JEREMIAH 12009 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Jeremiah 1

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2009. Isaiah also prophesied about Babylon and how Babylon was going to come. And that is the time in which Jeremiah is ministering. It's about 70 years after the death of Isaiah. And Jeremiah is in the city of Jerusalem in the nation of Judah. And he's praying.

prophesying about this threat of Babylon, this nation that was coming against them, that would be successful in conquering Judah and taking them into captivity for 70 years. And Jeremiah is known, you may have heard of him referred to as the weeping prophet because there's much anguish in what he shared as well as what he was called to do.

Let's start off looking at verses 1 through 3 here in Jeremiah chapter 1. It says, "...the words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah, the son of Ammon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign."

It came also in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem, captive in the fifth month. So here we get a good introduction to this person Jeremiah and the ministry that he had.

He was a priest there in the land of Judah. He prophesied and ministered during the reigns of the last few kings of the nation of Judah, starting with Josiah, who was a good king. But then after that, all of those kings that are mentioned really were not good kings. They did not follow the ways of the Lord. And so the nation continued to decline during the ministry of Jeremiah.

Pastor Chuck shared this about Jeremiah, that Jeremiah, he says, probably had the hardest task a minister has ever been called to perform for the Lord. He was put in charge of, he was called to oversee, to prophesy, and then to watch the death of the nation. Now, Jeremiah, one of the things about his ministry that makes it strikingly interesting is that

Most of the things that he prophesied about occurred or took place in his lifetime. As we've spent these many months in Isaiah, some of the things Isaiah talked about occurred in his lifetime. Some of them occurred a hundred years later or so when Jeremiah was alive. Many of them that Isaiah was talking about still have not yet occurred.

to this day and we're looking still to the future for the second coming of Jesus Christ and the millennium and the final judgment and those things that he's been talking about were very distant for him. But Jeremiah's ministry really was the foretelling of those things that he would then watch before him.

And you can imagine, he's called the weeping prophet, there's anguish of his spirit because he's promising of this judgment to come, he's giving them opportunity to repent, he's giving them the promise that if you repent, you will escape this judgment.

But instead of repenting, instead of turning, the people and the nation continue to rebel against God and he has to watch. He's there in their midst. He watches this last decline of the nation and the final defeat of the nation as Babylon comes to conquer. And that's why at the end of verse 3, he prophesied until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

They're coming to an end. They're going into captivity. It's the message of Jeremiah and he is there to see it all unfold before him. And so Jeremiah had a very difficult task and we find in this chapter as well that he had to experience this and go through this at a very young age.

But throughout the book of Jeremiah, even though it's prophesying of the destruction of the nation, we have also incredible messages of hope and some wonderful portions that many of you know already. I don't even have to mention the references because you know them. And there's many great promised scriptures in the book of Jeremiah and things to hold on to.

And things that you will treasure and love. And so we find this man, Jeremiah. He's a priest. He's there. He's prophesying in the midst of a nation that is rebelling against God. Little revivals here and there, but really not touching the heart. And they just continue to decline and refuse to hear God's voice, as we'll see throughout this book.

We continue on now in verse 4. It says, Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I ordained you a prophet to the nations.

So what we have here is the beginning of Jeremiah's ministry, the call of Jeremiah by God. He's calling out Jeremiah and he begins to speak to him and he says, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.

He lets Jeremiah know, listen Jeremiah, I have a plan and a purpose for you that I knew already. This is not something that's shocking to me. This is not my plan B. This is not something that has been a surprise to me. I knew you were going to be this person and I knew this ministry that I've established for you. I knew the call that I was going to place upon your life before I even formed you in the womb.

And you know, the same thing can be said of you. And as we look at this chapter this evening, I really do want to challenge you to really relate to this prophet Jeremiah. Because like Jeremiah, well, we have a lot of things in common with Jeremiah. And one of those things we find first off is that before we were formed in the womb, God knew us. Where are you at this evening? Where are you in your life in general?

Going to school, involved in a career, looking for a career, looking for any type of employment at all, looking for some type of place to live, looking to have maybe some type of lifelong companion, maybe a spouse would be nice. Where are you at this evening?

