them. Notice he said, whether I have driven them. Now right there, a couple of verses away, he says that it was those pastors that have scattered the people. Now, wait a minute.

If the Bible says that the religious leaders scattered them, but yet then Jesus says he has driven them away, what does that mean? Does the Bible contradict itself? Well, no. Just like whenever Jesus brought judgment upon Israel back then, he did it by how? He did it by those Chaldeans. The Chaldeans was his arm. How did he do it in the days that he walked around? He did it by the arm of the Pharisees, by the religious leaders.

And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of the countries, whether I've driven them, and will bring them again to their folds, and they shall be fruitful and increase, and I will set up shepherds over them, which shall feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord." So up until this time, he's talking about the shepherds that came before were hirelings who were not pointing to me, but he said, after those days of the scattering, I'm gonna gather them in. from all the nations. And I'm going to give unto them good pastors. I want to set up shepherds over them, which shall feed them and shall, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed.

Why? Because they're going to come under the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not the fear of the law, not the fear of judgment, not the fear that they are going to be condemned, but the, Good news that they have been forgiven. The good news that Christ has taken away their sins.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth, which he did and still does. In his days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is the name whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say the Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel."

Now, who's the true Israel? Jesus. And where is his seed? who have brought up the seed of the house of Israel out of the North country and from all countries, whether I had driven them and they shall dwell in their own land. My heart within me is broken because of the prophets. All my bones shake. I am like a drunken man and like a man whom wine hath overcome because of the Lord and because of the words of his holiness."

So brethren, we see that Jeremiah, he preached and proclaimed a new covenant. He preached that there would be a gathering in that new covenant, under that new covenant of all of God's people by a greater prophet. And we've seen that in Jesus as well. John chapter 10, again, John chapter 10 and verse 16, Jesus said, and other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one foal and one shepherd. John chapter 11 and verse 51, Jesus said, or it says here about Jesus, and this spake he not of himself, but this Caiaphas, what Caiaphas said, and this spake he not of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. And so what was done in the death of Jesus Christ, the gathering together of all those throughout the nations, making them one in Christ Jesus by his death. All right, brethren, I think we'll stop right there. Does anybody have any questions or comments or anything? Directions or reviews, anything your brother would like to share this morning? All right, let's pray.

Heavenly Father, again, we thank you this day and we thank you so much for Christ Jesus. We thank you for the word of God and we thank you for the glorious message of the gospel. We thank you for, once again, Christ, the greater Jeremiah. We thank you for the beautiful picture that we can see now being on this side of the cross. all the beautiful messages of the gospel that was bound up in the Old Testament and the pictures of our Lord that were shown. And Father, we thank you for the Spirit of God that reveals these things to us, comforts our hearts by them. Lord, we thank you for the wonderful work of redemption. And Lord, we thank you for the salvation that comes through that redemption. We thank you for each and every child of grace that the Spirit of God has quickened and will quicken, who will teach Christ in the testimony of God too.

And Father, we are grateful that under this new covenant, that we are not bound to our own efforts, that we are not reliant upon the flesh to accomplish and to perform. But Father, we are in this new covenant under Christ Jesus, our mediator, our substitute, who have done all things for us and has blessed us and all spiritual blessings that are in Christ Jesus are given unto us freely and by grace alone.

Lord, we couldn't have ever deserved that. We know that in our own flesh, we surely don't deserve that because we, like everyone else by nature, are children of wrath. sinful, defiled, and unworthy. But Lord, you by your love and your grace have done these things for us. And may we ever be mindful of those things. And may we never stop in declaring the message of Christ Jesus and his deliverance. Christ Jesus and his work of redemption, substitution, and intercession. Lord, may we always be grateful. May we not boast.

May we not be prideful of these things, may we not think that we are better than others, but Father, may we be humbled in our heart to know from the depths which we have been brought to stand as the righteousness of God in Christ, but only by mercy and grace.

Lord, we thank you again for all these brethren that are here, that you have brought our way, gathered us together, that you do each and every week, Lord, We pray that our worship has been pleasing to you as you have been in our midst. We pray, Lord, that you would keep these brethren safe, especially today through any of the storms that will be coming through. Lord, we ask that you just might gather us together again, and that you might keep us this week. Our mind set up on you that you might remind us each and every day what you have done for us. For it's in Christ's name that we pray, amen.

The Greater Jeremiah Pt. 2

What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

How do we know Jesus' intercession for us is effective?

Why is the concept of the New Covenant important for Christians?

What role does Jesus play as our mediator?

Why does God remember our sins no more after our conversion?

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The Greater Jeremiah Pt. 2

What does the Bible say about Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

How do we know Jesus' intercession for us is effective?

Why is the concept of the New Covenant important for Christians?

What role does Jesus play as our mediator?

Why does God remember our sins no more after our conversion?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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