Even if you have to die and go down into the grave, God will raise you again because His Word for you is true
Jeremiah was called to stand against the “whole land” (1:18). That is not an easy calling for anyone at any time or any place. Who signs up for a fat lip? Jeremiah first started preaching in his hometown of Anathoth, which was a stone’s throw from Jerusalem. He spoke against false piety (12:2), idolatry (2:4-13), unrighteousness (5:1-9), indifference, and so much more (2:23-32). So, how did his neighbors, friends and even his own family react to that? Well, they rejected him, of course!
Jeremiah himself apparently did not know how bad it was because God had to reveal to Jeremiah that they were attempting to kill him (11:19). Nobody likes the prophet, poor Jeremiah. Nobody likes an uncomfortable word, that is for sure. People much prefer the words from the false prophets which are pleasing to their ears and sweet to their lips. They will always reject the true Word from the Lord. As sinners to the core, we only refuse and even eventually try to kill the Word in order to get it away from us. It will always be this way with those who speak the truth of God’s Word in this world (Psalm 44:22; 1 Corinthians 4:13; Romans 8:36).
There is no greater display of this than Jesus Christ. If Jeremiah was threatened to be “cut off from the land of the living” (verse 19) what does it mean that Jesus, the prophet greater than Jeremiah, fulfilled prophecy by actually being “cut off from the land of the living” (Isaiah 53:8) when He suffered and died on the Cross. But even that could not stop the Word of the Lord. All of their plotting and plucking and putting the Word of God into a grave cannot stop the Word. As Isaiah says:
“For as the rain and the snow come down from Heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth. It shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11).
You can try and stop the Word of God, but the Word made flesh (John 1:14) will show you how futile that is. If you put the Word incarnate into the ground, God will raise it up in power. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:42-43:
“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”
You cannot stop the Word of the Lord. This is good news for us because the Word of the Lord says things about your forgiveness, salvation, and life that you would never want to fade or be able to be destroyed. Whatever is true about Jesus is also true about you. That is what the incarnation means. Jeremiah was left in a pit to rot and die but God raised him out to life again (Jeremiah 38). Jesus was left in the tomb for three days and God the Father raised His Son again for your life and salvation (Acts 13:30; Galatians 1:1).
You cannot stop the Word of the Lord. This is good news for us because the Word of the Lord says things about your forgiveness, salvation, and life that you would never want to fade or be able to be destroyed.
So, even if you have to die and go down into the grave, God will raise you again because His Word for you is true. This is a great text to preach to those who may be timid and afraid to trust in the Word. The world breathes hot and violent words for the faithful. Remember:
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore, they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God” (1 John 4:4-6).
Perhaps there is an opportunity to orient your hearers to the story of Jeremiah. Using a Narrative Sermon structure could deepen their understanding of the richness of Jeremiah’s story which can highlight the connection to the Gospel. Using the Epic Narrative form can help you highlight the conflict which will lead your hearers into resolution in Christ.
“The narrative sermon structure uses the plot line of a story to structure the experience of the hearers during a sermon. For example, if a plot begins with conflict and then increases that conflict to build suspense for the hearers, the narrative sermon structure begins with conflict and then increases the conflict to build suspense for the hearers. A narrative sermon structure, therefore, does not necessarily use stories. Instead, it uses the form of a story (for example, the dynamics of plot) to structure the experience of the hearers during the sermon. This structure utilizes an epic plot form as the progression of experiences in the sermon.
The first experience of the epic form is immediate engagement in a conflict leading to a climax that is temporarily left unresolved.
The second experience of the epic form involves an abrupt shift to reflection in a broader context (for example, the history that lies behind the conflict) which serves to intensify the importance of the outcome for the hearers. Often, this experience is a movement backward in time from the opening conflict to the history leading up to that conflict. In this second experience, the sermon should offer information that brings the significance of the opening scene into view for the hearers. The hearers reflect on the broader context and realize what is at stake in this struggle. Also, this revelation of a larger framework can offer the hearers a glimpse of how the conflict will ultimately be resolved. It can provide a different way of looking at things that changes how they hear the opening scene and how the story will unfold.
The final experience in the epic form involves a return to the conflict in order to move from climax to resolution. The sermon, therefore, ends with the hearers experiencing satisfaction as a significant matter is resolved in the sermon.”[1]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Jeremiah 11:18-20.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Jeremiah 11:18-20.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Jeremiah 11:18-20.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/dynamic/narrative-structures/epic-form/
