For some time now I’ve been trying to process the death of a number close friends and family.  This past week was no exception to that.  Just trying to come to grips with people that I care about who have graduated up.

One of things that’s been going through my mind is that for years I’ve looked ahead at the generation ahead of me as the “go to” generation.  I’ve got questions about our family tree - who’s related to who - they’re the generation to go to.  Because they’ve lived all that history.  They’re the keepers of the memories.  The patriarchs.

Lately I’ve been processing that I am rapidly becoming that generation.  I am becoming the last leaf on the branch of the family tree.  The memories I hold are memories that I alone have.

Something else I’ve trying to process is that the America I grew up in doesn’t really exist anymore.  To my kids its like ancient history - a totally different culture.  What’s happening economically, culturally, educationally and morally around me is a slope America is going to just keep on sliding down.  My vote in the next election really isn’t going to make a whole lot of difference.  I’m feeling totally out of step.

Two Fridays ago I saw a quote from the great British historian Arnold Toynbee.  “Of the 22 civilizations that have appeared in history, 19 of the them collapsed when they reached the moral state the United States is in right now.” (1)

As I’m looking around - with the things I’ve been feeling - I confess I’ve really haven’t been in a happy spot. 

Can any of you relate to this?

Not too long ago I was reminded of a two verses in Jeremiah.  I’d like to share them with you this morning.  Because I think they are hugely encouraging for us - especially when we find ourselves sliding into a funk - some kind of downward spiral emotionally - maybe even spiritually.

Jeremiah 9 - verses 23,24.  If you’d like to join me there - either by turning or swiping.  Whatever.  The words are up here on the screen.  Let’s read these aloud together.

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah lived at the turn of the 6th century BC in the village of Anathoth - about 2 miles north of Jerusalem.  He was chosen by God to be prophet - before He was born.  He was commissioned as a prophet at a young age.  Jeremiah was the son of a priest - Hilkiah.

Back when Josiah was king of Judah - they were cleaning out the temple and preparation for a yard sale they were going to have.  Hilkiah - Jeremiah’s father - Hilkiah who was the High Priest at the time - as they’re cleaning out the temple - Hilkiah found an old scroll of the Law - probably Moses’ book of Deuteronomy.  Something they had completely forgotten about.  Imagine.

King Josiah read it and stressed out - realizing how far the nation had drifted away from God.  Reading about what God had said He would do if the nation ever came to the place of depravity that they were now at.  Meaning we are in serious trouble with God.  So King Josiah calls all his counselors together and tries to turn the nation around.

They put on a huge Passover celebration - something no one had done since the days of King Hezekiah - a hundred years earlier.  Scripture tells us that there never before had ever been a Passover celebrated in Israel like this Passover.  King Josiah went all out.

This was humongous.  When the day came for the celebration the priests had prepared themselves according to the instructions in the book of Leviticus.  There are singers and chanters - a great procession headed by King Josiah himself - making their way through the streets of Jerusalem to the Temple to obey God - to celebrate the Passover.

So the priests are there swinging their incense pots and chanting as they’re processing.  They choir is singing a hymn with the words, “The temple of the Lord.  The temple of the Lord.  The temple of the Lord.”  The people are thinking.  “Whew.  Now God is going be satisfied.  Now God is going to be on our side.  Now God will save us.  Now the nations around us are going leave us alone.  Everything’s gonna be alright because we’re doing the God thing here - settling accounts with God.”  

Can you kinda picture this?  Humongous religious celebration.  Partay - but godly partay.

As they’re winding their way along - singing and chanting and incensing - suddenly this young man stands right in the gate of the temple - blocks the entrance - and yells out, “Hold it!”  Procession grinds to a halt.

The young man is Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah the High Priest.

Jeremiah begins to speak:  “Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord.  Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:  Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.  Do not trust in these deceptive words:  ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’”   (Jeremiah 7:1-4)

The point of what Jeremiah goes on to say was this:  “Whom do you think you’re kidding?  Do you really think that God is impressed with all this religious ceremony - singing and chanting and incensing… oh my?  Don’t you know that God knows your heart?  That God knows what’s really going on?”

