Dec. 7, 2024

Jeremiah 12 and Adversity

Jeremiah 12 and Adversity

A discussion about Jeremiah 12 and adversity.

Spreaker podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
PocketCasts podcast player badge
Amazon Music podcast player badge
Overcast podcast player badge
Audible podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
iHeartRadio podcast player badge
Castbox podcast player badge
Podchaser podcast player badge
TuneIn podcast player badge
Deezer podcast player badge
Pandora podcast player badge
RadioPublic podcast player badge
Podcast Addict podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
YouTube podcast player badge
Fountain podcast player badge
PlayerFM podcast player badge
Goodpods podcast player badge
Podverse podcast player badge
Podyssey podcast player badge
Breaker podcast player badge
Podurama podcast player badge
Audacy podcast player badge
JioSaavn podcast player badge
Spreaker podcast player icon Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon PocketCasts podcast player icon Amazon Music podcast player icon Overcast podcast player icon Audible podcast player icon Castro podcast player icon iHeartRadio podcast player icon Castbox podcast player icon Podchaser podcast player icon TuneIn podcast player icon Deezer podcast player icon Pandora podcast player icon RadioPublic podcast player icon Podcast Addict podcast player icon RSS Feed podcast player icon YouTube podcast player icon Fountain podcast player icon PlayerFM podcast player icon Goodpods podcast player icon Podverse podcast player icon Podyssey podcast player icon Breaker podcast player icon Podurama podcast player icon Audacy podcast player icon JioSaavn podcast player icon

A discussion about Jeremiah 12 and adversity.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:02.520 --> 00:00:06.280
Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is

2
00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:13.000
the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good afternoon everyone.

3
00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:17.039
It is Saturday, December the seventh, twenty twenty four. It

4
00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:21.120
is currently two twenty nine pm Central Time, and I'm

5
00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:25.239
coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located

6
00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:30.600
right here in Abilene, Texas. Well. In the last Lie broadcast,

7
00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:36.840
we talked about motivations, right, what are your motivations? What

8
00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:44.000
is your motive and a particular action in a particular situation,

9
00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:47.600
What is your motive in that situation? What are your

10
00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:51.280
motives and a general sense. We talked about that, and

11
00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:54.600
we looked at first Samuel chapter twenty six, where everyone

12
00:00:54.679 --> 00:01:00.759
seems to just assign pure and godly and wonderful motives

13
00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:05.799
for David's decision not to kill Saul. And I called

14
00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:11.480
that into question based off history, context, the text itself.

15
00:01:11.319 --> 00:01:14.840
I think I put forth at least a decent argument.

16
00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:20.040
I called it a hypothesis. But in that discussion I

17
00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:25.159
acknowledged something to everyone, right, I said that my motivation,

18
00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:31.719
my motive for doing that broadcast wasn't godly, wasn't righteous,

19
00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:36.879
wasn't holy, wasn't because I desired to minister to people.

20
00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:40.719
My motive was to try to do a broad a

21
00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:43.799
good broadcast, one that I was pleased with, because the

22
00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:47.120
two prior I was very unhappy with. I was very

23
00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:50.159
just irritated with, did not like. So then I'm like, okay,

24
00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:52.120
I'm going to do a third one, right, and this

25
00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:54.159
third one, this is going to be the home run.

26
00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:56.439
The first two were strikeouts. This is going to be

27
00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:58.560
the home run. I'm going to make up for it.

28
00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:00.719
This one is going to be so oh good. I'm

29
00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:03.079
gonna get emails and people are gonna be like, oh wow,

30
00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:06.519
I've never considered you know, David's motivations there that way.

31
00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:10.319
That was challenging, that was interesting, that was thought provoking,

32
00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:13.840
that was wonderful, that was great. Well I finished it.

33
00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:19.360
Another strikeout. I've got three strikeouts, ladies and gentlemen. At

34
00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.759
this point, I'm gonna be kicked out off the team, right.

35
00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.080
The team's gonna come to You're like, look, you can't hit.

36
00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:27.560
You just need to go find a new profession, right

37
00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:29.759
all right, Yeah, I'm gonna take this illustration and run

38
00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:32.800
it into the ground. All right. So I'm back, ladies

39
00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:37.960
and gentlemen, I'm back now. I have again being fully transparent.

40
00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:42.039
There's a football game beginning in about thirty minutes, Texas

41
00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:47.319
versus Georgia. I'm right here in Texas. It's mandatory that

42
00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:49.400
I watched the game or they're gonna come revoke my

43
00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:51.919
Texas citizenship, all right, So I don't want to be

44
00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:53.719
kicked out of this country and have to go live

45
00:02:53.719 --> 00:02:56.000
in a you know, one of those states that people

46
00:02:56.039 --> 00:02:58.560
talk about. No, so I have to watch the game.

47
00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:02.080
So my motive is get this done as fast as

48
00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:03.840
possible so that I can go and see it. See,

49
00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:06.039
none of my motives here are very pure or right.

50
00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:08.520
And why am I doing another one? Because I want

51
00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:11.360
to make up for the last three, And probably when

52
00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:12.919
this one is done, then I'll be like, well maybe

53
00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.840
tomorrow during the first maybe maybe I'll make it up then.

54
00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:19.840
Because you're always, at least for me, broadcasting, you're always

55
00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:24.840
chasing it, right, You're always chasing that elusive perfect broadcast,

56
00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:27.479
because if you could have that one broadcast where you

57
00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:31.879
don't mispronounce anything, you have subject verb agreement, everything is

58
00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:35.439
in the proper tense, you do everything correctly. Well, man,

59
00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:37.800
at that point, then you just stay that's it. That's it.

60
00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:40.000
This is it? This is it? This is the one,

61
00:03:40.199 --> 00:03:42.479
and then that's it. You just retire at that moment

62
00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.400
and you just you're done, and you delete everything else

63
00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.000
except that one broadcast, and you pay sixty dollars a

64
00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:52.120
month just to keep that one broadcast there. Okay, that's

65
00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:54.960
seems somewhat kind of ridiculous, isn't it. I know that

66
00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:57.960
is it is ridiculous, but it's the way it works.

67
00:03:57.960 --> 00:04:04.199
So motive to be pure. Now, there is some possible

68
00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:07.680
good motives here, right I do, and I mean this,

69
00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.520
I do want to bring our series, our Sermon's two

70
00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.719
point zero app Sermon Challenge series, to some kind of

71
00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:18.040
dramatic conclusion. I don't know exactly what that looks like,

72
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:20.199
but I know this, I'm going to continue to review sermons.

73
00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:23.399
So we've been in First Samuel twenty six and twenty

74
00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:26.240
seven for hours. In fact, I could have done more

75
00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:28.800
work on First Samuel twenty six and twenty seven. I

76
00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:32.160
really could. But if I'm looking at the numbers again,

77
00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:35.879
wrong motives, right See, I'm gonna I think I'm in

78
00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:39.360
this entire broadcast. I'm just gonna keep referencing the last broadcast.

79
00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:42.319
But that's the wrong motive. Right, But I've been looking.

80
00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:45.720
I'm like, Okay, I think I've I've done what I

81
00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:47.879
can't I still think we should be talking about it.

82
00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.120
I mean, personally, what we've done with First Samuel, twenty

83
00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.519
six and twenty seven is one of those things that

84
00:04:53.560 --> 00:04:58.519
I think makes this podcast unique, and I think it

85
00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.680
justifies why we exis because we're doing things nobody else

86
00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:04.879
is going to do. Nobody's going to have these discussions.

87
00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:07.560
So I kind of want to go back to it.

88
00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:09.839
But at the same time, I want to keep reviewing

89
00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:13.680
sermons right, review review, review, review, review, so that we

90
00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:16.600
can end to end this year at least doing what

91
00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:18.759
we can with this series. And again, I just still

92
00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:20.480
don't know what I'm going to do in twenty twenty five.

93
00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:23.600
Some may say, never review another sermon. I don't know.

94
00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:27.040
I some people say the reviewing the sermon is kind

95
00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.399
of such a it's kind of a it's kind of

96
00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:32.600
a you know, I'm not really putting in the work, right,

97
00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:35.800
But I would argue that for every sermon review, look

98
00:05:35.800 --> 00:05:40.000
at all the other things we do. We basically reviewed

99
00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:43.680
like fifteen minutes of a sermon and turned into hours

100
00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:47.360
and hours and hours of other of very important conversations

101
00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:51.000
and discussions, and we created a completely different interpretation. We

102
00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:53.920
did the same thing with James. So some people may say,

103
00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:57.199
well the sermon reviews, stop those, but just think of

104
00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:01.120
all the content that has flown from like that has

105
00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:05.480
arisen out of a fifteen or twenty minute review of

106
00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:09.000
a sermon, All of the PSAW eighty three, all of

107
00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:11.879
this work on Isaiah forty through fifty five, that entire

108
00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:14.519
new interpretation of James W One nineteen through twenty seven,

109
00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.560
the work I mean, some of the work in Hebrews

110
00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:21.959
all because of sermon reviews. So sermon reviews really lead

111
00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:25.319
to a lot of I think, interesting discussions. So what

112
00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:31.720
we're gonna do today is we're going to talk about adversity. Adversity. Now,

113
00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:37.879
adversity is defined as difficulties or misfortune now in your life,

114
00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:39.439
in my life, we face adversity.

115
00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:39.800
Right.

116
00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:47.040
Sometimes the adversity is small, sometimes it is gigantic. Sometimes

117
00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:51.759
it is like it's really really really bad and anyone

118
00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:53.839
seeing it going, man, I don't know how you're handling

119
00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:56.639
that adversity. Now, A lot of people believe when we

120
00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.720
face adversity, we can open our Bible and we will

121
00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.480
be get we have a kind of a guideline, a

122
00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:07.560
lesson plan and how to handle adversity. Now, this goes

123
00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:11.600
back to how we handle the text. When we open

124
00:07:11.720 --> 00:07:15.120
up the Bible, do we see guidelines how to handle adversity?

125
00:07:16.120 --> 00:07:18.879
And if we do, where did we find those guidelines

126
00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:23.399
or do we find those guidelines in maybe a historical narrative?

127
00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:27.199
Now that once again, is the historical narrative prescriptive? Is

128
00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:30.040
it descriptive? Is it there to teach you? Let are

129
00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:32.199
we you know, what are we going to do?

130
00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:32.399
Now?

131
00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:34.120
I don't know if what this sermon is going to do,

132
00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:37.879
but the sermon is entitled Facing Adversity. It was uploaded

133
00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:40.920
maybe fifteen minutes ago. I was just sitting there watching

134
00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:42.560
the new sermons, saw a knew one. I'm like, you

135
00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:46.040
know what, let's get this done before before. I mean,

136
00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:49.079
because you know, the governor of Texas is probably monitoring

137
00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:51.399
this broadcast. And if I don't, if I don't stop

138
00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:55.120
right in time for kickoff, you know, the Texas Rangers

139
00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:56.839
are going to kick in the door and Chuck Norris

140
00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:58.519
is going to drag Okay, right now now, I'm just

141
00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:01.560
taking the illustration. I'm going ridiculous with it. But the

142
00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:06.920
point is, I am guessing that a sermon called facing

143
00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:10.639
Adversity based off Jeremiah Chapter twelve is going to take

144
00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.160
Jeremiah chapter twelve, and it's one going to make it

145
00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.920
about you and going to make it about me, because

146
00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:19.160
that's what all sermons do. And then it may turn

147
00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:22.959
this into some kind of a blueprint and how to

148
00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:25.879
handle adversity. Now, maybe that's the right way to handle it.

