Jeremiah: Chapter 20 — September 6, 2026

0:00All right, if you're standing to stop in place, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessing of Your Word. Christ Jesus who comes to us and heals us. We ask You to not forsake us, but always to speak Your Word to us so that we may be healed in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Last of the five confessions of Jeremiah. So you remember the center section here, I think it started in chapter 13 or so. We have had five confessions from the prophet. I've found them helpful. I don't know about you, if you've been here with us or not, it doesn't really matter. But it's good to hear from the prophet the kind of laments that pastors make. They'll actually say, okay, it's all right. You can say that or just say it even if you're wrong, just get it out, right, and the Lord will correct you. Okay. And we're going to hear that today in particular. If you didn't know this pastor's lament, they complained. Did you know this? We're not allowed to complain to You, right, because we're supposed to be so optimistic and

1:03cheerful and hopeful and, you know, because Jesus died for us and everything, right? And then secretly we're like, why won't there any people in church or do anything? Why didn't they sing that hymn? I know those girls can sing, but they didn't sing it. Even though they didn't know it, they could have figured it out because they can read music, right? Or that sort of thing. Or whatever the pastor complains about. You tried. I know. We have to sing it every Sunday for about three months and then you'll find me like, all right, I guess I have to learn it. Or congregation for God. Yeah. Yeah. That was the Aquinas hymn. The great Lord's up for him, but unfortunately, he is a chant home, so it's a little bit tricky. You have multiple syllables on one note. Anytime we do that, especially with the screens, so actually it's an advantage on having a screen. It would have been even worse with the screens because nobody would have known where those syllables go. No. All right. Let's read. Jeremiah, we read this last week, but this is really the beginning of what's going to happen here today. Anybody want to read?

2:05Jeremiah. The Jeremiah came from the Pope with a Lord who sent him to the outside and he stood in the court for the Lord's house and sent to all the people. Us, the Lord, holds the God is for him. We hold our own comfort city and all of our tombs, all the people that I have pronounced against them because they have stiffened their backs that they might not feel in their hands. I probably went over really well, didn't it? Preaching that way in the temple? Yeah. Keep going. Now, for sure, the son of Imer, the priest who was also chief of the Lord, for the children of my prophesied pre-saints, has been a sure structure like the prophet and put into the stock that were the high-capable finishment which was by the house of the Lord. And in the open-hungarian state, for sure, brought to my house the stock, the gentleman

3:09sent to me. A mornin has not called your name for sure, but Mego are misled. For thus, as the Lord, he hold, I will link you a territory to yourself and to all your friends. And they shall follow and sort of their enemies, and your honest shall see us. I will give all Judah into the kingdom of the kingdom of Mathur and he shall carry them captive to Mathur and slay them with his sword. For I am to deliver all the wealth of this city, all its produce and all its precious names, all the treasures of the kings of Judah, I will give them the kings who will plight them to see the centurion of the kingdom of Mathur and you for sure, and all to be on the name of the house shall come into captivity. You shall go and battle, hon, and you shall die. And you vary there. You and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lives.

4:14Is this the first time we have had this full prophecy of the Exile in Babylon? I think with Babylon by name in particular. I think this is the first time. So there is a big transition. You know it is also the character of the writing changed because now it is an narrative, not between Jeremiah and God or Jeremiah and the people kind of with the different sign acts. But here it is an actual event. It is happening in the temple with this guy called Pashur that is his title, probably not his name. And we will talk about that when we look at it. All right. And now having preached that word, you can, and he is in the stocks. Now we get to hear what Jeremiah is thinking, not just what he was saying. All right. And here is what he says. Keep going. Who wants to read? Well, Lord, you will do so me and I was persuaded. You are stronger than I have ever prevailed. I am the version of the Holy. Everyone minds me. For when I spoke, I cried out. I shouted, by all it is a ponder because the word of the Lord was made to me.

5:14It refilled and it threws a bill. Then I said, I will not make men talk to him nor speak anymore in this name. But his word was in my heart where the burning fire shut up in my bones. I was very upholic at back and I couldn't. For I heard many mocking, ear on every side. Report, they say, and we will report it. And I said, I pray for you to watch Jeremiah stumbling, saying perhaps she could be a douche. Then he will prevail against me and we will take our revenge on him. But the Lord is with me as a mighty awesome one. Therefore my first secures will stumble and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed for they will not prosper. They are everlasting and infusional, never be forgotten. So Lord of the Post, you who test the righteous and see the vine of her, let me see your retions on them. For I have pleaded my cause before you.

