Out of Babylon

Jeremiah 29:1-14
College Avenue Presbyterian Church

Monte McClain

June 19, 2011

This passage from Jeremiah is commonly quoted as a favorite of many readers of the Bible. It's a radical affirmation that God doesn't leave us, but that He wants to prosper us. God is present—even when it doesn't seem to be so—working underneath what we see, behind the curtain, preparing, calling, healing, delivering—all with divine intention.

It's not impossible to believe in a God that infinitely loves us, but it is difficult to believe when life is most difficult, there could be a Divine Being behind it all... urging the universe towards peace, blessing, and a future.

History and background

The oracle was spoken to Israelites under a certain context at a specific time. It was spoken 2,500 years ago by the prophet Jeremiah to the exiles of Israel in Babylon.

Babylon (present day Iraq) was an ancient power that had conquered a vast swath of territory—from Turkey all the way to Egypt. And Israel was just this tiny country that is a thorn on the Babylonian's side. It was in the middle of large kingdoms that Babylon was invading. The tiny Israel chose to side with the Egyptians, the losing side.

When the Babylonians defeated Israel, they took the smartest and best looking members of society to Babylon to reeducate them. They were wiping out the Jewish culture and making them more like Babylonians. The Jews were being cleansed culturally. They were not allowed to worship the Israelite God, and they had to worship the Bablylonion way.

God's message

And so, under these dark circumstances, it seemed that God had been vanquished, because He could not rescue them from the Babylonians. It is in this dark context that Jeremiah speaks these radical words, reminding the people that God has a hope and future in store for them, even when according to appearances, it doesn't seem to be true.

Jeremiah also warns the exiles of false prophets who were telling the Jews that God will rescue them out of Babylon. Jeremiah was telling them counter-intuitively that they should not rebel, but hunker down and settle in. Don't check out, but invest. In 70 years, God will take them out, but in the mean time, they should make a life in Babylon.

In the text, God said that if you call on Me, I will come. This to a people who can't even go to church (the temple) to worship. To a people who's feeling lost and disillusioned, God declares that He has a plan to prosper them.

Our exile in Babylon

Many theologians say that we, too, are living in time of exile in a modern-day Babylon. We live in world that seeks after and serve other gods, tempting us with new faith and different practices. Not just religious, but also economic, social, relational, and communal. In the passage, God speaks to the Israelites, telling them that the pain, suffering, and uncertainty that they face is not the end, nor the means to an end, but merely part of the journey. Babylon will fail. A future of freedom, blessing, communion with God and shalom is coming.

We also are in exile in our Babylon. We live in the world that does not seek God. Some of us want to withdraw, but God tells us to invest. Not to isolate, but to engage. Not to stand away, but to stand out. In our culture, the kind of people who are lifted up and honored are those who are rich or can do much. It's not the people who are faithful, kind, and gracious.

God said that we have to love people as ourselves.  But loving your neighbor is hard, because it's divided by class, race, and wealth. We want to get the best for our family, being in the right neighborhoods and good school districts, but sometimes doing what we think is best for us takes us away from experiencing God's presence in our lives. We live in Babylon. We live in a space and culture that works against God.

God has chosen us. He has a hope and future for us. A plan where we would know God wholly, and where we would know each other. The answer God tells Israelite is to not check out, but to invest. To build and love where they are. To persevere. To not give up, even when there doesn't seem to be an end.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorow. God has a hope and a future for all us.

Meditation points

Things to meditate about:

• What word, image, or phrase in this passage grabs your attention?
• How does that word, imagine, or phrase touch your life and what you're living or wrestling with these days?
• How do you hear the Spirit of God inviting you—or us as a church—to act, speak, or be, through this passage?

Two Kings

1 Samuel 16
Resonate
Beau (guest)
June 12, 2011

Israel had two kings: Saul and David. The relationship between these two kings is famous in the Bible.

Israel was God's chosen people, but they had a history of not being content. They kinda want to be like their neighbors. So one day, they decided that they wanted their own king. Kings in many culture were gods themselves. There was no seperation between church and state. So this was a grievous thing to ask from God. Although God desired to give them so much more, He gave them exactly what they wanted.

The annointing of the two kings 

Saul looked the part. He was tall and great looking. And Saul also played the part in the beginning of the story. But then, after his first victory, we see fear begin to take hold of his mind. What kind of king is this? He's the king who looks the part, but brings pain to Israel.

