Broken Promises

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 11

 

Jeremiah 11:7-8

“For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice. ⁸ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart. Therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did not.”

(ESV)

 

Hatred, violence, and uncertainty find reconciliation in the Gospel message of love (Romans 8:28-29), peace (Philippians 4:6-7), and assurance of eternity with Christ (John 3:14-15).  For this reconciliation to occur the Church must have a missional focus on sharing the Gospel message of love, peace, and assurance with boldness and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  For this to occur, God’s people must repent of their Laodicean self-centeredness of believing they are rich, prosperous, and in need of nothing (Revelation 3:17) and reach out to a chaotic world by lifting up Christ who will draw all men into him (John 12:30-33).  God’s people and His Church must repent of its broken promise to reach out to the world with the message of the Gospel and return to its missional focus. 

 

In Jeremiah 11, the Lord points out to Judah their broken covenant with him by reminding them of,

 

1)      The benefits of God’s covenant with Judah (Jeremiah 11:1-5) – The people of Israel which included Judah were promised peace and prosperity in their land provided if they lived obediently to the commands of the Lord and did not worship other gods (Deuteronomy 28:1-14).  In Jeremiah 11:1-5, The Lord is reminding Judah of what they could have had if they would have worshipped God instead of setting up altars to Baal.

2)      The consequences of disobedience (Jeremiah 11:6-17) – Instead of choosing to enjoy the benefits of obedience to God, Israel and Judah have decided to worship other gods and will suffer the consequences of this disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-69).  Jeremiah refers to Judah’s broken covenant with the Lord and provides details of a coming disaster, an attack on the cities of Judah and Jerusalem with the gods they have chosen to worship unable to help.  God is about to show Judah the futility and ineptness of the gods they have chosen to worship (Jeremiah 11:11-13). 

3)      Their unrepentant response (Jeremiah 11:18-23) – At hearing the word from the Lord delivered by Jeremiah, Judah has a chance to repent, but instead they choose to attack the messenger (Jeremiah 11:18-19).  This unrepentant response means Judah will incur the consequences of their disobedience with God protecting Jeremiah and punishing those threatening his life (Jeremiah 11:21-23). 

 

Broken promises have dire consequences in relationships and stand as a barrier to thriving relationships.  God chose the nation of Israel and delivered them from the iron furnace of slavery in Egypt, promising them that they would be His people and He would be their God (Jeremiah 11:4).  God showed His commitment to them by

1)      Providing manna from heaven to feed them as they wandered in the wilderness (Exodus 16).

2)      Providing water from a rock (Exodus 17).

3)      Preservation of their clothing (Deuteronomy 8:4).

4)      Provision of needs (Deuteronomy 28:1-6).

5)      Protection and the defeat of enemies (Deuteronomy 8:7-10).

Unfortunately, the nation of Israel had decided not to obey the Lord their God and now sits on the precipice of expulsion from the Promised Land and exile in a foreign land (Jeremiah 11:9-17).  Israel has broken its promise made to God at Mount Saini (Exodus 19:7-8).  While God was gracious to Israel and did not completely destroy them, but their broken promise has consequences which will include expulsion from the land and a time of exile. 

 

Even though the Church functions under a covenant of grace, it has a clear mission to spread the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).  The early Church, although persecuted, turned its world upside down by spreading the message of Jesus Christ (Acts 17:6).  In contrast, many churches today more resemble the Church in Laodicea that said it was rich, prosperous, and in need of nothing not realizing they had become wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, having lost sight of its mission (Revelation 3:14-22).  The year 2020 should have shown God’s people the need to return to the mission of the Church and begin spreading the Gospel to a world in Chaos and make disciples who will further spread the life-saving message of the Gospel to a world in need.  The Church can no longer say it is rich, prosperous, and in need of nothing (Revelation 3:17) and must return to dependence on God as it lifts up Jesus to a world in need (John 12:32). 

 

God’s promise of salvation for humanity is not an unconditional promise but conditional on one choosing to believe (John 3:16).  The good news is the work has been done by Jesus on the cross (Ephesians 2:8).  We show our belief by making a public profession of belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10).  If you have never made a public profession of faith in Jesus as your savior, I invite you to pray with me now,

 

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.

 

I encourage those that just prayed to share their decision with someone, especially if there is a family member or friend that has been praying for you.  I also encourage you to find a local Church teaching the Bible.  May God bless everyone reading this post.