The Call of Jeremiah

TEXT:  Jer. 1:4-10

INTRODUCTION:

A.      JEREMIAH - 627-586 BC - JOSIAH TO CAPTIVITY.  A MAJOR PROPHET.

          1.       Josiah's reform shallow and short-lived, People still idolatrous.

          2.       Two enemies to truth - idolatry and hypocrisy.

B.      OUR SITUATION NOT MUCH DIFFERENT.

          1.       Mysticism and Modernism the religions of the day.

          2.       Shallow reform - swing back to religion not far enough.

C.      OUR CALL IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT.  LET'S STUDY JEREMIAH'S CALL.

I.      HIS PLACE KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING. (vs. 4-5).

A.      JESUS KNOWN FROM BEFORE THE WORLD (1 Pet. 1:18-20).

B.      PREACHING CENTRAL TO GOD'S PLAN (Eph. 3:8-11).

II.     THE HUMILITY OF JEREMIAH( vs. 6 ).

A.      JEREMIAH DID NOT CONSIDER HIMSELF WORTHY.

          1.       The ones to receive the message were more experienced - Rulers.

          2.       A message of doom - Unheeded message - despised.

B.      GOD'S POWER IS IN THE MESSAGE, NOT THE MAN (Rom. 1:16).

C.      MANY LISTENERS WILL THINK US FOOLISH (1 Cor. 1:23;   Acts 26:24).

D.      OUR MESSAGE WILL OFTEN GO UNHEEDED (Matt. 7:13-14).

III.    JEREMIAH TOLD NOT TO SAY HE WAS A CHILD (vs. 7-8).

A.      HIS LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE A REFLECTION ON GOD.

B.      GOD PROMISED TO DELIVER JEREMIAH.

C.      GOD PROMISES TO BE WITH US TODAY (Matt. 28:19-20).

D.      IF GOD IS FOR US ... (Rom. 8:31;   Phil. 4:13).

IV.   HE WAS TOLD TO GO WHERE GOD SENT (vs. 7).

A.      WE MUST GO WHERE GOD SENDS US ( Matt. 9:36-38;  2 Tim. 2:2 ).

B.      THERE IS A COST (2 Cor. 4:6-10;  2 Cor. 12:15).

V.    HE SPOKE WHAT WAS COMMANDED (vs. 7-9).

A.      WE ARE LIMITED TO THE WORD ( 1 Pet. 4:11;  2 John 9 ).

B.      THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES OF TEACHING MORE( Gal. 1:6-9 ).

C.      THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES OF TEACHING LESS ( Acts 20:27 ).

VI.   HIS MESSAGE WAS A DUAL MESSAGE (vs. 10).

A.      A MESSAGE OF JUDGMENT.

          1.       Ours is of the terrors of judgment (Acts 17:30-31;   2 Thess. 1:7-9).

          2.       We need to be aware of the sureness of judgment (Heb. 9:27).

B.      A MESSAGE THAT BUILDS AND PLANTS (James 1:21;   Rom. 10:13-15).

C.      PREACHING THE GOSPEL RESULTS IN JOY AND SALVATION

          (1 Cor. 1:21-24).

GOSPEL = GOOD NEWS!

CONCLUSION:

A.      WHAT DOES THE GOSPEL DEMAND OF ME?

B.      AM I SHARING IT?