God's Welfare Plan

Happy Labor Day weekend. I'm Brian Moritz and it's just a joy to serve here. And as we are just continuing to get to know each other.

You should know something about me I ambush you lover of jazz you would understand. I will just so much we actually named our middle son Miles after Miles Davis. Then I read a biography on Miles Davis after May, my son miles and wish I hadn't done that going until miles over time will redeem the name will redeem the names. You should also know that when Corey was pregnant with miles I actually wanted to name him culturing after John culturing my wife had to stop me. She says I'm praying with you about miles. The coal train is a bit much to Caleb jazz without loving John culturing John culturing to me is the best saxophonist there ever was, in fact, in the 1950s as he's just moving towards the zenith of his powers he actually plays on the number one selling jazz album of all time, kind of blue. And then it happens right around that time when he is in demand. Everyone wants him. He finds himself at death's door. Having overdosed on one of the substances that he was addicted to. Is it interesting is extremely popular, extremely wealthy at the time and extremely empty but God Uses Very Significant Way in John culturing's life.

It was at this moment when he's at death's door that that he would have a conversion experience Damascus Road experience. Like Paul had in acts chapter 9 that would totally just turn his world upside down. So much so that not long after this experience John Coltrane would record one of the most important albums in any genre.

It's called a love supreme. And if you have the final copy of that like my middle son miles has and you read the liner notes. Here's what you'll see John culturing saying we look at it with me culturing says in the liner notes during the year 1957 I experienced by the grace of God is spiritual awakening which has led me to a richer, fuller, more productive life at that time. In gratitude, I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy. Through music, I feel this has been granted through his grace all praise to God. At that moment culturing kindnesses.

I don't exist to fulfill my own mission in life. What if God is actually given me this gift of music to leverage it to advance his purposes and his mission in and through my life that not long after this John culturing his action plan when the cuts from love supreme in a club in San Francisco and right when he gets done he he murders words under his breath, and only a few on the front row heard it's the Latin phrase, not the media's not the meters comes from a Latin prayer that simply means. Lord let your servant depart in peace, the satisfaction there Guinness as if Coltrane is saying this gift of music isn't just for me. I want to leverage it for God's good purposes for his mission here on earth, so culturing teaches us is a valuable lesson in life that when we left for our agenda when we left for our mission. We end up not fulfilled but empty. But when we tap into something that is outside of ourselves we tap into God's mission for our lives. We catch the side effect of fulfillment along the way. This is exactly God's point will become the Jeremiah chapter 29. In fact, if you got your your Bibles I want you just navigate there with me right now little bit of the setting to Jeremiah chapter 29 the people of God for four centuries, really since day one.

God says that I've created you to live on mission. He sets them free from the nation of Egypt. He takes them through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, and finally they end up in the promised land surrounded by these secular nations in God's call is I want you to live on mission right here. This is your mission field, and yet you knowingly about the history of of Israel. They continue to neglect God's mission will call on their lives and they chose to live for their own mission their own agenda and it did not work well with them. In fact, over the years. Over the centuries we see in the Old Testament God pleading with Israel who live on mission tap into my agenda. Neglecting your agenda and live for mine in over and over, Israel rejects and meanwhile God graciously sends profit after profit after profit may turn them down. The result being that finally they end up in what's called the Babylonian exile. That's right, where Israel is when we come to the book of Jeremiah.

In fact, if you want to hear more about how Israel felt that I'd encourage you to write down some hundred and 37 because in this poem it says that by the rivers or waters of Babylon. We sat down in that there's Israel they didn't find fulfillment when they live for their own mission. They only found sorrow and emptiness know someone said the problem with life is that it's oh so daily that resonates with me out. If it resonates with you all and all it really resonates with me here we are, as many of us are to begin as followers of Jesus Christ in you know if you're not careful you can just wake up one day and realize that life for us is been all about paying our apartment rent or mortgage or and women to major in. When I can do for living kids and our needs, our needs, our needs and you can literally wake up one day and realized I've really been living for myself. You can find yourself drifting from the mission that God has ordained.

