Invest Here Jeremiah 29:4-14

Benjamin Franklin left a fund of $5,000 to the city of Boston in 1791. His will provided that interest from this fund be allowed to accumulate for 300 years. By 1891, the $5,000 had grown to $92,000, and the balance was invested for a second century. By 1959, the market value of the Boston trust fund was $1.5 million, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has reaffirmed that the fund should continue until 1991. Apparently Benjamin Franklin knew what he was talking about when he said: “Money begets money and its offspring begets more.”

What should we do with this present moment?

I. The Purpose of Our Present v. 4

This week, as we try to understand God’s purpose for us in this moment, we look back to a specific moment in the life of the children of Israel

As a result of their sin, they are living in exile in Babylon

This is a time of sorrow and regret; they know that it will come to an end and they are ready to move past this moment and into a better future

It is into this moment that the Lord speaks words of challenge and promise

To set the stage, I think we need to understand their position a little better:

It is a physical place:

They are in Babylon, a foreign nation, and among foreign people

Likewise, we find ourselves in a very real place, a historic city, a county seat, a bedroom community; a place with deep roots and a promising future

It is also a moment in time:

They are in the middle of something that God is doing in them

They are also in the middle of something that God is doing in the place that He has settled them

There are two distinct reasons for our present position:

The choices of people- they all have an impact and have been a part of bringing us to this moment

The wisdom of God- He is the One who sent them into exile; He is equally capable of working restoration to them and any other people

We cannot control God’s timing, but we can take responsibility for how we respond!

Inward focus vs. outward focus

Worship wars. One or more factions in the church want the music just the way they like it. Any deviation is met with anger and demands for change. The order of service must remain constant. Certain instrumentation is required while others are prohibited.

Prolonged minutia meetings. The church spends an inordinate amount of time in different meetings. Most of the meetings deal with the most inconsequential items, while the Great Commission and Great Commandment are rarely the topics of discussion.

Facility focus. The church facilities develop iconic status. One of the highest priorities in the church is the protection and preservation of rooms, furniture, and other visible parts of the church’s buildings and grounds.

Program driven. Every church has programs even if they don’t admit it. When we start doing a ministry a certain way, it takes on programmatic status. The problem is not with programs. The problem develops when the program becomes an end instead of a means to greater ministry.

Inwardly focused budget. A disproportionate share of the budget is used to meet the needs and comforts of the members instead of reaching beyond the walls of the church.

Inordinate demands for pastoral care. All church members deserve care and concern, especially in times of need and crisis. Problems develop, however, when church members have unreasonable expectations for even minor matters. Some members expect the pastoral staff to visit them regularly merely because they have membership status.

Attitudes of entitlement. This issue could be a catch-all for many of the points named here. The overarching attitude is one of demanding and having a sense of deserving special treatment.

Greater concern about change than the gospel. Almost any noticeable changes in the church evoke the ire of many; but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the gospel to change lives.

Anger and hostility. Members are consistently angry. They regularly express hostility toward the church staff and other members.

Evangelistic apathy. Very few members share their faith on a regular basis. More are concerned about their own needs rather than the greatest eternal needs of the world and community in which they live.

II. The Plan for Our Present vv. 5-8

The Lord speaks and gives them specific instruction: the right answer for this moment is to invest themselves in the place God has sent them

This investment is fourfold:

Settle- they are to build homes and plant gardens; we invest in our community by settling our lives into them. People who will not stay cannot make the deepest type of impact

Multiply- they are to reproduce themselves through marriage and birth; we multiply in our community when we raise families in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and when we bring others into the family of God through evangelism

Improve- they are to seek the welfare of the city and pray for it; I believe that this is critical for us to understand

When Jeremiah speaks, he speaks to a group of revolutionaries who are plotting to overthrow their government overlords; very few or us feel this way, but many of us live with nothing more than apathy to our community

We can seek our own welfare and never find it; Yet, if we seek the welfare of the city, God will more than supply it for us and for them

We ought to want our community to be more: more beautiful, more healthy, more wise, more joyful, and more loving

Wait- there are those who tell lies that we want to hear: this will only be a little while, so do not invest yourself in this.

The only way that we see the fruit of God’s purpose fulfilled is by waiting

Waiting is an act of faith that God will fulfill His promise to us

Spring will be here before you know it, and with it, the gardeners will begin planting. When I was a little guy, my grandparents had an older neighbor who planted a big garden every year. Occasionally, he would let us kids help, planting seed in the ground. Planting a garden is a marvelous act of faith, covering a blessing with dirt and praying that it will grow, multiply, and become a treasure. This is what God is calling us to do: invest our blessings in the soil of this place for this moment and trust that He will turn it into treasure!

What are some ways that we can invest?

-Food Insecurity

-Serving Our Schools

-Helping the Helpers

-Families in Crisis

III. The Promise of Our Present vv. 9-14

In closing this word, the Lord has three words of promise about their present situation:

It has an end v. 10

It will take a full 70 years in their case, but this season is coming to an end

Getting it right matters because we only get one shot at it and we must not despise this moment

It has a good purpose v.11

All that is taking place is according to the Lord’s purpose; it is for our good and for His glory

Ultimately, all of this is working to give us a future and a hope!

It ends in restoration vv. 12-14

This is a restoration of relationship with God

This is a restoration of place, entrance into His perfected Kingdom!

We can live with faith in the present because of God’s promise for the future!

One night at dinner a man, who had spent many summers in Maine, fascinated his companions by telling of his experiences in a little town named Flagstaff. The town was to be flooded, as part of a large lake for which a dam was being built. In the months before it was to be flooded, all improvements and repairs in the whole town were stopped. What was the use of painting a house if it were to be covered with water in six months? Why repair anything when the whole village was to be wiped out? So, week by week, the whole town became more and more bedraggled, more gone to seed, more woebegone. Then he added by way of explanation: "Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present."