Lifting Up A Saint Of God

LIFTING UP A SAINT OF GOD

Jer. 38:6-13

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: CAJUN SPACE SHUTTLE

1. So Boudreaux started a project in his shop, and a month later he had a small scale model of the space shuttle in his back yard.

2. A concerned neighbor said, Boudreaux where you goin in dat? Boudreaux said, I am going to be the first man to go to the Sun!

3. The neighbor said, “You can't go to the Sun, dummy!! You just gonna burn all up!”

4. Boudreaux said, “NO problem. I already thought about that. I'm gonna go at night!!”

B. TEXT

4 Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.” 5 “He is in your hands,” King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing to oppose you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah….They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

7 But Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate, 8 Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

11 So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and…took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,

13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern.

C. THESIS

1. We find in our text that Jeremiah, through no fault of his own, was thrown into a mud pit, and began to sink in the mud pit.

2. And there came a man, by the name of Ebed-Melek who had compassion and literally lifted the man of God out of the mud pit.

3. We’re going to look at the parallel of our being stuck in a mud pit and the special kind of a person who will help us out of it.

4. The title of this message is, “Lifting Up a Saint Of God.”

I. FOR THE SAINT OF GOD, THERE ARE MANY MUD PITS:

A. THE MUD PIT OF PERSONAL LIFE

1. I was speaking one time to a person at another church and I asked them how did they like one of their former pastors. And that person’s response was, “All right, but he had his flaws.”

2. Oh, how true it is that the man of God has his flaws. Every Christian has their flaws.

3. Life is like a symphony that has both major and minor chords. Like a painting that has both bright colors and dark hues.

4. When we see God’s People in the proper light:

• Moses got angry

• Samuel wouldn't correct His children

• David committed adultery and murder

• Peter denied the Lord

• Paul was tempted to be high-minded

5. And yet, it was these flawed men, who moved their generations for God

6. Pastor Bill Hybels tells the story in his book, “The Contagious Christian” about how when they built their sanctuary and got ready for the final inspection, that one of his associates took a flash light and shined it in the ceiling and saw numerous flaws.

But the contract stipulated that in the final inspection, it was to be in normal room lighting only, and they couldn’t use flashlights to inspect.

B. THE MUD PIT OF MARRIAGE

1. HUMOR

a. Q - What is the Difference Between a Mother & a Wife? One Woman Brings you into this world crying... & the other ensures you continue to do so.

b. Girl: “When we get married, I want to share all your worries, troubles and lighten your burden.” Boy: “That's very kind of you, darling, but I don't have any worries or troubles.” Girl: “Well that’s because we aren't married yet.”

c. Son: “Is it true in ancient China a man didn't know his wife until he married her?” Father: “That's true everywhere, son.”