Sermon Central
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The Promise Of His Coming Series
Contributed by John Dobbs on Dec 1, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Today we will spend time with the prophet Jeremiah - the weeping prophet - as he reminds us that God is not through - even when the times appear to be dark. He writes in a bleak time for God’s people.
A Season of Promises
The Promise of His Coming
Introduction
This month we will be focused on the season - season of promises. Many faith families regard this time of year as Advent - a time to slow down and experience the season of expectation as we wait. Advent calls us to not be so caught up in the Christmas rush that we fail to remember two important truths:
-God’s people waited expectantly for Messiah to come.
-God’s people await for Messiah to come again.
Today we will spend time with the prophet Jeremiah - the weeping prophet - as he reminds us that God is not through - even when the times appear to be dark. He writes in a bleak time for God’s people. The prophecy was written in the midst of exile. The people were warned and remained unfaithful: they now have “reaped what they sowed”, yet their suffering and despair is real and cannot be ignored. “Many people … must have believed that Yahweh had rejected his people. The events of 587 B.C. made their pessimism all the more severe.” (Thompson)
The judgment of God- Exile- is deserved, yet is still so awful that even God joins the people’s lament and dreams of restoration. People are waiting for the promise to be fulfilled.
It might be hard for us to identify with God’s people at this time, but living in dark times and wondering when God will intervene is not.
- We pray for the children of the world in Palestine, Israel, Ukraine, any anywhere in the world.
- We pray for the lost, left behind, overlooked, mistreated, hated
- We pray for those fighting their way through addiction, disease, grief.
- We await the coming of Christ who brings the promise of hope, healing, and renewal to the earth.
Into a time of darkness, God speaks. Jeremiah 30-33 is known as “The Little Book of Comfort”.
1. The Promise of Healing (33:6-9)
Israel was certainly a people in need of healing - and it would come eventually, after a period of Babylonian captivity.
Malachi 4:2 LSB “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”
We know that in his earthly ministry, Jesus was a healer of hurts and disease. Even now Jesus is bringing healing and hope to those who are hurting - through grace, forgiveness, and answer to prayer.
In our ultimate destination, Revelation 22:2 “On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
God’s promise of healing is needed in our broken and hurting world … and in our own personal worlds.
2. The Promise of Joy (33:10-11)
Israel probably couldn’t imagine finding joy again. When we are in the darkness of despair, joy seems far away.
When Jesus was born, the announcement was one of joy. Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Only in Jesus can we find joy when it cannot be found anywhere else.
3. The Promise of Comfort (33:12-14)
Our Father speaks to Israel and offers comfort to them in the knowledge of what they will endure because of their
unfaithfulness. Kegel: Jeremiah had pleaded with the people for thirty-eight years but Israel would not listen. They ignored God’s prophet, they mocked him, drove him out of his own house, threatened him and finally tried several times to kill him. Finally, Jeremiah came to understand that if there was to be healing for such a people, it would have to come from God Himself. He knew that only Yahweh could restore Israel to wholeness and faithfulness.
He uses the imagery of a shepherd - an image that Jesus adopts for himself as our Good Shepherd.
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
All of the healing, joy, comfort will be experienced in a limited way when the exiles return from captivity and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple, but they find full expression in the life and ministry of Jesus.
4. The Promise of Messiah (33:15-18)
The Righteous Branch (15) “Righteous Branch” looks to the future coming of Christ when all will be made new. But it also reminds us that the risen Christ is living now in our lives and brings hope and light into our lives we would not have otherwise. “The Messiah, Jesus Christ, is spoken of as the righteous branch coming from David. This figure of speech is prominent in God's unfolding plans for His people”. (Keesee)
