Two Baskets of Figs | Jeremiah 24 | Pastor William Hixson

The Lord showed me, "Behold, two baskets

of figs were set before the temple of

the Lord, after Nebuchadzzar,

king of Babylon, had carried away

captive Jeconiah, the son of Jehoakim,

king of Judah, and the princes of Judah,

with the craftsman and the smiths from

Jerusalem, and had brought them to

Babylon."

One basket had very good figs,

even like the figs that are first ripe.

The other basket had very bad figs which

could not be eaten. They were so bad.

Then said the Lord to me, "What

seeestest thou Jeremiah?" And I said,

"Figs, the good figs, very good, and the

bad very bad that cannot be eaten.

They're so bad." Again, the word of the

Lord came to me, saying, "Thus says the

Lord, the God of Israel, like these good

figs, so will I acknowledge those who

are carried away captive of Judah, whom

I've sent out of this place into the

land of the Calaldanss for their good.

For I will set my eyes upon them for

good, and I will bring them again to

this land. And I will build them and not

pull them down. And I will plant them

and not pluck them up. And I will give

them a heart to know me. For I am the

Lord, and they shall be my people, and I

will be their God. For they shall return

to me with their whole heart. And like

the bad figs which cannot be eaten, they

are so bad. Surely saith the Lord, so

will I give Zedekiah, the king of Judah,

and his princes the residue of

Jerusalem, and the residue of Jerusalem

that remain in this land, and those who

dwell in the land of Egypt. and I will

deliver them to be removed into all

kingdoms of the earth for their hurt to

be a reproach and a proverb and a taunt

and a curse in all places to which I

shall drive them. And I will send the

sword and famine and pestilence among

them till they be consumed from off the

land that I gave unto them to and to

their father.

Okay, that's a lot to deal with. So

let's have a word of prayer. Father, we

ask your blessing on this class. Thank

you for those that are out and how

sovereign you are in all your affairs

with people. And we see that sovereignty

today and how history is working out. Uh

and we know down through time it's

always been the same. The hand of God is

in the glove of history. That's what

providence is. and we ask your blessing

on us as we begin to think about your

ways as and may we bow to them in our

own lives and in the lives of those we

love in Jesus name. Amen.

>> Amen.

Now, you've heard me say so many times,

God is a God of surprises.

And this is a surprise.

Actually, was God was working with these

people.

Uh the people who were carried off first

to Babylon

were the good things

and the people that were left were the

bad things.

Now that's counterintuitive.

You would think that the people that

Nebuchadnezzar

captures and carry all carries off, they

must have been the bad ones and the good

ones are left behind. And uh God's

really on the side of the ones that are

left behind rather than the ones that

were carried off. Very counterintuitive.

And yet God says that's not the way it

is at all.

Good figs went to Babylon. Bad figs are

still here.

Now that word good and bad are used of

figs

and um they don't refer to

they don't refer to character or

spirituality necessarily.

That's where it's kind of hard for us.

If you watch that word good uh and you

watch how God uses it uh God is simply

saying things are not what they seem to

be.

RK Harrison the Old Testament scholar

said the basic message dealing of this

chapter was that the exiles would be

restored while those remaining in the

land would be destroyed.

So the bad figs are destroyed, the good

figs will be restored and the picture is

that. So it's not really dealing with

their moral character as much as their

uh life in this world and their destiny

in history. Another writer Doug Douglas

Jones said, "Chapter 24 forms a climax

because it destroys the last complacent

hope of the Jerusalem remnant that the

judgment has been completed in the exile

of 597."

Now, there wasn't see here's what

happened. Jerusalem was Jer

Nebuchadnezzar

had control over the area and took some

people captive in 597.

But it wasn't until 586 BC

that he destroyed Jerusalem.

So the ones that were taken at that

first exit, that first uh exile weren't

in Jerusalem when it was overrun and

destroyed, burned.

So I'll read again what Douglas Jones

said. Chapter 24 forms a climax because

it destroys the last complacent hope of

the Jerusalem remnant. That judgment's

been completed in the exile of 97. The

judgment yet to come will focus on the

fate of Zet King Zedekiah.

And th this this uh

and so that's that's what's going on

here.

