18 Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
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.
- Jeremiah 11:18-20, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
This may come as a complete shock to you, but a presidential election has been scheduled for next month. Actually, with all the hoopla, the debates, the talk shows, the polls, the ads, the buttons and yard signs, it would be almost impossible to live in this country and not be aware of the current presidential race.
As is the case in many elections, loyal Republicans and faithful Democrats have already made up their minds, probably months ago. Ultimately, this race will come down to a small percentage of people in the middle, a group that has the ability to swing the vote either way. The candidates are campaigning night and day to win over these undecided voters, to get these people to commit to their cause.
Under the present political system, voters are given a list of candidates and parties to choose from. When it comes to spiritual things, there are only two choices. Jesus said: "He who is not with me is against me" (Luke 11:23). Either you serve the Lord or your serve the Devil. There is no middle ground. There are no other options.
No political analyst would have ever labeled Jeremiah as a spiritual undecided. His allegiance did not change. His loyalties never wavered. Throughout his life, throughout his ministry, Jeremiah served the Lord. Jeremiah was a model of faithfulness for the people he served. He continues to serve as a role model for believers today.
This morning God speaks to us through the inspired pen of Jeremiah. This morning God also encourages us through the example of Jeremiah. As we work through these verses, it is my prayer that, like Jeremiah, the Holy Spirit will lead you to…
Commit Your Cause to the Lord
I. Devote yourself to the Lord’s work
II. Put your life in the Lord’s hands
God called Jeremiah to be his prophet at a very dark time in Israel’s history. The northern kingdom of Israel had been completely destroyed, and Judah to the south was in serious danger.
Jeremiah’s primary role was to preach the law, to warn the people that God’s judgment was on its way, to prophesy that Judah’s unfaithfulness would ultimately lead to its destruction. This harsh, repent-or-else style of preaching was not easy. Jeremiah loved his people. He didn’t want to hurt them. He understood that his message was unpopular, but he also knew that it was a message the people needed to hear.
Maybe Jeremiah was overly optimistic. Perhaps he was a bit naïve. In the beginning, Jeremiah believed that his preaching was producing results. God’s law was doing its work. Things were changing…slowly for the better. But even with the God-fearing king Josiah on the throne, the hearts of the people were unchanged. In fact, some men from his hometown were secretly plotting against Jeremiah. This is what they were saying about him: " Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more" (19).
This is hardly the way to treat someone you know. This is definitely not the way to treat a man of God. But the people didn’t’ care. They didn’t want to hear what they were doing wrong. They did not need Jeremiah to tell them how to live. So they decided to get rid of him, to "cut him off from the land of the living." Because Jeremiah was unmarried, because he had no children, they hoped that his message would go with him to his grave.
At some point, the Lord revealed this plot to Jeremiah. He did this for two reasons. First, God was looking out for his servant. He wanted Jeremiah know what was going on so that he would be able to defend himself. But the Lord also used these plots to teach Jeremiah a valuable lesson: Believers can expect to face opposition when they stand up for what they believe. It’s not just Jeremiah. His story is not unique. His experience is common to all of God’s people. If you need examples, just open your Bible.
Joseph was a devout believer who worked for a man by the name of Potiphar in Egypt. When Potiphar’s wife approached Joseph and asked him to go to bed with her, he responded: "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God" (Ge 39:9)? Joseph did the right thing. Joseph resisted temptation. How was his faithfulness rewarded? He was thrown into prison.
The prophet Daniel was a faithful follower of God He made prayer a regular part of his daily schedule. When he stood up for his God, when he refused to bow down and worship the king of Babylon instead of the true God, how was his faithfulness rewarded? He was thrown into a den of lions.
There was a time in Paul’s life when he was a persecutor of the church and an enemy of God. The Lord intervened. He brought Paul to faith and called him to be a missionary. From that day on, Paul dedicated his life to preaching the gospel. He carried the name of Jesus to places where it had never been heard. He proclaimed the good news that Jesus was the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, the Savior of the world. Did people eagerly receive Paul’s message? Did they roll out the red carpet for Paul wherever he went?
This is how Paul describes his own experiences: "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers" (II Corinthians 11:24-26).
The experience of Paul was the experience of Daniel was the experience of Joseph was the experience of Jeremiah. And it is no different for believers today. Paul’s words for the young pastor Timothy still ring true. "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (II Timothy 3:12).
