Jeremiah

Intro (ME)

Well hello, my name is Ryley and I am so honoured to be able to speak with you tonight. Before we really get into things I thought that I should probably tell you about myself. For those of you who are really just meeting me for the first time, it’s great to finally meet you. Yeah, so let me tell you aout who I am.

So, I am a youth leader here at the refuge, the grade 5 and 6 pasotr here at LIfe Church, I go to Vanguard College, I am in my last semester for my pasotral degree, Umm, I am an only child, I am from Lloydminser Alberta/saskatchewan, I love cooking (even though it doesn’t look like i like eating it), umm what else oh! I am usually the firrst person to count myself out. I’m normally the first person to say that I’m not good enough for a ertain task. That I am not smart enough to do someting, that if I tried to do something, people would just laugh at me.

Maybe for you, you are the same way.

I don’t know if many

We

You see, so often in life we can become so attached to these lies, these lies become engrained in our indenitiy. These lies of I’m not good enough, I’M NOT SMART ENOUGH, God can’t love me becaue what I did in my past,and I’m worthless (emphasize). Friends let me tell you tonight that GOd wants to meet those lies, take them away, bring you truth. Tonight, my friends God wants to do something new in you.

Bible

So If you have your Bible’s flip, scroll, swipe, wjaever you have to do to come with me to Jeremiah Chapter 1. You can find in the first haf of your Bible called the Old Testament, its right after the book of Isiah and right before the book of Lamentations.

So let me give you some context, you see Jeremiah was a prophet, meaning he was a man that spoke on behalf of God to the people. Kind of like a middle man.

So he was a prophet in Israel meaning, our boy Jeremiah was tasked with speaking God’s truth to Israelite people.

So he was a prophet in Israel and He didn’t have an easy life. You see the Israelites were were very stubborn and wanted to follow God their own way rather than God’s way. You see, to them God became a conveince rather than their saviour. Yikes! Not a good plae to be. So our boy Jeremiah was tasked with speaking God’s truth to these people, however as the great philospher Lizzo once said , “the truth hurts,”

So starting in “

4 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 set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew h you,

Okay lets stop there for a moment. So here, the God who created the sky, the universe, the mountains, even YOU! Is the same God who is now calling, speaking, to Jeremiah. He says, “jeremaih, before you were even a thought , befoer I formed you, I knew you. Before you were born I created you for a purpose.”

Friends, I am a strong beliver that God didn’t just stop with Jeremiah, but continues to do it today in the lives of you and I. You see what God is telling Jeremiah is that you were created on purpose for a purpose. Frineds, the same goes for you and I today, you were created, shaped, formed, for a purpose. And not by acceindt either, on purpose.

If you aren’t taking notes, let me tell you, you might ant to start. it’s about to get intense.

Still with me?

So God tell’s Jeremiah that he knows him, this isnt just like a distant kind of knowing somebody. Like a facebok freind, but rather a close personal, realtional knowing. Meaning God knew Jeremiahs strenghts, weaknesses, what Jeremiah considerd his “flaws.” God knew them all, and he knows yours too!

before you were born I set you apart;

But friends, lets continue on. Could you imagine being Jeremiah in the moment. If I was just chilling and then all of a sudden the thunderiing voice of God bursts throughteh silence and tells me that I would probably cry, or pee myself. It’s a rollo of the dice at that point, but here look how Jeremiah responded.

Verse 6, “O soverign Lord” I said, “ I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!

WHAT! This dude, litteraly rejects what OGd is calling him to do beaue hesays he (mocking voice) is too young. Crazy right?

But how many of us have done the same thing? Jeremiah brigs the excue that he’s not good enough for God to use them.

But here’s the crazy thing, given what is known of the length of Jeremiah’s ministry, the term here designates a teenager, perhaps 12–18 years old. Sounds familar doesn’t it. So God calls somebody, who’s the same age as you, to be a world changer. Friends, let me tell you, I belive that God is still in the business of calling youth to be world changers.

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah & Lamentations Notes

given what is known of the length of Jeremiah’s ministry, the term here designates a teenager, perhaps 15–18 years old.

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

The crazy thing hereis that for Jeremiah culture, in which age was revered and youth frequentlyconsidered to be unimportant, God moved counter-culturally by calling a youth for his service.

