January 22, 2017

We are continuing a sermon series this morning on key verses in Scripture that are often misunderstood

misapplied And this morning we want to look at a verse that I bet many are familiar with and I promised my goal is not to ruin this verse for you. Someone came to me before the service. And I know what you're preaching on. Please do not ruin this verse for me. I have this first in my office that I love this verse because the past few weeks. We've looked at verses that a lot of times on the surface. We understand a certain way and let me look deeper. We realize all there's that there's a different meaning to that and the past two Sundays. I think we've corrected misunderstandings this Sunday. I want to take this first and take our appreciation and understanding deeper in this verse. Okay. So here's the verse that we're probably all for me or with Jeremiah. 29:11. Jeremiah says 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 how many have seen that verse before the matter fact. A good chance you probably have that verse on a coffee mug, right or maybe in your office on a on a plaque. You probably received it on a card for graduation Sunday when you graduated high school or college it is a widely known and widely used verse but I want to challenge us to make sure we're understanding and interpreting and applying it accurately. When we look at that verse on our coffee mug or so forth and apply it to our life. Now the rules we've said for applying an understanding scripture correctly. We totally caught up a real estate rule 3 locations, you know, real estate all about location location location the biblical location. So what's the what's the author's context who wrote this verse and and what are the verses before it and after the chapters before and after and what's going on in the author's document and then. Of history in which this verse is written and then the theological context meaning the whole of scripture the best way to Interpret scripture is with scripture itself. And so in addition to looking at the passage in its original context you back up and say now giving everything we know about scripture. How should that influence the way we accurately understand this passage and then application location. That's the personal context which we are required to be in submission to scripture. Our location is under scripture or under its Authority and to be honest. We are experts and Masters at figuring out ways to slide out from underneath scripture and make ourselves lord of the Bible where we read in the Bible that we wanted to say. We interpreted the way we wanted to turn it confirms our politics it confirms our tradition. So off of the way we handle the Bible is we get done with it we go. Hey, I'm pretty much okay. I don't have to adjust anything. Like I can do everything the way I've always done it we can do everything the way we bought and we start to think about it. You kind of go. Wait a minute. Who's the authority? If I'm not careful, I'm the authority over scripture instead of submitting to being under the authority of scripture. Even when it challenges my politics or my church Traditions or anything under the sun. It's only want to talk about applying scripture as that third location. Don't first the Biblical context of Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah 29:1, beautifully the Biblical context of 2911. Look at what Jeremiah says he says this is the text of the letter that the Prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem. So who's the author of Jeremiah? 29:11 Deniz answer Jeremiah. He makes it clear just at the beginning of that. He says hey, you know what, you're reading your phone you're reading the text of the letter that the Prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving Elders among the exiled to the priest the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into Exile from Jerusalem. The Bible on so he gives us this great gift in that first verse. Here's what you're reading. Here's the context of this verse Jeremiah 29:11 is a promise made to a specific people at a specific time in a specific situation. Does that seem obvious to you? I mean that verse makes it very clear. This is the text of the letter that the Prophet Jeremiah wrote and he wrote it to those who were in Exile who Nebuchadnezzar had taken into Exile. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago parties terms and Promises three little questions a great way to keep yourself out of trouble when interpreting scripture whenever you look at a passage of scripture ask yourself who are the parties involved in this passage of scripture. What are the terms involved in one of the promises and put your scripture is all about God's relationship or pursuit of relationship with us thought about Covenant or contract to use modern language. And if you want to break down a contract or passage in a contract really quickly you said hey, what are the parties terms and Promises this particular paragraph is talking about in this contract the parties in this passage is or at what Jeremiah? He's in this passage. He's a prophet called by the Lord to give this letter to those who are in Exile. So we're learning the specifics about this passage. It's it's the elders the leaders of Israel who are in Exile that he's riding through it this time. That will continue to unpack the passage in realize what the terms are and what the promises are but getting that context is huge. So Jeremiah is riding the Jewish Exile in Babylon who are in a 70-year acts out due to Stubborn blatant Disobedience and idolatry. Now, this is one of moments and there's several that I have it when I was making my notes this weekend preach a whole Sermon Just on this moment right here, but the short version is when you understand the history of Israel 400 years preceeded the exile for 400 years got begged Israel to be obedient. He said profit after the profit begging Israel to repent and for 400 years Israel thumb their nose at God and disobeyed him. I pursued other guys and embrace idolatry and so after begging and pleading and begging and pleading for Israel to be faithful to return to him to honor him. God allowed the exile to occur and allowed Israel to go into exile for this 70 year. So here's the first aha moment the you in the verse and every person trips are really is not the you or the me. We're so often when we get that coffee mug that says I know the plans I have for you. We just immediately say if the lord it's a word from the Lord for me. I know the plans he had plans to prosper me. He plans no harm to my life. We're so quick to immediately make all the scripture about us. We become the center character the central character in everything we read so easily so quickly unless maybe it's a verse about getting leprosy or suffering or judgment and then we put us out about me. We got to I got to find another verse or I don't like that one at all or God must be talking about somebody else. And so we need to realize I remember the difference between eisegesis and exegesis write those those those $40 word. Exegesis means to take the truth out of scripture you go into scripture and you Excavate the truth of that scripture who's riding. Who are they riding to? What are they talking about? How does that apply to us today? And how do I submit myself to that truth of scripture. Jesus is when you already have an idea in your head and you go to the verse and just shove that idea down on the verse 12 clearly. God wants me to have everything go wonderfully smooth my life. He wants me to slide from the Cradle to the Grave fat dumb and happy because that's my goal in life until this verse just confirms that that God has plans for me. My bank account will always be full on never get a cold. My children will always be young and healthy and beautiful still never have marriage problems. They'll never have money problems God's got this blessing plan for me. Suddenly. We can force onto the scripture what we think it should mean that really got is all about me. That's what I love about God. Most of all that like me. He's just all about me. I just love that about you God that you're just all about me. Cuz that's how I see life. It's all about me about what I want. I want to see thinks what I want how I want things to go and God you're onboard. I appreciate that just line up right there couple steps behind me like a good obedient trained dog, and I'll tell you when I need something but don't interfere with my plans. If we're not careful we can slip into that eisegesis where we are handling scripture not in a way of submission to scripture if we believe Jeremiah 29:1 is a verse or promised to us without context then we risk believing a false gospel wheat we get into this thinking like I just alluded to that God promises to prosper and no harm and then I prayed or I was faithful my walk with God yet. I was harmed or I did not Prosper. Therefore. God does not exist or is not faithful or good. DC the great danger of misunderstanding this verse if we just rip it out of context like a fortune cookie and say well God promises that I will never be harmed and I will prosper and then we act Faithfully we're good people we pray we go to church we read her Bible and then the doctor tells us we've got cancer or our child marriage just crumbles apart when they did the right thing. They went to church. They just walked out on them. When we buy into that sort of false understanding of the gospel for God's purpose is to serve us his identity is to make sure we prosper and we're never harm then when we don't Prosper or harm comes our way. They were in this dilemma either God doesn't exist. Or he does exist and he's just not good or faithful.

