What an honor and a privilege
to be here. I'm often asked, do you still get
nervous when you preach? Yeah, I sure do. It's an awesome responsibility
to stand up here and to declare the gospel. I don't take it lightly. And I do consider it an honor
and a privilege to do so. If you would turn with me to
the Old Testament book of Jeremiah chapter 32. My text will be found
in 27, but I'd like to talk about this whole chapter. I have a
very interesting story here that I think will be of encouragement
to you. So allow me for a couple of minutes
to fill you in on what's going on here in this chapter of Jeremiah
chapter 32. A powerful enemy of Israel called
the Chaldeans had captured Jerusalem. Basically what they did is they
surrounded the city and kept Israel from receiving food. It
was a man-made famine, more or less. And Israel not being able
to get food, well, they had to fold. It's important to note that according
to verse one, the prophet Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah, the king
of Judah, that this would happen before it ever happened. So when
the Chaldeans overtake Jerusalem here, God's prophet Jeremiah
is already in prison. And he's in prison because Zedekiah
put him there. I forgot to turn this on, I'm
so sorry. Did that do it? OK. So Jeremiah's in prison. And Jeremiah prophesied, told
the king that the Chaldeans would overtake them and take the city.
And the king didn't like it. Matter of fact, in verse 3, he
said these words, wherefore dost thou prophesy and say these things? And I could interpret that in
plain old Kentucky English. for you, and basically he said,
why do you prophesy against me this way? Why are you saying
such things? And you know, I'm not sure if
people understand or not, obviously Zedekiah didn't, but God doesn't
make the things that the prophet says come to pass. God tells
the prophet what's going to come to pass. And the prophet reports
it to those that God tells him to. So this was not the word
of Jeremiah to the king. This was the word of God to Zedekiah
the king. This is the word of the Lord
given to Jeremiah for the king. And as I said, the king didn't
like it. So the king couldn't get his hands on God. So he did
the second best thing. He throws God's prophet in prison. And that reminds me, maybe that's
where the old saying came from, don't shoot me, I'm just a messenger,
I don't know. So from the king's standpoint,
Jeremiah's prophecy, it must have cast, and you know it did,
it cast doubt upon Zedekiah's ability as the king, it made
him look weak, it made him seem incapable as the protector of
Israel, but the problem with that was is that Zedekiah wasn't
the protector of Israel anyway. God was. Men in authority might
think they're in control of things, but they aren't. You can ask
Pilate that. They have no power, but that
power that God from above gives. Men aren't in control of this
world, God is. Isn't that a comforting thought?
Jeremiah had told the king the truth and King Zedekiah threw
Jeremiah into prison for telling him the truth. Most folks in
this world don't really want to hear the truth. They want
to hear what they believe to be the truth. That's the reason
we have churches on every corner, in every town, in every state.
And let me first say too that to imprison a true prophet of
the Lord, Oh, that was a serious matter. It certainly revealed
something of Zedekiah's heart. So we fast forward a bit here
and in verse 7 we see that the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah
in prison and speaks to him again, this time on a whole different
subject. According to verse 8, this time
the Lord tells Jeremiah that his cousin Hanamel, the son of
Shalom, Jeremiah's uncle is going to come to him in prison, and
he's going to ask Jeremiah to buy or redeem a piece of property. It's described as a field in
Anathoth. And I found it very interesting
that, you know, the names in the scripture do mean something.
It's amazing sometimes what they mean. But I found it interesting
that the name here, Hanamel, means a place of God's favor. It means a gift of God. And the name Shalom means requital
or perfect restitution. And then the city or the field
called Anathoth means answers to prayer. Also, it was called
a priest city. So I was thinking about that. For Jeremiah, here he is in the
prison, and that prison becomes a place of God's favor, a gift
from God to him. It was there that Jeremiah was
told of future acquittal and perfect restitution. And then
the field, the piece of property that Jeremiah buys, is in the
end an answer to prayer. And I think you'll see that more
as we get into the message. So Jeremiah at the command of
the Lord, he redeems or he buys this piece of property. And the
price we're told in verse nine is 17 shekels of silver. And I thought it was interesting
too, that the Lord goes on to tell Jeremiah, and you can read
it in this chapter, that he is to get all the papers filled
out correctly. He's to get these papers for
this real estate transaction witnessed and sealed according
to the law and put away in a safe place, he says. And I thought
about that. We see that the redemption of
this property is done in full accordance to the law. You see,
it has to be. Every I has to be dotted and
every T has to be crossed. But this is what I want you to
think about tonight. And I said all that to say this.
