“Living for God in a Pagan Culture”
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Jeremiah 29:4-14
Introduction:
What if you had to live in a foreign country? How would you feel about that? For some it would be exciting; they would jump at the chance. What if you weren't given a choice? What if you were uprooted from where you live now, and taken by force to another place against your will? How would you deal with that? Would you get depressed? Would you try to escape? OR, Would you try to make the best of it?
This is exactly what happened to the Jews in Jeremiah's time. The Babylonians came and attacked them and then took them into exile. Here they were living in a foreign land against their will. Three years after they were taken into exile, Jeremiah writes this letter to the people, for God. In it there is some bad news (this captivity will last for 70 years), but also words of hope.
The truth is, in many ways we too live in a foreign land, not by our own choosing. The world we live in is a post-Christian world. The world does not hold to the values, and morals, and choices that we as God's children do.
In today’s postmodern age, many people view life as meaningless because science has failed to solve all the problems, and man’s attempts at utopia have failed. Relativism now reigns and relies on constantly shifting “feel good,” “anything goes” values, rather than the fixed point of absolute truth.
This morning I would like to talk about 4 ways this passage in Jeremiah not only helped the Jews, but can also help us learn how to "Live for God in a pagan culture."
I. Be Faithful in the Ordinary- (Jeremiah 29:4-6)
Jeremiah starts his letter by telling the people to "be faithful in the ordinary things of life."
vss. 5-6 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and
eat what (you) produce. Marry and have sons and daughters..."
In other words, start living life as normal. Make the best of the situation around you, because dwelling on it won't change it; being depressed about it won't change it. If you want to better the situation you are in, then you have to live the life that is in front of you. As you do this, God will bless you and help you to move forward.
You are still God's children, Jeremiah is saying, and can still enjoy your life where you are. You still can make an impact in the lives of those around you. And the best way to start to do this is to live normal, ordinary lives. Do the little things that you would normally do. Build a house, plant gardens, get married, have children.../ There is a quote which says: "So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip." (1001 Humorous Illus., p.54, #111)
The way we live in the little things of life tells a lot about who we are as people; as followers of Jesus Christ; as people seeking to make our lives count.
Jeremiah tells the people that God's instruction begins with the basics; the basics of living life. How we live every day should be of primary concern. If we focus first and foremost on who we are and what we believe, then that will shape the way we live, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.
It is easy to look around us and get discouraged by society; to get overwhelmed by the thought of fighting against this pagan culture. When we let ourselves get overwhelmed and discouraged, we lose sight of the basic pursuit of living our daily lives in a way that glorifies God. Living faithful ordinary lives is a spiritual pursuit as well. It is a spiritual pursuit because God cares about what we do in the ordinary things of life!
II. Engage Babylon- (Jeremiah 29:7; Romans 13:1)
Jeremiah then tells the people not to settle for just focusing on themselves. This was where they were to start, but there was more; they needed to next engage themselves in the life and the welfare of the government.
Jer. 29:7 says,- "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city...Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
Illustration, "John Wycliffe," The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, p.449.
John Wycliffe was a visionary who lived in the fourteenth century. He was a very determined man. He could not bear the thought that the Bible could remain chained to the pulpit, where only the priests could read it and understand it.. He believed that God’s word needed to get out to the people of the world; especially those who did not have easy access to it! At this time the Bible had not been translated to the common language, but only the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, and then also Latin. So he started to translate the Old and New Testaments into common English. This was a major undertaking, not only in how big the endeavor was, but it was done with much verbal assault against him. The Church did not want him to do this. But he stayed the course, AND when it was done he said to his enemies: “THIS BIBLE IS TRANSLATED AND SHALL MAKE POSSIBLE A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE.”
Little did Wycliffe know that 500 years later a new government would be established in America with the flyleaf from this Bible with these words on it, at the battlefield of Gettysburg, where President Lincoln would say: “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
John Wycliffe was one who sought to get God's word to the people for the purpose of making the government, and ultimately the lives of people better. We are called to pray for our leaders and for the prosperity of our system. We are called to engage ourselves in our world, not to be like our world, but to make it a better place for all to live.
Romans 13:1- "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established..."
