But it was great. Our students leave for camp in the morning going to their
missions camp and so be praying for David and Kim and Justin and Kaylee and
all of our leaders as they go. This is always a life-changing experience for
them. They're going to North Carolina and they'll be helping the less fortunate
there in a lot of different ways and also getting a lot of inspiration and some
good time together. So pray for them as they leave in the morning for a safe
trip and an awesome week. Our mission at the Church at Argyle is to lead people
into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. That's why we're here. Our
calling is to be a church for people who don't like church. We're a very special
church. We believe that we should all connect with each other and we think the
best way to do that is in a life group that we should all serve each other and
in our church by using our gifts and our talents and also serve in our community.
We believe that we should all give generously and that we should invest in
the lives of others by investing and inviting. Today we're beginning a new
six-week series, a study in Jeremiah, Standing Tall. This is part one. There are
over 50 chapters in Jeremiah and we're just doing six weeks so this is going to
be kind of an overview of Jeremiah. Some of our life groups are also doing this
study of Jeremiah and Holmes during the week and so I've made some discussion
questions. You can download those on our website at argyle.church. You can also
pick up a copy of the discussion questions out in our welcome center. If
you're not currently in a life group, there's someone out in our welcome
center who can help you find out more information about life groups. The book of
Jeremiah is one of 39 books in the Old Testament. It's part of the scriptures
that we call the prophets. The book of Jeremiah is an account of the prophecies
that were given to the prophet Jeremiah by God beginning around 626 BC and it
went on for a period of about 40 years. The prophecies not only help us
understand what God expected of the nation Israel but also help us understand
what God expects of the hearts of every believer. Prophets who come bringing bad
news and pointing out sin can expect persecution and Jeremiah was no
exception. There's certainly a price to pay for everyone who chooses to stand tall
and those who do will be seen by some as haters and intolerant but still
Jeremiah stood tall for what is right and he is a great example to all of us of
what it means to be faithful. As Christ followers we are all called to live
holy lives fully devoted to God and to God alone but God also warns us that if
we choose to live our life in ungodly ways that there will be consequences. One
of the ways that God gets our attention when we drift away from him is to bring
people into our life like Jeremiah to speak truth into our life and I'm sad to
say that many times for whatever reason we choose to ignore their message we
don't listen to what they have to say but thankfully God is a God of grace and
mercy and he continues to call us back to him if we would only trust in the
promises of God and repent of our ways. He will forgive us and he will accept us
and we can enjoy a growing relationship with him. That's the cry of the heart of
Jeremiah. The book of Jeremiah is full of wonderful promises and full of
strong admonitions. I went through the book and compiled my picks for the top
10 verses of Jeremiah and I chose the Christian Standard Bible translation
for those so here they are. Number 10, Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 17. Now get
ready, stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Number 9,
Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 8. Do not be afraid of anyone for I will be with you
to rescue you. This is the Lord's declaration. Number 8, Jeremiah 1 verse
5. I chose you before I formed you in the womb. I set you apart before you were
born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Number 7, Jeremiah 17-5. This is
what the Lord says. Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind. He makes human
flesh his strength and his heart turns from the Lord. Number 6, Jeremiah 17-7.
The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.
Number 5, Jeremiah 10-23. I know Lord that a person's way of life is not his
own. No one who walks determines his own steps. Number 4, Jeremiah 29-13. You will
seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. Number 3,
Jeremiah 31-33. Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, the Lord's declaration. I will put my teaching
within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my
people. Number 2, Jeremiah 33-3. Call to me and I will answer you and tell you
great and incomprehensible things you do not know. And number 1, Jeremiah 29-11.
For I know the plans I have for you. This is the Lord's declaration. Plans for
your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. So the book
of Jeremiah is a recording of the prophecies that God gave to his prophet
Jeremiah. The teaching here is not just for the nation of Judah, but for all
Christians, hearts and lives for Christians today. So God is calling us
and God is warning us to live a holy life before God and before each other. And
when we choose to do things our way, God allows us to suffer the consequences for
our choices. But God also provides a way out of our bad choices through
repentance by his grace and by his mercy. This gives us hope that as his
children, even though we may be disciplined, that God has promised to
never leave us and to never forsake us. Jeremiah chapter 1 and verse 1. The
words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests living in Anatoff in
the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord came to him in the 13th year of
the reign of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah. It also came throughout the days
of Jehoicum, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the fifth month of the 11th
year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah. When the people of Jerusalem went
into exile, the word of the Lord came to me. And God said, I chose you before I
formed you in the womb. I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a
prophet to the nations. But I protested, oh no, Lord God. Jeremiah was around 20
years old when God called him to be a prophet. And you can see in verse 6 that
Jeremiah was thrilled. But I protested, oh no, Lord God. And by the way, from
personal experience, it ain't a good idea to protest when God calls you, just
saying. But why did Jeremiah hesitate when God called him? There could have been
several reasons. One, he had his own plans. We can see in verse 1 that his
father was a priest. Jeremiah 1-1. The words of Jeremiah, the son of
Heukiah, one of the priests, which meant that most likely Jeremiah was going to
be a priest also. But priests and prophets are very different from each
other. A priest's job description was more organized and arranged. It's all
written down in the law. You perform ceremonies and rituals and sacrifices.
