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I'll leave your Bible open there in Jeremiah chapter 2, so for our visitors, and if you're not regular, I am going through the book of Jeremiah on Sunday mornings, so we're going chapter by chapter, we're up to chapter 2 here, and if you look at verse number 13, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse number 13, it says, For my people have committed two evils. So we're going to notice that there are two evil things that the people of Judah have done in this chapter, and so that's the title of my sermon this morning, is Two Evils, Two Evils. Now this is a big chapter, so I'm going to speed through the verses, if you have any questions for me, if you feel like I've rushed too quickly, please feel free to ask me afterwards, because I have studied through the chapter, right? So there are things that I've studied that I've had to sort of edit out of the sermon, otherwise it's too long. Anyway, so let's look here at verse number 1, it says, Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. The first thing I want you to notice there, in verse number 2, it says, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem. Now when the Bible says cry, it's not talking about when you weep, you know, when you shed tears. When the Bible says go and cry, he's saying go and yell, go and shout. You know, I've been told before, you know, when you preach, you preach too loud. This is how God commands the preacher to be, the prophet to be. He says go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem. And so brethren, if I get a little loud sometimes, please understand, it's just because I'm trying to follow the commands that Jesus Christ has told us, right? But the Word of God says we need to be preachers that preach boldly and loudly the commandments of God. But when God looks at Jerusalem, he says to them, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espouses, I remember when you were young, I remember the love that we once used to have. And so God is comparing Israel's love to young love. You know, when you're a single person, you find that person that you think you might want to spend all eternity with, or not all eternity, you know, all your life with, you know, you've got that young love, right? You got that, you know, you're excited, you know, you want to put, you know, your best foot forward. I'm sure when you go out on your first date with the person you're interested in, you know, you kind of put on a little bit of a show, don't you? You try to project the best presentation of yourself that you can. And so God's comparing Jerusalem to that young love that they once used to have. And so what is God saying? Well, it's not there anymore, right? I remember back then when you were like that, but that young love is gone, right? It says in verse number three, Israel was holiness unto the Lord. So when God is saying these words, when Jeremiah is preaching this to the nation of Israel, are they currently holiness to the Lord? No, it says Israel was, in the past, you were holiness. What does holy mean? Separated, set apart, different, right? It says he used to be holy unto me, but no longer. And then it says, and the first fruits of his increase, all that devour him shall offend, evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord. And so what God is saying is in the past, when you were holy, the nations, the armies that would come against you, that would try to devour you, God will make sure that evil would come upon them. You know, God will make sure that he put, you know, he set out his vengeance, his revenge upon the nations that would try to hurt Jerusalem. Hey, but that was a time past. They were holiness unto the Lord. Now, what's quite interesting about Israel today in the Middle East? What do people call that land? We call the land of Palestine, but many churches call that land the holy land, all right, the holy land. Now, God is saying, look, what we're seeing here is that the nation has turned their backs against God. Now, brethren, the nation of Israel today, do they believe in Jesus Christ? Is Jesus Christ their God? Is it a holy land? No, it can't be, right? God says Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and so they are not currently holy, are they? You know, if they turn their backs against God, they've got a false religion, but we can't call that land a holy land. What makes them holy? It's not the land that makes them holy. It's the people in the land that makes the land holy. And so, you know, today the Bible tells us that believers are the holy nation. You know, if we're people of God, we've believed in Jesus Christ, Jesus says to all the believers, we make up the holy nation, okay? Now, look at verse number four. It says, Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Now, just as a reminder, at this point in history, the nation of Israel has already been divided into two kingdoms, right? You have the northern kingdom with the ten tribes making up the nation of Israel, and then you've got the southern nation, which are the two other tribes, and they make up the nation of Judah, all right? Now, don't forget, Jeremiah is called to be a prophet unto the nations, right? And so, yes, his primary nation that he's preaching to is his own nation, which is the nation of Judah, but when God here is speaking to them, he doesn't only just call them, he's not just referring to Judah, he says here, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. So God is speaking about not just Judah, but even the northern kingdom, which was taken into captivity by the Assyrians, but also any of the Israelites that have maybe been scattered abroad. So he's referring to all the people that made up that united nation of Israel in the past, okay? Verse number five, And so what God is saying here, he says, look, what sin have you found in God? You know, the God of Israel, what sin did you find in God that caused your fathers in the past to walk away from God, to have gone far from God? Listen, this nation, in the time of Jeremiah, is a nation that's far from God. The Bible tells us this nation has walked after vanity and have become vain. What's vanity? Empty, right? There's no purpose, there's no value. And so what we learn here is when a nation goes far from God, it has walked in vanity. And brethren, let me tell you, Australia, this nation is far from God. You know, this nation hates God. You know, our politicians can't even pray anymore. You know, they can't even have a fear of God. You know, there was a time in the past, and I'll show it to you later, that our nation at least, I'm not saying that we're ever a Christian nation, but that our nation at least had a fear of God. You know, the God of the Bible, actually, you know, and you know, now today, our nation has gone far from God. And so what do we learn about a nation that's gone far from God? It's a nation of vanity. It's a nation of emptiness. You know, the people of Australia are seeking vain glory, seeking vain things. Nothing that is profitable unto them. Verse number six, it says, And by the way, one thing I don't want to miss in verse number five, it says, what iniquity have your fathers found in me? And so God is saying, look, your fathers in the past, you know, your fathers, your grandfathers, your great grandfathers in the past, they have turned against me. And what we find here is that this generation has continued down this line of being far from God. What do we learn there? Fathers, parents, what we learn there is that if you turn your back to God, if you go far from God, it has lasting effects. It's going to affect your children. It's going to affect your grandchildren, you know. The further away you get from God, you're just leading your children down this downward spiral. Now, look, praise God, if one of your children say, you