There's one word I want to write down Jeremiah 29, is the word mission is all about mission. That's what this call is to this people of exile.

I wanted to find this word mission to you and I want to draw you into three key truths that you and I as followers of Jesus Christ have to tap into it to find the kind of not delete us the kind of fulfillment John Coltrane and so many others who were followers of Jesus Christ are found throughout the year.

But first of all, let's read the text. Beginning in verse one of Jeremiah 29 it says this. These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and watch this and all the people known to stop right there and say this this letter isn't just for those who are full time vocational ministry is not just for profits. It's not just for priests. It actually says it's for all the people. So if you're a barista at a coffee company if your landscaper if you're full-time stay-at-home parent with whatever it may be this is a call for you and I as well who Nebuchadnezzar taken exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, verse two. This is after King at Jack Anaya in the Queen Mother the units the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsman and the metalworkers had departed from Jerusalem. The letter was sent by the hand of Ellis, the son of Shay Fanon. Jim arrived, the son of Hill Kyle whom Zedekiah membrane Old Testament going to increase my vocabulary, King of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

It said underline verse four. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles here it is, whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat their produce, take wives 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 don't decrease but seek underline this seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and prayed to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare. You will find your welfare for this is the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Do not let your profits or your diviners were among you, deceive you, do not listen to the dreams that they dream it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name.

I didn't send them to clear the Lord for thus says the Lord went 70 years are completed for Babylon. I will visit you. I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. If you been around the church for a while. Verse 11 may sound familiar, 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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations in 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 so that's called you and I live on mission. What is that mean again I want to draw your attention to verse seven he says but seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you an exile now order to get our arms around this.

I want to take you to a passage of Scripture that I believe every follower of Jesus Christ should be familiar with its Genesis chapter 12 verses one through three.

It's what theologians call the Abraham it covenant and I love it. Pastor Tom Nelson a bit in Bible says of Genesis 12 one through three. He says it's absolutely important. Christians understand the the Abraham a covenant, because it will help them. Here it is calm their Bibles. I love that image or its Genesis 12 one through three is huge for us to get a grip on what God is doing throughout redemptive history. The essence of Genesis 12 one through three is simple. It is God saying to Abraham, the father of the Jews. I'm going to use you and the Jews. My people to be a vehicle of blessing to the world.

In fact, all of the Scripture can be seen in this light, we did a couple examples.

Later on in Genesis there is a Jew by the name of Joseph is one of the patriarchs. One of the fathers of the nation of Israel through a set of circumstances.

He finds himself in Egypt. This Gentile nation, the leading nation of his day second-in-command navigates this Gentile nation through a famine in literally the whole world sinks an audience with Joseph do not see the Abraham covenant God using a Jew to bless the world will come to the book of Daniel hears Daniel a Jew during the same period of time that Jeremiah is written in the Babylonian exile. Yet God uses this Jew Daniel to leave Nebuchadnezzar to faith in God. In Daniel chapter 4 and delete Darius to faith in God. In Daniel chapter 6 men ultimately God uses the ultimate God Jew Jesus Christ would get on the cross and died for the sins of the world. Once you understand the whole Bible is an unfolding of the Abraham it covenant and now what is it called you and I as followers of Jesus Christ to know.

We may not be ethnic Jews, but we are part of the covenant people of God and is the church of Jesus Christ that has been called to live out his mission in what is that mission again. Verse seven tells us, but seek the welfare of the city. What is this mean word seek in the Hebrew literally means to look intently, it literally means to investigate. Welfare is the Hebrew word shalom. We oftentimes think of shalom as peace and when we think of peace week week we think of the absence of strife or struggle or war, but to the Jew.

