JEREMIAH 14-152009 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Jeremiah 14-15

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. Well, in Jeremiah chapter 14 this evening, we want to look at actually Jeremiah chapter 14 and 15. And we're continuing now as we've been looking at Jeremiah for some time. We're looking at this young man, this young prophet who has been given this incredibly difficult task.

and there's some things that I want to point out and share with you here as we look at the state that Jeremiah is in here in chapters 14 and 15 where I really see that he is really struggling and there's been some great difficulties, there's been some strong opposition, he's known as the weeping prophet because he's

He loves God's people and yet they continue to rebel. He continues to pronounce the judgment that God gives him to pronounce. And then he is going to see it played out. He's going to see it fulfilled in his lifetime. And he sees the beginnings of it and it really just tears him up. It's a very difficult position for him as he loves these people but is called by God to pronounce to them the truth and to share with them what God has said and what God has promised.

as long as they continue in rebellion against God. And so as we pick it up in chapter 14, we're starting a new prophecy here. He's not in the middle of a thought, but it's the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah there in verse 1 says, concerning the droughts. And so right now as Jeremiah is receiving this and sharing this with the nation, as he's going back and forth with God, as we'll see, there's a great drought that is going on.

Now, God had promised in the book of Deuteronomy, He promised to the nation that if they obeyed Him and if they walked with Him, they would be blessed and there would be rain in the appropriate season. Their enemies would not...

They would have peace. They would have abundant fruit. They would be blessed. They wouldn't have the diseases that existed like there was in Egypt and so on and so forth. God just promised great blessing for them as they were obedient to them.

But he also promised them, he let them know, but the opposite is true. So if you disobey me and you disregard what I say and you don't pay any attention to the commands that I've given to you, the opposite of those things will take place. And so you're going to experience disease like you experienced or like the other nations experienced. You're going to experience battle and your enemies are going to be victorious and they're going to come against you and you're going to run. Even though they're much fewer than you, you're going to run from them.

And the other thing is that, well, the rain won't come in the appropriate season. And we see now the nation of Judah has been in rebellion against God for some time. And now God's word is being fulfilled and there's this great drought that is taking place upon the nation of Judah. They're not seeing the rain that they need. The crops then aren't producing. And so there's this difficulty that they're going through, this famine that is taking place from this drought that is happening.

And so we pick it up here in chapter 14, and this is what God is speaking to Jeremiah in regards to these droughts that is taking place. He says in verse 2, Judah mourns and her gates languish. They mourn for the land and the cry of Jerusalem has gone up. Their nobles have sent their lads for water.

Verse 2.

The wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights. They sniffed at the wind like jackals. Their eyes failed because there was no grass.

Here as we begin in chapter 14, God is describing to Jeremiah the condition of the nation of Judah as a result of this drought. And it's a very tough condition. And you can put yourself in their shoes for just a moment. They're mourning. Their gates are in languish. They're in anguish.

He says, the nobles have sent the lads for water. And the way it works is, they're in Judah and specifically in Jerusalem. Much of their water in that area is provided by the rains. And the rains will come and they had these big cisterns that they would dig out. These huge...

basically holes in the ground or holes in the rock that would hold large quantities of water and that would carry them through until the next rain. And so they would have these, for those of you who went to Israel, you remember in Masada we got to see those big cisterns and these just huge areas that they would hold the water in or under the garden tomb there was this big cistern and thousands of gallons of water, just huge.

But here is their condition is they're going, they're sending these young boys to go get the water and they're coming back with no water. Now, can you imagine? We live in such luxury, don't we? Can you imagine turning your faucet there in the kitchen and then there's no water? I mean, it's difficult for us because we have such luxuries, but the drought was so

so desperate, the drought was so terrible, there was no more water left. They were out. The cisterns were empty and there was no rain. They had no water. They were thirsty and as a result, the ground is parched, it says in verse 4. The deer gives birth in the field but then abandons its young because it has to go find water. There's

No water there in the land. The wild donkeys, they're looking around, they can't find grass. And so the whole city, the whole land is desolate because of this drought, which is a result of the rebellion against God. Now I should point out here that it is important that we do not assume that hard times and trials are always an

An act of God's judgment. Hard times and trials are a part of life and there are difficulties in life. But this specifically is mentioned that it's told us that this is a result of God's judgment. God is withholding the rains, as we'll see in just a moment. God is withholding the water from them as a result of the rebellion against Him.

