Jeremiah

[0:00] Speaking of the Lord's help, I attract your attention this evening to the prophecy of Jeremiah, reading from chapter 31 and verse 3.

[0:14] The prophecy of Jeremiah, chapter 31 and verse 3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.

[0:37] Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.

[0:53] Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. We're getting here in these words to the heart of Jeremiah's religion.

[1:13] These are divine dealings with his soul. He lived in solemn days of evil and sadness.

[1:29] Darkness all about him. To all outward appearances, his ministry was a total failure.

[1:44] The one part that stands out so clearly is that his prophecies regarding the captivity were true.

[1:59] And the words that he was commissioned by his God to speak to a rebellious people brought to pass the very things that he said.

[2:16] But his pathway was dark. His sorrows were bitter. As you know, he penned the lamentation.

[2:30] They were the heart cries of the sorrows of his life. But, as with all God's people, there is always a balancing of the clans.

[2:48] The Lord brings his dear people according to his divine purposes through much tribulation that they may enter the kingdom.

[3:10] It is his purpose that is put into the heart of all his dear children a cup. Your cup and mine are different.

[3:23] They have been different. They will be different. The Lord teaches his dear people. He brings them into afflictions and trouble to make them teachable.

[3:39] To make them listen. Jeremiah went down into the depths. His religion was greatly tried. You can read it in the Lamentations.

[3:52] The great trial of his faith. I am the man to the seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. And yet here the Lord gave him a precious gem a promise.

[4:09] A promise. for Badde. It appears that he had only two friends Baruch and Ibed-Milek the coloured man who was the means of delivering him out of the pit that he walked a lonely pathway.

[4:38] A pathway of many sorrows. And yet the Lord balanced him.

[4:49] blessed and he told him various things and he brought him into blessed teaching in his heart.

[5:01] I love some of the words of the Lord to Jeremiah the words he speaks out of the sorrows of his heart. One is this blessed is the man that trusted in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is.

[5:23] all that a foundation was laid in his heart. Yes he couldn't trace the Lord's going nor the wherefore of his sorrow and yet the Lord was in it.

[5:43] One we quoted this morning before I formed thee in the womb I knew thee. And in those early chapters in the first chapter especially of the book of Jeremiah before I formed thee in the womb I knew thee before they came his fourth out of the womb I sanctified thee and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

[6:08] The word of the Lord came to me he says then said I our Lord God behold I cannot speak I am a child. The Lord said unto him say not I am a child for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak be not afraid of their faces for I am with thee to deliver thee saith the Lord.

[6:33] Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. The Lord said unto me behold I have put my words in thy mouth so I have set thee this day over the nations over the kingdoms to root out to pull down to destroy to throw down to build and to plant there was a beginning.

[6:57] And I come now to this vested principle that is throughout the scriptures my sheep hear my voice. I think of the Lord's words in the second of Corinthians to the apostle Paul when he gave him his thorn in the flesh.

[7:16] we read and he said unto me apostle had prayed three times to have it removed the Lord spoke in his heart and he said unto me that I would speak for a little while of the blessed nature of the voice of God in the heart of a sinner.

[7:38] How favored by the wicked hear nothing but the curse of God they hear his voice but it is solemn depart from me I never knew you.

[7:52] The prophet Jeremiah had to many times speak the instrument in the voice of God to the wicked but here we have the voice of God to his children the voice that speaks with power the voice that I always like to remember as that still small voice of God oh how the Lord speaks into the hearts of his dear children and here the Lord spoke to Jeremiah that he was ready to listen have we in our spiritual experience known the voice of God in our hearts may she hear my voice and we read in scripture this blessed truth whom he did foreknow then he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son and whom he did predestinate then he also called a religion without a beginning is a most solemn religion a religion which knows nothing of the call of God never been heard the voice of

[9:30] God speaking never known the power of God's word tell me this you who listen to the ministry Sunday by Sunday do you know the distinction of when that ministry is used by the Holy Spirit and drops with sweetness into your soul and do you know the distinction when it does not drop with sweetness into your soul how often have you gone out of the house of God and mourned because there has been nothing for you food what an acid test it is a living family of God want food they want the word to be made sweet to their taste they want it to come with power in their hearts the Lord uses his sent servants as his instrument it is his divine purpose as in the wisdom of

[10:40] God man by wisdom knew not God so it pleased him by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe the call of God oh what a blessed call it is I name one of the calls of God in scripture it was the one the Lord used in my life it came with this still small voice of God when I was deep in the world coming out from among them be ye separate touch not the unclean thing I tell you where the voice of God is heard in the soul there will be a power within the Lord does not need to raise his voice

[11:46] I think of Lydia the eunuch in the desert the apostle Paul speaking and preaching at the wall of prayer as the instrument in opening her heart when the eunuch was seeking the truth beginning at that same scripture he preached under him Jesus oh the power of God the gracious effectual call of God in the hearts of his dear children I tell you this there must be a beginning there must be a call and when once we have heard that voice and known the power and sweetness of the truth in our souls we shall have learnt something that we shall want again and again in life's pathway for him to come to come to us and for us to come to him and to seek his presence to walk in the light of his countenance it may be that the

