1. MAKE NO EXCUSES
JEREMIAH 1:4-19
AUGUST 5, 2012
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MS USA

2. OUTREACH
OPPORTUNITY
WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 15
3:15 P. M. - 5:00 P. M.

3. Distributing water to the
Sellers Building and
Supreme Court Justice
Building as employees
leave from work for the
“Good Neighbor”
Outreach Project

4. Contact Cathy Jeffcoats at:
cjeffcoats@fbcj.org
or call
601-949-1941

5. —J. Vernon McGee's Thru
The Bible

6. This lesson is about God
calling His people to
service in spite of their
inadequacies and it is also
about equipping those He
calls.

7. You can retire from your
job but not your calling!

8. Don’t sit, soak and sour!

9. God’s call is unique to
each individual and so is
His plan for each life.
God had a plan for
Jeremiah even before he
was born.

11. He has an assignment for
each of us regardless of
our age.
Jeremiah lamented that he
was too young and Moses
could have stated that he
was too old (80).

12. God calls us to serve Him
in spite of our
inadequacies.
We can’t say to God, ‘I’ve
done my service, now it’s
time for the younger
people to do it.’

13. God continues to have a
plan for each of us and we
can be certain that He will
equip us for the tasks that
He has for us to do.

14. Our age group has
wisdom, experience and
maturity that can be used
in service to God.

15. Whatever His plan is for
your life, allow Him to
speak to you through
these lessons from
Jeremiah.

16. As you seek God, He will
reveal to you where He is
at work around you and
that’s your opportunity to
adjust your life to His
agenda and join Him
where He is working.

17. He is looking to us for
instant obedience.
“No, Lord!” is an
oxymoron.
Delayed obedience is
disobedience.

18. Partial obedience is
disobedience.
We are to step up and
serve God eagerly and
obediently.
What opportunities have
you missed in your life?

19. opPORTunity

20. Our age is not a problem
for God.
We are to thank God for
the benefits and
opportunities that
accompany our
age group.

21. Serving God means we
proclaim His message His
way. We don’t promote
our own agenda the way
we think best.
He calls us to service with
obedience rather than

22. excuses.
This lesson is about God’s
calling His people to
service in spite of their
inadequacies and about
His preparing of those
whom He calls.

23. Give up your excuses for
not serving God, and
respond immediately and
obediently to His call.

27. TODAY’S OUTLINE
God Calls – Jer 1:4-8
God Equips – Jer 1:9-10
God Affirms – Jer 1:11-14,
17-19

28. Jeremiah 1: 4-19 HCSB
4 “The word of the LORD
came to me:
5 I chose you before I
formed you in the womb;
I set you apart before you
were born.

29. I appointed you a prophet
to the nations.
6 But I protested, “Oh no,
Lord, God! Look, I don’t
know how to speak since I
am only a youth.”

30. 7 Then the Lord said to
me:
Do not say, “I am only a
youth,”
for you will go to
everyone I send you to &
speak whatever I tell you.

31. 8 Do not be afraid of
anyone,
for I will be with you to
deliver you.
This is the Lord’s
declaration.

32. 9 Then the Lord reached
out His hand, touched my
mouth, and told me:
I have now filled your
mouth with My words.

33. 10 See, I have appointed
you today over nations
and kingdoms to uproot
and tear down,
to destroy and demolish,
to build and plant.

34. Two Visions
11 Then the word of
the Lord came to me,
asking, “What do you see,
Jeremiah?”
I replied, “I see a branch
of an almond tree.”

