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The Broken Pot · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And the vessel that he made of clay was marred
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  Speaker 1: in the hand of the potter. So he made it
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  Speaker 1: again in another vessel, as seemed good to the potter
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  Speaker 1: to make it. Jeremiah 18.4 As the words of today's
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  Speaker 1: reading echo deep in my ears, may the truths be
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  Speaker 1: etched on my heart like tattoos. For today is the
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  Speaker 1: day that I accept my call to be set apart
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  Speaker 1: and consecrated to do great works for your name, Heavenly Father.
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  Speaker 1: When doubts begin to arise in my mind, like Jeremiah,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that your word will rise up within
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  Speaker 1: me like a flame and burn all limiting beliefs that
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  Speaker 1: seek to hold me back. Your word in Jeremiah 1.5
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  Speaker 1: says that before I was in my mother's womb, you
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  Speaker 1: had already called me. So I thank you that no name,
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  Speaker 1: no words, no harmful lies that were ever spoken over
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  Speaker 1: my life can bear any weight, because before they spoke them,
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  Speaker 1: you already spoke blessing of purpose over me. Whether I
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  Speaker 1: had people who believed in me or people who doubted me,
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't take away from my calling and my destiny. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: like Jeremiah, I will stand tall and speak what you
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  Speaker 1: tell me to speak. I will build what you called
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  Speaker 1: me to build, knowing that nothing can stop the momentum
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  Speaker 1: of my life, because the potter of my life has
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  Speaker 1: me on his wheel of destiny and in his hands.
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  Speaker 1: I am molded and created for greatness. And I thank you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: that through you it shall be done. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 2: The Broken Pot In our last story, Josiah continued his
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  Speaker 2: reform over the nation of Judah. He cut down all
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  Speaker 2: the remnants of old idols and reinstated the Passover to
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  Speaker 2: remember the freedom in God. However, the people continued to
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  Speaker 2: long after their corrupt ways. The Lord gave Josiah a
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  Speaker 2: gentle warning. Judgment was coming upon Judah for all its
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  Speaker 2: past sins. There would be a reckoning for all the
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  Speaker 2: innocent souls that were led astray by past kings. Now
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  Speaker 2: we peer into the life and calling of Jeremiah, who
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  Speaker 2: was a prophet during the reign of Josiah. We learn
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  Speaker 2: of Jeremiah's first call from God and the images that
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  Speaker 2: were shown to him, inspired by the book of Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org, jackgram.org. In our last reading, we heard how
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  Speaker 3: Josiah brought the people back to God, reading the book
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  Speaker 3: of the law, the covenant to them, and calling them
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  Speaker 3: to renew their faith in God, the covenant that God
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  Speaker 3: had made with Israel in the days of Moses. He
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  Speaker 3: then went through the land and destroyed altars and shrines
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  Speaker 3: to honor God and protect people from falling back into
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  Speaker 3: idolatry and spiritual bondage. Josiah had already received word from
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  Speaker 3: God that his people would be judged for their unfaithfulness.
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  Speaker 3: And today, we'll see the beginning of this time with
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  Speaker 3: the initial call of the prophet who would have great
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  Speaker 3: significance in the story of God's people. That prophet is Jeremiah. So,
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  Speaker 3: let's listen to God's Word today.