God can say to you, and I can share with you, that God's purposes and plans for your life were established before you were even formed in the womb. Before you even began to be something recognizable as a human being, God knew.

Who you were going to be and the life that you would live and the environment that you would find yourself in and the ways that he would want to use you for his glory. God can announce to you the same thing that he announced to Jeremiah. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Now, quick side note, there's often the question of when does life begin?

I think that's an interesting question in light of this. God says, I'm the one who formed you and even before I begin to form you, I knew you. And so life, you could say, begins even before God begins to form you in the womb.

Before you were born, He says, I sanctified you. I set you apart. I set you aside. You, whether you like it or not, whether you agree with it or not, whether you've come to terms with it or not, you have been set apart for God. You have a purpose for being here. You have a purpose for existing. God has sanctified you and set you apart for His purposes and His plans, for His will, for His glory, for His pleasure.

And you will never be satisfied and I will never find fulfillment in this life until I come to terms with that and seek out, and seek out His plans, His purposes, His will. Because His plans and His purposes have been established even before I was formed in the womb. I apologize in advance for what I'm about to do. Mario and I said if you could stop texting each other, that would help me a lot. Okay? Some distractions going on here.

Okay, so before I formed you, before you were in the womb, I knew you, I sanctified you, and he says, and I ordained you as a prophet to the nations. There's a danger of sitting in the front row, so now I know why you guys don't do that, so you can text each other. His call, his plan, God's plan for his life was established before he was even born. God says, Jeremiah, before you were even born, before I began to form you, I have called you, I've ordained you to be a prophet to the nations.

God knew that there would be a need for this nation to hear the voice of God. God knew there would be a need for someone to proclaim his message and give them an opportunity to repent. God knew of this need. And so even before Jeremiah was born, God ordained him to be a prophet to the nations.

And see, I share these things with you because, again, I would challenge you that you and I can identify and can relate to the prophet Jeremiah because every one of us has these same things true of us. That God has ordained us, that he has called us to be, that he set us aside and sanctified us to be, well, to be for his glory and his purposes and his pleasure in this life.

He has called us and we studied through Timothy on Sunday mornings a few months ago we just finished but we looked at and understood that every one of us is called into the ministry. We saw on Sunday morning in Hebrews chapter 10 how we're called to minister to one another and it's so important for us to gather together. We've been practicing on Wednesday evenings this idea of ministering to one another by taking time at the end of service.

Every one of us has friends and family and people that need to hear the voice of God and need to receive the message of God. And before you were even born, before you were even a glimmer in your daddy's eye, God knew and He ordained you and He called you and He's set you here to be a prophet to the nations, to be a witness to the world around you, to be a light in this dark place.

And so God announces to Jeremiah, He presents to him this information so that he would understand that he had been called from the very beginning, just like you and I have been called from the very beginning. In Ephesians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul tells us that we are God's workmanship. We're His work of art.

And that we are to live this life to walk in those good deeds or those things which God has laid before us. Those good works that He has established and set up before us. He's laid out a path, a plan, is the idea of what Paul is saying there. And all we're called to do is to walk down that path that He has laid before us. And so you and I have been called by God. We've been set apart by God. We've been ordained by God.

To be a minister to the world around us. To share the love of God, the truth of God's word with the world around us. Well, Jeremiah responds in verse 6. It says, Then said I, Ah, Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth. Verse 7. But the Lord said to me, Do not say, I am a youth, for you shall go to all to whom I send you. And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces. Verse 8.

for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. What does Jeremiah say in response? I love what Jeremiah says in response. It's absolutely fantastic. He says, Oh Lord, I cannot speak. God says, You, I've established you, I've ordained you, before you were even born, I called you to this, I knew where you were going to be, you're a prophet to the nations. And Jeremiah says, I cannot speak, I'm just a youth.

I'm just a young lad. I'm just immature. I'm just insecure. I'm just a new believer. Look, I cannot speak. I'm not in a position of authority. I'm not a Billy Graham to impact the nations. I cannot speak, Jeremiah says. Have you ever responded in such a way? You know, God's ministers often object to being used by Him. I don't know if you know that.

