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Text: Jeremiah 30
Jeremiah lives through the terrible destruction of his nation. He knows the remedy, he knew how to avoid this whole mess, but the people wouldn’t believe it. So he watches as fully preventable destruction demolishes his country. Though the LORD is angry, He will provide mediation. And in that mediation, He will establish a new and better covenant. One that doesn’t end in death, but eternal life.
It should’ve been clear for a while that the old covenant must end in death. The priest who served as priest was no longer a part of the old covenant when he died. His priesthood was over. Whether he was a good priest or bad priest his priesthood ended at death. But the LORD through Jeremiah will lay the foundations for the new covenant, a new marriage between the LORD and Israel first, but then also between the LORD and every believer: to the Jew first, then to the Greek. 1 Timothy 2:1-7 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
I want to show you two places of mediation in this chapter that provide the basis for this entire revelation to Jeremiah. The first is in verses 12-13. The second is verses 21-22.
The Mediator as the Word (vss 1-3)
- The LORD says write what I’m going to tell you in a book because I intend for future generations to understand my redemption and inheritance.
- God said to make a record of my deliverance and mediation.
- This is the form Jesus Christ takes in the old testament. He’s the word from heaven. John said the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. He said we handled the word. He said there are three that bear record in heaven, the Word was one of them.
- Unlike anything else you’ve ever seen, Christianity is full of prophecy. Not privately interpreted, meaning personal prophecy. The testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy and no prophecy is of any private interpretation because it’s all a revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Mediator as Comforter (vss 4-10)
- The Lord describes this accuser’s voice, truly it’s the devil’s voice. It’s this adversarial voice of fear and trembling. This hissing voice has brought destruction and judgment from God upon all who listened to this god of this world.
- But the Mediator silences the voice of the adversary. He, Jesus Christ, breaks the yoke of lies that Satan spoke. The result is rest, quiet, and comfort.
- My yoke is easy, my burden is light; I’ll give you rest unto your souls.
- Comfort one another with these words.
- These describe the voice of God and the mediator who is the Word of God.
- This incredible exchange goes exactly with what you just read in Jeremiah: John 8:33-47
The Mediator as the Great Physician (vss 11-17)
- The LORD’s chastening brings forth a wound that is incurable. Why? Because He allowed the enemy to come in by removing His divine protection. And the enemy doesn’t have the same goal as God. The enemy wants to thoroughly destroy. The LORD said, For I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy… (vs 14)
- He further said the wound is incurable because you have no defense attorney. You have no advocate, YET! That’s verse 15.
- Matthew 9:11-13 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus says why don’t you go educate yourselves from the scriptures you claim to teach. My ministry isn’t even to Israel in general, it’s to those who are sick in Israel. It’s for those who need a physician in Israel. That’s who I’m called to. Go read your prophets and you’ll understand who I am and what I’m doing as the great physician mediates between God and man.
- The Great Physician will heal the incurable wound by laying down his own life for sins.
- Hebrews 9:13-15 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
The Mediator as King (vss 18-22)
- Look at verse 21. He will draw nigh to the Father and approach the throne in an acceptable way.
- And those who follow the Mediator, the LORD Jesus Christ, to the throne of God will enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise, as verse 19 says. Like Paul said in Thessalonians, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. And again in Hebrews, By Jesus Christ therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
- And these shall by my people and I will be their God.
- Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