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  Speaker 2: In the days of King Josiah the Righteous, Jeremiah was
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  Speaker 2: walking in the temple courtyards. It was dusk, and the
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  Speaker 2: sky was a shimmering amber. Jeremiah watched the sun slide
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  Speaker 2: behind the horizon. The west wind whistled gently. and the
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  Speaker 2: trees beside the temple swayed to the evening lullaby. Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: sat down as the daylight left the land. He was
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  Speaker 2: a very young man. Often he sought the Lord in
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  Speaker 2: the coolness of nightfall. As Jeremiah closed his eyes, he
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  Speaker 2: could hear a quiet voice in the wind. Along with it,
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  Speaker 2: a gentle warmth and presence. The Lord spoke to Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: as he sat beside the temple. Before I formed you
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  Speaker 2: in your mother's womb, I knew you, Jeremiah. His voice
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  Speaker 2: was firm and strong, but refreshing to the soul. Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: was equally mesmerized and afraid. Before you were born, I
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  Speaker 2: set you apart for the nations. I have chosen you
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  Speaker 2: as a prophet to them. You shall be the declarer
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  Speaker 2: of my wisdom and judgment. The Lord spoke past Jeremiah's
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  Speaker 2: mind and straight to his heart. Jeremiah quivered at the
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  Speaker 2: Lord's call. He knew that the position of prophet was
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  Speaker 2: a great responsibility. With it came trials, judgment, and persecution.'
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  Speaker 2: My God,' Jeremiah stuttered,' I do not know how to
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  Speaker 2: speak your truth. I am only a boy. How could
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  Speaker 2: I do such things?' Do not say to me I
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  Speaker 2: am too young, the Lord replied. Wherever I call you,
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  Speaker 2: you will go. What I tell you, you speak. Fear
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  Speaker 2: is for those who do not have my presence. A
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  Speaker 2: bright light then burst through his mind's eye, and Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: was swept into the presence of God. He felt a
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  Speaker 2: hand stretch out to him. and touch his mouth. Behold,
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  Speaker 2: I have placed my words in your mouth. You are
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  Speaker 2: to be set apart to watch over all the nations
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  Speaker 2: and kingdoms. You shall witness the building and breaking of
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  Speaker 2: all things before you. Jeremiah turned his mind's eyes forward.
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  Speaker 2: He saw a budding almond branch slowly growing before him
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  Speaker 2: and budding beautiful little flowers. He heard the Lord behind
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  Speaker 2: him asking, Jeremiah, what do you see? I see an
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  Speaker 2: almond branch, Jeremiah whispered. Yes, you see well. It, like
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  Speaker 2: everything else, grows according to my word, the Lord replied.
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  Speaker 2: Now what do you see? Jeremiah felt the whistling wind
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  Speaker 2: pick up as he was shown the image of a
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  Speaker 2: pot facing north. The pot was over a fire and
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  Speaker 2: the water was simmering into a boil. Jeremiah watched as
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  Speaker 2: the boiling water grew heavier. eventually spilling over onto the
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  Speaker 2: fire below. I see a boiling pot, Jeremiah answered God.
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  Speaker 2: It is facing away from the north. The Lord continued.
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  Speaker 2: This time his tone was intense and filled with warning.
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  Speaker 2: Out of the north disaster is boiling. Soon the kingdoms
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  Speaker 2: of the north will boil over onto the land of Judah.
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  Speaker 2: They shall come, and it will be with my permission,
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  Speaker 2: for I am allowing them to come into the land
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  Speaker 2: as judgment for Judah's past sins. They will burn and break,
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  Speaker 2: but they shall not destroy, for I am still a
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  Speaker 2: merciful God. Jeremiah still struggled to completely understand the will
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  Speaker 2: of God, although he was meant to be a messenger
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  Speaker 2: of the Lord that did not mean he was particularly
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  Speaker 2: equipped to give it. The Lord was gracious to Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 2: and showed him several images of his plan to help explain.
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  Speaker 2: Arise and go down to the potter's house in Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 2: There I will show you my will. So Jeremiah packed
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  Speaker 2: his things and made his way to the potter's house.