And another and Jones says later, not

the character of the exiles, but their

fate

that is the ultimate good for the exiles

uh in and the and the further judgment

for Jerusalem. So usually when we're

thinking of that word good and bad,

we're thinking of character, but we're

talking about these people have

something comparatively speaking good

happening to them. and you're going to

have the real you think you had it. You

think you were the best. You had it best

because you were left behind. No, you're

not going to get worse for you. That's

really what he said.

And I'll read one more writer on that

because this is a hard concept. This is

Warren Wearsby. God disposes of his

rebellious people. In 597 BC, the

Babylonians deported King Jehoa Chen

along with many of the nobles and key

citizens, leaving only the poor people

to work the land. It was the beginning

of the end for Judah. And no doubt

Jeremiah was greatly distressed. Knowing

that his servant needed encouragement,

the Lord gave him a vision of two

baskets of figs sitting before the

temple of the Lord. One basket held very

good figs, the kind that ripened early

in the season. and the other basket

contained rotted figs which nobody would

eat. Then the Lord explained that the

good figs represented the exiles who had

been just been taken to Babylon while

the bad figs represented King Zedekiah

and his officials as well as the

survivors who remained in the land of

Egypt who fled to Egypt. Now, they're

going to take the people are going to go

to Egypt before this is over and they're

going to take Jeremiah with them.

And so, the bad figs were the ones that

were left behind for the ultimate

destruction of Jerusalem. What do you do

with rotten figs? You reject them and

throw them away. What do you do with

tasty good figs? You preserve them and

enjoy them. God promised to care for the

exiles, work in their hearts, and one

day bring them back to the land.

Jeremiah even wrote a letter to the

exiles telling them to live peaceibly in

the land and seek the Lord with all

their hearts. That's in chapter 29.

There was no future for King Zedekiah

who succeeded Jehoachin or for the

nobles that gave him such foolish

counsel, but there was a future for the

godly remnant that would seek the Lord

with all their hearts. Is everybody

following what's going on there? I think

that's helpful. And he said, "In the

times of n national catastrophe, no

matter how discouraging the

circumstances may be, God doesn't desert

his faithful remnant, rebels are

scattered and destroyed, but true

believers find God faithful to meet

their needs and accomplish his great

plans. The people who returned to the

land after the captivity were by no

means perfect,

but they'd learned to trust in the true

and living God and not the worship.

If the captivity did nothing else, it

purged the Jewish people of idolatry.

And that's true, right? God didn't have

to teach them that lesson again. They

they got it. So, this is our section and

this is our help. And my the topic

tonight, the title of this particular uh

lesson is the surprises

of God's providence.

the surprises

of God's proverb.

And certainly God surprised everybody

with this revelation because it's

counterintuitive.

The bad people must have been taken off

because they were bad and they can't

live in their land and they're all way

over there in Babylon 900 miles away.

They must have displeased God and we

there must be something special for us

because we're left. No, it's just the ex

exact opposite.

So, the surprises of God's providence.

And doesn't God have surprises?

Isn't he a God of surprises?

Uh Jacob and all of Joseph's brothers

were totally surprised when God put

Joseph in power and that they weren't

looking for that. They weren't thinking

about that.

And the Apostle Paul was surprised when

he didn't get to go to Rome. And he and

then wrote the book of Romans. And then

he finally got to go to Rome. But what a

surprising way to get there.

He didn't he didn't imagine he was going

to go there as a prisoner.

And he he got a free trip

at the expense of the Roman government,

but with a storm thrown in and

everything else. So God has surprises.

And I know you've had surprises. I've

had surprises. And you've said, "Why did

God do that?"

Of all people, why did God let that

happen to them? Of all situations, why

did this have to happen the way it has

to church or our church or somebody

else's church? See, God surprises all

the time. Think of what Jesus said u

in Matthew. Remember

uh when the nations are gathered before

the Lord, the Gentile nations, the goats

are surprised that they're goats.

When did we not when did we do this?

When did we not do this? When are they

surprised? Even the even the sheep

nations are surprised. When did we visit

you in prison? We don't remember.

And so God is a God of interesting

surprises.

So 597 BC was 10 years before the final

destruction of Jerusalem, which was so

horrible. They're still finding things

about that today. Over and over and over

again, archaeologists are finding out

about that event that was so

destructive.

