Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Old Testament Lesson just read, from Jeremiah 20. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Only the deepest kind of disappointment and despair could lead a person to say what Jeremiah said: “O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived.” Yet in our own lives we sometimes ponder essentially the very same thing.
- The cause of this is our own misunderstanding of God, of His will, of how He operates in this world of fallen and sinful human beings, and also a misunderstanding of the purpose and mission that God has given to us personally in life.
- Jeremiah proclaimed: “the Word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.” Have we not felt the same – when we advocate God’s love to others in the midst of a generation that refuses to grant God’s Word any authority? Our commission is to “make disciples,” but the means God has given us to do so – baptizing and teaching His Word – often seem utterly ineffective and weak.
- Jeremiah decided: “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His Name.” But this did no good. When Jeremiah engaged this strategy he found: “there is in my heart as it were a burning fire . . . I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
- Jeremiah acknowledged the reason for this: “You are stronger than I and You have prevailed.” Still, Jeremiah experienced great consternation and struggle over the nature of His mission and ministry in the world. And we often experience similar frustration.
- We can learn from these honest, heart-revealing words of Jeremiah, as we also seek “CLARITY IN OUR MISSION” today. First, we must understand that:
I. Jeremiah Was Prepared And Commissioned To Be Prophet To The Nations
Jer. 1:5-7 “’Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a youth”; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.’”
A. He Was Commissioned To Speak God’s Word To The Nations
Jer. 1:9 “Then the LORD put out His hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.’”
B. He Was, By The Speaking Of God’s Word, To Destroy Nations And To Build Up And Plant Nations
Jer. 1:10 “See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Statement: You can see from these verses that Jeremiah was a very modest and unassuming young man. He wasn’t looking for fame and fortune; he didn’t see himself as “special” or “destined” for some greatness. Nonetheless, he was consecrated and appointed by God Himself for an astonishing task – the rise and fall of nations and kingdoms! He was to do this, however, not with sword or military might, but by simply speaking God’s Word – the very words that God put in his mouth.
Application: We too are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has foreordained that we should be walking in them.” Now, our task and place in life might be less lofty than that of Jeremiah, but we can be just as certain that God has prepared us, “formed us in the womb,” consecrated and appointed us for these “good works which He has foreordained” for us. And it is just as certain that He has given us the same tool and instrument to accomplish them – His own Word that He has given us in Holy Scripture.
Transition: However, like Jeremiah, we may struggle to understand how we are in fact accomplishing our tasks, our good works appointed by God. For:
II. Jeremiah’s Experiences In Life Did Not Seem To Match Up With His Expectations Of Such A Lofty Calling
A. He Often Seemed Powerless, Ignored, Abused, And Out-Numbered
Text: “I hear many whispering, ‘Terror is on every side! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ say all my close friends watching for my fall.”
Jer. 26:11 “Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, ‘This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.’”
B. The Nation He Prophesied Against Principally, The Most Important Nation That Was To Fall By His Words, Was Israel, God’s People – But God’s Patience And Mercy Toward Israel Persisted Through Most Of Jeremiah’s Lifetime
Jeremiah 26:2-6 “Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD: If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law that I have set before you, and to listen to the words of My servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”
C. But Ultimately, Jeremiah’s Faith In God Prevailed – And He Persisted In His Ministry Of Faithfully Speaking God’s Word And Fulfilling His Mission
Text: “But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, Who tests the righteous, Who sees the heart and the mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.”
Statement: It was at the end of Jeremiah’s life that the Babylonians ultimately came and destroyed Israel – Jerusalem and even the great temple of Solomon. His entire life he suffered from the derision of people who did not see his prophecies fulfilled, and who prophesied lies against him. They thought him to be a liar and a false prophet. This was his fate – as he accomplished his tasks and his appointment as God’s prophet for sealing the fate of nations!
Application: And there are times when we need to have clarity in our own mission, in our own tasks and appointments – lest, like Jeremiah, we fall into despair and disillusionment over our God-given place in this world. Though what we experience, and what we see occurring, often seems inconsonant with the power and victory of God, nonetheless God will prevail and our service will matter greatly! So let us put our faith in God, as Jeremiah did, and confess with great courage God’s power, His protection, and His final prevailing victory!
Conclusion: It seemed unthinkable that God would destroy Israel as a nation, and that He would do so through a godless people like the Babylonians. But in view of their evil and wickedness He did. We should not consider our own nation – with its evils, unbelief, and rejection of God – as above and beyond God’s judgment.
Jeremiah’s last words of judgment were spoken against the Babylonians, detailing their complete destruction. This took place some 70 years later – at the hands of the Medes and Persians. Babylon was a great power just as our nation has great power. We should not think that our power makes us immune to God’s judgment; He has thousands of ways in which He could destroy this nation.
As we look at our lives – as Christians and as Americans – let us take care to have “CLARITY IN OUR MISSION,” both as individuals and as members of the holy Christian Church. Let us understand that our experiences in life as Christians are not always what we might expect! Like all history, there are twists and turns in our own lives, in our own personal history.
But ultimately God’s will and purpose prevails – and in this we join with Jeremiah in proclaiming God’s gracious love and mercy in Christ Jesus, His faithful protection and providence over His people, and His ultimate victory at the last. May this clarity and understanding compel us to greater courage and faithfulness in our calling and mission! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.