Proclaimer Blog
An unpreached sermon part 1
Sometimes circumstances dictate that you do all the prep and hard work but the sermon never sees the light of day. So it was for two messages that I was supposed to be preaching this week but which, for complicated reasons, have been consigned to the holding tray. One was on Jeremiah 17 and seeing as it was written for a ministers' conference, I thought I might share a little.
Jeremiah 17 is, of course, the holding place of one of Jeremiah's most pithy statements about the heart – Jer 17.9. And Jeremiah is the prophet, above all others, that speaks so directly about the heart. The heart, as you know, is the real you: the place where you think, doubt, fear, rejoice, believe, bear fruit etc etc. And Jeremiah 17 teaches us two fundamental truths about the heart which every preacher needs to bear in mind. He needs to bear them in mind not only for his own ministry (where we're on pretty safe ground), but also for our own hearts. The state of our own hearts is intimately and closely connected with the success of our ministry (this is not too strong – see 1 Tim 4.16).
Today, part 1, we need to see that to be a minister we need to be realistic about the state of hearts and our own heart. The first few verses paint a bleak and sobering picture of the heart. The problem of rebellion is:
- deep-seated. The sin of Judah is engraved with an iron tool, a point of flint. The idea is of permanence (though I have not used that word because the rebellious heart can be changed). Heart problems are deep-seated problems. They cannot wash off with a quick rinse. There are no easy fixes. [Interestingly, God has been dealing with my own heart recently and I can testify that it is, at times, a painful process – much like I imagine having a tattoo removed is.] We underestimate the rebellion of the heart at our own peril.
- comprehensive. (1) in its effect – it is a problem on the tablet of the heart and the horns of the altar. What is internal always becomes external. We may hide it for a while but, to paraphrase the Reformers, we become what we worship. But it is also comprehensive in its (2) reach. Even the children (v2) are affected. This is describing a covenant community – obviously – but the sign that heart problems are deep and real is when even the kids are joining in.
- devastating. Both corporately (v3-4) and individually (v5-6), such rebellion and deep seated heart problems can only lead to judgement. I love Calvin's translation of verse 4 – "I've put a fire in your face" – there are lots of forevers in the Bible but this is one of the most sobering: a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.
Verses 9-10 come into sharp focus. There we find the diagnostic double whammy – the heart is deceitful above all things AND I the Lord search the heart. It is the combination of these two together which spells deserved disaster.
Now, how does this help the preacher?
- First, it gives him realism about unregenerate hearts. It is important to say that Jeremiah is describing uncircumcised hearts. Too many preachers use verse 9 to describe regenerate hearts and that is simply not right (or at least things are more nuanced). Any conversion must be a supernatural work of God. We cannot change hearts. We haven't a hope in hell. Only God's word faithfully taught can do the job. So the preacher who is either prayerless or prepared-less (or both) is a disaster and to be pitied above all things.
- Second, it gives him realism about regenerate hearts. As we shall see tomorrow, there is great cause in Jeremiah 17 to be optimistic about the heart. But the heart is not totally transformed yet. It is a work in progress. And so, even though the descriptions above do not apply to regenerate hearts in totality, they contain some grain of truth. Here we see into the darkest recesses of both the hearts of those we minister to and our own hearts.
Where have you deluded yourself about the goodness of your heart when in fact it is black and needs transforming work?