SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON, DECEMBER 10,2017, TOPIC: COST OF BEING GOD'S MESSENGER

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON, DECEMBER 10,2017
TOPIC: Cost of Being God’s Messenger
MEMORY VERSE: Jeremiah 20:11. The Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper (KJV).

LESSON TEXT: Jeremiah 20:1-18; Lamentations 3:1-24.

CENTRAL TRUTH: God empowers His children in the face of opposition
FOCUS: To observe the challenges and reactions of God’s messenger, and recall our hope in God.

LESSON OUTLINE:
1. The Messenger Faces Opposition
A. Beaten and Imprisoned
B. Pashhur’s Judgment
2. The Messenger Despairs
A. The Beaten Within
B. To Never be Born
C. A Lost Hope
3. The Messenger Regains Hope
A. Confidence In God’s Presence
B. Loving and Merciful God.

                     LEANING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
1. Discuss the challenges that believers may face when they proclaim God’s Word.
2. Suggest specific ways they can deal with their struggles when faced with opposition
3. Express their trust in God’s empowering presence in the midst of opposition.

                   INTRODUCING THE LESSON
QUESTION: What are some recent reports of Christian persecution that you have heard?
    Around the world, believers in Christ are opposed and persecuted for the message they share. It’s not easy, and it can leave them wondering if God has abandoned them. They may ask why God called them, only for them to suffer at the hands of others. They may wonder if the suffering is worth it.
      We may share these feelings when ridiculed by family, friends, and others. Understanding Jeremiah’s struggles can help us face our own struggles.

                           COMMENTARY AND APPLICATION

1. The Messenger Faces Opposition
A. Beaten and Imprisoned. Jeremiah 20:1-2
         QUESTION: How does the possibility of persecution affect your willingness to respond to God’s calling?
   The fear of rejection and persecution can often keep someone from responding positively to God’s call. Jeremiah was much like us, and when he endured persecution, he struggled with God and with his calling. God’s promise to Jeremiah, that He would deliver Jeremiah, felt like a distant whisper in the wind.
      In the temple courts, Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed the message God gave him( Jeremiah  19:14-15). God was going to Judge the kings, the priests, and the people for their obstinate disobedience. Pashhur served as the chief overseer of the temple, and his duties included keeping order in the temple and dealing with troublemakers. So, he arrested Jeremiah, and had him beaten and confined (Jeremiah 20:1-2).
     It is quite likely that Jeremiah’s beating was consistent with the forty lashings allowed by mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 25:3). It’s uncertain the specific nature of Jeremiah’s confinement or torture., or it may have been a small prison room that forced Jeremiah to curl up in order to fit. Regardless of the form of confinement, he was placed at the upper Benjamin Gate near the temple (not the Benjamin Gate of the northern city wall) where people frequently passed by. As a result, Jeremiah was open to public ridicule.

B. Pashhu’s Judgement. Jeremiah 20:3-6
      QUESTION: What is the significance of the Lord changing Pashhur’s name?
      When Pashhur released Jeremiah the next day, it became clear that Jeremiah did not endure this persecution alone. God gave him a message to deliver to Pashhur ( Jeremiah 20:3-6). The message began with a name change using assonance ( similar sounding words) to indicate a change from a positive state to a negative one. Pashhur, meaning “fruitful all around” would now be called Megor-Missabib, meaning “terror on every side”.
     Pashhur’s name change pointed to the judgement that he, his friends, and all of Jerusalem and Judah would experience in the near future. The judgement would be so severe that they would experience “terror on every side.”  It is also important to note that this is the first time that the nation responsible for the future destruction is named:Babylon.

2. The Messenger Despairs
A. The Battle Within. Jeremiah 20:7-10
        Jeremiah 20:7-10 provides us with dramatic insight into Jeremiah’s internal struggle with God and with his calling. The language that Jeremiah used is that of a complaint ( verse 7). In other words, Jeremiah felt as if God had taken advantage of him, using him, and then discarded him. Yet he felt he had no way of refusing God. God was too strong for him, using Jeremiah to carryout His wishes. Jeremiah claimed that, as a result, he had become a disgrace, with people mocking and ridiculing him. He was the laughingstock of the community every single day.
       While Jeremiah said it was God who put him in the situation, he stated the specific reason for the ridicule was due to the message God had him proclaimed. Jeremiah warned the peole of impending destruction and suffering. Not surprisingly this was an unpopular message. From the beginning, God had informed Jeremiah that his prophecies would be met with resistance and end in suffering (see 1:17-18). Those words proved true, perhaps beyond Jeremiah’s imagination (20:8).
      So Jeremiah attempted to forego his calling. He tried to stop proclaiming the message God had given him to preach, but he could not contain it ( verse 9). He felt compelled to share the message, even at great cost to himself. That cost was very real, as Jeremiah’s persecutors waited for the right opportunity to deal harshly with the prophet ( verse 10).

