How should we respond when life falls apart? Jeremiah shows that courage, strength, & vision are needed.
JER1-Jeremiah called to preach for 41yrs as Judah falls & is conquered. It's so hard to share the bad news of God's judgment. #CBR
JER1,2-v1-3 God isn't silent when things in life fall apart! Look to Him-He fixes the circumstances or strengthens you to endure them!
JER1,3-v5 God has a plan for our lives before we are even born! He's gifted each one of us so we'd use our gifts to bless others!
JER1,4-v10 God's judgment is designed first to renew(if we listen), then to replace(if we don't). He overthrows to build and to plant
JER2-Even in bringing judgment, God reminds His people they were once close to Him. Why leave? Leaving hasn't made you better.
JER2,2-Two evils in life: 1)Forsaking God, 2)Making things into gods hoping they'll make us happy(relationships, career, being liked).
JER3-Judah followed Israel into spiritual adultery. God gives a gracious, emotional plea for Israel to come back, promising renewal.
JER3,2-Spiritual adultery today is us worshiping ourselves, our stuff, career, relationships, pleasure. We obey these over obeying God. #CBR
JER3,3-God is extravagantly gracious: He doesn't write us off, but pleads, "Return, O faithless, and I will heal your faithlessness."
JER4-Word turns back to Judah: turn back to God. Judgment is coming. Jeremiah is in anguish over the judgment against his nation. #CBR
JER5-God goes to great lengths, seeking any reason not to judge His people. He doesn't force forgiveness, & will hold all accountable. #CBR
JER6-Violence, unwilling to submit to God, greed, deceit--these bring judgment on the nation. There's still hope, if they'd return. #CBR
JER7-God says to Jeremiah, "Warn the people, but they won't listen." May that never be said of you! Soften your heart & hear God speak. #CBR
JER7,2-Corruption, oppression, burning their children in fire to foreign gods. These are why God's judgment comes. He will stop this. #CBR
JER7,3-v16 It's so bad, God tells Jeremiah, "Don't even pray for them, I won't hear." That's the very scary reality of stubbornness. #CBR
JER7,4-v8-11 are echoed in Jesus' cleansing the temple (John 2:13-22). Jesus' objection wasn't just money, but broader corruption. #CBR
JER8-When people are confronted, they turn back to God. But these refuse to humble themselves and reform their ways.Judgment is coming. #CBR
JER8,2-v18 Jeremiah's grief at Israel's judgment reflects God's. No delight in the death of the wicked, but that they should turn back. #CBR
JER8,3-v13 is echoed by Jesus in Matt 21:19, which compares the fig tree to Israel's leadership and explains Jesus' reaction to it. #CBR
JER8,4-v22 is quoted by Edgar Allen Poe in The Raven, adding layers of meaning & context to an already incredible & multi-layered poem! #CBR
JER9-God weeps over Israel's sin, confronts them again, calls them to turn back to Him. Knowing & trusting God is key to a great life! #CBR
JER9,2-God's judgment comes on a nation filled with deceit, manipulation, & promiscuity. These injustices neglect mercy and justice. #CBR
JER9,3-God is the answer we're looking for: He practices and delights in steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. #CBR
JER9,4-To know this God is to turn from our sin and practice being like Him. #CBR
JER10-It's foolish & enslaving to build your life around money, sex, power, work, relationships... Only God is great enough to serve. #CBR
JER10,2-v24 We want God's correction, not His anger. The difference is up to us: if we LISTEN when he confronts us, He's not angry. #CBR
JER11-Judah hasn't just sinned, they've broken God's covenant. They've left God for other gods, and they will lose all His blessings. #CBR
JER11,2-v21 When people don't want God's authority, they will not be neutral toward those who do. Don't be surprised by persecution. #CBR
JER12-Jeremiah complains, "You promised judgment, but Judah is thriving!" God: "If this is hard for you, it's going to get much worse." #CBR
JER12,2-v15 Even after the deserved judgment against Judah, God will return and have compassion on them. He disciplines us to renew us. #CBR
JER13-The loincloth left out in the elements is ruined, so too life lived apart from God cuts us off from His blessings & ruins us. #CBR
JER13,2-God will exile His people for their destructive lives. That will be hell, but the chapter ends with hope for future renewal. #CBR
JER14-Jeremiah stuck b/t announcing deserved judgment on people and pleading with God for mercy. #CBR
