Stand firm: in the words God gives through his servants

“In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, the following word
came from the Lord.

2 This is what the Lord says. Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house, and speak to
people from the cities and towns of Judah who have come to worship at the House of the
Lord. Tell them everything I have commanded you to tell them. Do not hold back a single
word. 3 Maybe they will listen, and everyone will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent
and not bring about the disaster that I was planning because of the evil things they have
done.

4 You are also to say this to him.

This is what the Lord says. If you will not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set
before you, 5 and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I
have sent to you again and again (but you have not listened), 6 then I will make this house
like Shiloh, and I will make the name of this city a curse word for all the nations of the earth.”
Jeremiah 26:1-6

1. The words God gives through his servants are direct.

“The following word came from the Lord. This is what the Lord says…” Have you ever thought,

wow, that person is blunt. Or, that person really needs to say what they mean and stop beating

around the bush! God has a way of always being direct and caring. That’s his only way.

There was no other way to get through to his people than directness. They were not listening to him.
They were not following his law, which he engraved on stone tablets for them and taught them from
little on. They were not listening to his prophets. So, the Lord would communicate in the clearest way
possible...direct action. Jerusalem would fall.

And God does the same to the fortresses of our hearts. If we are building the city of Aaron or the city
of whatever your name is, he will find a way to make it fall so that he can rebuild the city of God there.
Rather than being dictator of our own city and having the pressure of being our own God and
having all the big answers to life’s big questions, God rules in this new city. God has the answers
the life’s big questions. We became a part of this larger city, a vital part, but not the hub. God is the
hub that makes it all run.

2. The words God gives through his servants are thorough.

“Tell them everything I have commanded you to tell them. Do not hold back a single word.”

Now, this is not an excuse for sermons that get too long and lose your attention. But there is a

strong case to make our teaching time with each other thorough, which can be done with meaty

sermons and Bible studies that leave you full and make you want to return for another meal from

God. This means that our teaching is more than “Jesus loves me this I know, that is all I need to

know.” We have a full library in our office that helps you dive into all sorts of topics, like

Christ-centered recovery to porn addiction or how the Christian deals with aging or chronic illness.

There is a book for just about every topic now and if it’s not there, ask one of your pastors.

This is why we invest in our Bible study leaders. The more full they are with God’s Word and how

to apply it to modern challenges, the closer to Christ we will all be through these bewildering times.

3. The words God gives through his servants hold out real hope.

“Maybe they will listen, and everyone will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not

bring about the disaster that I was planning because of the evil things they have done.”

God’s ultimatum is simple. Listen and turn from your evil way. Evil happens whenever we twist

something. We are professionals at taking good things God has made..sex, money, work,

communication, influence over others..and using them in ways God never intended.

Evil happens when we twist good things to gratify ourselves. “Turn from evil,”

God says to the people at Jeremiah’s time. Simple. Or was it? “Turn from evil,” God says to you and

me. Simple? Or is it?

We are typically not professionals at using the things God made in the ways God intended them.
It is so hard for us much of the time to think of anything else but gratifying our own selfish interests.
We try to turn, but are drawn like a magnet to gratify self. It’s like trying to turn away from that
bucket of Halloween candy...just one more piece. Just one more…God teaches us here and often
through the words he gives through his servants not to find hope within ourselves. We look within
and find a predictable pattern...evil, evil, evil.

God turns us to another Word, away from the word of self, the word of man. He turns us to the
Word of Hope, Jesus. He had it all, the city of God. No evil. How much more gratifying could it get?
But he didn’t have us. God had to punish us, did he not? God had to send the disaster he has told
us about throughout history, did he not? Evil and God do not mix. Evil people cannot live with a
good God. The true God must deal with evil or he is not powerful and his words mean nothing.
And so he did. Jesus did more than show us how to avoid evil and use the good gifts of God the
way God intended. Jesus avoided the evil we do not want to do, but keep on doing. Jesus did the
good we want to do, but do not do. Jesus listened to every Word of God...he lived in direct
communion with God so we could be brought back into direct communion with God. He so
thoroughly knew God’s Word because he was and IS the Word of God. We know God better
by knowing Jesus better. 

Jesus gave real hope from his cross, a hope outside of ourselves. God did not relent as
Jesus hung there. Jesus was held accountable for every evil thing you and I and the evil
human race has ever said and done and thought. Jesus’ beautiful name was cursed so our
names could be beautiful in God’s sight once again. Jesus’ life became an utter disaster so
our lives could be rebuilt in the city of God. God has relented from punishing you. He will not
send the disaster on you and me that we should have expected. Your name is cleared in
God’s book. God holds your name right up next to Jesus’ name! You couldn’t get a higher
place than he’s now given you! Stand firm in these direct, thorough, hope-filled words God
gives through his servant!

So, as I tell the people in our new member classes, is this what God says or is this what
Aaron says? YOU check it out. Let God’s direct, thorough, hope-filled Word live in you.
Be the servant who listens to God’s Word. Be the servant through whom God speaks his Word. Amen.