DESTROYING HIS WORD

[SW466] 01/16/2021 message notes by

Pastor Susan J. Wynn

Destroying His Word

Text: Jeremiah 36:20-32

The Lord directed me to speak this because today, many — both inside and outside today’s church — are trying to destroy the Word of God by any means possible. They politicize it, weaponize it to inspire revolutions, twist it until it is unrecognizable, preach another Jesus (2Corinthians 11:4) — I could go on endlessly, for they are endlessly foolish and arrogant.

They are fools, for it is a fool’s errand to attempt to destroy the truth of the Word of God! His Word stands forever (Psalm 119:89) and will never pass away (Matthew 24:35). 

Many such fools —

— physically destroy Bibles or a scrolls

— attempt to destroy it by deleting or warping passages in order to make them fit their “narrative” and their selfish purposes

— banish, imprison or kill those who speak His truth. 

But the truth of His Word remains forever, O fools! The One who authored the Word can effortlessly speak it through another one of his Spirit-filled bondservants whom you have not yet banished, imprisoned or killed. 

Do you not know, even from a review of history? He cannot be silenced by man.

I will show you, through the actions of King Jehoiakim of Judah. The king of Babylon had already reduced Jehoiakim to being a mere puppet king of Judah — one who ruled according to Nebuchadnezzar’s orders. Yet he still thought he was greater than God.

The backstory for today’s passage

The LORD ordered Jeremiah to take a scroll and write on it all the LORD’s warnings which He had spoken through him to warn Judah. That would have been 22 years of prophecy, at that time.
 

So Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, wrote down all the words Jeremiah had spoken, on one scroll. It took over a year to write them all and ensure their accuracy. 

Then just according to Jeremiah’s command, Baruch read all the words of the scroll to all the people who were gathered for a feast that required attendance of all Jews. All the people heard of the LORD’s exhortations for Judah to repent and warnings of the consequences — Babylonian exile, or death by the sword, famine or disease. 

Some of King Jehoiakim’s officials heard Baruch, and took it to their fellow officials, and all of them became afraid. They urged Baruch and Jeremiah to hide themselves, for surely, their lives were in danger for speaking the truth.

With that backstory, I will show you Jeremiah 36:20-32 —  

Verses 20-21 —

So they went to the king in the court, but they had deposited the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and they reported all the words to the king. ²¹ Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it to the king as well as to all the officials who stood beside the king.

The officials did not want to give the scroll to the king, but they left in the chamber of a scribe — either the king’s scribe, or a scribe in the temple. But the king found out, and the scroll was brought and read to the king and all his officials who stood beside him.

Why did they not want to give the scroll to the king? I believe they knew what he would do, as you will soon see.

Verses 22-23 —

Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning in the brazier before him. ²³ When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier (hearth). 

The winter house was his warmest palace, and the brazier provided additional warmth to the king. The text was written in columns, as with all scrolls. Jehudi, a messenger, read a few columns, and then the king cut it with a scribes knife and threw it into the fire!

The king arrogantly destroyed the entire scroll. Why? He hated the words that were in it. They did not agree with the ear-pleasing lies of the false prophets — 

— The LORD will give you victory! We speak it, and so it will be done.

— Judah belongs to the LORD, so He will not send you into exile because you worship false gods! 

— He will not punish you for what you have done — even offering your live children to be burned in fires to them, and placing an idol in His temple!

Verses 24-26 —

Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments (a sign of repentance). ²⁵ Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. ²⁶ And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.

The king was arrogant. He did not repent. He thought that he was in charge! He was king, after all! So he did not have to listen to and obey the LORD’s words. He was king, so he had the power to destroy the LORD’s words. Well, he foolishly thought he did. 

Verses 27-28 —

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying, ²⁸ “Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned.”

The LORD then directed Jeremiah to take another scroll and again have Baruch write everything that had been on the first scroll that was burned by the king. The LORD does not stop speaking because someone burns a scroll or book containing His words. He simply speaks them again to His servants, and they write them and speak them and proclaim them again!

Verse 29 —

“And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the LORD, “You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will make man and beast to cease from it?’” 

AsKing Jehoiakim burned the scroll, he said, “Why have you written the truth on it?” Surely, because the LORD said it, Babylon would come and destroy the land and make it utterly devoid of life. Death awaited those who refused to obey the LORD’s command to go into exile and live. No living thing would be spared.

Verse 30 —

^“Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, “He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night.”

The king was killed during the final siege of Jerusalem. His dead body was not buried in the tombs of the kings of Judah. It was not buried, but was cast out into the open and rotted. It was a shameful end for a shameful king. 

His son ruled for just three months, as a puppet king who served at the whim of Babylon in Judah. Then he was captured and taken into exile. His uncle, Zedekiah, became the last puppet king. Ever since the day he was taken into exile, there have been no more kings of Judah. 

But there has always been a king over Judah who was not in the earth — the eternally existent God the Son. He was of the lineage of King David, when He walked the earth! And in the future, He will rule forever in the new heavens and new earth (Jeremiah 23:6, Revelation 20:21). 

He is king of Kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). The LORD declares it in His Word, and His Word is not only true, but the very embodiment of truth (Psalm 119:160, John 17:17).

Verse 31 — 

“I will also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the calamity that I have declared to them — but they did not listen.”

The LORD does not punish the innocent. He punishes those who refuse to listen to and heed His words. He punishes those who attempt to destroy His Word, like King Jehoiakim.

The king’s descendants and servants would also be punished for joining him in  worshiping false gods and performing the terrible acts to supposedly placate them and gain favor with them. They would all go into exile or die trying to escape.

Why does the LORD hate false gods and punish those who worship them? They are nothingness and emptiness, and those who worship them become like them (Psalm 115:4-8). Therefore, He punished His people who left Him to follow them.

He punishes those who refuse to listen to His exhortations to repent and His warnings of the consequences if they do not. He does not warn and exhort them just once, but in His great mercy, He exhorts and warns them again and again.

The purpose of His punishment is that those who say they are His but do as King Jehoiakim did would repent. He does not desire that any perish, but that all should come to repentance (2Peter 3:9). It is His mercy to offer the opportunity to repent. 

Verse 32 —

Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them. 

Just as the LORD commanded, Jeremiah dictated the LORD’s words to his scribe, Baruch. He dictated the words that were in the scroll that the king had burned. And the LORD also gave him many similar words. 

The king burned the first scroll to ashes, thinking he could erase the truth and continue to believe his own version of it, without fear of judgment. As I have said, only fools do such things.

Exhortation to those who destroy His Word

Who arrogantly attempts to destroy the Word of God today? How do they attempt to destroy it?

Those in positions of power in today’s unrepentant church attempt to destroy the Word of God. And their followers love their words!