We should pray that God would not only be with our leaders, but in our leaders. We pray that the government would truly be something that is established and led by God. We pray for Godly wisdom for those who lead, so that they might lead with Godly authority. And in this way we engage our Babylon.
III. Be Discerning- (Jeremiah 29:8-9; John 16:13)
Jeremiah goes on to warn the people of false prophets who lead them astray./ Jeremiah 29:8 "...`Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you..."/
Because of their situation, they wanted to have hope; hope that they would get out of this mess, and could get back to their homeland. The false prophets were giving the people false hope by telling them that all would be well and that they would be going home soon. But this was not the truth.
Sometimes having false hope can be worse than having no hope at all, because when you realize that what you were hoping for will not happen, you are stripped away of all your hope. This is because you have turned away from God, the One in which hope is found, and turned to some other source for hope. When this other source proves unfaithful, you become lost!
Have you ever believed something, not because it was true, but because it was what you wanted to hear?/ We have all had times when we believe because it is what we want, rather than what is true. Jeremiah tells the people that discernment, Godly discernment, is needed at all times if we are to live each day faithfully to God.
Illus. (Limp Understanding) “1001 Humorous Illus.”, p.133, #321
There is a story of A surgeon who was discussing a case with medical students:
He said, "The muscle in the patient's right leg has contracted
until it is shorter than the left. Therefore, he limps. What would you do in such a circumstance?" A student raised his hand and answered, "I'd limp too."
When we don't have knowledge, understanding, and Godly discernment, we believe as others believe; we live as others live; we seek the world instead of God.
How do we come to have discernment?
John 16:13- Jesus says, "But when He, the Spirit
of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; He will speak only
what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come."
When we ask Jesus Christ to be our savior and Lord, our life is never the same. Our sins are forgiven and removed, we become children of God, and we are given God's Spirit, who guides us into the knowledge, and understanding, and discernment of the truth of God. When we have this kind of discernment we are led to hope!
IV. Be People of Hope- (Jeremiah 29:10-14; Hebrews 12:2)
Up to this point, the news in Jeremiah's letter has not been that great. They have been told that their exile will last 70 years. They have been told to do their best and engage the enemy. They have been told that there are false prophets giving them false hope. But then Jeremiah gives them the hope that can only come from God.
Jeremiah 29:10-11- "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. For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future."
WORDS OF HOPE.
This is what the Lord says. The Lord Himself is telling the people of what is to be. The Lord assures the people that the will of God will be fulfilled. It is a plan of hope; a plan to prosper them; a plan that has a future.
And so therefore, as people of a God of hope, Jeremiah says, “be people of hope.” Live with hope believing that deliverance will come.
Here are some Tough Questions- 1. How often do we think that evil is greater than good? 2. How often do we think that God is not really alive because is seems like evil is winning out?
3. How often do we think that our hope is weak because we don't see signs of God being victorious over the evil around us?
This happens when we take our eyes off the target. Our eyes need to stay focused on Jesus Christ, who points the way for us.
As Hebrews 12:2 says- "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfector of our faith, who for
the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God."
When Jesus was on the cross, all hope seemed lost, but He endured so that we might have life eternal. It is when we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith that we keep the hope even when we live in a pagan world; we keep the hope even though we get discouraged; we keep the hope because we know that God has plans for us. Plans to prosper us, and plans for a great future. Amen? Amen!
Conclusion: Poem: "Who Is To Blame?" from …Tardy Oxcart, p.152, by Chuck Swindoll
‘We read in the papers And hear on the air Of killing and stealing and crime everywhere.
We sigh and say, as we notice the trend, This young generation... Where will it end?
But can we be sure that it’s their fault alone? Are we less guilty, who place in their way; Too many things that lead them astray? Too much money, too much idle time; Too many movies of passion and crime. Too many books not fit to be read; Too much evil in what they hear said.
Too many children encouraged to roam; Too many parents who won’t stay home.Kids don’t make the movies, they don’t write the books. They don’t print….pictures of gangsters and crooks. They don’t make the liquor, they don’t run the bars; They don’t make the laws, and they don’t make the cars.They don’t peddle the drugs, that muddle the brain;That’s all done by older folks, greedy for gain.Deliquent teenagers, oh how we condemn, The sins of the nation and blame it on them.By the laws of the blameless, the savior made known;Who is there among us to cast the first stone?For in so many cases -- It’s sad -- But it’s true --The title Deliquent fits older folks too !