So God picks the next king who is after his own heart (1 Samuel 16:18).

Samuel was looking for another Saul, so he didn't look for David. Saul is the kind of king people look for; David is the kind of king that God looks for. And God blessed him. Everything he did, God blessed him. So Saul gets jealous and tries to kill David. (1 Sam 19:18-24)

How the kings respond to sin and fear

Both kings made mistake. But its how they responded to their sins that set them apart. It's fear that led Saul to willful disobedience. When he was confronted, he makes excuses. Fear enslaves him. And he's not after God's own heart. He's more concerned with how he is perceived. He takes the path that is easiest for him, but not what God wants.

Yes, David gets afraid, but fear does not control him.

Psalms 25:6-8; 30:8-10 shows how different David is. When he's afraid, he turns to God; he doesn't take things into his own hands. When he was confronted, he did not blame the woman or the husband. He took responsibility and repented. Even as king, he responds to failures and begs forgiveness from God. There's a radical willingness to be critical of himself. He is willing to sacrifice himself for his people.

Applying the lessons


1 Peter 2:9; Galatians 3:26-28

We might not be kings and queens, but we have access to God. We are followers of Jesus Christ. He sees our hearts. He sees our possibilities if we have a heart that us after Him. As we grow in Jesus, we start to look more like God.

God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are. When we are the child of God; He sends us the Spirit to guide us. We all mess up, we all fall short... but if we come with a heart that's humble, and not looking for excuses, we're on our way.

Is your life like David's or Saul's?

Psalms 103: Expressing Exuberant Thanks for All That God Has Done

New King James
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindess and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Fear

Crossroads
Cincinnati, Ohio
Brian Tome
June 5, 2011

It's hard sometimes to discern when a thought is from us or from God. But whenever you are afraid, be certain that God is not behind it. For God said in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 that: "7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."

When I was a kid, I saw something on TV, where a woman was seized with a fear that her plane was going to crashed, so she just walked off the plane, and the plane did crash. Since then, I think about that when I'm flying.

We are a society ruled by fear. We're not the Land of the Free, we're the Land of the Fear. Anxiety is the luxury of the privileged. Because if you are busy with real danger, you won't have time to be anxious.

The Prevalence of Fear

Here's how you can be afraid:
1. Experience or hear bad, bad things.
2. Fear that it would happen to you.
3. Think about it as often as possible.
4. Restrict yourself and repeat step 1.

We all have things that restrict our lives, but we shouldn't allow that.

Prov 28:1. "1 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." When we flee or alter our behavior, even when nothing is happening, something is wrong. Fear is an illusion. It's not happening, its only in our minds, but it's restricting what we do.

We all experience bad news. And we will hear bad news. All the time. From everywhere. We don't just hear about bad news about our village, we hear bad news about the world. There is an endless cycle of fear, paranoia and anxiety. There is a spirit of fear set against the Spirit of God.

"Stress" is just a socially acceptable way of saying, "I am afraid." We are storing adrenalin, even though  it's a landing strip of diseases. Fear makes us restrict our lives; and when we allow that to alter our lives.

Planning and Trusting

Assume that God is in control. Even if what I fear happens to me, I put myself in God's story—that in the grand scheme scheme of things, all that means something. Haggai 2:5 "This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear."

There's a fine line between planning and being fearful, and we have to draw the line. You can have a backup plan for everything, but you lose out on God's plan. It could be trying to control what belongs to God.

James 4:13-16. 13 "Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil."

Excessive planning can come from a place of pride. Some people are proud of being in charge. God is in control, our life is nothing more than a mist. Unless God puts an umbrella over us, we evaporate. If we are about mist management, we are mismanaging our life. We don't experience the life that God intends for us. He tells us instead to forgive and move on, spend the energy on getting to know someone, and other such things that are more important. 

There are things that we know we need to do for sure, such as forgiving others, loving God... and not having a spirit of fear.

Coping with Fear

Be concerned with what God wants you to do, and do not act based on what others tell you that you should be afraid of.

Think about God's love as often as possible, instead of what we're afraid of. When we are afraid, it's a sign that we think we are alone, which lets fear thrive. When we think we are isolated, we are disconnected from God. Fear is a sign that we are disconnected from the love of God.

Romans 8:14-16. 14 "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children."