Naturally speaking, worldly speaking, fleshly speaking, buying this
property, buying this field would not have been a wise investment
to make. 17 shekels wasn't a lot of money,
the best I can research, somewhere between $34 and 270 bucks in Jeremiah's day. But this didn't have so much
to do with the amount of the field as it did the thought behind
it. As I said, naturally speaking,
really speaking, this was not a good business transaction,
not a good decision. Jeremiah, while he's a poor prophet
to begin with, who's now a poor prisoner, he couldn't afford
to make a bad deal. After all, his land deed wouldn't
mean anything to the Chaldeans while they had taken over the
land. All he was buying was a piece
of property that would be taken from him, making it worthless
to him before he even purchased it. Knowing what Jeremiah knew,
the last thing that a sane man would do is buy a piece of real
estate that he was sure to lose. But Jeremiah knew something that
no one else knew. God had revealed to Jeremiah
that he was going to give Jerusalem back to Israel someday and that
one day there would be a return from captivity. And Jeremiah
buying this piece of property showed his faith in God and in
his word. And that's when Jeremiah, in
verse 17, made this statement. He said, And that's what God
confirmed in our text in verse 27. God says, Behold, I am the
Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything It's too hard for me. You know,
my prayer tonight is that God will constantly and continually
make me mindful of that. He's in control of everything.
As I tried to sing, He can do anything and He can do everything. So what happened here? Well,
just what God said would happen. That's the way it always goes.
The Chaldeans sieged the city, starved them out, took them captive,
You see, God's always right when He foretells and forewarns. Why? Because He's the one that brings
everything to pass. We rejoice that all things work
together for the good of them that love the Lord, but we rejoice
in that knowing that it's because God works everything out. And
if you belong to Him, if you're one of His, it's going to be
for your good. I can assure you of that. He's
out to do you good, child of God. So in verse 28 and the following
verses, we find that God gave the city of Jerusalem into the
hand of the Chaldeans and they set the city on fire, they burned
the houses, they offered incense to Baal, and they provoked God
all they could. Another interesting lesson here
is found in the fact that God allowed, God let the Chaldeans
have their own way. God allowed them to accomplish
their own will, do their own thing, and then at the same time,
God accomplished His perfect will and purpose for Israel. You see, that's the kind of God
we serve, isn't it? God still does the same today.
When God is pleased, He allows men and women to have their own
way and all the while, He uses their evil ways and their wicked
intentions to accomplish his sovereign will and purpose. What
a God he is. No doubt to me that that's what
the verse in Amos chapter 3 verse 6 means when it says, shall there
be evil in a city and the Lord hath not done it. Men with wicked
hands took and crucified our Lord and Savior, but it was by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. God's behind everything. He's working all things together
according to the counsel of His own will. And at this particular
time, the last thing on anyone's mind probably should have been
a real estate purchase. And to this religious world,
it would seem to be mere foolishness, no doubt, to buy a piece of land
when all this was taking place. But God told Jeremiah to do it,
and Jeremiah did it. And again, Jeremiah knew something
that this religious world didn't know. Child of God, you know
some things that this religious world don't know. And that's what I want us to
consider for a little while tonight. The believer, the true child
of God, knows some things that this world doesn't. And much
of what God's people do in this world is considered by the world
to be foolish. What did Jeremiah know? What
did the Lord reveal to Jeremiah? Look down at verse 37. God, speaking
of his people, said, Behold, I will gather them out of all
countries, whether I have driven them in mine anger and in my
fury and in great wrath, and I will bring them again unto
this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely, and they
shall be my people, and I will be their God. You see, there's
going to be a return from captivity. And this is good news if you're
one of the captive. God was going to redeem Israel
just as Jeremiah had redeemed this field. And we can say with
great confidence that there's nothing too hard for the Lord. We begin to believe God when
we finally see that, that there is nothing too hard for him.
That's what faith is. It's believing that nothing is
too hard for our Lord. You know, Abraham was 100 years
old. I know you know these things.
And Sarah was 90. And God told Abraham that him
and Sarah were going to have a child in their old age. You
know the story well. And when God told Abraham this,
Sarah overheard and if you remember, she laughed out loud. And do
you remember what the Lord asked when she did that? He said, is
anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed, I'll return
to thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have
a son." And she did, just as God said. Our God can do anything. Nothing's too hard for Him. He
does what He wills, when He wills, how He wills. As God thinks,
He does, and it comes to pass. As God purposes, He acts, and
it always stands. By faith, Noah, being warned
of God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an
ark, prepared a ship on dry ground. And everybody thought he was
crazy. You know they did. I can just hear them, can't you?