Times may seem dark and the evil around us might seem to be pervasive, but that is only an illusion. God remains God, and we must not lose faith in God's power. Let us focus on ourselves first, our children, and grandchildren second, and then the world. Let us let God lead us as a church in how we can impact the children and youth of our church and in how we can begin to make an impact in our community for God.
Example- It is like an airplane flying. If you think about it too much, it might seem impossible. How can a Boeing 747, weighing nearly one million pounds, ever get off the ground? Nothing that big could suspend itself in air. Feathery birds can fly but not massive tubes of metal. Nope, it just can't happen. It's impossible. 500 tons of shiny steel will never be airborne. When an aircraft moves down a runway the air pressure around the wings changes. The air moving over the rounded surface on the topside of the wing is forced to travel in a curve. As it does, its air speed increases which causes the air pressure to drop. Meanwhile, on the bottom side of the wing, the air moves in a straight line and, because it's moving slower than the air on top of the wing, the pressure is intensified. Now, here's where it really gets exciting! Any high-pressure area always moves toward a low-pressure area. Meaning, the underneath-air pushes up on the wings trying to get to the area over the wings. Therefore, the faster the 747 rolls down the runway, the greater the pressure on the bottom of the wings. And the greater the underside-pressure the more lift to the aircraft. As the jet increases its speed there's more and more pressure pushing on the bottom of the wings. And in moments, bingo! One million pounds of 747 lift off the ground.
The role of the church--God's handmade instrument to engage and change the culture--is not dissimilar to this principle of flight. Everything tells you it's impossible, there's too much opposition; the odds are against us.This Master Builder has issued an iron-clad guarantee: "The gates of Hell will not prevail against it." This is His church, and His promise is irrefutable. As a church, if we keep moving down the runway, the physics God has created will come true, and we will lift off to do great works for God, even in a pagan culture. SO, let us seek to pray for our leaders, and vote in a way that makes a difference. Let us be people of faith, and hope, and love. Let us be a people who live for God in a pagan culture! Amen.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Jeremiah 29:4-14
Introduction:
What if you had to live in a foreign country? How would you feel about that? For some it would be exciting; they would jump at the chance. What if you weren't given a choice? What if you were uprooted from where you live now, and taken by force to another place against your will? How would you deal with that? Would you get depressed? Would you try to escape? OR, Would you try to make the best of it?
This is exactly what happened to the Jews in Jeremiah's time. The Babylonians came and attacked them and then took them into exile. Here they were living in a foreign land against their will. Three years after they were taken into exile, Jeremiah writes this letter to the people, for God. In it there is some bad news (this captivity will last for 70 years), but also words of hope.
The truth is, in many ways we too live in a foreign land, not by our own choosing. The world we live in is a post-Christian world. The world does not hold to the values, and morals, and choices that we as God's children do.
In today’s postmodern age, many people view life as meaningless because science has failed to solve all the problems, and man’s attempts at utopia have failed. Relativism now reigns and relies on constantly shifting “feel good,” “anything goes” values, rather than the fixed point of absolute truth.
This morning I would like to talk about 4 ways this passage in Jeremiah not only helped the Jews, but can also help us learn how to "Live for God in a pagan culture."
I. Be Faithful in the Ordinary- (Jeremiah 29:4-6)
Jeremiah starts his letter by telling the people to "be faithful in the ordinary things of life."
vss. 5-6 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and
eat what (you) produce. Marry and have sons and daughters..."
In other words, start living life as normal. Make the best of the situation around you, because dwelling on it won't change it; being depressed about it won't change it. If you want to better the situation you are in, then you have to live the life that is in front of you. As you do this, God will bless you and help you to move forward.
You are still God's children, Jeremiah is saying, and can still enjoy your life where you are. You still can make an impact in the lives of those around you. And the best way to start to do this is to live normal, ordinary lives. Do the little things that you would normally do. Build a house, plant gardens, get married, have children.../ There is a quote which says: "So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip." (1001 Humorous Illus., p.54, #111)
The way we live in the little things of life tells a lot about who we are as people; as followers of Jesus Christ; as people seeking to make our lives count.
