As the Prophet Laments, We Reflect, Part 2

Civil unrest and violence in urban centers around the world, rioters shouting out and defying authorities. These are scenes that have been all-too-familiar in 2020. Tragically, however, it's not unique to our times today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll presents his brand-new series on the life of Jeremiah. After the destruction of the city you love Jerusalem. Jeremiah was brokenhearted. The parallels for today will become very helpful as the story unfold delivered just a few months ago on the weekend we honor our nation's military.

Chuck opened his message with this prayer your father that Overland has been blessed lives better sacrifice is the hip fulfill the responsibilities their callings their duty to protect us from enemies who would harm and take away our freedom. Thank you for the legacy of liberty that remains in the memory of these men and women who served our country and served well. We give you thanks.

Our father for those who have lived before us and gone on beyond whose lives are marked by white crosses those in burial grounds. Others obliterated in battle with no burial place we remember them all and give you thanks for each one. On this day. We also thank you for preserving us through these trying days which had become not just weeks but months when invisible enemy has stretched across our country touch lives in every state of our nation and some to this day, or it will many are taking care of them and we pray for all of those touched by this virus affected by it. Those who nurse the ill, those physicians who do great work serving those in need. We pray that you will bring this to an end and we trust you to do that we are unable to make that happen, but nothing is too hard for you, and we commit that to you. Our father give us a sense of direction and peace in the midst of the unknown, may we. Since your hand in our lives. And may we awaken each morning with gratitude for the way you have preserved us through the night and brought us into a new day provide for our needs the Lord for their many rays of those who will bring support to sustain us. Give faith and hope to those who are willing to sacrifice on behalf of this church that they love and the Savior they follow. We commit to you the balance of the service of worship instruct us warn us, encourage us and remind us our father, that you are our sovereign God and therefore you do all things will yes all things. These things we pray and we give our gifts in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ's procedure. Everyone said to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message titled, as the prophet laments we reflect Jeremiah is the one writing the journal known today as lamentations he's viewing the devastation of the city you love after the Babylonians came in and all their brutal intimidating force and sack the city. They chose among the most encouraging men and women to take with them the majority of the people from the city though rest they left which says something to you and to me today about what they thought of Jeremiah he remains the wrister gone there no longer around there on their way to Babylon 700 miles to the east. They would walk the back story of the condition of Jerusalem is sad and tragic. The rule does appear unsightly and terribly strange for a city that was once a busy metropolis like any of our cities. I catch my breath when I say that because it is that which attracted me to the thought of bringing a series on lamentations throughout your Christian life you've heard, at least in the back of your mind of the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah lived in the letter you wrote of the history of the Jews just before and then during the invasion and year or so after you continue to minister. We know that because of his writing of lamentation. He lamented as he walked through a city that had once been such a magnificent place, but now Lee and ruling their lessons to learn from.

That will get to them were ready now for Jeremiah himself were told that he was the son of a priest named Hill Kia. You see that here in the first verse, son of Hill Kia. One of the priests from the town of and fall a little village just about 3 miles east northeast of Jerusalem. So he was not raised in the busy city but in the in the suburban we would call it a priestly suburb would say he was reared in a preachers home and he grew up in that context. Jeremiah's ministry lasted about 4142 years. Not sure of the exact number but it was over 40 years you live from 627 BC until 586 BC when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians and in a few years following. So he lived during the two most this time when the people of Jerusalem and the Jews in general had reached the lowest ebb of life and God said, in effect, that is enough.

In case you wonder what it was like I just a moment to glance at lamentations which will look at next time. Look at chapter 1 of lamentations verse one we find that yes I can see the dust pockets pop up from the pews. Today we've not been in lamentations in years.

Look at what it reads some reading from the new living translation Jerusalem once so full of people is now deserted.

She was once great among the nations now sits alone like a widow. These are emotional words, the Jeremiah Wright one. Once the queen of all the earth is now a slave.

She sobs through the night. Tears streamed down her cheeks among all her lovers. There is no one left to comfort her. All her friends had betrayed her and become her enemy. Judah has been little way into captivity Oakcrest with cruel slave SOA. The book begins. Like I say it is a sad and tragic account takes a special person to minister in a time like this.

