"The Brighter-Side Of Life"

Jeremiah 8:18–9:1 The Brighter-side of Life

Jeremiah is known as the weeping Prophet because his message from God was always gloom and doom

1. Jeremiah does not seem to live on the brighter-side of life "My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick," writes the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel (8:18). "For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me" (v. 21).

• His heart is sick, we have grief, loss of joy, hurt, dismay, and deep morning over

• Jeremiah heart is faint because he sees what the devastation that the Babylonians invasion

• The cry of the daughter of my people no longer lived in the land God promised them. Instead, their cry was heard from a far country. They were not in home land but foreign soil

• One thing that caused the attack of Babylon was that The People abandoned God not God abandoning the people. "Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?"

• God seems to weep “WHY” have you provoked me your sins has consequences

• Jesus seems to weeps over the city of Jerusalem He says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”

2. Should Jeremiah feel sick, grief, hurt, dismay, and deep mourning or should he live on the Brighter-Side?

• Shouldn’t have Jeremiahs message been one of “Motivation”

• Shouldn’t Jeremiah feel like the Beach Boys song “Surf in USA type life”

• Shouldn’t WE always embrace Positive Thinking

• Don’t Worry be Happy no matter what happens in life

• Jeremiah feels hurt, grief, sick, dismay, and mourning, Just like God feels when we are not obedient

• Jeremiah says, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!" (8:22; 9:1).

• He's weeping day and night for the slain of his people and I would say God does

3. Jeremiah would love to give great Hope, Motivational speech, something Positive, but he must tell the truth. The Truth is Judgment is coming

• Jeremiah makes clear that the people have been slain because of their sins. "They have held fast to deceit .... they do not speak honestly; no one repents of wickedness, saying, 'What have I done!' All of them turn to their own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle" (8:5-6).

• "[F]rom the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain," says God through the prophet. "They acted shamefully, they committed abomination; yet they were not at all ashamed. (8:10, 12)

• We're setting ourselves up for destruction if we don't repent of our sinful ways.

4. There is a Brighter-Side of Life there is a Balm, The Balm is our Choice The only healing balm is our decision to repent and return to God.

• There is a balm (Cure) the Choice to Live there. Israel knew “Harvest was passed summer is gone and were still not saved”. Were still in the foreign Land but our healing can come from our choice to Live there. Grow crops there, plant seeds of hope there, raise our children there, Learn there the teachings of God

• There is a balm the choice to Pick up the Harps . In Babylon Willow trees were plentiful Israel’s way of worshipping God was to play their harps, but now they have no song so the Psalmist says We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. The Balm is a Choice to pick up the harp and play the music

• There is a Balm “ the choice to Return” . Jeremiah says, 7when they return unto me with all their heart I will give them a heart to know me, They will be my people, and I will be their God

• There is a Balm the Choice to “TURN” Ezekiel 21"But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die

• There is a Balm, “I Believe” And I believe that there's a place called Heaven And I believe in a place called Calvary I believe in a man his name is Jesus And I believe that he gave his life for me