How do they attempt to destroy it? I will give you just a few examples —

— They delete the words of the Bible that they do not like. I have watched them do it! They dislike the truth because it disagrees with their narrative. So they burn it in the fire of their desire to follow their truth instead of His. But His truth remains, despite their best efforts to delete it.

— They contradict what He says in the Word of God about sin, saying such things are not sin anymore. So those who love their words will eternally perish with them, for they believe that sin is no longer sin, in God’s eyes.

— Some quote from Proverbs 18:21, saying, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” and tell their eager listeners that they are able to speak things in and out of existence, as if they are God. But they never quote the rest of that verse, “And those who love it will eat its fruit.” So they and their followers will eat the lies they foolishly speak with their tongues! 

— Some use it as a political weapon to push their political agenda and stir people to rebel. It has been done in South America for years, and is called “liberation theology.” But such fools neglect to mention that Jesus Christ never spoke a word against nor did He rebel against the cruel, harsh, unfair Roman rule of His people, when He walked the earth. The freedom He promises is true freedom from that which enslaves all mankind — sin (John 8:31-36)!

If you continue in His word, you will know the truth by experiencing it, for you will obey Him and stay and wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit as He commands. And you will rejoice that His truth has set you completely free from slavery to sin, for when you are filled —

— He crucifies your sin nature which loved to sin,

— He purifies your heart, so sin is no longer in you and you no longer sin, and

— He permanently and fully indwells you with the Father and the Spirit, so His power and His truth is within you.

That is true freedom. But today’s foolish leaders, teachers and prophets will not teach it, even if they have read about it in the Word of God. Why? It disagrees with their narrative. So they foolishly choose to deceive themselves and you, O infant, with their lies. Thus they reveal that their father is Satan, the father of lies, says Jesus (John 8:44).

Therefore, turn from them! Turn to Jesus Christ’s Spirit-filled bondservants who speak the truth of the Word of God, and teach His words, and continue listening to them. 

If you continue in His Word that they speak, He says you will personally experience freedom from slavery to sin, no matter what social status you occupy. He equally welcomes everyone who will believe and stay and obey — every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:18)!

Lord Jesus, continue to give me words to speak boldly and bluntly (Ephesians 6:20) to today’s church that is filled with liars and those who love their lies. The purpose is that they would repent. Make it so, I pray. Amen.

JEREMIAH SESSION 24 — PUNISHED ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS

Text: Jeremiah 21:1-14

If I were going to give today’s teaching a title, it would be this — “Punished According to Their Deeds.” King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, rebelled greatly against the LORD. How ironic that Zedekiah’s name meant “YHWH is righteous!”  

Zedekiah was a puppet king, under the rule and control of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. But Babylon had not yet overrun Jerusalem. So, as Babylon warred against the city, the rebellious, unrighteous King Zedekiah brazenly sent two men to Jeremiah, to ask for a word from the LORD, in the hopes that He would save Jerusalem. But He would punish them according to their deeds.

O infants in Christ (1Corinthians 3:1) in today’s so-called church, the Lord will not save rebels! He will save repentant rebels — I know, because I was a rebel who repented! But if you do not repent, He will punish you according to your deeds. I will exhort  you at the end of the study of this chapter.

Note that King Zedekiah could not speak to the LORD himself, as King Hezekiah had done. King Hezekiah was faithful and obedient to the LORD (2Kings 18:5-6). The LORD will only speak directly to those who remain faithful and obedient to Him! 

Verses 1-2 —

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, ² “Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”

King Zedekiah sent Pashhur (not the priest from Chapter 20) and Zephaniah the priest to Jeremiah, with his request for Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD on Judah’s behalf. The sin of Judah and its kings caused a separation between them and their God (Isaiah 59:2), so they could not ask Him directly!

As I said in the introduction, Zedekiah’s actions are ironic! He and Judah hated Jeremiah’s words from the LORD, and persecuted him fiercely for speaking the LORD’s words to them. But now that they were about to be overrun, just as he had prophesied, they wanted him to give them a word from the LORD!

King Nebuchadnezzer was warring against Jerusalem. The next verses reveal that they were besieging Jerusalem, and were just outside the wall of the city!

Zedekiah thought that despite Judah’s and his continual rebellion against the LORD, He would work one of His great wonders and miraculously cause Babylon to withdraw from them! Again, how ironic! They would not have been in dire straits if they had repented during the 42 years that Jeremiah had exhorted and warned them!

Verses 3-4 —

Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: ⁴ ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to turn back (beseige) the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you (closing in on you) outside the wall; and I will gather them into (assemble them in) the center of this city.”

Note that the LORD did not call Zedekiah “king,” for he surely was not appointed by Him! Zedekiah wanted a word, so the LORD gave him one, through Jeremiah. But it was not what he wanted to hear. Just as Jeremiah had prophesied again and again, Zedekiah and all Jerusalem would be overrun by Babylon. They had rejected Him in favor of false gods, so He would reject them. It is His righteous judgment.

The LORD Himself would beseige Jerusalem’s weapons of war, rendering them useless against Babylon. Their attempts to war against the LORD Himself would fail! They had worshiped useless false gods, so their weapons will be useless against Babylon. It is His righteous judgment.

The king of Babylon and the Chaldeans (that is, the Babylonians) were closing in on Jerusalem, and were just outside the wall, though the siege ramps had not yet been set! The LORD would assemble them in the center of Jerusalem, for they would destroy its people. 

The LORD Himself would help Babylon succeed in overrunning Jerusalem, because all of Judah had chosen to refuse to repent, despite His many warnings of the consequences for them, if they refused. They rejected His warnings, so He will reject them. It is His righteous judgment.

Verses 5-6 —

 “I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty (violent) arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation. ⁶  I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence.” 

The LORD Himself will war against Jerusalem, with His outstretched hand of judgment and the arm of His exceeding power. He will do so in anger and wrath, for again and again, Judah has refused to repent! 

He would strike down the inhabitants of the city — both man and beast — with a plague that would kill many of them, and greatly weaken any survivors. Then Babylon would overrun them, because the survivors would have no more strength to attempt to resist them. They had chosen to sin, and thus had made themselves sick and weak. He would not heal them, for they had chosen to be sick and weak.  It is His righteous judgment.

Verse 7 —

“Then afterwards,” declares the LORD, “I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”

When Babylon entered the city, Zedekiah and his servants, and all the survivors of the plague would become captives, and die in captivity —

2Kings 25:7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.

Ezekiel 12:13 “I will also spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it (because he was blinded), though he will die there.”

They would be given over into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, into the hand of their foes, into the hand of those who wanted to kill them! Nebuchadnezzar’s army would kill them with the sword, and carry the rest of them into exile, where they would die. 

The LORD would have no compassion or pity for them. He would give them over to their enemies, for they had chosen to give themselves over to false gods and burn their children in fires, as sacrifices to them. 