149
00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:28.560
Maybe it's the wrong way. We know we're not going

150
00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:32.120
to be able to finish this entire obviously thing. I

151
00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:34.240
picked it. Another reason I picked it's only twenty six

152
00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:37.600
minutes long, so it means really the sermon itself, probably

153
00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:40.159
you get the introduction and you get the summary at

154
00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:42.679
the end, probably you know more than about fifteen minutes

155
00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:44.840
of actual teaching. So I don't know how in the

156
00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:48.879
world you handle James or James Jeremiah twelve basically verses

157
00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:52.039
one through seven, and about twenty minutes to fifteen minutes.

158
00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:53.799
I don't know how you pull that off, but I

159
00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:56.840
definitely am interested. So let's jump in and see what

160
00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:59.480
we can find before Chuck Norris kicks my front door

161
00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:02.399
in and as watch the football game. All right, here,

162
00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:04.200
we go. Are you ready? Let's do this.

163
00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:08.240
When I plead with you, you let me talk with

164
00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.080
you about your judgments.

165
00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.840
Okay, what happened there is that just where the audio begins.

166
00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:19.519
Let's back that up. Let's try that. Let's try that again.

167
00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.759
Let's take our Bibles and turn to the Book of Jeremiah,

168
00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:29.679
and we want to read the first six verses of

169
00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:34.320
Jeremiah Chapter twelve. Righteous are you, o Lord? When I

170
00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:37.320
plead with you, you let me talk with you about your judgments?

171
00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:40.159
Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are

172
00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:43.399
those happy who deal treacherously? You have planted them, Yes

173
00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:46.159
they have taken root, they grow, Yes they bear fruit,

174
00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:48.919
And you are near in their mouth, but far from

175
00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:52.120
their mind. But you, oh Lord, know me. You have

176
00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:55.000
seen me, and you have tested my heart towards you.

177
00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:57.600
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, Prepare them

178
00:09:57.639 --> 00:09:59.919
for the day of slaughter. How long will the land

179
00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:03.120
morn and the herbs of every field wither? The beasts

180
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:05.759
and birds are consumed for the wickedness of those who

181
00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:08.440
dwell there, because they said, he will not see our

182
00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:11.679
final end. If you have run with the footmen and

183
00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:14.480
they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?

184
00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:16.720
And if in the land of peace in which you

185
00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:19.279
trusted they wearied you, then how will you do in

186
00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:22.639
the floodplain of the Jordan. For even your brothers, the

187
00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:26.080
house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you. Yes,

188
00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:29.000
they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them,

189
00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:33.399
even though they speak smooth words to you. Perhaps something

190
00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:35.720
you might remember an account I shared a few years

191
00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:38.679
back about a couple of a group of British soldiers

192
00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.519
from the first Parachute Brigade. This is during World War Two,

193
00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:45.200
and they were hunkered down in Holland, somewhere near arnham Bridge,

194
00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:47.639
and they were hiding out in some of the basements

195
00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.120
and cellars of a row of houses in that town,

196
00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:53.240
and they were taking a lot of German fire. And

197
00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:55.480
one of the army chaplains, a man by the name

198
00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.440
of Chaplain Egan, was moving from place to place to

199
00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:01.279
try and check on the men. Into one home and

200
00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:03.600
he went down into the cellar and there was Sergeant

201
00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:07.200
Jack Spratt there with a group of his men, and

202
00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.440
so he asked him how they were doing so which

203
00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:14.399
Sergeant Spratt replied, it's tough, Sir, they're throwing everything at us,

204
00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:17.600
but the kitchen stove. And just as he said that,

205
00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:20.039
there was an enormous explosion as the house took a

206
00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:23.759
direct hit. The ceiling caved in. And then after all

207
00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:26.200
the dust had settled and the men looked up, sure

208
00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:31.799
enough there was the kitchen stove. Sometimes in life it

209
00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:34.759
can be a bit like that. Things seem so bad,

210
00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:37.840
it just doesn't seem like it can possibly get any worse,

211
00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:39.879
and then all of a sudden it does.

212
00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:44.679
All right, So here we go, hopefully in the recording,

213
00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:46.600
I realized I had the mic. One of the MIC's

214
00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:49.240
still lying when I was playing that IDEO. Probably if

215
00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:51.639
you're listening on the summon's two point oh apper Church

216
00:11:51.639 --> 00:11:53.879
one app you did not hear the echo, so I

217
00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:55.960
have to see maybe I'll have to use the recording

218
00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:58.559
from that. So I apologize if you were hearing the

219
00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:03.519
echo of the hearing the audio twice. But notice what

220
00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:06.000
he did. He read Jeremiah twelve one through six. I said,

221
00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:09.440
one through seven. I apologize Jeremiah twelve one through six,

222
00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:13.879
and then immediately goes into an illustration about World War two,

223
00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:21.879
and then it becomes about us difficulties, adversity all right,

224
00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:26.279
So we have been brought into this relatively quick, right,

225
00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:30.679
we're in Jeremiah twelve. But we have found ourselves in

226
00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:35.919
it really really really fast. Now I'm not saying it's wrong,

227
00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:38.960
not saying it's right. I'm saying that we have to

228
00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:42.360
pay close attention to see what happens to the original

229
00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:45.840
recipients and do we push them out? Are we gonna

230
00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.919
claim anything here? What's getting ready to happen? Let's find out.

231
00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.240
It's the kind of situation the prophet Jeremiah was facing

232
00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:56.559
here in the twelve chapter of his prophecy. Things were

233
00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:59.879
bad at this time. Many people in the country hated

234
00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.720
him somewhat, even plotting on how they could get rid

235
00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:05.000
of him. The situation was looking very bleak. It was

236
00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:07.440
a very tough spot they was in, and so Jeremiah,

237
00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:09.840
in the midst of it, only cries out to the Lord.

238
00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:12.679
He pulls out his complaints before the Lord in these

239
00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.919
opening verses here of chapter twelve, to which the Lord

240
00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:19.600
then replies to him in response here and says, actually,

241
00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:22.399
it's going to get worse. They're throwing everything at you.

242
00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:26.080
Bar the kitchen stove, well, look out, kitchen stove on

243
00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:26.720
the way.

244
00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:31.639
Okay, so he went when Jeremiah went to World War two,

245
00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:36.240
went to us, back to Jeremiah. Okay, that's interesting. He

246
00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:38.679
takes the text, then says some things that maybe we

247
00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:43.840
can relate to, and then brings that back to Jeremiah. Okay, no, no,

248
00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:46.360
no issues with this, all right, this is kind of

249
00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:49.120
pulling us in. All right. Hey, we know about when

250
00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:53.519
you know, life throws everything at us, including the kitchen sink,

251
00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:57.320
the kitchen stove, whatever, whatever phrase you want to utilize.

252
00:13:57.360 --> 00:13:59.440
We all can understand when life do I say, Okay,

253
00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:02.960
Jeremiah is going through a similar situation. He cries out

254
00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:06.720
to God, and God's like, hey, it's going to get worse.

255
00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:12.559
Oh that's okay. There's a lot we could talk about. Okay,

256
00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:15.320
all right, so so far this is interesting. Let's see

257
00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:15.759
where it goes.

258
00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:20.799
That's essentially what the Lord says to him in these verses.

259
00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:23.159
He tells him things are about to get worse, not

260
00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:26.720
to crush him, though, not to leave him feeling totally overwhelmed,

261
00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:29.360
but in order that he might remember in the midst

262
00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:32.720
of it all that the Lord himself is his ultimate

263
00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:35.679
source of help and strength, and with his help then

264
00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:39.399
he can faithfully and successfully face whatever may come.

265
00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:47.200
Okay, Now, in jeremiah situation, God is his help. Do

266
00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:52.039
we can we take from that? Then in whatever adversity

267
00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:56.360
you face, God is going to help you. Now when

268
00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:58.279
you say, well, God is going to help you as well?

269
00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:01.759
Help you in what way? Jeremiah has been given a

270
00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:07.840
specific task, a specific mission, with specific promises. We cannot

271
00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.200
take the help God gives to Jeremiah and then extract

272
00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:15.039
from that that God's going to help you in anything

273
00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:18.960
that he would even look similar, because that's not necessarily well,

274
00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:22.000
it's not even not necessarily the case. It's not the case.

275
00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:24.559
It's the same thing when we look at what God

276
00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:26.799
does for Israel and we extract from that that God's

277
00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:29.000
going to do similar for us, it's not the case.

278
00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:34.120
They are they have Covenant promises to them. Jeremiah has

279
00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:36.759
specific promises to them. We can't say, well, now, God,

280
00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:39.399
hey you're going through this difficult time. God's going to

281
00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:41.120
help you. Okay, How is God going to help me?

282
00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:43.080
Is He going to make the situation get better? Well,

283
00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.519
you can't tell anyone that. Is it going to give

284
00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:49.159
you some strength? Is it something measurable? Is it just

285
00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:52.120
a feeling? Is it a feeling now, is that a

286
00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:54.559
feeling that God is actually giving me or is it

287
00:15:54.679 --> 00:15:57.759
just a feeling that I'm feeling based off my mind

288
00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:01.120
saying well, God is there to help me. But there's nothing. Actually,

289
00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:04.720
there's nothing transactionally happening. It's just my mind saying, oh,

290
00:16:04.759 --> 00:16:07.080
I feel better because I know God is there. But

291
00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:13.159
it doesn't mean God is actually doing anything. Now, I'm

292
00:16:13.159 --> 00:16:15.720
not saying he's trying to extract from that, but there

293
00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.600
seems to be an implication here. There seems to be

294
00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:22.360
an implication. Let's see if the implication is just implied

295
00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:24.919
or it becomes explicitly stated.

296
00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:29.399
That is basically the message in these verses that we've read,

297
00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:32.120
especially verse five. That's what we want to zoom the

298
00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:34.360
lens in on this evening. We're going to take that

299
00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:37.080
as a sort of a window text to cast lights

300
00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:39.159
on the whole section here, and we're going to look

301
00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:40.919
at this verse here, with God's help, We're going to

302
00:16:40.919 --> 00:16:45.399
see three things, warning, a challenge, and an assurance. A

303
00:16:45.480 --> 00:16:48.960
warning first of all, a warning about the prospects of adversity.

304
00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:51.679
If you have run with footmen and they have wearied you,

305
00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:55.159
then how can you contend with horses. Now, before we

306
00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:57.120
even come to that, let's just back up into chapter

307
00:16:57.159 --> 00:16:59.519
eleven and to verse eighteen, which is the beginning of

308
00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:01.840
a new set in the book there, and one that

309
00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:04.799
deals with the reaction of the people here in Judah

310
00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:07.880
to Jeremiah as a prophet. He was a young prophet

311
00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:10.160
at that time, if you remember, raised up by God

312
00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:13.160
to bring prophetic rebuke to the people of Judah from

313
00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:17.160
the Lord, to warn them of coming judgments because they're idolatry,

314
00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:20.279
they're turning away from Him, the one true Living God.

315
00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:22.039
If you can remember this from a few weeks back,

316
00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:24.920
how they wanted to be like the other nations around them.

317
00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:28.400
They were intrigued, They were enticed by the exotic idols

318
00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.920
of the nations around them. They wanted to worship those

319
00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:33.799
idols themselves. And so Jeremiah has raised up by the

320
00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:36.920
Lord to rebuke them for that and to warn them

321
00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.880
of judgment, a coming judgment in the form of an

322
00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:44.759
enemy invasion on the way. Didn't make him popular for

323
00:17:44.839 --> 00:17:47.359
doing so, though the people. They hated him for that.

324
00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:50.000
Some even wanted to kill him for that. Let us

325
00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:52.759
destroy the tree and its fruits, they said. This is

326
00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:55.119
verse nineteen, let us cut off from the land of

327
00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:57.839
the living, that his name may be remembered no more.

328
00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:00.839
So they wanted him gone. They wanted to kill him.

329
00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:03.759
Verse twenty one says, in fact, so badly did they

330
00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:07.400
want him gone, they wanted to remove all trace of him.

