Class Lesson August 26, 2012

Hey Gang,

This week we conclude our series from the life of Jeremiah, the prophet, as our studies have focused on how we can be the kind of person through whom God works to carry out His purposes in the world. Our closing lesson this week wants us to understand the importance of persevering when we serve the Lord by refusing to compromise godly convictions no matter what the cost. Don't quit when the going gets tough!

Derek Redmond - 92

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When was the last time you wanted to say, “I quit?” Did you? Why or why not?



When is a good time to quit? When is a bad time to quit? 

• Many people are willing to serve God as long as the task isn’t too demanding and everything runs smoothly. But when problems develop, and it isn’t fun anymore, the ranks thin. God calls us to persevere in serving Him as long as He directs us to do so, regardless of the cost.
• There are times to quit. Obedience to God, not refusing to quit, is the guiding factor.

Jeremiah had many reasons to quit; he was persecuted, beaten and imprisoned repeatedly. His own people sought to kill him; year after year, his message was rejected. Only two people – Baruch his scribe and Ebed-melech the Cushite responded to his preaching. Jeremiah was neither popular nor well respected. Wisely, Jeremiah didn’t quit. For 40 years he consistently obeyed what God told him to do despite suffering, opposition, and lack of results. Jeremiah is a good example to us how we too can persevere through the trials we face today.

• 605 BC Babylon became the dominant world power when it defeated Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar then attacked Jerusalem and took most of the nobility, including Daniel, to Babylon.
• 597 BC King Jehoiakim tried to shake off Babylon’s rule, Nebuchadnezzar attacked again and forced surrender and he took 10,000 exiles.
• 596 BC The puppet king Babylon installed, Zedekiah, rebelled and sought help from Egypt. Babylon returned to Jerusalem the next year but left to fight the Egyptians. Leaders in Jerusalem believed they were saved. But Jeremiah prophesied the Babylonians (Chaldeans) would return and burn Jerusalem to the ground – not what the people wanted to hear!
• 586 BC Babylon burned Jerusalem to the ground.

We should persevere in serving the Lord by refusing to compromise godly convictions no matter what the cost.

Persevere (definition): Be persistent; refuse to stop.

Which of these words best describes perseverance?

Endurance, Faithfulness, Survival

Which are you seeking to do? Endure? Be faithful? Or just survive?
 

 
I. PERSEVERE WHEN ATTACKED – JEREMIAH 37:11-17

Jeremiah’s Imprisonment

11 When the Chaldean army withdrew from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, 12 Jeremiah started to leave Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there among the people. 13 But when he was at the Benjamin Gate, an officer of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, and he apprehended Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14 “That’s a lie,” Jeremiah replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” Irijah would not listen to him but apprehended Jeremiah and took him to the officials. 15 The officials were angry at Jeremiah and beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison. 16 So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and stayed there many days.
Jeremiah Summoned by Zedekiah

17 King Zedekiah later sent for him and received him, and in his house privately asked him, “Is there a word from the Lord?” “There is,” Jeremiah responded, and he continued, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” 

Why was Jeremiah attacked?

• Jeremiah took advantage of the lull in hostilities to check on some property he’d purchased. As he left the city, the gate officer accused him of defecting to the Babylonians. The officials were happy for any excuse to beat Jeremiah and throw him in a dungeon so dangerous he would likely die. During Jeremiah’s long confinement the Babylonians returned and resumed the siege. The situation became so desperate Zedekiah called for Jeremiah. The king knew there was a word from the Lord; Jeremiah had been preaching it for 40 years! Despite all Jeremiah had endured, he did not change the message God had commanded him to speak.
• We should expect to find ourselves in peril at times when we refuse to compromise the truth of God’s Word.

What do you think the king wanted to hear from Jeremiah when he asked for a word from the Lord after Jeremiah’s punishment?