So if you object to being used by God, then you're in good company. Because Jeremiah says, after God announces to him, I establish you even before you're in the womb. This is your call. This is your purpose in life. He says, I can't speak. When God appeared to Moses, what did Moses say? I'm slow of speech, Lord. Can you send someone else? What did Gideon say? I'm like the least of...

My family and my family is the least of the

and we're like the least tribe of all of Israel, and we're like the least, you know, nation of the world, and we're the least world of the universe, and we're the least universe of, you know what I mean? He's like, I think you got the wrong guy. I can't lead God's people to victory. Moses says, I can't set God's people free. Jeremiah says, I can't be a prophet to the nations. I can't fulfill this. Or maybe like Ananias, the Lord appears to Ananias, go, go,

Pray for Saul of Tarsus. And Jeremiah says, you know who that is, Lord? And do you know that he's persecuting the church and he's been sent here? He's come here to put people in prison. Jeremiah here is a teenager. He's probably very young, 17, maybe 25 at the oldest. So he says, I can't do that, Lord. I'm just a youth. God's ministers many times object, just like you and I.

So if you object whenever God speaks to you, well, it probably means that you've been called and ordained from before you were even formed in the womb. We tell God,

don't you know who I am? Don't you know what I'm capable of? Don't you know what kind of mess I've lived and how I've messed up? Or don't you know I don't have good speaking skills and I'm not very educated and I don't know a whole lot about the Bible? Or we say, well, I can't share with that person. Don't you know who that is?

Don't you know, that's my boss. I can't be a minister to my boss. I can't share with them scripture or tell them the truth about God. That's my boss. Don't you know who that is, God? Or don't you know who that is? I mean, that's Pastor Sisko. He doesn't need ministering to me. He needs to minister to me. I can't share with him. We say, Lord, don't you know who that is? Or we say, Lord, don't you know who I am? And God responds to us, hey, don't you know who I am, God says?

Don't you know who the Lord is? God says, look, I'm able to overcome all those things. As we often hear, He's not looking for our ability, but our availability. And so God says, don't say I'm just a youth. For you shall go to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. God says, uh-uh, the excuses aren't going to work. You can't get out of it. You're going to go to who I send you, and you're going to say what I tell you to say.

You cannot say. It's not an option. It's not an option. Remember when Peter was there on the roof and he had a vision of the blanket coming down with all of the animals on it, the book of Acts, and the Lord tells him, go, Peter, kill and eat. And he said, oh, not so, Lord. Not so, Lord. See, that's a contradiction. If you want to be a disciple of God, if you want to follow Jesus Christ,

then you need to come to grips with the fact that He has called you to be a prophet to the nations. You can't call Him Lord and then just refuse to do what He's commanded you to do. And what has He commanded you to do? Go ye therefore into all the world and make disciples. Are you making disciples? Are you ministering to people? Are you reaching out to the world around you? Are you saying, um...

I can't speak, Lord. Not me. No. Send someone else. No, Lord. See, I'm a youth. I need to be ministered to. I can't minister to others. I can't share with others. I need people to share with me. And God says, hey, that's not allowed. This is not a negotiation. This is not, you know, well, we'll kind of, I'll throw out my plan. You throw out your plan. We'll find some happy middle and we'll go that route.

Now, if he's your Lord, you cannot say, not so, Lord. You don't have the option, as Aaron shared with us. If you're going to be a disciple, you've got to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus Christ. Deny yourself. He is Lord. You cannot say, I'm a youth, or any other excuse that you would come up with. And so he says, in verse 8, Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.

I kind of really like this thought here in verses 7 and 8 as God says, Hey, you can't say that. This is what you're going to do and I'm going to be with you. And it's kind of like we're secret agents getting a new assignment. It's like, it's not, you know, your mission should you choose to accept it. It's your mission is, and he sends you on your phone, you know, the picture of the person that you're there. That's your target. That's your mark. And you're going to go and minister to that person.

