Jeremiah 13:1-27 “Spoiled by Pride, Cleansed by Christ”

1:02But pride means enmity. It is enmity. And not only between man and man, but enmity to God. Do you believe that Lewis is right? That pride in some sense does lead to every other vice, every other sin? That it is enmity? Hostility toward other people and hostility toward God. I bet that many of us today do believe that that's true. But what if I ask you, do you believe that you are a proud person? Now we're in a real dilemma. If we say no, we're disagreeing with C.S. Lewis.

1:59And no one wants to do that. But if we say we agree with Lewis that pride in some sense is the root of all other sin, then by definition, we are all proud people because we all sin. After this morning, we will be 25% of the way through the book of Jeremiah. I'm not sure if I expect that to encourage you or demoralize you, but either way, it's true. To this point, Jeremiah's message has been both consistent and ominous.

2:35If the people of Judah do not repent, and God knows that they will not repent, then judgment is coming. And judgment is coming because of their sin. Here in chapter 13, God is going to hone in on one of those sins, the sin that Lewis believed was the root of all other sin. And that is pride. What we're going to learn this morning is that our pride has spoiled us, but the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.

3:13In verses 1 through 11, that Pastor Mark read a few moments ago, we have the first of several symbolic acts that Jeremiah is going to perform to reveal God's word to the people of Judah in an unforgettable way. God commands him to head over to the local shopping mall and buy an ezor. That in the ESV is translated a linen loincloth, but that Hebrew word is very rare. And it can also be translated in several other ways, including girdle, belt, sash, or waistband.

3:53So it's unclear whether we're talking about something that would be worn on the outside that others could see, something like a sash or a waistband, or if we're talking about Jeremiah's unmentionables. Most commentators seem to take the position that we are, in fact, talking about Jeremiah's underwear, as loincloths were typically worn close to the skin underneath the outer garments. Also, the metaphor that we see in verse 11 is that Judah was supposed to cling to the Lord, to remain in close relationship with him, but they did not. Not.

4:31So underwear, clingy as it is, might be an appropriate metaphor. But in favor of an exterior garment, we also see in verse 11 that the people are intended to be for God a people, a name, a praise, and a glory. In other words, their holy and distinct conduct was supposed to show the other nations around them the glory of God. It's hard to see how a pair of undies would represent that reality. Further, since this is intended to be a living sermon of sorts, it's difficult to see how Jeremiah's point would be obvious to anyone if we're talking about his unmentionables.

5:20How would anyone know whether they were new and clean or spoiled and ruined? At staff meeting on Tuesday, Pastor Joshua suggested that perhaps he was sagging, which I found unhelpful. So I conclude that we are, in fact, talking about some type of sash or waistband that is worn on the outside, tightly tied around the body, and that could be noticed by everyone as Jeremiah walked through the city. So Jeremiah buys this waistband and he wears it around for some time. His new fit, undoubtedly. Noticed by all, because prophets certainly were not known for their style. So this would have drawn a lot of attention. But then God speaks to him again and commands him to go hundreds of miles to the north, to the Euphrates River, and to bury it among the rocks.

6:18After many days, God speaks to him again, a third time, and sends him all the way back to the north again, hundreds of miles away, just to dig up this wasteband. And of course, now, the waistband is completely ruined. Look again at verse 8. Then the word of the Lord came to me, Thus says the Lord, even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart, and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.

7:01God helps them to understand the meaning of the metaphor. Judah was supposed to cling tightly to God and display his glory for the world to see, just like a beautiful waistband. But in their pride, they stopped clinging to God. They went far away from him, clinging to the false gods of the nations around them instead. They refused to hear and to listen to his words and instead stubbornly. Listened to their own hearts. As a result, they became spoiled and good for nothing.

7:37You see, friends, ever since the Garden of Eden, this same story has been played out time and time again. Our pride leads us to question God's word, to question His motives towards us. Our pride leads us to let go of God and cling to other gods that promise to give us what we want: security, comfort, prosperity, pleasure. But as we've seen in the book of Jeremiah, and as we know from our own lives, idols never deliver on their promises.

8:19They leave us empty-handed, spoiled and distant from the God who created us, sustains us, loves us, and longs for us. It can all be traced back to pride, to that prideful mindset that says, I cannot trust God. Only I know what is best for my life. That was Israel's mindset when they walked away from God to serve other gods. But you see, it gets worse because although they had stopped clinging to God, they presumed that they would always enjoy God's blessing.

