The Pit Can't Prevent Purpose | Jeremiah 38:12-13

There's an exegetic invitation I want to extend to you, and I pray that you accept. You've been invited to fellowship with me this morning in the Old Testament prophecy of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter number 38. J-E-R-E-M-I-A-H. Jeremiah chapter number 38. And I apologize, media team, I told y'all verse 13, but I'mma start a little bit early and, and then go to verse 12 to do some contextual setup. Y'all gonna pray with me this morning? Jeremiah chapter number 38, this obscure passage, beginning reading in verse number 12. Ebed-melech the Cushite called down to Jeremiah, place these old rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes. Jeremiah did this. They pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, or a pit. That's enough. You may be seated. Jeremiah was placed in the pit. Man named Ebed-Melech the Cushite told him, take these rags, put them in your armpits, and we're gonna lift you up out of this pit. And they lifted Jeremiah out of the pit for just a few moments, brothers and sisters. I want to wrestle with you from the subject: the pit can't prevent purpose. The pit cannot prevent purpose. Have you ever seen a compass? Job of a compass is to guide travelers And the point of the compass is to guide travelers because a compass, the needle is always pointed north. Right. Sometimes people can shake the compass and the needle can move from side to side. But no matter how much you shake the compass, it may shake for a while, but its purpose is always going to point it where it's supposed to be. Come with me to Jeremiah chapter 38. Jeremiah, this weeping prophet, always had this doom and gloom prophecy that God would always give him concerning the people of Judah. And in this 38th chapter, it was Jeremiah's own people who requested to King Zedekiah that he be put in a pit. They put him in a pit with no food, and they put him in a pit with no water, and they put Jeremiah in the pit thinking that that was going to be his end.

But since Jeremiah had the hand of God on him, the pit was not permanent because the purpose on Jeremiah's life was so strong that even though he did a little time in the pit because he had purpose. Purpose put him out of the pit where he belonged. Now y'all gonna make me preach too hard today, but there's been somebody listening to me today. You have found yourself in a pit in life before. You may have been in a financial pit, you may have been in a health pit, You may have been in an emotional pit, but you are here this morning as living evidence that the pit that I've been in was not permanent.

And the reason that God still lifts out of pits is because there is a purpose on your life that God says you won't stay here alone. And purpose has a way of realigning you and putting you back where you need to be. And if there's anybody— shout today! Let somebody know, you may see me in a pit today, but don't expect to see me here alone, because there's too much purpose on my life. My assignment is too great, my God is too big, and I don't care who put me in the pit, I got a God who will get me out every time. Has there ever been anybody in in the house today who can testify, preacher, you talking about me? Because life has tried to put me in places where I don't belong, but thank God for his grace and mercy that went in the pit with me. And look at me today, I'm at 1712 Church Street, East Harz, Louisiana, with my hands lifted up as an evidence that the pit did not work. And is there anybody today who's a pit survivor who Shout like you survived the pit! People thought you was going to stay there. People thought that was going to be a permanent residence, but God got you out of that thing, and God brought you out better. You're still anointed, you still got power, you still got faith, because the pit will not prevent your purpose. And I came on assignment today Here's my simple thesis: that even though purpose won't always prevent the pit, thanks be to God that the pit can't prevent your purpose. Talking here, gathering our hands, that even though your purpose won't prevent the pit all the time, thanks be to God the pit can't prevent your purpose. In other words, you gonna come out still called. You gonna come out still anointed. You gonna come out still blessed because you got a purpose on your life. I see that hand on his foot just like I like it.