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah & Lamentations Notes

Fear, rather than youthfulness, may have been the real cause of his hesitation.

But Jeremiah hesitated, he brought objection, he brought what disaulified him. Yet friends let me tell you soemthing, God does not ignore the objections raised; he answers them

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah & Lamentations Commentary

In a culture in which age was revered and youth frequently disparaged as unimportant, God moved counter-culturally by selecting a youth for his service.

The New International Version. (2011). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah & Lamentations Commentary

When God called Jeremiah, he hesitated. One would think that the initial human response to God’s commissioning would be exuberance, but more often there is hesitation or even refusal

Verses 7-8 say this “ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah & Lamentations Commentary

God does not ignore the objections raised; he answers them

Pretty powerful hey? God meets our fears, provides peace, and doesnt just keep us there, but rather send us to change th world. But here’s something relly cool, If we look at verse 8, GOd tells Jeremiah not to be afraid of the people, but where did he even say that he was a fraid of them. He didn’t verbally say it, but God knew Jeremiah’s heart. He knew what the root of the issue was. You see, Jeremiha tried to mask his fear with a lie. But God, sees past our fear and reminds us who we are. Loved and protected by God hsiimelf.

Conclsuion

So you might be wondering, what does this even mean for me? You see friends, I belive many of us have held onto lies for way to long. That we aren’t good enough, that when God made us he made a mistake,that we are way too young t make a differnce in the world, that our identiy is found in how other people think about us.

You see, when we buy into these lies, when we let fear hold us back from knowing who wee truly are, and strt attaching these to our identity. It’s like throwing dirt, mud, onto ourselves trying to make ourseves less valauble then we truly are.

But do you know what happens when, we start to throw a bunh of dirt on ourselves, we end up digging a pit around us, and as time goes on this pit ges deeper and deeper. And at one poin in life, we are stuck in this pit of despair. We feel hopeless, we feel alone, broken by by insecurities. Today, that might be you. You might be here feeling that you are too far gone, broken beyond rpair, running becaue you don’t think you’re good enough. Friends, your story isn’;t over, but rather tonight a new chapter starts.

As the worship team comes back up, let me read you what David writes, in the book of Psalms. Pslams 40:1-2 says this,

Let me read you what David writes, in the book of Psalms. Pslams 40:1-2 says this,

I waited patiently for the Lord;

 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,

And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;

out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock

Many will see and fear

Friends tonight, if you are feeling hopelss, broken, that you aren’t good enough, stuck in an endless pit of despair. Frineds, there is a hand ready to pul you out, set you on a firm foundation (hold Bible out) and his name is Jesus.

And will trust in the Lord.

he set my feet on a rock

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

You see, these lies that tell us that we are worthless, unloveable, that we aren’t able to make a difference, have to surrender to as soon as Jesus enters the picture.

With one act Jesus destoryed those lies. you see, out of love for you God became a man, bore all of your shame, your fears, and “I’m not good enoughs”, and he buried them far away. With one act of love, Jesus makes you worthy, reaches down and pulls you out the dark pit.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,

Friends if thats you tonight, I know that God is reaching out his hand for yout to grab onto it. To cling to it as he restores hope, reminds you just how loved, how valuble, how worhty you are. Frineds this is Jesus and tonight I elive that he wants to do something new in you.

With leaders standing around this room ready to pray wth you , I want to encourage you to find a leader, if tonight you want God to do somehting new in your ife, to remove hopelessness to remind you how loved you are, to heal brokeness, to heal physical injuries, to ask Jesus to be the God of your life I want you to find a leader.

And Friends, if that little voice springs up saying, “what are people going to think about me if I get prayer?” I want to remind you what God told Jeremiah and what he is saying to you tonight, “ Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.”

Do not be afraid of them,

For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

So friends, let’s do this, if you’re ready let’s let God do something new in us tonight.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord

and put their trust in him.

Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah & Lamentations Commentary

Jeremiah’s ministry was not grounded in human abilities, but in God’s sovereign knowledge and purposes (1:5). God takes the initiative in calling someone to ministry; he also takes ownership of the follow-through (1:7). He will not leave his servant stranded, but promises direction and protection, as well as the content of the message and the know-how to present it. God does not call people without also equipping them.