Show Notes
Jeremiah 17, Jeremiah Series
Life is far more about faith than most people realize. When we get into our vehicles, we trust that they will work and not have something happen that will cause problems for us. Once on the road, we trust that people will stay on their side of the road. We step into an elevator, trusting that it is adequately maintained and in good working order. We go to a restaurant and trust that the cook doesn’t mix up his ingredients and serve something harmful to us. The list is endless.
For most people, who they really trust is themselves. In his book: ‘Improving Your Serve,’ Charles Swindoll related the following: “Lots of philosophies are floating around, and most of them are more confusing than they are helpful. Interestingly, those that are clear enough to be understood usually end up focusing full attention on the individual. Consider a few of them:
Greece said, ‘Be wise, know yourself!’
Rome said, ‘Be strong, discipline yourself!’
Religion said, ‘Be good, conform yourself!’
Epicureanism says, ‘Be sensuous, enjoy yourself!
Education says, ‘Be resourceful, expand yourself!
Psychology says, ‘Be confident, assert yourself!
Materialism says, ‘Be satisfied, please yourself!’
Pride says, ‘Be superior, promote yourself!
Asceticism says, ‘Be lowly, suppress yourself!’
Humanism says, ‘Be capable, believe in yourself!’
Legalism says, ‘Be pious, limit yourself!’
Philanthropy says, ‘Be generous, release yourself!’
Swindoll concludes: “Do something either for yourself or with yourself or to yourself. How very different from Jesus’ model and message! Jesus says, ‘Be a servant, give to others!’”
What does it really mean to be a follower of Jesus? It begins with a change of focus. It is not about us; it is all about trusting God, and out of that relationship comes a heart to serve. It means that our focus moves from ourselves upward to God and then to others. It’s an upward look that helps us with our outward look. However, whom we think we trust may be different than reality. Do we really know ourselves? Often it takes some crystallizing moment where we see ourselves as God does, as Isaiah experienced in an hour of national calamity. Here in Jeremiah 17, we come to the heart of the problem: ourselves. Where are we placing our trust? If we turn away from God because we put our faith in humanity, we will experience the curse of turning away from our Creator. Sin then dominates our life. We easily see how sin is now dominating in our culture. The outcome of sinful domination is social deterioration. Here in chapter seventeen, we see the condition of the heart as Jeremiah contrasts the effects between trusting God and anything or anyone else.