You have a sanctuary to care for and laws to teach. All you have to do is follow
the instructions. But the work of a prophet is a whole different thing. You
never know what God is going to ask you to do next from one day to the next.
While the priest is all about maintaining order, the prophet is all about
change and shaking stuff up. The prophet would see people going in the wrong
direction and he would have to go out and gather them and get them back on the
right path. The prophet is all about changing people's hearts. In the book of
Jeremiah, the word heart is used 66 times. Jeremiah would become a prophet of
the heart, but it was a struggle for him to get to that place. It would have been
much easier for Jeremiah to have been a priest. So his first reaction was to
question God's call on his life. But I protested, oh no, Lord God. So why did
Jeremiah hesitate to follow God? He had his own plans. Secondly, obedience is not
always the easiest. These were difficult days to serve God. In fact, I'm not sure
there are really any easy days to serve God, but this was an extremely hard time.
Jeremiah was born when Manasseh was king of Judah. He was the most evil king in
the whole history of Judah. Idol worship was everywhere. This was so bad that they
even offered children as human sacrifices to these man-made idols. When
King Manasseh died, his son Amon became king and he continued the same evil
practices. Now remember, these are Israelites. These are God's chosen
people. The law of Moses was completely disregarded and disobeyed. It looked like
there was no hope for them to ever turn back to God. In 639 BC, Amon the king was
assassinated and his son Josiah became king when he was very young. And thank God
he had some godly counselors and he turned back to God. Josiah began to take
down the idols. He commanded to have the temple of God restored and rebuilt and
repaired. And it was during this time that the priest, Hillcaya, found the book
of the law in the temple and had it read to the king. Historians believe that it
was the five books of Moses which would be the first five books of
our Bible. When the king heard the law of God read, it broke his heart and he
realized how far away from God that they were and he made a covenant with the
Lord to lead his people back to God and to lead them away from idolatry.
Unfortunately, the obedience of the people was only an outward show. There was no
true repentance. There was no change of the heart. Jeremiah knew this and he
boldly announced God's message to them in chapter 3 verse 10. Yet in spite of
all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn't return to me with all her heart
only in pretense. Later on, as soon as King Josiah was killed in battle, the
people of Judah returned to worshiping idols. So why did Jeremiah hesitate to
follow God? He had his own plans. Obedience is not always the easiest.
Third, he lacked the confidence that he could do it. In verse 6, but I protested,
oh no Lord God. Look, I don't know how to speak since I'm only a youth. Jeremiah
saw all the work that needed to be done as he looked around. He saw all the evil
and wickedness going on around him and he just wasn't sure that he was the guy
for the job. And really, when you think about it, who is? The Apostle Paul
struggled with those same feelings when he asked in 2 Corinthians chapter 2,
who is adequate for these things? And then he answered his own question in
chapter 3. It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as
coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. You see, when God calls us to
do something, he didn't make a mistake. And when we hesitate or refuse to follow
or refuse to obey, it's due to a lack of faith on our part. It's one thing for us
to realize our own weakness, but we cannot let that keep us from doing what
God has asked us and called us to do. We need to learn to depend on him and to
trust in him with our whole heart. God will give us the support and the
affirmation that we need to do what he has called us to do. And he gave that to
Jeremiah. We see that in verse 5. I chose you before I formed you in the womb. I
set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. A
wise seminary professor once said, try to explain divine election and you may
lose your mind, but explain it away and you will lose your soul. There's some
things of God that are just too big for us to fully comprehend and understand.
And sometimes in our pride, we think that we have to logically be able to
understand and explain everything about God, but he is too big for us to do that.
And this is one of those things. God doesn't save us or call us or use us
because we deserve it, but in his wisdom and grace, he chooses to save us, call us
or use us. And it's all grace and nothing but his grace from the beginning to the
end. Paul said in 1st Corinthians 1510, but by the grace of God, I am what I am.