B. To Never Be Born. Jeremiah 20:14-18
QUESTION: How does Jeremiah’s inward struggle with despair in his persecution reflect our own struggles?
    Jeremiah was not a superhero without weakness. He was a human being just like us. Jeremiah was filled with such anguish and despair that he cursed the very day he was born (Jeremiah 20:14-18). But he would not curse his parents. And will definitely would not curse God. Both were punishable by death ( see Leviticus 20:9;24:10-16). The worst he could do was to curse the day he was born. This amounted to Jeremiah cursing his calling as well ( see Jeremiah 1:4-10).
   Because he could not curse his parents, he instead cursed the messenger of his birth. He went on to say that it would have been better if his mother had miscarried him. Utter despair and hopelessness was completely enveloping Jeremiah. It was almost as if he was about to break under the pressure.
    Sadly, this is not foreign to those whom God calls even today. Many who at one time confessed a call to ministry have withdrawn from ministry. They have suffered loss in multiple form. They have endured abuse and rejection. Sometimes, even those closest to them have rejected them.

C. A Lost Hope. Lamentation 3:1-2,17-18
QUESTION: What are some of the responses people give to those who seem to have no hope?
   Sometimes, we can find it very simple to empathies with someone going through a difficult time. This seems to be more true when a fellow believer begins to blame God for what he or she is enduring. Given what Jeremiah says in these texts, what might your initial response be? Jeremiah said it was on him that God is pouring his wrath (Lamentations 3:1) Jeremiah felt this was some form of punishment. It was a punishment so severe that Jeremiah compared it to being in total and complete darkness ( verse 2).
     This darkness of the soul stripped Jeremiah of any peace he once had ( verse 17). At this point, Jeremiah’s life was nothing but chaos and turmoil. He could not go on. Even the hope he once embraced was nowhere to be found ( verse 18). Jeremiah felt judged, punished, and abandoned by the very God who had called him.

3. The Messenger Regains Hope.
A. Confidence in God’s Presence. Jeremiah 20:11-13.
      QUESTION: What is different about what Jeremiah said in 20:11-13 compared to what he has said in verse 7-10?
   Jeremiah seemed to recall the words God spoke to him when God called Jeremiah to be His prophet. He recalled God’s promised presence. He recalled God’s promised Deliverance ( see Jeremiah 1:8) Jeremiah did not have to be afraid. He could stand boldly and confidently.
     Rather than facing abandonment, Jeremiah now recognized he knew that God would save him from his persecutors (20:11). God would help him. Any plans people had for his destruction would come to nothing. When the dust settled, it would be Jeremiah who will remain standing while those who sought him harm would suffer disgrace for eternity.
      Jeremiah’s new found confidence was also based on the fact he knew God would test and judge the hearts of all people. He had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. On the other hand, those who sought his destruction had everything to lose. So Jeremiah appealed to God to act on what He knew to be true about the wicked. Jeremiah did not need to act on his own behalf nor did he need to defend himself. He had entrusted himself to God.
      We can always trust God to defend His people and to act on their behalf. Even when it appears that the wicked are getting away with evil, God, who knows all and sees all, will bring into account ( verse 12). It is no surprise then that Jeremiah spoke forth with words of adoration and praise ( verse 13). No other response fits the occasion. Jeremiah knew he had been delivered and would be delivered by God who had called him and promised His continuous presence. Let God be praised !

B. Loving and Merciful God. Lamentations 3:21-24
QUESTION: How does God’s character put the suffering associated with opposition and persecution into perspective?
    Jeremiah’s regained hope came from his recollection of who God is and how God relates to His creation. Specifically, Jeremiah remembered the nature of God’s love. It never changes. It is always constant. It does not decrease or increase. As God does not change, neither does His love( Lamentations 3:21-24).
    This is important for us to grasp because we live in a world filled with misconceptions of what love is and what it does. We sometimes have warped views of love. But God’s love is not the same as the forms of love often expressed by humanity. God is consistent, and He consistently loves.
   God’s mercies also have no end. God often expresses His love in acts of mercy. He sustains His people through difficult seasons. He provides for the needy and for the broken. He heals the sick. And, Jeremiah attributed God’s love and mercy to His unwavering faithfulness.
  And perhaps, the greatest point of fact for Jeremiah, and for us, that he recalled is that God was his portion is another way of saying that God was his inheritance. This is clearly “life after death” language. Jeremiah confessed that he belonged to God and God belonged to him. In other words, Jeremiah’s oppressors might have stripped him of everything even taken his life-but they could not take him away from God. And because God was his inheritance, God was his hope.


           DISCIPLESHIP IN ACTION
    God has called you to share His message. At times, you may experience opposition and persecution as you obey His call. Know that God is with you and will empower you to face any opposition that comes your way.
     In the weeks ahead, set aside time to explore other biblical accounts of those who obeyed God’s calling and who suffered opposition and persecution as a result. Pay particular attention to how they endured and allow it to encourage you, knowing that you can endure, too.

          MINISTRY IN ACTION
In addition to determining to remain faithful to God’s call upon your life, find current reports of persecution that other believers are experiencing. Commit yourself to pray for them, daily or weekly, that they may find strength they need to endure, knowing that God will provide them everything they need to do so.