OPEN: (A Poem by Dr. Seuss)
Did I ever tell you about the young Zoad - who came to a sign at the fork of the road?
He looked one way and the other way too - the Zoad had to make up his mind what to do.
Well, the Zoad scratched his head, and his chin, and his pants. –
And he said to himself, “I’ll be taking a chance.
If I go to Place One, that place may be hot… so how will I know if I like it or not.
On the other hand though, I’ll feel such a fool if I go to Place 2 - and find it’s too cool
In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue.
So Place One may be best and not Place Two.
“Play safe!” cried the Zoad,
“I’ll play safe, I’m no dunce. I’ll simply start off to both places at once.”
And that’s how the Zoad who’d not take a chance
Went no place at all with a split in his pants.
APPLY: Decisions… we all have to make them.
Most of the time, our decisions are mundane as which road to take, or which box of cereal to buy at the grocery store, or which movie to watch at the theatre. These are decisions based upon personal taste.
But every once in a while, we’re faced with making a decision… and we know what we should decide. We know what the right choice should be. BUT we realize that – if we make that choice – it could ultimately cost us something we hold dear.
ILLUS: Years ago, a young man was sharing about a decision he had to make in high school. He desperately wanted to be a part of the school play, and actually landed a fairly significant part. But then, he discovered that his lines included some curse words.
Well, this was a good Christian boy. He’d been raised to be courteous and respectful… and not to curse.
BUT… he desperately wanted this part… and he was afraid of what might happen if made the decision he knew he had to, in order to be faithful to God.
His solution – he changed his lines, fully aware that this might anger the director and ultimately cost him his role in the play.
To his surprise, he found that the director didn’t even notice that the words had been changed. Nobody was upset and he didn’t have to loose his part in the play. But even if he had lost the part, it wouldn’t have mattered, because he had already made up his mind what decision he intended to make.
(pause…)
I. Jeremiah was one of the greatest Prophets of the Old Testament.
In fact, Jeremiah was so prominent that when Jesus asked His disciples who the people said that he was, His disciples replied: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Matthew 16:14
Jeremiah had been chosen while he was still in his mother’s womb and God set him apart to prophecy terrible warnings to the nation of Judah. But when we get here to the 15th chapter … we find that Jeremiah’s having 2nd thoughts.
Great prophet though he was – he’s begun to consider the idea of bailing out.
LOOK with me at verses 16-18 (of Jeremiah 15)
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?” Jeremiah 15:16-18
Jeremiah’s complaining here… and he’s begun to think that this prophecy business was more trouble than it was worth.
AND this isn’t the only time Jeremiah struggles with these kind of feelings. In Jeremiah 20:8-10 “Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side! Report him! Let’s report him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.’”
II. Jeremiah has come to a crisis point in his faith.
pause…) All his life, he’s been raised to be a good boy. He tells God that he’s “…never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation.” Jeremiah 15:17
He’s always been a good boy for God.
He’s never strayed from God’s side… never betrayed his faith.
BUT NOW… he’s not so sure that’s what he wants to do with his life.
ILLUS: Teenagers who are children of solid Christians often encounter this emotion. Up to a certain point, they go faithfully to church. They’ll go to church camp/ youth group/ sing in the choir, etc. etc. etc.
But then, one day, they’re off on their own… and they start to question. Up until that point, they’ve been living off their parents’ faith. Now they have to decide if this is going to be their faith.
They have to decide if they want to accept this God as their master in the same way God has been the Lord of their parents lives.
And they have to decide whether to accept – not only God’s blessings - but also the hard choices that people of God often have to make.
That’s where Jeremiah is now.
So… God puts it to Jeremiah no uncertain terms:
“Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 15:19-20
In other word: Make a choice Jeremiah.
You’ve been toying with bailing out on your faith.
You’ve begun to fear your persecutors
You’ve become tempted to draw back from prophesying because of the opposition
You’ve been tempted to change the message so it isn’t so offensive
Repent of that, Jeremiah… and I’ll make your life such a powerful force that men will remember your name for ages to come. And no matter who fights against you, I’ll rescue and save you.
But you’ve got to make a decision, Jeremiah.
You can’t do this faith thing half way
It’s either all or nothing with me, Jeremiah
So, make a choice.
Jesus told His disciples pretty much the same thing
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:37 -39
Make a choice!!!
It may have been your parents religion up to now. Or it may have been your spouse’s faith, or the faith of an individual that you look up to.
