Bloom Where God Plants You

Transcript

Auto-generated from the audio. Click a timestamp to jump to that part of the video.

[0:00] And now read with me our message text for today, which comes from Jeremiah 29, verses 1 through 14. This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jehoiakim and the Queen Mother, the court officials, and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans, had gone into exile from Jerusalem. He entrusted the letter to Elisa, son of Shaphan, and to Jemeriah, son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah, king of Judah, sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said, This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, said. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, said.

[1:41] This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, said. I have not sent them, declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says. When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.

[2:22] Then you will call on me and come and pray to me. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me. I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you to exile.

[2:52] Let's pray. Gracious God, we ask for your blessing upon this word today. Speak to our hearts. Speak to our minds. And help us to carry out your will through your Holy Spirit. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[3:15] So there's a verse in this passage that most of us should know or do know. In fact, I think it was probably the first verse. I memorized, if not in the top three. And that's, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.

[3:41] You've seen it. You've seen it written. I'm sure that it's written in someone's house somewhere. Because it's a beautiful verse. It really is. Unfortunately, we tend to take that verse unknowingly. Out of context.

[3:59] And it really, when it's taken out of context, it really diminishes the beauty of this verse. And what it really, really means. We tend to look at it as almost a prosperity gospel text. Where if we just abide in God, everything's going to go right. Everything's going to go our way. Everything is going to line up. Because when we trust in God, everything happens for our good.

[4:30] That's what we think. That's what we tend to look at this verse as. And that's not 100% wrong. But it's not right. And it takes away from the fact that actually there was extreme hardship that was happening when this verse was spoken. And that hardship was actually God ordained.

[4:55] Some of these verses, it says it several times in the passage that we just read. That God carried the people of Judah into exile. It wasn't the mean, bad Babylonians who were breaking God's will who forced them into exile. God carried his own people into exile. This was a God-ordained hardship that they were under. And yet still.

[5:25] They were asked to endure it. And still they had hope for the future. It's almost a confusing jumble of thoughts. And yet it brings so much more beauty to what this verse actually means than we tend to give it today.

[5:44] Now before this promise was spoken to the people, God's presence had always seemed to be tied to the land. And so we're going to read this verse again. So if you remember verse 1. So if you remember verse 1. So if you remember verse 1. So if you remember verse 1. the correlating uncertainty that God himself would even continue to be with them because they were no longer in the promised land where his promises seemed to exist. They were beyond the realm of where God seemed to be and God himself made that to be so.

[6:48] God's intentions, though they seemed to have been tied to a specific promised land, God's intentions have always been for the whole entire world. He's always, always intended for everyone in the world, no matter what nation or tribe or tongue, to have an interdependence. To have an intimate and whole relationship with him.

[7:19] Now we've talked a lot in these past couple of weeks of the Mosaic Covenant, that is the old covenant that the people of Judah have very, very blatantly broken time and time again. It is that broken relationship that has landed them in this situation as it is. And we've even, like last week, Hans-Erik talked about the new covenant that was to come. The new covenant that was to come. The covenant in Christ's blood.

[7:48] But there are other covenants. And long before the Mosaic Covenant, God promised Abraham, he made a covenant with Abraham, that his family and descendants would be a blessing to all of the nations. We know that this promise was especially fulfilled through the new covenant in Christ's blood. Where all of humanity would be redeemed. Through the death and resurrection of Christ. But, this promise actually began to come into fruition ages before Christ came. Abraham himself interacted with foreign nations who met God through him. God's work through the Israelites in Egypt showed the Egyptians who God is. But when then Israel became an assembly. The nation that was established.

