The Bible Breakdown

Jeremiah 05: Windbags and Dragon Breath

• Brandon Cannon • Episode 656

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Speaker 1:

Hello everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, jeremiah, chapter 5, and today's title is Windbags and Dragon Breath Windbags and Dragon Breath, and we're going to get into all that in just a moment. Hopefully it will make sense. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you're leaving us a five-star review on the podcast and make sure you go into the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook where we are growing a community, one person at a time, and just getting into God's Word a little bit more every day, because the more we dig, the more we find. If you have your Bible and want to open up with me to Jeremiah chapter 5, don't forget that the overall theme of Jeremiah is God's light in the middle of darkness, god's light in the darkness, and it gives us a future and a hope. And over the 40-year ministry of Jeremiah, he watches as the nation of Judah just goes downhill over and over again and he sees all these different things that's going on and Jeremiah, speaking for God, is just constantly calling them back to him. And Jeremiah, speaking for God, is just constantly calling them back to him. And there is this moment where he calls these prophets a bunch of windbacks, just a bunch of hot air, right. And then it's like God is saying but I'm going to fill you with words, that's going to be like flaming fire. It's going to be like dragon's breath, but a good kind of dragon's breath, and it's this idea of some people are going to blow a bunch of hot air and it's a bunch of nothing. And other people, when they speak, it's also going to be hot, but it's going to be fire. God's going to use them to make a difference. So let's read this together and ask yourself the question which one am I? Am I following God truly or not? Let's read this together. Jeremiah, chapter five, 5, verse 1, says this Run up and down every street in Jerusalem, says the Lord.

Speaker 1:

Look high and low, search throughout the city. If you can find even one, just one honest and just person, I will not destroy the city. But even when they are under oath, saying as surely as the Lord lives, they are telling lies. Lord, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them, but they refused to be corrected. They are determined, with faces set like stone. They have refused to repent. Then I said but what can we expect from the poor? They are ignorant, they don't know the ways of the Lord, they don't understand God's laws. So I will go and I will speak to their leaders. Surely they know the ways of the Lord and understand God's laws, but the leaders too, as one man had thrown off God's yoke and broken his chains. So now a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will pounce on them, a leopard will lurk near their towns, tearing apart any who dare to venture out, for their rebellion is great and their sins are many. Now pause. So basically, what he's saying is is everybody in the nation, not just the quote unquote common folks, but the leaders and everyone, everyone, completely. He's saying that not one person in the nation still honors me. They've all gone their own way.

Speaker 1:

Verse seven how can I pardon you? For even your children have turned from me. They have sworn by gods that are not gods at all. I fed my people until they were full, but they thanked me by committing adultery and lining up at the brothels. They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Should I not punish them for this, says the Lord. Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?

Speaker 1:

Go down the rows of the vineyards and destroy the grapevines, leaving a scattered few alive. Strip the branches from the vines, for these people do not belong to the Lord. The people of Israel and Judah are full of treachery against me, says the Lord. They have lied about the Lord and said he won't bother us. No disasters will come upon us. There is no war or famine. God's prophets are all windbags, or that is, windbags. They don't really speak for him. Let their predictions of disaster fall on themselves.

Speaker 1:

Therefore, this is what the Lord, god of heaven's army, says. Because the people are talking like this, my message will flame out of your mouth and burn the people like kindling a would. Oh Israel, I will bring a distant nation against you, says the Lord. It is a mighty nation, an ancient nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you cannot understand. Their weapons are deadly and their warriors are mighty. They will devour the food of your harvest. They will devour your sons and daughters. They will devour your flocks and herds and they will devour your grapes and figs. They will destroy your fort, flocks and herds and they will devour your grapes and figs. They will destroy your fortified towns, which you think are so safe. Yet even in those days, I will not blot you out completely, says the Lord.

Speaker 1:

And when your people ask why did the Lord, our God, do all of this to us? You must reply well, you to Israel, and say this to Judah and ears that do not hear have you no respect for me? Why don't you tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, define the ocean's sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set.

Speaker 1:

But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from their heart let us live in all of the Lord, our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us at the harvest when the time is right. Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you from all these good things. Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind. They continually set traps to catch people, like a cage filled with birds. Their homes are filled with evil plots, and now. They are great and rich, they are fat and sleek and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans, wow.

Speaker 1:

And so what Jeremiah is saying is that nobody is serving the Lord anymore and the people who are supposed to be leading them toward God. A bunch of hot air, like the train is coming. You know the bad thing is coming and they're going ah, don't pay attention to that. Everything is fine, everything is good. So it's just a bunch of hot air. And so what God says is you, jeremiah, I'm going to fill your mouth full of fire. They got hot air, but you got the real thing and you're going to tell them listen, I'm going to judge you. How could I not? You're doing all the bad things for the bad reasons, the bad way, but I want to fix it. But you don't want to fix it. You like it bad. You like all the bad things that are going on. You're getting comfortable in your sin, but I'm still calling you back to myself, and you know what I got to thinking about when I was preparing for this is what a wonderful question for us to ask.

Speaker 1:

Are people around you, are they attracted to God because the way you live, or are they attracted to something else because of the way you live? These prophets were supposed to be drawing people close to God, but yet, because their lives were not really following God, it was leading people in the wrong direction. But Jeremiah really was trying to attract them closer to God and it was, even though he also had his critics. And can I tell you, when you follow God, not everybody's going to like you. You know, the people who are not going to like you the most are the people who act like they are but really aren't.

Speaker 1:

They're the ones that's gonna say why do you read your Bible so much? Why do you pray? Why do you go to church all the time? Why do you serve? Why do you give? Why do you not have fun quote unquote fun with us like you used to? You know why? Because your life is a, or is your life causing people to draw away from God? If you're really honest, would you say that you are part of the windbag crew or part of the dragon breath crew, but the good kind, a dragon breath. It's humbling to ask the question.

Speaker 1:

Maybe it's a question for you to bring up in prayer when our devotion time is over, and that is God. Is there anything in my life that is drawing myself and others away from you? And if it is, help me to see it, because I want to be as close to you as I can possibly be. It's a bold prayer, but on the other side of that is peace and joy and an amazing relationship with God. Let's pray right now.

Speaker 1:

God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you see us and that you know us. God, you are aware of all the things that we do, right and do wrong, and you love us anyway and you lead us back to you every day. Lord, I know that you only reveal what you're ready to heal, and so I pray you will reveal whatever next step we need to take so that we can be part of what you are doing in this earth and that we can be a positive influence in leading people closer to you as we run to you ourselves. In Jesus' name, we pray amen and what God's word says in Jeremiah 29, verse 13,. He says if you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. My prayer is you will find God fresh and new every day. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Jeremiah, chapter six.

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Brandon Cannon

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