Called Before Conception-Jeremiah 1

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew (chose) you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’”  (Jer 1:4-5).

Last Sunday (9/23/18), we studied Conversion and Calling based on Isaiah’s call in three parts: (1) See Jesus. (2) Saved by Jesus. (3) Serve Jesus. For reflection consider: (1) Isaiah saw a “big” God. Is your God big and your problems small, or are your problems big because your God is small? (2) How do you know you are “saved”? (3) When, where, how and especially who are you serving?

This Sunday (9/30/18), we study Called before Conception based on Jeremiah’s Call (ch. 1) in three parts:

1. Eternity (Jer 1:4-5). Called from eternity (Eph 1:4; 2 Tim 1:9). God choose Jeremiah to be his servant before he was born.
2. Enablement (Jer 1:8-9). God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. God’s calling is lived out by God’s enablement and God’s word, which plays a critical role in one’s calling (Jer 1:4, 9, 11, 13; 20:9). “But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jer 20:9). The “word of the Lord” is central to Jeremiah’s call and his work. It is not the plans or ideas of Jeremiah that drive him, but the plans of God–the very words of God. Jeremiah will serve as God’s spokesman, speaking the very words of God to the nation.
3. Empowerment (Jer 1:17-19). Calling empowered by God’s presence. God promises the power of his presence, which will deliver him from his powerful opposition. Thus, servants called by God for difficult tasks do not cop out or bail out no matter the difficulty, opposition, rejection, lack of results, discouragement or heartbreak.

Life is not for me to get God to do what I want, but for him to get me to do what he wants! This requires a Copernican Revolution in our hearts. Copernicus (1473‒1543) caused a mega paradigm shift in human history. He discovered that we live in a helio-centric solar system and not a geo-centric one. Similarly, to be called by God, we know that life is meant to be Christocentric rather than ego-centric (2 Cor 5:15; Gen 12:3).

The opening verses in Jeremiah summarize the entire book (1:1-3). It starts with the word of God coming to young Jeremiah (1:4-19) and ends with the fall and exile of Jerusalem (52:1-34). There is no mystery that how this story will end–very badly–and no mystery about whether the people in Jerusalem will respond to Jeremiah’s message–they did not.

The call (4-5). The basic ingredients of a call are found in the 4 verbs:

• I formed you (Eph 1:4; 2 Ti 1:9). God thought of you first, even before your parents! You are no accident. God shaped you like a potter forms the clay (18:1‒6). He planned your eye color, height, talents, looks, etc. (Psalm 139:13‒16). Most importantly, God has a plan for your life.
• I knew you (Gal 4:9; 1 Cor 8:3; Ps 139:13-16). The greatest of all human desires is to be known, acknowledged, recognized, and understood. “Mommy, look at me!” When we are known, our existence is validated. Long before Jeremiah knew God, God knew Jeremiah. In finding God’s will, it is far more important that God knows me than that I know him.
• I set you apart / consecrated you (1 Cor 6:19-20; 2 Pe 1:10)…for God’s (holy) purposes. The word can be translated “sanctified” and means to be set apart for holy purposes. In the Bible numerous things are thus “set apart” for God: pots and pans in the temple, days of the year, prophets, priests, kings, etc. This means that you are not your own, you have been bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (I Cor. 6:19‒20).
• I appointed [“to give”] you (Jn 15:16). The word means “to give.” God “gave” Jeremiah to the nations. God loves to give things away (John 3:16, etc.). If Jeremiah’s life is truly consecrated to God, then God has every right to do whatever he wishes with him.

For reflection:

• Review Isaiah 6. Isaiah saw a big God (Isa 6:1). Is your God big and your problems small?
• How do you know you are saved (Isa 6:5-7)?
• When, where, how and who are you serving (Isa 6:8)?

1. Read (a) Jeremiah 1:4-5. (b) Ephesians 1:4. (c) 2 Timothy 1:9. Describe your thoughts and feelings about God:
   1. forming you in the womb (Jer 1:5a; 18:1-6):
   2. knowing [choosing] you (Jer 1:5b; Gal 4:9; 1 Cor 8:3):
   3. setting you apart, appointing you [to give] having a plan for your life (Jer 1:5d; 1 Cor 6:19-20; 2 Pe 1:10):
   4. before you were born or even conceived (Jer 1:5c; Ps 119:13-16):
2. Is there a call from God on your life? Describe how you understand it (Isa 6:8). What role does God’s word play in your life and your calling (Jer 1:4, 9, 11, 13; 20:9; Ps 1:2; Ac 17:11)?
3. If you pray that God will reveal his sovereign purpose for your life so that you might know your “life’s calling,” what are you really asking (1 Cor 10:31; Col 1:10; Jn 8:29)?
4. Have you experienced a “Copernican revolution” in your soul (2 Cor 5:15; Gen 12:3)?
5. When called by God you are enabled and empowered by God’s presence (Jer 1:8-9, 17-19). What does this mean to you when you face disappointments, opposition, failure and heart breaking situations?