When we are afraid, we are enslaved! But we have been adopted! We are sons! (In some translation, it says "children," but the Scripture speaks of a specific role in that time—really, a son, that is, a full heir. God knows the number of our hair. (For some of us that's not a big deal. :) ). That's the love of God for us. We have a Daddy who is in control. And the Spirit guides us in fullness, not fear.

1 John 4:18. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." It's imopsible to fear with love. The greater the fear, the greater the sign that there's an outtage of love. The Holy Spirit's presence is an awareness of love.

Matt 6:34. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus is saying that thinking about things that haven't happened yet is like paying interest on a car you don't own—its ridonkulous. ("Worry is interest paid on debt, not yet incurred." William Ralph Inge) Don't waste stomach enzymes and mental space on things that you imagine; just do what you can. Plan properly, but don't waste energy on things that would never come to pass. When you worry, you are acting like a slave.

Fear Versus a Spirit-Led Life

Benefits of fear
1. You will not be surprised.
2. You never take a risk. (You'll never start a business, date, or travel.)
3. Some things won't happen to you.

Benefits of being led by the Spirit
1. You are surprised.
(He takes you places you never expected. You are surprised by opportunities you otherwise would not have expected, because the Spirit led you to it.)
2. You take risks.
3. Great things happen to you.

Conclusion

Our Daddy doesn't want us locked up in the panic room, He wants us to be in the yard, playing with his other children.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain.

We were not given the spirit of fear, timidity, or cowardice, but a spirit of exploration.

Building on the Foundation of Obedience

Matthew 7:24-27
Dr. Tony Evans
Notes taken on March 25, 2009

I had a crack on my wall which I hired someone to fix. He plastered it and painted it, and it was good as new. One month later, the crack reappeared, so I called him again to fix his work; it looked good until a month later, when the crack not only appeared but also brought along its cousins! Frustrated at the workmanship, I called a differed person.

He came, took one look, and said that he can't fix the crack. I was agog. Didn't you specialize in fixing cracks? He said, yes, but the problem with your wall is not a crack. It is your shifting foundation. If you fix the crack, you are just patching the symptoms, not addressing the actual problem.

Many of us spend time and money fixing cracks on the wall, when it's the unseen shifting foundation that needs our attention.

The metaphor of building a house

Two men were building a house. Both had a dream and wanted to build something of value, significance, that matters.  The house can be the following things:
• A life that matters.
• A household. No one wants to walk on the aisle knowing that it will lead to divorce.
• A church or ministry.  We're a household of faith. No one wants a ministry that doesn't grow.
• A nation.

Comparison between the two men

Both men were compared in their dreams and adversities (storms). Both had access to the word, to a Bible believing church. How do we know this? Because Jesus said, "Everyone who hears these words of mine..." Nothing can be closer to orthodoxy than that.

Contrast between the two men

While they had many things in common, Jesus contrasted them. He called one a wise man, and the other, a fool.

Who is the wise man? He is one who ascertains God's desires and seeks His mind, and then pragmatically applies them to life.

Who is the fool? He is the one who refuses to apply God's mindset to his life. You can be a fool coming to church. Listening to His word one day, and leaving the mindset all behind on Monday.

Building the right foundation

Both had the same dreams, but they didn't start from the same place. One started on a rock; the other, on  sand.

When people are building a skyscraper, they dig deep. In fact, you can discern their ambitions and tell how high they plan to build by how deep they dig. Yet, many people build their skyscraper dreams on chicken-coop foundation.

You know why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans? Because it was built on Pisa—that's Pisa. Pisa means "marshy." The only thing Pisa is good for is as a tourist attraction. There is nothing there except for a small building that has to be held up by ropes lest it falls. I don't know how good your life is right now, but if it's built like this tower, it will come crashing down.

Building on a rocky foundation:
• Expensive
• Time-consuming
• Means you heard the word and acted on it

Building on a sandy foundation:
• Cheap
• Quick
• Didn't do nothing. Truth unapplied might as well not be heard.

Applying what you learned

You need the classroom to learn the football play, but it's in the field that it's practiced. Christians have a disconnect between Sunday and Monday.

What people want is sandy-rocky. When we water down the word of God, that's what we get. When we mix the sand of man with the rock of God, we cancel the effectiveness and power of the word of God.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, yes, but not if it's candied apple dipped in a vat of sugar. It's not that the apple is no longer nutritious, but the sugar cancels out the benefits.

So why do we take the word of God on Sunday, then dip it in human understanding on Monday... and then wonder why they don't experience God's power and transformation?