Are We Really Healed?
Aug 11, 2002
They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
"Peace, peace," they say,
when there is no peace.
Jeremiah 8:11
One month from today will mark the one-year anniversary of 911. This day will be commemorated by numerous memorial services, many of them religious in nature. Among the sermons that will be preached will be ones declaring how America is healing and how we as Americans have become better as a result of the 911 tragedy.
Spiritually speaking, however, are we stronger than we were prior to September 11th, 2001? Is America truly healing? As I was pondering the anniversary of 911 and this past year my thoughts have turned to Jeremiah 8.
This evening we are going to examine a nation—the Kingdom of Judah. Consider that Judah faced times of crisis and brief revival, but in the end always reverted back to idolatry and immorality. It was during its final age of apostasy and existence as a nation that God raised up a prophet, Jeremiah, to preach to a generation that would not hear His truth.
This evening we hear God speaking out against the apostasy of Judah, but in these words we will clearly see how they fit situation we now face in America. I need to warn you that this may not be the kind of positive sermon one would hope to hear in reflection on the events of 911, but I believe in my heart that it is the message that God would have me speak.
To look at some of the context behind this verse let us look at Jeremiah 7:30-34.
Jeremiah 7
The Valley of Slaughter
30 " ’The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord . They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire-something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.
32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord , when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
34 I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will become desolate.
This passage speaks of the high places of Topheth. It is interesting that the Hebrew word for drum is Toph, and it is very likely that this word is derived from this. Loud drums were often used during sacrifice to drown out the horrific cries of children being sacrificed to pagan deities. The people of Judah had replaced the God of their forefathers with the worship of Baal, the Canaanite deity male power and sexuality, and Ashteroth, the goddess of fertility and war.
Worship of these false deities often involved temple prostitutes in acts of gross sexual debauchery. The idol to Baal resembled a male sexual organ, while the altar to Ashteroth had the appearance of a female sexual organ.
While people in America may not sacrifice their children to pagan deities, over 40 million babies have been sacrificed to the altar of convenience since abortion was legalized. If all the babies sacrificed in Judah had been counted it is very likely they would have nowhere nearly close to the number of babies aborted in America.
To put this in perspective, consider that Hitler had approximately 12 million people killed in concentration camps (half of which were Jewish). Joseph Stalin is said to have been responsible for the deaths of approximately 20 million Soviet people. It seems that if you were to combine the numbers of people killed by both Hitler and Stalin you would still fail to equal the numbers of babies that have been killed since 1973.
As mentioned before, the gods the people of Judah were worshiping were sexual in nature. At the time of Jeremiah people were worshiping gods of sex, in America today people just worship sex. Let us now look at Jeremiah 8:4-7:
I. A Nation fallen into Apostasy
Sin and Punishment
"Say to them, ’This is what the Lord says:
" ’When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return? 5 Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. 6 I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle. 7 Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord .
Let us focus on verse five: “They cling to deceit; they refuse to learn.” The nation of Judah had come to a place where it accepted sin and falsehood as truth and could not discern the difference. It truly was an age of apostasy. This is what happens when sin is allowed to thrive in any culture—spiritual strongholds begin to develop to a point where people can no longer discern right from wrong. Consider this statement John Sandford makes in his book, Healing of the Nations:
“Strongholds create tunnel vision. It is as though the person is wearing blinders so that he cannot see out of his limited perspective. Strongholds twist the words of the Bible to make in applicable or irrelevant any glimmers of truth. The person might say, ‘Yes I know, but that doesn’t apply to me,’ or ‘I don’t think it means that’—when the truth of God’s word is as obvious as the nose on his face.
"Strongholds send out smoke screens. They cause a person to obscure and confuse the subject at hand. They make straight lines crooked clear ideas murky.” (John Loren Sandford, Healing the Nations (Grand Rapids, MI, Chosen Books, 2000) pp 153-154)
It seems that we are living in a time in our country where the straight lines of God’s truth has been made crooked and many people don’t know what God’s truth is anymore.It is now more than any other age in history that apostasy has infected the church. It is sad, but true.
Many churches of prominent dominations have succumbed to the winds of political correctness and have embraced causes that are against what the Bible teaches. Most prominent among these is that of homosexuality in the church. Instead of promoting the true gospel, many churches wearing the garment of Christianity have embraced the cause of homosexuality and other immoral causes now deemed “politically correct.”
On June 16, 2001, the chief policy-making body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted on a proposal at its annual conference to lift a ban against ordaining gays. The resolution has continued go to before all 173 presbyteries for a vote.
On October 21, 2001 an openly lesbian candidate was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Spokespersons of More Light Presbyterians, a gay lobby group within the Presbyterian Church USA, have called for "the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA)."
