1. UNDERSTAND GOD S CALL IS DEMANDING (11:18-19)

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1 Text: Jeremiah 12:1-6 Title: Worn Out! Let s open our Bibles to Jeremiah 12. As you re turning let me quickly remind you what s happening in the book of Jeremiah. The Lord has a problem with His people. It s stated more than once here in Jeremiah. The people of God have turned their backs to Him and not their faces. Their faces are turned to worthless, lifeless idols. I said a couple of weeks ago that an idol is anything or anyone we turn to other than God as the ultimate source of satisfaction, purpose and security in life. The people have made up gods they think can make them happy and safe. And with their faces turned to these idols they have turned their backs to God. These are the people of God so He must discipline them. And He will do this by bringing the Babylonian army down from the north to invade Judah and Jerusalem, utterly destroy the city of Jerusalem, including the Temple and take most the citizens into captivity. And God has called Jeremiah to announce this. As you can imagine this isn t a popular message and Jeremiah is hated by the religious leaders who have also turned their backs to God. But Jeremiah is faithful to God in a culture that has turned its back to God. But faithfulness to God always comes at a cost and Jeremiah is coming to feel that in one of the darkest moments of his life. Yes, even righteous, godly, faithful servants of the Lord can hit bottom sometimes. So with that in mind, let s read Jeremiah 12:1-6. Jeremiah s condition is described in v.5. He is worn out. Another translation uses the word wearied. Jeremiah is utterly exhausted physically, spiritually and emotionally spent. ILLUSTRATION - I understand what it means to be worn out. We had our three grandchildren with us last week. It was a blast. We had so much fun. I had my first experience with LEGOLAND over at Grapevine Mills. But I ve come to understand why God gives children to young people. Today I want us to sit in on this conversation between Jeremiah and the Lord to see if we can learn how to develop what I am calling spiritual durability. How do you remain strong for the Lord when you re ready to give up and give in, and particularly in a culture that has turned its back to God? Here s the first lesson: 1. UNDERSTAND GOD S CALL IS DEMANDING (11:18-19) Just because you have committed your life to the Lord doesn t mean that your troubles and pressures and trials will go away. Sometimes they even intensify as

2 we ll see in a minute. Some of these trials come to us simply because we live in a fallen world that is filled with suffering. ILLUSTRATION This weekend I read a post put up on Facebook by one of our members whose family has just gone through a tragedy where their father was killed in a car wreck. On top of that they are dealing with an injustice being done to their mother through all of this. Our sister in Christ writes: I'm a fighter and I want to fight! So how do we just let things go? We just do. It's a choice. Christ was guilty of nothing, and yet He bore all of our sins on the cross so that we (me, you, my family, and yes, even the person who hit my parents on that awful Monday afternoon) would not have to. It doesn't mean we stop hurting because we don't. It doesn't mean we stop standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves But the fact that, with God, sometimes a horn is the weapon of choice should tell us that it doesn't always make sense to us the way God works; we only need to remember and trust that He does. We live out our faithfulness to God in a world of suffering. And for Jeremiah this was personal and painful. You see he had discovered that some of his own townspeople, even his own family members, were so unhappy with the message God had given Jeremiah that they were plotting to kill him. Read Jeremiah 11: And Jeremiah is worn out and worn down by this opposition. And he s feeling a bit sorry for himself. How could faithfulness to God result in such hardship for him. Why does life have to be so hard? Let me remind you that Jesus promised that in this world we will have tribulation and trouble. But we take courage in the fact that He has overcome the world and made us to be overcomers as well. Faithfulness to God will get you into hot water sooner or later. 2 Timothy 3:12 says that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And if you re not experiencing hardships for your faithfulness to God then you need to seriously ask yourself if you are living faithfully to Christ. So the first lesson is to understand that the call of God upon your life is demanding. Here s the next lesson we learn in this conversation between Jeremiah and God: 2. TAKE YOUR COMPLAINTS TO GOD (12:1-4)

3 To Jeremiah s credit he s just flat out honest with the Lord about how he s feeling. That s an important part of prayer. Notice, however, that all of this is framed in his confidence in the Lord and His humble reverence before God. Jeremiah 12:1a - You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. I think about Job. He wrestled with some of these same issues. He was afflicted more than any of us could imagine and yet in it all the Bible says that Job didn t sin by charging God with wrongdoing. So as we take our complaints to God let s make sure it is framed in worship and reverent submission to God. Jeremiah 12:1 - You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? Jeremiah says, Lord, I know you are righteous in all of your ways, but And Jeremiah pours out his questions to the Lord. This started back in the previous chapter where Jeremiah says to the Lord... Jeremiah 11:20 - But, O LORD Almighty, you who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. Lord, you always judge righteously. You know everything about everyone. I ve committed my life and my cause to you. Why don t you just pour out your judgment on these evil people? So in Jeremiah 12:1 he pleads, I would speak with you about your justice. Lord, it just isn t fair. They are wicked and faithless, but they are living the good life. Jeremiah 12:2 - You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. Lord, they re hypocrites. They talk about you all the time but their hearts aren t right, and you know it. Why? Jeremiah 12:3 - Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter!

