The Imminence of Judgment

Transcript

GR 448
6/13/1982
The Imminence of Judgment
Jeremiah 4:1-18
Gil Rugh

In chapter 3, Jeremiah gave a strong invitation for Israel to return to God. And God is willing to welcome them back unreservedly to the fullness of blessing that He has always intended for them as His people. The only thing He demands is that they acknowledge their sinfulness and put their faith in Him. But they are unwilling to admit their sinfulness, to acknowledge their need of the forgiveness and salvation of Jehovah. That demonstrates the stubbornness, pride and rebellion of the sinful human heart.

Chapter 4 opens with the idea of turning to Jehovah and what God expects of a people who will turn to Him. That is followed by a strong presentation of the imminent judgment of God upon the people. They are precariously hanging on the brink of a devastating judgment. Even at this point in time, God holds out to them the offer of salvation, forgiveness and cleansing. But they are unwilling to face the reality of their sin and place their faith in God.

“‘If you will return, O Israel,’ declares the LORD, ‘then you should return to Me’” Jeremiah 4:1. They must turn to the right place. There are many people who under stress turn to religion. But God is not asking Israel to turn to religion. He is asking that they return to Him. And that is the key. Israel has been willing to go from one god to another like some people today go from one thing to another. They are always looking for the solution, and for a while they are exuberant about their newest finding. Israel is like that. They find a new god and that is the one to whom they turn. But God said they must turn to Him.

When there is a turning to God, there must be a turning from sin. That is the idea in the next phrase in verse 1, “Put away your detested things from My presence.” That concept is often lost even today. Keep in mind that this is still the God of grace speaking in the Book of Jeremiah just as in the New Testament. He offers salvation to sinners as a free gift based upon His grace. All that is necessary is that the people place their faith in Him alone as their Savior and believe what He has revealed about Himself. But when there is true saving faith, that entails turning from sin to God. It is not an option for Israel to say, “Yes, I will turn to God, but at the same time I will hold on to my detestable things.” If that is your attitude, it is an indication that you have not really turned to God.
God said, “If you will put away your detested things from My presence,” referring to their other objects of worship, the things that have consumed them and become the objects of their affection and devotion, “and will not waver, and you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; then the nations will bless themselves in Him” verses 1-2. The conditions God establishes are to turn to the Lord, to put away their detestable things, to not waver and to swear, “As the LORD lives.” Swearing by Jehovah involves a recognition of Him as God and a reliance upon His power. It means taking an oath on Him and on the basis of who He is.

In Deuteronomy 6:13 we see a contrast in the oaths that are taken. “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.” The context includes fearing the Lord, worshiping Him and taking an oath by His name. We recognize no other gods and take our oath by Him. Verse 14 continues with the contrast. “You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you.” The people of God are not to recognize any other gods. They are to swear only by the name of Jehovah, to recognize only Him and His power as the power behind the oath. This has something to say to believers today about the gods of materialism and other things.

If the people will do as God says, “Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory” Jeremiah 4:2. The result of Israel turning to God will be blessing to the nations, which is another way of speaking of the blessing of Israel. God always intended, and He still intends, that His people--those called by His name--be those on earth who manifest His glory and character with the result that others are drawn to Him. And because of this revelation of the glory and character of God in His people, other peoples on the earth are caused to bless God and worship Him. This was God’s intention for Israel. God is promising the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” Genesis 12:3. God reiterates His covenant with Abraham upon which is founded all of God’s dealings with Israel in Genesis 22:18. “And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Note that all the nations shall be blessed. God is promising to Israel the full realization of the provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant including the provision of the Messiah to rule and reign over the earth. This has not been happening so far with Israel.

God’s intention is that through His people all nations of the earth shall bless themselves and bring glory to God. But the prophet Ezekiel wrote, “When they came to the nations where they went,” referring to Israel being scattered to various nations, “they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.’ But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went. Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst”’” Ezekiel 36:20-23. Rather than Israel being a cause of the nations’ blessing and bringing glory to God, Israel has been profaning God among the nations. Rather than drawing the people to God, they have been driving them away from God.

In Romans 2 the Apostle Paul quotes from this passage in Ezekiel 36 and from Isaiah 52. “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU” (Romans 2:24). What Paul says is true of the Jews down to his day. Rather than the Jews being a cause of blessing and drawing the people to God for glory, they have caused the people to blaspheme. What a testimony that the exact opposite of God’s intention is happening in His people. He intends them to be a vehicle to draw others to Himself that they might glorify Him, and yet His people become an occasion for blasphemy, for profaning the name of Jehovah.