331
00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:10.400
Let us destroy the tree and its fruit, they said,

332
00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:14.519
meaning let's get rid of him before he gets married.

333
00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:17.400
So he doesn't have any family either, so he doesn't

334
00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:20.519
leave any kids behind. That's what that means. That's how

335
00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:24.119
much they hated him. Now, who was this? Who were

336
00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:26.799
these people who really had it in for Jeremiah. Verse

337
00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:29.400
twenty one says they were the men of Anathoth, So

338
00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:33.640
that's his hometown. These were the people of his own hometown,

339
00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:36.559
his neighbors, friends of the family. Some of them were

340
00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.000
even members of his own family. Verse six that we

341
00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:42.680
read says, your brothers, your own family, even they have

342
00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:46.440
betrayed you. They've raised a loud cry against you. This

343
00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.480
is how unpopular Jeremiah was in those days.

344
00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:51.759
Why why was that?

345
00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:53.680
What's the reason why is there so many of these

346
00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:58.440
people want him gone? The answer is his preaching. They

347
00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:01.359
didn't like the message that he he proclaimed. Look at

348
00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.400
chapter eleven, Verse twenty one. Therefore, this is what the

349
00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:06.400
Lord says about the men of Anathot who are seeking

350
00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:08.480
your life and saying, so this is what they were saying,

351
00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:10.559
do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, or

352
00:19:10.759 --> 00:19:14.279
you will die by our hands. That was a pretty

353
00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:17.599
tough crowd he had to preach to if he didn't

354
00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:20.200
like what he had to say. We're talking here about

355
00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:22.000
some of the things that we've read earlier on in

356
00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:25.359
the chapters. His rebuke of the religious men for their corruption,

357
00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:29.359
along with warnings against idolatry and heathen worship that came

358
00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:32.880
with it. All of these things made him hugely unpopular

359
00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:37.359
with the religious establishment and with the ordinary people as well.

360
00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:41.680
And so Jeremiah, he's in danger. Jeremi is a man

361
00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:43.559
with a target on his back.

362
00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:48.039
Now, maybe one of the principles here that would be

363
00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:55.039
possibly applicable is how truth, speaking truth can put you

364
00:19:55.119 --> 00:20:01.319
at odds with the religious establishment. That speaking truth can

365
00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:08.119
actually put you at odds with the religious leaders, right,

366
00:20:08.200 --> 00:20:10.160
I know, I know people people tend to take this.

367
00:20:10.200 --> 00:20:12.839
Preachers tend to take See, when we preach to the world,

368
00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:15.640
they're going to hate us. This is the religious people

369
00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.799
who hate him. This is not the world. This is

370
00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:21.920
the religious people. Because the religious people did not like

371
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.319
his message. They had a perceived idea of the way

372
00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:27.920
it should be and how God should operate and how

373
00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:30.920
God will work. Even maybe claiming that God had spoken

374
00:20:30.920 --> 00:20:34.599
to them took them because there's a condemnation of these

375
00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:37.079
false prophets going out saying God sent us and God

376
00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:39.680
showed us. No, you didn't see you didn't hear from God.

377
00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:45.480
But he's speaking against the religious people. Maybe the lesson

378
00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:47.640
is is when you speak against religious people, they will

379
00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:50.200
try to kill you. Okay, maybe that's the message here,

380
00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:52.240
but let's see what he does with it.

381
00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:57.119
He started to make enemies now amongst some very influential

382
00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:59.720
and powerful people. His life is in dangers, life is

383
00:20:59.720 --> 00:21:02.640
on the line, and so what does he do well,

384
00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:05.960
Jeremiah does what he always did, what we should all

385
00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:09.680
do when we're facing troubles or fears of any any kind.

386
00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:13.079
He brings it to the Lord. He cast his burden

387
00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:16.559
on the Lord. Have we trials and temptations? Is there

388
00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:19.920
trouble anywhere we should never be discouraged? Take it to

389
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:22.680
the Lord in prayer. That's what Jeremiah does at the

390
00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:25.079
beginning of chapter twelve. Why does the way of the

391
00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:28.480
wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

392
00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:31.599
He's a bit like asap here, isn't. In Psalm seventy three,

393
00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:35.000
Jeremiah wants to know why do evil do us prosper?

394
00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:38.799
Why is it that good things seem to happen to

395
00:21:38.920 --> 00:21:42.319
bad people? Verse two. You have planted them, Yes, they've

396
00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:45.599
taken route. They grow, Yes, they bear fruit. They're well

397
00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.920
watered and flourishing. They bear fruit in their season. And

398
00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:51.319
worse of all, some of them even profess to be

399
00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:53.880
believer us. God is on their lips, he says, but

400
00:21:54.039 --> 00:21:56.039
far from their hearts and minds.

401
00:21:58.039 --> 00:22:00.480
So to me the two lasses, if we want to

402
00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:03.200
try to draw some application and still stay true to

403
00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:06.240
the tags, is that speaking truth can put you at

404
00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:10.359
odds with the religious leadership, with the with the religious world,

405
00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:15.599
with the religious institution. However you would like to phrase it,

406
00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:18.519
speaking truth will put you at odds sometimes with those

407
00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:22.599
who claim to be Christians, profess Christianity within Christianity itself,

408
00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:26.759
within God's people. And second, what are we to do

409
00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:28.839
with it? Well? I do agree with this. We are

410
00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:33.240
to be open and honest with God. He says, take

411
00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:35.200
it to God in prayer. This is not just taking

412
00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.640
it to God to prayer. This is taking your complaint

413
00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:41.960
and speaking plainly righteous. Are you a Lord when I

414
00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.799
plead with you? Yet? Let me talk with you about

415
00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:48.440
your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper?

416
00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:51.920
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have

417
00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:55.279
planted them, They have taken root, they grow, Yes, they

418
00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:57.400
bear fruit. But you are near their mouth, but far

419
00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:01.039
from their minds. He is being very blunt about his complaint,

420
00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:05.880
very blunt about his frustration, which means speaking bluntly and

421
00:23:05.960 --> 00:23:10.440
truthfully to God's people or to the religious leadership or

422
00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:13.279
to the religious may get you in trouble, but you

423
00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:17.519
can speak open and honest with God God, and we should.

424
00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:19.880
There's no use we have to come to God and

425
00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:22.400
pretend that everything is wonderful and everything is great, and

426
00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:24.920
we can come to God and just say, I don't

427
00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:28.119
get it. What are you doing? You're supposed to be righteous,

428
00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:31.599
but yet look at these See none of this makes

429
00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:37.240
any sense. Your Christianity if it's going, I think the

430
00:23:39.240 --> 00:23:42.680
if your Christianity's going to be meaningful in any meaningful way,

431
00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:46.079
you have to be blunt and honest with God with

432
00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:50.119
what you are feeling, even if it comes across as

433
00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:53.000
Christians would get uncomfortable and say, you shouldn't think that way,

434
00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:56.640
you shouldn't speak that way. Don't listen to them. Speak

435
00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:59.279
open and honestly with God, with what you feel and

436
00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:02.400
what you are and what you desire, no matter how

437
00:24:02.519 --> 00:24:06.319
ugly it may come across, because then you're being been

438
00:24:06.359 --> 00:24:10.599
in honest with God. All right, So there's some lessons here.

439
00:24:12.839 --> 00:24:15.720
Verse two. They got a form of religion, but they

440
00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:18.680
deny the power there off, and this causes Jeremiah then

441
00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:21.880
to be perplexed. You can't quite reconcile at this point

442
00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:24.880
the success of the wicked with his belief in the

443
00:24:24.920 --> 00:24:29.319
goodness and the sovereign power of God. How long, he says,

444
00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:32.400
will the land mourn and the herbs of every field wither?

445
00:24:32.759 --> 00:24:35.920
He's saying, Lord, don't you see what's happening here? Don't

446
00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:37.680
you see the effects of all of this? The land,

447
00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:40.519
the whole land is languishing because of this evil and

448
00:24:40.599 --> 00:24:44.759
the evil doers that prevail. So that is, in essence

449
00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:47.079
what Jeremiah is doing in this section. He pours out

450
00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:49.680
his complaints before the Lord in the opening verses of

451
00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:53.359
chapter twelve, to which the Lord then replies in verse

452
00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:55.200
five when he says, this is the text we're going

453
00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:57.519
to think about. If you have run with footmen and

454
00:24:57.559 --> 00:25:00.880
they have wearied you, how can you contend with horses?

455
00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:02.720
Now?

456
00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:05.680
There are different understandings of this. Somethink that's a military

457
00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:09.200
metaphor that he's using, that God is saying here to Jeremiah,

458
00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:13.839
you've been fighting with the infantrymen so far and you're struggling,

459
00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:15.480
So how do you think you're going to get on

460
00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:19.000
against the cavalry. Others think this is more an athletics

461
00:25:19.079 --> 00:25:21.880
metaphor in as much as they say, Jeremiah, you've been

462
00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:25.000
in a foot race against the sprinters and you're tired.

463
00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:26.559
How are you going to get on when you have

464
00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:30.559
to run against horses? Slightly different understandings, but if you

465
00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:32.279
think about it either way, it's really the same point

466
00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:35.720
that's being made. Things are going to get harder, things

467
00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:37.599
are going to get more difficult. You think things are

468
00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.640
bad now, the Lord says to me, you're pouring out

469
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:42.640
your lament. Now, how's it going to be when things

470
00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:46.160
get even worse? That's the warning he's giving to him here.

471
00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:50.480
It's a warning about what's to come, adversity, future adversity

472
00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:53.319
for him individually as a prophet. People are going to

473
00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:56.039
turn against him, as we mentioned, not just the people

474
00:25:56.039 --> 00:25:59.079
of his own hometown of Anathoth, they will, oh for sure,

475
00:25:59.240 --> 00:26:02.079
and even members of own family, but many others as well.

476
00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:04.799
He's going to be hated, He'll be attacked, he's going

477
00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:06.559
to be thrown into prison. At one point, he'll be

478
00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:08.799
thrown into the stocks. All of these things he's going

479
00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:11.799
to have to face as an individual, but also them

480
00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:14.119
as a nation as well. Things are going to get worse.

481
00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:18.000
There's an enemy on the way, an enemy superpower. The

482
00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:22.160
Babylonians are cruel and savage people that can come sweeping through.

483
00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:25.480
They're going to destroy the land. They'll attack the people,

484
00:26:25.559 --> 00:26:28.400
they'll take captive many of these people, they'll take them

485
00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:30.799
off into exile for many years to come.

486
00:26:33.079 --> 00:26:35.160
Now, if we want to try to build lessons from this,

487
00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:37.319
I think the first lesson I think we can somewhat.

488
00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:40.279
I think I think is applicable to some level, because

489
00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:44.319
it's always been true. When you speak truth, desire truth,

490
00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:47.200
willing to look at the truth, you find you'll find

491
00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:52.400
yourself at times, literally at odds with the supposed religious leaders,

492
00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:56.240
the religious institution. You will. I think, I think history

493
00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:59.559
proves that many people in the church, many religious leaders,

494
00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:02.279
they just want a form of religion. They just want

495
00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:04.480
to play along. They don't want hard questions, they don't

496
00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:07.960
want difficult they don't want difficult discussions. They just like

497
00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:12.880
the idea of spirituality, Jesus, God, pot luck's fellowships, get

498
00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:17.480
along with people, friends, community, you know, hold hands, sing kumbaya,

499
00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:20.039
all of that stuff. They don't really want anything. They

500
00:27:20.039 --> 00:27:22.160
don't want anything to really mess that up. And you

501
00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:26.000
come speaking the truth. That may be unpleasant. You gots

502
00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:28.000
to go all right, they don't like it. All right,

503
00:27:28.000 --> 00:27:31.160
So we can relate to Jeremiah's dilemma on why he's facing.

