Bible Facebook: Jeremiah, A Miserable
Success
OT Jeremiah 2:1-7, Hebrews 11:32-40, Matthew 16:21-27
In 1923
eight of the world's wealthiest men met at the Edgwater Beach Hotel
in Chicago Illinois. Who were they? The president of the largest
independent steel company, the president of the largest gas company,
the greatest wheat speculator, president of the New York Stock
exchange, a member of the president's cabinet, the greatest “bear”
on Wall Street, the head of the World's largest monopoly, and the
president of the Bank International Settlement. Would you say these
men were successful in life. By the world's standards they certainly
would seem so. Together they controlled more money than the United
States government of their time. Where did their success take them
twenty five years later?
By 1948: the
president of the steel company lived on loans five years before he
died.
President of
the largest gas company, Howard Hopson, went insane from syphilus.
Wheat
speculator Arthur Cutton died abroad, penniless.
New York Stock exchange President
Richard Witney was sent to Sing Sing. Albert Fall, a member of the
president's cabinet was pardoned to die at his home. Jesse
Livermore, the bear of Wall Street, committed suicide. Monopoly
Monger Ivan Krueger killed himself as did Leon Fraser, president of
Bank International Settlement. They had it all and lost it all.
By the world's standards
Jeremiah was a complete and utter failure. He served as God's mouth
piece for 40 years. Nobody listened. He passionately urged them to
change. Nobody cared. Poor, suffering deprivations, imprisoned, cast
into a cistern, hauled off to Egypt, rejected by everyone, his
family, friends, kings, his life seemed like an utter failure. No
wonder he is remembered as the weeping prophet.
He lived in
direct contradiction to his society, bellowing out the ills,
injustice, and immoral decadence of his people, rulers, and
religious of his day. He tells them they started out great,
a joy to the Lord: vs. 2 I remember thee, the kindness of thy
youth, the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after Me in the
wilderness. Then, Israel was separated, holy to the Lord: vs. 3
Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the first fruits of His
increase. But from those tender beginnings God's chosen became
inflated with self-importance, claiming success as their own, and
strayed from the Lord who provided for them and protected them from
their enemies.
Vs. 5 Thus saith the
Lord, what iniquity have your fathers found in Me that they are gone
far from me, and have walked after vanity and are become vain.
That is apostasy, falling away, and arrogance. I have done nothing
but love, protect and provide for you, why do you abandon me and
foolishly go your own way. Succeed in your own eyes?
Vs. 7
And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof
and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land,
and made mine heritage an abomination. To defile the gift of God
with idol worship such as self, money, worldly goods, is a false
and corrupt religion. Vs 8: The priests said not, Where is the
Lord? And they that handle the law knew me not; the pastors also
transgressed against me, and the prophets prophised by Baal, and
walked after things that do not profit. Leading without seeking
the Lord, godlessness in the law, and disobedience to God by those
sworn to obedience is Leadership without integrity. Jeremiah spoke
God's judgment against chasing after things that do not give Him
glory with a heart far from Him, disobedient and rebellious against
Him.
Do we not
see that in our world today? The Bible calls it apostasy: the
falling away of the church. A Church that has rambled from its
Biblical roots. A church that has lost its first love. A Church that
has become a chameleon in our culture, rather than a courageous
outpost of the Kingdom of heaven. We can sell out to the World, or
we can sell out to Christ.
In Hebrews
11:35 we read of those who sold out to Christ in the early Church.
Women
received their dead raised to life again; and others were tortured
not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better
resurrection; 36 and others had trial of cruel mockings and
scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment. 37 they were
stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with sword.
They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute,
afflicted, tormented. There were mighty miracles,
even some receiving back to life those who died. In places like
Turkey, Pakistan, Africa, Egypt, Asia, India and Sri Lanka, where
Christ is persecuted among the people who love Him, miracles take
place every day like those of the first century. The reason? They
fully believe the Word of God as it stands. They like the early
Christian would far rather suffer than deny, forfeit, or forsake
their Jesus. Outcasts, beaten, persecuted, physically miserable, but
in the eyes of the Lord they were those of whom this world was not
worthy: hugely successful because the kept their faith, love and
trust in Him.
I know a man
who immaculately grooms himself, is intelligent, shrewd, works hard,
a handy helper, usually pleasant to strangers, a good provider, a
law abiding citizen, an avid recycler. Keeps his grass mowed, his
business to himself, and is without apparent vices. To him
everything in life is logged on a ledger sheet. As long as his
assets outweigh his liabilities, he is at peace for the moment, but
not satisfied – never satisfied - because he is always seeking to
increase his assets far beyond his needs. In part, the ceaseless
accumulation of goods and profit are a hedge against a day of want.
Too proud, he would never admit that fear. Moreover he cannot
conceive of ever having enough. He loans at the going interest rate,
even to his own children. He has all the attributes of success. He
looks good on paper, but his soul is empty. Jesus said of this man,
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his
soul?
He's not one person, but many,
if not most, in our society today. They live on the top of the heap
of what we deem success, but inwardly, spiritually they remain
empty, lost, and in sore need of what you have. Not your money, nor
your land, nor your possessions, your good name, or even your
approval. Compared to themselves, they may think you are poor,
miserable, a nobody, insignificant, of little value to this world.
And treat you that way. But they need what only you, as a miserable
success, as a believer, can offer. They need your Savior, Jesus
Christ. Show them Who you've got!
