Zifunde kuzugele ebesiles kombis We read from verse
7, Jeremias 11 verse 7 But
I'm going to emphasise and make the theme
rather be from the second part of verse
8 Nomai zono zetuzifagazangati sebenzachehofagengayekamalaku
Ngoguba ugusleta kwetu, ugusleta kwetu, kuningi sonilevue Temba
liga Israeli, msidisi wake ngeskati sokshupeka Yini
nakogugusemko, yinuguba ubejongumfogazi ezweini Nanjengesihambi
esingenisai, uguba silale ugusugunjena Although our iniquities testify
against us, O Lord, act for Thy name's
sake Truly our apostasies have been many, we
have sinned against Thee Thou, hope of Israel,
its Saviour in time of distress Why art
Thou like a stranger in the land, or
like a traveller who has pitched his tent
for the night?
Yinuguba ube umuntu, umuntu, titegileu, dengekawe, elenge na
usingisana Why art Thou like a man dismayed,
like a mighty man who cannot save No
kupagati kwe tuteho, fasibiziwe nge kamalako, ungasishi Yet
Thou art in our midst, O Lord, and
we are called by Thy name, do not
forsake us We'll read thus far Angaz kutugunga
agi, kulesi zintugu, mshangabesa nanalelis I don't know
how often these days I have met up
with this verse Nomangiti kose, ngesoto, nzokulumangagopi ngesuge,
ntoleleleliswi Nomangiti galvuri paipele, nvulege kulendaw This text
has just stood out for me, and every
time I prayed about this service, I was
led by the Lord back to it again
Ngasegitikulungilege kose, ngokufumagwako, nzokulumangagopi So I said, Lord,
it's fine, if You will that I should
speak about it, so be it Umbuzo ilo,
inuguba ubegen umfogazi, ezweini, kehofa The question is
this, why art Thou like a stranger in
the land?
Or like a traveler who has pitched his
tent for the night?
Why art Thou like a man dismayed, like
a mighty man who cannot save?
Do you hear this matter?
It is of greatest importance It's
as if every Christian needs to read and
understand this text For here we
find God among His people For it does
say, Nevertheless, O Lord, Thou art in our
midst But He is in their midst as
a stranger is Like a stranger to his
own people What a weird thing That
the Lord should be in the midst of
His people and yet feel like a foreigner,
a wanderer, one who is just a stranger
Try and paint the picture God
Almighty, Maker of all things, the One who
owns the earth and the fullness thereof The
One who is omnipotent The
One who has conquered sin, hell, death and
the world And yet is as
a foreigner amongst His own people Many
people do say, The Lord is in our
midst but He is there as a stranger
And like a wanderer who only pitches his
tent at night A
traveler is one who is in need of
a place to stay because he is on
a journey He will sleep overnight but the
next morning he is off on his way
So the first picture painted here for us
is of the Lord God Almighty as a
stranger, a wanderer in the midst of His
people And
secondly, the
second picture painted for us is that He
is one who is just traveling through Not
one of the place who belongs there but
one who just sleeps overnight and continues his
journey These
people are to be His people, the place
is His place But no fear, He is
not staying there, He is just wandering and
passing by Thirdly, the picture painted for us
is that He is among them like one
who is dismayed and confused There
are many illustrations of Jesus, of Him standing
at the door knocking Of Him shepherding His
sheep but never have I seen an illustration
painted of Him being bewildered and confused among
His people Yes, being among His people but
like a stranger, like a traveler He
is there
but
like a stranger is from a foreign place
and this isn't His custom These are not
His ways, so too He is among His
people as one who is just from another
place, He doesn't feel at home there And
like a mighty man who cannot save His
people Ask
yourself, isn't God like that in your life?
One who is powerful But He cannot
help, He cannot intervene and save Your
confidence that He is in your midst is
but trite because He is there but like
one who is bound and cannot save He
is a mighty man, that mighty man is
in you, mighty to save, you claim that
He saved you but He can't save others
through you He can't save, He is a
mighty powerful man but where is that power
in your life?
Where is it?
