Would you turn back to Jeremiah
Chapter 31? Albert Kelly had a biopsy, a
needle biopsy, and he's got a cyst on his pancreas, and he's going
to have to have surgery in a couple of weeks in Alabama. So let's
everybody remember them. Also, I brought my dad back from
the hospital Friday, and remember them. I've entitled this message Ephraim bemoaning himself. God says in verse 18, I have
surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. And look at God's response to
what Ephraim had to say in verse 20. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since
I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore
my bowels, this is God speaking, therefore my bowels are troubled
for him I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Ephraim was the son of Joseph,
you may remember, and his name means double ash heap. Now, I can't think of anything
that's much more worthless than ashes, and he's called a double
ash heap. And he is quite often represented
as all of God's elect, every believer, God calls Ephraim. As a matter of fact, look in
verse nine of this same chapter. Then shall come, they shall come
with weeping and with supplication while I lead them. I'll cause
them to walk by the rivers of water in a straight way wherein
they shall not stumble for I am a father to Israel and Ephraim
is my firstborn. So Ephraim represents everybody
that's born of God. Everyone that is one of God's
elect, everyone that believes the gospel. Ephraim is my firstborn,
God says. Now, there is a lot that goes
on under the name of religion that God does not hear with favor
and with compassion. Now we see here he is moved to
sympathy by what comes out of Ephraim's mouth, but there is
so much that goes on under the name of religion that God cannot
be said to be pleased with in any way. I think of that scripture
in 1 John 1, if we say, We have fellowship with him. You know,
there's a lot of people that make that claim, don't they? I have
fellowship with God. I walk with God. I pray. He hears
me. I read his word. I have fellowship
with him. Now, John says, if we say we
have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, ignorance of
the gospel, we lie and do not the truth. Much speech. Much religious speech. God has
no favor toward. But here he says, I've surely
heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. And God was touched by this speech. He didn't say, I've heard Ephraim
flattering himself or excuse himself. or justifying himself,
or vindicating himself, or making resolutions to change, I have
heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. Now this word has something to
do with true mourning. When someone is still alive,
you hold out hope. But when they die, all you can
do is mourn. Nothing you can do to bring them
back. Did not the Lord say, blessed are they that mourn? Now you mourn over your sin. when you see that there's absolutely
nothing you can do about it. Just like you mourn when someone's
dead, there's nothing you can do to bring them back. It's over
and you mourn. Now, Ephraim at this time is
mourning over his sin. And this is very personal. He's bemoaning himself. God says,
I've surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. He wasn't bemoaning
somebody else. He was bemoaning himself. And this was very honest. Look
what he said in verse 18. I've surely heard Ephraim bemoaning
himself thus, thou hast chastised me And I was chastised as a bullock,
unaccustomed to the yoke. I was chastised, rebuked, corrected,
and I'm no different. I didn't benefit from it at all. I'm just like a wild bull that
cannot be yoked. There's no improvement. I'm just
as bad. I'm just as evil as ever. Now that is Ephraim's confession
concerning himself. Even after I've been chastised
by you, it's done me absolutely no good. I'm just as bad. I'm just as evil. I'm just as
sinful as ever. And he's bemoaning this. I'm
a sinner. Sinner is my name. Sin is my
nature. And sins are my action. That's
what he's bemoaning himself over. I am no better. My sin is all my fault. My sin
is willful. I desire my sin and I can't stop
it. I'm no different. That's how
bad I am. Even after all these things you've done for me. David
said in Psalm 39, Psalm 39, 11, When thou dost with rebukes correct
a man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like
a moth. I have, says Ephraim, nothing
but sin. Warning, chasing me has done
no good. Here's the only thing that can
be done for me. Look what he says. I've surely heard Ephraim
bemoaning himself. Thus, thou hast chastised me
and I was chastised as a bullet unaccustomed to the oak. Now
look what he says. Turn thou me. Turn thou me and I shall be turned
for thou art the Lord my God. Turn thou me, I can't turn myself,
turn thou me. Now what this sounds like is
a man who is too weak to do anything and he's expecting God to do
everything. Yeah, exactly, exactly. These are the words of Ephraim,
turn me and I'll be turned. Now, this is not an isolated
verse. There's a lot of this in the
scripture. It's the same word David used
in Psalm 23, three, when he said, he restored my soul. The word
same Hebrew word is translated restored. You know, I need restored
all the time. Don't you? He restores my soul. He turneth my soul. In Psalm
35, 17, David said, rescue my soul. Same word, same word, rescue
me, help, rescue me. And then in Psalm 51, 12, we
read, restore unto me, same word, the joy of thy salvation. Three times in one psalm, in
Psalm 80. Three times we read the exact same verse. That's
interesting how you think of the 80th psalm, there's a repetition
of this statement three times. Turn us again. You turned us once, we're back
where we're at. Turn us again, O Lord God of
hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Psalm 85 verse 4, Turn us, O
God of our salvation, and cause thine anger to cease. In Psalm 85 verse 6, the word
is translated like this, Will thou not revive us again? Will you give us life? We're
dead. That's how he felt, completely
dead. Revive us! Turn us! O God of
hosts, how long? Psalm 90, 13 says, return, O
Lord, how long? And let it repent thee concerning
thy servants. Psalm 126, 1, when the Lord turned
again the captivity, the captivity. of Zion, we were like them that
dream. Turn again our captivity, O Lord. Listen to this, Lamentations
521. Turn thou to us, O Lord, and
we shall be turned. Renew us as in days of old. And
this is just a sampling of many scriptures that speak this way.
