“Will You Miss What You Will Lose”

            Jeremiah 28:5–9 ⁵Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, ⁶and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.

            Sometimes we don’t appreciate those things we have until it is too late and those things are gone.  It happens with people as well too, we don’t realize how much we had depended on, or cared for a person until that person is gone.  For those held so long in the Babylonian Captivity they did not realize how much they cared for their land that God had helped them get until it was taken away from them.  Not just their land but also their great Temple in Jerusalem.  And, not just the temple but all of the vessels and paraments of worship that had been in the temple too were vandalized or stolen.

            When all of those who lived in Jerusalem were forced to leave their beloved land and city they also realized their life style, livelihood, and their means to worship God in His Temple were taken away too.  Life would not be the same, and it was all because their forefathers put their faith in idols, turned their back to God, and didn’t listen to the warnings God had tried to send them through the prophets.

            The saddest part of it all was not only did their leader not listen, who most could probably blame, but neither did the populace.  It’s easier to go with the flow, who wants to make waves any way; one could get hurt doing that.  Though we think in these terms before disaster strikes, once the disaster has taken its toll we wonder why someone else didn’t do something to prevent the disaster.  We see the disaster coming.  We’ve been warned that it will happen if things keep on as status quo.  Yet we sit and think someone else should do something about it never thinking we too are responsible for our loss.  We too lose out because we turn our back on God and refuse to listen to His warnings.

            Jeremiah 28:5–9 ⁷Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. ⁸The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. ⁹As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

            There were prophets that were sent by God to warn those who continued to worship idols, and to those who turned their back on God.  Some were run off, some were killed, and almost always none of the prophets were listened to even though they brought the word of Yahweh.  War is coming, our way of life is fading, we will lose all that we hold dear, we’ve been warned, it happened and all seemed lost, especially a way of life.  This is our world… it has happened before it will happen again…

            Let’s ask a question, you are saved because you believe and you believe because of the works of the Holy Spirit, and you have eternal life because Christ died for our sins, so do we feel comfortable turning away?  We don’t miss what we have until we lose it, maybe that’s why we don’t miss Jesus because we did not lose Him.  Yes Christ died on the cross, and was buried in a tomb, but we know He was raised from the dead and lives still with our Father in heaven.  What would you wish for if you found yourself in a captivity that took away all you held dear?  Certainly the generations were told of the Temple and all of the vessels and paraments of worship and how grand their life used to be…

            They turned their back of God, and though they lost everything, the one thing they did not lose was the love of a God who continues to call them His people.  He calls all of us His people and His children adopted and purchased at a great price from sin, the evil one, and the demands of the law. 

            Romans 5:6-10 ⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

            Yes, enemies of Christ, those who turn their back on Christ, those who criticize without really knowing Christ, yet we who still hold on to a little piece of belief that Christ is our savior are saved.  Isn’t it strange or is it something so great that we can get joy from knowing; we have a God who loves us and spends His existence trying to show us by not offering us salvation wrapped in a package for us to open, rather our salvation is wrapped in His love that He gives to us through His grace and mercy.

            You can’t wrap love up in a package to be opened later, and you can’t take love, though some might try.  Love especially from God is given, the only thing you can do is refuse it.  Why would anyone refuse love from a God who actually wants us around forever, and made it happen for all who will not refuse it?  Isn’t it great we get to worship a God who loves us, who saves us, and who wants us always?  Amen.