Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Grace in the Wilderness

Transcript

Grace in the Wilderness · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

0:00
Well, let's turn back to our reading in Jeremiah.
0:04
We're going to read again at verse 2 of chapter 31, verse 2 and 3.
0:10
Thus says the Lord,
0:13
The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness
0:17
! When Israel sought for rest,
0:19
the Lord appeared to him from far away.
0:23
I have loved you with an everlasting love.
0:26
Therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.
0:32
Next weekend, God willing, we have our communion weekend
0:35
when we look forward to visiting preachers coming to minister to us.
0:41
We look forward to being under God's word, taking communion.
0:46
But what does it mean to you?
0:49
What does that mean to you?
0:51
We hear phrases at this time such as taking communion,
0:56
sitting at the Lord's table, being or becoming a member.
1:02
We hear about meeting the session.
1:05
And perhaps we know little of what these things mean,
1:07
or perhaps we're very familiar with what these things mean.
1:11
What does it mean for you?
1:14
Is it something you are going to do?
1:16
Or do you see it as just something that is for others?
1:20
Well, at the heart of communion,
1:24
at the heart of what we are doing,
1:26
it's not any of the things I've mentioned.
1:29
At the heart of it is remembering what has been done for us by Jesus Christ.
1:35
By remembering what he did for us at the cross that he gave his life.
1:42
Because we, by our nature, are sinners.
1:47
Every one of us is that.
1:49
We are all in the same boat when it comes to being sinners.
1:55
But Jesus came to save his people from their sins.
2:00
And he did so by coming to give his own life.
2:06
So how are you sitting here today?
2:09
Or how are you sitting at home listening online?
2:12
When you hear all of these things,
2:14
are you thinking,
2:16
I am glad to be numbered among those who will come
2:19
and sit at the Lord's table and remember my precious Savior?
2:24
Remember his precious steadfast love
2:27
that saves me from my sins.
2:32
Or are you sitting here today or listening
2:34
and thinking,
2:35
I wish,
2:36
how I wish I could do that.
2:39
How I would long to come
2:41
and just show
2:41
that sense of giving to the Lord,
2:45
remembering him
2:46
for what he has done for me.
2:49
But I'm not good enough.
2:51
Or perhaps you're sitting here today or listening
2:53
and you're thinking,
2:55
it's not for me.
2:56
Not just now.
2:58
Not at this time.
2:59
Maybe another time.
3:00
It's just not for me.
3:03
Whatever situation you find yourself in today,
3:06
whatever situation you find yourself in
3:08
in this coming week
3:09
as we're thinking about approaching the Lord's Supper,
3:12
one thing we can say for sure,
3:14
we can only do it
3:15
by the grace of God to us.
3:19
The grace that he gives
3:21
and by faith in him
3:23
and him alone.
3:24
So this morning,
3:26
we're going to look at this passage
3:28
in Jeremiah,
3:29
a passage that reminds us
3:31
about this grace,
3:33
the wonder of God's grace.
3:36
And it's grace even in the midst
3:37
of hard times.
3:39
Grace even in the midst
3:40
of times of difficulty,
3:42
times of struggle,
3:43
times of challenge.
3:45
It's a grace that he gives.
3:47
And Jeremiah,
3:49
if you're familiar with the book at all,
3:52
you say,
3:52
well,
3:53
how can you find grace
3:54
in Jeremiah?
3:56
Because as you read through it,
3:58
you see,
3:59
you might say,
3:59
there's so little
4:00
here about grace.
4:03
Jeremiah,
4:04
the prophet,
4:05
was so often
4:05
one associated
4:06
with bringing
4:07
bad news,
4:10
associated with
4:11
a sense of hopelessness.
4:13
And you can read through
4:15
the whole of the book
4:16
of Jeremiah
4:17
and think,
4:17
well,
4:17
where is hope found
4:19
in the midst
4:20
of this book?
4:21
One person
4:22
described it in this way,
4:24
52 chapters
4:25
of almost uninterrupted
4:27
gloom
4:28
and doom.
4:30
It's not.
4:31
It is God's word
4:33
to us.
4:34
It's not gloom
4:35
and doom.
4:36
Yes,
4:36
there's challenges
4:37
in it.
4:38
But it's not like
4:39
what we see
4:40
on the news today.
4:41
If you watch the news
4:42
at all in these days,
4:44
that is doom
4:44
and gloom
4:45
all the time.
4:47
There's so much
4:48
sorrow,
4:49
so much sadness,
4:50
so many things
4:50
going on around us.
4:52
There's almost
4:52
nothing positive.
4:55
It used to be
4:55
you could watch the news
4:56
and you would get
4:57
that story at the end
4:58
when they would say,
4:59
and finally,
5:01
and there was
5:01
something positive
5:03
to speak about,
5:04
some good news story,
5:06
but seldom
5:07
do you even
5:08
see that now.
5:11
But as you look
5:12
at Jeremiah
5:12
and as you look
5:13
at the word of God,
5:14
the Bible as a whole,
5:15
what you see
5:16
is a story
5:17
about God's people
5:18
and the journey
5:20
that they are on
5:21
and reminders,
5:23
constant reminders
5:24
as you're going
5:25
through it of sin,
5:27
of waywardness.
