Sermon in Seattle 13.10.2013

In Jesus' name, we'll continue our services this evening. Yet with that prayer of faith, God, our rich and loving Heavenly Father, would bless our gathering this evening and open His Word according to His will.

So, we'll read for a text from the Old Testament, Prophet of Jeremiah, from the first chapter, verses 4-10. And the words in Jesus' name are as follows:

Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. And before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Then said I, Ah, Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.

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. Be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Then the Lord put forth His hands, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day's duty 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. Amen.

Amen.

First of all, in the beginning, I'd like to bring greetings of love and God's peace from Longview, where Corrine and I were with most of our kids there last weekend. The brothers and sisters there wanted to share those greetings. Part of that rotation turn that we have every month. It was nice to be there. They had warm greetings.

This text that we have before us is from the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah. Maybe we could pause even to remember that Jeremiah lived hundreds of years before Jesus. And it was a very difficult time in which Jeremiah lived.

During his time of serving, he overlapped or followed the prophet Isaiah. They were both prophets together for a time, and then Isaiah being older, Jeremiah followed him. But Isaiah had prophesied how the kingdom of Israel, the northern kingdom, and the kingdom of Judah would fall to the Assyrian nation because of the people's ungodliness and their wicked ways.

And we know that this came to be. The kingdom of Israel, the kingdom did fall. And then during Jeremiah's time following Isaiah, he continued the prophecy how the seed of Jerusalem would fall and how the Babylonians would completely overthrow them.

And the people didn't like to hear this. They hated these words from Jeremiah. But Jeremiah was a child of God, and it wasn't their words but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so it also then came to be how the city of Jerusalem fell on the children of God, and all there many were destroyed, and the children of God were taken captive.

But yet also in this book we find a message of hope that how in spite, no matter what may happen in life, God still cares for his children.

And in our church calendar today, the theme is God's messengers. And this example we have here from our text is how Jeremiah was called to be a servant.

But these aren't the only messengers that the theme speaks to. But each one of you, each one of us as God's children, are messengers.

And this portion of God's word is a precious reminder to us even how Jeremiah tells of his account how God told him, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. Before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

These are pretty powerful words, we could say, this message that even speaks to us that before Jeremiah was even born, God knew the plan for Jeremiah's life.

And it's the same for each one of us. Before we were born, God knows or God knew who our parents were to be, when we would be born, and how our lives would go.

We could take comfort in this that God knows. The Bible tells us in one of the Gospels, I think it's Matthew, that God even knows when a hair should fall from our head or when a hair would fall from our head.

And so this, we don't have to be fearful, but we can take comfort that God, our rich and loving Heavenly Father, knows each of us personally.

Because it's close to all of us to even wonder where, what direction will my life go as young people and as older single people.

So what is the path for my life? Where is God leading me? Will I be given a spouse? What sort of job, career path will I have?

And many of these questions, these are natural, and we have these kind of thoughts.

But we can remember even the words from the writer to the letter of Proverbs where he speaks about trusting in God in one of those early books of Proverbs.

And these are familiar words also: Trust in the Lord. This is from the third chapter, verses 5 and 6 and 7.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.

Be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

One more verse here says it shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones.

This is also a good reminder for us that to put all of our trust in our heavenly Father, not lean on our own understanding, on our own thoughts.

It says here we have a promise: In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.

And hasn't it been good, dear brother and sister, that no matter what station we are in life, whether we're in school or older single people, as been mentioned, or parents or grandparents, wherever our life's experiences have taken us, when we've yet been able to say that today I travel as a child of God in God's kingdom and my sins are forgiven.

This is the blessing that we have as children of God, and oh how we can be thankful for such a blessing.

So we can hear even as it reminds us from God's word with Jeremiah how God knew before he was to be born what his life plan was. It's the same for us.

It continues here that we see a little picture of how Jeremiah took this, then said, "I, Ah Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child."

So these natural thoughts came that how can I do this? I can't speak, I'm but a child.

And we know there's other examples in scripture: Moses, he felt that he couldn't speak; the apostle Paul, his lesson about his speech.

But what did God tell Jeremiah here? 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."

Then he tells, encourages him, "Be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee."

Sayeth the Lord.

It's the same for us, dear brothers and sisters. We also need not be fearful.

But Jesus in his sermon on the mount relates of this: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.

Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

And in another place now, the Bible tells us how we need not even think of what we need to say, but how when we're God will put words in our mouths.

And so it is, we can trust in this.

But many times, hasn't it been your experience along with mine how we find we're slow to speak and feel our own poorness and weakness, that how can I even explain to those on the outside about matters of faith?

But often also, it's not only with our speech but with our actions, how we live our lives, that this even is a sermon to those on the outside.

And it's not that we first seek to do good works, but first we desire to believe.

And when we have faith and when we're believing, then it's kindled in our heart this desire to try and to endeavor to be obedient to God's Word and to live according to how his Word teaches.