[8:47] And they were a nation who was known for being loyal to their God. They were a nation who was known to have the strange covenant with their God. Living by and bringing those laws into exile with them when they went. And that was sure to stand out to the Babylonians. So, wherever the people of God went, they brought a certain testimony. To the other people. About who God is. We see only the instruction here in Jeremiah. Only the instruction to do what is right. To continue living as they would normally live. That is the instruction. But here in Jeremiah, we don't really see how it's carried out. But we do see that in other books of the Bible. And especially places like Daniel. Right? Daniel and his friends were made advisors and servants directly to the kingdom. And they lived their lives in faith to God. Even at great risk to themselves.

[9:54] And that was a witness to God. They lived faithfully. And they lived beautifully. And people noticed. The king noticed. Daniel and his friends refused to live by the expectations of the Babylonians. And yet, they also immersed themselves into the Babylonian culture. In a way that God had asked them to do. They did exactly what God had hoped and expected for the people of Judah. Who were in exile in Babylon. They interacted with those around them. They loved those around them. And they lived their lives as they would have lived them in Judah. And that was noticed. And God was praised because of that. That was a witness to God's kingdom.

[10:49] Now, Jeremiah was still a prophet. And that's important. Because, like I said, there was uncertainty about whether or not God would continue to be the God to his people while the people were outside of their land. So, the fact that God still had prophets is incredibly important.

[11:16] And perhaps the people wanted to listen a little more carefully now. Now, false prophets still persisted. But the words spoken through Jeremiah had come true. His words were coming true. And the false prophets' words were not. Though the false prophets spoke the things of the people of Judah. The things the people wanted to hear. Those words were not coming true. And Jeremiah continued to prophesy to the people. He continued to write letters to them.

[11:51] The text of Jeremiah interacts with broader themes from both Isaiah and Ezekiel. And it shows that he has this legitimate prophet of God thing going on for him. And it shows that he prophesies not just to Judah.

[12:09] But also to the Judean exiles. That's important. Because though they were expelled from the land, God had not forgotten them. In fact, he loved them so much that he cared to send his word to them. And what's more, it was not his word just to the Judean exiles. But to Babylon itself. That's what we see in the broader context of these other books that are written. In the same time period. That we see that his prophesy was to Babylon also. He did not save his words only for God's nation. Only for God's chosen people. It was for everyone.

[12:54] So God works in all the world. God is not limited to just one piece of land. And it's not news to us. But it was news to the people of God back then. And we can still apply this news to ourselves. That God works not just in the good places of life. But in the foreign and the difficult. Be that physical or spiritual. See, we tend to see God as our own personal God. We tend to limit him to our own world view. To say that God is a God to people like me. Or God is a God that supports interests like my own.

[13:38] And we tend to limit God to our own worldview. And we do this all in different ways and to different degrees. We may not say word for word. God supports interests like mine. But somewhere in our head. We have this image of who God is. And it happens to fit with who we are.

[13:55] This is why the spirit of nationalism has run so rampant in our country. We tend to say to ourselves that God is a God who supports. American Christianity. Our political beliefs. Our ways of life. God supports American Christianity. And that's how we think.

[14:20] But look at the text. God wanted the people to pray for the prosperity of the people around them. And to pray for a continuation in their unfortunate situation. He did not want his people Judah to pray for their own prosperity.

[14:43] Within the context of Babylon. But rather for peace and prosperity and wellness of Babylon. We might be tempted to pray for our enemies. That they will see things our way. And we might be tempted to pray that they repent for all the wrongs that they wronged us with. And that they turn from their ways. And start aligning with our ways. But God wanted his people to pray for their prosperity. In the context of their culture.

[15:19] Because God is a God who is intimately entwined with every person. From every nation. And every culture. Equally. That equally is an important word. God cares for every culture equally. So God is a God of the whole physical world. Not just a God to his people wherever they go in the physical world. But God is a God to the whole physical world. And all places.

[15:53] Just as God could be using you to spread the gospel. And be his light. So God could also be using others. People who are other to you. He could be using them to speak to you. And using them to be his light to you. And both seemed to be the case in Babylon.