5:29
We see all that
5:30
in these verses
5:31
that we're going
5:31
to look at
5:32
together today,
5:34
but we see
5:35
a God who cares.
5:37
And a God
5:38
who calls
5:40
his people.
5:42
And there are
5:42
a number of
5:43
encouragements
5:44
in the book
5:45
of Jeremiah.
5:46
It's not always
5:47
just that everything's
5:48
positive.
5:48
It's not.
5:49
There are challenges too,
5:50
but there are still
5:51
encouragements in it.
5:53
One of my own
5:54
very personal ones
5:55
is from this book,
5:57
chapter 8,
5:58
verse 20,
5:59
a verse there
5:59
that says,
6:00
the harvest is past,
6:01
the summer has ended,
6:03
and we are not saved.
6:04
It sounds gloomy.
6:08
The harvest has passed,
6:09
the summer has ended,
6:10
still you're not saved,
6:12
and yet it was a verse
6:13
that was used
6:13
in my own conversion,
6:15
preached nearly 23 years ago
6:18
by the man
6:18
who's now
6:19
out into the moderator
6:20
in Shabbos.
6:21
And those words
6:24
spoke to me,
6:25
challenged me,
6:26
but also spoke
6:27
about the grace
6:28
of God.
6:30
How,
6:30
although we can be
6:31
in that situation,
6:32
there is hope
6:33
as we look to Jesus.
6:35
One of the best
6:36
known verses
6:36
in Jeremiah
6:38
is Jeremiah 29,
6:39
11.
6:40
For I know the plans
6:41
I have for you,
6:43
declares the Lord,
6:44
plans for welfare
6:45
and not for evil,
6:46
to give you a future
6:47
and a hope.
6:48
These may be words
6:50
that you've heard
6:51
and know well.
6:52
They're encouraging words,
6:53
but they're in the midst
6:54
of difficulty
6:55
and in the midst
6:56
of challenge.
6:58
And so too,
6:59
as we turn
7:00
to the end
7:00
of chapter 30
7:01
and into chapter 31,
7:03
we see both challenge
7:04
and encouragement
7:05
in these verses
7:06
as well.
7:08
And what we have
7:09
is surrounded here
7:11
by the grace
7:12
of God.
7:13
And you see that
7:14
in verse 2,
7:14
which is really
7:15
our text,
7:16
if you like,
7:17
the people
7:18
who survived
7:18
the sword
7:19
found grace
7:21
in the wilderness.
7:23
Grace
7:23
in the wilderness.
7:26
And it's these,
7:27
that word,
7:28
grace in the wilderness,
7:29
that I want us
7:30
to think about.
7:31
And we see grace
7:32
here in three
7:33
different ways.
7:34
At the end
7:34
of chapter 30,
7:36
we have a grace
7:37
that warns.
7:39
A grace that warns.
7:41
And then as you
7:41
go into chapter 31,
7:44
we have a grace
7:45
then that reminds,
7:46
and then thirdly,
7:49
we'll see we have
7:49
a grace that renews.
7:52
A grace that warns,
7:53
a grace that reminds,
7:55
and a grace that renews.
7:58
So the first thing
7:58
we want to see here
7:59
is a grace that warns.
8:02
And we see that
8:02
at the end
8:03
of chapter 30.
8:07
Jeremiah had
8:07
a very long ministry.
8:10
He ministered
8:11
to the people
8:11
for about 50 years.
8:14
It's hard to imagine
8:15
preaching and ministering
8:17
for 50 years
8:18
in any kind of situation.
8:21
But Jeremiah's situation
8:23
was one where
8:24
it was 50 years
8:25
where no one listened.
8:28
There's no record
8:29
of anyone repenting,
8:31
of believing.
8:33
Nobody listened.
8:34
They mocked him,
8:36
they shunned him,
8:37
told him to go away.
8:38
They wanted nothing
8:39
to do with him.
8:40
Imagine 50 years of ministry
8:42
and no one's listening.
8:43
difficult.
8:47
But it does not mean
8:48
that his ministry
8:49
wasn't fruitful
8:50
because he was faithful
8:53
to the word of God.
8:56
And although it took time,
8:58
the people did come back.
9:01
But much of Jeremiah's ministry
9:04
was of giving warning.
9:08
And we see that
9:09
at the end of chapter 30.
9:10
In verse 23,
9:12
Behold the storm
9:14
of the Lord.
9:16
There is a warning here.
9:18
But it's a gracious warning.
9:21
It's a warning
9:21
that comes
9:23
from God.
9:25
Silence at times
9:26
can be bliss.
9:29
There are times,
9:29
I'm sure,
9:30
every one of us
9:30
would say,
9:31
I just want to get away
9:32
and have a time to myself,
9:34
a time of peace,
9:36
a time of silence,
9:37
to get away
9:37
from the noise
9:39
and the busyness of life
9:40
and just find a place,
9:42
a place of solitude.
9:43
It's lovely
9:44
to get that kind of place.
9:46
We need it
9:47
from time to time.
9:50
But silence
9:50
can sometimes
9:51
be an awful thing.
9:54
Silence
9:55
when you're waiting
9:55
for news
9:56
of maybe a loved one
9:57
who's missing.
9:59
It's an awful thing
10:00
not to hear anything.
10:01
It's an anxious time.
10:04
Silence
10:04
when you're crying
10:05
for help
10:06
and nobody's hearing.