He gives you the mark. He gives you the person. He gives you the target. He also gives you what to say. So He sets it all up for you, if you haven't noticed that already. He tells you who. He tells you what to say. And then He says, and I'm going to be with you. So He sets it all up. And you're like this secret agent. You're in enemy territory. And any time, God can just send you the message. I want you to minister to this person. I want you to share with this person. You've been ordained as a prophet. You're on assignment. You're on assignment.

And you've been called. You've been placed there to deliver this message to this person. And I'm with you. So don't be afraid of their faces. That is, don't be worried about how they're going to respond. Don't worry about what they're going to do when you tell them this message, when you bring this message. That's not your responsibility. That's not your concern. You don't have to worry about that. Well, what if I say it and then they don't really like the message? He says, don't be afraid of their faces. Well, Lord, what if they make funny faces? Well, don't be afraid of their faces.

What if they scowl really bad or their face gets really red? Don't be afraid of their faces. Don't be worried about or afraid of how they will respond. And don't let your thought of how they will respond determine whether or not you decide to obey and deliver the message that God has called you to deliver. Jeremiah here objects to his calling and God says, No, you're going to go. These are the people you're going to go to. I'm going to give you them. I'm going to give you what to say. I'm going to be with you.

So don't be afraid. Be obedient. Verse 9. Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. Verse 10. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant. Here God gives him the tools he will need, the resources he needs.

In order to fulfill his assignment. The Lord put forth his hand and touched his mouth. And he says, I've put my words in your mouth. I've put my words in your mouth. God, as he said, gave him the things he was to share. Not all of us are called to Jeremiah's ministry.

God said to Jeremiah, I've set you over the nations. And certainly not all of us have the authority over nations as far as spiritual authority is concerned.

Certainly our impact is not around the world as individuals for most of us, I think. I think there are some that God has given that to, but I don't think any of us yet have been given that authority, although every one of us have, well, God knows, He called us, He ordained us, and so maybe one day He will place us in such a position.

But every one of us, even though we're not called to Jeremiah's same exact ministry, we have our own realm of ministry. And we have those around us that God has called us to minister to. And that God has called us to bring the truth to. The proclamation of the gospel message. The message of hope and encouragement to those who are around us. The strength and encouragement to the believers that are there around us.

And so you and I, like Jeremiah, have been given this role within people's lives that we're called to make an impact. We're called to transform the world, to be an impact, a light, to be like a city upon a hill where the light cannot be hidden. You and I are called to be a witness for Jesus Christ. And he's placed us. This day he has set us over fire.

The nations. He's called us to be a light to the world around us. Notice Jeremiah's ministry here. To root out and to pull down. To destroy and to throw down. But also to build and to plant. Some of it was, well, there was some things that had been established that needed to be

There had been some false worship. There had been some false notions, bad ideas, wrong ideas about God and the worship of God. There had been this idolatry and this rebellion and these things. And there was some tearing down that needed to be done, some throwing down of things that had been placed in the lives of God's people. And there needed to be a cleansing, a destruction. And sometimes, sometimes,

In a nation, sometimes in a life, God needs to do that. He needs to destroy. He needs to tear down, to throw down those false gods that have been established. And those things that have, well, Paul talks about those strongholds in 2 Corinthians 10 and those things that set themselves up in opposition to Christ and how the weapons of our warfare are mighty for tearing those down. See, you and I are called to do the same.

to tear down those strongholds and the weapons of our warfare that God has given to us. Like Jeremiah, He's given to us all of the resources we need in order to accomplish our mission. They're not carnal weapons.

But they're mighty for pulling down the strongholds, for tearing down, for knocking down those things that have been built up and those walls that have been put in place that keep out the things of God. And so there's a need to destroy, to throw down, but then also to build into plants. There's a new work that God desires to do, a new life that needs to come forth. And Jeremiah would be used in both of those ways.

by the Lord, just as you and I are called to be used by the Lord in those ways. Verse 11. Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch of an almond tree. Verse 12. Then the Lord said to me, you have seen well, for I am ready to perform my word. So here we have Jeremiah's first vision.

