JEREMIAH 19-202009 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Jeremiah 19-20

Would you turn with me please to Jeremiah chapter 19. Jeremiah chapter 19 this evening as we continue our study.

through the book of Jeremiah. Here in the middle of the book, we've been looking at Jeremiah and the prophecies that he's bringing forth to the nation of Judah. And the nation of Judah was a nation that was in constant rebellion against God. And the interesting thing about that, or the ironic thing about that, is the nation of Judah, well...

The nation of Judah had been given so much by God. They'd been established by God. He'd done miracles to establish them, to deliver them from Egypt. He'd done miracles in establishing them there in the land of Israel. And he blessed them abundantly.

He had given them His Word. He had placed the temple there in their midst. So they had the presence of God. They had the worship of God. They had the Word of God. They had all of these things going for them. And yet they were in constant rebellion to God.

And they constantly set aside what He said and followed what it is that they wanted to do. Instead of seeking after and responding to what God had directed them, they rebelled against what He had said and followed their own thoughts, their own desires, and their own wants. They pursued the things that they wanted to pursue. And so God has been warning them.

about the destruction that is coming as a result of their sin. He's been warning them about the judgment that is coming as a result of their rebellion against God. Because sin always brings destruction. Sin always brings devastation. The consequences of sin are terrible. And that's why God says, stay away from sin.

Now, we, like the nation of Judah, can fight against that. And we can follow our own hearts, and we can do what we think is right, and we can follow what other people say, but the reality is that God is God.

And whether we like it or not, He is the one who is God. And He is the one who has set the standards. And He is the one who has made a way of salvation for us. He is the one who has made the way of right living. He is the one who set the standard for us.

And He has set the standard because He loves us and wants what's best for us. He says, I don't want you to practice sin. I don't want you to live in this sinful condition because that will destroy your life.

And we can try to fight that and we can try to outsmart God and try to get away with the things that we want to do and the things that we want to pursue and still be blessed and still say, hey, I'm a Christian or I'm saved. But the reality is that the wages of sin is death. And it brings death. It brings devastation.

And that's why God says, don't do it. Now we saw last week how the nation of Judah, when they heard what God said, that they should follow Him and that they should turn to Him with all their hearts, they said, oh, that's hopeless. We can't do that. We're going to do what we want to do.

And I pray for us this evening that we would not have that heart because as we see in Jeremiah this evening, the wages of sin is death. And there is destruction, certain destruction that comes when we rebel against God and do not pay attention to what He has called us to do and the way that He has called us to live.

Well, God speaks to Jeremiah again this evening, and we pick it up here in verse 1 of chapter 19. He says, Thus says the Lord, Go and get a potter's earthen flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the potsherd gate, and proclaim there the words that I will tell you.

Now last week we saw God told Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house. And God said, there I want to speak to you. I want to share some words with you.

And I mentioned that it's important for us, the primary way that God speaks to us is through His Word, but we should also look for those times that God wants to send us to the potter's house or to the grocery store or out to weed the garden. And through those things, God often will bring some illustrations for us and bring some clarity in those things that He wants to speak to us.

But this evening we see a little bit differently. God says, I want you to take some elders, elders of the people, some elders of the priests, go out to this particular valley, go out to this particular gate, and there you're going to proclaim the things that I will show you. And I want to take that opportunity, or take this opportunity to share with you, not only do we need to look for those opportunities where God wants to speak to us,

As we go about our business, as we're living our lives in this world, as we're in the workplace or at school or in between or at the gas station, there's opportunities that God wants to use situations to speak to us. And yet here we also find and we see that God wants to send us places not only to speak to us but to speak through us.

And I want to encourage you to be looking out for those opportunities that God wants to use you. Those, you know, happen chance meetings. You just happen to bump into someone that you haven't seen for a long time or you just get to meet someone that seems interesting and you strike up a conversation for some reason. And those things are not by chance, but God sends us out.

Now the valley that God was sending him to was the valley of the son of Hinnom. And it's not really that significant, but the valley was down at the southern parts of the city of Jerusalem.