10:07
silence
10:10
from someone
10:11
you love
10:11
who's not speaking
10:13
to you.
10:14
We can know
10:15
and maybe you do know
10:16
these kinds
10:17
of situations
10:18
for yourself
10:19
where silence
10:21
can be agony.
10:23
Silence
10:23
can be painful.
10:26
But where do we see
10:27
the greatest silence
10:28
that took place?
10:31
It's not for ourselves
10:33
but it's what was done
10:34
for us
10:35
and especially
10:36
as we think
10:36
of a communion week
10:37
it's where we look
10:38
to as we approach
10:39
a communion season
10:40
it's at the cross
10:41
where Jesus there
10:45
suffered
10:45
for our sin.
10:48
Where as we see here
10:50
behold the storm
10:51
of the Lord
10:52
that was coming
10:53
upon the people.
10:54
Behold
10:54
the storm
10:55
of the Lord
10:57
that we can have
10:57
in our lives.
10:59
As we look
10:59
to the cross
11:00
we see
11:01
the way that Jesus
11:02
suffered for us.
11:04
in Matthew 27
11:06
verse 45
11:07
now from the sixth
11:08
hour there was
11:09
darkness over the land
11:10
until the ninth hour
11:11
and about the ninth hour
11:12
Jesus cried out
11:14
with a loud voice
11:15
saying
11:15
Eli Eli
11:16
lemma sabachthani
11:17
that is my God
11:18
my God
11:19
why
11:19
have you forsaken me?
11:22
There was silence.
11:23
but when we see here
11:28
a storm warning
11:29
we see it is
11:30
a gracious warning
11:31
because we see
11:33
that God is not silent
11:34
but God is speaking.
11:38
God is warning.
11:41
And Jeremiah
11:41
was warning
11:42
his people
11:44
here as well.
11:46
He was warning them
11:47
to learn
11:48
to heed
11:50
these warnings.
11:52
Professor John L. Mackay
11:54
who was a lecturer
11:54
in the
11:55
Free Church College
11:56
he wrote a commentary
11:57
on Jeremiah
11:57
and one of the points
11:59
he makes
11:59
on these verses
12:00
is
12:01
he says
12:02
there is a prevalent
12:03
tendency
12:04
to grasp
12:04
the promises
12:05
of the Lord
12:06
and to forget
12:07
the warnings
12:08
that he gives.
12:11
A warning
12:11
is given
12:12
that the future
12:12
time of blessing
12:13
and its continuance
12:15
are not to be
12:16
lightly assumed
12:17
as inevitable.
12:19
We must take care
12:20
not to repeat
12:21
the mistakes
12:22
of the past.
12:24
What mistakes?
12:26
Well as you look
12:27
at this passage
12:28
and as the end
12:29
of chapter 31
12:30
Jeremiah is warning
12:31
his people
12:32
behold the storm
12:33
of the Lord
12:34
he is warning them
12:36
that they have
12:36
made mistakes
12:37
that sin leads
12:38
us down
12:38
the wrong path.
12:41
The mistakes
12:42
of taking God
12:43
lightly
12:43
of not listening
12:45
of rejecting
12:46
him
12:47
they did it
12:49
for 50 years
12:51
they didn't
12:51
listen to a word
12:52
that Jeremiah
12:53
was saying.
12:55
You do it
12:56
I do it.
12:59
We don't listen.
13:00
We take God
13:01
lightly.
13:02
We can reject
13:03
him so easily.
13:08
And we can see
13:09
that there is
13:10
doom
13:10
and gloom.
13:13
The storm
13:13
of the Lord
13:14
can feel
13:15
very much
13:15
upon us.
13:16
There's a word
13:17
in the dictionary
13:18
and it's
13:19
Jeremiah.
13:21
And what does
13:22
it mean?
13:23
Well if you look
13:24
at what the
13:24
definition of
13:25
Jeremiah
13:25
it means
13:26
a prolonged
13:26
lamentation
13:27
or mournful
13:28
complaint.
13:30
That's very much
13:30
from Jeremiah.
13:32
You can see
13:32
it so clearly.
13:35
Do you feel
13:36
Jeremiah today?
13:40
Do you feel
13:40
that sense
13:41
of just the
13:42
weight
13:42
of everything
13:43
upon you?
13:44
the weight
13:46
of sin
13:46
the fears
13:48
of life
13:49
the worries
13:51
the anxieties
13:52
everything that
13:53
just comes
13:54
our way
13:55
so often.
13:56
We can feel
13:57
Jeremiah
13:58
doom
14:01
and gloom
14:02
but yet
14:04
what we see
14:05
here is that
14:05
God is still
14:06
in control
14:07
because even
14:09
as it speaks
14:09
of a storm
14:10
here
14:11
he says
14:12
in verse
14:13
24
14:14
the fierce
14:14
anger of
14:14
the Lord
14:15
will not
14:15
turn back
14:16
until he
14:17
has executed
14:18
and accomplished
14:20
the intentions
14:21
of his mind.
14:23
In the latter
14:23
days you will
14:24
understand this.
14:26
God has a
14:27
plan
14:27
and a purpose
14:29
even in the
14:30
storms.
14:32
Even in all
14:32
these things
14:33
God is saying
14:34
this is part
14:34
of my purpose
14:36
for you
14:36
in the days
14:37
of Jeremiah
14:38
and he says
14:38
it to ourselves
14:39
as well.