And then that are the light of our faith, the fruits of our faith that show forth.

And so it is then those on the outside many times have noticed that there's surely something different about you and that they can't put a finger on it, so to speak, or fully realize what it is.

But they're seeing the light of faith, the light of the Holy Spirit that shines from the heart of a believer.

And so we do not need to be afraid, afraid even here in these matters, even though like we noted how many times we find ourselves slow to speak and poor confessors of our faith.

God said here, what did he say to Jeremiah? 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."

It's God's Word that comes forth.

And even as servants in God's kingdom, it's not the word of any of the speaker brothers thrown words, but through faith we believe that God gives the words as he sees fit and according to his will.

Many times as brothers coming here, we certainly feel our own poorness, our own weakness.

Even have this prayer that we would not corrupt God's Word, we would not speak wrongly.

But here even coming before the congregation, we trust that you brothers and sisters, if you were to hear words that don't answer to your spirit, they would come and visit with the brother and that matters could be cared for.

All of us are messengers.

And even in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he even talks about this, writes about this where he says how we'll find this portion of God's Word here in the fifth chapter of second Corinthians.

It says in the nineteenth verse, "To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

Then he continues on how, "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead be reconciled to God."

So Paul reminds that we are ambassadors for Christ.

And how is it that we are these ambassadors or what is an ambassador? It's a messenger, one that spreading a message, speaking a message for someone.

And that message is the message of the gospel, the good tidings of Christ Jesus.

And that from God's kingdom is preached this gospel and assures that promises that reaches out your brother and your sister sins are forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus.

Even this, even you can each be bold and unplighted to believe all your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood and believe this gospel unto you peace and freedom and joy.

It's, excuse me, there difficult we find in our life of faith traveling are none morning of the third part of that threefold enemy, our own flesh, and how it's constantly wanting to do that which is evil, not good.

Many times that we, in this battle, we become weary. We become tired. And so many times we fall into sin.

But dear fellow travelers this evening, the message of the Good Shepherd is that in spite of your tiredness and weariness, sins are forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus.

Be encouraged to believe. We have great reason for joy.

See, I have set this day, 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.

As we already related, Jeremiah lived in this very difficult time. He was persecuted. He was thrown in a pit. He was brought before the kings and the rulers and despised.

And definitely, his message was not received. They turned a deaf ear.

And it came to be then that God, his patience ended there with those.

And they were taken. And the city was destroyed. And many of the people with it.

But yet, also then, following that, came a time of building and a time of planting.

And even in our time, we still plant today.

We are the sowers of the seed when we speak about God's kingdom and we speak of faith and invite those even on the outside to come to services.

But as Paul even also related in another one of his places in scripture, this is the Apostle Paul, about this planting and so forth in his letter to the Corinthians, in the first letter, he tells about how the brothers plant and the brothers water.

But he shared about who gives the increase.

It says, during this time, some of those had maybe begun to follow the different brothers that were serving.

And Paul had to remind them, "Who then is Paul? And who is Apollo?"

He was another brother in faith but ministers by whom ye believed.

Even as the Lord gave to every man, I have planted, Apollo's watered, but God gave the increase.

Then Paul reminds them, "So neither is he that planted anything, neither he that watered, but God gave the increase."

And so it even is in our time that we can't take any credit for words that are given or words that are shared.

But all the glory and honor goes to our Heavenly Father.

It's God who does that work.

When one even hears the call from God's kingdom and comes under repentance, it's God's work from the beginning to the end.

But as we close in our service this evening, and we come in here to partake of the Lord's Holy Supper, we can yet just say, be assured and strengthened in faith that your journey yet does continue heavenward.

And as a child of God, we dwell in a good place here in God's kingdom where we can be reminded of the dangers that's been, where we can be instructed and encouraged.

Even when we're rebuked, it's for our faith life that we can continue, that matters can be cared for, that we can continue on the way that leads to heaven.

So yet, coming here to the Lord's Holy Supper, for those that partake, and for all of you, you can't yet believe, him is forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

And for my own part as well, coming to serve, I would yet also desire, can I hear this thing, gospel from my many sins and doubts.

I desire to believe along with you.

May it also be that we could have this prayer, that we could, God would instill in each one of us always to have a hunger for His word and to come to the hearing of this word.

That we can come, hear to services when there's services being held.

And this is close to all of us.

We don't, we're a small group here this evening.

And we don't take any credit when we've been able to come.

For there's no, we're not saved by our church attendance.

That we don't make this a work.

We're saved purely by faith.

But yet it would be good to have this prayer that God would give each of us a mind and heart and a desire to come to services.

Also strength to visit with our families and loved ones and friends and fellow travelers to encourage one another to come to services.

It's so easy in our busy time with school life and that and tired kids and so forth.

There's many reasons, and many times they're right and well.

But yet, with our services, because it would be good that we would endeavor to be here.

In Jesus name, Amen.