He would reject them and disregard them, for they had chosen to reject Him and they had chosen to disregard all of His warnings which He had mercifully spoken through Jeremiah and others. It His righteous judgment.

Verses 8-9 —

“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to (presents themselves to) the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.” 

Just as in Deuteronomy 28, the LORD gave the people of Jerusalem two choices:

1. The way of death — If they tried to remain in the city, they would die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. Everyone who remained in the city would perish by one of these means.

2. The way of life — If they went out and surrendered to the Babylonians who were besieging them, they would live, even though they would be carried into captivity. They would escape with their lives, stark contrast to victors who help themselves to the treasures of the ones they defeat.

Verse 10 — 

“For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the LORD. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.”

All of Judah chose to set their faces against Him by rebelling against him, so the LORD has set His face against Jerusalem, not for good, but for harm. They would be given over into the hand of their enemy. It is His righteous judgment.

Verses 11-12 —

Then say to the household of the king of Judah, “Hear the word of the LORD, ¹²  O house of David,” thus says the LORD: “Administer justice every morning; 

and deliver the person who has been robbed (of the truth) from the power of his oppressor (those who defrauded them), that My wrath may not go forth like fire and burn with none to extinguish it, because of the evil of their deeds.”

To the house of David (the members of the royal house the LORD established in Jerusalem through King David), He once again extended the opportunity for them to repent and escape His wrath. 

All they needed to do was meet His righteous requirements:

— Administer justice (execute His divine law) every morning. From the moment they arose, they were to obey Him. That would require them to turn from their evil, and turn back to Him.

— Deliver those who have been robbed from the ones who defrauded them. That would require them to rescue those who had been defrauded by the false teachers, priests and prophets who had taught them to worship false gods. 

If they chose to repent and do these things, His wrath would not go forth to them, and entirely incinerate them. 

But if they chose to continue to rebel, His wrath would go forth as an unquenchable fire from which no one could rescue them. Why? Because of the wickedness of their idolatry — burning their children in the fire, performing perverse sexual acts to please false gods, and all the rest that He had described, through Jeremiah.

Verse 13 —

“Behold, I am against you, O valley dweller, O rocky plain,” declares the LORD, 

“You men who say, ‘Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our habitations?’”

He was against Zedekiah and all Jerusalem, because they foolishly assumed He would defend them against the Babylonians, though they chose to continue to rebel against Him! It is His righteous judgment.

Jerusalem was built upon a rocky plateau, and surrounded on three sides by valleys. So they were not valley dwellers. But I believe He called them valley dwellers because they spent much time in the valley of Benhinnom, offering their children in the fire to false gods. In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Feinberg interprets “valley dweller” as “enthroned above the valley.” That is also true of Jerusalem, for they were on a plateau above the valley.

Though they continued to rebel against the LORD and were therefore against the Lord, Judah chose to foolishly believe the city would be delivered, for He had delivered Jerusalem and Judah from the Assyrians, striking 185,000 of them dead in one night (2Kings 19:32-35). But that happened long ago, when Judah was under the rule of faithful King Hezekiah (2Kings 18:3-6)!

So they chose to foolishly believe that the city was therefore invincible and would be delivered, despite their unfaithfulness against the LORD. They chose to trust in the city instead of repenting and returning to Him. Therefore, He would deliver the city into Babylon’s hands. It is His righteous judgment.

Verse 14 —

“But I will punish you according to the results (fruit) of your deeds,” declares the LORD, “And I will kindle a fire in its forest that it may devour all its environs.” 

The LORD was not unrighteous in His punishment of them. He had again offered them the opportunity to repent, but they chose not to repent. 

So, He would punish them in keeping with what they had done — they had chosen to sin, and their sin had caused a separation between them and their God, just as He had warned 150 years earlier, as I have spoken from Isaiah 59:2 — “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God . . .”

Therefore, He would separate them from the land, and its forest — a reference to Jerusalem, because the temple and the king’s palace were built with cedar from the forests of Lebanon, per Feinberg. It is His righteous judgment.

The fire would devour the palace and the entire city. Just as Judah had chosen to let flames devour their children in sacrificial fires to false gods, Jerusalem would be completely devoured by the fires set by the Babylonian army, and burned to the ground. It is His righteous judgment.

Exhortation to today’s infants 

O infant, the Lord gives you a word through me, but it is not the word you want to hear! You want Him to deliver you, but you have chosen to continue to rebel and reject His words, so He will reject you. It is His righteous judgment.

O infant, you expect Him to rescue you from your attackers, but you have not remained faithful to Him. Instead, you worship another Jesus (2Corinthians 11:4) who does not offend you, a Jesus created out of man’s imagination. I know, because I created a Jesus out of my own imagination, when I was an infant in Christ.

O infant, the Lord will not miraculously rescue you from being besieged and overrun by Satan unless you repent. You would not be in dire straits if you had repented long ago, when the ones He sent to you exhorted you regarding your sin and warned you of the consequences of it! Therefore, repent now!

You would never do such a thing if you had obeyed Jesus Christ’s command to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). But you have disobeyed His command, thereby revealing that you do not love Him (John 14:24). As for me, I did not even know that He commanded me to be filled, though I would have known if I had chosen to read my Bible.

O infant, the Lord does not desire that any perish, but that all come to repentance (2Peter 3:9). Your sin has separated you from Him, just as mine separated me from Him. Unless you choose to repent, He will permanently separate you from Him. He will judge you in the day of judgment and sentence you to the fires of hell. It is His righteous judgment.

O infant, you ignore the words of those whom He sends to exhort and warn you, until you are in trouble. Then you ask them to give you a word of comfort and deliverance from Him! You cannot ask Him directly because your sin has caused a separation between you and Him. And He will not comfort and deliver you, because you have chosen to refuse His warnings! It is His righteous judgment.

O infant, you have chosen to worship the useless false god of self in so-called churches that teach a false Jesus that is the product of man’s imagination! So, your attempts to war against Jesus Christ Himself will be useless. It is His righteous judgment.

O infant, if you choose to set your face against Him by rebelling against Him, He will set His face against you, not for good, but for harm. You will be given over into the hand of Satan. It is His righteous judgment. Therefore, repent!

O infant, if you continue to choose to refuse to repent. Jesus Christ Himself will war against you! He will see to it that the enemy of your soul, Satan, will be in the midst of you. You have chosen to destroy your relationship with Him by believing in a false Jesus, so He will allow Satan to destroy you, unless you repent. It is His righteous judgment.

O infant who chooses to refuse to repent, your whole head is sick, and your whole heart is faint from the plague of sin (Isaiah 1:5), for you have chosen to rebel against the Lord. You have chosen to bring the Lord’s anger and wrath upon yourself, by refusing to repent. Therefore, you have chosen to be weak and sick, and to have no strength to resist Satan’s attack. It is His righteous judgment.