35. 12 The Lord said to me,
“You have seen correctly,
for I watch over My word
to accomplish it.”
13 Again the word of the
Lord came to me
inquiring, “What do you

36. see?”
And I replied, “I see a
boiling pot, its lip tilted
from the north to the
south.”
14 Then the Lord said to
me, “Disaster will be

37. poured out from the north
on all who live in the
land.
15 Indeed, I am about to
summon all the clans and
kingdoms of the north.”
This is the Lord’s

38. declaration.
They will come, and each
king will set up his throne
at the entrance to
Jerusalem’s gates.
They will attack all her
surrounding walls and

39. all the other cities of
Judah.
16 “I will pronounce My
judgments against them
for all the evil they did
when they abandoned Me
to burn incense to other

40. gods and to worship the
works of their own hands.
17 “Now, get ready. Stand
up and tell them
everything that I
command you. Do not be
intimidated by them or I

41. will cause you to cower
before them.
18 Today, I am the One
Who has made you a
fortified city, an iron
pillar, and bronze
walls against the whole

42. land—against the kings of
Judah, its officials, its
priests, and the
population.
19 They will fight against
you but never prevail over
you, since I am with you

43. to rescue you.”
This is the Lord’s
declaration.
Jeremiah 1:4-19 HCSB

44. Jeremiah 1:5
5 “I chose you before I
formed you in the womb;
I set you apart before you
were born.”

45. God gives life at
conception.
The Hebrew word for
“formed” is used 62 times
in the Old Testament.
It can also be translated
“make” or “fashion”.

46. The participle form is
used on occasion as a
noun meaning “Potter”
and twice in reference to
God as “Maker”.

47. The verb occurs twice in
the creation account:

48. Genesis 2:7-8
“Then the Lord God
formed the man out of the
dust from the ground…
The Lord God planted a
garden in Eden, in the
east, and there He placed

49. the man He had formed”.
Genesis 2:7-8
Other believers saw this
too:
Psalm 139:13-16
Isaiah 49:1, 5 & Gal 1:15

50. Psalm 139:13-16
13 “For it was You Who
created my inward parts;
You knit me together in
my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You
because I have been

51. remarkably and
wonderfully made.
Your works are
wonderful, and I know
this very well.
15 My bones were not
hidden from You when I

52. was made in secret, when
I was formed in the
depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw me
when I was formless; all
my days were written in
Your book and planned

53. before a single one of
them began.”
Psalm 139:13-16

55. Isaiah 49:1, 5
1“Coastlands, listen to
me;
distant peoples, pay
attention.
The Lord called me before
I was born.

56. He named me while I was
in my mother’s womb.
5 And now, says the Lord,
Who formed me from the
womb to be His Servant,
to bring Jacob back to
Him so that Israel might

57. be gathered to Him;
for I am honored in the
sight of the Lord, and my
God is my strength”
Isaiah 49:1, 5

58. Galatians 1:15, 16a
15 “But when God, Who
from my birth set me
apart and called me by
His grace, was pleased
16 to reveal His Son in
me,

59. so that I could preach
Him among the Gentiles”
Galatians 1:15-16a

60. Jeremiah was 16-20 years
old when he received this
call on his life from God.

61. He was living in a country
that had turned its back
on God and was headed
for destruction.

62. Jeremiah 1:6
6 “But I protested, “Oh
no, Lord, God! Look, I
don’t know how to
speak since I am only a
youth.”

63. Adam, Moses, Gideon,
and now Jeremiah all
questioned God
concerning His plan for
their lives.

64. Jeremiah tried to use the
excuse, “I don’t know
how to speak”.
God had already heard
that one from Moses in
Exodus 4:10-16:
10 “But Moses replied to

65. the Lord, “Please, Lord, I
have never been eloquent
—either in the past or
recently or since You have
been speaking to Your
servant—because I am
slow and hesitant in

66. speech.”
11 Yahweh said to him,
“Who made the human
mouth? Who makes him
mute or deaf, seeing or
blind? Is it not I, Yahweh?

67. 12 Now go! I will
help you speak and I will
teach you what to say.”
13 Moses said, “Please,
Lord, send someone else.”
14 Then the Lord’s anger
burned against Moses,

68. and He said, “Isn’t Aaron
the Levite your brother? I
know that he can speak
well. And also, he is on
his way now to meet you.
He will rejoice when he
sees you.

69. 15 You will speak with
him and tell him what to
say. I will help both you
and him to speak and will
teach you both what to
do.

70. 16 He will speak to the
people for you. He will be
your spokesman, and you
will serve as God to him.”
Exodus 4:10-16

71. With just a cursory
reading of scripture it is
easy to see how Moses,
Gideon, and Jeremiah
questioned God
concerning His plan for
their lives.