• What would have been the easy road for Jeremiah to take here? Why didn’t he take it?
• He could have gotten out of trouble and into the king’s good graces by changing his message and saying everything would be ok.
• Jeremiah lived by the principle that it’s better to fear and please God than men.
• Jeremiah didn’t cave in to save his skin, but he did ask for justice. He insisted he was innocent of treason and negotiated better conditions. Zedekiah transferred him to a safer confinement in the guard’s courtyard where he was fed daily. Perseverance does not mean passive! We don’t need to stay in those dangerous situations if God provides a way out.

As Christians, how are we attacked today and by whom?

Who is Your Accuser & Attacker Today?

Every believer has an enemy who loves to accuse and attack us: Satan (1 Peter 5:8; Revelations 12:10). Sometimes he uses people to deliver his attacks. Other times he simply discourages, or hits us with problems.



How does Satan accuse us? Through what people might this happen?

• How does he set about his deception? In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Satan is called "an angel of light," which means that he uses apparently respectable means and people to deceive us. He tries to lure us away from the truth and towards the counterfeit. Paul says: "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him" (2 Cor. 11:4, KJV).
• How does Satan accuse? Sometimes he tells us that we are not saved. Or if he can't succeed with that, he tries to convince us that God has finished with us and that we are irreparably out of His will. Nothing is more demoralizing to a Christian than this. But let me give you a rule of thumb here: all oppression is of the devil.

How does he attack us? What dungeons does he try to throw us into?

• Satan incites our fleshly desires within us through the unbelieving world around us. (lust of the flesh and eyes, pride of life)
• Satan attempts to deceive us with the lies of worldly wisdom through the unbelieving world around us.
• He attempts to deceive us with a false Jesus and a false gospel through false Christians.
• Satan can physically afflict us or ones that we love with illness, crimes, disasters, persecution and the like.

What risks was Jeremiah taking by continuing to say what God had told him to say? What risks would he have taken by quitting? When has continuing to obey God forced you to weigh risks or consider dangers?

• Explore a wide range of risks: relational, social, at work, in church, with self, with life goals.
• You should not be surprised when some people dislike or even hate you.
• You should not be surprised when some people do things that hurt you.
• You should be true to God whatever the cost.

Do we have to have a special calling to speak God’s truth to situations we face today? What does it mean to know and not say?

• Jeremiah’s call – Ours: to present the gospel of grace and salvation through our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

II. PERSEVERE WHEN OTHERS WAIVER – JEREMIAH 38:4-6

4 The officials then said to the king, “This man ought to die, because he is weakening the morale of the warriors who remain in this city and of all the people by speaking to them in this way. This man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but disaster.” 5 King Zedekiah said, “Here he is; he’s in your hands since the king can’t do anything against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the guard’s courtyard, lowering Jeremiah with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

Who are You?

1. Some good people are hated and mistreated by others. - Jeremiah

2. Some people hate and mistreat others.  - The Princes
 
3. Some people ignore mistreated people. - King Zedekiah

4. Some people try to help mistreated people. - Ebed-Melech


There may be times we experience great suffering because of our faithfulness to God.

• Jeremiah stood accused and condemned, knowing his life was in the king’s hands. This was Zedekiah’s chance to do the right thing for once. Instead he washed his hands of the whole matter. His hands weren’t really tied; he was the king! But he was a king with no backbone. The officials showed lack of backbone also. They didn’t have courage to kill Jeremiah outright. Instead they lowered him into an empty cistern, so he could die from lack of food and water.

Who does Zedekiah remind you of in Jesus’ day? - Pilot



How did fear influence Zedekiah choice to ignore Jeremiah’s defense? How did fear influence Jeremiah’s choice to continue to speak God’s truth? Name ways to handle fears that press us to waver in obeying God.

• Zedekiah gave in to fear. Jeremiah surely felt fear, but he chose to obey God. Explore why.
• The king was in his palace, wavering, while the prophet was in the pit, strong and resolute. What made the difference? Following God’s clear directions. Recall 1:19 – God’s deliverance often comes from unexpected sources. Ebed-melech, a non-Israelite from Africa, was the only person in Jerusalem with enough backbone to come to Jeremiah’s defense. With Zedekiah’s permission, he lifted Jeremiah out of the cistern and saved his life.

