WEBVTT 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:06.820 Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of 00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:09.580 Trinity Sermons. This week, we are continuing 00:00:09.580 --> 00:00:12.439 our sermon series, The Bible Doesn't Say That, 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:14.599 where we look at some different phrases that 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:17.579 sound really spiritual, but aren't actually biblical. 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:21.160 Today, we're looking at this phrase, God has 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:24.320 a wonderful plan for your life. And while it 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:27.039 is true that God does have a plan for your life, 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:29.500 and that that plan is good, that doesn't mean 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:32.609 that it always feels good. So Rob is going to 00:00:32.609 --> 00:00:35.850 unpack for us Jeremiah 29, 11. I know the plans 00:00:35.850 --> 00:00:38.350 that I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans 00:00:38.350 --> 00:00:40.929 to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to 00:00:40.929 --> 00:00:43.810 give you a hope and a future. And we're going 00:00:43.810 --> 00:00:45.609 to talk about what does that really mean for 00:00:45.609 --> 00:00:52.090 God to have plans for our hope and future. Today's 00:00:52.090 --> 00:00:55.810 reading is taken from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 00:00:55.810 --> 00:01:02.759 29, verses 1, 4 to 14. This is the text of the 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:05.859 letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem 00:01:05.859 --> 00:01:10.459 to the surviving elders among the exiles and 00:01:10.459 --> 00:01:13.840 to the priests and the prophets and all the other 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:16.799 people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:22.879 from Jerusalem to Babylon. This is what the Lord 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:26.900 Almighty, the God of Israel, says to those I 00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:33.489 carried from... Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses 00:01:33.489 --> 00:01:38.590 and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they 00:01:38.590 --> 00:01:43.390 produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find 00:01:43.390 --> 00:01:46.549 wives for your sons and give your daughters in 00:01:46.549 --> 00:01:50.510 marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters. 00:01:51.909 --> 00:01:57.370 Increase in number there. Do not decrease. Also, 00:01:58.430 --> 00:02:01.689 prosperity and the peace of the city to which 00:02:01.689 --> 00:02:05.810 I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord 00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:10.150 for it, because if it prospers, you too will 00:02:10.150 --> 00:02:14.610 prosper. This is what the Lord Almighty, the 00:02:14.610 --> 00:02:18.530 God of Israel, says. Do not let the prophets 00:02:18.530 --> 00:02:23.629 and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen 00:02:23.629 --> 00:02:27.849 to the dreams you encourage them to have. They 00:02:27.849 --> 00:02:32.349 are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have 00:02:32.349 --> 00:02:37.409 not sent them, declares the Lord. This is what 00:02:37.409 --> 00:02:41.729 the Lord says. When 70 years are completed for 00:02:41.729 --> 00:02:45.870 Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good 00:02:45.870 --> 00:02:49.909 promise to bring you back to this place. For 00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:53.270 I know the plans I have for you, declares the 00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:57.650 Lord. plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 00:02:57.789 --> 00:03:02.490 plans to give you hope and a future. Then you 00:03:02.490 --> 00:03:07.810 will call on me and come and pray to me, and 00:03:07.810 --> 00:03:13.169 I will listen to you. You will seek me and find 00:03:13.169 --> 00:03:18.310 me when you seek me with all your heart. I will 00:03:18.310 --> 00:03:21.930 be found by you, declares the Lord. and will 00:03:21.930 --> 00:03:25.750 bring you back from captivity. I will gather 00:03:25.750 --> 00:03:30.009 you from all the nations and places where I have 00:03:30.009 --> 00:03:34.169 banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring 00:03:34.169 --> 00:03:37.409 you back to the place from which I carried you 00:03:37.409 --> 00:03:42.780 into exile. The word of the Lord. Today, we are 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:45.319 going to be looking at one of your favorite verses. 