72. It is not as easy to see how
Adam questioned God
concerning His plan for
his life. When you study
scripture, however, the
following things become
apparent about Adam
questioning God.

73. 1) He listened to his wife
rather than to God
(Genesis 3:6 & 3:17)
2) He ate the forbidden
fruit in direct
disobedience to God's
commandment (same two
verses)

74. 3) He sewed fig leaves
together to cover up (3:7
man's efforts and man's
way, not God's way)
4) He was afraid (3:10 not
at all God's plan)

75. 5) He hid (3:8 & 3:10 not
God's plan to be hidden
from God)
6) He blamed God (3:12
'that woman You gave
me' is what caused this)

76. By studying Adam's
questioning of God we
see that we don't have to
say “I don't know how to
speak” or “I'm only a
youth” or something
similar to question God.

77. Often our actions or
inactions question God
louder than words.
God calls us to service in
His kingdom despite our
inadequacies.

78. Little Johnny announced
to his parents on the first
morning that he was to
start to school, “Send
someone else, I can’t do
this.”

79. When his parents asked
“Why can’t you do this?”
Johnny replied, “Duh! I
can’t go to school. I can’t
read nor write.”

80. God specializes in
working through our
inadequacies.
When we allow Him to
accomplish His work
through our inadequacies,
it brings Him much glory!

81. Even though we don’t
know what next week
holds, we know Who
holds next week!

82. Jeremiah 1:6b-7a
6b“…I don’t know how to
speak since I am only a
youth.”
7 Then the Lord said to
me: Do not say, “I am
only a youth,”

83. Moses may have thought
about using the age thing
as an excuse also…
Acts 7:23, 28-30
23 “As Moses was
approaching the age of 40,
he decided to visit his

84. brothers, the Israelites… 28
“Do you want to kill me, the
same way you killed the
Egyptian yesterday?”
29 “At this disclosure,
Moses fled and became an
exile in the land of

85. Midian, where he fathered
two sons.
30 After 40 years had
passed, an angel appeared
to him in the wilderness
of Mount Sinai, in the
flame of a burning bush.”

86. Moses was now 80 years
old and may have well
thought of the excuse,
“I’m too old for this!”
Our age is not a problem
for God and He is not
going to buy our excuses.

87. Observe how God
countered Jeremiah’s
excuses:
I don’t know how to
speak - I’ll show you.
I don’t know where to go
– I’ll send you and show

88. you.
I’m afraid – I’ll be with
you and will deliver you.
He shows us how to get
past our excuses.
He has already given us
everything we need to do

89. what He has called us to
do.
2 Peter 1:3
3 His divine power has
given us everything
required for life and
godliness through the

90. knowledge of Him Who
called us by His own
glory and goodness.”
2 Peter 1:3

91. Jeremiah 1:8
8 “Do not be afraid of
anyone, for I will be with
you to deliver you.
This is the Lord’s
declaration.”

93. The most frequent
command in Scripture is:
“DO NOT FEAR!”

94. Psalm 118:6
6 “The Lord is for me; I
will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”

95. Matthew 10:18-20, 28
18 “You will even be
brought before governors
and kings because of Me,
to bear witness to them
and to the nations.

96. 19 But when they hand
you over, don’t worry
about how or what you
should speak. For you
will be given what to say
at that hour,
20 because you are not

97. speaking, but the Spirit of
your Father is speaking
through you…
28 Don’t fear those who
kill the body but are not
able to kill the soul; rather,
fear Him who is able to

98. destroy both soul and
body in hell.”
Matthew 10:18-20, 28

99. Our friend who will be
baptized this next hour
has already come to the
point that he is willing for
his baptism to be televised
regardless of the personal
costs to him & his family.

100. He told us last week that
if someone watching his
baptism on TV would be
drawn to Christ, he was
not afraid of what that
might mean for him
personally.

102. Jeremiah 1:9
9 “Then the Lord reached
out His hand, touched my
mouth, and told me:
I have now filled your
mouth with My words.”