Hope that helps you see the significance of understanding scripture accurately. And faithfully and being in submission to the truth not following or even submitting to in the way. We live or think I sort of false gospel that we can slip into

the false gospel twist God into a cosmic vending machine. We do our part and he gives the goodies the truth is that we exist for him to serve his purpose does he have that that's the fundamental revelation of scripture from Genesis to Revelation that there is a God and we're not him that in the beginning there was nothing and God spoke and there was something and I'd only did he create this universe. He spoke and he created you and I and the Glorious good news. Is that that God who has the rights to slam down his foot and say you do exactly what I say because I'm your creator what scripture reveals is that good and holy and authoritative and rightfully powerful and in charge God has revealed himself to say here's my will for you. It is for you to flourish for you to be like my son and character and admission when Romans 12:1 and 2 tops about Set yourself to God it talks about God helping us not be conformed to the sinful and false thinking of this world. But instead to have our minds transformed so that we can be these people who bring ourselves to him as this act of worship. And so this great and glorious gift that God reveals himself to say. Yes. I have blessings and intentions for your life and their to shape your character and who you are and your mission and your life's purpose. Spell unravel a little bit of the way. We normally think of Jeremiah 29:11, but this doesn't mean you've got to throw your coffee mug away and safe. You know, Mike you don't have to burn the plaque in your office that has this verse on it. You don't have to say well Robbie just ruined everything because as we go deeper, I think the depth of what God intends to do for us in terms of blessings and prosperity becomes richer and Fuller as we understand it more and more as we go into the passage a little wider context in in the chapter before chapter 29. What's the chapter before chapter 29 chapter 28, see how easy it is to get the context you just start where you're at and you keep backing up a little bit making the camera angle little bit wider lens little bit wider lens and you gain insights and understanding in chapter 28 of false prophet hananiah promises. God will bring Israel out of Exile in just two years Jeremiah denounces him as wrong warns that he will die. I and he does in the seventh month of the year. And that's a whole big that could Game of Thrones thing. Right? I mean that this is confrontation and Jeremiah says here's what the Lord says hairstyle for 70 years and this other Prophet pops up and he says ain't nobody like 70 years of Exile. Nobody got time for that right below Thumb in the offering plate. How about 2 years 2 years and you're out of Exile. Well, that sounds pretty good. That's that's that's some some good news. It's some false good news, but it sure does sound good. Right and so he gets a little bit of a gathering and Jeremiah has to confront him and Jeremiah says not only are you wrong. Not only is it true that we're going to be an exile for 70 years. You're going to die. Standing against God for being a false prophet and in the seventh month of that year he dies.

Just asked today even then it's tempting to listen to some good news. That will tickle our ears. This Moss good news that happened. I appreciate its popular today. It's marked by this exclusive focus on abundance and blessing and power excetera. And again God becomes our servants. He becomes a method to get our ends the TV full of it Paula White the preacher that stood behind are beside our president for his inauguration this week. She's a Prosperity Gospel preacher Benny Hinn that I've mentioned before and the list could go on and I'm not trying to be mean I'm trying to be a good Elder and Shepherd of this congregation. There are false prophets in our world today. They have their own television shows. Some of them have their own television channels. They publish their books. They write your letters they ask for your money and they will tell you what they think you want to hear 70 years old. No, no, nobody likes that. How about just two years send in your Check now. It's all about a twisted definition of what it means that God wants to bless and prosper and not harm us. It gets baptized in the American dream, which is not the same thing as the gospel itself and suddenly God becomes our servant. He becomes the means to our ends and we can buy into this false gospel the way they did at this time, but let's study a little bit more the verse right before Jeremiah 29:11 would be Jeremiah 29. Excellent. You guys are Bible scholars already and when you look right before Jeremiah 29 11 at 29th, and here's what he says. He says 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 when 70 years are fulfilled. Then I will fulfill my promise and I remember Jeremiah is speaking to the elders. How old are elders?

There at least ELD are they? Like like will would not be an elder due to his age because he's not ELD he's done. He's full of youth youth is wasted on the young. Add another sermon another self, right? The elders had to at least be held if you're out if you're willing to say I mailed razor handle a bit, you know got some gray hair. You got some wisdom. You got some experience. That's just the reality of it. What does it mean to say to Elders who might be 7 years old them self. Here's the answer to your prayers from the Lord. in 70 years

Are they going to see that happen?

What kind of Promise is that? What a minute I want instant gratification. I want what I want right now. I want this prosperity in this blessed that God has promised to me what kind of prosperity and blessing can it be if the sentence starts within 70 years, I guess I'm a b l. I don't know. I'm borderline running between but I wouldn't want to hear Robbie. We got awesome things for you in 70 years. 120 I'm not sure I'm going to be around at 122 5 a.m. I'm not sure I'm going to be like, where are those blessings?

in 70 years

I think that points to the fact that the gospel the real good news is bigger and better than the imaginations of men. 1st Corinthians, 2:9 says no eye has seen no mind has even been able to conceive what God has planned for those who love him. Think my imagination can only think in my lifetime I would like my debt paid off. I would like a bigger house or pool at the house I have or I'd like a car leather seats that warm my butt in the winter when it's cold, you know, that's about as you get that car brother if you will get that car with leather seats that you want. Honestly think about it for a moment. How Petty how small? We're settling for tiny. Tiny things things. Just within our own lifetime that we're saying. This is what I want from you God when he is saying the blessings I have for you are larger than you larger than your life larger than your lifetime. God's inviting us to be blessed and be a part of his Blessing in such a way that our lives connect with eternity. with eternity I mean, I think you can have the best life during the hundred years that you live here. That's humanly possible Right. And that would not compared to Eternity. I mean, would you trade it?

