I.

MAKE NO EXCUSES
Jeremiah 1:4-14; 17-19

II. Let Your Heart be Broken

Jeremiah 8:4-13, 18, 9:1

III. RISE ABOVE DISCOURAGEMENT

Jeremiah 20:1-13

IV. PERSEVERE IN OBEDIENCE

Jeremiah 37:11-17, 38:4-6, 14-18
 MAKE NO EXCUSES

Jeremiah 1:4-14; 17-19

Introduction

We are skillful at the art of making excuses, aren't we? "I don't know how." "I didn't

understand." "I couldn't find the right tools." "The voices told me to clean all the guns

today." "I threw out my back bowling." "I have a Doctor's appointment." "There's been a

death in the family." "The hazmat crew is here and won't let me out of the house." "I

have a relative coming in from Hawaii and I need to pick them up at the airport." And,

my all time favorite: "When I got up this morning I accidentally took two Ex-Lax in

addition to my Prozac. I can't get off the john, but I feel good about it."

In the Christian world, we can find all sorts of excuses not to obey God's voice: "It's the

preacher's job." "It's not my gift." "I've already served, let someone else do it." "I'm too

busy or too tired or too old or too young."

It has been said, "Excuses are tools of the incompetent, and those who specialize in

them seldom go far." Ben Franklin wrote, "He that is good for making excuses is seldom

good for anything else." Gabriel Meurier stated, "He who excuses himself, accuses

himself."

Jeremiah had every excuse ready when God called him to be a prophet. His excuses

are often our excuses for not heeding God's voice when he calls. Countering each

excuse was a promise from God.

I. The Excuse: The Task is Demanding

Jeremiah was called to be "a prophet to the nations" (Jer. 1:5), not a priest like his

father and his grandfather. A prophet was a chosen and authorized spokesman for God

who declared God's Word to the people. We often think of prophets as people who can

tell the future. But a prophet spoke messages to the present that had future
ramifications. They were forth tellers more than they were foretellers, exposing the

people's sins and calling them back to their covenant responsibilities before God.

Being a prophet was more demanding than serving as a priest. The priests' duties were

predictable. Everything was written down in the law. The prophet never knew from one

day to the next what the Lord would call him to say or to do. The priest worked primarily

to preserve the past. The prophet labored to change the present so the nation would

have a future. Priests dealt with externals - rituals, sacrifices, offerings, services -

whereas the prophet tried to reach and change hearts. Priests ministered primarily to

individuals with various needs. Prophets, on the other hand, addressed whole nations,

and usually the people they addressed didn't want to hear the message. Priests

belonged to a special tribe and therefore had authority and respect, but a prophet could

come from any tribe and had to prove his divine call. Priests were supported from the

sacrifices and offerings of the people, but prophets had no guaranteed income.

Jesus, too, was called to be a prophet. He traveled from place to place challenging the

people to change so that their future in heaven would be guaranteed. Jesus spoke to

the hearts of people. Most did not accept his message of repentance, for they did not

want to change.

The Promise

God may assign you a demanding task, but his call keeps us going when we don't want

to go and are ready to quit. We have the promise of God's purpose. "I chose you before

I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born'" (Jer. 1:5). The verb

know has much more meaning than simply being aware of. It carries the idea of

recognition of the worth and purpose of him who is known. God knew Jeremiah, chose

Jeremiah, and appointed Jeremiah. He was known by name, hand-picked by God, and

commissioned to serve. Those acts give one a great sense of purpose. The promise of

God's purpose allows us to let go of our own plans and to receive God's plan without
fear. Like Jeremiah and Jesus, we need to accept that our future is not our own. We are

God's. He has a distinct plan and purpose for our lives.

II. The Excuse: My Talent is Inadequate

"But I protested, ‘Oh no, Lord, GOD! Look, I don't know how to speak since I am only a

youth'" (Jer. 1:6). Jeremiah felt inadequate as a public speaker. By the way, this excuse

was shared by Moses (Ex. 4:10).

When they heard the news that I was called to preach, most people in my hometown

thought the news bearer had made a mistake. "Surely, you don't mean Ricky is called to

preach. You must mean his twin brother Micky. Ricky is too quiet." When God's call

came I felt honored but extremely inadequate. My lack of talent was obvious. My quiet,

shy nature was a detriment.

I felt a lot like, Calvin Miller, pastor and author. He wrote about his call:

"I was so inferior, even the neighbors noted it and pointed it out to my mother as I grew

up. In my late teens, one of my sisters felt led of God to help me get in touch with myself

by telling me that in her opinion, which was as inerrant as the King James Bible, that if

God called me to do anything he must have had a wrong number. When I told my

preacher I was called to preach, he didn't necessarily feel that God had a wrong

number, but he was concerned that I might have had a poor connection."

God has a way to overcome weakness and our insufficiencies, doesn't he? I have

learned over the years, however, that the person most aware of his own inadequacy is

usually the person most dependent on God's all-sufficiency. My inadequacy has caused

me to rely upon God. His strength is made perfect in my weakness. His glory is

manifested through my flaws.

The Promise
Our talent may appear inadequate, but God always equips those he calls. We have the

promise of God's provision. "Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth,

and told me: I have now filled your mouth with My words" (Jer. 1:9). The touch was not

so much to purify as it was to inspire and empower. It was symbolic of the gift of

prophecy bestowed on Jeremiah.

Jesus experienced this touch in a visible, yet profound way. Following his baptism,

immediately coming out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God

descended on him like a dove. And God spoke, "This is My beloved Son. I take delight

in Him" (Matt. 3:17).

