[0:00] Seeking the Lord's blessing, let us now turn back to the portion of scripture that we read together in the Old Testament in the prophecy of Jeremiah and chapter 8 and we'll read at verse 20.
[0:14] The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt. I am black, astonishment have taken hold on me.
[0:28] Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Oh, that my head were waters and my eyes are fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.
[0:50] The harvest is past, the summer is ended. And we are not saved. Our text this evening is one that has been preached upon very often at the end and at the beginning of a new year.
[1:08] From our recent studies we have seen that Jeremiah is a major Old Testament prophet. He lived in the 7th and 6th centuries BC.
[1:25] And God set him apart before he was born and called him to be a prophet. And after growing up he came to Jerusalem.
[1:37] And he was a great help in doing good during the reign of King Josiah. During the reformation that Josiah brought upon the land.
[1:51] And Josiah's death was a great disappointment to the godly people. And indeed it was a great disappointment also for Jeremiah who wrote a lament in response to the king's death.
[2:09] The kings of Judah who succeeded Josiah were all wicked kings. And the historical context is that Israel is living in sin and is rebellious towards God.
[2:27] And he is warning them of being taken into captivity because of their sin. That he is going to punish them because of their sin.
[2:41] And Jeremiah lived to see Nebuchadnezzar's invasion in 589 BC. And although the invasion was interrupted Jeremiah warned that the Babylonians would return.
[2:59] There were three invasions upon Judah by the Babylonians. And because he prophesied that the Babylonians would return.
[3:13] He was imprisoned. He was still there when the city was eventually taken. The following year the Babylonians released him and showed him kindness.
[3:27] Letting him live where he wished. But we know that he was later taken to Egypt. And he was taken there against his will. There is no record at all of the death of Jeremiah.
[3:42] We can only assume that he must have died at a good old age down in Egypt or possibly in Babylon. But it is worthy to note that although Jeremiah was doing what God wanted him to do.
[3:59] He suffered greatly with the Jews because of their sin. It reminds us that Christians are not exempt from the sufferings of a nation.
[4:15] When our own nations suffer, Christians are not exempt from that. But here was a man who was willing to stand for the truth.
[4:29] Even when it was not very popular. How easy it is for us to make exceptions to our beliefs or compromise God's truth.
[4:42] To make it easier on our life or on the lives of others. But here is a reminder that we need to stand firm on the Bible. And never change our biblical position.
[4:56] No matter how unpopular that may be among the people. May God give us the strength and courage to do that.
[5:07] But tonight I would like us to think of our text in the light of our realisation of missed opportunities and its consequences.
[5:18] In verse 4 to 12 of chapter 8, the prophet speaks of the people's sinfulness and their unwillingness to repent.
[5:33] Which is the reason for their judgment. He begins with a series of questions to try and prod the people into thinking about their situation.
[5:49] He says, Shall they fall and not arise? Shall they turn away and not return?
[6:00] If someone falls, the natural response of such a person is to try and get up. Or if a person takes a journey away from home, you would expect that person to return home.
[6:17] But Jeremiah follows these two general questions by a third. Wherein he asks, Why then is this people of Israel slitten back by a perpetual backsliding?
[6:35] A perpetual backsliding. They were moving further and further away from God. And after the question comes the accusation.
[6:49] The whole fast deceit. They refuse to return. They cling to deceit. They refuse to return.
[7:02] No one repents of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Each pursues his own course, Like a hearse charging into battle.
[7:15] No man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Everyone turned to his course.
[7:27] Reminding us that they are willful and senseless in their sin. Reminding us that they have no true sense of their sin.
[7:41] The prophet Isaiah says, All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. At the end of the book of Judges, We read that everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
[7:58] And here Jeremiah pictures the people to be like the horse that rusheth into the battle. Horses going into battle wore blinders, So that they would not be frightened by the oversight of battle.
[8:18] And each horse pursued his own course, Charging into battle, Paying no attention to what is going on around them. Because they wore those blinders.
[8:33] It is a picture for us of what is true of the nation of Israel, And what is true of mankind, That they are blinded in their pursuit of sin.
[8:44] Just like the war, We do not wander into sin, But we gallop into sin. The accusation is, No man repented him of his wickedness, Saying, What have I done?
[9:02] No man, No one asked, What have I done? They were absolutely blinded to the fact That they had sinned and rebelled against God.
[9:16] They had no true sense of their sin. And because of that, There was no repentance. Because they didn't have a true sense of their sin, They lacked repentance.