I want to say that I do not hate homosexuals and certainly abhor any acts of violence taken against them. As believers in Christ we are called to love them as we are called to love all people. The Bible, however, makes it clear that their lifestyle is sin. I believe it shows far greater love to declare the truth and avert some people from going to Hell than it is to preach a lie and thus send people to Hell. The word of God is clear in what it says about homosexuality. Leviticus 20:18 says:
“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”
Unfortunately, many in the church have succumbed to the winds of popular thinking and have come to accept homosexuality as an alternate lifestyle. Another major heresy that has sprung its ugly head is universalism—a belief there are more ways to get to Heaven than through only Jesus Christ. Consider this statement made in an article by Barna Research Online:
“…Barna statistics show that the percentage of teens who are evangelicals - i.e., those who are not only born again but also believe in the accuracy of the Bible, personal responsibility to evangelize, believe in salvation by grace alone, and possess orthodox biblical views on God, Jesus and Satan - have declined from 10% in 1995 to just 4% today.
"This demise is attributable to growing numbers of teenagers who accept moral relativism and pluralistic theology as their faith foundation. This decline parallels a similar drop among adults: 12% were evangelicals in 1994, but just 5% fit the criteria today.” (“Teens Change Their Tune Regarding Self and Church,”
April 23, 2002, electric document on-line available from http://www.barna.org)
The really frightening thing about these statistics is that the numbers of these kinds of people are growing in our churches. People have twisted the gospel to flow with the winds of political correctness in our society.
II. Admonition for thinking they are wise
In Jeremiah 8:8-9, God admonishes the people of Judah for believing themselves to be wise. In spite of the corruption in their society, people in Judah believed themselves to be wise.
8 " ’How can you say, "We are wise,
for we have the law of the Lord ,"
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?
9 The wise will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed and trapped.
Since they have rejected the word of the Lord ,
what kind of wisdom do they have?
Many of us in America believe that we too are wise. We have gone into space. A few years ago scientists mapped out the DNA code. We even think we are wise enough to genetically tinker with God’s creation. In America we have considered ourselves “wise” and progressive enough to exclude the mention of God and the Bible from our classrooms.
There is currently a court case against a town in Nebraska to have them remove a monument displaying the Ten Commandments. I heard there is currently a lawsuit in the courts to have “One Nation under God” struck from the Pledge of Allegiance. Many consider God’s truth to be foolish and politically incorrect. This is what it says, however, I Corinthians 1:25:
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”
Friedrich Nietzsche thought he was wise when he said: “God is dead.” Darwin though he was wise when he said we came from monkeys. Both now know they were wrong. Whatever prevailing anti-Christian thought there is out there will eventually be swept away by God’s truth. God will in the end be proven right and every critic a liar.
III. Admonition for speaking a false peace
11 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
"Peace, peace," they say,
when there is no peace.
Judah faced crisis after crisis and God had faithfully delivered that nation, but soon was coming a time when He would withdraw His hand of protection. It was during this time of crisis that false religious leaders were declaring: “Peace!”
But how could there be peace in such a fetid atmosphere of sin? In services commemorating 911 there will no doubt be ministers from the pulpit declaring peace, healing, and prosperity. But how can God bring these blessings when sin continues to abound in our society? If Israel was God’s chosen nation and he brought judgment upon it, how much more will He bring judgment on a country that isn’t His chosen nation?
III. Admonition for having no shame (Jeremiah 8:12)
12 Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,
says the Lord .
According to a recent George Barna report many issues concerning the moral erosion of our nation hold little importance to adults:
"Five particular issues - homosexuality, abortion, cloning, child abuse and pornography - were each listed by less than one-half of one percent of the public as being among the most serious national issues.
Whether this is because people are burned out on these issues, they don’t understand the nature of the underlying concern, or they simply do not care one way or the other, the fact is that such ’hot button’ issues are hot for a relatively chosen few. Most Americans either yawn or cringe at the mention of those issues."
Barna, however, adds:
"Although many adults do not have a detailed, passionate view of moral decline, they are aware of a slow but continual and serious eroding of the moral foundations that made the nation great," he explained.
"They feel uncomfortable with the moral direction of the country and are seeking serious moral leadership to restore a sense of balance and propriety to the heart of the nation."
(“Most Americans Satisfied with Life Despite Having Quality of Life Issues,” March 26, 2002, electric document on-line available from http://www.barna.org)
If what Barna says is true about people seeking "moral leadership" then maybe there is still hope for our country.
IV. A once prosperous land becomes cursed
13 " ’I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord .
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them."