And that valley was where they would throw all of their trash. In those days, you know, they didn't have waste management to come by with their trucks and pick up their trash. And so they would basically set a side of the city, a city wall, and everybody would go there and they would dump their trash. They would go out the gate and dump their trash in the valley. It was kind of like the community dump there. And that's what the valley of Hinnom was. Well, there was also this gate...

It's called the potsherd gate. That's where God tells them to go. It's also known as other things in different passages and at different times in Israel's history. Sometimes it's called the dung gate because that's where they took out the trash. That's where all of the rubbish was. It was in this place that Jesus referred to when he talked about Gehenna.

Gehenna is a Greek way of pronouncing Hinnom, which is that valley there on the south part of Jerusalem. And so it was there that the garbage would be. There would be fires burning continually. They would burn the garbage there in the valley in order to dispose of it. It's how they dealt with it and got rid of it. And so God sends Jeremiah with the elders to this place, to this location.

Because not only did they burn the garbage there, and not only did those types of things happen, but there was some very wicked, idolatrous worship that would happen in that location as well. And we'll see that in just a few moments. But here's the message God begins to say to them in verse 3. He gets them there to that valley, He gets them there to that gate, and He says, "'Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem!'

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring such a catastrophe on this place that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle. His ears will tingle. Are you ready for your ears to tingle a little bit this evening? God says, I'm going to tell you about this destruction that's coming. And the destruction that is coming is going to be so great that whoever hears about this destruction...

As they walk by in years to come and they see the devastation or they hear about from a long distance away, they get the report of what happened there in the city of Jerusalem. It will cause their ears to tingle. As a result of their rebellion against God.

Because they refused to turn to God and submit to God. This great catastrophe was coming upon them. Now remember, when God pronounces judgment, it's always an opportunity

He pronounces judgment so that we have the opportunity to get right with Him. And so once again, He's speaking to the elders of the people and the elders of the priests and He's showing them this valley. He's showing them this scenario so that they have an opportunity to get right. So that they have an opportunity to turn back and be reconciled to God if they do not repent.

The catastrophe will be so great that the people who hear about it, their ears will tingle. Now, as we look in just a few verses here, it causes my ears to tingle considering what they did in that valley in worshiping their false gods. And so it's fitting that my ears tingle at the destruction. It's fitting that...

for their destruction to match the practices that were going on there in the valley. Well, what were those practices? Look at verse 4. He says, Because they have forsaken me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of

of innocence. Now, up to this point, we could kind of wonder, well, what's the big deal here? Because they've forsaken me, God says. Now, we understand that's a big deal. That's important. They forsook God. They turned away from God.

And so we can understand, yes, that's wrong. What they did was wrong. But is that worthy of such a destruction that makes their ears tingle or makes our ears tingle? Well, yes it is, but in our minds, it doesn't seem so bad. They burned incense. You mean like the thing and they just put the little thing in the other thing and they lit it and there was this aroma?

I mean, come on, what's the big deal here? What's the devastation? And see what happens with sin is that's how we begin to work. We begin to rationalize and we think, what's the big deal? So I forsake God a little bit. So I burn a little bit of incense. So I practice this sin. Or so I participate in these things. And it's not a big deal. But the reality was, well, those things led to worse things.

And it led to greater wickedness. Look at what they begin to do in verse 5. They have also built the high places of Baal to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into my mind. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter.

So here's what their idolatrous practices had led them into. Not just burning some incense and making aromas, but it actually had led them to burn their children in the worship of this god Baal. Now, this should cause our ears to tingle. It's pretty radical what they were doing. They would have this idol that was made out of metal and the idol would...

have its hands stretched out like this and they would set it on a fire and they would heat up this metal idol. And then they would place their babies on this idol as it was heated up and scorch their babies to death. This is what they did in worshipping false gods.

I don't know about you, but that causes my ears to tingle just to try to... I try not to imagine it. I try not to picture it because it's not a picture that I want in my head. And yet this is what the people of God were practicing. This is what the nation of Judah who God had revealed Himself to and where He had placed the temple and put His presence, this is what they were practicing. You see, the judgment that they're about to receive, it's fully...

They had gone so far in rebelling against God that they were burning their own children on these altars as offerings to this false god Baal. And so God says, therefore, the days are coming. This valley is not going to be called the valley of the son of Hinnom anymore. This location, Tophet, which is in the valley, it's not going to be called that anymore. This is going to be called the valley of slaughter.