504
00:27:31.400 --> 00:27:33.599
I mean, people don't want him, people don't like him,

505
00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:35.960
and people want him dead. And okay, that's some pretty

506
00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:38.839
strong that's a pretty strong situation. Well how does that

507
00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:41.160
make you feel? Well, you get ticked off, you get

508
00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:43.880
irritated by that. Now you can either pretend that everything

509
00:27:43.960 --> 00:27:45.839
is good, or you can go to God and say, God,

510
00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:48.759
I don't get it, I don't understand. I'm ticked off,

511
00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:52.480
And you have to do that. Now, here's the problem.

512
00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:56.680
God's response to Jeremiah is things are gonna get worse. Now.

513
00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:58.880
We got to be very careful here, right, because we

514
00:27:58.920 --> 00:28:02.400
can't just immediately extract from this something for us. Because

515
00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:05.640
we've got to be careful. This fits within a historical setting.

516
00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:08.839
Things are gonna get worse because God has already told

517
00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:12.119
them the Babylonian captivity is coming. So this is very

518
00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:16.200
specific to their historical situation. So I won't say that

519
00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:18.599
when we talk to God in prayer. What do we

520
00:28:18.680 --> 00:28:20.839
do if God says things are gonna get worse? Because

521
00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:23.160
God only talks to us through his word. He doesn't

522
00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:25.319
speak to us any other way. Unless you want to

523
00:28:25.319 --> 00:28:27.599
destroy the concept of solo scripture, we won't go we

524
00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:31.720
won't get into that. But what do you do when

525
00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:33.720
you go to God? Now, now we can bring this

526
00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:35.880
into kind of somewhat of a hypothetical, and I think

527
00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:39.480
this can be somewhat accurate. I think what do you

528
00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:43.119
do as an individual when you go to God and

529
00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:48.200
cry out your frustration, cry out your irritation, cry out

530
00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:51.039
how bothered you are about a situation, not saying God

531
00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:53.240
is going to tell you it's gonna get worse because

532
00:28:53.599 --> 00:28:56.680
God here is speaking directly to people outside of scripture. Okay,

533
00:28:56.720 --> 00:28:59.079
we understand all of that. God spoken different ways at

534
00:28:59.079 --> 00:29:02.440
different times now day, well it's through his word. Okay.

535
00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:06.319
But what if you cry out to God all your frustrations,

536
00:29:06.440 --> 00:29:10.119
all your irritations, all your pain, all your confusion, and

537
00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:15.920
not that God says it, but the situation actually gets worse.

538
00:29:20.440 --> 00:29:26.400
Now that's a very real possibility. That's a very real probability.

539
00:29:28.160 --> 00:29:33.160
Now can we learn anything from this? Are we taking

540
00:29:33.160 --> 00:29:37.400
a lesson and making it prescriptive when it's simply descriptive.

541
00:29:37.640 --> 00:29:38.480
Let's see what he does.

542
00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:43.599
So, Jeremiah, you think it's hard being a prophet? Now

543
00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:47.160
do you think it's tough? Now? You haven't seen anything yet.

544
00:29:47.559 --> 00:29:50.119
You've run with athletes on foot in it's hard. How's

545
00:29:50.160 --> 00:29:52.079
it gonna be when you have to start running with horses.

546
00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:55.640
That's the kind of message that he's giving to him here.

547
00:29:55.680 --> 00:29:58.720
It's a message to time to get ready, debrace yourself,

548
00:29:59.400 --> 00:30:01.960
tough talk. Times are coming. It's not an easy path

549
00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:04.759
that he's on. He needs to be ready for it.

550
00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:08.920
Jesus did the same thing, didn't he When the people

551
00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:10.799
came to him and they wanted to follow him and

552
00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:14.559
be a disciple of his. Jesus said a similar thing. Okay, yeah, sure,

553
00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:17.759
sure thing, do that, but you know, get ready, make

554
00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:20.160
sure that you know what you're in for. Make sure

555
00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:23.440
you count the cost first of all, make sure you

556
00:30:23.480 --> 00:30:25.400
know what's involved. If any man would come after me,

557
00:30:25.559 --> 00:30:29.200
let him take up his cross. Oh it's a hard path.

558
00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:33.319
There's pain and suffering, there's conflict involved in all of this.

559
00:30:33.400 --> 00:30:36.400
So be ready, be prepared for that. Brace yourself for that,

560
00:30:37.400 --> 00:30:39.200
he said. And do you remember some of the people

561
00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:42.960
heard that, and they said, this is a hard saying.

562
00:30:43.240 --> 00:30:46.480
Who can receive it? And they turned and they followed him.

563
00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:49.240
No more, that wasn't what they wanted to hear. That

564
00:30:49.319 --> 00:30:53.680
was a difficult thing to hear. Even Peter, remember, he

565
00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:56.680
balked at that when Jesus. We looked at this. In

566
00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:59.920
Mike's Gospel some months back, Jesus first reveals to the

567
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:02.920
disciples the nature of his mission. What is that he

568
00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:05.319
himself must do. How he has to go to Jerusalem,

569
00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:07.200
and he's going to suffer at the hands of wicked men,

570
00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:09.799
and he will be killed. And Peter's almost jumped out

571
00:31:09.799 --> 00:31:12.400
of his skin when he heard that, and he took

572
00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:15.279
Jesus to one side and began to rebuke him for that. No, no, no, Lord,

573
00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:18.519
something like that must never happened suffering for Jesus and

574
00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:21.960
for his disciples. So his mind, at least, that isn't

575
00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:24.960
part of the plan. But eventually, of course he came

576
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:28.160
to see it, and he came to understand that, and

577
00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:30.640
then the need to be ready and be prepared for it.

578
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:33.440
And so many years later he says the same thing,

579
00:31:33.880 --> 00:31:36.599
doesn't he When he's writing his first letter to those

580
00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:40.240
believers in Asia Minor and they're about to go through

581
00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:42.640
some extreme suffering. The persecution is going to start getting

582
00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:44.640
ramped up for them, and so he writes them, he says,

583
00:31:44.640 --> 00:31:48.720
to be ready, don't get caught out, be prepared. Persecutions

584
00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:52.680
about to get intense, don't be surprised by the fiery trial,

585
00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:55.680
which is to try you. Wants them to be prepared,

586
00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:58.119
wants them to be ready so they can be strong,

587
00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:03.839
so they can stand when the testing time comes. And

588
00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:05.960
as God's people, we need that, don't we. We need

589
00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:08.920
that kind of resilience and endurance so that when testing

590
00:32:08.960 --> 00:32:12.359
times come for us, we too, we can keep going,

591
00:32:12.480 --> 00:32:15.599
We can keep pressing on. I remember reading a biography

592
00:32:15.640 --> 00:32:18.640
about John Marshall. Hear me mention him from time to time.

593
00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:21.039
He was a minister in England many years ago. It's

594
00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:23.839
gone to be with the Lord now. But this was

595
00:32:23.880 --> 00:32:27.799
a ban of biography about him, and he was a

596
00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:30.160
young man. He ministered in hemel Hempstead for many years

597
00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:32.279
and the church he went to begin with it was

598
00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:35.079
quite a liberal church, and so he had a number

599
00:32:35.079 --> 00:32:37.400
of people who were quite opposed him when he first

600
00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:40.680
came there. And there was one particular church meeting that

601
00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:43.000
they had was a very difficult meeting for him, and

602
00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:46.880
one member of the church brutally criticized him during this

603
00:32:46.920 --> 00:32:49.519
particular meeting. And at the close of this meeting he

604
00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:51.880
felt like he'd taken a bit of a battery. And

605
00:32:51.920 --> 00:32:53.839
as he was on his way out, he was handed

606
00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:57.559
a note by an elderly lady called Queenie now Queen

607
00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:00.880
He was the daughter of the previous minister, and she

608
00:33:01.079 --> 00:33:04.440
was a staunch lover of the gospel. She really supported

609
00:33:04.519 --> 00:33:06.440
John Marshall. She would try and encourage him as much

610
00:33:06.440 --> 00:33:08.759
as she could, and she passed this little note to him,

611
00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:10.319
and so he grabbed it and he took it away

612
00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:13.599
feeling sure that this was another encouraging gem from Queene,

613
00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:15.240
and he got it home and he opened it up

614
00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:17.720
and he read the words of Proverbs twenty four, verse ten.

615
00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:21.759
If thou faints in the day of adversity, thy strength

616
00:33:21.839 --> 00:33:28.319
is small. His biographer said, although it's not what he anticipated,

617
00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:32.519
John took the timely words to heart, and in a way,

618
00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:34.640
it's what God is doing for Jeremiah. Here he's saying

619
00:33:34.640 --> 00:33:37.839
to him, gird yourself up, be strong, don't faint. If

620
00:33:37.880 --> 00:33:39.680
you're fainting. Now, what are you going to be like

621
00:33:39.720 --> 00:33:43.720
when real trouble comes? Now, you know, let's think about that.

622
00:33:43.880 --> 00:33:44.640
How can he do that?

623
00:33:44.799 --> 00:33:44.920
Well?

624
00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:48.519
How can we do that when challenges come to us,

625
00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:51.839
or as we try to prepare ourselves for possible difficulties

626
00:33:51.839 --> 00:33:54.079
that may lie ahead in the future, How can we

627
00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:55.920
do that? That's going to be our second point here.

628
00:33:56.200 --> 00:33:59.960
That was the warning the prospect of adversity. Secondly, consider

629
00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:03.519
of the challenge here and the use of a sporting analogy.

630
00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:06.039
And here we want to drill down a bit into

631
00:34:06.039 --> 00:34:08.519
this comparison the Lord gives him. If you've run with

632
00:34:08.559 --> 00:34:11.159
the footman and they've wearied you, how can you contend

633
00:34:11.159 --> 00:34:15.599
with horses. It's as if the Lord is taking Jeremiah

634
00:34:15.599 --> 00:34:18.960
down to the racetrack the local athletics stadium here, and

635
00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:21.239
he's got Jeremiah to run a few races. Maybe he

636
00:34:21.280 --> 00:34:23.519
does one hundred meters, then he does the two hundred,

637
00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:26.039
and then after that the four by one hundred relay

638
00:34:26.079 --> 00:34:29.119
as well, and after that, Jeremiah is whipped. He's totally exhausted.

639
00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:30.960
You imagine he's on the side of the track, he's heaving,

640
00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:34.159
he's gulping down the gatorade, trying to get his strength back.

