Dealing With Persecution

Dealing With Inner Anxiety

Book of 1 Peter Chapter 3:13-22

It can be said that "anxiety" is the state of mind when we are so concerned about someone or something, to our own harm.

1) This could be a genuine concern:

The Apostle Paul writing about his concern for the church at Philippi.

Php 2:20 For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.

Php 2:21 For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.

The Apostle Paul writing about his anxiety for all the "Body of Christ".

2Co 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

2) This could be concern about the distorted perspectives of life:

The Lord Jesus Christ speaking of His concerns of teaching the Word of God.

Mar 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not prohibit genuine concern for one another nor for the Church!

The Lord Jesus Christ did teach us to keep all these things in perspective!

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Listen as we see how Peter tries to help the persecuted church.

*****1Pe 3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

The primary sense of these words is "if we are inoffensive in our Christian behavior" the world will be less likely to injure us.

If we are anxious to do good, we are less likely to suffer from doing evil.

God does not teach us how to handle our troubles received from sinful behavior!

God does teach us how to handle our troubles that come about from our righteous behavior.

Neither is Peter speaking of troubles that are just part of life itself, even though godly principles will work in all situations in life or they would not be godly principles.

As Christians we are all going to suffer persecution, some much more and much worse than others!

So how can we be assured that we will stand up under persecution and still be counted faithful?

How can we be sure we will endure and still keep the hope of eternal life and still live with the Lord forever?

There is only one way! We must take our stand on the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what is going on in our life!

We must be followers of that which is good!

The only good we can be sure of, is those things that are according to the revealed will of God!

This means "for it is written" or, "thus sayeth the Lord" or, "for I the Lord" and other phrases had better be adhered to, when we take the Word of God in the context that it is written!

Sometimes, the only relief for those who are suffering persecution is when he or she remembers the promises of God that cannot fail, and remember at death we go immediately home to be with the Lord.

2Co 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

2Co 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

One of the biggest faults of the church today is that we walk by sight and not by "faith"!

How did the Apostle Paul put it?

Act 21:13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Let's continue to learn from the Holy Spirit.

*****1Pe 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

1Pe 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Some would say "how is it possible to be happy with any sort of suffering"? The truth is when we are focused on Jesus Christ and the works, that He did to cause us to be saved, then suffering in this world does not really feel like suffering. It just feels like we have joined our Savior in His suffering!

This is the key to our own relief of mind!

If we have done some good and then suffer because of it, we have just become aware of a world that calls evil good and righteousness bad!

One of the greatest truths in the Scriptures should keep us on the right path.

Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Doing good and being righteous are both conforming to the standard God has set for us!

2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

The Lord Jesus had no fear for what the world could do to Him, because He had come to this earth to do whatever it would take, that you and I and all who would believe upon Him would be linked once more to the Father of life, and that life eternal. Meaning once again joined to our Father in Heaven, in His place, even in His home with nothing in this world that could cause this to not be true!

Really only one thing is needed! We must sanctify the Lord God Jehovah in our hearts!

To be sanctified is to be set apart for God's use and if we suffer because of this, then we are being more like His So, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Notice Jesus was always prepared to give an answer but at the same time, not all people deserve an answer to certain questions!

Not all, but many will see our hope in the Lord, and they will ask about this hope seeking it for themselves, and this is what witnessing is all about!

Others, who see this as something evil will never understand until they see the true Christian and one day, they too will be ashamed of their actions.

Today the world sees the make believe Christian and it is so easy to see they are hypocrites.

Then the world will say anything bad about them, using them as an example of the Church to downgrade the Church founded by Christ Jesus.

The word church is does not mean every group of people with religion, it means only the "Body of Christ".

Religion is not the answer, "faith" in the work of Jesus Christ is the only answer!

When the world sees the true Christian, who gives them nothing to speak bad things about, they get mad and their hatred boils because the true Christian puts them to shame!

Tit 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

Tit 2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

It is far better to suffer for being a true Christian than to suffer for being a make-believe Christian.

It takes much more than being the child of Christian parents, or attending a Christian Church, or raising your hand in a Sunday School Class or Vacation Bible School. You must sincerely ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart. Even this does not build perfection except in the eyes of God.

It is the Holy Spirit who will build perfection for the world to see all your days as a Christian, until "perfection reaches glory" when we come face to face with Jesus!

This is much better!

*****1Pe 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

We could say, what is the will of God for our lives? That we follow in the ways of Jesus.

