As the Prophet Laments, We Reflect, Part 3

When the history books are written about the year 2020. Surely volumes will be published about the convergence of two global catastrophes. The first was caused by an insidious and deadly virus. The second was ignited by an out-of-control firestorm of civil unrest today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll presents a brand-new series that addresses the cultural crisis for the study of a prophet who's been down this path before. His name was Jeremiah. The story is told in the book of Lamentations titled today's message as the prophet laments we reflect Jeremiah may have been surrounded by voices in 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 excited. 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 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. He knew all of us before we were conceived 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 here. It's clearly stated what the appointment was, he would be a prophet to the nation, Jeremiah, God, these are words he must've heard his father and those friends speak of on a number of occasions and because he God and he resisted it almost sovereign Lord. This rendering handles that. I said now the audience Jeremiah.

I said I can't speak for you. I want to know right away. The excuses begin even 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 is no 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. We always always always turn to our inadequacy as we Jeremiah does the poet Browning wrote this I was not born informed and fearless from the first, but I shrank from all which Mark took me out. Apart from men I would ever live their life and died their death, lost in their ranks, eluding destiny.

He grew up not knowing that poetry would be God's calling the beauty here is that it isn't about Jeremiah.

It's about his God. There's a huge job to be done, no doubt about it. The Lord replied verse seven look at this tissue underwriting handles pushback. Don't say I'm too young for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you, there's the sovereign God speaking. Don't waste your time telling me what you're not don't lose the plan here hiding behind your inadequacies and faculty birthday. Don't be afraid of the people I will be with you and I will protect you. That's pretty good protection and having him with him all the time.

I the Lord have spoken, then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said look I have put my words in your mouth and look further.

Today, I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms, son, you must uproot teardown destroy and overthrow that's a very unpopular role to fill for a little kid from an overall but not with the living God, giving him the text. The script and others.

You must build up in and in and plant Jeremiah.

I have plans for you. Verse 17 now. I love to wrap up our thoughts here. He says to him, get up, prepare for action go out and tell them everything I tell you to say no, look at the realism here. Do not be afraid of them or I will make you look foolish in front of them for you see today I've made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured like an iron pillar or bronze wall, you will stand against the whole land.

The names significant others, kings, officials, priests, people of Judah, they will fight you but they will fail. I am with you and I will take care of you. The Lord have spoken your Jeremiah survived. I will tell you before you have to even look ahead.

The people he stood before despised him mistreated him would love to have killed him. They killed others, but these impervious he's invincible Lord's hand is on him was he ever fear he's protected by the sovereign Lord going that street, Jeremiah, they will fight, but they will fail. By the way they were exiled in the Lord even protected him from the and left him right there in the destroyed city of Jerusalem to record what he observed after the fact. A rare book Lamentations is a rare account of a broken destroyed city is this good godly prophet wept as he walked through the ruins. He has spent 40+ years declaring the message of God to these who did not want to hear it even said to them, you continue to rebel, you will fall.

The Babylonians will come. They continued to rebel and they fell to major points I want to make as we wrap up our thoughts today and there and end up appealed and deeply here's the first listen closely so little convoluted. I want you to track it. When we grieve another's failures we reflect on the possibilities that might have been. That's why he laments for the book bears the name of repeated when we grieve another's failures we reflect on the possibilities that might have been those words must have wanted Jeremiah as he walked the familiar streets of Jerusalem, now vacant. Only the sound of the jackal could be heard had they only obeyed the Lord had the only taken my statements to heart. What a difference a good have made what possibilities there might have been John Greenleaf Whittier said it best for of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these. It might have been you know individuals today who wander far away and they once walked closely.

So to why what grieves this is reflecting on the possibilities of their lives that they have missed.

Lamentations is full of such grief.

That's why the book is titled overlaps.

I cry aloud when I remember what might've been during the days of corporate 19 we have time alone. I hope it's not filled with one television program after another.

I doubt that it is for you leave that off for a while. Let the silence come in. Think reflect, remember we talked about this before but asked the Lord to search you and to show you what you missed from you were on the fast track and now you're forced to pull back and who knows what the future holds. When we grieve another's failures, we often reflect on the possibilities that might've been there's a second thought is even more personal.

When we grieve our own failures.