And so we know this is an act of God's judgment. They're experiencing this. God is using this as an opportunity for them to realize that

We need the Lord. We need to call out to Him. And God often uses these types of things. It may not be water in our faucet, but it may be other resources that have run out and other areas where we have great need and things are looking grim and desolate. And oftentimes in those situations, God is seeking to get our attention. He's seeking to say, Hey, pay attention. You need to get right with me. You need to call out to me. And you're not where I've called you to be. You're not where I want you to be.

Well, they're in this drought. It's desperate. It's desolate. It's dry. It's dusty. And so verse 7, they cry out to the Lord. They say,

Oh, the hope of Israel, his savior in time of trouble. Why should you be like a stranger in the land and like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night? Why should you be like a man astonished, like a mighty one who cannot save? Yet you, O Lord, are in our midst and we are called by your name. Do not leave us. So now in this difficult situation, they call out to the Lord saying,

The nation of Judah calls out and they say, oh man, our iniquities testify against us, God. We've sinned. Our sins testify against us. But do it for your name's sake. They say, look, we're called by your name, God. And so would you please bring the rains and would you fulfill our needs and meet our needs today?

But not because of us, our sins testify against us, but because of Your name. Hey, our backslidings are many and we've sinned against You, but don't be a stranger in the land. Lord, come and be in our midst and bring Your presence back and meet our needs and satisfy us because we're desperate, we're dusty, we're in this drought and we have no way of meeting our needs. And so you see the nation of Judah...

It seems pretty good that they're calling out to the Lord. They're crying out to Him. And that's good, but there's a problem because God explains in verse 10, they're calling out to God, but they're not willing to turn to Him. Look at verse 10. It says, "...thus says the Lord to this people..."

You see, the problem is, although they know what they're doing is wrong, they've not restrained their feet. They know what they're doing is sin, and yet they've not restrained

They've not turned from that sin. They've loved to wander. They've just decided, I'm going to wander. I'm going to kind of do what I want to do. I know it's wrong. I know it's not right. I know God would not want me to be doing these things. But they have not restrained their feet. And so God says, I don't accept you. You're saying, okay, yes, you acknowledge that you've sinned. And your sins testify against you.

against you and you want me to do it for my name's sake, but you're not willing to restrain yourselves. You're not willing to turn from sin. You're not willing to repent. They're calling upon God to have grace. Now, God has done this in times past.

In Ezekiel chapter 20, the prophet Ezekiel is talking about their exodus from the land of Egypt. And if you'll take your thoughts with me for a moment, back to when Israel was in Egypt and God delivered them out.

He did all of these miraculous things and the Pharaoh let them go finally and then chased after them and then they crossed through the Red Sea and God destroyed the Egyptian army. They saw all these miraculous works of God. They're a few days into the wilderness and they begin to grumble and complain. They begin to doubt God and question God and threaten Moses and want to go back. And it says...

There in Ezekiel 20, verse 14, that God delivered them and that He preserved them and He provided for them for His name's sake.

so that his name would be honored among the other nations. God took care of them, not because they deserved it, they were just rebellious people from the very beginning as they left the wilderness or they left the land of Egypt. But for God's namesake, he provided for them, he met their needs, and he cared for them.

So they're asking God to do the same thing here. Lord, for your name's sake, our backslidings are many, but Lord, for your name's sake, would you heal, would you forgive, would you restore our land? And God's response is, no. You've not restrained yourself. You've not repented. You've not turned. They're counting on, they're calling upon God to have grace. Grace.

