I Know the Plans I Have for You

Jeremiah 29:11 reads “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.” As some of you know, this verse is one of those verses I refer to as a “coffee cup verse.” It's a verse that we love to have on our coffee cups, T-shirts, and framed pictures on the wall, and there it remains stripped from its context so we can remain free to make it mean whatever we want it to mean. But it's an important verse for us to know, because in its context, it teaches us a pattern of God's relationship with Israel. It's a pattern of how God responds to Israel’s disobedience to him and the pattern begins by bringing his judgment upon Israel. In the case of Jeremiah 29:11, it was God's promise that he would send Israel into exile at the hands of the Babylonians for 70 years, but with the promise that after 70 years, he would deliver them from exile and back into the land, and that through his mercy and deliverance, a remnant among Israel would turn to him and trust in him with all their heart. And in Israel’s history, this pattern was a “rinse and repeat” pattern, happening often: disobedience, judgment, deliverance, and a faithful remnant emerging through his deliverance. It it's a pattern this Sunday’s passage teaches will continue until our Lord Jesus returns and will also come to an end when he returns and keeps the Father's promise to the faithful remnant of Israel from every age. To fulfill his plans for them…plans for welfare and not for evil, to give the faithful remnant of Israel a future and a hope. But consistent with the pattern of God's relationship with Israel, it will be a future that comes once more, through an end-times judgment upon Israel leading to deliverance for a faithful remnant forever as the Messiah, like a beautiful and glorious branch rising from a land and people made desolate from judgment, cleanses and restores faithful Israel to its promised holiness and glory forever.

We invite you to come join us this Sunday morning for our in-person worship service at Leptondale Bible Church in Newburgh, starting at 10:55 AM. For those unable to attend, our service can be viewed live on the church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leptondalebiblechurch. This Sunday, we’ll continue a series from Isaiah titled “In That Day: The Kingdom in Isaiah.” This Sunday’s message from Isaiah 3:16 – 4:6 is titled “I Know the Plans I Have for You.”

God bless!

Pastor Mike