God blesses not the silver-tongued orator, but the one whose tongue has been touched

with coals from the altar. God uses not the most gifted and talented person, but the one

touched by the hand of God. God uses the most unlikely persons to shake a church or a

community or a nation. Never underestimate the power of the touch; especially when

God does the touching.

III. The Excuse: The Time is Not Right

Jeremiah said to God, "I am only a youth" (Jer. 1:6). The word youth - unfortunately

rendered child in some versions of the Bible - ordinarily denotes a young, unmarried

man in his teens or early twenties. Most scholars think that Jeremiah was around 20 to

25 at the time of his call. His reply is not so much revealing his age as much as a deep

sense of immaturity. He felt inferior, inexperienced, and intimidated by the size of the

task to which God was summoning him.

The Promise

God's call may come at an inopportune time, but he never sends forth his servant alone.

We have the promise of God's presence. "Then the LORD said to me: Do not say, ‘I am

only a youth,' for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you. Do
not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to deliver you. This is the LORD's

declaration" (Jer. 1:7-8).

Please note the condition to this promise. Before Jeremiah could experience God's

presence, he had to go where God sent him, speak what God told him, and reject fear.

Someone once said that when God calls us to a task, he does not give us a road map to

follow and then leave us to our resources. God walks with us. His presence gives us the

strength to stand in the face of every assault.

Jesus felt that same Presence. He and the Father were one. He could go on because

God walked with him.

What a difference it makes knowing that when we are being sent, someone is going

with us. We  know we do not have to walk the lonesome road alone, that we have a

traveling companion.

IV. The Excuse: The Teaching is Dangerous

The Lord did not give Jeremiah a joyful message of deliverance to announce, but a

tragic message of judgment. Consequently, Jeremiah would be misunderstood,

persecuted, arrested, and imprisoned. More than once his life was threatened. The

people did not want to hear the truth. Jeremiah told them plainly they were defying the

Lord, disobeying the law, and destined for judgment.

God used the image of a boiling pot to communicate his coming wrath. "Again the word

of the LORD came to me inquiring, ‘What do you see?' And I replied, ‘I see a boiling pot,

its lip tilted from the north to the south'" (Jer. 1:13). Jewish homes would have a fairly

large, wide-mouth washing or cooking pot. The unusual thing about the pot Jeremiah

saw was that it was not level. It was titled away from the north. The pot could at any

moment spew its boiling contents toward the south, scalding the people of Judah. The

pot represented the nation of Babylon that would invade and conquer Israel. The reason

for the judgment was Israel's idolatry and rebellion against the God's righteous will.
Jesus' teaching contained mercy and judgment, grace and punishment. Jesus'

teachings were dangerous, too. In fact, it was his teaching that cost him his life.

The Promise

What God says through us may be dangerous, but God gives us the strength to endure.

We have the promise of God's prevailing. "Today, I am the One who has made you a

fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land - against the kings of

Judah, its officials, its priests, and the population. They will fight against you but never

prevail over you, since I am with you to rescue you" (Jer. 1:18-19).

Notice the architectural terms: a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls. They are

solid and unshakeable like the God who conceived them, and the prophet whom they

would come to characterize. God reassured Jeremiah: Attack you they will; overcome

you they can't.

The person who stands with God will prevail. Someone once said: "One with God is a

majority." Alone we are helpless. With God we prevail.

In the days of the Roman Empire, the great Coliseum of Rome was filled to capacity

with spectators, coming for the state games, watching human beings battle against wild

beasts or against one another until one or both died. The crowd found its greatest

delight in the death of a human being. When Honorius was emperor of Rome, in A.D.

404, as the vast crowd watched the contest, a Syrian monk by the name of Telemachus

leaped onto the Coliseum floor. So torn by the utter disregard for the value of human

life, he cried out, "In the name of God, this thing is not right! In the name of God, this

thing must stop."

The spectators became enraged at this courageous man. They mocked him and threw

objects at him. Caught up in the excitement, the gladiators attacked him, and a sword

pierced him. The gentle monk fell to the ground dead.

The entire Coliseum fell silent. For the first time the people with the insatiable blood-

thirst recognized the horror of what they had called entertainment. Telemachus kindled

a flame in the hearts and consciences of thinking persons. History records that,

because of his courageous act, within a few months the gladiatorial combats began to

decline, and very shortly passed from the scene. Why? Because one man dared to

speak out for what he believed was right. His message was dangerous, for it challenged

the pleasures and enjoyments of the people. Though Telemachus died, his message

prevailed.

V. The Excuse: Do I Have to Go Now?

God was expecting immediate action from Jeremiah. God said, "Now, get ready. Stand

up and tell them everything that I command you" (Jer. 1:17). In Jeremiah's day the men

had to tie their loose robes together with a belt in order to run or to work. Jeremiah was

in for a struggle. He had a fight on his hands. So the phrase "dress yourself for work" or

"gird up your loins" was a metaphor that meant "Get ready for action!" Today we would

say, "Roll up your sleeves!"

God called Jeremiah to act. He was called to move out among people. He was called to

deliver an offensive message. He would not be welcomed, nor would he be accepted.

He would anger his hearers.

The Promise

God expects obedience, immediately, if we don't, we are in danger of God's wrath. We

have the promise of God's power. "Do not be intimidated by them or I will cause you to

cower before them" (Jer. 1:17). Immediate obedience is the only appropriate response

when God calls.