Save us, Lord, like you did before for your name's sake, even though we've not repented. They're crying out now, not because of their sin, but they're crying out because of the consequences of their sin. They're experiencing the consequences, the results of rebelling against God. And so they're crying out to God, Lord, according to your name's sake. But it's not with repentant hearts. They're crying out because of the consequences. And they say, Lord, you've been distant. Why should you be like a stranger?

Why have you withheld yourself from us? But he explains, you've not restrained your feet. You've loved to wander. You've been playing around. You've not been faithful to me. You've been in rebellion against me. When the young lads went to get water from the cisterns, it says that they were ashamed and confounded. They were confused. Why isn't there water? They were ashamed that they had no water, but they were not ashamed of their sin. And so God is dealing with this people today.

It's very difficult what God is doing here, what God has to do because of their stubborn hearts and their rebellion against Him. In fact, God has to tell Jeremiah not to pray for them. Look at verse 11. He says,

When they fast, I will not hear their cry. And when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them, but I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by pestilence. God says, Jeremiah, don't pray for them. They've gone too far. They've set their course and they're going to experience the consequences for their life of rebellion against me. I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. Jeremiah says,

Don't ask me to change that. Jeremiah, don't pray for them for good. They're going to experience the drought. They're going to experience pestilence. They're going to experience the sword. They are going to face the consequences. God pronounces His judgment upon them. He's going to bring it. Now, well, I'll get to that a little bit later. Let's look at verse 13. Jeremiah says, Then I said, Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them,

You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place. So Jeremiah, he's a little bit confused. He's, well, he's wrestling with this. He says, look, Lord, this is what you're saying to me. This is what I've been pronouncing. But Lord, the prophets say to them,

There's these other prophets there in Judah, Lord, and they're saying, you're not going to have famine. And I'm going to give you peace. They're saying that God is going to give them peace. They're saying that

That they're not going to see the sword. Lord, this is what the prophets are saying. And I get the sense that Jeremiah here, he's conflicted. He's got this struggle. First of all, he's in a difficult position. He's very uncomfortable. He's experiencing the drought just like everybody else. He's being persecuted, as we'll see in a few moments. And there's these other people that are contradicting him.

Every time he speaks. And coming against him every time that he speaks. And persecuting him. And saying the opposite. And telling the people. And the people are believing these other guys. And so Jeremiah says, Lord, this is what the prophets are saying. And here's what God says in verse 14. And the Lord said to me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name.

Verse 2.

By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. They will have no one to bury them, them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters, for I will pour their wickedness down.

God here pronounces some serious judgment upon these false prophets. Jeremiah is confused. Lord, there's these other guys, they're speaking in your name and they're saying they're not going to experience sword, they're not going to experience famine. And God says, that's because they're speaking lies. And I've not sent them. I've not spoken to them. I've not called them. They have gone forth on their own. They're speaking the deceit of their hearts.

And they're bringing forth these lies to my people and they are going to experience my judgment. They say, you're not going to experience famine or sword. And so God says, well, those prophets are going to be, well, they're going to die by famine and by sword.

They are going to be their own proof that they're false prophets. They're going to experience the very things that they're saying the people will not experience. And the people that are receiving them, the people that are listening to them, they're going to receive the same judgment. They're going to be judged because they listen to these men who are not sent by me. These men who speak lies in my name. There's a great lesson here, an incredible warning for us.

to pay attention to whom we receive from, to those who speak in the name of God. But that doesn't mean just because they say the name of God or claim the name of God, that they're sent by God and that they speak the truth of God. You know, in Acts chapter 17, it tells us that the Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians because when Paul preached, they searched the scriptures daily to find out whether or not what Paul was saying was true. And there's a

a great importance for us to verify that we receive from those who accurately present the Word of God to us. Because we will receive the judgment of those whom we follow if they are not of God. We're responsible and we're accountable for that. We can't say, well, they led me and they told me. God says, look,

I have a personal relationship with you and I gave you my word and you need to make sure that you're following me and that you're hearing from me and that you're not being led astray by those who are not of me.