know what, and this happens to many families, families that, you know, don't grow up in a Christian home, maybe the families that grow up in a false religion, and at some point, somebody in that family says, you know what, I just want to worship the God of the Bible. And they hear the gospel, they believe in Jesus Christ, and now they can start something fresh, they can start something new, and they can make sure that their children learn the God of the Bible, and their great grandchildren can learn the God of the Bible. But parents, it's so important for you to understand, when you get far from God, fathers, when you get far from God, it has lasting effects, not just on your next generation, but on, you know, the third and the fourth generation to come as well. Verse number six. Neither said they, where is the Lord that brought us out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of droughts and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? So they're not asking where is the Lord, they're so far from God, they don't think they need God anymore. They're not asking where is the God of our past, where is the God that led us out of Egypt, where is the God that led us into the promised land? Listen, when a nation gets far from God, it's because they think they don't need God. And we have here the nation of Judah has gotten to the point where they believe they no longer need God. You know, they're doing well on their own, okay? And this is the danger of being too prosperous. This is why I believe that God does not allow his children to get too rich. You know, like, you know, you know, God may give some more than others, right? And God will give you what you're able to control. But you know, the Lord knows that if we get too wealthy in this world, that our hearts will be after our possessions, that we will think that we're self-made, look what I've accomplished, rather than give God the glory, rather than give God the thanks. And when you start to lift yourself up, when you start to think of yourself so highly, that's the beginning steps of turning away from God. You know, you turn away from God, and you no longer recognize that it's God that's given you your provisions. You think it's all upon yourself. This is what's happened to this nation. Verse number seven. And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof, and goodness thereof. But when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. So, the Bible says here, and made mine heritage, just like another word, it's saying my inheritance, okay? And so God is saying, look, your nation, this land is supposed to be my inheritance. But because you've turned against God, you've made my inheritance, or my heritage, an abomination, okay? So we learn there that the land, which is supposed to be God's heritage, and the people of the land, were meant to be holy, were holy. And so what do we learn again about the nation of Israel in the Middle East? Not only is that not the Holy Land, but what we can say, it is a land of abomination. It's a land of weakness. When God looks at that land today, he says, listen, that's a land that has turned away from me, this inheritance that should have been mine, is now an abomination. Hey, those are strong words. You know, an abomination is something filthy, disgusting. You know, God looks at that land and says, that land does not love me, those people do not love me, and he just sees it as a polluted place. And as we keep going through this chapter, you'll see how badly God considers a wicked nation that has turned against God, how polluted he thinks of it. In fact, it's quite, the language is quite strong when we look through this passage together. Let's keep going, verse number eight. The priest, and now we're talking about the religious leaders, the priest said not, where is the Lord? You know, even the priests, even the religious leaders, are not asking, hey, where is God? They don't care about God anymore, right? Though the religious leaders have turned against the Lord. And then it says, and they that handle the law knew me not. Brethren, how many, listen, this is not just Judah. This is Australia. How many preachers behind pulpits today? They handle the law of God. They have the Bibles on their pulpits, but they do not know God. They're not even saved, brethren. So many people like that today, you know, preach behind pulpits. They don't even know God, and they think they can teach the law of God. You know, think about Australia when we think about this, about Judah here. It says the pastors also transgressed against me. You know, again, pastors, shepherds, and the reference here to pastors is more to do with those that were leaders in the community, right? And we can apply this to pastors today, right? The New Testament pastor, hey, they have also transgressed against me. And the prophets, hey, these are the people preaching, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, not by God. They're preaching lies. They're preaching lies of the devil. It says, and walks after things that do not profit. Well, I don't see any difference with 2020 Australia, right? That, you know, you go to the religious leaders today, and they're teaching you things that do not profit you. There is no eternal value. They're not teaching you about God. They're teaching you lies. You know, they want to tell you things that you want to hear and make you feel comfortable. Hey, but those are lies of the devil. You know, when you come to church, you ought to feel a little uncomfortable. You know, it's the word of God. It's supposed to penetrate. It's supposed to speak to your heart. It's supposed to tell you where you're wrong and tell you the changes that you need to make in your life. You know, church ought to be a place where you feel a little bit uncomfortable. You know, why come to church if you don't expect to change? Why come to church if you're just going to hear the same things you've heard before? You know, what you already know? No, but a church ought to be a place where you're challenged a little bit and you realize, look, I'm far from God and I need to make whatever necessary changes to please the Lord. Verse number nine, please. Wherefore, I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with your children's children will I plead. Once again, you see that, you know, I'll plead with you, but I'm also going to plead with your children's children. God knows that disobedience of this generation is going to have effects on your children. Now, parents, I know you love your children more than yourselves. I know, parents, that, you know, if you knew your child could lose their life, you would rather step in and be the one that loses their life. Well, listen, brethren, you know, we ought to be people that, you know, this nation of Australia tells us that our children, you know, that they need to be successful, right? I mean, houses are so expensive in Sydney. You know, we need to make sure they get a high paying job. We need to make sure that they make something of themselves in Australia. But listen, brethren, I'd rather my children be poor and just love God. You know, I'd rather my... Because listen, if they're poor and love God, they're really rich. You know, in the eyes of God, they're rich. In the eyes of God, they're laying up treasures in heaven. You know, they're making riches of themselves for all eternity in heaven. Now, brethren, we need to make sure that, yes, we educate our children. That's important. I don't believe our children ought to be stupid. In fact, I think Christian children ought to be the smartest children in this world because they're at least being grown... They're growing up with hearing the Word of God. You know, hearing the Word of God is what gives you knowledge and wisdom and helps you understand this world. I believe Christian children should be the wisest children in this world. And, you know, and with wisdom will come success. But more important than success in this world, we want them to be successful in their spiritual lives, don't we? In their walk with God. Verse number 10. For pass over the isles of Chittim and see... Now, these isles of Chittim, these are the Gentile nations, okay? So, God's telling Jeremiah and to the nation, look at the other nations, right? And see and send unto Kedar and consider diligently and see if there be such a thing. What thing? Verse number 11. Have a nation changed their gods? And are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. You know, God's saying, look, just go to whatever nation, any nation that has false gods, which are not really gods, okay? They're just pieces of wood. They're just stone. They're just, you know, idols. You know, do you go and see the nation just changing gods whenever they want? I mean, if you go into India today and we know their religion is Hinduism, do we expect, Brevin, that we're going to turn up there next week and they've just changed gods? They're going to continue down this, you know, religious path. You know, when you go into some of the Asian countries, that maybe Buddhism is the main religion, you know, there are some nations, you just know, you think of a nation, you think of religion immediately, right? I mean, you just think of some Middle Eastern nations, that's a Muslim nation, right? It's not normal for a nation to change gods. And God's saying, look, those are lesser gods. And yet you have changed the God of the Bible, the one true God. You know, the nation of Judah, Israel, they've gone and worshipped other gods. And God's saying, look, a nation changing gods is not normal. It's abnormal. You know, it's unbelievable. You know, if India changed their religion to Christianity overnight, okay, the nation was known as a Christian nation, you'd be like, that's unbelievable. Well, yeah, it would be unbelievable. And how unbelievable is it then for a nation to change the one true God of the Bible to some false god? It's crazy, right? They've done that. But listen, Australia has done the same thing. Australia has done the same thing. God is saying, consider the other nations. Now, listen, when our nation went through federation in 1901, they also put together a constitution, okay, that would unite the states of our nation together under one new nation. And the Australian Constitution was written on the 9th of July, 1900. I'll just read to you the first phrase, the very first phrase, okay, in the Australian Constitution. It says, whereas the people of New South Wales, hey, that's you, okay, you're the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, Western Australia wasn't included just yet. It says, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God. First phrase of the Constitution. You know what our nation said at the very beginning, when we decided to make our own sovereign nation, we said the nation of Australia, the god that we're going to put above us is Almighty God. You might say, well, that could just be any god. Keep your finger there, please go to the book of Genesis, go to Genesis 17 for me, stay in Jeremiah, go to Genesis chapter 17 and verse number 1. Now, you know, I'll give it to you that, you know, when people say God, they can mean anything. I mean, you know, Islam have their god, right? I mean, even the god of the Roman Catholics is another god. You know, the god of the atheists is themselves. You know, when people think of God, they refer to anything. You know, even Satan is called the god of this world, right? You know, God can mean many things, but when you give the title of God as Almighty God, you're not just referring to any god. Now, Genesis 17 verse 1, Hey, who's Almighty God? The Lord is Almighty God. And so when Australia is saying, look, we're going to be humble before the Almighty God and we need your help, God, they're talking about the God of the Bible is what they're talking about. They're talking about the Lord God of Abraham is what they're referring to. Please go to Genesis now. Go to Genesis 19. Go to Genesis 19. So we see in the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, okay, the God of the Bible is Almighty God. We go to the last book of the Bible, Revelation 19 and verse number 15. Revelation 19 and verse number 15. And we're fast-forwarding now to the wrath of God when God comes and destroys this earth with his wrath. Revelation 19 verse 15. Speaking of Jesus, it says, And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, and with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. So who is Almighty God? It's the Father of Jesus Christ. It's God the Father is the Almighty God. You know, so we see from the book of Genesis, we see all the way to the book of Revelation that Almighty God only references one God, the Lord God of the Bible, the God of Jesus Christ, the Heavenly Father. It's the God of Abraham as well. And so when Australia was formed, Reverend, we said, Almighty God, the God of the Bible, that's our God. Hey, what did it say in verse number 11, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 11, half a nation changed their gods? It's unbelievable. Yeah, it is unbelievable that Australia had changed their gods. They've gone from the one true God like Judah has. And what God, listen, I mean, there are so many false religions today, aren't there? Now, as I said earlier, I don't believe Australia was ever a Christian religion, you know, sorry, a Christian nation, you know, but at least what we see in the Constitution, our politicians, you know, the people that are writing the laws, they at least had a fear of God of the Bible. I mean, I wish, you know, first of all, I wish our politicians were saved. I mean, I wish everybody was saved, right? But listen, I realize that's not going to be the case most of the time. Very rarely could someone be saved and make their way up the ladder like that, you know, takes a lot of compromise as well, doesn't it? But if they just had a fear of God, what God? Almighty God. If they just had a fear of Almighty God, if they just had a reverence to the Word of God, we'll be in a much better place, you know, and it's easy to blame our politicians. But you know what, our politicians is just a reflection of our nation. You know, if our nation was a holy nation, if people loved the Bible, if people loved Almighty God, guess what's going to happen? The politicians that are going to be elected are going to love Almighty God. They're going to have a fear of God. And so it's easy to point our fingers to the politicians, but really, they're just a symptom of the problem of the nation. And brethren, we see here that the nation of Judah had gone far from God and it affected their politicians, it affected their religious leaders. This is why we're seeing churches just go down the toilet. This is why we're seeing false prophets creep into once good churches that preach God's Word and now may be preaching some other gospel, may be preaching another Jesus, may be preaching another Holy Spirit, okay? And we need to be... Just understand, this is the situation we live in. Now, it's kind of sad, I suppose. You know, I guess I would have rather lived in the 1900s when people at least had a fear of God, a reverence to the Bible, but at the end of the day, brethren, there's nothing new under the sun. You know, what Australia is going through in 2020 is no different to what happened to Judah in the days of Jeremiah. So this gives me a lot of comfort all the time. Like, God's never surprised by our nation. Like, we should never be surprised how wicked our nation gets. You can just turn to the Bible and just... It's there, it happens, okay? History unfortunately repeats itself because mankind have this sinful nature and there's this natural desire to just turn