SERMON: RISEN CHURCH

 

28 October 2012

I. Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Ezekiel 37:1-14

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NIV)

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.

3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'"

-- earlier this week, I woke up with two words echoing in my mind -- the remnants of a forgotten dream -- the vestige of a vision

-- for a long time, I could not dream -- so now, I pay attention to my dreams -- I try to remember them -- to absorb them -- to understand them -- in case there is a message from God

-- in this case I have no doubt that God was speaking -- the two words I heard were "Risen Church" -- those words continued to haunt me all week

-- I meditated on them -- I searched the scriptures -- I looked them up on the internet -- I even called friends of mine and asked them what they thought these words meant -- what message God might have been giving me

-- and every time I kept getting the same vision -- the same thought -- of dry bones in a valley being brought back to life

-- I knew immediately what passage in the Bible applied -- it was the passage we just read from Ezekiel 37 -- but what was the meaning? -- what was the purpose? -- why would God speak and say no more than "Risen Church"

-- for those of you who know me well, you know where my heart is in regards to the church in America today -- I am worried about the state of the church in America -- I am worried about the state of Christians in America

-- when I look around me, I literally see churches on every corner -- every flavor -- every tradition -- every liturgical style -- from Baptist to Methodist to Presbyterian and all the way to the independent, nondenominational churches -- over 200 churches in this small south Georgia city alone

-- but I look around and I have to ask the question, "So what? -- What effect are all of these churches having on our community? -- What effect are all of these churches having on society?"

-- Paul and Silas were accused of turning the world upside down with the gospel of Jesus -- but no one is ever going to accuse the church in America of doing the same thing today -- as I've pointed out before, we don't even live differently from those around us -- most Christians today don't reflect Christ -- they reflect our modern culture and hold fast to societal values more so than Christian values

-- in 2 Timothy 3:5, Paul warns Timothy about people like these -- "the time is coming," he wrote, "when you will see people who have a form of godliness but deny its power -- have nothing to do with them," he writes

-- I know what it's like to have a form of godliness without the power -- I've been there -- done that -- I've lived it in my own life -- I've experienced it in many churches -- and I see it when I look at the church in America today

-- we're like the walking dead -- we think we're alive -- we're doing all the things we think a good church should -- we're filled with people -- we're known for our activities and our programs -- we're applauded for our ministries -- we have a reputation for being a really vibrant church, when in reality we are dead, dead, dead -- we're like the church of Sardis in Revelation 3:2 who God told, "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead"

-- I know this seems harsh -- I know this seems critical and judgmental -- but Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 that we would know them by their fruits -- that we would recognize true believers and true churches by the fruit they bore

-- if you're honest -- if you look at the church in America today -- if you compare our churches to the portrait of the early church that we see in the Bible -- can you say that we're bearing any fruit at all?

II. Scripture Lesson (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

-- over the last 2000 years the vibrant body of Christ that we see described in the New Testament has been replaced with an empty shell -- having a form of godliness but none of the power of God -- alive on the outside but spiritually dead on the inside

-- is it possible for the church in America to rise from the dead? -- is it possible for the church in America to live again?

-- the answer is right here in this passage from Ezekiel

-- look back at Ezekiel 37:1-3

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NIV)

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.

3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

-- this passage in Ezekiel occurs at the same time as the passage from Jeremiah that we looked at last week

-- by this time, the nation of Israel had split up into two countries -- Israel to the north and Judah to the south -- but both countries had turned away from God and started worshiping foreign gods and relying on their own strength to save them -- and so God's judgment fell upon them

-- both the northern and southern kingdoms ended up in captivity in Babylon -- Nebuchadnezzar had burned both the city of Jerusalem and the temple of God and carried King Jehoiachin and the leaders and young men and women of Judah and Jerusalem into captivity in Babylon -- Ezekiel was one of those who was carried to Babylon

-- in these verses, Ezekiel writes that God brought him to a valley full of dry bones -- and as God led him back and forth among these bones, Ezekiel grasped what they represented -- they stood for the nation of Israel -- and they showed what God's people had become by rejecting the true worship of God for a form of godliness devoid of His power

-- notice that Ezekiel tells us these were dry bones -- everyone here knows that bones are living organisms -- when you break a bone, it will mend itself if you set it back in place -- and most of us are familiar with the medical practice of grafting bones -- inserting living pieces of bone from one person into another and having the entire bone grow back together -- bones are living organisms