00:03:45.860 --> 00:03:48.319 It's a verse that you know, and it's a verse 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:50.620 that many of you have quoted from time to time. 00:03:50.699 --> 00:03:52.659 And even if you're actually not a Christian, 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:54.500 you wouldn't call yourself a Christian, chances 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:58.060 are you've seen this verse somewhere on a t -shirt, 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:01.020 on a piece of artwork, or something like that. 00:04:01.340 --> 00:04:03.520 What I want to do, though, is I want to start 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:05.900 by telling you about the first time I came face 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:08.520 -to -face with this particular verse. I was a 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:10.580 student in university, first year, heading to 00:04:10.580 --> 00:04:12.439 physics college. class, and there was someone 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:14.000 who said, hey, come over here. I want to talk 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.060 to you. It seemed like a friendly fellow, so 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:19.259 I went over to chat with him, and I thought it 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:21.560 was just an innocent conversation, but then he 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:24.139 pulled out one of these little booklets, and 00:04:24.139 --> 00:04:26.779 the booklet says, you know, it's called The Four 00:04:26.779 --> 00:04:30.660 Spiritual Laws, and so as it turns out, this 00:04:30.660 --> 00:04:33.779 guy, a great guy, but he was part of a Christian 00:04:33.779 --> 00:04:37.180 group on campus, and what this Christian group 00:04:37.180 --> 00:04:38.839 did, among other things, is they went around 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.790 to people, and they talked to them about Jesus 00:04:41.790 --> 00:04:44.189 and tried to get them to follow Jesus by taking 00:04:44.189 --> 00:04:45.689 them through their little booklet, which was 00:04:45.689 --> 00:04:49.870 called The Four Spiritual Laws. And so I decided, 00:04:50.089 --> 00:04:53.810 okay, you know, sure, why not? I'm happy to hear 00:04:53.810 --> 00:04:56.329 what the four spiritual laws are. And he opened 00:04:56.329 --> 00:05:00.089 it up and the very first spiritual law says that 00:05:00.089 --> 00:05:04.769 God loves you. and has a wonderful plan for your 00:05:04.769 --> 00:05:08.870 life. And I thought, well, that sounds really, 00:05:08.910 --> 00:05:11.449 really good. And he talked about how God had 00:05:11.449 --> 00:05:15.170 plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans 00:05:15.170 --> 00:05:17.930 to give me a hope and to give me a future. It 00:05:17.930 --> 00:05:21.189 sounded fantastic. I loved law number one. Then 00:05:21.189 --> 00:05:22.970 he did go through and tell me what law number 00:05:22.970 --> 00:05:25.889 two was about, how my sin separated me from God. 00:05:26.050 --> 00:05:28.870 Law number three was how Jesus bridged that divide 00:05:28.870 --> 00:05:31.199 between me and God. And law number four, how 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:33.800 I could begin a relationship with Jesus right 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:36.800 then and there. Great. But it was really law 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:40.420 number one that caught my attention. God has 00:05:40.420 --> 00:05:46.290 a wonderful plan for my life. And he even quoted 00:05:46.290 --> 00:05:48.870 a very famous scripture verse. This is your favorite 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:52.230 scripture verse too, which is Jeremiah 29, 11. 00:05:52.470 --> 00:05:55.029 For I know the plans I have for you, declares 00:05:55.029 --> 00:05:58.290 the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm 00:05:58.290 --> 00:06:03.769 you. Plans to give you hope and a future, right? 00:06:03.870 --> 00:06:07.329 Now this verse has actually been nicknamed America's 00:06:07.329 --> 00:06:09.689 favorite Bible verse. But I say even here north 00:06:09.689 --> 00:06:14.790 of the border, we love this verse. Chances are 00:06:14.790 --> 00:06:18.470 you guys have a bookmark somewhere. It's a laminated 00:06:18.470 --> 00:06:22.009 bookmark with an eagle soaring. And you got it 00:06:22.009 --> 00:06:23.870 at a Christian bookstore sometime back in like 00:06:23.870 --> 00:06:27.689 1997. And on that verse, on that bookmark, it 00:06:27.689 --> 00:06:31.230 says Jeremiah 29, 11. And you love that bookmark. 00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:33.910 That bookmark is in your favorite Bible because 00:06:33.910 --> 00:06:38.490 you love that verse. Or perhaps you've got that 00:06:38.490 --> 00:06:41.709 coffee mug, right? And every morning as you pour 00:06:41.709 --> 00:06:45.790 that blessed brew into your coffee, you say, 00:06:45.850 --> 00:06:50.170 the Lord has plans to prosper me today and caffeinate 00:06:50.170 --> 00:06:53.449 me today. And you love that coffee mug. The coffee 00:06:53.449 --> 00:06:55.829 tastes better because it's in that mug. It's 00:06:55.829 --> 00:06:59.930 your favorite verse. Or maybe, I think probably 00:06:59.930 --> 00:07:02.850 every single graduation card that you get these 00:07:02.850 --> 00:07:07.290 days has this verse on it. And for good reason. 00:07:07.329 --> 00:07:10.029 It's very encouraging for the new grad to know 00:07:10.029 --> 00:07:13.149 that once they graduate, there is a future for 00:07:13.149 --> 00:07:14.910 them. There is a purpose for them. There may 00:07:14.910 --> 00:07:17.949 even be a job for them. It's a very encouraging 00:07:17.949 --> 00:07:21.790 graduation card. Some of you have a fridge magnet 00:07:21.790 --> 00:07:24.189 that has this verse on it. Every time you raid 00:07:24.189 --> 00:07:26.110 the fridge for a midnight snack, you remember 00:07:26.110 --> 00:07:31.629 Jeremiah 2911. It's on Facebook banners. This 00:07:31.629 --> 00:07:36.470 is on Instagram posts. on social media. It's 00:07:36.470 --> 00:07:40.050 on home decor. It's even on tattoos. People love 00:07:40.050 --> 00:07:44.110 this verse. And I will bet good money. I'll bet 00:07:44.110 --> 00:07:47.910 good money that someone here has a little cushion 00:07:47.910 --> 00:07:50.490 at home that your grandma cross -stitched for 00:07:50.490 --> 00:07:55.290 you. And on that cushion is is cross -stitch 00:07:55.290 --> 00:07:59.490 Jeremiah 29 11, because Jeremiah 29 11 is the 00:07:59.490 --> 00:08:04.189 most grandma -approved scripture verse in all 00:08:04.189 --> 00:08:08.769 of the Bible. This was the promise that I was 00:08:08.769 --> 00:08:12.290 told about that day on campus. God has a wonderful 00:08:12.290 --> 00:08:17.910 plan for my life. But does the Bible really say 00:08:17.910 --> 00:08:22.329 that? And does that verse, Jeremiah 29, 11, really 00:08:22.329 --> 00:08:25.769 mean that? Will God really give us a life of 00:08:25.769 --> 00:08:29.290 ease and success as it suggests? Will everything 00:08:29.290 --> 00:08:31.550 go smoothly? Will my bank accounts always be 00:08:31.550 --> 00:08:34.129 full? My relationships always be harmonious? 