God's call for Resolution
Scripture: Jeremiah 12:1-17
Introduction: A new year is upon us and if we ever had need for resolution it is today. The term resolution has come to be known as something you promise yourself to do at the beginning of the new year but then give up on shortly after you began. But the definition of 'resolution' is 'to make a firm decision to do, or not do something'. If you look for synonyms for the word 'Courage' you will find the term: resolution. Because we are living in such an immoral and wicked culture we are going to need courage and resolution, heading into 2015
Jeremiah was known as the 'weeping prophet' Some say he was called at the age of 17. He was called to reprove a crumbling Israelite nation. Unfortunately for them they did not listen to him. But during his day, people were so hardened by sin that they neither believed God nor feared him. They seem to find Jeremiah's constant warning of judgment overbearing and frankly, annoying.
It's the same with us now, those that hear our warning, find us obnoxious. But as believers we are supposed to follow God's instructions to warn a lost and dying world of impeding judgment. Even though most are not listening, we still have to persevere in proclaiming truth in order to rescue some from the terrible judgment that will inevitably come.
The Gallup organization had a list of the most admired people of 2014 and to show you where we are at in our culture today the formerly impeached president Bill Clinton ranked above Rev. Billy Graham in the most admired man of the year. Not all that surprising really - God's prophets have seldom been the world's favorites.
Transition: We are going to look into the 12th chapter of Jeremiah today and pull 3 lessons from a dialogue between Jeremiah and God for the new year. Lets' look together..
I. Jeremiah's cry of Complaint (v.1-4)
Jeremiah's complaint is summed up at the end of the first verse “why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” it is the same complaint that Asaph has in psalm 73:3 - “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
Jeremiah was consumed with grief. While He was lonely, discouraged, and maligned, the wicked men of his home town of Anathoth (A city between Bethel and Bethlehem) were getting rich and taking it easy. It troubled Jeremiah greatly to see such evil men prosper. He complained in verse 2 that they take root in the ground and bear fruit. Unlike many seeds that take root but then shortly die, these wicked ones take root, then grow larger and larger and even produce fruit! Their families grow, their work seems to be blessed, they live life high on the hog, and are spending money as fast as they make it. And all seems to go well with them. And to make it worse, they are hypocrites who honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from him. Paul warns Timothy to stay away from such people in 2 Tim 3:5 - “having a form of godliness but denying it's power. Have nothing to do with them.” Jeremiah is tired of it! He pleads, He prays, and He preaches and for what? No one cares, No one listens, no one heeds his warnings, no one obeys his calls to repentance, So notice what he asks in verse three...He pleads with God to slaughter them. (v.3)
Ill. Phillip Parham tells a story about a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a Fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat, “Why aren't you fishing?” he asked. “Because I caught enough fish for today”, said the fisherman. “Why don't you catch more fish than you need?” the rich man asked. The fisherman said, “What would I do with them?” “You could earn more money”, came the impatient reply “and buy a better boat so that you could go deeper and catch more fish, you could purchase nylon nets so that you could catch even more fish, and soon you would have a fleet of boats and be rich like me”. The Fisherman said, “Then what would I do?” You could sit down and enjoy life,” said the industrialist. As the Fisherman looked calmly and placidly out at the Sea, he humbly turned to the rich industrialist and replied, “what do you think I am doing now?”
Envying the prosperity of the wicked is an easy trap to fall into, as we see in psalm 73, and through the apostle Paul- contentment is an easy cure. But it is understandable, after all -Today we have wicked men that gain in prestige, prominence, power, and prosperity. They grow wealthier and wealthier...they just bought their fifth house while you are struggling to keep the house you have. They have a collection of cars while you are trying to figure out some way to fix the one you have so you can get to your second job to make the money to pay for the broken car that your two months late paying for. It's frustrating.
And the hypocrisy is the same today as it was in Jeremiah's day if not worse. While the pampered and admired Hollywood “A-listers” drive luxurious SUV's and own exotic sports cars and motorcycles, that might get 10 miles a gallon (if your going downhill and let it roll while in neutral). They live in multi- million dollar mansions using up more energy to heat their homes in one day than you and I would our home in a month. They travel on privately chartered luxury jets and get around city streets in stretch limousines large enough to carry a basketball team. Their beach houses have bowling alleys, indoor swimming pools, Saunas, full size tennis courts, basketball courts, movie theaters, specially designed docks for their million dollar yachts and yet they come to us “the little people” and lecture us about .... conservation?
In his article 'the hypocrisy of Hollywood' Derrick Wilburn writes “they scream bloody murder when a deranged person walks into a building and shoots the place up, but look the other way when it comes to the million a year who are liquefied and sucked out of their own mother's wombs. “we've got to get rid of guns to save lives, but we've got to keep “choice” so we can keep on destroying lives.” Talk about having it both ways. They will volunteer time to support a cause to save the eggs of the Dusky Seaside Sparrow but would not lift one finger to save a human being in the same state of existence.” -American Thinker January 10, 2014
And it isn't just Hollywood – its tycoons, wealthy sports icons, famous politicians, etc.
Talk about being dressed in purple and fine linen and living in luxury every day? (Lk. 16:19) They do and then some.
Just as in Jeremiah's day they worship the creation more than the creator. They are vain and obsessed with their own image – their idol is themselves. They view money as power and to them, no one deserves more of it than themselves. Billy Graham once said “God promised to supply all of our needs not all of our greeds.” Jeremiah said of false prophets during his day that they had forgotten how to blush. They had no shame in doing what was obviously shameful. We see the men of Anathoth lording and flaunting their desired prosperity in front of all and it was more than this prophet could stand! And He ever so reverently let God know it.
