Jeremiah 33:1-5

This week has been one of watching the rubble that was More Ok. On TV. Heroic stories of people holding their child by their hair to save them and teachers putting their arms around frightened children, even a woman in the OR of the hospital who opened her eyes to see the side of the building gone. If you could put yourself in their place you would have some idea of where Jeremiah finds himself. His prophesies of destruction have come true. The people are angry with God so they lash out at Jeremiah and his warnings. Soon he will be in prison, his words burned, then tossed down a dry well.

1. Where Jeremiah is at.
            a. Jeremiah personally, house arrest, words rejected, prison, Cistern
            b. Jerusalem in ruins, starvation, destruction, siege works and swords
            c. Our life, people around us, our nation
            D. The rubble of life and spiritual starvation

2. The word God gives.
            a. “I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know
            b.  Vs 6
            C. It sounds to fantastic, unrealistic, how can God ever break through this?
            d. Yet God will bring His blessing, the people return, and vs 15 Jesus comes

3. The coming blessing
            a. Memorial Day
            b. our own broken Jerusalem
                        friendships, marriages, finical, jobs, health
            c. God’s promise of blessing
                        it seems great, unsearchable, unknowable, unrealistic, fantastic, impossible.
                        Yet it will come to be
                        Live to bring faith and hope to those who will follow us
                        Live through the troubles of today because God’s blessing will come

The great, unsearchable, and unknowable blessing of God is coming, and we live for it.

Jeremiah 24:1-10

Jeremiah 24:1-10

We were sitting with friends the other day one of them said that while many churches have been preaching good times for believers, her experience is that the most Godly people she knows have gone through times of injustice, and suffering. This is the experience of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah has been the prophet of Judah who proclaims the occupation, destruction and exile of the people of Judah. Jeremiah wanted better for his people, to be a prophet who wins the people back to God. The first exile takes place. All the best and godly are taken to Babylon.  Soon the evil people left in Judah will suffer one of the worst siege attacks of Israel’s history. To understand this Jeremiah is given a vision of two baskets of figs.

 

1. Past

            a. righteous to exile but protected

            b. the evil to destruction

            c. restoration

 

2. End times

            a. the righteous are taken, Matthew 24:40-44

                        a. taken through rapture or sword

            b. evil go through tribulation

            c. restoration rev 21:1

 

3. our lives today

            a. times of trouble

                        a. Jesus predicted it. john 16:13

                        b. Paul wrote of it. 2 Cor 4:6-18

 

Conclusion: Where do you find yourself today? Being blessed, being stressed, in exile? Know that where ever you are in this moment, God is watching over and protecting you. What times lie ahead we do not know. What we do know is that we have not been abandoned, and a time of restoration is coming, for those who put their trust in God.