641
00:34:34.440 --> 00:34:36.119
And then it's as if the Lord says to him, okay,

642
00:34:36.480 --> 00:34:39.400
now for the horses. Are you ready for that? Ready

643
00:34:39.400 --> 00:34:41.719
to compete against them? You've run against some athletes. Now

644
00:34:41.719 --> 00:34:44.559
I want you to run against some thoroughbreds. Let's put

645
00:34:44.599 --> 00:34:49.400
you up against a secretariat. You might say, in this country,

646
00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:52.840
red Rum, we'd say, in my country, you know, the elites,

647
00:34:52.920 --> 00:34:55.280
the thoroughbred race horses. Let's see how you get on

648
00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:57.760
with them. Now, horses in those days, they weren't as

649
00:34:58.079 --> 00:35:00.760
strong and powerful as they are today, but they'd still

650
00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:05.719
be more than enough to outstrip Jeremiah easily. And that's

651
00:35:05.760 --> 00:35:08.519
the point here. You're worn out running against men? What

652
00:35:08.559 --> 00:35:09.679
are you going to be like when you try and

653
00:35:09.760 --> 00:35:12.880
run against a horse? That's one analogy. And then if

654
00:35:12.880 --> 00:35:15.320
you look in verse five B, he develops that and

655
00:35:15.320 --> 00:35:17.679
he says, if in the land of peace in which

656
00:35:17.719 --> 00:35:20.000
you trusted, they wearied you, how will you do in

657
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:23.360
the flood plain of the Jordan? Some translations, how it

658
00:35:23.360 --> 00:35:25.519
may be in your version it says the thickets by

659
00:35:25.599 --> 00:35:28.400
the Jordan. So again it's a contrast here between the

660
00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:30.880
land of peace that was a reference to the open

661
00:35:30.920 --> 00:35:34.960
flat country around Jeremiah's home village of Anathoth near Jerusalem,

662
00:35:35.119 --> 00:35:38.679
contrasted with the flood plains or the thickets of Jordan,

663
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:42.760
which the experts say refers to this thick, jungle like

664
00:35:42.840 --> 00:35:45.079
region near the Jordan River, which was known to have

665
00:35:45.760 --> 00:35:50.119
lions roaming around in it. And so again there's a

666
00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:53.280
contrast here, Jeremiah, if you struggle on the easy, open

667
00:35:53.320 --> 00:35:56.559
meadow land around your own town, how can you possibly

668
00:35:56.960 --> 00:36:01.639
hope to cope with the thick, line infested jungle surrounding

669
00:36:01.679 --> 00:36:04.119
the Jordan. Today? You might say, if a man stumbles

670
00:36:04.159 --> 00:36:06.880
as he's walking through Central Park, how is he possibly

671
00:36:06.920 --> 00:36:10.320
gonna make it across the rocky mountains. It's that sort

672
00:36:10.320 --> 00:36:13.480
of thing preparing him. You know, how are you gonna

673
00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:15.800
cope when trouble comes again? The immediate reference is to

674
00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:18.239
the coming of the Babylonians. If he thinks things are

675
00:36:18.280 --> 00:36:21.440
bad and he's feeling sorry for himself, now just wait

676
00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:24.159
until the Babylonians start moving in. How are you gonna

677
00:36:24.199 --> 00:36:27.599
fare then when life starts to get really hard.

678
00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:32.800
Now he's doing a great job painting this picture. I mean,

679
00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:34.199
I love it. I love it. I like the way

680
00:36:34.239 --> 00:36:36.039
he preaches, I like the way he teaches. This is

681
00:36:36.119 --> 00:36:39.639
good stuff. Now my concern is he wants to say

682
00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:42.360
that what how can we make it? How? How can

683
00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:45.039
Jeremiah make it? The text does not be does not

684
00:36:45.079 --> 00:36:48.360
seem to be providing any answers. God is just basically saying, look,

685
00:36:48.599 --> 00:36:50.360
if you can't, if you can't make it in this,

686
00:36:50.599 --> 00:36:52.320
how are you gonna make it here? How are you

687
00:36:52.360 --> 00:36:54.639
gonna make it here? He he doesn't seem to be

688
00:36:54.679 --> 00:36:58.239
providing any answers any way, shape or form. So where

689
00:36:58.280 --> 00:37:00.880
is he going to pull the answers from now? Either

690
00:37:00.960 --> 00:37:03.800
he's going to pull the answers from somewhere else and

691
00:37:03.880 --> 00:37:07.519
apply him to us. But shouldn't the question be what

692
00:37:08.280 --> 00:37:13.039
solution does God give Jeremiah. Jeremiah is like, look, man,

693
00:37:13.199 --> 00:37:15.880
what is going on? And God's response is it's going

694
00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:18.079
to get worse. And if you can't handle this, how

695
00:37:18.079 --> 00:37:20.239
are you going to handle it when it gets worse? Well,

696
00:37:20.280 --> 00:37:24.320
then what's the solution for Jeremiah? Now? Is this sermon

697
00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:27.039
going to give us the solution God gives Jeremiah and

698
00:37:27.079 --> 00:37:28.920
then apply it to us, or is he going to

699
00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:32.039
forget Jeremiah go to other verses and then apply that

700
00:37:32.159 --> 00:37:32.519
to us.

701
00:37:33.079 --> 00:37:38.599
Let's find out that's the analogy here for Jeremiah and

702
00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:43.199
for us as well. When we face trials and troubles

703
00:37:43.239 --> 00:37:45.360
in our lives, the think about the smaller ones, the

704
00:37:45.440 --> 00:37:49.400
minor irritations, the less aggrievances. How do we react? Then?

705
00:37:49.679 --> 00:37:53.679
Do we get irritable and all bent out of shape

706
00:37:54.239 --> 00:37:58.880
over relatively minor things that happen in our lives? Because

707
00:37:58.880 --> 00:38:00.679
if that's the case, what are you going to be

708
00:38:00.800 --> 00:38:04.280
like when the really big situation comes along? If you

709
00:38:04.440 --> 00:38:07.239
like that running with the footman, to use Jeremiah's analogy,

710
00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:09.800
what will you be like when you're running with horses?

711
00:38:09.840 --> 00:38:11.400
What kind of state will you be in when the

712
00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:15.599
really big trial comes, which is why, just by way

713
00:38:15.639 --> 00:38:18.079
of a practical application here, we need to we need

714
00:38:18.119 --> 00:38:21.559
to train ourselves for those situations by the way that

715
00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:25.880
we respond to lesser trials, so that when they come along,

716
00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:28.840
you know, the minor annoyances, the minor irritations I'm talking

717
00:38:28.840 --> 00:38:31.880
about here, everyday aggravations, the setbacks that we can encounter.

718
00:38:32.119 --> 00:38:35.719
Instead of getting really worked up by those things, getting

719
00:38:35.760 --> 00:38:39.639
really irritated, blowing a fuse, flying off the handle at

720
00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:41.960
that situation or even at people around us, what we

721
00:38:42.039 --> 00:38:44.760
need to do instead in that situation, with God's help

722
00:38:44.880 --> 00:38:45.719
is learn to cope.

723
00:38:48.119 --> 00:38:51.199
Okay, now this gets a little confusing. Okay, Natty, Now

724
00:38:51.440 --> 00:38:54.079
this goes to typical preaching, and this is why I

725
00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:56.039
have so many issues with preaching. So wait a minute.

726
00:38:56.079 --> 00:38:59.599
So the lesson is is, hey, if you can't handle this,

727
00:38:59.679 --> 00:39:01.400
how you to handle the hard things? So then what

728
00:39:01.440 --> 00:39:03.159
we're supposed to take from that is we have to

729
00:39:03.239 --> 00:39:07.880
train ourselves. We have to train ourselves by handling the

730
00:39:07.960 --> 00:39:13.880
small irritant irritant irritations so that when big adversity comes

731
00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:16.480
we will be prepared to handle it. So the lesson

732
00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:20.039
from this is train yourself when you face small things,

733
00:39:20.360 --> 00:39:23.320
handle it, so you'll be able to handle big adversity.

734
00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:26.239
But with God's help. Now, this is where it gets confusing.

735
00:39:26.480 --> 00:39:30.679
So God's gonna help me do it? What does God? Just?

736
00:39:30.760 --> 00:39:33.320
What does God do? Does he help me by removing this?

737
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:35.440
Or is it just a feeling? I get? See? This

738
00:39:35.519 --> 00:39:39.119
is such? This is so vague. So the lesson is

739
00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:43.360
what is God telling Jeremiah, Hey, figure out how to

740
00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:45.679
handle this so that you'll be ready to handle that.

741
00:39:48.159 --> 00:39:50.800
If you learn how to handle and is there? And

742
00:39:50.840 --> 00:39:53.760
again we could really are We could really argue, is

743
00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:59.559
there truth? If I learn to handle minor adversity, I'll

744
00:39:59.559 --> 00:40:03.800
be better prepared to handle big adversity. Can anything really

745
00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:12.480
prepare you to handle big adversity? Oh? The power went

746
00:40:12.519 --> 00:40:17.000
out and I missed my favorite TV show? Oh okay, well, okay,

747
00:40:17.039 --> 00:40:20.639
I'm gonna handle this calmly, okay, good, good good? And

748
00:40:20.679 --> 00:40:25.639
then six months later your loved one dies because because

749
00:40:25.639 --> 00:40:29.440
some horrible tragedy. Did the handling the TV prepare you

750
00:40:29.480 --> 00:40:33.159
for this? I don't know if that really works that way?

751
00:40:34.519 --> 00:40:39.519
Is that the lesson? Here? Is the lesson, Jeremiah, figure

752
00:40:39.519 --> 00:40:41.400
out how to handle this, and then you'll be prepared

753
00:40:41.440 --> 00:40:43.199
to handle that. I don't know if that's the.

754
00:40:43.239 --> 00:40:51.159
Lesson, pray and cope with the situation. Take yourself in hand,

755
00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:53.719
say to yourself, this is nothing. Really, Why am I

756
00:40:53.719 --> 00:40:55.519
getting so wked up? This is only a very small

757
00:40:55.559 --> 00:40:57.960
thing in the big scheme of things. This is only

758
00:40:58.039 --> 00:40:59.880
a little thing. It's only a mine annoyance, not a

759
00:41:00.079 --> 00:41:02.880
big deal. Let's tallt yourself in that way. And what

760
00:41:02.880 --> 00:41:05.000
you'll be doing at the same time is you're training yourself.

761
00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:07.519
Then you're preparing yourself to cope with much bigger trials

762
00:41:07.519 --> 00:41:08.400
when they come along.

763
00:41:11.280 --> 00:41:14.000
I know he mentioned God's help, but if you really

764
00:41:14.039 --> 00:41:19.000
listen it is this is all about self help improvement.

765
00:41:20.559 --> 00:41:24.440
Train yourself to handle adversity. How do you face adversity

766
00:41:24.960 --> 00:41:29.800
by training yourself to handle averse adversity? So the Christian

767
00:41:29.920 --> 00:41:34.239
secret to handling adversity is training yourself to handle adversity.

768
00:41:34.360 --> 00:41:38.000
And how do you train yourself by handling small adversity

769
00:41:38.119 --> 00:41:41.320
so you'll be better you'll be better equipped to handle

770
00:41:41.599 --> 00:41:47.440
big adversity. Is that the Christian message is that the

771
00:41:47.440 --> 00:41:53.519
message from Jeremiah. I'm just presenting it to you. You

772
00:41:53.840 --> 00:41:56.119
can tell me if you think this works.

773
00:41:58.199 --> 00:42:00.880
Which is often why if you think it. That's often

774
00:42:00.920 --> 00:42:03.159
why trials and troubles come along in the first place.

775
00:42:03.639 --> 00:42:05.920
They're part of that training process that we go through.

776
00:42:05.960 --> 00:42:07.840
It's God putting us into the gym, as it were

777
00:42:08.440 --> 00:42:11.960
putting us through our paces, giving us a workout spiritually

778
00:42:12.559 --> 00:42:15.960
in order to build strength, to build endurance, so that

779
00:42:16.039 --> 00:42:20.239
when eventually later on the big challenge comes, then we're

780
00:42:20.280 --> 00:42:23.320
ready for that. We're prepared by the lesser trials we've

781
00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:27.079
been through. We're ready when the bigger one comes. Maybe

782
00:42:27.079 --> 00:42:30.280
an illustration will help. Think about Winston Churchill. You know

783
00:42:30.320 --> 00:42:32.239
in this regard he wasn't a Christian man as far

784
00:42:32.239 --> 00:42:34.639
as I know, but just as an example of how

785
00:42:34.800 --> 00:42:39.280
someone is providentially prepared by lesser trials for a bigger one.

786
00:42:39.559 --> 00:42:41.920
He became Prime Minister on tenth of May nineteen forty.

787
00:42:42.119 --> 00:42:44.800
Prior to that, he'd served as a British soldier and

788
00:42:44.840 --> 00:42:48.719
had taken fire in many situations. He'd held various high

789
00:42:48.800 --> 00:42:52.840
level positions in government, including First Lord of the Admiralty

790
00:42:53.079 --> 00:42:56.599
during World War One, numerous trials and crises that he'd

791
00:42:56.639 --> 00:43:00.519
been through, and so when he's eventually appointed as minister

792
00:43:01.000 --> 00:43:04.360
in nineteen forty, he walks across the courtyard to Buckingham

793
00:43:04.360 --> 00:43:06.760
Palace to receive the invitation from the King, and as

794
00:43:06.760 --> 00:43:08.559
he does so, this thought is going through his mind.

