"For I know..." (Jeremiah 29:1-14)

Intro:

We are kind of taking a break from going through books of the Bible this week, because next week we’re going to dive into Habakkuk and we just wrapped up 2 Timothy

- I thought this would be a good opportunity to just do something off the beaten path.

So, go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah, chapter 29.

As you turn there, I want to share a little personal story with you - it’s kind of embarrassing, really.

When I was in the 5th grade, there was a certain pro athlete that I wanted to be like. I had convinced myself that when I grew up, I was going to be just like him.

His name - you may have heard of him - was Michael Jordan.

Jordan was the greatest basketball player ever, and any real fan of the game would tell you that’s true.

And, I wanted to grow up to be just like him.

But… there were some obvious problems with that dream.

For one… I’m not 6’6”, I’m not that well coordinated, and I am definitely not that athletic.

However, there would have been no convincing 5th grade Jeff this wouldn’t happen.

For the record, I no longer want to be Michael Jordan, I’m quite comfortable being me, because by 7th grade, that dream was shattered and I picked up the pieces of my life, and moved on.

I don’t tell you that story, though, just to give you a laugh - or because I like embarrassing myself.

Our text today is kind of like that dream: there are certain things we often want the Bible to be, what we want it to mean, and it just doesn’t work that way.

You can try and take a verse and make it into something that it’s not, but it’s a lot like taking a chubby ginger-haired boy from Southern Illinois, who has absolutely no talent, and expect him to win 6 NBA Championships.

Lots of disappointment will be coming your way.

Let me show you what I mean, read with me, beginning in verse 1:

Text: Jeremiah 29:1-14

God’s people must endure as they learn in exile what they refused to learn in safety.

Verses 1-3 give us the background information.

It’s the “set up” for the rest of the text.

The letter would have been sent to people like Daniel, those who were nobles, were elders, priests, prophets.

The people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from Jerusalem.

Settling Faithfully in Foreign Territory

Jeremiah 29:4 ““Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,”

Jeremiah 29:5 “‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit.”

Jeremiah 29:6 “‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.”

Jeremiah 29:7 “‘Seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to Yahweh on its behalf; for in its peace you will have peace.’”

Reject False Revelation

Jeremiah 29:8 ““For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to your dreams which you dream.”

Jeremiah 29:9 “‘For they prophesy a lie to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares Yahweh.”

God Guarantees His Grace

Jeremiah 29:10 ““For thus says Yahweh, ‘When seventy years have been fulfilled for Babylon, I will visit you and establish My good word to you, to return you to this place.”

Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:12–13 “‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:14 “‘I will be found by you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will return your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have banished you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will cause you to return to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Conclusion: