Jeremiah 15:19-21

Hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we're going to look at just three short verses in Jeremiah chapter 15. What's the Lord's response? What is the Lord's response to Jeremiah's lamenting as he almost sees the Lord like a stream in the summer dried up when he most needs water. Has God turned against him? Has God turned against God's people?
Let's have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll see how the Lord answers. Father, we thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to read your word. We need your help. We don't pray just because it's routine, but we pray because your spirit is our teacher, and your spirit is the one who we need to soften our hearts and enlighten our minds. So God, please help us. We need you, Lord, to open our ears and soften our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen. Here we go, Jeremiah chapter 15, the last three verses.
Therefore, thus says the Lord, If you return, then I will bring you back. You shall stand before me. If you take out the precious from the vial, you shall be as my mouth. Let them return to you. But you must not return to them. And I will make you, to this people, a fortified bronze wall, and they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you," says Jehovah. I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible." Well, we need to ask ourselves our ABCs. A, what's this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to these words? So, A, what's this about?
Well, Jeremiah's been crying out to the Lord. He feels abandoned by God. He feels that he's not done sin and yet God is against him. And so here the Lord replies to him that It's almost like Jeremiah has identified himself a little bit too much with the people Right that it's almost like he's he's sinned by being a little too close to them now And if you return then I will bring you back Right you will stand before me if you take out the precious from the vial It's almost like hold on Jeremiah. I know what's really going on in your heart I know what's really going on in your life, and I know that you're you're getting a little bit too Cushy with the people a little a little too ordinary And forgetting your role as my prophet forgetting what I've called you to do and who I've called you to be This is not a Easy task the Lord has given Jeremiah as a prophet.
No, no, it's not he says let them return to you But you must not return to them And so then he goes on, if he's gonna do this, if he'll turn back to the Lord and not have his heart turned to the people, then even though they persecute him, he'll be like a bronze wall.
Thick, heavy metal, impenetrable, and strong. The Lord says, I'll make you strong like that. They'll fight against you, but they won't prevail against you. For I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. There's still going to be persecution, Jeremiah. There's still going to be hardships. But they'll fight against you, but you won't fall, because I'll make you strong and I'll save you. That's what the Lord's telling Jeremiah as he's wrestling and lamenting for what he's seeing happening with the people. He says, I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible. They won't be able to touch you. They won't be able to seize you. They won't be able to hold on to you forever.
He'll make him strong, and Jeremiah would indeed. There's gonna be, as we go through the rest of Jeremiah, he's gonna face some real hardship. The kings will hate him, and kings will try to kill him, and people will conspire against him. I think this is one of those times in which the Lord is still molding, shaping, discipling, disciplining, correcting, rebuking, and training Jeremiah.
He's not a perfect man, he's just like us. We sometimes think of the prophets and we think of them without emotion and without sin as if they were perfect stoics who were able to just accept whatever happened to them. No, they were real people like us and struggled like us with many things. Even sometimes their identification with God's people and yet identification as God's mouthpiece. And so Lord is calling him to more identify with the Lord. to be his mouthpiece, and that God would save and deliver and protect and strengthen him.
So what's the best verse to summarize this? Well, I would have, man, how do you choose one of three verses? Probably 20 is what I do have underlined, but I could very well be convinced to underline 19 or 20 as well. So let me know down in the comments, if you only choose one of these three verses, what would you choose to underline? Well, last, seek calling.
What are we called to do? Well, has God given you, even with your family, things that you need to say that may not be comfortable? Are there things you need to say to your children? Though you love them, you know that what they're doing is wrong. But maybe you've pulled back because you're afraid of them not liking you. Maybe you have parents who have gone on in a way of sin, and you know that you need to take a stand, and you're trying to honor them, but you have to say difficult things to them in love. And they may not like it, and they may even fight back or bite back against you. But will you honor your parents by honoring the Lord even more and saying even the difficult things that need said? Maybe it's to your co-workers. Maybe it's to your boss. Maybe it's to your pastor or your elders.
I'm not saying that we walk around being a bunch of jerks and we don't care how people feel and we don't care what people say, but sometimes there are places in life where we have to speak for the Lord. Here's what God has said in His word. And here's where I think I'm seeing it happen in your life. And when we trust the Lord, In those moments and in those times, I'm not saying that you're a prophet in the same way Jeremiah was, because you're not going to be infallible in what you say, because you're not led by the Holy Spirit in the way that Jeremiah is as he's speaking out his words.
But when there are hard times, do we see God as a creek that dries up in the summertime? or do we see him as a good shepherd, as a king who never leaves us or forsakes us, as our redeemer who will save us and has always been with us? How do you think of God even in your trials?
Jesus told his disciples they would be hated. They hated him, so of course they would hate his disciples. He said, don't be surprised by it. But he also told them not to worry when they were taken before kings and counselors and governors. They had to be given the words to speak. And He promised them, Lo, I will be with you always, even unto the ends of the age. Do we trust that God has actually sent His Holy Spirit in our hearts? And will we be comforted by that God who has loved us, even in the challenging times? Let's pray.
God, we know these promises were not directed to us in the exact same way that they were given to Jeremiah. But Lord, you have given us other promises that are very close to it. And so Lord, we pray that you would please help us. Lord, we pray that you would give us a sense of confidence and boldness because of who you are and because of the truth of your word. Father, we pray that every man would be found a liar, but that you would be true. Lord we pray that you would give us wisdom how to balance the principles of respect and godliness and gentleness and reasonableness amongst all men living at peace so long as it depends upon us Lord that's what you've commanded us to do on one hand and yet you have commanded us on another hand not to deny you before men and so Father we pray that you would please help us give us wisdom when to be bold and when to be firm when to be quiet And Lord, we pray that in all those situations and all those circumstances that we would trust You are a good God. And when we mess up and we fail and we may too easily identify with the people we love, Lord, we pray that You would please call us back to Yourself and that we would indeed turn to You. Help us, Lord, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. May God bless you. May the Holy Spirit give you wisdom as you seek to tell others about Jesus Christ. And may you be built up in your faith. I'll see you next time. Bye.