May it please almighty God to
bless us together this morning as we meditate in his holy word. Let us turn to the prophecy of
Jeremiah, chapter 15, and we'll read verses 15 and 16. the prophecy of Jeremiah chapter
15 and reading verses 15 and 16. Oh Lord, thou knowest. Remember me and visit me and
revenge me of my persecutors. Take me not away in thy long
suffering, Know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. Thy words were found and I did
eat them. And thy word was unto me the
joy and rejoicing of mine heart. For I am called by thy name,
O Lord God of hosts. we should be very thankful that
we have the Bible to read which spells out to us in detail the
lives of many of God's people some of them were indeed prophets
like Jeremiah which describes to us the conditions which existed
when they were on the earth and what they had to contend with
and then also with reference to their own personal life. And really it's a picture that
we have which is appropriate and applicable to us today as
it was then. We have a world situation. We have a national situation.
And as we look around we can feel perhaps like Jeremiah. and
realise how much evil and wrong and sinfulness there is. And
yet you see, even with that, there comes a time when Jeremiah
has to leave that, and he comes down then to his own personal
situation and how good that is when the Holy Spirit directs
us to exactly the same situation that although we may be concerned
with many things and rightly so Jeremiah was involved rightly
in those things but there came a time when he had to consider
his own position and how important that is for all of us we can
very easily become wrapped up in the many things around us
the things in the world in which we live and in one sense there's
nothing wrong in that but we should always remember the need
that we have a personal need a personal need of living our
life as unto the Lord a personal need of walking with God personal
blessing of enjoying God and realizing the wonderful favor. So here we have in these verses,
I mean Jeremiah is a very interesting prophecy, it's not easy, there's
very many difficult parts but It is necessary that you and
I do read it carefully and don't just think, well, it's a difficult
book, I won't read it. We should recognise the relevance
and importance of it. And so we come to this. It's
a prayer here by Jeremiah. He says, O Lord, thou knowest. And I'm sure that is a very typical
prayer, really, in the life of the Church of God, the true believer
we come so often, we don't understand perhaps the position, the reason
God causes us to walk perhaps in a certain path to pass through
certain situations but what we know is this God knows and therefore
it is really wonderful relief to be able to come very simply
to our God who remember knows everything about us the end from
the beginning every single thing that occurs in our lives from
the moment we breathe our first breath to the moment we take
our last breath and so Jeremiah comes and says Oh Lord thou knowest
well I wonder how often Perhaps we have to come to God in the same way. O Lord, Thou
knowest. Because it does bring relief. Because what we're doing really
is we're sharing our concerns. We're sharing our burdens with
our great Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. And He does know
And perhaps there are those situations in our life which no one else
knows about. We may not feel at liberty to
speak to others about it, but yet we can come in honesty and
truthfulness to our God and just come like this, O Lord, Thou
knowest. Well, it's a very simple statement,
isn't it? And it's good when you and I
have simple prayers and come simply to our God. And so Jeremiah
comes and says, O Lord, thou knowest. And then he goes on
and makes these requests. Remember me. you know often and
it's right we pray for other people that God will remember
them and that's good and right and proper but there comes a
time when we need God to remember us and our religion
becomes very personal and it's just like this remember me yes
we don't want to be passed by We want God to remember us. And so he comes and says, oh
Lord, thou knowest, remember me. Well, do we pray that prayer? Have we prayed that prayer? Has
that been a concern to us that God would indeed remember us
and not pass us by? Is there a concern that we're
not passed by? that God does remember us. Because
He does remember us in our lowest state. For His mercy endures
forever. You see, God knows all about
us. And what a mercy it is to be
able to come to our God and ask Him to remember us. Because if
He remembers us, then we can believe that He will indeed fulfil
the next request to be visited and visit me. We don't want to
go through life without having the express visits from Almighty
God. When the Lord comes, where we
are, no one else knows the path that we walk in. They may think
they do, it may appear they do, but in reality no one knows the
exact path that you and I walk in apart from Almighty God and
therefore how good and how appropriate it is that we come to God with
such a request having come and let God know that we know that
he knows all about us thou knowest and then come remember me and
visit me well sometimes we just need to ponder our life and think
when did when was the last time God remembered
me when was the last time God visited me you see sometimes
we can be very concerned about everybody else. Jeremiah was
very concerned about the nation that he was in, Israel and Judah. He was very concerned about it.
