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TITLE: GOD KNOWS WHO YOU ARE
TEXT: JEREMIAH 1 V 5

INTRODUCTION:

WE ARE SKILLFUL AT THE ART OF MAKING EXCUSES, AREN’T WE? “I DON’T KNOW HOW.” “I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND.” “I COULDN’T FIND THE RIGHT TOOLS, “I HAVE A DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT.” “THERE’S BEEN A DEATH IN THE FAMILY.”

IN THE CHRISTIAN WORLD, WE CAN FIND ALL SORTS OF EXCUSES NOT TO OBEY GOD’S VOICE: “IT’S THE PREACHER’S JOB.” “IT’S NOT MY GIFT.” “I’VE ALREADY SERVED, LET SOMEONE ELSE DO IT.” “I’M TOO BUSY OR TOO TIRED OR TOO OLD OR TOO YOUNG.”

IT HAS BEEN SAID, “EXCUSES ARE TOOLS OF THE INCOMPETENT, AND THOSE WHO SPECIALIZE IN THEM SELDOM GO FAR.” BEN FRANKLIN WROTE, “HE THAT IS GOOD FOR MAKING EXCUSES IS SELDOM GOOD FOR ANYTHING ELSE.” GABRIEL MEURIER STATED, “HE WHO EXCUSES HIMSELF, ACCUSES HIMSELF.”

JEREMIAH HAD EVERY EXCUSE READY WHEN GOD CALLED HIM TO B A PROPHET. HIS EXCUSES ARE OFTEN OUR EXCUSES FOR NOT HEEDING GOD’S VOICE WHEN HE CALLS. COUNTERING EACH EXCUSE WAS A PROMISE FROM GOD.
THE EXCUSE: MY TALENT IS INADEQUATE, BUT I PROTESTED, ‘OH NO, LORD, GOD! LOOK, I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SPEAK SINCE I AM ONLY A YOUTH'” (JER. 1:6).
JEREMIAH FELT INADEQUATE AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER. BY THE WAY, THIS EXCUSE WAS SHARED BY MOSES 10).
WHEN THEY HEARD THE NEWS THAT I WAS CALLED TO PREACH, MOST PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY THOUGHT THE NEWS BEARER HAD MADE A MISTAKE. “SURELY, YOU DON’T MEAN DERRICK IS CALLED TO PREACH. YOU MUST MEAN HIS OTHER BROTHER RENNIE. WHEN GOD’S CALL CAME, I FELT HONORED BUT EXTREMELY INADEQUATE. MY LACK OF TALENT WAS OBVIOUS. MY QUIET, SHY NATURE WAS A DETRIMENT.
“I WAS SO INFERIOR, EVEN THE NEIGHBOURS NOTED IT AND POINTED IT OUT TO MY MOTHER AS I GREW UP.
YOU SEE, TO REALLY KNOW OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE, WE CAN’T ASK MANKIND FOR THE ANSWER, THE ANSWER CAN’T BE HORIZONTAL, THE ANSWER LIES UPWARD (VERTICAL), IT LIES WITH GOD. GOD TELLS JEREMIAH THAT HE WAS BORN WITH A PURPOSE, HE WAS ORDAINED TO BE A PROPHET UNTO THE NATIONS.

TOO MANY OF GOD’S PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING DEFEAT AND ARE LIVING LIVES UNFULFILLED. MANY OF YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THAT JESUS KNOWS WHO YOU ARE. HE KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. THIS MORNING, IT IS MY DUTY TO BREAK GOD’S WORD AND TO SHOW YOU THAT YOU ARE VERY SPECIAL IN THE EYES OF GOD.

PEOPLE JUDGE YOU ON WHAT THEY CAN SEE (THE OUTER MAN), BUT GOD LOOKS AT YOUR INNER MAN.

THIS MESSAGE I HAVE PREPARED IS A SHORT ONE BUT IF THE HOLY SPIRIT WANTS US TO HEAR MORE, THEN SO BE IT. IF YOU LISTEN INTENSIVELY, YOU PROBABLY WILL BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE CRISIS THAT IS UPSETTING YOU.

1. BEFORE I FORMED THEE I KNEW THEE:

WHEN I READ THIS PORTION OF SCRIPTURE, I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT A SCULPTUR – HE LOOKS A BARK OF A TREE AND HE BEGINS TO ENVISION IN HIS MIND ON WHAT HE WANTS TO BRING OUT OF THE PIECE OF TIMBER…

BEFORE YOU WERE FORMED, GOD HAD A PLAN, PURPOSE AND DESTINY ABOUT YOU. WHEN YOU WERE BEEN CONCEIVED, OUT OF THE HUNDREDS OF SPERM CELLS, ONE THAT HAD YOUR NAME ON IT, GOD TOUCHED IT AND SAID THIS IS THE ONE I WANT FOR MY KINGDOM. SO, YOU ARE NOT HERE BY CHANCE OR MISTAKE.

