Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Wednesday August 24, 2011

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    They Shall Possess It

    Jeremiah 30:1-24

1-3  The Book of the hope of the lord

J is directed to write his messages down/record them in a book.  V3 gives us the reason – God wants to secure the promise/cement the hope/inspire the vision of the people.  3fold promise:

    Restore their fortunes – ‘turn from misfortune’ / Back to the land / They shall possess it  

Israel became a people in Egypt, but to fully become a nation, they needed land.  God promised them Canaan/led them out of Egypt to the place where nationhood could be expressed.  The first three chapters of DT. are full of exhortations to Israel to take possession of the land.  Possess – to have in hand.  In C4, Moses tells them how -  

Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.  Deut. 4:1

Possession of the land was dependent upon obedience to the law.  Disobedience led to dispossession/obedience led to possession.  This is the message of the law/prophets.  In the land, they were the nation of Israel.  Out of the land, they were the people of Israel.

Before May of 1948 you couldn’t speak of the nation of Israel – there was no nation.  There was the Jewish people – but not the Jewish nation.  They had to possess land – have it in their hand.   

The gospel is seen in this - God has taken you from the domain of darkness/transferred u2 the kingdom of His Son/ur2 posses Christ.  I think we can apply the distinction between Israel as a people and a nation to our life in Christ – between being possessed by Christ/ possessing Christ.  When Christ possesses you, you are saved.  When you possess Christ, you are His disciple.  When  Christ possesses you, you have eternal life.  When you possess Christ, you experience abundant life.

Paul says that his great passion is to possess Christ in His fullness –  

I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Phil. 3:12  Cf. Eph. 3:14-21  may be able to comprehend…may be filled up to all the fullness of christ.  May – subjunctive verbs

He knows that there is more in Christ for him that he does not yet possess – it is not yet in his hand.  God would have all of us, not just Paul, press on/in/forward to possess the fullness of Christ.

In civil terms (which is how Moses used the word), to possess means to become an heir – you participate in someone else’s wealth.  Wealth of Canaan wouldn’t be theirs until the land was in their hands.    In possessing Christ, His wealth becomes yours.  But in laying hold of Christ, you have to let go of some other things.  Israel had to let go of Egypt/Babylon.  Egypt was easier than Babylon.  Many never let go of Babylon in order to possess the land.

Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he possessed – all he had in hand – or else he would never be able to possess the KOG.  RYL could never follow w/ such a weight as was in his hands.  We can’t be the church unless we have in hand the wealth of the KOG.  This is why we are told to take up our cross – empty our hands to take of Christ.   

So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.  Luke 14:33

I’ve struggled with this.  Does this mean I have to get rid of all I own to in order to possess Christ?  Or, does it mean I have to get rid of all that’s in my hands so I can get my hands on Jesus?  The problem w/ the rich young ruler is that what he owned actually owned him.  Can I own w/o being owned?  No inherent virtue in giving all - Paul said that if he gave up all he possessed/had not love that it would profit him nothing.  Book of Acts/history of church – this wasn’t required/ not part of gospel message/maybe part of discipleship message for some…

All that God is doing to/for/in Israel is to bring them back to possess the land.  The rest of this chapter indicates that when you let go of God, God never lets go of you.  He still possesses you though you may not possess Him.   

4-11  Jacob’s physical Trouble

4-7   Jacob’s distress

The gospel is the good news.  Before good news, there is bad news.  V7 explains v6.  For reasons explained in vv8-11, this is not the Babylonian Captivity but the great tribulation of Revelation/Jacob will be saved from it.  God will divinely protect His people during this time: 144,000 sealed/flee to wilderness for 3½ years.

8-11  Jacob’s deliverance

J is not just looking 60 years in the future/but end of days. This is the deliverance at end of the tribulation/not end of Bab. Captivity.

They shall serve David their king –  v9 (Eze. 34:23-34; 37:24-25; Hos. 3:5).  They shall be quiet/at ease – v10.  All the nations/not just Babylon – v11.   

12-17 Jacob’s spiritual Pain and Healing

        12-15 Jacob’s pain

        12   The injury itself is incurable – the damage is extensive/ beyond recovery

13a, 14a  No one who care about you/Ezekiel: no one in the gap

13b   No cure for your sickness

        14b-15  The reason for the incurable sickness/injury – God struck you so hard that you were convinced an enemy did this.  Lam. 2:4-5

Jacob is to possess the land, but only by letting go of what’s in his hand.  Jacob’s physical distress/spiritual pain were meant to empty his hands of anything that would prevent him from laying hold of God. What appears to be his greatest enemy turns out to be his greatest friend.   

Documentary on methamphetamine - one man was highlighted who had been in jail 44 times.  In their interview, the parents were glad to hear that their son was in jail/prison.  This meant he wouldn’t kill or be killed.  If given the choice, his parents would choose to keep him there – take the meth out of his hands.  The son could see them as his enemy.

So many, even in the church, are angry w/ God because they feel He has struck them w/ the wound of an enemy – he has taken something out of their hands - death of a child/ disease/depression/ divorce/bankruptcy/unfulfilling marriage… I don’t know why all these happen, but I know if you will reach out your arms to Christ, He will fill you/you will possess Him.

16-17   Jacob’s healing

In 12-15 we see extent of sin/severity of God’s judgment, and in 16-17 we see the enormity of grace.  J paints the darkest picture/then we see the brilliance of grace.  Cf. Eph. 2:1-4.   

18-22 Jacob’s full Restoration

Israel’s physical deliverance/spiritual healing find full expression in physical blessing/spiritual abundance.   

23-24 The Wrath of the Lord

God is working so that you might possess more and more of Christ…