Recognize the Lord’s Authority
Jeremiah 46:1?52:34
One day in chapel at Southwestern Seminary, I remember hearing Vance Havner say, “Prophets are not usually asked back – in fact, they are not usually asked to come in the beginning.”
Such was Jeremiah. He was not asked to speak to five kings and the nation over that 40-year period – he was sent by God. Jeremiah obeyed God and was faithful to deliver a very unpopular message: Turn, or else!
That was it – 52 chapters of “turn or else,” and Judah still did not get it. The message was, “Turn.” The principle was, “Everyone is accountable to God. If we do not respond, judgment will befall us.”
Jeremiah’s message was not one of condemnation, but of warning. He was preaching with a broken heart. Many times, as preachers we feel like we can condemn. God’s purpose was not pay back to win Judah back.
Here at the end of Jeremiah, we find that Babylon, the very instrument God used to bring judgment on Judah, was judged.
The harshness and brutal actions against Judah brought this on. Babylon would be defeated and destroyed also from the North. The remnant of Judah in Babylon would make their way back and begin to follow the Lord.
Unfortunately, we see this same process repeated again and again throughout the Old and New Testaments. We also find it today in the casual Christianity of the Western world.
What are lessons we can take from this difficult, but up-to-date book? For that I’ll borrow a few comments from Warren Weirsbe and his book, “Be Decisive”:
– In difficult days, we need to hear and heed the Word of God.
– True prophets of God are usually persecuted. The religion of the day preferred pleasant messages. The human heart wants rest, not repentance. Rest and peace do not come without repentance.
– God’s servants have their doubts and failings.
– The important thing isn’t success, but faithfulness.
– The greatest reward of ministry is to become like Jesus.
– God is King, and the nations of the world are under His authority and are accountable to Him.
The same Lord who enabled Jeremiah can enable us. The same world that opposed Jeremiah will oppose us. God’s people must be decisive in their following of the Lord.
One last note: Not to decide is to decide.
Barker– Lessons by Ron Barker, evangelism and prayer strategist for the evangelization and missions team of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Barker also taught evangelism at Southwestern Seminary.