Verse 17, God continues on. He says, Therefore you shall say this word to them. Let my eyes flow with tears night and day, and let them not cease. For the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow. If I go out to the field, then behold those slain with the sword. And if I enter the city, then behold those sick from famine. Yes, both prophet and priest go about in a land they do not know.

And here we see as God continues on, we see that these messages that Jeremiah is bringing forth...

are maybe not what we imagine in our heads. Sometimes when messages of judgment are brought forth, we hear them or we picture them as being brought forth in great fire and indignation, with yelling and fervency. But here we get to see God's heart. And Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet, he's the weeping prophet because he accurately represents God's heart.

God is not excited about this judgment. He's not excited about dealing with these false prophets. He doesn't get happy in punishing them and rewarding them in this way. He's torn up. He says, My eyes flow with tears night and day for the virgin daughter of my people has been broken with a mighty stroke. There's been this great blow, this great judgment that has been brought forth. And it's sorrowful. It's hurtful. It's painful.

When people rebel against God, when you and I rebel against God, it's hurtful, it's painful. It brings sorrow to Him. He does not like to deal with us in this way. He does not like to bring judgment upon a people. He's not excited about it. He's not happy about it. But He is a just and holy God and He will do what is necessary.

Well, the people now respond to the Lord, starting in verse 19. They say, Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has your soul loathed Zion? Why have you stricken us, so that there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but there was no good. And for the time of healing, and there was trouble. We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you.

Do not abhor us for your name's sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, do not break your covenant with us. Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for you since you have made all these.

Now, we can easily look at this and think, how wonderful. Now, they finally realize their eyes have finally been opened. They're finally going to get right with God. And yet we see, as we continue on in chapter 15, it's not the case. This was the heart and this was the state of the nation of Judah. The Lord was close to them on their lips, but far from their hearts.

They spoke the right things. They knew what to say. They knew how to speak. They were fluent in Christianese. But they really... Well, they didn't seek after God. And they did not have hearts that were right with God. They call out and they say, Lord...

Are you going to cast us off forever? And have you loathed Zion? This is the place where you've put your name. Why is it that you've stricken us so that there's no healing? And we've been looking for peace. We've been looking for you to do this work. And instead there was trouble. God, we acknowledge our wickedness. We acknowledge our wickedness. We acknowledge the iniquity of our fathers. Lord, we've sinned against you.

Now, us looking on, we can think, yeah, right on. They acknowledge their sin. Great. That's really good. But we also need to understand that it's not enough. Now, I can imagine some conflict maybe going on. You might be running 1 John 1.9 through your head and saying, if we confess our sin, He's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Absolutely true. The Scripture does not lie. It is the truth. We confess our sin to God.

Confess it means to agree with God or to acknowledge our sin before God. But we need to understand, it's not enough to acknowledge your sin, but you need to turn from it. We'll go on in chapter 15 as it continues on. It's not a separate prophecy or a separate day. It continues on. It says at the end of verse 7, they do not return from their ways. In verse 6, he says that they've gone backwards.

So that God is weary of relenting. They're saying all the right things, but they don't mean it. And the proof is that they don't turn back to God. They're saying, we acknowledge our sin to you, but they're not returning to God. They're not turning from their sin. And so they're calling out to Him, don't abhor us for Your name's sake. It sounds righteous. It sounds beautiful. It sounds great. But it's not the true state of their hearts. They were in full-on hypocrisy.

at this time, as much of their nation was. They were going to the temple. They were offering sacrifices. They're praying. From the outward, we could think, man, they've really gotten right with God. They've really got it going on. And these are so important lessons for us to consider because it's very easy for us to do the same exact thing. For us to go through the motions and speak the right words and say the right things and have this appearance of

Being right with God and being where God wants us to be and being in the right heart and the state of mind, having the right attitude, it's very easy for us to put on the show when in reality we're far from Him. Well, we continue on in chapter 15, verse 1, Then the Lord said to me, Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me, my mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of my sight and let them go forth.