[13:10] Lord has come to you sometimes in the singing of his praises can you look back for a time in your pathway when singing the hymns they've entered with power and sweetness into your soul and broken your heart down and softened your heart because they have been the expression of your desires before God I think of one hymn in my own life 938 never forget the time I sang and how it entered into my soul especially forbid forbid it by thy grace be thou dear Lord my hiding place this the accepted hour I tell you this the Lord speaks to his dear children he calls them he uses instruments sometimes it's on their knees sometimes it's with his word open before them he takes the Holy

[14:22] Spirit does of the things of Jesus and applies them in the heart with almighty power and so the prophet here in the opening words of our text could say the Lord has appeared of old unto me what can you say tonight has the Lord appeared of old unto you oh may the Lord give you an exercise be honest before God who searches all hearts we can talk much religion but what do we possess what has the Lord given us what can we say like the apostle Paul said and he said unto me the Lord hath appeared of old unto me and that is not once in a lifetime that is many times spread out through our lives but there sweet moments the children of Israel in the wilderness marked the times when the

[15:46] Lord favoured them and blessed them by raising high heaps of stones to mark the spot the place where the Lord came to them and heard them and we read in scripture so often of the Lord drawing near to his dear people we mentioned Jacob this morning what sweet times he had I think of his grandfather Abraham on Mount as he left that scene the Lord spoke and said to him in blessing I will bless thee when Jacob wrestled at Peniel the Lord spoke as a prince hast thou power with God and hast prevailed and precious are the moments when the

[16:47] Lord speaks in the hearts and lives of his dear children and they can truly say with Jeremiah as they look back over the way the Lord hath appeared of old unto me well could Jacob say that Bethel Peniel as he came to his dying hour he could speak with humble assurance the Lord that redeemed me from all evil the Lord hath appeared of old unto me I say again the balancing of the clouds yes deep waters of sorrow and sadness and affliction and loneliness and temptation but then the balancing we quoted one of those verses this morning

[17:52] I know the thoughts that I think towards you thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end that expected end was not here below it was above the sorrows of this present time were not worthy to be compared to the glory that awaited him when the sack of Jerusalem came and the royal household was taken away and killed he was left the Lord watched over him put into the hands of the daily to be looked after and to stay in his own land he did not go into Babylonian captivity as far as we can see ended his days in obscurity in Egypt and yet the dear man of

[18:57] God carried this promise yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love this yea is the seal of God in this precious promise it is the amen this matter was signed and settled he was loved in eternity past the Lord had a love an everlasting love towards him he would not give him a life that was free of sorrow or free of suffering he wouldn't give him a life of ease like Job he was to pass through deep waters in life's pathway and yet in those deep waters he was to know with death all about him the presence of his

[20:08] God with him those eternal and everlasting arms underneath him and in the very heart of this love of Christ in his soul yea I have loved thee I would speak on the subject of love not human love which is the remnants of the fall natural love natural affection very blessed very sweet but the love of Christ to his dear people it is the love of the eternal son of God as he looks down in pity and compassion upon a poor fallen sinner in a godless world a sinner a son of

[21:12] Adam who deserves nothing and has nothing to bring to his God the Lord Jesus Christ manifested his love in his death in his suffering sorrow in his humiliation humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross he loved his dear church and on that account he gave himself as a ransom for their sin he passed to Calrish cross amidst shame spitting mocking he despised rejected of men a man of sorrow acquainted with grief his dear people we read of in the prophecy of

[22:19] Isaiah we hid as it were as the prophet our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not it's true of every one of his dear people in the days of unregeneracy then they come to this but surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrow yet we did esteem him stricken and smitten and afflicted all true of his stricken smitten and afflicted of God but he was wounded why for our transgressions the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we healed oh what love it was manifested here to his dear people he was to redeem them from the fall he was to prepare them for eternal glory he was to work out in his life a glorious spotless robe of righteousness for them he was made of a woman made under the law that he might keep that law in his sacred humanity for his dear church and that in doing so he might perfect a precious righteousness which he will impute to them

[23:48] Bunyan speaking of this says that Christ had four righteousnesses one was the righteousness of his Godhead the second was the righteousness of his spotless humanity righteousness the third was the union of those two righteousnesses in his office as the great high priest of his church that was the means of that sacrifice being acceptable to the father it was a divine sacrifice it had a human sacrifice he offered himself a sacrifice for sin when they shall make his soul an offering for sin says the prophet and we read in the

[24:48] Hebrews of his body being offered this he did once and he offered up himself and in that blessed sacrifice was a holy righteousness but says Bunyan there was a fourth righteousness that was his spotless obedience to his father's holy law Bunyan says so sweetly that righteousness he did not need and he gave it to his dear church they are washed in the precious blood of Christ and they are clothed in his righteousness it is given in the book of Revelation spoken of there the bride had made herself ready to her was given that she should be arrayed in fine linen white and clean the fine linen is the righteousness of sin not their righteousness

