HOPE (Part 1) Place Your Hope

It’s typically in times of hardship that we realize the value of Hope.

As we begin a series on HOPE from the book of Jeremiah, I pray as the people of God we need HOPE in our lives, but we need to make sure that we have hope in what is right.

Jeremiah 29:1–14 ESV

1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. 10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

1) Misplaced Hope… (vs. 8-9)

We want to make sure that where we place our hope is solid and secure.

There are many sources of hope, but only one is solid and secure.

We must make sure that we do not place our hope in those who merely seem confident. We must place our hope in those who are established in the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:8-9 tells us to beware of those who talk a good game but do not know what they are talking about.

In Jeremiah 28 we are introduced to Hananiah.

He stood confidently in the temple and proclaimed that Babylon would be gone after a short time and that everything would return back to normal and even better than before.

He told the people what they wanted to hear and not a true message from the Lord.

Our hope must not be in a place or in a routine or in what we consider to be “better times”. Our hope must be in God!

2) Promised Hope… (vs. 11)

God’s response to the people was not exactly what they wanted to hear.

God did not promise them that they would be out of their present, dire circumstance soon.

God did not promise them that they would never face discomfort or uncertainty.

What God did tell them that they were in for the long haul, but don’t worry because He has plans for them!

God is a good God. He has plans for you and I as well.

He wants to do good things in us and through us. He wants to give you a hope that is unfaded. He wants to bless you with good, God-honoring and glorifying lives.

“…we cannot do what God does and God will not do what we can.” – Oswald Chambers

God wants to do a great work in our lives and He has an incredible plan for you. To show you how serious He is about your life, Jesus died so you can have life and live in His plan for you.

God does not force His plan upon you. Hope has been promised. God desires to give you an incredible hope and a remarkable future, but you must trust Him, and follow His lead.

3) Living Hope… (vs. 4-7)

The hope that God gives us is not only about what is to come…It’s a hope that is to be taken hold of by us now!

Don’t wait for your circumstances to get better. Live for God, obey Him, and trust Him knowing that He is better!

Romans 8:28 reminds us that God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him. Trust Him, love Him, and obey Him in your present circumstances.

Living in Hope now opens the door for God’s plan to be at work.

We don’t see the bigger picture like God does. So if we want to experience the God’s best for our lives, we need to stop putting the world’s idea of what’s best on God and let God’s best be placed on us here and now.

Too often, people will reject God’s best because it’s not what they had in mind. From a worldly point of view we never realize the full value of who God is and what He wants for our lives.

We can be in the worst of places and with God we are never stuck!

Illustration of the art collection… Art collector had rare and expensive works in his private collection. The man died due to old age. He had a son who had been killed in an accident just a few years prior and had no surviving heirs. His estate was to be auctioned off. The first item was a self-portrait the son painted years ago. The opening bid was $1,000. No one wanted it and complained about having to spend money on something of no value. They wanted to just tossing it aside and get on to the good stuff. After 15-minutes of arguing and frustration, the butler, who had cared for the family and loved the son, offered to take the portrait with what he had in savings: $800. The auctioneer slammed the gavel, accepted the bid, and closed the auction. To everyone’s astonishment, a silent clause to not be disclosed until after the portrait of the son was sold, stated that whoever took the son took the entire collection and the estate.

Placing our hope, trust, and obedience in God may seem like we are giving up all we have for something most do not value, but in reality, we receive far more than we could ever imagine.

No matter what circumstance we are in, we need to live in the Hope of God.

He never changes.

He is solid and secure.

We can trust in His will and His plan for our lives.

CLOSING

We must place all of our hope in God His plans for us are for the absolute greatest good.

We must be cautious to not misplace our hope in anything or anyone else.

We must rely upon the promised hope that God gives us. And we should live in the hope we have in Him, no matter our circumstances. As people are looking and searching for hope in our world…as people are searching and looking for hope in their lives, do they see the hope of God in you?

When you look in the mirror, do you see the hope of God? Trust Him. Follow Him. Obey Him.

For He knows the plans he has for you…plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. -Jeremiah 29:11