So first there's the group in exile

taken to Babylon and then there's the

citizens of Jerusalem who are not taken

into exile but remain behind and King

Zedekiah is one of them but he's he's on

the end but they're all the bad figs.

It's not going to be good for them. They

got it's going to be that the the result

for bad figs is to be thrown out

and the result for good figs is to be

eaten. they have a good purpose left for

their their life. I happen to like Fig

Newton cookies. So, I have a hard time

dealing with this section, but uh for

me, any fig is a good fig, but I have to

really moderate myself for that.

Now, it's not difficult to envision

how these people came up with this

misinterpretation

of what God was doing.

It just seems like those that are

holding the fort and are the

standardbearers for the capital of the

theocracy, the future must be with them.

But God's saying, "No, the future's over

here."

And it it Derek Kitner calls this an

unexpected

was the truth. God's thoughts are not

all men's thoughts. And he's rebuking

the false prophets who were trying to

guess the will of God. You know, the

false prophet said, "They're never going

to destroy Jerusalem, the holy city. We

we got we we got the temple. We're

good." Of course, all that was wrong.

Charles Fineberg

uh was one of my favorite Old Testament

scholars. In fact, some of the first

books I ever read on the Bible was from

Charles Fineberg. He had two doctorate

degrees uh and a wonderful Bible

scholar. Actually, he's the one that

taught Charles MacArthur at Talbot

Seminary and took him under his wing

after MacArthur's dad asked him to do

that. But this is what Charles Fineberg

said. The purpose of the vision was to

declare that that those who went into

exile in 597 would be better off than

those who are left behind. Those who

escaped the deportation would naturally

think the opposite.

So we have said that many different

ways, right?

God's being good to us. We didn't have

to go. He must see something good in us.

No, he sees a lot bad in you. You the

worst is yet to come. God just Hey,

guess what? The church goes home at the

rapture.

I'm sure some people will say, "God

judged them. They're gone. We're glad

they're gone."

And glad we're rid of them.

Oh, we got these two witnesses left. We

got to take care of them. Well, now

they're gone.

Don't think there won't be a

construction put on that.

But anyway, John Calvin said in this

section, God declares what was remotest

from what was commonly thought. So, is

this a surprise? Doesn't the Bible

surprise you somewhat sometimes? Well,

God does.

Surprised Abraham. Oh, that Israel might

live in your sight. Nope. Going to be

Isaac.

Surprised Abraham totally.

I'm going to build you a house, God,

for your glory. You don't you shouldn't

live in a tent. No, you're not going to

build me a house. I'll build you a

house. Another surprise.

God often does that. And so

the the people that were moved to

Babylon, of course, Daniel was put put

there even earlier of this, they

survived the destruction of Jerusalem in

a way the people that stayed didn't.

So you never never know, do you?

You never never know. Matthew Henry

said, "This short chapter helps us put a

very comfortable construction upon the

great

on many great long ones."

Do you remember when we're studying

Jerob

uh

uh Jeroboam? You know, he uh

uh when remember the 10 northern tribes

split off in Jeroboam, we taught this

Sunday. He sent his wife to see how the

baby was going to do. He was hoping that

he'd get something good, you know. Well,

he was surprised. He was totally

surprised.

And uh remember King Josiah uh in the

south and even God even named there'd be

a baby a boy king that would grow up and

destroy everything. Jerobom did.

And that good king, that good king, the

Bible calls Josiah the good king. He is

one of the best kings in the south.

He died at 39.

39. in battle fighting the Egyptians.

And God told him he's going to die young

so he wouldn't have to see all the

horrible stuff that's going to happen.

Sometimes we feel bad about somebody

dying young. Well, maybe God's got a

reason for them to die young. How about

that little baby of Jeroboam when he

died when the mother's foot went across

the threshold and God said, "He's the

only one in your whole family that I've

seen anything good in.

I'm taking him home.

You see, God doesn't look at things the

way men do.

And there's strange and surprising

things in Providence.

How about uh the book of Phileiman is

one of my favorite little books to teach

in the Bible. And remember the servant

that was unprofitable

that probably stole from his master uh

ran away to Rome, found Paul and God

found him and he gets saved and Paul

sends Onesimus

back to Phileiman.

He sends unprofitable back to Phileiman

and says now he's profitable both to me

and to you.

