Now, I'm anxious to bring this
message because I'm going to preach to
myself and let you listen in. I'm anxious to hear it. I'm anxious
that God, by His grace, apply it. You know, it's amazing to me
that the church has survived. It's not amazing to me that the
Church has survived persecution, because that strengthens the
believers. But it's amazing to me that the
Church of the Lord Jesus Christ even still exists on this earth,
because of the terrible, rotten preaching to which it has been
subjected. It's amazing. There are very
few prophets of God. There are very few honest preachers. And I say that with a broken
heart. It's sad, but it's true. And a great majority of the preachers
who stand in the pulpit today will be preaching down to the
people. Down to the people. Very few of them, like Jeremiah,
will make their own hearts the target for God's arrogance. Very
few of them. You see, the objective of most
preachers is to call on people to believe as they believe. Have
my experience. Believe as I believe. Do what
I've done. Be like me. Or many preachers today will
just weary their people with their intellectualism, with their
foolish questions, genealogies, endless genealogies and strivings
about the law, their biblical knowledge, wise men, learn from
me. Or they'll be seeking to build
a religious organization or a denomination. Or as Paul said, warned the elders
at Antioch, men will rise up among yourselves, seeking to
draw disciples after themselves. We certainly don't need any disciples.
We're disciples ourselves. We're learners of Christ. Or the preachers today will have
all the answers concerning prophecy, the end time, the last days.
the purposes of God. But this man, Jeremiah, called
the weeping prophet, how honestly he writes here, as God deals
with him, as God speaks to him, as God preaches to him. Look
at verse five. And this is the way it's written
in the Amplified Version, which helps us a little. The Lord rebuked
Jeremiah, the Lord rebuked his preacher, speaks to his preacher,
and he says to him, if you have raced with men on foot, and you're
tired out, you're weary, then how are you going to contend
with the horses? How are you going to run with the horses? And if you take the flight, and
be wearied in a land of peace and plenty and security in which
you trust. What are you going to do in the
swelling of the Jordan when it reaches over its banks, when
it comes time for you to, and that's when the Jordan overflowed
its banks was during harvest, during harvest. When God comes
to cut you down and take you away, If it's wearied you in
this land of peace and plenty, what are you going to do then?
So I don't understand what this is all about. Well, to understand
it, we have to go back a few verses. And that's true of most
any scripture. That's true of most any scripture.
I get so weary of these preachers jumping like a crow from one
corn stalk to another. and just quoting a scripture
out of its context, just quote it out of its context, just apply
it to anything, anytime, anywhere. God comes to Jeremiah, and he
rebukes him, his prophet, his preacher. And he said, if you've
run with a bunch of men, and you're worn out, how are you
going to contend with the horses? If in a land of peace and plenty,
You're weary, and you take the flight, and you quit. What are
you going to do in the swelling of the joint? Now, here's where
all this started, back here in verse 1. Jeremiah said, Righteous
art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee. Now, here's what he's
saying. Lord, let me establish something, something I know,
something beyond question. You are righteous. You are righteous. Jeremiah, whatever I've got to
say, he said, Lord, whatever I think, whatever I've got to
say, let this one thing be established, I don't mean in any way to question
your righteousness. Now, I don't mean to, he said,
I don't mean to question your justice and righteousness. Lord, you are holy and righteous,
holy and reverent is thy name. You are just and true. Now that's
true of any believer. No believer is going to charge
God with unrighteousness. No sir. No believer is going
to charge God with being unfair, unjust, or unwise. Now just write
that down. God's holy in all his ways. Abraham
said, shall not the judge of the earth do right? When God
came to him and told him about Sodom's dew, that he was going
to destroy the land of Sodom, And Abraham prayed for Sodom
and the people. But he said, let this be established.
Whatever you do, God will be right. And that's what Jeremiah
is saying here. Eli said that. When Samuel came
to him and said, God's going to kill your two sons. Well,
he said, it's the Lord. Let Him do what He will. Job
knew that. Job did not charge God with foolishness. He said, the Lord gave and the
Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. In all
of this, Job did not charge God foolishly. Always foolish. So let that be established. That's
the first thing Jeremiah said, O Lord, you're righteous. Can
you establish that? Can you establish that? God's
righteous, God's just. You with me? Yes! Let me talk with you. I know you're righteous and just,
but I want to reason with you a little bit. I've got some complaints.
