God Gives Us a Mission Jeremiah 1:4-10, NIV The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Let us greet each other, saying, “The Lord Jesus is with us.” Let us greet each other one more time, saying, “Good things will happen in the Lord.” I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “God Gives Us a Mission,” based on Jeremiah 1:4-10. Please repeat after me, “God Gives Us a Mission. God Gives Us a Mission.” Everybody, without exception, has only one life to live. That is why we need to march forward with clear dreams and goals. The Bible says that people without dreams will perish. It will be pathetic if one lives without any dreams or goals, wasting one’s time, and moving in waves of wind or water. As chosen people of God, we must have holy dreams. We must set clear goals and strive to achieve them with faith. The Lord will be with us. The Holy Spirit will inspire us so that wonderful works of the Lord may be done in our lives. When we march forward with faith, possessing holy dreams in our hearts, miracles will take place. God will perform great works for us. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” This is true. When we have dreams and strive to achieve them with faith, miracles will take place as a result. I urge you, as precious children of God, to have faith and dreams, claiming victory. What is important here is that your dreams and goals must be in line with God’s. As children of God, we must clearly know why God has called us and what He wants to achieve through us. Then we will be able to march toward the purpose of His calling. When we respond to His calling this way, God will receive glory through us and will perform great works. Today’s Scripture describes how God called Jeremiah. It also records the mission that God gave to Jeremiah. I pray that we will understand how God speaks to us and what mission He is giving to us through today’s message. 1. God has chosen us (Jer 1:4). First, we must remember that God has chosen us. It is not that we have chosen Him but that He has chosen us and gives a mission to us. When God gives a mission to us, He comes to us with His Word. Jeremiah 1:4 says, “The word of the LORD came to me.” The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, and it changed his life. Since Jeremiah was the son of a priest, he was going to inherit his father’s priesthood and live as a priest throughout his life. However, God spoke to him, “Do not become a priest but become My prophet to the nations. Do what I tell you to do.” As His children, we must always obey God’s word with determination and faithfulness. We often listen to people and consequently get troubled or hurt. When someone speaks ill of us, when someone hurts us by his words, we often dwell in that hurt, torturing ourselves, and living insecurely and restlessly. In the New Year, I urge you not to listen to people but to listen only to God, saying, “Lord, speak to me. I want to listen to Your voice and obey it.” Today’s Scripture says that God chose Jeremiah a long time before He called him. We have become God’s children, not by coincidence, but by God’s absolute selection. We were predestined to be chosen by God. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Hallelujah! Even before Jeremiah was born, God knew him; He set him apart; and appointed him as a prophet to the nations. We can understand that God has holy plans for each and every one of us before we were born. So, we have to ask God in prayer, “Lord, why did You call me? What should I do to give glory to You? Lord, speak to me so that I can listen and obey You.” Hallelujah! We have to understand our calling from God. We must try to discover how we can be used by Him. We must live a life worthy of His calling. The Scripture says that God has specific and predestined plans for each of us. Ephesians 1:4 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” God has chosen us. In many places, the Bible declares that God has chosen us. Isaiah 43:1 goes even further to say that God has called us by name. Isaiah says, “But now, this is what the LORD says? he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’ ” “You are mine!” Hallelujah! Although we did not deserve His forgiveness, God chose us, and we have become His children by believing in Jesus Christ. This is the greatest miracle and blessing. Therefore, as Christians, our lives should be filled with thanksgiving. Whether we are awake or asleep, whether standing or sitting, we must give thanks, thanks, and more thanks to God. Hallelujah! God, who has chosen us, wants to receive glory through us. He also wants us to be conformed to the likeness of the Lord Jesus every day. Romans 8:29 says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” God has chosen us and conforms us to the likeness of Jesus. Jesus is the firstborn, and we are His other children, being conformed to His likeness. We have become ‘a little Jesus’ before God. Since Jesus is God’s firstborn and we are His other children after Jesus, as a little Jesus and as little children of God, we must live for the glory of God, being conformed to the likeness of the Lord Jesus. In order to live as the children of God, we must experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the grace of the blood of Jesus. 1 Peter 1:2 says, “Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” Hallelujah! Since we have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, we need to be sanctified through the work of the Spirit. He also called us so that we will live victoriously in the Lord by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus. Moreover, we must bear much fruit. Why should we? In thankfulness to the surpassing grace of the Lord, we must sacrifice what we have for Him. When we bear fruit in our lives, God will receive glory through us. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit?fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” Hallelujah! Bear as much fruit as you can. Then God will receive glory through and from you. We are not ordinary people but the children of God, chosen by Him. Therefore, we must always remember how blessed we are! God has sent the Holy Spirit to us to help us to live victoriously, in accordance with God’s will, even in the middle of problems. He will help us to bear much fruit for the glory of the Lord Jesus, leading us throughout our lives. When we stand before Him in the future, He will praise us as good and faithful servants. The Lord is calling us. God called Moses when he was 80, after he had spent 40 years in the desert tending his flock. The Lord Jesus called Peter who was washing his net in huge disappointment since he had caught nothing the night before. The same Lord is calling us. He will make us holy and use us for the glory of God. 2. God makes us holy (Jer 1:5). Second, God makes us holy. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God has set us apart. The Scripture says that God has separated us from the world so that we may work for the glory of God. To set us apart means that God has separated us from the sinful world. He will use us for his great works. As light immediately dissipates all darkness when it is lit, God sends us to the dark world to shed the light of the love of Jesus. He uses us to change a world of pain and suffering into a world full of the love of Jesus. Not only that, God has chosen us as the salt of the world and sends us out so that we may prevent corruption. He also sends us out to proclaim the meaning of a beautiful life. Therefore, we need to be set apart before the Lord. We must be separated from the world. To be holy means to be separated from sin, the world, and our old self. When we are set apart, God receives glory from us. Leviticus 11:44 says, “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.” Consecrate yourselves and be holy. We will become holy by being washed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ again and again. That is why we are called ‘saints’. The name ‘saint’ is a very precious name. In Korea, however, this name is misused to identify someone without any duty in the church. We call someone ‘merely a saint’ because he has not been appointed as a deacon. Deacons are often considered higher than saints. That is wrong. ‘Saint’ is a precious name for all Christians. It is given to us because we are used as saints by God and because we are changed in the likeness of Jesus, showing holiness. All of us must be renewed to be like Jesus. Then we can achieve God’s will for us. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” When all of us become like Jesus, the world will become beautiful. The whole community will become beautiful. When the owner of a company becomes a faithful Christian, all the people of the company will be changed. On the other hand, any bad behavior of a Christian may close the door to the conversion of other people. I pray that your changed personality as faithful children of God may be shown to many people around you wherever you are. 3. God appoints us (Jer 1:5). After making us holy, God appoints us. Third, I would like to speak about God who appoints us to minister to other people. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God appointed Jeremiah and gave him a mission. In the same way, God appoints us and uses us to do His work on earth by giving us a mission. Our past will not come back to us. If we are changed in this moment, dedicating ourselves to God, our future will create a new history. It is this moment that forms the future. Since the moments are passing by even as we speak, this very moment is our present and future at the same time. Therefore, we must make new history every moment. We are blessed children of God in the Lord. 2 Peter 2:9 describes our changed status, saying, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. God calls us, sets us apart, and appoints us to accomplish His will through us. Therefore, let us not waste our lives. Let us not waste our time. Let us not use our energy on useless things. Let us not argue or fight over a small thing. We are wasting so much energy on small things. When the traffic is unusually jammed, we often find people fighting each other over a small accident. They refuse to move their cars, blocking all traffic. I feel uneasy to look at such scenes. As Christians, we must break stumbling blocks wherever we see them. We should not lose our temper like most people. When something happens, we should try to make peace by saying, “I am sorry. I made a mistake. Forgive me.” Of course, I am not telling you to say that to those who have hit your car. When we make mistakes, we should apologize. Many Koreans yell first even when it is their fault. There is a Korean joke, “He who has a louder voice wins.” Sometimes, when looking closely, we find out the one who is yelling is at fault. He is yelling loudly to intimidate the other party. I am not saying that you should apologize for the things that you have not done. When we make a mistake, causing harm to others, we must apologize first and try to make peace with them. When we pray and march forward with faith in the Lord, God will establish His work. Jeremiah 33:2-3 says, “This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it?the LORD is his name: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Hallelujah! A three-year-old boy accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with an awl, one of his father's workshop tools. His father immediately took him to the hospital, but the boy lost his eyesight. His father thought the boy had no future. At the age of 10, he earned a scholarship to a school for the blind. Although there were some books for the blind at his school, they were too big and heavy. The blind that could not go to the school for the blind did not have any chance to read those books. So he began inventing his raised-dot system with his father's stitching awl. People around him tried to dissuade him, for it looked absurd. However, he never stopped. In 1821, he invented a writing system for the blind. The system is now being used by the blind all over the world. God appointed Louis Braille. He encountered a huge obstacle, blindness, in his life. Although he was stabbed with an awl and lost his eyesight, he used the awl to open a new way of life. God appointed him to invent the Braille system about 180 years ago. The blind can read, thanks to this system. When we march forward with faith, God opens a new door for us. People say Louis was hopeless with no future. One hundred eighty years ago, the blind indeed were hopeless with no future at all. However, a boy changed hopelessness into hope. When a door is shut, God opens another door for us. Never give up. Nothing is impossible in Jesus Christ. I urge you to step on your misfortune and change it into victory. 