This is the will of God for all people. There are not many ways to serve God but only one and this is through His Son, Christ Jesus!

When we become too afraid to go out into the world, just because we may suffer just for doing so, and stay at home, we have gone against the providence of God.

For instance, God supplies the little birds their food, but they still have to go out and hunt for it.

We must go out into this world with the Word of God to reap the benefits of Christianity, even if we have to suffer for it!

It is not the will of God that we suffer!

It is the will of God that we be more like His Son and He suffered just so we can be saved and like the prodigal son, we are returned to the Father!

The world may not punish us for evil doing or it may, but God will certainly punish us for evil!

Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Why did the Lord suffer to begin with?

*****1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Jesus Christ came to our world to get His Father's children, and He had to suffer to do this thing to be obedient to His Father.

The Holy Father of all creation would never ask His Son to do this a second time!

It is the "Blood of Jesus" that made atonement for our souls! There was enough of that blood to save all in this world!

God has given this one chance to every to every human being that has ever lived, all the way back to Adam and Eve!

What did Enoch say?

Heb_11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Jud_1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

How do we please God? We accept His plan of salvation! There is no other way. This is what our "faith" must be based upon!

We accept that we are sinners in need of salvation. The "just" for the "unjust". "Dead in sin, alive by the Holy Spirit"!

How did God preach unto the spirits in prison? By Jesus in power the Holy Spirit, who has all the character and the traits of God, because He is God!

Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

Act 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

The Holy Spirit is also God!

*****1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Many believe that the body of Jesus lie in that grave for 3 days and 3 nights because it is the truth and it is but God the Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of Jesus" was very busy and one of the things that He felt the need to tell us was that He went to Hell and spoke to those who rejected Noah.

Here is another thing that the Holy Spirit did not have to tell us.

Did He go to give them another opportunity to get to Heaven? NO!

He went to meet with the man on the cross beside Him, He had made a promise to.

He went to gather all the Saints of God in Paradise and take them to Heaven.

He went to get the keys to Hell.

He went to preach to all those in Hell, much as Abraham spoke to the rich man, telling them their days of torment would never cease. After all this is a part of what Hell is all about. An eternity of misery with no opportunity to escape!

You see while Jesus was busy about the things that needed to be done as promised, He also proclaimed His victory over death to all those who were now believers, but they had waited too long! They could only bow at the feet of Jesus.

Luk 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

One thing of Catholic Doctrine needs to be cleared up. Christ Jesus did not offer those in Hell a second opportunity because that would have violated the truth of the Scriptures. There is no way to leave Hell once you get there! There is not enough money in this world that can change God's mind about His plan of salvation!

Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

Luk 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

*****Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Luk 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

Luk 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Luk 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

Luk 16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

This may be a terrible truth to those whose loved ones rejected the truth of God, but it is still the truth.

We need to concentrate on those around us who are still living!

While we are living, we may get many opportunities to come to the Lord or we may get only one opportunity.

Everyone will get at least one opportunity and most many opportunities!

At death all opportunities cease and they all will be like the rich man in this story of Lazarus the beggar!

In Noah's day there were 8 souls saved by water because they trusted in the words of Noah given to Him by the Holy Spirit!

What we realize is, the worldwide flood of that day was an example of being baptized after having that faith in the Word of God!

We also see the wrath of God to those who rejected the truth of God!

*****1Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

We began our lesson talking about anxiety and in the end, we see our minds are cleared with a good conscience toward God that can come only by the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

You see we are saved by washing in water of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, who cannot do His work until we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and begin our personal relationship with Him.

Jehovah God is not a faraway God who cares very little about His creation, but is an up-close and personal God who treats each one of us as His child!

We are not saved by ceremonies because ceremonies cannot affect our conscience toward God through Jesus Christ!

How is our conscience cleared by the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Our conscience is clear, because if God the Father, raised God the Son up from the dead, by the power of God the Holy Spirit, it means God is able to save us from our sin and cause us to be "Born Again".

We can be delivered from all our offenses if we accept the work of the Son, the Messiah!

Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

God has made this thing to be so simple if we only have "faith" in what He says!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

There is no one else we can call on and be saved except the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

So who are we saved from?

We are saved from all who live under the authority of God the Father!

This means there is nothing upon this earth and nothing in Heaven who has more power than our God!

*****1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Where is the Lord Jesus Christ right now? Jesus is in Heaven.

How did the Apostle Paul say it?

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

We must clearly understand that our conduct upon this earth must be based upon our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must also clearly understand that that most of this world have a conscience that is not of God and their conduct will never be of God!

