Heroes of the Faith

This morning we're going to be looking at the life of Jeremiah. I recently read a story of a man who was receiving a giant banquet in his honour, and there was a party on a ship that was in full swing. Speeches were being made by the captain, by the crew, by guests, enjoying the week long voyage. And sitting at the head of the table, the guest of honour was a 70 year old man who, somewhat embarrassed, was doing his best to accept the praise being poured on him in a gracious way.

You see, earlier that morning, a young woman had apparently fallen overboard. And within seconds, this elderly gentleman was in the cold, dark waters at her side. The woman was rescued and the elderly man became an instant hero. When the time finally came for the brave passenger to speak, the stateroom fell into a hush as he rose from his chair. He went to the microphone and in a very short hero speech, probably the shortest ever, he spoke these words.

Thank you for your applause, but I just want to know one thing: who pushed me? Sometimes people can become unlikely heroes. Or to put it another way, heroes can come in all shapes and sizes. That's especially true if you know your Bible and you read some of the people's stories in the Bible. What is it that made them do remarkable things?

What is it that made their stories remarkable? If we look at the Bible, we can usually find some common trends of these heroes of the faith, of the Davids, of the Abrahams, of the Moses. This morning, however, I want to look at another unlikely hero of the faith, the prophet Jeremiah. And we get a brilliant little snapshot into how this happened, the beginning of that story. You may know that Jeremiah is a prophet who was a prophet to the nation of Judah, and he began his work in 626, continuing it until he was taken to Egypt in about 586.

During his life, he saw the Assyrians, the once powerful empire, the biggest empire of the known world, and a dreaded enemy of Israel come and overtake the northern nations, the northern tribes of Israel. And then to his great fear and consternation, he saw his own people, the Jewish people, also have the prophecies that he prophesied against them fulfilled when Jerusalem fell, destroyed by the hands of a new enemy, the Empire of Babylon. But this morning, we're going to look at where it all began. The moment where God thrust this guy Jeremiah into the spotlight and came with the news that would change his life forever. So we're going to start at the start and we're going to read Jeremiah 1:1-10.

If you have your Bibles with you, Jeremiah 1:1-10. It will also be on the screen. These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, son of Ammon, king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.

The word of the Lord came to me saying, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Our sovereign Lord, I said, I do not know how to speak. I am only a child.

But the Lord said to me, do not say I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord. And the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to plant and to build.

So far, our reading. We see the call of Jeremiah in this passage. We see God coming to him and what I'd like us to do is see some of the patterns of what God does in this exchange, in this conversation because there was a dialogue that was going on here, and see how God draws and forms and calls unlikely heroes even in us. One of the first things we see in this passage and the things we can often very easily overlook, just read straight over, is that it was God who comes to Jeremiah. God moves first in this story.

God in His sovereignty comes to Jeremiah. It's not the other way around. He doesn't approach God. God moves first. Verse four begins, now the word of the Lord came to me saying, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.

Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Now there are so many wonderful, awe inspiring things to reflect on in this verse. First of all, we come to see the knowledge and the understanding that God has. God tells Jeremiah that He knew him before He even fashioned him in the womb.

He knew Jeremiah from eternity past. Take a moment to let that sink in. He knew Jeremiah before he existed. He knew his strengths, therefore, and he knew his weaknesses. He knew that Jeremiah would possess what God wanted to use during the time of Israel's history.

And before Jeremiah was born, God had already, He says, set him apart for a special, particular task. A task that he wouldn't immediately have when he was a baby, but a task that he would be given years later as a young man. The omniscient, which means all knowing, God knows. He knows. He knows everything.

And therefore, by definition, He knows us. He knows our strengths. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our abilities. He knows our limitations.

He knows us in that way before we were even born. Before we were conceived, before we were even imagined in the hearts of our parents, this intense knowledge is all throughout the Bible and is inextricably linked with God's election and His call of believers. Ephesians 1:4 says that God has chosen us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. Before the foundations of the world even, God knew us and chose us. Romans 8:29 says that He has also appointed us to become like Jesus. Romans 8 says, for whom God foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His son.

What this means, what this means is that your life is not a chance. Your life is not random. And if you think your life is your own, think again. If it was chance, maybe. There's a purpose marked out since before the dawn of time for our lives.

That is mind boggling to understand. Jeremiah was appointed by God way before verses four and five were ever written. Jeremiah was known by God. That's the first point. God knows.

God appoints. The second thing we see is that our excuses will not suffice. Our excuses will not do. What was Jeremiah's response to God's call, this amazingly powerful occasion where God came? What was Jeremiah's response?

No way. I'm not doing that. Get someone else. Verse six says, our sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak. I am only a child.