6:14Same to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has the liberty of the life of the poor from the man of evil. Curse of be the name, hurt curse of be the name in which I was born. Let the name not be blessed in which by another for me. Let the man be cursed, who brought loose by Father's name. The Lord has been born to you, may he have married left. And let that man be like the cities which the Lord over through and did not relent. Let him hear the cry in the morning and the shone and move because he did not kill me from moving them. I will be waiting for him when I pray. And he will always enlarge with me. Why did I come forth from the will to see labor itself that my days should be consumed with shame? So that is a little bit different sounding than what he said to Pescher. So his preaching is one voice. We call this his inner dialogue maybe or monologue. This is his prayer or his confession.

7:17This is something that we are called to as preachers, as prophets here, is to say a word even if we don't believe it ourselves. I know that is maybe hard to hear. You don't want to hear that your pastor doesn't necessarily believe what he is saying. But thank God for that. Because you get to hear the gospel even if the pastor himself is doubting at himself. That is what I can't talk about my own doubts. They generally don't belong in the pulpit. Because then you are just like, well, if he doesn't believe it, why should I? So it is a distinction between the man and the office, if you want to put it that way. And this has been a controversy in the church for a long time. They say, well, what if the man later, you know, falls into disgrace, commits some sin that causes him to lose his office or maybe himself just renounces the faith or something like that? Does that mean everything he did was false? No. Because it is dependent upon not himself, his faith, but rather the word that he speaks.

8:22Yeah. So his baptism, his supper, his absolution, et cetera. Even if he was an imposter. You know, I can work through imposter. Thank goodness for that, right? Because if only you knew, pastors generally have imposter syndrome. Why did you do this? Why am I here? That's not my idea. All right. So you can see the handout. I tried to outline this a little bit for you. Just to remind you, last week we were at the garbage dump. Put the smashed yard, okay? And now we go into the temple courtyard and then he cries out to a man named Peshur. The chief officer of the temple police, so that's actually his job. He is a priest, but his job is to keep order in the house. We should have the elders do. You know, you guys should be well armed and then, you know, yeah, right exactly. Ready to have a little beat down if people start misbehaving. Do we have to have a vote? No, no, no, this is by Fiat, so sorry.

9:23Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and then, you know, he preaches to him and it's really a terrible message to hear. Right? Would any of you want to hear, hey, look, because you were rebellion, I know you're in the temple, but it doesn't matter. You are idolaters and you're going into exile in Babylon. Hmm. They're going to pull you by the nose. Put a ring in your nose and pull you by the nose. You know, like a cow. Yeah, so that probably didn't go over too well. That's why he's in the stocks, right? Their stocks are a little different. We usually think of the ones like in the West, the head and the hands. They would actually put the feet in too. So you were just kind of suspended there. Can you imagine what that would do? You can't imagine, I'm sure. Then it did have an interesting word here. We'll just look at the summary because I think this is helpful. This word, when he prayed, he said, you have induced me. I was persuaded. Induced is kind of a soft word for what it is.

10:23Enticed, maybe, or seduced, I think is what we would usually say. What did I say here? Enticed or persuaded. Yeah, okay. It's generally used for a woman coming after a guy. So. Or vice versa, thank you. We don't want to be sexist. Thank you so much. I was taking a woman into bed. Yeah, so men, women, women, men. I'm thinking of Proverbs, right, with Lady Wisdom and then Lady, the foolish lady. He's saying, you talked me into this and I fell for it. Again, I think there's probably not a preacher who hasn't at some point thought, how did I get into this mess? Who put me here? I think that's true for you. I mean, it can be for any vocation too, I think, calling. Like, how did I end up married to this person? I don't know. The Lord did it. So you want to blame anybody. Okay. And then you're going to see this through this whole confession. I outlined it for you because I thought that would be helpful.

11:25You are stronger than I. I have prevailed. In other words, and half prevailed. In other words, God won. I was weary of holding back and I could not. Jeremiah couldn't win. His friends say, perhaps he can be induced then we will prevail against him. His friends think that they can win over him. And then finally in 11, therefore my persecutors will stumble. Will not prevail. They won't. Right. They fight against you but they shall not prevail against you, which was back in chapter 119. And now we have the same kind of logic here. So here's the answer. His enemies cannot win against him precisely because God already did. So when we talk about hidden God, reveal God, this is one of the ways that it works out. People say, well, how do you know God's for you? Look at your life. You're miserable. Right, Willie? Are you miserable? No, he's got a snack. He's happy. Right. But we heard a lot about, I think the lepers today. People would say, how do you know God loves you?

12:26Because look at you, your skin's falling off. And the answer is, Jesus said, he loves me. Right. So despite what I feel, despite what I experience, I have this word. And that's different than, I think the opposite, which hopefully we might get to today. The opposite, which we talked about with Bonnage to the Will, which is, well, I hope it works out. God has a plan. You've heard that. We talked about that with Bonnage to the Will. I don't think that's comforting at all. Maybe his plan is to kill you, send you into Babylon. Does that really comfort you? No. Right. If you don't know what the plan is, maybe not so much a comfort. If you know that he died for you, he rose for you, he forgives you, he loves you. He's going to raise you from the dead, he heals you, forgives you all of that. If you know that, I'm like, well, whatever else is happening, that's turning sorrow into joy. Right. I don't know why he's put this on me, but I do know that he lives.

