August 22, 2021
Pastor John Hering
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Jeremiah 17:5-8
5 This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord. 6 He will be like a juniper bush in the wasteland. He will not see good things when they come. He lives in a dry place in the wilderness, in a salty land where no one lives.
7 But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by water. It sends out its roots to the stream. It does not fear the heat when it comes. Its leaves will remain green. It is not concerned about a time of drought. It does not stop producing fruit.
I want to be secure. That doesn’t happen when you’re about to have supper and your house starts shaking from a major earthquake. You won’t be secure if the soldiers protecting you suddenly leave and you’re left to the attacks of the enemy. It doesn’t happen when “the guy from corporate” shows up at work and you know someone is going to get laid off. You’re not secure when the kids are screaming, you can’t get caught up doing household chores and a loved one is sick. Maybe you’ve felt insecure due to recent failure or rejection, lack of confidence due to social anxiety (interview, date, or being evaluated by others), or maybe your insecurity was driven by perfectionism—highest grades, best job, the perfect body, or most beautifully decorated house. Then gloom and doom sets it. The past haunts you and the future worries you. How does your brain handle all of this? Today in God’s Word we hear, “This is what the Lord says.” From the mouth of God himself we learn
Where To Look For Help
Look Out for a False Sense of Security
In Jeremiah 17 God knows that he is speaking through the prophet to people who may realize it or not—they are in need. So where do people who are in need go for help? There are big events in history that show where people look for help. In ancient China they wanted security from the barbarians so they built the Great Wall of China. It was so high and wide they thought no one could climb over it or break it down. After it was built they sat back to enjoy their new security. Do you know how long it lasted? During the first 100 years of the wall’s existence they were invaded three times! Do you know how the enemy did it? They didn’t climb over or break it down. They simply bribed a gate keeper and walked right in. The Chinese had a reasonable expectation for the wall to bring security, but it was compromised. In today’s lesson God is not talking to those, who in good faith, put their security in things that can be reasonably expected to provide help. It is reasonable to think that your brake pedal is going to help you stop your car. God isn’t upset with you for trusting your brakes. It’s okay for you to put your trust in your pay from work. You expect to get a check or a deposit into your account and if your check bounces or the deposit isn’t that on time, certainly you’re not to blame. However, sometimes a legitimate form of help and security malfunctions (i.e. solar security lights, or a car battery). God’s isn’t addressing this type of confidence in things that should reasonably help us. Today God thunders his angry frustration at those who know full well something cannot and should not be trusted to help us, but they do anyway. They trust in people and things MORE THAN God’s perfect promises that never fail.
God said, “5 This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh.” It is a sin to trust in human strength more than trusting in God’s strength. God says, “Cursed is anyone who trusts in ahdahm.” The Hebrew word you recognize as the name of the first person made from what—DIRT! Sin ruined it all so that when we die our bodies, which came from dirt, return to dirt as our bodies decompose. Until then we need to realize that we are corrupted, perishing and easily spoil. Those who deny this are living in a False Sense of Security! Do you want proof? We think we’re able to handle things we can’t. We do nasty things to others and ourselves to feel good and look good. And in case you missed the point God explains, “Cursed is anyone who … seeks his strength from basar’.” Flesh. The Bible uses this word to remind us how weak and sinful we are. St Paul describes the sinful flesh like this: “For the mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot” (Rom 8:7). So how dangerous is it to seek strength from the sinful flesh, or live in false security regarding the sinful flesh? “So put to death whatever is worldly in you: sexual immorality, uncleanness, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience” (Colossians 3:5-6). He says we must put the sinful flesh to death or it will kill us. And this is when we look for help!
