Jeremiah 4:5-31
The
Heart of/is the Issue
Intro: When chaos erupts, discovering the solution is less important
than finding the problem that led to it.
Synopsis - ‘There is going to be an
catastrophic attack on God’s people that will lead to lamenting (4:5-13), though it should lead to repentance
(vs. 14-18), the people’s refusal to repent is foolish (vs 19-31)
1. God’s
Warning (vs 5-13)
a) The purpose
for ‘alarm’ is – immediate repentance (vs 4-6)
b) The call is
for – action (vs 8, 2 Sam 3:31, 2 Kgs 19:1)
c) The
realization – we have been deceived (vs 9-10)
2. God’s
Diagnosis (vs 14-18)
a) The problem is
with the heart (vs 14a, 18d)
b) The heart
feeds the “thoughts” (14b); thoughts turn into deeds (vs 18a; cf.
17:9, Luke 6:45, Prov. 12:23; Ps. 58:2)
3. God’s Prophet
(vs 19-21)
A godly heart aches and weeps (vs 19,
Luke 19:41-44)
4. God’s Judgment
(vs 22-31)
a) It feels like darkness
and chaos (vs 22-26, cf. Gen. 1:2)
b) God’s patience
has limits (vs. 28b; 2 Pet 3:9)
c) Tragically
(some) turn to their old ‘lovers’ (vs 30)
Conclusion: God’s plea – ‘pleaserepent’ before it’s too late!
Oct_09_2011