O infant, unless you repent, Jesus Christ will give you over to Satan, for you have given yourself over to another Jesus who does not offend you. He will have no compassion or pity towards you. 

Unless you repent, He will not save you from Satan’s attacks, but will reject and disregard you, for you have chosen to reject and disregard His Word and all of His warnings which He has mercifully spoken to you, through those He has sent to you. It is His righteous judgment.

O infant, the Lord gives you two choices:

1. If you continue to rebel, you will perish in hell.

2. But if you surrender yourself to Him, repent, and obey His command to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5), He will set you free from slavery to sin (John 8:31-36) and give you His eternal life within you, for the Father, the Son and the Spirit will permanently and fully indwell you (John 14:23). And you will have eternal life with Him, forever! 

O infant, you have chosen to believe the teaching of false leaders, teachers and prophets to worship the god of self — you worship you! You love their words are pleasing to your ears and do not make you uncomfortable about your poverty-stricken spiritual condition. 

But it is possible to escape His wrath. How? Repent!

If you choose to repent turn from your evil and back to the real Jesus, and obey His command to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you will continually obey Him in all things! And you will surely rescue your fellow infants who have been robbed by the false ones who have defrauded them just as they had defrauded you.

But if you choose to continue to rebel, you will experience His wrath. And when you stand before Him in the day of judgment, He will judge you and sentence you to hell, where the fire is never quenched (Mark 9:43-47). It is His righteous judgment.

O infant, if you have chosen to disobey His command to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you reveal that you do not love Him. Therefore, you are like those in Judah who trusted in Jerusalem and in the temple. You trust in the words you spoke at an altar, saying Jesus is your Lord, when you continue to rebel against Him. 

Your rebellion reveals that He is not your Lord — you are your own “lord,” just as I was my own “lord” when I was an infant. So if you choose to continue to rebel against Him, He will be against you! It is His righteous judgment! Therefore, repent!

Lord Jesus, may many infants see themselves in this word, be appalled at their spiritual condition, and repent and obey your command to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let it be so, I pray. Amen.

THE LORD BRINGS THE SWORD

[SW465] 01/09/2021 message notes by

Pastor Susan J. Wynn

The Lord Brings the Sword

Text: Ezekiel 33:1-20

The Lord took me to today’s scripture and showed me that He has already brought His first sword upon today’s church. Just as Judah was exiled from His presence and enslaved in Babylon, many in today’s church are exiled from His presence and are enslaved by sin because they have not obeyed His command to stay and wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit ( Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5).

So, just as with Judah, He is bringing another sword. He instructed me to tell you this —

Do not cry out to authorities, saying, “We are being treated unfairly by the authorities.” Cry out in repentance to Him. He has exiled you from His presence, and lifted His favor from you. 

Why? Because you have abandoned Him and worship another Jesus that is not Jesus at all (2Corinthians 11:4), and have disobeyed His command to be filled.

He knows that you will say that His way is not right. You will say that He should not bring the sword upon you. But it is your way that is not right! You sin and do not repent when He sends His bondservants to warn you. That is why He will bring yet another sword — He will judge and sentence you, in the last day. 

Like Ezekiel, I am called to blow the trumpet, to warn you that if you continue to sin and do not repent, you will forfeit your salvation. But there is still time to repent. If you repent and obey Him today, He will set you completely free from the power of sin (John 8:31-36).

It does not give Him pleasure to do it. It does not give me pleasure to warn you. But I must! If I do not warn you, I also will face His judgment.

Background for Ezekiel 33 

The LORD’s prophet, Ezekiel, went into exile in Babylon with the rest of Judah. He was not there because he had sinned, but because the LORD had commissioned him to warn and exhort the exiled Jews that the LORD was bringing yet another sword upon them. 

He had already brought His first sword upon them, because they had refused to repent at the words of His prophets whom He sent to them again and again (Jeremiah 25:3, 26:5, 29:19, 35:14-15, 44:4). So He had judged them. He allowed Babylon to destroy the land, kill many of them, capture the rest, and carry them into exile. 

But He commanded Ezekiel to warn them of a second sword. This sword would come upon them individually, if they continued to refuse to repent.

It is the same for many infants in Christ (1Corinthians 3:1) in today’s exiled church. They have experienced the first sword — exile from His presence — but He will bring upon them a second sword. I will show it to you, from Ezekiel 33:1-20.

Verses 1-3 —

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, “If I (the LORD) bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, ³ and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people . . .”

The LORD brings the sword! His people had made themselves His enemy by refusing to repent! So He brought His first sword upon them, by way of  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, His servant (Jeremiah 25:9) whom He chose to bring His sword upon His own rebellious people.

The LORD’s prophets were His watchmen. He sent them to His people again and again, to blow the trumpet — that is, to exhort them to repent and warn them of the sword He was about to bring upon them. But as He said to them eight times through His prophet, Jeremiah, they did not listen.

Verses 4-5 — 

The LORD continued, saying —

“. . . then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life.” 

Because they did  not listen and repent, He brought His sword upon them. Many perished because they had sinned and then disobeyed His command to endure His first sword by surrendering to Babylon. They did not save their lives because they did not repent. They were responsible for their own deaths. Why? Because His watchmen had warned them, again and again, and they had refused to repent.

Verse 6 —

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.”

But the watchman who failed to warn His people would also die. “His blood I will require” means that the watchman who did not blow the trumpet and warn the people would die, per Verse 9. 

Many of today’s churches are led by false ones who present themselves as watchmen, but do not blow the trumpet and warn sinning infants to repent. They teach another Jesus, and they and their followers mock the warnings of His bondservants whom He sends to them again and again. These false ones will perish forever because they have not blown the trumpet and warned their followers of the second sword the Lord is bringing to the church.

Verse 7 —

“Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me.” 

As I have said, Ezekiel was in exile with the rest of Judah, appointed as a watchman over the members of all 12 tribes of Israel who dwelled in Judah in those days. He has also appointed His Spirit-filled bondservants as watchmen.

We have the same assignment as Ezekiel. We hear a message from the LORD’s mouth and give today’s infants warning from Him. What warning do we give?

Verses 8-9 — 

“When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. ⁹ “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.”

Again, His people had already experienced His first sword — exile from His presence. Ezekiel was commissioned to warn His people of the second sword He was about to bring — eternal perishing. 

If Ezekiel did not warn them, he would be held responsible, and the LORD would ensure that he would eternally perish, too. It is the same today. But today’s Spirit-filled bondservants always warn sinning infants to repent and obey the Lord, and tell them that if they do not, they will eternally perish.

Verse 10 —

“Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions (rebellion) and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive (live)?”’

Upon hearing such things, the exiles would say the same thing infants in the exiled church say. “Lord, we cannot help but sin! We are already rotting away in our sin because You have exiled us!”

