Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Jeremiah 17:5-8
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  February 13, 2022

There once were two men who flew together on the same flight. One of the men had a horrible flight, one had a great flight. Both men were not crazy about flying, you might even say they were afraid of flying, but their job required it. The weather was stormy. The captain said there was going to be some turbulence, but everything would be ok. As the plane prepared for takeoff, the first man was terrified. Did the captain know what he was doing? Did they give the plane the proper inspection? You could see the fear in his eyes. The second man had his own misgivings, but he said a silent prayer as the plane lifted into the sky. As soon as they reached the cruising altitude, the second man fell asleep. All through the flight the first man fretted and worried, while the second slept peacefully, only waking as they prepared to land. The flight landed safely and the men exited the plane. Both men were on the same plane and had the same exact flight, yet for only one of them was it blessed. 

I believe this little story describes our life and our world right now. And the question we need to answer today is which one are you? Do you see yourself as Cursed or Blessed? And maybe that’s a hard question to answer right now. Because a glance around in this post-Christian American society often looks like our God got beat, that we are losing. And the temptation is there to feel angry and depressed. The temptation is there to not be confident as a Christian because what we see doesn’t seem like blessing. However, what is Uncovered today in our lessons is that what we see needs to be redefined. We need to be reoriented in our understanding. We need to understand that principles in Jesus’ kingdom run the exact opposite of the principles of this world. And so while it’s natural to connect our outward circumstances to blessings and curses, that isn’t actually the case. Today, let’s turn to the prophet Jeremiah to help us answer the question, “Am I Cursed or Blessed?”

Jeremiah’s ministry spanned more than 40 years and with multiple kings. To say that his ministry had its challenges is an understatement. While it started out good with King Josiah, everything went south after Josiah’s death. Three different times, Jeremiah had to write his message as the first copy was cut up and burned and the second copy was thrown in the Euphrates River. Jeremiah himself was thrown into a cistern to die because of his message. He was carried off to Egypt at the end of his ministry and likely died there. Most of the outward circumstances of Jeremiah’s life seemed to be a curse. And yet, Jeremiah was blessed. Let’s hear what he has to say to us today.

“This is what the Lord says. Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord. He will be like a juniper bush in the wasteland. He will not see good things when they come. He lives in a dry place in the wilderness, in a salty land where no one lives. But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by water. It sends out its roots to the stream. It does not fear the heat when it comes. Its leaves will remain green. It is not concerned about a time of drought. It does not stop producing fruit.”

As we look at Jeremiah’s words, first we need to recognize that this question of cursed or blessed is really a matter of the heart. Four different times here in chapter 17, Jeremiah draws attention to the heart. This is not dependent on what’s happening out there. It’s a matter of what’s happening in here. The second thing we need to understand is there’s no middle ground here. Cursed or Blessed. It’s one or the other. Finally, we need to recognize that “This is what the Lord says.” These are words straight from the mouth of the Lord through his prophet. This is not someone’s opinion that can be disregarded or ignored. “This is what the Lord says.” And what does the Lord say? “Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind, who seeks his strength from human flesh, and who turns his heart away from the Lord. He will be like a juniper bush in the wasteland. He will not see good things when they come. He lives in a dry place in the wilderness, in a salty land where no one lives.” 

This is quite the picture. A juniper bush is a small bush, like a shrub, with scaly leaves and a very shallow root system. While it is beautiful, it needs a readily and easily accessible source of water. It can’t survive in the wasteland, in the dry wilderness, in the salty land. That’s exactly how God pictures the one who has placed their trust in mankind. The one who puts their confidence in the flesh is disoriented from God, they’ve turned their heart away from the Lord. They’re not going to survive. They’re cursed. In contrast, the Lord says, “But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by water. It sends out its roots to the stream. It does not fear the heat when it comes. Its leaves will remain green. It is not concerned about a time of drought. It does not stop producing fruit.” Notice the stark contrast. The one who trusts in the Lord is not a bush, but a tree. Not in the wasteland, but right by the water. The roots have direct access to the stream. And especially notice the description of the tree. It does not fear, it is not concerned, it does not stop producing fruit. No matter what, in the heat, in a time of drought, in all circumstances, it is blessed.

So which one are you? Can you say that you are living without fear? Can you say that you are not concerned? An honest assessment of life in the recent past would make those hard questions to answer with a “yes,” wouldn’t it? I think we all would have to admit that there have been times, maybe more times than not, where we have been living in fear, where we have been overly concerned. And why is that? Well, isn’t it obvious, pastor? Global pandemic, rising costs, inflation, political unrest, job insecurities, need I go on? Those are the easy things to point to, but is that really the reason? I wonder, deep down, if for each one of us, the real reason has been a lack of trust in God and too much trust in mankind. Modern medicine is a huge blessing and we should use it wisely, but is that where my trust is found? Is that what’s ultimately going to keep me safe? Is that what’s going to alleviate my fears? Financial wealth is a wonderful blessing of God to be used and enjoyed. But is that where my security is based? If those things of man, which are not bad in and of themselves, which can be wonderful blessings, if those things have become our source of trust, God says we’re cursed. We’re disoriented from him. And so when the circumstances of life are not favorable, when the heat comes, when the drought comes, we feel it. We’re concerned. We’re afraid. We feel like we’re living in the wasteland because we’ve put our trust in the wrong place. 

Someone recently shared a story with me about one of their friends. They told me their friend is really angry. They’re really angry because they seemingly did everything right. They did everything the government and the doctors told them to do. They followed all of the suggestions, they listened to the mandates, they got all of the shots, and they still got the virus. And they’re angry. The point is not to say they shouldn’t have followed the guidelines or they shouldn’t have gotten the shots. To the world they did everything right. However,  the point is that this person’s trust was misplaced in mankind and now they’re left disappointed and confused and angry. They feel cursed!

Sometimes, it’s hard to discern if we are truly trusting in the Lord or if our trust is in man. And I know there were times where our trust was misplaced. But friends, what grace we’ve been shown! God has not abandoned us! He keeps inviting us back to the waters of his grace. We are blessed because God sent Jesus to take the curse that is rightfully ours for our misplaced trust. Jesus is the only one who has ever trusted perfectly. And Jesus took that perfect trust all the way to the cross to take away all of our sins. You are forgiven for not trusting in Jesus well enough. And now he’s given you that perfect trust as your own. You are blessed! You know you are blessed because of Jesus. The external circumstances in your life have nothing to do with that blessing. No matter what, you have nothing to fear because you know the ultimate outcome of your life, your faith. You put your confidence in the Lord because he’s proven time and again that he loves you and he keeps his promises. And look at what God promises you today. You are that tree by streams of water. The roots of your faith are deeply drinking from the water of life. The heat this world brings doesn’t bother you. Now, this doesn’t mean we don’t have problems. This doesn’t mean that everything is roses. But the heat of this world doesn’t crush you. It doesn’t shake you. You are resilient because of your trust in the Lord. Even in the most challenging and difficult times, your connection to Christ allows you to not only survive, but to thrive. You never stop producing fruit.

Which one are you? Cursed or Blessed? Dear Christian friends, see yourself for who you are: beloved and blessed by the Lord. Put your trust fully in him! Let go of your fear, your concern, your anxiety and find the peace of knowing that your God is in control, that all things are working for your eternal good, and that the outcome is already determined, the victory is already won, heaven is ready and waiting for you, you blessed by the Lord.