00:08:34.210 --> 00:08:37.389 And if I do go through any trouble, I know that 00:08:37.389 --> 00:08:39.690 it will be temporary and God will sort it out 00:08:39.690 --> 00:08:43.769 really, really quickly. Is that the kind of wonderful 00:08:43.769 --> 00:08:49.049 life that this verse talks about? Or maybe did 00:08:49.049 --> 00:08:52.909 grandma have no idea what she was doing when 00:08:52.909 --> 00:08:56.809 she stitched Jeremiah 29 onto that little pillow 00:08:56.809 --> 00:09:00.629 for you? So you might hate me today and think 00:09:00.629 --> 00:09:02.870 this is totally sacrilegious, but we are going 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:06.649 to dissect your favorite verse. and see what 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:08.429 it really says. And don't worry, in the end, 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:10.649 it's going to be wonderful. But before we begin, 00:09:10.850 --> 00:09:13.970 let's just do a little refresher course on how 00:09:13.970 --> 00:09:16.450 we're supposed to read any Bible verse, actually, 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:19.450 that we come across, even if it's from an Old 00:09:19.450 --> 00:09:21.690 Testament book like the book of Jeremiah. By 00:09:21.690 --> 00:09:23.929 the way, there's little notes, as always, that 00:09:23.929 --> 00:09:25.549 we've given you, and I would encourage you to 00:09:25.549 --> 00:09:27.970 follow along to get the most out of this. But 00:09:27.970 --> 00:09:30.509 whenever we read a Bible verse, the first thing 00:09:30.509 --> 00:09:34.029 that we should ask is we have to look at the 00:09:34.029 --> 00:09:37.980 context. Who wrote it? Who were they writing 00:09:37.980 --> 00:09:40.659 to? When were they writing? What was happening 00:09:40.659 --> 00:09:44.840 at the time? What comes before that verse? What 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:49.120 comes after that verse? Scripture verse lives 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:52.860 in isolation. Context is really important. Secondly, 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:56.179 if you come and you hit a snag about how to interpret 00:09:56.179 --> 00:09:58.899 a verse in the Bible, then one of the rules is 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.919 you interpret Scripture with Scripture. Which 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:03.919 means the best way to understand the Bible is 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:07.259 to let the Bible tell you how to understand it. 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:09.679 Look through the rest of the Bible for other 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:12.899 Scriptures on that same theme. The Bible can 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:17.019 explain itself, in other words. Thirdly, read 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:20.659 whatever you're reading through the lens and 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:23.259 through the story of Jesus. Because, and here's 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:26.659 why. Because as Paul says in 2 Corinthians, he 00:10:26.659 --> 00:10:31.259 says, all the promises of God find their yes 00:10:31.259 --> 00:10:36.259 in Jesus Christ. So that means that Jesus is 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:38.700 really where the whole Bible is pointing toward 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:41.299 him, and therefore we have to read the Bible 00:10:41.299 --> 00:10:45.620 in light of the great event. of Jesus Christ. 00:10:45.860 --> 00:10:48.759 And then fourthly, and finally, we're going to 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:51.840 apply what we've read to our lives. The Bible 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:55.720 is not a textbook, right? The Bible is a It's 00:10:55.720 --> 00:11:00.039 a book that we are meant to live out. And only 00:11:00.039 --> 00:11:02.460 once, though, we've understood the context and 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:04.740 interpreted it properly and filtered it through 00:11:04.740 --> 00:11:07.279 Jesus, only then can we actually know what it 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:10.159 meant and then know what it means and then know 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:12.860 what it means to live it out. So those are just 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:15.480 some of the tools that we can use to read a verse 00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:18.200 like Jeremiah 29 .11. And when we do read Jeremiah 00:11:18.200 --> 00:11:21.580 29 .11 with some of those tools, what do we discover? 