9:00And they presumed that they would always enjoy God's blessing because of the promises that God had made to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and David and many others. They presumed. And presumption is perhaps the deadliest form of pride. Let's pick up now in verse 12. You shall speak to them this word: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, every jar shall be filled with wine. And they will say to you, Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine? Then you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land, the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

9:56And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord. I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them. In this section, God calls Jeremiah to go and say to the people, Every jar shall be filled with wine. Now you need to understand wine in the Bible is a symbol of blessing and prosperity, and that blessing and prosperity is given to those who obey the Lord. Take a look at Deuteronomy 11.

10:31And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full.

10:58So Jeremiah says, every jar shall be filled with wine. And look again at how the people respond in verse 12. Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine? They're like, yeah, God's always blessed us. He will always continue to bless us because we're his people. But they have forgotten the rest of Deuteronomy 11. Look on the screen again. Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the Lord is giving you.

11:54God promised to bless them, to give them grain and wine and oil. Will, as long as they obeyed his commandments and served him with all their heart and soul. That was the promise. But if their hearts were deceived and they turned aside to serve and worship other gods, he would close up the heavens, he would withhold the rain, he would withhold the blessing that he promised for obedience. But the people of Judah presumed that they would always enjoy the grace of God.

12:31The people of Judah were doing what so many professing Christians do today in our own country. They were holding tightly to the parts of the Bible that they liked, the parts of the Bible that promised blessing and prosperity, while they were completely ignoring the promises of judgment and discipline for disobedience. Like the people of Judah, many people say, it doesn't matter how I live my life, God is always going to bless me. Friends, that is what the Bible calls the sin of presumption.

13:07And the sin of presumption is perhaps the deadliest form of pride. This is what I mean. In nations all over the world that have never heard of God, that do not have a copy of the Bible, that have never heard of Jesus Christ, they all worship. And they all worship. Because we were all created to be worshipers. As human beings created in God's image, we do not have a choice about whether to worship. We just get to choose whom or what we will worship.

13:45So, if there is an atheistic tribe somewhere in the world, they have yet to be discovered. Everyone worships someone or something. And what is universally true about these tribes across the world is that they do not presume that the gods are happy with them. Oh, no, quite the opposite. They presume that the gods are very, very angry with them. And that the only way to assuage the anger of the gods is to sacrifice and obey. So they offer sacrifices of animals, crops, even at times their own children.

14:31Think about what we read in Scripture. Is this not the case with every other people group that is mentioned in the Bible? They all worship idols and they do not presume the favor of their gods. They presume that they do not have the favor of their gods. Their working assumption is that without obedience and sacrifice, they will be struck down. So contrast that with the attitude that we find here in Jeremiah 13. In spite of the people of God, Judah's disobedience, sin, and idolatry, they say, of course, God's going to bless us. Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine?

15:14I can't think of anything that better represents the modern spirit in our country. Of course, God's going to bless us. Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine? You see, that is the grave danger of living in a country that has worshipped God for hundreds and hundreds of years. Whether you're talking about 7th century BC Judah or you're talking about 21st century AD America, that is the challenge with growing up in a country that's worshipped for so long. At some point, people just begin to presume upon the grace of God.

15:56Early in his reign, King Saul, who was Israel's first king, he disobeyed God. And he pridefully presumed that he could do whatever he wanted. So God sent the prophet Samuel to him, and I want you to look at Samuel's rebuke. He says to King Saul, For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. So here's the deal. You can be A person who struggles with pride. Pride in your accomplishments, your appearance, your position.

16:40You can be a person who struggles with pride and have someone come and bring correction to you. And you can repent of that and receive forgiveness from God. But, friends, presumption is different. It's a deadlier form of pride because when you commit the sin of presumption, you're saying, What do I need the grace of God for? I already have it. Presumption leads us to believe that we can live however we want with no consequences. What about you?

17:19Are you presuming upon the grace of God this morning, living in disobedience to His commands while expecting His blessing? Have you justified certain thoughts, certain attitudes, certain behaviors, drowning out your conscience by telling yourself that God will forgive you even if you are never truly repentant for your sin? If so, God's heart is broken for you because He is perfectly just and He demands that the unrepentant be punished. I want you to listen. To God's heart for you in verses 15 through 17, if you are living with that kind of presumptuous attitude that Judah had. Look at verse 15.

18:13Hear and give ear. Be not proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light, he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride. My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.

18:54It's really hard to tell if this is God speaking or if it's Jeremiah speaking. But as we talked about in my systematic theology class last week, 11 a.m. in the preserve, two seats still available, we believe that these words are included in Scripture because they are divinely inspired. And that means whatever Jeremiah is saying, God is saying. And so this is God speaking. So look again at verse 17. Look at this first phrase. But if you will not listen, what would we expect God to say next?

