Jeremiah's Defiance: A Beacon of Hope Amidst Despair

The central theme of our discourse revolves around the profound concept of hope, particularly as articulated through the lens of the biblical narrative in Jeremiah 33. We reflect on the dichotomy of hope, elucidating that while a modicum of hope can be beneficial, an excess thereof may engender peril. In a world often engulfed in despair, we draw parallels to dystopian narratives, such as the Hunger Games, to underscore how those in power may seek to ration hope in a manner that maintains control rather than inciting transformation. Furthermore, we traverse the historical landscape of Judah's exile, wherein the remnants of faith appeared to be extinguished, yet we proclaim the enduring promise encapsulated in the prophetic declaration, “The days are surely coming.” This episode invites listeners to embrace a bold and tenacious hope, one that defies the prevailing cynicism and anticipates a future where divine righteousness prevails.

The discourse delves into the concept of hope, elucidating its profound significance amidst despair, particularly within the context of historical and contemporary narratives. The speaker invokes the allegorical backdrop of 'The Hunger Games' to illustrate how hope can serve as a double-edged sword—while a modicum of hope can inspire compliance, an excess of it poses a threat to the established order. This notion invites listeners to ponder the delicate balance of hope as it exists in their own lives, paralleling the plight of the Israelites during their exile, when they grappled with feelings of abandonment and despair. The speaker, drawing on the prophetic voice of Jeremiah, proclaims the arrival of a transformative hope that transcends mere survival; this hope is depicted as a radical, divine promise that asserts God’s unwavering commitment to His people, suggesting that genuine hope is rooted in the assurance of future redemption.

Takeaways:

• Hope, while a powerful force, can be dangerous when it is abundant and unrestrained.
• The concept of rationed hope suggests that we must maintain balance to avoid chaos.
• Jeremiah's prophetic declaration signifies that a time of fulfillment and salvation is assured.
• In the midst of despair, the statement 'the days are surely coming' serves as a profound reminder of hope.
• God's covenant with humanity guarantees His faithfulness, regardless of our shortcomings and failures.
• The promise of Jesus' return embodies the ultimate hope, transcending present struggles and sorrows.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You'll remember the HungerGames where President Snow leans
over his roses and hisses tothe game maker.
Hope.
It is the only thing strongerthan fear.
A little hope is effective.
A lot of hope is dangerous.
A spark is fine as long asit's contained.
He wanted every district tohave just enough hope to stay in

(00:24):
line, but never enough hope toburn the whole system down.
That's straight from the pit, friends.
That's the enemy's entire playbook.
Rationed hope, measured.
Light a candle with a lid on it.
Now.
Fast rewind.
2700 years.
Judah is in exile.
Jerusalem is in rubble.

(00:45):
The Temple, God's front porchis in ashes.
The family line of David lookslike a dead stump.
Every superpower that marchedthrough the town shouted the same
thing.
Your God lost.
Pack it up.
The temple, God's front porchtorches and ashes.
The family line of David lookslike a dead stump.

(01:05):
Every superpower that marchedthrough the town shouted the same
thing.
Your God lost.
Pack it up.
I promise you.
There were Israelites whothought maybe we'd be better off
without God.
Maybe it would be better offif God had never chosen us at all.
Being the people of promisefelt like wearing a target, not a

(01:28):
crown.
And right there in the middleof that graveyard of dreams, Jeremiah,
who's already been beaten,mocked, and thrown into a cistern
for preaching truth, stands upand commits the ultimate act of holy
rebellion.
He opens his mouth and saysfour words that will still make hell
nervous.
The days are surely coming.

(01:49):
Marcus Aurelius said, what wedo in life echoes through eternity.
What is your life echoingthrough eternity?
Welcome to echoes Eternitywith Dr. Jeffrey Skinner.
Our mission is to inspire,engage and encourage leaders from
across the globe to plantmissional churches and be servant
leaders.