That is still true today. There is no more powerful instrument in the hand of the devil than one who professes to be a child of God and yet indulges in the sin of the world. It results in the name of Jesus Christ being profaned. That ought to say something to us about our walk and testimony as believers. We read where God says He will not tolerate His name being profaned because of them. Yet some of those who profess to belong to Christ indulge in sinful pursuits of the world. If you have ever tried to talk to someone who has been exposed to that kind of testimony, you know what the result has been.

Two analogies are presented in Jeremiah 4:3 and 4. The first is in verse 3, “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.’” Fallow ground is earth that has not yet been tilled or broken. This is a field that is untouched. It has been taken over by thorns and wild growth. It needs to be plowed to make it suitable for sowing the seed. God is addressing those who profess to belong to Him and saying that their hearts are unfit to receive the Word of God. Their hearts need to be plowed and tilled to make them open and receptive to His Word. They are now overgrown with weeds and thorns.

This problem is dealt with by other prophets also. Hosea said, “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you” Hosea 10:12. This emphasizes the need to prepare their hearts to be receptive to the Word of God.

Jesus picked up on this theme in Matthew 13 in the parable of the different soils. The various kinds of soil show that different conditions of the heart affect how the Word of God is received. In the parable, the sower went out to sow seeds which fell on different kinds of ground. Verse 7 says, “And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.” The explanation is in verse 22, “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” Jesus is building on that which was founded in the Old Testament, the need to have a heart that has been tilled and plowed, made fertile for the planting of the Word of God. It is important to note that it is not adequate to be exposed to the Word of God. The heart must be receptive to the Word. You can have the same sower sowing the same seed, but it is unproductive on much of the ground. The problem is not with the sower nor with the seed. The problem is with the ground that has not been tilled.

The application speaks of our heart condition. The deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this life strangle the Word of God and make it unfruitful. The people of Israel were the people on earth to whom the revelation of God had been committed. God now addresses them saying they have hearts that cannot receive the Word. The Word of God is not fruitful in their lives. That ought to say something to us as well. How many today profess to be believers, hear the Word of God again and again, but the Word is not fruitful in their lives. It is choked and strangled.

Jeremiah’s second analogy in chapter 4 is in verse 4, “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.” Circumcision was to be a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham, the physical mark of that relationship between God and His people. The external rite of circumcision was to be indicative of a spiritual relationship. As a religious rite but apart from the spiritual relationship, the physical act was repulsive to God just as all physical acts of worship or religion are repulsive to Him apart from the true, spiritual relationship with Him. When He tells them, “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart,” He is not talking about physical circumcision but spiritual circumcision.

In Genesis 17:10 and 11, the rite of circumcision is prescribed by God to Israel. “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you; every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.” This is speaking of the physical act. In Deuteronomy 10:16 God speaks of spiritual circumcision. “Circumcise then your heart and stiffen your neck no more.” Contained within the Law itself was the instruction regarding the circumcision of the heart. So God intended that physical circumcision be a manifestation of spiritual circumcision, a physical sign or indication of the changed heart and removal of sin which these people were to have experienced.

We know how physical rites degenerate. We have baptism today, an external, physical rite testifying to the reality of spiritual baptism. Multitudes of people have come to trust their eternal salvation to going through the physical rite of baptism. That is the same thing Israel has done with circumcision.

God is talking about spiritual circumcision when He talks about the circumcision of the heart in Ezekiel 11:19 and 20, “And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.” He is talking about regeneration, being made a new creature. Paul said, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature” 2 Corinthians 5:17. That is what the circumcision of the heart is.

Jeremiah says they are to circumcise themselves. How are they to do that? By turning to God from their sin and believing in Him. That is how that transaction occurs. Israel had come to the point that they thought it occurred because they went through certain physical activities. But those physical activities were to be a result of having placed their faith in God and having experienced salvation. This meant they should have already received a new heart and undergone spiritual circumcision. Physical circumcision was only a picture of that.