BUT NOW you make the choice
III. And, I’ll tell you… the choice gets harder when you face conflict and opposition.
One of the most tragic stories ever recorded in the New Testament is found in John 12:42-43
“…many even among the leaders believed in (Jesus). But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”
You see… that’s the real test of our faith. What do we do when faced with hard decisions? Decisions that can cost us something that we think is important.
Let’s get one thing straight… following Jesus can be painful and cost us something we hold dear
Jesus said: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12
Peter picked up on this theme when he wrote: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13
If we take our faith seriously… sooner or later we’re going to face persecution and opposition
As a one man once observed: “If you want to follow Jesus, you had better look good on wood.”
Every once in a while you’ll encounter a Christian who hasn’t figured this out yet.
They’ve made a decision… but their decision wasn’t FOR God
Their decision was for themselves. They’ve signed on for church… but only as long as it doesn’t cost them anything.
And that kind of thinking shows up when they face opposition, or when they become offended.
ILLUS: The great British preacher, W.E. Sangster told about the church choir sang in a town hall. The platform was not large enough, so a few choir members had to stand down on the floor.
This offended one lady in the choir so much that she quit the choir and left the church.
Sangster observed: Perhaps she did not know Him who “was oppressed and He was afflicted. Yet He did not open His mouth” (Isa. 53:7).
That lady hadn’t decided for Christ. Her church going was all for her benefit – not God’s. If God wanted her allegiance…He had to earn it.
CLOSE: Her thinking is not uncommon in this world. It’s trumpeted in the workplace, in politics, in the media and in the entertainment industry. In fact this idea – that allegiance has to be earned – is so strong, that it even infected the thinking of a great movie a couple of years ago.
How many of you have seen the movie: Private Ryan?
For those of you who have not, the plot is essentially that one family during WWII had lost all but one of their sons on the field of battle, and the US government had decided it didn’t want to have the family endure the loss of their final son… who was presently lost somewhere behind the lines. A group of Army Rangers was volunteered for the job of finding and retrieving Pvt. Ryan so that he could be sent home to his family.
One of the most touching scenes in the movie is when the hero – played by Tom Hanks – has been shot and everyone knows he is dying. Tom Allen, a minister and former Army Ranger wrote: “Private Ryan leans over to him, and Tom Hanks whispers something to him. Everyone in the theater is crying because Tom Hanks was shot; I was crying because of what he said. Private Ryan bent down and Tom Hanks said, "Earn this."
Tom Allen said he didn’t find that line to be moving… it found it angering. He wrote: “The reason this made me angry is because no Ranger would ever say, "Earn this." Why? Because the Ranger motto for the past 200 years has not been "Earn this." The Ranger motto for the past 200 years has been Sua sponte, "I chose this." I volunteered for this.
So, when Private Ryan bent down, if Tom Hanks was really a Ranger he would have said, "Sua sponte, I chose this. This is free. You don’t pay anything for this. I give up my life for you. That’s my job."
And so when you look at the cross and see Jesus hanging there, what you do hear? It is certainly NOT "Earn this." You never hear Jesus say, "Earn this." He doesn’t say, "I’ve given everything for you. Now you need to gut it out for me. I’ve sacrificed for you, now make it worth my agony."
No, What Jesus says is "Sua sponte! I volunteered for this. You don’t have to pay anything for it. Your debt is paid. Your gift is given. It is finished!" Sua sponte!
That’s what Jesus says to us in the Cross so that we can know God’s grace.
And that is the kind of Savior we’ve been called to follow.
Now… the time has come for us to DECIDE. Decide if this is the God you’re going to follow
Decide if you’re willing to follow Him even when facing persecution, ridicule and potential loss of all that you hold dear. For you see, you’re not being invited to join a social club here. This is not just a nice group of people who gather to give hugs and encouragement to each other… this is a Church. A place where people are called upon to decide for Jesus and where we become a support for each other when those difficult choices arise.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
· Formed For A Purpose - Jeremiah 1:4-1:10
· Accept No Substitutes - Jeremiah 2:4-2:13
· The Smell of Sin - Jeremiah 5:20-5:25
· If I’ve Got It Why Can’t I Flaunt It? - Jeremiah 9:23-9:24
· The Effect Of Judgment - Jeremiah 10:17-10:25
· Time To Decide - Jeremiah 15:15-15:21
· Planning For The Future. - Jeremiah 29:8-29:14
· A New Hope - Jeremiah 31:31-31:35
· Knowing God’s Phone Number - Jeremiah 33:1-33:3
· You Can’t Tell Some People Anything - Jeremiah 44:1-44:30