Jeremiah tells the people that God's instruction begins with the basics; the basics of living life. How we live every day should be of primary concern. If we focus first and foremost on who we are and what we believe, then that will shape the way we live, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.
It is easy to look around us and get discouraged by society; to get overwhelmed by the thought of fighting against this pagan culture. When we let ourselves get overwhelmed and discouraged, we lose sight of the basic pursuit of living our daily lives in a way that glorifies God. Living faithful ordinary lives is a spiritual pursuit as well. It is a spiritual pursuit because God cares about what we do in the ordinary things of life!
II. Engage Babylon- (Jeremiah 29:7; Romans 13:1)
Jeremiah then tells the people not to settle for just focusing on themselves. This was where they were to start, but there was more; they needed to next engage themselves in the life and the welfare of the government.
Jer. 29:7 says,- "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city...Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
Illustration, "John Wycliffe," The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, p.449.
John Wycliffe was a visionary who lived in the fourteenth century. He was a very determined man. He could not bear the thought that the Bible could remain chained to the pulpit, where only the priests could read it and understand it.. He believed that God’s word needed to get out to the people of the world; especially those who did not have easy access to it! At this time the Bible had not been translated to the common language, but only the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, and then also Latin. So he started to translate the Old and New Testaments into common English. This was a major undertaking, not only in how big the endeavor was, but it was done with much verbal assault against him. The Church did not want him to do this. But he stayed the course, AND when it was done he said to his enemies: “THIS BIBLE IS TRANSLATED AND SHALL MAKE POSSIBLE A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE.”
Little did Wycliffe know that 500 years later a new government would be established in America with the flyleaf from this Bible with these words on it, at the battlefield of Gettysburg, where President Lincoln would say: “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
John Wycliffe was one who sought to get God's word to the people for the purpose of making the government, and ultimately the lives of people better. We are called to pray for our leaders and for the prosperity of our system. We are called to engage ourselves in our world, not to be like our world, but to make it a better place for all to live.
Romans 13:1- "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established..."
We should pray that God would not only be with our leaders, but in our leaders. We pray that the government would truly be something that is established and led by God. We pray for Godly wisdom for those who lead, so that they might lead with Godly authority. And in this way we engage our Babylon.
III. Be Discerning- (Jeremiah 29:8-9; John 16:13)
Jeremiah goes on to warn the people of false prophets who lead them astray./ Jeremiah 29:8 "...`Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you..."/
Because of their situation, they wanted to have hope; hope that they would get out of this mess, and could get back to their homeland. The false prophets were giving the people false hope by telling them that all would be well and that they would be going home soon. But this was not the truth.
Sometimes having false hope can be worse than having no hope at all, because when you realize that what you were hoping for will not happen, you are stripped away of all your hope. This is because you have turned away from God, the One in which hope is found, and turned to some other source for hope. When this other source proves unfaithful, you become lost!
Have you ever believed something, not because it was true, but because it was what you wanted to hear?/ We have all had times when we believe because it is what we want, rather than what is true. Jeremiah tells the people that discernment, Godly discernment, is needed at all times if we are to live each day faithfully to God.
Illus. (Limp Understanding) “1001 Humorous Illus.”, p.133, #321
There is a story of A surgeon who was discussing a case with medical students:
He said, "The muscle in the patient's right leg has contracted
until it is shorter than the left. Therefore, he limps. What would you do in such a circumstance?" A student raised his hand and answered, "I'd limp too."
When we don't have knowledge, understanding, and Godly discernment, we believe as others believe; we live as others live; we seek the world instead of God.
How do we come to have discernment?
John 16:13- Jesus says, "But when He, the Spirit
of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.
He will not speak on his own; He will speak only
what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come."
When we ask Jesus Christ to be our savior and Lord, our life is never the same. Our sins are forgiven and removed, we become children of God, and we are given God's Spirit, who guides us into the knowledge, and understanding, and discernment of the truth of God. When we have this kind of discernment we are led to hope!
IV. Be People of Hope- (Jeremiah 29:10-14; Hebrews 12:2)
Up to this point, the news in Jeremiah's letter has not been that great. They have been told that their exile will last 70 years. They have been told to do their best and engage the enemy. They have been told that there are false prophets giving them false hope. But then Jeremiah gives them the hope that can only come from God.