00:11:21.820 --> 00:11:24.480 Well, one of the first things we have to ask 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:29.200 is, Who is the you? Who is the you in, for I 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:33.919 know the plans I have for you? Now, most of us 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:37.480 instinctively assume the you is me, right? God 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:40.179 has plans for me. God wants to prosper me. God 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:42.159 does not want to harm me. He has a future for 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:46.120 me. He has a hope for me. But it's important 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:51.620 to note this, that the Hebrew word you here is 00:11:51.620 --> 00:11:55.370 plural. So in English, what it actually reads 00:11:55.370 --> 00:11:57.850 is, I know the plans I have for all you guys. 00:11:58.710 --> 00:12:02.389 Which means that this verse is actually a communal 00:12:02.389 --> 00:12:07.470 promise to a group of people. It is not an individual 00:12:07.470 --> 00:12:12.549 life verse. It is not a private word from God 00:12:12.549 --> 00:12:16.950 to the young adult looking for a job. That's 00:12:16.950 --> 00:12:21.279 not who the you is. Who is the you? Well, we 00:12:21.279 --> 00:12:24.700 go back a few verses to Jeremiah 29 .1, and it 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.440 tells us who the you is. This is the text of 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:29.980 a letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:34.730 Jerusalem to you? No. To the surviving elders 00:12:34.730 --> 00:12:38.429 among the exiles. That's who. Oh, right, right. 00:12:38.570 --> 00:12:41.370 To the priests and the prophets and all the people 00:12:41.370 --> 00:12:44.970 that Nebuchadnezzar carried away into exile from 00:12:44.970 --> 00:12:49.950 Jerusalem to Babylon. Okay, that's the you. This 00:12:49.950 --> 00:12:54.330 is a letter written to the people of Judah who 00:12:54.330 --> 00:12:57.950 2 ,600 years ago were taken from their homeland 00:12:57.950 --> 00:13:01.990 and forced. To live in Babylon under the thumb 00:13:01.990 --> 00:13:05.370 of King Nebuchadnezzar. If you want even more 00:13:05.370 --> 00:13:07.870 context, remember context is important. Jeremiah 00:13:07.870 --> 00:13:10.610 tells us the reason God allowed them to be taken 00:13:10.610 --> 00:13:14.330 off into exile was because of their idolatry, 00:13:14.389 --> 00:13:18.269 their injustice, their hypocrisy, the way they 00:13:18.269 --> 00:13:21.370 oppressed people. And now they're in crisis. 00:13:22.029 --> 00:13:25.269 And now they want to go home. And now they want 00:13:25.269 --> 00:13:29.269 to be rescued, okay? But just to be clear, let 00:13:29.269 --> 00:13:33.389 me say it again. Your favorite verse was not 00:13:33.389 --> 00:13:37.529 a private note of encouragement to a new grad. 00:13:38.149 --> 00:13:43.970 It is a public letter to a nation who is in crisis. 00:13:44.570 --> 00:13:48.490 Now, I confess that when I first read that verse 00:13:48.490 --> 00:13:52.710 on campus, I thought, oh, the U is me. Right? 00:13:52.750 --> 00:13:56.049 Because I want to be the main character of the 00:13:56.049 --> 00:13:58.929 Bible. Right? When I read about Noah building 00:13:58.929 --> 00:14:02.210 the ark, I say, oh, that's about me. That's about 00:14:02.210 --> 00:14:04.629 me building my life. When I read about David 00:14:04.629 --> 00:14:06.769 and Goliath, I say, oh, that's about me. That's 00:14:06.769 --> 00:14:09.909 about me overcoming my challenges. When I see 00:14:09.909 --> 00:14:12.570 Jesus calming the storm, I say, oh, that's my 00:14:12.570 --> 00:14:15.889 story. That's about me kind of dealing with my 00:14:15.889 --> 00:14:19.200 anxiety or whatever the case is. We assume. The 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:24.120 verse is about me. But when we do that, we risk 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:27.320 twisting the meaning of the verse. I want to 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:29.740 share with you a couple of fancy kind of seminary 00:14:29.740 --> 00:14:33.820 words. The first word is exegesis. Let's say 00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:37.080 that one together. Exegesis, right? Exegesis 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:40.950 is when you read the Bible. To draw out, that's 00:14:40.950 --> 00:14:44.269 what X means, to kind of pull out, draw out the 00:14:44.269 --> 00:14:47.029 meaning of the text. And that's how we should 00:14:47.029 --> 00:14:48.850 be reading the Bible. That should be our goal. 00:14:49.090 --> 00:14:52.769 What did God mean? What was God saying then and 00:14:52.769 --> 00:14:56.830 there to those people? Another word, though, 00:14:56.990 --> 00:15:00.490 that we learn in seminary is eisegesis. Can you 00:15:00.490 --> 00:15:04.190 guys say this? Eisegesis. Eisegesis is when you 00:15:04.190 --> 00:15:07.350 read into the text things that actually aren't 00:15:07.350 --> 00:15:11.019 there. things that we wish were there, or even 00:15:11.019 --> 00:15:14.779 we read ourselves into the Bible. Now, guys, 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:17.360 it's not that we're heretics. It's just that 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:20.700 we're human beings, and it's natural to read 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:23.440 something like the Bible and put ourselves right 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:29.379 in there. But when we start there, when we treat 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:33.639 Scripture as a mirror that reflects myself, rather 00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:38.139 than as a window to see the context, then you're 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:41.240 going to get bummed out eventually. Because what 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:43.379 you thought the Bible was saying to you wasn't 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:45.159 actually being said to you in the way that you 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:49.080 thought, and you're going to be let down. Now, 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:53.779 check this out. What comes before Jeremiah 29? 