-- but, we all recognize that bones die -- if they're removed from the body -- if they're separated too long from their source of life -- they lose all signs of life and dry out -- and once a bone dries out, it dies -- a dead bone cannot be repaired -- a dead bone cannot be grafted onto another bone

-- this is what happened to the nation of Israel -- they had turned from their source of life -- they had broken their attachment with the body -- with God -- and they had become dry and spiritually dead -- and this is what is happening to God's church in America today

-- after God showed Ezekiel this valley of dry bones, He asked Ezekiel the question that should be on our lips today -- "Can these bones live? -- Can this nation be revived? -- Can these people become spiritually alive again?"

-- to which Ezekiel answered, "only You know" -- God is the source of life and only God could revive these dry bones and make them live again

-- verse 4-8

4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

-- God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the dead bones -- to prophesy means to proclaim the word of God -- to speak God's word and God's life into a situation

-- God said, "Ezekiel, prophesy to these bones -- tell them that they will live again -- that I will bring life to the dead -- tell them that I will restore their faith -- that I will make them spiritually alive again"

-- and as Ezekiel proclaimed God's word, the bones came together -- tendons and flesh appeared on them -- skin covered them -- but look what was missing -- there was no breath

-- these dry bones looked alive -- if anyone had happened on this valley, they would have seen a valley full of living people -- but these restored bodies were still dead, dead, dead, because they lacked the breath of life -- the presence of God

-- that sounds a lot like our churches in America today, doesn't it? -- alive on the outside, but spiritually dead within

-- verse 9-10

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.

-- the first time God had Ezekiel prophesy, he spoke to the dry bones of Israel -- but this time, God has Ezekiel prophesy to the Breath -- what does this mean?

-- this is a prayer for revival -- Ezekiel cries out to the Breath -- to the Spirit of God -- and asks that the Spirit enter the walking dead standing there on the valley floor and make them wholly alive again

-- and, as Ezekiel prayed, the Breath entered them and they became alive again -- transformed into a vast army of saints

-- the message in these two verses is clear -- we cannot become spiritually alive on our own -- only God can bring the dead to life -- and if we want to see true and lasting revival in our lives and in our churches, we have to look to the Spirit of God, and only Him, to revive us

-- I don't care how many revivals a church schedules -- I don't care how many guest preachers someone brings in -- unless the Holy Spirit shows up, revival is not going to happen -- only God can bring the dead to life

-- verse 11-14

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'"

-- C.S. Lewis wrote that you had to first convince someone they were a sinner before they could accept Christ -- that's the reason God had Ezekiel prophesy first to the dry bones of Israel in the valley of the plain

-- the nation of Israel thought they were saved because they were the chosen people of God -- they thought they had all the answers because they had the Scriptures and the Law of Moses -- they thought that just going to Temple on the Sabbath and following the laws were enough -- but they were wrong -- dead wrong

-- and so God prophesied through Ezekiel to open the eyes of the dead -- to hold up a mirror so they could see their true spiritual reflection and recognize what they had become

-- David Jeremiah tells the story in one of his books about a pastor who was fed up with the lack of life in his church -- and so one Sunday morning, he got up in the pulpit and pronounced that he wasn't going to preach that day -- that this church was dead and that night they would hold a funeral service for it -- and with those words, he walked out, got in his car, and left

-- well, everyone was very upset and angry at what he said, but their curiosity got the best of them -- so the entire church showed up for the evening service -- and when they walked in, they were greeted with the sight of a casket at the front of the church

-- the pastor took the pulpit and said, "This church is dead -- and the body of this church is right before us -- I want each of you to come up here and take a look at the dead, lifeless body of this church" -- and he had each of them file up and look in the casket

-- and when they looked in, they saw a mirror had been placed in the bottom, and the face that stared back was their own

-- that's what God was doing through Ezekiel -- He wanted the nation of Israel to see the truth of their spiritual state -- He wanted them to see with open eyes how far they had fallen from His image

-- and once they recognized their spiritual state -- once they realized that they had indeed sinned against God by turning away from Him and His presence -- then they would be ready for revival

-- we see that here in verse 11 -- the people of Israel have looked into the coffin and seen their reflection and cried out to God -- "We are dead -- our bones are dried up and our hope is gone -- we are cut off from Your presence"

-- but God said, "Hang on, because I'm not done with you yet -- when the Spirit comes in response to Ezekiel's prayers, you will know that I am God -- I will bring you from your graves -- I will restore your faith -- I will bring you back to the Promised Land -- and when this happens, you will know that it was I who did this and I alone -- you will know that I have spoken -- you will know that I am God"

III. Closing

-- God is in the business of bringing the dead back to life -- isn't that what the gospel of Christ all about? -- eternal life through Christ?