Jeremiah goes on with a long list of sins that God’s people were committing.  They had all this outward religious thing going on - performance - but their hearts were far from repentance and surrender to God.   (Jeremiah 7:5ff)

How many times have you heard “God bless America” and wanted to scream because the people invoking God’s blessing don’t give rip about themselves or America living in obedience to God?  Why should God bless America with all of our self-righteous religious hypocrisy?

Jeremiah’s ministry spanned the last five kings of Judah - emphasis last.  He had a front row seat watching his beloved nation slide farther and farther away from God - sliding into a cesspool of immorality - paganism - wickedness - corruption.

God called on Jeremiah to preach judgment - judgment that was justified - earned - deserved.   Judgment that would come.  Judah - like Israel before it is about to be sent into exile - captivity - bondage.  The end will come.  God justified in judging America.  Yes?

Jeremiah saw what was going on around him.  Jeremiah passionately cries out to God - with anguish in his heart.  Weeps over his people - over himself - weeping before God, knows that God is justified. 

Jeremiah struggles with God - argues with God - about the direction things were going.  At one point he cries out, “God where are you?  Why don’t you heal my land?  Why don’t you restore my people?”  (Jeremiah 8:20-22)

Ever cried out for America?  And wondered why God doesn’t heal this land?  Ever cry out for friends and family that are dying without Jesus?

We know from Scripture that Jeremiah was not a popular prophet.  As he went on in his ministry he became even less popular.  The more He spoke for God the more He was rejected by his people.  He was branded a traitor - imprisoned - tortured.  Why?  Because he stood up for God - speaking God’s word to God’s people - a message that was out of step with the direction the nation was rushing.  Not very PC.

Grab the isolation in that.  Grab the hopelessness - the brokenness - the despair in Jeremiah’s heart.

In the midst of Jeremiah’s despair - God - in tenderness - in love - in concern and compassion for His prophet - God speaks to his prophet words to help Jeremiah - these words of chapter 9 - verses 23 and 24.

Look with me at verse 23:  Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,   

Boasting is about giving praise.  In verse 23 that praise is focused on ourselves.

(cartoon:   “Oh yeah!  Well yesterday, I caught one this big.”)   (cartoon:  “I suppose you’re gonna to be talking golf all evening!”)

Boasting is giving honor and glory to ourselves.  What we measure ourselves by.  What we hold onto as being important - valuable for us - as we do life.  What we’d like other people to notice about us.  To remember about us.  To praise us for.   

Here in verse 23 - God gives three things that we tend to boast in.

First:  Wisdom - skill, prudence, shrewdness - our understanding of life and how life works.  We like to think of ourselves as knowing how to do life - at least for the most part.  We’d like others to see us that way.  Skilled at life.

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom.”  Why not?  Well, because our wisdom is always a partial wisdom.  We never see the whole story - the whole picture and everything that’s involved.

We think we find solutions to things and realize in a few years that the solution only created a bigger problem.  The industrial age - the improving of the quality of life - has led us to pollution and a whole lot of other problems that confront us today.

Our wisdom is not enough.  Its tunnel vision - partial wisdom.

T.S. Eliot put it this way:

All our knowledge only brings us closer to our ignorance,

And all our ignorance, closer to death.

But closer to death, no closer to God...

Then he asks the question that hangs over all our lives:

Where is the life we have lost in living? (2)   

Living by our own wits and wisdom where is the life we’ve lost in living?  We really can’t trust our own wisdom.

Second:  Might - bravery - strength - the Hebrew word has the idea of boasting in our victories - the things we’ve accomplished by our own efforts and ability.

We’d like to think of ourselves has having some measure of control over our lives.  We’d like for others to see that we’re having some success in life.  Let’s face it - its pretty cool to be recognized for what we’ve achieved.   

“Let not the mighty man boast in his might.”  Why not?  Because our might is limited.

We often call the President of the United States the most powerful man in the world - a man with great power and authority - with great power at his command.  Why not boast?