19:38But if you will not listen, watch out because I'm going to discipline you. I'm going to bring judgment upon you. I'm going to bring disaster upon you and your people if you will not listen. But what does God say? But if you will not listen, I'm going to cry my eyes out. That's what God says. If you will not listen, I'm going to cry my eyes out. He says his eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears if they don't listen to him.

20:16Every parent in the room knows exactly what this feels like. Every teacher, every coach, anyone who works with kids knows what this feels like. There is nothing harder than disciplining a child, a student, an athlete that you love and that you want to bless. You do not want to discipline those people in your life. But precisely because you love them, you must discipline them. They must not be allowed to go on thinking pridefully that the world revolves around them, that they can live however they want and do whatever they want with no consequences for their behavior.

21:00As long as they cry enough, as long as they complain enough, as long as they throw enough fits, they get whatever they want. The least loving thing that you can do is not discipline a child that you love. But it's so hard because no parents, no teacher, no coach wants to cause a child pain. We take no pleasure in that. No kid believes it, but it's actually true. This hurts me more than it hurts you. I want you to listen to God the Father's heart in Ezekiel 18.

21:40He says, Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? Listen to Jesus' heart in Matthew 23. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it, how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing? If you are not listening to God, if you are not walking with Jesus and obeying his word, I want you to hear this morning God's heart for you.

22:29He desires you To gather you to himself. He takes no pleasure in disciplining you, but he is willing to do it if that is what it will take to turn you from your evil way so that you will live because he loves you. Brothers and sisters, we must adopt that same heart posture towards those in our lives who are not listening to God. That might be family members or neighbors or co-workers or classmates, the people in our lives who are not listening to God. We have to develop the heart of God for them. These people that are making shipwreck of their lives by walking in disobedience.

23:11God does not have any pleasure in the death of the wicked. He yearns to gather them to himself. And sinful pride is what is keeping them from God and is going to result in their just judgment if they don't repent and obey the gospel. So if we're not yet able to weep for them, as God does, as Jeremiah does, then let's at least pray for them and warn them by sharing the truth. Because the thing about pride is that it blinds us to the consequences of our sins. And that's what we see in this last section. Let's pick up in verse 18.

24:02Say to the king and the queen mother, Take a lowly seat, for your beautiful crown has come down from your head. The cities of the Negev are shut up, with none to open them. All Judah is taken into exile, wholly taken into exile. Lift up your eyes and see, those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given you, your beautiful flock? What will you say when they set his head over you, those whom you yourself have taught to be friends to you? Will not pangs take hold of you like those of a woman in labor? And if you say in your heart, Why have these things come upon me? It is for the greatness of your iniquity that your skirts are lifted up and you suffer violence. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good, who are accustomed to do evil. I will scatter you like chaff, driven by the wind from the desert. This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord. Because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies. I myself will lift up your skirts over your face, and your shame will be seen. I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your lewd whorings on the hills in the field. Woe to you, O Jerusalem. How long will it be before you are made clean?

25:37Because of their sins, God says no one is going to escape judgment. Not the king or the queen mother living in the palace, not the poorest, lowliest citizens in the small towns south of Jerusalem. No, Jeremiah says all Judah is taken into exile, wholly taken. into exile. God repeatedly warned them about the consequences of their unrepentant sin, but they didn't listen. They forgot God and they trusted in lies. Lies of the idols who promised to protect them. Lies of foreign governments who promised to protect them. Lies of their own prophets who said that God would not bring disaster upon them and that everything was going to be fine.

26:29God promised that judgment would come in the form of Babylon. Those who come from the north and the people of Judah were going to suffer unspeakable violence. Jerusalem and the temple would be burned to the ground. They would be carried into exile and scattered like chaff driven by the wind from the desert. And when that happened, God says that some among them were going to say in their hearts, verse 22, why have these things? Things come upon me.

27:06Once again, their pride is on full display. The proud person is always a victim, a victim of circumstance, a victim at the hands of other people, a victim of fate. The proud person will not take a hard look at themselves and say, Maybe I'm the problem. The proud person always looks everywhere else and says, Why have these things come upon me? Think about how much pride it takes to ask such a question if you are the people of Judah.

27:54God had given them his holy law through his servant Moses. He had sent them prophet after prophet to declare his word and to say, Here is how you will be blessed, and here's what will happen if you don't obey. Again and again, he was clear. He gave them a huge wake-up call when the northern kingdom was conquered by Assyria and carried off into exile. But they still refused to listen. They still refused to repent. And now that God is going to act finally after hundreds of years of patience on all of his warnings, some of them have the Nerve to say, why have these things come upon me?

