The Two Ways Of Life

Jeremiah 17:5-10

"What on earth are you here for?" That is i the primary questions posed by the blockbuster all-time selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, written past the well known pastor of the Saddleback Church in Southern California. This important question is ane that people of all ages should consider. Why are we here? What are we suppose to be and to practise? Evidently, there are diverse ways of answering that vital question and Pastor Rick Warren has sought to offer a sound bibilical response to the inquiry.

Long ago, the prophet Jeremiah dealt with this essential question equally he ministered to the people of God in his mean solar day. Jeremiah, at times may appear to exist a negative person. In reality, his call was to challenge the people of God to an awakening. He was preaching to the people and teaching them well-nigh exemplifying faithfulness to God in times of difficulty.

These were tough times for the people of God during the ministry of Jeremiah. They felt threatened past their enemies, just as we exercise past terrorists in our mean solar day. They also were experiencing some economical hard times. Their style of life was being threatened, and this made them feel vulnerable. Politically, things were unstable and volatile. Does all of this sound familiar to you? Indeed, it does reflect where we are in the spirit of our times.

Therefore, Jeremiah, the OT prophet, has an applicative give-and-take of challenge for u.s.a. today. In chapter 17 verses 5 through ten, Jeremiah offers a sobering commentary concerning the ii different means of life, or a contrast of lifestyles. This passage resembles Psalm i in so many means, as the godly lifestyle is contrasted with the ungodly way of life.

The last two verses of this extraordinary passage is most poignant. "The middle is deceitful than anything else and desperately ill—who tin can sympathise it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). The man heart is so sinful that Jeremiah is forced to call information technology "badly deceitful or wicked." He further describes it in such unhealthy terms such as "sick". We practise non similar existence chosen "badly deceitful and sick," only that is our basic human condition. That is your diagnosis and mine. We all suffer from a final illness called "sin." This sinful condition gives u.s.a. heart trouble, and we become deathly sick. That is until we come across Christ. Through Christ, we discover health, we are saved from our sins. Through Christ, nosotros are fabricated whole and complete. Without Christ, we are lost and condemned in our sins. In poetry x, the Lord is described as the doctor, who examines the heart and makes not only the diagnosis but brings to the patient the healing needed. Promise, health, healing and wholeness come because of the power of God to alter our sinful condition into a saved condition. Only God in Christ can achieve that feat. We can not do that by ourselves, and we are foolish to endeavour to do so. Yet, then many oft endeavor to do it by themselves and that leads to devastation. Jeremiah calls this "the cursed life." The life changed past the power of God is "the blest life."

I. The Cursed Life is not worth living.

(Jeremiah 17:v-6)

Declaratively and decisively Jeremiah proclaims, "This is what the Lord says." The prophet is not trying to mince words or massage his message. He knows that the prophetic statements he is making represent "the word of the Lord." He likewise was sure the people needed to hear this bulletin. They were starving for the truth of God in plain and understandable language.

1. "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, and makes mankind his force.." Here Jeremiah is describing the cursed life every bit one which trusts in himself or herself. Y'all take to trust someone or something and the people who practise not trust in the Lord find themselves trusting in themselves solitary. This is the natural human being tendency and tragic philosophy of life for those who brand the Sinatra Doctrine their way of life. What is the Sinatra Doctrine? Information technology is essentially reflected in the famous crooner's vocal, "I did it my way."

With the recent crisis in the financial markets, nosotros have heard people say, "I trusted in Bernie Madoff and he turned out to be a cheat." Others have said, "I trusted in this financial firm or this bank only to be amazed at the meltdown of the whole organization." This kind of trust is futile and foolish. The finish event is to be cursed by a misplaced trust. When y'all notice that yous take trusted someone who became a traitor to you and to others, yous realize but how devastating such an activeness can be. It destabilizes your life; it shakes your conviction in yourself and in the future, and it leaves you with a trust arrears and a religion void, which only tin can exist filled by the presence of Christ.