13:26I know that my redeemer lives. And actually that's the parallel, right? Jeremiah sounds a lot like Job. Job's like, I wish I, I, I, I, I grew the day of my birth. Or whatever the modern English is. I lament. I don't know what it says in ESP. I like the old language. I grew the day of my birth, right? Like, huh? You know, I wish I had never been born. Oh, there's somebody else who that was said about. I wish that I had never been born. It's better if that man had never been born. It's Jesus speaking. Huh? Yeah, Judas. That's right. That's Judas. So Judas projects it on, or excuse me, Jesus projects it onto Judas and says it would have been. He's saying, that's the lament that Judas should be speaking. Not that he's cursing Judas. I mean, Judas, he was called to repent as much as Peter was. We've talked about this before. He's saying like, Job, like Jeremiah, because of what he's been given to do.

14:28I mean, the prophet said there was going to be this betrayal for 30 pieces of silver. Judas is fulfilling. If you like a role, does it condemn him? No, he repents. But he doesn't turn to Jesus for life. Judas is actually a great example. Ah, she used it today. He's a great example of the nine. Because he's sorry for what he has done. And he goes to the shows himself to the priests. And what do the priests preach to him? It's exactly what I was saying. Maybe he was preached to the nine. A little speculative today, but hopefully that's nice. What did they say? What does this have to do with us? The priests won't forgive him. They just throw the money down and leaves and hangs himself. Because he won't hear absolution from the priests. So the accusation, by the way, in today's gospel, but also with the Judas story, the condemnation there, we focus on Judas. It's on the priests. That if they had heard Moses, they would have forgiven the man. Because that's everything that Moses was there to condemn.

15:29Moses was there to absolve as much as Jesus. But that's the only way we can hear the words of Moses. That's shout out. That's shout out. Otherwise you die. So sorry. Like this habit day, right? Don't go to church, you die. That's what we read yesterday. All right, Friday. That would also be easier for the elders, wouldn't it? Pastoral care? Like, hey, they didn't show up in church. Let's go kill them. Problem solved. That's a different cultural setting, I think. He does praise the Lord and then in the next verse, he says, I wish I was dead. That's really nice, isn't it? By the way, Jeremiah then, I gave you this on your handout. Now maybe you're hearing where, say, St. Paul gets this or St. Peter, the others, they lament the same way as Jeremiah. The prophetic office doesn't end with John the Baptist. It continues into the Apostolic office. Paul says, in 2 Corinthians, we are hard pressed on every side yet not crushed.

16:29We are perplexed, but not in despair. That sounds familiar. We are burdened beyond measure above strength so that we are despaired even of life. That was Jeremiah just did? Desperate of his life? Yeah. That we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. Jeremiah didn't say that. Job did. I know that my Redeemer lives, and I will see him once, chapter 19, and then he went back to lamenting. The Holy Spirit broke through. Those laments. Let's see, turn the page. Oh, then we have the heart burning within us stuff, which we'll talk about. He had to preach. This is an important part about Jeremiah. It's also an important part about the evangelist. They have to preach. They don't get a choice. By the way, the preacher is mad. Myself included. It's like, I'd rather be done. Everybody else would be either. I'd be done.

17:30We just rather have soft mushy whatever it is. Just make us feel good, Pastor. Don't sing any hard hymns, please. Stop it with the hard hymns. It's like, no, these are the words that we need. We need to hear or say these words. Anyway. Or as Paul says again, low to me, if I do not preach the gospel. We already talked about Joe. Then you got some church father stuff. We might look at that. Let's do the summary. Question one. What does he have to do with Jeremiah? That's in verse two. This guy named Pursure, which means, is it tell you here? If I click on the little A, no, it doesn't. I'd say it could be a title. It could be a person. The son of Emmer. The son of Emmer. Yeah, it sounds like a proper name then, right? Yeah. But Jeremiah gives him a new name. But we'll get to that. So he is the, like I said, he is the temple guard. Yeah. He's the elder at the gate, the guy at the back.

18:31The one who's keeping everybody in line. Tell him I'll see what to do. Which is what you do. And he beats him, puts him into stocks for his preaching, right? This happens a lot in the Bible. He heard what Jeremiah prophesied. Then we hear what Jeremiah prophesied. I don't, I think he preached that the day before too. I mean, he's been preaching this message, right? Sometimes the message comes after the events. Or maybe before, maybe it's the broken pottery bit that he did as well. There's more than one gate of Benjamin, historically. So we don't know which one. It doesn't matter. He's got a gate. Oh, yeah. There's the new name, right? Jeremiah gives him the new name in verse three. But Lord has not called your name, Pashaure, but Magoar Missa-Beab. Maybe think of the name for a polytradees in doom, but I can't remember what that one is. Mua-Deab.

