United In Christ · Growing In Grace · Reaching Out In Love

Sunday Morning Sermon Summary 

Pastor Paul Lundberg

Plea Bargains (a study in Jeremiah)

(Part Six)  “Blessed are the Persecuted”

Jeremiah 24:1-10
Sunday, October 12, 2008

►The more things change, the more they stay the same. Message of Jeremiah is relevant     

► “Nothing will change until we change what we care about” (12-Step goal; “You gotta want it!”

► Last week:  What we can’t change, we can exchange (God will exchange)

ME      Similarity between the experience of being conquered and hauled off in exile and what we’re experiencing now

WE      Imagine what these people felt like, Economic crisis, moral mess, fear and hopelessness

GOD  (Transition: As we read of their experience, think of ours right now, maybe even a more personal experience you may be going through)

►SETTNG: Jeremiah 24:1-10 After Jehoiachin a son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the craftsmen and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,

TIME OUT!: 2 Kings 24:3-4 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord's command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive. How close to that are we?

►PICTURE the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

Then the Lord asked me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?"

"Figs," I answered. "The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten."

►EXPLANATION

            'Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.

►        “But like the poor figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,' says the Lord, 'so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem,

►whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.  I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers.'"

1.    ►RUN SCARED Take off for Egypt (safety) – Afraid, no faith in God,

2.    ►Make a deal with the enemy and stay home

3.    ►Go where God sends me (obedience) Experience God’s faithfulness

►PROMISE: God takes full responsibility for the life that’s fully devoted to Him (quoted from Andy Stanley. Communicating for a Change)

Characteristics of a fully devoted life RECEIVER/REMNANT

1.     ►a “righteous remnant” I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away       EXPLAIN THE PATCH (REMNANT)

2.    ►assured of God’s care regardless of circumstances

        My eyes will watch over them for their good,

3.    ►Occupy the place where faith intersects with God’s faithfulness

        and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant

            them and not uproot them

  A.   ►It’s at the intersection where I can see God at work

           (Run and miss it, “what can man do to me?”)

           (Make a deal: “A person who stands for nothing will fall for anything”)

                         (The center of God’s activity can be a dangerous place)

  B. ►When God works, my faith gets stronger

 ►PROMISE: God takes full responsibility for the life that’s fully devoted to Him

MORGAN’S STORY: didn’t get in the door, people came later to relate received JC,

                        Not going to be attending this church but a church down the street

YOU   God takes full responsibility for the life that’s fully devoted to Him

                        The church has enough “hearers”

The church needs more “doers” – tried in the fire, refined and precious; people who

            know God and recognize when He’s at work!

            The exile included Daniel, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Nehemiah, Ezra, Isaiah… IN EXILE THEY BECAME INVALUABLE TO THE BABYLONIANS

WE      My struggle is to forget about how well I did on Sunday and be more concerned with what we all are doing on Monday.  What’s your struggle?

READ COLSON PIECE

►THE ULTIMATE GIFT:  "I will give them a heart to know ME, that I am the Lord.  They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

       not merely to know that I am but to have a personal knowledge of (relationship with) Me.

      The world, especially now, needs “exiles” who truly know Jehovah Jireh (provider)

      Pray that God will give you/us a heart to know Him?

      “Offer myself to God, to be fully used by Him!” (COLSON)

            Determine to live in VISIBLE faith ” While many are walking around wringing their hands, (we should be) living with unimaginable faith, confidence, and joy”  (Colson)

Legend:

Green: Mission and Vision
Blue: Illustrations and quotes
Red: Scripture

Note to the visitor:  These are Pastor Paul’s sermon notes from Sunday Morning.  They probably won’t make much sense if you weren’t in the service.  Feel free to contact Pastor Paul if you’d like more detailed information.
For past sermons, please visit the Sermon Archive. 

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