And it shall be if they say to you, Where should we go? Then you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord, Such as for death to death, and such as for the sword to the sword, and such as are for the famine to the famine, and such as are for the captivity to the captivity. And I will point over them four forms of destruction, says the Lord, the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem. And so we find here, God continues on and says, look, He's showing, painting a picture of the state of the nation at this point. He says, look, even if Moses and Samuel stood before me, my mind would not be favorable toward this people.

We can easily go back into the book of Exodus and remember how Moses stood before God and interceded on behalf of the people. He stood in the gap as it were. He stood there and he interceded and he said, God, don't judge them. Don't destroy them and wipe them out completely. And God allowed Moses to be a part of his work in relenting and showing grace and mercy to the nation that deserved to be judged.

when they rebelled against him. But Moses interceded on their behalf. The prophet Samuel, it says throughout his ministry there in the book of 1 Samuel, that he ministered, he prayed for them. And when they asked for a king and it wasn't right, and then they realized it wasn't right, and they said, oh my goodness, what have we done?

Well, please continue to pray for us. And Samuel said, Oh, heaven forbid that I would cease to pray for you. Of course, I'm going to continue to pray for you. He interceded on behalf of the people, even though they've done great wickedness. And so God gives these examples of these great prominent men who interceded before him. And God has not brought forth the judgment that he promised he was going to bring. And he says, even if they stood before me.

Even if Moses and Samuel were here, this people is in such a state that I would not relent. I wouldn't change. I wouldn't hear them. And it wouldn't cause me to look favorable toward this people. Let them go. They've chosen the path. They're on the path. They're going to experience the consequences for their sin. They're going to experience the judgment. They're going to reap what they have sown. He says, I'll hand them over.

to trouble in all kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh did. Manasseh was a very wicked king in the nation of Judah. You can read about him in 2 Kings as well as 2 Chronicles. A wicked king set them on a course. Well, the course that they're on now. They were already on that course, but he really helped them further along in rebellion against God.

And they've not turned back. They've not changed. And so they've been on this course away from the Lord. They've been walking away from God. And God says, let them go. They're going to go on and they're going to experience the repercussions for rebelling against me. Verse 5. Verse 6.

Verse 6,

Verse 2.

God says, look, this is the judgment that I'm bringing and this is why I am bringing it. He says, look, nobody's going to have pity on you. No one's going to mourn for you. Why? Because you've forsaken me, says the Lord.

You see, although they've said all these wonderful and flowery and perfect and pretty things just before, they have forsaken the Lord. They've not turned back to the Lord. Now, he just talked about Manasseh in verse 4. The interesting thing about Manasseh is that at the end of Manasseh's life, although he did such great wickedness and he led the people in just horrendous things, Manasseh himself, as a person, turned and got right with God.

At the end of his life. He got right with God. God's pronouncement here is on the nation. But there's still opportunities like there was for Manasseh for them to be forgiven. They're going to experience the consequences of their sin. They're still going to experience the judgment. But they can still be forgiven and get right with God. Manasseh still experienced the consequences of his sin. But he got right with the Lord. He humbled himself. He repented.

The nation didn't follow His example, unfortunately, and so they continue to be the state. But as we look at these things, I point it out so that we can know that it's all beyond hope and, oh my goodness, I'm experiencing the consequences of my sins and I might as well just keep on living that way. No, the point is not don't ask for forgiveness and don't turn to the Lord. The point is do it, but do it right. Don't just say the words, get right with God.

Turn back to the Lord. Surrender yourself to Him. Live for Him. There's an opportunity. Yes, you're still going to experience the consequences, but you can still be forgiven. There's still hope for you. This nation, though, has forsaken me, says the Lord. And they've gone backwards. Instead of going forwards, instead of getting right with God, they've ran away from God. They've continued in that path. And so God says, therefore, I'm going to stretch out my hand and they're going to be destroyed.

Again, in verse 7 at the end, he says, since they do not return from their ways. The reason why this judgment is coming is because they do not return. They said, we acknowledge, oh Lord, I've sinned. But they do not return. They don't repent. They don't stop their sinful lifestyles. They don't stop their rebellion against God.

