Well, good morning. What a pleasure it is to be in the house of the Lord with you all. What a lovely place and I've really just enjoyed the accommodations and you guys can sing. Well, let's go to the Lord in prayer and we'll get started. Our gracious and heavenly Father, we thank you for the privilege it is to come before your presence this morning. How marvelous and weighty is your word. Who can understand these things and so We come and we ask for you to illumine your perfect revelation, to renew our minds and warm our hearts, to encourage us in the faith, to point us to Christ. Have your way with your word by your spirit, In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. If your Bibles are already open to Jeremiah 29, look down at verse 11 with me. I know that many of you know this verse very well. In fact, most of you may even have this verse memorized. It says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope. What an incredible verse for your life. It's not difficult to memorize, not too hard to understand. It's a powerful message with a great promise. I mean, what's not to like about this verse? Prosperity. protection, hope for a great future. I mean, aren't these the things that any of us would want to see become a reality? Isn't this the American dream with God's endorsement behind it? Well, borrowing from the Spanish theologian, Inago Montoya, I do not think this verse means what you think it means. So the question is, is this an appropriate use of this verse that is to put God on the hook for a life of prosperity, for a life of blessing that fits our definition? Well, the answer lies in a closer look at the context of Jeremiah 29 as a whole. Make no mistake, brothers and sisters, this verse is for God's people, but in a much deeper and a much more profound way than many use it today. In fact, this chapter, this chapter is a promise of hope for us in Christ as we live a life of exile on this side of heaven. So Jeremiah. Jeremiah lived in the darkest time of Israel's history, and our Lord called him to be a prophet in such a time. He was a priest from the line of Aaron, who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, specifically Jerusalem. As a prophet, He warned Israel about the severe consequences of breaking their covenant with God through their idolatry. He even prophesied to them of the coming of Babylon, the coming of Babylon as God's servant to bring forth judgment by taking the people into exile and listen to me, later destroying Jerusalem. And sadly, because of Israel's lack of repentance, this prophecy became reality. Our text this morning picks up with a large group of Judeans being in exile in Babylon. These exiles in Babylon were not ready to accept the idea of a prolonged stay. They thought that they were going to be away for just a brief moment, a brief time. In fact, they essentially had the mindset to not unpack their bags. They needed to be ready just like their fathers were on the night of Passover. Keep your shoes on, keep your clothes tucked in and your bags packed. We don't want to miss our flight out of here. So while the exiles are staying packed, They receive a letter in the mail. And this letter changes absolutely everything. In fact, this letter is also addressed to us, the Lord's Church. And just as it had a huge impact on those exiles, so it should shape our lives as it tells us of God's good plan for us in Christ. So this chapter opens by telling us about a letter that Jeremiah sent to these exiles in Babylon. Now, the date of this letter is shortly after 597, when Nebuchadnezzar had taken this large group of Judeans from Jerusalem to Babylon. This is about 10 years before the final destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. So Zedekiah was the king in Jerusalem over the Judeans there, which is where Jeremiah is living. But there are this significant community of exiles living in Babylon. And the Lord has a sermon for Jeremiah to deliver to these exiles. And so Jeremiah sends this letter, this sermon to them by way of letter. It's a lot like Paul's letter to the churches. We could call this preaching from afar. It's God's written word with a stamp on it. So the letter begins in verse four, where the Lord addresses all the exiles that he sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. Brothers and sisters, The very first words out of God's mouth through Jeremiah would have shaken these exiles to their core. Look at it with me. Verses five and six. Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage that they may bear sons and daughters. multiply there and do not decrease. He says then build houses, plant gardens, have some babies. The Lord tells them, settle down and settle in. You need to go ahead and make a home for yourself. This would have been the very last thing that they would have wanted to hear. You see, at the sharp edge of sword and spear. They were just herded like cattle, hundreds of miles away from home, and they were dumped in this very strange place. The neighbors spoke a different language. Strange smells permeated the air. Weird food was in the marketplace. And at the end of it, they just did not want to be there. They were homesick. And the Lord tells them, build homes. I mean, this sounds really permanent, doesn't it? This is putting down deep roots. We would rather live in tents. We don't want to make a home here. But the Lord instructs them, settle down. because their stay is going to be a while, a long while. And in fact, did you notice the generations that we read in verse six? They're to get married, have kids, they're to give their kids in marriage so that they can have kids. Three generations. The