This idea is picked up in the New Testament by Paul in Romans 2:25. “For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.” So, a circumcised person can be like one who is uncircumcised. In the minds of many Jews, their salvation depended upon circumcision. For many people today, you can say their baptism is like not being baptized. Baptism or circumcision is irrelevant without the right spiritual relationship.

Paul continues to talk about the pros and cons of circumcision in verses 28 and 29 of Romans chapter 2, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” The letter refers to the Law; the Spirit refers to the work of God in grace. The basic issue is not following the dictates of the Law in physical circumcision, but rather undergoing that spiritual transformation of the heart that brings one into a right relationship with God. Only the one who has undergone the spiritual transformation is a true Jew. Paul is talking about two kinds of physical descendants of Abraham. There are those who had only a physical tie, and there are those who had the physical tie plus the spiritual tie. They are not only related to Abraham physically, but they also had the faith of Abraham. They are the true people of God. There were always unbelievers among the descendants of Abraham, but those who had true faith in the God of Abraham were his true, spiritual descendants.

Look in Colossians 2 at another passage that discusses this. “For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:9-12). God’s plan for salvation is the same, Old and New Testament alike. What God is demanding of Israel through the ministry of Jeremiah is what He demands through the ministry of the Apostle Paul writing to the Colossians. He is saying that we who have believed in Christ and have been identified with Him by faith in His death, burial and resurrection have undergone a spiritual circumcision, the removal of the body of the flesh. That is the old me. It has been cut off, done away with. I have been made a new person, a new creature.

God is constantly demanding a right spiritual relationship with Himself. He also demands that that right spiritual relationship manifest itself in a proper walk of obedience to Him. There seems to be a constant desire for people to ignore the right spiritual relationship and to put all of their emphasis on the walk. There was a place for physical circumcision for those who had a spiritual relationship with God. But the people tended to ignore the spiritual relationship and went on with the physical activity. It is the same today. People pick up the physical rites--going to church, giving money, being confirmed, being baptized, going through rituals and rites--and ignore the spiritual relationship. How can a person have a circumcised heart, a heart that is plowed and fertile for the Word of God? By faith in what God has revealed concerning Jesus Christ.

People today have a better opportunity than the Jews had because we are studying Jeremiah 2500 years later. Would you not think that after an additional 2500 years we would have gotten the point much better than the Jews ever did? One thing you would think we would not be confused on is the place of external, physical activity versus a proper spiritual relationship with God. Yet that is where all the confusion is today. The vast majority of the people who live in this city who give any thought at all to the matter are trusting their eternal salvation and their relationship with God to certain physical things. God says that has never been the way it is. He could not speak any more harshly and strongly against it than He does in the Book of Jeremiah. Part of the problem is that people have ignored what God says and go on to do what they want to do. That is the same pattern the Jews followed.

God has told Israel they are to break up their fallow ground and circumcise themselves. If they do not, He gives the consequences: “Lest My wrath go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.” Jeremiah 4:4. There is an alternative. They can either get into a right relationship with God, or He will consume them with judgment. Is anybody walking in a neutral area? No. God says we are one or the other.

Multitudes of people today think they are neutral. Where in the world do, they get such foolishness? Is it any wonder then in verse 22 God says they are stupid? Today we say that would not be a nice thing to say, but God calls them “stupid children.” He says there is no middle ground. A person who has not broken up the fallow ground of his heart, one who has not circumcised his heart before the Lord, is coming under the burning fire of the judgment of God.

God goes on to describe judgment that is ready to break forth at any moment. For Israel, this is the Babylonians who are ready to descend as God’s vehicle of judgment at any moment.

One of our number went home to be with the Lord this week. That quick! He was one who was ready for death whenever it would occur. When he sat here last week and listened to me preach, he did not know that this Sunday he would be in the presence of the Lord. The unbeliever who does not have a right relationship with God is just one heartbeat away from the fiery, eternal judgment of God. None of us knows whether we will be here next week or not. If you are a believer, you can live with expectation knowing that if your death occurs this week, you will be in the presence of God in glory. The unbeliever has no assurance of being here next week either. But he walks on the brink of imminent judgment. If he dies without placing his faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he will be the object of the burning wrath of God for all eternity.

Today it is even more vividly portrayed for us than it was for Israel. Yet we ignore it because we do not want to hear it. Israel did not want to hear about judgment. Do you know what Israel did? They persecuted the prophets who talked about judgment. Do you know what people do today? They do not want to hear anybody preach hell and brimstone! Oh no, I do not go to church to be depressed! Well, believe in Jesus Christ. It does not depress me to preach about hell from that standpoint. It has its effect, and we are going to see that in Jeremiah’s life. But we can be prepared just as God invites Judah to be.

