My Closest Friend: Jeremiah 45

I wonder how many of you can state this in your life. Your closest friend. Was this a time in your life that you look back at, or are in in this relationship right now, with your closet friend.

The modern day media has given us several examples that we can follow. From the cartoon Calvin & Hobbes. The story between a boy and his “real life stuffed Tiger” who he shares his intimate thoughts and questions as he ponders and walks through life.

Or someone’s favourite book and movie series, Anne of Green Gables. Anne’s description of her best friend, a kindred spirit and she would spend the rest of her life finding the many kindred spirits around her as she ponders and walks through life.

What is your best friend like. Maybe you are sitting here today and realize that you are longing for that friend in your life. Someone you can call your best friend. and that friend says the same thing about you.

One of the greatest blessings in being called by God to serve in so many places throughout my ministry is the area of friendships.

There has been many friends over the years that I continue to reach out to even though the physical distance is great between us and we celebrate those times when our paths connect and once again reconnect.

This morning’s passage is just that.

A picture of my closest friend.

But it is a point in time in a friendship that is sometimes overlooked.

This little passage is a jem of a passage that shows the development of a friendship.

A friendship built over time and one that has deepness and accountability tied together.

Open your Bibles and let’s turn with me to Jeremiah chapter 45

Jeremiah 45:1–5 ESV

1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 You said, ‘Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’ 4 Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land. 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.”

Let’s Pray

This is a story really of three people. Jeremiah, of course as we are in the very narrative about Him, God, and finally Baruch.

Now for many of you this name should sound familiar as we have mentioned him before a couple of weeks ago.

In Summary

Be Decisive (Chapter Eleven: Tragedy Follows Tragedy (Jeremiah 40–45))

Jeremiah 45 gives us insight into the man Baruch. As we noted earlier, he had a brother on the king’s official staff who probably could have secured a good job for him in the palace.

Instead, Baruch chose to identify with Jeremiah and do the will of God.

I would call this a calling like no other calling. The beginning of a strong friendship between people begins with each having an understanding of the call of God on your life.

One commentary wrote this about the man Baruch.

Be Decisive (Chapter Eleven: Tragedy Follows Tragedy (Jeremiah 40–45))

We thank God for all that Jeremiah did, but we should also thank God for the assistance Baruch gave Jeremiah so the prophet could do his work. Moses had his seventy elders; David had his mighty men; Jesus had His disciples; Paul had his helpers, such as Timothy, Titus, and Silas; and Jeremiah had his faithful secretary.

Do you have someone in your life that you can identify with this description.

Is there a band of people in your life that is there to support you in all that you do?

If you were to write a narrative about your life, Who would be in the narrative.

Friends, family, God

This fall we will be asking you to join a cord of three group.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 ESV

12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

We as the leadership of the church desire for each one of you to experience the mighty work and strength of friendship that this can do in your life.

My dream and desire for each one of you here today and those connected with our church that this is the most important set of friendships that you can have and that you long to be in this group.

Many of you are, and that is encouraging. As we have been learning that discipleship is a process and a person who calls themselves a disciple is

Seeking God.

Growing to be more like Christ.

Serving by God’s strength in community.

One way to do community is in a cord of three.

If you are new to the concept let me tell you this. I am asking you try if for a short time.

This is a time for a short time that you will be grouped together with two other people for support. It is a short time because we all know that a connection takes time and trial. To find the right grouping in your life comes with practice.

In fact, if you are in a cord of three, and have been in the same cord of three for a long time, I am challenging you to expand your cord.

If each one of you for a short time, each find two new people to add to your cord for this short time, we would increase this in our church by, if my math is correct 300 %

If you are sitting here this morning and you can’t seem to identify with the concept of a close friend, why don’t you talk with me or one of the elders and we will work hard to connect you this fall in a cord of three.

This relationship described in this chapter is a picture of a successful Cord. Cords are strong when they are together through both the good and the bad times. Challenges, failures, and successes are all apart of the strength of the cord.

There is another part of this passage you must be aware of when you read through this. It is what some have called, an appendix to the story found in Jeremiah 35

Do you remember the story.

Jeremiah has been asked by God to write the words from God and his scribe,

who becomes his closet friend,

has the luxury of reading the words of doom and gloom to the people of the land.