Because his might is directed only at material things.  What real power does a “mighty man” have over ideas - or a moral value - or the soul of a man?

During the Vietnam war, President Nixon ordered the carpet bombing of North Vietnam.  Remember this?  Saturation bombing.  Bomb after bomb - dropped from untouchable B52’s - scorching the earth - destroying everything.

Its hard to imagine how anyone could survive that kind of bombardment.  Who could oppose that kind of power?  But when we were through the North Vietnamese kept coming.  When it was all over the ideas motivating the North Vietnames remained.

Third:  Riches - which means… “riches.”  Wealth.  The quality of life that we surround ourselves with.  What we possess.  Our toys - and self-indulgent essentials.  What we entitle ourselves to.  The security we feel because of our portfolio or retirement plan.

“Let not the rich man boast in his riches.”  Why not?  Because riches can buy only a very limited number of things.

Jesus spoke of the deceitfulness of riches.  Thieves steal it.  Stuff corrodes and falls apart.  Ultimately all of this is going away in a big ball of fire. 

Riches give us a feeling of security and power that we really don’t have.  They give us a feeling of being loved when we’re not.  Of being respected - when we’re not respected.  Riches can’t buy love and joy and peace and harmony.  Time after time we hear about rich people that would give everything they own for just a few moments of peace or joy.

One thing we all have in common is birth.  At some point everyone in this room was born.  Our lives follow similar patterns - regardless of where we grew up.  We learn to crawl and walk.  We grow up and go to school.  Get an education.  Try to establish ourselves in life.

For many of us - God calls us to marriage.  Family life is important.  We have children.  We learn - or try to learn - to balance family and work and community and church and taking our kids to piano lessons and little league.  And then we watch our children have children.

Some God calls to singleness.  God gives unique roles to singles in the lives of others - in serving Him.  Singleness is another God given path through life that is hugely significant.

Time passes.  Someplace in our heads a voice says, “This doesn’t go on forever.”  The people who research this type of thing say that at the age of 30 we begin to think about death.

I was amazed, that at exactly the age of 30 - that little voice said to me, “Steve, one day you’re going to die.  This doesn’t go on forever.” 

The point of all of this - is that at some point - maybe after we’re retired - when the kids have gone on with their own families - after we’ve stood at the graves of our parents - and maybe a spouse - we begin to ask, “Where has all this gone?  What have I accomplished?  What am I leaving behind?”

And at that point in our lives - the question of the things we boasted in - wanted other people to notice - and remember about us - what we valued - what we clung onto for security - on that day we’re gonna ask ourselves. “Were these things really important?  Worth boasting in?”

So many people is this life are trying to be wise in the ways of this world - to have power over others and seemingly over their own destinies - and to accumulate wealth to glorify themselves.   And when they come to the end of themselves they’re coming up empty.

In verse 24, God goes on to tell Jeremiah - and us - what’s really important - what lasts - what’s worth boasting about - valuing in life.

“But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness on the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

To understand God means having insight into Who God is and how God operates.  Its understanding enough of how God sees life so that we do life God’s way.

To know God is about relationship.  It comes from hanging out with God - a 24/7/365 relationship with God that over time allows us to go deep with God - to know Him deeply.

What do we understand and know about God?  Three things.

First:  God practices steadfast love.  Think the kind of love that sent Jesus to the cross.

While we were still sinners - openly rebelling against God - undeserving - unworthy - if anything, well worth being judged and justifiably sent to Hell - God even knowing every ugly thing we’ve ever done and ever will do - God sends Jesus - because of God’s undeserved love - because God is grace - Jesus goes to the cross - dies in our place - takes on Himself our sin - takes the penalty for our sins - takes the wrath of God which should have been ours - takes all that on Himself.

And while Jesus gets God’s judgment poured out on Him - when we trust in Jesus as our Savior - confessing our sin and our need for God’s salvation and forgiveness - and give our lives by faith to God - when we trust in Jesus as our Savior - Jesus gets our sin and judgment and we get Jesus’ righteousness.