Jesus obeyed. Whatever you think of Jesus, remember this, his heart was a willing and

obedient heart. He always did what his Father directed. There was no hesitation, no

questioning, no circumventing. Only immediate action.

Has God called you? Then he will fulfill his purpose in you, he will equip you, he will

enable you, he will protect you, he will accompany you. Are you obeying his

commands? Then he is with you to protect you. Are you sharing the word? Then he will

accomplish his purposes no matter how the people respond.

Let Your Heart be Broken

Jeremiah 8:4-13, 18, 9:1

Introduction

In 1947, Robert Pierce worked for a religious non-profit organization called Youth for

Christ. Its mission was to evangelize the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The

young evangelist started toward China with only enough money to buy a ticket to

Honolulu. On the trip, he met Tena Hoelkedoer, a teacher. She introduced him to a

battered and abandoned child named White Jade. Unable to care for the child herself,

she asked Pierce, "What are you going to do about her?" Pierce gave the woman his

last five dollars and agreed to send the same amount each month to help the woman

care for the child.

Pierce eventually made it to China, where thousands made public commitments as

followers of Christ during four months of evangelistic rallies.

While there Pierce saw widespread hunger. He felt intense compassion for these

people. Pierce later wrote these words in the flyleaf of his Bible: "Let my heart be broken

with the things that break the heart of God." Dragging a movie camera across Asia -

China was soon closed - Pierce showed the resulting pictures to church audiences in

North America. He asked for money to help children. He showed their faces and begged

Christians to "adopt" one. In 1950 he incorporated this personal crusade as World

Vision.

In 1959 journalist Richard Gehman wrote that "[Pierce] cannot conceal his true

emotions. He seems to me to be one of the few naturally, uncontrollably honest men I

have ever met." Pastor Richard Halverson wrote that Pierce "prayed more earnestly and

importunely than anyone else I have ever known. It was as though prayer burned within

him. . . . Bob Pierce functioned from a broken heart."

Jeremiah, like Bob Pierce, served with a broken heart. He was called the weeping

prophet because his heart broke over the plight and condition of his people. His heart

ached. As challenging as Bob Pierce's work was to raise money to support needy

children, Jeremiah's ministry was even more difficult. He was sent to deliver a hard

message - a message that required the people to repent, change, and alter their lives.

Then, as now, most people don't respond well to personal messages that require

behavioral changes. The typical response is: "Who are you to tell me what to do?" Yet

Jeremiah proclaimed this message,and he did it with a tear in his eye.

Jeremiah's mourning prefigured Jesus. In similar manner Jesus wept over people's sin.

His heart broke "because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd"

(Matt. 9:36). The ministry of Christ was a tearful ministry. The summary of his ministry

was offered by the author of Hebrews, "During His earthly life, He offered prayers and

appeals with loud cries and tears to the One who was able to save Him from death, and

He was heard because of His reverence" (Hebrews 5:7). His ministry broke his heart

and cost him his life.

What breaks your heart?

Before you answer that question, let me inform you what broke Jeremiah's heart, and

Jesus' heart, and what should break your heart.

I. Let your heart be broken by turning from your sin. (vv. 5-7a)

God told Jeremiah to say, "Why have these people turned away? Why is Jerusalem

always turning away? They take hold of deceit; they refuse to return" (Jer. 8:5). The

people in Jeremiah's day had turned away from God, and they refused to repent. They

had no desire to return to God, though they had every opportunity to do so. Instead, the
people deliberately charged ahead in their sinful practices like a war horse charging into

battle, having no idea of the dangers involved.

They should have known better. Jeremiah reminded them that when people fall down,

they get up again. If one takes the wrong road, they turn around to get back on the right

road. Even birds know when it is time to migrate. People should be as obedient to divine

instruction, returning to God when they sin.

One of the great problems in modern Christianity is that we practice confession of sin,

but not repentance. We hold fast to 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful

and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John

1:9), but fail to heed Jesus' words in Luke 5:32, "I have not come to call the righteous,

but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32). We treat repentance like it is a one-time act, at

conversion, and confession is all we need after that. Jesus doesn't want us just to

acknowledge our sin, but to turn from our sin. Remember what Jesus said to those he

forgave. "Go and sin no more."

We are like children caught in misbehavior saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," only to have

them repeat the same mistake again. We do the same thing with God, don't we? How

often do you find yourself saying to God, "I'm sorry," only to repeat the same sin over

and over again? To turn from the sin is to cease from doing it.

The evangelist Sammy Tippet wrote, "Too many in the West desire to know the

manifest love of God without the manifest holiness of God. We have lost the message

of repentance. Now the church in the West is the sleeping Giant. The church in the East

sends a strong message: The repenters must repent!"

Repentance is a gift of grace. A repentant person is willing to leave his destructive paths

as a slave is willing to leave his galley, or a prisoner his dungeon, or a thief his wares,

or a beggar his rags. Repentance sets us free.

II. Let your heart be broken by practicing God's Word. (vv. 7b-13)
The roots of Judah's sin were a failure to repent and the rejection of God's word.

Jeremiah wrote that God says, "They have rejected the word of the Lord" (Jer. 8:9). The

people possessed the Word, but did not practice the Word.

Isn't it interesting that year in and year out the Bible is still a bestseller? But its

popularity is not keeping Western society from crumbling morally and spiritually. There

appears to be little connection between what people say they believe and the way

people act. Could the problem lie in the fact that while we may read God's Word and

believe God's Word, we do not practice God's Word? In the words of James, we are to

"But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).