Have you ever warned someone against a course of action only to be misunderstood, ignored, or mistreated because of your convictions?

• Though confined in the guard’s courtyard, Jeremiah persevered in proclaiming God’s message that Jerusalem would fall. All who stayed in the city would die, but anyone who surrendered to the Babylonians would live. Four officials got tired of hearing that repeated message of doom. They complained to Zedekiah that Jeremiah was weakening the people’s morale.
• Ironically, Jeremiah was trying to save God’s people and continued to speak God’s word to them despite the danger to his own life. Yet the officials labeled him a traitor and called for his death. People will try to promote their own agendas behind the smoke screen that they’re looking out for others. We’ve got to stick with God’s truth even when we look like the bad guy! Otherwise, more people get hurt.

There’s a story of the farmer’s donkey that fell into an abandoned well. The well was deep and the donkey was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. The farmer called his neighbors to help fill in the hole. The donkey stood in the well in fear as they shoveled dirt in on top of him. When the hole was nearly filled in they were stunned to see the donkey calmly step out of the well. As they shoveled dirt on the donkey’s back, he would shake it off and step up until he was freed. What would you say is the moral of this story? 

How can we shake it off and step up in life situations today?

III. PERSEVERE THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD – JEREMIAH 38:14-18

Zedekiah’s Final Meeting with Jeremiah

14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the Lord’s temple. The king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; don’t hide anything from me.” 15 Jeremiah replied to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, you will kill me, won’t you? Besides, if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.” 16 King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in private, “As the Lord lives, who has given us this life, I will not kill you or hand you over to these men who want to take your life.” 17 Jeremiah therefore said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If indeed you surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans. They will burn it down, and you yourself will not escape from them.’” 

What are some of the hard truths of God’s Word we might be tempted to water down or sugarcoat? Why can’t we afford to do this? 

• May want to start with general truths. Keep moving to situations people actually face such as with a certain family member or friend.
• When God’s people disobey; they will pay for their sins.
• God’s Word helps us persevere.
• Remembering our calling from God helps us persevere.
• God’s Word also gives hope to those who rely on God, enabling them to persevere under difficult circumstances.

Was Jeremiah’s life a failure or a success?

• Forty years of faithful service and nobody listened to Jeremiah, except his scribe Baruch and Ebed-melech. The city he’d tried to save was a pile of burned rubble. Was Jeremiah’s life a failure? Absolutely not. Success = obedience to God. Gad called Jeremiah to convey a message and that’s what Jeremiah did. People God uses aren’t always those who make noticeably big differences. They are the ones who persevere in doing what God tells them to do whether it seems to make a difference or not. Sometimes differences come generations later or in unseen ways.

Why is perseverance especially important in today’s world?



Perseverance of the Saints

Baptists believe a doctrine called Perseverance of the Saints. We believe that truly saved people persevere. This does not mean that they are perfect, but it does mean that a person saved by God’s grace will persevere.



Perseverance of the saints is the name that is used to summarize what the Bible teaches about the eternal security of the believer. It answers the question, “Once a person is saved, can he lose his salvation?” Perseverance of the saints is the P in the acronym TULIP, which is commonly used to enumerate what are known as the five points of Calvinism. Because the term “perseverance of the saints” can cause people to have the wrong idea about what is meant, some people prefer to use terms like “preservation of the saints,” “eternal security,” or “held by God.”


The simplest explanation of this doctrine is the saying: “Once saved, always saved.” The Bible teaches that those who are born again will continue trusting in Christ forever. God, by His own power through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, keeps or preserves the believer forever. This wonderful truth is seen in Ephesians 1:13-14, where we see that believers are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession, to the praise of His glory.” When we are born again, we receive the promised indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that is God’s guarantee that He who began a good work in us will complete it (Philippians 1:6). In order for us to lose our salvation after receiving the promised Holy Spirit, God would have to break His promise or renege on His “guarantee,” which He cannot do. Therefore, the believer is eternally secure because God is eternally faithful.