4. God gives us a mission (Jer 1:7). Fourth, we must remember that God gives us a mission. Jeremiah 1:7 says, “But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.” God gave a mission to Jeremiah, saying, “Go! I will give you the message for you to speak. Boldly proclaim it.” God has chosen all of us for His glory. We are set apart as holy and appointed by God. Now, we have to strive to accomplish the goal with dreams and hope. We must work with faith. What is required for the servants of God is faithfulness and dedication. Let us dedicate our lives for the work of the Lord till we stand before Him. Let us be used for the glory of God. May the Lord be with us and work with us! Let us give our entire lives to the Lord. Dr. Reuben Archer Torrey was a coworker of Rev. Moody. He founded the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. His grandson, Reuben Archer Torrey, was born in China as the son of a missionary. God called him to go to Korea and show the love of the Lord Jesus to the poor and hungry. He came to Korea in 1957 and lived there for the rest of his life. He even changed his name into a Korean name, Dae Chun Duk. He went into the mountains in Kangwon Province. Since there was no bus route to the remote area back then, he had to walk for three days. He settled in a small countryside area and started farming. He preached the love of the Lord Jesus to his poor neighbors. He sent his children to a local school. The country children, who had never seen foreigners with different colored eyes and hair, looked at them with curiosity, pulling their hair, and making fun of them. Since Father Torrey was called to serve Koreans, he served the Lord and worked there. Till August 2002, when he went to be with the Lord at 84, he served the Lord as an apostle of love. The Holy Spirit movement of Father Torrey was a movement of Father Torrey’s works of love in the mountains which inspired many people all over the world. They are participating in the movement of practicing the love of Christ. Father Torrey dreamed of a world in which even the poor and hungry would be treated equally in the love of the Lord Jesus. His community in the mountains has become a heavenly place. Many visitors have experienced the love of Jesus Christ there. Truly, Father Torrey clearly knew what his mission was. Since he graduated from a prestigious school in the US, Father Torrey could have worked as a professor or as the president of a seminary. However, he knew that he was not called to do that. God called him to serve Koreans. So he served Koreans throughout his life. His son and his wife are ministering at Jesus Abbey, continuing his work. When the Lord calls you and gives a mission to you, do not be afraid. Go forward with confidence. No matter what others may say, no matter what persecution you may have, march forward toward the goal of your calling. Jeremiah 1:8 says, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.” The Lord is saying to us, “I will be with you. I will rescue you from all despair. So, go forward boldly. Go with confidence.” When we receive a mission, our lives will be changed. Miracles will happen. God’s blessing will come to us. Rev. Oral Roberts, a longtime and close friend of Rev. Yonggi Cho, is now about 90 years old. However, he was dying of tuberculosis when he was young. He used to stutter, too. God came to him while he was in despair, stuttering, and in the terminal stage of tuberculosis. Oral Roberts went to a revival meeting. There he received the Holy Spirit, and he was healed from tuberculosis. God gave him a mission to be a preacher. He said, “Lord, I am a stutterer.” God said to him, “I am with you. I will tell you what to say. All you have to do is declare it.” When he obeyed and went out to preach, he was freed from stuttering. He dedicated his whole life for the Lord, and now he is retired. Since he was used by God, he did wonderful work for the Lord. Although he was dying of tuberculosis and was mocked for his stuttering, he achieved great work since God appointed him and gave him a mission. God wants to use all of us as His workers. When we obey His word with humility and faithfulness, He will help us. He will put His words in our mouth. Jeremiah 1:9 says, “Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I have put my words in your mouth.’ ” Verse 10 says, “See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Hallelujah! God is calling us. Therefore, we need to live a life worthy of His calling. Many people who are neglected, sick, and poor are calling for our help. We should not ignore their calling. We must realize what God has called us for and must work to achieve it as His precious servants for the glory of the Lord. Ida Scudder was a college girl in the US, a third-generation American medical missionary in India from the Reformed Church in America. Her father was a medical missionary, part of a long line of medical missionary Scudders in India. Ida did not want to be a missionary, though. She wanted to get married to a wealthy man and live comfortably in America. Since she saw much famine, poverty, and disease, the farthest thing from her mind was to spend her life in India. She went back to India, however, to help her father when her mother was ailing at the mission bungalow. During her stay, she had the frustrating experience of not being able to help three Indian women in childbirth. Since Indians did not let male doctors treat women, and since her mother was ailing, the Indian husbands had to return home without any help. The next morning, she heard that all three women died needlessly the night before. It shocked Ida. She had wanted to get married to a wealthy man and to live comfortably in America, not living a hard and toilsome life as a missionary. Her experience during her stay in India while her mother was ailing convinced her that God wanted her to become a missionary. “Go! If your mother cannot do it, you must do it.” She went back to the US and graduated from Cornell Medical College in 1899. She then headed back to Vellore, India. She opened a hospital there. Her hospital was small in the beginning, but she treated more than 500 patients one day. The hospital has expanded greatly, and currently, it has 17,000 beds for patients, treating Indians and giving glory to God. What is your mission? Why have you been called as the children of God? We must ask God in prayer, “Lord, please speak to me. I want to give my life to You. Show me how. Help me understand what my mission is. The rest of my life is Yours. Receive all the glory.” I pray that you will receive God’s mission according to your talents and that you will dedicate your lives to the Lord. This is my earnest prayer to the Lord for you. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we give thanks to You. Receive all the glory and praise. We have been called and chosen by You as Your children. We want to be used by You for Your glory. We want to participate in the work of expanding the heavenly kingdom on earth. Help us understand what our mission is. Help us as we strive to achieve the goal throughout our lives with dedication. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.