It’s Not Too Late!
Jeremiah 8:20 (RSV)
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
What a sad and awful proclamation being made by Jeremiah about the chosen people of God.
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
Jeremiah is considered the 2nd of the four Major Prophets of the Bible, only to be preceed by Isaiah and followed by Ezekiel and Daniel. He is known as the “Weeping Prophet” because of his lamenting over the down fall and rebellious nature of Israel.
Jeremiah’s prophecy began at the age of 17, but some would argue that his ministry began at age 13.
Regardless of his age, it is a fact that God called Jeremiah into ministry,
Jeremiah 1: 4-5 “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
As a prophet, Jeremiah’s sole purpose was to expose the sins of God’s chosen nation and to clearly explain the reason for the approaching (70 Year) disaster, which would be lead by Babylon, during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar.
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
(Harvest: The reaping is over, time for in gathering is complete: Summer: Corporate America it’s evaluation time; time for teachers to prep for the new school year, Town officials get ready for the returning college students . . . . .)
What does this mean to us: Lost time with family, back to school, being away from family, vacations are over, summer chores not completed, time to prep for winter. . . . . . .
• Literal Meaning: Two Seasons to get their act together
• Metaphorically: They missed the blessings of God.
One might ask: What lead to the invasion and ultimately the exile on the Israelites?
Jeremiah 1:16 “I will utter My judgments against them concerning all their
wickedness, because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own hands.”
In other words, what’s happening to the Israelites is obvious; they have forgotten their first love as did the Church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:4-5
Forgotten Your First Love:
Revelation 2:4-5: “Yet I have this against you—that you no longer love Me as you did at first. Be mindful, therefore, of the height from which you have fallen. Repent at once, and act as you did at first, or else I will surely come and remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”
God’s Law via the Ten Commandments:
Exodus 20: 2-3: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exodus 20: 4-5: “Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the
ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the LORD your God, and
I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four
generations.
Turn to your neighbor: 1.) What awful disaster is approaching you?
2.) What Dramatic Change is coming Your Way?
3.) Are you ignoring the warnings of God (God’s Word)?
My brothers and sisters, I wish that none of the disaster that Jeremiah is prophesying come upon you, or that you even find yourself in position where God’s wrath in aimed at you.
God’s personal message of warning to Jeremiah,
Jeremiah 1:19 “They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am
with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
Upon delivering his message, Jeremiah encountered much hardship:
• The People of “his hometown” Plotted Against him - Jeremiah 11:18-23
• Jeremiah was Put in Stocks for Prophesying in Judah - Jeremiah 20:1-6
• People Plotting Against Him from the beginning – Jeremiah 20: 7-18
• The Priests and Prophets sought Jeremiah’s life - Jeremiah 26:7-11
• Jeremiah was Locked in a Dungeon - Jeremiah 37:11-21
• Jeremiah Carried Away into Egypt - Jeremiah 43:6
Jeremiah 20:9 “Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His
Name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was
weary of holding it back, And I could not.”
Abraham Lincoln “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”
Turn to your neighbor: 1.) People don’t like bad news, even when it’s good for them.
I. Deceived by Your Comfort
Deception: Speaking what is False as if it’s true; purposefully misleading others; deliberately manipulating others for one on advancement or to cause harm to others.
Self-deception is the act of keeping the truth from ourselves.
Self-deception rationalizes disobedience and compromises what you know to be true.
Example of those rationalizing disobedience
• Adam tried to rationalize why they hid from God:
o Genesis 3:11-12 “How did you know you were naked?” God asked. “Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?” “It was the woman you put here with me,” the man said. “She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it.”
• King Saul tried to rationalize why we could not wait on the “Man of God” to offer the burnt offering to God:
o 1 Samuel 13:10-14 “Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” . . . . And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly.
Examples of one being Deceived by Your Comfort:
1.) Parable of the Rich King:
Luke 12:16-20 “And he spoke a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be?
2.) Parable of the Rich Young Ruler:
Mark 10:21-22 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
(Salvation is not obtained via a check list of activities or via ritual activities – there must be a renewing of the mind & heart and acceptance of Jesus as Lord – One must be Born Again)
Mark 8:36‑37 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Question: 1.) What reality are you hiding from yourself?
2.) What truth are you failing to realize?
3.) What object; What person; What Act; What Deed; What Vice; has taken the
place of God in your life?
Is it greed, is it selfishness, is it your job, your bank account . . . What is that one thing that so pre-occupy your thoughts, that even now, at this very moment you are obsessed with it. Is it sex, is it your health, your well-being . . . . Is it your finances, your family.
Jeremiah 2:17 “Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God, when he led you in the way?”
What is it that you’ve not turned over to God, because you are too embarrassment to admit it to yourself? What is it that causes you to become angry every time you think of it? What deep hurt you are hiding from yourself, thus failing to address it.
Question: Has Your Sin become so common that it’s actually comfortable?
You see the very worst thing that deceives us is when we become comfortable living in our own lies. Remember, self-deception is the act of keeping the truth from ourselves.
“Deceived by Your Own Comfort”
God does not want us to become so comfortable that we forget Him!
II. Deprived by Your Confidence
Deprived: suffering a severe and damaging lack of basic material and cultural benefits.
Confidence: is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself.
Lazarus and the Rich Man:
Luke 16:22-24 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
Jeremiah 4:18 “Your ways and your doings have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart.”
“Overconfidence precedes carelessness.”
(Overconfidence give false hope – You stop learning or studying because you’ve taught this class for 20 yrs, but you continue to fumble the important things of life, no longer do you meditate on the word of God, you don’t pray for understanding nor for the revealing of the Holy Spirit; you begin to take your blessings, your talent and your accomplishment for granted.)
Examples of one being Deprived by Your Confidence:
Peter’s experienced many failures due to his confidence:
• Matthew 17: 4-5 “Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
• Mark 8:31-33 “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
• John 18:10-11 “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”
• John 21:21-22 “When Peter saw that disciple, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “What is it to you, if I want him to live until I return? You must follow me.”
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” 1 Corinthians 10:12
“Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune. ” - C.G. Jung
“Deprived by Your Own Confidence”
God does not want us to become so confident that we don’t come to Him for guidance, protection, help and/or for insight . . . . .
In Closing:
III. Delivered by Your Conviction
“Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct (or Action).” - Thomas Carlyle
“True Conviction says, 'My behavior was wrong (therefore a change must occur).”
It’s Not Too Late!
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
John 8:32 “ Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
It’s Not Too Late!
Examples of Those that Believed It’s Not Too Late:
• Samaritan Women at the Well:
o John 4:28-30 “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.”
• Zacchaeus, the Tax Collector:
o Luke 19:8 “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
• Woman Caught in Adultery & Her Accusers:
o John 8:7-11 “So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
• Saul’s Damascus Road Experience:
o Acts 9:3-6 “ As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Repentance is a blessing to all of us. We each need to feel the Savior’s arms of mercy through the forgiveness of our sins.
“How often have you and I helped to keep sinners easy in their sin, by our inconsistency! Had we been true Christians, the wicked man would often have been pricked to the heart, and his conscience would have convicted him.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and WE ARE SAVED.”
It’s Not Too Late!