Today’s infants say to the LORD, “How can we live? We cannot help but rebel and sin! How can You do this to us? We have been listening to liars whose words we love. They say that You understand that we cannot help but sin, and that You will save us even though we continue to rebel.”

Verse 11 —

“Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’”

The LORD replied to them, and replies to sinning infants in the exiled church. He swears by the truth that He is a living God! He is the only living God! All other gods are false and nothingness and emptiness, including the god of self that is worshiped by those who follow the “Me Gospel” preached by liars in the exiled church. 

He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone. He does not desire that any should perish forever, but that all come to repentance (2Peter 3:9). His desire is that you turn from your wicked ways and live. 

So through Ezekiel in that day, He warned His people to return to Him. If they did not, they would eternally perish. All they had to do was repent from their hearts (Jeremiah 29:13-14)  and obey Him, and they would be returned to the land after 70 years in exile.

And through those He sends to you today, He exhorts you to turn back! I exhort you to turn, to repent, and to obey His command to be filled with the Spirit, so your sin nature is crucified and your heart is purified (Galatians 5:24, Acts 15:9). Then you will no longer rebel against Him. You will be instantly and permanently removed from your exile, O infant, if you simply obey His command to be filled!

He has the permanent cure for your sin-sick heart! So He asks, “Why do you die?” 

Verse 12 —  

“And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, ‘The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’”

I speak directly to the infants in the exiled church. Jesus Christ says that only He can make you righteous and keep you that way when you obey His command to be filled with the Holy Spirit! 

You believed and were saved from God’s wrath and reconciled to God through His cross. He said, “You will live!” He made you right before God. But then you continued to sin. So He says you are no longer right before Him.

If you turn from your sin and obey His command to be filled, you will not stumble (fall, sin). Why? Sin will no longer be in you.

But if you trust that you are righteous even though you continue to sin after being saved, you will not live. You will perish, for you have forfeited your salvation.

Verse 13 —

“When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity (evil), none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die.” 

You trusted in that one act — believing into Him — and then rebelled and sinned. Then you said, “Nevertheless, I am still saved! Once saved, always saved!” But you have chosen to do evil. 

Therefore, you have cancelled out the righteous deed you did — that is, believing into Him. He will no longer remember it. All of your outward works mean nothing to Him. He completely knows your heart and judges it (Hebrews 4:12-13). 

So He says you will not be delivered — you will not be saved. You will not have eternal life. You cannot claim that you are still righteous if you continue to sin. You will die in your sin, and be judged by Him.

Verses 14-16 —

“But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, ¹⁵ if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ¹⁶ “None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live.”

I was wicked. I did not know that I would die if I did not repent, for no preacher ever spoke it to me. But by the grace of God, He gave me a desire to turn away from my sin and experience His permanent cure for my sin-sick heart. 

When I learned that I could know Him intimately, I sought Him with all my heart for seven months. I waited and stayed and cried out to Him every day, until He filled me. Then my heart was forever cured of its sin-sickness. He and the Father and the Spirit fully indwell me (John 14:23), so now all that I now do is just and right in His eyes. 

Therefore, I will not perish. He will not remember or charge me for the sin I committed after I was saved, for I obeyed His command to be filled. He says that I surely have eternal life, because He has made me just and right, on the inside. He will do the same for anyone who does as I have done!

Verse 17-19 —

“Yet your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. ¹⁸ “When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it. ¹⁹ “But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them.” 

When Ezekiel warned the LORD’s people, they judged the LORD, saying He was wrong. And today, many in the church judge the Lord, telling Him that His way is not right. 

But it is foolish to accuse Him and judge Him. You say you do not deserve the second sword that He will bring. But it is your own way that is not right. You turned away and committed evil. You continued to rebel and sin. So you will perish in your sin. You have chosen to forfeit your salvation, unless you repent and obey Him.

The Word of God judges you today —

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Verse 20 —

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.” 

Yet many of you will again accuse Him of not being righteous. You will judge Him. So He will bring the second sword upon you. He will judge you according to your sin and rebellion, as I have shown you. And He will sentence you to hell.

Therefore, repent! Do not continue to sin! Do not say, “I don’t need that!” He commands you to do it. It is not optional. Obey His command and be filled, and your sin-sick heart will be permanently cured so you no longer sin! 

Lord Jesus, I know that You have the cure for today’s rebellious infants, for you worked it in me. I have blown the trumpet and warned the infants. Let their hearts be pricked by the words You have given me, I pray. Amen.

JEREMIAH SESSION 23 — PERSECUTION AND ACCUSATION

Text: Jeremiah 20:1-18

If I were going to give today’s teaching a title, it would be this — “Persecution and Accusation.” Jeremiah is not persecuted by the unbelieving world, but by his own people! In this case, he is persecuted by one who was appointed as a priest of God, but had become an apostate idolater who taught Judah to follow false gods. 

It is the same in today’s so-called church. In this week’s teaching, the Lord has directed me to exhort you as I teach this chapter, rather than at the end of this teaching. I asked the Lord to show me how to exhort infants in Christ (1Corinthians 3:1) from this chapter of Jeremiah. He said to my heart, “There are many Pashhurs and Jeremiahs among the infants in today’s church.”

So once again, with direct persecution from an apostate priest named Pashhur, Jeremiah again presents his situation to the LORD. Once again, He accuses the LORD of deceiving him. He confesses that he has been so desperate for relief that he considered no longer speaking for the LORD. I am perplexed! These things would never enter my heart, nor do I see such thoughts in the hearts of other Old Testament prophets. 

The LORD quickly rebukes Jeremiah by showing him that it is impossible for him stop prophesying. So Jeremiah concludes that that his persecution is a test, for the LORD tests the righteous. He knows Jeremiah’s heart is not right. The test is to show Jeremiah his own heart, and indeed, the test does just that! 

Verses 1-2 —

When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, ² Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the LORD. 

Pashhur’s name means “liberation.” He was a chief officer in the house of the LORD, one who performed priestly duties and one to whom other priests reported. And he had added false prophecy to his priestly duties. There are many like him in today’s so-called church.

When Pashhur heard the words the LORD gave Jeremiah to speak, he had Jeremiah beaten. Then Pashhur put him in the stocks, outdoors, for public ridicule, at the upper Benjamin Gate. Jeremiah’s feet were locked in place just above his ankles, so he was unable to seek shelter, unable to turn, and unable to rise. 

Today, many infants in Christ (1Corinthians 3:1) mock and persecute the LORD’s prophets, and attempt to bind them in a web of lies.

How ironic! The one whose name means “liberation” imprisons Jeremiah and subjects him to public shaming. How ironic, for Pashhur is the one who deserves punishment, and should be publicly shamed for his rebellion against the LORD! And how ironic, that those who claim to be free in Christ attempt to bind those who speak for Him! 

