Seek Him, Find Him
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
I want you to use your imagination for a moment...
You are a citizen of a great nation, one you are not only proud of, but one where you have property, family, community, worship, and all the opportunities for the pursuit of happiness.
Suddenly, you are taken from that place, and brought to a nation where:
The government officials are both ungodly and fairly corrupt;
There is a simmering tension between the people, and especially towards you as an outside and a person with a very different religion than the people you now live among.
Speaking of your religion, the people in the community are appalled by your religious beliefs, which are strange and even threatening to them.
Your children are being educated by people who believe that your morals and worldview should be rejected because it doesn’t conform to the morals and worldview of the nation.
It’s hard to get work because the people of the nation don’t trust you, and your own people don’t have enough money to pay you.
Sounds challenging, huh?
How would you feel, day in and day out?
What would you pray for?
What would you be tempted to do to change your circumstances?
These feelings would have been what the Judean exiles would have felt when they were taken from Judea and brought to Babylon in 597 B.C.
The prophet Jeremiah, not known for his words of encouragement, has a word of encouragement for these people that we will look at this morning.
In looking at this, we will find the timeless truths that speak to believers today, who are citizens of the kingdom of heaven, living within a culture that is going to increasingly reject the truths we hold dearest.
Exegesis of Jeremiah 29:10-14
Exegesis of Jeremiah 29:10-14
Background
Babylonian Captivity of Judah in 597 B.C.
Consider the plight of the exiles...
Cut off from their home & property
Cut off from their extended families
Cut off temple worship
They were also being fed the information from self-proclaimed prophets that the time of their captivity would be short lived, so they shouldn’t get comfortable where they were at.
Within this context, Jeremiah sends the following letter to the exiles, containing both bad news, good news, and multiple action steps that they needed to do right now and into the future.
Focal Passage: Jeremiah 29:4-14
The Bad News:
The Bad News:
The exile will last seventy years.
V. 10
Their prophets told them different…why?
Because they weren’t actually hearing from God...
Because it’s more attractive to say what people want to hear than what they need to hear...
Because it could potentially lead to rebellion...
VV. 8-9
Timeless Truth: The time of our struggles is limited and is according to God’s divine plan.
Sometimes our struggles come as a result of our sin;
Sometimes our struggles come as a result of the sins of others;
Sometimes our struggles are a mystery;
But:
Our struggles always have a purpose…(v. 10)
Our struggles always have limits…(V. 11)
The Good News:
The Good News:
God hasn’t forgotten His people.
God hasn’t forgotten His promise.
God will restore His people.
When going through struggles (especially big struggles), it’s tempting to believe that God has abandoned us.
When the struggles are a result of our sin, we might feel like God will never forgive us; that we’ve been for forsaken by Him.
When the struggles are a result of the sins of others, we might feel like God is siding with the wicked; that He doesn’t really care about us; or that there’s not justice in God.
When the struggles are mysterious we might feel like God is aloof, uncaring about the plight of people; that things will never get better; or maybe even question His goodness or even His existence.
VV. 11, 14
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
These are just four of literally hundreds of verses in the Bible that remind us that God never forgets His people or His promises and He will restore His people in His good and perfect time.
Action Steps:
Action Steps:
Live a godly life despite your exile.
VV. 5-6
Be a productive member of the community.
V. 7
Identify and reject false teachers who seek to deceive you.
VV. 8-9
Respond to God’s blessing with worship and prayer.
V. 12
Seek God with your whole heart.
V. 13