away from the one true God and follow after false gods. Let's go back to Jeremiah chapter 2, verse number 12. Jeremiah chapter 2, verse number 12. God tells us what those two evils are, okay? They have forsaken me the fountain of living water. So that's one evil. You know, when you forsake God, when you go far from God, brethren, yes, even you as a Christian, even you when you forget to pray to God, when you quit church, you know, when you no longer pick up the Bible, when you go far from God, brethren, you're committing an evil. That's one evil. What's the other evil? And hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. That's a metaphor that they've gone after false gods. They've gone after cisterns, they've gone after vessels that are broken, okay? They can't contain the waters, the living waters that God contains. So one evil is turning against God. The other evil, the second evil, is following after false gods, okay? So they might think they've only done one wrong thing, but actually they've gone after false gods and so God says you've committed two evils. You've committed two grievous sins. Now I love how God says, they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters. Because we think of the New Testament immediately, right? When Jesus Christ went to the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman at the well, I'll just quickly read to you in John chapter 4 verse 10, you don't need to turn there, it says, Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knewest the gift of God, listen, the gift of God is salvation, okay? It's free, gifts are free to be saved. There's nothing, there's no merit that you can add to it. There's no work you can add to it. It's just a gift of God. And then it says, and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. Brethren, you know what? We serve a God which is a fountain of living waters. And when you've been saved, when you've believed on Jesus, when you receive the gift, you've been given living waters. You're gonna live forever, everlasting life. You know, even when you pass away, when your eyes close in this body, you're gonna open your eyes, you're gonna be in heaven with God. You're gonna be in heaven with, I don't know, well, you're gonna be carried by angels? Maybe, I don't know. Some people think that, right? Some people think, you know, the angels will pick up your soul and take it to heaven. Hey, that'd be fun. But whatever it is, Brethren, you're gonna wake up and you're gonna be with the Lord Jesus Christ. You're going to live forever. You know, the believer truly never dies. Your body goes to sleep, the soul goes to be with the Lord, and one day the Lord's gonna bring back that soul and spirit back into a new resurrected body, and, you know, we'll be forever with the Lord. But then what God says, what Jesus Christ says in verse number 13, he says, Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water, speaking of the water in the well, shall thirst again. Okay, so yeah, water gives you, you know, satisfies thirst, but then, you know, you go about life, you sweat, whatever, you get thirsty again, right? That's normal. But then he says in verse number 14, But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life. And what is that teaching us? Eternal security. Once you drink of the water of salvation, once you drink of the waters of God, listen, you have living waters, you'll never thirst again. You'll never be like, well, I think I need to get saved again. You won't be, well, I don't know, maybe I'm going to hell after all. Listen, I mean, people that think like that, either they've been clouded by false teaching or they're just not saved to begin with. Because once you understand that Jesus did it all, once you understand that his death, burial and resurrection is paid for all of your sins, even the sins of the day you die, brethren, you know, even the most wicked sins they've been paid for by Jesus, once you realize it's all Jesus, then you never doubt. Because if you're doubting, you're doubting whether Jesus has done it all. The reason people doubt their salvation is because somehow they've been tricked or they're just not saved and they've been told that salvation is dependent upon them. No, listen, once you understand what Jesus has done for you, you'll never thirst. You drink up that water, wow, I'm saved. I have eternal life. You know, when I die, I'm going to go to be with Jesus Christ in heaven forever. You never have that problem again. You'll never be thirsty spiritually again. Back to Jeremiah chapter 2 verse number 14. Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 14. Is Israel a servant? Is he a home-born slave? Why is he spoiled? Listen, when God's saying, look, is Israel a servant? He's saying, like, are you... Is this nation of Israel under an authority of another government? Like, why have they turned against another... Why have they turned to other gods? Is it that some other nations come and made them the servant and they forced them to have some false gods, right? Is he a home-born slave? Are you guys slaves? You know you've been forced? No, obviously the answer is no. It's a free nation, right? It's a nation that's supposed to have the blessing of God. So God's asking, look, no one's forced you. You've had no external force turned into these false gods. Why is he spoiled? Why has the nation spoiled itself with these false gods? You know, it's come from the people. The people can't blame some other nations. They've done it themselves, God is saying, right? Verse number 15. The young lions roared upon him and yelled, and they made his land waste. His cities are burned without inhabitants. Also the children of Noth and Tehepenes have broken the crown of thy head. So if you can, I'll just quickly tell you. So what we learnt at the beginning of this chapter is that when a nation was holy, that God would protect the nation, right? If a foreign nation came and tried to hurt the nation of Israel, God would step in and make sure that that nation was punished. God would be the defense of Israel. But what we're seeing here is, you know, referring to young lions roared about him. He's saying, look, now that you're far from God, now you have problems, right? The northern kingdom has been taken over by the Assyrians, right? There are other nations around them that are causing them problems. They're constantly at war. They're constantly worried. God is saying, look, the reason this has happened is because you've turned against God. Now, when it says in verse number 16, and the children of Noth and Tehepenes, these are cities of Egypt, okay? So Egypt was a problem to the Israelites, again, at this point in time. Now, please just go to the previous verse, sorry, previous chapter, Jeremiah chapter one and verse number two. I just want to show you what this means. Because it says in verse number 16, and the children of Noth and Tehepenes have broken the crown of thy head. When he's saying the crown of thy head, he's speaking about their king, okay? The king of Judah was defeated by the armies of Egypt, is what he's saying, okay? Because they've turned against God. So if you look at Jeremiah chapter one and verse number two, just as a reminder, it says, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah, the son of Ammon king of Judah in the thirteenth year of his reign. So you can see here that Josiah is the king of Judah at this point, right? Now, what God is speaking about in verse number 16, in chapter two, verse number 16, is a story that takes place. You don't need to turn there, I'll just read it to you very quickly. It's in 2 Kings 23 verse 28. If you want to take down the reference for your own study, it's probably a good idea. 2 Kings 23, 28, and I'll just read it to you. It says, now the rest of the acts of Josiah, so Josiah is the king when Jeremiah was preaching