No Boundaries
All Things Rise • Sermon • Submitted
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· 112 viewsThrough a remnant, the Lord will redeem/release and rebuild his people calling them from the marginalized parts of the world. They will live in abundance, be satisfied in God's goodness and assume a new position/posture of worship and declaring his goodness.
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
DISPLACED: Middle TN Tornadoes. Jumped SH and hit Murfreesboro. Life torn apart, joy silenced, home destroyed. Desperate.
is a poem about the journey back home of a displaced, desperate nation.
A poem of restoration, God's provision in the wilderness, settlement of the land, choosing a place of worship that portrays the promised future. The restoration reverses the judgment suffered by Israel and Judah: no resting place in exile, a nation torn down, celebrations silenced, vines and plants uprooted, invasion, temple destroyed. Israel is transformed from a desperate adulteress to a joyful maiden on her way back to God.
READ JEREMIAH 31:12-14
PROMISED FUTURE
PROMISED FUTURE
Remnant
Remnant
INHERITANCE - Who gets the stuff? Who’s the favorite?
What would you do With the survivors?
Just two weeks later, Hood hurled the remnants of his army against the Yankees at Nashville with equally disastrous results.
Remnant - heirs of God's new covenant
Remnant - heirs of God's new covenant - the survivors of attacks from the Egyptians and Amalekites.
1-6: Renewed life in the northern kingdom is promised to the remnant - those left after the fall of Samaria in 722 BC having survived attacks from the Egyptians and Amalekites.
1-6: Renewed life in the northern kingdom is promised to the remnant - those left after the fall of Samaria in 722 BC. Their captivity is explained as another wilderness experience.
Their captivity is explained as another wilderness experience.
God will care for their welfare - they are his flock.
7-14: On the return of the remnant/those we remained alive God will care for their welfare - they are his flock.
Restoration to The Former Relationship/Conditions
Restoration to The Former Relationship/Conditions
Delivered
Delivered
Rescue or redemption; being saved from harm.
Deliverer
Deliverer
The basic OT concept of deliverer is expressed in a Hebrew word for “next of kin.”
A close relative was responsible to aid an individual in distress and to redeem him or her from slavery.
God sent deliverance when his people were in danger, or God himself acted as deliverer, uniquely and forcefully in the exodus from Egypt (, ).
In the NT, Jesus quoted a messianic passage (, ) as describing his own mission “to proclaim release to the captives” (, kjv deliverance).
In the apostle Paul used the term in place of “Redeemer” to paraphrase (“The Deliverer will come from Zion”), referring to Jesus Christ.
Drawn with a Boundless, Loyal Love
Drawn with a Boundless, Loyal Love
Prodigal Son
Pophetic word:
Boundless, Loyal Love: I keep my promises to even to you who have been disloyal.
7-8: LXX: The Lord will save his people, the remnant of Israel who are vulnerable travelers unable to fight for themselves. Cannot return home on their own strength.
I will/have drawn the leftover/remnant of Isreael who are vulnerable who can’t protect themselves and are too weak to make it home on their own.
Hebrew for Will set…free - paying a redemption price for one’s freedom, ransom, redeem
Secure their release - a family responsibility of paying the price to free an indentured relative
Used for physical and spiritual deliverance.
From the Wilderness
From the Wilderness
The Hebrew word translated “will set … free” is a word used in the legal sphere for paying a redemption price to secure the freedom of a person or thing (see, e.g., , ). It is used metaphorically and theologically to refer to Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage (; ) and its deliverance from Babylonian exile (). The word translated “secure their release” is a word used in the sphere of family responsibility where a person paid the price to free an indentured relative (, ) or paid the price to restore a relative’s property seized to pay a debt (, ). This word, too, was used to refer metaphorically and theologically to Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage () or release from Babylonian exile (; ). These words are traditional
20 tn Heb “from the hand/power of the one too strong for him.”
The combining of the wilderness with those who survived the sword links the exodus and wilderness experience with the return from exile in Babylon. Survivors of both events enjoy God’s favor and grace.
That’s Not All
That’s Not All
To Rest (Land)
To Rest (Land)
Mistake we sometimes make is read about Israel
Israel’s ransom wasn’t just for them.
God’s future restoration will include people from the remote regions of the earth.
A worldwide regathering in which no one will be excluded.
Mistake we sometimes make is see Israel as us. We are the metaphorical people from the remote parts of the earth.
The message for us: the one who scattered Israel will gather us and with them be refreshed, renewed.
The nations, all Gentiles, are to be told that the one who scattered Israel will gather them.
All will be refreshed, renewed, walking the same straight path.
He will call, save/rescue the vulnerable, marginalized, those unable to fight for themselves or return/go to him on their own strength - those we are critical of.
All will be refreshed, renewed, walking the same straight path.
The kingdom will be multi and inter.
“I have learned that the main difference between a congregation in decline and one with a future is the difference between practicing the faith for the exclusive benefit of “insiders” or passionate concern for the “outsiders." ~ The Welcoming Congregation: Roots and Fruits of Christian Hospitality
To Live With the Father
To Live With the Father
Rest = Land
Promise of God to be a father to us and we will be his sons and daughters.
