Why you can trust that God is doing good to you

Read Jeremiah 32:39 “then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.”

Intro

Did you guys know

that today is the first day of fall?

I thought fall

was the first day

of September!

Who else thought that raise your hand?

Theres a lot of misinformation out there

and a lot

of fake stuff

out there

nowadays.

Fake images

fake videos

because of all the recent

advancements

in AI

and ChatGPT.

One very

skeptical

and doubtful

woman

decided

to not

have any of that.

So much so

that when she was contacted

with this text message

this was her response. (text message pic)

(read)

So the cop

sent a selfie

with her ID in it. (cop pic)

And this was her response (final text pic).

And the thief

who had stole her ID

went to jail

and she got her ID back.

Many times

we treat God

the same way.

When things

don’t go our way

when bad things

happen to us

we doubt God

and we ask for proof

if He

is even real.

So today

I want

to help you

with your doubts.

And see

in God’s word

why you can trust

that God

is doing good

to you.

Context section

Before we get into

our fill in the blank

handout

you need

to understand

some context

about Jeremiah.

You need to know the lore.

And thankfully

Jeremiah is very relatable

because in this passage

he was doubting

God’s goodness

just like how you and I

have.

You see

Jeremiah

was living in a time

where Israel

is about to be conquered

and destroyed

by the Babylonians

and it’s inhabitants

the Israelites

to be sent into captivity.

Now Jerusalem

the main city

of Israel

was under siege

by the Babylonians.

They are surrounded

people are starving

and dying of illnesses

because in a siege

the enemy army

surrounds

the city with barricades prevents

anyone from entering

or leaving

the city.

Meaning they cannot get goods or help

from other countries

and they also stop

anyone from farming

so that they run out of food.

For the people in Jerusalem

this would be the end of the world

for them

as they know it.

Imagine a world

where we have WW3

and China

or Russia

are only miles away

from invading

your city.

Bombs are flying.

Buildings are burning and collapsing. (war pic)

Yet the king of Israel

does not believe

that they will lose

to the Babylonians.

But Jeremiah

has been prophesying to them

God’s word

that the city will fall

because

of their sin.

Now usually

you know

your prophet

is supposed to say

good things

about the king

and the future of Israel

to improve the spirits

of the combatants.

Imagine a you’re in a boxing match

and your own coach

says you’re gonna lose. (mike tyson paul pic)

The coach is saying

Jake

you have no chance

of beating

Mike Tyson.

That doesn’t make you confident

in fighting that match does it?

It will probably make you

fight worse!

So because of

Jeremiah’s words

undermining

his own country the king believes

that Jeremiah is actually

an enemy.

Perhaps a spy. (spy pic)

Because not only

were Jeremiah’s words

suspicious

his actions

were also suspicious.

You see

Jeremiah

in the midst

of war

and destruction

and people starving to death

goes ahead

and buys

some land.

Now I don’t know

about you

but if an enemy army

was about to invade Baltimore

and destroy

the area around it (city war pic)

like Sykesville

where I live

the last thing

I’d do

is buy a house.

When the invasion of Ukraine by Russia began two years ago

almost all people

fled and became refugees. (ukraine evacuation pic)

But some stayed (ukrainians stay pic)

and there are some youtube videos

from those who decided to stay.

And I can tell you

they regretted it

because they didn’t realize

how serious

the war would get.

Jeremiah was like

the Ukrainians

who stayed.

Foolish right?

In fact it’s so foolish

that the king

found it very suspicious

and even more reason

that maybe Jeremiah is a spy

that as a reward

for giving the Babylonians

information

they will give him a great position

and power

in the city

after they conquer

Jerusalem.

The problem

is that Jeremiah

wasn’t a spy

in fact

God

told him

to go and buy land.

Now why

in the world

would God

tell Jeremiah

to buy land

during a war?

That sounds

like the craziest thing

one could do.

In fact

even

Jeremiah

thought it was crazy!

Jeremiah 32:24–25 (ESV)

Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’ ”

Jeremiah is saying

look even the catapults

are right outside

the walls!

This is a picture

of a siege mound. (siege mound pic)

Who wants to buy a house

during such a time?

A rock

flying from a catapult

might just slam in

and destroy

the new house

you just bought!

People are dying!

The city

will be conquered

just like you said it would!

So why

did you tell me

to go

and buy

a field

when it’s going to be the Babylonians’ field

anyway?!

So God responds

and says

Jeremiah 32:26–27 (ESV)

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

You see

when God told Jeremiah to buy the land

he was told to put the deed

into a pottery jar

which would protect the deed

so that hundreds of years later

the family that has the deed

will have that home.

This assumes

that in the future

that people will buy houses again

in Israel one day.

Because nothing

is too hard

for God.

Jeremiah 32:15 (ESV)

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’

And this also assumes

the Israelites will be brought back

into the land.

Jeremiah 32:37–38 (ESV)

I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

So what seemed

like a foolish action

of buying land

during war

was actually

a symbol

of God’s faithfulness

to do good

to His people

by bringing them back to the land

in the future.

A future where there is peace

and prosperity

where people are buying houses

again.

A future

of good

for His

people.

And speaking of good

and now that you understand

what Jeremiah is about

we come

to our first and only point.

1. God promises to do good to your heart (v.39)

Anybody here

like cereal raise your hand.

Growing up

I often had cereal for breakfast.