1Co 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

We must clearly understand that there are many people in this world who try to do some things good, but because they possess no goodness, they cannot understand the goodness of God.

At the same time they have a witness of goodness that will not get them closer to salvation, but is recognized by the world as greater than Christian goodness. We live in an upsidedown world!

For instance a certain rich man has spent much money to provide water to places who had only polluted water. On the surface this looks like a good thing and it could have been. In the end water companies were formed that provides water only to those who can afford to pay for it. Those poor who died without water before still die without water afterwards.

It would have been good had it been free drinking water for all, but this is the way of the world!

Does this have anything to do with our lesson? No, but it does show the "conscience" of the saved versus the conscience of the lost.

I believe next week we will see the mind of Christ and it will give us a better understanding.

For our minds to be on Christ, we must know that there is no authority here on earth, nor in Heaven, that can overcome the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

When the Lord in Spirit went to Paradise, He openly showed He was in control of all power even the power of "resurrection" to new life, a life they would never know because they had rejected this life.

Was the Lord rubbing it in (so to speak) on those who were already in misery. No not really, but Hell is a place of misery with nowhere to go to get away from it!

Those who think they have the power to overcome the Lord Jesus Christ already live in a dream world that cannot be true!

Amen

Let's pray!

Called to Serve the Lord

Jeremiah's Call

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 1:1-19

If you have read much of Jeremiah, you will know that Jeremiah is known as "The Weeping Prophet". We will see that throughout his lifetime Jeremiah witnessed one catastrophe after another along with sufferings beyond measure, and all these things broke the heart of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet of God during the last forty years of the history of Judah.

If we call that at the end of the reign of King Solomon the nation of Israel was divided into two nations one being called Israel, the northern nation and the other called Judah.

The northern nation had already fallen and no longer existed before the time of Jeremiah and Judah, the southern nation will fall during the time of Jeremiah.

The last forty years of the time of Judah was a terrible time to be a Jew. Assyria to the north, Babylon to the west, and Egypt to the south and these three were all seeking world domination and Judah lay in the middle.

Judah had fallen away from the Lord and even rejected and denied Him and they were unwilling to repent from their wickedness.

Jeremiah could not have started ministry until the age of 30 and He served the Lord for 41 years until his forced exile into Egypt.

Jeremiah prophesied of the wickedness of Judah and though he was ridiculed and abused, God never left his side and Jeremiah remained faithful to his calling.

This is the same for each Christian today. God will never forsake those that love Him!

It is a tragic thing to reject the Lord because He is the only one who could deliver Judah from all these enemies.

In many ways we can see America falling into this same trap! It seems that wickedness has raised its filthy head and is beginning to rule in America and the Church is just too lazy to take a stand on the Word of God.

When a people claim to be followers of the Lord but allow this wicked world to come into the Church even inviting this wickedness into the Church we will see that God will certainly not be pleased.

We already know that the Old Testament not only provides prophesies of the future but contains the many examples we are to learn from.

The Apostle Paul by the hand of the Holy Spirit writes of these things:

1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

We should also remember that even the words of Jeremiah were given to him by the Holy Spirit.

Let's Begin

*****Jer 1:1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

Jer 1:2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Jer 1:3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

The first thing we see is that Jeremiah was the son of a priests in the line Aaron and Jeremiah would have also been a priest if God had not called on him to be a prophet answering only to God Himself.

Remember God's prophets always told the truth and any prophecy they foretold had to take place or they were a false prophet!

During the time of Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Daniel, and Ezekiel also prophesied the Word of God. We can see that God made sure these Jews got to hear the truth.

We should also know that every nation and every society will experience difficult years and we are no different having already been through the great depression and many wars that challenged our nation and are now seeing how pure wickedness affects us all.

The city of Ana Thoth was in the land that was given to the tribe of Benjamin, but it was located not more than 3 miles of Jerusalem.

Ana Thoth was a city of priests assigned by Joshua, so Jeremiah was raised around the many families of priests who lived there.

We also see that these people were real familiar to the Word of God because God had sent His prophets in the time of Josiah and in the time of Jehoiakim.

There is never a time that God does reach out to His people, the only exception being the 400 hundred years after the time of Malachi until the birth of Jesus Christ where God allowed His will to take place without sending His prophets. These Jews had all the information they needed to prepare for the Messiah.