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  Speaker 2: It was dawn by the time Jeremiah made it, and
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  Speaker 2: the potter was already hard at work. The room smelled
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  Speaker 2: like clay and campfire. Jeremiah watched as the potter worked
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  Speaker 2: at his wheels. The clay spun fast on the wheel,
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  Speaker 2: tamed by the potter's guiding hands. Jeremiah watched as the
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  Speaker 2: potter gracefully worked his hands up and down the clay,
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  Speaker 2: molding it into a tall and thin shape. The vessel
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  Speaker 2: continued to spin on the wheel, however it began to
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  Speaker 2: wobble and lose its thin frame. The top began to
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  Speaker 2: sag and its edges became sloppy. Jeremiah became worried that
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  Speaker 2: the pot was ruined and expected the potter to throw
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  Speaker 2: away the clay and start over. Instead, the potter pressed
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  Speaker 2: his fist down on the top of the clay. It
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  Speaker 2: continued to spin and form into a round and wide bowl.
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  Speaker 2: Jeremiah's eyes widened as he saw the potter form a
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  Speaker 2: pot far more beautiful than the one before. The potter
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  Speaker 2: meticulously designed the handles and spun the pot into a
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  Speaker 2: marble Jeremiah did not realize it, but he was crying
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  Speaker 2: watching the potter work. The Lord then spoke to Jeremiah's heart.'
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  Speaker 2: Can I not do the same thing that the potter
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  Speaker 2: has done?' God said softly. The clay in the potter's
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  Speaker 2: hand was unruly and unbalanced. It had to be broken
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  Speaker 2: down to make something more marvelous. Jeremiah watched the potter
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  Speaker 2: as he listened to the Lord. I am shaping disaster
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  Speaker 2: so that something more splendid may be made. Jeremiah was
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  Speaker 2: filled with.
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  Speaker 3: Purpose after this.
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  Speaker 2: He left the potter's house and began to call out
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  Speaker 2: the declarations of God in the temple courtyards and the
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  Speaker 2: city streets. Amen your ways, Jeremiah declared. Turn from your
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  Speaker 2: evil ways and embrace your Savior. Much of Jeremiah's words
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  Speaker 2: fell on deaf ears. People passed and paid no attention.
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  Speaker 2: In fact, many of them began to grumble at his words.
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  Speaker 2: Yet Jeremiah continued to speak. We have turned our backs
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  Speaker 2: on God. He says to us, As Jeremiah spoke the
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  Speaker 2: words given to him by God, his heart began to break.
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  Speaker 2: He could feel the hurt in the Lord's words. He
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  Speaker 2: loved his people, and year after year since freeing them
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  Speaker 2: from slavery, they had found new ways to turn away
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  Speaker 2: from him. Sorrow filled his heart, so he continued to
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  Speaker 2: proclaim the warnings of God unashamed. This caused some elders
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  Speaker 2: to conspire against Jeremiah and sent him threats. He did
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  Speaker 2: not cease preaching. He leaned on God for courage and
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  Speaker 2: pressed on. It was midday. And Jeremiah was outside the
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  Speaker 2: temple gates proclaiming the word of the Lord. He spoke
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  Speaker 2: with the love and intensity of God, warning people to
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  Speaker 2: repent and turn back to their first love. Pashur, the
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  Speaker 2: chief officer and priest, watched Jeremiah from afar. He could
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  Speaker 2: not stand the man speaking as though he was the
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  Speaker 2: only mouthpiece of God. Jealousy dug its roots down deep
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  Speaker 2: into his heart. Eventually, hatred boiled over in him. He
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  Speaker 2: picked up a club that was often used to protect
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  Speaker 2: the priests in case of a robbery and stormed towards Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 2: The prophet could barely see the shadow of Pashur before
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  Speaker 2: the club struck him over the side of his face.
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  Speaker 2: Jeremiah fell onto the floor and smacked his head on
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  Speaker 2: the cobblestone floor. Disoriented, Jeremiah stumbled to his knees, only
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  Speaker 2: to be kicked in the jaw. Blood dripped from his mouth.
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  Speaker 2: He finally glanced up to see Pashur looming over him.
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  Speaker 2: Before Jeremiah could say a word, he received a swift
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  Speaker 2: kick in the ribs. He could feel them crack on impact.
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  Speaker 2: Writhing in pain, Jeremiah managed to open his eyes only
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  Speaker 2: to see the club descending down once again, knocking him unconscious.
