What’s Keeping Us From Loving The City?

You can live for God in a city that has turned against Him. “These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem.” — Jeremiah 29:1–2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” — Jeremiah 29:4-7 God simply wants His children to love and obey Him. What’s Keeping Us From Loving The City? 1. We don’t have a God-sized vision. “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.” — Jeremiah 29:5-6 “No doubt when the captives discussed their sojourn in Babylon they used words like “abandoned” or “banished” or “condemned” to describe what God has done to them. But that is not how God saw things. He viewed the Exile as a mission. Literally, what he said was, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have sent you.” Nebuchadnezzar did not take them to Babylon. God sent them there. The exiles were not captives – they were missionaries.” — Philip Ryken A God-sized vision loves those who are far from God. “For God so loved the world he sent his only Son…” — John 3:16 This is our Divine Assignment: To love the city that God loves and to live on mission where God has planted us. 2. We don’t have an accurate understanding of the gospel. The gospel is not about what we get (from the city), but what we give (to the city). “God does not tell his people to seek peace in the city; he tells them to seek the peace of the city.” — Philip Ryken The gospel does not move away from people, it moves towards the people.