Last week the sermon passage looked at Jeremiah’s complaints against the Lord (Jer 11:18-12:17), regarding (a) a plot against his life, and (b) the wicked prospering. God’s response to these complaints inspired and strengthened Jeremiah to get back out on the field and keep fighting, inch by inch. So if we are feeling beaten down in OUR mission, The Great Commission, what can we learn from this passage?
1. Like Jeremiah, we’ve been told the outcome. The battle would not end in tears for Jeremiah, but for his enemies. Likewise, Jesus’ death has defeated sin, death and the Devil. The outcome for the Christian is a certain victory. So let’s get out there and keep fighting, inch by inch.
2. But, like Jeremiah, the battle will not be easy. Soldiers and athletes prepare themselves mentally for the hardships ahead. The Bible does the same for Christians, commanding them to adorn the armour of God (Eph 6). Jesus never promised the Christian life would be easy. Knowing this helps steel the Christian for any hardships that might come our way. So let us prepare both emotionally and spiritually, and keep fighting, inch by inch.
3. Finally, like Jeremiah, any suffering we might endure in this life pales into insignificance compared to what Jesus suffered for us. Jer 12:7 says ‘I will give my loved one into the hands of her enemies’. While that was originally about Judah, Christians know it is ultimately about Jesus. When we see Jesus fighting for us inch by inch, insult by insult, lash by lash, nail by nail, does it not make us WANT to get out there and keep fighting for him inch by inch?
The Great Commission is not a cake walk. But God has given us all we need in Jesus to keep fighting, inch by inch.