And his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any
of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Verse 5. I chose you
before I formed you in the womb. God chose Jeremiah before he was even
conceived. And he gave Jeremiah the exact specific genetic structure that he
wanted him to have. What we are is God's gift to us. And what we do with it is our
gift back to God. Verse 5. I sent you apart before you were born. To be set
apart means to have a very specific, very exact, special purpose. And God had a
plan for his life before he was even born. Verse 5. I appointed you a prophet to
the nations. A prophet is a chosen, authorized, spokesperson for God who
gives God's word to the people. They did more than just reveal the future. They
exposed what's going on today and called the people back to God. Verse 6. But I
protested. Oh no, Lord God. Look, I don't know how to speak since I am only a youth.
Then the Lord said to me, do not say I am only a youth, for you will go
to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid
of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the Lord's
declaration. God gave Jeremiah three basic instructions. Go wherever I send
you, speak whatever I tell you, and don't be afraid of anyone. And by the way, I
will always be with you. That truth should give us great courage as we
follow God and serve Him even in difficult circumstances. And that reminds
me of what Paul said in Romans chapter eight. If God is for us, who is against
us? Verse nine. Then the Lord reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me,
I have now filled your mouth with my words. You see, it's the word of God that
created the universe. It's the word of God that put everything in motion. It's
the word of God that carries out His purposes on earth, and it's the word of
God that our heart needs to hear. Jeremiah didn't do God's will by delivering
pep talks. Jeremiah didn't do God's will by delivering motivational speeches. He
didn't do God's will by delivering positive reinforcement. He didn't do
God's will by giving good advice. He faithfully shared God's word from His
heart, and then God did the rest. If God is calling you to do something, then He
will equip you to do it. Why did Jeremiah hesitate to follow God? He had his own
plans. Obedience is not always the easiest. He lacked confidence that he
could do it, and following God can be dangerous. Jeremiah's message was not a
message of good news. It was a message of judgment. His life would be in danger
because his message was unpopular. He would be misunderstood. He would be
persecuted. He would be arrested. Verse 10, See, I have appointed you today over
nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build
and to plant. Jeremiah's ministry would be difficult because he would have to
tear down before he could build. He would have to uproot before he could plant.
Some plants are taking up space and not growing fruit, so they would have to be
pulled up. Verse 11, Then the word of the Lord came to me asking, What do you see,
Jeremiah? I replied, I see a branch of an almond tree. The Lord said to me, You
have seen correctly, for I'll watch over my word to accomplish it.
In that part of the world, the almond tree was one of the first plants to bloom
after winter, and it was a sign that spring is near. This is a picture that
God's word will come true, and just like the spring will come after winter, God's
judgment is coming too. Verse 13, Again, the word of the Lord came to me asking,
What do you see? And I replied, I see a boiling pot. Its lip tilted to the north,
to the south. Then the Lord said to me, Disaster will be poured out from the
north on all who live in the land. Indeed, I'm about to summon all the clans
and kingdoms of the north. Many of the political experts thought that Jeremiah
was crazy for worrying about Babylon to the north because at that time,
Assyria and Egypt were the great powers, but both Assyria and Egypt were destroyed,
and Babylon came from the north and destroyed Jerusalem. The words of
Jeremiah were true. Verse 15, This is the Lord's declaration. They will come,
and each king will set up his throne at the entrance to Jerusalem's gates.
They will attack all her surrounding walls and all the other cities of Judah.
I will pronounce my judgments against them for all the evil they did when they
abandoned me to burn incense to other gods and to worship the works of their
own hands. The judgment that was coming on Judah was for the sin of idolatry,
worshiping gods that they had made with their own hands. And what made it even
worse in their hypocrisy, they continued to try to worship the one true God while
they worshiped their man main gods. And God cannot let that go without
consequence. And before we get too high and mighty and condemn and judge them
for their idolatry. How often do I do the same thing? How often do I put
something or someone before God in my life? I say that God is first. I say that
God is number one, but I'm not backing it up with my life. I say that God is first.
I say that God is number one, but I don't back it up with my priorities. I say that
God is number one. I say that God is first, but I don't back it up with my
spending. Why did Jeremiah hesitate to follow God? He had his own plans.
Obedience is not always the easiest. He lacked confidence that he could do it.
Following God can be dangerous. And here's what God said in verse 17. Now get
ready. Stand up. I want you standing tall and tell them everything that I commend
you. And here's God's promise in verse 19. They will fight against you, but never
prevail over you, since I am with you to rescue you. So don't hesitate. Give God
first place. And when we give him first place, we will find that everything else
in our life will fit right into its proper place.
