by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: PROPHETIC FULFILLMENT OF THE FALL OF JERUSALEM VINDICATES THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF GOD AND THE ACCURATE PREDICTIONS OF JEREMIAHINTRODUCTION:This final chapter of the book of Jeremiah is apparently appended by another editor. Jeremiah’s own lament over the...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON (TO POUR OUT GOD’S WRATH AND SECURE THE RELEASE OF GOD’S REMNANT) IS DESCRIBED IN A SERIES OF GRAPHIC IMAGESINTRODUCTION:These oracles against the nations reach their pinnacle in the scathing account of destructive judgment against...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: BABYLON HAS BEEN CAPTURED – THE POWERFUL PAGAN WORLD SYSTEM WILL BE DEVASTATED BY DIVINE JUDGMENTINTRODUCTION:In light of Rev. 18-19, we must view Babylon as an actual pagan nation that will ultimately be overthrown in the end times, as well as symbolical of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: DIVINE JUDGMENT WILL EXPOSE THE ARROGANCE AND FALSE SECURITY OF NATIONS THAT TRUST IN THEIR OWN RESOURCESINTRODUCTION:Powerful nations imagine that they are secure and impenetrable. They arrogantly trust in their military strength, their material resources,...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: PRIDE AND IDOLATRY WILL NOT GO UNJUDGED –DESPITE SEEMINGLY INVINCIBLE STRENGTHINTRODUCTION:When someone has lived for a long time in a nation that has enjoyed peace and prosperity because of their superior military capabilities, it is inevitable that...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD CONTROLS THE ULTIMATE FATE OF THE PHILISTINESINTRODUCTION:When the sword of the Lord has been unleashed in judgment against sin, it cannot be restrained or mitigated by human intention or intervention. The God of all the nations will establish His...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD CONTROLS THE ULTIMATE FATE OF THE POWERFUL NATION OF EGYPTINTRODUCTION:Jeremiah serves not only as a prophet to the nation of Judah, but as God’s messenger to declare His sovereignty over the affairs of all nations. Here we begin the final section of the...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: DON’T SERVE GOD TO SEEK GREAT THINGS FOR YOURSELFINTRODUCTION:First, we need to recognize that Baruch was a faithful servant of the Lord. His life was characterized by courage and hardship in remaining a partner to Jeremiah in bringing difficult words of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: MAKE NO MISTAKE – GOD WILL CERTAINLY JUDGE YOUR SIN –DON’T PICK A FIGHT WITH GODINTRODUCTION:The world is very creative in contradicting God’s claim that sin will inevitably lead to divine judgment. They are willing to admit the specifics of their behavior...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: HUMAN ARROGANCE MUST BOW BEFORE GOD’S ABSOLUTE AUTHORITYINTRODUCTION:You would like to think that God’s miraculous redemption of His people from bondage in Egypt would have confirmed their hearts in submission to His providential care. But when times of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 23, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: DISSEMBLING IN SEEKING GOD’S WILL REVEALS A HEART SET ON PURSUING ITS OWN DESIRESINTRODUCTION:This passage represents a perversion of that famous hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord!” For here we see God’s remnant in Judah already on the way down the forbidden...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: TEMPORARY DELIVERANCE CAN STILL LEAD TO FUTURE CHAOS IF WE IGNORE GOD’S WARNINGS AND FAIL TO SEEK COUNSEL FROM GODINTRODUCTION:Our broken condition as a result of the Fall means that our lives end up far messier than what we would like. On a personal level,...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD ALWAYS PRESERVES, PROTECTS AND PROVIDES FOR HIS PEOPLEINTRODUCTION:It is surprising when this chapter opens to find Jeremiah once more in chains. Apparently he had been scooped up along with the other Jews who were targeted for deportation. But God works...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: FAITH DETERMINES THE OUTCOME OF EITHER DEVASTATION OR DELIVERANCEINTRODUCTION:King Zedekiah and his fellow countrymen in Jerusalem were given every opportunity to respond to the repeated prophecies of Jeremiah warning of impending devastation at the hands of...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: FAITHFUL TESTIMONY DOESN’T DEVIATE IN THE FACE OF POWERFUL PRESSUREINTRODUCTION:Jeremiah provides us a supreme example of faithful preaching in pressure situations. He had to deal with the political intrigue of officials who favored Egypt over Babylon and...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE PUPPET KING CANNOT CONTROL THE FAITHFUL PROPHET OF GODINTRODUCTION:Nobody loved the nation of Israel more deeply than Jeremiah. Nobody grieved over their sinful state more deeply than he. He was a true patriot but was falsely accused and imprisoned as a...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD’S MESSAGE OF JUDGMENT CANNOT BE ERASED OR DENIEDINTRODUCTION:Accountability can be a sore subject for those who do not want to face up to the consequences of their actions. When hit with a prophecy of impending divine judgment, people resort to the...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY MUST ALWAYS BE TO OBEY GODINTRODUCTION:Scriptures frequently use the type of argument fleshed out in this passage: arguing from the lesser to the greater. If you are careful to keep your word and commitments made to human authorities,...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: FLASH IN THE PAN SPIRITUAL LOYALTY DOESN’T CUT ITINTRODUCTION:You have heard of the Christian movement called “Promise Keepers.” I suppose you could call this episode in Israel’s history a record of “Promise Breakers.” Jeremiah comes to remind the city and...
by Paul Apple | Apr 22, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD GUARANTEES THE FUTURE RESTORATION OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE MESSIAHINTRODUCTION:Since we know who holds the future, we can have confidence in God’s end times prophecies. Especially comforting are the words from Jeremiah 33 at...