Now, it's kind of a little bit ironic, I think, as I look at the passage, because here we have God telling Jeremiah, I mean, this is some pretty incredible stuff he's telling him, right? Before you were in the womb, before I even began to form you, I called you, I ordained you, I set you up, and I've established you as a prophet to the nations. Right?

And you're going to go wherever I tell you to go and whatever I tell you to say, you're going to say. And you don't need to be afraid of their faces. And I put my words in your mouth and I've set you over nations and kingdoms and you're going to do this incredible work. So here's your first vision, Jeremiah. It's a tree branch. All this big setup for, what is that? We just looked at, you know, the book of Isaiah. Very long book.

Some of the visions that Isaiah had, I mean, they go for pages. The messages that Isaiah brought forth, they're pages and pages long. And these incredible things, and hard even to kind of keep straight what he's talking about, and just overwhelming as you look at them. And Jeremiah's vision is a branch of an almond tree. As God begins his ministry, as God begins to work through him, he gives him this vision, which seems to be

insignificant, not very long, not a whole lot of detail, not very complicated. It's just a very simple picture of the branch or the bud of an almond tree. But then the Lord tells him, you have seen well. Whatever you were expecting, Jeremiah, I don't know if this is what you expected for your first vision, but you have seen well. There's a process that takes place in a person's life as they begin to walk with God and begin to hear the voice of the Lord.

And I don't know if you are able to recognize the voice of the Lord. But I want to encourage you and challenge you to learn how to hear the Lord. You know, Larry was sharing about the missionaries and how it's often difficult to know what your next step is going to be. And, you know, that's true for a lot of us, isn't it? And it's so important that we learn how to hear from the Lord, that we learn how to hear His voice.

That we learn what it's like for God to speak to us.

And those are habits and those are things that you want to learn while you have the time. Because very often what happens is we come to a crisis and then we really need to hear from the Lord, but we're so out of touch. We haven't been practicing our relationship with the Lord and we haven't really been hearing His voice and so we've forgotten or we've never really heard. We don't really know what it's like for God to speak to us. And so we open up the Bible and we read and

I don't get it. And what does it say? And I need to make a decision and I've got to, you know, do this or do that. And it's a choice between two extremes almost as they approach our lives and we see these things take place and unfold before us. And I've got to decide between this one extreme or this other extreme. And what am I going to do? And God's not speaking. And I want to encourage you, hey, if you're not at that crossroads yet, prepare now, learn to hear the voice of the Lord so that when you get there,

That you're more prepared, that you're ready. Now sometimes God does wait and He doesn't always reveal Himself to us and His message and His direction in our timeline. But it's so important that we become accustomed to and learn how to hear the voice of the Lord. And very often God will speak in little things and see how we respond. He trains us, kind of like we see here in Jeremiah. He gives them just a very simple vision. Jeremiah says, well this is what I saw.

And then the Lord says, you've seen well. Jeremiah, that's good. You saw well. You heard my voice. You saw what I was seeking to show you. And the message, God says, of this almond tree branch is that I am ready to perform my word. The almond tree was the tree that is first to blossom there in Israel. It would begin to bud in around January, right around now.

And by March, it would be in full bloom. It would be bringing forth fruits. While the other trees were just barely beginning to wake up after the winter season, the almond tree would already be producing fruit. And so almond tree in the Hebrew is really it's the watching tree.

And so what God is saying here in verse 12, it's a play on words that we don't catch in the English, but it's in the Hebrew. He said, Jeremiah says, And God says,

You've seen well because I'm watching to perform my word. Just as the almond tree is first to bud and it's always watching, it's looking for spring at the first sign of spring, it's bringing forth fruit. God says, I'm right at that point. I'm about to bring forth fruit. I'm about to perform my word. Those things that I've been promising to the nation of Judah, the promise of Babylon and the destruction that they would bring, God says, I'm about to perform those things.

