HCCWG | 09.13.26 | Bryan Vincent | Put My Words in Your Mouth

Jeremiah 1 begins with a God-sized call in a dark and unraveling season. Jeremiah serves from the days of Josiah all the way to Jerusalem’s fall, when Babylon destroys the city, burns the temple, and carries God’s people into exile. Jeremiah becomes the weeping prophet because he loves his people, sees their sin, and knows what is coming. Yet God’s word comes right into that broken world.

The book calls itself “the words of Jeremiah,” but it also says, “the word of the Lord came to him.” Jeremiah speaks, but God is the One speaking through him. Scripture is not just words on a page. The Bible is the voice of the living God, a voice people were made to know. God still speaks, even through a book written twenty-six hundred years ago, and that is why God’s people must listen.

God’s call on Jeremiah begins before Jeremiah can do anything to earn it. God says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.” Jeremiah’s life is not random, and neither is God’s purpose for him. Jeremiah sees his weakness right away: “I don’t know how to speak. I’m too young.” But God does not shrink the call to match Jeremiah’s confidence. God tells him to go, speak, and not be afraid, because “I am with you and will rescue you.” God touches Jeremiah’s mouth and puts his words there.

God’s call still reaches into ordinary places: homes, families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and teams. The biggest call is the call to Jesus Christ, whose cross bears the judgment sinners deserve and whose resurrection brings real life. Christ calls people to trust him, love him, and point others to him wherever God has placed them.

God then gives Jeremiah two visions. The almond branch is the first sign that spring is coming, and it says that God is watching over his word to fulfill it. The boiling pot tilted from the north reveals that judgment is coming upon Judah. God’s people have forsaken him, burned incense to other gods, and worshiped what their hands have made. Babylon will come, because God’s word cannot fail.

God prepares Jeremiah to stand like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. Kings, officials, priests, and people will fight against him, but they will not overcome him. Jerusalem will fall, but Jeremiah will still be standing, and God’s word will remain. When the world feels like it is shaking, God’s word gives his people a place to stand. Unlike a Mission Impossible message, God’s word will not self-destruct in five seconds. It remains, it calls, and it puts a fire in the bones of those who receive it.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s word still comes today. [50:17] Scripture carries more than human religious reflection. God speaks through the words he has preserved, including the hard words of Jeremiah. The familiar voice of God calls for more than casual attention, because the Creator is speaking into real lives and real moments. God’s word deserves a listening heart. [50:17]
• 2. God’s call exceeds human ability. [55:42] Jeremiah’s fear was not strange or shameful. God often gives assignments that make personal strength look too small, because the point is never self-sufficiency. God supplies what he commands, just as he touched Jeremiah’s mouth and gave him words. His presence is the strength beneath every impossible call. [55:42]
• 3. Idolatry brings God’s judgment. [01:03:17] Judah’s disaster did not come out of nowhere. God’s people had forsaken him and given worship to gods made by human hands. Idolatry always promises control while cutting people off from the only true God. God’s judgment reveals both his holiness and the seriousness of turning away from him. [63:17]
• 4. God’s word cannot fail. [01:05:50] The almond branch promised that God watches over his word to fulfill it. The boiling pot showed that even hard promises of judgment would come true. Human opposition, changing cultures, and centuries of criticism cannot make God’s word collapse. God’s people stand firm because God remains faithful to what he has said. [65:50]
• 5. Christ calls sinners to surrender. [01:10:08] Jesus bore the judgment that sin deserves through his death on the cross. Jesus rose in victory, and his call is urgent because grace must be answered. Repentance is not merely feeling bad about sin; it is turning in a new direction and surrendering life to Christ. The Holy Spirit kindles fresh fire where Christ is truly trusted.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [36:46] - Jeremiah’s Impossible Mission
• [40:47] - Why Listen When God Speaks?
• [45:14] - Jeremiah’s Dark Historical Moment
• [49:29] - The Voice of the Living God
• [52:05] - Called Before Birth
• [55:42] - God Equips Those He Calls
• [60:01] - The Almond Branch and Boiling Pot
• [63:17] - Judah’s Idolatry and Judgment
• [64:22] - A Fortified City, Iron Pillar, Bronze Wall
• [67:35] - Standing on God’s Unfailing Word
• [68:22] - A Fire in Your Bones

Bible Reading

Jeremiah 1:4-10

4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, [41:51]
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” [41:53]
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” [42:04]
7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. [42:12]
8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” [42:20]
9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. [42:28]
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” [42:35]

Jeremiah 1:11-16

11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” [42:49]
12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” [42:58]
13 The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” [43:05]
14 Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. [43:11]
15 For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. [43:20]
16 And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.” [43:40]

Jeremiah 1:17-19

17 “But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. [43:50]
18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. [44:00]
19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” [44:14]

Jeremiah 20:9

9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. [38:46]

Observation questions

1. What reasons does Jeremiah give for feeling unable to carry out God’s call, and how does God answer each concern? [54:16]
2. What actions does God take in Jeremiah 1:7-10 to show that Jeremiah’s mission will depend on God rather than Jeremiah’s natural ability? [56:20]
3. What do the almond branch and the boiling pot each reveal about what God is about to do? [01:00:45]
4. According to Jeremiah 1:16, what specific sins brought God’s judgment upon Judah? [01:03:12]

Interpretation questions

1. God knew, set apart, and appointed Jeremiah before his birth. How does this truth give Jeremiah a foundation for obedience when he feels young, weak, or unprepared? [53:24]
2. God does not remove Jeremiah’s difficult assignment, but promises, “I am with you.” What does this show about the kind of help God most deeply gives to those He calls? [55:50]
3. Judah worshiped “the works of their own hands.” What might that kind of idolatry look like when a person looks to success, comfort, control, relationships, or possessions for what only God can give? [01:03:25]
4. Jeremiah is promised opposition from kings, officials, priests, and ordinary people, yet God says they will not overcome him. How can someone remain faithful when obedience to God is not popular or welcomed? [01:05:15]

Application questions

1. Where do you most often hear God’s voice through Scripture right now: in a comfort, a correction, a command, or a promise? What could help you listen with greater attention this week? [50:31]
2. Is there an area of obedience where you have been saying, in effect, “I’m not able,” “I don’t know what to say,” or “I’m not ready”? What is one next faithful step you could take while trusting God to provide what you need? [56:32]
3. God’s call reaches into homes, families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and teams. Where has God placed you to love Jesus openly and point someone else toward Him? What might that look like in one specific conversation or action this week? [59:33]
4. What false source of security or control is most tempting for you to rely on instead of God? How can you turn from that idol and give God first place in a practical way this week? [01:03:39]
5. When life feels unstable or the world around you feels like it is shaking, what promises from God’s Word help you stand firm? How could you keep one of those promises in front of you this week? [01:07:35]
6. Jesus bore the judgment sinners deserve and calls people to trust Him and turn from sin. Is there a particular sin, pattern, or area of self-rule that you need to bring honestly to Christ in repentance and surrender? [01:10:20]