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Jeremiah prophesies 70
years of captivity
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2
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This whole
country will become a desolate wasteland,
and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
(Jeremiah 25:11)
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3
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In the
13th year after King Josiah of Judah became king, God called Jeremiah, who
lived in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, as a prophet. Jeremiah was from a
priestly family.
God gave Jeremiah the word of God and told him to tell the people.
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4
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When King Hezekiah ruled over
Judah, northern Israel left God and fell into the sin of idolatry.
God kept telling them that they would perish if they did not turn from their
sins.
However, the northern Israelites did not repent of their sins and acted arrogantly,
until they were destroyed by Assyria.
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5
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However, South Judah also lived in the
same sin as North Israel. They also fell into the sin of worshiping idols
that God hates the most. People departed from the Word of God and did evil
things without any remorse. Those with power oppressed the powerless, and
lies abounded.
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6
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God pointed out the wrong things
they were doing through the prophet Jeremiah.
God did many things to bring Judas to repent and come back. Jeremiah conveyed
the words of God's warning to the people with what God had shown him.
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7
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At one time, he showed people his
rotten belt and told them that if they didn't return to God, they would end
up like this belt. Another time he broke the jars in front of them and said
that if they did not repent, he would be like the broken jars. He correctly
pointed out that people could no longer live in Judah if they ignored God's
warning.
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8
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But the people of Judah rejected
the word of God delivered through Jeremiah. Rather, a priest named Pashhur
beat Jeremiah and put him in a mold. From the day Jeremiah was established as
a prophet, he continued to preach the word of God's warning for 23 years, but
the people of Judah ignored the word and did not turn away from sin.
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9
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Through the mouths of not only
Jeremiah but also many other prophets, God told people for a long time that
they would not be able to live in Judah unless they repented.
[They said, "Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways
and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you
and your fathers for ever and ever.
(Jeremiah 25:5)]
The people of Judah ignored the warnings of other prophets and still did not
depart from the sins that God hates.
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10
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In the fourth year of King
Jehoiakim's reign over Judah, God appeared to Jeremiah.
God gave him the word of judgment toward Judah, who had waited for Judah's
return for 23 years, but did not repent and turn away from their sins. God
told them that they would no longer be able to live on the land they now live
on.
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11
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The
words that God spoke through Jeremiah to all the people of Judah and those
living in Jerusalem were truly terrifying.
[I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against
this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will
completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an
everlasting ruin.(Jeremiah 25:9)]
God said that He would judge the sins of Judah through Babylon in the north.
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12
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He said that the sound of joy and joy
would disappear from the land of Judah where they live.
He said that the appearance of a wedding where the bride and groom are happy
will also disappear. He said that the grinding of the millstone to make food
on this land would stop and it would become a terrible land where no light
could be found at night.
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13
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He
said that the land of Judah, where they had lived abundantly until now, would
turn into a wasteland. God's judgment on Judah's sins was so terrible.
He said that Judah would serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.
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14
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The
judgment that God spoke through Jeremiah was accomplished without a single
mistake. Southern Judah was completely destroyed due to King Nebuchadnezzar
of Babylon.
The temple of God built by Solomon was destroyed beyond recognition. The
walls of Judah have collapsed and turned into a wasteland.
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15
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The
people of Judah laughed at Jeremiah's warning that Judah would become a
wasteland.
They believed that the strong city of
Jerusalem would never fall and that they would never be destroyed. But they
are wrong.
It is because no matter how strong a country is if God does not protect it,
it can turn into a wasteland.
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God judged Judah for their sins, but He
did not give up and loved Judah.
God promised that after 70 years, the people of Judah would return to live in
the land of Judah.
This promise of God was also fulfilled in the 70th year after the destruction
of Judah.
After 70 years, the collapsed temple and walls of Jerusalem were restored.
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God is a God of love, but He is also a
God who judges against sin.
We, who believed in Jesus and became children of God, also fall into sin. At
that time,
God constantly tells us to repent and come back as He did to Judah. God
speaks through the sermons we offer during our worship service, and He also
informs us through the people around us. At that time, we must not act like
the people of Judah. If you ignore the word and act, God will judge you.
We must be people of faith who remember Judah, who was destroyed because they
did not listen to God's warning, and immediately repent and turn around.
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(This
is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the
conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)
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