“God has purposes in mind that go beyond what we see.”
Sermon Title: A FUTURE AND A HOPE
Scripture Text: JEREMIAH 29:11
Sermon Notes:
JEREMIAH 29:11-14 NIV
11 “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 hope and a future.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Have you ever been put in a situation you didn’t want to be?
Have you ever been caught in a life situation that you don’t like?
What do you do when God’s plan does not match your plans?
JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV
11 “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 hope and a future.
“God’s plans for you are always better than any plans that you have for yourself.”
I. YOU ARE WHERE GOD WANTS YOU TO BE.
PSALMS 137:1-4 NIV
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
PSALMS 137:1-4 NIV
4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?
“The most painful wounds are those that are self-inflicted.”
JEREMIAH 29:4 NIV
4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
The Jews were in Babylon because that’s where they needed to be.
JEREMIAH 24:6-7 NIV
6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, 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.
7 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.
PROVERBS 16:9 NIV
9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
REFLECT.
Do you see the hand of God in your life today?
II. YOU ARE CALLED TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SITUATION.
JEREMIAH 24:5-7 NIV
5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.
7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
“Be the best where you are.”
REFLECT.
Do you believe God can provide you what you need right now so you can serve him right where you are?
Two statements to consider:
1. If I am in Jerusalem, I will serve God in Jerusalem.
2. If I am in Babylon, I will serve God in Babylon.
III. GOD’S PLAN IS ALWAYS THE BEST PLAN.
JEREMIAH 29:10 NIV
10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.
“God has purposes in mind that go beyond what we see.”
“The universe exists so that we may live in a way that demonstrates that Jesus is more precious than life.” — John Piper
JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV
11 “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 hope and a future.
Two observations:
1. GOD THINKS ABOUT US.
2. GOD’S THOUGHTS FOR US ARE GOOD.
JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV
11 “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 hope and a future.
“I can’t read. I can’t think. I can’t pray. But I can trust.” — J. Hudson Taylor