Disciple Up #111
Extracting the Precious From the Worthless Pt. 2
By Louie Marsh, 6-5-2019
JEREMIAH COMPLAINS
You who know, O LORD, Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation. Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable? Jeremiah 15:15-18 (NASB)
GOD’S INCREDIBLE ANSWER
19 Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you— Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. Jeremiah 15:19 (NASB)
therefore thus He has said Yahweh if you will return then I cause you to return before Me you will stand and if you cause to go out precious rather than vile like my mouth you will be they will return
they to you but you you will not return to them Jeremiah 15:19 (CBLBible)
HOW to Extract the Precious from the Worthless
1) Turn Back To God
2) Get a Grip On Who & What Your Really Are
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! Luke 15:17 (ESV)
But when he came to himself (eis heauton de elthōn). As if he had been far from himself as he was from home. As a matter of fact he had been away, out of his head, and now began to see things as they really were. Plato is quoted by Ackerman (Christian Element in Plato) as thinking of redemption as coming to oneself. – Word Pictures in the New Testament.
A striking expression, putting the state of rebellion against God as a kind of madness. It is a wonderful stroke of art, to represent the beginning of repentance as the return of a sound consciousness. Ackermann (“Christian Element in Plato”) observes that Plato thinks of redemption as a coming to one’s self; an apprehending of one’s self as existent; as a severing of the inmost being from the surrounding element. Several passages of Plato are very suggestive on this point. “He who bids a man know himself, would have him know his soul” (“Alcibiades,” i., 130) – Word Studies in the New Testament.
- We need to have a Moment of Clarity.
3) Figure Out What This Worthless Mess Is Telling You.
- About Yourself:
- I’m a people pleaser – Need Boundaries.
- I’m living in fear.
- I’m full of unforgiveness.
- I’ve got an idol and it’s __________.
- I have a hard heart.
- About God:
- What is God’s Grace Really About?
- God’s on my side in this.
- God’s with me through all this.
- God is pleased with how I’m doing thru this.
- God is displeased with ____________
- About Other People:
- This person isn’t good for me.
- This person isn’t trustworthy.
- I need to learn to rely on this person, they’ve proven themselves to me in this.
- I need to forgive this person.
- I need to draw some new boundaries with this person.
4) Start Speaking Up for God.
- Broaden out “spokesman” to leader or influencer and I think you’ve got the right idea.
- Take what I’ve learned, apply it to my life and then let my light shine.
- Once I’ve gotten a firmer foundation start telling others about what God has taught you. Always be sure to ground whatever it is in Scripture.
Please Get In Touch!Email – louie@discipleup.org
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