19:31That means little mouse in that book. I don't know what that has to do with anything, but I just told you. So Pashaure means like protection on every side. Magoar Missa-Beab means terror on every side. You see, so what's happened is the role that's supposed to be a role that protects the word of God being preached in that place has now been used to terrorize the one who's been called to preach. The same officer has his role, his flipped. This happens a lot with names in the Bible. You know, it's called what? Masha and Maraba, which means quarreling and complaining. They actually name the place, what they did there. It'll be a continual reminder. It's like, instead of calling it Sherman Center, you call it. I don't know what's the famous event that's happening. We haven't had anything happen. Nothing to remember. All right. Babylon, right? That's where they're to go.

20:32That's where Pashaure will die, verse six. What does Jeremiah accuse God of in verse seven? We've already said this, right? Inducing him, persuading him, and prevailing against him. Is that actually true? Yeah, actually. This is what we want God to do to us, because we're like Dumbees, as we said in the Psalm last week, like a horse or a mule that needs a bit or bridle. And we say, don't let us be like that. Well, too bad. The Lord sends His Spirit upon you, and His Spirit overwhelms you. All right. Comes upon you. You want the Spirit to overwhelm you, don't you? So that the things that you want to do, you don't do, and the things that you do, or the things that God would have you do? Yeah, okay. So I don't think that's wrong, actually. That's a good confession. You can tell me if you disagree. Next question. What happens when He decides to stop preaching?

21:32I can echo this. Well, because the fire from His overwhelming, right? They want to kill Him. So He's like, I'm just going to stop. It's not worth it. And then what ends up happening? Yeah, I can't help but preach. I have to preach. The Holy Spirit is like, so sorry, nice try. You have to say it. You have to say it. And this is so true, especially today, because we have all sorts of different, what we used to call it, political correctness. Anybody remember that term? What replaced political correctness? Political corruption, thank you. I don't think we did, but we changed the name. Nobody used the term anymore. Yeah, it was woke. It was woke. Now it's things like tone policing. I don't know if you've heard this. Right? So now sometimes, sometimes I think it's the spirit of old you back

22:35from saying the things you want to say that you really are not to be said. Right? You know, just a destroyer person, destroyer faith. But on the other hand, a lot of times you're trying to hold back in the spirit and say, nope, bah, that's not where you're going to. Today's the day. No, no, this is the word that has to be said. And I'm like, okay, like forgiving people that you don't want to forgive. It's not just negative, it's positive too. Right? It works both direction. So you can, I think you can, I mean, even if you're not a preacher, I think you can hear this. It's like, when you're with a, I don't know, a friend or a child or something, you're like, I'd rather not have this conversation right now. Right? You've experienced that? Yeah, this is not the time. I just don't, and it's like it's not the time. And the Holy Spirit says, no, just open your big mouth and say it. Right? And then there's a chips who fall where they may, as we say. Which is a gambling reference, which is kind of strange for us to say, but so we do. All right. Ten. What are his friends waiting for?

23:36Huh. They're looking for him to make a mistake. Now, Pastor, tripped up again. Now we can report it to the district president. Sorry, I'm making it contemporary. Right, but that's what they're doing. They're just looking for a mistake so that they can, you know, find the way to cause. Man, this sounds like somebody else trying to catch him in his words. Who do they always, who are they always trying to catch him in his words? Oh, yeah, Jesus, that's right. So they could finally prevail against him, right? And take our revenge on him. So actually the prophet ends up being a pattern or prototype of Christ. And also, Jesus says, they're going to persecute you the way they persecuted me. So it goes both directions, right? The prophets lead into Jesus, Jesus, and he's out in the prophetic office. And it's always, there's nothing new under the sun. This still happens. This still happens.

24:36That's why I said, I think Jeremiah's confessions are complaints or whatever you want to call them. They're comforting for me. Like, oh, I'm not the only one. That's so good. You know, or like Elijah. I just want to hide in a cave. Like, that's nice. I agree with that. I think guys like, no, no, you have to go preach. So sorry. What does he call God then in the next word? Mighty and awesome. Oh, God, it isn't awesome. God, everybody knows that. Of course. Okay. Persecutors are going to stumble and fall. You're righteous. You will plead. I'll plead my cause. Sing to the Lord. Praise the Lord. That was been good for today. Oh, blessed the Lord. My soul. It's right there. For he has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of the evil leaders. Ah. That's how you should enter, right? Of course, be the day in which I was born. It's very next word. Yeah. So does he? He sounds bipolar. I have warned you before I'll do it again. Against psychologizing. People in the Bible. This is what we always do this.