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  Speaker 2: Jeremiah woke up the next day. The sun was beating
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  Speaker 2: down on the back of his neck. He tried to
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  Speaker 2: move his hands to rub it, but could not. Regaining consciousness...
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  Speaker 2: Jeremiah discovered that his head and hands were bound in
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  Speaker 2: the stocks outside the temple gates. People passed by him,
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  Speaker 2: giving him grim looks of disapproval or hatred. Jeremiah hung
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  Speaker 2: there all day, receiving the spitting and ridicule of passerbyers.
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  Speaker 2: He did not stop praying the entire time. Although many
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  Speaker 2: of his prayers were asking God to release him, he
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  Speaker 2: maintained his mission to preach repentance. The day was drawing
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  Speaker 2: to a close and Jeremiah could hear the footsteps of
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  Speaker 2: Pashur behind him. Without a word, Pashur released him from
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  Speaker 2: the stocks and began to walk away. Jeremiah cleared his throat.
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  Speaker 2: His head was throbbing due to dehydration and the beating
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  Speaker 2: from the day before. He stood to his feet and
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  Speaker 2: stuttered out a few words. The Lord no longer calls you, Pashur,
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  Speaker 2: Jeremiah said. The officer turned his head in curiosity. Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: looked him deeply in the eyes. You are no longer
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  Speaker 2: called Pashur, but terror on every side. Pashur reached for
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  Speaker 2: his club to give Jeremiah another beating, but Jeremiah continued,
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  Speaker 2: this time with the full intensity of God behind his words.
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  Speaker 2: Thus says the Lord, I will make you a terror
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  Speaker 2: to yourself and to all who love you. Pashur froze,
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  Speaker 2: listening to Jeremiah intently. They shall all fall by the
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  Speaker 2: sword of Babylonia. All of Judah will be given into
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  Speaker 2: the hand of the great northern kingdom. Your friends shall
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  Speaker 2: be carried away as captives and all the wealth of
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  Speaker 2: the city shall be taken and you, Pashur, will be
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  Speaker 2: carried away as a captive. You shall die as a
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  Speaker 2: captive like many. Pashur fled from the prophet and Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: fell to his knees and wept. He lamented that he
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  Speaker 2: was given the role of warning Judah. He wanted to stop.
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  Speaker 2: He wanted to cease preaching the word of the Lord However,
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  Speaker 2: as Jeremiah prayed to the Lord, he knew that he
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  Speaker 2: must continue. If I did not preach your truth, there
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  Speaker 2: would be a fire in my bones to speak. I
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  Speaker 2: cannot help but proclaim your name. I would be weary
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  Speaker 2: if I held it in. Jeremiah felt the heart of God.
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  Speaker 2: He would preach to people who would not listen. He
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  Speaker 2: would love people that would hate him in return. This
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  Speaker 2: was the burden and calling of a shepherd.
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  Speaker 3: Today's reading begins with a calling. God's voice goes out
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  Speaker 3: to a young man in the courtyard of God's temple. Jeremiah,
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  Speaker 3: that man, wasn't expecting this, but God had planned things
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  Speaker 3: for him since before he was conceived, even in his
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  Speaker 3: mother's womb. If there was ever any doubt how God
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  Speaker 3: views the unborn, the words he speaks to Jeremiah leaves
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  Speaker 3: us no doubt. There was a prophet in the womb
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  Speaker 3: of this woman, his mother. God knew him and had
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  Speaker 3: a purpose for him before his life began, and that
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  Speaker 3: life began when he was conceived. A calling from God
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  Speaker 3: is a privilege, and it should not be taken lightly.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah seemed to understand the depth and gravity of this call.
