October 21, 2015
Even after the King had allowed Jeremiah to be thrown into a miry pit, he still had compassion for the ones who heard his preaching. This is the mark of a true prophet. He preaches the Word of God without apology, whether blessing or judgment, yet retains the compassionate heart of God for his hearers. Jeremiah was ready to warn or plead in his preaching. He genuinely cared that people repent and return to the Lord. But in Jeremiah’s day, no one did. His preaching went unheeded and the nation fell to Babylon.
October 16, 2015
Jeremiah told those who had been exiled to Babylon to “seek the peace” of that city. They were to seek “peace” (Hebrew: “shalom” – wholeness, peace, prosperity, happiness, blessing). They were to plant, build, marry, and increase, not decrease there. They were to be a blessing to the city, for in “its peace” they would have peace too. Are we a blessing to the city to which we’ve been sent? If our church ceased to exist in our city, would anyone notice? In our zeal to separate ourselves from the world, we tend to gather in a holy huddle around the Light while leaving those around us in darkness. Instead, let us be a light in our city, seeking its shalom in Jesus’ name.
October 13, 2015
In the midst of announcing woes and judgment, Jeremiah proclaimed a future when the Christ would come. There are two distinct threads of messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. One of a Suffering Servant (See Isa. 53) and another of a Righteous King. Jesus has already come as Savior and sacrifice, but this prophecy of His righteous reign is yet to be fulfilled. We still await the coming of the King of Righteousness that Jeremiah proclaimed. And as we work proclaiming the gospel we join the saints of old saying, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).
October 10, 2015
The Bible is food to those who bear His Name. His Word is real spiritual nourishment. It’s promises encourage and bring joy, filling our heart’s with delight. It’s admonitions convict us and move us to yield to the Spirit’s correction and empowering. Jeremiah didn’t just hear God’s Word, he internalized it. In spite of those who persecuted him for believing and proclaiming the Word, his heart rejoiced in knowing it. Those who carry the Name, rejoice in the Book.
October 6, 2015
There are many times as a pastor that I feel as if no one is listening to the Word of God. That my preaching is in vain. That the message of Christ is falling on deaf ears. Yet, every time we give out the Word, someone responds. People respond to God’s Word when we faithfully proclaim it. We may feel that the soil is hard in our day and time, but none of us have been given the call of Jeremiah, who was told to preach with full knowledge that his people would not listen. However, it occurs to me that all preachers have this in common, we are to preach the Word whether people obey or not. Our success is not in how many listen, but in whether we were faithful in proclaiming the Word as it was given to us.
October 27, 2014
In the midst of God’s revelation to the prophet Jeremiah of Babylon’s future destruction, He revealed yet more of Himself. God is not just a local god, standing watch over little Jerusalem. No, He is the God over all creation. He is the omnipotent One who not only created the earth but the whole universe with divine understanding, so that even the stars are ordered according to His will. And not only has He created all, but with His omniscient wisdom, He sustains all. Our God is both Creator and Sustainer, holding everything together. The Lord expanded Jeremiah’s understanding of Himself, so that he might worship and trust Him more fully. Those who realize both the size of the universe and this revelation of God’s great power and wisdom are able to lift their eyes from their tiny perspective and trust in this great God.
October 26, 2014
Seventy years later this prophecy was fulfilled as Cyrus came from the North and destroyed Babylon. The latter part of the prophecy, that no one would live there again, is still true over 2,400 years later. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but now there is only desert in its place. It is said that Saddam Hussein planned to rebuild Babylon anew in his modern Iraq, yet the sand still blows over the supposed site. God’s Word continues to stand, but Babylon has fallen never to rise again.
October 20, 2014
Up until that time, all of the prophecies that the Lord had given Jeremiah had been delivered orally. So the Lord instructed Jeremiah to get a scroll and have every message recorded in writing. Jeremiah enlisted Baruch to be his secretary and repeated every message for him to write down. Later, when the scroll containing all these prophecies was read to King Jehoiakim, the king burned the scroll in his fireplace and ordered Jeremiah arrested. Yet, this did not stop God’s Word. For God hid Jeremiah from the king and had him repeat all the messages once again for Baruch to write down. In the end, King Jehoiakim was killed by the Babylonians as Jeremiah prophesied, but the writings of Jeremiah remain to this day. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the Word of God remains forever.
October 18, 2014
God told the prophet Jeremiah of a new covenant that He would make with His people in the future. That future is now. The law is no longer written on stone tablets, but it is written by grace on the hearts of those who have believed and received the righteousness of Christ.
October 15, 2014
God told the prophet Jeremiah to preach the “entire message.” God’s purpose was to warn His people of their sins, so that they might repent, not to tickle their ears. God’s instruction to Jeremiah is the same to those who would preach God’s Word today. We are to preach the whole Word, not leaving out the unpleasant parts. Medicine is ineffective absent its active ingredients. Preaching the entire gospel message is what opens people’s hearts to repentance and salvation.