Surprise, surprise, surprise. I'd like

to seen the look on on my Lemon's face.

And when uh Onesimus showed up at his

door, wasn't God? Isn't God packed with

surprises?

And

I'm sure when we get to heaven, it's

going to be the same thing.

Many people have said this. We're going

to be surprised that some are there we

never thought would be there. We're

going to be surprised that some aren't

there that we thought were going to be

there. We're going to be really

surprised that we're there and that's

okay. This is really good Lord. I you

know so but it it it God has got

surprises in Genesis on a human level

apart from morality.

Cain was the most successful person. He

built a city.

There's a whole culture of Canaanites.

They were the ones that made the lead in

business and in agriculture and in

musical instruments. There all it seemed

like all the gifts and all the abilities

and the contributions came on the side

of Cain. What did the Sethites do? They

prayed.

Didn't say anything about them inventing

anything.

What did what did Abel do? He died.

Maybe he had kids that we don't know.

but before he died. I think it's

possible. But, you know, they it was the

Canaanites that controlled the culture

all the way to the flood.

So, if you look at it on a human level,

the the the Canaanites were the big dogs

and the Sethites were kind of second.

God said, "Not many, not many wise, not

many mighty

are called. God's chosen the foolish

things of the world do what? Confound

the mighty and the weak things of the

world confound the strong.

And that's not a compliment to the

Corinthians, but it's just reality.

And God loves to use ordinary people

to do extraordinary things.

And that's basically what he's saying

here in this section.

Um,

who would think

that Jacob

would do more for the world than Esau?

Esau's descendants

had kings

when Jacob's descendants were just

shepherds.

Ever think about that? Got all the kings

of Edom.

And so in so many ways sometimes the

people that are worse seems like they're

getting ahead of their spiritual people.

And

uh God likes surprises. He surprised

Jacob with it was Judah, Joseph, not

Judah, that the Messiah would Judah, not

Joseph, that the Messiah would come

through. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

And you know what?

He surprised you, hadn't he? He

surprised me. Didn't see that one

coming.

Didn't see that blessing happening. I

didn't see go you using that person.

Didn't imagine that person being used.

And so didn't imagine that person

getting sick.

So

uh there's a comfort in this

because sometimes life gets pretty dark.

Sometimes life becomes very very hard.

And Jeremiah needed this encouragement,

didn't he?

And don't we?

Don't we? Who knows what church is doing

the most

for the Lord?

Is it possible for us to even measure

that?

It's got to be the mega churches. Well,

not really.

They're big show. I'm not saying there

aren't some big churches that are being

used, but I'm talking the mega mega

churches. By the way, that's going out

of style. That's getting really flat.

People aren't into that today as a big

that that was a big deal for a while.

Really turning flat. Now people are

getting stuck with these big buildings

and nobody in.

And so most of the churches in America

are under under 100.

And so God must like little churches.

He's got a lot of them.

And and so but God but but you know even

good churches go under and you say well

why' that happen? All right their work

was done.

No local church is going to exist from

Pentecost to the rapture.

The church the gates of hell won't

prevail against it. That's the universal

church. But local churches come and go

and but they have their time

and and even while they they're being

used of the Lord sometimes it seems like

oh not much going on there and maybe

there's not. Maybe there is.

I'll tell you one of the biggest

churches in history was the church the

Methodist church that Spurgeon got saved

in.

a church that only had three or four

people in a snowstorm

and the pastor didn't even make it. The

deacon was preaching.

Tell me that that church didn't make a

contribution.

And so, we can't tell

where God's working and who God's

working with.

It's the same today as it was in

Jeremiah's day. We don't even know.

Sometimes we don't even know when God's

using us.

And we think, well, nothing much

happened there, but something big did.

And so, thank God for that because

that's good. So, these are the in

chapter 24, you got two baskets of figs.

And the two baskets of figs are emblems

of the future of God's people, the Jews.

Both groups are before God.

the good figs and the bad figs. He says

it three times. It's like emphasize

this. Good figs over here. Bad figs over

here. Good figs all went to Babylon.

We're left with the bad things.

And so now that's usually frustrating,

right? You're left with the bad ones.