-- but we forget that this promise of life is not just for the future -- it's a promise for us today -- Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" -- the King James Version says, "abundant life" -- not future life -- not life in heaven -- but an abundant and full life now with the very Spirit of God within

-- who knows what this is? -- a popcorn kernel -- look at it -- it looks dead and dried out, doesn't it? -- if I was to leave this popcorn kernel right here on the table, it would stay in this same dead and dried out condition

-- but, if I take this piece of popcorn and put it in a pan with a little oil and add some heat, it will explode into new life, ending up as a tasty treat

-- do you know how popcorn works? -- you see, even though the kernels look dried and dead, there's just little bit of moisture trapped inside the kernel -- and when the kernel is heated, the moisture turns into steam and the pressure inside the kernel builds until it pops open

-- the church in America is just like this popcorn kernel -- we might be spiritually dry right now -- we might look like dry bones in a valley -- lifeless -- fruitless -- but there's always a remnant -- there's always just a little bit of life left inside

-- and if we turn back to God and ask the Holy Spirit to revive us, then that little bit of life will cause us to pop just like this popcorn kernel

-- over in Acts 4:33 it says that the apostles gave witness about Christ with great power from the Holy Spirit -- the original Greek for the term "great power" is dunamis -- it's from this word that we get our English word, "dynamite."

-- this means that the power of God is literally explosive in nature -- and when we allow ourselves to come under the power of the Holy Spirit, we will literally explode for Christ

-- Isaiah 26:19 says, "But your dead will live; their bodies will rise" -- it was this dunamis power that raised Jesus from the dead -- and it was this power that raised dry spiritual bones here in Ezekiel 37 and gave them new life -- it's also the same power that caused God to say to me this week, "Risen Church"

-- you have to agree that our churches are not what they should be -- our lives are not what they should be -- but God's not done with us -- He hasn't given up on us -- He wants us to experience His dunamis power and real life with Him -- He wants to see us turn our communities and our cities and our world upside down

-- there's only two steps in becoming a risen church

-- first, we have to admit our spiritual state -- we have to recognize how far we are from God's ideal image -- how far we are missing the mark

-- second, we have to ask the Holy Spirit to revive our spiritual lives -- to make our churches alive with His presence

-- over the next several weeks, we're going to talk about what it means to be a risen church -- about finding true revival in our hearts and in our homes and in our churches -- so we can be who Christ called us to be

-- we're going to start our quest for revival by sharing Holy Communion together -- but I want to end this message by sharing with you the chorus from Andy Cherry's song, "Our God is Alive," that I think speaks to the heart of the message of Ezekiel 37:

-- "Rise with a shout -- Cry out, our God's alive -- Rise holy fire -- burn bright, burn bright

-- "Rise with a shout -- Cry out for freedom -- Rise church, arise -- our God's alive"

-- let's pray

SERMON: WHERE IS THE HOPE?

 

14 October 2012

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Jeremiah 29:1-14

Jeremiah 29:1-14 (NIV)
1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)
3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
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."
8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the LORD.
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.
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."

-- a few weeks ago, a former coworker of mine dropped by our office to visit with us for a few moments -- and as we were making small talk about the office, he asked how things were going -- and I had to say that things weren’t going good -- that morale was the lowest I’d ever seen -- that people were worried about their jobs and worried about their pay and worried their families -- that it was a time of uncertainty -- no one knew what the future held -- no one knew if they were going to be okay or not
-- and as I was talking with him, it struck me that that it wasn’t only my little office that was struggling -- it was everybody -- I had to attend a supervisory training course not long ago -- and all of the other supervisors echoed my concerns -- people were worried -- and it was affecting their jobs and their job performance
-- maybe some of you remember times in America when things were worse -- maybe you remember times when America and Americans were facing worse crises than now -- but I’ve never experienced anything like it in my lifetime
-- from the devastations of the natural disasters that we’ve had in the past several years -- hurricanes -- floods -- earthquakes -- wildfires -- crippling snowstorms and winter weather
-- to the wars and conflicts that have been going on since 9-11 -- and through the global economic crisis that we’re facing now -- where we're seeing entire countries like Spain and Greece go bankrupt and people talking about a worldwide recession or even possibly, a depression that could rival the Great Depression of 1929
-- people's lives are being affected by taxes and rising costs for gas and food and other necessities -- jobs are being lost and our economy is spiraling downward
-- people are suffering and they're worried and they don't see any hope on the horizon