I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU THAT YOU ARE SOMEONE VERY SPECIAL TO GOD…LISTEN TO THE PROMISE OF GOD’S WORD. ZECHARIAH 2 V 8 “……. FOR HE THAT TOUCHETH YOU TOUCHETH THE APPLE OF HIS EYE.”

BECAUSE YOU ARE THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE, NO HARM OR DANGER CAN HINDER YOU BECAUSE GOD IS YOUR SHIELD AND DEFENSE…HALLELUJAH!!!

YOU WERE PRE-DESTINED BEFORE YOUR PARENTS EVEN THOUGHT OF HAVING YOU AS A CHILD……GOD DECIDED FIRST THAT HE WANTED YOU, YOU ARE UNIQUE, YOUR WALK, TALK, BUILT, STATURE, ETC

YOU WERE BORN AT THE RIGHT TIME, DATE & YEAR. BE THANKFUL FOR THIS.

OUR TALENT MAY APPEAR INADEQUATE, BUT GOD ALWAYS EQUIPS THOSE HE CALLS. WE HAVE THE PROMISE OF GOD’S PROVISION. “THEN THE LORD REACHED OUT HIS HAND, TOUCHED MY MOUTH, AND TOLD ME: I HAVE NOW FILLED YOUR MOUTH WITH MY WORDS” (JER. 1:9). THE TOUCH WAS NOT SO MUCH TO PURIFY AS IT WAS TO INSPIRE AND EMPOWER. IT WAS SYMBOLIC OF THE GIFT OF PROPHECY BESTOWED ON JEREMIAH.

2. I SANCTIFIED YOU:

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN…. THIS WORD MEANS (SEPARATED, CONSECRATED, SET APART FOR A PARTICULAR USE)

WAY BACK BEFORE YOU WERE CONCEIVED, GOD SET YOU APART FOR A PARTICULAR SERVICE, HOW MANY OF YOU KNEW THAT ON 9TH FEBRUARY 2025 YOU WILL BE SITTING IN THIS BUILDING LISTENING TO ME TELL YOU THAT GOD HAS SET YOU APART…….

NATHAN THE PROPHET AND THE SONS OF JESSE………DAVID WAS CHOSEN TO BW KING OVER ISRAEL.

YOU SEE EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE AROUND HAS BEEN MANUFACTURED AND HAS BEEN SET ASIDE FOR A PARTICULAR USE… DON’T WASTE YOUR TALENT…GOD HAS SET YOU ASIDE SO THAT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL WILL BRING GLORY TO HIS NAME.

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY CHRIST… RISE UP AND SAY, I HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED BY GOD AND I WILL DETERMINE TO SEE THE FULFILLMENT OF MY MINISTRY, CALLING, ETC….

I BELIEVE THAT NO ONE IS BORN TO BE USELESS, YOU BECOME USELESS BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO BE. BUT TODAY I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE, AND IN ORDER TO FIND THE FULFILLMENT OF HIS PLAN, SUBMIT YOUR ENTIRE LIFE TO JESUS WITHOUT ANY CONDITIONS AND SEE THE MARVELOUS THINGS THAT CHRIST WILL DO IN AND THROUGH YOU.

SOME OF YOU READING THIS MESSAGE ARE WONDERING JUST WHEN IS GOD GOING TO CALL ME AND USE ME IN THIS MINISTRY… IT HAS HAPPENED A LONG, LONG TIME AGO. THE LORD IS WAITING ON YOU NOW TO ACCEPT THE SANCTIFICATION HE HAS PROVIDED… DON’T FIGHT IT, JUST SUBMIT TO HIS WILL AND LEAVE THE REST TO HIM …

GOD BLESSES NOT THE SILVER-TONGUED ORATOR, BUT THE ONE WHOSE TONGUE HAS BEEN TOUCHED WITH COALS FROM THE ALTAR. GOD USES NOT THE MOST GIFTED AND TALENTED PERSON, BUT THE ONE TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF GOD.

GOD USES THE MOST UNLIKELY PERSONS TO SHAKE A CHURCH OR A COMMUNITY OR A NATION. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE TOUCH; ESPECIALLY WHEN GOD DOES THE TOUCHING.