That's frustrating with me when I like I

like blackberries. I like raspberries

and and strawberries. That's kind of my

thing. And but their raspberries tend to

go bad before anything

was and I bought bought some the other

day and they had mold in them the second

day I brought them home with them. I

wasted a lot of money there.

But just and so uh you know bad figs

there's not much you can do with it once

they go bad. They're bad.

They're bad.

And so throw them out.

Now in that c at that time in history

and in that place June was the best

month for figs. You had three three uh

times that they would produce figs and

the best were the first. They were

extraordinarily good. But here these are

extraordinarily bad. One version calls

them the naughty figs.

The naughty pigs.

Something cracks me up. The naughty

pigs.

You know, Amos had a very similar

illustration in chapter 8 with the

summer fruit.

And so, here's the picture.

So, Jeremiah gets a vision from God in

verses 1 to two. And then there's a

question in verse three. Uh

Lord says, "What what do you see,

Jeremiah?"

And this is a this a good one for visual

aids. Visual aids are not bad. Visual

aids aren't just for kids. Visual aids

are good. God gave him a visual aid in

the form of the vision. He said, I the

good things very good and the bad very

bad. They can't be eaten. They're so

bad. So, he saw it and then he had it

explained to him what it meant and God

was using the eye gate as well as the

ear gate and he was getting the message

through. So, there's the vision and then

there's the question and then there's

the interpretation. So God didn't let

him interpret himself. God said this is

what the bad things represent. This is

what the good things represent. God

interpreted

it for him. It's very very clear.

There's no misunderstanding about God.

What God was saying. And what he was

saying is uh providence is going to be a

little different than you you and

everybody else expect.

And uh I believe the judgment seat of

Christ is going to be that way. Don't

you?

I watered Apollo. I w I how's it go? I

planted Apollos water, but God gives the

increase.

Who's going to get the gold, silver,

precious stone, and who's got the way

and stubble? Only Jesus knows that. We

don't know that till the judgment day,

right? And so what a surprise.

Where does the future lie for the Jews?

Is it in the ones that are in Jerusalem

got left behind? They probably thought

the future was with us, but it wasn't.

They're going to get destroyed. They're

going to get wiped out.

And the future was going to be with the

exiles 900 miles away.

Now, if you can you 900 miles away was a

lot farther in those days than it is

today. Would

would you like to walk to Florida?

Have you ever tried to walk to Florida?

It's a thousand miles away. That's close

enough, right?

Not me.

I don't even want to walk to Parker.

Can you imagine walking to Florida?

So if Babylon's 900 miles away and you

got to walk, that distance is farther

away

in the minds of the people living when

the Bible was written than in our minds.

Linda and I can get in a plane and go to

Florida in two hours.

Rick and Bunker,

two-hour flight straight into Sarasota,

straight into wherever we're going down

there

now.

uh but it would take them weeks.

So the it's really it's it's it's

stronger

it's stronger this section is stronger

than you might imagine it to be in the

imagination and in the mind of Jeremiah.

And what an encouragement it must have

been to him. Now by the way he was

staying behind.

He had a hard assignment.

His assignment was stay behind and deal

with the people that were left.

Sometimes

our earlier ministry in our later

ministry is different or vice versa.

And Jeremiah,

nobody liked him anyway.

Everybody hated him. But then when his

prophecies came true,

he had a little more respect. But he

they he was still hardly tolerated.

But he was left

and but the f then God tells them the

future is with those that are in

Babylon. He wasn't in Babylon. His

assignment was to stay.

But the people that he ministered to,

many of them were going to be the ones

that God was going to use in the future.

You ever think about this in geography?

Think about little England

and how America and Canada came out of a

little country called England. Now I

know other people come to

How about Spain? How about South America

and Central America and Mexico? Little

Spain. Think of and they did some very

bad things especially but think of the

impact on South America. They still

speak Spanish.

How about Ireland?

Uh think of all the Irish people in

America

and think of little Ireland and how many

Irish people are

here

from that little country. And then here

they got the room to to

spread out.

No going back.

No going back. So let's reread this

again. Ver chapter 24. The Lord showed

me verse one. Two baskets of figs were

set before the temple of the Lord after

Nebuchadzzer, king of Babylon, and

carried away captive. Jeconiah son of

Jehoakim, king of Judah, the princes of

Judah, with the craftsman and smith from

Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon.

