Podcast Summary: Renewing Your Mind — “Jeremiah” (Sept 23, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode of Renewing Your Mind, the focus is on the prophet Jeremiah, often called “the weeping prophet.” R.C. Sproul explores Jeremiah’s unique calling, his uncompromising faithfulness amid great opposition, and what Christians today can learn from his example of boldness, suffering, and persistence in the face of discouragement. The episode encourages listeners to consider the cost and courage of speaking truth, especially when it is unpopular.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Unpopular Task of the Prophet

• Prophets Chosen From Diverse Backgrounds
  Sproul opens by observing that God selected prophets from a variety of personalities and backgrounds, yet tasked them with a shared mission: delivering God’s word (02:27).

• Jeremiah’s Unique Sensitivity and Courage

  • Sproul expresses his admiration for Jeremiah, describing him as “the most passionate, the most sensitive and the most emotional of all of the prophets” (04:20).
  • Despite having to deliver overwhelming bad news to Judah, Jeremiah did so with genuine sorrow and “pronounces the prophetic judgment in tears” (04:50).

God’s Call and Jeremiah’s Reluctance

• God’s Foreknowledge and Sovereign Call

  • Sproul cites Jeremiah 1, emphasizing God’s intimate knowledge and pre-birth ordination of Jeremiah:

    “Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you ... I ordained you a prophet unto the nation.” (06:20)

  • Jeremiah’s response illustrates his humility and sense of inadequacy.

    “Ah, Lord God. Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child.” (08:12)

• God’s Reassurance and Command
  God counters Jeremiah’s objections:

  “Say not, I am a child, for thou shalt go to all that I send you ... whatsoever I command you, thou shalt speak.” (09:20)

The Cost of Faithful Preaching

• Judgment Against Corrupt Religious Leaders

  • Jeremiah is sent to confront priests and prophets who have failed the people:

    “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord.” (11:20)

  • The religious leaders are depicted as scattering the flock and failing to feed God’s people with truth.

• Condemnation of False Prophets

  • Sproul draws a powerful parallel to contemporary times, warning of feel-good preachers who “heal the wounds of the daughter of Zion slightly. Band aids on cancer. My people are bleeding ... but there’s no boldness in the pulpit.” (13:00)
  • He echoes Jeremiah’s warnings:

    “They say ... The Lord has said, you shall have peace. ... No evil shall come upon you. Don’t worry. God is love. There’s no judgment.” (17:45)

The Burden and Suffering of Jeremiah

• Jeremiah’s Personal Anguish

  • The prophet is portrayed as emotionally tormented by his calling.

    “My heart within me is broken because of the prophets. All my bones shake. I’m like a drunken man ... because of the Lord and because of the words of his holiness.” (15:20)

• Public Scorn and Perseverance

  • Jeremiah faced daily mockery and derision:

    “I am in derision daily. Everyone mocks me ... I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stop.” (22:00)

  • At one point, Jeremiah resolves to give up:

    “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak anymore in his name. I quit. ... But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stop.” (22:45)

Jeremiah’s Legacy of Hope

• Acts of Faith in Judgment
  Jeremiah’s purchase of a field as Jerusalem fell symbolized hope in God’s promise of restoration (24:00).

• Pointing to the New Covenant

  • Jeremiah’s message ultimately looks forward to a time when “the law of God would be written on the heart,” anticipating the new covenant in Christ (24:15).
  • Christians today are heirs to Jeremiah’s message of hope and commitment.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Core of Jeremiah’s Ministry:

  “He always pronounces the prophetic judgment in tears. And he cries day and night before God, pleading God’s mercy on the very people who hate him and despise him.” — R.C. Sproul (04:50)

• A Parable for Modern Ministry:

  “The priests, the pastors, prophets are not feeding the sheep ... there’s no boldness in the pulpit. No one dares to communicate the plain and the clear word of God to the people of God.” — Sproul (13:00)

• On the Popularity of False Teaching:

  “The only gospel they preached ... was the one that they knew the people wanted to hear. Nobody wanted to hear that God was going to judge the nation.” — Sproul (19:45)

• On Jeremiah’s Suffering and Perseverance:

  “When I say that the prophets are men to live by, the thing that I see in them the most is that these are men who are willing to suffer humiliation for God’s sake, that they’re willing to be hated for righteousness’ sake. And there’s not one Christian in a thousand who is willing to bear the reproach of Christ.” — Sproul (20:45)

• Jeremiah’s Fire:

  “But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stop.” — Jeremiah via Sproul (22:45)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:27 — Introduction to Jeremiah and the diversity of the prophets
• 06:20 — God’s call and ordination of Jeremiah before birth
• 09:20 — Jeremiah’s reluctance and God’s reassurance
• 11:20 — Condemnation of corrupt religious leaders
• 13:00 — Failure of pastors and the superficiality of false prophets
• 15:20 — Jeremiah’s emotional and spiritual burden
• 17:45 — The danger of feel-good, unfaithful messages
• 19:45 — The difference between the message people want and the message they need
• 20:45 — Suffering for righteousness’ sake and the rarity of it among Christians
• 22:00 — Jeremiah’s resolve to quit, internal struggle, and perseverance
• 24:00 — Jeremiah’s hope: buying a field and pointing to promises for God’s people

Conclusion

R.C. Sproul holds up Jeremiah as a model of suffering faithfulness—bold, emotional, and unyielding in his devotion to God’s calling, even at the cost of personal anguish and public reproach. Christians today are challenged to resist compromise, to speak truth regardless of popularity, and to find hope in God’s promises despite immediate circumstances.

Sproul concludes:

“He’s my hero because he didn’t quit.” (24:30)

Episode Takeaway

Jeremiah models bold but broken-hearted truth-telling—remaining faithful in tears, enduring misunderstanding and hatred, yet unable to withhold the very word of God that burns within. For today’s Christians, his life is an urgent call to courage, honesty, and hope in the midst of a compromised world.