Warnings of coming destruction are given in Jeremiah 4:5,6, “Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, ‘Blow the trumpet in the land; cry aloud and say, “Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.” Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek refuge, do not stand still, for I am bringing evil from the north, and great destruction.’”

God uses several analogies of this destruction through this section. The first one is in Jeremiah 4:7, “A lion has gone up from his thicket.” In other words, he has gone out on the hunt. Peter picks up this analogy, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8.

That picture in Jeremiah describes the Babylonians coming out of the thicket. They are moving now to bring judgment upon this people. “And a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins without inhabitant. For this, put on sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned back from us.” Jeremiah 4:7-8. It is time to lament and wail, but the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back. Why? Because the people have not turned to Him. The only thing that can remove the eternal animosity of God against the sinner is for that sinner to believe in the gracious salvation that God has provided. Israel has rejected that.

The response of the leaders is given in Jeremiah 4:9, “‘And it shall come about in that day,’ declares the LORD, ‘that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled, and the prophets will be astounded’” The prophets, princes and priests--all of them--have been defiant and rebellious.

b. God Accused of Deception

In verse 10 God is pictured as having deceived Israel. “Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Surely, Thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, “You will have peace”; whereas a sword touches the throat.’”

First Interpretation

The message of the false prophets was constantly a message of peace. In Jeremiah 14:13 the prophet writes, “But, ‘Ah, Lord God!’ I said, ‘Look, the prophets are telling them, “You will not see the sword, nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.”’” The false prophets stated this concept frequently as in 6:14 and 8:11, “Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.” God works in mysterious ways. He will often take those who are opposed to Him and use them to accomplish His purposes.

An example of this is in 1 Kings 22. God is ready to destroy Ahab, a godless king in Israel. Ahab did not want to hear what God had to say. But at the insistence of his officers, Ahab called a prophet of God called Micaiah. But Ahab complained saying, “I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” 1 Kings 22:8. When Micaiah completed his prophecy, the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
v. 18. Did he want to hear what God had to say or did he not? No, he did not. Does not that sound like some people today? They want to go to church and be rebellious, but they do not want to hear about the judgment of God, His hatred of sin or their need of personal faith in the finished work of Christ.

But in spite of what Ahab wanted Micaiah to say, note the prophet’s message, “And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. And the LORD said, “Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, “I will entice Him.” And the LORD said to him, “How?” And he said, “I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” Then He said, “You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.” Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.’” 1 Kings 22:19-23.

So, what did God do? He took a sinful man, Ahab, who wanted to hear a message from a prophet but did not want to hear God’s message. So, God sent a deceiving spirit. This may explain why in the Book of Job we find Satan presenting himself among the angels before the throne of God. But here a deceiving spirit is given instructions from God to go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of lying prophets to people who want to hear lies.

That may be the interpretation of Jeremiah 4:10. In summary, God is behind it all. The people would not listen to anything else. God sent them prophet after prophet. Now Jeremiah is proclaiming judgment, but they will not listen to anything but a message of peace. So, God sends lying spirits to the mouth of lying prophets, and they proclaim peace. The people listen to the lying prophets, but they do not listen to the prophets of God. In a sense you could say that God has deceived them. But how did He deceive them? He told them what they wanted to hear. He also told them His message, but they would not listen to it.

That concept is behind all those who are proclaiming a religious message today who are not proclaiming the Word of God. There is a deceiving, lying spirit controlling them, and they are saying what the people want to hear. “You are loved; God loves you. Something good is going to happen to you. Expect a miracle today. And besides, God is a loving God and He would never judge anyone.” It is a lying spirit, but people want to hear it because they do not want to hear the truth of God.

The interpretation I prefer for Jeremiah 4:10 is that God has promised peace. Jeremiah has the problem that all the Old Testament saints had. He could not understand how God could bring destruction upon His people when He had promised them blessing for eternity. He had promised His people a kingdom over which the Messiah will rule, and they will be the key people on all the earth. The blessings of God will flow through Israel to all the nations. God had promised peace but He is bringing judgment. So, in the midst of this message of judgment, Jeremiah says, “I do not understand, Lord.”

