June 21, 2026
Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, 2026, from Jeremiah 20:7-13
Pastor Peter Ziebell
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The text for our sermon today is Jeremiah 20:7-13, our first Reading read before.
7O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.
8For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!”
For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.
9If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,”
there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
10For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him.”
11But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonour will never be forgotten.
12O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind,
let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.
13Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.
Lord God, heavenly Father, sanctify us through Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ,
We began last week’s sermon with a little history about Moses. Today, we have the opportunity to learn a little about the prophet Jeremiah.
Life started well for Jeremiah, who was born during the reign of one of Judah’s good kings, Josiah. Jeremiah was the son of a priest named Hilkiah, and lived in a town called Anathoth, about 5 kilometres north-east of Jerusalem. The LORD came to Jeremiah and said, “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” (1:5). Jeremiah was about 18 years of age when the LORD spoke to him, and even though he responded by saying, “Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth” (v. 6) began his work as a prophet in obedience to the call of the LORD, even though most men in Judah weren’t even allowed to comment on the Scriptures until they were thirty.
Nevertheless, the LORD spoke directly to Jeremiah and made him wise, insightful, and passionate, which made him very unpopular since the LORD would use Jeremiah to bring the word that the nations would be plucked up, broken down, destroyed, and overthrown. Why? Because they had abandoned the LORD and turned power, money, and pleasure into their gods. Although they had claimed to know the true God, they worshipped false gods and demanded that the church and prophet change God’s Word and declare them righteous. Thus, Jeremiah prophesied that punishment would come upon Judah by sword, famine, and pestilence.
Of course, his words did not go down well. Even Jeremiah’s family and friends abandoned him, and he was alone in the world. His wisdom made it impossible for him even to enjoy simple amusements because he saw the encroaching doom. That is why Jeremiah is often called the “weeping prophet” because of his sorrow over the persistent message of God’s judgment. He lived in evil times and the last years of the Kingdom of Judah. What may have been worst of all is that all the impending pain and sorrow were utterly avoidable if only they would repent! But no one would listen. False prophets had assured the people that God was a supporter of their sin, and Jeremiah was just a bitter conservative.
You can imagine that Jeremiah’s message was a difficult one for him to preach, yet the LORD had given him incredible gifts. God made Jeremiah tough. He said to Jeremiah, “And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you, for I am with you to deliver you” (1:18-19). All attempts to intimidate or silence Jeremiah would prove ineffectual. God promised to give him unbreakable strength and would hold him up.
As we come to the words of our text today, Jeremiah had ended his long discourse, a summary of his preaching to the people of Judah, with the words, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the calamity that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear My Words” (19:15).
Because of what Jeremiah said, Pashhur, the priest, beat him and put him in stocks for the night. Pashhur may have confined Jeremiah, but he had not silenced him. In the name of the Lord, the next day Jeremiah announced God’s punishment on him and on those who had authorised his action. They would be led away into captivity in Babylon, where they would die.
Jeremiah now reflected on his prophetic office and grieved over the astounding impenitence of his listeners, the people and leaders of Judah. They simply would not listen. Their hearts were hard against the LORD. Thus Jeremiah ended his long discourse, a summary of his preaching to the people of Judah, with a bitter cry of grief, bordering on despair. His grief welled up out of a profound love for souls, and in the end his grief was too much for him, and he cried out,
“O Lord, You have deceived me, and I was deceived; You are stronger than I, and You have prevailed.” The Hebrew word translated as “deceived” may be better rendered “enticed.” It was as if Jeremiah was led into a trap. For godly people, who are called to speak the Word of God, it’s easy to feel this way. The world does not love Jesus, and respect for the Word of God has dropped quickly in recent decades. It would be far easier just to be quiet and keep from the scorn and anger that often come our way.
Ten years ago, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 30% of Australians said they opposed single-sex marriage. Today, that figure has dropped to 20%. 80% of the population supports single-sex marriage, and that figure grows year by year. Internet trolls, interest groups, and TV talking heads demonise any church that upholds the Word of God, saying God created the world, there is universal truth, there is only one Saviour, and, in these days, that same-sex marriage is not God’s design.
We have heard of Christians across the world being sued, and biased tribunals have awarded damages to those to whom Christian bakers and florists have refused to deny their religion by servicing these marriages. There are real costs for standing up for your faith. Even in our country, where we are still supposed to have freedom of speech, many Christians are still afraid to speak up for the Word of God.