We have all the information that we need today to prepare for the return of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

We know that end Judah was carried away by Babylon and they would remain captives until the end of 70 years as Jeremiah had prophesied until the time of King Cyrus that Isaiah had prophesied.

Isa_44:28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Isa_45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

*****Jer 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Is there anyone in here that still thinks that a baby in the womb is not a real creation of God. We should understand that God knows what our life will be like before our seed has been planted in our mother’s womb.

It has already been proven that babies before they are born can hear things outside their mother’s womb.

Is there anyone that does not believe that the same sovereign power that ordained Jeremiah to be a prophet, and the Apostle Paul, and the many others into the ministry of the Lord has not reveal the Lord Jesus Christ unto us so we could be saved.

Gal 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

Gal 1:16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

We are here today because we have also been called by the "Grace of God" into the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God did not call Jeremiah just for Judah, God called Jeremiah to witness to all the nations.

Some great things are said here:

1) Before God forms us, He already knows us.

2) Before we are born, God can sanctify us, set apart for His use

3) Before we are born, Gods knows everything about our lives

We see that God's calling is very personal. God tries to get personal with us even when we do not want a relationship with Him.

What is the first thing most all of us do? We offer up excuses which means we have told God that He does not know what He is talking about.

If not for God's "Grace" where would we be by now?

*****Jer 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

God calls humans to take the Word of God to other humans. We should be thankful that God has thought enough of us to trust us with His words of truth.

Everyone in the Church can have a ministry.

We should be humbled to know that God knows us before we are even born into this world.

Jeremiah was set aside for a specific task, even though he would be a priest when he reached the age of maturity.

Jeremiah was only a child when he understood what God wanted from Him.

God created all the nations and every human being, and He wants us all to know the truth of His Creation so that we all can be saved.

God wants all of us to be good soldiers in the army of God the qualifications begin by being set apart for His use.

2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

I never leave this class room on Sunday thinking I have done what God ask me to do, or said the words that God wanted me to say.

But I told God I would not quit on Him.

There are young people in our own church who God is dealing with and saying the same thing that Jeremiah said.

"Lord, I am but a child, how can I have the words to say to these people".

As Jeremiah grew up it was easy for him to see the wickedness of His nation.

We better believe that all the young people here in our church and others are seeing the wickedness that is happening in our own nation and we must pray that they will keep their Christian roots and join into the Army of God,

Jeremiah knew that a prophet of God must have the ability to speak in public and he felt he could not do this. I can relate to this myself.

Most everyone called of God have these same feelings.

Even Moses felt this way.

Exo 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

God persuaded Moses and God would persuade Jeremiah.

*****Jer 1:7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

I am beginning to understand that God has given us the words we are to say, and God takes full responsibility for the results of His Words!

I am never wrong when I speak God's Words and Jeremiah would not be wrong when He spoke the Words God had given to him.

We see that being a child is never a good excuse for not obeying the calling of the Lord and our young people must realize that this true.

We are all the children of God without excuse and we have seen many babes in Christ many of them fail because would not accept the calling of God.

God insisted that Jeremiah be obedient to his calling.

This is what the Lord expects of us all. He expects us to be true to the things He has called on us to do!

In most cases when we refuse the Lord then someone will get our blessing and we will be reminded of this when we meet Jesus at the Bema Seat!

We must not make up excuses to reject the Lord's calling. He already knows each one of us better than we know our selves. We must understand that God will provide everything we need to do what He has asked us to do!

We are all called to be ambassadors for Christ which means we are citizens of Heaven sent here to tell the world about Jesus Christ!

God has called all of us to be witnesses of the perfect salvation that is offered as a free gift to all those who call upon the name of Jesus.

This can be a frightening thing to us just like it was to Jeremiah!

*****Jer 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

The one sure thing we must realize is that as the children of God we do not go anywhere alone. Our Father in Heaven is always with us!

We could not be members of Gethsemane if not for Preacher Sam who had faith knowing what God had called him to do!

God met all the needs of Jeremiah!

God promise to protect Jeremiah.

God promised to be with Jeremiah and He would not forsake us.

Sometimes we just do not realize how wonderful it is for the Lord to say, I will never forsake you.

Psa 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

It is because the Lord will never forsake us that we are preserved throughout eternity!

All these thigs begin when we serve the Lord while we are still upon this earth!

As Christians many will look upon us with disdain, but the Lords says we must never be afraid of their faces.

The Lord will give us the things to say. He has already given us His Word, but the Lord will give us the words at that moment what needs to be said, by the Holy Spirit who lives within each Saint of God!

