Sin, Treachery, and Repentance

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 8:4-17

 

Jeremiah 8:16

I have paid attention and listened,
    but they have not spoken rightly;
no man relents of his evil,
    saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turns to his own course,
    like a horse plunging headlong into battle.

(ESV)

 

As the celebration of Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday approaches, we should take a moment to thank God for His grace.  When Adam and Eve sinned, God could have evicted them from the Garden and never had anything to do with them again but instead made the promise of a future Savior (Genesis 3:15).  While humanity could have received God’s judgment, God extended humanity His grace, manifested in Jesus Christ (John 1:14) who conquered death (Romans 6:9) giving those that choose to believe in Him eternal life (John 3:16).  I encourage everyone reading this to take time during the celebration of Resurrection Sunday to thank God for His grace. 

 

Judah has chosen to live in sin and treachery that has become detestable with the offering of their children as sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:31).  The sin and treachery of Judah has caused God to,

 

1)      Grieve (Jeremiah 8:4-5) – God is grieved in His heart because instead of getting up after a fall or turning back after going away from God, Judah has chosen to continue in their sin and backsliding from God.  In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), the typical focus is on the younger son who walked away from his father's house, wasting away his inheritance (Luke 15:11-13).  However, the father was equally grieved at the older son who refused to be part of the celebration of the younger son's return (Luke 15:25-32).  Similarly, the people of Judah have grieved God with their sin and treachery but unlike the younger prodigal son who returned from his sin, they continue with their sinful practices.  To make matters worse, they believe God’s grace means they will not suffer any repercussions for their duplicitous living (Jeremiah 7:8-10). 

2)      Extend grace (Jeremiah 8:6-7) – Even in a perpetual state of backsliding against God, God listens to what they say, waiting to hear words of repentance from the treachery of their sin but God only hears their intention to continue in their sin (Jeremiah 8:6).  This is an extension of God’s grace toward His people but instead of repentance, God sees his people continue their course of sin and treachery.  While we should be thankful for God’s grace, to continue in sin after receiving leniency through the grace of God is an abuse of God’s grace.  God’s grace is not something to use as an excuse to sin but rather something to be thankful for as we strive to live in holiness (Romans 6:1-11). 

3)      Grudgingly judge Judah’s sin and treachery (Jeremiah 8:8-17) – God, who knows the hearts of His people realizes there is no possibility of repentance due to the stubbornness of the hearts of the people of Judah.  As the father of the Prodigal Son, God is about to turn the people of Judah over to the consequences of their sin.  Like the younger prodigal son who came to repentance after finding himself slopping pigs, the people of Judah will come to repentance after 70 years in Babylonian exile (Ezra 1).  God is a God of love but must use tough love like the father of the prodigal sons, allowing them to suffer for a time until they realize they need to repent and turn to God. 

 

The people of Judah have grieved God with their detestable practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:30-31) and want to continue living in their sin and treachery against God (Jeremiah 8:6).  Yet God continues to show them grace, waiting to hear His people repent of their sin (Jeremiah 8:6) at which time God would graciously forgive their sins and accept them back (2 Chronicles 7:14).  God was right in saying they do not know the rules of the Lord (Jeremiah 8:7), but it is possible they knew these rules in the head but failed to adopt them in their hearts, making them a way of life.  This failure to adopt God’s word in their hearts has led to leading a duplicitous life of believing they have peace with God through their vast knowledge of the Word of God and yet lack wisdom by failing to adopt God’s law as a way of life (Jeremiah 8:9,11).  This leaves God with no choice but to grudgingly pass judgment upon the people of Judah in accordance with Deuteronomy 28:15-68, bringing them to repentance and restoration. 

 

Many Churches today are like the Laodicean Church, lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, causing the Lord to spit them out of his mouth (Revelation 3:15-16).  While mega Churches with large facilities and many attending services both in-person and online may appear hot, the message is cold for it is absent any mention of sin and the need to repent of that sin.  Leaders in the early Church like Peter and John would boldly speak out (Acts 3:11-26) and declare the Gospel even when told to stop (Acts 4:16-21).  So effective was the early church at spreading the Gospel, the world saw them as a transformative force in the world (Acts 17:6).  The Church in our times must repent of presenting a watered-down feel-good message designed to increase attendance and contributions and get back to the presentation of the life-changing message of the Gospel for that is its godly mission (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). 

 

In obedience to this mission, I invite anyone reading this who has not accepted the gift of grace offered by God through the death, burial, and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ, to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God bless everyone reading this post, especially those who just prayed and are beginning their walk in newness of life through belief in Jesus as their Lord.  I encourage everyone that just prayed to find a Church teaching the Bible so they can associate with other believers and learn from God’s word what it means to serve their new Lord, Jesus Christ.