Lord tells these homesick exiles that they're going to see their grandchildren in exile. They will bury their parents in Babylon. They will retire there. This is a good long stay, so you might as well get used to it. Get comfortable. Make a life for yourself. These commands in verses five and six would not have made the exiles very happy. Now these orders would have not just been discouraging for those that are homesick, they would have also had a strange and very bizarre ring to them. To build a house and live in it, to plant a garden, to enjoy this luscious ripe fruit of your garden, to have a big family. These are blessings of the covenant. These are expressions of God's favor. are blessings of the promised land. In exile, exile was a curse. Exile is God's punishment. Exile is God's disfavor. It's a picture of being God-forsaken. So the question would be, how can God call us to blessing In the midst of a curse, in the midst of exile, it's like mixing oil and water. Surely God is doing something new here. Well, the shock of this letter is about to be amped up. It's about to ramp up just a little bit more. Look down at verse seven with me. But seek the welfare of the city. where I have sent you into exile. And pray to the Lord on its behalf. For in its welfare, you will find your welfare. Now to seek the peace or welfare of someone is to do what is good for them. It's part of loving your neighbor. You promote their good name, their health, their wealth, their peace. The Lord even instructs them to pray on behalf of this pagan city. This is interceding to the Lord for blessing. I want you to get a hold of the gravity of this. The Israelite exiles are to ask the Lord to bless the Babylonians. Now the sting of this command only gets hotter for the order is to seek the welfare of the city. The city is bigger than being a good neighbor. The city represents the people, the society, yes, even the government. The exiles are called to promote the welfare of the state of Babylon. Ouch. How can God call us to do this? Babylon just ripped me from my homeland. Babylon killed my parents. They committed unspeakable atrocities against my family. They confiscated everything that we own, and now the Lord calls us to pray for them? Well, that's unthinkable. You see, this command cuts against the grain of the Mosaic law. In Deuteronomy 23, the Lord labeled Moab and the Ammonites enemies. And then he told Israel explicitly in Deuteronomy 23, verse six, he says, do not seek their peace. or their welfare, talking about Moab and the Ammonites. This is the complete opposite then of what he says here in Jeremiah 29. Well, previous prophets often put invaders of Israel into this enemy category. It would have been very natural then to put Babylon in this category and to not seek her peace. They are, after all, pagan idolaters. As cruel and godless oppressors, these people deserve to be punished, not blessed. We should pray for Babylon's downfall, not their peace. And if we're going to pray for them, let it be imprecatory prayers, not prayer of blessing. This would have been the thinking of the exiles. But with these commands, God indicates that he's doing something different. And listen to me, if you're taking notes, get this down. He's doing something different when they are not in the promised land. Everybody got that? When God's People are not in the promised land. In fact, the entire thrust of what he is calling the exiles to do in verses five through seven is for them to live by common grace. Look at the command at the end of verse six. Multiply there and do not decrease. This is actually not a command of Israel under Moses. Sure, they multiplied, but this was not a stipulation of Moses. It was a blessing. God told Israel to obey the law and he would multiply them. But the command to multiply comes in Genesis one to Adam and Eve. It appears somewhere else, I bet you know. It also appears in Genesis chapter nine when God speaks to Noah after the flood. And my point is this. The call to multiply goes out to all people under the sun. The exiles are called to live fruitful lives, building homes, making gardens, having children. They are called to pray for the welfare of their pagan neighbors, for the peace of a corrupt government, and for God's blessing to be upon them all. In the opening exhortations of this letter, the Lord reminds the exiles that the rainbow is still shining brightly and that the Noahic common grace covenant is still in play. Well, as you can only imagine, this pill is not easy for the exiles to swallow. In fact, it is the polar opposite of the prevailing census. This becomes clear as the Lord tells the exiles not to listen to their prophets. Note verses eight and nine. Look it down with me. 8 and 9 says, for thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you and do not listen to the dreams they dream. Verse nine, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name. I did not send them, declares the Lord. The exiles shouldn't be deceived by these prophets' dreams or their messages. Now, this is the question, why? Why? For the Lord did not send them. The prophets are not speaking God's word. In fact, an implicit nugget of these prophets' message is this, a quick return home. Like Hananiah in chapter 28, they announced that they would not be there very long. A year, maybe two at the most. Don't unpack, don't put down any roots, don't do anything to help Babylon. For soon Babylon will crumble and you will get to go home. This was the number one hit on iTunes during this time by the false prophets. But the Lord's plan, The Lord's plan was very different. And he says, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, false