25:36We try to be, what are the guys still for the FBI or guys and guys? The profilers, right? Yeah. He's a profile of a bipolar person, right? He's bipolar because he goes back and forth. Have you ever been caught between two people? You're yourself? God loves me. He hates me at the same time. Okay. So maybe not. Like a logical disorder. It's God that's putting him through this. People do this. There's a whole book on Luther. I can't remember what it's called. Now, where they psychoanalyze Luther. They determine he has got mental illness. That's why he's so determined to overthrow the pope or something. Anyway. They'll do that. I think I'm right about trying to do that. You really can't do that unless you are with the person. Like, can't person with them? You can't try to psychoanalyze someone with a mask. I'm going to say. You're trying to do that about Jesus too? Yeah, they do. They do. I'm going to see something more profound. You're going to say you can't do it at all. Yes. So the DSM that's a diagnostic, something manual, diagnostic psycholog. No, it's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not.

26:36It's not. It's not. It's not. It's not. It's a diagnostic, something manual, diagnostic psycholog. No, it's not. It's S. So I don't know what it stands for. Service manual. It's a service manual for humanity. It's owner's manual. It gets getting bigger. There's new disorders. Everybody's got a disorder. And consequently, everybody needs a pharmaceutical. Of course, that's psychiatric. Right? So then we all need drugs, and that will make us better. And we don't address the spiritual then. That maybe actually the problem is that we're living one life and God calls us to a different end. That would cause some distress internally, wouldn't it? That you can't fix with a drug. You can only mute it like alcohol or is what we used to do. We just heard in Wisconsin, especially. You just drink yourself into it. You drink more communion line. I won't help either. You need more Jesus. Not more wine, anyway. You can take a bigger swing. It's okay. But I'm not going to stop you.

27:36Although our guests are used to a chalice that's much deeper and narrower. And then we have this more bowl-shaped one. Which, it's like you have your favorite cup. You know how to drink out of it. And then when somebody gives you a different cup, you're like, oh, I do it that. Our poor visitors had a little bit harder time with the, yeah, it gets sloshing around. I would like a narrower, deeper one. It's much more less risky. I have to, you know, anyway. Yeah, exactly. I have my napkin already at hand, as I said. I was going to towel there ready to go. All right. So, to question two, let's just keep moving along. A priest with police authority, that's the Mr. Passchewer up here at the top. Beats the preacher and puts him in stocks overnight. Neck, hands, and feet, as I told you, in one frame, in public, at the temple gate. You're probably, that would be kind of cool, right? You came to church on Sunday and I'm out there in the stocks. What did pass we say this time? Jeremiah's answer is not to hit back or to run, but to rename him.

28:39The Lord has called your name, Passchewer, but, or not called your name, Passchewer, but Maghara, Misab, the terror on every side. Why that name? What does it tell you about what this fight is actually over and about what weapon Jeremiah is left holding after they take everything else away? What's the central problem? Why is there terror? Remember, where are we? What location? We're in Jerusalem. Where are in Jerusalem? Yeah, church. Right? And what have they done with what the church is for? Yeah, we've heard this for 19 chapters. Right? They've made a mess out of it. They teach idolatry. So what have they done? They've terrorized the people. That's what they're doing. That's why the name is declaring. So, but consequently, what's the only antidote as well for Jeremiah? Soared violence? I mean, the Lord will do that by way of Babylon, but no, it's the word.

29:42Yeah, it's to restore the word. We talked about this with, oh, I wrote an article on Substack, but you probably don't follow. It's fine. Just to keep my self-discipline working through this, what does the Bible say about money question? And right after he cleanses, the money changers in the temple, the next story in Luke's gospel anyway is the widow with her two mites. So you have two money stories right next to each other. But he casts out the money changers because they're not preaching the word. Remember we talked about this, Jeremiah. You've made my house a den of thieves. It's quoted there. They're not preaching the word of God. And then the woman comes, she puts in the two mites, and you're like, well, why? And she gives everything she has. That is a confession of the word of God. Not by her generosity, although that's true. She's very generous. She gives her whole life, Jesus says, like everything she has, but because she's confessing him, who in just a few days is going to give everything that he has for the life of the world.

30:43Give his very life, life of the world. So she preaches the gospel in a way that nobody else there was. Isn't that amazing? I don't know. I thought it was insightful. You can like it if you don't. That's fine too. So all he has is the word. And so he calls it what it is. Anything else on that? That's a pretty good answer. Three. Then I said, I will not make mention of him. That's verse nine. Nor speak anymore in his name, but his word was in my heart, like a burning fire, shit up into my bones. I was weary of holding it back and I could not. So here's Jeremiah quitting. Right? I'm done. I'm done. Just cast a check. I don't even care if I get the pension. That's fine. Just move on. But it didn't take because the word of God was burning in him in his very bones.