Why did Pashhur punish Jeremiah? He hated the words the LORD gave Jeremiah, because they were contrary to all of the false words that he was teaching and prophesying. So the LORD will judge Pashhur. He will experience the wrath of God, for he has suppressed the truth from the LORD’s people (Romans 1:18)! 

Today, many infants in Christ who are false teachers hate those who speak the words of the Lord, because the Lord’s words contradict their lies. They will experience the wrath of God because they attempt to suppress His truth by persecuting those who speak it.

Verses 3-4 —

On the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, Pashhur is not the name the LORD has called you, but rather Magor-missabib (Terror on Every Side). ⁴ For thus says the LORD, “Behold, I am going to make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will give over all Judah to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away as exiles to Babylon and will slay them with the sword.” 

When Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks the next day, the LORD spoke to him through Jeremiah. Though Pashhur’s name meant “liberation,” the LORD does not call him that name. Instead, He calls him “Terror on Every Side.” He gives Pashhur that name not because of his persecution of Jeremiah, but because Pashhur will experience terror on every side, when the LORD judges him. He has terrorized Jeremiah, so he will be terrorized. It is His righteous judgment.

The LORD said He will make Pashhur a terror (a frightening sight) to himself and to all his friends who prophesied falsely with him, and who loved his words! While Pashhur watched,  all of his friends would be brutally killed by the Babylonians. And all of Judah would either be slain by their swords or taken into captivity. NOTE: Pashhur will go into captivity, per Verse 6.

Pashhur and all who have chosen to follow him and rebel against the LORD will become an offensive sight — corpses that have been slain by the sword, or captives who are stripped and marched into captivity in chains — for they have offended Him with their rebellion toward Him. It is His righteous judgment. 

Verse 5 — 

^“I will also give over all the wealth of this city, all its produce and all its costly things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away and bring them to Babylon.”

The LORD will give over all the wealth of the city of Jerusalem and its kings, including all of the articles in the temple (2Kings 24:13), to Babylon. The Babylonians will carry all of it to Babylon, and burn the temple and the city to the ground, leaving it in ruins. 

For these reasons, the LORD will give everything over to Judah’s enemies — 

— They have chosen to reject Him, so He will reject them. It is His righteous judgment. It is the same in today’s church. To reject those He sends is to reject Him.

— They have chosen to give themselves over to strange gods, so He will give them over to Babylon, so they will be slaves to strangers in a strange land, and die there. It is His righteous judgment. It is the same in today’s church, except that the god they worship is the strange god of self. They worship themselves.  Unless they repent, He will judge them in the day of judgment, and sentence them to a strange land, indeed — hell.

— They have chosen to burn their children to death in fires to false gods, so He will see to it that all of Jerusalem is burned to the ground by the Babylonians. It is His righteous judgment. It is the same in today’s church, for they teach their children lies, the children believe them, and grow up to be like them, and will be judged, unless they repent. Thus, they kill their children.

— They have chosen to trust in and rely upon the temple as their deliverer (Jeremiah 7:4), instead of repenting and then trusting Him to deliver them. So He will see to it that the temple is destroyed.It is His righteous judgment.

Today’s infants rely on man’s ways, man’s wisdom, and the world system that defies God to deliver them from harm. The Lord will destroy such things, and destroy them, unless they repent.

Verse 6 —

“And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied.”

Pashhur, along with his family, and his servants, and all of his friends who loved to hear his false prophecies will go into captivity. They will enter Babylon, and will die there and be buried there. The captivity lasted 70 years, so his entire generation will die out in captivity. Their bodies will buried in the strange, unclean ground of idolatrous Babylon, and not in their native land.

Because Pashhur has chosen to reject the LORD, and has chosen to teach Judah to do the same, the LORD will reject him and those who love his false words. It is His righteous judgment.  It will be the same for all who teach falsely in today’s church.

Because Pashhur has chosen to become a captive of and become enslaved by strange gods and has chosen to teach Judah to do the same, the LORD will see to it that he and those who love his false words will go into Babylonian captivity and be enslaved to strangers in a strange land. It is His righteous judgment. False teachers in today’s church will not be exempt from hell, for they lead many infants down the broad path to it (Matthew 7:13).

Because Pashhur has chosen to dishonor the LORD with his lies, and thus kill his relationship with the LORD, and has chosen to teach Judah to do the same,the LORD will see to it that he and those who love his false words will die in Babylon and be dishonorably buried in that unclean land. It is His righteous judgment. Today’s false teachers have chosen to dishonor the Lord with their lies, and they teach their infant followers to do the same. So the Lord will publicly dishonor them, and they will perish in hell.

Verses 7-8 — 

Though the LORD just told Jeremiah what would happen to those who persecuted him, he still complains to the LORD. And once again, he accuses Him of deceiving him —

O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed (You are stronger than me and have overpowered me). I have become a laughingstock (I am derided/jeered at) all day long; everyone mocks me. ⁸ For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, because for me the word of the LORD has resulted in reproach and derision all day long.

Again, Jeremiah accuses the LORD of deceiving him. He accuses the LORD of overpowering him because He is stronger than Jeremiah. He accuses him just as he did in Jeremiah 15:18. But the LORD did not deceive him! 

But why does Jeremiah once again (see 15:18) accuse the LORD of deceit? None of the Old Testament prophets but Jeremiah accused the LORD in this way! None of the commentators has a sufficient answer! My only explanation, therefore, is that Babylon’s attack is imminent, so the LORD continues to use Jeremiah as His prophet and does not remove him from being His spokesman (Jeremiah 15:9).

How do I know that Babylon’s attack is imminent? Because in the rest of the Book of Jeremiah, the Babylonian invasion occurs —

— Chapter 21 of Jeremiah jumps ahead to the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. He was a puppet king, the last of three puppet kings (2 Kings 24:17) who were controlled by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

— Then the Book of Jeremiah jumps back to the reign of Jehoiakim, who served Nebuchadnezzar (2Kings 24:1) for three years, then rebelled. When he rebelled, Babylon attacked Judah. Jehoiakim died eleven years into his reign, before the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem ended.

— Then the Book of Jeremiah jumps to Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son, who served Nebuchadnezzar for a brief, 3-month reign as puppet king of Judah, before being carried into captivity. 

— Then the Book of Jeremiah returns to the reign of Zedekiah, Jehoiachin’s uncle (2Kings 24:17), the last puppet king of Judah.

Do you see it? From Chapter 21 onward, Judah is under constant attack by Babylon. So, the invasion was indeed imminent.

From the beginning, the LORD has warned Jeremiah that Judah would reject and refuse to hear the words the LORD gave him to speak, that they would try to kill him, and that He would deliver him from them —

Jeremiah 1:8 “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 1:19 “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.

Yet Jeremiah complains to the LORD! He tells the LORD  that he has become a laughingstock, ridiculed and mocked by the people of Judah. But the LORD already knows! He does not need to tell Him. Of course the LORD sees his persecution!

