Week 7: Anchored in the Future

This is our last week in the series Being Anchored in Shifting Times. How appropriate to end on being anchored in the future. We have future hope through God’s promises! Not one of us knows what the future holds, not in our lives, our health, our families, our careers, our nation. We have no idea what may be coming our way, as individuals, or as a church. SO my prayer is that we can leave here today Anchored in the FUTURE because of our hope we have in God’s promises.

Today we are going to look at scriptures that should encourage us as believers to trust in His plans, and have confidence in His ongoing work in our lives. Going back to a couple weeks ago, God has a purpose and a plan for our lives and despite current or future difficulties, we can trust in His promises for our future, which SHOULD bring us peace and hope! Jesus’ resurrection secures our future, transforms our past, and provides the foundational trust we need to navigate life’s uncertainties.

—-The original direction of this message was going to be how we can be anchored in future hope, that through it all we are able to cling to the promise of His return, of eternity with the Father, the promise given to us in Revelation 21:4 states: "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever" I was going to discuss our hope in the future, eternal Kingdom, that the Lord has promised for all those that believe. I was going to share that our foundation can not be shaken by man or things of this world, that we can remain anchored in future glory, one that no man take from us. Although all of those things are true and important for us to understand, the message this morning is going to be a bit different than that and taken from two pretty well known verses:

Let us first remember that to be anchored means: to be firmly secured or held in place- having stability, security, and steadfastness, even when everything around you is shifting.

Isaiah 43:19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

And

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

These scriptures are from 2 different prophets (Lords messengers) at two different time periods, both speaking to the Babylonian captivity and future hope despite it!

When we look at both of these passages, removed from their context what do we see? Isaiah I read and I can see the Lord doing a new thing amongst us now, I see that He is moving amongst like I have never experienced, bringing people to Himself, leading people to this body in a way that I have never seen. His plans for us are good and not disaster, as a people to give us a future and a hope. and

Jeremiah 29:11, this is what I shared with my son, when he left last week for the army I reminded him, and MYSELF to be honest, that the Lord has plans for him, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give him hope and a future. WE can take great comfort when we read these couple of sentences. He is for us not against us, all things will be for us! We have hope in this! ALthough this is true, I want us to take a moment and put both of these scriptures back into their context. and when we do what we are going to find out is this- that Isaiah was sharing with Gods people about a future captivity- that they were going to experience some hard things due to their lack of disobedience and rebellion against the Lord, yet there is still hope, hope in a new thing. Not like that past exodus where He led them out of Egypt, but something new will be on the other side of their captivity.

Jeremiah was living in this captivity when He spoke this message of future hope. Jeremiah was sharing that they will remain in this captivity for 70 years, but rest assured, THE LORD HAS PLANS FOR GOOD AND NOT DISASTER, TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE, amidst the turmoil. There were other prophets (false prophets) telling GOD’s people they would be on the otherside of the captivity rather quickly, but Jeremiah had to warn the people because of their rebellion, they would be in this captivity for 70 years. It is a very different story when we look at the whole picture!

NOT SURE IM GOING TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS FOR TIME SAKE: So lets take some time to do that- BACKSTORY —-

>Israel (God’s people became slaves in Egypt- during that time they were oppressed and mistreated, but also grew in strength and number- The Lord rose up a leader, Moses, and delivered His people out of Egypt.

>THEN due to their unbelief the Lords people wandered in the dessert for 40 years then Joshua led them into the promised Land.

>In this promise land there continued a cycle of sin, rebellion, oppression and deliverance. This is when the people of the Lord asked for a King, HE WAS TO BE THEIR KING, but they wanted something that others had, a physical king to lead them here on earth, that was not God’s plan, after this monarchy begins. and the Kingdom splits- We now have division- Judah and Isreal

>The Lords people -Judah - fell due to persistent sin; the Lord allowed Babylon to conquer Jerusalem — LETS READ TOGETHER

Jeremiah 25:1-11 This message for all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah.* This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzar* of Babylon began his reign.

2 Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem, 3 “For the past twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon,* king of Judah, until now—the Lord has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.

4 “Again and again the Lord has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention. 5 Each time the message was this: ‘Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors forever. 6 Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you.’

7 “But you would not listen to me,” says the Lord. “You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer. 8 And now the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Because you have not listened to me, 9 I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy* you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever. 10 I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out. 11 This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

2 Chronicles 36: 11-21 Zedekiah Rules in Judah

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. 12 But Zedekiah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and he refused to humble himself when the prophet Jeremiah spoke to him directly from the Lord. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, even though he had taken an oath of loyalty in God’s name. Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.

