“The Restoration”

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-14

Israel had fallen to Assyria, Judah had fallen to Babylon. Their leadership had either died or was in captivity. The once fruitful land, the wealth and prestige that had been Israel, the blessings that had rested on God’s people – had all become a distant memory. And what was the cause of the people’s great loss? Divergent faith. Both nations had been led away from Jehovah’s way, and they had strayed willingly. And now they were paying the price – regardless of where their subjugation occurred – whether in Babylon, or Assyria, or even as slaves in their own homeland.

For the past 6 weeks, we have followed Israel and Judah’s failure to stay faithful to their Lord, and as the people suffered under the siege and destruction of their land, the realization of their sin must have been settling in. Can you imagine the shock when they finally understood that their defeat and humiliation was completely upon their own shoulders, and that it could all have been avoided – if they had only remained loyal to their Jehovah God?

Was this the end? Had God washed his hands of the disobedient people? Not on your life! God never gives up! As we read last week, the Lord had a plan to bring a new Shepherd into the picture – one who would truly care for, and love, the nation, unlike the self-serving attitude that the former leaders had shown. And it would be a marvelous plan. But did the people understand? Were they prepared for such a Shepherd?

Read Jeremiah 29:1-6

Until now, our examination of Jeremiah’s prophecy centered on the people of Judah who still lived in the Land promised to Abraham. The call had been to turn away from the evil that they were doing, and to return to the grace of the Lord. Now, the prophet’s words are directed to the exiles – to the people who were now experiencing the fate of those who God had allowed to go their own way. Note that this letter was sent to the “surviving elders” in captivity. The implication is that there weren’t all that many who did live to go into exile! The heart and attitude of the survivors was about as low as anything we could possibly imagine. All was lost.

But this letter wasn’t to be one of “I told you so!” – it would be one of encouragement, one of hope. The prophet tells the people that they aren’t to give up hope – that they are to live their lives as though these were the glory years. Hard to believe, isn’t it!
This was to be a time of growth and renewal for Judah - not one of despair and decline. God had ways that had only begun to work within the lives of his people, and he didn’t want them to think that this “setting aside” was his denial of them. It would be a time when the Lord would be working in mighty ways for the benefit of the people. And they were to cooperate in the Lord’s work by living the best lives that they could. Build! Plant! Marry! Have children! Increase! Be all that you can be!

God wanted them to be healthy and prepared to enjoy all that he had in store for them. Isn’t that just like him? That even after we turn against him, even while we are learning those hard lessons of faith, the Lord is always working for our good!
I know that during these past few years, many in the United Methodist Church have felt that we no longer have a divine purpose, that we are no longer in God’s view of the Church. I want each and every person to know that if he continued to work for Israel and Judah after all that they did to demean their Almighty Lord, he will also be working intently to bring about the best in our denomination. It’s just that we haven’t seen how that plan for us is going to play out yet. But with patience and trust, we will.

Read Jeremiah 29:7-10

When all else fails, pray! Well actually, pray before all else fails! Amen? And don’t forget to pray even for those who oppress you. That must have been a hard task for the people – I know that it is for me. And God doesn’t mean that we are to pray for their condemnation – we are to pray that the Lord’s goodness might be theirs - because as others grow and benefit, so will we.

Think about it. What if we began to pray that those who are involved with defiance of the Discipline and scripture might know the Lord’s prosperity and blessings? What if we strived for goodness in their lives instead of their downfall? Jeremiah told the people that if their captives prosper, they will too. This doesn’t mean that we pray that their defiance should succeed, but rather that their lives might be blessed.

And quite honestly, this shouldn’t be such a foreign concept for any of us – after all, Jesus told us that we are to pray for our enemies! (Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36) The point in Jesus’ words, and certainly in Jeremiah’s, is that we are to be different than the people of the world – that we are to think and live and love as the Lord does, and not as “they” do. As they prosper, so shall we. And if they decline, we can expect nothing less, either. Remember the old admonition “Be careful in what you pray for! You just might get it.”

A story.

A pastor went to visit a woman from his congregation who was living in a nursing home. She had terrible back pain and was constantly complaining about it. She also told the same story over and over every time he visited. So the pastor prayed for a better, more effective visit.

