June 21, 2020 Text: Jeremiah 20:7-13
Dear Friends in Christ,
It’s far easier to be quiet than prophetic. The life of Jeremiah wasn’t quite working out the way he wanted. He had been a prophet at a young age. The Lord gave him incredible gifts and made him tough. God made Jeremiah wise and insightful and passionate and most importantly right about the things he prophesied about. And when this occurs what happens? – it makes a person very unpopular.
Jeremiah’s friends and family had abandoned him. He lived in evil times but his pain was because he knew it was all avoidable. But no one would listen. The people worshipped false gods and demanded that the church and prophet change God’s Word and declare them righteous.
Let’s bring Jeremiah’s predicament into Earth 2020. It’s quite easy to do. It’s far easier to be quiet than prophetic. The persecutions will come, but . . .
“THE PROPHETIC VOICE WILL BE HEARD”
Jeremiah’s voice will be heard because it is God’s voice. Our voices will also be heard if what we speak is the truth of God’s word. Jeremiah felt like he was trapped. The more truth he spoke, the less the people listened.
What is a truth spoken throughout time that people listen less and less to? Homosexual marriage. In 2004, the Pew Research Center found that 60% opposed this type of marriage. By 2019, the same research company found 61% found nothing wrong with these types of unions. Misguided Internet ner-do-well’s, interest groups and liberal commentators go after churches and businesses that uphold marriage between one man and one woman.
There is only one universal truth. Two weeks ago our Old Testament lesson was God creating the world in Genesis. He laid out His plan for marriage and family. I will continue to preach this. Instead of simplifying life we complicate it. God’s plan is real easy to follow. Man and woman marry – God Blesses. Man and woman have children prayerfully – God Blesses. Man and woman bring children to worship and Sunday School. Man and woman pray for their children and love them and respect them. These same children then carry this same behavior to the next generation and the world is a more grace-filled place.
When we deviate from the Lord’s plan then problems and challenges occur. When I am about ready to retire, the prayer is that the world will wake up. They will have empirical evidence by then that the two moms or the two dads do not work. And all the liberal thinkers will wonder what went wrong. It’s far easier to be quiet than prophetic.
Jeremiah experienced the same thing. Even though he had times of feeling like a man on an island, he kept proclaiming God’s truth. I love verse 9, “If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, I cannot.” This is prophetic reluctance overcome by divine compulsion.
Have you experienced this? You can’t continue to stay quiet as people speak God’s name in vain or trash His Word or so jumble what the Bible says that you must say something. That is the Lord speaking through you – divine compulsion. He even gives us the words. It’s far easier to be quiet than prophetic.
God speaks a Word, an eternal Word that will always prove right. If you love your children, spouse, friends, parents, even your enemies, you should want them to hear and know the truth. God loves His children and so He declares His Word in every generation. He will not let it die.
We err if we think the purpose of life on earth is just to enjoy and be comfortable. That is part of the promise of heaven, not earth. It is not an option to keep heads down and eyes turned away. Can we just have head in the clouds with abortion and assisted suicide all around us? It’s far easier to be quiet than prophetic.
We need help to understand what is upon us. The way we live is our creed. We pray that the Heavenly Father would deliver us from every evil of body and soul. When our last hour comes we have faith he will take us from this vale of confusion and bring us to Himself in heaven. We proclaim that the blood of the Lord overcomes the power of the devil. We do these first among ourselves because we have been a part of evil.
The deliverance we proclaim is not only for the world that doesn’t get it, it is for us who do. We need a Savior from the wrath we have rightly earned. Don’t get self-righteous at the world; understand the need you have to overcome sin. The church is the home of rebellious sinners who long for peace and comfort.
The church is also the home of forgiveness poured at in Word and Sacrament. We reach out with the world’s only hope. People hate the church for all the wrong reasons. They hear condemnation and so it steals their earthly power and purpose. They are so quick to defend the evil; they do not hear the salvation story.
You and I know the prophetic word works. The bible is full of people who hated the church and changed. Share that story. It’s far easier to be quiet than prophetic. Persecutions will come…but the prophetic voice will be heard. Amen.