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Now, here's today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. The most popular tourist attraction in Yellowstone National Park is this thing. It's called Old Faithful.
Now, this is not the highest geyser. This is not the most powerful geyser in the park. Uh for that you'd have to go to uh steamboat geyser or a few others, but the reason this is the most popular is because it's regular. It's dependable. Every 90 minutes.
Give or take a couple minutes. That thing goes off. It's been doing it. It will continue, I guess, to do it.
So people show up. Because they know. It's faithful. It's dependable. If you are just faithful.
to your spouse. If you're just faithful. To your employer, if you're just faithful to your friends, if you're just faithful to your church, you become the most important person in the system. You're dependable. You're dependable.
You show up. You're regular. And that was Baruch. He's always there. We see him throughout the book of Jeremiah, beginning in chapter 32 onward.
He's the guy who's putting all this together. In fact, Because he is the scribe for Jeremiah, he is actually the author of the book of Jeremiah. He's the guy that actually wrote it down. Jeremiah dictated it.
So we have two qualities. He's a man of faith and he's a faithful man. And those are good qualities, but now we begin to see that he's just a man, he has some weaknesses.
So that takes us to the third. Characteristic, the third word in our little outline after faith and faithful, he was fainth-hearted. He was faint hearted. Go back to verse 2. This is now God speaking to Jeremiah to speak this to Baruch.
Thus says the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel, to you. Oh, Baruch? You said Baruch said, Woe is me now For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing. And I find no rest.
Okay, so This lets us know that Baruch has been complaining. About something. For him to say, Woe is me now, I have no rest. He's complaining about something. And I would say Understandably so.
Think of all that he has been through. If you're familiar with the book of Jeremiah, he's been writing down predictions of judgment. He has been living amongst a people who are corrupt and increasingly so in his nation. He's around a group of people that he loves, but will soon be going into Babylonian captivity because. He and Jeremiah have been predicting it.
So God's judgment is Inevitable, it is irreversible. And nobody's listening to Jeremiah. Not a single person so far has repented. Nobody seems to care. When this preacher is preaching.
In fact, I'm going to just read something to you, and I'm reading it to you because it just, I was reading this in my quiet time the other day. And it's the end of 2 Chronicles 36. You don't have to turn there. I'll just read a couple verses. This is the same time period.
This is the end of the kingdom. We read this, and the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them. By his messengers, rising up early and sending them. Because he had compassion on his people and on his. Dwelling place.
But they mocked. the Messengers of God. They despised his words. and scoffed at his prophets. Until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people until there was no remedy.
Therefore he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with a sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on their young man or virgin. on the aged or the weak, he gave them into his hand. To fulfill The word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet.
So Jeremiah. Anne Baruch, who's writing down the words, Are constantly getting these messages from the Lord of judgment, and nobody's paying attention, nobody's listening. Nobody is changing. Oh, here's something else. Not only was Jeremiah beaten, not only was he put in stocks, not only was he thrown in a cistern with mud.
And sinking in the mud, not only was he hated by everybody in the country, including the kings of that country. They even burned The first copy. Of the book of Jeremiah that Baruch had written down. They burned it in a fire.
So Baruch had to start all over again. And write down what had been burned up. I don't know if you've ever had the experience of working all day on your computer, then it crashes. and you lose a day of work and you think it's the end of the world now. Imagine losing the entire book up to that point of Jeremiah.
And having to start again. That would have taken weeks or perhaps. Months.
So This is what Baruch has been saying. Woe is me now. My life is terrible. Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. Right?
That's what he's singing. That's his song.
So this is self-pity. He's wallowing. There's five pronouns in two verses: me, my, I, my. Yeah. What's his focus on?
Himself. And again, understandably so. Given all that he is seeing, all that he has experienced, and His mentor Jeremiah was saying the same thing.
So he's just really taking his cue from his boss. Jeremiah 15, the prophet says, Woe is me, same words, woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife, a man of contention, to the whole earth. Then we get to chapter 20, and Jeremiah says, I will not make mention of him that is of God, nor speak any more in his name. In other words, I quit. I'm done.
I want to be a non-profit. Organization from now on. I don't want this prophecy gig anymore. But it goes on and says, But his word was in my heart. like a burning fire.
Shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.
So Jeremiah was dejected. Jeremiah was discouraged and said, Woe is me.
So, likewise, Baruch now. They're saying the same thing. And if that's not bad enough. Look in verse 3, the end of it. Woe is me, for the Lord has added grief to my sorrow.
I've fainted in my sighing, I find no rest.
So, God isn't helping my burden. That's what he feels like. He just keeps pouring on more. The city that I love is going to be burned. The city that I love is going to be exiled.
He says, I find no rest. In other words, my entire Life's investment. has been a failure. I mean, think of it. Jeremiah preached for a long time in Jerusalem, and there's No record of any even one person.
Repenting. Listening to him. No measurable results.
