Jeremiah 1:4-10 The Word of The Lord Came to Jeremiah. Has Gods word come to you?
1. Jeremiah begins by saying I am to young, "I am but a child, God says “don’t say you’re a child".
• That like really saying don’t want to get to involved, I might have to be there every Sunday
• I am not good enough or I am not qualified, I don’t want to , I may have to give up stuff.
2. Jeremiah may have thought the Task is to Much to Demanding
• Jeremiah was called to be "a prophet to the nations" (Jer. 1:5), not a priest like his father and his grandfather.
• Consider the Prophet : A prophet was a spokesman for God who declared God's Word to the people.
• The Prophet exposed the people's sins and calling them back to God. People don’t want told about sin
• The prophet never knew from one day to the next, what the Lord would call him to say or to do.
• Jesus was like a prophet. He challenged the people to change repent they didn’t want that. .
3. Jeremiah thought My Talent is lacking
• "But I protested, ‘Oh no, Lord, GOD! Look, I don't know how to speak " (Jer. 1:6).
• Jeremiah felt inadequate as a public speaker. By the way, this excuse was shared by Moses
• Many truly feel unable, incapable, incompetent, but God is ever near those who are humble It’s a state God favors , 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves "
• God says, to those who are humble in the book of Isaiah “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
• To those that are humble Jesus says, “. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
4. Jeremiah thought The Time is Not Right
• Jeremiah said to God, "I am only a youth" (Jer. 1:6). The word youth - unfortunately rendered child in some versions of the Bible - ordinarily denotes a young, unmarried man in his teens or early twenties. Most scholars think that Jeremiah was around 20 to 25 at the time of his call.
• He felt minor, inexperienced, and intimidated by the size of the task to which God was calling.
5. Jeremiah thought This is to dangerous. 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,"
• Rescue implies peril, danger, falling into an unpleasant situation. Message was judgement
• Jeremiah would be misunderstood, persecuted, arrested, imprisonments
• God used the boiling pot to communicate his coming wrath. "Again the word of the LORD came to me inquiring, ‘What do you see?' And I replied, ‘I see a boiling pot, its lip tilted from the north to the south'" (Jer. 1:13).. The unusual thing about the pot Jeremiah saw was that it was not level. It was titled away from the north. The pot could at any moment spew its boiling contents toward the south, scalding the people of Judah. The pot represented the nation of Babylon that would invade and conquer Israel. The reason for the judgment was Israel's idolatry and rebellion
• Jesus' teaching contained mercy and judgment, grace and punishment. Jesus' teachings were dangerous, too. In fact, it was his teaching that cost him his life.
6. Jeremiah had many things to consider yet he still decided it better to obey God
• The fears were real like they are for us today it’s scary
• It’s scary to pay tithes during times of inflation it’s scary to be devoted,
• What God says through us may be dangerous, but God gives us the strength to endure.
• God's call may come at an inopportune time, but he never sends forth his servant alone. We have the promise of God's presence.. Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you
• God may assign you a demanding task, but his call keeps us going when we don't want to go and are ready to quit.
• Our talent may appear inadequate, but God always equips those he calls.
• Has God called us ? Then he will fulfill his purpose in us, he will equip us, he will enable us, he will protect us, and he will accompany us .