[25:54] Christ imputed to them read again in the book of Revelation who are these whence came they these are they that came out of great tribulation and have washed their own and made them white in the blood of the land yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love it dates back into eternity past to eternal ages and it goes eternal ages ahead of his dear people it is forever it is eternal him writer speaks of it the love of Christ fixed on his own eternally long as he lives his own he'll love do we know it has it ever come into our past has the

[27:07] Lord ever spoken to us has he ever put his arms of love and mercy about you have you known the love of Christ in your heart spoke of the peace of God this morning when the blood of Christ is applied to the souls of his dear people but equally when that precious blood is applied there is a knowledge of his love and there will be an effect there will be an effect it will bring you to that place why was I made to hear his voice why should he love me why me oh blessed God why me must forever lie in hell were not salvation free this love is peculiarly precious to those who have long waited for it who have wrestled with their

[28:13] God he come when he comes oh the joy the peace a knowledge of his mercy in the heart a knowledge of his pardon there is a walking in it walking in the sweetness of that love we do not live in the sweet experience of it all the days of our life but as the hymn writer says once in him in him forever thus the eternal covenant stands loved once none shall pluck his church out of his hand they are loved with an everlasting love and the

[29:14] Lord seals it in their soul and he has many exceeding great and precious promises by which he can confirm the precious experience of this love again and again he speaks into the hearts of his dear children and they know the rest of living faith yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love and therefore only therefore that lies here is the reason why he calls his dear people out of nature's darkness into his marvellous light therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee beautiful word it is love that draws dear top lady speaks of it when he says love of my

[30:25] God him again with love intense I burn chosen of thee time began I choose thee in return because the Lord has eternally loved his dear people in the deep mystery of it he draws them here in this world draws them out of nature's darkness draws them out of a godless world draws them to his mercy see there is an influence a power and it is love it is when he reveals his love in their hearts and they have a comprehension in experience of the love of Christ in their souls that they are drawn to him they see in his face

[31:31] I believe what Peter saw in all his sins of denying the Lord with oaths and curses when Jesus looked on him such was the love that it broke his heart and drew him to Christ it did not drive it wasn't a look of anger and wrath it was a look of pity and compassion and it was drawing he went out and wept bitterly and you know when Jesus after his resurrection put his dear servant to the test lovest thou me oh how he put him to the test lovest thou me oh he brought him and the third time to that blessed word lord I know it I say to you here tonight you know whether you love the lord or not true religion says

[32:41] Joseph heart is more than notion something something must be known and fair and I say to you some of you young ones here tonight you may say well I can't answer any of these questions at all listen to this question do you love the lord's people do you feel a quiet affection I'm not saying you speak to them I remember many years ago now when I was in Worthing for ten weeks I went to the chapel there an old deacon there godly old man he was market gardener we hardly spoke I saw him one evening in those ten weeks he invited me to his home never forgotten him I felt such a love and union to him

[33:43] I never passed through Worthing now by the cemetery on that A27 road without thinking of it why when God works in the hearts of his dear children they have a love to his dear people but I was only a lad and back 16 or 17 I think it was I was brought up with my father and often travelled with him when I was young in the ministry he used to go to Downton just south of Salisbury there was an old man there he gave out the hymns he wasn't baptised he'd been brought up in the chapel gone to the first world war and come home a drunk used to get totally drunk in the village at night of course he left the chapel but the Lord began with him and he came back to the chapel and he gave the hymns out why when I used to go there

[34:46] I fell to love to him then he was taken seriously ill and he was the means of the first answer to prayer I ever had I went on my knees my father was going to visit him in the hospital at Salisbury and I went on my knees and I besought the Lord that he would spare his life we went to the hospital his wife came out of the ward and I never forget the scene bitterly weeping she said to my father he's got two days to live the doctor just told me he lived for two years after that I was present when he was dying at the end of his bed my father was with him and I watched him a more sacred scene I've never seen in my life in my innocence and simplicity it appeared to me as though heaven for him was passing from one room in that house to another he was full of joy and peace ready to go and I paced the end of that bed trying to tell him of my answer to prayer regarding him but I couldn't but I felt

[36:06] I say this to you here do you feel in love to the Lord's people scripture says regarding the drawing influence of the Holy Spirit they went to their own company who's your company tonight is it the company of the living family of God all his dear people are united on earth and will be united in heaven yea I have loved him with everlasting love that love in eternity past known in their hearts in time will be known in its fullness in eternity to come and I've said it many times you will never sing the anthem of glory revealed in the book of the revelation in the first chapter unless you learn it here below and that anthem is this unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood

[37:21] I do say to you here tonight can you sing a note of that anthem here below have you a hope that he has begun with you drawn you have you a hope that he loves you that he is your God are you drawn to him do you approach him at his mercy see do you pray to him have you answers to prayer him right he says that Christ is God I can vouch and for his people cares for I have prayed to him as such and he has heard my prayers what we have here in our text this evening is this in union with the lamb from condemnation free the saints from everlasting were and shall forever be yea

[38:35] I have loved thee with an everlasting love and therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee Amen