Prayer of Commitment

“Lord, help me grow closer to You when times are tough. Amen

I hope you have enjoyed this series from Jeremiah as it certainly has similarity to today's events in our world. Don't forget that Harvest America is Sunday night at 7PM. We are going to meet in the church foyer at 6:30 and sit as a class. Afterwards we are planning to leave and have a coffee & dessert social at a local restaurant to discuss Greg Laurie's event.

Have a blessed rest of the week and we'll see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson August 19, 2012

Hey Gang,


This week we continue in our series from the life of Jeremiah, the prophet, and our study will focus on how we too can be the kind of person through whom God works to carry out His purposes in the world. Last week we considered what it really means to have a broken heart for the sin in our own life and the sin in others' lives as well. Will I say to God when I come face to face - "I could have done more." This week we look at the discouragement and doubt that we all can have when we do serve God. Sometimes we just have to get up from our discouragement and finish the race He's given us.



God-honoring believers, who face opposition or argument, can feel weary or discouraged in their efforts to serve God. You are not alone, other great biblical leaders, including Jeremiah the prophet, faced similar struggles. What’s important is for you to finish the race.

 

During the summer of 1924, the Olympics were hosted by the city of Paris. Eric Liddell was a committed Christian who refused to run on Sunday, so he was convicted to withdraw from the 100 meters race - his best event. Instead Liddell would run on Thursday in the 400 meter race. As Liddell went to the starting block, he was given a piece of paper with a quotation from 1 Samuel 2:30, "Those who honor me I will honor." He not only won the race, but broke the existing world record with a time of 47.6 seconds.

Eric Liddell: I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in their own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? It comes from within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek Me, you shall ever surely find Me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.  

Get Up and Finish the Race

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Discouragement is part of life. Discouragement comes most often when you do right things but experience poor results. You work hard, but you don't make progress. You show up to practice every day, giving it your all, but you lose every game. You spend time with your child - going out of your way to parent the best you know how - but they rebel.



Discouragement eats a hole in our hearts. It makes us want to quit, saying things we shouldn't say, shaking our fists at God. This is how Jeremiah felt. God called him to speak a harsh message to a rebellious people and he obeyed. He endured physical, emotional, spiritual, and professional anguish. He walked into deep despair, all for doing God's will.



Our lesson says that when you face opposition, feel weary or discouraged – you should know that you are not alone.

• Today we look at Jeremiah’s experience in this very same context
• We can persist in honoring God through these frustrations

Jeremiah wants you to realize three things:

1. Those who serve God faithfully can expect opposition from God’s enemies, even to the point of torture and imprisonment. God calls on us to be faithful in proclaiming His Word regardless of the consequences.
2. Feelings of frustration or discouragement while serving the Lord is not uncommon. During these times, we should be honest with God about our feelings.
3. God’s people need to remain confident that He is in control of all things and will accomplish His purpose and vindicate us at the proper time.

I. EXPECT DISCOURAGEMENT – JEREMIAH 20:1-6

Jeremiah Beaten by Pashhur

20 Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer and chief official in the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 So Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate in the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib, 4 for this is what the Lord says, ‘I am about to make you a terror to both yourself and those you love. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will deport them to Babylon and put them to the sword. 5 I will give away all the wealth of this city, all its products and valuables. Indeed, I will hand all the treasures of the kings of Judah over to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon. 6 As for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon. There you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your friends that you prophesied falsely to.’”

Why might the treatment from Pashhur the priest have surprised Jeremiah?

• When we are doing God’s work, we expect to receive support, especially from church leaders. Deliberate opposition can take us by surprise and discourage us in efforts to serve.
• This passage marks the first time Jeremiah was attacked physically by his enemies.
• Sadly, the main aggressor against him was one who should have welcomed the prophet’s words from the Lord. Pashhur (PASH huhr) the priest, the son of Immer (IM uhr) and chief official in the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. v1
• It is likely that “these things” refers back to Jeremiah’s predictions of God’s judgments on Judah in chapter 19, though it could refer to all of what God had revealed through Jeremiah so far.
• Jeremiah was doing God’s work
• You would expect a church worker to support God’s work

Why would Pashhur have treated Jeremiah this way?