And you can understand, can't you? Jeremiah was absolutely staggered by this event, by this responsibility that's been given to him by God's appointment, and he obviously takes this very seriously. I mean, who wouldn't if the God of the universe comes and talks to you? But he was dealing with the One who knew him better than he knew himself. He was dealing with the One who knew him better than he knew himself.

Jeremiah was saying that he was not sure that he could do the job, but he didn't realise that God has already answered that objection. God knew Jeremiah. God had formed Jeremiah, and so He knew what Jeremiah could do. He had known it from even before Jeremiah was born. This is something that became abundantly real to me at one point when I was in another life playing volleyball, and I was just starting out.

My coach selected me in this team that was a bunch of guys a year older than me, and at high school that's a big deal. Like, they were big guys, I was skinny, I was scrawny and lanky and stuff like that. And I remember training with these guys, and they were just so good. And I was a whimpering mess by the end of the one training, thinking to myself, how on earth am I going to compete in this tournament that we're training for when everyone's going to be playing like these guys? And I said to the coach, I think you've made a mistake.

Why did you choose me? Why did you select me in this? And he said to me, I know and I can tell you what you're capable of. He knew before I knew that I could play, that I would play. This is what God does in Jeremiah's case.

God knows what Jeremiah's capable of because God had formed Jeremiah. I'm sure that sometimes we may feel the same way. When we face terrible times, we wonder if we can make it through. Going into a new year, with new challenges, will we be able to get back up if we fall? Can we possibly succeed when all else seems to be going against us?

Whatever God is calling you into this new year, know this, that despite your fear and your best objections, God won't call us if He doesn't have a purpose for us. God won't call us if He doesn't have a purpose for us. He won't call us if He doesn't know for certain that we can do it. It might be difficult. There might be really tough times.

There may be nights and days that are really, really dark, but God knows. He doesn't promise us that it won't be uncomfortable. He doesn't make that promise. God doesn't promise our safety, but He does promise His presence, and that He has called us to do something that only we can do. And if you don't believe me, just look at the New Testament church.

Look at the Spirit of God poured out on all the Christians in that church who were given gifts for the upbuilding of the church. And Paul described it as a body that needed hands and feet and eyes and ears. Those people were called to be an ear or an eye because no one else would do it. No one else could do it as part of God's plan. So our excuses will not do.

Our excuses of God, I'm not able. I don't think I've got these gifts. I don't think I have the abilities. If God has called you, then you are able. The third thing we see is that we are called to trust in God and importantly in His word.

Verse seven says, but the Lord said to me, do not say I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you and say whatever I command you. Jeremiah argues that he's too young. Now that may have been the case, but God is patient. In fact, God is really, really patient because God is eternal.

Time is a very small factor in God's plan. To put it simply, Jeremiah's duty wasn't to start preaching then and there. He wasn't at age 13 or 15 or whenever he was called meant to start preaching then because he wasn't ready. But God calls him and says, what you are required to be is obedient and say yes. Be obedient.

The word that Jeremiah needed to deliver, God reminds him, would not be the words of a young boy without an education, without the proper training, without the eloquence. He was to share the words of God. The mission would not be the mission of a young boy. The mission would be the mission of a missionary God. The Lord commanded Jeremiah, go where he would be sent and to speak the word which the Lord had commanded him.

And likewise with us, as Jesus' disciples today, we must never set aside God's mission for us. To argue that we lack the ability to live as God commanded, listen to this, to argue that we lack the ability to live as God commanded is to express doubt, not simply in ourselves, but to express doubt in our Creator's wisdom. God knows what He's doing. We need to be humble enough to believe it and then to obey it. So we are reminded again this morning to trust God and His word.

The fourth thing we see in this is that fear doesn't have a place in the life of a Christian. God says to Jeremiah, do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you. Our broken sinful world has never welcomed those who teach the truth. Our broken sinful world has never welcomed and rejoiced in lives that reflect the glory of God. Jesus said to His disciples Himself, you will be hated by all on account of my name, but it is the one who endures to the end who will be saved.

I know you, God says. I know you. So take courage and don't be afraid. I know what you are made of. You have fibre. You have resilience.

You can overcome. Why? Because I have overcome the world, Jesus said. I know you. And because my power is in you, you can go where I send you.

So go. God touched the lips of Jeremiah and said, now you have my word, go and proclaim it. It was never Jeremiah's job to share his own message, to use his own eloquence, to use his own wisdom. It was always God's word. So this year, make important God honouring changes in your life.

As we start, as we make our New Year's resolutions, make changes that are godly and God honouring. Make changes to how your family interacts this year. Speak out when people show their lack of the gospel. Fill yourself with knowledge and understanding of how to express that adequately. Be that person of integrity in your workplace, in the business world where all sorts of people make up all sorts of rules to bend and to break. Be that person that has integrity. Why?

