One Dark Friday

At this point of Jeremiah’s ministry, chapter 20, things get ugly and if it was bad enough to deal with rejection, rumours and an unreceptive audience, he is now punished. In the fourth year of Johoiakim’s reign as king, life as we know it feels like it has ended for Jeremiah. The fear of an invasion has gripped the hearts of the people and Jeremiah has faithfully laid out the final word of warning before judgment was to fall. The sad reality is that Pashhur, the priest, would rather play the card of ignorance and went quite the length to rid the people of a voice of truth.
Today we ride the roller coaster of emotions and really will experience the highs and lows that he went through all while being called faithfully to minister. There is no way to really map his outcome other than to say that it all comes to a sudden stop! It ends and there is a sense of finality in chapter 20, it truly is a Friday like the one experienced by Jesus on Calvary, darkness has set in, the cry has come out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

Learning to live when life has handed you a death sentence v1-6

Jeremiah 26:11 This man deserves the sentence of death…

Who Is Pashur? The name Pashur means a "cleaver" or "splitter," a "divider." and this is exactly the kind of man Pashur was. He was always dividing people up, creating factions. Jeremiah says, "God is no longer going to call you Pashur, but Terror on every side", i.e., undependable, a frightening kind of man whom nobody dare trust. "Your leadership will be ignored, for no one can trust you."
Here he was in stocks and he now suddenly finds himself with his back bleeding and raw and sore, his arms and legs imprisoned which held him in a most uncomfortable position, crouched over and unable to move, facing a long, dark, cold, lonely night. Jeremiah had known for quite some time that he was a hated man and there were always threats on his life, but certainly they would still respect a prophet or would they? The self deception of a nation had really settled in.

Learning to trust God when life doesn’t make sense v7-9

In v7 we have the thoughts of Jeremiah while he is in here, waiting for what would happen to him. Is this the end? Is this how I end up? The waves of emotion keep flooding over him while he is here. Here we get another honest perspective of someone who really is wrestling with God over the circumstances that he is facing. In the midst of the trial he comes to us very raw with his fear and despair, alternating at times with faith and confidence. He moves between despair and faith. In his heart he knows he has done the right thing as he fluctuates between bitterness and faith, between despair and praise. The first thing he feels is that God himself has deceived him in v7a
Jeremiah 1:7-10 He feels a long way from feeling rescued. What happened to the promises God? Here I am wasting away and crying out to God, ‘Where is the deliverance, where is your rescue?’ My back is bleeding, my body aches from the pain? Where are you God?
It is easy to feel this way but God never intended by promising deliverance that he would be kept from all pain. It would be saying that I trusted God for this, I claimed this verse for my child and it didn’t work…’train up a child…’ God is not true to His Word.

We put words in God's mouth when our expectations of God don’t match up with His plan.
v8 Speaking his word has brought him great insult and reproach and at the same time His words brought him great joy and delight. 15:16
v9 Have you ever been in that place where you know you need to speak out? You realize that there is an injustice, you know you can sense hearts growing cold to God, apathy or sin just needs to be called sin. You know that your words are going to get you into trouble, but you could not remain silent anymore? This is exactly what Jeremiah is struggling with right at this very moment.

Learning the tactics of the enemy v10

The enemy of your soul loves to play mind games with you.
v10 You can recognize when the voices in your head starting playing absolutes that the enemy of your soul is wreaking havoc with you.
This is a clear picture of a satanic attack and that is exactly what is taking place. In the midst of all the pain, the disappointment, the enemy loves nothing more than to plant thoughts in your mind.
His pattern we know all too well
1. He distracts us –He constantly will try to remove your focus away from what you know God to be and race in with the doubt.
2. He accuses us. He loves to accuse of our lack of faith, lack of trust, our doubt.
Know this…Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

3. He deceives us. You are the only one who is going through this. You are alone. No one understands you.
1 Peter 5:6-10
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Learning How Not To Lose Your Faith In The God of All Circumstances v11,12

It is your counter attack. You have to fight back with Scripture, with affirmations of truth, with the promises of our Lord….the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come to give you life and life more abundant.

Have faith like a warrior! Ephesians. Get serious about the battle that you are in. Don’t let the enemy lull your faith to sleep or your circumstances to drown your confidence.
Keep seeing everything from His eternal perspective.
For Jeremiah, he start with God – The Lord is with me, but He also knows how to fight, He is a mighty warrior and He knows that ultimately God will save the day. We may feel like we are losing the fight, but the battle is far from over and He will set the record straight.

Learning to Praise the Lord is a huge antidote to depression v13

Similar to the account of Paul and Silas in Acts 16, Jeremiah’s faith is locked in on God and His greatness – He had to rise above the reality of his circumstances.
It would be great if we could end the message here, close our Bibles and say that was a great message, but we can’t. Jeremiah has another real setback here.

Learning not to neglect to feed your forgotten soul v14-18

Jeremiah is real and shows us how fast and how easy we can slip into despair. It almost seems schizophrenic for him. Some commentators have thought that this is slightly out of place and more reflects his time while in the stocks because we see in v3 that he is released. Its possible, but is also very possible to recognize just how vulnerable we really are.
I think that often after huge encouragement and victory, a baptism, a significant spiritual milestone…you name it. The enemy loves nothing better than to sweep in and kill our joy. You only have to look to Elijah to see his incredible victory over the prophets of Baal and then be so intimidated by Jezebel to run for his life and ask God to die.
We need to keep our eyes on Jesus…the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:1-3
Jeremiah will still write amazing promises but for now he is not in a physical pit, he is in a mental pit.

2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

The Takeaway
Its Friday but Sunday is coming!

Broken promises, weary hearts But one promise remains: Crucified, he will come again It's Friday, but Sunday is coming It's Friday, but Sunday comes
I give my all to You, give my all to You / Nothing's sacred, the days are cheap / Truth is thin on the ground / Still our prophets are crucified / Nobody believes we're stumbling / It's Friday, but Sunday is coming Sunday Tree 63

We all need to be able to know what can resurrect our soul, our hope, our faith and that is the arms of Jesus. We finally have to take our rest in His confidence, His faithfulness, His joy. It is the same joy that enabled Him to endure the cross that we need to lay hold of so that we do not succumb to the graveyard of faith.

Questions For Discussion and Small Groups

1. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12. How does this type of suffering distort our view of God? What is the purpose of it?

2. Reflect on the following lyrics from a song. Even when my eyes are dry, even when my soul is tired, even when my hands are heavy, I will lift them up to You. It's not about how I feel, oh Lord I am here for You. I exist for you

3. Have you experienced a dark Friday in your life? Has Sunday come to your soul and if it has describe it or are you still waiting for it?

4. What can resurrect your soul from a dark place? What leads you there?