Title: “Where is the Fire?”
Key Verse:
(Jer 20:9 KJV) Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
Introduction: Jeremiah is an old prophet. He had not always been listened to by the former Kings, but at least he was somewhat respected. In this text, just prior to the collapse of the Nation of Judah to the Babylonian Empire, Jeremiah is smitten, persecuted, placed in the stocks, and ridiculed. Therefore:
1. I can understand your frustration.
All of us go through the problems of life that frustrate us. In Jeremiah’s situation: Nobody would listen to him, he was smitten, placed in stocks, and ridiculed. Even his best friends had turned on him.
2. I can understand your anger.
In this text, you have a sad but beautiful picture of the cross. Jeremiah is placed with his hands, neck, and feet in the stocks. He is likened unto Christ crucified. This chapter records his thoughts. He is angry at the world, at his friends, at the false religion of his day, and he is also angry with God almighty. He feels betrayed and deceived.
3. I can understand your despair.
Jeremiah wished that he had never been born. He regrets that he has been called to preach. He vows to himself that he will never preach again. He wants to quit life all together.
Conclusion and message:
What I can’t understand is…
“Where is the fire?”
Let me explain my meaning. Although Jeremiah got down, he could not stay down. As soon as he was released from the stocks, he opened his mouth up with another sermon. He had to get back into the ministry. He could not be silent. He had a fire in his bones!
I do understand why certain Christian people get down. I can understand why people get frustrated, angry, and filled with despair. But what I do not understand is, HOW CAN A PERSON, WHO CALLS HIMSELF A CHRISTIAN, STAY DOWN?
Every person who has been born-again, has fire in their bones. It is the same wind and fire of Pentecost. It is the fire put there by the Holy Spirit.
The purpose of my preaching, and the purpose of this message, is to rekindle that fire.
The world needs your witness. The Church needs your help. There is a Heaven! There is a Hell! Wake up! Come alive again! Revive! Let the Holy Spirit awaken you to righteousness!
If you have to, find a place on the altar and cry out to God. Get angry with God if you must. Make out your complaint. Cry. Have tears. Wait…. And let the fire grow within you once again.
If you get down, and you stay down, and never come alive, I can make of you only one concluding comment, “YOU HAVE NO FIRE WITHIN!”
You may have had a religious experience, but you have never been born again. That utterance of that statement ought to create within you a fire of its’ own!