And yet, you see, we see here this kind of overriding condition. He needs God. He needs God to
remember him. He needs God. to visit him. He needs to be assured that he
is God's servant. He needs to be assured that God
is with him. He needs to be assured that God
is directing him by a visit from the Lord. Well, what a mercy
if you and I have a real hunger and thirst for a visit from the
Lord. Words are very simple, aren't
they? And we can be very hypocritical sometimes in our words, in our
prayers. But we see here, don't we, a
real desire from Jeremiah. The Lord would remember him and
the Lord would visit him. And that is really what we need,
all of us. the continual evidence that God
does remember us and that God will visit us and that we won't
be left and that we won't be forsaken and therefore what a
mercy when God puts such a prayer in our hearts such a prayer within
us a prayer, a real prayer and it comes from the heart O Lord
Thou knowest remember me and visit me well God knows where
you stand where I stand today but it's good you know if you
and I can look back and observe God's visits observe the times
when God has remembered us when he has gone before us when he
has guided us when he has directed us when he has appeared for us
we do want the evidence in our life that God is with us we do
want to know that we haven't been cast off the word of God
describes it as a cumbra of the ground something which is of
no value We should need to have the constant desire that we are
one of God's children. And we have the evidence of it
by what God reveals to us, what He shows to us, how He teaches
us. And now He comes and visits our
soul. O Lord, Thou knowest and He does. That should be a wonderful comfort.
Lord thou knowest and then give us urgency and humbleness and
yet reality in such a request remember me and visit me and
I believe if this is so if this emanates from our heart we shall
then not forget what we prayed but we shall desire and we shall
wait expectantly for answers you know it's a sad thing if
you and I pray and never receive answers we do want to receive
answers to our prayers which demonstrate the truth of them
demonstrate the value of them and to be thankful that we have
therefore such a record in the word of God to encourage us In
such a path, O Lord, He came to Almighty God, no one else. O Lord, what a mercy that we
have a God who hears and a God who answers prayer. O Lord, Thou knowest. Remember
me and visit me. You see, it was a very simple
prayer, wasn't it? And it's very interesting that
we have such prayers recorded because there weren't any demands
of God to remember us in a special way and visit us in a special
way. Jeremiah was able to leave that
with Almighty God. He came therefore and asked,
in this way, remember me. and visit me. And then he goes
on and says, and, and, revenge me of my persecutors. And again, we live in a day and
age, perhaps when we don't suffer persecution physically as perhaps
our forefathers did, but nonetheless, there will be still that persecution
that you and I will suffer. suffer from sometimes from believers,
sometimes from good people they're left to themselves and they say
things which are very hurtful and are not true because they
don't understand what you and I are walking through they don't
know and they make an assumption and they think therefore that
we need this and we need that and we need this direction and
we need that direction Well, you know, God knows the end from
the beginning in all of our lives. And He knows what He's doing
with us. Other people don't realize. They
don't know. And they often make wrong assessments. And so we can understand, therefore,
what Jeremiah's saying here. Revenge me of my persecutors. it's a good thing isn't it to
leave it in the hands of God sometimes it's in our nature
to respond and to speak unadvisedly but you know it's much better
to leave it in the hands of God it's much better to come like
this commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in Him and He
will bring it to pass. You see, it's very lovely, isn't
it? That you and I can come to our God, who knows the end from
the beginning, He knows every detail, He knows the reason for
all these things, and come very simply and say, revenge me of
my persecutors. Leave the issue with God. doesn't
perhaps bring quite the satisfaction that we want ourselves. We want sometimes to think that
we were the person that was used to bring such and such things
about. Well, remember God is a jealous God and God will have
the honour and God will have the glory. And we have such testimonies
and such examples in the Word of God to instruct us, to direct
us, in our lives and so he goes on and says and revenge me of
my persecutors and then he says take me not away in thy long-suffering
take me not away no in thy long-suffering it's good isn't it to realize
again that he's able to commit his way unto the Lord And it's