prophets, they say soon. The Lord says 70 years, a long time. There is no speedy return. Rather, you're going to be in exile a good long while. So in the meantime, unpack, settle in, get comfortable. Now, even though the Lord clarifies that their exile will be long, he does assert something. And this is important for us to remember that this exile is not forever. Yes, they will build houses and they will have grandkids in Babylon, but it will not become their new homeland. They are sojourners, they are exiles. At the end of those 70 years, the Lord will visit his people favorably, and he will bring them back to the promised land. Now, the promised restoration in verses 12 through 14 here is basically a rough paragraph of Deuteronomy 30. God here is predicting the restoration of his people. He foretells the people's repentance and their seeking of God. He promises that he will hear his people and will be found by them. As a father carries his son, the Lord will bear his exiles back to the promised land. We need to consider how this promise colors the exile. In verses five through seven, God made it clear paradoxically that there were many blessings to be found during exile. Obviously, those anybody garden here. Fresh vegetables, I mean, if you can pull a nice tomato right off the vine, oh, man. healthy kids, a new house. They were to prosper and they were to do so as Babylon prospered. And yet with this promise to return. The Lord gives them hope. A future, a future to look forward to something better to hope for. This reflects for us the hardship then of exile. The difficulty of being a foreigner, a reminder that exile is indeed a curse. The blessing of living in Babylon will never replace getting to go home. Yes, they will live in Babylon, but it will not be their home. It will never be their native land. And to encourage his people, the Lord gives them this blessed hope. He lays out this good plan for them so that they can live in exile and still be encouraged by his word. Brothers and sisters, the fullness of covenant life with God is not just being his people. It is being where God is. To be in God's land. So the Lord tells the exiles, I still have plans for you. My plan is to bring you back to my land. You are now far from me, but I will bring you back to my home. Yes, build a house in Babylon, but know that one day you're going to leave that home and you will return home to me." Well, as you can imagine, is there more a more beautiful hope than this? Can there be a more encouraging promise for those exiles? However, the exiles, the exiles did not want to accept the message. They didn't want to be patient. They didn't want to wait 70 years. And so they raise an objection in verse 15. They essentially do this. Jeremiah, you're writing letters to us. But we've got our own prophets. The Lord gave us prophets here in Babylon, and they're saying the opposite of you. Why should we listen to you, Jeremiah? You're way back in Jerusalem. We got our guys. They're with us. They understand our situation. They know what we're going through. You see, the exiles prefer the message of a speedy return home from their own prophets. But the Lord responds to this objection by reminding them of what happens to those that do not listen to him. He does this by telling the exiles what's going to happen to those that are back in Judah. They didn't listen to him. They ignored the constant flow of prophets that the Lord actually sent. And what's going to happen to those back in Judah? Nothing less than the full curse will rain on them like fire. The sword, famine, the plague will hunt them down like wolves after sheep. God sees these people that refused to listen as vile figs that He is throwing away. He is going to make them a hissing, a reproach among the nations. The Lord is going to make a full end to those that refuse to listen to Him. So in verse 20, He tells these exiles they better listen to these words through Jeremiah. They must listen up and start settling in or they too will meet their end. For the only way to have life, the only way to live is for them to listen to this letter from Jeremiah. Now the problem of lying prophets who contradict the Lord's word through Jeremiah is actually a huge issue. It's a huge issue. They are quite a number of these prophets and they're winning the People's Choice Award. So now the Lord has Jeremiah address a few of these prophets. And he does so by naming names first. In verses 21 through 23, the Lord calls out Ahab and Zedekiah. Now, these are two prophets in Babylon who are contradicting Jeremiah's letter. So the Lord emphasizes that he did not send them. They are not his prophets. They speak a lie in the Lord's name. The Lord even condemns Ahab and Zedekiah for their mass adultery. Their rank immorality is a sign of them being false prophets. And so the Lord is going to have Ahab and Zedekiah executed, and he's going to do so through the hands of the Babylonians. He's going to make them a curse used by the exiles. Look at the curse that is recorded as a reminder. Verse 22. Because of them, this curse shall be used. Did you see that? Because of them, this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon. And here it is. The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire. This curse describes the method of execution used by Babylon. The king of Babylon had Ahab and Zedekiah roasted in a fire. Now, does this story remind you of another story? This is how Nebuchadnezzar attempted to kill Daniel's three friends, right? You know, the fiery furnace. The story of the fiery furnace is being roasted in a fire. Now, what