Monday, July 7, 2014

OUR NATION SUNDAY July 5-7, 2014 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Jeremiah 29:1-14 “A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THE STATE OF THE NATION”



OUR NATION SUNDAY
July 5-7, 2014
Pastor Timothy J. Spaude
Text: Jeremiah 29:1-14

“A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO THE STATE OF THE NATION”
1.     Understand that God has a plan.
2.     Bloom where you are planted.
3.     Rejoice in the wisdom, love and power of God!

Jeremiah 29:1-14 (NIV 1984) This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said: 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. 10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious 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 upon 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."

          God’s people have often felt themselves feeling like fish out of water, strangers in a strange land, people who don’t fit in. Abram experienced it when God called him to leave his family and his people and go to a place God would show him, a placed filled with people that did not worship the only Savior God. Jacob and his family felt it when God used a famine to move them to Egypt. Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites, felt it when God led them out of  Egypt to the Promised Land. Yes, it was a land flowing with milk and honey but it was also filled with peoples that worshiped idols in weird and perverted ways. At the time God had Jeremiah serve as prophet God’s people felt it again. They were strangers in a strange land, exiles from Judah carried off to Babylon. What should they do? What should we do? Are you feeling it? Are you starting to feel like a stranger living in a strange land? As followers of Christ who are committed to Him and His word above all we can’t help but feel it. What’s going on here? Things are changing so rapidly. Members of the greatest generation, that’s you WWII era saints, you know there was sin, shameful sin around at your time. But at least it was called sin and spoken of with shame. Did you shed a tear a 4th of July parade because you love your country and it’s not what it used to be? Did you think of other parades in our country where people march for the right to murder their own babies or to sin sexually in ways that God calls unnatural and a perversion? What should we do? Run to the word of God of course! The words God has given to provide comfort and peace for His dearly loved people who find themselves living as strangers in a strange land.
          The first truth we find is that God has a plan. Now you heard the history in the opening verses. This was part of a letter God had Jeremiah send to Jewish believers who had be exiled to Babylon. They were taken from their homes, the land they knew and were now stuck in a city not of their choosing. Can you imagine how they felt, their hurt, their sadness, their lack of understanding, their ache to be somewhere else, their longing for home? What should they do? Understand that God has a plan.  “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.” Did you hear that? Did you pick it out? “I carried.” “I carried!” said the LORD almighty, the God of Israel. It looked like the Babylonians had force marched these people of God but it wasn’t true. God carried them into exile. And it wasn’t done on a whim. Later God would say, “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.” God had a plan for His people. An “I love you this is for your good plan.” And He does for us too. You more senior saints have a much better perspective of this than I do but I have seen candidates elected and re-elected who should never have made it by every standard of human reason. I have seen judges legislate from the bench and get away with it despite the checks and balances our forefathers tried to put in. I have seen Supreme Court decisions uphold what people on both sides of issues have agreed were unconstitutional laws. Is it not possible that we are seeing the hand of God at work? God has said He will work all things for our good. The highest honor that we can give Him is simply to believe what He says, take Him at His word. On the flip side there is no greater disservice to God, no greater insult or slap in His face than to disbelieve Him and label Him a liar. God has a plan.
          So bloom where you are planted. That’s a phrase wise people have told others who were always looking over the fence and wishing themselves elsewhere. Bloom where you are planted means to do your best and be your best where you are at for the glory of God. Let’s see how Jeremiah put it.  "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." No wallowing in self pity. No angry resentment leading to a resistance movement and acts of sabotage. Bloom where you are planted. Live there. Have children so there are more of you. Seek the good and prosperity. Pray for the city so that you prosper.
          Godly wisdom for us too.  We might feel like giving up. We can have righteous anger against advancing wickedness. But remember who we are: the people of God, chosen by Him and dearly loved. Our nation needs us. We are God’s representatives here, His face of what real love looks like, His hands to help others, His mouth to speak His truth. So bloom where He has planted you. When we Christians work hard at our jobs, are the most helpful of neighbors we mute the slander of the Christ and Christian haters. “Well I know a Christian and she’s really nice.” Have you heard this? “I’d be afraid to bring a child into this world!” Nonsense! Is God dead? If we Christians stop having kids then what? God’s still in control and there is this thing called “Obstetrical Evangelism,” growing the Church by having babies! Seeking the peace and prosperity brings blessings for us too. How good it is to have Christians working in government, police, military, fire, healthcare and public education. The peace and prosperity of our nation depend on it. Pray. Pray for the nation and its leaders. Even the ones we don’t like and did not vote for. Bloom where you are planted.
          And rejoice in the wisdom, love and power of God. God told His people not to listen to the false prophets who were telling the people they were going home the next day.  They would have to wait seventy years. During these 70 years God would preserve His people and refine them, helping them live God dependent lives. Then He would bring them back. He would do that because this was all part of God’s bigger plan to give the world a Savior, Jesus Christ. How often do you think they asked for this verse to be read? “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.” What a memory treasure! For us too! It reminds us of God’s tender love that is combined with His ultimate wisdom and His power to do anything that is at work in our lives too.
          Strangers in a strange land? Absolutely! It’s what we are because Christ called us. Maybe it’s good for us to see that a little more. I don’t know the details of God’s plan is for our nation, for us as Christians, for myself or my family. He has not chosen to reveal that exactly like He did with the people of  Jeremiah’s time. I do know that God is loving wise and powerful. I know that He has a plan to prosper not harm us. You know that too. So let’s put away the gloom and doom, plant those smiles on our faces and as the dearly loved children of God that we are, leave here to be the best of American citizens who mean it and are heard when we pray, “God bless the USA!” Amen.

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