Ask whether the almighty God in you is
as a stranger Ask
whether He isn't just a traveler
in you Like a wanderer, like a traveler
in your own life In you, but like
one who is just passing by He
is like one who is confused for you
yourself are confused What
can one say about this matter?
That He should be dismayed and bewildered in
your life He
is a mighty man, a hero and yet
in your life it's like He is powerless
to do anything We can look at it
from the point of view of your very
own life We could take it in your
marriage, perhaps looking at your marriage, you and
your spouse We could look at it from
the point of view of you and your
family and children We can illustrate it with
you and your church If He is in
our midst as the almighty, the one who
possesses all power Not just as a stranger
If He is like just a traveler in
your life, that means that you are the
owner You are the one who calls the
shots, you are the one who owns the
bed, not Him He is just a traveler,
a stranger He can say nothing He
can say nothing, He is like one who
is bound, there is no authority there If
you cannot hear this, come and pray, come
after the service, receive prayer Maybe there are
demons blocking your ability to listen You are
here You
do bring Him in, you say well shame,
what a pity that He should be outside
And you bring Him in and you offer
Him a night's sleep But He is a
foreigner and you are the one who is
calling the shots And
even if He is there in your life,
He is as one who is dismayed and
bewildered and confused And you can't get a
clear message from Him He is a mighty
man He
is omnipotent, almighty, has all authority And yet
in your life, He can do nothing, He
is weak, has no power I
have been pondering about this text much in
the past days Looking at how God is
treated He seems to be there but like
a stranger, like one who is confused And
it's as if though you are the one
who does things What matters is your will,
what you like to do, not Him God
is revealing Himself to His people God is
revealing Himself to His people To illustrate how
He is in their midst, what the conditions
are like, how He is living there Is
there one who is more troubled than this
one painted before us here?
God is troubled here, man of sorrows, a
stranger, a wanderer And then God says, this
is what I am like in the midst
of My people We are satisfied, all is
proceeding well But
when He reveals Himself through the prophet writing
here And to His people in this statement
He shows Himself as a stranger One who
is a wanderer and no place to make
Himself at home One who is mighty and
yet disabled One who is mighty to save
and is there but is confused and dismayed
Examine your own life and ask, does this
paint a familiar picture for me?
Is this what God is like in me?
Yes, this is what God is like in
me Nothing
happens in your church, the same old people
are there, no young people are being saved
I say of such a church, there is
no growth, it must be dead It's
like I could take all preachers and say,
is this a depiction of your church?
But this
is
being directed at you You are the ones
hearing this now And you need to ask
the question, is God like one dismayed, powerless,
a stranger in my life?
But now I'd like to examine a little
the context from which this text is taken
What is Judah and Jerusalem like?
How come God should be like this to
them?
God came to Jeremiah in a crisis time,
when God's people were in a time of
drought, inflation was at an all time high,
they were starving, the conditions were awful It
is amazing, for we find here that it
was a time of famine, a time where
they couldn't afford things, and of drought Now
that word drought can be translated as well,
one interpreter said, it was a time of
withholding That
God was withholding the food, God was withholding
the rain, that's also the meaning of that
And to
Judah
and Jerusalem, it was a time of great
need, where they cried out and complained about
their crisis time Saying, oh God, show mercy,
what's happening to us?
When they came together in Jerusalem to pray
for rain, to pray for the things God
was withholding from them So
they cried and wept before God, had this
prayer meeting about the very things that God
was withholding from them And it
says, even the gates of Jerusalem were down
hearted All
sorts of people from other nations, from other
groups were coming in through the gates, coming
this way to and fro Why?
Because God's people were in need, they could
not provide for themselves, they were starving, they
needed water, and so other nations now had
to help them And I dare say that
the church hasn't even got what they need,
and they've got to go to other churches
to fight, to say something, to live on,
and to stay alive Because it's like dead
inside And
in verse 2b, that is of our text,
it says of chapter 14, 2b it says
that they've come to the cisterns, found no
water, they've been put to shame, and they
sit on the ground in mourning, and the
cry of Jerusalem has ascended They
sit around on the ground mourning, and as
they languish, they send their messengers pleading for
help from outsiders Judah
mourns like one who has lost their child
Like a family that's been devastated by loss,
I heard these days of a family where
that's actually happened They've suffered the loss now
of all their children, and the final child,
the lost child has now died, and they
languish in their sorrow But
though Judah mourns, take note that she laments
not about herself, but about her children Just
imagine, people in tears, not because of their
sin, but because of their problems Do
you take note?