795
00:43:08.880 --> 00:43:10.559
He recalls this later on, He says, I felt I

796
00:43:10.639 --> 00:43:13.760
was walking with destiny, and that all my past life

797
00:43:13.760 --> 00:43:16.840
had been but a preparation for this hour and for

798
00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:22.039
this trial. Past troubles and trials had prepared him for

799
00:43:22.079 --> 00:43:26.679
that greatest of all tests. Or you know, a biblical example.

800
00:43:26.679 --> 00:43:29.000
Think about Daniel when he arrived as a young man

801
00:43:29.039 --> 00:43:33.760
in Nebucenza's court, being subject to that Babylonian indoctrination program.

802
00:43:34.280 --> 00:43:36.639
That was a severe test, wasn't it? And yet he

803
00:43:36.679 --> 00:43:40.199
remained steadfast faithful through her. He refused to defile himself

804
00:43:40.199 --> 00:43:43.480
with the portion of the king's meat. He wouldn't faithfully

805
00:43:43.480 --> 00:43:46.679
devoted to the Lord in that challenge. So that in

806
00:43:46.760 --> 00:43:50.320
years to come, when Darius came to power and passed

807
00:43:50.360 --> 00:43:52.599
that decree that no one was to pray to anyone

808
00:43:52.639 --> 00:43:56.159
except to him, what would Daniel do in that situation?

809
00:43:56.800 --> 00:43:59.519
Would he remain faithful to the Lord there as well?

810
00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:01.599
You know, his life life is on the line. What

811
00:44:01.639 --> 00:44:04.280
would Daniel do? Went back up to his room, I

812
00:44:04.360 --> 00:44:07.039
open the windows, towards Rusom, go down on his knees

813
00:44:07.079 --> 00:44:10.480
and prayed three times, just as he had done before.

814
00:44:10.519 --> 00:44:14.239
It says he was dead foss on waving, totally faithful

815
00:44:14.280 --> 00:44:16.559
to the Lord. How did he do that? How did

816
00:44:16.599 --> 00:44:18.360
he remain so strong even though his life is on

817
00:44:18.400 --> 00:44:19.760
the line. Now he gonna be thrown to the lines.

818
00:44:19.800 --> 00:44:22.400
He was thrown to the lines. The reason is he

819
00:44:22.480 --> 00:44:23.079
been prepared.

820
00:44:25.519 --> 00:44:29.159
What's interesting is he's going other places to find the

821
00:44:29.199 --> 00:44:34.440
supposed answer for how Jeremiah should handle the adversity. The

822
00:44:34.559 --> 00:44:40.440
question should be Jeremiah's facing adversity. He's upset. God says

823
00:44:40.480 --> 00:44:42.599
it's going to get worse, and if you can't handle this,

824
00:44:42.679 --> 00:44:44.639
how are you going to handle what's to come? The

825
00:44:44.760 --> 00:44:48.480
question should be does God provide Jeremiah any answer and

826
00:44:48.559 --> 00:44:51.679
how to handle the adversity? Does he provide any So

827
00:44:52.199 --> 00:44:54.519
that's really the question. I almost want to leave it there.

828
00:44:54.639 --> 00:44:57.239
He's almost done. I may let him go just a

829
00:44:57.239 --> 00:45:00.159
couple of more minutes. But while we were listening, I

830
00:45:00.199 --> 00:45:04.639
did ask Ai, hey, did God provide Jeremiah answer and

831
00:45:04.679 --> 00:45:09.039
how to handle the adversity? Ai said, God does not

832
00:45:09.280 --> 00:45:12.280
provide a direct, step by step answer for how Jeremiah

833
00:45:12.280 --> 00:45:17.519
should handle adversity. Instead, God gives a challenge and a

834
00:45:17.599 --> 00:45:25.199
revelation that reframes Jeremiah's perspective on a situation. Right, So

835
00:45:25.320 --> 00:45:29.119
God's response in Jeremiah twelve five to six is a

836
00:45:29.239 --> 00:45:32.920
challenge to preserve or to persevere. I should say God

837
00:45:32.920 --> 00:45:37.119
asked rhetorical questions, which we've now discussed. These questions essentially

838
00:45:37.119 --> 00:45:40.320
tell Jeremiah that the current challenges are preparation for even

839
00:45:40.360 --> 00:45:43.440
greater difficulties ahead. God's answer is not one of comfort,

840
00:45:43.440 --> 00:45:46.159
but of calling Jeremiah a greater endurance and trust in

841
00:45:46.199 --> 00:45:50.199
God amidst escalating trials. Now, some will say AI does

842
00:45:50.280 --> 00:45:54.719
say that this was preparation for even greater difficulties. So

843
00:45:54.840 --> 00:45:57.480
AI seems to go with the direction. Maybe this pastor

844
00:45:57.559 --> 00:46:00.880
is going, hey, hey, if you can't handle this, then

845
00:46:00.880 --> 00:46:02.840
how are you going to be able to handle this?

846
00:46:03.119 --> 00:46:05.679
So this is preparing you for that? But is it?

847
00:46:06.039 --> 00:46:08.000
I don't know if that's what the text is saying.

848
00:46:08.039 --> 00:46:09.960
I don't even know if I agree with AI on this,

849
00:46:14.039 --> 00:46:17.480
I don't know. And if it says that this is saying,

850
00:46:19.840 --> 00:46:23.199
if it says have greater endurance and trust in God,

851
00:46:23.360 --> 00:46:25.679
well trust in God God is the one seeing that

852
00:46:25.719 --> 00:46:28.039
things are coming. I do to trust God to do

853
00:46:28.119 --> 00:46:34.880
what like, I don't know. Then there's a revelation of

854
00:46:34.880 --> 00:46:38.199
deeper adversity. Verse six reveals that Jeremiah's own family has

855
00:46:38.239 --> 00:46:41.519
betrayed him, even plotting against him. This adds layer of

856
00:46:41.559 --> 00:46:47.000
personal adversity to the external challenge, so so there's no

857
00:46:47.039 --> 00:46:49.039
real answer. God just basically is like, Hey, if you

858
00:46:49.039 --> 00:46:50.880
think it's bad, now, it's gonna get worse. I don't

859
00:46:50.880 --> 00:46:54.400
know how that is really there to say, I'm preparing

860
00:46:54.440 --> 00:46:56.559
you for the worst. I don't know. I don't know

861
00:46:56.599 --> 00:47:00.280
about that. AI does say God's response to does not

862
00:47:00.320 --> 00:47:03.320
provide a solution in the traditional sense, such as a

863
00:47:03.360 --> 00:47:07.239
plan to alleviate Jeremiah is suffering or eliminate his enemies,

864
00:47:07.239 --> 00:47:13.440
and said his response serves to reframe Jeremiah's perspective. God

865
00:47:13.480 --> 00:47:18.639
directs Jeremiah's focus from the immediate injustice to the necessity

866
00:47:18.880 --> 00:47:21.960
of enduring greater challenges. It says, if God is saying

867
00:47:22.280 --> 00:47:25.840
you face small battles, prepare yourself for larger ones, I'm

868
00:47:28.719 --> 00:47:32.760
I don't know. So maybe this pastor is handling it

869
00:47:32.840 --> 00:47:34.960
the way everybody else should handle I just don't know.

870
00:47:35.039 --> 00:47:37.480
I don't. I have a hard time seeing that. Hey,

871
00:47:38.000 --> 00:47:41.760
prepare yourself for worse. So basically the Christian answer to

872
00:47:41.840 --> 00:47:49.559
adversity is what prepare yourself? Come on, come on, embrace it,

873
00:47:50.320 --> 00:47:53.800
handle it, and then you can do it. There seems

874
00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:55.800
to be no grace there. There doesn't seem to be

875
00:47:55.880 --> 00:47:59.840
any I know, even Ai throws it in a little

876
00:47:59.880 --> 00:48:02.239
bit in the past. Well God will help you. Well,

877
00:48:02.280 --> 00:48:04.920
then I don't need to if God is God just

878
00:48:04.960 --> 00:48:08.519
doing the helping or then it gets confusing, all right now,

879
00:48:09.159 --> 00:48:13.280
Ai says, impliciting God's words is a call for Jeremiah

880
00:48:13.320 --> 00:48:16.360
to deepen his reliance on God. While God doesn't remove

881
00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:19.400
the adversity, he reminds Jeremiah that he is being prepared

882
00:48:19.440 --> 00:48:23.960
for a higher purpose. By telling Jeremiah about his family's betrayal,

883
00:48:24.000 --> 00:48:26.360
God gives him clarity about the depth of the adversity

884
00:48:26.400 --> 00:48:30.119
he faces. This knowledge would help Jeremiah navigate his circumstances

885
00:48:30.280 --> 00:48:37.000
with greater awareness. I don't maybe this text was never

886
00:48:37.119 --> 00:48:40.519
designed to offer any help. Maybe the point to me,

887
00:48:41.119 --> 00:48:44.679
maybe the correct way to handle this text is sometimes

888
00:48:44.719 --> 00:48:48.800
when we face diversity and we cry out to God,

889
00:48:48.960 --> 00:48:51.519
we're not going to get an answer. We're not going

890
00:48:51.559 --> 00:48:53.360
to get an answer that, oh, this is what you

891
00:48:53.400 --> 00:48:55.119
need to do, or I'm gonna make it better. He

892
00:48:55.159 --> 00:48:57.679
doesn't promise to make it better. He tells him it's

893
00:48:57.719 --> 00:49:01.559
going to get worse. Sometimes we face adversity and we

894
00:49:01.639 --> 00:49:04.000
don't have any answer in how to handle it, and

895
00:49:04.039 --> 00:49:06.199
we have no promise that it's going to get better.

896
00:49:08.239 --> 00:49:09.920
Let's see what the pastor just wraps this.

897
00:49:09.960 --> 00:49:15.119
Up providentially prepared by that testing he went through in

898
00:49:15.199 --> 00:49:20.239
Nebukneza's court. That was the providential gym workout, you could say,

899
00:49:20.480 --> 00:49:23.280
to strengthen him and preparing for an even greater trial

900
00:49:23.280 --> 00:49:27.599
that he would face in Darius's court. And so this

901
00:49:27.719 --> 00:49:30.639
helps us, then, doesn't It shows us the way that

902
00:49:30.679 --> 00:49:34.320
we too should process, We should view all the trials

903
00:49:34.360 --> 00:49:37.679
that we go through. Maybe I don't know, maybe you're

904
00:49:37.679 --> 00:49:40.000
going through a very intense one right now, and perhaps

905
00:49:40.039 --> 00:49:43.000
you're vexed and you're perplexed. Why am I having to

906
00:49:43.039 --> 00:49:45.719
go through this right now? What is going on here?

907
00:49:46.159 --> 00:49:48.320
What's this all about? What's the purpose in all of this?

908
00:49:48.480 --> 00:49:51.719
It could be spiritually speaking, the Lord has you in

909
00:49:51.719 --> 00:49:57.000
the gym that he's got you on a spiritual workout

910
00:49:57.159 --> 00:49:59.679
on the treadmill as it were, on the weights machine,

911
00:50:00.039 --> 00:50:02.039
because he wants to put some strength and power and

912
00:50:02.079 --> 00:50:04.800
endure us into you, maybe with an eye to the future,

913
00:50:06.119 --> 00:50:08.199
for an even greater work that he has for you

914
00:50:08.280 --> 00:50:12.159
to do then. And so don't don't duck out, don't

915
00:50:12.199 --> 00:50:14.760
don't run away from it, but prayerfully trust the Lord

916
00:50:14.840 --> 00:50:17.480
for all that he's doing, and pray, Lord, make me

917
00:50:17.599 --> 00:50:19.320
to be the man or woman you would have me

918
00:50:19.440 --> 00:50:21.920
to be ready in time for whatever it may be,

919
00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:24.079
even a greater challenge you may have for me in

920
00:50:24.119 --> 00:50:24.760
the future.

