Peacemakers Bless (Jeremiah 29:4-14)

Here was Sunday’s message, our last message in our vision series. You can catch the audio here.

We’re in the middle of football season, and most of us have already seen our share of field goal attempts - one of which sure didn’t go our direction. But back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon to see a sign with a Bible verse held up in the background, in the crowd, behind the endzone. What verse was usually on that sign? John 3:16. Now that might have been the best-known verse back then, out in the world, but there’s one today, that has long passed it by. Matthew 7:1 - which says what? “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Now we’ll get to that one soon, as we jump back into our study through Matthew in a couple of weeks.   

But in the church, there are a couple of verses we throw around - and misuse - way more than others. Right? One is Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Now that verse has been claimed by kickers trying not to shank the kick.

But there’s another Scripture, one that we’ve seen here in Jeremiah, that’s been held onto in a similar way. Maybe stitched in needlepoint hung on your mom’s wall. Or printed on the magnet you attached to your fridge. Verse 11: “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.” Now what I want you to hear today is this. That verse does apply to our lives. But it promises us something way bigger than getting into that top grad school or adding inches on to your vertical jump. And it has the potential to dramatically change the way we live, if we’ll let it.

Jeremiah 29 and Us Today

Let’s look at Jeremiah 29 again. The prophet of God, speaking to the people of God. First, catch their context - and ours. Where are the people of Judah? In Babylon. Enemy territory. In exile. They’ve been dragged from their land. And they have to be thinking, “Our God has abandoned us.” Things seem pointless. They feel hopeless.

But how did they get there? Verse 1 speaks first of King Nebuchadnezzar taking them into exile. But why did that evil dictator move them to Babylon? Of course, because of His sin. But there’s more to it than that.

In verse 4, through Jeremiah, God talks of those he “sent into exile.” And why did the Lord do that? Because of the sin of His people second. He judged them. He sentenced them to exile. This is our context here in chapter 29.

But it’s not that far from our situation today. In Peter’s first letter in the New Testament, he calls Christians “exiles” as well. This is not our home. We’re strangers, sojourners, pilgrims here. And we can look around us and see evil. But we can look inside here and see the same. We can’t be self-righteous. We have no one to blame. But we’re here ultimately by God’s will.   

Second, hear their calling - and ours. Now here’s what God’s people in Babylon could have so easily chosen. Blend in with the surrounding culture. Conform. That would have been easier. Or withdraw. Huddle up and ride things out.

But God’s call here is to something different. To remain different. To keep their distinctiveness. But to engage themselves in the world around them. Hear verses 5 through 7 again:

Jer. 29:5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.

Jer. 29:6 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.

Jer. 29:7 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.

What does the Lord say? Plant roots, first. Build homes, even gardens. Get married. Have children. See them have children. Make that city - Babylon - your city. Plant roots.

Seek peace, second. That word for “welfare” - it’s the Hebrew word shalom. It’s often translated in the Bible as peace, but “welfare” gets closer to the heart of its meaning. It’s wholeness, delight, flourishing, well-being. Shalom is the opposite of the fall, the curse. It’s the way things were meant - and are going - to be. Eric Mason calls shalom “God’s divine work of re-stitching broken creation to His purpose and design.” Jeremiah is telling the people of God to be that kind of force - for good - even there, in the land of their enemies.

And we can’t miss what else Jeremiah says. To pray, third, for that city. Didn’t we just see this in the Sermon on the Mount? Christ telling us to pray for our enemies? Just like Jesus, Jeremiah tells Judah to love their enemies and to pray for them.

Now in our exile, we’re called to the same. Not to let the culture overtake us. But not to avoid it either. No, to engage it, and seek to redeem it. To be a shining city within our city, bringing light and warmth to those around us. The best possible citizens. Seeking the common good.   

Third, consider their danger - and ours. Now that message would have been hard to receive. They were going to be there for awhile. Right? Your kids having kids. It would be a few years. A main, first, danger to these Jews was to look for a quick fix. A way out. Checking out. Or by looking for an exit strategy as quick as possible.

They wanted a storyline that would take away their pain and give them some hope. And that leads to a second danger they were facing. False prophets. There were plenty of people ready to tell them what they wanted to hear. Back in chapter 28, a false prophet named Hananiah tells the people of the Judah just that. He tells them - verse 11 - that in just two years, Babylon would be judged. And they would return. But later here, in chapter 29, God talks about judging those prophets. They’re full of lies. And He would not tolerate those who would lead His people astray.