So the all the uh talented people are

gone. Gifted people are gone. Not all of

them but most of them. And the one

basket one basket had very good figs

like figs that were first ripe. The

other basket had very bad figs which are

not be eaten. The Lord said to me, "What

seeest thou Giron?" Jeremiah said, I

said, "Figs, good figs, very good and

bad, very bad that can't be eaten.

They're so bad." And again, the word of

the Lord said to me, saying, and by the

way, that's good that and I know God

doesn't speak to us the way he speaks to

prophets verbally, but if God teaches

you something, you're you're reading

something and he teaches you something,

you Oh, wow. I got to write that down. I

got to think of that.

Keep studying. He might teach you

something else. You know, if you're in a

time where God's speaking,

take advantage of that. I'm not saying

it's an inspired utterance from God, but

if the Holy Spirit is ministering to

you,

hang in there. Don't just, okay, I got

something from God. I can go my way.

Wait a little bit. Listen a little more.

More's coming.

And I found when

now sometimes God wakes me up just I

wake up just because of my age because I

know old people wake up in the middle of

the night, which I do every night. once.

If I wake up once, that's a good night.

It's usually twice. But if God wakes you

up and you're you you're the Lord

teaches you something,

that's a good time to stay up a little

bit.

That's a good time to stay up and let

the Okay, Lord, speak Lord. Your servant

hears what else you got.

And let him teach you a little more.

And you woke me up, Lord. Now, what do

you want me to learn?

And who do you want me to pray for?

That's what I do. And okay, Lord, you

woke me up in the middle of the night.

Who do you want me to pray for this

morning?

And uh so that kind of stuff. So, I'm

not saying you got to get up and pray

for three hours. I'm just saying, you

know,

try to do what you can do to get back to

sleep, but uh accomplish something while

you're up there. So verse four again the

word of the Lord said to me thus says

the Lord the God of Israel like the good

figs so will I acknowledge those that

are carried away in captivity

of Judah whom I've sent out of this

place into the land of Calaldanss for

their good for I will set my eyes upon

them for good I'll bring them again to

this land I underline that I will bring

them again to this land

and I'll build them and not pull them

down and I'll plant them and not pluck

them up. Now, that's not been completely

fulfilled yet. Do you know that?

This is an open-end promise here.

And I'll give them a heart to know me.

That's going to happen when Jesus comes.

That's Jeremiah 31 in the new covenant.

and I'll give them a heart to know me

that I'm the Lord and they'll be my

people and I'll be their God for they'll

return to me with all their heart. That

didn't happen to everybody that that

went right away. But it it it certainly

is going to happen in the future.

And like the bad figs which can't be

eaten, they're so bad. Surely says the

Lord. So, I'll give Zedekiah the king of

Judah and his princes and the residue of

Jerusalem that remain in this land and

those who dwell in the land of Egypt.

And I'll deliver them to be removed into

all kingdoms of the earth for their hurt

to be a reproach and a proverb and a

taunt and a curse in all places which

I'll drive them. And I'll send the sword

and famine and pestilence among them

till they're consumed from off the land

that I gave them and their fathers. In

other words, the exile is not over. Uh,

exile of Babylon was just part one.

And the people got that went there are

the ones that'll be coming back. The

rest of you are in big trouble. But God

promises a future return. God promises a

regeneration where people really get

saved. The future is with the early

exiles. And that's a good thing.

Um,

the future is with the church of Jesus.

I get a lot of YouTubes how the church

is dying in America and stuff. Well, a

lot of it need to die. It was already

dead anyways.

Dead Christian, apostate Christianity.

The sooner it's gone, the better. But

yes, it's true. Churches are shrinking.

We're dealing with that. I remember when

it was different. We didn't have sense

enough to know that we were in a

revival, but we were. We didn't know it.

But remember, Cain looked like he was

getting a better start than Seth. Take

the long view.

And

liberals and false Christianity has

captured seminaries, schools, church

buildings, denominations,

and you know, it looks like they're

doing big things because they're they're

they've taken over the buildings and the

schools that Bible believers built.

Bible believers built it. and they took

it over. So, they look like they're

doing big things. No, they're they're

they're exactly the opposite of the

people that really did the hard work

and that God was using.

And so,

u

may God help us to see all that and rest

in that.