Shalom was much more than that it was actually listen to this comprehensive wholeness, comprehensive wholeness, what is God saying I want you. Those of us whether you may be in Alamance County or Chapel Hill or anywhere in the triangle wherever you may be tuning in from I have called you if you're a follower of Jesus Christ to engage in my mission to look intently for ways to bring comprehensive wholeness to wherever you may live. Now what is that me one more thing and then I'll show you how this applies you want to know what it means to bring comprehensive wholeness. Just look at the life of Jesus. Jesus came to this earth to bring welfare to bring shalom comprehensive wholeness how to do what he did in two ways. One, he did it spiritually. Oftentimes Jesus would say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Was he doing his calling people to turn from their sins to cough to turn from death to life. But secondly, we also see Jesus healing people feeding people clothing people meeting their sociological tangible needs. What is it look like to seek the welfare of the city. Every time you and I share our faith.

We are seeking the welfare of the city. Every time we engage in making disciples producing reproducing followers of Jesus Christ. We are seeking the welfare of the city. Every time we engage in foster care or adoption or or helping to feed our jumping on something like serve RD you a wonderful ministry opportunity here we are engaging we are seeking the welfare of the city.

Friends don't you understand this is what God called us to. It is this mission that is to be primary and preeminent in our lives my father's ministries got by the name of Bishop Kenneth Ulmer.

He has taught me just about everything I know about about ministry and I don't mind sharing the story with you because he shared it one time when I worked for him in front of 13,000 people so I will think I'm giving anything away here to talk to Tom about the time he was in the in college in. He was given this assignment to write this paper and soap men. He labors really heart of four weeks over this paper. He had spent a lot of time and he was so confident. I don't know if you've ever had this experience for you. Just knew it was going be a summons like he slammed that paper down on the professors desk since the satisfaction of Ace's bedboard. Couple days later he was sharply got the paper back flip to the back page big red F that was circle that's it's not enough to put the F on there but yet circle that thing big red F circled it in these words. Words to this effect.

Professors is dear Tim, it's obvious you spent a lot of time on this paper.

Your your your exegesis was was deep. Your insights were wonderful. The sources on the bibliography surpassed the minimum required meant. This is a wonderful paper. However, the professor said next time I would suggest you read the syllabus first great paper.

Wrong assignment.

I wonder how many Christians will stand in the presence of God and will hear God saying wonderful you.

You got the degrees and the letters behind your name and you you provided a certain standard of living in.

You did wonderful things, but you really did the wrong assignment. I'd encourage you to consult my syllabus. The word of God.

When we consulted syllabus, we see that one of the things on that syllabus. Every Christian is called to is to seek the welfare of the city is to live on mission for God. That's when true fulfillment happens. What is this look like number one there is what I would call the foundation of mission and it's the fact that God's called us.

Look at verse four. This is the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles and I wanted you to underline this phrase whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon is interesting and I do give you historical context, I told you that really what caused them to me. And Babylon was there sin with for years. They rejected God.

But if you read Jeremiah 29 multiple times God is not. I've sent you here. I've sent you here.

I've sent you here and always got his actually called you and Babylon not now remember Abraham a covenant is all about God's heart for the world God and just care about Jews.

He just wants to use Jesus to bless the world to what is God do okay. You won't listen to me unless you want to bring a Gentile nation who is not going to bring judgment on you, but actually one of flip the script.

I actually want you to carry out my mission through your lives, even in the midst of your rebellion and be a blessing to this Gentile nation man. God is so much God that even in our rebellion he can redeem it for good purposes. I would be careful there. I'm not green lighting sin or disobedience or whatever, but some of you are watching in your wonderment. Can God use me of all the stuff that I've done this look at Israel. God says your and Babylon. Your sin caused it. But even though you may be in a place you don't want to be.

I can still use you exactly where you're at and ask chapter 17.

Here's call he's on Mars Hill and one of the things Paul says in acts 17. It is astounding. He's preaching to these Gentile philosophers and he says God has predetermined the places we will live. Isn't that interesting. God has predetermined the places we will live in other words therefore here where here on assignment God has determined that we would live here.