And so he paints this picture again. The widows are going to be increased. There's going to be a great number of widows because all of the husbands are going to be put to death as a result of the wars and the famines and the things that will take place. The mother even who has seven sons, that would be a glorious honor, a great position for a woman to be in in those days, but she's breathed her last. Her sons weren't able to save her. No one is going to escape. She's been ashamed and confounded.

God says, I'm going to deliver them to the sword. This is the state of the nation about to receive the judgment of God. As we go on now, Jeremiah begins to lament and mourn his own condition of being born. In verse 10 he says, Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth. I have neither lent for interest nor have men lent to me for interest.

And every one of them curses me. Jeremiah, as we've often said, has a very difficult ministry. Pronouncing God's word, pronouncing God's judgment to a people that won't receive it, but he wishes they would. He loves his nation. He loves his people. He pronounces the judgment. They don't listen. He begins to see it fulfilled. How difficult it must have been for him to fulfill this ministry.

He's seeing the drought. He's seeing the consequences. He's seeing that God's word is being fulfilled. And he says, woe is me. Man, I wish I hadn't been born is basically what he's saying. He says, look, I haven't lent money. I haven't had other people or I haven't borrowed from other people. But still everyone hates me. You know, loaning money can sometimes cause people to hate you because then every time they see you, they're like, oh my goodness, I can't be. I'm going to avoid them.

borrowing money from people, well, that causes the same thing. And so he says, look, I haven't done any of this to encourage anybody to curse me or hate me, but everybody does because of the ministry that he was called to. And so God begins now to encourage him a little bit. He says, then the Lord said in verse 11, surely it will be well with your remnant. Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you in the time of adversity and in the time of affliction. God says, look, Jeremiah,

I'm pronouncing all this judgment, but there's going to be a remnant. And it will be well with your remnant. Now, a remnant is a small portion of people that are left. There's always a remnant. You remember when Elijah was all, you know, pouting and thinking he's the only one left and they're trying to kill him. And God says, look, I still have 7,000 who haven't bowed their knee to Baal.

They haven't worshipped idols. There was a remnant that were true to God, that were right with God. God is telling Jeremiah the same thing. It's going to be well with the remnant. There's a few who are right with me, Jeremiah. There's a few who are left. And there's always a remnant. God has his remnant there in the nation of Israel. And so he says, I'm going to cause the enemy to intercede with you. And we'll see this in Jeremiah chapter 40 when Nebuchadnezzar conquers and he sends his captain in,

They deal kindly with Jeremiah because they heard about what Jeremiah was doing and the message that Jeremiah was bringing forth and obedience to the Lord. And they dealt kindly with Jeremiah. They gave him the flexibility. Hey, you can come with us to Babylon. You can hang out here. You can do whatever you want, Jeremiah. You're free.

They set him free. He says, I'm going to cause the enemy to intercede with you in the time of adversity, in the time of affliction. So God's reassuring him, listen Jeremiah, I know it's tough, I know it's difficult, but I'm going to take care of you. There's going to be a remnant. I'm going to take care of them. I'm going to provide for them. Verse 12, can anyone break iron, the northern iron and the bronze? Can you break iron? No. God says, look, nobody can undo what I'm doing.

Jeremiah, the remnant's going to be taken care of. I'm going to do it. Nobody can break that. The judgment's coming on those who have been rebellious and those who have not turned to me. Nobody can stop that.

Verse 13. Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder without price because of all your sins throughout your territories. And I will make you cross over with your enemies into a land which you do not know for a fire is kindled in my anger which shall burn upon you. God says, look, this is established. Just like you can't break iron, you can't break bronze. This is established. It's going to happen.

The people, the nation of Judah, the city of Jerusalem, those who are left, those who survive the sword and the famine, those who survive these things, they're going to be carried away captive. They're going to be taken to the nation of Babylon, as we'll see later on in Israel's history or Judah's history.