No matter how inadequate we feel God will meet our needs. I can promise you, I know about this one!

Even when Jeremiah was a child the Lord began to instruct Him but also to make him confident in what God was asking from Him!

Remember how we always say the Apostle Paul did not have the New Testament to help him build the church.

We can also say that Jeremiah did not have much of the Old Testament when God call ed on Him. In fact, about all he had was the Books of Moses.

We should be able to see how important it is that we have the complete Word of God today because God called on these great men of God to give us what God has said and then He also given us these examples.

We must understand the most important thing we can give the Lord is to be available when He calls and a willing heart, open to the ways of the Lord!

God seeks a heart that is surrendered to Him and this is a person that God can equip to be a servant to those who do not know Him!

What did God say to Moses:

Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Exo 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

There is never an excuse that is good enough to cause God to change His mind, beyond a total rejection!

When we know we are inadequate to commit to the work God has given to us, then we also know that we must give God the glory for any accomplishment that comes by our work!

We must get one thing straight in our minds that it is the Lord and not man who controls the affairs of the world!

We must also understand that God will give His message to those He calls!

*****Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

We are to listen when God speaks.

We are to obey when God commands.

We are to trust when God promises.

When we get these three things mastered then we are almost ready to serve the Lord!

These things cannot be accomplished without a New Birth!

To be "Born Again" is to be changed from our own unrighteousness into the perfect righteousness of the Lord, one day at a time.

When we are adopted into the family of God, our Heavenly Father will begin to teach us about Holiness, and not just any holiness, but the holiness of His Dear Son!

We must also understand that every "Babe in Christ" needs sometime to be discipled in the ways of the Lord. It can only happen as the Lord touches their lips and gives them His Words!

What comes out of our mouths must be of the Word of God!

Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

When the Lord calls us and equips us, then He will direct us in where we are to go.

*****Jer 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

What Jeremiah's calling?

Jeremiah was to tell these people what God had planned for the future if there was no repentance. Jeremiah was to be a Prophet called of God!

If the children of Israel would repent God would plant them on their lands and they could build onto their great nation.

If there was no repentance then God would root out the evil and forsake His people who had forsaken Him, God would pull down the magnificent structures of David and Solomon, even the Temple and no one would be able to escape these things. God would destroy their homeland.

We know that God did all these things just has His Prophet had said!

Zec 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

But God never forgets what He has already done!

Jer 31:28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.

Jer 31:29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.

Jer 31:30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

There was a partial fulfilling of these things when King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to their nation in the 70 years that Jeremiah had said but a greater fulfilling in our day as Israel returns to the land God had given to them as most every prophet foretold.

*****Jer 1:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

Jer 1:12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

In Palestine, the Almond tree is the first tree to bloom and the first tree to bear fruit.

We should understand from this vision that Jeremiah was the only prophet to see most of his prophesy fulfilled before he died but this does not mean we are to skip over this great book. It fact we would be foolish to do so!

2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

This statement includes the Book of Jeremiah.

These things mean that we must always be aware of the things happening around us.

We must always realize that God will absolutely do as He says if He does not see the repentance that lovingly asks for!

When God says, "behold I come quickly", He means what He says here also!

The blossoms of the almond tree were a sure sign that Winter was over, and Spring had begun.

We must understand that when we see events take place that have been described by the prophets it teaches us that God's will is taking place just as He said. God will always be true to His Word!

In the Book of Ezekiel, we see these words.

Eze 7:10 Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.

Eze 7:11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.

Eze 7:12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

Jeremiah would preach the truth of repentance all his days but much like Noah, the Word of God would be rejected, and God would od just as He said.

Over and over we see in the Old Testament that God speaks by His priest and prophets and the nation of Israel will reject the Word of God and most times it is the sin of pride that has gotten in their veins.

We should not understand that the Lord is waiting for certain things to take place when He is actually watching them take place. Nothing catches the Lord of guard.

He has known the ending to the beginning all the way back to before He created our and said, "let there be light".

There is not one thing that can catch the Lord God Almighty off guard!

Psa 111:6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

Psa 111:7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.

Psa 111:8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.

God does not change! The Old Testament is full of examples of what God has already done and we are to learn from our mistakes also, because we know the God will never change His ways.

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

When the Lord Comes, He will come quickly!

Again, the Lord shows Jeremiah another vision.

*****Jer 1:13 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.

Jer 1:14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

A seething pot would be like a kettle full of rapidly boiling water.