Jeremiah had the same experience. How does someone hold to God’s Word in times like this?
The first step is to take Jeremiah’s experience seriously. Even though he felt like it, he did not stop proclaiming God’s truth. He says, “If I say, “I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
Although Jeremiah had complained that, despite all his preaching and proclamation, not one word had been fulfilled, and consequently, he faced insults and taunts day after day, he could not stop preaching. The living Word within overpowered him and compelled him. He felt as Paul later would feel when he wrote to the Corinthian Church, “I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!… I am simply discharging the trust committed to me” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).
This shows how God does not leave His people, His Church, here on earth to fit in with the multitudes. He speaks a different word than they do—a higher, ancient, eternal Word that will always prove right. It’s right not only because it’s true but because its purpose is to save the world from its folly. If you love your children, spouse, friends, parents, and even your enemies, you should want them to hear and know this truth.
The Lord loves His children, and that’s why this Word has been proclaimed in every generation. He will not let it die. He will not let it go unheard. He will not allow it to return to Him empty without accomplishing the purpose for which it is sent (Is. 55:11). That doesn’t mean that we’ll escape the wrath of the deceived or evil people, but, like Jeremiah, we bear their scorn knowing that our vindication is at hand, “But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.”
We err if we believe we are on earth to be comfortable and enjoy life. (That’s part of the promise of heaven, not earth.) Those who speak the Lord’s Word are in a battle for the life of the world. It’s not really an option to keep our heads down and our eyes averted. As we can tell from the ongoing practice of abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia, we oppose an enemy obsessed with death and destruction.
It is only when we understand what’s at stake that the course of action becomes clear, and the way we are to live becomes a creed.
We pray that our heavenly Father would deliver us from every evil of body and soul, property and honour, and finally, when our last hour has come, that He would graciously deliver us from this vale of tears and take us to Himself in heaven. We proclaim the blood of God, which overcomes sin and death and the power of the devil. And these we do first among ourselves because we have been a part of the evil.
The deliverance we proclaim is not only for the world out there that doesn’t get it. It’s for us who do. We need a Saviour, not just from the world but from ourselves and the wrath we’ve rightly earned. Before we’re overwhelmed by the fear and anger we have toward the world, we need to understand our deep need as well. The church is the home of rebellious sinners who seek comfort and pleasure. We have sinned in every way the world has. We share the world’s obsessions.
But the church is also the home of forgiveness and peace wrought by Christ’s death and resurrection. Wrought by our Father’s unquenchable love and poured out on us by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament. We reach out with the world’s only hope because we have already drunk deep drafts of the cure of souls. Our sins are forgiven, and we get to share that undeserved gift. In the end, it becomes clear that the world hates the church for all the wrong reasons. They hear our words as rightful condemnation that steals their hope of earthly power, integrity, and purpose. They are so quick to defend the evil; they too often do not hear the salvation the prophets proclaim amid their futile strife.
But know today that this prophetic word is made more sure for us. “Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the needy [who cannot save themselves] from the hand of evildoers” — and from our own sins! Persecutions will come, but the prophetic voice will be heard. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Prayer of the Church for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, 2026
Merciful God, in Christ You have removed the wages of sin and given the free gift of eternal life. Cultivate that life within us, that we may conform our lives to Your holy teaching and bear fruit that befits repentance.
God of our salvation, Your Son warned that Your people would face opposition from the world. Give courage and fortitude to Your pastors and people, that they would boldly sing Your praises, gladly endure suffering for the name of Jesus, and continue by Your grace to the end.
Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood is named, we give You thanks for earthly fathers. Give them confidence in their station and zeal for their task to care for their families faithfully. Make them examples to their children of godly life and love of Your Word. Bless their work of bringing up children in the fear and instruction of the Lord, and give them the comfort of Your absolution over all their shortcomings.
Ruler and Lord of all, guide our nation and all the nations of the world by giving us pious and faithful leaders who will provide good government. Fill the world with industrious citizens who will work for the good of their neighbours and bring all who are enemies to live together in peace.
O Father, not one of the sparrows falls to the ground apart from You. Look with favour upon all who are sick, weary, grieving or lonely. Grant that they know how You value Your children and graciously care for them.
O Lord, You deliver our feet from falling and our souls from death. Receive our thanks for the saints who have gone before us. Preserve us in Your grace, that we may walk before You in the light of life forever.
All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.