What Are You Living For? pt 5
What are you living for? • Sermon • Submitted
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· 18 viewsGod calls all beleievers, just as He called the exiled Israelites, to live lives of passionate investment in His Kingdom. When we do, we find true hope.
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What are you living for?
What are you living for?
Wow! God is good! Amen!
(prayer)
Well, we are faced today, yet again, with this question.... What are you living for?
We are getting close to wrapping this series up, and I pray that you have been seriously considering that question....
It’s not an easy question to answer…we want to say “Well…God of course!” But, the truth is, that it is not easy to stay focused and passionate about God is it?
Especially when we are faced with the “trials of life”...
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
What in the world does perseverance have to do with receiving a crown, or hope?
Can I tell you? Everything. Absolutely everything.
You see.... Perseverance through trials builds our faith, and that is what God wants us to understand.
God has called us to passionately invest in His kingdom, and in this world. That requires our faith to be strong, and that is why God allows us to endure hardships.
Turn with me to .
Let me ask you — What verse did you just think about? What verse popped into your head when I mentioned ?
() right?
You see, that is one of our “go to” scriptures when we think about trials, temptations, and the struggles of life. It gives us hope, peace, comfort.... But, if we just focus on it, we miss what God is saying here…
Yes, God is giving them comfort, but that is not all....
You see, Jeremiah sent this letter to the Israelites in what, they thought, was probably the darkest point in their history....
It was about 580 b.c.
The Israelites had been warned for centuries that this would be the result of their disobedience. They had become more passionate about everything else in life but Yahweh (God).
Their focus was on their sexual conquests, their material wealth/gain, their comfort and the things that made them “feel good.” Does this sound familiar?!
There are many today, who say that the OT does not speak into our world today.... That is NOT true! The prophets spoke to the Israelites about the same issues we struggle with today!
The result of their pursuit of the world was that they were conquered..... Babylon had conquered them, destroyed their beloved city, and carried them off as slave, captives, exiles.....
They no longer had a country of their own.... They no longer made their own choices, lived their way, worshipped as they pleased..... now they were subject to a king who was not theirs....
They were a completely broken, lost, and hopeless people… Their God seemed to have failed them… Their world was crushed.... They had lost everything....
Where was their pride? Where was their glory? They were the chosen people of the One True God, but......
Are you getting a picture of where they are? How they feel?
It was into this brokenness…this discouraging, painful place in the life of the Israelites that Jeremiah spoke...
Let me tell you.... God is a God of Hope, Amen? When things seem darkest for us, if we are willing to listen, God speaks hope into our lives.
Look at what He tells them:
Let’s break this apart piece by piece.
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 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.
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 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. 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.”
Now…wait a second.... Here they are at their absolute lowest, and God has the gall to say: “Deal with it. Live your life. Stop complaining!”
How many of you…when you are suffering with loss and struggle, want to hear: “Suck it up butter cup!”?
Yet, that seems to be what God is saying here.
But… Let’s look a little closer. God tells them to “Build houses and settle down…plant gardens…eat of the produce....Marry…have kids...”
Do you see what He is saying?
Invest your lives, where you are! Be content! Stop looking for greener pastures, and live where you are!
If it is not good, then make it better. If things are wrong, fix them!
God tells us to be content with our lives…with where we are.
However that may be, let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches.
1 Cor 7:17
Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.
Philipians 4:11
Now…let me ask you this: “Is that easy to do?”
No! But look at what He tells them next:
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.”
Woah! Wait a minute! Not only are they to commit to live with their enemies, but now they are supposed to pray for them too?!
The answer is “YES!”
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
God wants them to commit to the place they are! To invest in their community!
You see.... God is saying to them:
— How do you overcome the tragedy in your life? Invest yourself.....
— How do you see the state of the Church change? Invest yourself....
— How do we see change in our community? Invest yourself....
But....Invest in what?
What does it take in order to do the things God told them to do? FAITH.
We must invest in faith. We must trust God....
But, what keeps us from investing?
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. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
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. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. 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. 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.
Jeremiah 29:8-11
The Israelites were not investing themselves in the place where they were at, nor were they investing themselves in their faith in God....