[9:30] Because repentance is given when we have a true sense of our sin. Now the main difference between believers and unbelievers, Is not that believers do not sin, While unbelievers does.
[9:53] We must remember that believers do sin as well. Although there must be a difference between believers and unbelievers, In their outward behaviour, Nevertheless, Believers do sin.
[10:05] But the primary difference between believers and unbelievers, When they sin, Is not whether they sin, But how they deal, With that sin.
[10:18] The believer lives a life of repentance. The believer may fall into sin, But does not stay down.
[10:33] A believer may wander away from God, But he does not stay away. The believer returns, After they have turned and carried their sin back to God, And asks for forgiveness.
[10:48] For the sake of Jesus Christ. But here we have a people, Who were so blinded of their sin, That when they were called upon to repent, They would say, What have I done?
[11:07] Why do I have to repent? What have I done? Is that a picture tonight of yourself?
[11:21] Do you not see a need to repent? In verse 13 to 17, The prophet describes for us, The judgment, That is to come.
[11:40] I will take away their harvest, He says, There will be no grapes, No figs. What I have given them, God says, Will be taken from them.
[11:54] The God who gives, Can also take away. They have sinned against God, So judgment is going to follow. They will say, We looked for peace, But no good came, And for a time of health, And behold trouble.
[12:11] We hope for peace, But no good has come, For a time of healing, But there was only terror. Very graphically, He says that God Will send snakes among them, Vipers, That cannot be charmed, And they will bite you.
[12:32] It is a fearful sin, That is brought here, Before us. Now Jeremiah himself, Is often called the weeping prophet, And he is clearly very moved, By this prophecy, That he has to deliver, To the people.
[12:58] He is the weeping prophet, Been clearly moved, By the prophecy, That he has to deliver, To the people.
[13:14] We remember when Christ, Came into Jerusalem, That we looked at last, Sabbath day, That at a certain point, He wept over, The city.
[13:30] Knowing that the city, Was going to be, Destroyed, That the city, Was going to reject him, Crucify him, And that eventually, The city of Jerusalem, Would be burnt down, Would be totally, And absolutely destroyed.
[13:47] You know, Sometimes, Sometimes, It can worry us, And cause us concern, How hard-hearted, We can be, Even in delivering, The gospel, To our people, And telling them, Regarding, The judgment of God, The judgment, On those, Who refuse, To repent, The judgment, That awaits, Those who, Reject the Lord, Jesus Christ, As their saviour, The awfulness, Of the judgment, That awaits, Those who do not repent, Those who are, Outside of Christ, And in delivering, Such a message, We can sometimes, Be very concerned, Regarding, The hardness, Of our heart, And it's not, Only, That's not only,
[14:48] True of preachers, But also true, Of every Christian, When they, Think of, The judgment, That awaits, Those who are, Outside of Christ, Those who have not, Received salvation, The hell, That is, Waiting for them, Members of, Our own families, Our wives, Our husbands, Our brothers, Our sisters, Our neighbours, Our friends, Our work colleagues, Who are outside, Of Christ, And yet, We can be so, Hard in our hearts, How, We would, Yearn to be like, Jeremiah, Who wept over, The people, Or like Christ, Who wept over, Jerusalem, Here then, Is Jeremiah, The weeping prophet, And he is clearly, Moved by, His prophecy, In the chapters, Closing verses, He turns to God,
[15:49] And he says, When I would comfort myself, Against sorrow, Toro, My heart, My heart, Is faint, In me, He imagines, His people, In exile, In the far country, Devastated, And lamenting over, What they have lost, And they are, Asking, Certain, Questions, Questions, But God, Is asking questions, As well, Behold the voice, Of the cry, Of the daughter, Of my people, Because of them, That dwell, In a far country, Is not the Lord, In Zion, Is not her king, In her, And then the Lord, Asks the question, Why, Have they provoked me, To anger, With their graven images, And with their strange, Vanities, Why have they provoked me, To anger,
[16:49] With their images, With their, Worthless, Foreign, Idols, He brings before us, That their exile, Is, Most, Just, In verse, 21, There, Jeremiah, Says, For the hurt, Of the daughter, Of my people, Am I hurt, I am black, Astonishment, Have taken hold, On me, Since my people, Are crushed, He says, I am crushed, I mourn, Horror grips me, And finally, He asks, Almost in despair, He is saying, Is there no balm, And Gilead, Is there no physician, There?
[17:40] Why then? It's not the health, Of the daughter, Of my people, Recovered, And, As we go to chapter 9, We will see, This sweeping prophet, How, How he's crushed, And how he's, Full of grief, Oh, That my head were waters, And mine eyes, A fountain of tears, That I might weep, Day and night, For the slain, Of the daughter, Of my people, Now you might say, Well what has that got to say, To me?
