| Introduction This passage, and particularly v. 11, has been mercilessly abused by thoughtless application apart from any interaction with the actual context of the passage. This is such a common practice that the satirical site, The Babylon Bee, has published several articles about it. Here are two of them. TEL AVIV, ISRAEL—Newly discovered manuscripts of the prophet Jeremiah's writings have confirmed that the prophet's original words were likely confined to just the eleventh verse of Chapter 29 found in modern Bible translations, with all other parts of the book being forgeries, Bible experts announced Thursday. Scholars reportedly compared the manuscripts with later copies, and found the writing style in the rest of the book does not match up with the "authentic language" in Jeremiah 29:11. "Everything except that super-encouraging verse is likely not canonical, added by a scribe at a later date," one expert told reporters. "Apparently someone invented an entire fabricated context around the verse to give it additional depth and meaning, rather than letting it stand as the beautiful, context-less words of positivity and affirmation that Jeremiah originally intended." Christians worldwide were excited by the news, now knowing they were able to claim the verse stating the Lord has plans to prosper modern-day believers and give them a hope and a future for themselves rather than worry about the now-discarded context. At publishing time, scholars had also announced that a similar forgery had occurred in the book of Philippians, with chapter 4:13 being the only passage likely penned by the Apostle Paul. BOSTON, MA—Samuel Levenson's life verse—and only tattoo—is Jeremiah 29:11, and with good reason. Levenson first encountered the biblical promise when his spiritual life was in a lull, his career was in a slump, and he was enduring a harsh and brutal exile in the pagan kingdom of Babylon. His only sustenance during this time of doubt, depression, and being a captive of King Nebuchadnezzar, was the clear promise in Jeremiah Chapter 29 that God had plans laid out for him—plans for a future and hope—despite his people's obstinate rebelliousness. "That verse kicked off a shift in my life, and it came when I was at rock bottom," Levenson told reporters as he showed off the inked inscription of the passage in between his shoulder blades. "I was out of a job and in the middle of a rough patch with my girlfriend. I was struggling with spiritual doubt. And to top it all off, I was captured and carried into captivity by an Ancient Mesopotamian empire." "I'll never, ever forget when I first read those words from Jeremiah," he said. "I had to have a permanent symbol of the promise they held for me." At publishing time, Levenson was sketching a draft of his next tattoo, which will include Exodus 14:14, to commemorate the time he won his high school football district championship shortly after being miraculously saved from Pharaoh's fast-advancing chariot army on the shores of the Red Sea. So, I approach this passage with a certain level of fear and trembling, hoping that my interpretation and application are not worthy of a Babylon Bee article. But I will apply it for us today because the God who spoke these words to his people while they were experiencing his judgement in exile is the same God who has brought us to himself and who has plans for us. I want this message to be an encouragement to Teenie as she returns to Lebanon. And I want it to be an encouragement to my family as we see her go. And I want it to be an encourage to our church as we participate with her in this ministry. I. The Trauma of New Beginnings. A. The promise of v. 11 was first given to the Israelites from the Southern Kingdom who had been taken captive to Babylon. 1. After a long siege, the people were forcibly removed from the homes and forced to walk hundreds of miles to a strange land. 2. They left everything behind. a. Most of the possessions. b. All the familiar surroundings. c. Everything they were used to. 3. Life as they knew it was over. 4. I think we can all agree that this is an immensely traumatic experience. 5. But even if they had chosen to go to Babylon on their own, the starting over at a new place would be traumatic enough. a. New beginnings are exciting and full of hope. b. But they are also scary for both the person beginning anew and for those she leaves behind. B. Notice that this new beginning for Judah was not random, but a direct act of God, 4. C. In the trauma of new beginnings, live faithfully, 5-7. 1. In the new situation, live life before God. 2. Do everyday life for the glory of God. 3. So, we notice that faithfulness to God in everyday life does not depend on our address. D. In the trauma of new beginnings, blessed the people among whom you find yourself, 7. 1. We often find ourselves waiting to see what the Lord has for us all the while forgetting that for this exact moment we are where the Lord wants us to be. 2. In a sense, God is not so concerned that we be in a certain place as he is that we are blessing those among whom we are living. E. We may not be in a Babylonian captivity, but the principles of the promises made in v. 11 carry on to us today. 1. We are continuation of that same body called Israel in the OT. 3. He continues to implement his plans for his people. 4. He has plans to prosper his people in holiness until the day of redemption in the return of Jesus Christ. II. God Has Comprehensive Plans for His People A. Our translation reads, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you…." 1. The words thoughts and think are used with the idea of thinking things through and thus planning. 2. The ESV expresses the intent of the author well here. Jer. 29:11 (ESV) – 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. B. First, I want you to see that these plans that God has for his people (you and me) are known plans. 