He walked into the nursing home and the lady was in the cafeteria. After they had talked for a while and the pastor had read the Bible with her, she asked the pastor if he would pray for her to be healed. He was reluctant to do so because he just didn't think, at this woman's age, that it was realistic. God rarely if ever does miracles anymore, he thought. But at the woman's insistence the pastor prayed for her and for healing.

Immediately, she started to try to stand, which made a staff member come running. But she stood up on her own and started to proclaim that her back pain was gone. Everyone ran to see the commotion and she even walked around her wheelchair several times. Everybody oohed and aaahed. It was a miracle!

After a few minutes, the pastor slipped past the crowd and out to his car. He sat down in the front seat and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. He began to pray. "Thank you God, for healing Mrs. Patrick."

There was a long pause. Then the pastor continued, "But don't ever do that to me again!"

He was encouraged by the miracle, but he didn't like that awkward feeling!

--Thanks to pastor Richard R. Christy of Voice of Hope Church in Wayland, Michigan, for sharing this story with us.

I like to think of this as “the Jonah complex” – he finally did as the Lord asked of him, and the Lord responded in the way he was asked, but the prophet wasn’t very happy with the results! (Jonah 3:10-4:3) And, apparently, neither was this pastor!
Rejoice in the ways of God, and be blessed that he asks us to care and love as he does!

And when the time of growing and learning is complete, the Lord will have a glorious gift ready for those who have learned. And that will never be bad! He gives Judah 70 years to learn the lessons that are most important for their lives. And the prophet cautions the nation to be leery of the false words that come from others, but you may have noticed that God doesn’t offer any words of advice on how to be able to tell the difference between his ways and those of the world! The best way, of course, is to know the Lord’s thoughts and ways first, and to let that become the basis for our understanding. And remember that it was those same old lies that got Judah into trouble in the first place!

Read Jeremiah 29:11-14

The Lord’s plans are always good, whether we see that or not. And it isn’t a matter of his plans being in response to what we are experiencing – they have been in place for us before time began! They aren’t haphazard, they aren’t minimalistic, they aren’t spur of the moment – they are intentional, they are eternal, they are grace and spirit-filled. And they are plans of prosperity and hope.

The gospels are full of this hope. In Luke 6:37-42 and Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus tells us that as we treat others, we should expect to receive the same from him. That alone should encourage us in setting out on the way toward restoration in Christ.

All too often, though, we want the glory of restoration for our own lives, but are reluctant, at best, to seek that same glory for others, and especially for those who have harmed us. Jeremiah reminds us that restoration isn’t just the resumption of goodness and peace in our own lives – it begins with our striving to gain that gift for others first. And when our focus is on loving our neighbor as we have been loved, then restoration, in the way of Almighty God, is ours. (Luke 10:25-37)

God was promising Judah that they would be renewed in him, and that goes far beyond simply knowing goodness and pleasant times. And that is what we are promised in Christ – not that life will be easy, but that it will be in Christ and his promises. And that, my friends, is the Good News.

“The Resolution”

Scripture: Jeremiah 23:1-8

Jeremiah had been called to carry the Lord’s message to the people of Israel & Judah. He was told to tell them that, first, they had been given every possible reason and opportunity to love and follow the Lord their God, but they didn’t. Second, that because of their disobedience, destruction and turmoil would soon replace the goodness that God has so graciously given them over the many years of their relationship. And third, and possibly most importantly, that when their time of chaos and separation has run its course, they would be restored to their place with the Lord and there would be blessing once again.

There was another option, of course, that would circumvent the second issue – if they repented of their sinfulness, and if they returned to the way of God, they would know his love and passion once again! But that never seemed to be acceptable for the people of Jeremiah’s day, or for that matter, for many people of this day! Many won’t believe that they are doing anything that runs counter to the way of Almighty God!

How did the people of Judah, and people throughout the ages, get in such a mess? Why did they even think that false idol worship was a good idea? Why? The Lord says that it is because of the leadership of the Hebrew nation, and for us, of the Church! First, the authorities said that there was no reason that the people shouldn’t do it, and second, they even led the people in their false worship! And that is the problem with the Church of today, and with the United Methodist Church in particular – many in leadership positions have endorsed, and in some instances, has even initiated, a break from scriptural authority and Wesleyan theology, and we may very well be headed down the same path that Judah was in.

And with that, let us turn to the word of God as delivered by the prophet Jeremiah.

