You Have a Special Purpose for Your Life

O. T. #1730  "You Have a Special Purpose For Your Life"
July 9, 2020
Introduction to Jeremiah-Part 2
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (verse 5)

Each one of us has a special calling on our life by God. You were made with a specific thing to do with your talents and abilities and spiritual gifts for His glory and honor. Are you faithfully doing those things? Maybe you are raising children at home right now; are you teaching children about Jesus? Are you helping neighbors in need? Or, are you singing in a choir for God's glory? Whatever you are doing to serve God is very important in His Kingdom work. Keep doing it, dear one. We don't know what effect we will have on future generations. Jeremiah had a special purpose for his life. Read on to find out what it was.

Jeremiah was a priest and a prophet to Judah after Isaiah. He was probably around 20 years of age when God called him to prophesy, warning Judah if they did not repent of idolatry then they would go into captivity, but they refused. Jeremiah was a humble and sorrowful over the condition and future of his countrymen. As a result, Israel went into captivity for 70 years in Babylon. Jeremiah prophesied during the reign of five kings in Judah. His kingdom work lasted some 40-50 years. When Babylon came conquering Jerusalem and Judah, some Hebrews dragged Jeremiah and his secretary Baruch with them to Egypt. Probably, he died there. around age 70-80.

Theological Themes

The main theme of this book is judgment upon Judah (chapters 1-29) with future restoration in the Messianic Kingdom (23-30). The secondary theme is God's willingness to spare and bless the nation only if the people repent. Other themes include:
1. God's longing for Israel to be tender toward Him, as in the days of first love (2:1-3);
2. Jeremiah's servant tears, as "the weeping prophet" (9:1);
3. the close, intimate relationship God had with Israel and that He yearned to keep (13:11);
4. suffering, as Jeremiah's trials (chapters 11, 20) and God's sufficiency in all trouble (chapter 20);
5. the viral role that God's Word can play in life (15:16);
6. the place of faith in expecting restoration from the God for whom nothing is too difficult (chapter
     32);
7. prayer for coordination of God's will with God's action in restoring Israel to its land (chapter 33).
[Resource: The MacArthur Bible Commentary]

One thing for us to note is that this book was not written in chronological order as it happened, but it was loosely arranged as it moved back and forth in time. Another thing, even though this is a sad book, there are some spiritual lessons for us to learn from it. So we will try to find some encouragement along the way. Now, let's take a look at the first chapter.

What can we learn about Jeremiah's call to be God's prophet?
  *The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, in which he found assurance. We can find answers for
     our life questions in Scriptures. (verse 4)
  *Jeremiah's appointment as prophet was made before he was born. God knew Jeremiah, was
     acquainted with him and approved him while Jeremiah was in his mother. Also, Jeremiah was
     sanctified and ordained then. (verse 5) In other words, Jeremiah was chosen and set apart for
     special service by God.
  * Jeremiah made an excuse of not being able to speak and being too young for such a task. (Sounds
      like Moses, huh?) do we make excuses when we know God has a special task for us to do?
 
We are going to leave Jeremiah there. It gives us something to think about. Dear friend, have you heard the call to salvation in Jesus Christ? How did you react? Or have you heard the call of God on your life into special service? Maybe you have felt God nudging you to serve in a special way in your church or community. Are you faithfully doing His will?
Just think about it, before we were born, God had a special purpose for our life in kingdom work. I'm talking about the God of this universe, who spoke everything into existence, loves us had wants to use you and me in a unique way for His glory.