Welcome to another edition of the Weekend Sermon. It is my prayer that all of you are doing well today. I am glad to be with you.
I have been working hard on my various writing projects. As a mentioned, one of the book projects that I have been working on is complete. I have two other book projects in mind. I am going to wait on one until the book I've just finished is published since they are both religious books. I do have a novel I am about to start. Please pray that the Lord will help me with my writing.
As you are in prayer this week, please pray for those who are in the path of hurricane Matthew. Pray that this storm will dissipate and cause as little damage as possible. Also, pray for those in Haiti who have been devastated by this storm. Pray that they will receive the aid that they need.
The church I attend has a special emphasis on helping Haiti. One of the members of my church directs an international medical aid mission, and they will be headed to Haiti shortly. Please pray for them.
Also in prayer, please remember to pray for peace in the world. Pray especially for Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for the nations of Indonesia and Togo. Pray that many in these countries will hear the message of Jesus' love.
Before we get into the message, I just wanted to say thank you to the Lord for keeping us all safe from the bad storms last night that were around where I live.
Last week, we began a series of messages on less well-known characters from the Bible. In last week's sermon, we studied Ebed-Melech.
In today's message, we stay in the book of Jeremiah and focus our attention upon a man named Baruch.
First, we need to get a little background information on the situation in which we find Baruch. The prophet Jeremiah had been given the task by the Lord to tell the people that if they did not turn from their wicked ways, they would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Jeremiah was opposed at every turn by the political and religious authorities. The vast majority of the people of Israel didn't want to listen to Jeremiah either.
Jeremiah did have one close ally and friend in his mission to proclaim the message of the Lord. Baruch the son of Neriah was Jeremiah's friend and secretary. He was loyal to Jeremiah, and he faithfully carried out those tasks given to him by the prophet.
One of Baruch's jobs was to write down the prophecies given by Jeremiah. On one occasion that is recorded in Jeremiah 36, the prophet asked Baruch to take a scroll of prophecies and read it out loud among the people so that all of the leaders and people could hear the message of the Lord.
Even though this action could have resulted in his death, Baruch read the message of the Lord and gave a scroll of the message to the king. When king Jehoikim was given the scroll of the message, he burned the word of the Lord. Undeterred, Jeremiah asked Baruch to write the message again, and Baruch faithfully responded.
When the Babylonians came and conquered Jerusalem, Baruch stayed with Jeremiah. When Jeremiah was taken to Egypt, Baruch accompanied him. Some church fathers believe that Baruch passed away while in Egypt.
There is a book in the Apocrypha that bears the name of Baruch. This book is part of the canon for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican churches. Protestants in general don't accept the Apocryphal books as being part of the canon. It has always been my thought that the Apocryphal books are very interesting, and by reading them, one will gain great insight into the New Testament.
The book of Baruch for the most part tells those in exile to turn to the Lord and put their trust in Him. Several early church fathers often quoted from Baruch. In chapter 3:36-37, it says that wisdom will come and live with people. The early church fathers viewed this as a Messianic prophesy.
So, what can we learn from Baruch. First of all, I am impressed with Baruch's loyalty and faithfulness. Jeremiah was extremely unpopular, yet Baruch never ceased to do what he was asked to do by Jeremiah. He helped Jeremiah right up to the end.
This type of loyalty makes me consider my loyalty to the Lord. Jesus has called me to be His faithful follower and to do the things that He has asked me to do for Him. I often wonder if I have failed to follow Jesus as I should. It is my desire to serve Him and follow Him.
One way that we can be loyal to the Lord is to do those things that He has commanded us to do in His word. When I think of this, I always think about the Great Commission. Jesus has called us all to be loyal and faithful to Him by telling others about His life changing message.
Another way in which we can be loyal to the Lord is to do what He has specifically called us to do. If the Lord Jesus has called you to a specific task for ministry, please do not hesitate to follow the Lord's leading.
Another characteristic of Baruch that I admire is his boldness. He went right among the leaders and people and read out the scroll dictated from Jeremiah. Baruch had to have known that the leaders would be furious, but Baruch did it anyway. He was willing to lay everything down for the sake of faithfulness to the Lord.
We as followers of Jesus need to have a boldness in telling others about Him. Often, we will face ridicule when we proclaim the saving message of the Lord Jesus. Many will face persecution. In spite of this, we must tell others about Jesus. We must stand for the truth contained in God's Word. In the loving spirit of Jesus we must proclaim Jesus' love to this generation.
I hope that you will take the time this week to read more about Baruch in the book of Jeremiah. His story is found in Jeremiah chapters 32, 36 and 45. I also urge you to read the book of Baruch. I think that you will find it interesting.
Next week, we will continue with our current sermon series. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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