The Story Chapter 19

The Story Teen Edition Chapter 19

Its important to realize that God does not falter or change. He is constant and his nature, while complex, is reliable. He, unlike us, does not change who he is. Through scripture we can identify and take refuge in God's consistent character. Let's examine, through chapter 19, two truths about God and what they mean to us.

God...

1) Is faithful

Two weeks ago we learned about the prophet Jeremiah whom God used to speak to His people. A very famous, albeit misinterpreted, prophecy given through Jeremiah can be read in Jeremiah 29:10-11

"This is what the Lord says: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' "

So what became of this promise?

Ch. 19 video, pause at 0:40

God made good on His promise and brought His people back home and out of captivity through King Cyrus.

Why is this significant?
We can see that God will not promise something and then fail to deliver it.

In what ways do or don't our actions determine whether God follows through on a promise?
They don't. God is faithful despite and in the midst of our unfaithfulness.

We are not exiled Jews, so God's promise through Jeremiah being fulfilled may not seem significant in the here and now. What Promises has God made to you?
Look for discussion, especially with respect to God's promise of eternal life through Christ. Titus 1: 2-3

Why is it important to know that God will keep His word when He promises something?
We build our faith on the foundation of the gift of Christ. We must know that our salvation comes from a God who is always faithful. It's also helpful in further understanding God's heart, and the fact that God...


2) Desires to be with us.

Finish Ch. 19 video. Restart from beginning.

God brings the Israelites back home and provides them with the resources with which to rebuild the temple that the Babylonians had destroyed.

Why is the temple important?
The temple was where God dwelt among his people. Notice that God did not simply bring home the Israelites and allow them to rebuild the temple, but instead brought them home for the purpose of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.

The construction of the temple halted for a whole 16 years. What had clearly been a priority for God ceased to be so for his people. God sent word through his prophets (Haggai especially) that the Israelites failed to find prosperity in their home land because God's house still remained in ruins. Thus, He instructed them to immediately finish the temple construction.

Haggai 1: 6-8
" 'You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.'
This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to our ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,' says the Lord."

What does this passage say about God's priorities? What does it say about how we should respond to God's calling when it doesn't line up with our priorities?

Pray and close.