Jeremiah’s Initiation
Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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.
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold,
I cannot speak: for I am a child.
But the LORD said unto me,
Say not, I am a child:
for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee,
and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Be not afraid of their faces:
for I am with thee to deliver thee,
saith the LORD.
~ Jeremiah 1:4-8
Scriptural Calling
There are seven inseparable parts in the Lord’s calling on Jeremiah.
Every part is a needful element, primary to the central idea that is the fullness of Christ in the beauty of the calling that is Christianity.
It is for all,
who have been enlightened,
and have tasted the heavenly gift,
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost;
And have tasted the good word of God,
and the powers of the world to come.
~ Hebrews 6:4-5
In an earlier post, I stated that we are called to be saints, to walk in faithful obedience, according to all the biblical principles taught by Jesus and His apostles.
The Old Testament supplies us with ensamples and valuable lessons in which we can draw continued inspiration.
The book of Jeremiah is not without its value.
The only thing the early church had in written form was the O.T.
Later, many in the church were blessed with letters written and circulated by our apostolic fathers.
We would be wise to incorporate as much as we can from the O.T. in light of N.T. revelation to complement and develop our understanding and calling in Christ Jesus.
Jeremiah’s call may be unique to Him but the general tenor and purpose is the same for all who are in Christ Jesus.
In a nutshell, our calling is to allow His purifying love to work in and through us according to His goodness and mercy.
Unto the church of God . . .
to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints,
with all that in every place
call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord . . .
~ 1 Corinthians 1:2
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Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
By whom we have received grace and apostleship,
for obedience to the faith . . .
Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God,
called to be saints:
~ Romans 1:3, 5, 7
One Life, one Calling
Below are the seven parts to God’s calling of the Prophet Jeremiah described briefly and applied to those obedient to the Calling of Jesus.
1. “Before I formed thee in the belly, “I knew thee.”
Before the foundations of the world, all of humanity was foreknown to God and the plan of salvation was already chosen in Jesus Christ.
We all have a unique and genuine calling to be sanctified, pure, obedient, and blameless before the Lord. It is a merciful and glorious restoration God created before of the fall of man so long ago.
He came down to lift us up. We dare not neglect so great a salvation.
For He was foreknown
before the foundation of the world,
but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.
~ 1 Peter 1:20
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According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love:
~ Ephesians 1:4
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More importantly, God wants to know us now, in a living, dynamic, and active way. This requires complete submission; giving our utmost to His Highest.
It is a willful act of our own volition. God provides everything we need, but we must humble accept all He has to offer in order to be obedient in Him.
2. Before thou camest forth out of the womb“I sanctified thee.”
To be filled with all the fulness of God is the product or goal of sanctification in the life of a Christian.
What was meant in this context signified was that Jeremiah was completely separated to God. He was severed from any and all earthy or common use and entirely dedicated to God’s service.
Sanctified also means to make holy or pure. In the Christian life, entering into this blessing of grace is part of our calling and a precious gift of love untold.
Interestingly, Jeremiah began to appreciate his calling at the tender age of 17. He was to stand before kings and princes . . . what a high and difficult calling indeed.
His consecration was such that Jeremiah did not marry or have children, for judgment was at hand. This is not unlike the 144,000 Jews set apart during the impending Judgment at the Great Tribulation.
Another interesting fact is the Jeremiah bought a field in Anathoth, his home town, as a symbol of God’s redemption, mercy, and grace.
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
Take these documents,
both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase,
and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time.
For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.
~ Jeremiah 32:14-15
An important element of our calling in Christ is sanctification: a life of consecration and holiness unto the Lord.
We are not to participate or take part in any sin or behavior that is not becoming of a saint.
Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you:
but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit of our God.
~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Like Jeremiah, we are become dead to sin and this world and dwell in the fulness of righteousness that is Christ.
We have been set free from sin, set apart, and are dedicated to serve God and God alone.
Our calling is holy and high indeed.
3. “I ordained thee” a prophet unto the nations.
Jeremiah was called to be an envoy, an ambassador of the LORD. Like the Apostle Paul, an ambassador of Christ, we are called according to His purpose:
For those whom He foreknew,
He also predestined to become conformed
to the image of His Son,
so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
and these whom He predestined, He also called;
and these whom He called, He also justified;
and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
~ Romans 8:28-30
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Jeremiah’s calling was sure. He was to bring the message of repentance to Israel or they would face a horrible destruction as an idolatrous nation who chose to serve sin.