Let me express some hermeneutic highlights that can help us in our walk with God. And once I do that, I'll say God can find my way up. 167. Are y'all interested this morning? And finding out some things that God uses that will keep your purpose in your life even when you go through the pit. God teaches us in this text that when you're in the pit, God gives you peculiar advocates. He gives you strange advocates. Uh, uh, uh, it's, it's this man by the name— he attracted me in scripture this week— by the name of Ebed-Melech. We don't talk much about Ebed-Melech. Ebed-Melech preached me this week because Jeremiah, a Jew, was lifted because of an Egyptian or a Cushite man, African of descent, was speaking on his behalf. Now, it was not another Jew, but it was the Jews who requested to King Zedekiah, put Jeremiah in the pit. But it was a man who was unsuspecting, all right, who was not related to Jeremiah, all right, who was speaking on behalf of Jeremiah. Translated It wasn't a church man, it wasn't a preacher, it wasn't a deacon, but it was a man who had no relation to Jeremiah who was speaking on behalf of Jeremiah. And this man was from Egypt. Can I help you a little bit? In chapter 37 of Jeremiah when they were seeking help about how to deal with, uh, Babylon, they were considering joining forces with Egypt. But Jeremiah chapter 37 indicated that Egypt is really unreliable. So it was a man who was an unreliable source who was the help that Jeremiah needed. And when you have an undeniable purpose, sometimes God can use unreliable people to be the help you need.

Y'all gonna like that. Let me say it again, put my hands up.

When you have an undeniable purpose, God can use the unreliable to be the help that you need.

Translated, your help don't have to come from in here. But God can use anything and anybody to be the help that you need. Has there anybody in the house today to know that when you have favor on your life, you got people that you don't know even know your name speaking on your behalf? Has there ever been anybody who's been in need and it was somebody that you looked down on that spoke the word that you need?

You thought he was a thug.

You thought she was fast. You thought he was an alcoholic. You thought he was a drug dealer. But God said, I'll use a drug dealer, I'll use an alcoholic, I'll use a dope user to be a blessing that you need. He was an unreliable source, Diagonus, but God used an unreliable source to prove that Jeremiah had an undeniable call.

Uh-uh, uh-uh. Amen. Not only will God prove that you have an undeniable call, but God can also give you help that's unrecognizable. Jeremiah is in a pit, sinking The Bible says, 'In mud.' But he had a peculiar advocate that was unrecognizable.

TC, you want to know why he was unrecognizable?

Because while Jeremiah was in the pit, help was coming from a place where he could not hear.

And he could not see.

In other words, help can come even though you can't see help coming.

Lord, y'all make me preach too hard. Jeremiah is in a pit, therefore he can't see what's going on in the palace, he can't hear what's going on in the palace. But Jeremiah, I got a word for you today. Just because you can't see him just because you can't hear him. There are people in high places that you can't see right now who's calling your name. Is that somebody? Shout today that while you're in here with your hands lifted up, God is already in a boardroom speaking on your behalf. While you minding your business, doing your job, walking in your purpose, God got somebody calling your name. He got somebody going to bat for you. He got somebody speaking on your behalf. Do you receive that this morning? That in places in which I'm not, the grace of God is using somebody else to get the help I need. I know you ain't got the money now, but he might be working on somebody's heart. I know you still feel bad in your body, but he got a doctor right now working things out for you, because God can help you even while you're in the pit. And Jeremiah was getting palace help while he was in the pit.

This man by the name of Ebed-Melech was in a palace speaking on behalf of a man who's in a pit. Please, somebody. Ask me what Ebed-Melech means. Thank you, because I got to get this out. Ebed-Melech, his name means servant of the king. Some theologians argue that perhaps Ebed-Melech may not have been his actual name. It may have been his title because he was literally serving King Zedekiah. But I want to argue with you today that Ebed-Melech had dual employment because while he was serving the lowercase king, he was was really serving the capital letter K-I-N-G.

While you think he's serving Zedekiah, he's really serving the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And when you do things for God's people, it's the same thing as doing something for God.

Come here, come here, come here, come here, come here, come here. How many of y'all really truly Wanna serve the Lord?

All right, all right, all right.

Y'all just said yeah. Some people didn't raise their hand because that meant that they think that means I will ask you to do something in here. Now y'all know me by now. Y'all know my theology is that true service to God ain't got nothing to do with you being old for a welcome at an anniversary. True service to God ain't got nothing much to do with you putting the robe on in here and standing behind the desk and giving an exegetical invitation. That's just a piece of it. But according to this text, in order to be a true servant of the King, you gotta grow.