14 Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the Lord that had been consecrated in Jerusalem.

15 The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. 16 But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.

17 So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them. The Babylonians[g] killed Judah’s young men, even chasing after them into the Temple. They had no pity on the people, killing both young men and young women, the old and the infirm. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 18 The king took home to Babylon all the articles, large and small, used in the Temple of God, and the treasures from both the Lord’s Temple and from the palace of the king and his officials. 19 Then his army burned the Temple of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all the palaces, and completely destroyed everything of value.[h] 20 The few who survived were taken as exiles to Babylon, and they became servants to the king and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

21 So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.

This is not the picture that comes to mind when we think of that ever so often recited scripture- For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. This verse wasn’t dismissing their current situation and difficulties and storms to come, but it was reassurance that-even though the exile was long- God had not abandoned them. His ultimate plans were for their restoration, not their destruction! Church, we live in an evil time, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but other than this Word, truth is no where to be found, other than our God and our Lord, it is difficult to trust, integrity and love, these are things that we as a nation, as a people, yes including the christians, are lacking. Many place things above the Lord, not making Him first. Not loving our neighbor, as the Lord has commanded. So I ask you, if God’s ultimate purpose is so that none shall perish, and to restore us to himself, what is our future? what is going to have to take place in order for us to bend our knee, to surrender to the Lord? We do NOT know what our future holds, worry, fear, anxiety, hopelessness is the very opposite of what should take place, we can trust in the Lord, THROUGH ALL THINGS! Jeremiah was living amongst the captives, he very much was feeling it, but the Lord assured Him, and gave Him a message to share with the people. Lets read it at its full extent:

Jeremiah 29:10-14  This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.

WE can be Anchored in the Future, because we know Christ fulfills this hope by offering us eternal welfare through His salvation, leaving no room for fear of the future. NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES!

Promise of Newness -Now lets go back to the Isaiah scripture. Lets put this into its full context.

Isaiah was a prophet before Jeremiah, before any of this took place he was sharing what was to come.

Isaiah 43:16-21 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters,  making a dry path through the sea. (speaking of when he sent Moses and led them out of Egypt) 17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. 18 “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. 20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. 21 I have made Israel for myself,  and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

Isaiah speaks before the exile, pointing to God’s power to deliver His people again- just like He parted the Red Sea. In exile, the people would need this reminder: GOD ISN”T DONE. HE”S DOING SOMETHING NEW. No matter what you are going through, you need to be reminded of this! TELL YOUR NEIGHBOR- God Is NOT DONE! Jeremiah echoes this by saying God’s plans are not to harm but to restore and give hope! We can be anchored in the future because ultimately, the "new thing" foreshadows the redemption found through Jesus Christ, which brings ultimate spiritual renewal and restoration for believers!

3. Promise of Completion- I want to close today and put this all together that even though.… we do not have control of the future or what is coming God’s plans are good and future oriented- God does not abandon He restores! We must not look to our past to show us our future, for God is not limited by what was done, but He is the one that makes a way when there is no way! Lets end on this scripture-

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

WORSHIP TEAM PLEASE JOIN ME-

Church, this is our anchor: God has a plan, He is doing something new, and He will finish what He started. So no matter how uncertain tomorrow looks, we can walk into the future with confidence- not because we know what will happen, but because we know the One who holds it. Let’s put our trust in Him, lean into His promises, and live with hope, anchored in the future He has secured for us.

Even if you feel like you’re in exile, even if your wilderness seems dry, your story is not over. The future is not something to fear- it’s something to walk into with faith, because the God who holds tomorrow also holds you.

PLEASE STAND< Today, maybe you need to trust God’s plan again. Maybe you need to release the past and believe He’s doing a new thing. Maybe you need hte assurance that what He started in you, He will finish.

The altar is open, if you need prayer, if you’re read to place your future back in God’s hands, if you’re longing for that fresh hope only He can give - come. Step forward in faith. Let God anchor you, not in what was, not in what could be, but in the future He has promised and secured through Jesus Christ.

Let us pray, Lord we thank you that You hold our future in your hands. thank you for your promises. Today Lord we surrender our plans, our past, and our fears of tomorrow to You. Anchor us in Your hope. Lead us into Your newness, and finish Your work in us, for Your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray- Amen.