And if you're a believer, this prayer is in your heart. If you're
an Ephraim, turn me. Turn me. We look for the Lord
to do it all. Listen to these scriptures. David
said, iniquities prevail against me. Moses said, thou has said
our iniquities before thee are secret sins in the light of thy
countenance. Isaiah said, we've sinned. And
in these, there is continuance. Isaiah is saying we sinned and
we keep sinning. In these there is continuous.
Now somebody like this needs to be turned. Nothing less will
do. If salvation is dependent upon
them doing anything, they will not be saved. Are you an Ephraim? Are you an Ephraim? Someone who
cries, turn thou me and I'll be turned. Can you say with the
Shulamite, draw us and we'll run after thee, but I have to
have you draw me and we'll run after thee. Now, who put this
understanding and this prayer in the heart of Ephraim? The
Lord did. The Lord placed this prayer in
his heart. Now, this is glorious. Whatever
the Lord intends to do for me or you, he's going to cause us
to ask him to do this for us. Whatever he's going to do for
you, you're going to ask him. And if you don't ask him, he
hasn't done anything for you. Let me verify this in scripture. Turn to Ezekiel. Keep your finger
there in Jeremiah 31. Turn to Ezekiel 36. Now God talks about all these
things He's going to do. He says in verse 24, I will gather
you from among the heathen. Verse 25, I'll sprinkle clean
water upon you, you shall be clean. Verse 26, a new heart
also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you.
Verse 27, I'll put my spirit within you and cause you to walk
in my statutes. Verse 29, I will save you from
all your uncleannesses and I'll call for the court and will increase
it and lay no famine upon you. See, he's talking about all these
things he's going to do for them. He doesn't say, I might do it.
He doesn't say, I'll do it if they do this. He says, I'm going
to do these things for them. Now look at verse 37 of this
chapter. Thus saith the Lord God, I will
yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it
for them. If you're going to have mercy,
you're going to ask for mercy. If you're going to be turned,
you're going to ask the Lord to turn you anything. If you're going to be justified
before God, you're going to have to ask him to justify you. Now,
Anything he's gonna give you, anything he's gonna give me,
he will cause us to ask for. And here we have Ephraim, turn
me and I shall be turned. Now turn back to Jeremiah 31, verse 19. And this is still Ephraim speaking.
Surely, after that I was turned, I repented. And after that I
was instructed, and that word is actually given knowledge,
after I had knowledge, I smoked me upon the thigh, I was ashamed,
yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my
youth. Now, after I was turned, I repented. I repented. Now, repentance is a change of
mind. That's what it means. He was
now sorry. Oh, he was so sorry. After he
was turned, after he was turned, he repented. But I think this
is very interesting, and this really makes more sense to me.
This word repent, after I was turned, I repented. It's the
exact same word that's used in Isaiah chapter 40, verse 1, when
God says, comfort ye, comfort ye. my people. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, turn there.
Isaiah chapter 40. After I was turned, I was comforted. And look here at Isaiah chapter
40, verse 1. And this is the same word. Comfort
ye Comfort ye my people, sayeth your God." As a matter of fact,
most of the time this word is used in the Hebrew, it's this
word comfort. Repent's good. I'm sure that the translators
understood what they were doing. I don't much understand it, but
it's good. I mean, it is repentance. It is a change of mind. It is
sorrow. But more than anything else,
only when you're turned to look to Christ are you comforted.