I gotta grow to the point that I don't just look out for myself, but I get to the point where I can advocate for somebody who can't advocate for themselves. When people lying on your brother and sister, tell them, you ain't gonna lie about my church member, even if they telling the truth. Say, you ain't gonna talk about my sister, you're not gonna talk about my brother. I know what they did, but do you know how person— how good of a person she really is? While you see the bad, don't you you remember when she gave to somebody who didn't have to give? And while you talking about them, she may be praying for you. So you may see her mistake now, but don't you forget how good that person has been.

And God is looking in here for some more Ibad Milex who can tomorrow at the job tell your supervisor how good your coworker been.

Because when it's some gossiping mess, we quick to spread that. But God is looking for some people who can advocate for other people behind closed doors. And I'm still crazy enough to believe that whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. So when you can advocate for other people, God got somebody who can advocate for you.

He uses peculiar advocates. He causes strange alliances in order to help somebody else pursue their purpose. There's this fish called a cleaner wrasse. Can I tell y'all about the cleaner wrasse? It's a small, insignificant fish. It swims in large bodies of water. The cleaner wrasse according to its name, is a cleaner. So when it swims, it swims with sharks that are supposed to eat it. But the cleaner wrasse goes into a shark's mouth, and it can go into a shark's mouth and the shark won't eat it. Do y'all want to know How a cleaner wrasse can go into a shark's mouth and why the shark won't eat it. Because when the cleaner wrasse goes into the shark's mouth, the shark knows better than to eat it.

Because when it goes into the shark's mouth, it cleans parasites, it cleans mucus, it cleans dirt out of the shark's mouth. So while it would eat the cleaner wrasse, the purpose in the cleaner wrasse keeps it alive. Who am I'm talking to today. Life could eat you up. Life wants to swallow you up. The devil wants to swallow you up, but he can't get to you because the purpose that you're fulfilling, God has made that thing work in your hand.

Thank you for helping me preach, Mr. Clean Around.

I'm trying to tell somebody, when you serve your purpose, your purpose keeps you alive. That when people try to set you up, when people want to eat you, they can't do it because you're walking your purpose.

See, peculiar advocates, but I love that clock there because it's telling me to preach to you about purposeful agility. Purposeful agility. This text, I want to challenge you to read it thoroughly. Ebed-melech. Zedekiah said, okay, I know I put him in the pit because these Jews told me to do it, but now since Ebed-Melech told me to get him out, I guess I'll do that now. He told him to take 30 men with him, took 30 men with him to the pit. Ebed-Melech told Jeremiah to put these rags on your own pits so that when I pull you out The friction won't hurt you. So not only did God got to get him out, he got him out with care. You think that that's insignificant, that Ebed-Melech used rags? But I didn't work too hard on this word rags. To not explain it to you. He did not use just anything. He used rags. Rags, by definition, are old garments that are no longer usable. But God used something that people said can't be used.

He used something that men threw away because men said it's no longer worthy to be used.

So God used something that should have been thrown away to deliver a man who was thrown away. I'm gonna put my hands right back up and I'm gonna say it again.

God used something that should have been thrown away to deliver a man that was thrown away. Is there anybody in the house today that that's your testimony? I should have been thrown away, but now God desires to use me to help somebody else. And when you say I should have been thrown away and that I've sinned so much I deserve to be thrown away, God still uses me anyway. And now you upset with me because God still got his hands on some rag. Are there any rags in the house today? You can confess that I ain't no good, I got a past, I got some present, I got some stuff that ain't right with me, but God's still using this old rag. And I know I don't deserve it, but thanks be to God, here it is, that God redeems rags. And are any redeemed rags in the house today? And let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Yes, I got some rag with Yes, I got some rag thoughts. Yes, I've done some rag things, but God still wants to use this old rag.

Yeah, I was about to throw them rags away, but God say, come here, I'm gonna use this old rag.

And that's what God got me doing right now. He taking this old rag that's from Winfield, Louisiana, sitting it behind this desk so I can see what thus says the Lord, to pick somebody else out of their pit. That's why they didn't kill you. That's why you still here. That's why your past didn't take you out, because God redeems rags.

God redeems rags.

