January 22, 2023 - Finding Hope when We feel Confused and Forsaken - Pastor Paul Vallee

Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah Series Interestingly, we have finally arrived at one of the most popular biblical texts in our contemporary society. But we may not realize the context in which Jeremiah 29:11 is situated. For those who may not know the text: "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 a hope and a future." What an amazing word of hope and encouragement to a group of people who interpreted their lives as being difficult and unexplainable. They certainly felt confused and forsaken. How were they to move forward now that they were captives and living in exile far from their homeland? Hope is a critical component in life. Without it, the will to move forward disappears. Others try to secure hope in the wrong places and what they end up with is either false hope or no hope at all, and they wallow in despair. In our text today, we see the process of God’s discipline and how this was about to bring a change of thinking. Now, as they lived in a foreign culture, how were the Jewish exiles to move forward? Were they to resist the Babylonians? Should they join in the resistance movements that other people groups who had also been conquered and exiled were engaged in? Having just addressed the false hopes in Jerusalem regarding their continued rebellion against the Babylonians, Jeremiah turns his attention to the captives and exiles in Babylon. Reports are travelling between Jerusalem and Babylon. Jeremiah has a word from God to pass on to the exiles and gives it to some envoys travelling between the cities. We are about to explore God’s message to the Jewish exiles. What is striking about the message is its relevance to us today. We know what it is like to live in our fallen world. In one sense, God designed us to live with Him forever in a society without sin and its destructive consequences. So how are we to live in this ‘earthly exile’ when ultimately, we were designed to live with God forever? How should we live while passing through this old world below? How do we respond, or even more importantly, move forward when our personal worlds come crashing upon us? We may quickly question where God is in those moments. Jeremiah addressed the issue of hope, those who had lost it, and those who were resting in false hope because they believed in lies. Where do we find hope and a future in exile? We can learn three things from Jeremiah’s message of how to live in exile or while waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Or let me frame it another way. How should we live in our ‘Babylon’ while waiting for Jesus to bring us home to Him?