00:15:54.899 --> 00:15:58.100 Jeremiah 28, right? And if you read Jeremiah 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:01.620 28, you'll actually read... about a guy named 00:16:01.620 --> 00:16:05.879 Hananiah. Hananiah, like Jeremiah, was a prophet. 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:09.679 But Hananiah had a very different message for 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:11.779 all the people who were in exile. This is what 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:14.500 Hananiah says. He says, guess what? Good news. 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:17.899 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says that 00:16:17.899 --> 00:16:23.419 within two years, he is going to bring you back. 00:16:23.950 --> 00:16:27.710 to Judah, back to your home. And that's good 00:16:27.710 --> 00:16:29.990 news, folks. This exile is going to be short 00:16:29.990 --> 00:16:32.950 -lived, so don't get too comfortable here. God's 00:16:32.950 --> 00:16:35.149 going to rescue us. He's going to break the Babylonians, 00:16:35.190 --> 00:16:37.710 bring us back home before you know it. If this 00:16:37.710 --> 00:16:42.389 was like today, you know, hashtag going home 00:16:42.389 --> 00:16:45.370 or hashtag God's got you, right? This would be 00:16:45.370 --> 00:16:48.049 trending on TikTok. People would be reposting 00:16:48.049 --> 00:16:52.259 this like crazy. But Jeremiah, This is Hananiah. 00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:55.539 Jeremiah just starts slow clapping, saying, oh, 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:59.860 very nice, Hananiah, very nice. It all sounds 00:16:59.860 --> 00:17:04.640 so lovely. But the truth is, Jeremiah says, these 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:10.059 people are not going anywhere anytime soon. So 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:13.519 Jeremiah says, so you should build houses. You 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:15.259 should settle down. You should actually plant 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:18.920 gardens. Get married. Why not? Because this is 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:23.289 what the Lord says. When 70 years are completed, 00:17:23.490 --> 00:17:27.890 not two, 70 years, I will come to you and bring 00:17:27.890 --> 00:17:30.630 you back. In other words, get ready for the long 00:17:30.630 --> 00:17:35.609 haul. You're going to be stuck in a very difficult 00:17:35.609 --> 00:17:41.150 situation for 70 years before anything changes. 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:46.460 And that's Jeremiah 29, 10. And right after that, 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:49.099 we read, for I know the plans I have for you, 00:17:49.140 --> 00:17:51.099 says the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm 00:17:51.099 --> 00:17:55.680 you. That's the context. So can you imagine a 00:17:55.680 --> 00:17:59.660 new graduation card? Happy graduation. Good things 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:04.700 are coming for you in 70 years, in your 80s. 00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:10.859 Hang on till 2094. That's the context of this 00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:13.640 verse. It's actually quite ironic, because we 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:15.700 think that this verse is about God's wonderful 00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:17.720 plan for your life, but this verse is actually 00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:20.440 about how God upends all the wonderful plans 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:23.559 that we have for our lives in so many ways that 00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:27.680 we don't want. We want comfort and ease, and 00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:29.819 we want immediate resolutions to our problems, 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:34.019 but that was not the promise, and that still 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:39.819 is not the promise. Here's the kicker, you know, 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:44.390 Jeremiah... calls Hananiah a false prophet and 00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:46.490 says, hey, by the way, Hananiah, you're going 00:18:46.490 --> 00:18:48.950 to die. And sure enough, seven months later, 00:18:49.109 --> 00:18:52.309 Hananiah drops dead. That, by the way, is why 00:18:52.309 --> 00:18:56.049 people name their sons Jeremiah and not Hananiah. 00:18:57.470 --> 00:19:00.769 Because Hananiah was offering them false. Good 00:19:00.769 --> 00:19:03.670 news. News that feels good in the moment. News 00:19:03.670 --> 00:19:06.269 that claims God is going to get you out of the 00:19:06.269 --> 00:19:09.670 hard things real fast. When in reality, God might 00:19:09.670 --> 00:19:12.690 be calling you to stay faithful through a long, 00:19:12.789 --> 00:19:17.109 hard season. And if we're not careful, we can 00:19:17.109 --> 00:19:19.569 get drawn into that same kind of message today. 