Now, now, you could have used anything. But Eben Melek said, Gavin, I was trying to do you a favor because on March 23rd, 2025, I want you to tell the congregation that even though you may be a rag right now, God got purpose for rags. I know you still using dope, I know you still got problems, you're in a rag condition, but God carry rag. Don't you let nobody sitting up here, don't you let nobody in this church make you believe there ain't no rag. We all crawling here, rats. But he still redeems rats.

In the 2017, 2018 NBA season, thank you, thank you, thank you. The NBA changed how they made jerseys in 2017, 2018. Case, they start taking old plastic bottles and recycling old plastic bottles and making jerseys out of them. Cornisha Hams In 2017, 2018, there was this team called the Golden State Warriors who won the NBA championship. This old light-skinned sniper by the name of Steph Curry won the NBA championship in 2017. 2018. Kwanisha, next time you watch your Warriors—

you really a fair weather fan, but that's a different story— the next time you watch your Golden State Warriors, keep in mind that they won the championship by wearing something that should have been thrown away.

Come here, somebody!

You should have been thrown away, but God want to use you to help somebody else win. Are there any recycled materials in the house today who say, don't throw me away, because if you keep me around and use me right, I'll help you lift up a trophy?

Purposeful agility. He was lifted up by using rags and making a purpose out of rags. But I gotta get up, 1:67. Lord, I love my clock. But before I get out of here, I gotta tell you one more thing, that God has given us all a persistent Anointing. All right, uh, I told y'all, I'm gonna see if y'all been listening, that Jeremiah was put in the pit for prophecy, for prophesying. Jeremiah comes out of the pit, guess who need old Jeremiah?

The same old King Zedekiah that put him in the pit. And guess what?

What King Zedekiah asked Jeremiah to do?

He asked Jeremiah, can you please prophesy to me again and let me know if we need to submit to Babylon?

Zedekiah, you got—

y'all got a problem with my prophecy, but you put me in a pit, and when I got out of the pit, you have the audacity to ask me to prophesy again. In other words, the pit did not last as long as the anointing on Jeremiah's life. You thought the pit was gonna take away my gift. You thought the pit was gonna take away my anointing. But when God get me out of the pit, I'm still gonna be on fire for him. I'm still gonna have the Holy Ghost. I'm still gonna be able to prophesy. I'm still gonna be able to do what other people can't do because God gave it to me and can't no pit take it away from me. And I want to let somebody know today that if you can endure your pit Your gift will outlast the pit. You will come out with even more anointing. You will come out with even more power. You will come out with even more ability because God gave you the pit to survive in any circumstances. So it tells me today—

good night— that the pit was really just a pit stop. I'm reminded of another pit stop that was supposed to be permanent.

I look out there and those graves are gonna be there for a while, but I know another grave that was supposed to be permanent, but the grave only was used for 3 days and 3 nights. Because one Friday on the hill called Calvary, they crucified my Savior. They killed him, and they thought that the pit of the grave was gonna be permanent. But 3 days later, he got up, not just like a weak person, but he got up with all power in his hands. And that's my testimony, and that's your testimony, that not only will a pit not be permanent, but the pit gonna give you power. The pit gonna give you breakthrough because God will use a pit to prove how powerful he is.

I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. Y'all see the pepper in my mouth? The pit will not prevent your purpose. Because purpose has the power. The anointing has the power to get you out of your pit, and your anointing will still be there. I don't know who's in the pit this morning. I don't know who's had a pit experience, but I do know this: that the God who didn't prevent the pit will make sure that the pit don't prevent your purpose. You gonna come out better.

You gonna come out with some unlikely means. You don't know who your blessing gonna come from. That's why it's important to love everybody, treat everybody right.

I don't care if your title Bishop, I don't care if you just regular, but you need to treat everybody right because you never know who's your Ibad Mile.

You worry about somebody with a title and, oh, I gotta go, such and such coming, some such as coming to town, we gotta tighten up.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That may not be my ebed-melech, because the king in this time, in this passage, put him in the pit. But it was a regular old Egyptian man. If it was Black History Month, I really preached that. An Egyptian man, Kushite man, who was unreliable.

But he proved that Jeremiah had an undeniable anointing.

We offer Jesus to you today.