NEW YEAR PROMISE
Jeremiah 29:11-29:13
New Year’s 2012
Jeremiah 29:11
English Standard Version (ESV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Introduction:
I read a humorous and thought provoking bumper sticker the other day. It read, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.’
Beginning now and lasting till at least April, we will be inundated with commercials, enticing and encouraging us to make serious life changes.
• Changes in diet and health
• Changes in lifestyle and exercise
• Changes in finances
And so, people are making resolutions or promises to make positive life changes.
What’s your resolution for 2012? Here is a list of the top ten resolutions that are made each year
10. Get Organized
9. Help Others
8. Learn Something New
7. Get Out of Debt
6. Quit Drinking
5. Enjoy Life More
4. Quit Smoking
3. Tame the Bulge
2. Fit in Fitness
1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
A friend of mine, posted three positive resolutions on facebook:
1. More Bible wisdom, less human wisdom
2. Laugh and let laugh
3. Love. Nuff said
The point being, Love and laughter are the spices of life...so embrace them wherever you can get them!
So how have you done so far? Will you make any promises to yourself this year.?
IN as much as it is wise to plan and set goals for yourself, it is even more important that your plans are in alignment with the plans that God has for you.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
English Standard Version (ESV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
This is a wonderful refrigerator verse that we love to memorize and quote. But let’s take a step back and consider the reason and purpose of this Divine promise.
We’ve heard it said that God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. It’s easy to agree when we like the plan.
But sometimes, God’s plan turns out to be different than what we were thinking. Some of you began 2011 with a positive attitude confidently claiming the promises God has for your, your family and your careers. But then, the rug got pulled from under your feet.
You may be happily married with two kids. You have no intentions on having any more.
But one day, you come home from work. And your wife says “Guess what? I just came back from the doctor. And we’re going to have two more kids! Isn’t this a blessing? Praise the Lord!”
And you reply, “Honey, I need to sit down.” Sometimes, God’s plan is different than what we were thinking.
Or maybe you have a job that you really like. A job that you’re good at.
But one day, the boss says, “John, we need to make some changes. We’re going to have to let you go.”
And you go home and say, “Lord, what is happening? I thought I was where you wanted me to be! I thought I was doing what you wanted me to do! What is going on?” Sometimes, God’s plan is different than what we were thinking.
Or maybe someone you love is fighting cancer. You were counting on God to come through for your family just like He always has. You were counting on a miracle!
But one morning, the doctor calls back with the test results that you don’t want to hear. Sometimes, God’s plan is different than what we were thinking.
The same thing is true of the Isreal in Jeremiah 29. The year is 586 BC. God is judging the nation of Judah because of their unfaithfulness. The Babylonians have attacked Jerusalem. They’ve taken 3000 prisoners back to Babylon. Including the king, the court officials, and the craftsmen. And the Jews are saying “This isn’t supposed to happen to us! We’re the chosen people! We’re the apple of God’s eye! What is going on?”
Today, we’re going to see that God is accomplishing plans in our lives even if those plans aren’t what we were expecting. And then we will see how we should respond to God’s plan for our lives.
The Jewish people have a beautiful history of God coming through for them in times of crisis. In Exodus chapter 3:7, the Lord told Moses that “I have seen the misery of my people. I am concerned about their suffering at the hands of the Egyptians. So I’m going to bring them out of the land of Egypt.”
And that’s exactly what happens. In Exodus 14, God brings them through the Red Sea. 40 years later in Joshua 24, the Israelites inherit the Promised Land. God’s plan was accomplished in the lives of His people.
And in 2 Kings 19, the Assyrian army invaded the land of Judah. The people were scared. The commander of the Assyrian army said, “No one can deliver you out of the hand of the King of Assyria. Surrender to us now, and we will let you live!”
But Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. And that very night, an angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 people in the Assyrian camp. Almighty God had come through once again! God’s word was accomplished in the lives of His people.
And so when the Babylonians invade the land of Judah in 586 BC, the captives are thinking, “This isn’t going to last long. God is going to come through for us like He always does! The prophet Hananiah said in Jeremiah 28 that in two years, God will break the yoke of the king of Babylon, and we will be free! We’re coming back home! Praise God!”
But in Jeremiah 29:1-6, Jeremiah writes a letter to the captives in Babylon. And basically, he says “You’re not coming home for a while. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Be fruitful and multiply.” In other words, ‘You’re not ready to go home because I have plans for you right here in Babylon.”
Like the Jewish people in this story, we too are living in a world that is not our own. But we’re not ready to go home because God has plans for us right here in Babylon. It is not an accident you are where you work. It is nit an accident that you are attending the school where you study. God is working out His plan in your life. He wants you to live for Him in this place until he calls us home to the Promised Land.
