This is a Bible study from the ministry of my pastor of many years He was a true servant of God I praise the Lord for all that he taught me and the example he set for his flock
The Ministry Of Jeremiah
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It also came in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. Jeremiah 1:1-3
Introduction – Jeremiah’s ministry continued for over 40 years in Judah. It is difficult to read the account of his life and work without noticing that he saw little outward success in the days of his ministry, especially if you measure success by current standards. The way we fundamentalists measure men and judge their success and methods is, I believe, very contrary to the principles of scripture. Paul, responding to those who questioned his calling, motives and methods, said in 1 Corinthians 4:5 ……. ‘Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God’. Now, it is clear that he is not talking here about refusing to identify and rebuke those false teachers and leaders who clearly are unscriptural in their message and method. But he is saying, that when it comes to judging between servants of God…as to which one is greater or better, we are to leave that to God at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Most of this judgment is very subtle, and those who judge are reluctant to call it so….but just look at the Hero worship that has been rampant among our churches in the past 10-15 years or so.
Just like the c at Corinth, we are divided into small groups with our own heroes, whom we believe do everything right. You might say, But preacher, it sounds like you’re just jealous! I hope you are wrong about that! My concern is genuine….My day is fast drawing to a close, and my ministry will have to speak for itself when I’m gone. But how should we measure the ministry of a man of God? The answer is…..NOT! But many today do judge a man of God by….
- Growth in membership and attendance.
- Number of baptisms.
- Size of Church facilities.
- What group of preachers you fellowship with.
- What seminary or Bible College you attended.
- Meetings where you are asked to preach.
- Preaching and ministry style.
I wonder how Jeremiah would stand in our day when compared to our ‘heroes’. He was….
CALLED WITHOUT CONSENT
God called Jeremiah, and like so many before him (and since), he tried to ‘weasel’ out of the job. Notice Jeremiah 1:6….’Then said I, Ah, LORD GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child’. He seems to have taken a page out of Moses book of excuses when he used this one! Jonah caught a ship going down to Tarshish. Saul hid among the camels. One common thread among them was their reluctance to immediately follow God’s call. However, God still used them all greatly. I heard a preacher more than once say from the pulpit that he had little use for men who run from God. I’m glad God doesn’t agree! Some would immediately classify Jeremiah as a coward, and say he’ll come to nothing. In fact, God didn’t accept their refusal….he said to Jeremiah….’Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all I send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak’. In v.17, he made a real threat. But doesn’t the scripture say a man ought to ‘desire the office of a bishop’? Yes, but God has a way of putting that desire into even the most reluctant prophet. Notice what he said to Jeremiah in v.17….’Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them’. Think he got the message?
CURSED WITHOUT CAUSE
Several times his life was threatened by those who hated his message….Notice Jeremiah 11:19….’But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter: and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered’. Here is a poor preacher, fearing God more than man….telling the truth…and they placed a curse of death on him.
JAILED WITHOUT JURY
Notice in Jeremiah 38:6, he was cast into jail without the formality of a trial or a jury to hear the evidence. It was no ordinary jail either….’Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire’. Folks are quick today to assume a man of God is guilty if so many people say he is, or think he is. How many good men have been abandoned by the people of God because they don’t want any association with someone who is in trouble with the authorities?
PREACHED WITHOUT POPULARITY
Jeremiah preached the truth, but he was not appreciated. He wouldn’t be invited to preach at any of the big meetings we have every year, eh? I saw a great preacher speak out at the Southwide fellowship against a prevalent error in churches today….clapping for the entertainers. He was openly rebuked and derided, and has been openly criticized by the ‘establishment’. I wonder if Jeremiah would have been very popular TODAY? He said in Jeremiah 20:7 O Lord , thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
DISCOURAGED WITHOUT DESERTING
Many, filled with pride, have declared….I have never wanted to quit! Well, I have! The difference is that he didn’t quit! He tried, but couldn’t. Notice in Jeremiah 20:9….’Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay’.
FAITHFUL WITHOUT FRIENDS
It seems Jeremiah’s friends had deserted him, just as Paul’s had in 2 Timothy 4:16….’At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge’. Jeremiah, too, was deserted by all. Notice Jeremiah 20:10….’All my familiars watched for my halting, saying peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him’. Many consider a lack of friends to be the result of bad character, but sometimes it is because a man is standing for truth against all.
RIGHT WITHOUT RESULTS
It can be seen in Jeremiah 44:15-17 KJVS
[15] Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, [16] As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord , we will not hearken unto thee. [17] But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
, that the people did not respond to his preaching…..though it was the truth. They responded by saying Jeremiah 20:10 For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they , and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying , Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.
If a man is judged by the number of his converts, or the number who make ‘decisions’ in his meetings, Jeremiah will be found a failure.
Conclusion – As long as a man does not depart from the Bible and sound doctrine, or use methods which are unscriptural, it is best to let God be the one to decide who is greater! The real results of our labors will not be fully known until after we stand before HIM at the Judgment Seat!
Bro. Ken Jacques
Faith Baptist Church of Newborn GA 