April 20, 2018

“The Person God Uses Stops making Excuses”

This coming Sunday will kick off a new, four-week sermon series we’re calling “The Person God Uses.” The series will utilize the book of Jeremiah which, incidentally, is the longest book in the Bible (42,000 words).  It was written by a man referred to as the “weeping prophet.”  Jeremiah wept over the hard-heartedness of God’s people who, for 40 years, ignored his sermons. Jeremiah’s message emphasized one main theme – when people refuse to confess their sins they bring judgment on themselves. This is why Jeremiah is sometimes referred to as the “prophet of individual responsibility.”  The culture of Jeremiah’s day was deteriorating economically, politically, and spiritually.  At the time, God’s Word was deemed by most to be outdated and offensive (sounds familiar).  Still Jeremiah warned people about a coming enemy invasion that would inflict God’s judgment on their idolatry and rebellion. Jeremiah’s start in ministry was a bit shaky.  He made lots of excuses trying to avoid God’s call on his life.  We all do that don’t we?  If we’re not careful, we can excuse our lives away and miss the very thing for which we were created.

The person God uses doesn’t make excuses.

When God called Jeremiah he was reluctant and full of excuses.  But God, in His confrontational grace, countered every one of Jeremiah’s excuses with a Divine promise.  It’s those excuses and those promises we’ll consider on Sunday. In preparation for Sunday please read the first chapter of Jeremiah. Without excuse, pastor jamie