Now we continue on and Jeremiah continues to cry out to the Lord. He says, O Lord, verse 15, you know, remember me and visit me and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for your sake I have suffered rebuke. Your words were found and I ate them and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. For I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts.

I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I rejoice. I sat alone because of your hand, for you have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will you surely be to me like an unreliable stream as waters that fail? And here we get this picture of Jeremiah. We get this understanding and insight into what he's going through.

He is in great agony. This is difficult for him. What God has called him to do is painful and difficult and hard. And so he says to the Lord, Lord, remember me and visit me. Lord, you take care of those who persecute me. Because, Lord, I've been faithful to you. Lord, for your sake I've suffered rebuke.

Because I've been faithful to do what you've called me to do, I've suffered. I've experienced persecution. He says, look, your words were found and I ate them. I consumed them. I devoured your word. I took pleasure. Your word was joy and rejoicing of my heart. I valued your word. I held to it. I'm called by your name. He says, look, I didn't sit in the assembly of the mockers. I didn't participate with them in worship.

their rebellion and their mockery. I didn't practice that. I sat alone because of your hand because I believed you and I held to your word. And so he asked the question, why is my pain perpetual? And why is my wound incurable? Why does it hurt so much? Why is it so difficult? And why is it so hard? Now, as I'm reading these things and as we go on into the next portion, I get the sense here, I would suggest that it's possible that Jeremiah

was attempting to or had quit the ministry because it was too hard and too difficult. You know, going back into chapter 14, God's pronouncing these things about the drought and everything. God's going back and forth to Jeremiah and then Jeremiah says in verse 13, but Lord, the prophets, you know, the other guys, they're saying these things

And I get the sense here that Jeremiah, he's confused and he's conflicted and these other guys are contrary to him and against him and persecuting him and the people are believing those prophets. He's the only one saying these things. And so now he's beginning to doubt and wonder, man, did I really hear from the Lord? Is this really what God told me to do? Am I crazy? Am I just totally out of it? What's happening?

And then here he is calling out to God, Lord, remember me and visit me. I mean, I'm going through so much here. There's so much difficulty and people have come against me. And why has it hurt so bad? And why has it been so long? And it just continues to drag on. I didn't go participate in sin and I didn't hang out with those who were mocking you. I was faithful to you and I enjoyed your word and I held fast to it. Lord, you can see Jeremiah here. He's wrestling. He's

With great difficulty he's facing these things. God tells him in verse 19, Therefore thus says the Lord, If you return, then I will bring you back. You shall stand before me if you take out the precious from the vile. You shall be as my mouth. Let them return to you, but you must not return to them. And see, here's where I suggest that Jeremiah, well, he's either...

Quit the ministry or he's really wanting to in a place where he's like, I'm done. I'm just done. It's just too hard to follow the Lord. It's too difficult to be obedient. And God says, look, if you return, I will bring you back. If you return, Jeremiah, if you go back to where I called you, I will bring you back. Sometimes because situations that we face are so difficult, we run.

We've seen this throughout the scriptures. We have some good examples of those who have run and tried to get out of what God had called them to. Some who even blew it really bad. You know, we often think of Peter, denied the Lord, and then Jesus told him ahead of time, you know, this is going to happen. Satan's going to sift you like wheat. But when you return, then strengthen the brethren. There's a sign that you'll see from time to time. God allows U-turns. It's true.

God says, look, if you return, I'll bring you back. It's not too late to go back and do what God has called you to do. He tells Jeremiah, here's what you take out the precious from the vial and you shall be as my mouth. Get rid of the junk, Jeremiah, and hold on to that which is true. Hold on to my word. Hold on to what I've given you. And then he goes on in verse 20 and 21.

To share with him some encouraging words, he says, And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall. And they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.

Here God says to Jeremiah, look, return to me. I'll return to you. I'll bring you back. I'm going to establish you. You're going to be like a bronze wall and they're going to try to fight against you, but they're not going to be successful. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to deliver you. I'm going to redeem you, Jeremiah. Go back and do what I've called you to do. Go back and resume that role and fulfill the calling that I've placed in your life.

