June 25, 2023
Pastor John Hering
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Jeremiah 20:7-13
7 You persuaded me, Lord, and I agreed to it. You are stronger than I am, and you won out. I have become a laughingstock all day long, and everyone is mocking me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out. I cry out, “Violence and destruction!” But the word of the Lord has brought scorn on me. I am mocked all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him or speak in his name anymore,” then there is a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in. I cannot! 10 I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” All my close friends, those who are watching for my fall, say, “Denounce him! Let’s denounce him. Perhaps he can be pressured into making a mistake. Then we will have the upper hand against him, and we will take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior. So my persecutors will stumble, and they will not gain the upper hand. They will be put to shame completely, because they have not been successful. Their eternal disgrace will never be forgotten.
12 Lord of Armies, you test the righteous. You see the heart and the mind. Let me see your vengeance on them, for I have laid out my case before you. 13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord, for he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked.”
You all know a person who thinks and says they are always right. You know, the person who hears your idea and comes up with a better one, in their opinion. Trouble is that it might very well be a better idea but it’s just the way they put it in your face that bugs you. So, how many of you think I’m talking about you right now? Or maybe you’re praying, “Lord, keep me from that kind of attitude. I don’t ever want to be like that – rude, self-centered, self-possessed, conceited.” On the other hand, there may be those times when you know, as Christians, that you are right. In those times we want to have a humble, tactful heart and in true love take a stand on what is right! You can feel the current of popular opposition, can’t you? I’m not just talking about the politically correct crowd and or the Tolerance Police on social media. I’m talking about any time we Christians take a stand on what we know is right, even if the devil is using all means possible to push against us. How are we going to stand up against opposition like that?
Dear Christian friends, millions of Christians over the years know what that’s like. Two thousand six hundred years ago Jeremiah the prophet stood up for what is right and faced serious persecution for it. So, there are all sorts of lessons we can learn from the prophet Jeremiah today. One golden nugget stands out: God knows we are living in a sin-broken, hostile society, but the Holy Spirit teaches us to
Stand Up for What’s Right!
For Frustration Can Lead to Despair
What would you think if I stood here in this pulpit, showed you a very nice antique clay jar, and then proceeded to denounce all the sinfulness in your lives, saying, “God says: Because of your sin I am going to bring on you every disaster imaginable”? Then I would hurl the jar to the floor, smashing it to smithereens, saying, “God says: I will smash you just as this jar is smashed.” What would you think? A few of you might be muttering, “Atta boy, pastor! Go get ’em!” But most of you might think it’s time to call the men in white coats to haul me away. And if there were a few synodical officials today, they might wonder, “How did this guy get out of the Seminary?”
Well, let me summarize for you what the people heard Jeremiah say.
“ 8 The priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord?” The experts in the law did not acknowledge me. Their shepherds rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and went after useless idols. 9 So I am bringing charges against you again, declares the Lord, and I am bringing charges against your children’s children”
Jeremiah 2:8-9; 7:23-26
“23 I gave them only this command: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Walk entirely in the way I commanded you to walk, so that it may go well with you.” 24 But they did not obey me or listen to me. …. 26 But they did not obey me or listen to me. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their fathers”
On top of all that, Jeremiah got up in his pulpit and did that clay jar thing, shouting, “Tell them this is what the Lord of Armies says. This is how I will break this people and this city, like a potter’s jar that is so smashed that it cannot be made whole again” (Jer 19:11),
As you might expect, Jeremiah’s message was not very popular. So how often do you think Jeremiah preached like that? One good, long sermon? A couple of weekends in a row? A couple of months? No! That’s what Jeremiah sounded like every time he preached for forty years. This was his whole ministry every time he opened his mouth because his message was from the Lord God! Jeremiah was right in condemning the people for their sin. Yet the stiff-necked people did not change. Talk about frustration! After a while Jeremiah’s message not only wore on the people, but their failure to listen wore on him. Frustration can lead to despair. You can hear it in his voice, “7 You persuaded me, Lord, and I agreed to it. You are stronger than I am, and you won out. I have become a laughingstock all day long, and everyone is mocking me. 8 Whenever I speak, I cry out. I cry out, “Violence and destruction!” But the word of the Lord has brought scorn on me. I am mocked all day long” (7-8).
You know how unpleasant it is when you stand up for the truth of God’s Word and are ridiculed for it. You know how frustrating it can be when people you love don’t want to listen. That frustration can lead to despair. That is the perfect time for you to remain as bold and confident as Jeremiah. That is the perfect time to recognize the truth you are speaking is not yours but God’s. Stand up for what’s right even though there are times when frustration leads to despair because the message is not yours. It’s His!