[16:15] Now the other thing is that God exists not just in those physical places. But also in multiple spiritual places. Those difficult places. God exists there too. God's people had taken the people. Taken for granted God's promises. When they faced good times. They had this confidence that God would always be there. Because God always was there. Now I want to emphasize that God is always going to be there. God will not abandon you or forsake you. But they had this cycle going on. They sinned. They took advantage of their relationship. Of their covenant with God. They turned their backs on God. Yet they still expected him to be there. When they repented.

[17:14] God was there to take them back whenever they repented. God was always there to accept their worship. Whenever they meant it. And so they kept on sinning. And forgetting their place in relationship with him. And in the past it had worked out okay. They sinned. Their enemies took over. They cried out to God. God raised up a judge or a prophet to lead them back. They repented. And things went back okay. But this time would be different.

[17:47] They cried out. But God did not save them from Babylon. And yet God was still there. Just because he didn't save them from Babylon. Just because he carried them to Babylon. Doesn't mean he stopped being there. Doesn't mean he stopped listening. Doesn't mean he didn't hear their cries. He was still sending them prophets and messages. He hadn't abandoned them.

[18:19] God is with us. Whether in good times or in bad times. Whether we're in a healthy spiritual place. Or an unhealthy spiritual place. God is with us. And our life is with him. Our devotion may waver. Throughout the different seasons of our lives. But God's devotion never fails or even falters.

[18:42] This would be a season of difficulty. Even extreme difficulty for God's people. And here through his prophet he reminded them that he was right there in it with them. And yet it was still easier for them to cling to those false prophets. They wanted an easy fix. And so that brings us right back to that tricky verse 11. We tend to think that out of privilege or out of right. Things are going to be easier for us. And they're going to work out for us. Simply because God says that it is his plan for us to prosper and not to harm us. We almost think it is our right as Christians. To have an easy go of it. So if we take this verse out of context like that. We run the risk of following false wisdom. Just as the Judeans were following false prophets. God's plan is to prosper us. But it is not at the expense of harming others.

[19:55] God does want to give us hope in the future. But he wants to give us hope in the future. And he wants to give the same to those whom we see as our enemies. God is in control. But that doesn't mean that hard times will never come.

[20:11] Sometimes God asks us difficult things. We see that in surrounding verses and in the rest of the book of Jeremiah. Life won't be all sunshine and rainbows and purple sparkles. But that doesn't mean our hope is gone. He told the people to get comfortable and buckle up for the ride. He told them you are going to be here a while. In fact you are going to be here a long while. And the false prophets seemed to take issue with Jeremiah. When he passed that word from God onto the people. But it was true. You are not going to be here a short while. But you are going to be here long enough to buy land. Harvest crops. Get married. Have children. Marry your children off. And watch your children have children. Because that is God's plan for you. And what a bitter pill to swallow. God handed his chosen people off to their enemies. And he had no inclination to answer their pleas to return to their land anytime soon. It's not that he doesn't hear their pleas. It's not that he doesn't care. It's simply that this was God's plan. God had instructed them to build their lives just as they would if they were in their homeland. So basically he's heard their grumbling. And he has told them, albeit he's told them nicely and lovingly.

[21:42] But he's told them to get over it. And not just to do the bare minimum to get over it. But to live life fully in the land they found themselves in. You're in a foreign land. You're not happy about it. Things are bad. You don't want to be here. But you're here. So live to the fullest. Live for me like you would live for me back in your homeland. That is what God is telling them.

[22:15] And it wasn't like it was when they were brutalized in Egypt. Yes, they were exiles in the land. They were there against their will. No life in Babylon was not pleasant. But they were going to be okay. And God knew that. What's more, he wanted them there to live out a kingdom purpose.

[22:38] As if it wasn't bad enough that he wanted them there to live out his kingdom purpose. He asked them to pray for their captors. I just want you to think about that right now. God has asked you to do the most difficult thing in your life. He's brought you there grudgingly. I don't know what it is, but you know. God has asked you to do the most difficult thing that you can really comprehend. And now he's asked you to be happy about it. And he's asked you to pray for the people who make your life the most difficult.