This has to be a credit to Jeremiah as a man of God that he proclaimed this message even though he did not understand it. He is concerned that the people are deceived. We see something of the burden of his heart, and it will come out more clearly as the chapter moves on. Jeremiah is not a hard-hearted man. He has a hard message to proclaim, but he proclaims it from a soft heart. He is concerned about the people. It is as though he is asking, “God, what about the peace You talked about? All I can tell them is about judgment. The Northern Kingdom is gone, and when the Southern Kingdom is gone, what will be left, Lord?”

The description of the judgment that is coming from God continues in another analogy in Jeremiah 4:11-12. “In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people--not to winnow, and not to cleanse, a wind too strong for this--will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.’” This is a sirocco wind, a devastating, wilting wind. It is not for the purpose of helping them winnow the grain, a process of throwing it into the air so the wind would blow the chaff away. This is a destructive wind, too strong for that. It is a wind of judgment as described in verse 13, “Behold, he goes up like clouds, and his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!”

In verse 14 they are told to wash. “Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?” Back in chapter 2, verse 22, God said, “Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me.” In that passage He told them they could do nothing to cleanse themselves. Now in chapter 4, verse 14, He tells them to wash. But note, He says, “Wash your hearts from evil.” They could not cleanse themselves by any act of external activity. All the lye and all the fuller’s soap could not cleanse the stain of iniquity because that is a spiritual stain. But they could wash their hearts from evil. How? We have already had that truth repeated again and again. They could turn from their sin to God. They could believe in Him, and that provides the cleansing. It provides the tilling, the circumcision and the washing of the heart.

I can wash my hands, but I cannot wash my heart! Go home and try to wash your heart--that is ridiculous. Only God can do that. But then how do people think that they can cleanse their hearts by going to church or by being baptized? Only a faith relationship with God can do that.

The warning continues in Jeremiah 4:15-17, “For a voice declares from Dan, and proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim. ‘Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim over Jerusalem, “Besiegers come from a far country, and lift their voices against the cities of Judah. Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about, because she has rebelled against Me,” declares the LORD.’” This is prophesying the coming of the Babylonians to besiege Jerusalem.

Note the charge in verse 18, “Your ways and your deeds have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!” People often ask, “Would a loving God send people to hell?” The message of God is, “Your ways and your deeds have brought these things to you” v. 18. Could God sentence people to an eternity of suffering? “Your ways and your deeds have brought these things to you.” Suppose I go out and murder five people and am sentenced to die in the electric chair. And I say, “How could the judge be so cruel?” No, it is not that the judge is cruel. It is my ways and my deeds that have brought that upon me. People will be in hell because they are sinners who deserve condemnation. All God does is pass the just sentence. They did the sinning and committed the crime. All he did was pass the sentence that was just, fair and right.

So, what is the message in all this? Turn! And what does God do in grace? He tells them the consequences of not turning. He urges them to consider again their ways, to turn to Him for spiritual cleansing.

Believers ought to be impressed with the message of God. Is it not a simple and glorious message that we are called to proclaim? People are sinners; the penalty for their sin is condemnation. But in love, God provided His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Savior to pay the penalty for sin. If you will believe in Him, turn from your own ways to the God who has revealed Himself and place your faith in Jesus Christ, you will be cleansed and forgiven. If you do not, you will spend eternity in hell. That is a gloriously simple message. How many people have heard from you this week the glorious message of salvation?

It is intimidating, is it not? I often ask myself, why is it so hard to share that simple message? Do you know why? Because sinful people haven’t not changed. They did not want to hear it from Jeremiah; they do not want to hear it from you. But the grace of God is overwhelming. In spite of stubborn, rebellious hearts, God takes that message, and by the power of the Spirit, He sovereignly draws some to Himself. So, we share it, and God uses it.

Have you ever believed that message for yourself? Have you ever turned from your sin and your own stubborn pride to believe in the One who loved you and had His Son die for you? The question is not, do you attend Indian Hills? That is physical. It is not, have you been confirmed or gone through any other religious ritual? That is all physical. The question is, have you ever come to recognize and believe that you are a sinner for whom Jesus Christ died and on that basis trusted Him as your Savior? If not, you are on the brink of impending judgment. At any moment, you could be cast under the eternal wrath of God. But God is a God of grace who has provided redemption for all who will believe. Trust Him now.