Christianity demands a commitment for that very reason. These examples prove that being a Christian is not always easy. Calling a sin a sin will not make us popular. This constant opposition to God’s Word in the world can be discouraging. After a while, it can wear us down.
Satan will use that to his advantage. He knows that it takes much less effort to look the other way than to point out sin when we see it. He wants us to believe it is better to avoid conflict at all costs than to speak the truth in love.
But that is not what God calls us to do. God wants us to devote our lives to him. Sometimes that means preaching the law. Sometimes that means getting out of our comfort zone. Sometimes that means telling a person you know and love what God’s Word has to say about sin and its consequences.
This may not be easy, but it can be done. It is possible because God gives us the strength. God gives us the faith to believe in him. God gives us the strength to follow him. Who knows? The Lord may use that sharp rebuke or that gentle reminder or even that word of encouragement to save a soul from death. When believers commit their lives to the Lord, when we devote ourselves to the Lord’s work, God gives us the added assurance that our lives our in his hands.
When Jeremiah learned of the plot take his life, he prayed: "O Lord Almighty, you judge righteously, and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause" (20).
Jeremiah’s reaction can tell us a lot about his heart. First, notice what he did not pray for. He didn’t complain that his calling was too difficult. He didn’t demand that God get him out of there right way. He didn’t even directly ask for God’s protection.
Jeremiah prayed only that God would confront the enemies who were plotting against him. Even then, his motivation was not personal revenge. Any attempt to stop Jeremiah was really an attempt to stop the one who sent him. Jeremiah asked God to punish his enemies to demonstrate that the Lord was in control and that his Word could not be silenced.
The men who plotted to kill Jeremiah were from Anathoth, his hometown. Their ultimate goal for Jeremiah was that "his name be remembered no more." Did they succeed? It is probably not a good sign if we are talking about Jeremiah almost three thousand years later. If we let history be our judge, then the verdict is clear. Jeremiah’s enemies have all died and their names are long forgotten, but Jeremiah lives on in the pages of Scripture.
When Jeremiah found out that his life was in danger, he didn’t give up. He didn’t stop preaching. He didn’t change his tune. His struggles brought him closer to the Lord. And his name lives on. Jeremiah lives on as an example of a person who devoted himself to the Lord. Jeremiah lives on as an example of a person who put his life in the Lord’s hands.
We live at a different time in history. We live in a different place. We face different challenges. We deal with different problems. But our solution is the same. God promises to be with us at all times. God promises us that we can always find protection in his loving hands.
Those nail pierced hands remind us how Jesus gave up his life on the cross. Those nail pierced hands proved to Jesus’ disciples on Easter Sunday that he had risen from the dead. Those nail pierced hands assure us that all our sins have been forgiven. Those nail pierced hands raised in victory guarantee that salvation is ours.
During my last year at the seminary, I can remember a day when I walked by the office of one of my professors and noticed the screen saver on his computer. It was rather plain, only three short words moving slowly across the screen: "NOT IN VAIN." I was curious so I asked him about it.
He told me that he took the phrase from I Corinthians 15:58. The full verse reads: "Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." He said that those words were a great comfort to him, especially when he was feeling frustrated or discouraged.
The Lord has brought each of us to faith, and he calls us to commit our lives to him. Sometimes that is difficult. Sometimes it feels like all our hard work doesn’t do any good. Sometimes it feels like we are beating our heads against the wall. Sometimes it feels like Christians are an endangered species.
Jeremiah had similar feelings. His life was hard. His ministry was difficult. There were times when it would have been easy for him to give up. There were days when he felt like he was all alone. But God sustained him. God protected him. And God worked through him.
God promises to do the same for us. As an additional reminder, maybe it would be a good idea for us to follow my professor’s example. When you go home today, write down those three words, "NOT IN VAIN," on a piece of paper and put it in a prominent place. On your computer. On your refrigerator. On your lunchbox. On your dashboard.
Whenever you see those words, remember Jeremiah. Whenever you read those words, remember God’s promises. And then with renewed joy and confidence, commit your cause to the Lord. Why? Because when you do, when you devote yourself to the Lord’s work, when you put your life in the Lord’s hands, you have God’s sure promise that your labor in the Lord will never be in vain. Amen.