Run with the Horses - but watch your step

RUN WITH HORSES - BUT WATCH WHERE YOU STEP

INTRODUCTION:

Blue blooded lady - Garden Club - Family Tree = cattle thief hung; murderer electrocuted
can’t come right out so cattle thief - died - public ceremony - platform gave way; so murderer - occupied chair of applied electricity one great public institutions --?--

Sidney Biddle Barrows procured favors for men for price (PIMP), auto-biography Mayflower Madam - lady of quality, elite entrepre.

Both of these accounts express tremendous pressure people feel to conform to fit in with norm. around them. You’ve felt it - youth - clothing; business men - cellular phone, pager; housewives - evang. com. - not to work, reg. world - work

What is current with the crowd will attempt to condition us to conform. But if - run with horses - Jeremiah was challenged personally as we explored last week - then we must watch where we step. Evaluate pressures - dangers - work wisely. The Scriptures, as always, give us direction Jer. 35 - Recabites - Family - not afraid to not conform - live persistently a distinctive way of life. Learn from the Recabites.

I. Word of the Lord Jer. 35:1-2 - God up to ? another object lesson
32 - buy a field (exile?!) 27-28 - ox yoke, 24-two baskets of figs, 18-potters house > God - creative communication. Pattern continues with Recabites (In vs. 3-5 Jer. sees possibilities and goes to work)

II. Word of Jeremiah vs. 3-5 Gets Recabites - arranges for public room - religious leaders, general populace can see. Jer. had done these kinds of things - nation on war footing - something new to see. Offers challenge to Recabites. They feel pressure to conform. “Drink a little wine in temple” Everyone is watching. They are strangers, better adapt, don’t offend host, famous & friendly Jer!! Her, here, a toast!!! (What can they do but drink??)

III. The Word of the Recabites vs. 6-11 “We don't drink wine - and haven’t for 250 years! Won’t tomorrow either.” “We’re Recabites, descendants of Jonadab” Go back to period of Jehu (2 Kings 10) Elijah & King Ahab. Nomads, metal smiths - fixed javelin, chariot. Camped outside villages.
nature of work - --?-- --?-- required skill & practice, not time for agriculture. Babylonian invasion - inside Jerusalem, seen, commented on, gawked at. Thus candidates for acted parable from God thru Jeremiah.

They lived distinctively - not on basis of what was current with crowd but on basis of what had been commanded by their ancestor. Devotion was foundation for their way of life. Identity based on ancient command. Neither hospitality of Jer. nor customs of a city of sanctuary would distract them from the fact that they were a commanded people, a disciplined people. Jonadab’s 250 year old command carried more weight than Jer’s present friendship! (So, thanks Jer. but no thanks!) (That brings us to a word of challenge for us today)

IV. A Word of Challenge
Living a life of distinction is possible in one mixed up world! Recabites offer us 3 lessons of life here. 1) not afraid to not conform 2) lived on basis of personal command, not what was current with crowd 3) lived persistently a distinctive way of life.

How do we live distinctively?
Commit to live like Recabites - emulate instead of being intimidated;
not in specifics - sell houses, tents, abandon vineyards, roam, abstain wine, water, but, in general pattern - obedience to command, integrity & discipline.

Give up laziness - crowd has turned many of us into spectators; life has become flabby & indulgent; ignored best things ever said to us - words of God; abandoned simple things that have made people Godly thru the centuries + regular worship, faithful prayer, tithing, caring for poor, morality + (tr). We’ve added $ to our incomes, rooms to our houses, activities to our schedules, appointments to our calendars, and the quality of our life diminishes with each addition.

Evaluate carefully propaganda coming our way -
Best part of waking up is Folgers in our cup?
Heartbeat of American really Chevy truck?
Fat people losers? Minorities inferior? Elderly dispensable?
Single people incomplete? Disable not whole?

Let God determine your values. Evaluate the propaganda - direction of majority.
Let God shape your behavior
Let God direct your life
Let God train your perceptions by listening to God, speaking to God. Get that one year Bible - meditate long & hard on each passage each day.

Then we too will live distinctly, uniquely, with impact as Recabites of old did.


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