Read Jeremiah 23:1-2

The “shepherds” have betrayed the “sheep”! They are supposed to lead them to good pasture, but they have introduced weeds and thistles into their diet. Shepherds are supposed to protect the sheep, but instead, they have not only exposed them to danger and death, they have become the danger that is threatening their lives. Shepherds are supposed to care about the sheep, to have their welfare at heart, but the shepherds of Israel and Judah had only their own desires at heart.

That’s the problem with leadership – it has a way of making the leader forget what their prime directive is! Elected officials in all levels of government can easily forget that they are supposed to be representing the people, and have begun to think that their only purpose is to gain more influence and power, and to do whatever is necessary to get reelected! And you might think that the church understands this, but the truth is that we are just as susceptible to change in our focus as anyone is! Church leaders, both clergy and laity, must be constantly on guard against becoming enamored with the position that they hold. James 3:1 warns us that those who teach, and presumably lead, will be judged most harshly!

But we have an example for our leadership that many in the world have overlooked. In John 13:15 Jesus tells us “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” So, what kind of leader is Jesus? What is the example that he has set before us? For him, it was never about his personal glory – he left it all behind when he came to earth. For Jesus, it wasn’t about honor and power, it wasn’t about authority – it was all about the task that he had been given, and that was to pave the way to salvation for the sinners of earth. And that meant that the sinless had to take on the sinfulness of humanity. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21) That is the example of a true “Shepherd” – to put the welfare of the sheep above that of his own.

Read Jeremiah 23:3-6

When the old leaders fail, put new ones in place. That is what our election system is supposed to do, but unfortunately, all too often, we just replace the old ones with new ones who are clones of the old. Change should never be symbolic – it should be complete. God tells the people that he is about to make the change in leadership complete by taking the responsibility for gathering the sheep together once again. When that is accomplished, he will place new, inspired, faithful leaders in authority, and they will be the faithful shepherds that are so desperately needed. And the sheep will trust them.

But as we read the descriptions of the shepherd who will take charge, we discover that it will be an exceptional leader, one who will never lose focus, one who will always do what is right, one who puts the needs of the sheep first. And, of course, this shepherd will be no other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord God has put a plan in motion that will resolve all of the nation’s problems – the fallible leaders will be set aside, and a new and trustworthy leader will be raised up in their place. The sheep will be shown that they are no longer second best – the new leader will take the lower place, and put the people in a new attitude and relationship – one that will guarantee them a new and certain hope.

Do the people deserve such a leader? Not on your life! Will the people openly accept the new leadership style and approach? Not many. Will any begin to follow the leader and learn to see the benefits of his new way? Only a few. This passage tells us that the new leader will always make the right decisions, will always do the right thing, will rule with true and complete justice, will always keep the needs of the people at the foremost of his agenda. But the people will still struggle with this new way.

The hope that this Shepherd will bring is that he will never go back on the covenantal relationship that is the basis for his leadership. Not when the people demean him. Not when the people desert him. Not when they turn a stiff neck toward him. Not when they deny their part of the covenantal responsibility to “be his people”. Not when they try to change the new way into their own way. The Lord will always “be their God”, regardless.

When the time of separation is over, and the nation will be gathered together once again - it will herald the beginning of this new way. And even though the leadership will be perfect, the sheep will still wander off the perfect way, but that will no longer be a reason for their condemnation. The Shepherd will always be there to lead them back, and will never deny them his best.

Read Jeremiah 23:7-8

Israel had always seen their rescue from Egypt as the defining moment in their lives. But the Lord, through the prophet, tells them that the Exodus will no longer be the sign of the covenant that had been their hope. The new sign will become their release from banishment, their release from condemnation, their release from leadership that uses them, their release from failure. That sign, while it isn’t specifically mentioned here, will be the Cross of Calvary.

Of course, that final day is still quite a distance away! Israel had asked for a king like all the other nations had (1 Samuel 8:19-22), and that is exactly what they got and will continue to get. In 1 Samuel 8:10-18, we can read of the warning that Samuel gave to the people regarding the folly of their request, with practically every sentence beginning with “He will take …”! And the leaders of today, with very few exceptions, fall quite nicely into those very same immoral and self-serving characteristics that were revealed 3,000 years ago.