14:41
These are my
14:41
purposes for you
14:42
and in the
14:43
latter days
14:43
you will
14:44
understand
14:44
that there
14:45
are times
14:45
that we
14:46
cannot
14:46
understand
14:47
things.
14:49
Just like
14:49
the hymn writer
14:50
William Cowper
14:50
said
14:51
God moves
14:53
in a mysterious
14:53
way
14:54
his wonders
14:55
to perform
14:56
he plants
14:57
his footsteps
14:58
in the sea
14:58
and rides
14:59
upon the storm.
15:02
He moves
15:03
in mysterious
15:04
ways
15:05
but
15:05
as it says
15:06
he rides
15:07
upon the storm.
15:09
And so even
15:10
as we see
15:10
here the
15:11
warning
15:11
behold
15:12
the storm
15:13
of the Lord
15:13
the Lord
15:14
is riding
15:14
on that
15:15
storm
15:15
and he
15:17
is with
15:17
his people.
15:20
And so we
15:20
see the grace
15:21
of a warning.
15:23
But the second
15:24
thing we see
15:24
here is the
15:25
grace that
15:26
reminds
15:26
the grace
15:28
that reminds
15:29
us
15:29
of all the
15:31
wonders of
15:32
God
15:32
when we feel
15:33
that we are
15:34
in a wilderness
15:34
at times.
15:36
And that's
15:36
seen as you
15:36
go into
15:37
chapter 31
15:40
and verse
15:40
1 to 3.
15:42
At that
15:42
time
15:43
there is a
15:44
reminder here
15:45
that God
15:46
does not
15:46
forget.
15:48
At that
15:49
time declares
15:49
the Lord
15:50
I will be
15:51
the God
15:52
of all
15:53
the clans
15:53
of Israel.
15:55
He's not
15:56
silent
15:56
he's not
15:57
absent
15:58
he is very
15:59
much
15:59
with us.
16:02
John L.
16:02
Mackay's
16:03
words
16:03
we must
16:03
not repeat
16:04
the mistakes
16:05
of the
16:05
past.
16:06
That is
16:06
what Jeremiah
16:07
is focusing
16:08
on here.
16:10
Thus
16:10
in verse
16:11
2 the
16:11
people who
16:12
survived the
16:13
sword found
16:13
grace in
16:15
the wilderness.
16:17
He takes
16:17
them back.
16:19
He takes
16:20
them back to
16:20
the mistakes
16:21
they made
16:21
previously in
16:23
the days of
16:23
Moses as the
16:24
children of
16:25
Israel were
16:26
led from
16:26
Egypt to
16:27
the promised
16:27
land but
16:28
journeying
16:29
through the
16:30
wilderness.
16:32
They found
16:32
grace in
16:34
the wilderness.
16:35
But he
16:36
also is
16:37
taking them
16:37
forward here
16:38
as well.
16:39
He's speaking
16:40
to the people
16:41
in Jeremiah's
16:42
day who
16:42
were going
16:42
to be
16:42
taken captive
16:43
by Babylon
16:45
a powerful
16:45
nation.
16:47
They were
16:47
going to be
16:48
taken into
16:48
exile again
16:49
into the
16:50
wilderness
16:51
again but
16:53
they would
16:53
find grace
16:54
in the
16:55
wilderness
16:55
there too.
16:58
So what
16:58
does this
16:58
remind us
16:59
of?
17:01
Well it
17:01
reminds us
17:02
that sin
17:03
leads to
17:04
this
17:04
an exile
17:06
from God.
17:08
It leads
17:08
us into
17:09
this wilderness
17:10
that the
17:12
tragedy of
17:12
sin is
17:13
that keeps
17:13
God at
17:14
an arm's
17:15
distance.
17:18
And yet
17:19
grace calls
17:20
us in
17:21
the wilderness.
17:22
Grace speaks
17:22
to us in
17:24
the wilderness.
17:26
The people
17:26
who survived
17:27
the sword
17:27
found grace
17:28
in the
17:29
wilderness.
17:31
Think of
17:31
that in
17:31
your own
17:32
life.
17:32
What has
17:33
sin done
17:34
in your
17:34
life?
17:35
What is
17:35
it doing
17:35
now?
17:37
Sin is
17:38
always active
17:39
all around
17:40
us and
17:41
in us.
17:42
And what
17:42
sin is
17:43
doing is
17:43
keeping us
17:45
from God.
17:47
Keeping God
17:48
at an arm's
17:49
length at
17:49
times.
17:50
Even as a
17:50
Christian.
17:51
Even as
17:52
those who
17:52
will come
17:52
and sit
17:53
at the
17:53
Lord's
17:54
table.
17:55
In our
17:55
hearts
17:56
right now
17:56
we can
17:57
feel a
17:57
sense of
17:58
that sin
17:58
a distance
17:59
from God.
18:01
sin has
18:03
that tendency
18:04
to just
18:04
drag us
18:05
back into
18:06
the wilderness.
18:08
And all
18:09
we feel is
18:10
a sense of
18:11
unworthiness,
18:12
of burden.
18:14
And what
18:15
can we
18:15
do?
18:18
Well we
18:18
can look
18:19
to this
18:19
grace.
18:21
The grace
18:21
that has
18:22
been shown.