During the days in which we live.

We need special voices to speak for because the people of our land have lost their heart even those once in strong leadership. Now bicker among themselves fights among themselves. Look for reasons to come compare themselves with the other and complain about the other.

Where is the visionary where is the prophet, the one who can lift our eyes above our times and show us that there was a sovereign God at work.

He knows what he is about my back to Jeremiah's calling Jeremiah may have been surrounded by voices. Teaching God's truth as he grew up listening to one preacher, one priest after another, but he wasn't ready to hear what the Lord said to him.

Now here is where the story gets very exciting. Jeremiah 1 beginning in verse four want you to see the theology as it emerges about 11 hear the people of Jerusalem were taken away The Lord gave me this message.

Now look at verse five.

At this message. I knew you the I is God himself.

This is not Jeremiah. This is now the Lord speaking and he's speaking to this young prophet in the making. Not yet, not yet in the work of God, but soon to be and he says I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. I give you a moment to let that sink in. Those are very unusual words to make it even more personal. May I add, the same is true of you. Jeremiah's little corner on the knowledge of God. He knew all of us before we were can see by our parents knew everyone of us. I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.

Continue before you were born I set you apart. The same is true for you, child of God before you were born before you were taken your first breath of earthly air. God knew all about your life's plan for your future. In Jeremiah's case, I appointed you as my prophet to the nation's spirits clearly stated what the appointment was, he would be a prophet to the nation.

I want you to let those words take life in your mind. I want you to picture them. Jeremiah's hearing them for the first time I knew you before conception. I formed you in the womb I set you apart for my purpose word consecrated means that set apart for God's purpose before your birth and I have appointed you to fill a role that will accomplish my plan for the world that you enter in this case, he was to be a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah got it maybe too deep for some, but it wasn't too deep for him.

These are words he must've heard his father in those friends speak of on a number of occasions and because he God and he resisted it almost sovereign Lord. This rendering handles that the Lord God. Your Bible perhaps reads I said now the eye is Jeremiah.

I said I can't speak for you. I am too young. Right away the excuses begin so like us, you freely realize what your plan would God's plan is quite likely there is resistance. It certainly wasn't my life. I won't take your time to hear that but I will tell you that I was trekking through life with no no thought of serving the Lord Christ in in the capacity he had in mind for me. My wife had always wondered marry a preacher.

I told I would go to get into it and getting into it now, but I remember saying to her that that's the last I need to hear that. Please know that you live a preacher for a husband and I name my work and it it, landed with a flat thought I'd compared to what her hope admin… I didn't realize that God's appointment for me was what it was in there when it became clear that there was resistance maybe where you are today you may be exactly like Jeremiah is a good place for me to pause and see if few things about that you and I are not random notes on the on the keyboard of life's piano which circumstances play hit parade teams. We don't go frolicking through life we are rather chosen before we were conceived and we were appointed before we were born to fulfill something very important.

God is doing. We step into history as God has been at work we fit into this segment called now or our life.

And then life goes on beyond us as God continues doing his work, but were part of that divine calling when we realize it. It just it just changes everything whole direction of life changes.

Jeremiah doesn't see that right now he's in the resisting mode and he didn't realize that what God and told them change everything because he knew Jeremiah before conception.

Jeremiah was no accident, no accident and he chose me and call me so Jeremiah's nose zero near you. He supported me.

Therefore I refuse to be uninvolved and passive. A passive observer, sort of a census taker of my time. Jeremiah didn't do that. That way, he's busy pushing God away.

Look closely at his response, almost sovereign. What, by the way, there's a there's an oxymoron in all of this almost sovereign Lord. I can't do this is the sovereign God can make it happen.

Doesn't realize it but is very words make him look like a fool like I can't speak I'm too young and and then begins the process of resistance like Moses I got got.

Can we go deliver on maybe years old, I'm a failure there's a wanted sign in the post office of Egypt wanted for murder. You can expect me to go back to where I'm I'm gonna record sovereign Lord Mike does make you laugh, doesn't it listen to these excuses.