It broke Jesus' heart that the Scribes and Pharisees, the students of the Word, did not

practice the Word. They argued and debated the Scriptures but they did not accept and

follow its precepts.  They had knowledge of the Law but did not apply it.

James reminded us: ". . . humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you"

(James 1:21). The word receive means "to welcome" or "to come on in." To accept

God's Word, first we must welcome the word into our lives. We must give it our full

attention. We must be teachable, yielded, humble, and willing to be changed.

When we begin to put God's Word into practice it will change our hearts. We will see

people as Jesus saw people. We will hurt as he hurt over the injustices. We will be

sensitive to the disenfranchised, lonely, abused, and neglected. We will cry for the lost

and dying without him. We will feel deeply about his passion to reach the world.

III. Let your heart be broken by realizing the urgency of the hour. (v. 20)

Jeremiah wrote eloquently, "Harvest has passed, summer has ended, but we have not

been saved" (Jer. 8:20). The harvest and the summer were two different seasons. The

former was the time for gathering grain. The latter was the time for gathering fruit. If one

of these harvests was a failure, the other was usually a success. If both were

unsuccessful, stark tragedy stared the people in the face. The proverb speaks of the
tragedy of wasted opportunity. It would be said today, "Time's up!" "The party's over."

There comes a time when it is too late.

While I know little of farming, I do understand that the farmer has a brief window when

the crops are to be harvested before they rot in the fields. The farmer must harvest

before it is too late. A sense of urgency is required to bringing in the harvest.

A similar urgency needs must be felt for the harvest of souls. Of the billions of people in

the world, it is estimated that over 30 million worldwide will die without Christ each year.

And of the over 300 million people in the United States, it is estimated that 41 percent of

the people don't go to church at all. Not at Easter, or at Christmas, or to weddings or

funerals. And if they were to die they would go to eternal punishment without knowing

the love of Christ.

Jesus' heart broke over the harvest when he said, "The harvest is abundant, but the

workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His

harvest" (Matt. 9:37-38). He saw the people, saw the clock, and saw the need. His heart

broke because time was running out.

The old preacher Vance Havner used to say, "The tragedy of our time is that the

situation is desperate but the saints are not." We are living in desperate times. And

desperate times demand action. We live in a lost and broken world desperate for the

good news of Jesus Christ.

Three weeks before President John Kennedy was assassinated, he said, "Almost all

presidents leave office feeling that their work is unfinished. I have a lot to do, and so

little time to do it." As followers of Jesus Christ, we have much work to do and little time

to do it. We must give ourselves to it. The times demand urgent action. Remember, the

gospel is only good news if it arrives in time.

IV. Let your heart be broken by watching someone self-destruct. (v. 21)
Jeremiah wrote, "I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people. I mourn; horror has

taken hold of me" (Jer. 8:21). Jeremiah mourned over the sins of the people. The

people were like his child, injured, barely clinging to life. "I mourn" literally means "I am

dark" or "black," the color of mourning attire. He was dismayed, which described a

wrenching fit, literally being convulsed with agony. Jeremiah was like a parent watching

a wayward child destroy his life through wrong choices.

I have a daughter - my only child. I hurt when she hurts. I lose sleep when she is in

trouble. I feel pain when she is in pain. I suppose only a parent can know those kinds of

emotions. While my daughter is a "good" kid who has made mostly right decisions for

which I am grateful, I can only imagine the hurt that some parents feel when they are

helpless, watching their wayward child self-destruct.

Jeremiah saw the people of Judah as his very own children. He saw them venturing

down the slippery slope of self-destruction. His pain, his wounded heart, was

reminiscent of the pain Jesus took upon himself in Gethsemane. Jesus, too, saw the

world - the people whom he created and loved - as his own children. When the shock

and the burden of the sins of the people took hold of him his sweat turned to blood. We

get our word excruciating from the events of Calvary, for the word means "out from the

cross." The pain, the hurt, the emotions ran deep. His heart broke excruciatingly

because the people he loved were running headlong into destruction.

How often does your heart break for lost friends and the lost world?

V. Let your heart be broken by people refusing the cure. (v. 22)

"Is there no balm in Gilead?" (Jer. 8:22) was a metaphor that his hearers would have

easily understood. Jeremiah was looking to the east, toward the restful town of Gilead. It

was located in the mountainous region east of the Jordan River and north of Moab. It

was famous for its healing ointment made from the resin of a tree of uncertain identity.

Gilead was a symbol of hope. It was a city of cure. It was place of remedy.
Jeremiah was saying that a remedy existed for the people's wound - repentance - but

they had not applied it. A physician could heal their spiritual sickness - the prophet with

God's word - but they refused to consult him.

Do you know any sick people who refuse to take medication or treatment? Do you know

any married couples whose marriage is on the rocks, but they refuse to see a

counselor? Do you know any employee who could be helped in his or her performance

if only they would talk to their supervisor? Do you know any spiritually lost people who

know they need to turn to Jesus but refuse to follow him?

A 30-year-old man climbed over the retaining wall at Niagara Falls and jumped into the

rapids of Horseshoe Falls. Quickly the rushing currents carried him toward the 173-foot

drop. Even if he wanted to, there could be no turning back. The 675,000 gallons of

water that plunge over the falls every second hurtled him like a toothpick over the

famous Falls.

Incredibly, the man resurfaced at the bottom of the fierce currents. He was conscious

and swimming, despite a gash to his head. The force of the falls had torn off his clothes.

Very few have ever survived such a fatal plunge. Clinging to a piece of driftwood, he

swam 30 feet from the shore. Niagara Police Sgt. Chris Gallagher yelled for him to swim

toward shore. The man refused. Letting go of the driftwood he headed in the opposite

direction swimming between the ice chunks.