[18:17] Well I am not a prophet, And I cannot say, What will be tomorrow, But what I can tell you, Though is that, A final judgment, Is coming, And you need, To be ready, For that judgment, Sadly, There will be those, On that day of reckoning, Who will realise, The days, Of missed opportunities, And will cry out, As they cry out here, The harvest has passed, And the summer has ended, And we are not saved, The harvest has passed, The summer has ended, And I, Am not saved, The solemnity of, That moment is, That it's, Too late, Too late, I believe,
[19:21] This realisation, Before us, Came to a people, Who still had a time, To repent, And to be saved, We cannot dilute, The seriousness, Of this situation, We are saying, That unless, You let go, And repent, From your wickedness, Own up to your sin, Unless you, Wake up to your true, Situation, Situation, Judgment, Will overtake you, I think that the image, That is brought before us, Here is, Of a people, Who are, Sitting, And they're feeling, Dejected, And depressed, The reason,
[20:22] Of hope, Is past, The season, Of hope, Which is, Spring and summer, Harvest, Is gone, And suddenly, The realisation, The awful, Terrible reality, Of the fact, Have seized, Upon them, Their sins, And their iniquities, Have separated, Them from God, And they have, This terrible realisation, We are not, Saved, And these are, Awful words, These are terrible words, What an awful cry, To come, From the heart, Of any sinner, We are not, Saved, I'm not saved, I know, I'm not saved, Perhaps you, Know the version, Sometimes, When we are familiar,
[21:23] With a thing, We don't, Look at it, Properly, As I've said, It is often, Taken as a text, At the end of a year, Or the beginning, Of a new year, The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are, Not same, I've tended, To think of this, Versa saying, The summer has ended, The harvest is past, And we are, Not saved, You see, There is the danger, That we can import, Into a version, Our own, Cultural context, Where the order of events, Is the summer months, Of May, June and July, Then the harvest period, From August, To the end of October, So that we would say, Something like, The summer has gone, The harvest is nearly past, And still people, Are not, Saved, But in Israel, Where Jeremiah lived, Things are different, In Israel,
[22:24] There were two harvests, There were two seasons, Of harvest, There was, The spring harvest, And there was, The summer harvest, In spring harvest, The barley, And the wheat, And other cereals, Were harvested, Then later, After that, Came, The summer harvest, The harvest of the grapes, And the figs, And, And olives, And that is why, We have the sort, The harvest is past, The summer ascended, And our own culture, Would be summer, Before harvest, But here, He is speaking of, Two periods, Of harvesting, He is speaking of, The spring harvest, And the summer, Harvest, Literally, It is, The spring harvest, Is past, The time of summer, Harvest has ended,
[23:26] Both harvesting, Periods, Have gone, And we, Are not saved, The point then, Is that one season, Of opportunity, Or hope after another, Has passed, And no salvation, Has come, We are not saved, These people, Were not, Unconcerned people, They were concerned, About their condition, And tonight, You may be like them, You are concerned, About your soul, I mean, Who else would say, The likes, Of what we have here, The harvest is past, The summer has ended, And we are not, Saved, But somebody, Who is concerned, About, The whole, Matter, Indeed, That's what the Lord Jesus, Said we ought to be, He said, What does it profit, If you gain the whole world, Yet lose, Your own soul,
[24:28] What he is saying is, That you ought to be concerned, About, Your soul, And so that is, The question, That we have to ask, Are you concerned, About, Your soul, Are you concerned, About where you will, Wake up, In eternity, Some of those, Who are older in age, You have been, You have been, Alive for, Many years, You have done, Many things, But when you look back, Over your life, You may feel, Tonight, That time has escaped you, And that actually, You have accomplished, Very little, The older we get, The greater danger, Of such feelings, That time has escaped,
[25:32] And we have accomplished, So little, As I look over, My own ministry, Among you, I do feel that, Time has escaped, And I have accomplished, So little, Now the Bible, Never countenances, Vain regrets, But we must make, A sober assessment, Of where our lives, Are going, And where they have been, Are you at a point, Where summer has ended, And the harvest, Is passed, Are you at a point, Where time is, Running out, Are you at a point, Where you cannot assume, Much more time, Your winter is coming,
[26:33] Are you at a point, Where, Now is the time, To act, That now, Is the time, To, Look to Jesus Christ, That we, That you can't leave it, Any, Longer, Time is, Swiftly, Passing you by, As you look back, Over the years, It is, As a tale, That has, Been told, So often, We, Use the phrase, Where have the years gone, Where has, Time gone, But what have we, Accomplished in that time, Regarding our, Salvation, What have we done, In that time, Regarding our relationship, With God, What have we done, In that time, With the gospel, How many sermons, Have you heard,