So, here's what I want you to get in your head, and my head, and our hearts. Jeremiah and Baruch. did everything right. But everything wrong seems to be happening to them. Woe is me now.
Some of you have been saying, Woe is me now. That's been your song. Nobody likes me, everybody hates me. That could be your song. You've been saying that, especially if you're a man of faith and a faithful man, especially if you're a woman of faith and a faithful woman.
If you're faithful and you believe, And yet you're experiencing hardship, you might be tempted to say, woe is me, because you're thinking this. Shouldn't there be some kind of immunity for people who believe if we live right, shouldn't we somehow be shielded? from all the bad things that can happen. That's what we figure. Shouldn't we be shielded?
Well, ask that question to Job. Ask that question to Joseph. Ask that question to Daniel. Ask that question. To Jesus.
It seemed that God poured grief. on their sorrow. And if you notice something about suffering, our suffering always seems bigger. No one else's woe is as bad as Our woe. No one else's sorrow is as bad as Our sorrow.
If I need an operation, it's major surgery. If they need the same operation, minor surgery. Our suffering becomes unique. And that's the reason I'm convinced, this is the reason we love stories like this one, because it shows us. that we're not alone when we suffer.
That this is Common. This is the common lot of even Biblical heroes. But here's the best part. We never hear of the word of the Lord coming to Baruch when he was. Happy.
And living in the sunshine, we read about God speaking to Baruch when he was in distress. When he was at his darkest moment, saying, Woe is me now, I find no rest, the word of the Lord came to him. God's voice became clearer. and unmistakable. Remember that old C.S.
Lewis quote: God whispers to us in our pleasures, but He shouts to us. In our pain. When uh Came to his disciples one night. They were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. I know you know the story.
The waves started churning up. Disciples started getting afraid because of the storm on the Sea of Galilee, even though they're seasoned fishermen, this is a very unique storm. And the waves were very Large, unpredictable. They thought they were going down, and they looked out on the water, and who did they see? They saw Jesus and what was he doing?
He was walking, and what was he walking on? He was walking on the very thing they feared the most. The waves. He was walking on the thing they Jesus came to them. On the very thing they feared the most.
Do you suppose Jesus might come to us on the very thing we fear the most? It's in those darkest times that his voice is unmistakable. like it was here. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Every day, friends like you help connect people around the world to the life-changing truth of God's Word through clear, verse-by-verse Bible teaching.
And this month, we'd like to thank you with a practical resource designed for the challenges of everyday life. When you give, you'll receive Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Living, a collection of four lifestyle booklets from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Through Pray This Way, Technicolor Joy, Unforgiveness, Forgiveness vs. Sweet Revenge, and Standing Firm in Unsettling Times, you'll discover biblical wisdom for prayer, joy, forgiveness, and finding peace when life feels uncertain. We'll send this special collection as our thanks when you give $30 or more to support ConnectWithSkip Heitzig.
Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer.
Now, let's return to today's teaching.
Now I'm going to say something general about life. that I think you'll agree with. Life is a series of trials I'm going to make this little prediction. Right now, you are either in a trial. Or you just came out of a trial, or you're about to go in a trial.
And yeah, you're going, yeah, I think I resonate with that. The next question is: why? Why would God allow so many hardships to come into the lives of his children? And here's the answer. Because God is more interested in your character than in your comfort.
God is more interested in making you holy than just making you happy. He wants you to be valuable to others. More so than just joyful. for yourself. And so Distress comes, hardships come, trials come.
You're coming out of one, you're in one, or you're going to be in one. If Christopher Columbus would have decided, I'm not going. Or midway in the journey over here, he said, I'm going back. Nobody would have blamed him. It was a tough journey.
Nobody would have blamed him. But nobody would have remembered him either. If Jeremiah And Baruch. Would have quit and abandoned their mission like they wanted to do. Nobody would have blamed them.
But nobody would have remembered them. And we wouldn't be here this morning getting benefit. From the lesson of their example. If you want to be memorable and you want to be valuable, you're going to have to allow for the miserable. Cause that's what shapes us.
Now in verse 4 Jeremiah is sent to go to Baruch and to call him out on this. and to encourage him.
So we go now to the fourth and final word or characteristic. And that is he was fretful. He was a Faith? He had faith, he was faithful, he was fainthearted, but he was also fretful. Look at verse 4, a little closer.
Thus you shall say to him, Thus says the LORD behold What I have built I will break down. That's the city of Jerusalem. What I have planted I will pluck up. that is, the whole land. And Do you seek great things for yourself?
Do not seek them. For behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh, says the Lord. but I will give your life to you. As a prize in all places wherever you go.
So, Baruch is fretful. I mean, he's anxious. He's restless. He is unstable. He has some unrealistic expectations.
And then God gives him this message. And you wonder, what kind of a message is that to a guy who's Discouraged.