Jeremiah 29:10-11- "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. For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future."
WORDS OF HOPE.
This is what the Lord says. The Lord Himself is telling the people of what is to be. The Lord assures the people that the will of God will be fulfilled. It is a plan of hope; a plan to prosper them; a plan that has a future.
And so therefore, as people of a God of hope, Jeremiah says, “be people of hope.” Live with hope believing that deliverance will come.
Here are some Tough Questions- 1. How often do we think that evil is greater than good? 2. How often do we think that God is not really alive because is seems like evil is winning out?
3. How often do we think that our hope is weak because we don't see signs of God being victorious over the evil around us?
This happens when we take our eyes off the target. Our eyes need to stay focused on Jesus Christ, who points the way for us.
As Hebrews 12:2 says- "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfector of our faith, who for
the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God."
When Jesus was on the cross, all hope seemed lost, but He endured so that we might have life eternal. It is when we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith that we keep the hope even when we live in a pagan world; we keep the hope even though we get discouraged; we keep the hope because we know that God has plans for us. Plans to prosper us, and plans for a great future. Amen? Amen!
Conclusion: Poem: "Who Is To Blame?" from …Tardy Oxcart, p.152, by Chuck Swindoll
‘We read in the papers And hear on the air Of killing and stealing and crime everywhere.
We sigh and say, as we notice the trend, This young generation... Where will it end?
But can we be sure that it’s their fault alone? Are we less guilty, who place in their way; Too many things that lead them astray? Too much money, too much idle time; Too many movies of passion and crime. Too many books not fit to be read; Too much evil in what they hear said.
Too many children encouraged to roam; Too many parents who won’t stay home.Kids don’t make the movies, they don’t write the books. They don’t print….pictures of gangsters and crooks. They don’t make the liquor, they don’t run the bars; They don’t make the laws, and they don’t make the cars.They don’t peddle the drugs, that muddle the brain;That’s all done by older folks, greedy for gain.Deliquent teenagers, oh how we condemn, The sins of the nation and blame it on them.By the laws of the blameless, the savior made known;Who is there among us to cast the first stone?For in so many cases -- It’s sad -- But it’s true --The title Deliquent fits older folks too !
Times may seem dark and the evil around us might seem to be pervasive, but that is only an illusion. God remains God, and we must not lose faith in God's power. Let us focus on ourselves first, our children, and grandchildren second, and then the world. Let us let God lead us as a church in how we can impact the children and youth of our church and in how we can begin to make an impact in our community for God.
Example- It is like an airplane flying. If you think about it too much, it might seem impossible. How can a Boeing 747, weighing nearly one million pounds, ever get off the ground? Nothing that big could suspend itself in air. Feathery birds can fly but not massive tubes of metal. Nope, it just can't happen. It's impossible. 500 tons of shiny steel will never be airborne. When an aircraft moves down a runway the air pressure around the wings changes. The air moving over the rounded surface on the topside of the wing is forced to travel in a curve. As it does, its air speed increases which causes the air pressure to drop. Meanwhile, on the bottom side of the wing, the air moves in a straight line and, because it's moving slower than the air on top of the wing, the pressure is intensified. Now, here's where it really gets exciting! Any high-pressure area always moves toward a low-pressure area. Meaning, the underneath-air pushes up on the wings trying to get to the area over the wings. Therefore, the faster the 747 rolls down the runway, the greater the pressure on the bottom of the wings. And the greater the underside-pressure the more lift to the aircraft. As the jet increases its speed there's more and more pressure pushing on the bottom of the wings. And in moments, bingo! One million pounds of 747 lift off the ground.
The role of the church--God's handmade instrument to engage and change the culture--is not dissimilar to this principle of flight. Everything tells you it's impossible, there's too much opposition; the odds are against us.This Master Builder has issued an iron-clad guarantee: "The gates of Hell will not prevail against it." This is His church, and His promise is irrefutable. As a church, if we keep moving down the runway, the physics God has created will come true, and we will lift off to do great works for God, even in a pagan culture. SO, let us seek to pray for our leaders, and vote in a way that makes a difference. Let us be people of faith, and hope, and love. Let us be a people who live for God in a pagan culture! Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 12:50 PM
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