And the LORD already knows Judah has chosen to refuse to believe the words Jeremiah speaks. Why? They love their sin, and have chosen to believe that the LORD will not judge them for it. Therefore, they have foolishly chosen to refuse to believe that violence and destruction will come upon them. It is the same among today’s infants in Christ (1Corinthians 3:1) in today’s so-called church.

Because they have chosen to refuse to believe they will be destroyed, and have thus rejected the LORD’s truth, He will reject them. It is His righteous judgment. He will do the same with today’s infants in Christ in today’s so-called church who refuse to believe that they will be judged and destroyed for they have rejected His truth, thus rejecting Him.

Because they have chosen to continually scoff at and rebuke Jeremiah for faithfully exhorting and warning them with the words of the LORD, He will make them subjects of scoffing and derision by the whole world, when they see Judah judged by Him. It is the LORD’s righteous judgment. He will do the same with today’s infants in the so-called church, for they scoff at and rebuke those He sends to them.

Verse 9 —

But if I say, “I will not remember (speak of) Him or speak anymore in His name,” then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure. 

Jeremiah confesses to the LORD that he has attempted to stop speaking of Him and stop speaking His words. Why do I believe he attempted to stop? Because he did not want to endure further persecution. 

But when Jeremiah tried to stop, he recounts that the LORD made His words “be in his heart like a burning fire, like a fire shut up in his bones.” I believe Jeremiah felt physical pain and burning because he attempted to disobey the LORD by no longer speaking. After the Lord inflicted pain upon him, Jeremiah became weary of holding it (the LORD’s words) within himself. He could no longer hold back from speaking. 

Again, I do not believe any Old Testament prophets of the LORD except Jonah and Jeremiah attempted to stop speaking the LORD’s words! Jonah tried to escape from the LORD because he did not want to warn Nineveh’s people to repent. They were cruel enemies of Judah. But Jeremiah was different from Jonah! He tried not to speak so he could avoid persecution. But the LORD would not allow Jonah to escape the command of the LORD to warn Nineveh, nor would He allow Jeremiah to continue to refuse to speak His words!

I cannot imagine it! As with every Spirit-filled one whom He sends to today’s infants, I have and will always boldly and bluntly speak all that the LORD gives me, as I am required to do (Ephesians 6:20), and will not leave out a word, regardless of the consequences to me!

Verse 10 —

For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!” All my trusted friends, watching for my fall, say: 

“Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him and take our revenge on him.”

Again, Jeremiah complains about what the LORD already knows and sees. His own people whisper against him, saying, “Terrorize him! Denounce him!” 

Even his trusted friends are waiting for him to fall, and attempt to deceive him smooth words so they can overwhelm him and kill him. But again, the LORD has promised Jeremiah that He would rescue him from them.

Verses 11-12 —

Jeremiah continues —

But the LORD is with me like a dread champion (powerful warrior); therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, with an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten. ¹² Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous, who see the mind and the heart; let me see Your vengeance on them; for to You I have set forth my cause.

For a moment, it appears that Jeremiah understands. The LORD is with him — a powerful Warrior. His persecutors will fall and will not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed by their failure to kill him, and will be unforgettably, everlastingly disgraced by their failure. It will be the same for infants who persecute those He sends to today’s church.

Jeremiah says the LORD tests the righteous. He sees the mind and heart of Jeremiah, and knows that Jeremiah still sees Him as a deceiver who will not save him. So the LORD shows his heart to him! But does Jeremiah repent for accusing the LORD of being deceptive? I do not see evidence of it. 

But as I have said, my conclusion is that the LORD continues to use him as His prophet, because Babylon’s invasion is imminent. I see no other reason why He would continue to speak through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah does not repent. Instead, he prays for the LORD to let him see the vengeance that the LORD will take against them. He wants to see his enemies get what they deserve! He tells the LORD he has presented his cause (his plea) to Him. 

Jeremiah will see many in Judah killed by the sword, but he will be spared by the LORD. He will see many go into exile, but he will not go into exile, for the LORD is faithful, despite Jeremiah’s accusation that He is not.

Verse 13 —

Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD! For He has delivered the soul of the needy one from the hand of evildoers.

After asking the LORD to let him see the vengeance the LORD will take on them, Jeremiah praises the LORD. He sees that the LORD will deliver him — the needy, destitute one — from the hand of those who plot to kill him and who rebel against the LORD.

Verses 14-15 —

Yet with all that he has said, Jeremiah then lapses into self-pity —

Cursed be the day when I was born; let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!¹⁵  Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, 

“A baby boy has been born to you!” and made him very happy.

Cursed be the day he was born? Cursed be the one who brought the news to his father, who was a priest of God? Jeremiah was chosen by the LORD to be His spokesman.

Of course he has been and will yet be persecuted! I know of no other Old Testament prophet who cursed the day they were born so they would not undergo persecution! I tell you the truth, I have never had such a thought in my heart! I expect it (John 15:20) and welcome it with rejoicing, just as the Spirit-filled Twelve did —

Acts 5:40   They took his advice (the Sanhedrin took Gamaliel’s advice); and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. ⁴¹ So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Verses 16-18 —

But let that man (who brought the news of a baby boy) be like the cities which the LORD overthrew without relenting, and let him hear an outcry in the morning and a shout of alarm at noon; ¹⁷ Because he did not kill me before birth, so that my mother would have been my grave, and her womb ever pregnant. ¹⁸ Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble (wickedness) and sorrow (affliction, i.e., punishment), so that my days have been spent in shame?

Now Jeremiah curses the man who brought the news of his birth to his father. May he be overthrown without relenting, and may he hear the outcries and shouts of alarm, as Babylon attacks Jerusalem! He should have killed Jeremiah while he was in his mother’s womb, Jeremiah says! Why was he ever born? He looks upon nothing but trouble and sorrow, and spends his days being shamed and mocked and persecuted by his own people!

May it never be that I would wish I had not been born, for my Father in heaven ordained it! Though I was 42 years old before I came to faith in Christ, and was 45 when I was filled and was appointed by Him to be a spokesperson for Him, these have been the most wonder-full days of my life! I am in Him, and He is in me, and the words I speak are life to those who receive them! 

He has made me able to stand in the midst of persecution, steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD (1Corinthians 15:58)! I do not boast in myself, but in what He has done, within me! Amen, Lord!

Final exhortation to today’s church

O infants! It is obvious by your actions that you have disobeyed the Lord’s command to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Your disobedience reveals that you do not love Him (John 14:24)! 

Therefore, repent, or He will do with you as He did with Pashhur and all of Judah. Repent, or He will say, “I do not know you,” when you stand before Him in the day of judgment. Repent, or He will sentence you to hell. It is His righteous judgment.