4 Now you might read verses like this and wonder, Can godly people pray like this? Here s how I ve come to deal with passages like this and prayers like this (theologians call them imprecatory prayers): First, it s okay to be honest with the Lord about your question and confusion. Take matters to the Lord; don t take matters into your own hands. Second, pleas like this reflect a sense of righteous indignation that is zealous for the glory of God. Third, ultimately I have to come back to the realization that there is none righteous, not even one, including me. And if God starts acting purely in justice with no mercy I ll be consumed along with everyone else because all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But Jeremiah is not there yet. He asks the why question, and then he asks the how long question. Jeremiah 12:4 - How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, He will not see what happens to us. Famine and drought have come upon the land because God promised in the covenant He made with Israel that there would be consequences if the people turned their backs to God. And Jeremiah would like for God to act right now, and he s questioning the timing of God. Why is judgment so slow in coming? God, why don t you deal with them right now? Lord, they are mocking You. They don t think you ll do anything about it. Jeremiah s heart is just exploding with questions for God: Why does life have to be so hard for faithful people? Why does it seem that evil people have it so easy? How long before you make things right? Now the Lord replies to Jeremiah in a way that may seem rather harsh and unsympathetic. Read Jeremiah 12:5. Here s the next lesson we learn about remaining spiritually durable in perilous times: 3. LET GOD TRAIN YOU FOR GREATER EFFECTIVENESS (12:5-6). God does not owe anybody any explanations, but He is using these circumstances, this treachery and betrayal and hardship to show Jeremiah something about himself. And in v.5 the Lord uses a couple of images to drive home this truth for

5 Jeremiah. The first image probably comes from the field of battle where Jeremiah is likened to a soldier trying to keep up with other foot soldiers. The Lord says, Jeremiah, if you can t keep up with foot soldiers what are you going to do when the battle gets really intense and you have to keep with horses? In other words, Jeremiah, I have greater things in store for you. If you ve been worn out by these circumstances how will you be able to handle the more demanding challenges I have for you to accomplish. You need to develop more spiritual durability. Then the Lord uses another image of running through wide open country as opposed to running in thick brush. The Lord says, Jeremiah, if you stumble in the wide-open country where the ground is relatively smooth and there are few obstacles, what will happen when I call you into the dense thickets? Are you only going to be faithful to Me when everything is easy? I have greater challenges ahead for you. I know it s hard, but you must not quit. I m sure this isn t exactly the kind of comfort He wanted from the Lord. But the Lord isn t finished with this lesson. The Lord goes on: Jeremiah, don t quit the worst is yet to come. Jeremiah 12:6 - Your brothers, your own family even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you. Listen, your worth is not found in what others think or say about you. Child of God, your worth is found in what God thinks and says about you. Don t put your ultimate trust in people; trust in the Lord. Commit your way, your cause, to Him. Should we be able to trust the people around us? Yes, we should. But the best of humans are humans at best. Sooner or later, they will fail us, but if your ultimate trust in the Lord, that s alright. You see, God uses these trials and adversities to train us for greater effectiveness and for stronger faith. James 1:2-4 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ILLUSTRATION Long-distance running has taught me many spiritual lessons over the last several years. While I have taken a break from that level of running,

6 and hope to get back soon, I still remember many of the lessons I learned. It starts with a goal to run a 10K or a half-marathon or a full marathon. Then that goal gives meaning to every day of training. I know that if my goal is to run 13.1 miles on race day, I can t just train at 3 miles a day. My body has to be pushed. The human body has an amazing capacity for growth. So as I suffer through a longer run it s conditioning my body to endure hardship for a little longer and a little longer. Here s the thing about perseverance: it s only built by long term exposure to pain and strain. Putting that in spiritual terms, if my goal is being like Jesus and living every minute of my life for His glory and His purpose, then that goal gives meaning to every day, to every experience with temptation, to every opportunity I have to say no to self and yes to God, to every occasion I have to serve others rather than serving myself. You see if my goal is just to be happier, or healthier or wealthier or more comfortable, then none of this makes sense. It s only when my goal is faithfulness to Christ that I can endure the hardships and still count it all joy. QUOTE: My friend O. S. Hawkins wrote this in his book The James Code: Here we are in the race of life. We aren't at the starting line, nor are we at the finishing tape. We're somewhere in the middle. When running a race, the start is always filled with such enthusiasm and energy. The finish holds such promise as we run the final stretch and finally reach our goal. But the middle of the race when we're a long way from the start and not sure how far away the finish might be is what often tests us. For Jeremiah, the hardship was remaining faithful to God when everyone around him was opposed to him. For you, it may be an unfulfilling marriage, or a job that you can t stand, or a sickness that won t go away, just a hard life. No matter what it is, child of God, He is up to greater things than just getting you happy, healthy and wealthy. He s about something far greater and more eternal than that. He s using those trials to shape you into the likeness of His Son, and in doing so to fit you for glory. So keep running the race. And know that God will be enough for you, no matter what you face. ILLUSTRATION Annie Flint suffered more than any one soul should have to suffer. She endured paralyzing arthritis and the loss of her sight, but God gave her an amazing gift of poetry and song-writing. In 1902 she composed a hymn that I don t think is in any of our hymnbooks, though I have heard it often: He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,

7 He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added afflictions He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources Our Father s full giving is only begun. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, Our God ever yearns His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.