The Cry Of My People

THE CRY OF MY PEOPLE

Text: Jeremiah 8:18 thru 22

This past week I was handed a brochure that was produced by an Assembly of God church down in Winter Park, FL.

The church was celebrating their 50th Anniversary & had published a brochure entitled, “Fifty Years of Changed Lives”. The reason why I was interested in this brochure is because this was the church where I had given my heart to the Lord 36 years ago. My wife met and married there.

There were pictures and stories of how this wonderful church was founded and blessed over these many years.

Perhaps (at first) I was sentimental with the wonderful memories of days gone by.

I was blessed by their growth and success in ministering there in Central Florida.

In 1968 I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. That was during the days that were called the “Charismatic Renewal Days.”

Great memories.

Looking at this brochure, my heart began to sink thinking about how (at the time)

I was convinced

· Our nation was truly experiencing (what many have called) the Last Great Revival/Outpouring.

· People were giving their hearts to Christ everywhere and there would soon be an end to sin and disbelief.

· At the rate of this revival, our nation would once again become the God fearing nation it once was.

· The devastations of drugs, alcohol, racism, etc., would soon vanish.

Unfortunately, the world is still lost and living in the darkness of sin and disbelief.

As I remember those days, I must admit I feel (in my heart) much the same way the Prophet Jeremiah did.

“I would comfort myself in sorrow;

My heart is faint in me.” (vs. 18)

This morning, I have a great sorrow for my friends and family members who still are not saved. The years are slipping away.

Jeremiah spoke of the nation of Israel and went on to say in vs. 20,

“The harvest is past,

The summer is ended,

And we are not saved!”

For those of us who have loved and served God for a long period of time, we want to know why it is that many friends and relatives are still not saved. A word of caution to us all. Time is running out!

“The harvest is past,

The summer is ended,

And we are not saved!”

Do you sense what Jeremiah did? Is your heart broken for those who are still lost?

The saints of God should never become so sentimental over the past that we forget how to grieve for lost souls.

It is often hard for us to express how much it hurts that souls are dieing and are being sent to an everlasting judgment.

Do you grieve for the lost souls?

Or have many of us become disconnected from the desperation of the sin and wickedness in this world?

Jeremiah is known to Bible Scholars as the “weeping prophet”. He described the heaviness of his heart in chapter 9:1

Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

Strong words from a very broken man.

Consider this. If there were anyone who should not weep over sin, it would surely be the consecrated prophets of God. Jeremiah was the messenger (sent from God), not the sinner when he said.

“The harvest is past,

The summer is ended,

And we are not saved!”

If you are saved and sanctified by the blood of the Lamb, you may not feel that you need to weep because of sin.

Nevertheless the more we know God, the more we should lament and weep for the spiritual well being of others. Amen?

Some saints will mourn over the sins of a nation, while others (who call themselves righteous) will only complain of how bad things have become.

There is something I have noticed over the years. The righteous men and women of God will often feel more concern for the souls of their loved ones than their loved ones will feel for themselves.

Illustration:

When I consider the fate of sinners without Christ, I have this picture of a convicted felon who waits for his verdict from the judge. His loved ones are gathered there in the courtroom (that day) weeping for his fate of judgment. The convicted felon only laughs.

My friend – this world has become painfully indifferent to the thought of the wrath and fury of God.

The world will often mock and laugh at the reality of God’s judgment.

Regardless of the countless warnings, the convicted sinner will often stand and laugh at the fate of their judgment.

This makes me weep as Jeremiah did.

“The harvest is past,

The summer is ended,