If you have that sort of inside how you can have the best hundred years humanly possible. No disease lots of health and wealth all kinds of great experiences climb all the tallest mountains. You'll be a celebrity. You'll be a ruler or a leader. You'll be adored by others. But that will be it. Your hundred years in Dunn. or on door number two a life that connects to Eternity itself a life that never ends. never so that in 10,000 years. You're sitting around the table with your wife and children with your friends and family. How would you live in the church? worshipping laughing telling stories and 10000 years after that. Guess what you're doing. You're beating that friend the one millionth time in a card game 1 million.

10000 years after that playing with your children and grandchildren worshipping God who knows some passages allude to the fact that God will have adventures and plans and activities for us in eternity. We're like Christ. We are ministering to and blessing others in ways. No eye has seen no mind is able to comprehend what God has planned for those who love him. Gospel is so much bigger and better is bigger than our lives. It's bigger than our lifetime and the challenge for you and I is to choose the giver over the gift too often. We just a lord if you'll just make me healthy wealthy and wise I'll just settle for that and we miss out on the invitation to know God himself. True Value that relationship above everything else God Saves us from ourselves our sin and to something larger than ourselves christ-like character. And Mission is God's blessings upon us. That's what God has plans if you got Jeremiah 29:11 highlight in your Bible. That's awesome write in the margins Ephesians chapter 1 and 2 if you want to stay where do I anchor This Promise of a prosperity and no harm, how do I understand that as a Christian? How do I understand it accurately then go read Ephesians 1 and 2 and you understand God has always promised from the very Foundation features wanted to say before the mountains were formed before they were even and I got a friend who says he goes out whenever he's at a lodge or something and looked at the mountains and set up for them mountains mountains mountains in all your beauty and Majesty before you were even formed God was thinking of me and that's what Paul says in Ephesians 1 and 2 the very foundations of the earth. God had us on his mind and what he had on his mind is that we would be in Christ. We would be on a journey where we can become christ-like in our character and Ephesians 2 10 points to the fact that got even then knew what works he had predestined for us certain activities certain christ-like behaviors and words that he best entice to be his paintings in the original Greek his beautiful poems his handiwork. It says he always destined that we would be like Christ in character and admission that the prosperity that's the blessing that God has planned for us. So you can look. Jeremiah 29:11 and realize that it's so much richer than just what we immediately think of as prosperity and no harm. So much deeper than that. It's a prosperity of our very souls are very character that we could be the people God designed us to be and that we could join him in Redeeming the universe. 2nd Corinthians fine that we are ambassadors for Christ. It's as if he's making his plea through us to this creation to this world be reconciled to God.

So let's apply it here understood correctly Jeremiah 29 can remind us of God's blessings upon us and the way to understand it correctly. Like I said is to Anchor it in the full passage. Look at what he says as he continues in Jeremiah 29. He says 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 then he continues then you will call on me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. See that's the blessing that God has planned for us that we would find him that Christ has made a way for a relationship between us sinners who need Redemption and restoration and forgiveness. And Christ has provided that so is Hebrews 4:16 says we can approach God's Throne boldly knowing we're going to receive the help and the mercy and the grace that we need it. So that's that amazing promise. What honestly would you settle for money? When a deeper option of prosperity is to walk with God.