Now friends, I want you to ponder with me. Just what we’re seeing take place around us today. Today, there is so much misinformation. Conspiracy theories everywhere. Even among the church! Prophets uttering lies, eager to build audiences. Prophesying hope in our exile. And so many are buying their words. But church, they, too, will be judged.

Fourth, think about their hope - and ours. Their enemy was far too strong. Their only hope, first of all, was that God would rescue them by His hand. And that was right and good. They just wanted it in their time, and in their way.

But they hoped second for rest back in their land. God’s people belonged in God’s place. They longed for the Promised Land. And what we see here is that God, by His strong hand, would do exactly that. He’d bring them back into the land. And with that, hear from Jeremiah 29, starting in verse 10 again.

Jer. 29:10 “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.

Jer. 29:11 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.

Jer. 29:12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.

Jer. 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jer. 29:14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

In “seventy years” God would rescue them. He’d take them back into Judah. All wasn’t lost. They hadn’t been abandoned. God still had plans for them. Plans for “welfare” - or shalom - for them, not evil. They had a “future” - a “hope.”

But did you catch something about verse 14? There’s something way bigger going on than them just moving back to Israel. God’s going to gather the nations, as well. This passage reaches forward - the whole Bible points - to a hope that is so much greater. To the garden of God, the city of God, the land of God, covering the globe. To the earth becoming the temple of God. And all the nations of the world streaming toward Him.

Church, that’s our hope. And while we can thank God in some ways for our country, our longing shouldn’t be for a renewed America. But for the new heavens and new earth that God will bring. But we find ourselves here. And by God’s hand. And how should we view ourselves? I want to look at our sixth and final identity.

Our Identity: Peacemakers

Last week, Jeff shared that we’re storytellers. We go around sharing the story of God. And how our God has transformed our lives. But the end of that story is perfect peace. And that brings us much hope - His shalom. So, as we go, during our time in exile, we share - and we show - that future peace. We’re peacemakers. Here’s how we put it in Karis:   

We are peacemakers who seek the welfare of our city and our world.

Now soon in Matthew, we’ll get to the miracles of Jesus. And as Christ came, healing diseases and exorcising demons, He gave both foretastes and signposts of that shalom. The King gave previews of His kingdom that had come and would fully come at His return. We’re peacemakers. Yes, we bring people together. But here we’re talking of something bigger, by His power - of being used by Him to restitch the very fabric of creation.

As peacemakers, we anticipate, and we act toward that future hope. We don’t just serve in word, but in deed. We don’t just care about the soul, but the body. We’re not just about the spiritual, but the material. We live with the future in mind. We see the early church - in Acts - and beyond - spreading shalom.

As Tim Keller has put it, the gospel goes inside-out, cutting to the heart, and making us new. It goes upside-down, flipping over the expectations and values of our world. And it moves forward-back. We look ahead to that shalom, and we seek to pull it into the here and now.

In Colossians 1:20, Paul speaks of God, through Jesus “reconcil(ing) to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” We are, as it’s put in 2 Corinthians 5, ministers of reconciliation - sharing not just the means of our hope - the cross of Jesus - but the goal of it all - His glorious kingdom. Karis, this is who we are. It’s what we’re about. We’re peacemakers.

But here’s an objection you might have. How does our call into evangelism - our identity as storytellers - fit with our call into social action - that we’re peacemakers? A couple of important things to keep in mind. Social action can first be a means to evangelism, but it’s not just that. There’s little doubt that if we cared for whole persons and loved our neighbors well, we’d get a better hearing for the gospel. But we don’t just care for the sick to get to their souls. Like Jesus, we care about their bodies, too. We share Jesus. But we show Him, too. And we trust Him with the results.

Social action second shouldn’t be separated from evangelism, but it shouldn’t be elevated above it, either. What do I mean? We can join in with unbelievers in caring for bodies, in caring for the creation. But the only way they will experience His shalom is through the message of Christ. As Tim Keller has put it, evangelism and social justice “should exist in an asymmetrical, inseparable relationship. They’re both important. They go together. We can’t neglect either. But we certainly can’t forget our critical calling to share our King, the One who brings His Kingdom. Hear Keller:

“Evangelism is the most basic and radical ministry possible to a human being. This is true not because the spiritual is more important than the physical, but because the eternal is more important than the temporal.

In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Paul speaks of the importance of strengthening the ‘inner man’ even as the outer, physical nature is aging and decaying. If there is a God, and if life with him for eternity is based on having a saving relationship with him, then the most loving thing anyone can do for one’s neighbor is help him or her to a saving faith in that God.” (Tim Keller)

So as we love our neighbors, as we spread shalom, we still share Jesus. We’re storytellers. But we’re also peacemakers. That’s our emphasis for today.

