“Burn, Baby, Burn!”

Scripture: Jeremiah 4:1-9

When humanity discovered that they could use fire for their own purposes, they also discovered that they didn’t have quite as much control over it as they thought they did. They learned that it could be used for cooking their food, providing heat for their living areas, light to chase away the darkness, and many other good uses. However, it could also cause very serious injuries to their bodies and it could destroy the very things that they were trying to improve with it. They also discovered that it could be used as a weapon against their enemies, to cause them great hardship and to defeat them in battle.

And over the years, we have used it in some strange ways, too.
- In the late 30’s and early 40’s, the Nazi party used fire to destroy anything that they had deemed unsuitable – Bibles, novels, music, art, not to mention human lives – anything that didn’t support their position and purpose. But other than the art and lives, it never caused a single piece to go out of existence, and even the beliefs that were held by the lives that were lost, lives on.
- In the 60’s, flag burning became a popular form of opposition to the Vietnam War, and, of course, there is also the burning of human effigies to express dissatisfaction with governments and practices. Over the years, it has done little to bring about real change, but it’s done a lot in fueling animosity among people.
- I also remember the time when women of all ages began burning certain portions of their undergarments. I guess I never actually understood what that was all about, but I know that a lot of men supported and cheered their actions!
“Burn, baby burn” became a phrase that practically everyone in this country understood. It implied a stand against some ideology, it meant “lets destroy this thing that we don’t like”, and people could stand with it or against it. But little good actually came from the burning itself – it usually only caused conflict and agitation among people who stood on opposite sides of the issue.

Read Jeremiah 4:1-4

But with God, fiery destruction is a good thing. In verse 1, we’re called to set the things that are not of God “out of His sight”. That may sound simple, but how do we hide those “detestable idols” from the Lord? He is all seeing, all present, all knowing! About the only way that I know of is to completely destroy those things – both the physical form as well as our desire for them. “Burning” is finally a good thing! Verse 3 & 4 tell us to bury and kill those things, to cut them out of our lives, to burn them up, and if we don’t do it, the Lord’s all consuming wrath will!

One interesting point to consider – God’s wrath is against those idols that have taken control of our lives, not the people who have embraced them. That Holy Fire is meant to consume evil, not the person who is welcoming the evil. Our judgment is yet to come and certainly will one day, but evil is constantly under God’s scrutiny. And when it comes up against His people, when it creates obstacles in our faith, when it tempts us to take a path that isn’t the Lord’s, the wrath of heaven will come to bear. It will burn with a ferocity that will not be extinguished, if we let it.

Read Jeremiah 4:5-9

But if we won’t let go of our new gods, the Lord will gently step back and let us try to make our own way. For Judah, their steps had finally taken the same path that the Northern Kingdom took – one of idols and false gods. They turned to other nations for military alliances – they had forgotten that the great Jehovah could bring defeat to any enemy all by Himself. They had turned to other gods for blessings and strength – they had forgotten that the first commandment called them to “have no other gods before Me.” They had turned their backs on heaven and looked, instead, to the world for salvation. They had decided to try to destroy Babylon with earthly power – by their own destructive fire – but it would prove to be totally inadequate for the task. A “lion” – the Babylonians - was coming toward them, and they had turned their back on the only tamer who could stop him.

And the only thing left for them to do was to “put on sackcloth and lament and wail”. There could be no hope within themselves.

After all these thousands of years of being taught this lesson over and over, why haven’t we learned it yet? The first section of our passage for today is about repentance, about leaving the things of the past in the past, about letting the Lord deal with those things that aren’t of Him, and not trying to do it ourselves, about understanding that the Lord’s fire truly destroys, and ours only makes a mess!

What keeps us from confessing our sin to God so that He can erase it from our lives?
- Is it embarrassment? The shame that we feel for ever doing this evil in the first place? Have we forgotten that God already knows that we did it? The word is “omniscient” – all knowing, nothing can be hidden!!! All He wants from us to admit that it is not of Him, and that we can’t deal with it on our own, and that we don’t want it in us, or of us, any longer.
- Or is it our doubt? Have we confessed this particular sin so many times that we believe that God is finally fed up with us, and that He has run out of forgiveness? In Matthew 18 (vs. 21-35), Peter asks Christ how many times should he forgive his brother – should I forgive him 7 times? (Peter was trying to be generous!) But Jesus outdid his generosity – He said that it must be seventy times seven, which means alot! And if we are to forgive that much, how much more will God forgive us? And just in case you aren’t sure, He will forgive us an infinite number of times!
- Or is it because we get tired of trying, and just give up on our attempt to end that horrible aspect of our life? Is it really easier to live with the sin, instead of persevering in Christ? God’s love never gives up on us, and we can never give up on Him. Never give up! Never give up!
We can go to the Lord as many times as it takes to finally “let go and let God”! He doesn’t keep count – He only knows if the count is still at zero!

But when we do give up – when we decide that God isn’t working fast enough, or effectively enough, or in the way that we think He should be working, and take our life back to do with as we want to, He lets us do just that. He never interfered with either Israel or Judah’s decision to turn away from Him, but that didn’t mean that His love for them would end, or even there would be no consequences. Israel was overthrown by Assyria, and Judah by Babylon, and they would spend many years in exile. But one day, they would, eventually, be taken home. Remember the story of Hosea and Gomer? Even after Hosea showed his wife unquestionable love, she left to live a life of prostitution. And years later, when he found his wife, he bought her back, took her home, and told her that now she must be faithful to only him – that she must put the past behind, and begin anew.

Until we accept and confess the price that Christ has paid to win us back, we will continue to remain separated from Him. He never forces us to come home, He never demands that we repent, He no longer expects retribution on our part, He no longer forces us into exile. When we repent in a heartfelt way and turn away from our past sins, He forgives and forgets! The slate is wiped clean. It’s truly as simple as that.

Our fire just makes a mess – His makes a new and clear way for us. Have you have ever seen the result of a grass fire? Before the fire, the field is generally overgrown and filled with a tangle of thickets and thorns and weeds. The fire wipes it all away, leaving behind some evidence of the cleansing, but more specifically, it leaves a rich covering of ash, and within a few weeks, fresh shoots begin to push up through the earth, creating a lush, new green carpet that covers the ugliness, and soon, all evidence of the tangle, as well as the fire, are gone.

Jesus is that very kind of cleansing fire for our lives. If you have never given Him the chance to make you new, or if you feel that you need to make a recommitment to His mercy and grace, now is the time. During our last hymn, you are invited to come up, and we will approach His mercy together in prayer. Come alone, or come with a friend. But come.