-- the situation in America today reminds of a building I was in not long ago in Atlanta -- it was high rise building -- lots and lots of floors -- and when I went over to the elevators, there was a sign on one elevator that said, “This elevator only goes to the basement” -- and I wonder if some of us might be thinking that of America today -- “This country can only continue to go down”
-- it seems like everywhere I go, I find people who are worried -- it’s the topic of conversation -- it’s on the minds and the lips of the people -- America has always been the land of confidence -- we’ve always been a place where people were convinced that we could weather every storm that came our way -- but it seems like today that many Americans just aren’t sure --they’ve lost confidence and are scared about what the future holds and they’re looking for answers -- they’re looking for hope -- they’re looking for someone who can tell them that things are going to get better -- that things are going to get brighter

-- back in World War II, when the Germans were bombing England, the people there were as worried about their future as we are today -- they were having to send their kids to the countryside to keep them safe from the bombing of the cities -- they couldn’t work -- their economy was in shambles -- no one knew what the future held
-- it appeared that there was no stopping Hitler and that England was destined to fall -- people there were looking for answers, too -- they were looking for hope and encouragement of some kind
-- then Nat Burton composed the song, “The White Cliffs of Dover,” and it began to play on the radio -- “There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover, tomorrow -- just you wait and see -- There'll be joy and laughter, and peace ever after, tomorrow -- when the world is free
-- The shepherd will count his sheep -- The valleys will bloom again -- and Jimmy will go to sleep in his own little room again -- There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover --tomorrow -- just you wait and see.”
-- this song spoke to the hearts of the British -- in an uncertain time -- when people were worried about the future -- this song spoke hope and encouragement and promised a better future [illustration borrowed from a sermon by James Dobson, Focus on the Family]

-- Who can speak hope to our country today? -- in the midst of such overwhelming crises -- in the midst of a time when it seems as if our elevator has only one way to go -- who will stand up and speak a message of hope and encouragement to a worried people?
-- well, we have the answer here in this passage -- let’s look at passage from Jeremiah 29 and see what promises of hope that we can find in God's word for us today

II. Scripture Lesson (Jeremiah 29:1-14)
-- look back at verse 1-3

Jeremiah 29:1-14 (NIV)
1 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)
3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

-- Jeremiah was a prophet in Judah in the fifth and sixth centuries before Christ -- he was called by God to preach a message of repentance and to warn the nation of Judah that God's wrath and punishment would fall on them if they didn't turn from their idols and their empty religion back to the true God of Israel
-- his father was Hilkiah, the priest who found the book of the law in the temple during the time of Josiah -- for years, the temple had stood in ruin -- the two kings who ruled the southern kingdom of Judah before Josiah were two of the worst kings that Israel had ever seen -- they had led the people away from God and God’s will -- they had led the people to worship idols and demons -- and the country was in a horrible state -- the country was in horrible condition -- and the word of God -- the Holy Scriptures -- had been lost
-- when Josiah was made king of Israel at the age of eight, he commissioned Hilkiah to repair and restore the temple and began to lead the people back to God -- it was during the cleaning of the temple that Hilkiah found the Book of the Law -- the Scriptures -- hidden in a wall
-- the finding of God’s word sparked a revival during the time of Josiah -- it was a light in the darkness that brought hope and encouragement to a people and restored the worship of the one true God in Israel
-- what this means is that Jeremiah was the son of revival -- he knew what revival looked like -- he had seen the faith of his father and his father’s generation -- he had seen the power of the Word of God made manifest in a nation and the changes it could bring -- he had seen what God could do and he trusted that God would do so again
-- Judah had already suffered the judgment of God -- they had been through a devastating economic crisis -- they had fought wars with Egypt and Babylon and the nation had been conquered -- the leaders of the people -- including King Jehoaichin and his court -- had been carried into exile to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzer
-- if there was ever a time when the people needed hope, it was now -- they felt alone and abandoned -- they felt like all hope was lost and there was no way out -- that God had turned His back on them and given up on them
-- Jeremiah knew that what the nation needed was a revival -- they needed to live again -- and the only way for that to happen was for someone to proclaim God’s word of hope to a worried people
-- Jeremiah was that person -- he was called to go forth from God and proclaim God’s word to the next generation -- to lead them back to the right path again -- to give them hope for the future

-- verse 4

4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
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."

