YEAH! Church - Sunday, October 24, 2021"Heroes of the Bible” – Our hero today isn’t known for defeating armies or performing miracles. God had given Jeremiah the task of warning the people of Judah; but instead of listening to him, he got beat up…a lot. But still, he obeyed! Today’s Lesson - “Jeremiah – An Unpopular Messenger” Video Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSK36cHbrk0 (The Bible Project – Jeremiah – for adults and older children) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdo7efvHopI (Sharefaith Kids – Jeremiah) Today’s Hero – Jeremiah (Jeremiah, Lamentations) Jeremiah lived during the days leading up to the Babylonian exile. The people of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians because of their disloyalty to God, but the people of Judah ignored the lesson. Now God was going to bring the Babylonians to conquer them. God began giving messages for Jeremiah to share when he was still young, so young in fact that Jeremiah didn’t at all feel qualified for the task God had given him. But Jeremiah knew what he had to do and worked diligently to warn the people. First, he warned them to ask God to forgive their disobedience, so that God would not bring disaster. But then God told him the Babylonians were coming because they hadn’t listened. But there was hope…if they surrendered to the Babylonians, they would be conquered, but God would help them to return after 70 years. Well, this was a message they simply didn’t want to hear. They mocked Jeremiah, mistreated him and even threw him down into a cistern (a well) that didn’t have any water in it, but was filled with mud. Jeremiah sank into the cistern and would have died except that a servant in the king’s court asked to save him. When the Babylonians eventually conquered Jerusalem, Jeremiah was taken as one of the many captives; however, when the captain of the guard Nebuzaradan found Jeremiah, he had heard how Jeremiah had advised the people to cooperate with the Babylonians and let him go free (Jeremiah 40). Unfortunately, when Jeremiah returned to Jerusalem, the remaining people still didn’t want to cooperate and eventually abducted Jeremiah in an attempt to escape to Egypt. He continued to encourage the people to stay in Jerusalem and cooperate with the Babylonians, but they refused to listen. Some historians think that the people who abducted Jeremiah were so angry with him, that they killed him while in Egypt. But, seventy years later, Jeremiah’s words proved to be right on. King Cyrus of Persia allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and even permitted them to rebuild the city—their homes, the city walls and the Temple. If only everyone had listened. Engage: • Jeremiah was young when God told him He wanted Jeremiah to be His prophet. What messages did God want him to share? • The messages from God were not what the people wanted to hear. How did they treat Jeremiah? • God had promised to protect Jeremiah. Who did God use to help Jeremiah? • We know that Jeremiah was a true prophet, because the words he spoke came true. What predictions did Jeremiah share? Theme verses: Jeremiah 1:7-8, NLT - “[Jeremiah,] don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the LORD, have spoken!” Prayer – Dear God, thank you for Jeremiah and his determination to obey you even when it was hard. Help me to care more about obeying you, then how other people will respond. ~ Pastor Jane
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