18:23
Because it
18:24
says they
18:24
found grace
18:25
in the
18:25
wilderness
18:25
when Israel
18:27
sought
18:28
for rest.
18:29
When they
18:29
looked for
18:30
rest.
18:31
John
18:33
Newton is
18:33
the author
18:34
of that
18:34
hymn
18:35
Amazing
18:35
Grace.
18:36
And
18:36
Jeremiah
18:37
31 was
18:38
one of
18:39
his
18:39
favorite
18:39
passages.
18:41
He often
18:41
returned to
18:43
it because
18:43
it reminded
18:44
him so
18:45
much of
18:45
his own
18:45
life.
18:47
He was
18:47
one who
18:48
had been
18:48
in the
18:48
wilderness
18:49
living his
18:50
life in
18:50
a wild
18:51
way,
18:51
away from
18:52
God.
18:53
He knew
18:53
the distance.
18:54
He felt
18:55
like that
18:56
wretch that
18:56
he describes
18:57
himself as.
18:58
grace.
18:59
But he
19:00
found grace
19:01
in the
19:01
wilderness.
19:03
Grace that
19:03
saved a
19:04
wretch like
19:05
me, he
19:05
says.
19:07
He found
19:08
the Lord
19:09
in the midst
19:10
of his own
19:10
storm, in
19:11
the midst of
19:11
his own
19:12
wilderness.
19:13
And Israel
19:14
it says here
19:14
they found
19:15
rest when
19:16
they sought,
19:18
they found
19:19
that grace
19:19
when they
19:19
sought for
19:20
rest.
19:22
And are
19:23
you seeking
19:23
for that
19:25
rest?
19:26
Are you
19:27
longing for
19:28
that rest?
19:30
That rest,
19:31
that grace
19:32
when you
19:33
feel like
19:33
you're just
19:34
in the
19:34
wilderness?
19:36
I learned
19:37
about something
19:37
this week
19:37
I'd never
19:38
heard of
19:38
before.
19:41
It was
19:41
about a
19:42
stone that
19:43
would be
19:43
familiar out
19:44
on the
19:45
moors many
19:46
years ago.
19:47
You can
19:47
still find
19:48
them in
19:48
different
19:48
places,
19:49
but when
19:50
the shillings
19:50
were used
19:51
more often
19:52
for tending
19:52
the sheep
19:53
and the
19:53
cattle out
19:54
in the
19:55
moor during
19:55
the summer
19:56
months,
19:57
there was
19:57
a stone
19:58
that would
19:59
be close
19:59
nearby to
20:00
the shilling
20:00
and it
20:01
was called
20:01
a
20:02
clachtasich,
20:04
or an
20:05
itching
20:05
stone,
20:07
because the
20:08
moorland is
20:09
barren in
20:10
many ways.
20:11
But as you
20:12
know if you
20:12
go out there
20:13
there's all
20:13
kinds of,
20:14
when you see
20:15
animals they're
20:15
always itching
20:16
whether it's
20:16
midges or
20:17
ticks or
20:17
whatever it
20:18
is and
20:18
there's no
20:19
relief for
20:20
them.
20:22
But these
20:23
stones would
20:23
be erected
20:24
beside the
20:25
shillings,
20:26
quite large
20:27
stones about
20:28
the size of
20:28
a wooden
20:29
strainer,
20:30
a fence
20:30
strainer,
20:31
and they'd
20:31
be put into
20:32
the ground
20:33
and erected
20:33
so that the
20:34
sheep or the
20:34
cattle could
20:35
come and
20:36
find relief
20:37
in scratching
20:38
themselves against
20:39
this stone.
20:43
Well when we
20:44
think of our
20:45
lives, what is
20:47
the stone that
20:48
gives relief
20:49
to us?
20:50
when we
20:51
have that
20:52
scratch, that
20:52
sin you
20:54
could almost
20:54
describe as
20:55
an unscratchable
20:56
itch, we
20:57
just can't get
20:58
to the heart
20:59
of it.
20:59
Where is our
21:00
stone?
21:01
Where is our
21:02
rest found?
21:04
Well it's in
21:04
the stone, the
21:05
rock that is
21:06
Jesus Christ.
21:08
When Jesus
21:08
says in
21:09
Matthew 11
21:10
28,
21:10
come to me
21:11
all you who
21:12
labor and are
21:13
heavy laden,
21:14
I will give you
21:15
rest, I will
21:16
give you
21:17
relief.
21:18
He's saying
21:18
seek me, and
21:21
when you seek
21:22
me you will
21:23
find me, when
21:23
you seek me
21:24
with your
21:24
whole heart, and
21:27
I will give
21:27
you rest.
21:29
They found
21:30
grace in the
21:31
wilderness when
21:31
they sought
21:32
for rest, so
21:34
can you, so
21:35
can I.
21:36
When we seek
21:37
the Lord, when
21:39
we look for
21:39
his grace, when
21:41
we come to
21:42
him, the
21:44
wilderness can
21:45
be a horrible
21:46
place to be.
21:48
But there is
21:49
still grace
21:50
there for us
21:50
when we seek
21:51
the Lord.
21:52
You think of
21:53
the prodigal
21:53
son.