He was to suffer vicariously as he watched their suffering and demise. He wept, recorded, and pleaded with God for mercy and justice.
We too are called to preach repentance, justification, and mercy as we watch with sadness an apathetic world dull of God, disregarding their calling, and given over to the delusion that is sin.
Many are on the broad road to destruction because they are hearers of the word and not doers.
But prove yourselves doers of the word,
and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
~ James 1:22
We are ordained to speak the truth in love and walk in the righteousness the Gospel brings.
For my mouth shall speak truth;
and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
~ Proverb 8:7
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How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in him
of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
as it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of them
that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!
~ Romans 10:14-15
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Your calling may not to be a preacher. Nevertheless, we are to be ready always to act toward others in the spirit of truth, kindness, and holiness.
to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed
~ Titus 3:1
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Let your speech be alway with grace,
seasoned with salt,
that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
~ Colossians 4:6
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To do good works and to know what those works are:
For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
~ Ephesians 2:10
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Who is wise and understanding among you?
Let them show it by their good life,
by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
~ James 3:13
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As obedient children,
do not be conformed to the former lusts
which were yours in your ignorance,
but like the Holy One who called you,
be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
~ 1 Peter 1:14-15
Please refer to this post regarding the importance, definition, and character of one’s calling in Christ Jesus.
4. for thou shalt go to all that “I shall send thee,”
Yea; have ye never read,
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
thou hast perfected praise?
~ Matthew 21:16
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Jeremiah complained that he was still a youth and intimated his inability but God reassured him with the last three elements of his calling listed below.
Jeremiah was truly weak and he knew it. He would also appear foolish to those (falsely) representing the elect of God’s nation.
But God chose the foolish things of the world
to shame the wise;
God chose the weak things of the world
to shame the strong.
~ 1 Corinthians 1:27
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God expected complete submission from Jeremiah just like He expects complete submission of His will in our lives.
He was to go wherever, to whomever, and to do exactly as God directed. The devotion God required of Jeremiah was completely reasonable and we are expected to follow his example.
Therefore I urge you,
brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship.
~ Romans 12:1
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We are called to worship God in spirit and truth. To disobey His calling or to live apart from holiness is to deny God of worship, and is unacceptable in His eyes.
But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
~ John 4:23
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We (the Apostles) are from God.
Whoever knows God listens to us;
whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
~ 1 John 4:6
Jeremiah was not known for being a Jonah. Jonah was an example of what not to do with God’s calling.
Jonah was given much grace in his disobedience. We too are given such grace in the calling to sanctification and holiness. Seek God’s abiding love.
Give Him your whole existence.
Let Him overwhelm your spirit and life.
We have a much higher degree of responsibility than Jeremiah or Jonah because we have been given the complete oracles of God through the life of God the Son and the works of His apostles as found in the Bible.
More importantly, if we are God’s children, we have the Spirit of truth abiding in us, who continually testifies of Jesus.
But when the Comforter is come,
whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth,
which proceedeth from the Father,
he shall testify of me:
~ John 15:26
5. and “whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.”
Jeremiah was to speak God’s message, not his own. God was going to teach him what to say and put words of truth into him.
This is how God has always worked in His prophets and how the Father worked in Jesus, and the apostles. We are to listen and obey just like the people of old were.
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But because of their disobedience, they were judged and suffered greatly. There are many degrees of suffering in this life and the next.
This post will not address that complexity but it is something to consider.
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Jeremiah was to simply be obedient to God and allow Him to work through him. This is exactly what we are suppose to do. The following segment of Scripture highlights this.
And when they had brought them,
they set them before the council:
and the high priest asked them, Saying,
Did not we straitly command you
that ye should not teach in this name?
and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine,
and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said,
We ought to obey God rather than men.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
to Him hath God exalted with his right hand
to be a Prince and a Saviour,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
And we are his witnesses of these things;
and so is also the Holy Ghost,
whom God hath given to them that obey him.
