Sunday, June 25, 2023

Living Happily in Babylon - Nathan Rages


Jer. 29:4-7 4 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ‘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 have welfare.’

How to live happily in Babylon:
1. Realize God put you there. 
2. Do all the good you can.
3. Strengthen your family.
4. Pray for your enemies.
5. Submit to government authority.
6. Leave judgment to the Lord.

Sunday, June 18, 2023

God Restores His Chastened People - Nathan Rages


Bible passages like Jeremiah 29:10-14, 30:2,10-11,17, 31:2-4,7-14, and 32:41-42 promise future restoration to the people of Judah, even as they enter the Babylonian Captivity.  

We can apply these Scriptures to ourselves in several ways: 
1. They point toward our New Covenant era.
2. They give us precious promises. 
3. They comfort us when experiencing God’s discipline.

Sunday, June 11, 2023

True Repentance - Nathan Rages


Jeremiah and the other Old Testament prophets often called people to repentance.  This message draws six principles about genuine Biblical repentance from those passages:

1. It begins with an awareness of sin (Jer. 3:12-13, 14:20).
2. It must be directed toward God (Jer. 3:22, 4:1).
3. It requires heart-level change (Jer. 3:25, 4:3-4).
4. It results in obedient behavior (Jer. 6:16, 7:3-7, 18:11, 35:15).
5. It happens only by God’s grace (Jer. 31:18-19).
6. It leads to great blessings (Jer. 3:12, 18:7, 35:15, 36:3).

Sunday, June 4, 2023

Grieving Over Others' Lostness - Nathan Rages


Jeremiah and the other prophets gave strong messages condemning people's sin and warning of God's impending judgement, but, along with these messages, they expressed great personal sorrow -- to the extent that Jeremiah is now known as "the weeping prophet".  

1. The example of Jeremiah (Jer. 4:19-20, 8:18-22, 9:1,10, 10:19, 13:17, 14:17, 48:31-32). 
2. The example of Jesus (John 11:33-35, Luke 19:41-44, Matt. 23:37-39).
3. Applications to ourselves:
    Viewing our country.
    Viewing the individuals we minister to.