That's when you're comforted. Look at chapter 40 verse 1. Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, so she hears, that her warfare
is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Now when you're
turned, you're comforted by the message of the gospel. And what
is the message of the gospel? Warfare accomplished. Battle over. Victory won. Now the only thing that comforts
an Ephraim, nothing else will comfort him. The only thing that
comforts an Ephraim is a full and complete salvation. where my battle, it's over. There's
nothing for me to do, it's already been done. And when you're turned, you see
that. When you're turned, you're turned
to Christ. You're turned to looking to Him
saying, it is finished. Finished. Iniquity is pardoned. All my sin, past, present, and
future, is pardoned sin. Pardoned by God himself, forgiven,
blotted out, and cast away. She's received of the Lord's
hand. Oh, I want what he has to give, don't you? She hath
received of the Lord's hand double for all her sin. Now the only
thing that comforts a believer is the completed work of Christ
on the cross. I despise any notion that Christ
can die for somebody and they wind up in hell anyway. I despise
that, and the reason I do is because the only hope I have
is that Christ finished my salvation, that He completed it, that He
did it all and accomplished it. And that's the gospel to me. That's the good news of the gospel,
that Christ finished the work. That's all that comforts me.
And boy, it comforts me, too. This is what Ephraim sees when
he's turned. He's comforted by the comforts
of the gospel. And notice he says in our text
in verse 19, Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and
after that I was instructed. And that's the Hebrew word knowledge. After I had knowledge, true knowledge,
he says, I smote upon my thigh. He started hitting himself. You
know, I do that sometimes. You know, Lynn gets upset with
me when I slap myself, you know, to wake up, what's wrong with
you? But what this is talking about is he was beating his thigh
in. in frustration over all of his
sinfulness being all his fault. He wasn't putting the blame on
somebody else. He was putting all the blame on himself. Now
whenever you're instructed, you learn something about personal
responsibility. You don't blame God. You don't
blame your circumstances. You don't blame others. All your
sin is all your fault. Now that's what happened when
he was turned. He saw that all his sin, he couldn't blame God's
sovereignty, he couldn't blame Adam, all of his sin was all
his fault. Now it is only when all your
sin is all your fault that you'll cry for mercy. If you have an excuse, you'll
never cry for mercy. You don't need free grace the
way Ephraim did. But when your sin is all your
fault, that's what you do. Now look what it says next. I
smote upon my thigh, I was ashamed. Now, you're only ashamed when
you're guilty. This has part of the responsibility,
smiting on your thigh. When you're guilty, you're ashamed,
ashamed before God. I was ashamed and confounded,
he said. I was humiliated. I was humiliated. When I was turned, I was comforted
by the comforts of the gospel, but yet I was smiting on my thigh,
my sins all my fault. I was ashamed of myself and I
was humiliated. And then he says, because I did
bear the reproach of my youth. Now what he's talking about,
what is the reproach of your youth? It's your original sin.
It's your original sin. It's the sin you were born with.
You were born, David said, behold, I was shaped in iniquity, and
in sin did my mother conceive me. And what a burden it is to
bear that reproach. It's with us right now, and it
will be until the day we die. The reproach of my youth. You
know, I have nowhere to look but Christ. Nowhere. Now look at God's response to
these words. I mean, you think about what
he's saying. He's saying, all you've done
doesn't do me any good. I'm just as bad as ever. Turn
me. I can't turn myself. Turn me
and I'll be turned. When I was turned, I was comforted,
but I was not comforted, but I was comforted. And at the same
time, I smoked my thigh. I was ashamed, confounded, bearing
the reproach of my youth, my original sin. That's a heavy
burden that every believer carries with them. It's just a burden. It's best, somehow, it's best
for you and I to have it because it keeps us looking nowhere but
Christ, doesn't it? I don't have anywhere else to
look but to Christ. That's it. But look at God's response to
this, verse 20. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant For since I spake against him,
I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore, my bowels are troubled
for him. I will surely have mercy upon
him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Now,
this language, a religious person wouldn't understand
it. They just wouldn't understand it. But this is the language
of a dear child. This is the language of a pleasant
son. And God is moved to sympathy. I think of that scripture, we
have not a high priest that cannot be touched, moved to sympathy
by the feelings of our infirmities. Did he have the feelings of infirmities
here? Obviously he did. But the Lord is touched by it.
How come? And this is one of the great mysteries of the gospel.
But the Lord has experienced feeling utterly alone, forsaken,
shame, guilt, feeling much more acutely than you and I ever have.
When he was made sin on the cross, I know we don't understand this,
but every horrible feeling that's ever brought onto us by our sin,
he's felt much more acutely than we have. And that's how he's
touched by the feeling of our infirmities. That's amazing,
isn't it? I don't even know what else to
say about it other than it's incredible. That the Lord is
actually, so Ephraim bemoaning himself, and the Lord is touched.
The Lord is moved to sympathy. And here's what he calls Ephraim,
my dear son and a pleasant child. Now, his name means ash heap,
double ash heap. And what do you think, when I
think of ashes, I think what good are ashes? I mean, what
do you do with them? You throw them away. I mean,
there's no good in them. Ash heap, double ash heap, and
yet the Lord calls him a dear son and a pleasant child. Now, how can that be? A pleasant means delightful.