31:43So speaking had cost him everything. He had lost everything. But not speaking, but also cost him. I would say it turns out to cost him more. So I mentioned this before, but now's our chance to think about it a little bit. Name the thing that you've gone quiet about because it was expensive conversation with your son or daughter, correction at work. The faith you did not mention when it would have been awkward. Then ask the harder half of Jeremiah's question. Now, not what did silence save me? What did I gain by being silent? But what has it been causing me to hold it in? I mean, maybe this is personal. So you don't want to get too in depth with it. But have you experienced this? Where you held back? But then it actually, like it, it wears on you, right? I think I might be liked. And I'm sorry for those who say a word that we think is going to not be taken.

32:45Well, I don't want to be your super. I will say I appreciate about you. You're not afraid to say a hard word. And I appreciate that so much because not everybody does that. And we do need to hear that. Maybe I like it at first? Somebody's and you still like me. I don't understand. What's his raw? You're right. It's true. I'm not really good at addressing the issue. I'll just... I tell you that's not in my nature at all. I just want to be liked. I really do. You are liked. Well, but not... No, I want to be liked for being a genuinely interesting person or something. The main point being like me is that you don't like hearing it at first, but when they really do think about it, the Holy Spirit works out. That they aren't really appreciated. No, I appreciate that. But here's the problem. This is Jeremiah's lament. It's Elijah's lament. It's Ezekiel's lament. It's all the prophet and the preacher's lament. But it's not enough. We want more. It's preachers. We want more.

33:46We're free to think. We have a term for that. Well, you are. I mean. But I am too. Right. Right. Right. So that's why I have to preach. Because it's like, well, if you lead a little ones astray, it'd be better that the guy's on Cicero Avenue came and put you in there. Concrete boots and throwing the bottle of Lake Michigan. This is always the picture I have in mind when Jesus says that. Come here for weeks when we show up for service, if you just sit in your back room over there and don't come over. Well, I know there's that. But what I mean by not preaching is truth and purity. Like withholding and just saying nice things. Right. What do you think? What we want. Well, yeah. Hero. Right. It's the same thing. True. So what you end up getting, especially right now in the church here, where some of the teachings can be a little bit more difficult, into the church here especially, you know, it's not every time of the year as Christmas in Easter. Right? There are times, even post Easter, it's like, convict the world of sin, of judgment and righteousness, and you're like,

34:47well, there's convict words, so, or convinced if you prefer. So I'll bring you. Yeah, Pastor, you're wrecking the day. Why can't every Sunday be good shepherd's Sunday? There we go. And then Vicki, you know, as Pastor Riley brought up for us, is like, well, the shepherd hobbles the sheep so that they don't run away anymore. So that's also not as comforting a picture as you thought it was. Why is he on his shoulders? Because he broke his leg. Anyway, so, yeah, I get all of that. Of course, then I just asked the question, what do you want from church anyway then? And why would you come here? Because you can watch Ted Talks online, or you can pay, you know, $1,000 to go here, Tony Robbins or somebody. I don't know who your favorite motivational speaker is. You know, what? Me? Thanks. That was very sweet. Motivational. Yeah. Well, what? There's a difference between motivation and encouragement. So it's, I mean, we can respond to that. I mean, I think the word of God is encouraging. It gives you courage to say, oh, like we're just saying, son or daughter, a friend, coworker,

35:53whatever, wherever that word needs to be spoken, for their sake that they not die but live, either eternally or even just temporarily, right? You just say it. What about what's the plan? Well, that's what discipline is. That's what discipline is. Doesn't all feel good. No. Well, that's the same. I would like to hear gospel all the time, the grace and stuff, but you know, sometimes that lost side has to speak in where everyone's in a while. Every once in a while. No. I have to talk to you. No, the answer is the gospel can't be preached without the law being preached. Because what are you being forgiven for? Don't know. So then it's just, Jesus is nicer, a nice guy or something. That's the gospel. I saw a picture online this morning. I'm not going to mention, because it will be, we'll be gone forever. Our conversation, that was a detour. I'm just, unfortunately, yes, I subscribe to channels where they highlight the worst of the Christian church in the US. Or Canada or wherever.

36:53All right. So, yeah, it's both directions. If I speak up, they're going to burn me. Right? If I keep quiet, God's going to burn me. So, who would you rather be burned by, I guess? And then the New Testament, we have the fire spoken of in a positive sense, right? The Holy Spirit is that consuming fire that doesn't burn completely, but like silver and draught refined. Yeah, it brings correction to the discipline. So, fire can be negative. Fire in Brimstone, Thonmingham Mora. Remember that story? Yeah, it's kind of a mass, right? And then, but fire can also be positive. Like, if we had some controlled burns in Canada, we wouldn't have to deal with wildfire smoke all the time. So, I mean, there is positive use of fire to clarify, to burn away. I think this is also important to note here. And he's making a confession, and it's true.

