PENTECOST 3 – June 21, 2020 – Jer. 20:7-13
“STRUGGLES OF FAITH”
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:
- As we consider this difficult portion of Holy Scripture, the trials, temptations, and depression of the prophet Jeremiah, I want to remind you of how God described to him the nature of his prophetic ministry:
“ 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. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.’ 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. 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.”
- Contrast this with Jeremiah’s experience at this point, and you will understand his desperation. He had spoken what God commanded him, yet the destruction of Jerusalem didn’t happen. People hated his message, his ministry, and they persecuted him. He was a laughingstock. They arrested him, and some desired his murder. It was a horrible life. And yet, supposedly, God had “set him over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
- We also have times, when it seems that nothing is going the way that we expected. We have disappointments. We wonder whether we are right to follow God, right to persevered in faith and discipleship. We wonder if our investments in the kingdom of God are really worthwhile. We also, like Jeremiah, have “STRUGGLES OF FAITH.”
- So what can we learn from Jeremiah’s experiences? Very much, and it is very helpful to read his honest words and consider his final conclusions. First of all we need to understand that:
I. There Will Be Times When Our Experience Seems Contrary To The Promises And Descriptions Of God’s Word
A. At These Times We May Even Feel As If God Has Deceived Us
Text: “O Lord, You have deceived me, and I was deceived. You are stronger than I, and you have prevailed.”
B. These May Be Occasions Where Other People Deride And Even Persecute Us
Text: “I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.”
Text: “I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! ‘Denounce him, denounce him,’ say all my close friends, watching for my fall. ‘Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.’”
Statement: Yes, some “close friends” Jeremiah had! Let God be true but every man a liar, the Scripture warns. [Rom. 3:4] But it seemed to Jeremiah that God was not being true, that His Words were deceiving. Jeremiah had forgotten one thing: timing is everything, and God’s timing is perfect. The “right time” had not yet arrived, but it was coming soon!
Application: And this is what we also must constantly remind ourselves of. God is true – therefore His Word will never disappoint us. We must only be patient, as hard as this may be at times.
It is so natural, and so easy for us, to look at what is at hand, what can be seen and understood, and to form our opinions and come to our conclusions on that basis. But if everyone did that we would not have sent men into space, and to the moon. Many athletic contests would have been cancelled. Many inventions would not have occurred. Humanity would be much weaker, much poorer, and much more miserable.
If human beings, merely by the power of hopefulness and persistence, have been able to accomplish great things, then why would we ever doubt that God, Who created the universe by His Word, “so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible,” will indeed ever prove true and accomplish all that He has promised and decreed? He is God, and as His Word asserts: “He gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
So we are called to this kind of faith in God, to understand Who He is, and to take Him at His Word. This ultimately is what Jeremiah concluded, and what He did, for:
II. God’s Word Must Ultimately Prevail
A. The Prophet Must Speak God’s Word No Matter What
Text: “For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the Word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, ‘I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His Name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
B. Further, God Remains, Even In The Midst Of Great Treachery And Danger, Our Dread Warrior – Our Enemies Face Eternal Shame
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 ashamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.”
C. Finally, We Understand That Such Times Are Only A Matter Of God Testing Us And Seeing That We Are Faithful To His Will – So That We Overcome
Text: “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: So you see that Jeremiah’s faith enabled him to finally overcome his depression and despair. That is not to say that he didn’t have additional bouts with “STRUGGLES OF FAITH.” But each time the Lord buoyed him and strengthened him.
Application: May God also plague and afflict each of us so that we cannot help but speak and maintain His Word! It is heartburn, no doubt, but in the end His Word will always prevail!
NB: Consider also, this strange description of God as our “dread warrior.” The Hebrew word is GIBOR, which means: “powerful; by implication warrior, tyrant: – champion, chief, giant, man, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man.”
While God is love, His love is exercised with all of His almighty power when it comes to protecting and fighting for His beloved children. That included Jeremiah. That includes each of us as well!
Conclusion: God’s Word – that spoken by Jeremiah – ultimately prevailed, exactly as proclaimed. Judah was destroyed, Jerusalem was utterly demolished, even Solomon’s great temple. The people were taken captive to Babylon. Jeremiah was not deceived, nor was God’s Word left unfulfilled! It just took a little bit more time.
It is no different for us, dear friends in the Savior. God’s Word is what it is. God is Who He is. He loves us, and remains our dread warrior. He is faithful to us and will fulfill all promises to us!
So let us live by faith – not in the things that are seen, but in the things that are unseen, but promised by God. Let us remember how God is, and how He works, as His own Word asserts: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” [1 Cor. 1:28-30]
Thanks and praise be to God forever, 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.