I mean do not settle. Do not settle. See the richness of that promise. What God has designed for you? It's not simply some little blessing of good life in this hundred year. He's offered you an invitation to walk in this life in such a way that this life becomes if colonel. That you live forever the Christ becomes your Resurrection as he rose from the dead as you are in Christ, you will rise from the dead for eternity. Never to die again. Never No More Tears, they'll be white from every I no more pain no more send no more corruption in our hearts our minds but being restored the best moments in this life. When Sam doesn't seem to be capturing us when maybe were sitting around the table with family laughing and eating or maybe we're downtown helping somebody in need or maybe we're in a worship service at we just completely forget about ourselves. There are dozens of moments that are those best moments in this life and they are just a tiny flicker of what we will have without boundary or limit in eternity forever because of Christ. So yes. Your mama's right? Lord says, I know the plans I have for you. The impacts those plans in Ephesians 1 and 2. I know the plans I have for you. To prosper you to not bring you the hearts for you to call on me and for you to find me and to know me. I'm going to bite the worship team to come forward. We can close with these verses out of Ephesians that we've alluded to a ready Paul says for it is by Grace. You have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God. God has saved us not from a mediocre life in this world. He saved us from our sins. He saved us from ourselves. He saved us from aiming way too low and what our lives can be and instead being part of Eternity not by works. Paul says not buy anything we've done so that no one can boast.

For we are God's handiwork created in Christ. Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. Again, the things he's called his two are so much larger than our own life. Maybe it's 70 years from now that God's going to do something that will never see what he's called us to is be faithful to him and to his mission. You know.

We see that bigger picture by investing in our children. Raising them to know and trust the Lord they outlive us and what they do for the kingdom. We we we we see that bigger picture by investing with our finances in the church. honestly went when Lian I planned out our Wills we included the church. the kingdom of God in that

most people just to be honest with you. never cursed to him make sure the kids are taking care of you are right about a lady lady that left a couple million dollars to an animal shelter recently. Now I'm not anti animal dog. Love my dog. but when you think of the whole context of humanity and orphans Kingdom of God and churches. I just think oh my goodness.

What if we backed up when we saw that bigger picture and we realized the value of investing in the life of the church beyond our lifetime? I want the greatest things we can invest in investing in our children. Investing in other children if we don't have children and we invest in then maybe we say hey, can I volunteer in the preschool? Can I watch some of the babies in the nursery? Sing hymns in their ear read some scriptures to him you realize that's investing. Way Beyond yourself Or maybe you invest in the life of the church. There's some people here who could simply pay off the building debt? that'd be great thing if you could do it you should Elena went to a conference about foster care we heard about the great need of children and we realize the holy spirit said guess what? If you can you should. It's not easy.

But I'd rather do that. And settle for just just a window that just looks at this lifetime and says I'm getting ready to turn 50 if I just didn't do this phone. I have more discretionary income. I could I could live this life to its fullest and ignore eternity. What a fool I would be.

The Jeremiah is inviting us to see far beyond our lifetime candles Elders had to say in 70 years. I'm not going to be rude 70 years.

The Lord has plans to continue to prosper. His message is people is church and invites us to back up and see that big picture and realize one of the ways He blesses us is by the invitation to get involved in his ministry Gary would immediately agree with this I think and Rhonda would do they both would say one of the ways that God blesses me is by the invitation. He's given me to serve those in need to minister those who are getting care for to give up my Sunday afternoons or or my Saturday nights or whenever I get a call or crisis something they do is if I'm so much better than all the other Christians in the church. I better do this or God's not going to save me but they both would say that's that's one of the big secrets that sometimes it's lost in the church that one of the ways God blesses you is by challenging you to forget about yourself. And give yourself away. And to realize that he invites you to see that his messages gospel is bigger than your own life both now and your lifetime.

Invite you to take that verse and chair sit in your heart and ask more of God this week. I want more than just healthy wealthy Wise from Cradle to the Grave in this lifetime father. I want my lifetime to impact eternity ask God for more. Ask him for the ways in which you can serve his purpose except maybe there are children. Maybe it's as simple as working in the nursery. I don't know. God will answer that that prayer for you.

Take that opportunity to join what he is doing and be blessed by it. We're going to stay and dance and sing our song of commitment and during the song if you have a decision to make if you have a prayer need they'll be perfect both in the front and the back and I'll be available in the back. If you have a decision to make this is the opportunity to make that decision to say I want to get right with God or I want prayer about a concern of my life take this opportunity during this song for all of us. It's a chance to pray to God.