There's going to be a massive devastation upon this place, God says, because of these practices, because of what these people are doing. My people, God says, are going to be destroyed. Look at verse 7. He says, And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place.

And I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those who seek their lives. Their corpses I will give as meat for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. I will make this city desolate and a hissing. Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of its plagues.

And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. And everyone shall eat the flesh of his friend in the siege and in desperation with which their enemies and those who seek their lives shall drive them to despair. God says, here's the destruction that is coming. And it causes my ears to tingle once again. He says, I'm going to make void the counsel of Judah.

You see, they're thinking, we can continue to practice this. God has been merciful and gracious in giving them opportunities to repent, opportunities to stop the wickedness. He's been merciful and gracious in protecting them up to this point. And yet they refuse to turn away from these horrible practices. These things are destroying them. They're destroying their lives. They're destroying their nation. And yet they refuse to turn from them.

They're thinking, we can figure it out. We're going to work it out. There's going to be a way. We're going to be able to withstand the nation of Babylon. They're not going to conquer us. We've got wise men here. And we've got the priests. And they can do these things and offer these sacrifices. And they think, we've got it all figured out. We're going to be able to escape. But God says, I'm going to make void the counsel of Judah.

The wisest people in your nation, He says, their counsel is going to be no good. It's not going to work. You know, we cannot fight against God. We cannot outsmart Him. We cannot outwit Him. We don't have more wisdom than He does. He is infinitely superior to us in wisdom and knowledge. And God says, Hey, you are not to...

practice fornication. And some think, well, we can. See, okay, I've got it figured out. Well, we can do this and then we can repent afterwards and there's grace and so we can still be saved, we can still be Christians and we can still practice sin. Or God says, hey, you are not to be consumed with the love of money. You're not to be consumed with greed. And we think, okay, but wait, okay, wait. Again, there's grace and I can tithe off of it and I can give to missions.

And so I can pursue these things and we think we can outsmart God. There's these areas in our lives that He says, I need you to let go of this. This is not good for you. It's bad for you. And we say, hmm, well, here's what I'm going to do, God. I'm going to keep doing this. But what I'm also going to do is I'm going to start serving in children's ministry.

And so I'm going to kind of like counteract this thing that I'm doing over here. I'm going to balance it out with, I'm going to give you a little bit extra, God. And we try to outsmart God. We try to outwit and think, well, yeah, I can have a few drinks and I'm not going to suffer any consequences. God says, look, I'm going to make void the counsel of Judah. You think you can outsmart, you think you got it all figured out, you think you can escape the judgment of

that comes, the consequences of your sin, God says, I'm not going to allow it. The counsel of Judah is going to be void. They're going to fall before their enemies. There's going to be death. Why? Because the wages of sin is death.

And so he says, I'm going to make this city desolate. But then in verse 9, it gets a little bit gross. And here's where it makes my ears really begin to tingle. He says, I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters. Now the practices of that day, the war practices were, they didn't have, you know, enemy fighters coming in and artillery. They didn't have, you know, bombers that they could fly over. The way that Babylon conquered the city of Jerusalem was they camped around outside of it.

You know, why go bang your head against the wall? You can just camp around outside of it, wait for all their resources to run out, and then they'll surrender. Let's go camping for a couple of years, is essentially what Babylon is saying. Why fight? Why do all that work? And so they would just cut them off. They would lay siege to them. And they would run out of supplies. And in their desperation, here's what they began to do. They began to eat their sons and their daughters, their friends, their relatives.

begin to look at one another. I get the picture in my head, you know, like the Bugs Bunny cartoons, and they're on the desert island, and then, you know, they look at each other, and there's like a big drumstick, and chasing each other around, and that's the desperation, that's the level, and it's funny for us in that, but to just step for a moment into that reality, that's pretty devastating, and causes my ears to tingle. To understand that

These prophecies that we're reading about, they're not just words, they're not just, you know, hyperbole, they're not just, you know, exaggeration. This is what happened. This is what happened to the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. The people became desperate. Some of them ate their sons and daughters to survive. Some of them ate their friends to survive. Because they refused to turn from their sin.