TO KNOW in Scripture - a relational knowledge, an intimate, relationship.
31:7 - Communicating with God
31:7 - Communicating with God
Prophetic - A word from the Lord
Dialogue - the word from God is about talking with God
Intercession - the content of the conversation is in the midst of praise and worship.
God’s future restoration will come not only from the northern land (Assyria and Babylon), but it will come from remote regions of the earth. This refers to a worldwide regathering in which no one will be excluded.
The nations, all Gentiles, are to be told that the one who scattered Israel will gather them.
We are not Israel but rather the others invited. Israel's ransom wasn't just for them.
He will call, save/rescue the vulnerable, marginalized, those unable to fight for themselves or return/go to him on their own strength - those we are critical of.
All will be refreshed, renewed, walking the same straight path.
The kingdom will be multi and inter.
“I have learned that the main difference between a congregation in decline and one with a future is the difference between practicing the faith for the exclusive benefit of “insiders” or passionate concern for the “outsiders." ~ The Welcoming Congregation: Roots and Fruits of Christian Hospitality
Let’s Go
Let’s Go
LET’S GO, SETTLE, BUILD AND PLANT
LET’S GO, SETTLE, BUILD AND PLANT
Assume a new position (rise up)
To build is part of Jeremiah's assignment at his call - to build and to plant in partnership with the Lord.
Plant. An image of restoration of God’s original gift of land. Image of God's original gift of land.
Also: God restoring Israel after being taken over/declining and recreating them.
TO BE DONE IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER - DOING IT WITH HIM
Also describes God's restoration of Israel after being taken over (declining) - creation/recreation is the larger coWhy We’re Better At Planting and Building Than Living With the Father: Fear
Why We’re Better At Planting and Building Than Living With the Father: Fear
Why We’re Better At Planting and Building Than Living With the Father: Fear
Why We’re Better At Planting and Building Than Living With the Father: Fear
Life Under God (Skye Jethani, With
Life Under God (Skye Jethani, With
The world is governed by God’s will
Belief: if I obey god’s commands, attend worship every Sunday, abstain from immorality that he will bless our lives with a great marriage, great sex, great friends, etc.
Responsibility of leaders: keep everyone in line.
Responsibility of leaders: keep everyone in line.
Fear driven seeking to control our lives and God by absolute obedience to moral codes. We give him that and he gives us what we want/think is right.
Faith is reduced to manipulating God through adherence to rules and enforcement of boundaries so that we can alleviate our fear.
Irony: we are seeking to exert control over God through adherence to rituals and absolute obedience to moral codes. It is Eden’s rebellion all over again. through our obedience we put God into o
Isaiah: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules that have been taught.
Life Over God
Life Over God
Also fear-driven attempt to control our world and lives.
Rather than a means to know God, we use the scriptures for applicable principles we use to control our world and life. This is deism - replacing a relationship with God for a relationship with the bible.
In our zeal to honor the Bible, we actually reduce it from God’s revelation of himself to merely a revelation of divine principles for life.
5 Steps to...God is reduced to a reproducible formula.
Life From God
Life From God
Fear of missing out
We are the center of the cosmos
Projection of our own identities, persalities, values, biases onto God
Personalities, values, biases.
God is a divine butler, cosmic therapist dispensing wares and wisdom as we desire like a vending machine.
God exists to supply what we need or desire.
Consumerism: Commodified goods and experiences keep us amused and numb from the unpleasant realities of our existence.
Consumerism: Commodified goods and experiences keep us amused and numb from the unpleasant realities of our existence.
Amusement - to not think; to be distracted from the fears and pains of life.
Fills our lives with Idols - good things turned into ultimate things (Tim Keller).
Consumerism is a major reason for the rise in mental illness, isolation, emotional sensitivity, narcissism, poor self-control, anxiety, hating life (Jean Twenge, SDSU research, 2007).
Life For God
Life For God
Fear: Living lives of insignificance
Seen as Antidote to Life From God - Find your mission and change the world For God!
Because my worth is based on achieving a big goal (Gordon MacDonald).
On fire - looks like godly ambition, holy desire but the flames are mostly fueled by fear and a drive to prove our worth.
Replaces one idol for another - the mission of God in the place God alone should occupy
Find a God-given mission
Significance and worth in serving or obedience rather than Jesus.
Belief that the worth of one’s life is determined by the achievement of a grand objective (Gordon MacDonald).
On fire - looks like godly ambition, holy desire but flames are mostly fueled by fear, drive to prove our worth.
Temptation: put the good mission of God into the place God alone should occupy (idol) and find our significance and worth in serving or obedience.
Prodigal son - older son lived for his father and expected a reward for his service. Neither boy was interested in a relationship with his father. Both were focused on what they might get from him. Younger: took what he wanted. Older: worked for it. Different methods, same desire and in neither case was it the father. They used him. Both were jerks but one was a more socially acceptable jerk.
What brought the father joy was not the oder son’s service but his presence - having his son with him. That’s the center of God’s heart.
