Be Planted and Bloom Message by DD Adams Providence United Methodist Church 21 st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST October 9, 2016

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Be Planted and Bloom Message by DD Adams Providence United Methodist Church 21 st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST October 9, 2016"

Rosemary Ferguson
5 years ago
Views:

1 Be Planted and Bloom Message by DD Adams Providence United Methodist Church 21 st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST October 9, 2016 The O.T. lesson is from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse 1 and 4 through 7. The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the few surviving elders among the exiles, to the priests and the prophets, and to all the people Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon from Jerusalem. The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims to all the exiles I have carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. Get married and have children; then help your sons find wives and your daughters find husbands in order that they too may have children. Increase in number there so that you don t dwindle away. Promote the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because your future depends on its welfare. I ll be reading 2 Timothy 2, verses 8 through 15. Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead and descended from David. This is my good news. This is the reason I m suffering to the point that I m in prison like a common criminal. But God s word cannot be imprisoned. This is why I endure everything for the sake of those who are chosen by God so that they too may experience salvation in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 1

2 This saying is reliable: If we have died together, we will also live together. If we endure, we will also rule together. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we are disloyal, he stays faithful because he can t be anything else than what he is. Speak, instruct, and act correctly. Remind them of these things and warn them in the sight of God not to engage in battles over words that aren t helpful and only destroy those who hear them. Make an effort to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker, who doesn t need to be ashamed but is one who interprets the message of truth correctly. This is God s word for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Please pray with me. God who is the one wise and only true God, as we present ourselves to you this morning, open our hearts and minds to hear you. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Peace be with you. The O.T. lesson last Sunday was from Lamentations a book that cries of brokenness and suffering. Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians, and Jeremiah, the weeping prophet lived to survive. The gospel lesson last Sunday was Luke 17. Jesus told us that we don t need more faith, what we need is a relationship with Christ that s authentic. Meaning, we abandon ourselves wholly to the purposes of God. We trust in God s 2

3 perfect timing and ways as we give our total self to God best we can trusting God who knows our situation. The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. in the southern kingdom of Judah was horrific. It was burned to the ground, and many Jews became captives of Babylon. They had turned their backs on God and the doctrines that established their nation. The weeping prophet Jeremiah gives the exiles in Babylon counsel. He sends a letter telling them not to resist, but carry on and make a life. Jeremiah told the exiles to build their houses, plant their gardens and eat its vegetables, and marry your children so they might have children. God made it sound like, well, it s going to be awhile, so relax, live your life, and promote the welfare of the city. The exiles that survived did increase in numbers even though they left their homes in Judah and remained captives in Babylon. Last Sunday we talked about how God s word requires a response. Let s look at some of the responses the Jews had when they were exiled. Some of them fought back and there were many revolts, but those who did resist lost their lives. Jeremiah had given them counsel to make homes, have children, plant gardens, because it s going to be awhile. Many of the exiles preferred the false prophets because they lied to them and told them what they wanted to hear. Some tried to kill Jeremiah and had him put in prison twice. I guess it s no wonder, Jeremiah told them the truth. In Jeremiah 3

4 29:10, The Lord proclaims: When Babylon s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. There s the promise of hope. God had a plan for the Jews just as God has a plan for us. Through history we find men and women who resist governments. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, anti-nazi dissident. And there were many Jews that resisted Hitler s armies, but most remained passive because of the overwhelming numbers of soldiers against them. There s not a pattern of response that s correct for any uprising. Each requires its own assessment. In Jeremiah s place and time, God spoke to him directly what the people s response to his word should be it was a passive and non-resistant. Looking at the epistle lesson, 2 Timothy 2, the apostle Paul was in prison, just as Jeremiah had been. Paul writes to Timothy and says, Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead and descended from David. This is my good news. This is the reason I m suffering to the point that I m in prison like a common criminal. But God s word cannot be imprisoned. Now we all would agree that God could have rescued Paul from his chains, but he didn t. Instead, he allowed him to suffer as a common criminal. Paul reminds Timothy of Christ s sufferings and calls this his good news. So, how do the exiles in Babylon, and Jeremiah and Paul, who both were in prison decide how to go about their lives? 4

5 The Jews in exile who listened to God s word through the mouth of Jeremiah survived. They submitted while they were in exile and did the best they could remembering that God said he would rescue them. The apostle Paul determines that God s will is good news and he s content with the suffering and confinement, because God s word can t be chained. Both situations weren t what they would ve chosen, yet Jeremiah and Paul abandoned themselves to the will of God and determined to plant themselves and bloom. We ve all seen beautiful flowers spring up where there appears to be no soil at all. And when it rains, the water simply runs off or freezes if it s cold. Despite the circumstances the flower blooms. In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul says to Timothy, Make an effort to present yourself to God as a tried-and-true worker, who doesn t need to be ashamed but is one who interprets the message of truth correctly. A tried and true worker is a disciple who abandons their self to God s purposes. We don t understand why some things happen, but we trust God. We know God s timing and ways are perfect, for it s the giving of our total self that prospers the disciple. The personal relationship with Christ can t be eliminated. This is a tried and true worker s task to be planted in the will of God and determine to have nothing between Jesus and ourselves. We have to accept life as it comes and stay true in our relationship with Christ. We strive for a will that abandons itself to God s purposes. We think about 5

6 heaven, we hear testimonies of those who ve come back to testify. This world is only temporary we re only passing through we re aliens and strangers. Encourage yourself in the Lord today. The Lord is with you! Be lifted up on that mountain of praise, but be willing to walk through that dark valley. It s those valley experiences that define a disciple anyway. And remember, God promises in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Be planted where God has placed you, and you will blossom. Please pray with me. God who loves and works to transform us to be content with where we are at any place or time. Give us the desire and attitude to serve you no matter what our circumstances in life. Remind us that servants are humble, grateful, and help us to understand, God isn t obligated to make us comfortable because we serve him. Amen. 6

WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN BABYLON ANYWAY?

WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN BABYLON ANYWAY? SERIES: WEEPING IN WORSHIP DISCOVERY PAPERS Catalog No. 091004 Jeremiah 29:1-14 12th Message Paul Taylor October 4, 2009 Escape is such a thankful Word I often in