Jeremiah #52 – An exposition of Jeremiah 38:1-13. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, February 8, 2009.
Introduction:
What do you do when you are called to a specific task but fulfilling it is next to impossible? What do you do when you are given a message, a message that is vital and essential to society’s well being but no one cares? They are not interested. They think you are some kind of nut or extremist or dangerous fanatic? What happens when your message is so out of step with the culture that you are deemed the problem? Let’s add to the mix – I’m not talking about a completely secular culture. I’m talking about a culture that embraces “spirituality” but isn’t interested in what the Bible has to say. A culture long on being spiritual but short on specifics. One that embraces almost anything while rejecting what has been revealed by God. What do you do when even those who supposedly represent God stand in opposition to what He is doing? By the way, though that sounds very much like our culture, I’m talking about the kingdom of Judah some 2600 years ago! Our text this evening is found in the 38 chapter of Jeremiah.
Text: Jeremiah 38:1-13
Sermon Outline:
- Faithful ministry in unfaithful times always enrages the ungodly. (38:1-4)
- Faithful ministry in unfaithful times draws the most severe persecution. (38:4-6)
- Faithful ministry in unfaithful times relies solely on God’s gracious deliverance. (38:7-13)
Faithfulness enrages the ungodly, resulting in the most severe persecution, thus we must rely solely on God’s gracious deliverance. We live in unfaithful, unstable times. May God find us faithful.