a great blessing when you and I are able to come and pray to
our God. You know, the Word of God tells
us, doesn't it, not to kind of pray to all the world, but we
are to enter into our closet. And when we shut the door about
us to pray unto our Father. who seeth in secret. A father
who seeth in secret will reward us openly. You won't gain credit
yourself, but God will gain all the honour and glory. It's a
wonderful thing, isn't it, to have the Word of God before us
to direct us in the way that we should walk and in the way
that we should pray and what we should do. And what a mercy
when God directs us to see the reason for these things the reason
for these things take me not away in thy long-suffering again
to realize how long-suffering God is with you and me so wonderful
isn't it you contemplate it's good to contemplate isn't it
our life contemplate our wrong attitudes Contemplate our wrong
words. Contemplate our wrong desires. God is long-suffering. Isn't
it humbling? Isn't it humbling? We're still
here. We're still on the earth. We haven't been cut off. No,
what a mercy then to realise the wonderful blessing of Almighty
God. Long-suffering. It's a beautiful
word. It's a long word, isn't it? It's
nice it is a long word, really. God is long-suffering to his
church of God. What a mercy to realize it in
our own life. Long-suffering. And then he says,
know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. Again, you see,
he's just pouring out his heart to God, isn't he? pouring out
his heart to God this is a private prayer here he's praying to God
he's coming in this way and he's saying know that for thy sake
I have suffered rebuke again it's committing our way unto
the Lord to be willing to suffer for his sake and to bear rebuke
for his sake we don't like do we to be rebuked we don't like
to be told we've been wrong and we've done things wrong it's
a wonderful thing when God rebukes us because when God rebukes us
it has a good effect and what that is this our old nature doesn't
rise up against people you see we don't rise up against God
Because God rebukes in his way. God rebukes in his time. And
God shows us the error of our ways. And therefore we're not
humbled before men, but we're humbled before God. Know that for thy sake I have
suffered rebuke. God knows. God knows all about
us. And so we can come to Him. We
can come to Him. We're encouraged, aren't we?
The Word of God tells us to pour out our heart before Him. Not before men. Before Him. Before Him. so that as we pour
our hearts out before him, he will, in his good time, reward
us openly. We're able then to praise God. Praise God for hearing our prayers,
for going before us, doing that which we couldn't have done ourselves. How often we fail, don't we?
We think we do this, and we think we'll say that, and we'll put
this to right, and we'll put that to wrong if it's there,
but no. Come to God. Come to God. Come to God, tell Him all about
it. Well then, says Jeremiah. It's a lovely 16th verse this
is. He tells us, thy words, God's
words, thy words were found that means he'd been looking for them
thy words were found and I did eat them he fed on them and thy
word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart his innermost
being For I am called by thy name,
O Lord God of hosts. Again, it's a wonderful revelation
of God to him. Well. It's wonderful, isn't it, to
realize that Jeremiah here records Such a great statement. Thy words
were found. The words of God. Remember what
he's been praying for? He's been saying, remember me
and visit me. And now he comes and tells us,
thy words were found. Yes, I wanted to be remembered. I wanted to be visited. And now he's able to say, thy
words were found. God heard his prayer. God answered
his prayer. God blessed him. Thy words were
found. And again, you see, it wasn't
man's words. It wasn't his words. It was God's
words. And where God's words are, there
is power. There's power. There's assurance. There's encouragement. There's
peace. There's resting. Because it's
been spoken by God in whatever way you and I have needed. God's
spoken. And you see, you and I can accept,
and we do accept God's words. We might reject men's words,
but when God speaks, enters into the heart doesn't it? it abides
there and we're humbled to think that Almighty God has condescended
to come to us He's remembered us He's visited us He's shooted
the word to the exact situation that we needed thy words were
found and often I think this can be through you and I reading
the Word of God we find the Word there so suitable just what we needed
just what we needed to think that the Holy Spirit's directed
us to the Word which is so suitable to our condition so suitable
that we rejoice in it Thy words were found. And he goes on and
says, and I did eat them, eat them. That really means in the
spiritual sense, doesn't it? I'm sure we appreciate that.