A helicopter flew low over the man and extended a pole, but he did not cooperate. He

wrestled a rescue sling from his arm and swam away. Despite the treacherous

conditions of ice, high winds, and waves the helicopter made another attempt. The pilot

angled the chopper blades to create a wave that would push the man towards the

shore.
Rescuers raced against the clock. After 30 minutes in the icy waters the man weakened

but remained totally uncooperative. Firefighter Ted Brunning jumped into the river and

pulled the perishing man 200 feet to shore.

He was rescued against his will. The authorities conclude the man must not have been

thinking right.

Jesus sees more than just one person on a dangerous course. He sees people from

every walk of life heading toward the same end. The path of sin does not have a good

ending. Despite the well-announced warning of hell ahead people swim on in the

swirling current of their sins, unrepentant, with the clock ticking. Time is running out.

And, as bizarre as it seems, some perishing people resist rescue. Not everyone wants

to be saved from peril. Not everyone wants to abandon the course they are on. Not

everyone wants to come to Jesus.

It should break our hearts when we see:

 People who are unrepentant.

 People who don't practice God's Word.

 People who don't realize time is running out.

 People who are self-destructing.

 People who refuse the cure.

Those people break God's heart.

Conclusion

God uses people with broken hearts. Will you let your heart be broken by the things that

break God's heart?

I close with a song written by Bryan Jeffery Leech. It is entitled "Let Your Heart Be

Broken." May it challenge us to look deep within our own hearts to see what hurts us

most?

RISE ABOVE DISCOURAGEMENT

Jeremiah 20:1-13

Introduction

Discouragement is part of life. Discouragement comes most often when you do right

things but experience poor results. You work hard, but you don't make progress. You

show up to practice every day, giving it your all, but you lose every game. You spend

time with your child - going out of your way to parent the best you know how - but she

rebells.

Discouragement eats a hole in our hearts. It makes us want to quit, saying things we

shouldn't say, shaking our fists at God. That's how Jeremiah felt. God called him to

speak a harsh message to a rebellious people. He was obeyed. Yet on one occasion

Jeremiah so angered an assistant to the high priest and chief security officer for the

temple, Pashhur, that the man arrested Jeremiah, beat him, and threw him in jail,

locking him in stocks so that his body was contorted, writhing in pain. Here was a man
in deep distress. He endured physical, emotional, spiritual, and professional anguish.

He walked into deep despair, all for doing God's will.

Jeremiah was released the next day, emerging with a sentence of his own. He gave

Pashhur a new name: "Terror on Every Side." This name described the terror Babylon

would inflict on Judah, specifically the fate Pashhur would suffer when God's judgment

fell. He would die and be buried outside Israel, which was considered a judgment, for

the Gentile lands were labeled unclean. But what difference would that make? He had

been preaching lies in the name of God and encouraging idolatry in the temple. So, why

not live in a land of lies and idols, and eventually be buried there?

Enough about Pashhur - it is Jeremiah's rise above discouragement on which we want

to focus. In this last of his recorded laments, which is similar to Jesus' Gethsemane

experience, we find the highs and lows of human emotions: grief and joy, despair and

delight, perplexity and praise. Like Jesus, Jeremiah reminds us that even a faithful

servant of God can become discouraged. Jeremiah lived above his feelings and fulfilled

God's will.

We, too, can rise above discouragement. Here's how.

I. Be honest - tell God how you feel (v. 7)

Jeremiah was honest. He felt deceived by God. The word deceived means to be enticed

or seduced. Obviously, God does not mislead or trick people, but Jeremiah felt that God

had lured him into the ministry only to make him a laughingstock. He felt like a helpless

girl who had been seduced and overpowered by a deceptive lover. He felt ridiculed and

offended. His voice was not making a difference. He was crying out for the people to

repent, yet they continued toward destruction and judgment. Jeremiah's intense lament

was private – for God alone, not public.

God wants us to talk to him, even when we are angry, upset, and frustrated. He wants

us to tell the truth. A lot of dishonesty goes on in relationships, even with God.
People ask me: Is it wrong to be angry with God? First, we must remember that anger is

an emotion, and oftentimes emotions are neither right nor wrong: they just are. What we

do with our emotions is a separate issue. People are sometimes surprised by the

answer I give them: "If you feel anger toward God you should tell him. God is big

enough and strong enough to handle your hurt and anger. So tell him about.  He wants

you to pour out your heart to him. He wants you to express what is in your heart."

Didn't Jesus pour out his heart to the Father in Gethsemane and on the cross? We

should do the same. Hold nothing back when you pray. Tell the Lord exactly what's in

your heart, especially the bad feelings. By pouring out these emotions we are freed from

their hold, and we enter more deeply into the loving embrace of the Lord.

God does not want us stuck in anger or any other negative feelings we may have. This

is why we should be honest with God in prayer. We should go before God as we are,

not pretending to be someone we are not. If we are honest with God in prayer, we will

feel a sense of deep freedom, and we will find ourselves having a deeper relationship

with God and less discouragement.

To bottle up our anger - even anger toward God - does only harm, never good. To be

dishonest - even in our prayers - clouds our relationship with God. God desires real

people, honest and forthright, who pour out their hearts before him, bringing him all their

motives and emotions. The truth is that God knows the depths of our hearts - our

thoughts, our motives, our emotions - even before we speak them. So ,if we fail to be

honest with God then we are only deceiving ourselves. Honesty with God is liberating.

