“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck refusing to hear my words.”
– Jeremiah 19:15
This is a stinging indictment of a city that God is bringing judgment upon because the people in that city have refused to hear God’s word. The Bible could not be any clearer, here in Jeremiah 19:15 and all throughout that God’s word must be taken seriously. God will be true to his word. When he speaks about judgment, he will be true to bring justice for sinners before Him.
By God’s grace through faith in Christ you can be saved. See the weight of the reality that if you do not turn from sin and trust in Him, judgment is coming.
Jeremiah 19:15 Leads Us to Ask “Do I Have Eternal Life?”
I’m just not gonna presume, even everybody who’s listening to this podcast, has turned from sin and trusted in Jesus for the grace and mercy available to you from God. As you’re listening to this right now, wherever you are, do you know that you have eternal life in heaven? Do you know that you have been saved from the judgment of God due your sin, that you will be with God forever and ever? And do you know that you have eternal life? Are you sure that you have eternal life?
You can be sure, you can know through what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus has lived a perfect life of obedience to God. He died a substitutionary death, so meaning he died for our sins in our place, he paid the price for our sins. He rose from the dead in victory over sin so that anyone, anywhere can be saved.
You can be saved by turning from your sin, repenting for your rebellion against God and trusting in Jesus. By putting your faith in Jesus as savior and Lord of your life, you can be forgiven of all your sin, and reconciled to God right now. You can know that you have eternal life through faith in Jesus. This is the way. Jesus taught, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No comes to the Father except through me.”
Jeremiah 19:15 Reminds Us Judgment Is Coming
I just want you to hear judgment is coming for all who have not turned and trusted in Jesus. This is reality. Judgment is coming and I just want to encourage you. These are not my words, these are the words of God. Don’t be like the people in the city who stiffened their neck and refused to hear God’s words. Hear God’s words and believe God’s words. I urge you to do that now.
Once you do that and for all who have done that then communicate these words. Tell other people these words. This is too important to keep to yourself so God, I pray that even right now, there might be some who are listening to this, who right now, today might be the day. This moment might be the moment when they hear your word and believe your word and turn to Jesus and trust in Jesus.
This Verse Leads Us to Confess Faith in Jesus
God I pray for that. Oh, even as we’re praying right now, if you have never done that, I invite you to do that now. I invite you just to confess that you are a sinner before God. Confess faith in Jesus, call out to God and ask him to forgive you of your sin. Put your faith in Jesus as the one who died for your sin. When you ask him to save you, you confess to him as savior and lord.
The Bible says if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you have salvation. Saved from your sins, saved from God’s holy judgment through your sin. Oh, I invite you to cry out to him right now in that way.
God I pray that that’s happening in hearts right now. And God, that this might happen in other’s hearts today because we speak this message to them. God, we pray for compassion and boldness in our lives just to get off this podcast episode and go tell somebody else this news, Lord use us to tell somebody else this news today. So they can accept salvation.
Jeremiah 19:15 Leads Us to Praise God for His Mercy
Oh God. We praise you for your word that makes your grace and mercy known to us. Help us we pray, never to refuse to hear your word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
