The Ethics of an Exile

Embracing Exile Week 2

The ethics of an exile

Intro & Recap

If you missed last week we did a broad overview on Exile. Exile is this realization that this is not the world as it should be.

That we are somehow apart from the world that we were created for.

That we are banished from our true home, Eden...

We looked at the 3 main relationships that were broken in the garden

God and man

Man and woman

Man & Creation

And we see the effects of these today...

The brokenness of our world proclaims that this world is not as it should be,....

But we also looked at Jesus as the ultimate restorer from Exile!

Intro to today

But today we are going deeper down the rabbit hole...

I actually think that the idea of Exile is one of the best metaphors for where we are right now as a church…

We live in what sociologist call a “post-Christian culture”

Let me illustrate this for you

For the Jewish people

At the height of their power they lived in Jerusalem in one of the greatest countries in the world.

The Bible talks about how much money they had

It talks about the Military power of Israel

They had the best Farming capability & supply chain

And not only that: Everyone there followed YAWAH

They had the 10 commandments that they lived by

All of the food they ate was just kosher food

Everyone just went to synagogue & kept the sabbath

All the high holidays were the same.

They just lived in a world that was Jewish and everyone around them shared the same values.

In Jerusalem, they had power, they were in control of their own destiny

If someone was going way off base on what they were doing, one of the prophets would speak up and the Jewish culture would dominate…

But years of rebellion lead them to lose their power

But then they were taken to Babylon…

A land where they had no temple

A land where there was a different god worshiped

A land where there were pagan values

The food was not kosher

Where they had to work on the sabbath

They no longer had a military

and instead of living as if they were God’s chosen people

They were now treated as if they were the scum of the earth.

We even read in the bible that many anti-jewish laws sprung up to try to suppress their jewishness...

They went from a culture that celebrated their jewishness to a culture that suppressed it

To today

And this is sort of what the shift in American christian culture has been

If you have been in the church for a while..if you’ve been following Jesus for a while then you have actually lived through this shift

You have seen where the church was totally dominant in culture to where it is today where it has a marginalized voice.....

You’ve seen where the church was the only show in town on Sundays to business opening on Sundays

You saw a general feeling in culture, even if it wasn’t a christian culture that Christian values were the correct values...

I have seen this shift take place in the culture and I am only in my late 30’s...

When I was a kid every Friday night…there was TGIF, TV…it was huge when I was a kid...

for my generation it was Danny Tanner or Carl Winslow would see their kids get into trouble and they would end the show with a strong moral and usually pretty biblically consistent message

For some of you it was Ward Cleaver or Mike Brady…Giving a nice clear cut lesson that was largely consistent with Biblical values...

There was a strong dad on TV giving moral lessons! Holy cow! All the Dad’s on TV today are portrayed as morons...

Not only are there just not TV shows like that any more, but now TV and movies celebrate the people who are able to get away with their sin scotch free.

It celebrates the anti-hero…The writers for TV and movies are clever…They no longer have you rooting for the good guy…they have the good guy doing morally dubious things to achieve a good end…and they have you rooting for that guy...

I mean just a few years ago the shows that all the critics were raving about had characters like Donald Draper, the man who prolifically cheated on his wife and they wrote the show in such a way that made you scared for him that he would be caught

They had Walter White, a high school teacher turned murdering drug kingpin…and the show is written in such a way that you root for Walter White

The change in TV is just like a thermometer for culture...

TV went from reinforcing the Bible to reinforcing evil..

One story that I think hi-lights the change in culture that we have seen comes from Canada

Canada Illustration

On July 1, 1967, 25,000 people gathered in Canada’s national capital to celebrate Canada’s 100th birthday.

There were festivities though out the day, but to start the day off, there was a prayer service

This service included many prominent Canadian clergy members but it also included the prime minister and the queen of England, whose job it was to read scripture…

And during the service when the liturgy was read all 25,000 people in unison recited:

“We rededicate ourselves, O Lord”

to show you the evolution of how much the world had changed, just 34 years later

three days after the September 11th attacks happened. 100,000 people gathered in that same spot for a national day of mourning.

While there were clergy who sat on the platform that day, none were invited to speak or to participate

No scriptures were read

No prayers were offered

No hymns were sung

The only passing reference to faith was when the prime minister of Canada said “we cling to our humanity and our common goodness and above all, to our prayers.”