921
00:50:26.760 --> 00:50:30.960
That is. I'm having a hard time with this, all right,

922
00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:33.840
So so I'm gonna I'm now again, this is a

923
00:50:33.960 --> 00:50:36.719
historical narrative. So I think we're already doing possible damage

924
00:50:36.760 --> 00:50:39.119
by trying to take this and make this applicable to us.

925
00:50:39.159 --> 00:50:41.000
But if we're gonna make it applicable to us, the

926
00:50:41.119 --> 00:50:44.280
lesson that I'm getting is this. Hey, you remember in

927
00:50:44.320 --> 00:50:47.519
that October when you were standing in the Buffalo Gap

928
00:50:47.599 --> 00:50:51.320
cemetery and they were burying your mother and you were young. Hey,

929
00:50:52.079 --> 00:50:56.880
I was just God preparing you for greater tragedy to come. Oh,

930
00:50:57.039 --> 00:51:00.960
remember when you stood in the graveside outside of Buffalo

931
00:51:01.039 --> 00:51:04.320
Gap when your father died of cancer. Oh, he was

932
00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:07.280
just preparing you for more tragedy to come. Aren't you

933
00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:10.480
so glad that God prepares you for tragedy by allowing

934
00:51:10.519 --> 00:51:17.000
you to endure tragedy? See, I lost both parents? How

935
00:51:17.079 --> 00:51:24.960
was that preparing me for greater tragedy? Oh? You remember

936
00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:28.360
those years of a physical abuse? Hey? Aren't you glad

937
00:51:28.519 --> 00:51:31.280
he was prepared? Like I don't even see. Hey, hey,

938
00:51:31.320 --> 00:51:35.320
I know you your loved one died, But hey, you

939
00:51:35.360 --> 00:51:38.840
know he was just prepared. That's a weird. See, all

940
00:51:38.960 --> 00:51:43.039
tragedy and all adversity is simply preparing you for more adversity.

941
00:51:43.480 --> 00:51:46.920
Oh man, this is bad. Hey, it's gonna get worse.

942
00:51:47.079 --> 00:51:50.599
So just see, this is preparing I that I don't

943
00:51:50.719 --> 00:51:53.000
know about this. I don't know about this.

944
00:51:56.840 --> 00:51:58.960
That's what we have here in these verses in jeremih

945
00:51:59.000 --> 00:52:03.000
Chapter twelve, warning the prospect of adversity, the challenge of

946
00:52:03.039 --> 00:52:07.079
the sporting analogy. Finally, think about the encouragement here, the

947
00:52:07.119 --> 00:52:11.599
promise of sufficiency. Just going back to that question there

948
00:52:12.719 --> 00:52:17.440
verse five, how can you contend with horses? What's the

949
00:52:17.480 --> 00:52:21.400
answer to that? Or the answer is we can't. We

950
00:52:21.480 --> 00:52:24.400
can't compete with horses. Actually, in the UK there is

951
00:52:24.440 --> 00:52:26.719
a race every year man be Horse. They have it

952
00:52:26.760 --> 00:52:28.840
in Wales. It's been going off for about fifty years now,

953
00:52:29.239 --> 00:52:31.719
and I think it's a twenty kilometer race or something

954
00:52:31.760 --> 00:52:33.400
like that, where a man does run against a horse

955
00:52:33.519 --> 00:52:35.480
and the man hardly ever wins. I think it maybe

956
00:52:35.639 --> 00:52:37.800
three or four times in fifty years that a man

957
00:52:37.840 --> 00:52:40.639
has won. Man isn't strong enough to run faster than

958
00:52:40.639 --> 00:52:43.480
a horse. Same with a line infested jungle. Who can

959
00:52:43.519 --> 00:52:45.639
walk through a line infested jungle and come out alive?

960
00:52:46.199 --> 00:52:49.559
It's impossible. We can't do these things, run against horses,

961
00:52:49.840 --> 00:52:52.559
walk through line infested jungles. We can't do that on

962
00:52:52.599 --> 00:52:55.400
our own. But that, you see, is the point here.

963
00:52:55.519 --> 00:52:59.400
Jeremiah isn't to do these things on his own. The

964
00:52:59.480 --> 00:53:02.559
Lord will help him.

965
00:53:03.199 --> 00:53:05.880
Oh now, okay, now I do agree. Now you could

966
00:53:05.920 --> 00:53:09.960
look at this as hey, you can't handle it. You can't.

967
00:53:10.480 --> 00:53:13.719
Now in Jeremiah's situation, God is going to step in,

968
00:53:13.960 --> 00:53:16.760
preserve him, protect him, because he gives him all these promises.

969
00:53:16.800 --> 00:53:19.199
If you go all the way back to Jeremiah one. Okay,

970
00:53:19.239 --> 00:53:22.199
but I can't extrapolate from that the God's now going

971
00:53:22.280 --> 00:53:26.039
to step in and help me. Right that God, What

972
00:53:26.079 --> 00:53:29.840
can I say God is specifically going to do for me? Now?

973
00:53:29.920 --> 00:53:33.960
What I can say is when I face adversity in

974
00:53:34.079 --> 00:53:37.519
my life is falling apart, in many cases, I cannot

975
00:53:37.559 --> 00:53:40.760
handle it. But I can trust in one who died

976
00:53:40.880 --> 00:53:45.840
for me, who then guarantees me eternal salvation, and then

977
00:53:46.000 --> 00:53:48.840
he guarantees me a time that will come there'll be

978
00:53:48.880 --> 00:53:51.320
no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death.

979
00:53:51.599 --> 00:53:55.079
Now that I can trust in that God will ultimately help.

980
00:53:55.639 --> 00:53:58.079
We got to be very careful here because if we

981
00:53:58.119 --> 00:54:01.559
extrapolate from Jeremiah, God going to help him, and he's

982
00:54:01.559 --> 00:54:03.800
going to help us in a similar way. I cannot

983
00:54:04.000 --> 00:54:07.440
do that. There are specific promises to Jeremiah that are

984
00:54:07.519 --> 00:54:12.239
not given to us. So maybe it's best to say

985
00:54:12.639 --> 00:54:15.840
I can't do these things right. We can't. It's not

986
00:54:15.880 --> 00:54:20.079
that it's preparing us too. We can't. We can't truly

987
00:54:20.159 --> 00:54:23.360
handle I think maybe is that a better way of

988
00:54:23.400 --> 00:54:24.039
looking at it.

989
00:54:26.119 --> 00:54:28.320
The Lord will uphold him, The Lord will be with

990
00:54:28.440 --> 00:54:30.719
him to enable him to do all these things. That

991
00:54:30.800 --> 00:54:33.079
was the promise the Lord gave to Jeremy at the beginning.

992
00:54:33.199 --> 00:54:36.199
Of the book, Chapter one, verse nineteen. They will fight

993
00:54:36.280 --> 00:54:39.320
against you, but they will not overcome you. For I

994
00:54:39.440 --> 00:54:43.440
am with you, and I will rescue you, says the Lord.

995
00:54:44.480 --> 00:54:46.239
He can't do it on his own. There's no way

996
00:54:46.239 --> 00:54:48.280
he could face all these challenges on his own. But

997
00:54:48.360 --> 00:54:50.719
he wasn't going to be on his own. The Lord

998
00:54:50.760 --> 00:54:53.039
would be with him and help him, which he did

999
00:54:53.079 --> 00:54:58.039
from a forty years. He sustained him and upheld him throughout.

1000
00:54:58.960 --> 00:55:04.559
Okay, he acknowledged Jeremiah received specific promises. Those are not

1001
00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:10.960
for us, not being carried out, and these are very tangible,

1002
00:55:11.079 --> 00:55:16.280
specific materialistic, physical preservation, protection and promises that we do

1003
00:55:16.360 --> 00:55:16.800
not have.

1004
00:55:20.119 --> 00:55:23.679
And so that's the message he's communicating here. Yes, it's

1005
00:55:23.719 --> 00:55:27.280
a warning of coming adversity, but there's the promise, there's

1006
00:55:27.320 --> 00:55:32.440
the assurance here of divine sufficiency. That's what God is

1007
00:55:32.480 --> 00:55:37.440
saying to Jeremiah and to us. Yes, there are challenges ahead,

1008
00:55:38.159 --> 00:55:40.639
maybe trials, maybe difficult ones that we have to face

1009
00:55:40.639 --> 00:55:42.719
and left to ourselves. You know who could do it?

1010
00:55:43.159 --> 00:55:45.280
No one, We couldn't. It'd be like running against a

1011
00:55:45.320 --> 00:55:48.320
thoroughbred race source. It would be like wandering through a

1012
00:55:48.400 --> 00:55:52.719
line infested jungle. No, hope, no chance. But that's the

1013
00:55:52.719 --> 00:55:55.760
way it's meant to be, to break us away from

1014
00:55:55.800 --> 00:55:59.760
our confidence in ourselves, to make us recognize as the Lord.

1015
00:56:00.679 --> 00:56:04.039
He alone, He alone is the source of my strength.

1016
00:56:04.599 --> 00:56:07.519
He is my sufficiency. With his help, Sami says, I

1017
00:56:07.519 --> 00:56:12.280
can run against the troop with his help Isaiah faulty.

1018
00:56:12.360 --> 00:56:14.960
We can run and not grow weary. We can walk

1019
00:56:15.000 --> 00:56:17.000
and not faint.

1020
00:56:17.960 --> 00:56:20.840
Oh no, Now he's taking isaiah promises and making them

1021
00:56:20.880 --> 00:56:24.760
about us. It was about them. Oh man, okay, Oh

1022
00:56:26.079 --> 00:56:28.880
this is the stuff that always drives me crazy. These

1023
00:56:28.920 --> 00:56:32.599
are promises given to specific people in specific historical context.

1024
00:56:32.719 --> 00:56:34.559
When you say God's gonna step in and do this

1025
00:56:34.559 --> 00:56:35.880
for me, or do this for me, or do this

1026
00:56:35.920 --> 00:56:40.039
for me, you've got to then it's just vague. It's

1027
00:56:40.199 --> 00:56:44.119
just it's meaningless. It's it's vanity of vanities. God's gonna

1028
00:56:44.119 --> 00:56:46.199
help how well, I'm not gonna tell you God's gonna

1029
00:56:46.199 --> 00:56:48.199
step in and sustain you. I'm not gonna tell you how.

1030
00:56:48.239 --> 00:56:49.719
I'm not gonna tell you what it looks like. Is

1031
00:56:49.719 --> 00:56:54.199
it tangible, is it physical? Is it material? Or Because

1032
00:56:54.239 --> 00:56:57.320
I know plenty of Christians throughout church history who died,

1033
00:56:57.400 --> 00:57:00.320
God obviously did not protect they this happen, and then

1034
00:57:00.400 --> 00:57:02.960
this happened, and this happened, and this happened, and this happened.

1035
00:57:03.000 --> 00:57:07.239
Where was It wasn't physical, it wasn't material, So where

1036
00:57:07.280 --> 00:57:11.679
is it going to happen? Oh, you man?

1037
00:57:15.079 --> 00:57:18.239
Alexander MacLaren, in his sermon on this text, he says,

1038
00:57:18.320 --> 00:57:21.039
think of the power that will fit us for all crises.

1039
00:57:21.199 --> 00:57:23.639
With the power of Jesus in our spirits, we shall

1040
00:57:23.679 --> 00:57:25.719
never have to attempt a duty for which we are

1041
00:57:25.760 --> 00:57:29.079
not strengthened, nor to affront a danger from and in

1042
00:57:29.119 --> 00:57:31.960
which He will not defend us with his life in us,

1043
00:57:32.000 --> 00:57:33.039
we shall be ready.

