BIG IDEA: GOD WELCOMES BELIEVERS THAT ARE SPIRITUALLY STRUGGLING WITH HIS WORD; BUT … still … EXPECTS THEM TO TRUST HIM, AND TO STAND ON HIS WORDS.
REFERENCES: 2 Chronicles 34-35 (Historical Background); Jeremiah 1:1-16; Job 13:4 (… ye are all physicians of no value); James 5:14-15 ( Is there any sick among you …); Jeremiah 30:17 (I will restore health unto thee; And I will heal thee of thy wounds); Luke 5:31-32 (And Jesus answering said unto them, they that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance); Luke 4:18-19 (The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord); Jeremiah 7:16 (Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me for I will not hear thee); Jeremiah 7:27 (Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee; Thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee); James 5:14-15 (If there is any sick among you …);
I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: JEREMIAH 8:18-9:1
II. READ THE PERICOPE: JEREMIAH 8:18-9:1
III. READ THE TEXT: JEREMIAH 8:22 (Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered)?
IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to affirm to others that its okay to struggle with God’s Word.
V. SERMONIC THEME: “BALM IN GILEAD”
INTRODUCTION: (PARARELL… Today, I have a confession to make. I confessed that (as your SENIOR PASTOR) I sometimes STRUGGLE with GOD’s WORD.
ESPECIALLY … WHEN GOD ACTS IN WAYS THAT I DON’T EXPECT. IT BAFFLES ME!
WHEN GOD HAS SEEMILY IGNORED HIS PROMISES, AND SEEMILY CHANGED HIS CHARACTER … AND HAS NOT ACTED THE WAY I THOUGHT OR PREDICTED HE WOULD!
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MOVE 1: In fact, my SPIRIT IS SOMETIMES grieved! BECAUSE … I
don’t always understand what GOD IS DOING!
a. When I look at the list of SICK AND SHUT-IN members of our
CONGREGATION … It grieves my spirit!
b. NOT BECAUSE … FOLK ARE SICK … BUT BECAUSE OF WHOSE ON
THE LIST… I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD IS DOING. AND
WHY GOD HAS ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN!
c. For the Bible … CLEARLY … says in James 5:14-16, … If there is
any sick among you … let him call for the elders of the church;
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of
the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall
be forgiven him.
d. YES … IT’S TRUE … I SOMETIMES STRUGGLE WITH GOD’S WORD!
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MOVE 2: (EXAMPLE) … Sister Gilbert … a DEAR Sister of German heritage … is a faithful member of this congregation. She has faithfully administered the MINISTRY OF HOSPITALITY (in this church … long before I arrived) for many years.
a. And now … she’s ill … and unable to work. LATELY, SHE’S
FREQUENT THE HOSPITAL. WHY? GOD … KNOWING HER
FINANCIAL SITUATION … WHY HER?
b. I DON’T KNOW.
c. BUT … WHAT I DO KNOW … IS THOUGH … I DON’T ALWAYS UNDERSTAND GOD.
d. GOD EXPECTS ME TO TRUST HIM … AND TO STAND ON HIS
WORD!
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MOVE 3: FOR BY TWO IMMUTABLE THINGS … IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR
HIM TO LIE!
a. FOR THE SCRIPTURES SAYS (MATTHEW 18:18-20) …Whatsoever ye
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven … That if two of you shall agree on
earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of
my Father which is in heaven.
b. For where two or three are gathered together in my name …there am I in
the midst of them
c. NOW, ACCORDING TO BOOK OF JEREMIAH …(FOUND IN JEREMIAH
1:1-16)…
d. WE LEARN THAT GOD KNOWS OF OUR IDENTITY, PERSONALITY,
PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL MAKE-UP …. LONG BEFORE WE ARE
EVER BORN.
e. GENERATIONS BEFORE WE CAME INTO EXISTENCE.
f. IN FACT, GOD TOLD JEREMIAH (IN JEREMIAH 1:5) …
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MOVE 4: BEFORE I FORMED THEE in the belly I knew thee; …
a. AND BEFORE THEE CAMEST FORTH OUT OF THE WOMB … I SANTIFIED THEE, …
b. AND I ORDAINED THEE A PROPHET UNTO THE NATIONS.