JER14,2-Even as He judges the nation, God is personally present with those who follow Him. #CBR
JER15-Terrifying news: Nothing will stop God's judgment from coming. He's done. Jeremiah complains and God offers hope for him. #CBR
JER15,2-Moses and Samuel famously interceded b/t God & His people (Num 21:7; 1Sam 12:19). Even they couldn't stop this coming judgment. #CBR
JER15,3-v4 King Manasseh's idolatry, witchcraft, child sacrifice cursed Israel(2Ki 21). v6 Israel rejected God, bringing His judgment. #CBR
JER15,4-v19-21 In the midst of judgment, God holds out great hope and strength to Jeremiah, and all those who continue to follow Him. #CBR
JER16-The prophet must embody the suffering of God's people. Judgment is coming, but so is a renewal that looks like a New Exodus! #CBR
JER16,2-To speak for God is to lead others. God's leaders bear the burdens of those they lead. That's a compelling foreshadow of Jesus. #CBR
JER16,3-v10 Astonishingly(maybe it shouldn't be) the people are oblivious to why they're being judged. They've done evil & won't listen.#CBR
JER16,4-v14 God's salvation is a repeat of the Exodus. The New Testament presents Jesus as bringing the ultimate New Exodus form sin. #CBR
JER17-God's promises and consequences are clear. The problem is that our hearts wander and want more than Him and His ways. #CBR
JER17,2-v11 Wealth earned thru unrighteousness is as bad as kidnapping. The means we take color the ends we achieve. #CBR
JER18-God is the potter, we are the clay. AT ANY TIME if we turn to Him, He'll forgive and restore us. But the people refuse to listen. #CBR
JER18,2-Rom 9 picks up this image of potter & clay: God will use even those who reject Him to accomplish His purposes. #CBR
JER19-Judah's fate if she doesn't turn back to God: shattered as a clay flask, never to be mended. Why? They refuse to hear His words. #CBR
JER20-A hard heart doesn't listen. Deeper hardness hates & makes suffer those who remind you of the truth. This is Jeremiah's plight. #CBR
JER20,2-Suffering Jeremiah wails 2 laments-1)He feels betrayed by God, 2)He wishes he were never born. #Honest&Real #Lifew/GodIsn'tEasy #CBR
JER21-Zedekiah treats God as a genie: Gimme what I want, but I do nothing to live as You want. When we do this, we act like we're God. #CBR
JER22-Word to leaders: do justice & righteousness, don't wrong the defenseless or shed innocent blood. v15f says this is knowing God! #CBR
JER23-Bad spiritual leadership: God HATES it. He's brokenhearted & AGAINST those who neglect His people. Makes this pastor tremble. #CBR
JER24-God turns judgment into loving discipline. He goes WITH His people into exile! He will bless & renew them, and bring them back. #CBR
JER25-After 23yrs of Jeremiah's warnings, God will use Babylon to judge the wickedness of all the land. Israel's exile will last 70yrs. #CBR
JER25-v15-29 Jesus is given a similar cup of God's wrath: not for His own sins, but for ours. He willingly drinks it to save us! #CBR
JER26-God is still willing to forgive. Jeremiah gets death threats for his preaching. The people side w/Jeremiah & save him from death. #CBR
JER27-God to all kings of the Land, "I've brought Babylon to conquer. Submit to them & live." Sounds like the Sadducees in Jesus' day. #CBR
JER28-False prophet: "God will return us from exile in 2 years!" Jeremiah: "I hope that's true!" God: "Not true. that prophet will die."#CBR
JER28,2-25:11 makes it clear the exile will last 70 years. False prophets preach for their own popularity and gain. Same at today. #CBR
JER29-How the church lives in a culture of opposition: seek the welfare of the city! See the good, celebrate it, promote flourishing! #CBR
JER30-God ensures His word is written down so we'd have His promise of renewal and restoration in all of our suffering. #CBR
JER30,2-v14 God punished His people as enemies because their sins were so flagrant. Sometimes suffering is the only way to be purged. #CBR
JER30,3-v21The coming king will be one of God's people. Jesus is both one of us AND God! He brings us back together. #CBR
JER31-God's restoration brings the guarantees of a new covenant: forgiveness for the past, renewed heart,& personal relationship w/God. #CBR
JER31,2-v31-34 New Covenant blessings are better! We'll want what God wants from our hearts. Thank You Jesus for better blessings! #CBR
JER31,3-v20 Even in judgment, God cares and will forgive the one who is sorry. #CBR