at that time, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And then it says this, in verse number 29. In his days, Pharaoh Nechoq king of Egypt, so there's the Egyptians, went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates, and king Josiah, so there's Josiah again, the king of Judah, went against him, and it says, and he slew him at Megiddo when he was seeing him. So, king Josiah was slain at Megiddo. Verse number 30, and his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. All right, so what we notice there is that Josiah, the king of Judah, went to war, and they lost the war against Egypt. In fact, he lost his life. That's in the book of Kings. So, when Jeremiah's preaching and prophesying, you know, God is explaining how, listen, you've lost the crown of your head. You've lost the king against these Egyptians, right? So, he's going back to this event. And again, the reason the king was defeated is because God's no longer protecting them. He's not blessing them anymore. You know, he's allowing this nation of Judah to be decimated by other nations, by foreign powers. Back to Jeremiah 2.17, He says, look, you're to blame. You're to blame for this. You've done this to yourself. Verse number 18, And now what hast thou... And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt to drink the waters of Sihor? Or what hast thou do in the way of Assyria to drink the waters of the river? He says, look, you know, you're drinking the waters of Egypt. It's kind of like you're eating humble pie. You know, you thought you could take on the Assyrians. You thought you could take on the Egyptians without God. Now you're drinking of their rivers. You know, you're kind of, you're eating humble... You know, we use that phrase, right? You're eating humble pie. You thought you were proud. You thought you could stand up and you've lost. And now you're facing the humility of having to drink waters from these other nations. So I don't know if it's literal or a metaphor. Maybe it's both. You know, it is definitely a metaphor that they've lost and they're kind of having to be servants of these nations. But maybe also literal. Maybe they literally had to get water from these rivers. I don't know. I don't know how decimated, obviously, this nation was at this point in time. Verse number 19, Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee. Now therefore, and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts. So this nation no longer fears God. Australia no longer fears God. And what we notice in verse number 19 uses this phrase, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee. So the book of Jeremiah deals a lot with backsliding. In fact, you're going to notice backsliding being referenced a few times in different chapters. I'm not going to cover it too much, but in chapter three, God speaks a lot about backsliding Judah. So we'll talk about backsliding next week, okay, in chapter number three. But what we see here is when people no longer fear God, the nation starts to backslide against God. So the first step, you no longer fear God, you start to backslide, you start to turn away from God. Just like Australia, Australia no longer fears God. You know, I was hopeful that the fires that ravaged this land, you know, back in December and January, and the coronavirus, I'm hopeful that it brings back some fear. You know, sometimes people pray and say, God, can you stop these terrible events? Sometimes the nation needs it. You know, sometimes the nation needs to eat humble pie, just like Judah. Okay, sometimes the nation needs it just to say, well, you know, we're losing this battle. You know, we have a fear of death and maybe that'll bring back the fear of God. You know, I think our nation needs it. I'm not going to pray for God to hold back his judgment. Like, I'm not going to pray for God to protect Australia no matter what. Listen, I love Australians. In fact, I love our land. I love Sydney. I love the Sunshine Coast. I think we live in a wonderful country, really. And I think God has blessed us in a mighty way, but people don't have the fear of God. And I think we need to face some really hard times in Australia for people to think back and consider God. You know, for the pulpits of churches to once again call upon Almighty God and truly turn to the God of Israel. Verse number 19. I'm sorry, verse number 20. So that's when they were under slavery of the Egyptians. God says, look, I've taken you out of slavery in the past and thou saidest, I will not transgress. So it's saying, look, in the past, you promised that you're not going to sin against me. This goes back to when Moses brought in the covenant with Israel. And the Israelites said, yes, we're going to follow God's covenant. Yes, we're going to make you our God. We're going to be your people. So there was a time they devoted themselves to God. But then it says here, when upon every high hill and under every green tree, thou wanderest, plain the harlot. Now, God's saying some really powerful words to this nation. And listen, you know, every word of God is pure. So if it's in the God's Word, we just got to preach it. You know what God's saying to Judah? He's saying, you're a prostitute. You know, there was a time, yes, when you loved me, there was a time when you committed yourselves to me, but now under every green tree, every tree you go to, you're committing prostitution. You're a harlot, you're sleeping around. Again, God is speaking about this in the terms of a spiritual adultery. You know, you've turned your hearts to these false gods. You know, you're committing this abomination and you're like a prostitute. You know, you're no longer a beautiful wife. You're no longer this beautiful woman. You're just this harlot. You're just this dirty harlot. There's just completely no respect for yourself. But God keeps going and starts to say worse things about it. Verse number 21. Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed. How then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? For thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God. Now, listen, sometimes people sin and they think if they just have a good shower, they just get the right soap and they, ah, feel much better. You know, what does God say? You know, they've gone and they try to clean themselves on the outside with soap, but yet God says in verse number 22, Yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God. This is like the Pharisees in the times of Jesus Christ. They were clean on the outside. Jesus said they were clean on the outside. On the outside, they looked wonderful. They had their long robes. They looked religious. They looked like they loved God. But he says inwardly, you know, there's dead men bones. You know, inwardly they were corrupt. And God, you know, yeah, you might clean yourself on the outside, but God is the one that sees on the inside. God's more interested about what is inside. Soap's going to clean the outside. Nothing wrong with soap, but soap's not going to wash your sins away. It's only the blood of Jesus Christ that can cleanse you from sin. And so no matter how they try to present themselves, God sees their wickedness. Verse number 23, How canst thou say, I am not polluted? So Israel's saying, you know, we're not polluted. We're clean. We clean ourselves with soap, right? I have not gone after Balaam. So they've gone after false gods. In the way or in the valley, know what thou hast done. Thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways. I have to look this up. A dromedary is a type of camel. Like, I think it's, I forget which country, but it's a type of camel. Now, so what's happening here? God is saying, look, he said you're like a prostitute, but now he's saying you're an animal, okay? It actually gets worse, okay? He's saying, look, you're an animal. You're like this camel. But