Because they thought that this was temporary…short lived.... They had “prophets” telling them what they wanted to hear.... They were believing a message that made them “feel good.”
— Do not be deceived by false teachings....
You see, if God was going to come a “rescue” them soon, then they didn’t have to worry....they didn’t need to submit to their conditions, or to work and serve in Babylon, because they were leaving soon....
— This situation is just a season, but longer then you think....
You see....they were looking for their “desired” move of God. How often do we do that?
— It will end, for your benefit, but in My time....
Look at what God says next:
God is trying to give them hope. This situation will end… it is temporary…God has a plan, and that plan is not for harm, but for good....their good.
Jeremiah 29:10-
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. 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.
Do you see what God is saying here?
“This is not temporary… You will be here for seventy years.”
Do you see what that means? Some of them will live the rest of their lives here....in Babylon. That means they need to invest....in their lives....in God’s Word....in their faith… because God’s promise is to deliver them from this “at that time.”
God is reminding them to trust His Word, not the word of these “false prophets.”
Let me tell you…no matter how “good” a message feels, if it does not agree with every thing else in scripture, then it is false!
If you have to “work” to “justify” a message with scripture, then it most likely is a false message....
God wants us to find hope in His Word, and in His Promise.
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.
Now....I want you to see something here.... the Hebrew word, “mahasaba(h)” means — “thought, intent, plan, invention” The best word to describe the idea of this word is “Dreams.” Think about that for a minute.....
God says: “For I know the dreams I have for you....”
How awesome is that? How encouraging?
God has “dreams” for you.... Amazing dreams.... There are things God wants to do with you and for you that you cannot even begin to imagine!
And not a single one of them is bad! All…you…have…to…do…is trust Him!
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Rom
You see… God is saying to them: “I know things are bad....I know they seem impossible....and they are not going to end soon, but.... TRUST ME! I have dreams for you, and I am going to see them through.”
That’s a pretty awesome message isn’t it? We can find hope in those words!
That is why most people stop right there. They say, “That is the message, that is what Jeremiah wanted them to hear, that is what we need to remember.....”
But, what about the rest?
If we stop right there....if we just hold to that part of the message — which is a very encouraging message — then we miss God’s point.
There is more to what He is doing here....
Would you agree that God moves us into places…circumstances…trials and struggles…at times…to help us grow?
Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Do you see what God is saying?!
He has directed them to “invest” themselves…to live, serve, and seek to prosperity of Babylon (their enemy), not for Babylon’s sake, but for their own..... and not out of duty, but out of a passion for and faith in God.
This entire letter to the exiles is about focusing on God…finding faith in Him alone…and building a passion for Him in our lives.
“When you call on me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.”
Passion and faith brings answered prayer.
Not only that.... Look at the promise in this passage:
“When you search for me.....”
How awesome is that?! We don’t have to wonder where to find God, He is right there!
When we get passionate about God, He promises that we will find Him.
Do you want to see God in your life? Do you want to see Him move? Do you want to receive His blessings, and see His blessings fall on your family? On this Church? in this community?
Then get passionate about Him!
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
This entire letter form Jeremiah to the exiles is a promise of hope…of restoration…of a glorious future..... God’s promise is that if they invest their lives, trust His promise, and endure, their faith will be strengthened, and they will find restoration and blessing through it.
If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we cannot conquer our brokenness ourselves, Amen?
Our anxieties, depression, loneliness, feelings of worthlessness, struggles with finances, etc.... We cannot — on our own — breathe new life into dying marriages, or peace into our hearts.
John 15:
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
This is something I had to come to terms with in 2003....
You see.... just like the Israelites, I thought I had life figured out…I was living for myself, my dreams, my hopes, my feelings of self-worth, my way of doing things..... (finish the story)
Let me tell you what I learned....
God’s Kingdom operates on faith.
Hebrews 11:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
And our faith will not Grow without a Passion for God that drives our lives.
The simple truth is this — If we desire to see God work in our lives…in our family’s lives…in our Church…and in this community.... then we must invest ourselves in the kingdom of God.
And God promises that when we do.... We will experience a life greater than we can even imagine!
We cannot walk
Because...God will hear us…He will reveal Himself to us…He will deliver us…and He will bless us...
What are you living for?