SERMON NOTES, 9/10/23
“CHOOSE RENEWAL”
JEREMIAH 29:1-14
Jeremiah 29:11 is a famous verse that was not covered in the sermon, but it would be great to discuss with your group! This verse is often applied to our present day lives without considering the context. In chapters 25-28, Jeremiah describes 70 years of captivity that the exiles were about to face. He even uses the phrase “drink the cup” to symbolize God’s judgment (25:15ff). Living among the Babylonians was not easy for the Israelites because they were separated from their homeland, treated like second-class citizens, and pressured to participate in the immorality of the idol-worshipping culture. A false prophet named Hananiah sent a message of hope to the exiles (Jer. 28), saying that in just 2 years, the Israelites could go back to their homeland. Jeremiah 29:1-14 is Jeremiah’s reply to this false hope.
Opening
1. What did you learn from the sermon this weekend?
Bible Study
2. Read Jeremiah 29:1-14. Make a list of the commands that you see in this passage. Which one(s) do you think were most difficult for the Israelites to obey?
3. Make a list of the promises that God makes to the exiles. Which one(s) do you think would have given the exiles the greatest hope?
4. How does knowing the context help us apply Jeremiah 29:11 to our lives today?
5. Why is it important that the exiles establish themselves in Babylon?
6. Read Mark 14:32-42, where Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays that God would “remove this cup from me,” referring to the suffering and judgment he was about to face. Even in this moment of tremendous sorrow, he later prays, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” One of the reasons we can trust God in troubled times, as Jesus does here, is that God has proven himself faithful to his people through the years. During Jeremiah’s time, the Israelites were experiencing sorrow because of their exile. As you reflect on the Garden of Gethsemane and Jeremiah 29, what stands out to you about the way God works in the lives of his people?
Application
In what area do I need renewal? How might I participate in renewal?
- We aren’t called to be__________________of reality, but_________________ in renewal.
- Instead of longing for a new _______, we embrace a renewed _________.
- Instead of being a _______, choose to be a ___________.
- Instead of focusing ____________, start thinking _____________.