There were other sessions 6 | Jeremiah Big Ideas: • Narrative of God’s Sovereignty • God’s call despite us. • Obedience to God comes with joy and pain • In Christ there is always hope Jeremiah His call to the prophetic ministry came in 627 B.C., corresponding to the thirteenth year of the thirty-one-year reign of Josiah of Judah, 640–609 B.C. (cf. Jeremiah 1:2–19). His ministry continued through the successive reigns of Jehoahaz/Shallum (609 B.C.), Jehoiakim/Eliakim (609–598 B.C.), Jeconiah/Jehoiachin (598–597 B.C.) and Zedekiah/Mattaniah (597–586 B.C.). In 587 B.C.—corresponding to the tenth year of Zedekiah and the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar— The life of Jeremiah is rich with lessons on obedience, perseverance, calling, and faithfulness in the face of opposition. He’s often called "the weeping prophet" because of his deep sorrow over the rebellion of God's people and the judgment they were bringing upon themselves. Narrative of God’s Sovereignty (we are part of the larger narrative) Jeremiah 1:1-3 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 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. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. Jeremiah 1:4-5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Ephesians 1:3-14 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. God’s call despite us. Jeremiah 1:6-10 6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” 7But the Lord said to me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord. 9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 20:7-9 O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; everyone mocks me. 8For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. 9Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. Jeremiah 5:14 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. Obedience to God comes with joy and pain Jeremiah 12:1-17 Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? 2You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind. 3But You, O Lord, know me; You have seen me, and You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4How long will the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, for the wickedness of those who dwell there, because they said, “He will not see our final end.” 5“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? 6For even your brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to you. 7“I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies. 8My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest; it cries out against Me; therefore I have hated it. 9My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture; the vultures all around are against her. Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour! 10“Many rulers have destroyed My vineyard, they have trodden My portion underfoot; they have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. 11They have made it desolate; desolate, it mourns to Me; the whole land is made desolate, because no one takes it to heart. 12The plunderers have come on all the desolate heights in the wilderness, for the sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the land to the other end of the land; no flesh shall have peace. 13They have sown wheat but reaped thorns; they have put themselves to pain but do not profit. But be ashamed of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the Lord.” 14 Thus says the Lord: “Against all My evil neighbors who touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit—behold, I will pluck them out of their land and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. 15 Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land. 16 And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. 17 But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” says the Lord, Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Jeremiah 29:1-14 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. (WICKED LEADERS AND GOD STILL MOVING) • Don’t put leaders on pedestals (accountability is our best friend) • Don’t lose sight of God’s bigger plan when men fail • Guard against deception 10For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. As for Jeremiah, any record of his final days is long lost. The last datable event in his book is his account of the release of King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) from house arrest in Babylon in 561 B.C. (Jeremiah 52:31–34; cf. 2 Kings 25:27–30). God is always working for our ultimate good—even when we don’t understand the moment. Psalm 71:1-18 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. 2Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. 3Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. 4Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 5For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. 6By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You. 7I have become as a wonder to many, but You are my strong refuge. 8Let my mouth be filled with Your praise And with Your glory all the day. 9Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails. 10For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, 11Saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.” 12O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! 13Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt. 14But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. 15My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. 16I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. 17O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. 18Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come. Take Away: • What is one area of my life that I need to trust God and His plan in? • What is an area in my life that I need to obey God in, even if it’s difficult? • Are you willing to trust God in hard times and speak His truth boldly? • Are you trying to silence God’s voice in your life? • In the story of Jeremiah, where would I place myself today? (Am I weeping with the heart of God for His people? Am I the one who rejected God’s truth for false prophets? Am I an enemy of God under His judgment?)