Do
you
take
note?
Take very careful note of this, especially you
young people Paint this picture before you, just
imagine what it's like that these people mourn
deeply the loss of things, that they don't
have money, they don't have water, they complain
bitterly about their condition, but do not mourn
and weep for their sins It was a
cry, a cry of their troubles, but not
a true cry of their prayer because of
their sin No, they don't even say that
They are blind to this, they are blind,
they don't see it It's not the things
that they are doing, but it's not tears,
because they want to come to an end,
because their sin is not Do you see
it?
They are focused, they are fixated by their
problems, but they cannot weep, they feel no
mourning for their personal sins It's
not tears, it's not tears, it's not tears,
it's not tears, it's not tears, it's not
tears, it's not tears, it's not tears, it's
not tears, it's not tears, it's not tears,
it's not tears, it's not tears, it's not
tears, it's not tears, it's not tears, it's
not tears, it's not tears, it's not tears,
it's not tears, it's not tears, it's not
tears, it's not tears, it's not tears, it's
not tears, it's not tears, it's not tears,
it's not tears, it's not tears, it's not
tears, it's not tears, it's not tears, it's
not tears, it's not tears, it's not tears,
it's not tears, it's not tears, it's not
tears, it's not tears, it's not tears, it's
not tears, it's not tears, it's not tears,
it's not tears, it so
even the animals were in mourning and they
moaned and panted for water they could not
feed their young and nurse them with milk.
They would go up onto a hill just
to feel, to hope for a breath of
fresh air.
So much did the animal world lament, but
the people of God, Judah, Jerusalem, could not
see the evil of their own sin.
They lamented only their condition and their loss.
But then in verse 10, God reveals himself
to them and says, this is what our
relationship is like.
This is your true condition.
In verse 10, the Lord then says to
this people, even so they have loved to
wander.
They have not kept their feet in check.
Therefore the Lord does not accept them.
Now he will remember their iniquity and call
their sins to account.
God reveals himself by saying, though I am
almighty, I cannot show myself mighty on your
behalf.
Though I possess all things, I cannot give
to you because of your sin.
And God says,
it's
because my people are restless.
They wander around.
They do not keep their feet in check.
They do not move away from evil, but
they go to and fro.
Then God says, I will remember your iniquity
and I will visit you regarding your sins.
Just look around in the world and see
how this comes into literal fulfillment, or do
you not see how God does indeed make
people pay for the consequences of their sin.
Just look at how the world is dying.
But let's leave the matter about earthly things.
Let's think about your life.
And then in verse 11, God says to
the prophet, do not pray for the welfare
of this people, that they might receive good,
whether they fast, or whether they offer offerings.
Of whatever nature the offering might be, even
a grain offering, I will not accept these
offerings.
Rather, I'm going to make an end of
them.
By sword, famine, and pestilence.
It is a tragic thing if you find
a Christian who's living with sin, and yet
does not see it.
Jesus said, when you wanting to come and
make an offering at the altar, and yet
you remember that your brother has ought against
you, forget about your offerings.
Go and make that right first.
He's not interested in what you can offer
him.
Examine therefore your hands, are they clean?
Are your lips pure?
Is your mind holy?
Are you busy with evil thoughts?
Now, if you're in that state, God says
to Jeremiah, I don't want you to even
pray for my people.
Then Jeremiah responds, and says, ah, Lord God,
behold.
The prophets, Lord, are telling them, you will
not see the sword, nor will you have
famine, but I will give you lasting peace
in this place.
Here's something that really breaks one's
heart.
It breaks one's heart that right there in
the midst of them, there where Jeremiah was,
there in Jerusalem, were prophets who were denying
what God was saying, and what the Lord
was saying through Jeremiah.
And they said, no, it is not the
case.
It
is
not the case.
Brethren, beware.
Remember that false prophets arise from your very
midst.
And here we find the case where they
say, no, what Jeremiah is saying is wrong.