Last week we talked about surrender. And again, it's easy to talk about surrender. But this evening, the Lord's just been challenging me, challenging us. Will you really surrender when it comes to those areas of sin in your life? When it comes to those areas where God has said, this is not something you're to participate in. Listen, this sin will bring destruction. The consequences of sin are devastating. And the wages of sin is death. Will you surrender? Will you turn from those things? Because if not,

those things will bring destruction into your life. You will reap what you sow. God cannot be mocked. And if you sow to the things of wickedness, and if you sow to the things that God has said, this is not what you're to be involved in, then you will reap the consequences for that. But if you sow to the Spirit, if you sow to the things of God, and you invest yourself in the things of God,

Then you'll be blessed. You'll reap the fruit of that. Now, Jeremiah reaps some fruits and we'll get into that in chapter 20 in a few moments. But the fruit that we're looking for is not just here on this earth, but we're looking for the fruit that endures in eternity. The reward that will be awaiting for us in heaven. And so we're looking ahead. We're looking to the future. And as a result, we're willing then...

to turn from those things which we're holding on to and that God says you need to let that go. Understand that we reap what we sow. And you can't outsmart God. You can't outwit God. You can't outstrengthen yourself against God. You cannot get away with it. We reap what we sow. Verse 10, Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you. So that was the message that God told Jeremiah to give to those elders.

So they're out there, they're at the valley, they're at the gate. They're at that place where this horrible, idolatrous practice was going on. People offering their children, and God says, look, this is the devastation that's coming as a result of that. And then God tells Jeremiah, now you need to break the flask, that flask.

That earthen flask, that piece of pottery that I told you to take, now there in the valley you're to break it. And say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts, even so will I break this people in this city as one breaks a potter's vessel which cannot be made whole again. And they shall bury them in Topheth till there is no place to bury. Thus I will do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants and make this city like Topheth.

And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be defiled like the place of Topheth, because of all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the hosts of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods. God says, here's what you're to say to them. You're to break this pot and then you're to say, just like this pot has been broken, just like this piece of pottery is now shattered,

He says, My people, this nation, will be shattered and it will not be made whole again.

Just like, you know, if you break a piece of pottery, you can try really hard to put it all back together. And you can take the thousand pieces and a little bit of super glue and try to piece back each individual piece. But even if you succeed in doing so, there's still those pieces that are missing and those tiny shards that you cannot find. And it just, as hard as you try, it really cannot be made whole again.

And that's what God is saying. This nation, later on, He's going to restore them. He's going to do a new work after they're carried away captive and spend some time in captivity. He's going to do a new work. But the consequences of their sin are devastating and complete and the people will never be the same again. They will never be the same because of the consequences of their sin. The nation is going to be shattered.

as a result of their rebellion against God. They insisted on worshipping those other gods. They insisted. Now, keep in mind that through all of this, they're still going to the temple, they're still offering the sacrifices, they're still practicing Judaism, which is what they were supposed to be doing. But the problem was that they were just going through the motions on the outside.

And what God really desired and what He still desires today is a relationship with us. It doesn't matter, you know, we can't get away with practicing sin, living in rebellion against God, but still going through the motions at church. It just doesn't work. It doesn't wash away the rest of our life. Wednesday evening, Sunday morning, you know, doesn't erase Monday and Tuesday and Thursday and Friday and Saturday. How we live...

is important. And God is seeking those who are devoted to Him, who are surrendered to Him, those who walk in relationship with Him, not just going through religious rituals, but those who really know Him, those who have allowed Him to reveal Himself to them. God is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. And the nation of Judah refused

They said, hey, we're fine. We'll do the sacrifices. We'll go through the rituals. We'll go to church. But we're also going to do these other things. And we'll worship these other gods. And we're going to burn incense over here and offer our children over here. And we're going to do the things that we want to do. It's too hard just to be devoted to you, God, they would say. We want to do all of these other things as well. And so now they're beginning to experience the consequences for that sacrifice.

for that destruction, for that rebellion that they've been practicing. Verse 14, Then Jeremiah came from Tophet, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy. And he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring on this city and on all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks that they might not hear my words. God says...

