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Conclusion: "Fill the Gap!"
"Fill the Gap!" A Historical Parallel
In this study we have journeyed through the four climactic events of Jeremiah’s ministry. We have offered historical parallels and personal applications to each.
In Jeremiah 36, we saw that the message of God was presented to the prophet and then to the king of God's people. Jehoiakim stubbornly refused to repent and selfishly burned the words of God. From this act of rebellion, we gained the title to our first section, "Burn the Book".
In chapters 37-38, God's messenger was accused of being a traitor, jailed for his messages and thrown into a muddy cistern. This section was appropriately entitled "Kill the Preacher!"
In Jeremiah 39, God's wrath was unleashed on His stubborn, unrepentant people. The third section was entitled, "Feel the Wrath!"
In Jeremiah 40, God preserved His messenger by pulling Jeremiah out of the line-up of slaves bound for Babylon. "Protect My Man!" was the title of the fourth division of this book.
With the fall of Jerusalem and freedom granted to God’s man, we bring to a conclusion the climactic events of Jeremiah’s life. But before ending our study, we must see one more very important historical parallel between the ministry of Jeremiah and the church of today. Although it is not a climactic event in his life, it certainly was significant and may be the most important for us to see.
In Jeremiah 1:4-8, we find the record of the prophet’s opening moments of ministry. “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’
"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.’
“But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a child.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.”
From these opening moments of ministry, we can gain several very important applications for the “Jeremiah Generation”.
1. Like Jeremiah, God knew before you were “formed ... in the womb” (vs 5) the assignment He had for you. You were commissioned before conception to do great things for the Creator. May you spend all of your life’s energy pursuing the discovery and completion of that assignment.
2. Just as Jeremiah recognized the limitations of his youth, you too must approach your assignment with humility and some degree of trepidation. (vs 6) The wisdom of years should not be dismissed lightly.
3. When commissioned by God, age is not important. (vs 7) His message bears His authority. As long as the messenger accurately represents the message he has been given, the age of the messenger should not be an issue.
4. Because of sin, age will be a factor but this should not intimidate the messenger of God. (vs 8) The heart of the listener is not under your control. Your responsibility is to present what you have been told. Do so with boldness, for the message is not yours, but it is God’s. Do so with humility, for you are only the tool in the hand of the Master and tools are easily replaced.
With these four applications, one can easily see the reason for this concluding section of our study. The irony of the “Jeremiah Generation” is that, in order for it to have a unified success, it must be made up of differing generations.
Although Jeremiah started his ministry as a young man, the climactic years of his work did not come until he was an old man. Although God commissioned him in youth, He conditioned him with age. Jeremiah is the historical parallel of the ever-widening generation gap we now see within the family of God. On one side, there is the unbridled energy of youth. On the other is the unbending stability of age. For the “Jeremiah Generation” to succeed, we must fill the gap between us.
In the next three application chapters, you will discover the keys to filling that gap. In Acts 2, God inspired the historic record of the opening days of the fastest growing church in history. For the “Jeremiah Generation” to span the distance between age groups and fill the gap between generations, the dynamics from those opening days of the early church must be revisited.
Years ago, I wrote a book about the principles we should learn from those days immediately following Pentecost. The book was entitled, “G.A.S. Can Set a Church on Fire!” The acronym G.A.S. stands for God, action and stability. As one reads the early descriptions of the First Century church, it is easy to see these three characteristics of their passion for the work of God. They trusted God, they actively engaged in His work and they gained stability from the apostles’ doctrine. In the process, they not only bridged the gap between genders and ethnic groups, they even filled the gap between the generations.
For the “Jeremiah Generation” to be effective, these important principles must be applied. In the concluding chapters of this book, we will use these three characteristics to draw applications for today’s church. In order to give this material its ultimate climax, we will present the principles in reverse order - stability, action, God. Please do not lay this book aside without seeing these much needed applications for the church of today.
Copyright 2006 by Childs Family Publications