Because I'm with you and I'm on your side. Now turn with me please to Jeremiah chapter 1 and we'll wrap this up here in Jeremiah chapter 1. In Jeremiah chapter 1 we have the calling or the commissioning of Jeremiah. And very early on, you know, God says, I knew you before you even formed in the womb. And he tells Jeremiah, hey, don't say I'm just a youth.

Look, I made you, I formed you, and you're going to go to whom I send you to. You're going to say the things that I tell you to say. God calls Jeremiah here in chapter 1. He sends him forth and he gives him a promise in verse 18 and 19 of chapter 1. Verse 18 of Jeremiah chapter 1 says, For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land.

Verse 19, they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you. You see there in Jeremiah chapter 15, God repeats the same promise that he'd given to him in Jeremiah chapter 1. When he first called him, he gave him this promise. He says, you're going to be like a wall, bronze wall. I'm going to fight against those who fight against you. I'm going to protect you and deliver you. They're not going to prevail against

And here God once again gives him that same promise. Jeremiah, I'm going to make you like a wall. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to preserve you. And they're not going to be successful in their attacks against you. I'm going to redeem you and deliver you. See, it's not too late to go back and do what God has called you to do. It's very easy to duck out of our responsibilities, to jump out of the role that God called us to when things get tough and difficult.

Jeremiah had a difficult ministry. And you know what God has called you to? It's not easy. The Christian life is not easy. It's not a cakewalk. It's a battle. It's a war. It's fierce. In our families, God has called us to take a stand and to be righteous. He's called us to live uprightly and to be dedicated to Him and preserved for Him. He's called us to live according to His Word.

And in the family situation, in the context of the family, that is tough. That is difficult. It's painful. It's hurtful. There's persecution. There's opposition. It's tough. But God says, look, if you return, I'll bring you back. Look, it's not too late to be the husband that I've called you to be. It's not too late to be the wife that I've called you to be. It's not too late to be the parent that I've called you to be. It's not too late to be God.

and to fulfill your role in the family that I've given to you. It's not too late. Return. It's tough, but listen, I'm going to be with you. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to set you up as a wall. You're being obedient to me. You're going forth and doing my word. I'm going to preserve you and deliver you and redeem you. You be faithful. Return, and I'll bring you back. Maybe you've quit trying to be in your family what God has called you to be because it's too tough. God says, I want you to return.

Come back and I'll establish you. Or maybe it's in the workplace. It's tough in the workplace to be a man or a woman of integrity, to be a servant of all, to have the character and nature of Christ, to be the light that shines in a dark place. It's tough to not compromise, to not laugh at the jokes, to not participate in the wickedness and the gossip and the slander and all the things that go on. It's tough. It's difficult. Perhaps it's painful. Maybe there's opposition.

Maybe you've quit. Maybe you've kind of like, well, you know, I just don't have to shine so brightly. I just don't have to stand out so much. I'll just step back a little bit. And God says, look, if you return, I'll bring you back and I'll establish you and I'll take care of you. And yes, it's tough. And yes, it's difficult. And yes, it's hard. But I'm going to be with you and I'm going to fight against those who fight against you.

Of course, and then it happens. People begin to fight against us. And we say, Lord, you're not fighting against them. You need to trust him. You need to have faith. You need to believe in him and his word. He will defend you. He'll take care of you. He's in control. Let him fight those battles. Whether it's in the family, whether it's in the workplace, whether it's in the ministry, whether it's in a Bible study, wherever God has called you, it's not too late to go back and do what God has called you to do.

So I want to encourage you this evening as the worship team comes up and leads us in this song. I want to encourage you to take some time and consider. Ask the Lord, Lord, have I stepped back? Have I removed myself from the role that you've called me because of difficulties or pain or hardship? Have I not been the man or woman that you've called me to be? And as you reflect on that, as you seek the Lord on that, take some time. And if you've moved, if you've held back, if you...

Need to? God says return. And I will bring you back. Let's worship the Lord together.