2. Jeremiah further describes the cursed life as one which "…turns his heart from the Lord." How tragic a state of affairs!!! Turning your heart from the Lord is like a drowning person turning away from a life preserver or a life guard seeking to salve a life. Information technology is the picture of idiocy and stupidity. Yet, the cursed life is a life which has turned away from the very One who can save. Tin you imagine how badly a life guard feels after seeking to accomplish a drowning person and the individual refused his help? That to me represents the folly of those misguided souls who merely turn their backs on the Lord and walk away. The Rich Young Ruler in the NT Gospels is described as making that kind of decision. He was saddened at the words of Jesus and he turned heart away from the Lord.

iii. The cursed life is i that trusts in self, turns away from the Lord and tumbles through life without direction. This is the essence of what Jeremiah is maxim in verse six of our passage. The juniper bush could exist best understood as a tumbling weed on a desert, merely beingness diddled in whatsoever and every direction with the winds of change. There is no set course, just a life blowing in the air current, existing on a parched desert, with no hope of meaningful living. This lamentable commentary is an apt clarification of so many people today. They are just like picayune tumble weeds bravado in this direction so that direction, ultimately in the wrong direction, without the guidance of the Lord. One man recently confessed, "I have lived ii ways in my life. One style I have lived has been out of the will of God; the other has been in the volition of God. I can tell you," he said, "living in the volition of God is the only mode to live. To live otherwise is to live in misery and pain."

To be out of God's will is to lived a cursed life. I know that is strong language, but information technology is a truthful argument. The blessed life is the life lived in the will of God. There is a world of difference betwixt these lifestyles. No, to be more exact there is an eternal difference between these lifestyles. The cursed life, motivated by selfish ambitions and directionless goals, is simply non worth living. It is an beingness without an feel with God and His people.

2. The Blessed Life is the only life worth living.

(Jeremiah 17:vii-eight)

Jeremiah paints a beautiful picture of the blessed life, the ane lived in the volition of God. He employs the image of a tree to help us see this magnificent film. Growing up in Birmingham, we planted a little tree when nosotros moved to a new customs. At first, I was much taller than the tree, but in time, the tree grew way beyond my height, and its branches extended in all directions. As I grew older, I climbed the tree and claimed information technology as my quiet identify for reading and reflection. The tree was salubrious and strong, and it demonstrated the purpose of a tree in society. It is created to abound strong, and that is the goal of every believer likewise.

i. The Blest Life is one which is planted in the Lord. In several places, including Psalm 1, the well lived or godly life is compared to a tree planted securely in the ground near a river bank. That is the case here as Jeremiah describes the Blessed Life as planted firmly in the Lord. At that place is no meliorate footing in which to find your roots than in the Lord. If you are rooted in this present life, you will not experience the Blessed Life. Proverbs 11:28 says, "A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God shaped life is a flourishing tree." All of us want to take "a God shaped life" which flourishes for the Lord. You surely practise not want to be dead stumps, which go far the manner of progress, and they have to be cut down. No, we desire to experience the blessed life which flourishes for the Lord.

2. The Blessed Life is one which is protected by the Lord. Jeremiah is so instructive at this signal. Trees planted deeply at the riverbank are similar lives planted firmly in the Lord. Such trees or lives are non bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Into each life, come storms and struggles, but for the believers and followers of Christ, we cannot exist separated from His dearest. That is the message of the latter part of Romans eight. Currently, we are deluged with negative news which produces feet in the lives of all people, including Christians. The promise of this verse is that no matter what happens we can depend upon the sufficient grace of Christ to meet our need for protection.

3. The Blest Life is i which is productive for the Lord. The text is so picturesque at this bespeak. The blessed life is copse planted in the rich fertile footing virtually the flowing river and protected from the destructive elements in life. Therefore, "their leaves stay green and they go right on producing delicious fruit." Zippo is more delightful than to run into a fruitbearing tree blessed with its bountiful produce. Does the Lord meet us as bountiful fruitbearing people sharing the good news with others and helping our churches to grow and to stay on mission with the Smashing Commission? That question is synonymous with the Rick Warren question "What on earth are we here for?"