Okay, Jeremiah, now go back. He was there down in the southern part of the city overlooking the valley there at that gate. Now he goes back to the temple which was in the northern part of Jerusalem.

And so he goes back into the courtyard of the temple. And there God says, now here's what I want you to say. I'm going to bring all the things upon the city that I've prophesied. I want you to pronounce this judgment because they've stiffened their necks that they might not hear my words. In essence, they went like this and said, la, la, la, la, la. They're saying we refuse to hear what God says. We don't want to hear it.

We don't want to know what He thinks. We're not going to be obedient to Him. We refuse to turn. We refuse to let these things go. We refuse, is what they said. And so God says, as a result, I'm going to allow this destruction to take place. I'm going to bring it upon the nation. All the things that I've pronounced, God said, they're going to experience because they stiffen their necks so that they do not hear My words.

They've set themselves up so that they will not hear my words. You see, what God was looking for was for them to respond. As He brings the pronouncement of judgment, there's an opportunity for them to hear His words and turn to Him. And He would relent. We saw that so clearly last week. He's looking for those who will turn to Him. You know, God's not about beating us up and kicking us around and making us feel so horrible.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But what He's calling us to do is to stop living contrary to Him, to His character, to His nature, to His Word, and to respond as He speaks to us, to respond as He shows us those areas of our lives, and to turn to Him, to turn from sin and to turn to Him, to respond to His offer of forgiveness and salvation. That's what God desires.

And that's why God brings forth and pronounces His word that we might respond. But they stiffen their necks. And so this doom is pronounced upon them because they said, we will not hear God's word.

So Jeremiah brings this message. Now as we go into verse 20, we see the response of one of the leaders. I'm sorry, chapter 20, verse 1, it says, Now Pasher, the son of Emer, the priest who is also the chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then Pasher struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the high gates of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.

And so now we see this guy, Pasher, he comes on the scene. He's an official, he's the priest and he was the chief governor of the house of the Lord. There in the temple area, he's the man, he's the boss, he's the chief governor. And he hears about Jeremiah coming into the courtyard of the temple and making this pronouncement. And so he goes up to him and he smacks him and then he puts him in prison. He says...

That is not what you ought to be saying, Jeremiah, is what the pastor is saying. You should not be talking this way. This is not right for you to be saying these things. And so he imprisons him for pronouncing what God instructed him to pronounce. You know, there will always be those who oppose the Word of God. There will always be those who are against it, who fight against the Word of God.

who threaten and intimidate and try to silence those who would speak forth the word of God, the truth of God. And so we see this here. Pasher comes against Jeremiah very strongly. Verse 3, And it happened on the next day that Pasher brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, The Lord has not called your name Pasher, but Magar Misabim.

For thus says the Lord, Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends, and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon and slay them with the sword.

Verse 2.

So we learn a little bit about Pasher here as Jeremiah responds to him.

Now, he had just finished pronouncing that God was bringing this judgment because they refused to hear his words. And we find Pasher a good illustration of this. He refuses to hear. Instead of listening and responding to what God is speaking through Jeremiah, he slaps him and imprisons him. In the same way, sometimes God wants to speak to us through those around us. And what we violently oppose...

and those who would love us enough to share with us the truth. Hasher, his name means prosperity all around. But Jeremiah tells him, that's not what God calls you. God doesn't say you're prosperous on every side or you're prosperous all around. God calls you this other name which is hard to pronounce. And what it means is fear on every side. Instead of prosperity all around you,

Here's what God calls you, Pastor. God says there's going to be fear on every side and everybody around you is going to be terrified and you're going to be freaked out wherever you go because you refuse to hear and to heed the word of God. He talks about the captivity. Now the nation of Babylon is going to come. God has been promising this for some time.

The nation of Babylon is going to lay siege to Jerusalem. It's going to conquer Jerusalem. And it's going to carry away all the survivors into the nation of Babylon where they will be captive for 70 years. And so Jeremiah says, you're going to be part of this. You're saying it's not going to happen. In fact, we find that he's a false prophet there at the end of verse 6. He says, this is going to happen to all of your friends and family to whom you have prophesied lies.