Those of us tuning in from the Raleigh-Durham area. I have to tell you that this is one of the best places in the world to live. And it's not necessarily what you think I'm going to say look at the stats on the screen over 110 people.

The Raleigh-Durham area were born outside the United States. Raleigh-Durham is 80% higher in our non-US born citizens than the rest of the United States of the foreign-born people here 43% are from Latin America, 34% are from Asia and 9% are from Africa listen to me. One of the things I adore about this church and and I've seen a lot of churches and I worked at several churches in my lifetime I haven't seen anything quite like the summit the way you all support foreign missions that I hear there's over 200 full-time missionaries right now from the summit church international.

Some of you are watching this and God will literally call you to leave this country and go somewhere else and we encourage that and we support that. But I really statistics right we also need to consider that now is gotten us in some of us to the world, God is actually bringing the world us some of your briefs, the landscaper, full-time mom, a college student or professor. If you're in the medical profession where you maybe you need not look to overseas is your mission field you need to see right where you're at is your mission field that's called me there, you need to see yourself as the chaplain of your apartment building or your cul-de-sac.

You need to see yourself once things get back on campus as as as the chaplain of your dormitory or frat house. This is God's call. He's predetermined that I would be here when my best friends in life is actually by top 40 hits is the number one record producer of all time. I won't say his name for years. His executive music producer on the television on a television show that if I said it's name you would know as he took his job.

He and I spent a lot of time together and he was just in a wrestling because Hollywood can be a very dark place is run. We understand are set in on some of these meetings and men. They're not passive to the things of Christianity there actually very hostile yet.

I believe that God's called me there that's my mission field we crafted a plan. He's now not pray like crazy that God would use me actually feel compelled to not even let anybody know that I'm a Christian right away is my first step is I want to wow them with my work. I'm going to produce the best music they've ever heard in their lives. And sure enough, this is what happened over the next year or two he start producing this music.

He starts winning awards and all the sentences cast and crew start coming to me. We start having this conversation goes brine the conversations get deeper in their starting to open up and bear their souls, and over time I get to talk to them about the hope that I have in Jesus Christ is to plant seeds for the gospel. It all began with him embracing the fact that God sent him there. That is his mission field. That is the call of God that is on his life and he embraces it of friends that God would open our eyes. No, I'm not saying that you need to take 90 minute lunch breaks on your job to do a 90 minute Bible studies. What if we live with more intentionality. What if we actually saw it as our mission field.

The greatly Martin Lloyd Jones says it this way is as of God will call you from where you're at and you were to move you to leave your cul-de-sac you leave your apartment once you graduate from from college and there's not a palpable sense of loss among some people there is is I don't think you lived on mission we really live on mission.

There should be a sense of avoid when God pulls us out of that neighborhood that school and moves us somewhere else their friends are you embracing the call, having moved from the foundation of mission he now moves what I call the fundamental of mission. Look at verses five and six. I will read some verbs to you and all of these verbs are imperatives. There were what we would call commands ready verse five he says build houses live in them plant eat take wives have sons take wives give daughters multiply all of these verbs aren't suggestions or commands and that they all fall under one kind of title ownership, not in some hundred 37 tells us that when they first get the Babylon there on the outskirts by the rivers of Babylon. We sat down and wept.

God says to them by the rivers of Babylon did up actually want you to move into the city's language exit build houses, you will be there for a while. I want you to own it is fundamentally talk about mission. The principle of ownership in mission is a powerful combination to leverage and maximize gospel influence is very important jailing mission without ownership is a heartless colonialism. What I mean by that is that's kind of the history of the early American missionary movement we sent people out but they would get to these other places.

But there was no sense of our own this place and I were really kind of the incarnate myself into the culture and love these people was more about let me recruit you and do my thing so heartless colonialism. But ownership without mission is consumerism, when I'm just here Raleigh-Durham I Raleigh-Durham unleavened Apple 11 you keep the humidity.