3. I ORDAINED THEE

THIS WORD MEANS (CONFER HOLY ORDERS, DECREE, DESTINE, APPOINT)

MANY PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR HANDS TO BE LAID ON THEM IN REGARDS TO ORDINATION BEFORE THEY WILL DO ANYTHING FOR GOD AND HIS CHURCH……

IN THE BIBLE WE SEE GOD CALLED AND ORDAINED MANY MEN FROM BIRTH: –

 SAMSON (JUDGES 13 V 2-25)
 SAMUEL (1 SAM. 1 V 17-19, 27-28)
 JEREMIAH (JER. 1 V 5-10)
 JOHN THE BAPTIST (LK. 1 V 15-17)
 JESUS CHRIST (MT. 1 V 18-25)
 PAUL (GAL. 1 V 15-16)

WHEN GOD TOLD JEREMIAH, HE KNEW HIM BEFORE CONCEPTION, HE WAS BETWEEN 25 – 30 YEARS OLD.
GOD’S CALL MAY COME AT AN INOPPORTUNE TIME, BUT HE NEVER SENDS FORTH HIS SERVANT ALONE. WE HAVE THE PROMISE OF GOD’S PRESENCE.
“THEN THE LORD SAID TO ME: DO NOT SAY, ‘I AM ONLY A YOUTH,’ FOR YOU WILL GO TO EVERYONE I SEND YOU TO AND SPEAK WHATEVER I TELL YOU. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF ANYONE, FOR I WILL BE WITH YOU TO DELIVER YOU. THIS IS THE LORD’S DECLARATION” (JER. 1:7-8).

PLEASE NOTE THE CONDITION TO THIS PROMISE. BEFORE JEREMIAH COULD EXPERIENCE GOD’S PRESENCE, HE HAD TO GO WHERE GOD SENT HIM, SPEAK WHAT GOD TOLD HIM, AND REJECT FEAR.
SOMEONE ONCE SAID THAT WHEN GOD CALLS US TO A TASK, HE DOES NOT GIVE US A ROAD MAP TO FOLLOW AND THEN LEAVE US TO OUR RESOURCES. GOD WALKS WITH US. HIS PRESENCE GIVES US THE STRENGTH TO STAND IN THE FACE OF EVERY ASSAULT.
WHAT GOD SAYS THROUGH US MAY BE DANGEROUS, BUT GOD GIVES US THE STRENGTH TO ENDURE. WE HAVE THE PROMISE OF GOD’S PREVAILING. “TODAY, I AM THE ONE WHO HAS MADE YOU A FORTIFIED CITY, AN IRON PILLAR, AND BRONZE WALLS AGAINST THE WHOLE LAND – AGAINST THE KINGS OF JUDAH, ITS OFFICIALS, ITS PRIESTS, AND THE POPULATION. THEY WILL FIGHT AGAINST YOU BUT NEVER PREVAIL OVER YOU, SINCE I AM WITH YOU TO RESCUE YOU” (JER. 1:18-19).
IN THE DAYS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THE GREAT COLISEUM OF ROME WAS FILLED TO CAPACITY WITH SPECTATORS, COMING FOR THE STATE GAMES, WATCHING HUMAN BEINGS BATTLE AGAINST WILD BEASTS OR AGAINST ONE ANOTHER UNTIL ONE OR BOTH DIED. THE CROWD FOUND ITS GREATEST DELIGHT IN THE DEATH OF A HUMAN BEING.

WHEN HONORIUS WAS EMPEROR OF ROME, IN A.D. 404, AS THE VAST CROWD WATCHED THE CONTEST, A SYRIAN MONK BY THE NAME OF TELEMACHUS LEAPED ONTO THE COLISEUM FLOOR. SO, TORN BY THE UTTER DISREGARD FOR THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE, HE CRIED OUT, “IN THE NAME OF GOD, THIS THING IS NOT RIGHT! IN THE NAME OF GOD, THIS THING MUST STOP.”
THE SPECTATORS BECAME ENRAGED AT THIS COURAGEOUS MAN. THEY MOCKED HIM AND THREW OBJECTS AT HIM. CAUGHT UP IN THE EXCITEMENT, THE GLADIATORS ATTACKED HIM, AND A SWORD PIERCED HIM. THE GENTLE MONK FELL TO THE GROUND DEAD.
THE ENTIRE COLISEUM FELL SILENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME THE PEOPLE WITH THE GREEDY BLOOD-THIRST RECOGNIZED THE HORROR OF WHAT THEY HAD CALLED ENTERTAINMENT.

TELEMACHUS KINDLED A FLAME IN THE HEARTS AND CONSCIENCES OF THINKING PERSONS. HISTORY RECORDS THAT, BECAUSE OF HIS COURAGEOUS ACT, WITHIN A FEW MONTHS THE GLADIATOR COMBATS BEGAN TO DECLINE, AND VERY SHORTLY PASSED FROM THE SCENE.

WHY? BECAUSE ONE MAN DARED TO SPEAK OUT FOR WHAT HE BELIEVED WAS RIGHT. HIS MESSAGE WAS DANGEROUS, FOR IT CHALLENGED THE PLEASURES AND ENJOYMENTS OF THE PEOPLE. THOUGH TELEMACHUS DIED, HIS MESSAGE PREVAILED.