-- the word of the Lord -- the message of God to the people -- came to Jeremiah -- God wanted His people to know that He still loved them and had not forgotten them or the land of Judah and Israel
-- God’s message to us today is the same -- I saw a church sign this week that had a profound message on it, even though it was only four words long -- “God still loves you” -- it’s that word “still” that makes the difference
-- even though it looks like all hope is lost, God still loves us -- even though it looks like our elevator is going to the bottom, God still loves us -- even though we are worried about the future and what is going to happen, God still loves us -- and His message for us today is the same as it was to Jeremiah’s people
-- God still loves America and He wants His people to come back to Him -- to put their faith and hope and trust in the power of the Lord God Almighty and not in charismatic politicians or election-year promises -- it is only God who can save and deliver our nation and our world from the crises it faces
-- the people of Judah were in the midst of an existential crisis -- they had forgotten who they were -- they had forgotten that they were the chosen people of God -- and they had forgotten to live into that knowledge -- they had turned away from their God and chosen a different path, and now they were suffering the consequences of their sins
-- when the people of Judah found themselves lost and forgotten in Babylon, they could have given up -- they could have tossed in the towel and said, "It's over -- we're done -- all hope is gone"
-- but God spoke to them where they were and said, "I am with you wherever you are -- I am with you even in Babylon -- this is not a time to quit -- this is a time to live -- so, get up and build again -- settle down in this place where you are -- plant gardens and make a life there -- build lives for yourself in that place -- marry and have children -- and use this time to remember -- restore your faith in who I am and who I have called you to be"

-- verse 8

8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the LORD.

-- there are always people who think they know better than God -- despite the fact that God told the people of Judah to get on with their lives where they were, there were people there who said that God was wrong -- they still followed a god of their own making and they told the people to stop building and living in that place -- they told the people that this was all a mistake -- that God would never let them suffer in Babylon but that He would deliver them at any moment
-- but God told the nation that He had not sent these false prophets and that they were deceiving the nation through their lies -- they were keeping the people from true repentance
-- in our Experiencing God Bible study this week, we were asked the question, "Do you think God is sending judgment on your nation at this time? -- Are you experiencing His hand of discipline?"
-- these false prophets in Judah were refusing to acknowledge the truth -- they were living in the past -- they were living on the faith of their forefathers although they had no faith of their own -- they were convinced that God would deliver them regardless of how they treated Him -- regardless of whether they followed His ways and worshiped Him or not
-- in the midst of God's judgment on the nation -- in the midst of an economic crisis and devastating warfare and untold grief, these false prophets said, "There's nothing wrong -- everything's okay" -- when in reality, God had allowed these things to occur to get the attention of the nation of Judah -- to lead the people back to true faith and obedience to His Name
-- if God had immediately delivered the people from captivity, they would not have learned the lesson of dependency -- they would not have learned to live on faith -- God kept the nation of Judah in the wilderness of Babylon for 70 years to teach them to love and obey Him again
-- we find ourselves in a very similar situation in America today -- if you step back and look at all we've going through, you have to ask yourself the question, "Are we experiencing God's judgment on our nation? -- Are we reaping the consequences of our sins? -- Is everything that is happening to us a clarion call to turn back to God in true repentance and faith?"
-- that was the message that God sent to Judah through Jeremiah during the years before Babylon conquered the nation -- but the people refused to see what was going on and lived on a faith that was not their own and reaped the consequences for their sins and lack of faith
-- let's pray that we open our eyes to see God's call for us and this country before we find ourselves in the same place as Judah -- listening to false prophets of hope while God is trying to get our attention

-- verse 10

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.
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."