II. Be obedient - keep doing what you've been called to do (v. 9)

Because of Pashhur's unjustified actions, Jeremiah was ready to let go of God and

leave him out of all conversations. But he couldn't do that. He would not be at peace

doing anything else. God's message was like a fire in his bones that he could not put

out. He could not be quiet about it. Jeremiah did not preach because he had to say
something, but because he had something to say. Not saying it would have destroyed

him.

Do you know why most pastors keep at the task despite rejection and anger? Plain and

simple, the call of God upon their lives keeps them going. I spent time with a group of

pastors. We bemoaned the struggles of our vocation. One said: "Do you want to know

what I tell everyone who comes to me asking if they should go into the ministry? I tell

them, ‘If you can do something else, do it.'" Another pastor piped up, "You know why I

don't do something else? Because I am called."

When you are called, you can't ignore that call.

The call comes first from the heart - internal - as a result of the continued drawing from

the Holy Spirit. This conviction is as deep within the innermost being of a person.

Eventually, it becomes unshakeable. It marks a person for life. In time the inward call of

God is reflected outward, as the Christian community confirms it. No one can fulfill the

difficult role of ministry adequately who has not been called and commissioned by Christ

(internally) and the Church (externally).

Warren Wiersbe, former pastor and author, writes, "The work of ministry is too

demanding and difficult for a man to enter it without a sense of divine calling. Men enter

and then leave the ministry usually because they lack a sense of divine urgency.

Nothing less than a definite call from God could ever give a man success in the

ministry." (Howard F. Sugden and Warren W. Wiersbe, When Pastors Wonder How

(Chicago: Moody, 1973), p. 9.

Four questions emerge to evaluate whether one has a call to the ministry. Is there

confirmation from God and by others? Are instructional shepherding and leadership

abilities evident? Is there a longing to serve God with one's whole heart? Is there a

lifestyle of integrity? Ministry is more about being that it is about doing.

H.B. London in his book, The Heart of a Great Pastor, writes: "In those times when we

stumble for our footing in the awful swellings of the Jordan, and the Evil One whispers in

our ear, ‘Why did you ever decide to be a preacher anyway?' the right answer can only

be, ‘Cause I was called, you fool!'" (H. B. London and Neil Wiseman, The Heart of a

Great Pastor)

When called, obey. Obedience is difficult and painful, yet I suppose disobedience is

moreso.

III. Be watchful - know that the Lord is with you (v. 11)

Jeremiah realized that he wasn't alone. "But the LORD is with me like a violent warrior"

(Jer. 20:11). He was not on the losing side.  He was going to win because the Lord was

with him like a mighty warrior. God would deal effectively, in his own way and time, with

his enemies.

Often in our discouragement we look inward - to our problems, our frustrations, and our

situation - when we need to look upward to a God who has not abandoned us. He is

with us. He accompanies us. He is a present-tense God.

Can you imagine the difference it would make in your outlook if you remained

consciously aware that God is with you? Imagine going into a difficult board meeting

knowing that God is beside you. Picture entering into a stressful presentation knowing

that God walks with you. Envision confronting the status quo with the mighty arm of the

Lord surrounding you.

Knowledge of God's presence can help us accomplish significant things despite our

discouragement. It provides courage, valor, guts, strength, tenacity, and perseverance.

A. W. Tozer writes:

Living in the glow of God's presence will enable you to fight on despite discouragement.
IV. Be worshipful - praise God with your whole hear (v. 13)

Jeremiah's despair turned to joy, his defeated attitude turned to triumph, his dismay to

courage. The key that unlocked the door to victory was praise. Jeremiah triumphantly

proclaimed, "Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord" (Jer. 20:13).

Praise is the one weapon in the Christian's arsenal against which Satan has no

defense. When we praise God we acknowledge that he is in charge - he can do what he

wants, when he wants, and how he wants.

Praise is more than just acknowledging God for the good that comes our way. Praise is

accepting from God all that comes our way, both the good and the bad. The praise we

offer when things don't go our way is far more precious to God than the praise we offer

when all is well.

Praise does four things:

A. Praise recognizes a Provider

Praise takes our minds off our situation and focuses them on God. It gives God the right

to rule and to reign in our lives how he sees fit. It acknowledges that God knows more

about what he is doing than we do. It accepts that God can take all the bad stuff of life

and make something beautiful out of it.

B. Praise acknowledges a plan

A few chapters later Jeremiah records God's words to Israel: "'For I know the plans I

have for you' - this is the LORD's declaration – 'plans for your welfare, not for disaster,

to give you a future and a hope" (29:11). God weaves a tapestry of our lives. We don't

always see the finished product. Sometimes to get to the end we have our share of
difficulties. When we realize God has a plan, we have two options: we can fight it, or we

can embrace it.

C. Praise accepts the present

Praise is based on a total and joyful acceptance of the present as part of God's loving,

perfect will for us. Praise is not based on what we think or hope will happen in the

future. We praise God, not for what we expect will happen in our around us, but we

praise him for who he is and where and how we are right now.

D. Praise releases the power

Prayer opens the door for God's power to move into our lives. But the prayer of praise

releases more of God's power than any other form of petition. The Psalmist wrote, "But

thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:3 KJV). God actually

dwells, inhabits, and resides in our praise. God's power and presence is near when we

praise him.

When we praise God for the present situation as a part of God's plan, God's power is

unleashed. This power cannot be brought about by a new attitude or a determined effort

of self-will, but by God working in our lives.