Everything is going to be okay.
Last Sunday, we read from the letter to
Jude, by Jude.
I am a prophet.
Where Jude warns them and says, be careful
of those who creep into your midst and
say things which are not from God, false
prophets.
Paul also warns of such people.
Jeremiah, here you find the same.
So you be careful, for there are none
so foolish as prophets who do not say
what God says.
Here they say, no, there is going to
be no famine.
There is no problem.
The famine was already starting.
It was already there.
But they are blind to the obvious.
And we will not rest until such people
are dead.
But even when they are dead, you will
find new ones will arise in their place
to speak what is in opposition to God
Almighty.
And here the prophet Jeremiah says, Look at
what the prophets are telling them, for they
speak the opposite to what you say.
And then the Lord spoke to me, saying
in verse 14, The
prophets are prophesying falsehood in my name.
I have neither sent them nor commanded them
nor spoken to them.
They are prophesying to you a false vision,
divination, futility and the deception of their own
minds.
I speak from the deception that is within
them.
Therefore God says concerning the prophets whom he
had not sent, Those
prophets who had said, There shall be no
sword or famine in this land.
The Lord says, By sword and famine, these
very prophets shall meet their end.
The very thing which they utter prophecies about
that shall never happen will be the thing
which destroys them.
It's many years.
I'm not sure of how many but many.
When a person rose up and said, So
and so is off the track, that person
is on the wrong road and they're going
to die.
It didn't take long and that person died,
that very same person who spoke the words.
I was asked to speak at his grave.
Till today his prophecy has not been fulfilled
and yet many years have gone by since
he died his own grave is full of
white bones.
Beware of that powerful thing that you predict
about somebody else because God can turn the
that very thing around and it will be
your end.
That will be the thing that decapitates you
like the Muslims behead people.
That very thing of yours will be what
decapitates you.
Therefore be very careful of going around spreading
predictions and saying this is going to happen,
that's going to happen, that very thing can
explode in your own hands.
And the person will claim I'm sent of
God but as you consider their lives and
look at them you think well God is
just a stranger to this person.
The Lord is not present in his mighty
power.
This person is like one.
This person's God is unconscious, asleep.
One can find no evidence of God speaking
for he is not conscious to speak anything.
You find many such people.
Jesus is
confused.
They go to that person and they go
there and they try this out and they
try that.
They go from one thing to the other
and they are in a state of confusion.
There is no battle like the battle of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
And there are no soldiers as powerful as
those who are soldiers of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
But what type of soldier are you?
For how many years haven't you been saved
where you can give your testimony and say
how you found the Lord but what evidence
is there of the Lord working mightily in
your life?
Where are the others who found the Lord?
What has the Lord been able to do
through you?
Yes, he's come to you, he's entered your
life to sleep during the night, to sleep.
He came into your life just as a
wanderer.
He's just a visitor in your life.
And you are feeling quite good about being
hospitable to the stranger.
He's unconscious but he's only going to sleep
the night.
He's a wanderer, he's a stranger in your
home.
He's not the owner of your home.
He doesn't possess you.
I
would be delighted if there's even one who
would wake up out of the sleep, just
one who can take seriously what God's word
says and ask himself, is my Jesus just
asleep?
Is he just a stranger to me?
That you would be so profoundly changed that
every person and even the rats will notice
the change.
Even the mules of that day complained because
of the condition of God's word.
Dear friend, if you are not what you
are supposed to be, you don't realize what
far-reaching effects that has got.
Even the donkeys and the wild animals will
moan and groan because of you.
Do you want to tell me that all
that happens in your life is that what
God can do?
Look here, he's a strong man, a mighty
man, a hero to save.
But maybe he's not only failed in saving
others through you.
Maybe he has even failed in saving you.
Maybe you are not properly saved.
Let's close our eyes and pray.
Oh God, may this service not have
been in vain to us.
Give us ears to hear, eyes to see
and minds to take in what you have
proclaimed.
Lord, I would pray, and if it would
go according to me, I would wish, Lord,
that not one here would be influenced by
those who are false and that which is
not true, or even be a propagator himself
of that which is a lie.
Amen.