This guy was one of those false prophets who was saying, Babylon's not going to conquer us. We're going to be okay. We have the temple of the Lord. They were counting on all these things. And he prophesied these lies in the name of God, but he was not sent by God. And this was not the word of God that he had brought forth. And so Jeremiah says, all those that you prophesied lies to, all those that received your lies, instead of heeding the word of God,

They are going to experience the judgment that God said. Babylon is going to come. They're going to be carried away captive. They're going to die there in the nation of Babylon as a result of the rebellion against God. Verse 7.

Verse 9, Verse 10,

But his word was in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones. I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. For I heard many mocking, fear on every side. Report, they say, and we will report it. All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, perhaps he can be induced. Then we will prevail against him, and we will take our revenge on him.

Now the rest of the chapter is Jeremiah having a discussion with the Lord. And in this discussion, he starts out now basically explaining that he tried to quit. He tried to quit the prophetic ministry. And this is one way that you can determine if you're called into the prophetic ministry or other such types of ministries. Try to quit and see what happens. Try to get away from it and see what happens.

He says, look, God, you persuaded me. You put this upon my heart. You put this burden. You're the one who commanded me to share these things with the nation of Judah. You're the one who sent me to bring forth this message.

And so I've done it, I've brought it forth, but it's been a reproach and a derision to me daily. Every day I suffer consequences as a result of being obedient to you. Every day, God, there's those who mock me and make fun of me and abuse me. There's those who react this way towards me.

And Jeremiah says there in verse 9, even to the point where I decided I'm not going to make mention of the Lord anymore. I'm just going to be quiet. I'm not going to say anything anymore. I'm not going to talk about God. I'm not going to bring forth His messages. But he says, but His Word was in my heart like a burning fire. And it was shut up within my bones and I was weary of holding it back and I could not. It was like a fountain that couldn't be plugged up. He had to bring forth God's Word.

And sometimes, this is the way it is in life for us. You know, when we are obedient to God, when God calls us and we respond, the world around us doesn't say, Oh, how wonderful! That's so great! How good for you! And pat you on the back. No. Very often, when we decide to be obedient to God and to respond to what God puts upon our heart, everyone mocks us.

And people make fun of us. And they abuse us. They try to overcome us. He says at the end there, perhaps he can be induced, then we will prevail against him. Perhaps we can persuade him, we can talk him out of these things that people are saying of Jeremiah. Maybe we can convince him that he needs to be quiet or convince him that he needs to shut up. But Jeremiah says, I tried. I tried to hold it back. I tried, but...

God's word came forth. It was in my heart like a burning fire. I couldn't hold it back. I had to bring forth. God had called Jeremiah to a very difficult ministry in the same way that he's called us to a very difficult ministry. He's called us to reach a lost and dying world. Men love darkness rather than light, and yet we're called to be light.

We're called to shine in this darkness, in this dark world, and to share with people. Now, not shine in such a way that it's beating people up because of their wickedness, but sharing with them the truth about wickedness so that they have the opportunity to repent just as God did to the nation of Judah.

is sharing with people the love of Jesus Christ and the fact that God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us in our place, that by faith in Him, by believing in Him, we might have life in His name. But the world around us loves its darkness rather than light. God has called us to a difficult ministry, and yet it's the ministry that God has called us to. In the same way that the nation of Judah, they wanted to follow their own thing, they didn't want anything to do with God, but they couldn't escape

They couldn't get away with it. In the same way, you and I as Christians, we're called to be salt and we're called to be light. And sometimes we try to get away from that. We try to not shine so brightly. We try to not stand out so much. We don't want to rock the boat too much. But you cannot get away. You cannot escape what God has called you to be. Hey, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, God has called you to be salt and light.

He's called you to be a witness. And He's called you to reach the world around you and to share with them the love of God towards them. The truth of the Gospel. And yes, the truth of the Gospel includes the reality of sin and separation from God in hell for those who reject Jesus Christ.

But just like the nation of Judah, they didn't have to experience the devastation and destruction that awaited them if they insisted on rebelling against God. They had the opportunity to turn, to get right with God. In the same way, the message that God has given to us is one that you don't have to suffer the consequences for your sin eternally. You can be redeemed. You can be forgiven because Jesus Christ paid for it upon the cross.

