Good morning. I see we've got a few more coming in. I can't see well because I have my reading glasses on, not my outward glasses on, but it'll help things go better this way. So if you could, please turn in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah. We'll visit a number of chapters this morning, but we'll finish by concentrating on a portion of chapter 45. So if we could, let's turn there and start by reading this short five verse chapter. Jeremiah 45, verses one through five. The word that the prophet spake unto Baruch, the son of Noriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch, Thou didst say, woe is me now, for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Thus shalt thou say unto him, the Lord saith thus, behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. And seekest thou great things for thyself, Seek them not. For behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord, but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest." In our study this morning, we're going to examine the life of a lesser known Old Testament figure, Baruch, the son of Nariah. In all, Baruch is mentioned only a handful of times in four chapters of the Bible, all in the book of Jeremiah. One unique element of Baruch's story, as we saw in the text, is that God spoke directly to him through the prophet Jeremiah. Baruch is one of the people whose existence and service God chose to preserve for all generations in his word, so I'm certain that we can learn something from what's been written about him. As written in 1 Corinthians 10.11 regarding Old Testament people and promises, these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction. I think we'll find that Baruch is a very relatable figure. He had aspirations for life, but faced adversity and could not always make sense of everything that was happening to him and around him. At a particular point of distress, God gave a word specifically for Baruch to reframe his thinking. So during our time this morning, we'll look at the context for Baruch's life and service, determine what we can about who he was and what he did and why his story has been preserved for us. And from that, we'll see what we can learn and apply to our own lives. Let's go to prayer before we begin. Oh Lord, thank you for this time this morning to dig into your word. Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit would visit us to be with us, to work in us, Lord, I pray that you would use this feeble vessel to convey your word. I pray that you would fill them with power that I don't have, that you would work among us to help us to know you better. Lord, that we would be changed by the knowledge of you, that we would be changed by your word, and that you would use this time for our edification and for your glory. In Christ's name we pray, amen. So Jeremiah was a long... Oh, wait. To better understand the life of Baruch, we need to place it in the Old Testament narrative. And Baruch's few moments on the biblical stage all come in the context of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry. Jeremiah was a long-serving prophet from Anathoth. He was called in prophetic service to the southern kingdom of Judah at a young age, during the reign of a young king, Josiah. You may remember that after discovering the scrolls of the law in the temple, Josiah made a concerted effort to tear down the high places and to return to God's teaching and practices. While the outward actions and appearances were good, unfortunately, the hearts of the people were unchanged, and idolatry was not eliminated. As soon as Josiah was killed, his son, the new king, and the people returned to doing evil in the sight of the Lord. Jeremiah served during the reigns of five kings, starting with Josiah, but continuing through Jehoahaz, Jehoakim, Jehoakin, and into the reign of Zedekiah. These were the last five kings to reign over Judah on the throne of David. His tenure also saw Babylon come to power and be used by God as an instrument of judgment on the nations, including Judah. The primary content of Jeremiah's prophecies were warnings to Judah to repent, turn back to God, and avoid righteous judgment. He repeatedly foretold the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and as we will read, he prophesied a specific message of the end of the King Jehoiakim as well. However, Jeremiah also delivered messages of hope, encouraging the people to flourish in captivity and to prepare for the return, which came about 70 years later. Looking further into the future, Jeremiah also prophesied of Christ, the branch of righteousness, and our hope for eternity. However, after Josiah's death, Neither the princes nor the people responded to the voice of the prophet or to God's words. Even after clear confirmation of his prophetic abilities with the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile that Jeremiah had prophesied, the people failed to heed his warnings. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet as he lamented the waywardness of the people and the judgments brought against them. Despite his passion for Judah, he was unappreciated and opposed by them throughout his ministry. The earthly reward for his prophetic service was to suffer imprisonment and persecution from those he was trying to warn. Our character for the day, Baruch, is a servant and companion of Jeremiah. He observed and participated in Jeremiah's ministry, lamentations, and mistreatment. Some commentators believe the book of Jeremiah was written down by Baruch at Jeremiah's direction and dictation. Baruch enters the scene chronologically in chapter 36, but scripturally in Jeremiah 32. He is also mentioned in chapter 43, as well as in our primary passage from chapter 45. In chapter 32, if you would turn there, as the army of Babylon lay siege to Jerusalem, near the end of Jeremiah's ministry, Zedekiah had imprisoned Jeremiah for prophesying that the Lord would give the city into the hand of the Babylonian king. At God's direction, Jeremiah buys land as an encouragement that Israel would return from exile and that the people would once again live normally and buy and sell land. Even in the midst of warning and judgment, our merciful God is providing hope for restoration. Here, Baruch is entrusted with executing the contract. We'll read verses 12 through 15. And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch, the son of Neriah, the son of Messiah, in the sight of Hanumel, mine uncle's son, and in the presence of witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. And I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed and this evidence which is open, and put them in earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land. And in chapter 43, as some of the court were fleeing the Babylonians, Jeremiah warns them against going to Egypt. But the court officials accused Baruch of sympathizing with the Babylonians and being a bad influence on Jeremiah. In the end, both Baruch and Jeremiah are taken along to Egypt despite their warnings against going. Chapter 43 verses one through seven. And it came to pass that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent them, even all the words, then spake Azariah the son of Hoshiah, and Johanan the son of Koriah, and all the proud men saying unto Jeremiah, thou speakest falsely. The Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, go not into Egypt to sojourn there. But Baruch, the son of Neriah, setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives to Babylon. So Johanan, the son of Korea, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord to dwell in the land of Judah. But Johanan, the son of Korea, and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah that were returned from all the nations, whether they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah, even men and women and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuchadnezzar and the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahicham, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch, the son of Neriah. So they came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord. Thus came they even to Tipanis. These chronologically later accounts show how faithfully Baruch served with Jeremiah to the end, despite the difficulties, imprisonments, besiegement, destruction, and mistreatment. This will be important to remember as we work through our primary passage this morning coming from chapter 45. On a timeline, chapter 45 should immediately follow chapter 36, so that's the way we'll consume it this morning. In chapter 36, let's turn there, it's quite a bit in the chapter, Baruch is also called upon to read the words of the Lord before all the people. In the temple on a fast day because Jeremiah had been banned from the temple. The hope was again that the people would repent and turn back to the Lord. After the reading though, he is told to hide himself and Jeremiah for fear of the king's reaction. It's a lengthy passage, so we'll read just a couple of excerpts and summarize the rest to give the context we need for chapter 45. We'll read the first eight verses. And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purposed to do unto them, that they may return every man from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Nariah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which he had spoken unto him upon a roll of a book. And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up. I cannot go into the house of the Lord. Therefore go thou and read in the roll which thou hast written from my mouth the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the Lord's house upon the fasting day. And also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord, and will return everyone from his evil way. For great is the anger and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced against this people.' And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord's house. After the reading, one of the young scribes told the princes and the other scribes about what he had heard. And Baruch was invited to read the words again for the princes and the scribes privately so that they could hear it for themselves. However, when they heard the prophecies, they told Baruch to go and take Jeremiah and hide. They would tell the king, but they obviously did not think it would go well. And they were right. Not only did the king not heed the warning, he burned the scroll, verses 22 through 24. Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month, and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with a penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the earth. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king nor any of his servants that heard all these words. The king also sent men to find and take Baruch and Jeremiah, but the Lord hid them and kept them safe from him." Finally, from verse 27 to the end of that chapter, Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. After that, the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah saying, take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words which were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, hath burned. And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim, king of Judah, thus saith the Lord, thou hast burnt this roll, saying, why hast thou written therein the king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim, King of Judah, he shall have none to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the men of Judah all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they hearken not. Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Nariah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim the king of Judah had burned in the fire, and there were added besides unto them many like words. Baruch did faithfully as directed, and was rewarded by being threatened together with his master and forced into hiding. Apart from chapter 45, this is the full scriptural record of Baruch, the son of Neriah. However, from these few passages, we can gain a reasonable sketch of Baruch. From all of the chapters, we can see that Baruch is a faithful servant of Jeremiah. He attends his needs while imprisoned, he writes down and even reads prophecies at Jeremiah's direction, and he is a constant companion of Jeremiah and travels with him wherever he goes. Again, many believe the book of Jeremiah is the book that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's direction as described in chapter 36. From chapter 36, verse 26, we can also infer that Baruch is a well-educated man. He is titled scribe or secretary, depending on the version of scripture that you're reading. Either role implies an education and a higher societal class. He can clearly read and write, since he is tasked by Jeremiah with writing down the prophecies. And he is also a capable speaker, since Jeremiah entrusts him to read the prophecies to the people. The family-higher-society-class connection is also confirmed for us in chapter 51, with his brother Saraiah, son of Nariah's position as prince of the court, or quartermaster to the king. Both Baruch and Saraiah would have been raised in higher circles and known to the elite of Judah in their time, the very people that Baruch was speaking to. From all external appearances in chapters 32, 36, and 43, Baruch is a faithful and obedient servant of both Jeremiah and of God. Chapter 36, verse 8 says, of Baruch, he did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him. So at the surface, in Baruch, we have a faithful, educated man from a good family, obediently serving both God and his prophet. But God sees something a little different. God sees more. He sees the heart and the intent. He sees more in Baruch, and in chapter 45, he's chosen to share this private engagement with Baruch for our benefit and for his glory. So let's turn again to chapter 45, and we'll complete our study of Baruch with a study of chapter 45. We'll read it again. The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch. Thou didst say, woe is me, woe is me now, for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Thus shalt thou say unto him, the Lord saith thus, behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. For behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord, but thy life will I give to thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. In verse one, Jeremiah speaks to Baruch as they are in hiding from the king. Going back into chapter 36, Baruch returned from delivering the message and was disappointed and shaken by the response and the threat of physical harm. Perhaps he had a different expectation. Maybe he thought they would listen to him even though they wouldn't listen to Jeremiah. It even started with a little optimism when the princes and scribe asked to hear the word again in person. But in the end, that was perhaps worse for the falsely raised hopes. Both he and Jeremiah were forced into hiding, and the Lord hid them from those that sought them. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah to write it all down again, with the addition of some specific words of judgment for Jehoiakim. Between the personal disappointment and the continued prophecies of imminent judgment, Baruch needed encouragement and redirection. There are times when each of us have the opportunity to play the role that Jeremiah played here, to be God's messenger to a fellow believer. We need to follow the Spirit's leading and take the opportunities as they come. Jeremiah was uniquely prepared to speak to Baruch. Not only were they companions, but Jeremiah had similar laments for the judgments which were coming on his nation, and had at times expressed his own discouragement at the situation and the negative responses of the people to God's messages. Many times, God uses difficult circumstances in our own lives to prepare us to have compassion on others in the future. Very soon after Auntie and I had committed our family planning to the Lord, we had a miscarriage. It was a confusing and spiritually challenging time trying to understand what God was trying to teach us through the experience. But on many occasions in the years since then, we've been able to minister to others going through a similar experience. I would never wish that experience on anyone, but I am thankful for the opportunity it provided us to understand and encourage someone else in their moment of need. From 2 Corinthians 1 3-5, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. In verse two of Jeremiah 45, we see that the words Jeremiah shared were God's words. The message for Baruch was from God, not just Jeremiah. This should be a model for our interventions with brothers and sisters in Christ as well, especially when the situation involves a rebuke or correction. God's word should be the basis for the conversation, not our own preference or opinion. But there's a bigger takeaway here. The Lord, the God of Israel, the maker of heaven and earth, had a message specifically for Baruch. In the midst of declaring judgment on the nations and demonstrating His power and sovereignty over all