Text: Jeremiah 20:7-13
Persecution Against Those Who Preach the Word (v. 7-10)
- “Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived” (v. 7) – word means allured or enticed; Jeremiah was called by God to speak (Jeremiah 1:17; 2:1-2); Jeremiah chose to speak (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:32)
- Persecution arose against Jeremiah, just as it will for us (Matthew 10:24-25) – the teacher is mocked (cf. Acts 26:24-25); the word of God is ridiculed (cf. 2 Peter 3:3-4); those who uphold the truth will be in the minority (cf. Matthew 7:13-14); friends will forsake them (cf. 2 Timothy 4:10,16); violence against the truth teacher (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:23-25)
The Word is Like a Fire in My Bones (v. 9)
- The goal of persecution is to silence those who speak the truth (cf. Acts 4:18-21; 5:27-28, 40)
- Satan doesn’t have to convince anyone to do something in order to be lost, He simply needs to convince them not to obey God – this begins with silencing the gospel message (Romans 1:16-17; 10:17; James 2:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:8)
- Jeremiah could not be silent – matter of faith (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:13)
- We need to be speaking the truth to whatever degree we are able (1 Peter 4:11)
The Lord is with Me (v. 11)
- Jeremiah was rejected, persecuted, outnumbered – yet God was with Him
- God will always be on our side (Hebrews 13:5-6) – if we are on His side (2 Timothy 2:12)
- Therefore, persecutors will be defeated (2 Thessalonians 1:6-8)
The Lord will Judge (v. 12)
- He will test the righteous & deal out vengeance to the wicked
- All people – good and evil – will be judged by Him (Hebrews 9:27)
We Must Praise the Lord (v. 13)
- For His power – greater than man’s power and strength
- For His deliverance
