Why So Serious ?

Sermon Summary

As the year comes to a close, this sermon wrestles with the question, “Why so serious?”—especially when it comes to holiness, obedience, and judgment. Pastor Curt argues that this question is often asked in the wrong order. Instead of starting with why punishment is severe, Scripture invites us to see first how serious God’s pursuit of His people has always been. Walking through Jeremiah 25 and the broader biblical storyline, the message highlights God’s persistent, patient, and relational warnings to Israel over centuries. God’s calls to repentance were not driven by irritation or cruelty, but by a deep desire to restore relationship.

The sermon traces this persistence from the prophets, to the sending of Jesus, and finally to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Each step reveals increasing intimacy and commitment from God toward humanity. The seriousness of judgment, then, is shown to be proportionate to the seriousness of God’s pursuit and the grace offered. The message concludes by urging believers to reject a casual approach to faith, recognize the urgency of spiritual warfare, and respond to God’s relentless love with serious perseverance, devotion, and holiness—especially as they enter a new year.

Main Points to Consider This Week

• Goals for the sermon:

  • To help listeners see the heart of God more clearly.

  • To retell the biblical story in a way that makes the seriousness of the Christian life make sense.

• God’s warnings in Scripture are not meant to push people away, but to call them back into relationship.

• The repeated biblical call to holiness reflects God’s persistent pursuit, not an arbitrary standard.

• The severity of judgment corresponds to centuries of rejected grace, not momentary failure.

• God escalated His pursuit: prophets → Jesus → the Holy Spirit dwelling in believers.

• Spiritual warfare is real, and one of the enemy’s main strategies is to remove urgency by convincing believers they have plenty of time.

• Believers are called to overcome by:

  • The blood of the Lamb.

  • The word of their testimony (why they continue to follow Christ).

  • Not loving comfort or self-preservation more than faithfulness to God.

Scripture References Used

• Jeremiah 25:1–11

• Jeremiah 2:5, 31–32

• Deuteronomy 30:15–20

• 1 Samuel 12:20–25

• 1 Kings 18:20–21

• Luke 24

• Hebrews 1:1–2

• Genesis 6:5–7

• Philippians 2:6–8

• John 1:14

• John 14:16–17

• Revelation 12

• Genesis 37:9–11

• Hebrews 2:16

• Romans 11:11–14

• Deuteronomy 32:21

• 2 Peter 2:4

• Jude 6

• Hebrews 10:26–29

• Hebrews 12:28–29

• Revelation 20:11–15