Coca puffs

cinnamon toast crunch.

But for some reason

I have vivid memories

of honey nut cheerios. (honey nut cheerios pic).

I think the reason

is I remember

the picture on the box

with the heart.

Here’s another older version of the box. (cheerios pic)

Note how it says

lower your cholesterol by 4% in 6 weeks.

That’s incredible.

Not only

do I get to eat

this delicious treat

in the morning

but it’s also

heart healthy?

But years later

the FDA warned

General Mills

about this label

being misleading.

So they changed it

to ‘can help lower your cholesterol!’ (honey nut cheerio pic)

So I’m not sure

if honey not cheerios

actually

lowers your cholesterol

and is heart healthy.

But what is

certain

to be healthy

100%

is the new

heart

God promises

to give you.

And when they return

God says in v.39, ‘then I will give them one heart and one way,

This is a promise

that God will give a new heart

to believers.

You see

the reason

why we doubt God

when He has always

been good to us

is because

of a hard as rock

heart.

And unless

that hard heart is changed

the doubt

will never go away.

Matthew 15:19 (ESV)

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Jesus taught

that the heart

is the source

of all evil.

And evil thoughts

include

unbelief

and doubt.

Can anyone guess

the #1 leading cause of death

in the whole world?

According to the World Health Organization

and other sources

it’s heart disease. (heart disease stat pic)

The most vital organ

to take care of

in order to

continue existing

is your heart.

A bad heart

will certainly

lead to a shorter life.

Anyone here visit a doctor before?

Raise your hand.

A good doctor

when you’re sick

will treat

not just your symptoms

but the underlying cause

of your symptoms.

If someone has chronic headaches

a good doctor

won’t just prescribe painkillers

but find

the root problem

in the body

that is the true cause

behind it.

Such as a problem in the nerve

or brain.

And God

being the great physician

fixes

the #1 problem

that causes

us to doubt

God’s goodness

and that is our hard hearts.

And he does this

by giving you a new heart.

A heart

that wants

God.

Ezekiel 36:26–27 (ESV)

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Anyone know

what the hardest substance on earth is?

It’s diamonds.

Which are the hardest gemstones

on earth.

Diamonds are so hard

that when saw blades and drills (diamond saw blade pic)

are tipped

with diamonds

it can easily slice

through stone

concrete

and even metal.

But scientists

are theorizing

that a diamond

can squeeze

into an even harder

substance

called BC8

possibly found

on other planets.

These stones are so hard

that they cut through metal

and last forever.

And yet

scientists don’t need

to theorize something

harder

than a diamond

because it already

exists.

Our hearts.

Hardened.

Cold to the touch.

That feels nothing

towards God

that doesn’t care

about others

and especially

doesn’t care

about God.

That does no beat

and has no life.

That is the true cause

of all suffering

in this world.

The true cause of all suffering in this world

is not wars

or corrupt governments

thousands of miles away.

The true cause of all suffering

is only inches away from you

your heart. (heart pic)

And yet

God removes

this cold

hardened

heart

and gives you a new

living

and beating

heart.

So that for the first time

people

can truly live

and enjoy God

forever.

So that instead of doubting

God all the time

His spirit

causes you

to want

to follow Him

and obey Him.

One of the most common

questions

Christians

ask

is how

do I know

that I am a Christian?

That I am truly saved?

And the answer students

is not

do you go to church?

Do you read your bible?

Do you do good

to others

more than you do bad?

The answer is not

in your actions.

The answer

is found

by asking

Does your heart beat for Jesus?

Your desires.

Do you want

to follow God?

Do you want

to love God?

If you believe

that Jesus

died

for your sins

and you want

to follow

and love Him.

Then you are a Christian

and you are saved.

This is why when people ask me

or are having doubts

if they are Christian

I simply ask

‘what do you

want?’

Because

a fake Christian

doesn’t actually

want God.

They want

acceptance

from friends and family

more.

They want

money

and success

and to follow

their own way

more

than they want God’s way.

And so students

if you are having doubts

of your faith

your Christianity

your salvation

ask yourself

‘Do I believe that

Jesus is the only way to be saved

and that he died and rose again for me?’

And if yes

the follow up question:

Do I want to follow Him?

And if the answer is yes

then you can be certain

that you are saved

even if other people

even me

might look at your life

and be like

‘well I don’t know…’.

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

The LORD looks on what students?

The heart.

The only thing

God cares about

is not what people

say about you

or whether

you lived a perfect life or not.

The only thing

he cares about

is your heart.

Because

He

is the one

who gave it

to you.

And this is why

you can trust

that God

is doing good to you.

Because

he does good

to the most important

aspect of your being

your heart.

Psalm 73:25–26 (ESV)

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

In the Bible

the heart

affects

what you desire.

Which is why we need a new heart.

And even though our earthly hearts

will one day fail

God keeps your spiritual heart

strong

beating

for Him

forever.

Students remember

that you can trust that

God is good

because God

doesn’t just treat symptoms

he treats the actual problem.

God does good to your heart.

When you look

at the great evil

in the world.

All the wars

and death.

The health problems

of loved ones

even your own.

The problems and trials

you are facing

right now.

Remember

the incredible miracle

the awesome

good

that God has done

to your heart.

So that you rejoice

and thank Him

and praise Him

and have joy

and hope

in your life

today

and forever.

Gospel/conclusion