103. The Lord touched
Jeremiah’s mouth.
God has been hands-on
since He formed man
from the dust of the
ground in Genesis 2:7.

104. God spoke everything
else into being but we are
handmade.
He even knows how
many hairs are on your
head!

105. Matthew 10:30
30 “But even the hairs of
your head have all been
counted.”

106. When God calls you, He
equips you.
He hand delivers what
you need to accomplish
the work He has given
you to do.

107. Isaiah 6:5-8
5 “Then I said:
‘Woe is me for I am
ruined because I am a
man of unclean lips and
live among a people of
unclean lips, and because

108. my eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of Hosts.’
6 Then one of the
seraphim flew to me, and
in his hand was a glowing
coal that he had taken
from the altar with tongs.

109. 7 He touched my mouth
with it and said:
‘Now that this has
touched your lips, your
wickedness is removed
and your sin is atoned
for.’

110. 8 Then I heard the voice of
the Lord saying:
‘Who should I send?
Who will go for Us?’
I said:
‘Here I am. Send me.’”
Isaiah 6:5-8

111. Like Jeremiah, God has
called us to stand against
sin and to proclaim the
Good News of His
forgiveness.
God loves people as they
are, not as they ought to

112. be!
That is Good News and it
ought to be a message that
is easy to share.
What is your excuse?
Whatever it is, God isn’t
buying it.

113. God has written His word
on our hearts and we
must let go of our fears,
accept His call on our
lives and allow His words
to move from our hearts
and minds to our mouths.

114. Jeremiah 1:10
10 “See, I have appointed
you today over nations
and kingdoms to uproot
and tear down, to destroy
and demolish, to build
and plant.”

115. The job that God was
calling Jeremiah to do was
overwhelming.
He was to go to nations
and to kingdoms and
point out to them their
failures, to uproot and to

116. tear down the anti-God
things they were doing, to
destroy and to demolish.
Jeremiah knew that was a
message that would get
him killed and eventually,
it did just that.

118. Any time we get outside
of our comfort zone we
experience fear.
But God’s kingdom work
is not about our comfort.
We are living in a
kingdom that is at war!

119. He has already given us
what we need to
accomplish the tasks He
has called us to do.
He has already given us
enough grace, enough
faith, enough courage to

120. do the job.
Our response should be
instant obedience.
That’s what soldiers are
trained to do – obey
instantly.

121. Two Visions Jer 1:11-12
11 Then the word of
the Lord came to me,
asking, “What do you see,
Jeremiah?”
I replied, “I see a branch
of an almond tree.”

122. 12 The Lord said to me,
“You have seen correctly,
for I watch over My word
to accomplish it.”
Jeremiah 1:11-12

123. Our word “almond” is
from the Hebrew word,
shaked meaning hasten.

124. The almond tree is the
first tree to blossom each
year (January) and is a
sign of the coming spring.
When all the other trees
are still dormant, the
almond tree comes alive!

125. Here and in Ecclesiastes
12:5, the almond tree is
symbolic of a watchman,
signaling the coming of a
certain event.
In Ecclesiastes chapter 12
the writer is telling of the

126. aging process and of the
certainty of death:
5 “Also, they (the elderly)
are afraid of heights and
dangers on the road;
the almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper loses its

127. spring, and the caper
berry has no effect;
for man is headed to his
eternal home,”
The early-appearing white
bloom of the almond
apparently serves as a

128. picture of the early
graying of a person’s hair.
The root from the Hebrew
word shaked – almond - is
the word shoked,
meaning to watch
diligently.

129. The almond tree
represents the sure timing
of the Lord - just as
certain as spring will
follow winter – God’s
word will come true.
He watches over it!

130. We can be certain that
God is watching to make
sure His promises,
purposes and threats are
fulfilled.

131. Jeremiah 1:13-14
13 “Again the word of the
Lord came to me
inquiring, “What do you
see?”
And I replied, “I see a

132. boiling pot, its lip tilted
from the north to the
south.”
14 Then the Lord said to
me, “Disaster will be
poured out from the
north on all who live in

133. the land.”
Jeremiah 1:13-14

134. The second vision, a
“boiling pot tilted from
the north to the south”
pictured Babylon coming
from the north to pour out
God’s judgment on His
rebellious people.

135. God had seen His
people’s sinful disregard
for Him and for His laws
and Jeremiah’s
assignment was to foretell
the coming judgment.

136. Every time Jeremiah saw
an almond tree he would
be reminded God was
watching and guiding.
Each day when he saw a
boiling pot he would
remember judgment was

137. coming to an idolatrous
nation.
Remembering that God is
watching, being aware of
His presence, gives us an
urgency to proclaim His
message of repentance.

138. God warned Jeremiah that
he would face antagonism
from his own countrymen
and cautioned him to not
let those detractors
intimidate him into
disobedient silence.

139. Jeremiah would be able to
stand against hostile
opposition because God
would make him strong,
resistant, and
impenetrable.
God does not hide the fact

140. there is cost to being a
person that He uses.
We are the ones who try
to fool ourselves that
serving God should
always be easy and
pleasurable.

141. There is also a cost of
ignoring God.

142. 1 John 2:28
28 “So now, little children,
remain in Him, so that
when He appears we may
have boldness and not be
ashamed before Him at
His coming.”

143. What excuses have you
made to avoid doing what
God has called you to do?

144. God planned to discipline
Judah because the people
had again fallen into
idolatry.
What are some of the
idols in our culture?

145. Jeremiah 1:17-19
17 “Now, get ready. Stand
up and tell them
everything that I
command you. Do not be
intimidated by them or I

146. will cause you to cower
before them.
18 Today, I am the One
Who has made you a
fortified city, an iron
pillar, and bronze
walls against the whole

147. land—against the kings of
Judah, its officials, its
priests, and the
population.
19 They will fight against
you but never prevail over
you, since I am with you

148. to rescue you.”
This is the Lord’s
declaration.
Jeremiah 1:17-19

149. In verse 17 the Lord gave
Jeremiah four commands:
1) Get ready
2) Stand up
3) Tell them everything I
command you
4) Don’t be intimidated

150. 1) Get ready because the
task would not be easy.

151. 2) Stand up in full
confidence that he was
speaking the words of the
Lord.

152. 3) Tell them everything I
command you – Jeremiah
was not to change the
message, add to it, and
not to subtract from it.
The Lord’s words were to
be delivered exactly as

153. Jeremiah had received
them from God.

154. 4) Jeremiah was not to be
intimidated by anyone.
As stated in verse 18,
many of the folks
Jeremiah would have to
face were very powerful
leaders, some in the realm

155. of politics and others in
the area of Judah’s
religion.
As God’s spokesman,
Jeremiah the prophet was
above all of them.

156. If he became intimidated,
God would make him
cower before them even
though these leaders
should have cowered
before the prophet.

157. Verse 18 uses three
metaphors to describe the
strength God would
provide for Jeremiah in
his prophetic role:
1) A fortified city
2) An iron pillar

158. 3) Bronze walls against
the whole land
Each image depicts that
which is safe, powerful,
and impenetrable –
appropriate metaphors for

159. the Lord’s words in
Jeremiah’s mouth.
Jeremiah’s messages
would be delivered
primarily against the
kings of Judah, its
officials, its priests, and

160. the population.
Despite the difficult task
and powerful people
Jeremiah faced, the Lord’s
declaration would have
given the prophet great
confidence: “they will

161. fight against you but
never prevail over you,
since I am with you to
rescue you.”
During the course of his
40-year prophetic
ministry, Jeremiah would

162. endure threats, ridicule,
and imprisonment.
But God rescued Jeremiah
in all these situations.
The prophet lived to see
the fulfillment of his
messages of judgment

163. against Judah, Jerusalem,
and even the Temple –
devastating though they
were no matter what task
the Lord gave Jeremiah,
he remained faithful and
did exactly what God had

164. called him to do.

165. Grandparenting, listening,
caregiving, and praying
are all important
ministries that we can do.
Visit folks who have no
family.

166. Get involved in the
project on August 15th to
hand out bottled water to
those who work here in
the downtown area.