We regret losing the pleasures.

We once enjoyed when we grieve our own failures. We we regret losing the pleasures. We once enjoyed.

Someone said to me years ago.

You don't realize what you've got till you don't have it when you don't have it, you often worn because you lost, you didn't need to show you something you may have never seen before turned from Jeremiah 1 to Psalm 137 and I do know what time it is so I won't take us through a lengthy exposition of Psalm 137, but I don't promise look at the solemn look at this. What we got here the words of the people going to Babylon who had left Jerusalem literally. These are the words in this Psalm of their thinking. Their statements as they move along this death March. It seemed to them from the marvels of Jerusalem, to captivity in the land. They've never seen among people.

They do not know who speak a language that's not familiar to them in a culture filled with idleness. That's what's ahead of look at their words beside the rivers of Babylon we sad and wet as we thought of Jerusalem.

This there regretting what they have lost we thought of Jerusalem we we would put our way, our harps and hanging them on the branches of the tree. Your Bible reads we hung our harps on the willow tree's version reads we hanging our harps on the branches of poplar trees. The point is where handlebar instruments we used to play them freely and joyfully in the streets of Jerusalem, but now something worse coming look our captors demanded a song from us our tormentor.

These are the Babylonians taking them into exile are Babylon are our tormentors insisted on joyfully sing songs of Zion service. Jesus is mine was here that about a mighty Fortress is our God saying that it's all a mockery, like a river glorious is God's grace how's that working for you. You Jews from Jerusalem get in line all the way through the Psalm may regret what they've lost, we conversed for blind hold back the tears how to receiving the Lord's song in pagan just takes us along the way, why we have just made a mess of our lives. This is the flipside of Lamentations. Jeremiah stays in the city that's in ruins. But now the Psalm is Texas to the rivers of Babylon, and we hear the words of these broken people and it need not have been so I say this not enough to motivate us to walk with our God. In difficult times over. What is it with this reminds me of the prodigal son. Prodigal son. He leaves home and all the benefits and blessings that he had with his father. He moves into the fast world of shallow friends and and prophetic lifestyle screens everything he got for his inheritance winds up knee-deep in us winds die walking in the slop and excrement takes you know what you read in Luke 15 he came to his senses. He came to his senses and he reflected on home and he said even my father's hired servants have more than enough food and I am here carving among the peaks humiliating for the Jewish boy you know what he did. So I will arise and I will go back home.

I will go back to be with my father. I don't know where you are to know how this touches your life. I don't know if you're on a slow journey in the wrong direction aura fast-track away from the life of obedience. But I know God doesn't waste his word on any moment. This is the time by the river. Babylon pause and take stock. Love the words rescinded all our life softly and tenderly Jesus is calling calling for you. For me see from the portals he's watching and waiting, waiting for you and for me, home on what you to bow your heads, please were in for quite a journey were in the midst of one. With this invisible enemy. Maybe Lamentations will make us aware of so many of the blessings from our God that we once took for granted.

Maybe it's just enough to nudge you to move back to come on home. If you've never met the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh my, don't live another day on your own worse things follow in his been bad enough already come home and if you known the Lord and you wondered from him. What a great time for you to turn around, repent, lay your life out before the Lord. We confess our sins he is faithful and he is just as righteous to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us. He's not holding us captive Syrians and he will give you relief and release and hope come now, we can help you on the journey back please connect with us what were here dear father, I thank you for recording such moving words such realism here from a man who was called to be your spokesman. But like all of us just couldn't get past his own inadequacies as you finally silenced him and then used him silence are excuses and bring us back to you. Thank you in advance for the marvelous grace of our God that when we come, you will always forgive and receive heroes today as we returned to pray in the name Jesus Christ. Everyone said he may conclude the first of eight messages in the brand-new series from Chuck Swindoll is based on the book of Lamentations and called Jeremiah's Journal of woes to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insightworld.org in addition to hearing the daily broadcast insight for living offers other options to keep current with Chuck's teaching to listen to these programs at your own pace or to go back and catch up with programs you may have missed.

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Join us again Friday when Chuck Swindoll talks about the influence of one devoted parent right here on insight for living. The preceding message as a prophet laments we reflect and the summer quarter, copyrighted in 2020 by Charles R.

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