21:55
There's so
21:55
much of that
21:56
in his life,
21:57
where you
21:57
think of him
21:58
going away
21:58
from his
21:59
father, into
22:00
the wilderness,
22:01
into the
22:01
wilderness, there
22:02
was life away
22:03
from the
22:03
father, thinking
22:04
it was the
22:05
bliss that he
22:06
was looking
22:06
for.
22:08
But it
22:08
wasn't.
22:10
But when
22:10
he came to
22:11
his senses,
22:14
he returned
22:14
to his
22:15
father.
22:15
Charles Spurgeon
22:17
has a great
22:17
way of showing
22:18
that coming
22:19
home.
22:20
Charles Spurgeon
22:21
said the
22:22
prodigal saw
22:23
his need to
22:24
come home.
22:25
But listen to
22:26
this, his
22:27
last steps
22:28
before entering
22:29
the house
22:29
were with a
22:31
kiss still
22:32
warm upon
22:33
his cheek
22:33
and the
22:34
welcome still
22:35
musical in
22:36
his ears.
22:37
Isn't that a
22:38
wonderful way
22:39
of looking at
22:39
it?
22:40
How could he
22:41
say that?
22:41
Because of
22:42
what the
22:42
father did.
22:43
the father
22:45
ran to
22:46
the son.
22:48
The son
22:48
knew that
22:49
grace in
22:49
the wilderness
22:50
and the
22:51
father came
22:52
from afar.
22:53
And you
22:53
see that in
22:54
verse 3
22:54
here, the
22:55
Lord appeared
22:56
to him
22:56
from far
22:57
away saying,
22:58
I have
22:58
loved you
22:59
with an
22:59
everlasting
23:00
love.
23:01
That is the
23:02
love of
23:02
God the
23:03
father, shown
23:04
to the
23:04
prodigal and
23:06
shown to
23:06
all of his
23:07
people who
23:08
are in the
23:08
wilderness, but
23:09
seek after
23:10
the Lord.
23:11
the kiss
23:11
still warm
23:13
on his
23:13
cheek because
23:15
the father
23:16
had run to
23:18
him.
23:19
He is
23:19
faithful and
23:21
he gives
23:22
us amazing
23:23
reminders of
23:24
a grace that
23:26
loves, an
23:29
everlasting
23:29
love.
23:32
So we are
23:33
to come,
23:34
we are to
23:35
come to
23:36
seek him
23:37
and not to
23:38
come to the
23:39
Lord's
23:39
supper praising
23:40
ourselves,
23:41
slapping our
23:42
own back,
23:42
saying,
23:43
well done
23:43
you.
23:45
But to
23:46
come sometimes
23:46
broken,
23:48
sometimes weary,
23:49
sometimes just
23:50
with that
23:50
weight still
23:51
on, but
23:52
coming thankful
23:53
for the
23:53
love that
23:54
he has
23:55
shown.
23:56
That love
23:58
that he
23:58
speaks of
23:59
here, I
23:59
have loved
24:00
you with
24:01
an everlasting
24:01
love.
24:05
Therefore I
24:06
have continued
24:07
my faithfulness
24:08
to you.
24:10
he didn't
24:10
leave his
24:11
people.
24:12
Even though
24:12
you could
24:12
say they
24:13
deserved it,
24:14
the same is
24:15
true for us.
24:16
We feel we
24:17
didn't deserve
24:17
his grace.
24:20
But it is
24:20
his love
24:21
that's without
24:21
beginning and
24:22
without end.
24:23
That is the
24:24
love that we
24:25
are to look
24:26
to.
24:27
And if we
24:28
know that
24:29
grace,
24:30
if we love
24:32
and know that
24:32
love of God,
24:34
then we are
24:34
to come.
24:36
Come and
24:36
seek him
24:37
and find
24:38
that grace
24:39
in the
24:40
wilderness
24:40
that gives
24:41
us rest.
24:44
The final
24:45
thing we
24:45
see here is
24:46
that grace
24:46
that renews.
24:50
I said
24:50
earlier that
24:51
when we
24:51
watch the
24:51
news, it
24:52
seldom now
24:52
we get
24:53
that final
24:54
story,
24:55
and finally
24:56
there's some
24:57
good news.
24:58
But here we
24:59
see that what
25:00
Jeremiah is
25:01
saying in this
25:01
section is
25:02
and finally
25:02
there is
25:03
good news.
25:04
truth.
25:05
Truly,
25:06
there is
25:07
good news
25:07
because this
25:08
closing section
25:09
of this
25:09
passage really
25:11
is a sense
25:12
of rejoicing.
25:14
A rejoicing
25:15
that God
25:16
is able to
25:17
help.
25:18
God is able
25:18
to give.
25:19
And you
25:19
could go
25:20
back to
25:20
verse 18
25:21
of chapter
25:21
30 where
25:23
it says,
25:23
There is
25:24
hope.
25:24
There is
25:25
hope.
25:25
There is
25:26
hope.
25:27
But then you
25:30
see it again
25:30
in verse 4
25:31
and 5 of
25:32
chapter 31.
25:33
with that
25:34
repeated
25:35
phase again
25:36
three times
25:38
in these
25:38
two verses.
25:40
And look at
25:40
what he
25:40
says,
25:41
Again I
25:41
will build
25:42
you and
25:42
you shall
25:43
be built
25:43
up,
25:44
virginess.