[27:34] How many times, Have you been exhorted, To believe, In the Lord Jesus Christ, To repent of, Your sin, What have you done, With the time, That the Lord, Gave you, In his, In his, In his favour, When he, He, He showed, And poured his favour, Upon you, By giving you time, To repent, And to believe, In him, For your salvation, But what have you done, With your time, Are you going to be, One of those, Who will cry out, The harvest is past, The summer is ended, The time of harvesting, Is past, The time of, When we could, Close in, With Jesus, As our saviour, It is past, It is ended, We are not saved, It is,
[28:41] That we have to, We have to, Come to, Come to, Jesus Christ, We should, We should not wait, Until the clouds, Come, Until the storm, Is near, Because then, It may be, Too late, When you have, When you have been warned, Of a storm coming, You prepare immediately, For that storm, You don't leave it, Until the clouds have gathered, And the storm is almost, Upon you, You prepare long, Before, When you have been warned, And tonight, We are warning you, That judgment, Is coming, And the person, Outside of Christ, Goes to hell, The person, Outside of Christ, Goes to torment, We are warning you, Of the storm, That is coming, And tonight, Is the time, Of preparation, Before the storm,
[29:43] Comes, Before it is too late, Before you cry out, The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not, Saved, Some of you, Are perhaps not so old, In years, But, When you think about it, There have been many, Missed opportunities, Think of how many, Sad ones you have listened to, How many books you have read, How many, Good conversations, You have had, And maybe, You have been resolved, Perhaps to live for God, And yet, It has never come, To pass, You see, The summer ended, And the harvest passed, How many more opportunities, This will be, Well, There is, The uncertainty, Of time, We know not,
[30:47] What a day, Nor an hour, May bring forth, In our experience, And it is, To be ready, It is, To do good, While we have time, At the beginning, Of a new year, Think what some of you, Have experienced, In the year that has passed, You have heard, Say everyone is calling you, To Christ, You have heard exhortations, To repent, And to come to Christ, Will there be, Any more opportunities, Well now, Is the time, To act, We mustn't leave it, Any longer, Can I ask you, Something very personal, This evening, Does it bother you, That you're entering, Into a new year, And you're still,
[31:49] Not saved, Does it bother you, That you are entering, Into a new year, And you are still, Outside of Christ, You are still, Outside of, Salvation, You have not, Repented, You have not, Returned, You have not, Turned around, But on the same path, As you were last year, And the year before, And the year before that, And getting closer, To that destination, Of a lost eternity, Does it not bother you, That you are not yet saved, The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And here you're sitting tonight, And you're saying, I'm not saved, Your own,
[32:50] Conscience tells you, I don't need to point, To anyone, Your own, Conscience tells you, Where you stand, In relationship, To God, Has your relationship, To God changed, Is it still the same, As it was last year, And the year before that, And the year before that, And the year before that, Will it ever change, Are you happy enough, To go on, This year, And if God spares, To next year, And the year to come, They're all going to be, Getting shorter, They're not getting longer, The years you have, To turn to Christ, Is getting shorter, Now is the time to act, Now is the time, To come to Christ, Now is the time, To put your trust, And your hope, In Christ,
[33:51] Now is the time, Of your salvation, You can let it go past, That's your responsibility, Not mine, The harvest, The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And you're not saved, One season of opportunities, After another has passed, But you have not, Closed in with Christ, By faith, These people here, They're sitting, And they're starving, After the spring harvest, And they're hoping, That things will fare better, When the summer harvest comes, But as month after month, Of harvest season goes by, There's nothing, It's like a people, Who are promising themselves,
[34:53] Another opportunity, And the opportunity comes, And goes, How many times, Have you promised yourself, If I get another opportunity, An opportunity has come, And gone, And you're still not saved, And, The deceitfulness of sin, Is this, That you promised yourself, Another opportunity, You're sitting here tonight, And you're saying, Well, My time has not yet come, When my time comes, I will put my trust in Christ, But my time has not yet come, You're promising yourself a time, And time is not promised to you, What the Bible says is, Now is the day of salvation, Now is the day, When you put your trust, In Christ, Not tomorrow, Because tomorrow, Tomorrow is not promised, But because of the deceitfulness of sin,