28:36Pride led the people of Judah to believe that God owed them, that they deserved his blessing no matter how they lived. And pride does the same thing to us, leading us to presume upon God. Our passage ends with God asking this question: How long will it be before you are made clean? I want you to remember the imagery that God used at the outset of this chapter. The people of Judah were like a wasteband that stopped clinging to him, went far away, and became spoiled and good for nothing.

29:22Because every one of us is born in sin and do by nature and choice the things that God forbids, we are just like a wasteband that's been buried in the rocks that is now soiled and good for nothing. So, what's the answer? Washing ourselves? Even if it were possible through religion or resolutions, as soon as we finally got ourselves cleaned up, we would just get dirty all over again through our sin. That's what God is saying in verse 23.

30:00Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. We cannot clean ourselves up any more than a person can change the color of his or her skin or than an animal can change the color of its fur. We cannot do it. But friends, thankfully, God does not ask, How long will it be before you make yourselves clean? He asks, How long will it be before you are made clean?

30:42God has to make us clean, and He does it through the person and work of Jesus Christ. In the ancient world, there was no known cure for leprosy. Once caught, it spread quickly, it left your body covered with sores, it left your hands and your feet mutilated from paralysis and muscle atrophy. And because of that, it's a vivid picture of sin, a humanly incurable disease that affects every part of us. Well, according to the Mosaic law, lepers had to be removed and sent outside of the camp, which limited the spread of the disease, but it also served as a reminder that the only people who can approach God in worship. Are those who have clean hands and a pure heart?

31:35As word began to spread that Jesus had the power to heal, many lepers started coming to him. I want you to look on the screen at Luke chapter 5. While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I will be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him.

32:12You see, this man had a disease that he could not cure. No amount of sacrifice, no amount of religion, no amount of washing was going to take his leprosy away. He knew that his only hope was Jesus. And so he went to Jesus. His only hope to become clean again, spiritually and physically, was Jesus. Jesus healed many people simply by speaking a word. He healed people that were miles away simply by speaking a word. He did not have to touch this guy.

32:55But he did. Jesus stretched out and touched a man. That had an incurable disease that would result in spiritual and social isolation if it was contracted. But instead of Jesus becoming unclean by touching this man, this man was made completely clean through the touch of Jesus. Some of you are trying to clean yourselves up, believing that you can't approach God until you do. But friends, you cannot clean yourself up. Only God can do that. The good news for you this morning is that God is willing to do that.

33:52You only have to humbly approach Jesus the same way the leper did in faith. You only have to say to Jesus, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. And he will respond to you. I will be clean. Your pride will rise up inside of you. What will my parents think? What will my friends think? What will my boyfriend or girlfriend think about me? That's the same thing that happened to Judah. Their pride would not allow them to humble themselves and return to God. Who promised to cleanse them and forgive them of their sin?

34:34Humble yourself today. How long will it be before you are made clean? Only as long as it takes for you to humble yourself and go to Jesus and say, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. So do that today. Humble yourself and go to him in faith and be forgiven and restored and cleansed and adopted into his family. For those of us who are already following Christ, I believe there are some of us here today who live every single day feeling dirty because of the things that you've done or because of the things that were done to you.

35:26And you genuinely believe in Jesus in your heart, but you don't believe that he can accept you. I don't want you to live that way. But far more importantly, God does not want you to live that way. He wants you to believe the truth that through faith, he does not view you as a dirty sinner, he views you as a spotless saint. Look on the Screen at Hebrews 10. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Listen to this, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

36:40Brothers and sisters, our hope does not rest on our own faithfulness, but on God's. Our hope does not rest on any effort to clean ourselves up, but on the work of Christ, who lived and died and rose again on our behalf, so that we could draw near to Him in confidence. Our pride has spoiled us, but the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. Let's pray. Father, we are reminded afresh. Today of the pervasive effects of pride in our lives, that it, in some sense, is the root of all of our other sins as we put ourselves before you and as we put ourselves before everyone else.

37:50Forgive us, Lord. I pray for every Christian here that we would walk in confidence, not because we are presuming upon your grace, but because we believe your word that says, if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God, I pray for the men and the women, the children in this room today, and those who are not here with us today that live each day feeling dirty.

38:32I pray that they would see themselves as you see them, not as a dirty sinner, but as a spotless saint because of the work of Christ. God, we pray that some, others, would come to faith in Christ today because your Holy Spirit has shown them that they have been trying to clean themselves up. God, I pray that you would draw them to yourself this. Morning, draw them to your Son by your Spirit. Set them free. Give them new life. And let the waters of baptism in the coming weeks remind them and us that we have been washed completely clean by the blood of Christ.

39:19In Jesus' name, we ask all these things. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.