Conclusion

Let me close with a legend that reveals the source of discouragement. Supposedly, the

devil put his tools up for sale, marking each for public inspection with its appropriate

sale price. Included were hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, lying, and pride. Laid apart from

these was a rather harmless looking but well-worn tool – discouragement - marked at

an extremely high price. Why the costly price? The devil answered: "Because it is more

useful to me than the others. I can pry open a person's heart with that when I cannot get

near her with the other tools. Once inside, I can make her do whatever I choose. It is
badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since few people know it belongs to

me."

Many people succumb to this infamous tool of Satan. Maybe you feel its effect now. You

can rise above discouragement. Will you:

 Be honest - tell God how you feel?

 Be obedient - keep doing what you've been called to do?

 Be watchful - know that the Lord is with you?

 Be worshipful - praise God with your whole heart?

PERSEVERE IN OBEDIENCE

Jeremiah 37:11-17, 38:4-6, 14-18

Introduction

Walter Payton played thirteen years as a running for the Chicago Bears back. During

his career he rushed for 16,726 yards. That's more than nine miles. What makes that

figure even more spectacular? He achieved it with someone knocking him down every

4.6 yards.

I. A man who persevered

Jeremiah, too, kept getting knocked down.

Jeremiah had faithfully proclaimed God's message of coming destruction to Judah for

forty years. Now all his warnings and predictions were coming true. Babylon had laid

siege to Jerusalem. The fall of the city was imminent. You would think after proclaiming

a message that was being fulfilled before their very eyes the people would start to

believe Jeremiah. But Jeremiah's message only hardened the hearts of the people.

They kept taking shots at him, knocking him down, beating him, leaving him for dead.

But Jeremiah kept getting back up. He prevailed despite suffering to be faithful to God's

orders. Jeremiah persevered in obedience.

A. Jeremiah was arrested for deserting to the enemy

First, we find Jeremiah leaving Jerusalem during a withdrawal of Babylonian forces. He

was going "to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people" (Jer.

37:12). The meaning of that statement is uncertain. It may relate to the field he had

purchased (32:1-15). Nevertheless, a guard saw him leaving, arrested him, and charged

him as a traitor defecting to the enemy. Such an accusation angered Jeremiah. He had

been loyal to his country. He had stood strong and voiced truth. He longed for his

countrymen to turn to God. They refused, preferring the darkness to light.

They brought him to the city officials where they beat and imprisoned him. He stayed

there for several days. King Zedekiah sent for him to see if God had a word for Israel.

The emaciated servant of God confronted the weak, vacillating king: "There is. You will

be handed over to the king of Babylon" (Jer. 37:17).

Considering his circumstances, it would have been easy for Jeremiah to give in and

give up, to just stay down. Jeremiah would not. He got back up, boldly proclaiming the

truth.

B. Jeremiah was accused of demoralizing the army

Next, we find Jeremiah accused of demoralizing the army. After all, he proclaimed

defeat, destruction, and devastation - not really the words of a pep talk before the big

game. His words discouraged the soldiers who were left to defend the city. The officials

wanted the king to kill Jeremiah. The king, weak and cowardly, refused to do anything to

Jeremiah or the officials making the charge. "So they [the officials] took Jeremiah and

dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah . . . There was no water in the cistern, only

mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud" (Jer. 38:6).

Jeremiah's message was not popular, and neither was he. The people wanted a sermon

of mercy and not of justice. They wanted a God who would wink at their sin, not a God

who would punish their sin. Jeremiah spoke the truth.

The truth is painful to deliver and painful to receive. It causes people to want to pounce

on the truth-bearer. It angered the officials so that they wanted Jeremiah put to death.

The king refused to kill Jeremiah, so the officials did the next best thing. They lowered

Jeremiah into an empty cistern - another imprisonment, another knockdown. Cisterns

were dug out of rock, had a small opening, and spread out at the bottom in a pear

shape. They were used to collect precious water during the rainy season to be used

during the dry season. Escape from a cistern was virtually impossible. Here was

Jeremiah sinking in the mud - a slow, filthy way to die, especially for someone who had

been faithful and obedient in proclaiming the truth.

C. Jeremiah was asked to deliver the message to the king

After Jeremiah's rescue from the cistern, the king sent for him. The king wanted to hear

from the prophet again. He asked Jeremiah to be honest, not withholding any

information. He was hoping against hope that Jeremiah's prophecy would be more

favorable, that Jerusalem would be spared. Jeremiah replied: "If I tell you, you will kill

me, won't you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won't listen to me anyway" (Jer.

38:15). The king promised his protection. Jeremiah told the king that if he surrendered
to the Babylonian king, he, the city, and his family would be spared. But if he did not

surrender, the city will be burned down and they all would perish.

Jeremiah hid nothing from the king. He ran his race with integrity. He carried the ball

without fumbling. And, look at what he got in return: beatings, imprisonment, a polluted

cistern, and death threats. He got knocked down again and again. The truth costs. It

hurts.

Jeremiah's story reminds us of Jesus' story. He, too, was a prophet. He once said, "I

assure you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown" (Luke 4:24). Though popular at

first, he saw the tide of public opinion turn against him. He proclaimed a message of

grace and justice. He was not accepted by all. He encountered death threats. He was

misunderstood. He was called names. He was knocked down again and again. He, too,

walked the way of the cross, though He did not desire the horrors associated with it.

Obedience, however, drove him to subject himself to the will of the Father, to bear the

truth. His obedience was put to the ultimate test and he perfectly met it. He, too, ran for

glory and won.