The Righteous Leader that Jeremiah introduces has come, and has set his ways before us. He has called us to not only follow him, but to accept the example that he has offered for our own lives. The solution to the problem of sin is in place and is working, but there is still one problem that hasn’t been overcome yet. We still have to choose to accept the example of Jesus Christ, we still have to let the Spirit of God work within our lives. The end of separation for Judah, the gathering of the tribes from the far reaches of the empires has not been the solution! The Law is no longer the solution for sinful folly. God in Christ has become the solution, and we have to accept his call to faith in him for it to become truly our own.

The problem of inadequate leadership has been cared for, but the human experience still cries out for leaders just like everyone else has, and we still get them. Leaders and people alike have been given the perfect example for our focus and dedication in life, and as imperfect as our following may be, the Example himself is always available to teach us and encourage us and reveal the inadequacy of our decisions, if we will but listen.

Israel and Judah had to go through some severe and trying times before the Solution could be given to them, and they still missed him. The Lord will help to place each step that we take in faith if we will just take that first risky step of surrender! The Lord will guide our hands and hearts, if we will surrender our own bent to lead. And his example will be the greatest benefit to our lives, if we will commit to learning from it.

The lesson that we all need to learn is this – we never can, but God always will – IF we let him. Praise the Lord that he is not only able and willing, but he is available whenever we say “Yes!” to him. Say Yes to Jesus today!

“Hope Denied”

Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1-12

Israel had broken the covenant that had stood in place for hundreds of years. It had been God’s gift to Abraham and all who would claim to be his descendants. It was the Lord’s offer of an incredible relationship. It was his promise of hope for eternity. It was a loving embrace unlike anything that the people would ever experience from anyone else. But Israel had turned it down in favor of an imagined, but non-existent, substitute. And they would have cried out “What has happened to us? What have we done to anger our God?”

Prophet after prophet had been sent to them to answer that very question, and still they didn’t listen!

Someone once asked a rabbi if it’s necessary to follow all the traditions of Judaism in order to affirm the Jewish faith. The rabbi took a glass of water and poured part of it out on the ground. “The water in the glass and the water on the ground,” he explained, “are identical. But for me to drink the water, I need to have it in the glass.”
- From Homiletics Online

Israel had begun to create their own traditions, and to follow their own example - they had, if you will, given up drinking out of the glass that the Lord had given them, and were attempting to lick the spilled water off of the filthy earth.

And with this thought in mind, let’s turn to the word that God has given us through the prophet Jeremiah.

Read Jeremiah 18:1-4

My cousin’s husband is a potter (The House of the Potter). He’s creative and innovative, and while much of his work is conventionally beautiful, such as my communion chalice and paten, some of his pieces are very unique and, quite honesty, some are even strange. One of the pieces that we bought many years ago is a pitcher that has “Bill Kirner” written all over it. I can almost imagine his playful attitude as he framed its character and shape, with the oddest face you have ever seen at the top, and with hands and arms on either side, both of which, incidentally, are left hands! As soon as I saw it, I knew that it was supposed to sit on our kitchen counter, and it is a constant reminder of what a potter’s heart and mind are all about.
It’s about the expected, as well as the unexpected.

The potter that Jeremiah was to visit was both skilled and observant – he knew what he wanted the pot to look like, and his pot had, somehow, taken on an appearance that was not to his liking. Something had marred it during its development, and even though it was probably functional and could have held water, it was no longer acceptable to him. Notice that the potter has the final, and only, say in the matter. The created object is given no opportunity for input into what its form or purpose may be.

Israel and Judah had decided that they would take over the responsibility of faith determination and governance. They would worship who and what and how they wanted, and the ways of their Jehovah God were set aside. The “pot” had decided that they knew far better than their “Potter”, and had refused to let the Lord rule in their lives.

Some things never change. The pots of today are still trying to act the part of the potter, when they have neither the right nor the ability to make their lives what they think they should be. Everything from ministry to family structure to personal life styles are up for grabs by the very people who should be rejoicing over the plan that God has laid out for them, instead of trying to be both creator and created. Our blemishes, our marrings, are not beautiful, regardless of what we may think. And our only hope is to let the Divine Potter correct the mistakes that we have introduced into our lives.