That we feed upon the word of God. We feed upon his truth. And it's wonderful when the Holy
Spirit opens up his word to our hearts. And we can walk up and
down in it. and we can feed on it and we
can realise what a kind and gracious God we have who suits his word
to our condition that we're in. Sometimes we may never quite
realise that there's such a suitable word but God knows what you and
I need and the whole Word of God is at his disposal And how
wonderful it is when God therefore takes you and me to a place,
to a chapter, to a verse, perhaps to a clause, perhaps to a word,
which is so appropriate. And it describes our case. And more than that, you know,
it describes how the Saviour is suited to our situation. And when we see, by faith, what
the Saviour suffered on our behalf, again, how this puts things in
a right perspective, and what happens, we fall down, we bow
down, and we worship, worship. It's the work of the Holy Spirit
in bringing us to such a condition and such a situation. And I did
eat them. Yes, we fed on the Word. Spiritual feeding, far more important
than our natural food. It's good sometimes to draw an
analogy, isn't it? Between our natural food, which
sometimes we're very concerned about and we want and we hunger
after and long after But what a good thing when we have that
spiritual hunger for the blessing of the Lord to our soul. That
God will remember us, that God will visit us, that God will
feed us and he brings us to that situation which we then can realise
we eat, we feed. I did eat them. What a mercy. Well, again, it's good for us
to stop sometimes and just think, well, when did I last feed upon
the Word of God? When did I last feed upon the
Word of God? When was the last time when my
soul was strengthened? When my soul was encouraged? When I rejoiced in what Christ
has done? when I bless God for his wonderful
work of salvation you know these things are great truths and it's
a great wonder when the Holy Spirit brings them to us so that
they're food for our souls they are a blessing, it's a wonderful
favour and we're able to agree with Jeremiah yes by the grace
of God I have eaten them eaten them And he follows on by telling
us, And thy word, the word which is found, thy word was unto me
the joy and rejoicing of my heart. This is far superior than the
things of nature. we do rejoice and it's not wrong
in rejoicing in the things of time when the Lord appears for
us and the Lord blesses us for a situation we joy and rejoice
but spiritual blessings are on a different level because they
are eternal natural things fade away they come and they go spiritual
things, spiritual blessings remain. Yes, they are in our heart. They're placed there by the work
of the Blessed Spirit. And so says Jeremiah, these words
which were found are the joy and rejoicing of my heart. Well,
what a mercy if you and I, in our little lives, look back to
those times when the Word of God was made a real blessing
to us and we did rejoice in it we joyed and rejoiced in it you
know it's a wonderful evidence a wonderful evidence and this
is the Spirit's work it's not of man, it's not of nature it's
the Spirit's work it lifts us up to a higher plane to an eternal
plane and what a mercy then to realise that the joy and rejoicing
of my heart well I hope in our little lives we are able to recall
times when this was so and to desire there may be more times
like it because that's what Jeremiah is asking here He says, remember
me and visit me. He wants these blessings to be
refreshed and strengthened and to lead into all truth as it
is in Jesus. Oh, these things are so wonderful. And what does it do? I'll tell
you what it does. It brings peace to the soul. heavenly peace because we realize
that God is dealing with us. It's his mercy, it's his love,
it's his grace which has brought these things into being and therefore
we joy and rejoice in the evidence of them. What a mercy to be in
this place for I am he goes on for I am called by thy name again
you see it's the evidence that we are called by the name of
God we are his children we are his children to think that God
is dealing with us as sons and daughters of the Most High God
we haven't been left to wander on through this poor old vain
world but there's these times When personal religion takes
hold of us, personal religion produces a real heavenly desire. It brings us, we might say to
this great request, give me Christ or else I die. Fellowship with
the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessing that is. What
a favour that is. For I am called by thy name. How humbling to think that in
all the billions of people that have been, which are, which may
be, to think that God has called us. The Apostle Paul was able
to tell us, he had the wonderful evidence that he was called by
the grace of God. and what a wonderful truth it
is to know that you and I are called by the grace of God because
such a blessing will never be removed the devil may try to
the devil may try and tempt us and say well of course that wasn't
real the fact is the devil can't do such blessings Such blessings
are real because they emanate from the good hand of God. For
I am called by thy name. And then he concludes these two
verses by saying, O Lord God of hosts. He commenced, verse
15, O Lord. He prays and then he says, O
Lord God of hosts. There was his hope in God. Where's your hope? Where's my
hope? What a mercy if we can come like
Jeremiah, O Lord. And they conclude by saying,
O Lord, God of hosts. That means he's the Lord of lords. He's the king of kings. He's
a high and mighty God. There's no one else. like our
God. No one else who hears and answers
prayer like our God. No one else who blesses us like
our God. And therefore how wonderful it
is to realise that by the grace of God and the mercy of God and
the love of God you and I are favoured in measure to walk this
path spelled out by Jeremiah very simply, very powerfully,
and to therefore be able to come like Jeremiah and joy and rejoice
in our heart because his mercy endures forever. Amen.