But he gives them this little vision, this little word, seemingly insignificant, but a powerful message and an important part of Jeremiah learning to hear the voice of the Lord. And I suggest to you this evening, can I suggest to you without being too biased, as we gather together on Wednesday evenings, you know, it's a perfect opportunity to hear and to learn to hear the voice of the Lord. It's a great opportunity to take a little vision and

It doesn't have to be a lot. It doesn't have to be much. But as we have opportunity to minister to one another, it's a great opportunity for you to learn. It's a great environment for you to learn where there's not a whole lot of risk involved. It's not like you're going to get stoned if it wasn't something that really everybody thought was profound or that the person you ministered to really understood what you were talking about. It's a great opportunity. It's a great environment for you to say,

you know, I think the Lord has shown me something and I should share it with someone. Let's test and let's see. Has the Lord spoken to me? Have I learned to hear His voice? It's a great opportunity for you to learn to hear the voice of the Lord. And I encourage you as we spend time together this evening in doing that, that you would seek the Lord and listen and seek to hear His voice and ask Him to speak to you that you would be able to

to respond and to share that vision, to share what God has spoken to you with someone around you that you could learn to hear and learn to respond to the voice of the Lord. Well, he gives him another vision in verse 13. It says, And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, What do you see? And I said, I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.

Then the Lord said to me,

I will utter my judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, because they have forsaken me, burned incense to other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. So here's Jeremiah's second vision. God says to him again, what do you see? And he says, well, this time I see a boiling pot, and it's facing away from the north. And then God gives the interpretation for this vision that Jeremiah sees.

He gives the understanding that we might know what it is. And He explains to him, out of the north calamity shall break forth. This boiling pot is facing away from the north. We get the idea here it's about to be poured out. And that's what God says. This calamity is coming out of the north. And He says that He's calling the kingdoms and the families and they're going to come against Jerusalem, against the nation of Judah, the cities of Judah,

And God's judgment is going to be poured out upon them. And he explains why there at the end of verse 16. Because they have forsaken me. Because they've burned incense to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. As we talked about last week, the judgment of God is a reality. They're not idle threats that God gives. He really is going to bring his judgment. And Babylon really does come and conquer the nation of Judah in the lifetime of Jeremiah.

Why? Because the people had forsaken him. The people had turned from him. And God gave them opportunity after opportunity after opportunity. Time and time again, he gave them opportunity to turn, but they would not. And so God gives Jeremiah this vision, again, of this calamity that is coming. I think it's interesting that he gives Jeremiah this vision, this understanding of

Here, as he's calling him to begin the work that he had ordained him to do before he was even born. God is impressing upon Jeremiah the urgency and the importance of the message that he has to bring. The urgency and the importance. He's saying, Jeremiah, listen, the message that I'm giving to you, the ministry that I have called you to, is so important because my judgment is coming.

My judgment is coming. It's going to happen. Because they've turned against me, calamity is coming out of the north. The nation of Babylon came upon the nation of Judah from the north. They conquered it. They took them captive, just as God said was going to happen. Verse 17, he says, Therefore, prepare yourself and arise. Therefore, God gives him the first vision. I'm about to perform my word.

He gives them the second vision. This is my word that I'm going to perform. My judgment is coming. Calamity is coming because my people have rebelled against me. So he says, Therefore, prepare yourself and arise and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces lest I dismay you before them.

For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. He says, therefore, prepare yourself.

Prepare yourself because they've rebelled against me. And this judgment is coming. Prepare yourself because just as they've rebelled against me, they're going to rebel against you. But they will not prevail, God says, because I'm with you. He says, I've made you a fortified city and an iron pillar. Again, I would challenge you that we can relate extremely well to the prophet Isaiah, or prophet Jeremiah. Isaiah too, but let's talk about Jeremiah.

We can relate. We're in His shoes. You and I as believers in Jesus Christ, we're called into the ministry. We've been put in the mission field. We've been placed here to be a witness to the world around us, to be an encouragement to the believers around us, and to be a shining light to those who do not know God, just like Jeremiah. And we've been given the message that, well, judgment is coming upon this world.

We saw on Sunday evening as we started the Maranatha series, the End Times video series on Sunday evenings that we're doing, we saw the evidence, we saw some great insight into how we're living in the last days. And the judgment that is going to be poured out upon this world, well, it's ready. It could happen at any moment.