That's what he's saying. Let me talk with you about your
judgments. What's God's judgment? God's
providence. I want to question you, Lord,
God. I know you're righteous. Now,
please don't misunderstand Jeremiah. He's established that. I know
you're just and holy and righteous in all your ways, but I've got
some complaints to make. about your providence and your
judgments, and here they are. Are you ready, Lord? Wherefore
doth the way of the wicked prosper? I want to know, why does the
way of the wicked prosper? A fellow that takes God's name
in vain every other breath, a vile, wretched rebel, a conniving, individual, but everything he
touches turns to gold. He prospers. Now, I want to know
one, and I want to know something else. Wherefore are all they
happy that deal very treacherously? Why are people happy and at ease
when they mistreat other people and deal treacherously with them? I read about some fellow up in
New York that owned a bunch of those tenement houses in the
ghetto, rich man, rich man, living in the lap of luxury and plenty,
while rats ate the children of the people that rented these
no-count low-down houses. That's what you remember. How
can these people, I want to know people that deal treacherously
and miserably with other people, how come you let them be so happy? You say, Jeremiah, what are you
doing? You've done it. So have I. So have I. That's exactly good, just what
we do. Why does the believer suffer and the unbeliever prosper? David went through this, Psalm
73. You read it sometime. David got
a little more personal than this. He said, I was like a beast before
God. Why does a man who preaches the
truth, who cares about the glory of God and the honor of God,
who cares about the souls of men, who reads the Scripture
and studies and prays and preaches and teaches the truth about Christ
Jesus, and he incurs that hatred of the whole town. But some crook
can come in here with his diamonds and Cadillacs and fine homes
and prosper and and hoodwink, and browbeat, and liar, and steal,
and covet, and people run after him like a pied piper. That's
what Jeremiah's asking. Why? They'll elevate him. They'll praise him. He's a compromiser. He's covetous. He's a hypocrite. He's a liar. He's a huckster,
he's a merchandiser, a soul. You mean no more to him than
a bolt of cloth means to a merchant downtown. You're nothing but
merchandise. But we praise him and elevate
him and make him wealthy. Why? Why do the righteous often
die young and the profane are left to be ninety-nine years
old? David Brainerd died when he was 29 years old, and some
of these profane blasphemers have painted the air blue with
the name of a holy God for 99 years. Well, Jeremiah's not through.
Verse 2, he said, and you planted them, Lord. You planted these
tares. You planted these thorns. You
planted these briars. You gave them bread. You gave
them life. They grow and they, look here,
and they bring forth their fruit. Their evil, wicked fruit is brought
forth by your own providence and your own purpose. That's
what Jeremiah is saying. Look at it, verse 2. You planted
them. They have taken root. They grow and they bring forth
fruit. And you planted them. You gave them life. He said they
even use your name with their mouths. They run around talking
about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. But you're not in their hearts.
Your name's on their mouths. God, Jesus, Heaven, Hell, Cross. Your name's on their mouths,
but far from their hearts. Yeah, God created them. God planned
them. Turn to, hold your hand right
there Jeremiah, and turn to Proverbs, Proverbs 16. Proverbs 16, listen
to this. Proverbs 16, verse 4. The Lord
hath made all things when I want you to see this, Proverbs
16, 4. The Lord hath made all things
for himself, yea, even the wicked he maketh for the day of evil.
For the day of evil. Pharaoh, for this same purpose
have I raised you up, that I might show my power, my glory in you. Jeremiah said, Lord, you made
them. Now, verse 3. But thou, Lord, knowest me. You knew me before I was born.
The Lord told him that. Hold your hand under text and
turn back to Jeremiah 1. Jeremiah 1. Listen to this. God
said to him, in Jeremiah 1.4. Do you have it? Jeremiah 1.4. Then the word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee.
Before you were Before you were a child in the womb, before you
were a seed, before you were ever formed. I knew you before
you came out of the womb. I sanctified you and I ordained
you a prophet to the nation. God ordained all of his sheep,
all of his jewels, all of his people, all of his church. He
knew them. I knew them. Paul said, God who
separated me from my mother's womb. He called me by His grace. So verse 3 of Jeremiah 12, Jeremiah
is just saying, Lord, You know me. You know me with an everlasting
love. You know me in Your covenant
of grace. You knew me before I was born.