1044
00:57:35.000 --> 00:57:38.000
Well, that's great that you quoted a sermon. There's no

1045
00:57:38.360 --> 00:57:43.360
danger that God won't protect us from. That's just ridiculous.

1046
00:57:43.480 --> 00:57:47.320
If we truly believe that, then why do churches have security?

1047
00:57:47.360 --> 00:57:50.599
And we shouldn't be worried about any God's gonna protect me.

1048
00:57:50.599 --> 00:57:53.360
God's gonna protect me. God's gonna protect me. And this

1049
00:57:53.519 --> 00:57:58.159
leads to the very mind Today. On the Christian Post website,

1050
00:57:58.559 --> 00:58:00.679
there's an article about a gun men who went to

1051
00:58:00.679 --> 00:58:05.760
a Seventh Day Adventist school and shot two kindergarteners. The

1052
00:58:05.960 --> 00:58:11.719
first comment posted under that article on the Christian Post,

1053
00:58:11.760 --> 00:58:15.000
a Christian website, was well, the school needs to ask

1054
00:58:15.039 --> 00:58:18.440
itself why this happened and why God did not protect

1055
00:58:18.519 --> 00:58:21.079
these kids, as if it was the school's fault that

1056
00:58:21.119 --> 00:58:24.280
they had done something spiritually, because of course God's going

1057
00:58:24.320 --> 00:58:27.000
to protect a Christian school. Of course God's going to

1058
00:58:27.039 --> 00:58:37.159
protect Christian kids. It doesn't work that way.

1059
00:58:38.760 --> 00:58:46.559
That's just ah okay. You see, he's saying, with his help,

1060
00:58:46.599 --> 00:58:49.400
we can face whatever challenges may come to us in life,

1061
00:58:50.039 --> 00:58:56.039
even the fascest of them all nice death. There's a

1062
00:58:56.079 --> 00:58:58.800
Scottish preacher some years back in the early nineteen hundreds.

1063
00:58:58.800 --> 00:59:01.679
His name was Arthur Gossip, and his wife died when

1064
00:59:01.719 --> 00:59:04.039
they were both in middle years, and as you can imagine,

1065
00:59:04.079 --> 00:59:06.719
he was devastated by that. He then had to preach

1066
00:59:06.760 --> 00:59:09.000
the following Sunday.

1067
00:59:09.840 --> 00:59:13.800
I mean, guess his wife dies, but Guid helps him preach.

1068
00:59:14.519 --> 00:59:17.360
Why wouldn't Gud just help I don't know his wife

1069
00:59:17.480 --> 00:59:18.039
not die?

1070
00:59:22.239 --> 00:59:23.880
And so he got up, he stood in the paul

1071
00:59:23.880 --> 00:59:25.880
pit like this one, and his first sentence to the

1072
00:59:25.880 --> 00:59:30.480
congregation was when life tumbles in what then? And then

1073
00:59:30.480 --> 00:59:34.360
he began to preach from these words. Jamy twelve, verse five.

1074
00:59:34.880 --> 00:59:36.960
If you have run with the footmen and they've wearied you,

1075
00:59:37.000 --> 00:59:39.159
then how can you contend with horses? If in the

1076
00:59:39.239 --> 00:59:41.679
land of peace in which you trusted they wearied you,

1077
00:59:41.880 --> 00:59:44.760
how will you do in the swelling flood of the Jordan?

1078
00:59:45.519 --> 00:59:47.920
And Gossip said this, You don't need to be afraid.

1079
00:59:48.400 --> 00:59:50.559
Our hearts are very frail, and there are places where

1080
00:59:50.559 --> 00:59:53.000
the road is very steep and very lonely. But we

1081
00:59:53.079 --> 00:59:55.719
have a wonderful God, And as Paul puts it, who

1082
00:59:55.719 --> 00:59:58.920
can separate us from his love? Not death? No, not

1083
00:59:59.039 --> 01:00:01.599
death for st And in the roaring of the Jordan,

1084
01:00:01.719 --> 01:00:04.360
cold with its dreadful chill, and very conscious of the

1085
01:00:04.440 --> 01:00:08.039
terror of its rushing, I too, like hopeful in Pilgrim's progress,

1086
01:00:08.199 --> 01:00:10.079
can call back to you, who, one day in your

1087
01:00:10.159 --> 01:00:12.239
term will have to cross it. Be a good cheer,

1088
01:00:12.280 --> 01:00:14.760
my brother, my sister, for I feel the bottom and

1089
01:00:14.800 --> 01:00:19.920
it is sound he's saying, in that worst of all trials,

1090
01:00:20.320 --> 01:00:25.159
as Jeremiah could say, the presence of the Lord is enough.

1091
01:00:25.880 --> 01:00:29.079
We don't need to be afraid. Having Him with us

1092
01:00:29.679 --> 01:00:30.159
is enough.

1093
01:00:34.239 --> 01:00:38.880
And that's the sermon. There you have it. I don't

1094
01:00:38.920 --> 01:00:42.159
know what you do with that. I mean, he speaks

1095
01:00:42.239 --> 01:00:47.039
really well, articulate, great, makes some great points. Hey, he

1096
01:00:47.440 --> 01:00:51.079
definitely stayed with the text. There's much I love about it,

1097
01:00:51.119 --> 01:00:55.079
but man alive, it leaves me with Okay, so God's

1098
01:00:55.119 --> 01:00:58.440
gonna help me? Well okay, wait, so the God who

1099
01:00:58.480 --> 01:01:01.679
did nothing to save your and now that God you're

1100
01:01:01.679 --> 01:01:07.599
gonna turn to for help. Under the Christian Post article,

1101
01:01:07.599 --> 01:01:09.320
I think there was some comments like, oh, I hope

1102
01:01:09.360 --> 01:01:12.039
these people, you know, pray that God will give them comfort?

1103
01:01:12.119 --> 01:01:15.639
How about God stopping the shooter from shooting their kindergarteners?

1104
01:01:15.840 --> 01:01:18.840
Like like, I know I'm never supposed to ask these questions,

1105
01:01:19.280 --> 01:01:22.400
but these are the like Christians just say weird things

1106
01:01:22.400 --> 01:01:25.960
about comfort and God being there. Hey, hey, I know,

1107
01:01:26.280 --> 01:01:29.800
I know fifteen people just died, but pray. Oh I'm

1108
01:01:29.800 --> 01:01:32.400
gonna pray for them. Pray for whom the dead people,

1109
01:01:32.679 --> 01:01:34.480
pray for the life. Pray We're gonna pray to the

1110
01:01:34.519 --> 01:01:36.880
God who didn't stop the fifteen people from dying. Like

1111
01:01:37.599 --> 01:01:40.199
do we ever think about what we say and what

1112
01:01:40.239 --> 01:01:48.360
it means? And Jeremiah's case, God is basically basically like, Hey,

1113
01:01:48.519 --> 01:01:50.880
you think it's bad, It's gonna get worse. He doesn't

1114
01:01:50.880 --> 01:01:56.119
give them, actually any any any tangible hope. Now, Jeremiah

1115
01:01:56.400 --> 01:01:58.360
may be reminded we would have to go through the

1116
01:01:58.360 --> 01:02:01.480
rest of the chapter, but he doesn't seem to give

1117
01:02:01.559 --> 01:02:04.800
him any specific answers. Now, what Jeremiah has is God's

1118
01:02:04.840 --> 01:02:09.320
promises given specifically to him. Now, do we have any promises?

1119
01:02:09.559 --> 01:02:13.119
We have promises, right, we have promises of forgiveness of sins.

1120
01:02:13.159 --> 01:02:15.840
We have promises of imputed righteousness. We have promise of

1121
01:02:16.920 --> 01:02:18.920
nothing can separate us from the love of God. We

1122
01:02:19.239 --> 01:02:22.239
have promise of eternal life. We have promise that in glory,

1123
01:02:22.960 --> 01:02:25.960
no more pain, no more suffering, no more death, glorified body. Yes,

1124
01:02:26.039 --> 01:02:28.079
we have some promises, but so many times we want

1125
01:02:28.119 --> 01:02:32.480
to take promises, try to bring them over into the physical, which, well,

1126
01:02:32.679 --> 01:02:40.000
that leads to major problems, so that you can do

1127
01:02:40.039 --> 01:02:41.960
what you want. Now, I'm going to have a problem

1128
01:02:42.639 --> 01:02:44.679
because any minute I'm going to hear this at my

1129
01:02:44.719 --> 01:02:51.119
front door. Texas Rangers. Texas Rangers open up and they're

1130
01:02:51.119 --> 01:02:53.320
going to come in and they're gonna have their guns drawn,

1131
01:02:53.400 --> 01:02:54.960
and they're going like, why are you not watching the

1132
01:02:55.000 --> 01:02:58.280
Texas football game? You know that the Constitution of the

1133
01:02:58.320 --> 01:03:01.760
Country of Texas says you must watch the Texas Longhorns.

1134
01:03:01.840 --> 01:03:04.840
It is in the law. What are you doing? And

1135
01:03:04.880 --> 01:03:06.840
I'm going I'm going to probably end up in prison

1136
01:03:07.639 --> 01:03:09.679
an adversity, and I guess you can send me a

1137
01:03:09.719 --> 01:03:13.840
note with Jeremiah twelve in it. Okay, all right, a

1138
01:03:13.880 --> 01:03:16.599
little bit of humor there, but I am missing the game,

1139
01:03:16.639 --> 01:03:19.320
and I did want to hear the game. But all right,

1140
01:03:19.360 --> 01:03:22.440
there's another sermon review for our sermon's two point oh

1141
01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:24.760
sermon app challenge. So you can write that sermon down.

1142
01:03:24.800 --> 01:03:27.480
You've just heard the entire thing, and then you can

1143
01:03:27.480 --> 01:03:31.559
think about how you does Jeremiah twelve tell us how

1144
01:03:31.559 --> 01:03:37.679
to face adversity? And if we go with the theory

1145
01:03:38.039 --> 01:03:41.280
that God God gives us or allows us to go

1146
01:03:41.320 --> 01:03:45.679
through adversity because it's preparing us for greater adversity, is

1147
01:03:46.000 --> 01:03:48.119
that really the I mean, I don't do you find

1148
01:03:48.199 --> 01:03:48.800
comfort in that?

1149
01:03:49.840 --> 01:03:50.000
Man?

1150
01:03:50.039 --> 01:03:52.119
I'm so glad when I was young my mother died

1151
01:03:52.320 --> 01:03:55.519
because it prepared me for well, my father dying. Well,

1152
01:03:55.559 --> 01:03:58.159
I'm glad my father died because that prepared me. Well.

1153
01:03:58.199 --> 01:04:02.239
I mean, I don't know how that. I don't even

1154
01:04:02.280 --> 01:04:06.559
know how that works. I'm glad I was abused because

1155
01:04:06.559 --> 01:04:09.400
then that prepared me for my mother to die. Then

1156
01:04:09.440 --> 01:04:13.360
that prepared me for my father to die. What I like,

1157
01:04:13.440 --> 01:04:15.599
I don't, I don't. I don't really know how that

1158
01:04:15.679 --> 01:04:22.480
actually works. I I but hey, you you you can

1159
01:04:22.480 --> 01:04:24.920
tell me, all right. Thanks for listening. Everyone, have a

1160
01:04:24.920 --> 01:04:28.840
great day. Now it's football time and I'm probably gonna

1161
01:04:28.840 --> 01:04:31.519
go now turn it on and face great adversities. A

1162
01:04:31.519 --> 01:04:32.840
little bit of a joke. Thanks for listening.

1163
01:04:32.920 --> 01:04:33.400
God bless