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Small Group Guide:
Open with prayer.
Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?
If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles
29 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,[a] 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.
10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ 16 thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: 17 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.’20 Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 21 ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. 22 Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23 because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the Lord.’”
Found on stitched pillows and graduation cards galore, Jeremiah 29:11 is undoubtedly one of the most quoted verses in the entire Bible. However, it is rarely fully understood by those who read it, even among Christians. Today, to better understand it, we are looking at the greater context of Jeremiah 29:11, and taking a look at how the entire passage affects our lives.
First off:
- Recognize that context is important
(Jer. 29:1-3, Heb. 4:12, 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
- Take God’s Word seriously
(Jer. 29:15-19, James 1:22)
- Don’t take vengeance into your own hands
(Jer. 29:20-23, Rom. 12:19)
Realizing this, in the midst of the exile:
- Don’t let fear paralyze you
(Jer. 29:4-6, Phil. 4:6-7, Luke 21:1-38, Matt. 24:1-14)
- Pray for and be a blessing to your community
(Jer. 29:7, James 1:27, 1 John 3:17-19, Gal. 6:9-10, Matt. 25:34-46)
- Live by God’s word
(Jer. 29:8-9, 1 John 4:1, Matt. 4:4, 7:24-26, Ps 119:105)
- Cling onto God’s promises
(Jer. 29:10-14, Rom. 8:28, Phi. 1:6, Rom. 3:23, 2 Pet. 3:9)
- Have you ever heard this passage of Scripture or topic taught on before? What stood out to you?
- Where have you seen Jeremiah 29:11 quoted before?
- Before this message, did you have any idea what the context of Jeremiah 29:11 was? What did you know about this verse before hearing this message?
- How did looking at this passage within the greater context of Scripture help your understanding of this part of God’s Word?
- What are some practical ways you can keep God’s Word in context, in order to understand it more fully?
- Read James 1:22. When you read God’s Word, how well do you apply it to your life? How can you better apply God’s Word to your life?
- It’s sometimes easy to become paralyzed by fear because of all the evil that is happening in this world. Read Jeremiah 29:4-6. God is sure to remind the Israelites that in spite of the situation they find themselves in, they will be in Babylon for a while, and they are to move on with their lives to build houses, plant gardens, get married, have kids, and have their kids get married and have kids. How would remembering that change the way you live your life?
- Keeping in mind your answers from question #7, would remembering what God said to the Israelites in Jeremiah chapter 29 cause you to be more steady and less anxious? How so?
- Sometimes Christians can pigeon hole themselves and their faith, and fall into the temptation that they are to be recluse from our society, and not do anything to help our communities. However, in Jeremiah 29:7, God is very clear that the Israelites are to seek the welfare of the cities that they find themselves in Babylon. How can you apply that same principle to your own life and community? How can you better seek the welfare of your community? Spend some time in prayer and ask God how you can accomplish this.
- Read Jeremiah 29:8-9. There were many false prophets that gave false timelines to the Israelites as to how long they would be in Babylon. God urges them not to be deceived by these false prophets. We are also urged by God’s Word (check out 1 John 4:1) to test every spirit, to see if it is from God. The best way to do this is to see if it lines up with God’s Word. God is perfect, and will not contradict Himself. How well do you check things by God’s Word, and how can you do that better in your life?
- In Jeremiah 29:10-14 God gives His promise to Israel. Throughout Scripture, He also gives promises to us as believers. Take some time and jot down some of your favorite promises that God gives us in His Word. How can you keep these promises in front of you in your everyday life?
- What is your biggest take away about how this passage affects your life? What do you need to work on? Who can you share this with and ask you to keep you accountable to accomplishing this?
Prayer Time:
Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.
Staying Missional:
Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:
Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?
What’s next?
Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?