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The Sermon for Sunday, August 30th, 2026, the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
The Lessons: Jeremiah 15:15-21; Psalm 26; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:21-27
The Text: Jeremiah 15:15-21
The Topic: Remain faithful to God and to God’s call even in the face of fierce opposition.
INTRODUCTION
In Discipleship Journal author Mack Stiles relates how he led a young man from Sweden named Andreas to Christ. One part of their conversation is especially instructive:
Andreas said, “I’ve been told if I decide to follow Jesus, He will meet my needs, and my life will get very good.”
This seemed to be a point in Christianity’s favor. But I faced a temptation – to make it sound better than it is.
“No, Andreas, no!” I said.
Andreas blinked his surprise.
“Actually, Andreas, you may accept Jesus and find that life goes very badly for you.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, you may find that your friends reject you, you could lose your job, your family might oppose your decision – there are a lot of bad things that may happen to you if you decide to follow Jesus. Andreas, when Jesus calls you, He calls you to go the way of the cross.”
Andreas stared at me and asked the obvious: “Then why would I want to follow Jesus?”
Sadly, this is the question that stumps many Christians. For some reason we feel that unless we’re meeting people’s needs, they won’t follow Christ. Yet this is not the gospel.
I cocked my head and answered, “Andreas, because Jesus is true.”
Those on the side of truth come to Jesus.[1]
Our Gospel Lesson today contains the Lord Jesus Christ’s hard sayings about the cost of being a disciple. The disciple of Christ must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24) and must lose his life for the Lord’s sake in order to find it. In brief, this means Christians are called to give up living for themselves and live for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, renouncing selfish goals and embracing God’s will completely, even when it is hard to accept of fulfill. St. Paul described this commitment to Christ in this way:
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15, KJV)
What is essential is that Christians offer themselves to God as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God (Romans 12:1), and doing this requires us not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern and do the perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).
THE PROPHET JEREMIAH’S COMPLAINT ON ACCOUNT OF OPPOSITION
The prophet Jeremiah’s complaint begins in Jeremiah 15:10, where he complains that his mother gave birth to him, a man of strife and contention, whom everyone curses, though he has neither lent money to anyone nor borrowed money from anyone, which could be causes of ill feeling from others. In verse 15, the prophet prays for God to remember him, visit him, come to his aid, take revenge on his persecutors. He prays that God will not take him away, that is, cause him to die. Jeremiah was sure that the suffering he had borne for the Lord’s sake justified his being able to witness God’s punishment of his enemies (v.15).
In verse 16, the prophet recollects the joy and rejoicing he had in receiving God’s words and bearing God’s name. Contrasting to this is the cost of his prophetic call. Instead of sitting among mockers, he sat alone, since he felt God’s indignation at the people’s sinful ways (v.17), and God’s hand was on him to perceive the truth. But now he complains to God that his pain is perpetual and his wound incurable (v.18). He mistakenly sees God as a deceptive brook, as a spring of water that fails (v.18). We may ask what has given rise to this idea in Jeremiah. The continual, relentless opposition of the people of Judah that refused to accept his prophetic correction and the exile and destruction that he foretold, must have lain heavily on his mind, together with his feeling that because of this, God had deserted him.
GOD’S ANSWER
God calls on the prophet Jeremiah to repent of his foolish speech against God. He must abstain from the vile things he has been saying in complaint against God. Jeremiah had been calling God’s people to repent, and now God was calling on him to repent, to use precious words in his speech and to remove vile complaints (v.19). He also commanded Jeremiah to let the people return to him, but he must not return to them by compromising the messages God had given him for the people (v.19c). Then God promises to make Jeremiah like a fortified wall of bronze to the people – even if they fight against him, they will not win, for God has fortified him (v.20). Far from Jeremiah having a perpetual wound, God will save, deliver, and redeem him (vv.20-21). The Hebrew verbs for “save, deliver, and redeem” are used in the exodus narrative, and the word “save” means “to rescue from bondage and bring into a broad space,’ while the word “deliver” means “to snatch a person from a predator or strong oppressor,” and the word “redeem” means “to liberate a person by paying a ransom.”[2] Far from being a failing water source, God saves, delivers, and redeems those who believe in Him and obey Him.
APPLICATION AND CONCLUSION
As we live out our Christian call to bear witness to Christ by our life and testimony, we shall face the opposition of those who do not believe in Christ, and this opposition may come in various forms. The opposition may become so overwhelming at times that we may feel God has abandoned us. Instead of giving way to despair or to complaints against God, we mut keep our faith and be true to his word, obeying his will, and remaining faithful to God in all that he has called us to do.
[1] p.594, 750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers from Craig Larson and Leadership Journal, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2002. Second Printing, 2008.
[2] p.1244, Holman KJV Study Bible