~ Acts 5:27-32
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The Spirit living in us is to transform us in such a way that our obedience to Him in everything we do, “reproves the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” ~ John 16:8
This is exactly what Jeremiah’s life and many prophets before him proved, often at the price of death. Unfortunately for us today, we are mainly concerned with how this can effect our livelyhood or place in this world.
God clearly states that if we value the world and our position in it to the point where we compromise any element of over the truth of God, and remain in this state, we will pass away because the love of God does not really dwell in us.
Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
~ 1 John 2:15-17
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6. “Be not afraid” of their faces:
Jeremiah was commanded not to be afraid or fear man can do him in everything he did. We too are called to be approved by God by everything we do.
On that note, the command not to compromise our faith and to be completely obedient to the testifying Spirit of God is unquestionable.
We are not to fear what any man or institution can do to us.
What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light;
and what you hear whispered in your ear,
proclaim upon the housetops.
“Do not fear those who kill the body
but are unable to kill the soul;
but rather fear Him who is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell.
~ Matthew 10-27-28
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But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake,
happy are ye:
and be not afraid of their terror,
neither be troubled;
~ 1 Peter 3:14
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And Moses said unto the people, Fear not:
for God is come to prove you,
and that his fear may be before your faces,
that ye sin not.
~ Exodus 20:20
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Therefore, brothers and sisters,
make every effort to be sure of your calling and election.
For by doing this you will never stumble into sin.
~ 2 Peter 1:10
We must follow the principles defined by God’s word and Spirit rather than the principles defined by the world.
We often fall into deafening traps of silence when we fail to remain close to God. Te washing of the word, fellowship in prayer, praise by our worshipful life, and faithful obedience to His commandments renews His voice in us.
The renewal of faith obedience of God’s grace keeps us. And this saving faith produces fruit. Without which, our faith becomes dead for it produces not fruit (or works).
With God working in us, His love begins to cast out fear because we no longer live in such a way that grieves his Spirit.
Namely, we are living in His love and not in our sin.
There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves punishment,
and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
~ 1 John 4:18
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If you have been perfected in love, the Spirit of God will attest this in your life. If He does not, continue in His love and strive to enter in to the rest approved by God.
Let us, therefore,
make every effort to enter that rest,
so that no one will perish
by following their (Israel’s) example of disobedience.
~ Hebrews 4:11
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There is no fear in love;
but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves punishment,
and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
~ 1 John 4:18
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Finally, brothers, rejoice.
Aim for restoration, comfort one another,
agree with one another, live in peace;
and the God of love and peace will be with you.
~ 2 Corinthians 13:11
Do not bury what God has given you. Root out the things in your life that hide the word of God.
We are constantly given exhortations of peace and love by the disciples of Christ. This reflects the Holy Spirit’s testimony.
Let it be your testimony. Speak it openly without fear. Have faith and God will give it to you, if you abide in Him.
And the peace of God
that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 4:7
7. for “I am with thee to deliver thee” saith the LORD.
This is the final and greatest element of God’s calling. He will deliver us from all that seeks to destroy us in this world.
This is the bigger picture. For sin is what caused us to fall and sin will keep us from Him.
Within deliverance is found the riches and beauty of God’s saving grace.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
~ Psalm 29:2
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O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness:
fear before him, all the earth.
~ Psalm 96:9
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And your testimonies are very trustworthy;
holiness is fitting for your house,
Lord Jehovah, for the length of days!
~ Psalm 93:5
In this life, there is also suffering. Jeremiah suffered greatly watching the judgement of God come like a dry, burning wind upon His people.
For a clear picture of this, please read the book of Lamentations.
We too are called to suffer in this world. But fear not, in Christ we can overcome the world, if, we continue in His calling for our life.
By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God, and keep his commandments.
For this is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments:
and his commandments are not grievous.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:
and this is the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith
~ 1 John 5:2:4
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To whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Whom we preach, warning every man,
and teaching every man in all wisdom;
that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Whereunto I also labour,
striving according to his working,
which worketh in me mightily.
~ Colossians 1:26-29
John and Paul stated above that when we love God we will obey him even through the suffering and trials the world brings. His labors of Love permeate His calling in Christ Jesus.
Final Word
Let God have His complete work in you in order to present yourself perfect in Christ at His glorious coming.
This is your calling.
There is non other.
Thy Wonderful Works 