[35:55] You promised yourself tomorrow, Tomorrow, When tomorrow, Is not promised to me, Or to you, Because, Because, We know not what, An hour, May bring forth, In our experience, What a day may bring forth, In our, Experience, These people were saying, Well after the, Spring harvest, There will be the summer harvest, And so it went on, And then they cried out, They're both past, They're both ended, And we are not saved, A year has finished, And there's a lot of things, Have been concluded in that year, A lot of things have ended, Perhaps your, Working career is over, Perhaps because you're retired,
[36:56] Maybe your life at home, With your parents, Has gone past, Their influence is, Over now, You know the great tragedy is that, So often we meet people, Under the gospel, Whose place was never empty, And then a certain year come, And we don't see them anymore, They don't come to, The gospel anymore, And maybe, You're here tonight, And maybe you're saying to yourself, Well, You know this year, Is going to be the year, When my attendance at church, Is going to be, Very scourish at all, We must remember, My dear friend, That our very life, Could be very close to an end, And if you've never concluded, The matter of, Your soul's salvation,
[37:57] Then, It is a tragedy, It is a tragedy, It is a tragedy, Perhaps you have been very, Diligent and, And careful, On all matters, Over the past year, And neglected the matter, Of immense importance, Which is, Your relationship with God, Is, Your own soul, Well, Are you one, Who is still not saved, That is a question, That we are left with, If you are saved, We give thanks to God, And we rejoice, And we pray for others, To be saved too, But if you are not saved, If you are one, Who has to say, The harvest has passed,
[38:58] The summer has ended, So many opportunities, In my life, I have let go, And tonight, I am still, Not saved, Then wake up, To your situation, We must not say, God will save me, If he chooses, There is nothing I can do, Yes my friend, You have a duty, And God has given you a duty, And your duty, Is to repent, To repent, What God wants of you tonight, He wants you to repent, To turn away, From the path, That you are going in, And to turn right round, And to look to him, To put your trust, In him, He wants you to forsake, Those gods that are, In your heart, That you worship,
[39:58] And that is a hindrance, To you coming to him, You see the reason, Why God hasn't, Penetrated your life, Is not because, He doesn't want to, He would have, Every man, Everywhere to, Repent, But it is because, Of your, Rebellious sinfulness, That you won't, Let him, Penetrate, Your life, You won't let him in, You keep the door, Of your heart, Bolted, Against, Christ, And he knocks, And he knocks, And he knocks, And maybe, Last year, He was knocking, At your door, Maybe through, Reading of the word, Of God, Or the preaching, Of the word, Or through some act, On your providence, You may have gone, Through a hard providence, A difficult providence, Providence, Where you felt,
[41:00] So helpless, And so hopeless, And maybe, The Lord, Did lift you up, Maybe, You saw the hand, Of the Lord, In your providence, Strengthening you, And making you, Cope, With that difficult, Hard, Providence, But what have you done, Have you turned, Your back, Again, Upon him, Have you bolted, The door, Of your heart, Against him, Remember, That if you, Miss an opportunity, You can't, Take it back, Again, And you have, An opportunity, Tonight, And you have, That hope, Tonight, Yes, You may have, Wasted many years, But as you go, Into a new year, Are you going,
[42:01] To waste, Another opportunity, Perhaps waste, Another year, And more solemn, Maybe waste, Your own soul, The harvest, Past, The summer, Has ended, And we are not, Saved, But Israel, Was still in a place, Where they could, Repent, Of their sin, And what we know, About the history, Of Israel, And Judas, They didn't repent, And so the Babylonians, Came, And took them, Into, Captivity, For you tonight, There is the time, Given to you, To repent, And to believe, So that you will not, End, In a time of judgment, Where you will, Be sent,
[43:04] To that place, That has been prepared, For those, Who have, Who have, Rejected, The salvation, That God, That God has, Offered to you, Through his son, How shall we escape, If we neglect, So great, A salvation, So I ask you tonight, Where do you stand, In your relationship, With God, Where do you stand, In relationship, To the salvation, That God, Is offering you, Through his son, Where do you stand, In the light, Of the opportunities, That the Lord, In his grace, And mercy, Has given, To you, Do you still go on, With your rebellious heart, Do you still go on, Regardless, Do you still go on, Promising yourselves, Opportunities, That you have no right, To promise, Yourself, Because your breath,
[44:07] Is in the hands, Of your creator, And he can withdraw it, Whene'er he pleases, Where are you tonight, My friend, Where are you, Tonight, With the Lord, Bless our thoughts, This prayer,