verse number 24, he says, A wild ass used to the wilderness. Now he's saying you're a wild donkey, okay? That snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure. In her occasion, who can turn her away? All they that seek her will not weary themselves. In her mouth, they shall find her. In her month, sorry, in her month, they shall find her. What is that saying? He's saying at the, when it's mating season, okay, when this donkey, when this camel, when it's mating season, this animal has no self-control. Like, you know animals, I mean, you've seen dogs, how dogs get around and, you know, they sniff each other out. You know, if it's that time, if it's the right time, you know, the dogs go crazy. And this is why some people have to castrate their animals sometimes, right? Otherwise, they go nuts. I mean, you know, some animals just breed like crazy. Well, that's what God is saying about Israel. He says, like, you're not just a prostitute. You're like a dirty animal. You're just going around and just sleeping around. You're just polluting yourself constantly. You've got no self-control. You're just a filthy animal is what God is saying about them. These are harsh words. Imagine calling, God's calling his people animals. You know, animals that just have no control over, you know, and that's how animals are, you know, that's just how it is. And now God's saying, look, you're like that. You know, so, I mean, there's some really harsh language in the book of Jeremiah about this nation. Verse number 25. Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst. But they are set, there is no hope. No, for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go. Just like, you know, a prostitute, right? It's just like, well, you know, I don't love my husband. I just love the strangers. I will go after the strangers. I'll sleep around with whoever. You know, they're just taking whatever God, you know, the God of this nation, God of that nation, whatever false God, we'll just set that God up is what happened, you know, to this nation. They've committed two evils. They've turned against God and they've just slept around, spiritually speaking, with these other gods, these false gods of these other nations. Verse number 26. As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed. They, their kings, their princes and their priests and their prophets are the politicians, even the religious leaders. What are they saying to a stock? Thou art my Father, and to a stone. A stock is a piece of wood. It says, look, to a piece of wood, you're saying, this is my Father, okay? And to a stone, thou has brought me forth. So, you go to a piece of wood, you say, you're my Father. And you go to a stone, you go to a rock, and you say, well, you know, you've brought me forth. You know, this stone, you created me. What is that talking about? The idols, right? The idols of wood, idols of stone, and they're saying, listen, this is our God. What do you find in the Roman Catholic Church? What do you find in Hinduism? And what do you find in Buddhism? You find all these gods of wood, these gods of stone, and people are turning around and saying, you are my Father, you are my God. It's just a piece of wood. It's just a rock. I mean, the nations have gone crazy, is what God is saying. They've gone insane. Who would say to a piece of wood, you are my Father? You know, they had God the Father, they had the one true God, and they turned to some piece of wood that's come off a tree. It's crazy. Now, you think that, now listen, on the Sunshine Coast, it's insane. You know, the garden gnomes, right? You go to Sydney, people still have garden gnomes in Sydney. When I moved to the Sunshine Coast, like every, at least one in five houses, maybe more, has Buddha statues all over the garden. I thought, man, how many Buddhists live in this place? You knock on the door, and I'm expected to come across some Asian, right? Some Buddhist, and it's like some Aussie, and I'm like asking about the statue. Oh, yeah, I just got that from Bunnings. I mean, I think even now, you can go to just Bunnings and you just buy whatever gods of wood, and you just place them around. Listen, Australia's the same. They've turned to these false gods. Now, look, I realise that, you know, generally speaking, Australians, you know, I recognise that our Western culture does not bow themselves. I mean, obviously, there are false religions that do that. I'm just saying the average Australian does not bow themselves to these pieces of wood and stone. But what I think is happening, and I think one of the... I did look this up, and I'm pretty sure, you know, the main religion of Australia, if you were to look at what everybody believes, is atheism. You know, people believe in the Big Bang. People are saying, well, I don't believe in God. This is what's happening to our nation. They're saying, I don't believe in God. And so, listen, they might not be setting up a piece of wood or a stone and saying, this is my father. But listen, evolution, the Big Bang, atheism leads you to the same belief. It does lead you to the same belief. You know, I looked up, just for this sermon, I looked up theories on how life began according to evolution. You know, certain theories what people believe. Let me just give you three theories of evolution, where life came from, okay? Well, theory number one, that I found in this article anyway, molecules of life met on clay. Okay, what's clay? Dirt, right? Met on clay. And it says, the first molecules of life might have met on clay according to an idea elaborated by organic chemist Alexander Graham Cairns Smith. So what are you saying? Clay has brought us forth. Clay is our father. It's the same thing, brethren. There's no difference. Let me tell you the next theory that I found here. Life began at deep sea vents. The deep sea vent theory suggests that life may have begun at submarine hydrothermal vents spewing key hydrogen-rich molecules, and then it says this, their rocky nooks could then have concentrated these molecules together and provided mineral catalysts for critical reactions. And so it's the rock, the rocky nooks of the vents brought forth life, brethren. They're literally saying to the stone, you have brought me forth. It hasn't changed. Evolution. The next theory. Life was brought here from somewhere in space. Martian meteorites have been found on Earth that some researchers have controversially suggested that microbes over here potentially, sorry, brought, sorry, suggested that microbes, I must have cut it out, were brought here by the meteorites, potentially making us all Martians originally. So man, a rock flying through space is what brought life to Earth. You've brought me, this is my father, this rock, this comet, this meteorite. Listen, they think they're so wise, these evolutionists, you know, these scientists that believe that there was a big bang and nothing created itself, God's not involved. Listen, they're just the same as these pagan religions that are worshiping woods and stones and saying you've brought me forth. Hey, this is where Australia's headed though. This is the official religion in our schools. Hey, you send your child to school, they're gonna be taught evolution. You send your child to a Christian school, they're gonna be taught evolution. I know, because I was there. I was in a Christian high school and the government forced the Christian school to teach evolution, they had to teach it. Otherwise, they'll lose their government's grants, their money, okay? So you think you're putting your child in a Christian school, it's gonna be wonderful, they're still being taught this nonsense, okay? Verse number 28, Jeremiah chapter two, verse 28, so I'd better hurry up. Jeremiah chapter two, verse 28. But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? Let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble. For