Our Rhythm: Blessing

I want to turn now to our rhythm. If we’re meant to be peacemakers, then how should we live? What should we do? We bless. Here’s the way we put it in Karis:

We regularly bless others through our words, gifts, and actions.

I think of Psalm 67 that starts out this way:

Psa. 67:1  May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us,

Psa. 67:2 that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations.

We ask God to bless us. So that we could keep it to ourselves? No. That we might be a blessing. And that we might point to the blessing that awaits in His renewed world. Through what we say and do, through the gifts and talents He has given to us, we bless those around us. And spread shalom.

Now here are some ways this can look. Think about our work. There was work in the garden of Eden. There’ll be work in the world to come. Let’s say you build houses. As you use the hammer and saw - and with excellence and grace, you picture our God, our Maker. Through Jesus, we can reclaim the idea of vocation, of calling, and recapture the dignity of our work.

Think about the arts. As we craft a poem or pen a melody or give shape to clay or put brush to canvas, we have the opportunity to display our God who didn’t just make things that are useful but that are beautiful. The arts aren’t just extras that we get to if we have some extra money or extra time. They come from God. They’re ways we can bless.

Think about sickness and suffering. We can be a blessing as we care for those in pain - as we pray for them, as we seek to treat them. I think about all of the medical professionals that have had such a brutal couple of years. As you relieve suffering and bring healing, you picture that day when sickness will be no more.

Think about business. We can bless others, as we make goods and provide services, as we create jobs, and help our cities flourish. As we do, we live out what we call the “cultural mandate,” from Genesis 1:28 - where we fill, subdue, and rule over the earth.

Think about poverty and hunger. When we help people find jobs. Or make it to that next paycheck. Or we buy them some meals or help them put together a budget, we point to the day when we’ll all have all we need in the presence of Jesus. We bless.

Think about government and education. We can go out into our city, down in Jeff City, as well, and we can seek to be a blessing. We can carry shalom - into city hall. Or over at Hickman High. We can love and lead and share and serve in a way that brings blessing. And previews the kingdom of Jesus for all to see.

Think about the cultivation and care of the earth. There’s probably nothing more biblical than planting things. That goes right back to the beginning. And it all started in a garden. But if we see everything as made by God and as something that will one day be restored, it makes us stewards of God’s creation. We’ll care for the environment. And bless the earth.

Think about orphans and widows. What does James say true religion is about? Caring for those two groups. As we take kids into our homes and advocate for them in the world. As we care for shut-ins, for the lonely, for those our culture doesn’t value and tends to forget, we bless. We look like Jesus who welcomed children, and who cared for the last, the least, the lost.

Think about justice and mercy. When we speak up for the voiceless, when we march for the powerless. When we stand up against injustice, we call people toward the kingdom of Jesus, where there will be no “mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore” (Rev. 21:4).

As Christians, as those who serve a God who will bring all nations to His throne, we should speak against racism, against any form of inequity. We’re about His shalom. We’re people who bless. That’s our rhythm. That’s because we see ourselves as peacemakers. That is our identity.

But as I say that, you may have another question, another objection. You might say, “Shouldn’t we just preach the gospel? Don’t give me all of this social justice stuff.” But if that’s you, I’d say you’re missing something and something HUGE.

That’s what you call a truncated view of the gospel. Do you know that word, truncated? It means shortened, smashed, diminished, reduced. Truncated. Think of it this way. You buy a couch. And you realize you only have your car. So you try to wedge it into your trunk. And a big part of it won’t fit. Your couch just got trunk-ated. That’s what we do when we think of the gospel in those ways. And what doesn’t fit is a big part of our hope.

At risk of being redundant, I want to give you four different ways to think about this. To demonstrate that this isn’t something added on to the gospel. It’ll be a countdown of sorts from 4 to 3 to 2 to 1. First, four acts of the gospel. What are the four acts? Creation, fall, redemption, restoration. God made all things. We sinned, and it brought a curse to all creation. Jesus became a man and lived, died, and rose to redeem. One day He’ll make all things new. There will be a resurrection of our bodies. But there will be the restoration of all things, as well. That’s the happy ending we all long for.

Second, three dimensions of the gospel. Think about what happened at that fall. And what the good news of Jesus brings. There’s a spiritual dimension. Our relationship with God was broken. And through Jesus, we’re at peace with God again. There is a social dimension. Our peace with one another is disrupted. And through Christ, we can again be made one.