So each of these ceremonies offers a snapshot of where the culture is at the time

In 1967 there was a clear statement that the church was at the center of culture…

And then in 2001 the church wasn't even aloud to participate when a tragedy happened

Somehow we went from living in Jerusalem to living in Babylon

Now many people like to say…we need revival…we need to get back to the days when…

And while it will always be true that we need spiritual revival…Those days are back in Jerusalem…

Those days are long gone…

Gone are the days when Billy Graham can stand in a stadium full of people and proclaim “The Bible says” and then have thousands of people respond....

In Billy Graham’s day, the bible just had more cultural authority than it does today

So christians what I want you to see is that you have lived through the biggest cultural shift in thousands of years

Christian Ethics and values were once celebrated at the center of culture

Now Christian Ethics are labeled as intolerant & discriminatory

Well this power shift actually happened before and its in the Bible....

So turn with me to the book of Jeremiah chapter 28

There is almost this civil war happening between this prophet Hananiah who turns out to be a false prophet and Jeremiah who is speaking what God leads him to say…

Jeremiah was wearing a wooden yoke around saying because of our sin we are going to continue living under the yoke of oppression of Babylon!

Hananiah was a false prophet who was more patriotic than he was prophet…Saying that God will raise up a new king within two years and he will break the oppression of Babylon…and he was speaking more out of his zeal for the good old days of Jerusalem....

But what is important to see that Hananiah was absolutely the more popular preacher…He was saying what everyone was hoping to hear

SO Look at Jeremiah 28:12-17

The New International Version Chapter 28

12 After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the LORD says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. 14 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.’ ”

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. 16 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’ ”

17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.

Let’s pause there:

Whenever any institution is in the midst of losing prominence and power usually 2 voices spring up

There is the voice of Hananiah

The voice that says we need to raise up a king

We need to fight Babylon

Break the yoke of oppression...

lets break the chains...

But the biggest thing about the voices of Hananiah is that the whole message can be reduced to

US VS THEM

And that is by far the more exciting voice! Its is the loudest and most compelling voice

But Jeremiah preaches a very different way to approach exile...

Instead of “US VS THEM” Jeremiah seems to say…its “US BLESSING THEM”

Look at the next Chapter Jeremiah 29 This is called: Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles…It is totally the opposite of Hananiah’s method

Jeremiah 29:4-9

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

Let’s pause here for a second because what Jeremiah is saying is so opposite from Hananiah that we just have to look at it for a second...

As opposed to the political voices of the Day, Jeremiah is saying Culture has shifted…Culture has changed overnight…The key to success is not to fight as hard as you can against it…but to somehow embrace exile...

The Ethics of An Exile

Build Houses & Plant Gardens, grow your family : (Jeremiah 29:5-6) I don’t know if any of you have ever built your own house before but when you take the time to build your own home, there is a marked shift that happens in your mind. I am investing here in my community. This is for the long haul... My home is no longer in Jerusalem.

When I moved to Sacramento about a month ago we had to buy a bunch of furniture for our house…So thousands of dollars later we built up the inside of our home. You better like us because there is no going back now! Jeremiah is trying to instill in their minds…The glory days are over…There is no going back to Jerusalem! invest in your city!

Seek the peace and prosperity of the city (Jeremiah 29:7) If you are fighting against culture always trying to go back to the glory days then you will probably not have much time to seek the peace and prosperity of the city…When you legitimatley seek the peace and prosperity of the city then your heart will be shaped and formed to love the city your are in....Your heart will be shaped and formed to reach your city for christ.

Pray for your city (Jeremiah 29:7) Invest in your city, not just with homes and gardens but in prayer too!

Refuse to listen to the false voices (Jeremiah 29:9)

He has all of these instructions but within them are don't listen to the false voices. Don’t listen to the voices that say we will take down Babylon..>We will rise up a new King…

Jeremiah 29:10-14

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.11 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. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to 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 will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

So here’s Jeremiah’s letter to exiles…One part of this letter we probably all know really well right?

We tend to look at the “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you…to give you a hope and a future.” As like ahh God love us…

But all of this is being said in the context of discipline…God is literally allowing Israel to be trampled under the Babylonians and moved to the dessert...Its like when you discipline your kids…”Go to your room…You’re grounded…I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you!”

As parents we discipline our kids and it is so they can discipline themselves. But you have to get in trouble now so that you will learn the correct behavior later! Its ok to not prosper when you don't know any better but when your older, you have to prosper.”