How can that be? When Ephraim really is so bad
and he knows it, how can God call him a dear, a precious son,
a delightful child? How? Turn with me for a moment to
the book of Colossians in the New Testament. Colossians chapter 1. I'd like to read the 12th verse. Giving thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet, to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. Now, right now, as I speak, there's
a gray group in heaven. called the Saints in Light. And
we know what's going on up there. They're in his presence, singing
the praises of the Lamb. Oh, how they delight in being
there. And you know, they have no sin. They don't even remember what
it's like to be a sinner. They see the marks on the body of
the Lord. They know that's the reason they're
there. But what a choir this is. The inheritance of the saints
in light. I love even thinking about that,
the saints in light. Oh, I want to be there, don't
you? The saints in light. But look
what Paul says. He says, giving thanks unto the
Father, which will make us meet. to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints and light? No. He hath made us meet. You know what that means? That
means everything I need for heaven I have right now present tense.
Everything. I meet to be there right now. Being in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am meet right now. Now that's how Ephraim can be
a pleasant child. He is meat right now. Now Paul is speaking to Ephraim's
believers who are still bearers of his evil nature. Right now
you've got everything. Not you will, you do. Right now. You're meat to be inheritance
of the saints and light. What is this meatness? What is
this meekness? I mean, right now, I'm meek for
the inheritance of the saints. I got everything I need to be
in heaven right now. I don't really need anything
to be done to me. I've already got it. How could that be? Because
look at me. Look at you. How could that be?
There's only one way that can be. It's because the sin has
been put away. Matthew 121 says, Thou shalt
call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people. from their sins. How could this be? Because I'm
justified. I'm sanctified. I'm glorified. Right now. Present tense. As
he is, so are we in the world. I said it, Dwayne. Favorite verse. Mine too. As he is. Is he me
to be in heaven? As he is, so are we in this world
right now. Ephraim, the double ash heap,
is a dear and pleasant son. Now, look at how the Lord, back
to our text in Jeremiah 31. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he
a pleasant child? For since I spake against him.
Now, the Lord is displeased with sin.
He's displeased with sin in his people. He's displeased with
sin, period. And because my sin is put away
doesn't mean the Lord's indifferent about my personal sin. He's not.
Do I understand how both of those things are so? Well, sort of. I mean, I just know intuitively.
I don't understand how, but sin's not okay. And he spoke against
Ephraim. But what happened? For since I spake against him,
I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore, my bowels are troubled
for him. And here is the only hope. I will surely have mercy upon
him, saith the Lord. I'll surely have mercy on him.
You know what that means? That means nothing can prevent
it. Nothing can prevent it. I will surely, that means for
sure, for sure. I love David's last words. Although
my house be not so with God. Although. And his house was a
mess. It was in complete disorder.
And I think he's talking about this house too, this house. Although
my house be not so with God yet, yet. I love those two words,
although, yet. He hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure. I will surely have
mercy on him. I love the way verse 18 starts.
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. You know, this is something
the Lord hears. He says, I've surely heard it. I've heard it. When
Ephraim bemoans himself, oh, the Lord hears. And he concludes
with this statement, I will surely I will surely have mercy on him. I love the sure mercies of David,
don't you? Sure mercies means they're for sure. There's nothing
you can do to mess them up and make them go away. They're sure
mercies because they're in the Lord Jesus Christ. All of God's
salvation is in Christ. That's why he says, I will surely,
I will surely have mercy on him. And then, in verse 21, set thee
up way marks, make thee high heaps, let big signs and set
thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest.
Turn again, O Virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
Now, what's the first way, Ephraim? What's the first way you went? You went across the way, didn't
you? The first time the Lord ever
spoke to your heart. You knew the only way into his
presence was Christ. You didn't have any experience
to look back to. You didn't have any works to recommend you. All
you had was Christ when you first went. He says, turn back to that again,
Ephraim. Turn back to that again. May the Lord turn us to where
we're turned looking to Christ only. And you know what? If me
and you look to Christ, everything's gonna be fine, isn't it? What should I do? Look to Christ. That will take care of everything. Amen. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's blessed
name that you would be pleased to turn us and to cause us to
look only to your Son. And Lord, deliver us from our
sin and our sins. Lord, cause us to look to Christ
in such a way that nothing else even appears. as anything to
us, but thy Son is everything. Lord, preserve us. Our Father
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread and forgive us of our debts as we forgive those
that are indebted to us. And deliver us from temptation,
deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and
the power and the glory forever. Lord, make that the prayer of
our heart. We give thanks for your word.
Lord, cause us to always be poor in spirit. Cause us to always
mourn and be meek. Lord, cause us to hunger and
thirst after righteousness. Cause us to be peacemakers. Allow us to be persecuted for
righteousness sake. Give us this pureness of heart
that looks only to thy dear son. Bless this message for his sake.
In his name we pray. Amen.