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  Speaker 3: This would be costly and often uncomfortable. People would even
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  Speaker 3: hate him and want to take his life. And his
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  Speaker 3: first reaction is to object.' I am too young to
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  Speaker 3: speak for you,' was his reply. But God was not
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  Speaker 3: interested in Jeremiah's objection or excuses. Still, he encouraged the
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  Speaker 3: young man, saying in Jeremiah 1.8, Do not be afraid
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  Speaker 3: of them, for I am with you to deliver you,
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  Speaker 3: declares the Lord. God was reminding Jeremiah what we also
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  Speaker 3: need to hear. That he who calls us is greater
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  Speaker 3: than any obstacle that we face. That if God be
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  Speaker 3: for us, who can be against us? We should always listen.
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  Speaker 3: to the still small voice, to the word of God
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  Speaker 3: that calls us to his service. The Lord then gave
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah a vision. A pot filled with water over a fire.
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  Speaker 3: The pot was pointing north and the fire brought the
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  Speaker 3: water to a boil. God then gave Jeremiah understanding of
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  Speaker 3: what it meant. God's judgment was coming from the north
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  Speaker 3: to punish Judah for its past sins. This would only
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  Speaker 3: happen with God's permission. a reminder of the Lord's total
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  Speaker 3: sovereignty and supremacy. God would use a foreign enemy for
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  Speaker 3: his purposes to correct and cleanse his own people. And
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  Speaker 3: though the enemy would invade, burn, and break Judah, they
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  Speaker 3: would not destroy the people. Jeremiah was beginning to understand,
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  Speaker 3: but he still needed more. The Lord showed him many
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  Speaker 3: things that were going to happen, and yet he struggled
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  Speaker 3: to grasp God's plan. We then heard how God sent
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  Speaker 3: him to the house of a potter, It was time
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  Speaker 3: for an object lesson. He watched as the potter worked
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  Speaker 3: the wheel, spinning the clay and shaping it into a pot.
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  Speaker 3: But the clay lost its shape and all seemed lost.
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  Speaker 3: But rather than toss out the clay, the potter began
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  Speaker 3: to work it again. God used this to explain how
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  Speaker 3: he can use brokenness in our own lives to shape
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  Speaker 3: his people. Jeremiah was filled with confidence and went about
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  Speaker 3: speaking God's words and warnings to all who would listen. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 3: not many did. They turned away from God and his word.
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  Speaker 3: And just like the prophets who had come before him,
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah faced opposition, hatred, and even physical harm. We heard
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  Speaker 3: the story of Pashur, the chief of priests, who was
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  Speaker 3: so angry he beat Jeremiah and placed him in stocks
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  Speaker 3: to be ridiculed by those who passed by. But just
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  Speaker 3: as God had promised, in the end, those like Pashur
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  Speaker 3: did not prevail against Jeremiah. and he continued working for
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  Speaker 3: God's purposes. Speaking God's truth is not always easy, but
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  Speaker 3: we should surely always speak God's words. Whether in ancient
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  Speaker 3: Judah or in our culture today, when we speak God's truth,
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  Speaker 3: it can be costly. It can be tiring. It can
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  Speaker 3: be frightening. But as Jeremiah testified, he had no choice
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  Speaker 3: but to cry out with God's word. Holding it in
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  Speaker 3: was not an option. And even when we speak to
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  Speaker 3: people who do not listen, it is our calling as
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  Speaker 3: Christians to be witnesses of the good news, the gospel
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  Speaker 3: of Christ, and to reach as many people as we
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  Speaker 3: can with God's truth. This was what God was doing
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  Speaker 3: through Jeremiah and what God wants to do through you.
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  Speaker 3: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We pray
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  Speaker 3: that you would give us strength and courage to always
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  Speaker 3: stand for you and your truth, even when people... don't
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  Speaker 3: listen or are even hostile. Give us the resolve and
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  Speaker 3: the resilience, the courage and the bravery to speak your
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  Speaker 3: words with clarity and conviction. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 20:08
  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. And before we go,
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would love to
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: every single day. So visit jackgraham.org to sign up for
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgraham.org.