II. The means to persevere

What does it mean to persevere in obedience?

A. Stand by your convictions

Throughout Jeremiah's ordeal, he stood by his convictions, speaking the truth of God's

will. He was "an iron pillar, and bronze walls" (Jer. 1:18). He was a man of unfaltering

conviction. Jesus, likewise, would not be distracted from his mission "to seek and to

save the lost" (Luke 19:10).

A person with convictions knows what he believes, where he is going, and why.

Convictions are not forced on an individual. They are beliefs and actions of choice. They
are the truth, the mission, and the calling given by God that is not altered by time,

people, opinions, or circumstances.

Francis Kelley wrote, "Convictions are the mainsprings of action, the driving powers of

life. What a man lives are his convictions." Martin Luther King, Jr. often told his children,

"If a man has nothing that is worth dying for, he is not fit to live."

"Chariots of Fire" is the inspiring story of Eric Liddell. During the 1924 Olympics where

Liddell was planned to compete, his event was schedule on Sunday, which violated his

conviction: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). He had trained

for this event, but his Olympic hopes crumbled.

He held to his conviction, not competing in that race, but he entered another event. He

had not prepared for it, but was allowed to run in it. Victory looked impossible. Then, just

before the race, one of his opponents put a note in Eric's hand: "He who honors Me, I

will honor." Eric ran in faith. His convictions were unbroken.  He honored God, and God

blessed him. Eric Liddell won the gold medal.

Each day will challenge our convictions. The person who perseveres in obedience lives

by those convictions each day.

B. Make the right choices

People who persevere chose not to stay down. They get up. The choices we made

yesterday affect our today. The decisions we make today will determine our tomorrow.

Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, "We are our choices."

Obedience is always a choice. No one forces us to obey God, his Word, or his will. It

boils down to a choice we make each day - a choice to be faithful or not, to be loving or

not, to be available or not, to be willing or not.

The choices that determine our obedience are the ones regarding honesty, integrity,

and sincerity: The husband who remains faithful and loyal to his wife; the athlete who
refuses to take stimulants or drugs to improve performance; the student who "cracks the

books" rather than opting for the easy road of "crib sheets" or paying someone to write a

term paper; the salesman who does not pad his expense account to defray an

unexpected cost.

Doug Sherman and William Hendricks in their book, How To Succeed Where It Really

Counts, tell about two friends who owned an extremely profitable business. They put it

up for sale, and gave their word that, pending a few details, they would sell to a

particular buyer. They made their decision on a Friday. However, over the weekend

they received another offer that would have netted them an enormously higher profit.

Unsure of what they should do, they spent the rest of the weekend praying with their

wives. By Sunday night they all agreed that their word must be their bond. On Monday

morning, they called the second buyer and turned down his better offer. They made

their decision, not based on dollars, but on obedience to right living. 

C. Maintain personal character

Jeremiah maintained his character, standing on the truth of God's Word in the midst of

people preaching a different message. His character remained intact.

The most pressing need in our world today is Christ-like character. Unfortunately this

trait is in short supply and diminishing every day. Gail Sheehy in her book, Character:

America's Search for Leadership, writes, "The root of the word character is the Greek

word for engraving. As applied to human beings, it refers to the enduring marks left by

life that set one apart as an individual."  In other words, character is that encompassing

ingredient in life that makes us different.

D. Refuse to compromise

Granted, there are circumstances that call for compromise to maintain peace and

harmony. But one should not compromise the truth. Jeremiah did not compromise with
Irijah, the sentry who arrested him, charging him with desertion. Nor with the officials

who wanted Jeremiah to soften his message to one of peace and prosperity. Nor with

King Zedekiah, who longed for Jeremiah to agree with his hired prophets who said that

Judah would prevail.

Christian history is filled with inspiring stories featuring people of principle - those who

are immortalized for refusing to compromise their beliefs. In 1660, England's experiment

as a Republic came to an abrupt end with the return to monarchist rule under Charles II.

With this change, religious freedom also ended and Anglicanism was once again

designated as the official state religion. It became illegal to conduct church services

outside of the Church of England. Unlicensed individuals were forbidden from

addressing a religious gathering.

Under these new laws, John Bunyan was arrested for preaching without a license. His

growing popularity, though, prompted the judge to seek some sort of a compromise.

Promising Bunyan immediate release if he only promised not to preach again, the

judge's leniency was met with the reply, "If you release me today, I shall preach

tomorrow!"

Three times in his life Bunyan was arrested, convicted, and jailed for preaching the

gospel without a license. In the end, he spent over twelve years in prison. At any time

during those years he could have secured his freedom by simply promising not to

preach. But Bunyan knew God's calling on his life, and so he adamantly refused to

compromise his convictions.

Those prison years were certainly not wasted. It was during this time that Bunyan wrote

the book Pilgrim's Progress. Its immediate success and ongoing popularity has made it

a Christian classic, the second most read book in English literature next to the Bible.

Today Christians around the world still languish in prison because they will not

compromise their faith and give in to government suggestions for release. Christians in
Laos are accused of following an "American" religion and would be released from prison

and left in peace if they would sign a document recanting their commitment to Christ.

Most refuse. Christians in "shipping container" prisons in Eritrea would be released if

they also signed such a document but prefer to suffer indefinitely for the cause of Christ

than deny Him.

Compromise is not always bad, but when it comes to issues of faith, we are expected to

stand for Christ and his kingdom principles.

Conclusion

In the end, after you have been knocked down repeatedly, what will you do? After you

have run your race, what will be your legacy? What will your epitaph say?