c. NOW, … MY BROTHERS AND MY SISTERS … IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO
CONCEPTUALIZE THAT JEREMIAH WAS NEVER ….SUPPOSE TO PROCLAIM
THE WORD OF GOD …. TO ….JUST … HIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
d. AND HE WASN’T SUPPOSE TO GO OFF TO SEMINARY AND RETURN … TO
START A LOCAL COMMUNITY CHURCH IN HIS CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY.
e. INSTEAD, JEREMIAH WAS DESTINED TO PROCLAIM GOD’S WORD
BEYOND HIS LOCAL COMMUNITY; … BEYOND HIS STATE;
F. HE WAS DESTINED TO PROCLAIM GOD’S WORD TO NATIONS OF PEOPLE
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MOVE 5: HE WAS CALLED TO PROCLAIM GOD’S WORD TO THE ASSYRIANS, THE BABYLONIANS AND THE CHALDEANS.
a. AND EVEN THOUGH HE FELT LIKE HE WAS JUST A CHILD (IN
COMPARISON TO THE T.D. JAKES OF HIS ERA) …
b. THE LORD SAID TO HIM (IN JEREMIAH 1:7) THOU SHALT GO TO ALL
THAT I SEND THEE TO …
c. AND WHOSOEVER, I COMMAND THEE THOU SHALT SPEAK. THEN THE
LORD, PUT FORTH HIS HAND, AND TOUCHED HIS MOUTH …
d. AND INSTRUCTED HIM TO ROOT OUT, AND PULL DOWN; TO DESTROY
AND TO THROW DOWN …
e. … TO BUILD AND TO PLANT THROUGH HIS WORD …
f. …IN OUR PARTICULAR TEXT (TODAY) OVER 20 YEARS OF PREACHING
AND PROCLAIMING GOD’S TRUES HAD GONE BY … AND JEREMIAH HAD
NEVER SEEN … ANY SIGNS OF HIS PROPHECY COME TO PAST …
g. …THIS WAS DISCOURAGING TO HIM … THIS WAS HIS STRUGGLE …AND
HE STRUGGLED WITH IT!
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MOVE 6: IN FACT, OUT OF ALL OF HIS YEARS OF MINISTRY … JEREMIAH
NEVER REALLY WITNESSED … THE FRUIT OF HIS LABOR!
a. AND IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH … (IN JEREMIAH 7:16) …
b. GOD HIMSELF … INSTRUCTS HIM TO STOP PRAYING FOR THE
PEOPLE …
c. IN FACT, HE SAID … “ PRAY NOT THOU FOR THIS PEOPLE … NEITHER
MAKE INTERCESSION TO ME … FOR I WILL NOT HEAR THEE …
d. AND THIS WAS A STRUGGLE FOR JEREMIAH …
e. FOR ALL OF his LIFE … HE HAD BEEN TAUGHT THAT PRAYER MOVES GOD …
f. … NOW… GOD HIMSELF … INSTRUCTS HIM (IN JEREMIAH 7:27) NOT TO
PRAY …
g. BUT, …INSTEAD PREACH HIS WORD (which hastens God’s judgement)! … BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT HEAR … CALL THEM … BECAUSE …THEY WILL NOT ANSWER.
h. (recite the historical situation according to 2 Chron. 34-35)
i. So, in our text today, Jeremiah (as he struggles with God’s Word) asked the question - Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered)?
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CELEBRATION:
YES … THERE IS A BALM IN GILEAD …
YES … THERE IS A PHYSICIAN PRESENT … AND ACCOUNTED FOR …
YES … HE CAN HEAL OUR PHYSICAL BODIES OF ALL OF OUR DISEASES … AND HE HEAL OUR SIN SICK SOULS ….
… BUT … WE HAVE TO LEARN TO TRUST GOD … FOR ALL OF OUR SITUATIONS …
AND WE HAVE TO STAND ON HIS WORDS …
FOR HE WILL NEVER LEAVES US … NEITHER WILL HE FORSAKE US …