was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's indictment? What were they charged with? Well, as you recall, they were charged for not worshiping Nebuchadnezzar's idol. But the effect of the charge was essentially this. It made them enemies of the state. It made them rebels. So the execution here means that Ahab and Zedekiah were convicted of sedition, inciting revolt. This then reveals another aspect of the false prophets lie. You see, in their hatred of Babylon, they advocated anarchy. Mutiny over and against Jeremiah's call to seek the peace of the city. They whispered terrorism, insurrection. They wanted to undermine the city's power, to speak ill of the city's authorities, to weaken it economically, to frustrate its order. Kudetah was the dish they served the people with their false message. And for this long, the Lord judged them, leaving their names behind as a curse for everyone to remember and to not forget their sin. Additionally, the Lord exposes another lying prophet, Shemaiah in verses 24 through 32. It's kind of a long section. And here we actually have a part of the recorded letter that Shemaiah wrote against Jeremiah. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exile. So why can't Shemaiah write one of those still living in Judah? In fact, in this letter, Shamaya rebukes Zephaniah, the priest, for not punishing Jeremiah. As the high-ranking priest, Zephaniah has the authority and the duty to punish bad prophets. Shamaya clearly identifies Jeremiah as this rogue madman prophet. In fact, in verse 28, Shemaiah cites Jeremiah's letter. Look at verse 28. It says, For He has sent to us in Babylon, saying, Your exile will be long. Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce. Shemaiah says this crazy talk from a madman. And Zephaniah should put Jeremiah in stocks and neck irons. in order to silence Him. My brothers and sisters, make no mistake, speaking the truth of God's Word comes at a cost. And false prophets will use whatever means necessary to silence the truth of the Gospel. Yes, even the use of legitimate means for sinister purposes. Men proclaiming the gospel will go to prison because they're preaching God's Word faithfully. This has and will happen. Well, the Lord will expose Shemaiah as a liar and a false prophet. The Lord did not send Shemaiah. And his message is not from the Lord. And so the Lord is going to judge Shemya most severely. And he does so by cutting off him and his descendants out from Israel. Neither him, listen to me, and either him or his children will see the restoration of the Lord's promise. Shemya and his entire family will die in exile. Well, this is Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon. This is his message to the exiles describing what 70 years of exile will look like. And he talks about these 70 years. He's also doing something else. He's speaking to us, the church. You see the 70 years here. is a picture for us as a church in exile. I want you to think about this with me just for a moment. In the New Testament, Peter addresses us as what? Do you recall the beginning of Peter? As elect exiles. James refers to us as the 12 tribes of the dispersion. You see, brothers and sisters, we too live under the rainbow, not under a theocracy. And so for the question for us this morning is how do we please the Lord as we live as exiles waiting for our promised land? How do we live as we are scattered among pagan nations? Well, Your good service is putting down roots. Build a house. Go ahead and put that addition on. Find a career that works for you. Plant yourself a garden. Enjoy its fresh vegetables. Enjoy the life of your youth. Throw a wedding for your sons and your daughters. This is my favorite one. It's coming one day. Play with your grandbabies. Pray for and serve your neighbors, your community, your church, and the welfare of your city, for this is your lot in life until the Lord returns. This is what the Lord has assigned for us as we live in this common kingdom. And you should know that there are many blessings to enjoy while we are here, and we should indeed enjoy them. I know this, that as you do this by faith, this does please the Lord. The Lord calls us as exiles to seek the peace of the city in which we live. To say it another way for you, pursue the peace and welfare of our society. Yes, even pray that the Lord would bless our society. For in its peace will be ours. Brothers and sisters, more than likely. This would have been the hardest pill for the Judean exiles to swallow and Babylon. And you can hear the excuses in their head Babylon stole from us. They oppressed us. They have ripped our families apart. They have killed our loved ones. How can we seek prosperity and peace? They are our enemies. They deserve to die. I want to see their heads dashed against the rocks. And of course, as you know, this would be strict justice. It would. That would be strict justice. Without any pity, without any mercy, and without the gospel. Kill those idolaters, those wicked men. Yes, the revolt and insurrection called for by Ahab and Zedekiah sounds forth loudly even in our own day. And yet what we should learn from Jeremiah's letter this morning to the exiles is how strong the Lord is against this false message of imposing mosaic justice on a common grace society. In fact, he even left us a curse as a reminder. The Lord cursed those that revolted instead of seeking peace. In fact, the authors of the New Testament loudly echoes the call for peace. Paul said it this way. Live peaceably with all. The writer of Hebrews says it. Strive for peace with everyone. Pray for those that rule over you. And just like those exiles in Babylon, we may not find this