Did you catch it? It is not your sinful actions or sinful flesh that curses us. For that is exactly why Jesus died on the cross—to eliminate the curse of sin and death. What curses us is the choice to TRUST—TO HAVE FALSE SECURITY in our humanity and our sinful flesh for it cannot help us that way God can and did! Jesus knows how prone we are to this temptation. Listen! “24 But woe to you who are rich, because you are receiving your comfort now (false sense of security in home improvements and fat bank account?). 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, because you will be hungry (false sense of security in a well stocked refrigerator?). Woe to you who laugh now, because you will be mourning and weeping (false sense of security in good friends and good times?). 26 Woe to you when all people speak well of you, (false sense of security in approval of others and a good reputation?).” (Luke 6). Choosing to place our security in these human, fleshy items is the problem. Jeremiah said, “Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh.” The irony here is that we admit that we are weak and we want security, power and strength, but when we seek this strength from human, sinful flesh it makes us more powerless and weak. Worse yet, “and who turns his heart away from the Lord. 6 He will be like a juniper bush in the wasteland. He will not see good things when they come. He lives in a dry place in the wilderness, in a salty land where no one lives.” I can’t paint a better picture for you than Jeremiah does. You get it. When we trust ourselves then we are putting our trust in that which does nothing. Therefore, Look Out For A False Sense of Security that turns our hearts away from the power, strength, love and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, let us Look For Help where we can rest secure! Yes,
Look Up For True Security
The Lord inspired Jeremiah to record the person to whom we can turn for True Security. “7 But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” Don’t you just want to have a sigh of relief when you hear this Word of God? We have learned so many times the failure of putting our confidence in what is human and fleshy. I know we are smart people and we wouldn’t say we put our confidence in these things, but how about using words like “comfortable, familiar, or even temporary pleasure seeking?” We want our life to be easy now, and it might be easy for a while, but give it time and human fleshy confidence will fade away. Rather, out confidence is in the Lord! St Paul teaches us, “20 In fact, as many promises as God has made, they have always been “Yes” in him. For that reason we also say “Amen” through him to the glory of God. 21 God is the one who makes both us and you to be strong in Christ” (2 Cor 1:20-21). Amen! Yes indeed! Go ahead, pump your fists in the air and stomp your feet at these confidence building words! We Look Up at Jesus Christ for our True Sense of Security! It all rests on God’s promises put into action through Christ’s work of living, dying and rising for you. Christ for you means you can have some confidence that you’ll be able to work things out in a relationship, but you have full confidence that in Christ “all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Christ for you means you can have some confidence that your career will be stable and your retirement will work out as planned, but you have full confidence that in Christ “My God will fully supply your every need, according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Christ for you means you can have some confidence when your head hits the pillow that you’re living in a safe community, the kids will stop screaming and you’ll be able to catch up on chores, doctors and medicines will make loved ones better, you can work for good grades, do the best job, the have a healthy body, or a beautifully decorated house, but you have full confidence in Christ to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified and do not be overwhelmed, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9).
And how does Jeremiah describe the person who has a sense of security in the Lord Jesus? “8 He will be like a tree planted by water. It sends out its roots to the stream. It does not fear the heat when it comes. Its leaves will remain green. It is not concerned about a time of drought. It does not stop producing fruit.” I can’t paint a better picture for you than Jeremiah does. You may have problems, but you have peace in Jesus—the Living Water. You may not get everything you want, but you choose to have contentment. You may not be totally satisfied with this human, fleshy life, but you have the source for help. You have Jesus. Therefore, trust in his promises. For Christ + anything = nothing. But, Christ + nothing = everything. It is Christ who fills the void in our hearts.
Will you? Really? Don’t listen to this sermon and then put all the weight of your life’s challenges back on your shoulders! Jesus does a much better job of carrying it all for you. I know, sometimes we do have to realize how weak we are in order to be drawn to the strength of Jesus. How strong is Jesus? Well, how many stars can you see? He sees them all. Can you grab a cloud by the tail? God puts each one exactly where he wants it. Can you depend on your strength for help? No, let us always Watch Out for a False Sense of Security and always place our trust in Jesus for True Security. Let us always take God’s promise to heart: “7 But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” Amen!