00:19:19.630 --> 00:19:22.309 We open our Bibles. We assume it's about me and 00:19:22.309 --> 00:19:24.930 my comfort and my goals and my happiness. And 00:19:24.930 --> 00:19:27.200 when we treat that, The Bible like that, we're 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:29.480 actually not hearing from God. We're just hearing 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:34.819 our own voices amplified. Now, I know some of 00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:36.619 you will probably say, Rob, okay, come on, but 00:19:36.619 --> 00:19:39.720 what is the harm? Look, what's the harm of having 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:42.480 something encouraging? Yes, it might be misquoted 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:44.740 or misapplied, but it's hopeful, it's positive. 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:49.099 It is in the Bible, right? Well, here's the harm. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:52.240 When we take Scripture and we turn it into a 00:19:52.240 --> 00:19:55.809 promise, of personal comfort, three things can 00:19:55.809 --> 00:20:01.369 happen. First, creates an egocentric faith. When 00:20:01.369 --> 00:20:04.789 we read that I know the plans I have for you, 00:20:04.990 --> 00:20:08.549 and we assume that the you is me, that means 00:20:08.549 --> 00:20:11.309 our faith starts to revolve all around our dreams 00:20:11.309 --> 00:20:14.109 and our comfort and our timeline. And in that 00:20:14.109 --> 00:20:17.490 scenario, God actually becomes your butler, not 00:20:17.490 --> 00:20:21.299 your king. Someone who's always there to bless 00:20:21.299 --> 00:20:24.359 your plans or fix your problems or get you that 00:20:24.359 --> 00:20:30.079 parking spot. But when God is your butler, you're 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:32.559 only going to stick around as long as the service 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:35.720 is good. And that brings us to the second danger 00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:40.160 of misreading the Bible. It creates disillusioned 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:43.319 disciples. You see, many people go to church 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:47.480 and they get super excited. About Jesus. Not 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:50.059 because they were convicted of their sin. Or 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:52.559 not because they were just amazed by God's grace. 00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:55.940 But because they were told, follow Jesus and 00:20:55.940 --> 00:20:59.759 your life will get better. And maybe for a little 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:03.119 while, it does. But then eventually comes that 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:05.460 phone call from the doctor and the diagnosis. 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:09.220 Or then all of a sudden comes the layoff. Or 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:13.039 comes the breakup and the depression. And suddenly... 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:19.269 You feel lied to by God. Studies show that over 00:21:19.269 --> 00:21:24.170 90 % of people who decide to follow Jesus because 00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:27.450 of the promise of a better life don't continue 00:21:27.450 --> 00:21:31.210 in a life of discipleship. In fact, Bill Bright, 00:21:31.529 --> 00:21:34.910 the guy who wrote the four spiritual laws, later 00:21:34.910 --> 00:21:38.710 regretted his approach. And why? Because of the 00:21:38.710 --> 00:21:42.309 fallout. People were told, God's got a wonderful 00:21:42.309 --> 00:21:44.369 plan for your life. Or like Hananiah, they said, 00:21:44.430 --> 00:21:46.289 God is going to fix everything and it'll be very 00:21:46.289 --> 00:21:49.150 quick. And when life didn't match up to that 00:21:49.150 --> 00:21:53.029 promise, it was like God let them down. But it 00:21:53.029 --> 00:21:56.089 wasn't God who let them down. It was a warped 00:21:56.089 --> 00:22:00.410 version of the gospel that failed them. And that 00:22:00.410 --> 00:22:04.230 means that the third problem with this way of 00:22:04.230 --> 00:22:08.119 thinking is that misreading the Bible. creates 00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:10.720 a version of the gospel that, yeah, it works 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:13.559 well on a Hallmark greeting card, but it does 00:22:13.559 --> 00:22:17.160 not work well in real life. It works in the country 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:19.980 club, but it doesn't work in the hospital room. 00:22:21.140 --> 00:22:24.700 The gospel makes sense in the suburbs, but it 00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:27.839 doesn't make sense in the slums. It works on 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.779 Instagram, but it doesn't work in a war zone. 00:22:33.080 --> 00:22:35.660 Craig Groeschel put it very sharply. He said, 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:38.759 if your version of the gospel doesn't preach 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:44.859 in a refugee camp, it's not the gospel. When 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:48.880 we replace the gospel of the cross with the gospel 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:53.319 of comfort, we turn the good news into a greeting 00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:57.250 card. It's not the gospel. And that's why we 00:22:57.250 --> 00:22:59.210 have to get this right. That's why we have to 00:22:59.210 --> 00:23:02.269 