• Pashhur saw Jeremiah as a false prophet, so he took two drastic measures to silence him. Pashhur had Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate in the Lord’s temple. But Pashhur held Jeremiah only one night. Upon his release from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib (MAY gahr-mih SAY bib), for this is what the Lord says, “I am about to make you a terror to both yourself and those you love” v3-4.
• Name changes are significant in Scripture, and this one predicted God’s judgment on Pashhur.
• This priest had rejected God’s Word as proclaimed by Jeremiah.
• They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes v4

Should Christians use major world events as a platform to speak out God’s truths?

• Why? Is there a way we can warn about God’s judgment without turning off people, or can we expect to be treated like Jeremiah was?
• Why should we expect discouragement if we do speak out?
• Why is it helpful and necessary to speak the truth, to give godly leadership?
• What’s the difference between realistically expecting discouragement and moping around with a cloud over our heads all the time?
• Why should expecting discouragement actually help us rise above discouragement?

Why do some people try to silence those who speak God’s Word?

• They don’t like to hear the Truth.
• They would rather believe a lie.
• God’s word convicts them and they don’t like it.
• They have their own set of false beliefs that Scripture will show to be just that, false.

Why should we not be surprised by these reactions?

• The World is not interested in the things of God.
• It is “offended” by the Gospel message.
• They think it is (at best) too simplistic or (at worst) too narrow minded.
• They are too worldly minded … not spiritually minded.

Who won the showdown between Pashhur and Jeremiah?

• How so?
• How else might Jeremiah have responded after what Pashhur did to him?
• How does this apply to us today?
• We cannot control what others do and say, but we can control our response and our attitude.
• Jeremiah was not intimidated by Pashhur’s show of force. He continued to speak truth unflinchingly after his release. He did not back down or water down the truth to gain popular acceptance.
• Pashhur would find himself a slave of Babylon instead of a priest of Judah. An exile in Babylon instead of a religious leader in Jerusalem. His entire family would go with him, and he would watch them be executed. He would die and be buried in Babylon, removing all hope he would survive the exile and return to Judah to become a priest again. All of this could have been avoided if Pashhur and those in his circle of influence had listened to Jeremiah.
• Believers are to speak God’s message with clarity and boldness and we should expect some criticism and misunderstanding.
• Believers must be willing to be ridiculed.

How does expecting discouragement help you rise above it?

• You aren’t blindsided.
• You will prepare your heart and mind ahead of time.
• You can remember the reason that people oppose the Kingdom of God.
• You know that it is God that they oppose, not you personally.

Listen for why Jeremiah didn’t quit preaching.

II. CONFESS FRUSTRATIONS – JEREMIAH 20:7-10

Jeremiah Compelled to Preach

7 You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived. You seized me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all the time; everyone ridicules me. 8 For whenever I speak, I cry out, I proclaim, “Violence and destruction!” because the word of the Lord has become for me constant disgrace and derision. 9 If I say, “I won’t mention Him or speak any longer in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail. 10 For I have heard the gossip of many people, “Terror is on every side! Report him; let’s report him!” Everyone I trusted watches for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we might prevail against him and take our vengeance on him.”

What are words and phrases in verses 7 and 8 which describe Jeremiah emotions.

• Deceived, lured, God prevailed, ridiculed, mocked, tired, terror

Does Jeremiah’s prayer seem to be a logical or illogical next step after his beating and bold response to Pashhur?

• Why? Are there any similarities between Jeremiah and Elijah here? After Elijah’s showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18 and 19), he experienced a time of discouragement and depression.
• Jeremiah’s words here are quite unexpected. One doesn’t expect God’s prophet to accuse Him of being deceitful or to complain about what has happened to him.
• But this reaction shows how painful Jeremiah’s experiences were and how great his suffering was.
• Publicly he continued his ministry. But privately he was discouraged.
• He had been ignored, ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned, and accused of being a false prophet.