Because as a Christian, we believe that God has approached every one of us in the same way, in a similar way that God has approached Jeremiah and says to us all, be different. Be different. Live this life that I'm showing you. And what gives us the power, what gives us the strength and the motivation to endure and to be courageous? It goes back to the understanding that God is a God who knows us. He knows how many hairs you have on your head.

Luke 12:7. He knows your words before you speak them. Psalm 139:4. He knows your thoughts before you can think them, Psalm 139:2. He knows your prayers before you pray them.

He knows everything you're going to do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, every moment of the day. He hears every silent internal groaning of your soul. God knows us, friends. And therefore, He knows that you are capable of what He's calling you to. He knows us better than we know ourself.

And more than any other prophet in the Old Testament, Jeremiah would go on to suffer as the mouthpiece of God. Go and read his story. He suffered for the ministry. He suffered for being a Christian. He suffered for being a follower of God, but he had to speak the truth of God.

He suffered at the hand of people's disgust and their disbelief, but he remained obedient. But I hope that God also, in the midst of that, as he sat in prison cells, as he sat in dungeons in Egypt, I hope that God reminded him very often of that fateful day when he was just a teenage boy and God said to him, don't be afraid for I am with you and I know you. No matter what harsh things came in Jeremiah's life, he continued to be a man that God wanted him to be. Even when he was a prisoner, he kept on preaching, kept on proclaiming, kept on encouraging, and holding fast to God's plan for the future of His people. God had known him before he was formed in His womb, and God had done well by appointing this young man to that position of authority.

For us, we might find it difficult to compare and to imagine the depths of Jeremiah's story with God. But maybe some of us understand disappointment. Maybe some of us understand frustration. And maybe some of us understand grief and loss. What does it mean to be called by God?

What does it mean to be consecrated by Him, to be set aside and appointed? We may never hear God's voice as clearly as Jeremiah did, but when we look back at our life stories, I'm sure, I'm sure you can identify threads of how God's grace held everything together and worked it out for your good. So when we go through pain and suffering as a Christian, because we are a Christian, whether that be in relationships, a friend that breaks your heart, a family member who betrays your trust, at the end of it all, perhaps you'll be able to see that God has drawn you into something, to produce something in you that will bear fruit much later on according to the calling and the purpose He has drawn you into. Some people would argue that we can't look at the calling of the lives of these heroes of the faith in the Bible, the Jeremiahs, the Moses, the Davids, the Abrahams. We can't look at the life of the Apostle Paul and in some way find applicable truths to ourselves because they were unique.

They argue that there will only ever be one prophet Jeremiah, one apostle Paul. And to some extent, that is true. We don't have another prophet Jeremiah, we don't need another prophet Jeremiah, but I believe that there is a recurring pattern in the lives of these people that show the character of God and how He relates to human beings like us. If it is true that God knew Jeremiah, if it is true that God knows us according to the promises of His word, then He has made us in our mother's womb. If it is true that God has a purpose for this world and that He calls His disciples to be at work in the kingdom, then it is also as true as it was for Jeremiah that we can hold to a calling of a God that is unique and deals uniquely and particularly with our lives.

We can trust that. But recognise that the God who calls us is the same God throughout the Bible. So if you're unsure about this new year, if you're unsure about where God is calling you or what God's calling looks like for your life, perhaps just as a way of closing, a bit of advice that was shared with me a long time ago. Your calling often starts where you find yourself. Your calling often starts where you find yourself.

We can sometimes think that a calling is something terrifying. It can only ever be terrifying. It can only be this big experience that Jeremiah experienced, but the truth is the calling has been on your life since before the foundations of the earth. If God needs you to do something awe inspiring in your life, He will. He will shake you out of your complacency or whatever.

Otherwise, just be obedient to where He has already placed you. It's not that He's forgotten about you and says, oh, yeah, that's right. You know, Marsha is still on the Gold Coast. I forgot about her. God has placed us in a context.

He has placed us in a situation already. Remain obedient with what you have been given and have been guided to until now. But the difference from today onwards is this: we have to remember that where we are now is no accident. Where we are is no accident. And so don't see it as an accident.

Don't see your life as a bit of drudgery that you have to work through. There is a plan and there is a reason, so be obedient and trust God. The I know you God is in control of our lives. Don't be afraid for I am with you. I know you.

I want you to know, to be the person I created you to be. So take this as God's personal approach to you today. Hold fast to it. Discover who you are in God's eyes and who you are meant to be. Let's pray.

Call us, God, as You called Jeremiah. Know us, God, better than we know ourselves. Consecrate us, appoint us, and use us. And if we try to get away without fulfilling the task You give us, forgive us and encourage us. Fill us with courage and wisdom to say and do what You want us to do. Amen.