Read Jeremiah 18:5-10

God is relating the ability and responsibility of the potter to correct mistakes in his works, to the righteous correction that God wishes to make in our lives. A misshapen ceramic pot is no less imperfect than a misshapen life is, and the Lord wants us to know that he is the only one who can remove the imperfections from our being. And with that, God shifts the analogy of the pot and potter, to the true purpose behind the comparison. He is telling Judah and Israel that the time for allowing them to make their own errant decisions is nearly at an end – that he is about to take back his right, and obligation, to take corrective action on their sinfulness. Remember that the covenant stated that “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” (Leviticus 26:9-12) The people had only broken the last part – the first was still intact!

If the people will repent of their wayward lives, the Lord will gently remove their sins and will restore them to the covenant that continues to demand their loyalty. But if they refuse to change, then the change that will be inflicted upon them will be a bit more drastic.
When we reflect on the call that was placed on Jeremiah’s life in chapter 1:9-10, we see that this is exactly the responsibility that Jeremiah had been given at the start.

This means that, while the prophet won’t be the one who does the overthrowing and destroying, he is the one who will carry the Lord’s warning that this is exactly what is about to happen. But note that there is also a word of hope that will be included. Not only will there be a tearing down of the imperfect, but there will also be a rebuilding with the righteous. That is what correction is all about. The mistakes aren’t just discarded – that would create an even greater ugliness. They are replaced with the better.

Read Jeremiah 18:11-12

So from the analogy of a potter, to the call on Jeremiah to proclaim a coming correction, to this specific message for the people of Judah and Jerusalem, The Lord tells the people in no uncertain words, that there are only two options available for them – either they take the initiative to return to the covenant of God, that they start acting like his people once again, or the Lord will take the responsibility of making the changes for them.

The Lord has given the people every opportunity to return to his way, and every time, they have refused. So please understand that the correction isn’t the act of a condemning and destructive God, as some people may think. It is the work of a loving and compassionate God. The Lord wants only the best for his creation, but when the creation is “hell-bent” to destroy themselves, the loving Lord will stop them one way or another.

I may have told this story before, but it is worth retelling today. When I was either in my pre-teen or early teen years, I loved to climb trees – and we had a beautiful climbing tree in our side yard that had to have been nearly 40 feet high. One day, I climbed up until I was nearly at the top of that tree, and what a view I had. I was higher than the roof on our two story house, and could see houses and landscapes that were blocked from view at ground level. While I was enjoying my accomplishment, my Mom came around the house, calling my name. But did I answer? Not on your life! I was in charge of my climb – not her! She soon went into the house, and within a few minutes, as you might have guessed, the sky began to turn black. Very quickly, rain began pouring down, and the lightning began to flash, and if you have never ever tried to descend a soaking wet tree quickly, I want to tell you that it was a scary experience.
I finally managed to get to the ground safely, and headed to the kitchen door. As I entered the house, Mom was waiting for me, and asked, in a rather abrupt voice “Where have you been? Didn’t you hear me calling you?” And in my best “drowned rat” voice, I said “You don’t even care.”
Well, of course she cared – that’s why she was outside looking for me. She had heard a weather warning on the radio, and wanted to bring me inside to be safe. But in my self-centeredness, I decided that I was going to ignore her, and just do things my own way, which, as it turned out, was the most foolish thing I ever did – although, come to think about it, there may have been a few more “most foolish things” over the years that I don’t remember!

I did get a hug, though, and was told to go upstairs and put on some dry clothes. When I got back to the kitchen, I got another hug, along with the words “Next time I call you, please answer me!”

Can you hear the Lord saying those exact words to Judah? Can you hear him saying those same words to you? “Please - listen to me, and answer me when I call!” At first glance, it may seem as though God is trying to spoil our fun and personal initiative, but the truth is that he is just warning us of the impending disaster that awaits us if we continue on the journey that we have set in motion. Tall, wet trees are excellent lightning rods, and I could easily have been part of that conductive circuit if I hadn’t decided to climb down when I did. Judah had the same opportunity to leave their old, destructive ways, but they weren’t about to leave the path that they had created, and very soon, they would suffer the consequences.

We also have the option of leaving the sinful ways that can only lead to destruction. The Lord has used Jeremiah to bring the same message to us, if we will only listen! But will we? Have we learned anything from the story of Israel and Judah? Are we bent on throwing away the Lord’s last offer of hope? We all must choose well!