What do you think he meant that God had “deceived” him?

• Lured him into being a prophet.
• Twisted his arm.
• Made it look better than it was.
• Jeremiah didn’t like it now that the going was rocky.

Was Jeremiah right or wrong to say what He said to God?

• Why? What else could he do?
• The God who knows our every thought invites us to turn to Him for instruction. Only He can grasp all the feelings, reasons for them, and actions that will help.
• Jesus felt feelings too, so we know feelings are not sinful. Refusing to talk with God about them is where sin or trouble comes in.
• God showed Jeremiah what to do; God showed Jesus what to do at Gethsemane.
• We can also do more than talk; we can actually do what God instructs.

Why do we need to confess our frustrations in ministry?

• Why would denying discouragement actually make us less useful?
• What do we focus on when we confess those frustrations? Focusing on just the discouragement, even in trying to deny the discouragement, keeps our eyes looking down at the situation. Discussing with God those frustrations in prayer causes us to look up to Him. That’s a vital step in rising above discouragement.

How does confessing your discouragement to God help you rise above it?

• We learn we can trust Him.
• The problem is no longer ours … it is God’s … and He is so much more able to cope.

What would have to happen in someone’s life in order to have that same attitude as Jeremiah?

• Totally convinced that God is who He says He is.
• Totally convinced of God’s love for you.
• A sense of God’s call on your life.
• Your mind focused on God’s Truth … not on the world’s so called “wisdom”.

What seemed to be Jeremiah’s greatest frustration?

• One of the most painful aspects of Jeremiah’s ministry was that Judah refused to take him seriously. “I am a laughingstock all the time; everyone ridicules me” v7
• The people of Judah were tired of hearing Jeremiah’s voice of doom, and they hurled back at him the new name he had given Pashhur, Magor-missabib, meaning “terror all around.”
• After hearing Jeremiah predict Judah’s demise repeatedly, all the people wanted to do was shut him up, so they threatened to tell the authorities v10. At this point Jeremiah realized he had no allies. “Everyone I trusted watches for my fall”.
• There may have been a few people who supported him, those who took his words seriously as coming from God, but he felt abandoned by them too. They were waiting for Jeremiah to make a mistake so they could use it against him with the leaders of Judah and be rid of him. These former friends now wanted nothing to do with Jeremiah and simply waited for him to prove deceived in thinking he was a true prophet of God.

Why are we sometimes hesitant to confess our frustrations to God? How would the world be different if all believers felt as though God’s message was “a fire burning in my heart” and we were compelled to share it with others?

• Under pressure, some believers may feel that God has deceived them.
• Believers may even complain at how others mistreat them.
• In spite of doubts and discouragements, something holds believers to fulfill their calling.
• When believers have doubts, they express them honestly to God.
• Doubt is normal for unbelievers; it is a temporary condition for believers.

Listen for Jeremiah’s confession.

III. REMEMBER WHO’S IN CONTROL – JEREMIAH 20:11-13

11 But the Lord is with me like a violent warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly shamed, an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten. 12 Lord of Hosts, testing the righteous and seeing the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance on them, for I have presented my case to You. 13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord, for He rescues the life of the needy from the hand of evil people.

What change do you see in Jeremiah’s state of mind in these verses? How might this have been part of the process of talking with God?

• Jeremiah’s situation had not changed, but he now had fresh resources for managing.
• Recalling God was with him gave him strength and hope.
• It’s as if Jeremiah quickly came to his senses after he charged God with deceiving him and complained about the way his enemies treated him.
• Jeremiah stopped thinking about his situations through the filter of his experiences and began to consider them in the light of God’s greatness and power.
• This is the only way Jeremiah and we can keep our difficulties in perspective.
• In the OT God is often described as going to war for Israel or for an individual Israelite.
• God was not only present in the midst of Jeremiah’s difficulties; He would also go to war for him.
• The moods of believers can fluctuate.