37:53This is what's on his heart. It doesn't mean it's necessarily true of God. I don't think verse 7 is true of God, for example. What, I mean, did God persuade him? I mean, he did kind of overwhelm him. But what do we say? People think, I don't know what your experience is. Not a single person there on that wall chose to be a pastor willingly. They might tell you they were, they did. But they were called to the office by the Holy Spirit. Maybe they agreed with the Holy Spirit more or less, some days, more than other days. Right? But we can be honest about that, just like Jeremiah. Did Jeremiah want to preach that message that you're all going into Babylon? Nope. But he was compelled to. He had to, because it was the word from God. All right. So I think that's true. And the reason that such a great blessing to you is that means that God can work through a man who doesn't even want to do it.

38:56Right? And then you got to hear the gospel today, even though despite, you know, I would just as much as anyone else would rather be at home. Taking an out. I did, I did ask that question. It wasn't in my manuscript, but I did say whatever they were doing on Labor Day weekend. It was in the sermon. Like, I don't know what people are doing this weekend. Why are you at church? What else do you have to do? You got a three day, three day weekend. Yeah. Anyway. I know I stand in judgment. I'm so sorry. But I do have that question. Am I? Unless you were like traveling long distance or something. I guess. All right. So let's look at this prevail thing. Okay. Well, I forgive you. You have a work meeting. You have a work meeting. You have a work meeting. All right. You're going to keep the Sabbath holy by working. Okay. You know. All right. Prevail. Prevail. Let's find the prevailing. Or inducing. Right?

39:56It's right here. There's one. Okay. Verse 9. Where was that one? Oh. This isn't going to work. Because I'm going to have to scroll. So let's just turn this off. I'm sorry. That was going to be fun, but it's not going to work. Yeah. Well. Verse 9. Do you see it there? Verse 9, the same word. It's this one right here. Yeah. It's the same word in that interesting. It's translated differently depending on who's running it. 10. My cre...perhaps he can be there it is. Induced. All right. So we've had it three times now. Then what's the next one? What did I say there? 10, 11. Oh, there it is. They will not prevail.

40:58It's actually the same word all five of them. So we translated differently to keep things interesting. But it just depends on who's running it. So in one sense, God prevails in another sense. They try to prevail in another sense. He tries to prevail, I guess. Right? And does any really does any of it work? Yeah. Only in the end, he eventually just kind of says, what does he say at the end? The Lord is with me, a mighty and awesome one. They will not prevail. He is the Lord of hosts. All right. Sing to the Lord, he's done it. So you can push back against God, or as Jesus calls it, kicking against the... kicking against the goats. Cow prods. Yeah. When he's talking to St. Paul, when he's a conversion, you know. And I don't know what...

41:59I think some translators just translated it away, because they're like, nobody knows what kicking against the goats means. But I like the old words, right? So, yeah. So Jesus is writing you like a horse, be not like a horse or a mule. Oh, well. Jesus is writing you, and you're not going, so you're not doing the thing. You've got a horse. You don't know the name. You got more than one horse. You have multiple horses. I guess this is a whip, right? Yeah, yeah, exactly. Just to... Hey, let's get moving, right? And then what are they... Instead of moving, what do they do? Right. That's how Jesus describes St. Paul. Does that seem kind of relevant to you? Yeah, okay. Kicking against the goats. Right? No, what's the point? And then terror on every side, like we say, with Peshur. That's the... And now in 10, it says, the same thing.

42:59All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling. No, where is it? Oh, there it is. For I heard many mocking fear on every side. So they're all saying that there's terror everywhere because of Jeremiah. Jeremiah said, it's actually because the priests have stopped doing their job. The terror is coming. Yes, Jeremiah preached it, but he's not the one responsible for it. They are. And they're priests. I did think today that, you know, a lot of times we blame the 10 for not giving God things or the 9, for not giving things. I thought it was helpful to actually blame the priests. Because, you know, they kind of get a bad rap. I mean, Jesus told them to go and show themselves the priests. It's really the priests that are the problem. Because the priests could have said, well, like they do else other times, hey, who is the guy that healed you? Take us so that we can meet him too. Of course they... Like with the blind man, they just want to kill him. Get rid of him. Welcome back, children. All right. We're only on question four. Question five.

