THE CALL
JEREMIAH 1: 4-10
SUNDAY PM SERVICE SEPTEMBER 21, 2003
INTRODUCTION: FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!
A little girl had been trying for months to learn the art of tying her shoes. She finally grasped the knack and was able to do it by herself. Her parents expected the child to be delighted, but were surprised by her disappointment. Her father asked why she was crying.
She sobbed, "I just learned how to tie my shoes."
He said, "That’s wonderful, Honey, but why are you crying?"
She replied, "Because now I’ll have to do it all by myself for the rest of my life."
SOURCE: "The Sermon on the Amount," Heidi Husted, Preaching Today, Tape 122.
Contributed by: Ian Biss
Tony Campolo says that his wife is a brilliant woman. She has a PHD & is capable of pursuing a very profitable career. But she elected to stay home with her children when they were young. Her decision didn’t bother her at all except when other women would ask, “What do you do?” She would answer, “I’m a homemaker. I stay home & take care of my children & my husband.” They would usually respond with “Oh” & then ignore her from then on.
So Mrs. Campolo came up with this response when she was asked what she did: “I’m socializing two Homo-sapiens in Judeo-Christian values so they’ll appropriate the eschatological values of utopia. What do you do?” They would often blurt out “I’m a doctor” or “I’m a lawyer” & then wander off with a dazed look in their eyes.
Contributed by Melvin Newland
TRANSITION THOUGHT: The Lord calls us all to tasks! Sometimes it is tying shoes, sometimes it is raising children. Our text in Jeremiah is the call of God to an individual to share the word of God with all people. This will be our focus this day, The call of the Lord to his servant to proclaim the word of God to all Nations.” Let us now focus on “THE CALL!”
THESIS SENTENCE: WE ALL MUST HEAR THE CALL OF GOD!
I. THE CALL IS AN EXPERIENCE WITH THE LIVING GOD (VV. 4-5)
A. God initiates the encounter: (VERSE 4)
1. Jeremiah states that the Lord’s word came to Him. He did not go and find it. 2. The God of Heaven came and spoke to Jeremiah. This is a private event that Jeremiah shares with his readers. This is a unique encounter, here God is not giving his messenger a message to proclaim, but calling the messenger to be the one to later proclaim the Message of God to His People.
3. This is God’s modus operandi, or manner or working. He chooses a messenger: Moses (Exodus 3:1): the burning bush, Isaiah (6:1&2): a vision of the Lord in the Temple , Samuel (I Samuel 3:2-9): a voice in the night, Ezekiel (chapters 2&3): a vision and voice in a great storm
4. God always gets the attention of those he desires to speak with and use to bring honor and glory to himself.
B. God has a purpose for the encounter:
1. Since the beginning of time, God knew who He would use to bring His message to His people. At this point in time, it would be Jeremiah. To be Yahweh’s prophet at this juncture in history is the very reason for which Jeremiah has been born. It is his very purpose for being!!
2. Jeremiah still had free will and could have rejected God’s calling on his life, But it is equally clear that he could only discover the meaning of his birth and mortal existence in responding to the CALL.
3. The startling fact of the matter, without Jeremiah’s acceptance of God’s call concerning the destruction of the nation and his words concerning the future of Judah, the people might not have had the conceptual and theological tools with which to comprehend their monumental tragedy and to move beyond it.
4. In a real sense, Jeremiah is the Human Savior of the people of God. He provided the information needed, FROM GOD, TO help the people endure the wrath of God.
C. God blesses the nations through the encounter:
1. The final phrase in verse 5, “prophet to the nations,” is a reference to Judah and its neighbors, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon.
2. The larger context or meaning here is God desires to communicate with all people everywhere at all times. The fact we have the book of Jeremiah to read is an assurance God wants to communicate with us as well as with the people of the 6th century BC.
II. THE CALL ALWAYS BRINGS A STRUGGLE TO THE HEARER (VV. 6-8)
A. The encounter alone with God bring fear and trepidation, but God desires acceptance of HIS Call.
1. The reminder of past prophets of God comes to mind once more: Moses’ reluctance to lead the people of God in Exodus 4:10: “Moses said to the Lord, “O lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” And of Isaiah’s efforts to spurn Yahweh’s initiatives (Isa. 6:5) “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, The Lord almighty.”
2. BUT!!! Yahweh will not take no for an answer!! His response to Moses in Exodus 4:11: “The Lord said to him, “Who have man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, The Lord?” In response to Isaiah in 6: 6&7: “Then one of the seraphs flew to me and a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
B. God will no less take no for answer from Jeremiah, no matter the excuses.
1. Jeremiah comes up with two great excuses, I believe they were stolen from scripture. “I do not know how to speak.” I am only a child.”
2. Both are legitimate excuses to human kind, but not to God.
a. The first excuse may have meant that Jeremiah did not yet have a message to proclaim, He did not know what to say!! Have you BEEN THERE??!! God’s reply, “You must say what ever I command you.” God will give Jeremiah the words to Say. God will give us the words to say.
b. The second is like the first. Jeremiah states that he is to young to serve God, But God reply’s: verse 8, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
c. The bottom line here is that if God asks you to do something, He will do it through you, he will give you the words to say and the assurance of his protection and ability working through you!!! Fear will come, but God will help!!!
III. THE CALL ALWAYS BRINGS THE EMPOWERMENT/TOUCH OF GOD (VV. 9-10)
A. As in the example stated earlier with Isaiah, God enables us through His touch.
1. God cleansed Isaiah from sin so he could be used of God.
2. In the call of Ezekiel (3:1-3) however, God imparts His word which is to be proclaimed: “And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened up my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.”
3. Jeremiah experiences this same filling of the word. “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.”
4. God always gives us what we need to do what it is He has called us to do!! God will give each of us his word, in our mouths, to make him known in our world.
B. But, what will the message be??:
1. There is good news and bad news!! Bad news must always come first: “Uproot and tear down, to destroy and over throw.” There are four verbs that are devoted to judgment. This may be interpreted as a reference to the immediacy of the fall of the nation.
2. God punishes sin, but always offers hope to those who seek his face: “To build and to Plant.” There are two verbs which are devoted to redemption. But they are the last words out of the prophets mouth, and thus are the enduring words of restoration and redemption that God wants all people to hear. It is the Last Word. Our God’ s Focus is on our Redemption not our destruction. This is the Message he gave Jeremiah to proclaim. THIS IS THE MESSAGE HE HAS GIVEN US TO PROCLAIM.
CONCLUSION: The Bottom line in this all is that God comes to us, He initiates a relationship with us. It will Cause us to come to a place of struggle, Will we serve God and find the purpose for which we were born, or will we reject God and never experience the fulfillment in do what we were created to do. We were created to share the message of building up and planting. The message of restoration and redemption to a world hungry to know that they are loved and cared for by the living God!! Will You share that message. Will you build others up in Christ? Will you tell the world of his love and mercy? Will you Tell the world that He came to save, not destroy.
BENEDICTION: ROMANS 15: 13