Transition: It's a great temptation for believers to ask God “why them and not me?” And now we hear how God's response to Jeremiah's complaint is a call for Resolution.
II. God's call for Resolution (v. 5-6)
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? Your brothers, your own family – even they have betrayed you, they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.” (NIV)
God offers Jeremiah a beautifully wise word picture for him to consider. He essentially asks Jeremiah “If footmen weary you, what will the horses do?” Paul referred to life as a race. Makes sense after all, It has a beginning, a middle, and a finish. It requires endurance, patience, devotion and a resolution to finish strong. At the end of his life Paul said “I have finished the race.” And referring to Jeremiah's race God is saying: If running with others on foot, when everything is equal, what are you going to do when they are given horses?
If you are so easily discouraged at fighting the rude behavior of your peers what are you going to do, when you are confronted by demons? If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
If you are distraught when you can't make a car payment, what will you do when you lose your job?
If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
If you're depressed by an inconvenient sickness, what will you do when you're diagnosed with cancer?
If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
If you are distressed at the terrorism going on overseas, what will you do when it is in your neighborhood?
If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
If you are overwhelmed with the labor you have now, what will you do when a double or triple portion is required of you? If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
God is reminding Jeremiah that there is much more to be concerned about than what He was complaining of. There is something ahead of us in 2015 that is of more concern than petty grievances against those who seem to be better off than ourselves. God is telling Jeremiah “If you are not able to encounter lesser dangers, how will you be able to overcome greater ones?” Jesus promised us trouble. (Jn 16:33) Its natural that our hardest days and most difficult trials are ahead of us, not behind us. If you are worried sick about such small and petty things, what are you going to do when you are forced to face extremely difficult trials and troubles that are most certainly just around the bend?
Matthew Henry said “The faith even of strong believers may sometimes be sorely shaken and ready to fail them. There will be storms that will try the firmest anchors.”
Isn't that the truth? Jeremiah was consumed with grief about the prosperity of the wicked in Anathoth when just in a short time He would be beaten in Jerusalem by order of the priest Pashhur (instead of worrying about the prosperity of heathens in Anathoth he was about to be severely punished by a preist in Jerusalem). Let's take a sneak peek of what is in store for Jeremiah:
“he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper gate of Benjamin at the LORD's temple.” Jer. 20:2
God saw this coming when Jeremiah was crying about the prosperity of the wicked. If Jeremiah had known what lied ahead of him, He wouldn't have wasted time complaining about the men of Anathoth. Jeremiah was concerned about something insignificant when something greater needed his attention because his own family was secretly conspiring against him – they spoke well of him to his face but were trying to incite a mob against him behind his back. They seemed to be friendly but they were really his enemies.
God's faithful servants shouldn't think it's strange that their enemies are in their own family. Living under their own roof.
“For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.”
-Matthew 10:35,36
You are wasting your time complaining in your spirit about the unfair prosperity of others when you have greater obstacles that need your attention in your own home!
If the footmen weary you what will the horses do?
Transition: God's answer to Jeremiah was to be resolute in his walk with God, because there were bigger trials ahead of him that needed his attention. But He does let him know what will happen to Israel and her enemies.
III. God's promise of Compassion (v. 15)
God promises judgment on Israel (v. 7-13) for their rebellion by allowing Israel's enemies to take over the land. One of God's judgments is to allow our enemies to conquer us. If there is no deliverer carrying the sword of the Lord, defending his name, his church, his purpose- then God will allow his sword to be in the hand of our enemies judging us. The enemy of the church or the enemy of the cross, either way are both enemies of God. In Israel's time they are referred to in verse 14 as “wicked neighbors” Matthew Henry remarks that “It's often the lot of good people to live amongst bad neighbors.”
They are provoking and mean and it is hard enough to suffer one but how much harder is it to be completely surrounded by them.
Although God punishes Israel by allowing her enemies to overtake the land, God would not suffer her enemies to sacrilegiously use that land which belongs to Israel. Even their land is blessed!
“But after I uproot them, I WILL AGAIN HAVE COMPASSION and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country.” (v. 15)
God will again deliver his people from their enemies by uprooting them just as he did when they were suffering in Egypt. God shows that even his enemies may receive compassion and grace.
“And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives' even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal – then they will be established among my people.” (v.16)
God's condition is plain. If Israel's enemies would pay homage to God the way they did for Baal, (a dead and dumb idol) If they could humble themselves to follow the God of Israel instead of teaching Israel to follow idols they would be rewarded, but if not...
“'But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,' declares the LORD” (v. 17)
I'm reminded of Charlton Heston's character Moses when He holds up the commandments and said “those that won't live by the law...will die by the law!” Those that refuse to listen and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ have their own judgment coming. It is only by the merciful loving grace of God that He allows things to go on the way they do. While some are laying up treasures in heaven, others are earning their lot in hell and will have no defense for themselves once they stand before Almighty God and are shown of the many preachers, teachers, and friendly believers that spoke the truth to them but they would never hear it, much less heed it, but instead grew cold and hard and came to despise it.
Conclusion: God's call for Resolution for us may be summed up in I Corinthians 16:13 “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” Your greatest difficulties are ahead of you, not behind you. (If your troubles were always behind you, you would never grow as a Christian.) So don't waste time complaining about petty things. This year put on your helmet, take up your sword and shield, tighten your armor and get ready .... get ready to run with the horses!
