Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for July 16, 2023

Fueled by Your Future

Jeremiah 29:1-14

1. Background

• yoke of servitude to Babylon and the folly of false prophets (28)
• Jeremiah’s letter to Jewish exiles in Babylon (29:1-32) and the immediate context (29:1-3)

2. Continuation 4-7

• emphasis on the LORD’s sovereignty/providence: displaced but not misplaced
• addressed to exiles
• settle down and thrive personally
• pursue peace and pray

3. Clarification 8-9

• note the repetition
• untrue prophecies from unsent prophets (28:3, 11; 25:11-12)

4. Motivation 10-14

• revelatory accuracy
• emphatic assurance: not to hurt but to help
• personal access and inexhaustible promise (Deut. 4:29; 30:1-5)

5. So What?

• Because of the promise of deliverance in the future, thrive by God’s grace in the present.
• NT connections: Luke 4:18, Heb. 6:19-20; 11:8-10, 1 Pet. 1:3-9
• Aim to align your life with the reality of biblical hope.
• “There is a hope that lifts my weary head, a consolation strong against despair, that when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit, I find the Savior there! Through present sufferings, future’s fear, He whispers ‘courage’ in my ear. For I am safe in everlasting arms, and they will lead me home.” (S. Townend, “There Is a Hope”)