JER32-Jeremiah's actions guarantee that God will end the exile & bring His people back to the Promised Land. It's death & resurrection! #CBR
JER32,2-v16-19 Great summary of the character of God. #CBR
JER32,3-v20-25 Summary of the Old Testament from Exodus -> Jeremiah. Summaries show the main points as you read the Old Testament. #CBR
JER32,4-v26-35 This is the great evil that brings judgment against God's people. God is so patient, but these sins destroy His world. #CBR
JER32,6-v35 Sacrificing a child is a sign that someone is desperate and they don't have any idea what God wants. #CBR
JER32,5-v33 This is a temptation for all of us: to turn our backs to God instead of our faces. #CBR
JER33-Renewal will come through a king (v14-16) and a priest (v19-22). No coincidence that Jesus is both king and priest! #CBR
JER34-God is gracious to Zedekiah, but judgment comes because Israel goes back on their word to free the slaves of their people. #CBR
JER35-Why can't we listen to God? Usually because we listen to other voices w/other ways to be happy or find meaning: sex, career, etc. #CBR
JER36-The king cuts UP God's word & burns it because He doesn't want to listen. We cut OUT the parts we don't like & ignore them. #CBR
ER37-Jeremiah is falsely accused and imprisoned, but God saves him by a man who doesn't listen to God and gives him daily bread. #CBR
JER37,2-Are you suffering? Turn to God. Ask for help. He provides help from unlikely places. He will give you what you need for today. #CBR
JER38-Do you ever fear doing the right thing because of what people will think? God's power to provide for Jeremiah banishes this fear. #CBR
JER38,2-Jeremiah sinking in mud to die. God provided a mediator & turned the heart of the king who authorized Jeremiah's death. #CBR
JER39-Fear of criticism & pride kept the king from hearing God. If you struggle w/these, see God provide for Jeremiah & Ebed-Melech. #CBR
JER39,2-W/Jeremiah, Ebed-Melech, & Jesus: fear drove them closer to God. They faced fear w/faith. God protected & vindicated all 3. #CBR
JER40-In the midst of judgment, God vindicates Jeremiah THRU the leaders of Babylon! Jeremiah is given total freedom and blessing. #CBR
JER41-Gedeliah, Babylon-appointed governor over Judah, doesn't believe the warning & pays the ultimate price. Fear reigns in the land. #CBR
JER42-The people in chaos beg to know God's will. God tells them, "Stay. Don't flee to Egypt. If you stay: LIFE, if you flee: DEATH." #CBR
JER43-The people accuse Jeremiah of lying. "You're not from God. You want us destroyed." But their refusal to hear will destroy them. #CBR
JER43,2-Our stubbornness can harden us so that we won't listen--even if God or loved ones are trying to reach us. #CBR
JER44-1)Everyone else does this, so why do you blame me? 2)When I follow God, my life is worse. These 2 objections are addressed here. #CBR
JER44,2-To Judah who rebelliously fled to Egypt: God is not for you because you are against Him. Egypt will be overthrown as Jerusalem. #CBR
JER45-Why doesn't our life work as we want it to? In this chapter Baruch gets a direct answer to this question that we ask ourselves. #CBR
JER45,2-Sometimes our wants are out of step with what God is doing around us. This is why knowing God is the best goal for us to have. #CBR
JER46-When you're suffering & others aren't, will God ever make things right? Jeremiah's word to Egypt and Judah give one answer. #CBR
JER46,2-While God uses Babylon to conquer Egypt, He'll rescue His people. Judgment for His enemies & discipline for His children. #CBR
JER47-God will use Babylon to bring judgment on the Philistines.With infinite wisdom, God governs the rise and fall of nations. #CBR
JER48-Moab, Israel's enemy east of the Dead Sea, will be judged by God for the arrogance that leads to the destruction of society. #CBR
JER49-When details confuse, step back, see the big picture: God has a plan in the midst of chaotic world politics. AND He is good. #CBR
JER50-When good stuff happens to bad people, where is God? This chapter shows God has a plan. Justice will prevail. #CBR
JER51-Babylon was God's instrument judge the Land's injustice. But Babylon was also arrogance & unjust, so it too will be judged. #CBR
JER51,2-Chapters 50&51 do a good job answering Habakkuk's complaint.
JER52-Sometimes we aren't honest about the pain of life. Sometimes we aren't honest about the hope of Jesus. Jeremiah ends holding both.#CBR
JER52,2-King: wrecked, temple: plundered & burned, people: exiled. Then hope kindles w/king's restoration. God's future promises await. #CBR