What in the world is Noah doing? He's lost his mind. The world
mocked. The world laughed. The world
ridiculed. But Noah knew something that
the world didn't know. Child of God, you know some things
that this world doesn't know. And we're not puffed up about
it. Matter of fact, we're humbled by it. A child of God doesn't
get puffed up over things like that. They're humbled by it.
By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, he offered up Isaac, his
one and only son, the son whom he loved. Where are you going
with your son, Abraham? Well, me and the boy, we're going
up into a mountain that the Lord's going to tell us to go. What
are you going to do there? Well, I'm going to offer up my
son there for a burnt offering. You're going to do what? You're
going to do what? But Abraham knew something that
the world didn't know. God had promised Abraham that
his seed would be as the stars of the sky, as the sand of the
beach, and that God would through his son Isaac bless all nations
through the coming of the promised Messiah? What about Moses? By faith Moses, Hebrews says,
that when he was come to years, he refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh's daughter. Well, it was foolishness to the
world. But Moses believed God. You see,
nothing's too hard for him. Moses, where are you going? Why
have you packed your things? Why are you moving out of Pharaoh's
palace? Moses said, I'd rather suffer
affliction with the people of God. You see, Moses knew something
that those in Egypt didn't know. He knew that God was the great
I Am, not Pharaoh. By faith, Israel, they put blood
on the door and the side post and the lintel, and they waited
for God to march through Egypt in judgment and death, believing
that God would see the blood, picturing the blood of the Lord
Jesus, and pass over them. Why? Because Israel knew something
that Egypt didn't know. Preacher, wouldn't you say that
that was contrary to human reasoning? When you say it was contrary
to human wisdom, you better believe it was. Do you and I act contrary
to human wisdom and reasoning? Well, I'm convinced that we ought
to. Well, I ought to act contrary
to it. May God be pleased to enable
you and I to live as though we believe and trust in God. We
should, after all, there's nothing too hard for Him, is there? By
faith to Joshua, while the people of Jericho, while they laughed
and they mocked and they ridiculed, I can just see them up on top
of that wall looking down and just laughing, pointing their
fingers. Those lofty walls of Jericho
as Israel marched around the city. But Joshua and the people
knew something that Jericho didn't. And so did Rahab the harlot.
By faith, Rahab the harlot perished not with them that believed not.
When she received the spies with peace, Rahab knew something that
the rest of Jericho didn't. And when the people of Israel
shouted, the walls came tumbling down. You and I all sung that
in vacation Bible school. We know it's so, right? Joshua
fought the battle of Jericho. The walls come tumbling down.
God knocked them walls down. Is there anything too hard for
him? Jeremiah had told King Zedekiah,
you may fight, but you'll lose. You may resist, but you're going
to fail. You may reject my word, but it's
going to come to pass. You're going to become a prisoner
in Babylon. But before Nebuchadnezzar takes
you, would you care to witness and notarize this real estate
transaction for me? To the world, that would have
been absolute foolishness. I can hear people say, and you
can too, Jeremiah, don't waste your money on any property here.
Why, take your funds on down to Babylon with you and invest
in them there. Put your investment to work where
things are booming and prospering. But Jeremiah was about to make
a very good investment. It was an investment for the
soul. Now hear me on this, the true
believer's actions are just as foolish to the world today as
Jeremiah's was to the world he lived in. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians
chapter one, if you would. I recently heard Brother Aaron
preach on this text and what a blessing it was, but I want
us to look at a few verses here tonight in conjunction with what
we're talking about. And that is that the child of
God knows some things that the world doesn't know. God has revealed
some hidden things to his people. It's called divine revelation.
Salvation, redemption, and faith in a crucified Christ is foolishness
to the world. But we know something that the
world doesn't know. Look at verse 17, 1 Corinthians chapter 1.
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not
with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made
of non-effect. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish, to them that are perishing. Foolishness,
but unto us which are saved and being saved, is the power of
God. Now, when God saved me and folks
found out, I'll never forget it because I was a pretty well-known
sinner in my town. And I had a man ask me one time,
he said, do you really believe that foolishness? I'll never
forget it. It may have been foolishness
to him. Matter of fact, I'm sure it was. Because you see, to them
that are perishing, it's foolishness. To me, it was the power of God. It was the power of God that
saved me. But it didn't make good sense to that man, but God
had revealed it to me. He had revealed to me what that
man didn't know. Verse 19, for it is written,
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. and bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this
world? Hath not God made foolish the
wisdom of this world? I'm going to ask you that question.