Chapter 4 is kind of a climax. It's kind

of a uh of God's dealing with failed

leadership and failed prophets and

shattering that complacency that they

had. The future is with those who

seemingly have lost everything.

Zedekiah's revisionism

is exposed and the surprises of God's

providence are happening.

I'm going to make a statement. I think

this is kind of important to make

because local churches come and go.

You know, in seminary, we started a

church in Columbia City, Indiana. God

did through us. It lasted 13 years.

That's all the father. They had a

building had a building as big as this,

bigger than this. And they went out of

business.

Was that labor feudal?

The local church didn't last.

Pastor at the third or fourth pastor ran

it into the ground with controversial

stuff,

but the people lasted. They got

scattered and they moved on.

So, was all that was that time wasted? I

don't believe so. And we worked hard.

That church started in our trailer.

You ever think about starting a church

in a trailer with two bachelors

that put the dishcloth over the dishes

instead of washing them to make

everything ready for service that night?

I mean, that was pretty rough. And we we

we

drove uh we drove started driving to

Columbia City. I taught a Bible class in

there every week of seminary. We had

church services in a and fox

hunters lodge where the mice were

running on the ground and we'd have to

clean it up before we had church. But

people got saved. People went on for the

Lord.

Even though that church didn't go on,

we started a church in Dover, Ohio. Not

I I was from Dover Bible Church. We

started another church up there for 13

years.

13 years. I drove up there and back

and that church was a small church. I

think we had about 60 or 70 when it went

out of business.

You say, "Why did God take it out of

business?" I don't know. That's God's

business. But the people went on,

the ministry went on.

And Bob West that comes down here and

preaches once in a while, he was part of

all that.

So God has his purposes. If Athens Bible

Church goes out business tomorrow, will

Athens Bible Church bend in vain?

No.

Local churches come and go. God's got a

purpose. And when they go, they go. When

they come, they come. And obviously, we

want everything to last as long as

possible.

But I want to say this to Athens Bible

Church. If we go out of business next

year or 5 years from now or 10 years

from now or 20 years from now, we'll

still be in business. You know why?

Because there's people out there

scattered all over the United States in

the world from this church that are

laboring for the Lord. So even if you go

out of business, you're still in

business.

And we don't get to choose where the

future is. It may be here. Maybe this

church will last a hundred years if

Jesus dies.

It may be here and there or it may be

out there. We don't know because we're

not in charge.

I hope I can just encourage us with that

because

to me that's very very important.

And Jeremiah had to accept these things

that God has his surprises. We don't get

to choose.

Things work out.

Uh now Jeremiah was sent to minister to

Jerusalem and so he stayed in Jerusalem.

He stayed there till they took him to

Egypt. He wasn't quite willing to go

there but he end up there and uh he he

ministered to him to the end where it

was really tough. Things were tough at

the last part of his ministry. You think

it was tough at the beginning? It was

tough later on

and yet he stayed and he ministered and

he labored.

So I don't know where your life is

going. I don't know where my life is

going. None of us knows any of these

things. We're not in charge.

But thank God for his sovereignty.

The future is with those

who often lose.

That's an interesting thing, isn't it? I

mean, if a Jew gets kicked off the

promised land and he loses, he looks

like the loser. He lost his farm. He

lost everything. Family worked for for

generations. He's taken 900 miles away

to to Babylon. How'd you like to be

Daniel? He was already there.

Daniel

seemed like he lost. He didn't even get

to get married. Not even once.

He was a unic

and his three friends. But what a life

he had. What a ministry he had. How God

used him and is still using him through

the book of Daniel.

So I don't think Joseph had too too

great a childhood, did he? Brothers

hated him while he was home and lied

about him when he was in Egypt. His his

employer's wife lied. Said he was a

rapist. He got thrown in prison. All

that was rough stuff.

But then he ended up what? Second in

charge of Egypt for the rest of his

life. I think he would probably have

rather been at home and everything and

just let a normal life there was not

what God had for him. We don't get to

choose it. It God is in control.

Um

and thank God for providence.

John Flavl said, "A thousand friendly

hands are at work for them to promote

and bring about their happiness. Oh,

this is enough to sweeten the bitterness

providences to us that we know it should

turn to our salvation.