But everything else I just I just it's a great place to live but if I own living here and neglect the mission and being a consumer I really want to leverage and maximize gospel influence. I need to own and live on mission to draw your attention to Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s Dr. King civil rights movement that makes huge legislative games. There was the Civil Rights Act there was a voting rights act huge accomplishments. After these accomplishments, King looked around and said were not done. He set his site up north to a city called Chicago, and specifically looking at the problem of injustice and poverty decided I'm not just gonna hop on and off airplanes from Atlanta to Chicago King affect actually did the unthinkable. He moved his family into an apartment in the hood cases, live on mission. I own the place for this were what I would encourage you and I can tell you since being at the summit church. There's a cultural event here that is absolutely inspiring to me.

I've heard incredible stories of many of you in the last couple of weeks I've heard stories of some of you who literally moved out of your neighborhood here in the triangle because you want to move into an international community to live initially among them.

Others of you have heard stories of you moving close to pregnancy crisis centers unit wanted to speak against abortion or or or vote a certain way you actually want to live among these young ladies who are in this traumatic point in their life and offer them a sense of hope and that's that's owning it that's that's owning the place so we are college students and you're going well and from out of town out-of-state milieu for four years. What what what would you say to me, I'd say to you what what what I've always said to high school students who graduate from churches I pastored it come the means of the past from going back in the store wherever it may be to go to school away from you, we recommend owning your own orgasm, to do with your life, you may be there longer than four years, only to jump in and join the church and serve in ministry, own it, have a sense of ownership. This is where God has called you is predetermined for you to live here just live on mission, but own the place as well. Thirdly and finally, God called us to live on mission that embrace this call. This is the foundation.

The fundamentalism that own this call.

Thirdly and finally, what fuels the call. What what fuels mission look again at 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 hope again. Remember the historic context here is Israel.

They have blown it, not just one time, not just multiple times they voted over centuries it was God saving them. I got good plans for you, plans to give you future and a hope. No recall that recall that grace what fuels mission grace. Listen to me let you in on the secret. You won't wake up every day feeling like seeking the welfare of the city. This will be plenty of stretches in your life where you won't feel like it. In those moments. I want you to divert your attention to the grace of God. Don't you understand we were God's mission field. You and I were God's mission field in Jesus left the comforts of heaven were saved by grace through faith because of the mission of Jesus Christ friends. I really let that sink in that that fuels it all of us have either read or seen Leigh Ms. what a story in the story, the protagonist John Valjean.

He's living on mission he seeking the welfare of the city. He's caring for little orphan girl. He just got this mission. Mindedness will always come from, you know it comes from early on in the story, fresh out of jail, he spends the night of the bishop's house stills and silverware and is eventually caught brought back by the authorities to the bishop in an astounding act of grace. The bishop sets and free the authorities leave in the bishop says the Valjean with this act of set you free.

Now go and do likewise for others. Valjean never gets over this grace in this grace fuels is mission friends. Not only did Jesus Christ live on mission, but may remind you, and I we are Israel living in sin and just like Israel sin got them into bondage to Babylon. Our sins, enslaved us, not just to sin, but to the enemy, but ultimately if you keep reading Jeremiah 29 God says here's the promise yet future in 70 years. I'm going to come and rescue you.

And just like with Israel was prophesied centuries in advance that a rescuer of the liver would come his name is Jesus Christ. We are saved not by our moral striving not by our good intentions. We are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ (may we never lose sight of that grace because when we really reflect on that amazing Grace. It will drive mission in our lives. Let's pray father, thank you for your call. Life is so much more than letters behind our name zeros in a bank account where we went to school where we live. ZIP Codes those things and fulfill ultimately is when we live outside of ourselves and tap into your mission that now there's a sense of fulfillment and thought I'm well aware that several people these home groups scattered abroad may be saying I've I've drifted away from the mission or I've never embrace the mission midday. See first of all, your grace, you promise a future and a hope through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we receive that today in the name of Jesus.

Amen and amen