Has God not made foolish the wisdom of this world? You better
believe He has. Verse 21, for after that in the
wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. When
the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to know the true
and the living God by means of its own, God in his wisdom and
in his purpose was pleased to reveal himself through the very
means that the world calls foolishness. Now isn't that just like God
to do that? Verse 22, for the Jews require a sign and the Greeks
seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. Friends, don't
be afraid to purchase this fertile piece of ground in this doomed
and condemned world in which we live. Don't be afraid to invest
your soul and your eternal well-being in the Christ of the cross. Don't
be afraid to put all your hope and all your trust in this crucified
Christ. But when you do, don't be surprised
if the world would think that you've lost your mind. Don't be surprised if they say,
He's gone off the deep end. God has revealed something to
you that He hasn't revealed to many in this world. Thank Him. Thank Him. Verse 23, it is unto the Jews
a stumbling block. It'll cause the religious to
stumble every time it will. Unto the Greeks foolishness,
and it is, and they'll tell you so. Do you believe that foolishness? It's the power of God. It's the
power that saved me, David. A virgin named Mary became with
child before she ever knew her espoused husband Joseph. She
said that an angel told her that she conceived the child by the
Spirit of God overshadowing her. And you know everyone thought
she was crazy. Matter of fact, if the angel
hadn't revealed the same thing to her future husband Joseph,
He would have put her away. He would have separated from
her. Can you imagine someone coming up to you and telling
you that about your future wife? All through the Lord's earthly
life, He claimed to be about His Father's business, telling
all that heard Him that He and His Heavenly Father were one,
and they all asked the same unbelieving question every time. Is this
not Joseph's son? Is this not the carpenter, the
son of Mary, brother of James, Joseph, Judah, and Simon? Are these not his sisters? Why,
he fixed a table for me not long ago down at the carpenter's shop. And they thought our Lord was
crazy when He came on the scene preaching the gospel and telling
men and women to repent. that his words were foolish.
Why, they even charged him with being a devil. He was a stumbling
block to the Jews and what he said was absolute foolishness
to the Greeks. They wondered how anyone could
take this man named Jesus serious. Was there ever anything good
to come out of Nazareth, they said. His friends were publicans. They were sinners and harlots.
Why, he didn't own a piece of property. He had no place to
lay his head. By the world's standards, our
Lord was homeless. He was despised and rejected,
the Scripture says. He was a man of sorrows. He was
acquainted with grief. He was denied by one friend,
betrayed by another, and all the rest of his friends forsook
him. He was arrested and tried for blasphemy. They said, you
being a man, make yourself out to be God. He was God. Many false witnesses testified
against Him. He was found guilty, sentenced
to death, nailed to a cross between two thieves. He was buried in
a borrowed tomb. And yet there are people all
over this world who claim that this man is their Lord and their
Savior and their God. They know something the world
don't know. And the world asks, what's wrong
with them? Why do they carry on so foolishly? But like Noah, and like Abraham,
and like Moses, and like Jeremiah, and like David, they know something
that the world doesn't know. They've purchased a field in
a burnt city. They know there's great treasure
in that field. They're trusting in a crucified
Savior. And they know that He's God.
How do they know? God Himself has shown them. He
did Jeremiah. God Himself has revealed it to
them. God Himself has taught them these
things. God has given them His Word.
Are we going to believe God? All that the world sees on Calvary's
cross is a helpless man. But the people of God see a submissive
Savior. All the world sees on Calvary's
cross is a defeated failure. But the elect of God see a great
high priest who by the sacrifice of himself put away sin forever. God's still bringing His sheep
home. He must do so. He said so. He said, other sheep
I have, them I must bring. And He's going to bring them.
God's still revealing his will and purpose to some, and God
is telling them to invest their souls in the one whom the world
thinks to be foolish and weak. But God has revealed to them
just the opposite. Look at verse 25, because the
foolishness of God is wiser than man, and the weakness of God
is stronger than man. Beloved, be of good cheer. There
is a solid Sure and firm investment here. Because Jesus Christ is
that solid rock and He's that sure and firm foundation. And what this world thinks to
be foolishness has been revealed to the like of God as wisdom. God has shown you some things
that He hasn't shown the world. You know, men pulled up chairs.
in front of the cross and yelled, save yourself and come down from
the cross. But it was his staying on the
cross that saved his chosen people. Things are not always as they
seem, are they? The world thought that those
nails held him on that cross, but the believer knows it was
their sin that held him there. They thought human weakness put
him there. God's people know that it was
his submission to God's will and purpose that put him there.