The seething pot shows us the terror and confusion that would fill the city of Jerusalem when her enemies came and they would come from the North.

The word "seething" found in the Strong’s Dictionary means: blow, breath, give up, cause to lose [life], seething, snuff.

The word "pot" also a thorn (as springing up rapidly); by implication a hook: - caldron, fishhook, pan, ([wash-]) pot, thorn.

That word North mean not only direction but also means gloomy and unknown.

We will see that in reality these words speak of a siege of Jerusalem.

The patience of God was wearing thin for Jerusalem and the nation of Judah and these things speak of a time when these Jews would see terror and confusion like they had never seen.

We need to understand that when we speak of the Word of God, then we must see it clearly ourselves. Another reason God says for us to study the Scriptures.

When we understand what God is saying "good or bad" we must not be ashamed to tell it to others!

God will always use things in His own creation to teach us these Bible truths!

In the New Testament Jesus Christ used parables to teach and each parable would teach a Heavenly truth.

Nowhere in all the Scriptures will we see that God uses fables to teach His truth!

We may also notice that just before these visions Jeremiah had confessed his ignorance and inability to do what God was calling him to do!

A good thought is, it is not the gift of sight, used here on Jeremiah that distinguishes one man from another, it is the gift hearing where we can say, "we hear a voice that those who are lost cannot hear!

Rom_10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

This is God's way during the Church Age!

Jeremiah was not to show these people of Judah great and powerful things; his job was to preach the words God had given to him through the Holy Spirit!

It should be obvious that those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ will see the wrath of God!

Sin has a penalty.

Sin has consequences.

When we live in wickedness, we condemn our ourselves to the "judgement of God"

We will die and be forever separated from a Holy God who tried His best to save this entire world and is still trying to convince those who do not know Him to seek Him, so they can also know Him!

Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

For those who are lost and reject the Word of God, there is an evil that is surely coming to them!

These things are all true because it is Jehovah that sits on His Throne in Heaven and He is His Own Counselor!

*****Jer 1:15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

Jer 1:16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

We should understand that when the Lord takes His time to teach us heavenly things, it is good that we follow His teachings!

Preaching God's Judgment would be a very hard thing to do for Jeremiah. He loved his nation, but he loved his Heavenly Father much more!

We are wrong when we do not share the bad news to non-believers, but we are even more wrong when we do not share God's "Good News" of the "Saving Grace" of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah had one task, he was to preach only the words gave to him!

Not philosophies.

Not psychologies.

Not ideas.

Not theologies.

Not according to their own beliefs.

*****Jer 1:17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

God warns us of our own backsliding.

God warns us of quitting on Him.

God warns us of turning away from His Word!

Whatever mission God has chosen for us, we must complete that mission!

God explains to each of us that our mission is to deliver His Words!

God explains to us that we must go to where we are sent!

God is responsible for the outcome!

God will avenge those who are persecuted for doing what He has said to do!

If we twist the Word of God into some other meaning, then we should fear the wrath of God.

If we are faithful to do what God asks us to do, then we have no reason to fear the wrath of God. It is just that simple!

When we gird up the loins of our mind it is saying we are prepared to get into the battle with the truth of God our only weapon and our faith is our armament, our shield!

God warns us against backsliding and turning away from our task. Remember when we turn and run there is no armor on our backside but the armor we wear cannot be penetrated from the front!

To gird up our loins is to be prepared to enter this battle with evil and to not look back!

Heb 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Heb 10:39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

We are on the winning side and we must never forget this is true also!

*****Jer 1:18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

Jer 1:19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

We know from reading the Book of Jeremiah that he was known as the weeping prophet but here we can also know that Jeremiah was given a strength that no power on earth could overcome!

Jeremiah was invincible until the task God had chosen for him was complete. Jeremiah would outlive every insult that he received!

Notice that if all those in the land turn against Jeremiah he would triumph over them.

Notice if was a king with all the power of a king, Jeremiah would triumph.

Notice if it was all the priests , Jeremiah would triumph.

Then God said, they will certainly fight against Jeremiah, but they would not be able to overcome Jeremiah.

Why should we ever worry when we do what God tells us to do!

Isa 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

We already know that the Lord is no respecter of persons and what he did for Jeremiah, He will do for you!

God did not say Jeremiah would not suffer and He did.

God just told Jeremiah that He was on the winning side!

If we read the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, on toward the back of the Book it plainly states that all those who love the Lord are on the winning side.

Never allow this world to teach you differently!

Amen

Let's Pray!