1. You Want Me to Do WHAT?
Matthew 5:17 (ESV) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

2. Jeremiah prophesied during the reigns of the last five kings of Judah - Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.

7. JEREMIAH 13: 1-11

8. Jeremiah 13:1-5 (KJV)
1  Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 2  So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. 3  And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 4  Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 5  So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.

9. Jeremiah 13:6-11 (KJV) 6  And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. 7  Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. 8  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 9  Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem  This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing  For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

14. Jeremiah traveled nearly 2000 miles to do God’s will.
400 to 500 mile trip one way.
Jeremiah traveled nearly 2000 miles to do God’s will.

15. Recall that the Lord will tell Jeremiah not to marry!
Jeremiah 16: The word of the LORD also came to me saying, 2 "You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place." 3 For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bear them, and their fathers who beget them in this land: 4 "They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth."

16. Job 13:15 – 15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him
Job 13:15 – 15 “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. “I will trust in Him.”

17. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 - Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: 2 proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. 4§ They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (from The Apologetics Study Bible, Copyright © by Holman Bible Publishers. All Rights Reserved.)

18. GOD DOESN’T EXPLAIN HIMSELF TO US.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NASB) 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

19. Jeremiah 13: A long time later the Lord said to me, “Go at once to the Euphrates and get the underwear that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 So I went to the Euphrates and dug up the underwear and got it from the place where I had hidden it, but it was ruined—of no use whatsoever. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: Just like this I will ruin the great pride of both Judah and Jerusalem. 10 These evil people, who refuse to listen to Me, who walk in the stubbornness of their own hearts, and who have followed other gods to serve and worship—they will be like this underwear, of no use whatsoever. 11 Just as underwear clings to one’s waist, so I fastened the whole house of Israel and of Judah to Me”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“so that they might be My people for My fame, praise, and glory, but they would not obey. (from The Apologetics Study Bible, Copyright © 2007 by Holman Bible Publishers. All Rights Reserved.)

20. LESSONS FROM JEREMIAH’S DIRTY GIRDLE
God made us to be close to Him. God wants us to be close to Him.
1 John 4:8 (ESV) 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

21. “Father” “Abba, Father.”
Galatians 4:6 (ESV) 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

22. If there is no hell, God is not just
If there is no hell, God is not just. If there is no punishment of sin, heaven is apathetic toward the rapists and pillagers and mass murderers of society. If there is no hell, God is blind toward the victims and has turned his back on those who pray for relief. If there is no wrath toward evil, then God is not love, for love hates that which is evil.To say there is no hell is also to say God is a liar and his Scripture untrue. God does not send people to hell. He simply honors their choice. Hell is the ultimate expression of God’s high regard for the dignity of man. He has never forced us to choose him, even when that means we would choose hell.

23. As C.S. Lewis stated: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘thy will be done.’ All that are in hell choose it.”
No, God does not “send” people to hell. Nor does he send “people” to hell. That is the second misconception. The word people is neutral, implying innocence. Nowhere does Scripture teach that innocent people are condemned. People do not go to hell. Sinners do. The rebellious do. The self- centered do. So how could a loving God send people to hell? He doesn’t. He simply honors the choice of sinners.

24. GOD IS HOLY - SO WE TOO MUST BE HOLY
WE’VE GOT TO GO WASH OUR GIRDLE.
Psalms 4:3 - 3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him.
Psalms 4:5 - Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord.

25. Psalms 5:4 - For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.
Psalms 5: For You, Lord, bless the righteous one; You surround him with favor like a shield. (from The Apologetics Study Bible)
Psalms 11:7 - 7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.

26. Prov 21:21 - 21 He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor.
Psalms 34: The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And he rescues them. 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalms 34: The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

27. Romans 3:10 – “None is righteous, not even one.”
Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Eccl 7: Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
Proverbs 10:7 - 7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. (The Apologetics Study Bible)

28. James 4:8-9 – 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you
James 4:8-9 – 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Holy Bible, New Living Translation.

29. 1 Peter 2: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

30. 2 Corinthians 5:21 – For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

31. Ephesians 5:25-28 – 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as also Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 to make her holy, cleansing her in the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and blameless. (from The Apologetics Study Bible)