1) Historical context: The book of Jeremiah describes God coming in judgment against His people because they have "exchanged the glory of God for that which does not profit;" they have forsaken Him and turned to idols.
2) "Be appalled, O heavens... be shocked." God says we should be shocked and appalled by this idolatry. I have three reasons why we should be appalled:
A) The glory of God is at stake: God's glory is the most ultimate, most valuable reality in the universe, because the glory of God is most valuable to God.
B) We were created to exhibit and enjoy the glory of God: We exist to display the worth of Jesus Christ to a watching world, and we do this by enjoying "the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus."
C) God's glory profits: The obvious implication of Jeremiah's accusation, "They have changed their glory for that which does not profit," is that we should be pursuing the glory that does profit. We are commanded to consider knowing and enjoying God that we view all else as worthless by comparison. Therefore, the proper response to the glory of God is to pursue it joyfully and drink of it deeply, and come to Jesus who says "I am the bread of life."
3) What does it mean when Jesus says, "Come to me"? Jesus' statement in John 6 ("Whoever comes to me shall not hunger; whoever believes in me shall never thirst") is a parallel statement, in which the first phrase means the same thing as the second phrase. Therefore, what Jesus is saying is that coming means believing. Believing in Jesus means coming to Him as thirst-quencher and satisfier-- this is the essence of true faith.
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1 comment:
I enjoyed your outline. This passage is one of my favorites, and is the first passage I had ever really preached from. The contrast is intense: Fountain of Living Waters vs. broken cisterns.
I'll likely listen to your message.
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