And You've seen me. I'm not bragging now about my
work. He never mentions His work. He never mentions His righteousness.
A man would be a fool ten times over to do that. Jeremiah knew who his righteousness
is. Turn to Jeremiah 26. Jeremiah 26. Look here at verse,
Jeremiah 23, verse 6. Jeremiah 23, verse 6. Listen
to this. I'll read verse 5 and 6. Jeremiah
wrote this too. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice
in the earth as Christ. In his days Judas shall be saved,
and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name, whereby
he shall be called the Lord our righteousness." Now, Jeremiah
knew that his righteousness was not in himself but in his Lord.
He said, Lord, you knew me. And Lord, you've seen me. You've
seen me. And thou art my righteousness.
You've taken notice of me. You have seen me, and listen
to this, and you've tried my heart. You know, like Peter said
sitting by the fire, Lord, you know all things. You know I love
you. Now Jeremiah's not saying, over here are these wicked people
who do wickedly and you planted them and so forth, but here I
am who do good and do righteousness. No, that's not what he said.
He said, you know me and you've seen me and tried me and found
my heart to be true to you. These people hate you and despise
you and hate your name and will erase it from all memory and
from the face of the earth. But you know me and you've seen
me and you've tried me. You've tried my heart, but I'll
tell you what I'd like. Look at verse 3, the last line.
He said, Lord, pull them out like sheep for the slaughter.
Just like a farmer goes down here to the field, he's going
to have some sheep sent to the, not just to shear the wool, but
he's going to kill them for lamb chops. He said, pull them out
for the slaughter. He said, prepare them for the
day of the slaughter. the parum for the day of slaughter. Verse four, for how long shall
the land mourn? The land was in mourning. The
land was under the judgment of God. Even the herbs of every
field withered. Why? The wickedness of them that
dwelled therein. These wicked men, these wicked
men who hate God, who hate truth, who reject his son and rebel
against his gospel. They have brought judgment on
the whole land. These wicked men have brought
judgment on the whole land. Our land suffers because of the
wicked. That's what Jeremiah said here.
Why, he said, even the birds, and even the beast, and even
the herbs of the field, All suffer because of the wickedness of
these men. Now, my friends, let me tell
you something. You talk about the famine in
Ethiopia. Now, I'm going to be careful here, and I know what
I'm going to say is not popular, but Jeremiah is saying the same
thing. You talk about India with all
of its problems, with all of its problems. starvation and
tragedies. You talk about Mexico, let me
tell you something. Clear back for many centuries,
these lands have been lands of idolatry, where they worshiped beasts,
four-footed creatures, built their shrines to idols and creatures
of the earth. With all of their darkness and
idolatry and heathenism and paganism down in Mexico just a few hundred
years ago, they sacrificed human sacrifices. Cut people's hearts
out and fed them to jaguars. These lands, and our land too,
are under the judgment of God because of wickedness. Wickedness. Cursed is the nation that forgets
God. Are you going to have it? And
that's what Jeremiah is saying here. He's mourning. He said,
these people, they hate God. They worship, when they knew
God, they worshiped Him not as God, but they worshiped birds
and beasts and snakes and four-footed creeping things and idolatry
and pictures and statues and counted beads and bowed and scraped
and lay on spikes of iron and all this sort of thing. idols. And he said, because of
it the whole land is mourning, grieving. You can lift up your eyes and
look to these lands and look over our own land and there's
going to be some more mourning until the hearts of men turn
back to God. Now just write it down. And you're
not going to erase the famine because God sent it. You may
mop up a little water here and there, but unless the faucet
turned off, it's going to keep spraying. Now let me show you
that back here in Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 11, just across the page
there. Jeremiah had predicted judgment
and it hadn't come like he said it was going to come. And he
said here, verse 17 of Jeremiah 11, the Lord God of hosts planted
thee. and hath pronounced evil against thee for the evil of
the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which they have done
against themselves to provoke thee to anger in burning incense
to Baal." False God, idolatry. And the Lord had given me knowledge
of it, Jeremiah said, and I know it. Thou showest me their doing. And I was the prophet, and I
told them, but I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the
slaughter. They killed me. They'd kill me if they could.