25:44
Again you
25:46
shall adorn
25:46
yourself with
25:47
tambourines
25:48
and shall
25:49
go forth in
25:50
the dance
25:50
of the
25:50
merrymakers.
25:51
Again you
25:52
shall plant
25:53
vineyards in
25:54
the mountains
25:54
of Samaria.
25:56
Three times
25:57
he says
25:57
again.
25:59
Because there
26:00
is a sense
26:00
of renewing
26:01
here.
26:01
the blessings
26:03
that they
26:03
had enjoyed
26:04
in the
26:04
past they
26:05
are going
26:06
to enjoy
26:06
again.
26:08
The people's
26:09
lives were
26:10
ruined by
26:10
sin.
26:12
And they
26:12
were going
26:12
to be
26:13
ruined.
26:13
They were
26:13
going to
26:13
be taken
26:14
into exile.
26:15
Their
26:16
homes would
26:16
be gone.
26:17
Their joy
26:18
would be
26:18
gone.
26:19
Their
26:19
vineyards
26:20
would be
26:20
gone.
26:22
All these
26:22
things that
26:23
were important
26:23
and precious
26:24
to them
26:25
all gone.
26:28
Brought
26:29
into the
26:29
wilderness.
26:30
wilderness.
26:31
But here
26:32
is God
26:32
saying I
26:33
will bring
26:33
you home.
26:34
I will
26:35
renew.
26:35
I will
26:36
restore
26:36
you.
26:38
And so
26:39
you see
26:39
the three
26:39
things that
26:41
will
26:41
restore
26:42
their
26:43
homes,
26:44
their joy,
26:46
their
26:46
vineyards.
26:47
All that
26:48
was important
26:48
for life
26:49
was going
26:50
to be
26:50
renewed.
26:52
There was
26:52
going to
26:52
be a
26:53
newness
26:53
to it.
26:54
Even in
26:54
the midst
26:55
of the
26:55
mysterious
26:56
ways of
26:57
God
26:57
working.
26:59
William
26:59
Cowper's
27:00
hymn goes
27:00
on to
27:00
say,
27:01
Judge
27:01
not the
27:02
Lord
27:02
by feeble
27:03
sense,
27:04
but trust
27:04
him for
27:05
his grace
27:06
behind a
27:07
frowning
27:08
providence.
27:08
He hides
27:09
a smiling
27:10
face.
27:11
His
27:11
purposes
27:12
will ripen
27:13
fast,
27:14
unfolding
27:14
every hour.
27:16
The bud
27:17
may have a
27:17
bitter taste,
27:18
but sweet
27:19
will be the
27:20
flower.
27:21
You see
27:21
there just
27:22
how he's
27:22
speaking of
27:23
the frowning
27:24
providence,
27:25
not understanding,
27:27
and yet
27:27
God is
27:28
in control
27:29
and his
27:30
grace
27:30
unfolding
27:31
his
27:31
purposes
27:32
hour by
27:32
hour,
27:33
so that
27:33
even when
27:34
there's a
27:34
bitter taste
27:35
initially,
27:36
the flower
27:37
will be
27:37
sweet in
27:37
the end.
27:39
And what
27:39
you see
27:39
here is
27:40
that journey
27:40
of God
27:41
leading his
27:42
people from
27:42
warning to
27:44
reminding
27:45
them and
27:45
then finally
27:46
to renewing,
27:47
to say
27:48
that yes,
27:48
you lost
27:49
it all in
27:49
the wilderness,
27:50
but again
27:51
you will have
27:52
all of these
27:53
things.
27:55
But what
27:55
is the
27:55
most important
27:56
thing you
27:57
see restored
27:58
here?
27:59
It's what
28:00
you have
28:00
in verse
28:00
6.
28:03
It's great
28:03
that they
28:04
have their
28:04
homes,
28:05
their joy,
28:06
their vineyards
28:06
restored,
28:07
but look at
28:08
verse 6.
28:08
for there
28:10
shall be a
28:10
day when
28:11
watchmen
28:11
will call
28:12
in the
28:12
whole country
28:13
of Ephraim,
28:14
arise and
28:16
let us go
28:16
up to
28:17
Sion,
28:18
to the
28:18
Lord our
28:20
God.
28:21
What is
28:22
being restored
28:23
there?
28:25
A right
28:26
worship.
28:28
A right
28:29
worship.
28:30
Let us
28:31
go and
28:32
worship the
28:33
Lord our
28:35
God.
28:37
The watchmen
28:37
had a vital
28:38
role.
28:39
They were
28:39
often the
28:40
ones who
28:40
warned of
28:41
danger
28:41
approaching.
28:42
They were
28:42
often the
28:43
ones who
28:44
warned of
28:45
seasons changing,
28:46
of new
28:46
moons and
28:47
all of
28:47
these things,
28:48
times of
28:49
harvest,
28:49
times of
28:50
festival.
28:52
Well here
28:52
they are
28:53
saying the
28:53
day is
28:54
coming when
28:55
the watchmen
28:56
will call,
28:57
arise,
28:59
let us go
29:00
to Sion,
29:01
to the
29:01
Lord our
29:02
God.
29:03
Do you
29:04
see the
29:04
change that's
29:05
taken place?
29:07
Where God
29:08
is speaking
29:08
initially in
29:10
verse 22 of
29:11
chapter 30,
29:12
and you
29:12
shall be my
29:13
people and
29:14
I will be
29:14
your God.