God has called us to be witnesses. It's a difficult ministry, but we can't escape it. You can try to be quiet. You can try to... What you're going to end up doing is you're going to be a compromising, carnal Christian. And that's a whole other subject in itself. God has called us to this ministry. Verse 11. But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome one. So Jeremiah is saying, man, this is tough. It's difficult. They're mocking me. They're making fun of me. It's...

This ministry God's called me to is tough. Verse 11, but the Lord is with me as a mighty awesome one. And that's what we need to know. God is with me as a mighty awesome one. If you want to see God as a mighty awesome one, take a step of faith and be the witness that God has called you to be. And you'll discover, you'll find as you take that step, as you

Go forward in those things that He's called you to and put upon your heart. You'll find that God is with you as a mighty, awesome One. He says there, going on in verse 11, Therefore my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.

And so Jeremiah now goes into this moment of praise. He says, look, God is with me as a mighty awesome one. Lord, you're going to handle those who have come against me. You're going to handle, you take care of those who are fighting against you.

By fighting against me, and then he comes to this point where he says, sing to the Lord and praise the Lord. He has delivered, he has redeemed from the hand of evildoers. Praise God. He responds now in praise because it's the Lord who prevails. He remembers, yes, this is difficult what God has called me to. This is tough, but God prevails. He's a mighty awesome one. And it causes him to sing praises to God.

And yet we find this conflict within Jeremiah. He comes to this point where he can praise God because he knows that God prevails. And yet he's faced with this difficult ministry. And I love that Jeremiah allows us to see a little bit of his heart and the conflict that he goes through. Because now he goes on to say, man, this is so tough. This is so difficult. I wish I hadn't been born.

Look at verse 14. He said, Cursed be the day in which I was born. Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me.

Verse 2.

Jeremiah allows us for a moment here to see the conflict that he experiences. Here's what he knows. I know God will prevail. I know God's spoken to me. I know God's called me to this ministry. And yet it is so difficult. I tried to escape it. I tried to be quiet. I tried to just not say anything. But I couldn't. There was like this fire burning within me.

I had to be obedient to this call, but it's so difficult. And so Jeremiah in this conflict is saying, it would have been easier if I wasn't born, if I didn't have to go through this. All the while he knows God prevails, he knows what he's been called to, and it's very difficult. And we get to see this conflict and we get to know, hey, we're not the only ones. Sometimes, don't you wish...

A rapture would just happen so we wouldn't have to put up with the mess that we have to put up with. Sometimes, don't you wish that we could already be with the Lord? Do you ever wonder, God, why don't you just take me right when I accept you, right when I am born again, right when I receive the gift of salvation? Why don't you just take me then? Why allow me to go through these difficulties that I face? I mean, life is difficult.

And not only is life difficult, but ministry is difficult. The life that God called Jeremiah to as a prophet, similar to the life that he's called you and I to as disciple makers, as those who are called to be a witness, it's tough. It's very difficult. It's hard. It even hurts. I was listening recently to Pastor Dave Rolfe.

He spoke at the pastor's conference and we showed them on Sunday evenings. We're showing them each week. And a couple of weeks ago, it was his message and he was sharing about ministry. And he says, look, if ministry doesn't hurt, you're not doing it right. If ministry doesn't hurt, you're not doing it right. God has called us to reach out to this world. But we need to understand it's tough. Like Jeremiah, we're called to bring joy.

the Word of God, the truth of God, the offer of salvation to a people who love darkness rather than light. It's difficult to see people that you love and that you care for reject Jesus Christ and suffer the consequences. It's hard. It's difficult to have the truth, to share the truth and have it be rejected. To have people mock and make fun of and abuse as a result of the stand that God has called you to make.

It's tough. It's difficult. And yet, it's what God has called us to. So we see in Jeremiah this reality, this conflict. He's not committing suicide or taking his own life or anything like that. He's saying, it would just be so much easier if I didn't have to go through this. If I just had never been born, Lord, I think I would have preferred that, Jeremiah is saying. He's being honest before the Lord.