(02:10):
So join us and hear thestories of servant leaders, reverberating
lives as God echoes themthrough eternity.
Brought to you by MissionalChurch Planting and Leadership Development
in Dynamic Church Planting International.
Well, hello, Echoes ThroughEternity family, this is your host,

(02:31):
Dr. Jeffrey D. Skinner.
What is God echoing throughyour life today?
Well, today we are in thethick of Advent.
I'm your brother in thetrenches, the chaplain who still
believes the gospel is wilderthan any story that Hollywood could
ever dream of.
Like I said, today we're inthe thick of Advent, and I've got

(02:52):
one line that's burning in mychest from Jeremiah 33.
The days are surely coming,says the Lord.
Grab your coffee, light acandle if you've got one, and let's
lean in for 15 minutes.
That I pray, will wreck your hopelessness.
In the best possible way ifyou're new here.
We plant churches.
We walk hospital hallways.

(03:14):
We walk with people in thetrenches and in the chaos of life
because we know that our Lordand Savior walked into places where
other people dare not walk.
The people that other peopleclaimed were unclean, he touched
and made clean.
The ones who were untouchable.
He touched.
The ones who other peopleavoided, he hung out with.

(03:37):
And I try to preach like Kevinis closer than the next breath.
Hit.
Subscribe Share this withfriend who's barely hanging on and
let go.
Got a confession for you.
I'm a nerd for dystopian stories.
I like the Hunger Games.
I like.
The there's another one outthere very similar to that, that.

(03:57):
That I can't remember off thetop of my head now, and I can't remember
the.
The name of it.
But.
But I love those type of stories.
And so bear with me becausewe're going somewhere holy here.
You'll remember the HungerGames, where President Snow leans
over his roses and hisses tothe game maker.

(04:19):
Hope.
It is the only thing strongerthan fear.
A little hope is effective.
A lot of hope is dangerous.
A spark is fine as long asit's contained.
He wanted every district tohave just enough hope to stay in
line, but never enough hope toburn the whole system down.

(04:40):
That's straight from the pit, friends.
That's the enemy's entire playbook.
Rationed hope measured.
Light a candle with a lid on it.
Now.
Fast rewind.
2700 years.
Judah is in exile.
Jerusalem is in rubble.
The temple, God's front porch,is in ashes.
The family line of David lookslike a dead stump.

(05:02):
Every superpower that marchedthrough the town shouted the same
thing.
Your God lost.
Pack it up.
I promise you.
There were Israelites whothought maybe we'd be better off
without God.
Maybe it would be better offif God had never chosen us at all.
Being the people of promisefelt like wearing a target, not a

(05:25):
crown.
And right there in the middleof that graveyard of dreams, Jeremiah,
who's already been beaten,mocked, and thrown into a cistern
for preaching truth, stands upand commits the ultimate act of holy
rebellion.
He opens his mouth and saysfour words that will still make hell
nervous.
The days are surely coming.

(05:46):
Let's read that slow.
Jeremiah 33, 14, 18.
The days are surely coming,says the Lord.
When I will fulfill thepromise I made, I will cause a righteous
branch to spring up from David.
He shall execute justice andrighteousness in the land.

(06:08):
In those days, Judah will besaved and Jerusalem will live in
safety.
And this is the name by whichit will be called.
The Lord is our righteousness.
For thus says the Lord.
David shall never lack a manto sit on the throne and the Levitical
priest shall never lack a manto offer burnt offerings forever.

(06:32):
Pause and breathe that in.
They spent centuries trying tobe righteous enough for God.
And God said stop trying.
I'm going to be your righteousness.
The throne will never be empty.
The priest will never stop interceding.
The promise is locked in eternity.

(06:53):
Somebody listening right nowis carrying a katniss sized burden.
You open the scan results andthe room spun.
You set the table and there'sstill an empty chair where the laughter
used to sit.
Your prodigal is still outthere running.
The dream you buried feels sixfeet under with no resurrection in

(07:15):
sight.
And the enemy of your soulleans in with his rose scented breath
and whispers.
Hope is just enough light tokeep you playing the game.
God stringing you along.
It's that same whisper that weheard in the garden.
Surely you would not die.

(07:37):
God just doesn't want you tobe like him.
A little spark but he'llcontain it before it ever changes
anything.
Here Jeremiah crash throughthat line like a battering ram.
The days are surely coming.
Not maybe not if you perform better.

(07:59):
That there's no special ritualthat you go do in the temple or stand
in the church, no prayer youpray that's going to make you better.
Says surely there's noconditions there.
It doesn't say that.
If you do it right I will come.
Otherwise I'll withhold blessing.