read Bible verses, even our favorite Bible verses, 00:23:02.289 --> 00:23:05.390 in the right way. And I know that right now you're 00:23:05.390 --> 00:23:07.490 probably feeling pretty depressed by all this. 00:23:07.490 --> 00:23:08.990 You're like, gosh, Rob, that was my favorite 00:23:08.990 --> 00:23:11.430 verse, and that was my favorite coffee mug. And 00:23:11.430 --> 00:23:13.250 now you're telling me that verse wasn't written 00:23:13.250 --> 00:23:16.109 for me, it wasn't meant for me, and it didn't 00:23:16.109 --> 00:23:17.730 mean what I thought. And I want to say, don't 00:23:17.730 --> 00:23:19.529 worry, I've got some other ideas for some coffee 00:23:19.529 --> 00:23:23.859 mugs. I think these verses... do apply for all 00:23:23.859 --> 00:23:26.000 Christians everywhere. How about this one? Get 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:29.539 a coffee mug with 2 Timothy 3 .12. Everyone who 00:23:29.539 --> 00:23:32.180 wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:35.099 be persecuted. Wouldn't that be great? Every 00:23:35.099 --> 00:23:37.279 morning to pick up your cup of coffee and say, 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:39.960 oh, praise God, I'm going to be persecuted today. 00:23:40.019 --> 00:23:43.460 My life verse. There you go. Or how about this 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:45.220 one? You want a different magnet for your fridge? 00:23:45.299 --> 00:23:48.400 Then try Philippians 1 .29. For you've been given 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:50.279 not only the privilege of trusting in Christ, 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:53.559 but also the privilege of suffering for him. 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:56.200 Oh, every time I open the fridge, I'm reminded 00:23:56.200 --> 00:23:59.480 of that promise. The believing in Christ means 00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:02.740 suffering for Christ. Okay, obviously I'm playing 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:06.420 with you. Truth is, you do not have to trash 00:24:06.420 --> 00:24:10.210 your mug. or your magnet, or go get that tattoo 00:24:10.210 --> 00:24:12.809 removed, right? You don't have to hide grandma's 00:24:12.809 --> 00:24:16.869 pillow when she comes over. Do not burn that 00:24:16.869 --> 00:24:18.849 vintage bookmark. It's going to be worth something 00:24:18.849 --> 00:24:22.230 someday. Because now that we know what Jeremiah 00:24:22.230 --> 00:24:26.829 29 11 meant in its context back then, that we 00:24:26.829 --> 00:24:30.849 can now see what it really does mean for us today. 00:24:30.970 --> 00:24:37.769 And here's what it means. Yes, God has a wonderful 00:24:37.769 --> 00:24:42.329 plan for your life, but it's not always a comfortable 00:24:42.329 --> 00:24:46.769 plan. And yes, God has a future for you, but 00:24:46.769 --> 00:24:51.509 it might take longer than you expect. God's plan 00:24:51.509 --> 00:24:54.970 for you, like Israel, might actually include 00:24:54.970 --> 00:24:58.809 waiting, a whole lot of waiting. You know, think 00:24:58.809 --> 00:25:01.049 of the couple that's been trying to have a child 00:25:01.049 --> 00:25:03.829 year after year, or that person searching for 00:25:03.829 --> 00:25:06.450 a job. And they can never find one that truly 00:25:06.450 --> 00:25:09.069 fits. God has plans for you. It might unfold 00:25:09.069 --> 00:25:13.289 over decades, though, and not days. Think about 00:25:13.289 --> 00:25:15.390 who Jeremiah was writing to. We're told he was 00:25:15.390 --> 00:25:18.690 writing to the elders. The elders were already 00:25:18.690 --> 00:25:21.710 60 or 70 years old. So if he says, you're going 00:25:21.710 --> 00:25:24.630 to get out of here in 70 years, they're saying 00:25:24.630 --> 00:25:28.250 to themselves, I am not even going to live to 00:25:28.250 --> 00:25:32.490 see this promise fulfilled. A lot of waiting. 00:25:33.390 --> 00:25:37.009 Sometimes never even seeing. But sometimes God 00:25:37.009 --> 00:25:40.670 uses that waiting time to shape us more than 00:25:40.670 --> 00:25:43.910 the thing we're waiting for. God's plans may 00:25:43.910 --> 00:25:46.490 also include wrestling, bringing all your doubts 00:25:46.490 --> 00:25:49.970 and questions to God. His plans for you may also 00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:54.589 include persevering, staying faithful when prayers 00:25:54.589 --> 00:25:58.509 seem unanswered, when progress feels slow, when 00:25:58.509 --> 00:26:01.009 you feel totally unnoticed by God. God's plans 00:26:01.009 --> 00:26:04.839 for you may include growing. Because growth often 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:07.640 happens when we're stretched. God's plans for 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:11.099 you may include suffering. Because with God, 00:26:11.099 --> 00:26:15.500 suffering is never wasted. It becomes this place 00:26:15.500 --> 00:26:18.180 where God meets us, not with easy answers, but 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:22.759 with his presence. You see, these kind of words, 00:26:22.819 --> 00:26:27.160 they don't make it onto graduation cards or bookmarks. 00:26:28.170 --> 00:26:32.150 But Jeremiah 29 .11 does not promise easy, quick 00:26:32.150 --> 00:26:36.690 fixes. It promises long -term faithfulness. It's 00:26:36.690 --> 00:26:39.690 not about God snapping his fingers and solving 00:26:39.690 --> 00:26:42.089 your problems. It's about God staying with you 00:26:42.089 --> 00:26:47.150 through your problems. And actually, that's an 00:26:47.150 --> 00:26:49.089 even better promise. Hey, you know what? Today, 00:26:49.430 --> 00:26:52.990 when you leave, we're going to give you a bookmark. 