Created for a Purpose
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
David C. Wright
Jer. 1:4-10
January 9, 2011

          In 1970 Hoyt Axton wrote the music for a new rock song that he was very excited about.  He wanted to produce a demo of the song to play for some bands with the hope that they would hear it and record it, but he had no words for the song.  His record producers told him to record it anyway, making up any words he could think of that rhymed, whether they made sense or not.  And that’s what he did!  What was that song?  It was “Joy to the World,” recorded by Three Dog Night, also know by its first line, “Jeremiah was a bullfrog.  He was a good friend of mine.”  The funny thing is that Three Dog Night didn’t really want to record it, but they needed one more song to finish their new album and just threw it in as filler.  They were astonished to return from an overseas concert tour and find that that the song had become a number one hit! 
You might be wondering what this has to do with today’s sermon!  Well, when I told two different members of the worship committee that I was preaching a series on Jeremiah, both of them quoted the lyrics of that song to me, so I thought I would just get it out of the way first!
          We’re talking today about the prophet Jeremiah, who lived about 6 centuries before Jesus, and was most certainly not a bullfrog!  But what can we possibly learn from a cranky old prophet who lived 2600 years ago!  That’s a fair question.  I’d answer it like this. 
          If you’ve ever struggled to find a sense of purpose in your life, Jeremiah has something to say to you.  If you’ve ever felt like the burdens of your life are too heavy for you to carry, Jeremiah is for you.  If you’ve felt like your country is going to hell in a hand basket, or struggled to find a sense of real security, or been disappointed in your relationship with God, Jeremiah has something for you.  So here we go!
          In the country of Judah, God called a young Jeremiah to serve Him.  Listen to what God says to him and reflect on what that might mean to you.   
          4  Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
          5  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
          6  Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy."
          7  But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, "I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you.
          8  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,
              says the Lord."
          9  Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.
          10  See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
          (Jer. 1:4-10)
          Let’s look at three important parts of this little story.  First, Jeremiah was created for a purpose.  It was no accident that he was born.  God knew him before his birth and appointed him to a specific task.  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."  (Jer. 1:5) As we’ll see in the coming weeks, being a prophet was a difficult calling, but that’s what Jeremiah was created to do. 
          The idea that we are specially created by God for specific purposes is a mind-boggling idea!  It means that you are not who you are because of a random coupling of DNA strands; Like Jeremiah, you were created for a purpose!  It is no accident that you have certain abilities and aptitudes.  It’s no accident that you have a certain temperament, which is different from that of other people.  For example, my wife Bonnie and I have taken the Myers-Briggs Temperament Inventory.  Our temperaments are very different, especially on the Thinking-Feeling scale.  Bonnie is almost off-the-scale on the feeling side, and I am strongly centered on the thinking side of things.  That can make our marriage pretty interesting at times, but God made each of us that way!  God gave all of us our temperaments.  You were also hard-wired to be motivated by certain things and bored by others.  Because of your specific abilities, temperament, and motivation, you are ideally suited for certain kinds of tasks, and not for others.
          A recent GEICO TV ad illustrates this.  The announcer asks, “Could switching to GEICO really save you 15% or more on your car insurance?  Does a former Drill Sergeant make a terrible therapist?”  You’ve seen it!  Then the drill sergeant loudly berates a sensitive young guy while trying to be his therapist!  I love this ad!  When we try to do things that don’t match our God-given gifts, others may suffer, and we probably will, too!  You were specifically designed by God for God’s own purposes.
          So, how does Jeremiah respond to this astounding affirmation that he was specially created by God for a purpose?  (SLIDE #3)  Verse 6, Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy."  He says he can’t be a prophet because he is too young, and doesn’t know how to speak. 
          Unfortunately, Jeremiah is not the only one with objections to doing God’s calling.  We often have objections when God calls us to do a certain task.  A common objection is that we’re not clear about what God’s calling is!  Most of us don’t hear God’s voice like Jeremiah did.  We don’t see a burning bush like Moses did, either.  So, how can we respond to God’s call when we’re not sure what it is? 
          Some people do discover their purpose in life early and with certainty.  Our daughter, Melissa, knew that she wanted to be a doctor when she was 12 years old.  She’s now in her third year of medical school, well on her way to living out that sense of call.  Other people slowly grow in their understanding of God’s purposes for them.  Even though I served in churches for many years as an educator, I didn’t become a pastor until I was almost 40 years old.  Many of us spend years discovering the abilities we have and how they mesh with our temperament to equip us best for certain tasks. 
Our calling may involve the work we do to support ourselves.  Or it may not.  Our primary calling may be to raise children and grandchildren of faith and character.  Or to do volunteer work here at church or in the community.  It may involve supporting and loving and encouraging our friends.  It may involve financially supporting of the Lord’s work.  Many people never have a clear sense of their life-calling; they just work faithfully at the opportunities that God brings their way each day.  They do unto others as they would like to be treated themselves.  They share the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ when they get the chance.  They pray for the success and wellness of others.  They stand up for what’s right at work or school.  The point is that we don’t have to have an understanding of God’s grand plan for our whole lives.  Instead we can simply do what we believe God would have us do wherever we are each and every day.
          Notice God’s response to Jeremiah.  But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, "I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you.
          8  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,
              says the Lord."
          9  Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.
          10  See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
          When Jeremiah protests that he can’t speak well enough to be a prophet, and that he is too young, God doesn’t let him off the hook.  “Don’t say that,” God says.  “You will be my messenger.  That’s what I created you for!”  Then God addresses the issue that was probably behind Jeremiah’s objections- fear.  “Don’t be afraid,” God says, “for I am with you!”  That reminds me of the 23rd Psalm, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me!”  God comforts and reassures Jeremiah.  Then God touches his mouth, symbolically giving him the words to say. 
God will always give you what you need to do his work.  Whether it is speaking up for Jesus, or standing up for what is right at work or in a community group.  Whether it is resisting sexual temptation, or making a career choice that others don’t understand.  Whether it is stretching your time and finances to do good.  God will always give you what you need to carry out his work.
          Valerie was a student in our youth group a number of years ago.  The word “geek” was invented with Valerie in mind.  She was socially awkward, quiet, small, had thick glasses, and was without any discernable talents.  But Valerie loved Jesus and she cared about people in need.  She loved the youth group and volunteered to help with whatever needed to be done.  So she was elected to the youth council where she asked to be in charge of service.  She began looking for ways our youth group could serve others in our community.  She discovered a small nursing home a few blocks from the church.  It was a bleak, lonely place.  So Valerie began to visit there after school.  She found that there were more residents than she could help, so as a sophomore, Valerie began convincing high school kids to give up one or two afternoons every week to visit that nursing home.  Band kids, football players, “A” students, average students, drama kids, and even druggies.  For three years Valerie took kids every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to that place.  And our youth group made a real difference in the lives of those residents.  All because of Valerie. 
          Valerie went on to get her degree in social work.  She spent several years working with AIDS victims in the slums of Miami.  She is currently doing long-term mission work in Africa, helping the poorest of the poor.  Last year she married a South African man named “Sonny Boy.”  They are serving the Lord together, fulfilling the purposes for which they were created.
          God has created you for a purpose.  Never let anyone tell you you are too young or too old, too extroverted or too introverted, too disorganized or too emotional to do God’s work right now.  God will give you everything you need to carry out his work, and will walk with you as you do it.  Pray that God will give you a sense of his purpose for you.  In the meantime, just do what you know God would have you do right here and now.

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