(08:21):
That's not our God.
God made covenant with Abrahamat a time where Abram was his name
at the time.
And Abram was put to sleep ata time where both sides were expected
to walk through the cut calfas a testimony that if either side

(08:43):
were to break covenant.
The result would be death.
They would suffer the sameresult as that calf.
They would be cut in half.
As a result of breaking covenant.
Covenant was a serious business.
But Abram was put to sleep by God.
Because God knew that Abramcould not carry the covenant.

(09:03):
He could not fulfill his endof the bargain.
He knew that his offspringwould always fail.
But for God.
But for God, the root of Jessesprings up.
That's why Advent feels like defiance.
Light four little candles In aworld that prefers fluorescent cynicism
we sing oh come, oh comeEmmanuel while the mall speakers

(09:26):
blare Santa baby we're sayingout loud the story is not over.
The branch has already comeonce as a baby in a feeding trough.
He's coming again wearing thecrown that was promised to date.
David's line.
And this time every knee will bow.
Some in terror because theyfeel their own guilt.

(09:47):
Some in relief because thepriest king has finished the sacrifice
and taken his throne forever.
Now when you hear those words,I don't want you to read this story
like we are so prone to readRevelation as a dystopian story like

(10:10):
the Hunger Games where justicefinally prevails and the katniss
of the world, our hero standsthere and puts an arrow through the
heart of the President of the Capitol.
I don't want you to read itthat way.
God comes, Jesus comes back toclaim his own.
We made a mistake of one timethinking that Jesus was going to

(10:33):
kind of take over and killthose who disagreed.
But Jesus is coming toestablish his kingdom on earth as
it is in heaven.
Read your Bibles.
Read the Lord's Prayer.
When Jesus was given anopportunity to pray, when the disciples
asked him, jesus, teach us to pray.

(10:53):
He said, thy kingdom come, thywill be done on earth as it is in
heaven.
It didn't say, come one dayLord, and take us away to live forever
in heaven.
He says, we want heaven to beestablished here on earth in the
hearts and minds of his people.

(11:13):
No more sickness, no more pain.
The root of Jesse.
Jesus comes to reign foreverand take his throne not as a benevolent
dictator, but out of love forall of creation.
For his creation.
So here's your assignment this week.
Hope dangerously hope loud.

(11:37):
Hope like it could toppleempires because it already did at
the cross.
And it will again when hereturns, when the doctor speaks.
Worst case, answer with thedays are surely coming when the silence
is deafening, whisper back thedays are surely coming.
When the news cycle wants tobury you in despair, love, light

(11:59):
another candle and say it again.
Surely the days are coming,saith the Lord.
Despite what the world lookslike, despite what the news cycle
tells us, despite what all thebad news in the world wants to tell
us.
They want to tell us to despair.
They want to tell us that it'sall a game and that the system is
rigged.

(12:19):
And God says, not my system,not my kingdom.
In my kingdom, kingdom heavenwill be on earth.
Earth will be as heaven.
Many hundreds of years ago,the Christ child came into the midst
of the dirt and darkness ofthis warring world.

(12:40):
And Christ is still alive inthe hearts and minds of those with
whom his peace has been made.
In us the promise of peace hasbeen answered.
And in us that peace shallstill spread and prosper.

(13:01):
So may the bells of Christmasforever ring resounding with the
praise.
Of peace on earth and goodwilltoward men.
Sam.

(13:44):
Then you hear the bells moreloud and deep.
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail the rightprevail with peace on earth, good
will to end.

(14:08):
Then feel the bells more loudand deep.
God is not dead nor dull hissleep the wrong shall fail the right
prevail with peace on earth,good will to fail.

(14:32):
With these honored goodwill to.
Name.
With peace on earth, goodwill to.

(15:30):
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, righteous branchsprung up from Jesse's stump.
You're the yes and the amen toevery promise God ever made.
When God feels foolish, remindus you're the God who keeps lighting
sparks the devil can never extinguish.
Teach us to hope thedangerous, unconscionable kind until

(15:54):
the great day dawns and runsscreaming from your face.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
The days are surely coming andwe can hardly wait.
Amen.