“God’s Charge to His Servant” I. Emphatic Instruction, . 1. Not Apprehensive: “arise.” 2. Not Apologetic: “Speak.” 3. Not Applauded by men: “Be not dismayed.” 4. Not Absent-minded Whom you serve: “Lest I confound thee.” II. Realistic Expectations, . 1. God had made him Impregnable: “I have made thee,” 2. His work would be “Against” all ranks of the people. 3. He would be Attacked, as a “defenced city” is besieged, . “Fight against thee.” III. Eternal Encouragement, . 1. A Divine Promise of safety is given: “They shall not prevail.” 2. The Divine Presence would be his: “For I am with thee.” 3. The Divine Power would be exerted for him: “To deliver thee.”

1. God’s Charge to His
Servant
(2Ti. 4:1-5),Paul’s charge to Timothy is
Emphatic Instruction
2Tim 4:1-2
1
I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his
appearing and his kingdom;
2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Realistic Expectations
2Tim 4:3-4
3 For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.

2. Eternal Encouragement
2Tim 4:5-8
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the
work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand.
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I
have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall
give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them
also that love his appearing.
We find the same charge was given to Jeremiah but
not from a man Jer.1 is the Almighty God Himself
giving a charge to a reluctant prophet to be.
Jer 1:6
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I
am a child.
God has never been dependent on man’s ability.
“God’s Charge to His Servent”

3. I. Emphatic Instruction, Jer. 1:17.
Jer 1:17
17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak
unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at
their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
1. Not Apprehensive: “arise.”
Jer 1:17
17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise…
Back in the ancient days, both men and women wore
flowing tunics.
Around the tunic, they’d wear a belt or girdle.
While tunics were comfortable and breezy, the hem of
the tunic would often get in the way when a man was
fighting or performing hard labor.
So, the men would lift the hem of their tunic up and
tuck it into their girdle or tie it in a knot to provided
more freedom of movement basically creating a pair
of shorts.

4. Thus, to tell someone to “gird up their loins” was to
tell them to get ready for hard work or battle.
1Kgs 18:46
And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he
girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the
entrance of Jezreel.
2Kgs 4:29
Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take
my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet
any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee,
answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face
of the child.
2Kgs 9:1
And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of
the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins,
and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to
Ramothgilead:
Job 38:3
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand
of thee, and answer thou me.

5. Luke 12:35
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights
burning;
1Pet 1:13
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and
hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
2. Not Apologetic: “Speak.”
Jer 1:17
… arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee…
Jer 1:7
But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for
thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and
whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Jer 23:28
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream;
and he that hath my word, let him speak my word
faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the
LORD.

6. Exod 7:2
Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and
Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that
he send the children of Israel out of his land.
Ezek 3:10-11
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words
that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart,
and hear with thine ears.
11
And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the
children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell
them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will
hear, or whether they will forbear.
Jonah 3:2
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach
unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Acts 20:20
And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto
you, but have shewed you, and have taught you
publickly, and from house to house,
Acts 20:27
For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the
counsel of God.

7. 3. Not Applauded by men: “Be not
dismayed.”
Jer 1:17
… be not dismayed at their faces…
If “Their” faces dismay you then your focus is wrong.
Jer 1:8
Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to
deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Jer 17:18
Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let
not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but
let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of
evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
1Thess 2:2
But even after that we had suffered before, and were
shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we
were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel
of God with much contention.

8. 4. Not Absent-minded Whom you serve:
“Lest I confound thee.”
Jer 1:17
… be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee
before them.
Ezek 3:14-18
14 So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I
went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the
hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib,
that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they
sat, and remained there astonished among them
seven days.
16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days,
that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto
the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my
mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die;
and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to
warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life;
the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his
blood will I require at thine hand.

9. Ezek 33:6-8
6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow
not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the
sword come, and take any person from among them,
he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I
require at the watchman's hand.
7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman
unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the
word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou
shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the
wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his
iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
1Cor 9:16
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to
glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is
unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
II. Realistic Expectations, Jer. 1:18.
Jer 1:18
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city,
and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land,

10. against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof,
against the priests thereof, and against the people of the
land.
1. God had made him Impregnable: “I have
made thee,”
Jer 1:18
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city,
and an iron pillar, and brasen walls …
2. His work would be “Against” all ranks of
the people.
Jer 1:18
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city,
and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole
land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes
thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the
people of the land.
What is a Christian working against?
Rom 8:7- Human Wisdom

11. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:
for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed
can be.
1Cor 6:18- Sex Perversion
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is
without the body; but he that committeth
fornication sinneth against his own body.
1Cor 8:12-13- Apathy of Influence
12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and
wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I
will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make
my brother to offend.
Col 3:19- Convenient Affection
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter
against them.
1Tim 5:19- Hasty Criticizing
19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but
before two or three witnesses.

12. 3. He would be Attacked, as a “defenced
city” is besieged, Jer. 1:19. “Fight against thee.”
Jer 1:19
19 And they shall fight against thee…
2Tim 3:12
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution.
John 15:19-21
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his
own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have
chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The
servant is not greater than his lord. If they have
persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they
have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my
name's sake, because they know not him that sent
me.
III. Eternal Encouragement, Jer 1:19.

13. Jer 1:18
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city,
and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land,
against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof,
against the priests thereof, and against the people of the
land.
An “iron pillar” which could not be overthrown;
“brazen walls” which fire could not consume.
Judah would be overthrown, and Jerusalem
burned;
but not God’s prophet:
1. A Divine Promise of safety is given: “They
shall not prevail.”
Jer 1:19
19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not
prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD,
to deliver thee.
2. The Divine Presence would be his: “For I
am with thee.”
Jer 1:19

14. … for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
3. The Divine Power would be exerted for
him: “To deliver thee.”
Jer 1:19
… for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
The fight is on, O Christian soldier,
And face to face in stern array,
With armor gleaming, and colors streaming,
The right and wrong engage today!
The fight is on, but be not weary;
Be strong, and in His might hold fast;
If God be for us, His banner o’er us,
We’ll sing the victor’s song at last!
“God’s Charge to His Servant”
I. Emphatic Instruction, Jer. 1:17.
1. Not Apprehensive:“arise.”
2. Not Apologetic:“Speak.”
3. Not Applaudedby men: “Be not dismayed.”

15. 4. Not Absent-minded Whom you serve: “Lest I confoundthee.”
II. Realistic Expectations, Jer. 1:18.
1. God had made him Impregnable: “I have made thee,”
2. His work would be “Against” all ranks of the people.
3. He would be Attacked, as a “defenced city” is besieged, Jer.
1:19. “Fight against thee.”
III. Eternal Encouragement, Jer 1:19.
1. A Divine Promiseof safety is given: “They shall not prevail.”
2. The Divine Presence would be his: “For I am with thee.”
3. The Divine Power would be exerted for him: “To deliver
thee.”