How does God fight for those who follow Him?

• God gave Jeremiah strength to continue his service of warning the nation of Judah despite opposition of his enemies. God did this in Jeremiah’s life primarily by vindicating him as a prophet, since everything Jeremiah said would happen occurred exactly as he had predicted. They either died during the Babylonian invasion of Judah or were taken into exile.
• This is indicated in the rest of the verse: “Since they have not succeeded (in their attempts to make Jeremiah stop prophesying) they will be utterly shamed (in death or exile,) an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten.”

Why is it so easy for us to forget that God is in control?

• We are bombarded with negative messages in the media.
• We like to think that we are in control.
• Then we find that we cannot control our situations … someone or something else has more influence.
• We are overwhelmed with problems – they seem bigger than us and (we wrongly conclude) too big for God.

How does our desire to be in control prevent trusting God to take care of us?

• We want to run our own lives.
• We don’t want God telling us what to do.
• This affects our attitude of trust in Him.
• We like to think we know better what is good for us and don’t want to think about what God might have for us.

What reason did Jeremiah find to praise God while facing difficulties in his service? What can we praise God for even in our discouragement?

• Jeremiah turned his focus from the cruelty of others to the goodness of God.
• God’s goodness and kindness to us are constants.
• God is not only the One who rescues His people.
• But He is also the only One who can!
• God is pleased when we acknowledge this and honor Him in this way, no matter how difficult the trails we are experiencing may be.
• Praise is the true language of faith.
• The antidotes for doubt are worship, trust, and obedience.

How does realizing that God is in control help you rise above your discouragement? 

 

Praise does four things:

A. Praise recognizes a Provider

Praise takes our minds off our situation and focuses them on God. It gives God the right to rule and to reign in our lives how He sees fit. It acknowledges that God knows more about what He is doing than we do. It accepts that God can take all the bad stuff of life and make something beautiful out of it.



B. Praise acknowledges a plan

A few chapters later Jeremiah records God's words to Israel: "'For I know the plans I have for you' - this is the LORD's declaration – 'plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" (29:11). God weaves a tapestry of our lives. We don't always see the finished product. Sometimes to get to the end we have our share of difficulties. When we realize God has a plan, we have two options: we can fight it, or we can embrace it.



C. Praise accepts the present

Praise is based on a total and joyful acceptance of the present as part of God's loving, perfect will for us. Praise is not based on what we think or hope will happen in the future. We praise God, not for what we expect will happen in our around us, but we praise Him for who He is and where and how we are right now.



D. Praise releases the power

Prayer opens the door for God's power to move into our lives. But the prayer of praise releases more of God's power than any other form of petition. The Psalmist wrote, "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:3 KJV). God actually dwells, inhabits, and resides in our praise. God's power and presence is near when we praise Him.

When we praise God for the present situation as a part of God's plan, God's power is unleashed. This power cannot be brought about by a new attitude or a determined effort of self-will, but by God working in our lives.



Conclusion

Jeremiah was punished for his proclamation of judgment on Judah. Pashhur had him beaten, put in stocks, and placed in public view. Jeremiah predicted the fall of Judah to the king of Babylon and the death and burial of Pashhur in a foreign land. The prophet complained to God that He deceived him and that all the people were against him. Jeremiah tried to remain silent, but God’s message was within him like a fire that could not be extinguished. Jeremiah remembered and claimed God’s promise to be with him. He sang praises to God.

God calls every believer to speak His message regardless of the potential consequences. God’s servants can honestly express their feelings concerning the impact of the work to which God has called them. Believers can be encouraged in their service to God by remembering God’s power over every situation.

Prayer of Commitment

“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) Amen

As we continue in this series on the people that God uses to serve, be in prayer for how God wants you to get up and finish the race He has given you to run. 

Have a blessed rest of the week and we'll see you on the Sabbath Day!

In His Love,

David & Susan