June 26, 2022 - When the Perverse is Considered Sacred - Pastor Paul Vallee

Jeremiah 15, Jeremiah Series God has told Jeremiah to stop praying for the people because they have so hardened their hearts that they have refused to listen and are now headed for destruction. God has given them up to their sinful ways. The apostle Paul captures this idea in the book of Romans when he states that God gives people over to their depraved thinking, leading to the consequences of their lifestyle. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:28) There is nothing so tragic in a person’s life or the life of a nation when we cross over to that state of mind that nothing will curb our sinful passion, and God gives us over to it. One of the roles of the Old Testament priesthood was to teach the people the distinction between what is holy and profane (common, unclean). Ezekiel, a contemporary prophet of Jeremiah, relates: They [priests] are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:23) Now, who are the priests in the New Testament? We, who are God’s people, are priests. We are responsible for revealing that distinction by our lives, actions and words. What happens when we are biblically ignorant. We will no longer be able to make that distinction even for ourselves and find ourselves compromised. Here in Jeremiah and Ezekiel hour, we see the impact of unrestrained sin on the ungodly and the godly who care for them. There is no greater agony than to see those you love destroying themselves by their lifestyle. Here in our text, we will learn about the impact this lifestyle has on both the ungodly and the godly.