Faithfulness Amid Suffering: The Call to Speak Truth

At the heart of my wife's question was really, why do bad things happen to good people? Have you ever found yourself asking that question? Tonight, I want to look with you at someone in the scripture who qualifies as one of those good people that had numerous bad things happen to them. And I think, especially in light of all those going back to school tomorrow, we can really learn a lot from this person's experience and his example. [00:05:44] (33 seconds)  #WhyDoBadThingsHappen

His calling from God might sound like something glorious or glamorous. You know, God says, I sanctified you. It means I set you apart. I ordained you. It means I'm giving you a special mission. I ordained you to be a prophet, someone who's going to speak on my behalf, someone who's going to have to give rebukes when necessary, someone who's going to have to give encouragement at other times. Sometimes you're even going to have to tell the future. [00:13:45] (30 seconds)  #CalledToProphecy

But we're not just called to tear down. We're also called to build and to plant, to plant the seeds of gospel truth, to build God's kingdom here on the earth. Mark 16, 15, go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature. Matthew 28, 19, go therefore make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. In other words, expose the evil works of darkness, but it's not just enough to expose it. We must bring the truth in its place. [00:17:09] (43 seconds)  #WhistleblowersForTruth

How many of us have ever seen something wrong and wanted to say something, but we feared for our jobs or our safety or even our lives? The potential for revenge keeps most people quiet. And for those courageous folks who stepped up and said something and then had their lives destroyed, it only reinforces to everybody else, shut up or else. [00:19:44] (32 seconds)  #MomentOfFrustration

The problem is worldly protections by the government are only as good as the government itself. But what happens if you're calling out the government? Sure, they're legally obligated to protect you, but as many whistleblowers have found out, the retaliation still happens. [00:20:16] (24 seconds)  #FearSilencesTruth

In our text, Jeremiah, as he's talking to himself, saying how it's just not worth it to even speak about God anymore. Thank God. Listen to his conclusion. In verse 9, he says, I will not make mention of him or speak in the morning anymore in his name, but his word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. Many times, Jeremiah wanted to give up, but he couldn't. [00:31:02] (38 seconds)  #IrrepressibleWord

He couldn't because he dealt with God's word. He lived. God's word lived in his heart. He couldn't because that word burned in his heart like fire. He couldn't because that word pressed against his very being as if it were shut up in his bones, requiring great energy to hold it in. And he says, I was weary of holding it back. [00:31:40] (26 seconds)  #GodBiggerThanMisery

He learned that it was irreversible and that God's word was irrepressible. Under the stress and strain of his sufferings, he was tempted to abandon the work, to refuse to speak anymore in the name of Jehovah. But when he attempted thus to find release from suffering in silence, it was impossible, for such silence became more intolerable than the suffering. [00:32:11] (28 seconds)  #LivingToChangeTheWorld

And as I close, do bad things happen to good people? Yes, absolutely. Of course they do. And good things happen to bad people. And good things happen to good people. And bad things happen to bad people. And the rain falls on the just and the unjust. And as long as we live in a fallen, sinful world, that is going to continue. But that being the case, that means that we must live in this fallen world to, in effect, change around us. We must be in the world, but not of the world. [00:38:29] (37 seconds)

See, blowing the whistle is costly. It's dangerous. Yes, perhaps even deadly. But if you're doing what's right, speaking for God, sure, some are going to mock. That's true. Some may even try to do you harm. But if you hold fast, like Jeremiah, you can trust that God will be the one that will vindicate you. [00:39:50] (29 seconds)