Precepts That Preach
The Preaching Ministry of Dr. David Smith
www.preceptsthatpreach.org
4-18-10 AM NHBC
WHEN WE HAVE TO BUY THE FARM
Jeremiah 32:1-10
Sermon #1
I want to take just a moment and give the setting of the text by way of introduction. This will help us understand the truth that I feel the Lord wants us to apply to our life.
· The Setting of the Text…vs. 1-5
1. The Place
Jeremiah is in prison. He is prison because of the message he has been preaching.
2. The Preaching
The Chaldeans are laying siege to the city of Jerusalem and Jeremiah has been preaching a very unpopular message. His message had three points.
A. Sovereignty
He was preaching that the Chaldeans were raised up by God as an instrument of judgment. God was going to use the Chaldeans to come in and overthrow the city and take us all into captivity.
B. Surrender
He told them that there was no to try to fight against them, because God was going to give them victory. You might as well surrender to them. God has ordained that you are going to lose.
C. Sensibility
The sensible thing to do is to surrender. God has promised that one of these days when the captivity is over that He will restore us to the land and the land to us. You might as well give up because it will be much better to be alive when God brings us back. He was sort of preaching a “better red than dead” message.
3. The Plight
The leaders get together and they investigate Jeremiah and see that Jeremiah is preaching an unpatriotic message. Jeremiah is guilty in their estimation of treason. So they place him in prison for the message he has been preaching, a traitorous message.
· The Sermon in the Text…vs. 6-10
I. AN UNEXPECTED PROCLAMATION…vs. 6-7
A. The Context of this Proclamation
While Jeremiah is in prison he receives a word from the Lord. The Lord speaks to him and informs that he is going to have a visitor. His cousin Hanameel is going to come and offer to sell him the family farm in Amathoth. God says to Jeremiah buy it!
B. The Challenge of this Proclamation
God is going to test the reality of Jeremiah’s faith. I will say more about that in the course of the message. But don’t miss what is happening.
II. AN UNUSUAL PROPOSITION…v. 8
Just as God said, Hanameel arrives at the prison. This was very unusual visitor.
A. The Person who visited was unusual
It was his cousin, a relative. What is so unique about that? By this time all of Jeremiah’s family had disowned him. They did not want anyone to know that they were related to Jeremiah, the man who was a traitor and in prison because of his preaching. He was a tried and convicted traitor. He was the black sheep of the family. The best thing we can do with him is forget about him and send him any Christmas cards and don’t let anybody know that he is one of us.
B. The Purpose of the visit was unusual
Hanamel had a farm he wanted to get rid of. So he comes to Jeremiah and says, “Boy have I got a deal for you. You know my farm back in Anathoth, I am going to let you buy it. The right of possession is yours since you’re in the family. It is only right that if I am going to sell it, I allow one of my relatives to buy it. I want to keep it in the family.”
…I do not know a lot about real estate. But, if I had a farm to sell the last place to find a good prospect would be in prison. I believe you could find a better prospect than going down to Scottsboro at the County jail and walking up to one of the prisoners and saying, “Boy, have I got a deal for you. I want you to buy my farm.”
C. The Place of the farm was unusual
The farm that Hanameel wanted to sell Jeremiah was in enemy territory. The Chaldeans were already occupying that part of Judah and the farm was presently occupied by the enemy. Listen to the conversation…
· Hanameel…I want to sell you my farm.
· Jeremiah…Well, where is it?
· Hanameel…It is not really important where it is, this such a deal. But, it happens to be over there in Anathoth.
· Jeremiah…Isn’t that where the Chaldeans are camping out?
· Hanameel…Well, near there. But you cannot pass up this deal.
*Note the last phrase of verse 8…
Then I knew this was the word of the Lord! That’s big! I will deal with that tonight.
II. AN UNEXPECTED PURCHASE…v. 9-10
…And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anatooth.
…WHY DID JEREMIAH BUY THIS FARM?
· He did not have any use for it. He was in prison.
· The farm was occupied by the enemy.
…HE BOUGHT IT IN OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD!
A. What Jeremiah Preached
Jeremiah had been preaching that God was going to use the Chaldeans to bring judgment on the people and carry them away into captivity. But he also preached that the Lord was going to bring them out of captivity and restore them to the land. He preached that one day God is going to bring us back to the land, we will be released from captivity and restored to the land…even that farm that is now occupied by the enemy.
B. What Hanameel Perceived
Hanameel was a little smarter than we think. His reasoning was that if Jeremiah was foolish enough to preach such a message about release and restoration, we will be foolish enough to buy the farm. He won’t have a choice! If he does not buy it, then he really did not believe what he was preaching. So, Hanameel perceived that Jeremiah either had to buy the farm or change his message. Here is what Hanameel is really saying…
· Put your money where your mouth is
· Put up or shut up
· You say God is one day going to restore this land, then buy this farm
· Back up your preaching with your pocketbook
C. What Jeremiah Practiced
Don’t miss this!
…God comes to Jeremiah and says, “Jeremiah we are going to find out if you’re just preaching or if you really mean it. We are going to find out if you going to be faithful or faithless. If you are the real deal then you are going to have to buy the farm to really believe what you are preaching.
PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES AS I CLOSE THIS SERMON. HEAR THE HEART OF YOUR PASTOR THIS MORNING.
· There comes a time when you have to buy the farm!
· There comes a time when God will test the reality of your faith!
1. God will put to the test what you preach
2. God will put to the test what you teach
3. God will put to the test what you say you believe
4. God will put to the test what you stand up and testify about
5. God will put to the test the realness of your faith and prove your faithfulness
· There will come a time when you have to buy the farm!
In my preaching I do not spend a lot of time relating personal experiences. But this morning I want to make an exception. I can remember when I first starting preaching, the Lord would allow me to preach about certain things without having to experience it. I would preach about certain things in the Bible whether I had experienced it or not.
But there came a time in my life and ministry when the Lord designed that I go through the things that I preached.
· I would preach about brokenness, and then I would go through an experience where the Lord would break me.
· I would preach about conflict in the church, and then I would have to deal with conflict in the church.
· I would preach about how the Lord comforts in time of sorrow and distress and I would experience it.
· I BECAME MORE SELECTIVE IN WHAT I PREACHED ABOUT!
Here is what I am saying this morning. Annette and I talked about this week in these 28 years of preaching…THERE HAS BEEN MANY TIMES THAT I, THAT WE HAVE HAD TO BUY THE FARM!
· Some of you have been there and you know exactly what I am talking about.
· Some of you are there this morning. You have questioned what the Lord is doing in your life. May I tell you that He is asking you to buy the farm! He is testing the reality of what you have preached, what you have taught, what you have believed, and what you have stood and testified to.
· Some of you are on your way there. The Lord is going to put in you in a situation, a circumstance where God is going to ask you to buy the farm.
…Some this morning have failed the test. Instead of responding in faith you resigned to faithlessness. Come this morning and confess that to God and get right with HIM and be faithful to serve HIM!
…Some of you are facing the test right now! God is asking you to trust His word and buy the farm! Don’t fail…trust His word and will! Respond to Him today in FAITH not Faithlessness.
…Some of you the tests are forthcoming. Resolve in your heart that by the grace of God that you will buy the farm and rest in the word and will of God.