The Bible Breakdown

Jeremiah 01: God Equips the Called

• Brandon Cannon • Episode 651

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Speaker 1:

Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today is Jeremiah, chapter 1, and if we were to give this a title, it would be God Equips the Cult. God Equips the Cult, and I've got to tell you I am really excited about getting into the book of Jeremiah, even though it is going to be a difficult book for us to get into. But I'm really excited. We're going to do as we always do In chapter 1, we're going to give you an overview of the book of Jeremiah. Then we're going to jump into chapter 1. But before we do that, as always, if you're new here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star review on the podcast and make sure you go into the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people and they are doing devotions every day. Make sure you leave comments on there. We love hearing from you, kind of going back and forth about different things we're learning together Because, as we always say, the more we dig, the more we find. If you have your Bible.

Speaker 1:

I want to open up with me to Jeremiah 1. I really love this book of the Bible, even though it's hard, and we're going to get into why it's hard. But I also want to give you a recommendation as we get into this. And there is a book called Run With the Horses and it is by Eugene Peterson and it is basically a breakdown of the book of Jeremiah, because there is a part in Jeremiah where God says that is what he is calling him to do is to run with the horses. In other words, keep up with all the things that are going on, and there's a whole lot more to that. But I highly recommend to you, if you really get into the book of Jeremiah and really understand what's going on, run with the horses is really good. Here's the reason why I love the book of Jeremiah and I've been excited about it. But also it's going to be kind of hard, and that is because Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet.

Speaker 1:

The reason why is because he is a. Basically he's a prophet. It's what he does with his life. So it's almost like a modern equivalent of being a pastor today, but he is a pastor during a time when he knows judgment is coming. He knows the nation of Israel is not going to turn around, so for 40 years of his life. He spends that entire time watching them slowly move toward destruction and then ultimately seeing them in destruction. But he never stops warning the people and just going after, just talking about it, and he ends up honestly if you were to look at his ministry over what he intended to do, which was to call the people back to God, he didn't accomplish his task, but really he was there to be the voice of God. They still had to make the choice, and so it's sad because it doesn't happen. You know they end up being destroyed. But at the same time, it's also beautiful because of his faithfulness. And even though God is telling them, hey, destruction is coming because you're not, you're not going to turn back, it's just not going to happen at this point, you know it. It's just judgment's coming. God never stops calling them back to himself, and so, really, the overall theme of the book of Jeremiah is a future and a hope. Even in difficulty, god's light in the darkness gives us a future and a hope, and so let's dive into this.

Speaker 1:

I want to kind of give you some details and then we're going to jump into this. First of all, jeremiah was a preacher his entire life from a young age, and so these are just a few sermons that the Holy Spirit inspired that were later put into and collected into the book of Jeremiah. Now, a couple of interesting things is, even though Jeremiah is the one who wrote this, he had this secretary called Baruch and he dictated some of this, and you'll see how, in some places, it will say this was something directly dictated by Baruch. Also, there was a time and, jeremiah, you're going to get to where you are going to really start to feel for this guy. You're going to find yourself rooting for him as all this bad stuff happens. He really deals with a lot of conflict because there's so many false prophets who's saying the exact opposite of what he's saying, and there's even a place where he says I decided I wasn't going to preach anymore, but the word of God was in me and it was so strong that it was like a fire shut up in my bones and I couldn't hold it back. There's a time when he actually gets put into a big old hole and was just waiting for him to die because they've been preaching the good news. I mean just all this bad stuff happens to him, and even in one place he had written down the things that God had told him and one of the corrupt kings destroyed it and so he had to go back and write it all over again. I mean, there's all these things that's happening to Jeremiah, but he's continually faithful to what God had called him to do.

Speaker 1:

This was written primarily to the people of Judah Because, if you remember, there were a northern and southern kingdom, one was Judah and one was Israel, and at this time Israel has been destroyed. The Assyrians have come in and they've destroyed Israel and all that's left now is Judah. And he is talking to them about that coming judgment because at this point they're not going to turn back around and also hope that if they would turn around, god would have mercy. But then also, even though they're not going to turn around, god's not going to destroy them completely. They're still going to have hope. Where this was primarily written, in Jerusalem.

