Birds, Bones, and the True Treasure : Jeremiah 8

Picture this: Jeremiah, the “last days prophet,” standing in the streets of Jerusalem, hollering like a guy who knows the ship’s sinking but nobody’s grabbing a lifeboat. Pastor Stephan sets the stage by calling Jeremiah a final warning—God’s megaphone to Israel, shouting, “Repent, folks! Stop mixing a little Jesus with a little Baal, a little astrology, a little whatever!” It’s like a spiritual smoothie gone wrong—syncretism, as the fancy folks call it. And when Israel didn’t listen? Curtain call. Judgment crashed in via Babylon, smashing temples and dreams alike. Same deal with Jesus’ day—last call, then lights out. This sermon takes us through Jeremiah 8, Habakkuk 3, and Luke 12, tackling idolatry, repentance, and where our real treasure lies. So, buckle up—we’re digging into bones, birds, and some hard-hitting truth!

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Jeremiah 8:1-3 (NIV):
“At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped; and they will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like dung on the surface of the earth. Those who survive… will prefer death to life.”

Pastor Stephan doesn’t mince words here—this is grim stuff! God’s laying out a judgment so intense it’s like a horror movie plot: graves dug up, bones scattered under the sun, moon, and stars—the very things Israel chased after instead of God. It’s not just a bad day; it’s total devastation. He’s saying, “You loved these idols? Fine, let ‘em stare at your shame forever.” And the kicker? Those bones end up like manure—yep, fertilizer-grade humiliation.

Think about it: Babylon (a stand-in for the enemy) didn’t just want to ruin Israel’s week—they wanted to erase their legacy, dig up their past, and mock it. Pastor Stephan ties this to today: enemies of faith don’t just hate us now—they wanna trash our roots, our heritage, everything good we’ve ever had. And why? Because Israel swapped God for stars—literal and metaphorical. Astrology? Check. Celebrity worship? Double check. It’s idolatry, plain and simple, and it leaves your life smelling like, well, you get the picture.

1. What’s your “sun, moon, and stars” today—those things you adore, serve, or seek guidance from instead of God? (Horoscopes? TikTok influencers? Netflix binges?)
2. How does chasing idols turn your life into “manure”? Ever felt that stink in your soul?
3. Why do you think the enemy wants to dig up and disgrace our past when we turn from God?

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Jeremiah 8:4-7 (NIV):
“Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return? Why then have these people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right… Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord.’”

Here’s where Pastor Stephan gets folksy with a dash of sass. God’s like, “C’mon, people! If you trip, you get up, right? If you take a wrong turn, you turn around!” He uses his 10-month-old daughter as an illustration—falls, cries, but gets back up because she wants to walk. Simple, right? Yet Israel’s acting like they’ve got no sense. No “Holy Ghost desire” to grow, no instinct to repent—just wallowing in sin like a baby in a dirty diaper. Gross, but true.

Then comes the bird brain bit—love that title idea, Pastor! Storks, doves, swallows—they don’t need a Bible app to know when to fly south. It’s baked into them. But God’s people? Clueless about His ways, charging headlong into sin like a horse with blinders on, galloping toward doom. Pastor’s point: repentance is common sense! When life’s crashing, shouldn’t we at least have the smarts of a bird and turn back to God?

1. Ever caught yourself wallowing in sin, thinking, “This is just who I am”? How’s that working out?
2. What’s stopping you from getting up when you fall—pride, fear, or something else?
3. Birds follow instincts—where’s your “spiritual GPS” pointing you right now? God’s Word or your own way?

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Jeremiah 8:8-9 (NIV):
“How can you say, ‘We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,’ when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?”

Oh boy, here’s where it gets tricky! Pastor Stephan quotes Ronald Reagan (or close enough): “The problem ain’t that they don’t know—it’s that what they know ain’t so!” Israel’s got the Law, but the teachers twisted it into a pretzel of lies. They’re living in sin with a theology to back it up—sound familiar? Like folks today saying, “God’s cool with this; it’s all grace!” Nope. False teachings distort truth, and Pastor’s calling it out: if it ain’t God’s Word verified, it’s manure. Period.

He’s funny but fierce—those “wise” guys? Dumbfounded and judged. Real wisdom comes from God’s untwisted truth, not some slick preacher’s spin. Today, it’s the same: we’ve got to discern what’s legit from what’s just spiritual mumbo-jumbo.

