Over these last few months, we have studied the book of Daniel verse-by-verse, and we have seen how God used Daniel’s life even in exile. The grand idea of Daniel was one of kings and kingdoms. Daniel himself was taken from his homeland of Israel in dramatic fashion and was forced to live in and serve the emperors of Babylon and Persia. Daniel is full of grand events, danger, royalty, visions, angelic beings, and awestriking works of God. For the next few weeks, we are going to look at the life of a different prophet: Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a contemporary of Daniel in many ways. Like Daniel, God began using Jeremiah at a very young age for a difficult task. The striking difference, however, is that Jeremiah was not taken to Babylon. He was left to live in the midst of the destruction of Israel. We won’t be studying each chapter and verse of Jeremiah, but we will focus on God’s working in his life and God’s sovereign reign whether in the palace of Babylon or in the ruins of Jerusalem. If anyone in the Bible could have come up with excuses not to do God’s will, Jeremiah could have had plenty. As we look at the start of his ministry for God, we may see some of our own excuses for our disobedience, delay, or apathy toward what God wants in our lives. It has been said, “Excuses are tools of the incompetent, and those who specialize in them seldom go far.” Ben Franklin wrote, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Gabriel Meurier stated, “He who excuses himself, accuses himself.” Jeremiah did offer some “excuses” as he initially spoke to the Lord, but God countered each excuse with a promise.

Scripture References: Jeremiah 1:1-19, Jeremiah 2:1

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From Series: "The One Left Behind, Jeremiah"

Over these last few months, we have studied the book of Daniel verse-by-verse, and we have seen how God used Daniel’s life even in exile. The grand idea of Daniel was one of kings and kingdoms. Daniel himself was taken from his homeland of Israel in dramatic fashion and was forced to live in and serve the emperors of Babylon and Persia. Daniel is full of grand events, danger, royalty, visions, angelic beings, and awestriking works of God. For the next few weeks, we are going to look at the life of a different prophet: Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a contemporary of Daniel in many ways. Like Daniel, God began using Jeremiah at a very young age for a difficult task. The striking difference, however, is that Jeremiah was not taken to Babylon. He was left to live in the midst of the destruction of Israel. We won’t be studying each chapter and verse of Jeremiah, but we will focus on God’s working in his life and God’s sovereign reign whether in the palace of Babylon or in the ruins of Jerusalem. If anyone in the Bible could have come up with excuses not to do God’s will, Jeremiah could have had plenty. As we look at the start of his ministry for God, we may see some of our own excuses for our disobedience, delay, or apathy toward what God wants in our lives. It has been said, “Excuses are tools of the incompetent, and those who specialize in them seldom go far.” Ben Franklin wrote, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Gabriel Meurier stated, “He who excuses himself, accuses himself.” Jeremiah did offer some “excuses” as he initially spoke to the Lord, but God countered each excuse with a promise.

Scripture References: Jeremiah 1:1-19, Jeremiah 2:1

More Messages from James Sumpter | Download Audio

Over these last few months, we have studied the book of Daniel verse-by-verse, and we have seen how God used Daniel’s life even in exile. The grand idea of Daniel was one of kings and kingdoms. Daniel himself was taken from his homeland of Israel in dramatic fashion and was forced to live in and serve the emperors of Babylon and Persia. Daniel is full of grand events, danger, royalty, visions, angelic beings, and awestriking works of God. For the next few weeks, we are going to look at the life of a different prophet: Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a contemporary of Daniel in many ways. Like Daniel, God began using Jeremiah at a very young age for a difficult task. The striking difference, however, is that Jeremiah was not taken to Babylon. He was left to live in the midst of the destruction of Israel. We won’t be studying each chapter and verse of Jeremiah, but we will focus on God’s working in his life and God’s sovereign reign whether in the palace of Babylon or in the ruins of Jerusalem. If anyone in the Bible could have come up with excuses not to do God’s will, Jeremiah could have had plenty. As we look at the start of his ministry for God, we may see some of our own excuses for our disobedience, delay, or apathy toward what God wants in our lives. It has been said, “Excuses are tools of the incompetent, and those who specialize in them seldom go far.” Ben Franklin wrote, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Gabriel Meurier stated, “He who excuses himself, accuses himself.” Jeremiah did offer some “excuses” as he initially spoke to the Lord, but God countered each excuse with a promise.

Scripture References: Jeremiah 1:1-19, Jeremiah 2:1

More Messages from James Sumpter | Download Audio

From Series: "The One Left Behind, Jeremiah"