things, God takes the time to address the very specific need of an individual servant. Our God, the one true God cares, not just about the course of nations or even the course of the church. God cares about individuals, specific people, about his sheep, about each one of us, about me, about you. We should let that sink in for a minute. I think we far too often take it for granted or don't really ponder the wonder of this reality. God cares about me as an individual. He cares about you as an individual. It matters to God that you love him and trust him and believe in him regardless of your current circumstances. This world and the prince of it work very hard to distract us from this reality and get us to focus on everything, anything else. But there is no person or detail that is so insignificant that God does not care about it or control it. God cares about us individually, but God also knows our hearts and our deepest thoughts, as Baruch finds out in verse 3. By all appearances, in the passages we have read, Baruch is an obedient and faithful servant to both God and Jeremiah, but verse 3 makes it clear that Baruch struggled with his assigned role and tasks, and with the messages and actions of God. Outwardly, these struggles may have been hidden, but God knew, and God knows with us as well. God knows and judges the attitudes of the heart, not just the outward actions. From Psalm 44 verses 20 and 21, if we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign God, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. In verse 3, God exposes to Baruch his own thoughts and heart. You say, woe is me now. The modern equivalent is probably, why me? It is a complaint of a perceived injustice. Things are not going as Baruch expected or desired, and he is beyond disappointed. With his status and family connections, perhaps he thought the message would be better received from him than it was from Jeremiah. Now, being told to go and hide in fear of the king's reaction, he is despondent. He is weary in his well-doing. He goes from discouragement to misplaced anger and blames the Lord for his troubles, saying, the Lord has added griefs to my sorrows or heaped troubles on top of troubles to the point where he had fainted or was ready to give up hope. These experiences can be especially treacherous trap for new believers when faced with their first real spiritual challenges after coming to Christ. There is so much desire to believe that God can and will work that when the answer is different than our envisioned best, we can easily lose heart and faith rather than continuing to trust in God's best. The final statement in the verse is illuminating when he says he finds no rest or peace. This makes it clear that he was seeking his peace in the world and not with God. His hope and expectations were in himself and with the people, not with God. There is no peace to be found from this world. The only true peace is to be found from Christ himself. My peace I leave you. My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. God knows our dissatisfactions and discouragements, whether spoken or unspoken, and they are displeasing to Him, because we should find our satisfaction in Him, and we should trust in His goodness even in the midst of suffering and affliction. When we find ourselves similarly discouraged, potentially blaming God, we must check ourselves to see if our focus is in the right place. Are we focused on God and eternity or on ourselves and the moment at hand? Are we seeking heavenly or earthly treasures? Having exposed Baruch's lack of faith and focus, God moves to give an answer in verses four and five. And the answer is both a rebuke and a promise. God starts by reminding Baruch of the bigger picture, by giving him a different and larger perspective of his own situation. God is at work mightily around Baruch. He is raising up a nation from nothing to be a mighty power in the world and to bring judgment upon many nations, but especially on his own people for their idolatry. If Baruch is disappointed in the response of the people of Judah, God is more so. He created this people from nothing and made them a people. He showered them with blessing and has endured cycle after cycle of falling away and calling back only to see them again chase after other gods. From a historical perspective, a great chapter is about to close on the first covenant as God follows through on his promises and removes the people from the land they were given because of their lack of faithfulness. These are great works setting the stage for the advent of Christ and the covenant of faith. And in the midst of these great and mighty things, and with the position God had given Baruch with a front row seat to see all these mighty works unfold, was Baruch looking for some earthly gain? And seekest thou great things for thyself? The nation was collapsing around him, and all the people, great and small, would suffer. What gain exactly was he seeking? But isn't this at times our nature too? Our nation is disintegrating around us in many ways, but we still seek some gain from the world. God has placed us where we are, at least today, we can worship him freely, and yet we chafe at the roles God has given us. whether at work, where we would like more control, or a different job, or a different boss, or in our home, or in our spiritual community, maybe we would like more recognition, or more opportunity, or a different opportunity to serve. But God has placed us where we are, doing what we are, for a reason. And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. God's answer is clear and concise. Don't seek your own way. There is a way that seems right to a man, and it leads to death. Don't look