00:26:53.130 --> 00:26:55.970 Except for it's not a bookmark of Jeremiah 29 00:26:55.970 --> 00:27:00.460 .11. I'm not saying that's a bad bookmark. But 00:27:00.460 --> 00:27:05.359 this is Jeremiah 29, 13. Two verses later. And 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:08.619 on this bookmark it says, You will seek me and 00:27:08.619 --> 00:27:13.740 find me when you seek me with all of your heart. 00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:22.160 This verse sustains us when things aren't easy. 00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:27.220 When life is hard and uncertain and full. It 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:30.299 says, when you seek God with all of your heart, 00:27:30.819 --> 00:27:33.339 you might not get everything you want, but you 00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:37.480 know what you do get? You get God. And that is 00:27:37.480 --> 00:27:44.460 even better. But even Jeremiah 29, 11 is a powerful 00:27:44.460 --> 00:27:47.980 verse if you are a follower of Jesus. Because 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:52.500 in Jesus, Those ancient words do take on a new 00:27:52.500 --> 00:27:54.299 meaning. Remember, one of the rules about reading 00:27:54.299 --> 00:27:56.339 verses is to read them through the lens of Jesus. 00:27:56.900 --> 00:27:59.460 Did God have a wonderful plan for Jesus' life? 00:28:01.180 --> 00:28:05.359 Yes, but also no. I mean, God's plan for Jesus' 00:28:05.539 --> 00:28:08.619 life is not health and wealth. It was suffering 00:28:08.619 --> 00:28:13.400 and humility. Jesus followed God's wonderful 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:16.559 plan for him all the way to the cross, and yet 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:19.710 it was through that suffering and that came a 00:28:19.710 --> 00:28:22.849 wonderful resurrection and a wonderful hope for 00:28:22.849 --> 00:28:26.730 you and me. So therefore, if we read Jeremiah 00:28:26.730 --> 00:28:30.150 29, 11 through the lens of Jesus, that we see, 00:28:30.190 --> 00:28:32.089 yes, you know what? God does have a wonderful 00:28:32.089 --> 00:28:35.670 plan for me. But not just plans for my comfort. 00:28:35.849 --> 00:28:39.410 They're plans for my transformation. God's wonderful 00:28:39.410 --> 00:28:42.130 plan for you is actually to shape you into the 00:28:42.130 --> 00:28:44.490 likeness of his son. That is his wonderful plan 00:28:44.490 --> 00:28:47.869 for you. And does God want to prosper you? Yes. 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:51.319 but not necessarily with material wealth. In 00:28:51.319 --> 00:28:54.140 Jesus, true prosperity means growing in love 00:28:54.140 --> 00:28:58.740 and joy and peace. Does God have plans not to 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.339 harm you? Yes. I mean, you're still going to 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:04.000 go through pain, but God will use that pain for 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:06.119 good, and he promises there will come a day when 00:29:06.119 --> 00:29:08.759 there will be no more pain. Does God give you 00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:12.380 hope? Does God have a plan for your future? Yes, 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:14.500 but in Christ, our future doesn't necessarily 00:29:14.500 --> 00:29:18.579 just mean next year or the next job. It's eternity. 00:29:18.740 --> 00:29:21.740 It's a restored world. It's a resurrected body. 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:25.799 It is a brand new creation. If by wonderful you 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:27.759 mean that God is going to take away hardship 00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:31.140 immediately, then no. God did not promise that 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:33.579 to the Israelites, and he does not promise that 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:36.339 to you either. That is not the kind of wonderful 00:29:36.339 --> 00:29:40.420 life. But his plans are wonderful in an even 00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:44.259 better way. God's wonderful plan for your life 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:48.930 is not a life of ease, but endurance. Not about 00:29:48.930 --> 00:29:53.089 escape, but God's embrace for you. It's not about 00:29:53.089 --> 00:29:56.890 comfort, but it's about communion. He will never 00:29:56.890 --> 00:30:01.029 leave you or forsake you. It's not always about 00:30:01.029 --> 00:30:05.910 relief, but it is always about the hope of resurrection. 00:30:06.289 --> 00:30:10.589 That's the real good news. That's the gospel 00:30:10.589 --> 00:30:13.750 that preaches in the suburbs and the slums, in 00:30:13.750 --> 00:30:17.700 the cathedrals. and the bomb shelters, in the 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:22.440 wedding chapels, and in the funeral homes. It's 00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:25.539 the good news, not that God saves you from all 00:30:25.539 --> 00:30:27.980 of your hardship, but that God saves you from 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:30.259 all of your sin and then walks with you through 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:32.400 all of your hardship until we get to the day 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:36.059 when there is no more hardship. That's what the 00:30:36.059 --> 00:30:39.420 Bible really says. That's what he promised then, 00:30:39.640 --> 00:30:45.630 and that is what he promises still. So thanks 00:30:45.630 --> 00:30:47.869 be to God. Amen.