I am to whatever I put them in my notes I'm too young to old. I'm too shy I'm too insecure and too unattractive to uneducated to frail.

If that's not enough, you could begin with.

I'm just just a young mother.

I'm just a high school dropout. I'm just a layman, just a country boy just a blue-collar worker about. I've never known in the Bible school of never been to seminary I can do that. I've been able never been able to speak in front of people scared of standing in front of a group I've never been to Israel. That is what time I just serve the Lord. I've never been to Israel where is that in the Bible that can hold you back… Never been a leader felt confident talking about God to other people tell you something we're always inadequate everyone. God calls his inadequate impact those who think that they are the end-all be-all are those who need a whole lot of discipline for there to be called a great place to begin it, reason rock-bottom. Cynthia was was a little country girl love playing dolls on the front porch of her grandmother's house and Old Copeland Rd. in Tyler is a little forward five-year-old girl after their house had burned to the ground. That's that Cynthia and Park and maybe I was from the great white whale Bill Campell. It's an no way to manage you better edit that out. We got all capable people may be hearing this, but I mean you know you can't name too many great lives. The sale Campo was the place to start. I'm in a starters up admittedly not even get through junior high school and God linked us together of all of all things reason I use us as I know our story better than anybody else's. And I can tell you how easy it would've been to fall back on what we were.

What we didn't. What we couldn't remember sitting in similar classroom one morning thinking what on earth am I doing in here surrounded by all of the brains Bible school trained individuals folks that are so gifted and here I am still passing Marine Corps water. Well, it probably shouldn't put it quite like that but you know you know what I'm saying. We always always always turn to our inadequacy. Jeremiah does the Lord replied verse seven look at this tissue underwriting handles pushback. Don't say I'm too young for you most go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you, there's the sovereign God speaking snapshot lamentation freshening and relevant from our Bible teacher, Chuck Swindoll, you're listening. Of course, to Insight for living. To learn more about this ministry. Just go to Insight world.org. One of the profound benefits of the study and limitations is that we get a look back into ancient biblical history in order to gain clarity on our times, and this in-depth look at Jeremiah's experience reminds us, even in the midst of global social unrest that God is not overlooked. This is we want by faith and not by sight. Our choices are influenced by his faithfulness to all generations.

So here's how you can take your next steps in digging deeper into Lamentations Chuck and esteem of seminary trained writers have prepared thoughtful study notes that you can easily access online.

As you'd expect you'll be invited to do far more than just acquire historic facts about Jeremiah. The study challenges you to look for ways to apply what you've learned to your life, you'll find these resources@insight.org/studies. In addition, we are pleased to offer two messages from Chuck Swindoll at no cost or obligation is a brief miniseries that was recently featured on Insight for living and includes the powerful personal testimony of Chuck's wife ministry partner Cynthia Bissett is called finding healing through forgiveness. To download these two messages today simply go directly online to insight.org/line healing have any questions feel free to give us a call if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888, 1-800-772-8888. These timely resources are made possible in part by her monthly companions and all who give generously in 2020.

The pandemic is swept indoor homes in ways we never imagined. Some have suffered greatly, but all of us have felt the loneliness of a quarantined lifestyle through it all were grateful to God has used the Bible teaching of Chuck's window to continue uninterrupted by the coronavirus or even through civil unrest, God's amazing grace is our overarching every day on Insight for living. In fact, it's quite possible that God is used in our daily program to extend his grace to you. Will these daily visits with Chuck are made possible in part by monthly companions and were inviting you to join this influential team of monthly supporters. Sign up today by calling if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8880.

Please jot down our contact information and follow the Lord's prompt when you do that you will become an okay suite fragrance of God's great here at home all around become a monthly companions by calling us listening in the United States. Call 1-800-772-8888 or go online to insight or/companion Chuck Swindoll continues our study of Jeremiah's Journal of woes tomorrow on Insight for living. The preceding message as the prophet laments we reflect and the Symbicort were copyrighted 2020 by Charles R.

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