Life With God
Life With God
Each of. Other postures sees God as a means to an end - ticket to heaven or some other goal. LWG - God is the goal.
Relationship is at the core of the cosmos. The trinity: God exists in eternal relationship with himself.
God created out of the overflow of the perfect love that had always existed among Father, Son, HS who live in mutual relationship.
The son sent to dwell with us, show us a different way forward, to walk with us again as he had in Eden.
This way of relating to God can’t happen by following a list of rules, implementing principles, accomplishing tasks or acquiring treasure - than can only be revealed to us and can only be experienced as he becomes the goal, the treasure, the desire of our lives.
He came to be with us, to walk with us once again as he had done in Eden.
Do we have a vision of that?
This way of relating to God can’t happen by following a list of rules, implementing principles, accomplishing tasks or acquiring treasure - than can only be revealed to us and can only be experienced as he becomes the goal, the treasure, the desire of our lives.
Reason most of us gravitate to one of the other postures is because we’ve never received a clear vision of who God is and settle for something less.
LWG opens our eyes to see his beauty, grasp unconditional love, experience his goodness so that God would no longer be how we acquire our treasure but would become our treasure.
What is your treasure? What is the goal and desire of your life?
seeing his beauty, grasp unconditional love, experience his goodness, God would no longer be how we acquire our treasure but would become our treasure.What is your treasure? What is the goal and desire of your life?
Each of other postures seeks to use God to achieve some other goal. God is seen as a means to an end (ticket to heaven) Life With God - goal is God.
The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven but a way to get people to God (Piper). If we don’t want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel.
LWG = treasuring him, uniting with him, experiencing him.
Jesus: what experiencing God looks like -
communion with him.
Utter dependence on the Father all the time - can’t do anything but what he saw the Father doing. Jesus spoke of dwelling with the Father...he is in the Father and the Father in him - constant communion even when no words were used.
Our effort to control our environment and even God through our morality, laws or principles won’t remove our fear. It is Jesus’ presence with us.
Welfare Protected
Welfare Protected
Shepherd analogy in Scripture usually linked to the alleviation of fear ().
We need a shepherd to guide and protect is as we journey through the dark places.
Care for emotional and psychological well being
I am not the shepherd of a congregation, Jesus is.
I plant and build - Like Jeremiah, that’s my call and assignment.
The assurance of God with him removed David’s fears.
Jesus is the good shepherd. He lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand is not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep.
When we come to a profound trust in his love and care for us, our vision of the world is transformed. It is no longer a threatening place that provokes fear. With our good shepherd with us, we can come to fear no evil.
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you’
When you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
And the flam shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God,
The Holy One...Fear not, for I am with you.
When we embrace the reality of God’s love and care for us, we see that “this present world is a perfectly safe place for us to be.” Dallas Willard
Satisfied
Satisfied
But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
God's people will be satisfied with his goodness continually and make you strong (Is 58:11).
The soul of spiritual leaders will feast in abundance
I believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord! Be strong,
- The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make you strong; you will be like a watered garden
- The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make you strong; you will be like a watered garden
- The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make you strong; you will be like a watered garden
- The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make you strong; you will be like a watered garden
and let your heat be bold.
Yes, wait for the Lord!
: waiting is active.
We Can Fly
We Can Fly
Trapeze Illustration, Henri Nouwen.
Risks flying around doing death defying maneuvers. Why? Because of training, skills, abilities? Have to do and hone all of those BUT what they do is only possible because of the catcher.
We can only fly freely when we know there is a catcher to catch me.
“If we are to take risks, to be free, in the air, in life, we have to know there’s a catcher. We have to know that when we come down from it all, we’re going to be caught, we’re going to be safe. The great hero is the least visible. Trust the catcher.”
CELEBRATE
CELEBRATE
It’s a command to have parties
The young will celebrate as morning will be turned into joy and gladness for sorrow
12-14 - God will prepare a great banquet for the redeemed brought back.
- the ransomed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, everlasting joy will be on them.
From sorrow and starvation to joy, food, dance.
31:4, 13 - Dance in a ring; a celebratory dance. Integral part of weddings; expressing joy and other communal emotions. Tells a story.
Sacred ritual dance was an expression of joy, awe, worship.
In most ancient civilizations, dancing before the god is an important element in temple ritual. In Egypt the priests and priestesses, accompanied by harps and pipes, perform stately movements which mime significant events in the story of a god, or imitate cosmic patterns such as the rhythm of night and day.
Dancing to music expresses praise to the Lord and reverses the silencing of joy.
dancing to music expresses praise to the Lord and reverses the silencing of joy.
The route of the enemy advance will become the road for the return of God's people. Their path will merge with other paths from where others are being called. Their period of mourning will end when they encounter the Lord's goodness. They will feast on God's abundance and know God as father, shepherd, redeemer, king. They will experience abundant life of the final banquet. In the meantime: we declare God’s goodness with the Psalmist (27:13-14):
Communicate: Proclaim, declare, tell
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord! Be strong,
and let your heat be bold.
Yes, wait for the Lord!
: waiting is active.