I didn't know they had devised devices against me, saying, let's
destroy the tree with the fruit thereof. Destroy the tree, and
we won't have to put up with the fruit. Destroy this prophet,
and we won't have to put up with this judgment he talks about.
We won't have to put up with this gospel. We won't have to
put up with this, see what I'm talking about? Destroy the tree, get rid of
the fruit. Destroy the prophet, and shut
his mouth. We won't have to listen to this stuff. Let us cut him
off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more
remembered. Watch it now, verse 20. But, O Lord of hosts, that
judgest righteously, that triest the reins in the heart, let me
see thy vengeance on them. For unto thee have I revealed
my cause. Therefore thus saith the Lord
of the men of Anitro, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not
in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand. Therefore,
watch this, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish
them, I'll visit them. The young men shall die by the
sword, and their sons and their daughters shall die by famine."
That's what's happened. Jeremiah said, the whole land
mourned because of these wicked men. Because of these wicked
men. He said, I predicted judgment
and it hadn't come. Lord, I'm unhappy with the way
things are. And he said, now you're righteous
and just, but now I want to talk to you about your problem. I
don't like the storms and the famines. I don't like the wicked
prospering. I don't like the idolaters getting
along all right, believers persecuted, mocked, and your prophet laughed
at and scorned. I just don't like it the way
that it is. All right, verse 5. And the Lord said, Jeremiah, Now let me say something. Now let me say something. And
the Lord says something to Jeremiah in the form of two questions.
Number one, he said, Jeremiah, if you have run with mere men
and they've wearied you, how can you contend with horses? Here's what he's saying. Jeremiah,
if these small trials of life from common causes are too much
for you, what will you do when you're faced with great and strong
spiritual conflict? That's what he says. Jeremiah,
if you lay down the banner and drop out, when men trouble you
and persecute you and mock you and disappoint you, What would
you do if I turned Satan loose on you? What would you do then? Like
I did Job. Or like I did the Apostle Peter. Jeremiah, if you can't handle
the loss of a little prestige, how could you handle the loss
of a son or daughter? If you can't handle the loss
of a few dollars, how could you handle the loss of a wife or
husband? If you can't cope with the common
daily trials of the flesh, what would you do if God called upon
you to resist unto blood? If you can't stand for the gospel
of God's grace and glory against the markings and the enmity of
flesh and blood, what would you do against principalities and
powers and rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness
in high places? If you cannot be faithful in
the simple few things with which God has trusted you to be faithful,
to stand, having done all to stand, in your place, in your
town, in your time, for his gospel, for his glory. If you can't be
trusted in those few simple things, how could you be trusted with
great things and mighty things? If you get weary running with
the creature, mere men, what would you do if God put you out
there to run with the horses, with the fast runners? That's what he's asking. And then comes the second question.
He said, if in the land of peace, the land of peace, really, you
haven't resisted the blood, this is the land of peace. All of us got up this morning
and from comfortable beds and went
to comfortable showers and put on comfortable clothes and ate
at a comfortable table and a comfortable chair, what we wanted. And got in a comfortable car
and drove here to a comfortable auditorium and sat down. And it's that way about all the
time. We have just about, we have all we need and a whole
lot more. And if you take the flight in
a land of plenty and peace, and you're weary in a time of security,
what are you going to do in the swelling of the Jordan? Now,
the swelling of the Jordan comes from Joshua 3.15. That's when
Israel crossed over into Canaan. And that's the day of death.
The hymn writer describes it this way, sweet fields beyond
the swelling flood stand dressed in living green. So to the Jews
old Canaan stood with Jordan rolled between. Now Jeremiah, if in the land of peace and plenty
and security you're unhappy and dissatisfied and weary and want
to throw in the towel and pull down the flaps and quit the battle,
and you get mad at me, God said in my providence, What are you
going to do? What are you going to do when
you come to die? I addressed the preacher. Preacher,
you have the word of God. What a treasure. You have some
understanding, head and heart, of the gospel. You're not in
prison for your faith. You have the provisions of God's
love and peace. You have the fellowship of God's
people and their prayers and support. You have the gospel
and the grace of God. And yet you're weary. And you're
dissatisfied. And you're unhappy with God's
providence. What will you do when God takes all this away? Takes it all away. And you're all alone. And you
don't have those things. Young person out here. And I
know a lot of people pick on young people. I'm not picking
on you now. I'm talking to everybody. But you and we live in the lap
of plenty. what blessings God's given us.
We have so little struggle in life, so little struggle. Down there in Mexico, some of
those mogging Indians get up in the morning wondering what
they're going to eat. Finding enough for their families to
eat is a problem. Barefooted, dirt floors, wearisome
life, hammocks on which to sleep. We have so much. We have such
blessings, and yet life is wearisome to you. You're displeased. If you're married, you're displeased.
You wish you were single. If you're single, you're displeased.
You wish you was married. If you have children, they're
a burden to you. You want to put them off on somebody
else. If you don't have children, you wish you had them. You want
responsibility, yet you complain if you got it. You want a job
so badly, but you gripe when you have to go to work. We just don't like it the way
it is. But God says, if you get weary with the way it is in this
land of plenty and peace and comfort, what are you going to
do? When all of it's swept away.
Huh? What are you going to do? If
you complain when you can walk, what are you going to do when
you can't walk? If we complain when we can see, what are we
going to do when we can't see and everything's darkness? Nothing
to hold to. Men can't hear, bear, they can't
bear to hear the truth of God read to them by a man. What are
they going to do when God reads it to them? That frightens me. Pointing them
to me who wants to die, die, die, lay it down, depart from
it, and after that judgment. We can't praise God for His suffering
here now. What will we do when Revelation
19, they say, just and holy are his judgments? That's what he's saying to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah's discontent and unhappy and weary in finding fault with
God's providence, the way God does things. He said, Lord, I'm
not charging with the unrighteous. No believer will do that. God's
just and holy. But I want to register my complaints. I'm not happy. I'm not content. I'm not satisfied. I want things
to be done differently. God said, Jeremiah, let me tell
you something. If you run with mere men, with
mere common causes, And you're weary. What are you going to
do when I bring out the horses? I tell you, you'll be back down
to the stable. And in this land, I've provided
for you and met your needs in every way. And in this land of
peace and security, you find fault with my promises. What
are you going to do? when you're out yonder by yourself,
and I say, get ready to meet God. Well, men and brethren, what
shall we do? Why don't we do like Job? Old Job said, I've heard of you,
Lord, by the hearing of the ear, now mine eye seeth thee, and
I repent in dust and ashes. Let's pull the ashes up and the
dust and do some repenting. Let's do some repenting. He said
again, he said, I'm vowed. I'm vowed. I'll lay my hand on
my mouth. I'm going to shut my mouth. I'm
not going to complain anymore. Once have I spoken, but I'll
proceed no further. The Lord gave and the Lord has
taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
I know that my Redeemer lives. And though worms destroy this
body, yet in my flesh I'm going to see the Lord. Even so, Father,
it seemed good in thy sight." I'm going to praise Him and trust
Him and believe Him, and I've learned in whatsoever state I
am to be content. Not to tolerate it, to be content. To be content. Well, if you run
with mere horses, I mean with men, with mere men, and you don't
like it, and you're weary, what will you do when God turns the
horses loose? And if in the land of plenty
we find fault with His providence, what are we going to do when
God calls all of us to give an account? Our Father, Christ is our peace. Like Jeremiah,
we can say, Lord, he is our righteousness, the Lord our righteousness. And
you're righteous and just in all your ways. And in our heads and with our tongues, we confess
the truth of our righteous judgment. But Lord, we want to experience
it in our heart. Experience thee. We want to love
thee with such a love, and trust thee with such a faith, and lean
upon thee with such a commitment, that in all things, in all places,
and in all ways, we shall be content, content with beholding
thy face, my all to thy treasures resigned. No season, no changes
of season or place would make any change in my mind. while
blessed with a sense of your love, a palace, a toy would appear,
and prisons would palaces prove if you dwell with me there. Lord, may my heart be so knit
to thee that in my work, pleasing or displeasing, in my pain or
joy, in my night or day, in my loneliness or happiness, in my suffering or joy, that
I shall find peace and rest and comfort in thee at all times
and in all ways, be satisfied with thy presence. In Christ's name we pray, amen.