Awaiting The Kingdom (Jeremiah 31:1-14, John 10:11-18)
Rev. William L. Barron, December 3, 2023Part of the Advent Series: Christ Coming To Build His Church series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Jeremiah prophesied about the Babylonian captivity of Judah and its subsequent restoration. The focus of the prophecies was God's people who were under the Abrahamic covenant, who trusted that God would bring forth a savior to defeat the wages of sin. The administration of the covenant under Moses, "the law-giver," showed us how we are to live and why we need the promised redeemer, since keeping the law is impossible for us. All through these administrations, God promised to be with His people. At the same time, Hosea pointed to a new "My people," who would be brought under the promise of the covenant. Jeremiah saw an amazing restoration of Israel as one blessed people, including those left behind and those who were scattered far and wide. God promised grace and rest. The captivity was God's discipline for the people's rebellion. Hosea wrote that the people considered harlotry and wine to be more important than loving God. They preferred their own pleasure and their hearts strayed far from God. Thus judgment and discipline from God came upon the people of Judah. We need to look for God to discipline us also. His purpose in discipline is always to restore. Jeremiah foretold that God would bring the exiles back along with others not even thought about, a restored people built by the Holy Spirit. Their weeping would be turned to joy. Pleas of mercy accompany calls unto worship at Zion. For us, it is a privilege to tell others about Jesus, and it is also a responsibility as God promises to provide for His people. As His people gather at Zion, the holy hill, the place of worship, they come together to bring God glory and praise.
| Earlier: | Same day: | Later: |
|---|---|---|
| « The Immanuel Principle & People | None | What Sort Of King Is The King Of Glory? » |
Jeremiah 31:1–14 (Listen)
31:1 “At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”
2 Thus says the LORD:
“The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3 the LORD appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines
and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant
and shall enjoy the fruit.
6 For there shall be a day when watchmen will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
to the LORD our God.’”
7 For thus says the LORD:
“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘O LORD, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
the pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
9 With weeping they shall come,
and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back,
I will make them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble,
for I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’
11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall be like a watered garden,
and they shall languish no more.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
declares the LORD.”
(ESV)
John 10:11–18 (Listen)
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
(ESV)