We are going
to look into the book of Jeremiah, chapter 1 and focus on the words, "Word
of the Lord came."
Jeremiah 1:1-3
ESV - The words of
Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth
in the land of Benjamin, 2 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. 3 It
came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until
the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of
Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
In these
verses, we see the following -
Word of the
Lord came
It came also
Why does the
Word of God come?
When does it come?
Jeremiah 1:2 ESV
- 2 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.
In the days
of Josiah, 13th year of his reign, days of Jehoiakim, until the end of the 11th
year of Zedekiah, until the carrying away
We see that
it came 4 times again and again. It came at the "Now Moment".
We live by
written Word. At times, the Word comes to us at "Now Moment".
We've been
in the pandemic for so long that some started wondering where God is. Some have
become comfortable. There's so much happening - trials in families, churches,
we got a shock in the beginning.
God has
plans. Spirit of God helps us move forward. We pick up something from the Word
of Jeremiah.
Why does the
Word come? And to whom?
Though the
Word had come to Jeremiah, it was for God's people to warn them of the
captivity. God's "Now Word" comes because they are God's people. He
wants them to be restored. The "Now Word" has the potential to
quicken them. When it comes, it has power.
In Bible,
when Moses died, Joshua received the Word at the "Now Moment". As
God's people, we can be prone to give up or sin and ignore God's call on us.
As a church, we need to think. Do we have a purpose? I believe God has a Word
for us.
The
"Now Word" is always a part of "Always Word"
Jeremiah 1:4-5 ESV –
The Call of Jeremiah
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
We begin to
see the "Now Word" comes to Jeremiah. It's always in context of God's
people. What God says is "always".
1.
Prophet to nations, ordained for the nations
God gave a promise in the garden of Eden. He promised a seed which is Jesus,
that would effect the nations. It started right at the beginning. In Genesis
12, Abraham was called the Father of Nations. Now after 1500 years, Jeremiah
got that same Word. It came as "Now Word". It's not new. It has
always been there.
Who are you? You, I, the church. You are ordained. The church is for the
nations. We are not to be survivors but influencers. Hey Church! Wake up! God
has ordained you.
Though the
pandemic is not over, God wants you to pick up something. Something about the
church is going to change. What are we doing about our neighbours, colleagues,
friends etc. God is reminding us that we are ordained.
So, God's first reminder to us is that we are ordained for the nations to bring
life, hope to the people in the city.
2. Formed...
Known by God
Jeremiah is about to be called prophet to the nations. To him, God says,
"I formed you, chose you, picked you for a purpose.
Once I heard a prophetic song which I still remember. It goes like this -
I know you, you know me, let's make history together.
God is reminding us like Jeremiah - " I chose you to make history"
1 Peter 2:9 ESV -
But you are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession,
that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light.
The word
"formed" is very important.
In the most
powerful nation, Egypt, the Israelites were formed as a nation out of slavery.
How can that be? It is only possible through God. Not just formed them, but God
also delivered them and made them leave with gold, silver and many other
riches.
We must understand that God's people just can't come into existence. God forms
people. Word of Grace church didn't come into existence but God formed you.
When you
read Psalm 139, you will know that each of you was formed for a unique role to
play.
The word
"knew" - long before you existed, I knew you Jeremiah.
What does that even mean?
It is an
element of God knowing us intimately and choosing us to have a relationship
with us. Your DNA is changed. It is of God's DNA.
He knows how to shape us. In some versions of the Bible, it is written as
"Adam lay with Eve" This is about the intimate sexual relationship.
In some other version, it is written as "Adam knew Eve".
So, knowing is a very deep and intimate thing. It is not just for purpose but
to be known inside out.
There is something different about Christians. God knows us. And we must know
Him. Know that He loves us and knows every flaw of ours.
Though Peter denies Jesus, He reinstates him.
God knows you. He wants to make history along with you.
3. Set
you apart
Jeremiah 1:5c - before you were born I consecrated
you;
I have set
you apart before you were born. He sanctified you. Set apart for not anything
else but for God's purpose.
Church, you are set apart. You may come and love this church but not just that.
Every member of the church, every believer is set apart for God, for nations
and for people around us.
We need to relate to people with reference to God. Saying
sorry to people, being angry or taking revenge, everything must be in reference
to God.
Many people don't like to consistently move ahead. The "Now Word" is
for greater numbers and for greater fruitfulness. In Acts, the believers met
everyday and broke bread together everyday. God wants us to get back on track
because -
He has
ordained you, ordained for nations - your neighbors, colleagues, friends
He formed
you and knew you
He set you
apart for His purpose - for nations, people around you
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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