A. INTRODUCTION: JEREMIAH 1:1-10
1. Father the High Priest. "Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah of the priests that were in Anathoth" (1:1). "They came to Hilkiah the high priest" (II Chron. 34:4).
2. Born in evil days. "Amon . . . did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord . . . sacrificed unto the carved images which Manasseh his father had made . . . humbled not himself before the Lord" (II Chron. 33:22,23).
3. Good young king. "Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign . . . he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David . . . while he was young he began to search after God" (II Chron. 34:1-3).
4. Strategy. When Hilkiah could not reform the nation, he influenced the young king. Jeremiah’s father had a strategy to teach the young king the Word of God. "When he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he should write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priest of the Levites, and it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law" (Deut. 17:18,19).
5. Revival priest.
a. The Word of God. "Hilkiah . . . I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord" (II Kings 27:8).
b. Money. "King Josiah . . . gave instruction to Hilkiah . . . collect the money" (II Kings 22:3,4 LB).
c. Repentance. "Hilkiah . . . destroy all the equipment used in the worship of Baal" (II Kings 23:4).
d. Cleansing. "He tore down the houses of male prostitution around the Temple" (II Kings 23:7).
6. Age 21. It was 518 B.C. when Jeremiah was called, "The Word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah . . . in the thirteenth year of his reign" (1:2). "Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child" (1:6).
7. Age 24. Revival begins three years after Jeremiah was called. "In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land" (II Chron. 34:8).
B. DEFINITION OF ENCOUNTER
An encounter occurs when (1) God intentionally meets with you, (2) in a time of great personal need, (3) through unexpected circumstances, (4) telling you something about Himself, (5) you learn something about yourself, (6) preparing you for a specific task, (7) even though you don’t fully understand all the mysterious elements of the encounter.
1. Intentional encounters. "To whom the Word of the Lord came" (1:2) broke a 90 year silence (Isaiah 588 B.C). Same year as Habakkuk and Zephaniah.
2. Need of assurance. Jeremiah was weak, "I am a child" (v.6).
3. Unexpected. Jeremiah expected to be a priest because he was the son of a priest and grew up in Anathoth (3 miles northwest of Jerusalem) a village of priests.
4. Learned about a God who speaks. "Thou has well seen, for I will hasten my word to perform it" (v.12). The key phrase, "The Word of the Lord came to me" (2:1).
5. Learn about self. God knew Jeremiah. "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee" (v.5). "The Lord said unto me, ’Say not that I am a child’" (v.7). "Be not afraid of their faces" (v.8). "They shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail, for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee" (v.19).
6. Prepared for specific task. God called Jeremiah, "I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (v.5). "Go to all that I shall send thee and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak" (v.7).
7. Surprised by the mysterious. "The Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth" (v.9). "I have this day set thee over the nations . . . to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy . . . and to throw down, to build, and to plant" (v.10).
C. TEN PRINCIPLES
1. God begins to deal with a spiritual crisis, long before it develops. God prepared Jeremiah. "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee" (v.5). "Before they call, I will answer" (Isa. 65:24).
2. When there is a crisis of evil, God uses a person to deal with it. "I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me" (Ez. 22:30).
3. God prepares and calls a person to deal with a spiritual crisis. "God . . . separated me (Paul) from my mother’s womb, and called me" (Gal. 1:15). "The Lord . . . formed me (Isaiah) from the womb to be His servant" (Isaiah 49:5).
4. The place you are born is not the place you will serve. Jeremiah was born a priest, but became a prophet. "God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty" (I Cor. 1:27). "Not by might, not by power, but by My spirit saith the Lord of host" (Zech. 4:6).
5. Never underestimate the power of a righteous political leader. "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1).
6. Religious leaders must allow God to work through political leaders. "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).
7. An encounter with God makes bold people out of weak people. "Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee" (v.8). "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28).
8. The house of God must be cleansed first before revival returns to the social and political life of a nation. What was cleansed for God’s house? (II Kings 23:4-20), Baal (v.4), idolatrous priest, (v.5), nature worship (v.5), prostitution, (v.7), high places, (v.8), child sacrifice, (v.10), houses dedicated to the sun, (v.11), altars to other religions, (v.13). "Judgement must begin at the house of God" (I Peter 4:17).
9. The Word of God is the key to the work of God. "Moreover the Word of the Lord came to me" (2:1).
10. An encounter with God makes us much more influential than we ever realize. "I have this day set thee over nations, and over the kingdoms" (v.10).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at eltowns@liberty.edu and tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
To get Dr. Towns’ home page for books, www.elmertowns.com