44:00Verse seven is an accusation against God. I think we heard that. And it's not true. God never deceived him. He warned him at the call, verse chapter one, that they would fight him. Jeremiah says it anyway, and God puts it in the Bible. And he's it there. Now, judge it. Was Jeremiah allowed to say that? Yeah. Well, he did. And what does it mean that the Holy Spirit preserved a sentence about God that is false? Recorded not as doctrine, but as what a faithful man actually said in the dark. Before you answer, remember what you already learned in the bottom of the well, as I said before. The God who hides himself is not a different God from the one who preaches. Uncertainty is what his hiddenest feels like from the inside. Jeremiah is not describing God. He's describing the weather. Now. He's describing how it feels. You might say it that way. I think, like I said, I think this is helpful. Do you think this is helpful?

45:01I mean, God corrects him. Actually, the Spirit corrects him. His words change after that. But you think of Jesus' cry of dereliction in Psalm 22. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But it sounds similar. And God had forsaken him there. So that actually wasn't a lie. That was actually true for our sake. So I don't know. I don't think we have to justify Jeremiah either. We always try to do that. We try to like, well, it was okay for him to say it, but not for us or something like that. We don't have to do that. Just as we talked about with Psalms a little bit, I think it is, I don't know if you agree. I think it's better to say it than to not say it, even if you think it's wrong. And one of the best places you can do that is to your pastor. I don't know if this is right, but this is what I'm thinking.

46:04And if it is wrong, let's look at God's word on that. If it is right, you said, no, this is what God's word says. Put your doubts before the Lord. Either search the scriptures or do that with, it's even better to do it with someone else, who can be a little bit more objective than what's in your head or your heart. And then look at the end. We'll do this question really quick. I pointed this out to you before the bipolar Jeremiah. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the liver, the life of the poor from the hand of evil doers. Except we're going to have to do it through Babylon. So maybe not so pleasant. But I had to preach this. So cursed is the day in which I was born, let not the day be blessed in which my mother bore me. That almost sounds suicidal again. We don't want to psychologize it. He is saying that, I mean, this is what everybody else is saying about him.

47:05He's actling. They're like, just get rid of this guy. They've been better from never been born because of the word that he's been preaching to us. Just send him away. Let's find a new pastor. This guy is just too much. And then he's like, I agree with you. Put me out of my misery. So I can be done with it too. Like, if that sounds personal, I'm sorry. Maybe it is. Oh no. Like I said, I think every pastor struggles with something like this. Maybe you do too in your own vocation as well. Where it's just like, I didn't ask for this child. Why does he keep doing this to me? I'm just joking, James. I'm just picking on you because you're right in front of me. You could do that. You could do the same thing. But you're just like, the Lord knit that child together in your wife's womb. So receive them. Right? And even if it be sorrow, let it be for joy because there's someone for whom Christ died. Even if they make your life miserable.

48:06So be it. So be it. By the way, Jeremiah, he does sound a little bit like it could be better to be on the other side. Not grass is greener on the other side. But let's go across the river into death. It would be better to be dead. That's another way of saying the same thing though. Grass is greener. It's like maybe when you're trying, people do this all the time, right? Search for a better job. They search for a better church. Search for a better spouse. You know? And what did I see? I saw a meme. It was about somebody. You know, honey, you've tried three different times. I think you should probably, probably, probably, to problem isn't with all your husbands. It's probably with you. Something like that, right? You keep searching. You never find because you already had it. And then you first soak it, right? So that might be a good answer for Jeremiah. It'd be nice if Jeremiah had a counselor. You know? By counseling me in the best possible sense.

49:06Not a psychotherapist. But, you know, like Job. Like who counseled Job? Well, his counselors were terrible. His three friends, his wife. Yeah. You know? It's like, you know, where the... He's tormented in the body and they make it worse. You know? I could imagine he just wanted to say them, shot. Right? Yeah. But they didn't. And yet God saw him through. So I think that's the important part. Even if you're in a dark stretch, right? The sentence, the verdict has already been rendered. Do you heard it today? Your faith has saved you or Jesus has saved you. So whatever it is that you face, that word is the trunk. Hi, Willie. Did anybody tell you not to play during Bible class? He's little. Anything else? Any questions?

50:06Yeah. So next lesson, we're going to get Jeremiah put on trial. So we're moving into narrative. So that would be more interesting for you. Everybody, you want to hear the pastor put on trial? Have you ever been through that? Oh, don't answer that question. All right. So, it would be good. All right, Willie, let's pray so we can leave. Lord God, you called us before we could answer and you have not let us go. We have accused you when you were keeping every promise you made. We have gone quiet when we should have spoken. And we have said in the dark what we would never confess in the light. Do not deal with us according to the words we say at two in the morning. Deal with us according to your son who was born to give us his life and who did not curse the day of his birth but went to his death for hours. Put your word in us like a fire we cannot hold in. Stand by us as a mighty, awesome one. And when we cannot win and cannot sing, do not impute it to us,

51:06but keep us to the day when every mouth of ours is finally only praise. Amen.