The world thinks we've made a bad deal. They'll tell you. Do you believe that foolishness?
You've made a bad deal. The world thinks that we've bought
into something worthless of no value. But God has shown us different. That dying thief saw what the
world didn't see. He saw what the other thief didn't
see. He bought a lot in a doomed city is what he did. He looked
beyond this world and he saw what the world didn't see. And
that's what you have to do by faith, friends. He saw a city not made with hands,
a city whose maker and builder is God. He saw a place beyond
that cross where Christ hung in disgrace. He saw a place called
paradise. And he said, Lord, when you come
into your kingdom, remember me. God told Jeremiah to buy the
land. The world thought that he was
crazy. You see, the world looks at the cross and they see defeat,
and they see death, and they see what they think to be failure. But child of God, they don't
see what you see. They haven't been given eyes
to see it. We look past the cross, we look past the defeat, we look
past the death, and we see a risen Savior. We see a victorious King. We see one who is both God and
Savior. We see one who is both just and
justifier. God's still saving sinners. God's still bringing His sheep
home. Do you see that man there laying at the pool of Bethesda?
For 38 years he laid there. He can't walk, he's crippled,
he's lame, he's handicapped. He's been trying to get in that
angel-stirred water with no success. But one day a man named Jesus
asked him this very simple question, Will thou be made whole? And
he began to make excuses. He began to give all the reasons
why that possession of that field called an answer to prayer. He
began to give all these excuses as to why it's a worthless and
bad investment. But before he could finish making
excuses, the Lord Jesus said, rise, take up thy bed and walk,
and immediately he was made whole. Is there anything too hard for
the Lord? This field of life that Christ
has redeemed us, I've got good news for you. It's cheaper than
17 shekels of silver. It's free. It's free. Oh, it cost our Lord His life.
It cost Him everything. But it's free to us. For 12 long
years, a poor woman spent all of her savings in pain. She had an issue of blood, and
all the physicians did was take her money, but none of them could
give her relief. But she heard about a field. She heard about a field that
was for sale that didn't cost anything. And the advertisement
for this field read this way, everyone that thirsteth, cometh
ye to the waters. And those that hath no money,
come ye buy and eat without money and without price. And she said
to herself, if I could just get there, if I could just get to
that piece of property, I know that I'd find living water on
that property. She knew that if she could make
her way there, she could find living bread there that fell
from heaven. This world said, don't get your
hopes up, you'll be disappointed. It sounds too good to be true. But she made her way through
that crowd, and she pushed through that throng of people, and she
reached out with all the strength that she had left, and she touched
the border of that ground, that solid and firm foundation on
which she now lay, and immediately she was made whole. She knew some things that the
world didn't know. Friends, Christ is that field. Christ is that
place. Christ is that answer to prayer. Christ is the one who gives life
and gives it so abundantly. Are you thirsty? Come ye to the
waters. Are you hungry? Come buy and
eat without money and without price. And let me again remind
you what the Lord God says to all His people. It's the same
thing He said to Jeremiah. He said in our text, Behold,
I am the Lord. Now this is God saying this.
He's telling us who He is. He said, Behold, I am the Lord,
the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for
me? Is there? Is there anything too hard for
Him? He's able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we
think or ask according to the power that worketh in us. The
same power that made this world is the same power that works
within us. Isn't that amazing? For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do His good pleasure. Now listen to
me in closing. Don't you sell that good ground
that I've endeavored to sow seed on tonight. Don't you sell it.
This ground was redeemed in a place of God's favor. This ground is
the gift of God. It's on the ground that requital
and perfect restitution is found. Don't let that seed you sow on
this ground fall by the wayside. Don't do it. Don't let it be
trodden down. Don't let the fowls of the air
divide. Don't let the thorns choke it
out. Let the light shine on it. Be
sure to water it. It's good ground. It'll spring up and bear fruit
a hundredfold, the Lord said. Dear believer, you know something
that the world don't. And if there's someone here tonight
that doesn't know these things, may God be pleased this very
second to make it so. You know, only He can. He can
do anything and He can do everything. Thank God for His mercy and His
grace toward us. Amen. Thank you, Brother Todd.