“Heeding God’s Word”
Jeremiah 39:18
INTRODUCTION: I believe that no ordinary man has ever had a more difficult commission than Jeremiah.
In the day when the army of Babylon was at the gates of Jerusalem, it was his unpopular duty to counsel submission, declaring that the king of Babylon would certainly take and destroy the city. [He had to tell everyone to surrender, because God had told Him to do so.]
This made him the object of bitter hatred on the part of zealous nationalists and patriots.
But Jeremiah continued to preach what God had given him, even though he spent time in prison for his prophecies.
***I believe this to be one of the best testimonies to Jeremiah’s legitimacy as a prophet – Had he been a false prophet seeking his own glory, his prophecy would have changed when the heat turned up.
• But Jeremiah stayed true to the message given to him from God
• I am sad to say that many preachers today are not staying true to the Word of God, but that they are changing to win popularity with the crowds
• There is a movement of so-called ‘prophets’ today that will only tell you good things [i.e. You’re going to sing beautifully for God or you’re going to make a lot of money] You will never hear these people say, ‘you are going to hell if you don’t repent’ because they know that such phrases are unpopular and yield very little in the collection plate
• But Jeremiah was real – His prophecies were from God – and because he spoke of judgment for disobedience he was met with hatred rather than honor
OBJECTIVE: Today I want to show you a parallel of what was happening in Jeremiah’s time, and the time we are living in now. How the people reacted to Jeremiah’s prophecies, and how people are reacting to the preaching of the true Gospel today.
I. The kings advisors made excuses for not hearing God’s Word
READ: 38:4 “Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.”
a. The advisor’s first excuse for not listening was that Jeremiah was weakening morale
i. They were basically saying, “He is telling us that we are wrong and that doesn’t make us feel good, so we will not listen to him.”
1. When we as Christians say that an act is sinful, we are told that we are weakening other people’s spirits – and we shouldn’t do that according to the ‘experts’
2. There is even a group of people out there who are saying you shouldn’t discipline your children because all you do is hinder their personality – and they will grow up with a guilt complex [hogwash]
3. Many pastors are attacked today when they preach God’s Word without reservation, as men who simply want to demean others and build themselves up
4. Many people today fear any preaching that will ‘weaken the morale’
b. The advisor’s second excuse for not listening was that Jeremiah’s motives were impure
i. They said, “He doesn’t want what’s best for us, he wants to see us suffer”
1. Many people today despise the church because they feel that the motives are not pure
2. How many times have you heard the phrase, “I am not going to church, because it is full of hypocrites and the pastor is all about money”?
c. My question is, “what excuse are you using to keep from hearing God’s Word?
i. God was telling these people if they would simply leave their city and trust Him, then He would take care of them
ii. Likewise God is telling us today, “If we will leave our sin, and trust in Him through His Son Jesus, He will take care of our eternity”
iii. But we use the excuses:
1. The Bible is too old to be taken seriously, it just contains fairy tales
2. All religions are the same, Jesus can’t be the only way
3. I don’t believe God can be known
4. I am going to wait till I am older
5. There is no such thing as absolute truth
iv. What’s your excuse? What’s keeping you from leaving your sin and going to God?
II. The King feared surrendering to God’s Word
READ: 38:19 “And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”
a. Notice it was not unbelief that kept the King from surrendering to God’s Will, it was His fear of what would happen to Him
i. Though God had promised to keep him safe, he did not trust God to follow through with his promise
ii. I believe this is why many people today say they believe in God, yet do not surrender to His Will for their lives
iii. They so fear the consequences of the world, that they can never surrender to the Will of God
b. Is there a fear in your life that keeps you from surrendering your heart to God’s Will?
i. Maybe you’re afraid to accept Jesus, because you fear you might lose a friend who has declared that all Christians are ‘losers’.
ii. Or worse, you fear having him/her mock you for your new belief
iii. The king feared the mocking that would come if he surrendered – and he ended up paying with a life in prison, the loss of his eyes and the death of his children
READ: 39:4-7 “So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain. But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him. Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah.” Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon.”
c. Jeremiah even pleaded with the king to believe God
i. READ: 39:20 “But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.”
ii. I plead with you today as well, as I am sure many of your saved loved ones have before – surrender your life to God before it is too late
III. In the midst of it all, there was one that trusted God’s Word from Jeremiah
a. There is one character in these verses who I have yet to mention: Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian eunuch (not the Ethiopian eunuch from the NT)
b. Ebed-Melech trusted God, and he believed what Jeremiah had said
i. He even went as far as to plead for Jeremiah when he was in prison [Read: 38:8-9]
ii. He then went out of his way to make Jeremiah comfortable when pulling him up out of the slimy dungeon he was in, by placing old rags to be used as cushions under Jeremiah’s arms [Read: 38:12-13]
c. Because of his trust in God, Ebed-Melech was rewarded with his life
READ: 39:15-18 “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.”
d. Today God offers a promise to all who will put there trust in Him through His Son Jesus – He offers us the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven
i. Notice it was not Ebed-Melech’s good deeds that allowed him to find favor in God’s eyes, but his trust
ii. If you are trusting in your goods deeds, you will fall short at judgment
iii. God is looking for people today who will put their trust in Him – and He will grant eternal life to all who place their trust in Him
CONCLUSION: ILLUSTRATION: Is There Anyone Else Up There?
A man named Jack was walking along a steep cliff one day when he accidentally got too close to the edge and fell. On the way down he grabbed a branch, which temporarily stopped his fall. He looked down and to his horror saw that the canyon fell straight down for more than a thousand feet. He couldn’t hang onto the branch forever, and there was no way for him to climb up the steep wall of the cliff.
So Jack began yelling for help, hoping that someone passing by would hear him and lower a rope or something. "HELP! HELP! Is anyone up there? "HELP!" He yelled for a long time, but no one heard him. He was about to give up when he heard a voice.
"Jack, Jack. Can you hear me?" "Yes, yes! I can hear you. I’m down here!" "I can see you, Jack. Are you all right?"
"Yes, but who are you, and where are you?
"I am the Lord, Jack. I’m everywhere."
"The Lord? You mean, GOD?"
"That’s Me."
"God, please help me! I promise if, you’ll get me down from here, I’ll stop sinning. I’ll be a really good person. I’ll serve You for the rest of my life."
"Easy on the promises, Jack. Let’s get you off from there, then we can talk."
"Now, here’s what I want you to do. Listen carefully."
"I’ll do anything, Lord. Just tell me what to do."
"Okay. Let go of the branch."
"What?"
"I said, let go of the branch." Just trust Me. Let go."
There was a long silence.
Finally Jack yelled, "HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE ELSE UP THERE
Today, I am calling to all who are living away from God’s Will:
o Leave your excuses behind
o Release your fears
o And Trust in God
[Every head bowed, every eye closed]
