Sermons on Jeremiah
The southern kingdom of Judah had endured over 300 years of rebellion among its people. There were only a few kings who attempted to obey the Lord since the time of David and Solomon—most notably Hezekiah and Josiah. God—who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6)—has been pushed to His limit and it is now time for His children to experience some consequences for their generational rebellion. The Lord announced this judgment to His prophet, Jeremiah, in the fourth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim, son of Josiah. This prophecy is discovered by Daniel many years later. We will examine both of these passages today in an attempt to set the historical context for Haggai’s prophetic work.
God has a plan for every person; a path that we can choose to follow or abandon. We often allow excuses that we create or even allow to be created in front of us in the way of obstacles to become our reason or self-justification for not obeying a perfect plan. Despite a natural excuse making nature, we’re called to lay down our excuses, and follow the path prepared before us.
Overcoming the fear of uncertainty can be accomplished by keeping our focus on the eternal. When we keep an eternal perspective on life, we are more readily able to see God’s plans for our lives. God’s plan for our lives almost always involve trials, tribulations, challenges and difficulties; but if Jesus is IN us, we have nothing to fear for He is renewing our spirits day by day.