What a way to start a friendship.

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 19: Jeremiah / Lamentations Baruch’s Blessed Assurance

There must have been a great bonding between them. For all the exile and rejection that Jeremiah suffered, for the life of loneliness, deprived of the comforts of marriage, Baruch’s loyalty must have been to him as a stream in the desert. To have someone to talk to as he stood alone against the world must have kept Jeremiah going on more than one occasion. Baruch must have become familiar in the process of taking dictation, with the flow and cadence of Jeremiah’s words, the very rhythm of his thought. In some strange way, the prophet too had come to know the inner world of his loyal secretary which now he enters in order to give assurance.

In this passage we are going to find the heart of the scribe.

The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 19: Jeremiah / Lamentations (Baruch’s Blessed Assurance)

The heart of Baruch’s short plea is found in the five personal pronouns woven through it—me, my, I, my, I—they capture the self-involvement of all humanity. No one else’s woe is as bad as my woe. No one else’s sorrow is as bad as my sorrow.

Put this way

When asked to give a definition of minor surgery, the perceptive humorist answered, “someone else’s operation.” because mine is not minor.

We can take from this passage into our live by realizing this

Baruch’s distress is not minimized,

but rather it captures the intrinsic self-centeredness of all humanity, particularly under stress, in order to capture the great liberty God offers us from it.

This story can be about us

But to fully understand this, we need to know the whole story.

That is the background story of the relationship between the two people.

In this passage we begin to see how this relationship is viewed in God’s eyes.

It is viewed in two ways.

The first, Baruch, is spoken to by God through the words of Jeremiah and then secondly God gives words of comport to him.

Jeremiah Speaks to his Friend

Jeremiah 45:1 (ESV)

1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah

Can you imagine the scene?

Here we have a close relationship between friends and it starts with, Let me tell you something.

This date listed in the scripture shows us that it set a motion of events that would bring about fear in anyone who is not on the conquering force.

I wonder at this time if Baruch was seriously contemplating his career choices.

In fact, if you have read this passage, we have a glimpse of the state of mind of one of our people in the story, namely Baruch.

He was, as many have described him, in despair of the situation around him.

Despair for his very life,

Despair for the calling of that of a scribe.

This despair comes out in a form of a complaint.

How do you handle complaints?

I am reminded of the man who decided to become a monk and joined the monastery. To join the requirements were quite simple.

He would have to be in solitaire for three months without talking to anyone. That alone would disqualify my from joining.

The rules did allow him to utter one work after each month.

He agreed and headed of to his quarters in the monistary.

After the first month rolled by, the man appeared before the counsel of monks and uttered the words,

COLD

He then turned around to return to his quarters only to appear the month later.

His second word was

HUNGRY

The third month rolled by and he appeared before the counsel and stated.

I Quit

The counsel turned to each other and the head monk, said.

I’m not surprised, all during his time here, he complained.

Before we become too hard on Baruch,

There was much to complain about.

I mean, how many of you would complain if all you are writing are words of despair and upcoming destruction for people, your people

And not only do you have to write them out, you find yourself having to read them to the people that the challenge is addressed.

Finally, you see all those around you begin carried away by the conquest of the enemy and you are fearing for your very life.

If anyone of us were to put ourselves in that condition, I would think that many of us would be complaining as well.

Here is what one commentary states on the way we need to look at this complaint.

At zero hour, Jeremiah recalls a complaint of his faithful friend and scribe. Barack complaints that he is distressed, worn out, and can find no respite from his condition. In the vein of other laments in the Bible, the language is vague, lacking a particular social location or occasion. We do not know whether Barack scribe of distress arose out of a personal predicament or one related to a scribal vocation. However, since he never appeared apart from Jeremiah and the prophetic’s mission, one might surmise that his involvement in God's work is the source of his suffering.- Jeremiah pg 347

So have you in your suffering and hard times blamed God?

When our life around us seems to be crumbling do we turn to God and complain? Blame him?

After all, God is all powerful and we ask for His help and he seems to be silent.

The logical thinking is to point to God and complain.

For those of us who at time, and sometimes seems justifiable, Complain to God this passage is a reminder of What God thinks.

If you find yourself in a time of complaining, you are not alone. But there is hope.

