Southern Cross Presbyterian Church

Jeremiah 1-2

Anyone itching to be a prophet?! Just read Jeremiah 1 and you’ll have that itch well and truly scratched! How hard it must have been for Jeremiah to proclaim the word of the Lord fearlessly! BUT, he did have one thing to strengthen him – the PROMISE of God that though Jerusalem itself would fall, he would remain standing.

In Chapter 2 God, through Jeremiah, lays out his accusations against Israel and why he is now going to send a conqueror from the North. In summary, Israel’s great sin has been to turn anywhere but to God and then to deny this sin. It’s a good warning for us to examine our own hearts. Its all too easy to pretend to ourselves and to each other that we’re worshiping God but in fact to be busy worshiping worthless idols. Have you done that “heart work” lately? Maybe its time…

2 Chron 34:14-35:27

It is quite refreshing hearing of the reign of Josiah. The writer has many words of praise for him:

As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers. 34:33

¹⁸ The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. 35:18

Yet even the great reforms of Josiah could not turn the tides on the past sin of the nation:

²⁴ ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. ²⁵ Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made, ^[e] my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’

The great king of Judah, Josiah, could not quench the anger of God.

But one King of Judah could:

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matt 26:39

Nahum 1 – 3

far out… if you have ever pictured God as being all (and ONLY) about cute little kittens, puppies or teddy bears (the pictures that often on posters with bible verses), then reading the judgment that was predicted for Ninevah really does blow that out of the water…

God is a righteous God, who is angered by people’s rebellion against Him… the descriptions in Nahum are pretty vivid…

There is a little glimmer of hope amongst all the predictions of God’s wrath being poured out – Nahum 1:15…

“Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace…”

Check out Romans 10:15… What’s the good news? The gospel about Jesus, the only news that can bring peace between us and God.

Who are the feet that bring this good news…?

Micah 1:1-5:1

Within Micah there is false hope and promised hope.

False hopes come from false prophets assuring the people destruction and judgment will not come:

¹¹ Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD and say,”Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us.”

It is true judgement will come on the people of God for the sin of the nation. Yet there is still hope.

God has set a day, he has promised a time, a time of great hope:

¹ In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.

² Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The Lords temple will be established and the people, the nations even would stream to it.

This movement into Jerusalem would actually become a movement out of Jerusalem.

The temple would be established but not of bricks and mortar. The temple would be Christ body and as his blood was shed atonement, forgiveness of sins would be open to the people, when the temple curtain tore:

⁴⁴It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, ⁴⁵for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Luke 23:44-45

The new meeting place of God, this new way for access to God must be proclaimed to the nations. The hope found in Jesus the new temple must be taken to the nations:

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

So the great mission to the nations would begin. Nations not streaming to Jerusalem and the temple, but the unstopping word of the gospel advancing to the nations.