The old hymn, is really a prayer. "Lord, Make Me a Blessing." Nosotros are blessed past God to be a approving for God! Now that makes life a meaningful one indeed. There is an eternal departure betwixt these two lifestyles. One is blessed by God and 1 receives the curse of life itself because it is a wasted life. These descriptive words audio so contrasting and foreboding in one sense. However, thinking people who sympathize human being nature know that we practice this wasted life or cursed lifestyle to ourselves. The blessed life is what the Lord tin exercise for u.s. and through us.

The Marines once advertised that they needed "a few good men." Now they speak of "the few, the proud, the Marines." That last statement is more politically correct for the gender inclusive make up of the corps. The new Marine Corps remains a tight knit organization and a tough government to endure. They are still looking for adept and exceptional people who volition serve sacrificially for the land.

Recently, I conducted the funerals of two proficient men who lived the blessed life to the fullest. Sam McGee was a veteran of WWII, serving in the 82nd Airborne and fighting in North Africa, Italy, Kingdom of the netherlands, Belgium and Germany. He was wounded in activity at the brutal battle of Anzio and he almost froze to decease during the Battle of the Bulge in the wintertime of '44. Sam was a Starting time Sergeant, a high enlisted human, who was charged with the responsibilities of taking care of the enlisted men and he also played a role in helping the field officers with their combat assignments. He was excellent at doing this, and he earned medals for his wise leadership.

Later on the state of war, Sam came dwelling house and married his sweetheart, Johnye, and together they raised four beautiful daughters, and they worked in business organization as partners. Sam was a self made man of enormous wisdom. He was the spiritual mentor of his university professor Sunday School instructor. At his funeral this professor sunday school teacher paid him a loftier tribute past saying, "I learned a lot from Sam. He taught me about people and how to teach the Bible to the class members."

Oftentimes, Sam and I chatted at length about spiritual things and some family unit issues. I plant him to be a source of great encouragement and back up. The final time I talked with him, he said "come to meet me sometime." He and his wife had the gift of hospitality and our families historic birthdays together for years. He lived a blessed life! He had petty or no regrets because he served his country formidably, he loved the Lord fully and he loved his family faithfully. That truly describes a blessed life!!!

The second man, Coach Pete Pierson, had the most vivacious and contagious smile I have ever seen on a grown man. You don't find many smiling coaches, but Pete was the epitome of just that. He used that grinning for the Lord. At First Baptist Tuscaloosa, Pete was our main greeter. He always made people feel at home at our church building. We heard numerous reports from his greeter ministry.

Pete was besides a complete visitor. He and his side boot, Grady Friday, were the mainstays of our visitation effort. Every outreach dark, Pete and Grady were there to get out visiting for the Lord. Grady Fri lost an arm in an accident and Pete had a vivid smile. What a visiting team they were and what a difference they made for the kingdom and the church.

On one occasion, a family joined our church building and the lady of the home told me something about their reasons for becoming a part of our church family. She said, "At present, preacher, I practise non want to injure your feelings only you are not the reason we became members of FBC. The music and dominicus school classes are good, but those were not the deciding factors either. There were two men who came to our dwelling several times. One of the gentlemen was a ane armed man and the other had the biggest smiling I have ever seen. After they visited us. Nosotros said FBC is the place for u.s.a.." Smiling Coach Pete and his one armed side boot made the difference in their lives and in the lives of countless others. What a legacy! What a testimony!

These two good men represented the blessed life. There are numerous examples of the cursed life, but I desire you to be blessed, not cursed, so I shared their stories with you. You lot can live the blessed life and you can begin it today by acknowledging your sins and trusting in Christ, non yourself. Yous tin can begin following His direction in life, non your own. You tin exist come a blessing to others and not a curse. Cull the blessed life and it will make an eternal difference in your life. That is what y'all are here on earth to do– to live the blessed life. The side by side time you lot ponder that Purpose Driven question, What yous can say is: "I am here to experience a blessed life and to help others to practise the aforementioned. In that mode, we are blessed to be a blessing.

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As executive managing director of the State Board of Missions and treasurer of the Alabama Baptist Convention, State Missionary Rick Lance is seeking to give leadership to iii,200+ churches and more than one 1000000 Alabama Baptists.