Consider that Israel had once been a land of milk and honey. There at one time had been grapes so fruitful on the vine that a single cluster would have to be tied to a pole and carried by two men. (Numbers 13:23)
This land, however, that was so blessed became cursed when the Israelites turned their backs on God. Eventually, there would be no grapes or figs. Where there had been a fertile land would become a desolate wilderness. If God would curse a land given to His chosen people, would He not curse any land? Could not any land, however, rich and fertile, eventually experience infertility and desolation?
I believe that if it were possible for Israel, then it would be possible for any land! I do not believe that even our land or economy is immune from the judgment of God!
V. The point of no return
Jeremiah 8
20 "The harvest is past,
the summer has ended,
and we are not saved."
Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? It is an amazing sight watching this massive force of water spill over. This river is fed by the Niagara River. How would you like to go for a canoe ride down the Niagara River? May be it would be safe down river somewhere, but there would be a point near the falls where it would be deadly. There is a point in the Niagara River that would be the point of no return.
Judah as a nation had breached the point of no return—it was going to go crashing over the falls. It is a tragic thing for an individual or a nation to breach the point of no return—to finally reach a point where the only possible outcome is destruction. I do not believe that we are there yet as a nation, but I believe we are headed that way if we don’t change.
Consider some of the other great nations of history. Assyria was once a great power. God sent revival to Assyria’s capital, Ninevah, through the prophet Jonah. Though the city repented, it fell back into sin. Assyria was conquered by Babylon and forever ended as a nation. Then Babylon stepped to the plate as a great power.
Its great king was Nebuchadnezzar. This king turned to God after his seven-year wilderness experience (Daniel 4:28-37); however, the nation as a whole continued in idolatry. Babylon fell to Persia. Persia fell to the Greeks under Alexander the Great. The Greeks became divided after Alexander died. They eventually fell to the Romans. Even the great Roman Empire eventually crumbled.
There are numerous examples I can give from history about nations that have fallen. The point is that nations that persist in being rebellious towards God will eventually fall away. There has never been an exception to this. A nation may be allowed to exist for centuries in rebellion, but eventually it will fall if it continues in its wayward ways. How much longer do we have as a nation if we continue to turn our backs on God? How long will God give us before He says: “It’s too late?”
VI. The cure had been available
21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed;
I mourn, and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing
for the wound of my people?
Gilead at that time was a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, renowned for harvesting the resin of the storax tree. This substance was used to aid the healing of sores and sicknesses. Just as the resin was available to help heal the sick in Jeremiah’s day, so the cure for their spiritual malady was also available. The people, however, chose to ignore the remedy and continue on in their terminal spiritual state.
We see in 2 Chronicles 7:14 the balm they needed:
“If my people, who are called on my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”—2 Chronicles 7:14 New International Version
The verse above calls people to humble themselves and seek the face of God. The word for humble is the Hebrew word, kâna, which literally means to bend the knee, and to bring down into subjection. I do not believe the attack that Tuesday was a judgment from God; however, I do believe that God would be more than justified in judging our nation. We have been prideful and complacent.
On September 11th we saw a visual picture of a great structure collapsing into a heap of ruins. Though the tragedy of that day was great, long ago America’s spiritual foundations have collapsed in many places across our nation. We see evidence of this wreckage in the increase in drug use, teen pregnancy, and violence in schools.
Many are praying that America would be healed, but healing is more than just reconstructing buildings, and bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice. Healing involves a lasting change of heart on the part of our people--especially those within the church. The place of prayer is the potter’s wheel of the heart.
It is the place where we become clay in the Spirit’s hands and reshaped into the image of Christ. By collectively coming to God in repentance, we allow ourselves to be broken and through our brokeness God’s presence flows.
I believe that what hinders many people from coming to church is a lack of genuineness. Nothing is more genuine and precious in the church than true repentance and nothing will bring the lost more to our doors than our own brokeness.
The process of national healing starts with us as individual believers and then moves on to healing within the church. When churches become healed and Spirit filled then they become a potent force of change within their communities.
In this message we have talked about the spiritual plights of the nations of Judah and America. In Jeremiah 8 we see where it becomes too late for a nation to respond to God. What is true for nations is also true for individuals. There can come a point in someone’s life where they have shut out God to the point that they will no longer respond to His voice.
There may be someone here this evening who has never given their heart to Christ and maybe this evening God is speaking to you. Remember that today is the day of salvation. If Jesus is speaking to you respond today and ask Him into your heart. Maybe you are a believer and you have not been completely living for Christ. God is speaking to you about an area of compromise in your life. If God is speaking to you, then this evening I want to encourage you to make whatever it is right with God today.