Speaker 1:

All of Jeremiah's life he is grappling back and forth with false prophets and he's debating and he's going and trying to tell the truth. But it's hard because everybody else is saying, oh, it's fine, the Babylonians are not going to destroy us, they can't do anything about this. And Jeremiah's going. Oh, you know they kind of can. You know, they're a lot bigger than us and the only thing we got going for us is God, and we're not really on speaking terms with him right now. So you know, it looks kind of bad. So who would you believe, right? So he's struggling with it, but he spends his entire life in Jerusalem trying to convince the nation to return back to God and ultimately it's not successful. So that's why the last part of his ministry, he is forcibly taken to Egypt after Jerusalem spoiler alert after Jerusalem is destroyed, and he continues to prophesy even there.

Speaker 1:

The reason why this is important to read Jeremiah is because it teaches us how to be faithful when everything looks bad, how to continue to trust God and to understand the fact that God continually wants good for us, even when we're in bad situations. It also starts to speak about and prophesy about a future new covenant where God is going to come and is going to wash away all of their sins, which we now know is Jesus, and so let me kind of put us in. You know the context of where he is, and then we're going to jump into it, okay. So here's the thing At this point, the Assyrian Empire has risen up and they have overthrown Israel. At this point, when Jeremiah is alive, they are starting to decline and the Babylonian Empire is becoming huge and they are now getting ready to sweep through the area. And that's what they see coming.

Speaker 1:

And Jeremiah is the one who is saying if we don't turn to God, they're going to destroy us, and so his whole ministry, for 40 years, is trying to encourage Judah to turn to God, but unfortunately, unfortunately he sees them continually go further and further downhill, and this is one of the things that's really sad. When he first came into his ministry, he it was during the time of Joash, which was a time when there was a kind of a mini revival going on in the nation of Judah. Joash was leading them toward God and leading them back to do the things that God had called them to do, and so at the beginning of his ministry it was kind of awesome. He was there helping them get their life back on track and go toward God again. But the challenge is is, as they kept going and other kings started to take, you know, take place or come in and do the different things it was Josiah, by the way. I was looking at that, it's actually Josiah. They started getting more and more corrupt until when he started his ministry, there was this mini reformation, mini revival starting, and by the time it's over, he sees the destruction of Jerusalem and he goes into exile along with everybody else. As a matter of fact, he ends up writing another book that is later put in the Bible by the Holy Spirit, and it's called the Book of Lamentations. You can only guess how cheerful that book is. Right, all right. Last thing, and then we'll go into it.

Speaker 1:

Jeremiah is known, as in the Jewish community, as one of the most respected prophets in the Bible, and it's because of his faithfulness over a long period of time. And there is some legend that says that when Babylon is about to invade Jerusalem, they know it's happening, they know they're going to destroy everything and they don't want the Babylonians to get a hold of the Ark of the Covenant. And so there is some legend and we don't know this either way, because somehow or another, the Ark of the Covenant came up missing when they went in there to destroy it that no one ever, you know, was able to find the Ark. They don't know what happened to it and there's a lot of different theories as to what happened, but there are some theories that say that, because Jeremiah knew that the end was coming while everybody was in chaos, jeremiah and some of the priests may have smuggled the Ark of the Covenant out, so it wasn't destroyed, and there are some that believe that he may have even hid it in some of the caves below Jerusalem, and it is there now waiting for the third temple to be built, so that it can be restored back to the temple. That's one of the reasons why there is such a level of respect for Jeremiah is because he might have even been one of the ones who helped protect the ark when everything else was in chaos. So there's so much around him. I love him and we're going to jump into this, so don't forget, chapter one is part of the whole, and the overall idea and the overall theme of Jeremiah is that there is a future and a hope.

Speaker 1:

God's light and darkness gives us a future and a hope, and the very first thing we're going to read today is all about this idea of God equips the called, so he doesn't just call those who are already equipped, but he calls us and then he gives us everything we need to do, everything he's called us to do. Okay, you ready? Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 1, says this these are the words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. The Lord, don't forget. Every time capital L-O-R-D is there, it's Yahweh, the Lord.

Speaker 1:

Yahweh first gave messages to Jeremiah during the 13th year of the reign of Josiah, son of Ammon, king of Judah. The Lord's message continued throughout the reign of Jehoiakim, josiah's son, until the 11th year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah's sons. In August of that 11th year, the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. So once again, that's what I was telling you before. He started with Josiah and he ended when they all were in captivity. So here we go, verse four the Lord gave me this message.

