True Repentance

 

Sermon on Jeremiah 14:7 – 10

⁷ Although our sins testify against us,
    do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.
For we have often rebelled;
    we have sinned against you.
⁸ You who are the hope of Israel,

    its Savior in times of distress,
why are you like a stranger in the land,
    like a traveler who stays only a night?
⁹ Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
    like a warrior powerless to save?
You are among us, Lord,
    and we bear your name;
    do not forsake us!

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says about this people:

“They greatly love to wander;
    they do not restrain their feet.
So the Lord does not accept them;
    he will now remember their wickedness
    and punish them for their sins.”

 

While it is not wrong to think positively amidst the affliction, it is wrong to think positively while still blind to our sin! Without implying that every affliction is the result of our personal sin, the pain of affliction as well as the desire to be freed from it is the result of the Sin that has struck the community since the Fall. The people of Judah experienced it in the first hand – how the sin of the leader (eventually the whole community) caused them to be afflicted with drought so terrible that they only way for them to get out of it is through the divine intervention.

In their realization of their wicked ways (some of them do realize), they are fully aware of how their sins have testify against them in front of This Almighty Judge (v7). In response to that, the Lord spoke against them in anger, blatantly speaking through Jeremiah that He does not accept them (v10). What could have they done to incurred such a wrath? Further down in this chapter, Jeremiah explained that some prophets prophesied falsely using the name of the Lord (v14) – giving a fake hope to the people, misquoting God’s faithfulness by discounting His mercy against His justice.

We have seen or heard so many preachers or pastors telling the members that their faith will bring healing and blessing to the family or the community. While it is not wrong, but it is a shallow definition of God’s grace and mercy. Most of the time, this is only a lip-service to sway the members to give more to benefit the so-called preachers or pastors but here is no true faith resulted from true repentance. The key-word here is repentance. While it is true that Judah were brought out of the affliction, but they were first need to go through a strict discipline from our Lord in order to produce true faith that comes from true repentance. True repentance is more than an idea to change, but it also requires the action – completely turning away from the evil way. It also important to note that to repent is to intentionally walking away from sin or in the Lord’s word to Jeremiah, restraining one’s feet (v10). God was not persuaded by their lip-service in verse 7, neither do God is pleased with their superficial repentance via their religious-cult (v12).

How irony that is when we lose the very mean for us to please God (not that we can please Him with our burnt offering) then only can we worship God in full humility. Humility and repentance synonymous to one another in approaching the Holy God. The people of Judah failed to come to that term – even when they knew for certain that God is with them, imprinted in their identity as the nation chosen by God. It is pride that always gets in our way. It is our inclination to reject God that hinder us to properly worship Him for Who He is – Holy God! When I was a teacher, it is the pride imposed by the parents on their children that kept them away from being teachable. Knowing God for what He has done to us means nothing if we keep on doing the exact thing that he forbad us to do. Continues to do the exact same sins prior to know Jesus means we are continuing to crucify Christ on the cross for our selfishness (Hebrews 6:6). This is so wrong!

Removing all the superficiality of traditions and mere repentance for the sake of saying it, then only can we see that the affliction served to us as the mean to draw the true repentance out of us. The reality presented to us before we know Jesus is this; we are in enmity with God. Not knowing or rejecting this reality can only mean that we are too prideful to need God’s salvation. Our Gospel today (Luke 18:9 – 14) reminded us of God’s ministry through Jesus Christ – the sick needs the doctor; the sinner needs the Savior. Praise be to God, that our Savior Jesus Christ has presented to us the mean of grace and salvation by which we who believes in Him shall gain the reward of eternal life – provided we come in with true repentance and faith in Him.