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    The Regathered

    Jeremiah 31:23-40

If you are in church/in prayer/in the Word/in fellowship, great!  You are where you need to be, but not yet what you should be - now the real work begins.  

Following Jesus is like –

    Reading a book.  Some of them have a forward/preface/intro - finally, when you’re 30 pages n2 the book, you come to C1.  There’s info I need you to know b4 I tell you the info I want you to know.

    Marriage – pray for a spouse/courtship/engagement/wedding.  You’ve just begun!  All this has 2bn place for the other to take place.

The last section dealt with the Lord regathering Israel to the land of Israel in the last days.  We saw the regathering of the weak/ scattered/grieving/ wandering.  But this is just the beginning.  God brings Israel to where they need to be in order that he might make them what He wants them to be.  

23-26  The Blessings of the Regathered

23  This word is spoken in the land of Judah/cities.  They love/ bless the place they are in.  What took so much effort to rebuild/ what cost them so much was worth all they poured into it.  They can say that they are in a good place.  They are on the same page w/ God.  Whatever fears/anxieties they may have had in returning to the land of Israel, they have been washed away by His blessings.

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;   

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.  Psalm 16:5

This is where the Lord desires to bring you.  Can you ever be in a place of blessing again?  The Lord says, “Yes.”  He desires to bring you in/build you up.  After horrendous failure, there is a new beginning.  All praise to Jesus’ name.  God has poured into you and whatever you pour into the Christian life will be worth it.

24  Judah and all its cities will dwell together in it…  What is ‘it’?  The ‘holy hill’ of v23 – the temple.  The nation will dwell in the presence of God.  They can’t all dwell in the temple, but they can dwell in God’s presence.  This is what the heroes of faith have in common in Heb. 11 – they dwelt in the presence of God.  Whether they were offering sacrifice/building an ark/leaving their homeland/passing through the Red Sea/fighting the enemy… they dwelt in the presence of God.  And something happened to them in His presence – 

25  The satisfaction of the weary soul/refreshing of the languishing soul is related to dwelling in the presence of God.  The satisfaction and refreshing are found in the presence of God.  As they did this, they could all say w/ David, “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.”  

There are few things worse than hating where you are.  Wherever you are, you can dwell in the presence of God.  You have two addresses – in Fremont/in Christ.  Being in Fremont is a mixed bag, being in Christ is a full-on glorious blessing.  Maybe being in your marriage is a mixed bag, but being in in Christ is a full-on blessing.  

27-28  The Privilege of the Regathered

God will rebuild Israel – they will experience His power.  What they see around them won’t be just the result of the work of their hands – they will see the hand of God in an unmistakable way.

I want to be careful here.  We shouldn’t conclude that because God is working for/in us that we will make more money/have bigger houses/our children will excel more than others… As we understand this in the light of NT teaching, the quality of life addressed in this verse is not an external/material one, but a spiritual/psychological one.  Isn’t this a cop-out?  Not at all.  The NT teaches that our satisfaction is in Christ and in Christ alone.  To then teach that contentment is to be found in material things and in multiplying material things would be schizophrenic.  
 
We know that more money doesn’t necessarily result in happiness.  More money does result in security/opportunity – but greater security/increased opportunity aren’t the sum of the definition of happiness/contentment.  Just because you have enough money to fix your car when it breaks down doesn’t result in contentment of heart.  Having enough money to fly to Paris for two weeks doesn’t make for a happier/more contented life.  A lot of people who are financially secure w/ plenty of opportunity are miserable.  

The power of the gospel isn’t seen in God making a poor man rich, but in God bringing a sinner into the KOG and transforming his life.  

29-30  The Responsibility of the Regathered

Man will take responsibility for his life.  It’s no one’s fault but my own when I sin and have to deal w/ the consequences.  They now understand God’s justice.  

31-34  The Fellowship of the Regathered

The 1st covenant was written on stones/accompanied by deliverance from Egypt/vision was Canaan.  They went from Egypt to Canaan carrying stone tablets. 

The New Covenant will be written on hearts/accompanied by deliverance from sin/vision will be God.  The new covenant is from the inside out.  We go from darkness to light w/ God’s revelation in our hearts.  

The provisions of the new covenant is what the writer of Hebrews tells us is ours in Christ (Heb. 10:16-17).  You have a God who does not remember your sin!

There is a legend from the Middle Ages about a nun who claimed that she had had a vision of Christ.  The bishop asked, "Sister, did you talk to him?"  And she said, "Yes, I did."  He continued, "If you have another vision, ask Christ this question: What was the bishop's great sin before he became a bishop?'"  He knew that only God and his own confessor would know.  About three months later, the nun made an appointment to see the bishop.  When she came in, he said, "Did you see our Lord again?"  "Yes," she replied.  "Did you ask him the question about my sin?"  "Yes, I did."  "And what did he say?"  She smiled and answered,  'The Lord said, 'I don't remember anymore.'"

When your husband/wife remind you of how you’ve blown it just tell them you’re living in the new covenant now!

Blessing    living in the presence of God

Privilege    living in the power of God

Responsibility   living in the truth of God

Fellowship    living w/ the Person of God

God is more than a mystical presence/arbitrary power/philosophical truth.

Presence w/o truth is too mystical.

Truth w/o presence is too philosophical.

Power w/o truth is too arbitrary.

God is a Person who comes w/ presence/truth/power.  

35-37  The Security of the Regathered

Something we are discovering is that the heavens always escape being measured.  We think the tape measure is finally at the end -  then discover more.  The fixed order will not depart/the heavens above and the foundations of the earth will not be measured.  Israel will always be a people before God.  

38-40  The Rebuilding of the Regathered

To the weak/grieving/captive –  God demonstrates His faithfulness.  He brings near the one who is far/comforts the one who is grieving/ strengthens the one who is weak.