Dear Christian friends, we have the lifesaving message to change hearts from despair to deliverance! If a government official visited you and said, “We’re sorry. Over the last ten years we have miscalculated your taxes. We owe you fifty thousand dollars. Here’s the check,” my guess is that you would just have to tell someone. Or couples who just had their first baby get on the phone to text their relatives and friends. They just have to tell their friends. God’s forgiving love is more important and more special than a tax refund or a new baby. His good news we just can’t keep it inside. We can’t help speaking about what we have seen and heard! But what if someone you know is in the wrong, has sinned, or is holding on to an error that is obviously contrary to what the Bible says? Would you be on fire to warn them? Would you be eager to speak up?
That’s what was gnawing at Jeremiah. “9 If I say, “I will not mention him or speak in his name anymore,” then there is a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in. I cannot!” Certainly he had good news to proclaim. His book contains some gorgeous promises of God’s love and forgiveness. But that was not Jeremiah’s usual message. That was not his primary job. His main mission was to condemn the people for their crookedness, rebellion, and sin. But that’s what God told him to do. So Jeremiah focused on God’s Word. When he did, that focus led to personal danger. “10 I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” All my close friends, those who are watching for my fall, say, “Denounce him! Let’s denounce him. Perhaps he can be pressured into making a mistake. Then we will have the upper hand against him, and we will take our revenge on him.” (10). He received death threats (Jr 26). The king stole his sermon scrolls and burned them (Jr 36). He was dumped into a muddy cistern (Jr 38). He was thrown into a dungeon for a long time (Jr 37). He was kept under guard (Jr 38). Jeremiah Stood Up For What Is Right!
What is it that makes us afraid to speak up when we see someone in sin or in the wrong? We may be afraid that they will think we are trying to say that we are better than they are. We may be afraid to hurt someone’s feelings. But think of the consequences if we don’t speak. Our friend may be endangering his or her relationship with God and in danger of losing heaven. So stand up for what’s right even if it seems there’s a dangerous frustration that leads to despair. Our relationship with God and their relationship with God are more important. They desperately need to hear of
God’s Victory Leads to Delight
The last book of the Bible is full of picture language. In Revelation 11 we are given a picture of God channeling his message of mercy to people through Christians. In that picture there are enemies of God’s truth who oppose his message. So powerful are those enemies that it appears they have won the battle and God’s messengers are defeated and killed. But just when we think that it’s time to give up hope, we are reminded that God conquered death and in the dream of Revelation God’s messengers are raised to delightful life and stand victorious.
That is exactly what Jeremiah experienced. If you read his entire book, it looks like he loses. He is kidnapped by cowardly countrymen who fled the attack of Babylon and ran to Egypt. We hear no more about Jeremiah. We assume that he died in Egypt. Did he lose? Not at all! Jeremiah stood up for the truth. All of what he prophesied came true. All the anger of God against unfaithful Judah and Jerusalem came true. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people were deported. But Jeremiah also proclaimed that after seventy years of disciplinary captivity God would rescue his people and allow them to return home and rebuild the ruins so that his promise of a Savior from that nation would come true. God’s victory led to Delight in Jesus Christ! Even though Jeremiah lived six centuries before Christ was born, he was so confident in God’s victory that he could sing for joy. Listen!
“11 But the Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior. So my persecutors will stumble, and they will not gain the upper hand. They will be put to shame completely, because they have not been successful. Their eternal disgrace will never be forgotten. 12 Lord of Armies, you test the righteous. You see the heart and the mind. Let me see your vengeance on them, for I have laid out my case before you. 13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord, for he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked”
Jeremiah 20:11-13
How about you? When we look at all the negative pressure around, can we sing for joy? When we look at our feeble attempts to stand up for the truth, when we face our fears, can we rejoice? Yes! I can’t say it any better than the Apostle Peter:
“12 Dear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery trial that is happening among you to test you, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead rejoice whenever you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted in connection with the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or as a meddler. 16 But if you suffer for being a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God in connection with this name”
1 Peter 4:12-16
Stand Up For What Is Right According To God’s Word and God’s Victory Will Lead to Delight!
Do you know someone who thinks they are always right? If you don’t , then turn and look at the people sitting around you. We are right because we are standing on God’s Word. That does not mean we are to be haughty, conceited, self-centered, self-possessed, tactless, rude, or offensive. It does mean that God simply expects that we Stand Up For What Is Right. We acknowledge that there will be days when our witness about Jesus Christ leads to frustration and despair in this sinful world. Yet, we press on because we know and believe that Jesus’ Victory leads to our Eternal Delight! Amen!