And then in verse seven, Jeremiah says, “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."
And the Jews would have been thinking, “You want us to pray for the community that carried us into captivity? Jeremiah, have you lost your mind? These people are the enemies of God! These are the people who ransacked the city of Jerusalem! How can you ask us to pray for these people?”
The key that will set the course for how you will enjoy God’s blessing this year will be YOUR ATTITUDE!
You have a choice to either allow the circumstances and people this past year to make you bitter. Or like the Apostle Paul you can choose to, ‘focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
How do you expect me to forget Pastor? ? God is not saying that you develop some form of spiritual amnesia. The Bible is saying to let go of the past and do not let it hold you back from all God wants to do in and through you.
Don’t dwell on the past, don’t grovel in your mistakes, don’t be embittered by your failures. Learn from them, let them go, and move on into the promise God has for you this year.
And then down in verse ten, God says something else that would have gotten the Jews riled up. He 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.”
When we read this verse, we think, “Wow, that’s beautiful. In seventy years, God is going to bring the people back to the Promised Land. That’s awesome!”
But the Jews were thinking, “You mean we gotta live in this rotten country for the next 70 years? Most of us are going to be dead by then! What kind of a plan is this, God?”
But then I thought of something this week I had not seen before. God is specific in telling Israel that they will return in 70 years. Why 70 and not fifty. After all fifty is the year of Jubilee when Israel is to celebrate the deliverance of the Lord.
To put it simply, God is reminding Israel, and us that ultimately He is in control of times and seasons. He is in control and aware of all that is happening. We call this God’s providence or His Sovereignty.
God is working our His plan and purpose just as we read in romans 8:28, ‘
Romans 8:28 English Standard Version (ESV)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God is reminding us, there is not a promise HE has given that He will not fulfill, in His time and in His way. Our job is to simply to trust and obey His plan.
IN this new year God wants you to be reminded that He is faithful. God will do what He says He will do.
So, as you begin to move into this new year of God’s promise remember three things:
Go into the New Year with: His Planning
This first part is the most important… ‘For I know the plans I have for you…’
That is, -I alone; not the false prophets who know nothing of My purposes, though they pretend to know.
There are two types of Believers that this is aimed at.
First of all, there is the planner. But, they’re not the kind of planner we want to be. Yes, this planner will go into the New Year with everything all planned out. They’ll have their job plans, with their promotion schedule and commissions worked out. They’ll have their family plans, with their stock and pension plans worked out. They’ll have their educational plans, with their classes chosen and semester schedules picked out. But, they’ll leave something out. They’ll leave out the most important part of planning. Does anyone happen to know what the most important part of planning is?
‘LEAVING IT TO GOD’
Proverbs 3:5-6
English Standard Version (ESV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your way acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
It’s very important that we understand that we cannot leave God out, of anything. This includes any and every area of our lives.
Now the other Believer that this is aimed at is the non-planner. This is the person that will wander and wonder through the entire year, without seeking God and the plans that He has for them.
This is the person who just wings it. No thought. No plan. No prayer. There philosophy is “Whatever will be will be’ I will just wait on God. But for this person to wait means to be lazy .
These two people are just alike, because they are both out of fellowship with God. They are both relying on sources other than God to provide for them.
The coming year is the same as any other. It has
12 months,
52 weeks
365 days
8,760 hours
525,600 minutes
31,536,000 seconds
Now, just how do we spend all that time?
3 ½ months will be spent sleeping [seven hours a night],
16 days will be spent eating,
9 days will be spent in church,
50 – 80 days will be spent working [75 for average 8-hours a day, with normal holidays.]
5-10 days will be spent traveling to work, to the bathroom, to the kitchen, to the store, etc.
9-15 days will be spent in the bathroom [unless you have a sick spell, then it could be longer, or shorter depending on the sickness!]
With all that moving, working, eating, sleeping, etc., the average person still has at least 100 days that are unaccounted for and that can be used by God to improve them, if they’ll let God do that.
So, with planning, you have three choices:
=We can make our best plans and try to carry them out in our own strength.
=We can make careful plans and ask God to bless them.
=Or, we can begin with God, ask Him about HIS plans, and offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.
My friend and broadcaster John counsel puts it this way, ‘There are two types of people. Those that say "thy will be done" and those whom God says to "okay have it your way"
What will you decide to do?
2. Go into the New Year with: His Purpose
An active relationship with God is what makes life complete, it is what gives meaning to life, it is what gives us our purpose in life.
Without that relationship with God and the assurance and hope that we will one day spend the rest of eternity in heaven with Him, there is a void, a vacuum in life, a whole in our hearts.