Lord Jesus, may many infants — from denominational headquarters to the pews —  hear and repent for their rebellion and then obey You. Let it be so, I pray. Amen

HIS WONDER-FULL ACTS

[SW464] 01/02/2021 message notes by

Pastor Susan J. Wynn

His Wonder-full Acts

Text: Psalm 107:4-38, etc.

NOTE: My notes are abbreviated because of a problem I am having with my right hand. If you follow this Bible study on my blog (fromdeathtolife.worpress.com), please click on the youtube link on the right of the screen to watch rather than read. 

As I said last week, the Lord has instructed me to encourage the remnant — that is, His called-out, Spirit-filled bondservants. Through my encouragement, I know that the consciences of infants in Christ (1Corinthians 3:1) who are not yet His remnant will be pricked. It is a good thing, for when my conscience was pricked, I repented from my heart and sought Him with all that is in me!

The phrase “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders (wonder-full acts) to the sons (literally, children) of men” is repeated four times in Psalm 107. So, I will give thanks in this message, and will tell of the wonder-full acts He has done in me. It will surely encourage the remnant, just as it always encourages me when I hear others give thanks for what he has done in them!

Psalm 107

Verses 4-9 — 

— I was brought up in a church, and received Jesus as my Savior as a child.

But then I left the church and disbelieved Him. It is the same for many who are still infants. Others remain churchgoers.

— I wandered in a desert of my own making, because of my unbelief. I worshiped what the world worships. It is the same for all who are still infants.

— I was lost in my desert, and could not find my way to Him. It is the same for you, if you are yet an infant.

— I realized something was missing in my life, and knew it was God! So I went to church, and joined. I had been saved as a child, but confessed Jesus in order to become a member. But I believed in a Jesus that I fashioned from my own imagination. It is the same for all infants.

— A new pastor was appointed, one who spoke constantly of Romans 12:1, and exhorted the infants in the pews to obey Christ’s command to lay down their lives and take up His. Many were offended and angry, but my heart was pricked!

— It is the best thing that ever happened to me! There was much more of God than I knew! I wanted to know the real Jesus and the real Father intimately, like in The God Chasers, which the pastor gave to the church board members! 

— So I cried out, from April 2001 to November 1, 2001, at about 2 p.m. Along the way, Jesus healed me of severe, progressive MS, as I have already testified.

— I was hungry and thirsty for righteousness (Matthew 5:6)! Jesus says you are supremely blessed if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, for you will be filled (Matthew 5:6)! And on November 1, 2001, He filled me with the Holy Spirit!

— He delivered me! In a moment of time, I had the intimate relationship with God the Father and God the Son that I had sought after with all my heart. I entered onto the Highway of Holiness (Isaiah 35:8), and His heavenly city entered me!

Therefore, I continually overflow with thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonder-full acts to even such a one as me! 

He filled me with His living water, so I no longer thirst (John 7:37-39). And He overfilled my hungry soul with what is good — Him!

Since then, I cannot speaking about what I have seen and heard (Acts 4:20)!

Verses 10-16 —

— Before Jesus Christ set me free, I was behind bars, a prisoner of sin and dwelling in darkness, even though I had been saved. It is the same for all infants.

— The shadow of death was still upon me, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). My sin nature remained alive and well, so I sinned. Those who sin are slaves to sin, Jesus says, and will not enter His kingdom (John 8:34-35). It is the same for all infants.

— So, though I was saved, I was both imprisoned and in chains, because of my sin. It is the same for all infants.

— But then I cried out, just as I have testified! What did He do?

—  He filled me with the Holy Spirit, crucified my sin nature and purified my heart, so sin no longer dwells in me (Galatians 5:24, Acts 15:9)! I am set completely free from slavery to sin, just as He promises (John 8:36)!

Therefore, I continually overflow with thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonder-full acts to even such a one as me! He brought me out of darkness and into His marvelous light, out of prison and chains! He shattered gates that no human can shatter, and cut my prison bars to pieces!

Verses 17-22 —

— I was a fool who rebelled against Him, so I was afflicted. Because of the severity of my progressive MS, I was near the gates of death.

— But Jesus Christ saved me from my own destructions, healing me and filling me! 

Therefore, I continually overflow with thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonder-full acts to even such a one as me! I offered Him the ultimate sacrifice of thanksgiving — Romans 12:1. My heart is full of thanksgiving and I tell of His works with joyful singing — the songs of others, and the songs He has given me!

Verses 23-32 —

I have seen the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep, in me, and in those to whom I minister.

— On the night He healed me, I was in the midst of a storm and feared I would die. I was sinking in a sea of doubt, like Peter in Matthew 14:30-31!

— My soul melted in my misery. My heart and mind reeled and staggered. I was at my wit’s end. Where was my faith?

— Then, like Peter, I reached up to Jesus Christ, and cried out, “Help me!” The waves and the sea suddenly went calm. He stirred me greatly, I got up and went to the living room, opened my Bible and began reading.

— He immediately took me to safety (John 6:21). I was completely healed by Him, in a moment of time.

— Two months later, He took me to my ultimate desired haven! I cried out, and He filled me to overflowing! 

Therefore, I continually overflow with thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonder-full acts to even such a one as me! So I extol Him, I lift my praise to Him in the congregation and wherever I go, and I praise Him before those who are my overseers! And they rejoice with me!

Exhortation to today’s infants in Christ (1Corinthians 3:1) 

Psalm 107:33-38

Verses 33-34 —

If you are like I was — an infant in Christ — you are a wilderness instead a river, a desert instead of a spring of living water, a salt waste instead of a source of His divine fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). As it was with me, you are these things because of your sin.

But if you will repent and obey His command to stay and wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5), He will do as He promises inVerses 35-38!

Verses 35-38 —

— You will no longer be a wilderness or a salt waste, for He will send you to wash your born-blind eyes in the pool of Siloam/Sent (John 9:7).

— You will no longer be a desert, for He will then fill you to overflowing with His living water (John 7:37-39)!

— Then the hungry will come to you and want to dwell where you dwell, in the heavenly city of God!

— You will sow and plant the Word of God wherever you go (Matthew 13:18 and forward).

— You will harvest the fruitful fields that are white and ripe for harvest (John 4:35).

— The Lord will spiritually bless you and spiritually prosper you. 

— You will hear Him say, “Well done!” in the day of judgment (Matthew 25:21, 23).

— And you will continually overflow with thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonder-full acts to even such a one as you!

Therefore, repent, just as I did, and obey His command to stay and wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5). But if you choose not to repent, you will forfeit your salvation. So you will be judged and sentenced by Jesus Christ, in the last day, and thrown into hell (Matthew 25:30). 

Lord Jesus, this is the testimony of Your work, so You are praised and honored, and so the world will know that the Father sent You. Send this forth in Your power so it encourages and convicts. Let it be so, I pray. Amen.