But God’s love doesn’t stop there.  God still hangs in there with us - is steadfastly loving - steadfastly loyal - steadfastly faithful to us.  His love never wavers regardless of how we mess up in life.  God loves us and continues to love us.

Steadfast love means that God is faithful to us - His beloved - always.  Even if we’re not.

What else do we understand and know about God?

Second:  God is just.

Whatever judgment is coming to God’s people - Judah - not only is it deserved - but - and this is huge - God’s judgment will not exceed by one smidgen what is fitting - appropriately measured to the offense.

God - like a parent is using judgment - punishment - to mature His people.  God’s justice is designed to bring the rehabilitation of His people - to grow them - not to totally destroy them. 

What do we understand and know about God?

Third:  God is righteous.  God desires the salvation of His people.  God desires for His people to live righteously - in a made right - restored - relationship with Him.  God desires for His people to prosper.

Think the abundant life that Jesus talked about.  God desires for us to enjoy life with Him to fullest extent of what real life is all about.

Have you heard this?  “For I know the plans I have for you…”  Heard that?  That’s Jeremiah 29:11.  But, listen to it in context - starting back at verse 10.

“For thus says the Lord:  When 70 years are completed for Babylon - how many years?  70.

“For thus says the Lord:  When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place - Jerusalem - the Promised Land.  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”  (Jeremiah 29:10-14 - see also Jeremiah 25:11-14)

God says to Jeremiah:  boast in this - that you understand My ways and you know Me - personally.  Boast in Me - that I God am faithful - loving - just - righteous - the God who made promises to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob - to my people - and I will fulfill those promises.  I kid you not - things are bad - judgment is coming - you will go into exile - you will be led off into captivity.

But - Jeremiah - because you understand and know me - understand and know this - you’re coming back.  There are limits.  I’ve established them.  Captivity will only last 70 years.

This judgment has purpose.  Behind it all is my loving hand at work - disciplining my people so that they will come back to Me and enjoy the life that I have for them.  We will live in relationship together.

Do you think Jeremiah might have been a tad encouraged to heart that?

We know God did what God said He would do.  In 586 BC Jerusalem was conquered and laid waste.  They toasted the temple.  Pillaged whatever there was to pillage.  God’s people were dragged off into captivity - led off to Babylon.  But they came back.  Depending on when they got dragged off - within 70 years they were back.

It is so crucially important for us to remember - at the critical moments of our lives - when we are most aware of our need for God - and in all the less noticeable moments in between - moments when we’re scared to death and trying desperately to make sense of things - seasons of life when we’re tempted to despair - or to spiral downward in discouragement - times when we begin to question God and wonder at what He is up to - it is crucially important for us to remember that in all the moments of our lives God is there - guiding - correcting - setting us straight - changing us - opening and closing doors - always desiring to purposefully lead us forward into the life and relationship with Him that He has created us for.

We have some major unlearning to do about identity and what to boast in.  What to cling to as important.

The Message puts the first line of the Beatitudes - Matthew 5:3 - the Message puts the first line of the Beatitudes this way:  “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.  With less of you there is more of God and His rule.”

We need to learn to boast - not in what we do - or what we have - or who we are.  But, to boast in to Whom we belong and what He has given us in Jesus.

The English word “boast” translates the Hebrew word “halal.”  Does that sound familiar?  “halal” as in “Halalujah”  Praise Jehovah.  Praise God.  To boast in God is to praise Him for Who He is.  What He has done.  What He will do.

It’s a choice.  Right?  Praise ourselves.  Cling to what we think is important in life.  Trusting our whit, might, and riches - all of which brings glory to us.  And leaves us coming up way short of what we really need in life.

Or, to praise God.  Trusting Him - giving our lives - our todays and tomorrows to the God who is steadfast in His love, justice, and righteousness.  So that He gets the glory.  And we get the abundant life we crave - even in the midst of a world being corrupted by sin.

Who or what are you boasting in?

_________________________

1. Quoted by silverringthing.com

2. Stedman, My Struggle with God - sermon from Jeremiah 7-10