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Warren begins his book with these words…
“It’s not about you. The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.”.”
You are not an accident. Even before the universe was created, God had you in mind, and he planned you for his purposes. These purposes will extend far beyond the few years you will spend on earth. You were made to last forever! Self-help books often suggest that you try to discover the meaning and purpose of your life by looking within yourself, but that is the wrong place to start. You must begin with God, your Creator, and his reasons for creating you. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense.
You see, without God there is no purpose in life, we are simply inventing ways and devices to fill up twenty-four hours of the day.
And, don’t confuse God’s purpose for your life with investing all your time in ‘busyness.’ Yes, many people confuse the business of God with the busyness of their agenda, both in their lives and in the church.
3. Go into the New Year with: His Provisions
These verses tell us that God has already many plans. Read that again and pay attention to the tense…
For I know the plans I have for you… that’s planning that has already taken place… that’s planning that has already been done. You don’t have to do any intense or stress invoking searching to find out what God’s plans are for your day, your week, your month, your year, and your life. All of those are short and long range goals that involve action plans to accomplish.
Go to God, ask Him for the plans that He has for your life, and the provisions, or the help that goes along with performing those plans.
Again, we say We begin with God, ask Him about HIS plans, and offer ourselves to Him to carry out His purposes.
God is not going to purposefully make a plan for your life that will intentionally fail. He won’t do that. However, the plans that He has for your life can fail…and, any failure that has occurred on any plan of God that you were following is because you were at fault, not God.
See those verses again…
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper (Lit. completeness, soundness, welfare, peace) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
The key to finding God’s plans for our lives, His purpose for our lives, and receiving His provisions for our lives is all found in that last verse, verse 13.
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.
In other words, if you want 2012 to be a success then it must begin by moving from his will to God’s will. “If you and I want the new year to be a success, let’s:
Drop our agenda … join His agenda
We all have things we want to do and see accomplished. But success begins when we place our plans at the foot of the cross, and take up g\ods plans and agenda. The apostle Paul put it bluntly,
Romans 12:1-2
English Standard Version (ESV)
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies (C)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Get off our path … get on His path
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, passed these sage words onto his son that are essential for us to emulate,
Proverbs 3:5-6 English Standard Version (ESV)
5 (A)Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and (B)do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways (C)acknowledge him, and he (D)will make straight your paths
Release our ambitions … embrace His ambitions
King David’s last words to his son Solomon
1 Chronicles 28:9 English Standard Version (ESV)
David's Charge to Solomon
9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a (A)whole heart and with a willing mind, (B)for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. (C)If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
Don’t ;let the bright lights, and successes you will enjoy turn your attention away from what is trully important. Your relationship with father God.
An most of all, when things get difficult, DON’T QUIT.
Charles Swindoll gives the story called “Don’t Quit”
Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. It was an evening to remember—black tuxedos and long evening dresses, a high-society extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening was a mother with her fidgety nine-year-old son. Weary of waiting, he squirmed constantly in his seat. His mother was in hopes that her son would be encouraged to practice the piano if he could just hear the immortal Paderewski at the keyboard. So—against his wishes—he had come.
As she turned to talk with friends, her son could stay seated no longer. He slipped away from her side, strangely drawn to the ebony concert grand Steinway and its leather tufted stool on the huge stage flooded with blinding lights. Without much notice from the sophisticated audience, the boy sat down at the stool, staring wide-eyed at the black and white keys. He placed his small, trembling fingers in the right location and began to play “Chopsticks.” The roar of the crowd was hushed as hundreds of frowning faces pointed roar of the crowd was hushed as hundreds of frowning faces pointed in his direction. Irritated and embarrassed, they began to shout:
“Get that boy away from there!”
“Who’d bring a kid that young here?”
“Where’s his mother?”
“Somebody stop him!”
Backstage, the master overheard the sounds out front and quickly put together in his mind what was happening. Hurriedly, he grabbed his coat and rushed toward the stage. Without one word of announcement he stooped over behind the boy, reached around both sides, and began to improvise a countermelody to harmonize with and enhance “Chopsticks.” As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear:
Keep going. Don’t quit. Keep on playing…don’t stop…don’t quit.
And that is how God would respond. We hammer away on the project, which seems about as significant as “Chopsticks” in a concert hall. And about the time we are ready to give up, along comes the Master who leans over and whispers:
Keep going. Don’t quit. Keep on playing…don’t stop…don’t quit. As He improvises on our behalf, providing just the right touch as just the right moment.
And when finally when we simply try he will stand in the balcony and applaud louder then anyone else.