for your reward in this life. From Matthew 6, verses 19 through 21, lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. God was then and is now bringing judgment on the nations and the people, our nation and our people, but he also rewards his people in eternity and offers his promise of protection now. For Baruch, the promise was to have his life as prey in all the places whither thou goest. God would protect Baruch's life through the afflictions that he would suffer serving Jeremiah and God. He would not suffer a violent or untimely death, and God's protection would extend to foreign lands. And it did, as Baruch was later taken with Jeremiah to Egypt against his will and against God's warnings. Through multiple defeats of Judah at the hand of Babylon and multiple rejected prophecies, though persecuted and many times poorly treated, Baruch's life was spared. There is no prosperity gospel here. Baruch was assured a continued life of affliction, but also of God's presence and protection throughout it. God owed Baruch nothing. In fact, Baruch deserved judgment just as much as the rest of Judah for his lack of faith and satisfaction in God. But in this promise of preservation, God gave Baruch a golden opportunity of a long life to serve God and show his faithfulness and trust both in action and in thought. By what little scripture we have to judge, Baruch took the opportunity and served both Jeremiah and God well and faithfully to the end. This is a promise that we too can apprehend. we have a golden opportunity with whatever days God has given us in this life to faithfully serve God and demonstrate our trust in Him. Like Baruch, we are assured that we will have a life of varying periods and severity of affliction. But God will be with us through it all. He will never leave us nor forsake us. From 2 Corinthians 4, verses 16 through 18. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things which are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." What a gift from God to have this vignette of the life of Baruch preserved for us. It is both encouraging and challenging to see how an apparently faithful servant of God struggled with life and yet to also see how God mercifully but forcefully chastised him to restore him back to the faith and to a life of productive service. Turning to application and closing, I am thankful for the story of Baruch because I think it is relevant for many of us today. I know its lessons apply to me. I think we all have a little Baruch in us. We are all at times disappointed with some aspect of life. It may be a situation at work, with family, or even in the church. We have some expectation and are disappointed when the outcome is different. I suspect almost everyone here has at least thought, why me, at some point. Likewise, we all have to overcome pride and selfishness that is resident in our flesh. There are times when we would like a better position or perhaps more recognition. We would like to be liked, accepted, even loved by those around us. But love of God means enmity with the world. We can't serve both God and mammon. We are also all challenged to keep a proper perspective on life. It is easy to narrowly focus on our own issues and opportunities and let them grow to enormous proportions in our mind. Yet, when we keep our focus on Christ and eternity, they are but light and momentary afflictions or but dung and loss to be cast aside in light of Christ. With so much in common with Baruch, God's dealing with him should be an encouragement to us as well. God cares about us individually and is pleased and displeased with us individually. Like with Baruch, God meets us at our point of need with what we need. That may take many different forms. It could be a song or a verse or a word in season from a fellow believer to turn us around at just the right time. Now in the times of the kings of Israel, God is doing a great, now as in the times of the kings of Israel, God is doing a great work all around us. And we have the privilege and opportunity of being used by him while he's doing that great work. God's rebuke for Baruch can also apply to us. And seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. from Matthew 6, verses 31 through 33. Therefore, take no thought saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. If we seek God's best, God will give us the desires of our heart because those desires will be fully aligned with His will. We can rejoice in a great God that is the same today as He was in the time of Baruch. The same God that cared about Baruch personally cares about us personally, individually. The same God that knew Baruch intimately knows us intimately. The same God that rebuked Baruch to get him back on the right path still chastises and restores his children today. God's promise to Baruch can also apply to us. We have been given a number of days protected by God for the purpose of glorifying His name. We need to make the most of it. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do just thank you that you are the same yesterday and today and forever, Lord, that you care about us individually. that for your sheep you do chastise and restore your children, Lord, that you correct us and bring us along the right path. And, Lord, we thank you for the opportunity of this life. Lord, I pray that we would see it that way, that we would see it as a window that you have given us, an opening to be able to share your truth, to demonstrate our trust in you to grow in our knowledge and understanding of you. Lord, I pray that each person here would take this golden opportunity and make the most of it. Lord, I pray that you would work that way in me. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.