If you're saved, all things work

together for good to those that love God

and they're called according to his

purpose. All things, not just the good

things, not just the medium warm good

things. The the bad things work for your

good. The bad things where you mess up

and bad things where other people mess

up. That's bizarre, isn't it? But it did

say all.

Now, that's not for everybody. It's for

those that love God and those that are

called according to his purpose. It's

for saved people.

And why do all things work together for

good? Because God's working all things.

You can't get outside of the sovereignty

of God. You say, "Well, I prayed for

something. I didn't get it." Well,

that's good because if you'd have got

it, it'd be worse than if you didn't.

God doesn't say no unless he's got

something better for you.

He knows better for you than what you

know.

And so,

what a wonderful section of scripture.

What an amazing

picture here in this section of the

Bible.

That doesn't mean there are consequences

when we fail.

Philip Franken said, "To choose to sin

is to choose its consequences."

And that's true. We reap what we sow.

Saved and unsaved, we reap what we sow.

But thank God

for being saved.

Again, Warren Wearsby, God doesn't

desert his faithful remnant. Rebels are

scattered and destroyed, but true

believers find God faithful to meet

their needs and to accomplish his great

plans. The people who returned to the

land after the captivity were by no

means perfect, but they'd learned to

trust a true and living God and not to

worship idols. They learned something

there. They learned something in Babylon

they couldn't learn in Jerusalem. Idols

are bad.

If the captivity did nothing else, it

purged the Jewish people of idolatry.

Now, they had other sins that they had,

of course, because they went on and

crucified Jesus. They weren't into idols

anymore. That was over.

They got sick of that.

And uh Wearsby goes on, "The destruction

of Jerusalem and the fall of Judah were

not accidents. They were appointments.

For God was in control. Now the land

would enjoy its Sabbaths Sabbaths and

the people exiled in Babylon would have

time to repent, seek the Lord and far

off Babylon. God the potter would remake

his people and they would return to the

land chasened and cleansed. And you got

to tie in that potter stuff before,

right? Potter's making up. It's no good.

Tear it down. Try again. Rebuild it.

Rebuild it. And uh that's what the Lord

is all about.

I'll close with this. Philip Reichen

quotes CS Lewis in one of his books, The

Great Divorce. Some of you probably read

this, but Lewis said, "There are only

two kinds of people in the end.

Those who say to God, "Thy will be

done." And those to whom God says in the

end, "Thy will be done.

All that are in hell choose it. Without

that self-choice, there could be no

hell. No soul that seriously and

constantly desires joy will ever miss

it. Those who seek find to those who

knock it's opened. You know, he's he's

absolutely right. How many people say no

to the gospel? They want nothing to do

with it. Nothing.

They just want God to bless their

program

and bless their sin,

things they've chosen. They're not

interested in what God's got.

And so, two kinds of people in the end.

Those who say to God, "Thy will be

done." God's will be done. And those

whom God says in the end, "Thy will be

done." You want it this way. Now, it is

this way for all eternity for you.

you get what you want

instead of

what I want

for you.

Well, I hope that this has been helpful

for you. It's a powerful little section

in the book of Jeremiah. And that's

going to lead us to some some rest very

interesting interactions in the book of

Jeremiah. prophecies of the 70 weeks,

other interesting things going on as we

move through this particular section.

Oh, heavenly father,

uh, forgive us when we've been impatient

with you. Forgive us when we

are upset with life.

Everything's right on schedule.

So many times we're concerned about

things that we don't even have to be

concerned about.

And we get worried about things and get

upset about things we don't have to get

upset about. We don't know what you're

doing. We don't have to know. You know,

and you know what's going on in

everybody's life here today.

And when God says, Paul says, all things

work together, that's not just the good

things working together. That's the good

things, the bad things, the in between

things.

Good. All of it works together. Somehow

you work it together.

And now bless us and help us to rest in

your rejoice in you and the

disappointments of life.

In the times you slam doors that we

thought were going to be open, the times

you said no when we wanted you to say

yes.

May we thank God

for a shepherd that knows better for the

sheep than the sheep do for themselves.

And may we submit to the will of the

shepherd and the leading of the

shepherd.

Jesus name.

Thank you for your tonight

as we go from this place.

loving you more,

trusting you more.

May the power of your love and the light

of your word shine to a sin darkened

world. As we go from this place,