God is showing us, He's given to us the signs and shown us the seasons that we can know and be aware of what time it is and that there would be an understanding of the urgency and the importance of the ministry that we've been called to.

So that we would also, therefore, prepare yourself and arise. That we would look around and see the world and the state that it's in and how Scripture is being fulfilled and the things are lining up exactly like the Bible said. That, therefore, we would then prepare ourselves and arise and speak to them all that God has commanded us.

I encourage you, come on out Sunday evening as we continue this series at 6 o'clock. We have a couple of different teachers. The one I remember is Mark Hitchcock. He'll be sharing about the role of the United States in the end times and some very interesting things he has to share and some perspectives that we would understand the possibilities of our nation as the end draws near. But we need to understand that we're living in the last days.

That we would respond appropriately and prepare ourselves and arise and speak the things that God has commanded us. And God would say to us the same thing. Behold, I've made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land. God says, look, I'm with you and you are protected. You're under my protection. You're under my protection, God says. Remember, Jesus said, don't fear man who can just kill the body.

Jesus said, I'll show you who you should fear. Fear God, who can, after he's killed the body, cast the soul into hell. God has placed us here like a stronghold. Because no matter what the world does to us, it really can't touch us. Even if we were to be put to death for our faith, we're ushered into eternity with God. The world can't take away. The enemy can't take away. Our friends, our family, they cannot take away.

What God has in store for us. They cannot take away the hope of heaven that we have. They cannot take away the new life that we have in Christ. God has promised you His protection, His security. You have eternal life in Him. The worst that they can do is put to death this body, but then you are ever with the Lord in a new body. It's the thing that we hope for, the thing that we look forward to. They can't touch you. You're in a stronghold.

You're protected. Nothing they can throw at you even really matters. All they can do is afflict you on the outside, but they cannot take away what Christ has promised you. Just like Jeremiah, he's placed us as a stronghold. Verse 19, yeah, they may fight against you, but they won't prevail. They can't prevail. Why? Because God says, I'm with you, says the Lord to deliver you. So prepare yourself, arise and speak that which I've commanded you.

You and I, like Jeremiah, have been given a commission to bring forth God's Word to the world around us. A world that is growing farther and farther, pursuing things that are not of God. Judgment is coming closer and closer as a result of this rebellion and turning from God.

So you and I are to prepare ourselves, arise, and speak all that He has commanded us. And again, He says there in verse 17, Do not be dismayed before their faces. Don't be afraid about their response. Don't be worried about how they're going to respond and how they're going to react. He says, Do not be dismayed before their faces, lest I dismay you before them. Just like Jesus said, look, concerning the Father in heaven, He says, look, if you're ashamed of me before men,

I'll be ashamed of you before my Father in heaven. Don't be dismayed by their faces. Seek to please God and not men. It doesn't matter how they're going to respond. It doesn't matter if they're not going to like you so much afterwards, after you share with them the truth. And I'm not saying we're supposed to go around trying to make enemies. I'm not trying to say that we're yelling at people that they're going to hell. No. Sharing the love of Jesus Christ offends people.

It's a stumbling block. Sharing the truth that we can find forgiveness by faith in Jesus Christ, it offends people. It's a stumbling block, Paul said in 1 Corinthians. People don't like the message of Jesus Christ. So it's not that we're trying to make enemies and we're being mean to people, but as we share the truth, as we share the love of God, we're not to be dismayed before their faces or by their faces. Not worried about how they're going to respond. Let's seek to please God and not men. Because if we're ashamed of Him...

If we're not willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. If we're not willing to prepare ourselves, arise and speak the words that he has commanded us. If we're ashamed of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He said, I'll be ashamed of you before my Father in heaven. God's called us to stand out. He's called us to be a witness. He's called us to shine forth the light to the world around us. Just as Jeremiah was called. He did it before he formed us.

Before we were even in the womb, before we were born, He has sanctified us and set us apart for this purpose. To live in this lifetime, to impact our families, our friends, our workplaces, the world around us. For such a time as this, you and I have been put here in this place to impact this world, to speak forth the message of God. Therefore, prepare yourself, arise and speak today.

All that He has commanded you.