Speaker 1:

I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb, before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations. Oh, sovereign Lord, I said I can't speak for you, I'm too young. And the Lord replied don't say I am too young, for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you, and don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and I will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken. Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said Look, I have put my words in your mouth. Today I appoint you to stand up against the kingdoms, the nations and kingdoms. Some, you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others, you must build up and plant. Then the Lord said to me look, jeremiah, what do you see? And I replied I see a branch from an almond tree. And the Lord said that's right, it means that I am watching and I will certainly carry out my plans.

Speaker 1:

Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked what do you see now? And I replied Listen, I am calling the armies of the kingdoms of the north to come to Jerusalem. I, the Lord, have spoken. They will set their thrones at the city gates and they will attack its walls and the other towns of Judah. I will pronounce judgment on my people for all their evil, for deserting me and burning incense to other gods. Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands. Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say Don't be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. Thanks God For see today. I have made you strong, like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land, the kings or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land, the kings, officials, priests and the people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail, for I am with you and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Speaker 1:

Wow, what an opening chapter to Jeremiah's life. So what happened was is, when he was young, god came to him and said hey, man, before you were even born, I had a reason for you to be born. There's a reason why you're alive right now, and I've called you to a hard ministry, and that is destruction's coming to Jerusalem, and I want you to tell them. Tell them that it's coming, but unfortunately it's not going to be easy. They're not going to take this good news with like, oh well, praise the Lord, thank you. No, they're going to fight you, they're not going to want to receive this, but your job is to get up and do what I've told you and I will protect you.

Speaker 1:

Wow, do you know? I think that's what God says to all of us. I don't think he's telling all of us to get up and proclaim judgment. No, but do think he's saying before you were born, I had a plan for you. You're not an accident, you're not a mistake. I had a reason for you to be alive right now. And here we are. Can I tell you how excited I am that God had a reason for me to be alive in the day of coffee, wifi and air conditioning? I mean, come on, I am so happy to be alive right now.

Speaker 1:

But the thing is is, even though God calls us to something, he has a purpose for us. He says to all of us, like he says in verse 17, get up and prepare for action, go out and do, go out and tell. And I think that's one of the things we have to remember. God has a reason for us to be born. Then he creates us to go do the thing, but he wants us to be part of the process. He doesn't call us to do something, so then we can go watch it happen. He wants our partnership, and so my question for you is what has God put in front of you that you can do for his glory right now?

Speaker 1:

I think sometimes we overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what we can do through a lifetime of faithfulness. And I think that we think sometimes that making a difference is in big moments and that God's called us to these big moments, but rather a lot of times it's everyday faithfulness. That's one of the things that Jeremiah is being told right now is he's saying you're going to have to go out and continually do the hard things, continually do stuff that would be easier left undone. But there's joy there, there's a calling there, and I've equipped you to do it. You know, god has equipped you to do everything that he's called you to do Now. It may be raw, maybe untested, all of that, but he's given you everything you need to do, everything he's called you to do. So as we move through the book of Jeremiah, we're going to be moving through a very tumultuous time in the nation of Israel's history.

Speaker 1:

When I read this, I hear almost a sense of urgency. With Jeremiah it's almost like the idea of you see a train coming, you see it coming. It's a long way off, but it is definitely coming. And as it gets closer and closer and closer, the more our heart starts to race. And the whole time Jeremiah is going. Listen, if we would just turn back to God, he would cause that train to go to the left or the right, but you're not going to do it. I just already know judgment's on its way. But if you would, he would stop it. And don't worry, even though that train is going to crash right into us, god's still going to be faithful, and you know what that means to me Is.

Speaker 1:

God is on a relentless pursuit to save us, even from ourselves. What a wonderful thing it is to serve such a great God. Let's pray together right now, god. Thank you so much, lord, that you have so much mercy on us and that you shine a light in every darkness. You give us a hope and a future, and I'm so thankful for you.

Speaker 1:

God, as we go through the book of Jeremiah, there's going to be high moments, there's going to be difficult moments, but in all of it we get to see your mercy, we get to see your grace, even in the middle of judgment, and I pray that it will help us to see that, even when we go through difficult times, we are still so blessed to be called your children. Thank you for all things. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, amen. Well, our memory verse for this book of the Bible is going to be Jeremiah 29, 13, when it says If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. That's all that God asks as we turn ourselves all the way to him. He comes running to us. Open the book of Jeremiah. You see that too. I'll see you tomorrow for Jeremiah, chapter two.

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