“Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the Lord our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the Lord.”
(Jeremiah 8:14)
Context of Jeremiah 8
Jeremiah was written as Judah was facing destruction and captivity at the hands of Babylon because of ungodliness, idolatry, immorality, corruption, among many other things. Their problem was arrogance, thinking God will deliver them as He always had. With this, they jumped feet first into the pleasures of sin. They continued in their ungodliness and did nothing to get right with God. In Jeremiah 8:5, they are in a state of “perpetual backsliding.”
They are living it up rather than obeying God, including their prophets and priests (Jer 8:10-11).
THEY LOST THEIR BLUSH AND THEIR SHAME (Jer 8:12)!
OH, DOES THIS EVER SOUND FAMILIAR??? … LIKE THE CHURCH TODAY!!!
Our text verse is a call to repentance. The context of Jeremiah 8 is a clear call to take corrective action, as Jeremiah is saying, “This is your last chance, REPENT!” Similarly, Paul challenges us through the Corinthians to repent. Unlike those with Jeremiah, who ignored the warnings of God, the Corinthians repented (II Cor 7:8-12), now how about us?
Jeremiah’s question is ours today, “Why do we sit still?” When there is sin in our lives, or something is wrong, we need to take corrective action. YET, TOO OFTEN WE FAIL TO DO SO! Like the Israelites in Jeremiah’s day, many are too often too slow to respond, if we respond at all.
Jeremiah, was warning a condemned and corrupt nation to repent and return to God. Sadly, it was too late for the nation, but individually they could return to Him … THE SAME IS TRUE FOR US TODAY!
As we examine our personal lives, are we standing still or moving forward as we ought to be doing for God? If you’re not as you ought to be, now is time to change. God continually calls for us, not to “sit still,” but to be reaching forward, to be “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (I Cor 15:58)
I. Why Some “Sit Still”
A. Apathy (Matt 13:15)
B. Unmotivated (Heb 10:38)
II. Why Christians SHOULD “Sit Still”
A. “Sit Still” and REST (Matt 11:28-30)
B. “Sit Still” and PRAY (Matt 6:6)
C. “Sit Still” and STUDY (I Tim 4:13-16)
D. “Sit Still” and REPENT (II Cor 7:9-10)
III. Why Christians SHOULD NOT “Sit Still”
A. Do not “Sit Still” – Satan is Hard at Work (I Pet 5:8-9)
B. Do not “Sit Still” – Souls Need to be Saved (Isaiah 6:8)
C. Do not “Sit Still” – Saints Need to be Strengthened
