WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.560 Imagine God telling you to buy a piece of land in a war zone like Ukraine or 2 00:00:11.560 --> 00:00:12.640 places in 3 00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:18.630 Afghanistan. Would you do it? You might shake your head and disbelieve doubting 4 00:00:18.630 --> 00:00:19.040 if you've 5 00:00:19.040 --> 00:00:23.700 actually misheard God and your mind is simply playing a trick on you once again 6 00:00:23.700 --> 00:00:24.920 . Why on earth 7 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:30.570 would you buy a piece of land not knowing if in your lifetime the war would 8 00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:32.560 stop, if poverty 9 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:38.050 would end and the people were safe. But all sense is you will surely wait and 10 00:00:38.050 --> 00:00:38.840 see not 11 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:43.520 wanting to waste your life, resources, your name and fame. There are many 12 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:44.040 leaders in the 13 00:00:44.040 --> 00:00:49.260 Bible who had to lead through a challenging circumstance, not telling a clue 14 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:49.640 what will 15 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:55.970 happen next. In the session before we got a glimpse about Moses. Now we want to 16 00:00:55.970 --> 00:00:56.120 elaborate 17 00:00:56.120 --> 00:01:01.340 on the prophet Jeremiah who exactly was asked to do that by a piece of land in 18 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:02.240 the war zone. 19 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:07.460 I mean it was obvious that Jerusalem would fall as it was another siege by the 20 00:01:07.460 --> 00:01:08.200 Chaldeans 21 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:15.400 and still God asked this of Jeremiah. This is completely crazy and it wasn't 22 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:16.000 that he 23 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:21.220 liked buying things because he had too much money or was into investment 24 00:01:21.220 --> 00:01:21.960 banking or high 25 00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:28.290 risk investment. Neither was he in a great position himself right then. He was 26 00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:29.080 imprisoned 27 00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:33.200 because he had been preaching that the nation was going to fall and that God 28 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:33.920 wanted them 29 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:40.250 to surrender back to him. Right in that prison said God prepared Jeremiah to 30 00:01:40.250 --> 00:01:41.120 buy a piece of 31 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:48.300 land in an occupied area. His cousin needed money and God graciously told 32 00:01:48.300 --> 00:01:49.000 Jeremiah in 33 00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:55.330 a dream that when the cousin will come around he should buy it from him. Not 34 00:01:55.330 --> 00:01:55.960 simply to head 35 00:01:55.960 --> 00:02:02.570 the cousin to get some money. When the transaction was complete Jeremiah got 36 00:02:02.570 --> 00:02:04.080 confused wondering 37 00:02:04.080 --> 00:02:11.420 is God really did tell him to buy the land? Jeremiah prayed and God granted him 38 00:02:11.420 --> 00:02:12.920 the answer 39 00:02:12.920 --> 00:02:18.480 which Jeremiah needed to endure. It was because God had lots of plans for 40 00:02:18.480 --> 00:02:20.360 Israel. It was meant 41 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:25.270 to be a sign of hope for the people of Israel that one day God will release 42 00:02:25.270 --> 00:02:26.160 them from the 43 00:02:26.160 --> 00:02:32.070 captivity and they will flourish on this land once again. It was buying hope 44 00:02:32.070 --> 00:02:33.040 for our people 45 00:02:33.040 --> 00:02:39.130 who were scattered, hopeless and had forsaken God. There are a few things we 46 00:02:39.130 --> 00:02:39.800 can learn 47 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:46.130 from Jeremiah's prayer. Let's look at some of these. Jeremiah prayed by faith 48 00:02:46.130 --> 00:02:46.720 for God 49 00:02:46.720 --> 00:02:54.440 to fulfill his promises. Jeremiah did what God had told him to preach against 50 00:02:54.440 --> 00:02:54.920 the nation 51 00:02:54.920 --> 00:03:00.160 of Israel so that they would repent. He was willing to obey and he paid the 52 00:03:00.160 --> 00:03:00.880 price for 53 00:03:00.880 --> 00:03:07.470 this. One of the results was being imprisoned for falling God. Jeremiah in his 54 00:03:07.470 --> 00:03:08.320 prayer then 55 00:03:08.320 --> 00:03:14.730 reminds God that one day houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought 56 00:03:14.730 --> 00:03:16.000 by Israel. 57 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:22.590 Jeremiah appeared to God's character. God doesn't need to be reminded of who he 58 00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:23.160 is but 59 00:03:23.160 --> 00:03:29.490 it is good for us as followers of Jesus and his leaders to know who God is. Rem 60 00:03:29.490 --> 00:03:30.080 ind God 61 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:35.760 about who he says he is, the almighty, the creator of the universe, the one who 62 00:03:35.760 --> 00:03:36.360 knows 63 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:43.100 our thought before we even enter it. We remind God so that our faith grows in 64 00:03:43.100 --> 00:03:43.600 challenging 65 00:03:43.600 --> 00:03:49.930 circumstances believing indeed that God is powerful and gracious. One day he 66 00:03:49.930 --> 00:03:50.680 will once 67 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:58.640 again gather his people and restore their lands. And Jeremiah trusted God's 68 00:03:58.640 --> 00:03:59.400 purpose. 69 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:04.620 So buying a land in a world zone is absurd. The prophet trusted God enough to 70 00:04:04.620 --> 00:04:05.160 know that 71 00:04:05.160 --> 00:04:10.820 God will lead through the fog and there will be a purpose for this. We might 72 00:04:10.820 --> 00:04:11.320 not always 73 00:04:11.320 --> 00:04:18.660 understand it immediately. Sometimes only in retrospect and sometimes never. 74 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:19.040 But God 75 00:04:19.040 --> 00:04:25.370 is still asking us to trust his purposes. Jeremiah never saw God come through 76 00:04:25.370 --> 00:04:25.840 in his 77 00:04:25.840 --> 00:04:33.520 life time. But this did not hinder him to finish well and reach the literature. 78 00:04:33.520 --> 00:04:34.000 If God 79 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:40.360 will ask ye a completely crazy question, what will be your response? Will you 80 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:41.440 trust God 81 00:04:41.440 --> 00:04:47.360 as he leads ye into the fog?