[23:21] How absolutely, not just counterintuitive, but like really, that is absolutely appalling. If you think about it. It just, that's hard. Maybe we can't really understand it in their context now, but that's a hard thing to do.

[23:42] Did God even care for Judah at all anymore? How could he ask such a thing of them? How painful. Really, that's just truly painful. The God who loved them, and was their protector, was asking them now to support their enemies in prayer. Did this mean that God no longer supported them?

[24:06] God asked them to pray for peace to come to Babylon, and to pray for its prosperity. To Judean exiles, that was the worst thing that could be asked of them. And it must have felt like betrayal. But it wasn't. It would take 70 years to show them.

[24:26] But this was no betrayal at all. It was merely God expanding his kingdom witness. When God brings us into and through hardship, we are still meant to shine for his sake. God's peace is different from our understanding.

[24:44] God's peace is shalom. He asked them to pray shalom over the land of Babylon. That means that there is absolute fullness, absolute wellness, absolute wholeness in relation to God from every person, every nation, and every tribe.

[25:05] To live in shalom with God means that you also extend God's shalom to everyone. Everyone who surrounds you, everyone you meet, everyone who is related to you, even if you don't meet them, your shalom needs to be extended to them. That is what it means for you to live in shalom, to extend that shalom onto even those you would consider the other or those you might consider the enemy.

[25:38] They didn't want to extend God's peace onto their captors. They didn't want their enemies to prosper and to be the ones who were responsible for extending that peace onto their enemies. That was just hurtful.

[25:55] But it wasn't at their expense. It was for their own good. It was for everyone's good. That's the beauty of Jeremiah 29 11 when it's in context. You have to fight through those hard times, but instead of getting this faltering, failing hope, this hope that is here today and gone tomorrow, you get this everlasting, eternal hope. And so does everyone around you.

[26:31] When you live in covenant with God, when you live out His will, when you walk with Him regardless of the extremely painful and difficult things He might ask of you, then you will have not this weak hope, but God's hope for you, for your future.

[26:53] Now ultimately, God wanted to bring them back to a state of worship. And that's the beginning of it all. That's where shalom begins. That's where the hope for our future begins. That's where our kingdom witness begins. Everything we've talked about today begins with this relationship with God. It begins with this revitalization of worship just between Him and His people. It wouldn't take the difficult times away, but it would bring them His peace and prosperity, and it would bring them His hope to guide them through those difficulties. Because I said that this hope wasn't faltering and it wasn't here today and gone tomorrow. That's true, but it is also hope for today. It's not just our hope for the future. It's our hope that God will guide us through these difficult times. And so, we have to be hopeful. It is not our childish hope that difficult times won't come, but it's our promise that God is there with us through them. And we have that same promise today. We have the hope of the resurrection and the relationship with God that gives us the Holy Spirit for guidance.

[28:11] Has God ever asked you to do something and you thought, anything but that? God gives us guidance and instruction through it. Our relationship and worship to Him carry us through with promises for today and hope for the future. And that's a hope that's stronger and greater than the weak plans of this world or those false prophets. This is a hope for eternity, and that is worth sharing. It's worth sharing to our friends. It's worth sharing to our enemies. I know we don't want to think that we have enemies, but we consider some people worth sharing the gospel with.

[28:58] But the gospel is worth sharing with everyone. It's even worth sharing when we want to drag our feet, and it's worth sharing with the people who seem to be against us. We share in the spirit of God's shalom, that one day, His fullness and wholeness will belong to every person. And so that's the prayer that we have today. And we'll end on that prayer.

[29:27] God, we pray that through every season, through every place, God, that you would guide us and that we would follow, faithfully, fully. That we would be your light, and we would extend your shadow, and we would shine a shalom to everyone. These things we pray in Jesus' name.