So here is what I want to focus on: Jeremiah give them this three fold treatment of how they are supposed to live in Exile

He says Build Homes, Plant Gardens, get married…

..You seek the peace of your city that you’re in

You increase and do not decrease in number…this is a clear reminder to them that they are people of Abraham…and the people of Abraham were to be a blessing…

So here is my point: Right now we live in a world that we are cultural exiles. Christianity is not the dominant religion and no one wants it to be…

How many times have you flipped on the news and they were like…If only there were more churches!

NO THAT IS NOT HAPPENING

So it seems to me that there are two options:

You’ve got the way of Hanania, Where you decide that power is yours to take back…you start a cultural war, you back every single Christian politician, you start revival services…You fight to bring prayer back in public schools, you fight to stop abortions…You fight and you fight and you fight

Now don't get me wrong…that stuff sounds great…

But when you go to cultural war…you tend to make enemies…

Let’s keep going into the new testament

The apostle Peter actually picked up on all of this language of exile and he writes to the church as if they are cultural exiles

So look at this first text with me:

1 Peter 1:1

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,

1 Peter 1:17

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.

I wonder if they read this and were like…What? Exiles, foreigners? This is where we have always lived…I speak the same language..I’ve worked the job I’ve always worked

But Peter’s point is my point today…When your ultimate allegiance is to Christ and not to the powers of this world then that makes you a cultural exile…

And then at the end of the letter Peter writes this

1 Peter 5:13

3 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.

WHAT? Babylon hasn't existed at this point for like 500 years!

Peter and the apostle John both ended up writing this way…it was this kind of code language…They call whatever the current world order is “Babylon” and if you are in Christ then you don't participate in the life or in the ethics of Babylon…

Because you live by the ethics of Jesus Christ

So Peter’s whole letter turns out to be ways in which you can bless the community, the world that you are in and not engage in its sin.

1 Peter 2:11-17

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

I think Peter totally picked up on the letter that Jeremiah wrote to the exiles…Because he is giving the church over 500 years later instructions that are so similar in spirit

He is reminding the church…You’re not in a dominant position…you have no power…

You have to practice abstinence: Because what’s right for the rest of the world is not right for you…

I think one of my biggest concerns with the future of Christianity is a whole generation of kids who have everything available to them at their fingertips and who have no reason to abstain from anything!

What scares me about children today, it’s not the kids, it’s their parents…

The cultural value that is played out on TV shows is that abstaining is an attack on your freedom…abstaining from anything is oppressive…

But we need to teach our kids that to not indulge in sinful desires is actually a more difficult exercise of freedom

One of the best things you can do for your kids is not give them everything they want, because it creates a mindset & belief that what they want is good…and they should always get it…

So Peter calls the church to a practice of holiness…Learning to abstain from sinful desires…

Live Good lives: In other words show them how the ethic of Jesus is different from the ethic of Babylon…Put on display how Jesus has changed you!

Do you live your life beyond reproach? I think that it is when you do this that you will truly be given a position of influence in this world

Show proper respect to everyone: Being a jerk is the luxury of the rich and powerful…But you are an exile…Especially to the government…Now it was clear at this point that the government hated Christians…The government killed them…So what does the church have to gain? Everything! This is the same Peace type of language that Jeremiah uses…Seek the best of the community that you are moving into! Seek the Shalom…Because when you love the empire that is trying to kill you, you reveal one of the number one ethics of Jesus and that is to have love for your enemies.

I think the question today is this: We are in a situation where Jesus is the absolute hope of the world. Life in Jesus can bring new life to people in this world…

How do you live that out as an exile and a stranger in this world?

I hope I didn't paint a bleak picture today. Because really the opposite is true…You have the greatest opportunity in the world right now…

Response

We are in a world where to love your neighbor is revolutionary

To get married and stay that way is an absolute shock

To live selflessly and serve others is a pariah

The opportunity that we all have as Christians is that living out what we believe becomes a total revolution.

What was Jeremiah’s command to the exiles: Live good godly lives that are others focused…

What did Peter say to the early Christians?

Live good godly lives that are others focused…

The ethic of an exile is to hold on to biblical ethics and to be an agent of transformation

As we end this time of teaching this morning I feel compelled to pray for boldness and courage for the church.

To live Godly lives in the middle of a culture that doesn't value any of that...

Let’s pray