Now hold that thought. What if you were there? Let's say you're in Jerusalem, and you hear Baruch Complaining, woe is me now, I have no rest. What would your counsel have been to Baruch? Would you tell him, look, dude, you just need to take a few days off?
You need a rest. You need a Sabbath. Take a week off and then hit it the next Monday hard. Or maybe you would just give them a sympathetic ear or A big hug. Or maybe you would say, Look, I don't think this ministry is a good fit for you because if God was in it, it'd be much easier.
Because serving God when you're in God's perfect will is going to be just easy. Maybe you would have told them that. Or maybe you would have said, you know, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.
Well, how does God answer him? He says, You seek great things for yourself? Don't do it. For behold, I'm going to bring adversity on all flesh, says the Lord. But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places wherever you go.
In other words, be thankful that I'm letting you escape with your life. What kind of an answer is that? It's this kind of an answer. Baruch. Stop making this all about you.
I know you're discouraged. I know you're distressed, but think how I feel. This is my city. I built this nation. I planted this nation.
I made covenants with this nation. I am now forced to destroy that which I have built. Think how it hurts my heart. And think how it's going to hurt them when the judgment of the Babylonians fall upon them. You're thinking about yourself, but think about them.
And think about me. But then, in verse five, is this strange question with. with a rebuke, sort of. Do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them.
Now, we don't know what that is exactly. What was he expecting? He had some expectation of some special treatment, perhaps, because he was faithful that he would. Escape it. Maybe he had big plans for his future.
Maybe he thought, you know, I would like to be in a governmental position. The reason I say that is because Baruch did come from a prominent family. If you read through 2 Chronicles in chapter 34, we find out that Baruch's grandfather had been the governor of Jerusalem. And his brother was in a very important governmental position.
So maybe Baruch thought, yeah, I want great things like that for myself. Or maybe he thought he would be the next prophet. like the prophet Jeremiah. We don't know. But he is seeking something.
He is expecting some great things. Maybe You are expecting special treatment because you have been so faithful. You're thinking things like: man, I volunteer at the church all the time. I volunteer in the community. I read my Bible every day.
I pray every day. I'm in church a lot. Um why all this? But we remember the words of the Lord Jesus, who said, That God causes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Alike.
That is, godly people and ungodly people both have their share in a fallen world. Of good. And bad. But go to this final promise given to Baruch. Though I'm going to judge the city, I'm going to spare your life.
Though judgment is coming and exile is coming, you're going to escape with your life wherever you go. You're going to live. It's gonna be difficult to live through it, but I'm gonna spare you. And just think about that in terms of all that we know about what is coming. In our world.
God's judgment is going to fall on this world. It is coming. But when it comes, you and I will be spared from that judgment, right? Amen. Jesus said, If you believe in the one who sent me, you will not face judgment, but you pass from death into life.
So one day In the context of eternity, Your woe. Your failure, your unfulfilled life, you not reaching your full potential, all of that will evaporate. In the presence of the glory of God. As Paul wrote in Romans 8, the sufferings of this present time aren't even worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. You're going to stand before God one day and go, what woe!
What sorrow? What suffering? God will wipe away every tear. from their eyes. There will be no sorrow, no pain, no death.
A quick final note. I said there were four characteristics. I'm going to slip in a fifth. Real quick.
So he's a man of faith. He's faithful, he's faint-hearted, he's fretful. But he was fruitful. And this is why I'm just using it as a little footnote. Baruch wrote a book.
it is believed, called the Book of Baruch. The book of Baruch. And it's not a biblical book. It is a non-canonical, apocryphal, deuterocanonical book. It is in some Bibles, it's in the Catholic Bible, but it is not considered.
by the best scholars to be authoritative scripture, but It is A historical document nonetheless, written by Baruch. After he left the land, he wrote a letter to the exiles in Babylon. Encouraging them to repent, turn to God. Giving them prayers to say from their heart to the Lord. And it's so It's so moved.
It so motivated the hearts of the exiles in Babylon that they did repent, they did turn to God, and they sent a copy of that letter of Baruch. To the survivors in Jerusalem and told them to find the ruins of the altar, offer sacrifices on it, and read the letter of Baruch. every single year. All of that to say this. Though Jeremiah and Baruch saw no measurable results in their ministry before the destruction of Jerusalem.
There were results afterwards.
So Baruch becomes fruitful. becomes fruitful.
So Let me give you Takeaway points. Number one. God uses men of faith. and faithful men. And I mean that generically.
So God uses. Women of faith and faithful women. God uses people of faith. and faithful people. That's number one.
That's the first takeaway. God uses people of faith and faithful people. Second, You have a role to play. It could be a primary role, it could be a support role, but find out what that role is and utilize your gift for the glory of God. And third and finally, though you may feel weak today, and discouraged and therefore useless you can still be fruitful.
In your weakness. You can still be fruitful. In the place you're at of weakness, you may not see the results now, but they will come. And the Bible says you will reap. If you faint not.
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