1. How do you check if what you’re hearing (or believing) lines up with God’s Word?
2. Ever bought into a “theology” that excused your sin? What opened your eyes?
3. What’s a red flag that a teaching’s gone off the rails?

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Jeremiah 8:13 (NIV):
“‘I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaves will wither. Whatever I gave them will be taken away.’”

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV):
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”

Jeremiah’s harvest warning is bleak—no grapes, no figs, nada. Pastor Stephan says Israel lacked even basic self-preservation to turn back when the crops tanked. But then he flips it—enter Habakkuk, the guy living through Babylon’s wrecking ball. Everything’s gone: crops, livestock, hope. Yet he’s singing, “I’ll rejoice in the Lord!” Why? Because his treasure’s not in the barn—it’s in God. Pastor’s like, “This dude’s got agility like a deer on rugged terrain—Babylon can’t shake him!”

Contrast that with Jeremiah’s idol-chasers—bones scattered, lives trashed. Habakkuk’s proof you don’t need stuff to have God. Pastor ties it to us: stop trusting in bank accounts or Bitcoin—trust the Sovereign Lord!

1. What’s your “harvest” you’re clinging to—money, job, status? What if it withered tomorrow?
2. How do you “rejoice in the Lord” when life’s rugged terrain hits?
3. Where’s your strength coming from—God or your latest paycheck?

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Luke 12:15-21 (NIV):
“Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’ And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I’ll store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.’”

Jesus drops a bombshell, and Pastor Stephan’s all over it with gusto. “Life ain’t about stuff!” he says, laughing off the “you’re just jealous” jab. The rich fool’s got a bumper crop—great, right? Wrong. His first thought? “Bigger barns for me!” Not “Thank you, God—how can I bless others?” Pastor’s like, “This guy’s timing the market—‘Later, I’ll chill!’—but God’s like, ‘Tonight, you’re done!’”

The fool’s idolatry? Self. Greed. Hoarding. Pastor connects it to Jeremiah’s idol-worshippers and Habakkuk’s faith—don’t build your kingdom when God’s calling you to His. It’s not wrong to have; it’s wrong to trust in it over God.

1. What’s your “barn” you’re tempted to hoard—money, time, talents?
2. Why’s it foolish to bank on “later” instead of obeying God now?
3. How can you be “rich toward God” this week?

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Luke 12:22-31 (NIV):
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.’”

Pastor Stephan’s got a twinkle in his eye here: “Ravens don’t have checking accounts, folks!” Jesus is schooling us—birds don’t fret, flowers don’t hustle, yet God’s got them covered. Us? We’re more valuable, but we’re sweating the small stuff. “Worrying won’t add an hour to your life,” Pastor chuckles, “so why bother?”

The world chases food, clothes, security—idolatry again! But God’s kids? We seek His kingdom first. Pastor’s test: what shakes you—losing a job, a friend’s approval? If it’s not God alone, you’ve got an idol sneaking in. Trust the Father—He knows your needs!

1. What’s one worry you can hand over to God today?
2. How’s seeking God’s kingdom different from the world’s chase?
3. Ever seen God provide when you stopped worrying? Share that story!

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Luke 12:32-34 (NIV):
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Pastor Stephan saves the zinger for last: “Sell your stuff, give to the poor—scary for American ears, huh?” But Jesus isn’t joking. God’s pleased to give us the kingdom, so why clutch junk that rusts? Pastor’s practical: “Got a collection holding you? Holy Ghost and you figure that out!” Invest in heaven—purses that don’t wear out, treasure the Fed can’t inflate away. He’s hilarious but dead serious: “Where your money goes, your heart follows—check your wallet!”

He ties it all back—Jeremiah’s idolaters, Habakkuk’s faith, the rich fool’s flop. Real treasure? God’s kingdom, not this world’s trinkets.

1. What’s one possession you could sell or give away to free your heart?
2. How’s a “purse that doesn’t wear out” better than earthly investments?
3. Look at your spending—where’s your treasure (and heart) really at?

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Pastor Stephan wraps it up with a gut punch and a prayer: idolatry trashes lives—bones to manure. Repentance is common sense—get up, turn around! Trust God, not harvests or barns—He’s your strength. And where’s your treasure? Check your statements, folks—time, talent, cash. It tells the tale. Let’s pray: “Lord, show us our idols, spark repentance, and fix our hearts on You. Amen.”