command easy. I mean, we know this all to be true. Doesn't the city in which we live become our enemy? How are we to seek the welfare of those that want to harm us as Christians or to harm the church? Who want to pile up evil against us? Yes, the theocratic tendencies and messages are still alive and well within the church. Forget peace, we're being told. Revolt, mobilize the church and bring the mosaic wall down on the heads of those pagans in the public square. But make no mistake. The message, that message is the message of men like Ahab and Zedekiah and Shemaiah. And that message has no inheritance in God's plan. Rather, the Lord says this, seek the peace of the city. Pray for it. For your peace is tied to its peace. For Christ said this, he said, love your enemies. Paul echoed this sentiment, he says, If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. Our Lord calls us, his exiles, to obey and to suffer. Yes, houses and gardens should remind us of God's blessing. The difficulty of seeking peace reminds us that as pilgrims, that we walk in exile. It belongs to the realm of common grace in a sinful and a very cursed world. And yet this is not our true home. And exile is not the end of God's plan for us, his covenant people. Rather, God does have plans for you. Good plans. He has given you a blessed hope, a future to long for. In Christ Jesus, he has given you the sure promise that he will bring you to his land, a land that he has gone to prepare for you. The Lord will gather us from every location under the sun. and being blood bought by Christ, we will be gathered in His name. The Lord will bring us to that land whose building and founder is our God. And so truly then, this promise to you is nothing less than God's promise to bring you to glory. Listen. It is not a promise that in this present life everything is going to be. Ice cream and cotton candy. Brothers and sisters, we know all too well that to live a life faithful unto the Lord and faithful to the gospel message will not be easy. The whole point of hope is that it longs for and waits for something so much better. Our exile on this side of heaven will have many difficulties. It will have many trials. Tragedies and evil may befall us. But this is exactly why he gives us this message of hope. This future to long for, to encourage you, to comfort you along the way. A declaration of hope in Christ that he is keeping you for heaven. And he gives you the confidence. That when you pray. That when you seek the Lord, he is listening to you. In Christ. His favor is found and he will answer your prayer and he will bring you to heaven. Now, as Jeremiah paints for us a picture of our lives in exile, there is one detail assumed and it is this. How will the Lord gather his people? How will the Lord gather his people? How can the Lord bless his exiles in the midst of curse? How can the Lord bring his people back from death to life? Well, the answer to this crucial question comes in the fulfillment of another declaration God gives through Jeremiah. Just a few chapters further, the Lord declares, and if you want to go there, you can, Jeremiah 31, 31 through 34, And we're almost done. Jeremiah 31, beginning in 31, says, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. My covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my law within them and I will write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more. So what's the change? What caused the change? Brothers and sisters, quite simply this, Christ died for you. While we were enemies, while we were the pagan idolaters running in rebellion against the Lord, Christ died in our place. God reconciled us to himself through his son, not counting your trespasses against you, but making you the very righteousness of God in Christ. This is why God's plans for you are good. This is why God hears our prayers, because Christ is your great high priest. This is why God is found when you seek him. Because Christ died for you and he united himself or you to himself. Think about this with me, what makes the new covenant better than the old covenant? Well, there are quite a few answers to this, but one major aspect is that your redemption is up front. It's at the beginning. It's at the work of Christ. Your hope is in the resurrection. But your redemption is already finished in Christ. He bore your curse. He suffered your punishment. He died in your place. Listen, God's plan is truly good for you. Because in Christ, nothing can separate you from his love. Yes. We build houses only to leave them behind. God is with us and his love will keep us for that ultimate hope that he has given to us. Resurrection and life in the true promised land. It is because of Christ and his grace that we can live by that grace and seek the peace of our cities in which we live. His grace and all the benefits is that it enables us to live as exiles, to show grace to others, to love your neighbor, to love and pray for your enemy. Because Christ first loved you even unto death. Yes, beloved, this is your good hope. This is your life until Christ brings you home. He has given us a certain hope that he will take us to that heavenly promised land. May you be comforted by it and rejoice in the Lord for what he has done. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you once again for your word. And we would ask that it would go far and deep into our minds and our hearts. That we would place our comfort and our hope in the person of work of Christ. Apply these things to us by the work of Your Spirit. Comfort Your people. This Lord's Day and throughout the remainder of this week, we pray Your blessing upon it in the name of Jesus. Amen.