And there’s a physical dimension. God’s entire creation - that has been marred by the fall - will be completely renewed. There will be full, final, forever shalom in all three dimensions.

Third, two lenses of the gospel. We can look at the good news of Jesus from a couple of different perspectives. First, you have the gospel of the cross. That emphasizes the atonement, of Christ dying in our place to rescue us from the penalty of sin. Second, you have the gospel of the kingdom. This emphasizes Christ’s future reign - one of justice and peace - that has broken into the here and now. The gospel of the cross emphasizes the means, the path, to get there. The gospel of the kingdom focuses on the end, on the goal.

Now those on the right tend to emphasize the gospel of the cross. Those on the left go the opposite direction. They just talk about the gospel of the kingdom. But guess what? We need both. The cross secures the kingdom - the future shalom. Both, brothers and sisters, are our hope. We preach the cross. We spread His kingdom.

Fourth, one trajectory of the gospel. Where, friends, are things going, moving, in God’s story? And how do we work in line with that direction? In the new heavens and the new earth, do you think there will be oil in the streams? Will there be plastic bottles on the roads? If so, why would we put them there - or leave them there - now?

To take it further, will there be racism in that future world? Will there be injustice of any kind? Will there be hunger or sickness or poverty? Then why would we settle for it now? Why wouldn’t we try to relieve it today? Are we acting along with the trajectory of the gospel? Or are we going against its grain? Are we working with God and where He’s taking all things, or are we - gasp! - even assisting His enemy?

So, there you go: four acts, three dimensions, two lenses, one trajectory. The end of God’s story is full of His shalom. So don’t let anyone try to convince you it’s some add on to the gospel. It’s where the good news takes us.

Questions for Application

As I’ve been doing in this series, I want to leave you with some questions of application, as we ponder this identity and rhythm.

First, do you realize you’re living in exile? In what ways have you conformed to the culture or maybe avoided it altogether?

Second, where God has you - right here and right now - have you sought to plant roots? Or are you just thinking about what’s around the corner?

Third, are you looking for ways to seek the welfare of those around you? How are you seeking the good of our city and our world?

Fourth, do you pray for our city, for our nation, for our world? What about our leaders and public servants? Or are you more prone to criticize or condemn?

Fifth, how might you be giving your ear to false teachers? What false hopes are you trusting in? How might you be bowing to other, lesser kings?

Sixth, how might you be fixed on the wrong hope? On the kingdoms and comforts of this world? Instead of the new world to come?

Seventh, how could God be calling you to be a blessing? And how might you be avoiding His calling?

God and His Grace

We’ve seen who we are. And how we’re to live. But I want to go back to that initial equation, that I’ve shared each week. Who God is and what God has done leads to who we are and how we’re to live. To truly understand all this, we have to get to the first part of that equation.

Back at the very beginning, humans fall into sin. It looks as if things will never be the same. But God pursues them. He calls out to the couple, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). Years and years later, a new man walks on the scene. He proclaims He is the long-awaited King. He speaks of a kingdom that has come but has its perfect fulfillment in the future. The Lord comes again saying, “Where are you?” He is on a mission. To give His life for us. To renew all He had made.

Who is God? What has He done? He's a missional God who has made peace with us in Christ.

We’re all looking for purpose. And God gives us something to live for, to work for. We love super heroes in the world today. The Lord invites us into a story of His work to rescue to the world. What can move us toward this is a longing for significance. But what can sustain us is gratitude for what He’s done for us, for His grace. He’s blessed us. How can we not also be a blessing?

When my mind goes to superheroes, my mind goes to my Amy. You know her, sitting up there. Healing up bodies and caring for souls at the hospital. Serving tirelessly in the school. Now a CASA volunteer, helping those in the foster care system. I could go on. While she’s recovering from cancer treatments. But one thing she’d share, that she’s definitely learned, is that she’s not a superhero. She has limits. Cancer has made that loud and clear. Her hope - our hope - is only in the strong hand of the Lord. Only He can bring full and lasting peace. But He does want to use us.

Peacemakers and Blessing

Now hopefully today, I’ve taken your life verse. And I’ve torn it down. And built it back far better for you. We do have a “future and a hope” in Him - verse 11. But in this passage has always been a theme verse for the people of Karis - even going back to the very beginning. Verse 7: “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.”

From the beginning, this slogan has been attached to who we are at Karis. We’re “in the city, for the city.” We’re seeking the peace, the shalom, of our great community, Columbia. Karis, let’s not lose heart - even though times have been hard. The “Lord of hosts, the God of Israel” is with us. Let’s pray.