An Unpopular Message & A Faithful Messenger
7/20/26 Bible Thought (Jeremiah 20-21)
Main Idea: The presence of the Author ought to give courage to the messenger.
A Look at the Text:
In today’s text, the persecution of Jeremiah the prophet comes to the forefront.
Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah was tasked with delivering messages that the people didn’t want to hear and it cost him. Jeremiah was beaten and placed in the prison stocks (Jer. 20:2). Even with this, the prophet remained steadfast to deliver the same message of coming destruction for Judah. He wouldn’t change his message and tell the people what they wanted to hear.
But it wasn’t easy.
Jeremiah got to the point where he determined he wouldn’t share God’s Word any more for it was too costly for him. Yet, he couldn’t help it. The word of the Lord was in him as a burning fire he couldn’t contain (Jer. 20:9). So he took heart the only way he could, with the presence of the One who authored his message:
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. 12 O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause (Jer. 20:11-12).
Though it was costly, Jeremiah was faithful to speak the truth. Even in the final days of King Zedekiah, Jeremiah continued to predict coming destruction. For it was the Lord who was fighting against Jerusalem (Jer. 20:5) not merely the Babylonians.
Yet to those who fled the city and submitted to Nebuchadnezzar there was hope they would be spared. (Jer. 21:8-10).
Bringing it Home:
Jeremiah is one of the greatest examples of faithfulness in the Bible.
Though it was costly for him to speak the truth, he never changed his message. It brought him beating and imprisonment. It brought him ridicule, even from close friends (Jer. 20:10). Yet Jeremiah never refused to share God’s word because it burned within him.
When it seemed as if he was standing against everyone, he took heart with the truth that God was with him. In a similar fashion, the apostle Paul once encouraged the believers in Rome, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). The faithful presence of the Author should always encourage us to share His message unadulterated and unapologetically.
In a world where it is increasingly unpopular to even believe in absolute truth, let alone take a stand on biblical truth, will we do so?
Will we speak the truth in love, even if it gets us marginalized by those around us?
Will we be faithful with the message that God has entrusted to His Church, or will we capitulate and tell the world what they want to hear?
Let us hold fast in the truth that our God is with us, and even if it might be costly, we must stand with Him.
Challenge:
Is the worthiness of my Savior greater than the cost to following Him?