The document outlines the lesson for October 24, 2015 on the prophet Jeremiah. It discusses Jeremiah's message of the two ways of trusting in God or not trusting in God. It also covers Jeremiah rebuking the sins of Judah, people attacking Jeremiah for his prophecies, Jeremiah lamenting why the wicked prosper, and God responding to Jeremiah that he will not accept prayers from people who do not truly repent of their sins.

1. Lesson 4 for October 24, 2015

2. Jeremiah’s
message • The two ways (Jeremiah 17:5-10)
• Rebuking sin (Jeremiah 17:1-4)
Replying
the
message
• Attacking the prophet (Jeremiah 11:18-23)
• The lament of the prophet
(Jeremiah 12:1-5)
The
divine
reply • Drought (Jeremiah 14:1-10)
LESSON’S OUTLINE

3. • “Thus says the Lord:
‘Cursed is the man who
trusts in man and makes
flesh his strength, whose
heart departs from the
Lord.’” (Jeremiah 17:5)
• “For he shall be like a
shrub in the desert, and
shall not see when good
comes, but shall inhabit
the parched places in the
wilderness, in a salt land
which is not inhabited.”
(Jeremiah 17:6)
• “Blessed is the man who
trusts in the Lord, and
whose hope is the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 17:7)
• “For he shall be like a
tree planted by the
waters, which spreads
out its roots by the river,
and will not fear when
heat comes; but its leaf
will be green, and will
not be anxious in the
year of drought, nor will
cease from yielding
fruit.”(Jeremiah 17:8)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked; who can know it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9)
There are only
two ways; either I
trust God or I
don’t.
How could I trust
other people? I
can’t even trust
myself, since my
heart deceives
me.
PATH OF DEATH PATH OF LIFE
THE TWO WAYS

4. “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of
iron; with the point of a diamond it is
engraved on the tablet of their heart, and
on the horns of your altars.”(Jeremiah 17:1)
Evil is like an iron chisel. It sculpts sin in our
stone hearts. Each sin deepens that mark
and sullies our acts (the horns of our altars).
Jeremiah called Judah to repentance by
rebuking their sins. He called them to accept
God’s love (Jeremiah 31:3).
When we let God sculpt our hearts, an
amazing change happens:
“Clearly you are an epistle of Christ,
ministered by us, written not with ink but by
the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of
stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the
heart.”(2 Corinthians 3:3)
REBUKING SIN

5. E.G.W. (Sons and Daughters of God, April 3)

6. “But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not
know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, ‘Let us destroy
the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name may be remembered no more.’” (Jeremiah 11:19)
People in Anathoth tried to kill
Jeremiah to stop him prophesying,
just like people in Nazareth and Jesus.
Jeremiah hoped that his family, his
brothers and the priest would support
him as he rebuked the sins of Judah.
But God showed him that those near
him were the ones wanting his death.
When Jeremiah realized that, he
understood the attitude of those who
don’t want to correct their sins.
ATTACKING THE PROPHET

7. “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You
about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are
those happy who deal so treacherously?” (Jeremiah 12:1)
Although Jeremiah was doing God’s will, sinners
thrived while he suffered. He was almost killed and
nobody wanted to listen to him.
Jeremiah asked God about injustice, just like Asaph
did in Psalm 73.
How can we learn to trust God despite all the
injustice and evil around us?
“If you have run with the footmen, and they have
wearied you, then how can you contend with
horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you
trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do
in the floodplain of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5)
God answered Jeremiah. His answer may seem
harsh, but it’s a promise actually: “If you trust me,
I’ll give you strength to resist greater difficulties.”
THE LAMENT OF THE PROPHET

8. E.G.W. (The Great Controversy, cp. 2, pg. 48)

9. THE PROBLEM
“Because the
ground is parched,
for there was no rain
in the land, the
plowmen were
ashamed; they
covered their heads.”
(Jeremiah 14:4)
THE PRAYER
“O Lord, though our iniquities
testify against us, do it for
Your name’s sake; for our
backslidings are many, we
have sinned against You.”
(Jeremiah 14:7)
THE ANSWER
“Then the Lord said to me, “Do
not pray for this people, for their
good. When they fast, I will not
hear their cry; and when they
offer burnt offering and grain
offering, I will not accept them…”
(Jeremiah 14:11-12)
Why didn’t God accept Jeremiah’s mediation?
Jeremiah understood the root of the problem (the
sin), but the people only requested to be
delivered from the consequence (the drought).
There was no true repentance. They didn’t want
to change.
We cannot ask for God’s favor
and live our own way.
DROUGHT