29:15
It's in the
29:16
future, but
29:18
here is a
29:18
day when that
29:19
is renewed.
29:20
Let us go
29:21
up to
29:22
Sion, to
29:23
the Lord
29:23
our God,
29:25
a relationship
29:26
restored.
29:28
That is what
29:29
we long for.
29:30
It's great
29:31
to have
29:31
material
29:32
blessings,
29:33
the blessings
29:34
of homes,
29:35
of joy,
29:36
of vineyards,
29:38
Jeremiah is
29:38
saying, but
29:39
your greatest
29:39
blessing of
29:40
all will
29:41
be to once
29:42
again worship
29:43
the Lord
29:43
as your
29:44
God, a
29:46
relationship
29:46
restored.
29:48
Our lives
29:49
in the
29:49
wilderness are
29:50
hindered by
29:51
sin, but
29:54
the good
29:55
news is
29:56
there is
29:57
grace in
29:58
the wilderness.
30:00
And that
30:00
that grace
30:01
is able
30:02
to renew.
30:04
What do
30:05
you want in
30:05
this communion
30:06
weekend?
30:08
Surely, above
30:09
all, we
30:09
want to
30:10
come and
30:12
worship the
30:12
Lord our
30:14
God, to
30:15
give him
30:16
that praise,
30:17
that worship
30:18
that he is
30:19
due.
30:21
And it
30:22
comes if we
30:22
see the
30:24
grace that
30:24
he has
30:25
shown.
30:26
If we
30:26
seek after
30:27
that grace
30:28
as he
30:29
speaks of
30:29
there in
30:30
verse 2,
30:30
the people
30:31
who survived
30:32
the sword
30:32
found grace
30:33
in the
30:34
wilderness
30:34
when Israel
30:35
sought for
30:36
rest.
30:38
Seek that
30:39
rest.
30:41
Find it
30:41
in the
30:42
Lord Jesus
30:43
Christ.
30:44
And then
30:45
you can
30:46
come,
30:46
arise,
30:48
let us
30:49
go,
30:50
and worship
30:51
the Lord
30:52
our God.
30:55
John
30:55
Newton said,
30:56
it was grace
30:57
that taught
30:57
my heart
30:59
to fear,
31:00
and grace
31:01
my fears
31:02
relieved.
31:03
How precious
31:04
did that
31:05
grace appear,
31:07
the hour
31:07
I first
31:08
believed.
31:10
May you
31:10
find how
31:12
precious this
31:13
grace is,
31:13
even in the
31:14
wilderness,
31:15
even in the
31:15
trials, the
31:16
storms of
31:17
life, God's
31:18
warning is
31:18
there graciously.
31:19
God reminds
31:21
us of his
31:23
grace again
31:23
and again,
31:25
and God
31:25
is able
31:26
to renew.
31:28
Let us
31:29
pray.
31:31
Lord, our
31:32
gracious God,
31:33
we thank you
31:34
for your
31:34
word, we
31:35
thank you
31:35
for your
31:36
grace, and
31:36
we pray to
31:38
seek it with
31:38
all our
31:39
hearts, and
31:39
to know the
31:41
rest that you
31:41
are able to
31:42
give to us
31:43
through our
31:43
Lord Jesus
31:44
Christ, as
31:45
we ask all
31:45
these things
31:46
in Jesus'
31:48
name.
31:48
Amen.
31:49
We'll
31:52
conclude now
31:53
by singing
31:53
to God's
31:54
praise in
31:55
Psalm 4
31:56
once again.
31:57
We'll sing
31:58
these last
31:58
stanzas from
31:59
verse 6.
32:02
Oh, who
32:03
can show us
32:03
any good?
32:04
I hear so
32:05
many say,
32:06
O Lord,
32:07
shine on us
32:07
with your
32:08
light, show
32:08
us your
32:09
face, I
32:10
pray.
32:11
We'll sing
32:11
from verse 6
32:12
down to the
32:12
end of the
32:14
psalm.
32:14
Amen.
32:16
Amen.
32:18
O who can
32:20
show us
32:23
any good,
32:26
I hear so
32:30
many say,
32:34
O Lord,
32:36
shine on us
32:41
with your
32:43
light, show
32:45
us your
32:48
face, I
32:51
pray.
32:51
You
32:54
filled my
32:57
heart with
32:59
greater joy
33:03
than others'
33:07
men have
33:09
heard, as
33:12
they
33:13
rejoice at
33:17
harvest time,
33:21
when pain
33:24
and wine
33:27
are
33:28
burned.
33:29
I will
33:31
lie down
33:35
and sleep
33:37
in peace,
33:40
my heart
33:43
will
33:44
rest
33:45
secure
33:47
for you
33:50
alone,
33:53
O
33:54
righteous
33:56
Lord,
33:58
will
34:00
keep
34:01
me
34:02
safe
34:03
and
34:05
sure.
34:08
After the
34:08
benediction, I'll
34:09
go to the door to my
34:10
left.
34:11
Now may grace,
34:12
mercy, and peace
34:13
from God,
34:14
Father, Son, and
34:15
Holy Spirit, rest
34:16
upon and abide
34:17
with you all,
34:18
now and forever
34:19
more.
34:20
Amen.
34:20
Amen.
34:24
Amen.