-- in these verses we see the hope of the nations -- God told the people of Judah that He had not forgotten them -- that He had great plans for their lives -- plans to prosper them and not to harm them -- plans to give them a hope and a future
-- these are some of the most familiar words in all of Scripture -- we read these words and we lean on them and we say we trust in God's plans for our lives, no matter what we are going through -- but, we have a tendency to take verses 11 and 12 out of context -- we have a tendency to rely on them apart from their setting
-- see what these plans of God were contingent on -- they were contingent on the people coming back to God -- they were contingent on the people returning to God through repentance and faith -- yes, God had great plans for the nation of Judah, but those plans could not come to fruition until the people returned to Him
-- in these verses, God promises that after 70 years in exile, the people would finally abandon their false beliefs -- they would finally turn back to Him -- crying out to Him for deliverance and restoration, and He would listen to their cries -- they would seek Him with their whole heart -- with a faith born of trial and tribulation -- forged in the crucible of exile and God's judgment -- and they would find Him again
-- the same is true for us -- we can't live on false faith in this country -- we can't live on the faith of our forefathers without true faith in our own hearts and expect God pour out His grace and providence on our nation
-- God does have great plans for our nation -- He does have great plans to prosper us and not harm us -- to give us hope and a future -- we have seen that in the past -- He did that for those men and women who founded our country because of their faith in God
-- but, those plans can't come to pass if we are not walking with the God who offers them -- we've got to quit living on the faith of the past and start living on our own faith -- rather than listening to the empty promises of politicians and the deceiving lies of false prophets, we need to respond to God's call for repentance and faith and we need to turn this country back to Him -- otherwise, we will find ourselves walking in Judah's footprints and following their path of judgment and discipline until we finally turn back to God
-- the crises in our country will not be solved by more taxes or less taxes -- they won't be solved through this November's elections -- they won't be solved by Washington -- no, the crises in our country will only be solved through a nation on its knees
-- we have a choice -- either we can turn to God now in true repentance and enjoy the promises of great plans with a hope and a future or we can continue on down into the basement living on empty dreams and forgotten faith
-- people in this country are worried -- they are discouraged -- they have no hope -- but, we have the answer -- God is the answer -- not the democrats -- not the republicans -- but God
-- we need to meet the people in the basement where that elevator of discouragement and fear and worry have carried them and point out to them that with God, we can turn this country around -- with God, the only way to go from here is up -- with God, there is a future -- with God, there is hope

III. Closing
-- there's an old hymn that speaks to the uncertainties of our times called, "I Know Who Holds Tomorrow" -- let me share with you a stanza from that hymn:

-- "I don't know about tomorrow -- it may bring me poverty;
-- "But the One who feeds the sparrow, is the One who stands by me
-- "And the path that be my portion, may be through the flame or through the flood
-- "But His presence goes before me and I'm covered with His blood"
-- "Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand
-- "But I know Who holds tomorrow, and I know Who holds my hand."

-- regardless of what happens, one thing is sure -- God is with us and He is calling out to us today -- He has a great plan for us and our country -- He promises hope and a future -- He promises life eternal
-- if our nation will just call upon Him -- if we will just trust in Him -- then God promises to bring us back to where we were -- to restore our nation -- to revive our land
-- the question to us this morning is will we lead the charge? -- Will we carry this promise from God to the people? -- Will we speak the need for repentance and faith to a people who refuse to hear the truth? -- Will we proclaim God's goodness and mercy and love to a nation desperately longing for hope and for a light in the darkness?
-- people know something is wrong -- they know things aren't right -- but they have yet to realize that the problem is not in Washington -- they have yet to realize the problem is in their hearts -- it's with their faith
-- will you go with me and carry this message to your family and friends? -- will you carry this message to the people you meet every day? -- will you step into your calling from God and be the light that shines forth in these dark days?
-- if so, then I want to invite you to respond to God’s word -- right now, as we close in prayer, I want you to commit to Him that you will do just that -- that you will speak His word and proclaim it where ever He sends and that you will start a revival in this nation through your own act of faith and trust
-- let’s close in prayer

Looking for Jesus

The Pharisees and the Levites and the priests missed the first coming of Jesus -- not because He wasn't there -- but because they weren't looking and because they refused to see when God revealed Jesus to them.

In their minds, they thought they knew how the Messiah would come. And so they refused to see Him in a manger in Bethlehem. They couldn't see Him as a boy teaching in temple. They wouldn't see Him as a Savior on the cross.

May your eyes be open this morning to the presence of God wherever this day may find you, wherever you choose to worship Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14 -- "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land."