1. The word I is emphatic suggesting that God is saying, "you may not know the plans I have for you, and you may not think in your situation that anyone can, but I know the plans I have for you. a. Though the plans for our lives are unknown to us, they are perfectly known by God because he established them and is executing them. b. God's ways are mysterious to us, but he knows exactly what he is doing. Is. 55:9 – For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. Ps. 77:19 – Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known. 2. At the beginning of the Babylonian captivity, God knew what he was going to do for his people, 10. a. And for us, when everything seems confused and tangled, and we can make no sense out of our situation, God knows and he says, "I know the plans I have for you." b. His plans are so exhaustive, so comprehensive, and he knows in detail what he has planned for us. C. Second, I want you to see that God's plans for his people are eternal plans, that is, they were conceived in eternity past and will remain true into eternity future. 1. There has never been a time when God has not thought of his people. 2. God's thoughts for his people are more ancient than Rome or Greece, Babylon, the mountains of the earth or the stars of heaven. 3. Just two chapters later, in the context of the New Covenant, God says: Jer. 31:3 – The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." D. Thirdly, I want you to see that God's plans for his people are continual. 1. The Hebrew literally reads, "For I know the thoughts that I am THINKING toward you." 2. There has never been and there will never be a thoughtless action of God's part toward you or me. 3. Fate has never determined what has happened to us, or will happen, God has. 4. The Scriptures even say that God is always thinking about us. Ps. 139:17-18 – How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You. E. Lastly under this heading of the trauma of new beginnings, I want you to see that God's plans for his people are settled. 1. God's plans don't change as ours do. 2. When you do not know your mind, God does. 3. Not only that, he always knows his own mind concerning you. 4. God knows all when we often know nothing at all. F. Putting all these facts from the opening phrase together: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…." 1. His plans are known to him even when everything is confusing to us. 2. His plans are eternal, preceding time. 3. His plans are continual as he is always thinking of what is best for us. 4. And his plans are settled, solid, dependable. G. What does this mean to us? 1. Simply put: God's plans for us are adequate. 2. Regardless of what we may think about what we are facing, regardless of how convoluted the situation may appear, his plans are adequate. 3. In fact, they are exhaustively adequate. 4. The bottom line is this: God knows what he is doing. III. At All Times, God's Plans for Us Are Good. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil…." A. We really come to understand how good God's plans for us are when we grasp the meaning of the word peace (shalom). 1. This word means not only the absence of trouble, but also completeness, soundness, wellbeing, and wholeness. 2. The truth is that God's plans for each one of his children is that through Jesus Christ they will be complete, to have shalom in his/her life. 3. There are no exceptions to this among God's children. a. You are not an exception. b. God's plan for you is for you to be made whole in Jesus Christ. Col. 2:9-10 – For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. c. To have a mindset that settles for less is to refuse the plans of God for you. B. This does not mean that God's servants are shielded from hardship or misery. 1. Judah was in captivity when God spoke these words to them. 2. What it does mean is that God's plans are never for evil in the believer's life, but with an eye to their wellbeing and wholeness – always! 3. Even the apparent evil we suffer is toward our wholeness. IV. Great Optimism Flows from God's Plans for Us. "… to give you a future and a hope." A. God's word to us through Jeremiah is that we have a future and a reason to be hopeful. 1 Pt. 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. B. Hope is by definition optimistic and the opposite of despair. C. You and I have hope in this life, come what may, and we have great hope beyond this life. 1. Some of you may be in deep trouble right now. 2. Life may seem to be falling apart. 4. Drink deep of this promise's optimism – you have a future and a hope. 1 Pt. 4:12-13 – Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. V. One Condition to Experience This Hope, 13. A. While the truth of these promises apply to all of God's people, there is a condition necessary to consciously experience its reality. B. The condition is this: seek God with all our hearts. C. There must be a God-focused obsession in our lives if we are to experience fully the benefit of his promise. 1. A focus that says, "I love my spouse, but I love you more." 2. A focus that says, "I love my children, but I love you more." 3. A focus that says, "I want to be married, but I want you more." 4. A focus that says, "I love my life, but I love you more." D. If that is the focus of our hearts, nothing in this life will be a big deal and everything will be held with open hands before the Lord – even our children. E. This obsession is beautifully described by David. Ps. 42:1-2a – As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Ps. 63:1 – O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. F. Our Lord promises the rest of shalom to those who come to him. Mt. 11:28-30 – Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Fellow believer, brothers, sisters, God has plans for us, good plans full of hope. Let us seek him. Let us set our minds on the things above where we are with Jesus Christ. And even in the trauma of new beginnings, let us look to the one who has loved us with everlasting love.
http://olympiabp.blogspot.com/2020/01/an-encouragement-from-god-jeremiah-291.html
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