according to the number of thy cities are thy gods of Judah. God's saying, look, okay, let those gods defend you. Man, they didn't help you with the Assyrians, did they? They're not gonna help you with the coming Babylonians, they didn't help you with the Egyptians. Hey, where are these gods? Verse number 29. Wherefore will ye plead with me? Ye have all transgressed against me, save the Lord. Because look, when you come, eventually you're gonna realize these gods aren't helping you. You're gonna come to me, it's like, you've transgressed against me. Why should I help you? Reverend, why should God help Australia? We've turned our backs against God. You know, we believe in stones and wood as our gods. Not our gods, but you know what I'm saying. The nation, this is the nation that we come from. Why should God save Australia? Why should God defend Australia? You know, God's saying, okay, if you believe evolution brought you forth, let evolution defend your nation, you know. Verse number 30. In vain have I smitten your children, they received no correction. Your own sword hath devoured your prophets like a destroying lion. Now, that's quite an interesting phrase here. Your own sword, you're killing yourself, you're destroying yourself. Your own sword devoured your prophets. These are the prophets that are actually preaching God's word. You know, the preachers that are preaching God's word, you've gone and you've devoured them. You've gone and destroyed the prophets of God. Listen, brethren, I don't know how long I'm going to be a non-tiger. I don't know if I am a tiger. Some people have told me that there are articles written about you, pastor. I'm like, I don't know, I don't care, okay. You know, they are unfavorable toward me. I don't know, I've not seen them, I don't want to look at them, I don't care, okay. I don't know how long we can go with people preaching God's word. You know, eventually down this road, this nation is going to turn against God's preachers. It's already turned against the Bible. It's just waiting for the right time to turn against the preachers of God, okay. This nation killed their own prophets. The prophets that God sent them, to get them right, they turned against them and they killed these prophets. And so they devoured your prophets like a destroying lion. Listen, when you think of the word lion and devour, what do you think of? Don't you think of the devil, right? 1 Peter 5, 8, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Listen, the devil's got his hands in Judah. Listen, the devil's got its teeth, you know, in Australia. You know, we have the devil, you know, going around like a lion in this nation, you know, seeking whom he may devour. Please understand, brethren, we are in a spiritual war. You know, you may not see it, we don't necessarily see it, but by faith we understand, we are in a spiritual war. You know, we're seeing the decline of our nation, you know why? Because the devil's got its claws into it. The devil's got his teeth into this nation. And you need to understand, the more this nation becomes corrupted and turns against God, the more weird we're going to look like. The more weird it's going to be preaching God's word. The more weird it's going to look like going dorsal or sawing in. The more weird it's going to look like you taking your Bible and just reading in public. You're going to look like a freak. That's what I'm trying to say. You're going to look different, you're going to stand out from the crowd. Hey, that's a good thing. You know, I mean, don't teenagers, normally teenagers, you grow up and you want to stand out from your parents, don't you? You kind of want to, like, I'm my own man, right? And you know, that's why teenagers sometimes rebel. And you know, if you were in my time in high school, you'd have your really rebellious teenagers, they'd have the emo look, or like the punk, the punk look, right? And you know, people put tattoos on their body, you know, I need to stand out, you know, I'm someone, you know, I'm my own person, right? I've got to stand out, you know, you've got these gangs, you've got these biker gangs, and you know, they all want to stand out from the norm. Reverend, that is the norm now. You know, if you're like that, you're just normal. And if you want to stand out from the norm, just be a Christian. You know, if you want to stand out, just be married to your wife for the rest of your life. Just have a bunch of kids, and you stand out, you're weird already. You know, you just love God and love his word, you already stand, listen, we're all kind of rebellious now. We are the rebels of this nation. Okay, so when your children want to rebel, just say, okay, you want to rebel, just love God then. That is rebellion. You are rebelling against the society, right? Let's keep going, verse number 31. O generations, see the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel, a land of darkness? Wherefore say my people, we are lords, we will come no more unto thee. God says, look, have I treated you bad? Have I been a wilderness? Have I been empty towards you, a land of dark? Have I been dark to you? Hey, God's a God of lights. In him dwelleth no darkness, the Bible tells us, right? But the people, he says, hey, people, we are lords. Okay, we will come no more unto thee. This is the problem of a prosperous nation. You know, as much as I love Australia, and it is a prosperous nation, we have like the highest minimum wage in the world. You know, we have riches in this nation, we export a lot of stuff. You know, we have, this nation has a lot of riches. You know, for a small population, we have a lot of riches. But the problem is, when a nation has a lot of riches, when it is blessed, eventually the people will show up, but we are lords. You know, we will come no more unto thee. We don't need God anymore. You know, we can do it on our own. That's what happened to Jude, that's what's happening to Australia. Okay, verse number 32. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? So, you know, speaking about a woman who's about to get married, when she goes to the church or whatever, the place to get married, is she gonna forget her wedding dress? Is she gonna forget her ornaments? No. I'm sure she's got that in a safe place. You know, it would be ridiculous for a woman to say, oh, I don't know where my wedding dress is on a wedding day, right? I mean, I'm sure that's what she's been thinking about, you know, every day leading up to a marriage, you know, making sure that everything was right, she's got the right shoes, she's got the right jewelry on, you know. And God's saying, look, if a bride would not forget her clothing, how have you forgotten me? You know, God is our righteousness, right? You know, when a woman puts on a white dress, it's supposed to represent that she's pure, right? But listen, when it comes to a believer, the reason we are righteous is not because of our own righteousness, it's the righteousness of Jesus Christ, all right? And so, it's kind of like saying, this woman has forgotten about her white wedding dress, which is a purity, okay? It's like you've forgotten God, it's God who's given us his righteousness to us. We've forgotten about God. It's like you're a woman who's getting ready for marriage and you forgot your wedding dress. It's ridiculous is what God's saying. God, it's ridiculous that you've forgotten me, God is saying to this nation. Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number. Verse number 33. Why trimest thou thy way to seek love? Therefore, hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways? Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. So, God is saying to this nation, you are killing innocent souls. You are killing innocent people. I see the blood on your skirts, okay? Then he says, in verse number 34, I have not found it by secret search. It's not like it's some... It's not like you're ashamed of it. It's not like you're keeping it a secret, you know, you're killing innocent souls. It's public, it's public knowledge, everyone knows. It's like you gloat about it, okay? And look, I don't know exactly what this is referring to, but I have a pretty strong idea. Please go to Jeremiah 32. Let's go to Jeremiah 32, verse 35. Jeremiah 32, verse 35. Jeremiah 32, verse 35. The Bible reads, And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the sun of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Moloch, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination to cause Judah to sin. How wicked did this nation get, brethren? Where they would take their own children, their own sons and daughters, and burn them in fire to Moloch, to a false god. They would sacrifice their children, they would kill their children to a false god. That's pretty bad. Is that innocent souls? Little children? Absolutely. What's happening in Australia, then? I've told you before, 250 abortions. Every day. And look, those numbers are from, like, 10 years ago. Like, our nation doesn't really keep track of abortions. It's got, like, a rough idea. Like, I basically worked out, okay, what states are measuring abortions, and then, okay, you've got that population trying to work out a ratio for the rest of Australia. Roughly 250 abortions, innocent children, okay, yeah, okay, burnt in a fire. You say, well, they're not being burnt in fire. They are. Okay, they put solutions. They kill, they burn that baby. They tear that baby apart in the mother's womb. No wonder there's blood on the skirts, you know? No wonder there's blood. And listen, is our nation ashamed of it? Is it a secret? Is it done behind, no. All you need is a Medicare card. It's free, basically. Okay, you just go to any doctor, and they can refer you to an abortion clinic. This is a well-known sin in our nation. It's accepted by our politicians. God doesn't have the secrets to find it out by secret. It's been published in our nation. 250 innocent souls being killed every day, brethren. You think this is bad, right? Sacrificing children in fire? Listen, at least that child's had a time to be born. We're not even allowing our children to have the opportunity to be born into this world. They're being killed, you know? And no wonder there's blood being found on the mother's skirts. Back to Jeremiah 2. I don't know how long Babylon's going to, you know, spiritually speak, and going to... You know, Babylon's not far away. If you're looking at chapter 1, you remember Babylon's moving, getting ready to take over the southern kingdom. You know, when is Babylon going to come and defeat Australia? I don't think it's far away. You know, Babylon, you know, in a spiritual sense, you know, as a symbolism, you know, how long before we are taken into captivity, how long before Australia gets destroyed, can't be that far away, because I'm reading Jeremiah, all I see is Australia. That's all I see. Verse number 35. Yet thou sayest, because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Listen, they're killing innocent blood, but they're saying we're innocent. That's Australia, right? There's no shame of killing babies. There is no shame anymore. In fact, people are proud about it. They think it's innocent. It's not real life. Pro-choice, my body, my choice. What about the baby's body? Isn't it his choice, his body? If that's what, you know, the attitude you take. Doesn't the baby make a decision as to whether he wants to live or die? You know? And listen, mothers across this nation are saying we're innocent. It's sad to kill an innocent soul and think you're innocent. Think about how bad a person has to be. Like, could you imagine if I just murder someone out of cold blood for no reason? Like, that person doesn't deserve it. He's innocent, and I just go and kill him, and then I'd say to him, I'm innocent. I did nothing wrong. He'd say, there's something wrong with you. Wouldn't you say that? Wouldn't you say that you're under some demonic attack here? Like, you're under some spiritual blindness. You know, our nation is spiritually blind. You know, they don't know what is right and wrong anymore. Okay? Verse number 35. And thou sayest, because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest I have not sinned. Then when God says, I will plead with thee, he's saying, like, it's kind of like in the court of law. Like, he's going to make a case against them. You're saying you're innocent. I'm going to prove you that you're not. In fact, so much so that you're going to be destroyed. You're going to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. You know, judgments coming upon this nation of Judah. Verse number 36. Why get us thou about so much to change thy way? Thou also shall be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. What was seen in verse number 37 is that the nation of Judah, because of the fear of the Babylonians, even though Egypt and Assyria were their enemies, they tried to form allegiances with these nations to help them fight against the Babylonians. Okay? Look at verse 37. It says, Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head. And it says this, for the Lord hath rejected thy confidences, for thou shalt not prosper in them. He says, look, you think you can find confidence in Egypt, in Assyria? You think those nations are going to help you about, you know, against my coming judgments, against the Babylonians which I'm bringing as my servants? You think they're going to help you? God said, look, I've rejected thy confidences. You know, you think you have confidence? You're not going to have confidence. I'm rejecting that idea. You know, you're going to be afraid. You're going to be defeated by the judgment of God, the Babylonians to come. And I can't help but think of Psalm 118, verse 8. I'll just read it to you. Psalm 118, verse 8, which says, It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Listen, Judah stopped trusting the Lord, didn't they? They thought if we put confidence in man, we put confidence in Egypt, we put confidence in Assyria, it's going to help us from God's judgment. No, it's not. You know, God's going to reject whatever confidence you have. You know, I'm sure that our nation of Australia, it's going to face God's judgment in due time. And it's going to think that the United Nations is going to step in and help them. It's going to think that America is going to come in and support them as their allies. But listen, when God's judgment comes, nothing can stop it. God says, I reject your confidence. It's not going to help you, you know. And let us be people as well, brethren. Let's remind ourselves, we're talking a lot about our wicked nation. But let's remind ourselves, you know, within ourselves. Again, it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Brethren, I'm your pastor. You know, I love you guys. I'm doing the best I can to preach God's word. But don't put your confidence in me. Put your confidence in God, all right? Children, as they grow up and they start to see, you know, mum and dad, actually, they're not always right. Sometimes they do things wrong. Well, that's the time for children to realize, I better not put confidence always in mum and dad, but I need to trust in the Lord. You know, whatever situation it is, brethren, always set your eyes on the Lord God. You know, don't turn your back against Him. You know, if you turn against the Lord, you commit a great evil, you know, and you're just following down the same path as our wicked nation. You know, let's remind ourselves never to turn against the Lord. Parents, remind yourself that if you do that, it's going to have lasting effects on your children and your children's children. And don't forget to put your trust in the Lord God. Let's pray.