He tried to be quiet. He tried to do something different. He tried to... But he couldn't. Because God is God. And you can't outwit Him. You can't outsmart Him. You can't change His plans. You can't change His purposes. You can fight it and make yourself miserable. Or you can surrender. You can fight it or you can surrender. I don't know where you're at this evening. And I don't know what the Lord is speaking to you. What He has upon your heart and what you're struggling with. But listen...

If you're fighting with God and the whole issue of salvation, the Bible is very clear. There's salvation no other way. It's only through Jesus. And you can fight it and you can try to think there's other ways and you can try to worship other gods and you can try to do all the things that you can try to do. But the reality is there is no other way. And you may not like it, but that's the truth.

He is the way, the truth, and the life. That's Jesus Christ. That's our Lord and Savior. That's the one who gave himself for us. The one who knew no sin, who became sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Don't fight it. Surrender to him and experience the reality of the salvation that he offers. Or maybe you're like the nation of Judah and

You're going through the motions. Obviously, you're here on a Wednesday evening. You have the rituals down. You're attending church. But throughout the rest of the week and on your own time, you're just doing your own thing. You're worshiping false gods. You're living in sin. You're practicing idolatry. All the while thinking you can outwit, outsmart. All the while thinking you're not going to experience the consequences. All the while thinking you can escape. But you can't. Don't try to fight God on that.

Yeah, it's easy to say we'll surrender, but then when it comes to those desires and those things that we're so attached to, God says just let them go. And that's where we struggle. God wants you to let it go. He wants you to turn from those things because those things are destroying your life. And if you continue in them, the destruction is so great, if he were to tell you, it would cause your ears to tingle. That's why he says don't do it. Don't play around with it. Don't think you can get away with it.

Turn from sin. Turn from wickedness. Stop living that way. Or maybe you were like Jeremiah and you're trying to hold back. You know it's difficult to be a witness. Maybe you've experienced the repercussions of being a witness in the workplace. Where there's pressures at home. There's this opposition that comes against you. So you're trying not to bring forth the light.

You're trying not to bring forth the Word. You're making some compromises. You're trying to get away and think, well, I don't have to be so bold in my faith. I don't have to be so outspoken about what the Bible says. You're trying to hold back the truth and the reality of salvation through Jesus Christ alone. And again, you can't fight it. You can't run from it. This is what God has called you to. And so once again this evening, I want to ask...

that you would consider, that you would take some time to surrender to God. Whatever area God is working in your life and speaking to you, surrender to Him. Stop fighting. Stop trying to run away. Face the reality that what God says is the truth and it's what's best for you and it's what will bring satisfaction in your life and it may not be immediate like Jeremiah. It may cause some imprisonment and some difficulty. Yes, life is tough.

But as you're obedient to God, you'll find that the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome one. He'll get you through. He'll take care of you. And I'll have stored up for you an eternity, an inheritance. It's undefiled, incorruptible, and it fades not away. Let's fully devote ourselves to God. Let's surrender to Him. When it comes to salvation, when it comes to sin, when it comes to ministry, let's respond to what He says.

and not try to force our own way and bring upon us the destruction that results from that. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we close this evening, I pray that you would work in our hearts. God, help us to stop trying to run from you, to stop trying to pretend that we can do what we want and what we think and disregard what you have said. Lord, it will never work. We won't be satisfied. We won't be fulfilled.

Lord, that can only happen when we surrender to you and we receive your plan, your purposes, your forgiveness, your offer of the abundant life that you extend to us. And so, Lord, whatever area we struggle in, we ask, Lord, that you would break those bonds in the name of Jesus by the power of your Holy Spirit. Help us to turn away, God.

And Lord, as we turn away from sin, as we turn towards You, as we step forward in boldness in the ministry that You've called us to, I pray, Lord, that You would be faithful to Your Word. We know that You'll be faithful to Your Word. God, we thank You that You are faithful to Your Word, that we can know that You're with us as a mighty, awesome One. As we take this step, as we turn around, as we step out, Lord, You're with us. The God who created the universe, You're on our side.

equipping us with everything that we need to be obedient to you. Help us, Lord, to walk believing in you and believing that you are a mighty awesome one. In Jesus' name we pray. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.