Did you notice the extent of the complaint?

Jeremiah 45:3 ESV

3 You said, ‘Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’

We must notice that his complaint is directed at the Lord.

He must of thought that in the effort to serve him, he assumed God would rescue him from this sorrow.

Maybe in today’s world, he thought.

God, I’m serving you faithfully as you have asked, but I am not seeing the benefit here.

What are you doing about it. It is very distressing.

What does God do, when he hears the complaint?

Does he strike him down for thinking and complaining these things, NO.

Does he reject the thought and say, don’t feel that way, NO

Here is what God does.

God brings along a friend to bring him back into perspective.

God sends a friend to admonish him with these words.

Jeremiah 45:4–5 (ESV)

4 Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land.

5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord.

God puts the situation into perspective, God’s Perspective.

God reminds, I believe, both the prophet and his scribe that God’s plan involves pain

on God as well.

God is going through the pain of breaking down his chosen people.

God is going through the pain of bringing disaster upon the flesh and the land of the people who throughout generations have been cared for and loved by God.

You see

God’s Wrath was not without Cause

it was the unfaithfulness of the people of God that brought about this destruction.

We too have found ourselves in this condition.

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

It’s not only a few, but all.

We are all fallen short. We can attempt to do things that please God, but we find ourselves in need of help.

We need to come to the place of crying out to God.

We need to have people in our lives that will come along and show us the way to God.

Romans 6:23 ESV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If you are here this morning and you are feeling this same cry of that of Baruch, there is hope.

In the midst of the cry, in the midst of the rebuke from his friend, Baruch hears the heart of God.

God’s Wrath was not without a remedy

God grants his servant the greatest promise

Jeremiah 45:5 (ESV)

5.... But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.”

I will give you your life.

I have come to bring you life.

You see when we don’t have people in our lives to point us to Christ, we stay in our misery and are robbed of the eternal blessing.

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

This gives us a glimpse into those in the world who’s life seems utterly broken and in despair.

God has not forgotten you.

Remember the scene after the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

Peter is in utter shame and despair for the words of abandonment given by him, finds his saviour on the beach willing to bring words of comfort.

John 21:12 ESV

12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

He then begins a conversation with Peter to bring in the perspective of how much Jesus loves him. and leaves him with the words,

Follow me

No matter what you do, no matter what happens to your life.

Jesus said Follow me

No matter what happened to the scribe, God said, I have you, I have your life.

In gaining an understanding of today’s text, one writer suggests this,

the overture of the hope to Baruch, could not be more significant, for it unmasks the illusion of power and and hints at God’s place of the broken of the world. The text suggests that hope exists on the margins and not the centre. IT is not found in the triumphant nationalism or military might; that is, in the garb of winners. Nor is it held captive to conventional modes of rewards for faithful living.

Instead, hope emerges among the vulnerable and wounded. - Jeremiah pg 349

This narrative reminds us all that we come to from a place of brokenness and we need to give that over to Christ.

You see if we come to God searching for a care free life. We come expecting blessing for this life here on earth, God comes to the broken.

When Jesus was here on earth and it was his families turn to read the scripture, Jesus went to his home town to the synagogue.

The scheduled reading was given to him and the prophecies about Him and he read it to the people.

Luke 4:18 ESV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Sin is oppressive.

Jesus came to this world for us, The broken, the sinful, that through his death and Resurrection we might have life.

We come to him broken and in need of saving.

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

it is that belief that we have that God will, like he promised Baruch, We will be saved eternally.

So in the midst of friendship between two friends, hope is promised.

We too can have a friendship with God.

We can have a friendship with God’s Son, The Christ.

This morning as we are going to come to the table of the lord.

We are going to spend a few moments celebrating the work of Christ in our lives.

Jesus on the night of his deepest darkest moment. The moment that he was going to be betrayed by a friend he gave us a way to remember the work on the cross.

God gives us the greatest picture of a cord of three. Jesus, God’s son, cried out to God the father, and was comforted by God the spirit.

Conclusion

Are you needing a friend like this?

Listen to the poetry found in a hymn

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

2 Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer! Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer!

3 Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge-- take it to the Lord in prayer! Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he'll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Let’s take a few moments to celebrate around the table of the lord.

Communion

Response to Worship

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