The scripture reading comes from Jeremiah chapter 29.
Please follow along on the screen, the bulletin, or your own Bible.
Starting in verse 1, we read,
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.
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.
The letter was sent by the hand of Elisa, the son of Shaphan,
and Gamariah, the son of Hilkiah,
whom Zedekiah, king of Judah, sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
It said,
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Build houses and live in them.
Plant gardens and eat their produce.
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,
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.
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,
for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name.
I did not send them, declares the Lord.
For thus says the Lord,
When 70 years are completed for Babylon,
I will visit you,
and I will fulfill to you my promise,
and bring you back to this place.
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.
Then you will call upon me,
and come and pray to me,
and I will hear you.
You will seek me and find me,
when you seek me with all your heart.
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.
This is the word of God.
Great.
Thank you, Betty.
Well, good morning, everybody.
It is great to see you again.
If you are at the community center or online,
welcome.
If you are visiting us for the first time,
it's really great to have you.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
My name is Kevin,
and I'm one of the elder pastors here
with Watermark.
Why don't we pray together?
We'll just pray briefly,
and then we'll dive into this passage together.
Heavenly Father, as we come this morning,
we haven't come just for a pep talk.
We haven't come just to hear
a little bit of advice for our lives.
We've come to hear from you,
the living God,
the majestic and awesome and glorious one.
God, as we look at this wonderful passage
in Jeremiah 29,
won't you speak to us?
God, I pray you'll speak to every one of us
here at Ebenezer,
every one of us at the community center,
those at home.
God, won't you drive your word into our hearts
and give us a vision for what you've called us to
and the life you've called us to live in this city.
Why you've placed us in Hong Kong for such a time as this.
God, I pray that these won't just be the words
of human ideas or thoughts.
This will be your word, God, coming from your heart.
Speak to us, we pray,
in your wonderful and glorious name.
Amen.
I wonder if you have ever received an unexpected letter
or maybe a surprising email.
In 2011, I one day received a surprising email,
out the blue,
from a lady that,
a real estate agent that had previously
helped Claire and I buy a little apartment in Cape Town.
And the email went like this.
The subject line was in capital letters,
said offended.
And then this was the email.
This is a screenshot of the actual email.
It says,
Hi, Kevin.
You sent me a Twitter response
from a photo you have found of me.
I take great offense at what you've said
on your Twitter post to me.
You profess yourself to be the greatest follower of God.
Well, I don't think so.
After what you've posted on your Twitter wall,
you're a false person.
Erica, P.S., send regards to your wife and family.
No, she didn't say that for us.
There wasn't any regards being sent.
And what had happened was that
in my very short-lived Twitter account,
someone had hacked my account
and sent a message to a whole lot of contacts
saying,
I found this embarrassing photo of you
and I'm going to post it online.
Ha, ha, ha.
And this person had received this
and was very upset
about this supposed picture I had found of her.
Today we are starting this series
looking at the book of Daniel.
And we're not actually going to get into Daniel today.
We're going to start Daniel 1 next week.
We're going to look at this passage in Jeremiah 29
because it kind of sets up the context
of what's happening in the book of Daniel.
And as far as surprising or bizarre letters go,
Jeremiah 29 is one of the most bizarre letters
that anyone would have received.
Jeremiah 29 verse 11
is a very, very famous verse in the Bible.
And it's certainly a favorite for Christians
who love making Christian merchandise.
You know, T-shirts and coffee mugs
and coasters and notebooks and pens
and all sorts of other things.
Because this verse is,
I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.
Plans for peace and not for evil.
Plans to give you a hope and a future.
And so Christians throughout the ages
have loved this verse.
It's one of those verses we attach to
all sorts of things
as a kind of promise of God's kindness to us.
The only problem is that
if those mug manufacturers or T-shirt manufacturers
actually knew the context
and the plans that God had for His people,
they might start looking for another verse.
Because what were the plans that God had for His people?
Well, there was something like this.
Israel's arch enemies, the Babylonians,
are going to march into Judah,
siege Jerusalem,
destroy the city walls,
burn down all the buildings,
raise the temple to the ground,
burn it flat,
steal all the articles out of the temple,
anything of gold or silver,
and then march the people of Israel
back to Babylon
where they will serve their arch enemies
as slaves for the next 70 years.
For I know the plans that I have for you,
says the Lord.
These are not the kind of plans
that Israel wanted.
Now the reason why this is happening
is because for hundreds of years,
the nation of Israel,
particularly the southern kingdom of Judah,
has been in constant rebellion against God,
constantly denying Him,
rejecting Him,
going their own way,
and God has sent prophet after prophet
warning them
against their tolerance of sin
and their lack of repentance,
but to no avail.
They don't want to listen.
And so Isaiah 30 captures this.
Look at what Isaiah 30 says.
It says,
Thus says the Lord God,
the Holy One of Israel,
In repentance and rest,
you will be saved.
In quietness and in trust
will be your strength.
But you were unwilling.
You said,
No, we will run away on horses.
Therefore, you will run away as exiles.
You said,
We will ride on swift steeds.
Therefore, your pursuers will be swift.
God's calling His people back to Him
and they say,
No thanks.
We think we'll look after ourselves.
And the consequence of this
is utterly disastrous.
Friends, maybe just as a side note here,
you may be here this morning
and think,
If only those Christians knew
what is going on in my life.
If only they really knew.
I know how this game works.
I arrive at church on Sunday.
I speak the right language.
I say the right things.
And nobody has a clue.
Friends, God says that
He will not be mocked.
You can't sow or invest in destruction
without getting a return on that investment.
You sow to destruction,
you'll yield destructive patterns of life.
And that's what's happening here.
Having invested in destruction,
they're getting a return on their investment.
And as is always the case,
it always is more than what they bargained for.
And so,
because of Judah's constant rejection of God,
God has brought the Babylonians against him.
And the Babylonians are his instrument
for judgment and discipline.
You may remember,
this is what the whole book of Habakkuk is all about.
We started preaching through it a few years ago.
And so,
the Babylonians come
and they overthrow Judah
and they take these people back to Babylon.
And Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Babylon,
does this in three stages.
The first one is 605 BC.
The second one,
about nine years later,
598 BC.
And then the second one,
10 years later,
586 BC.
And in the second instance,
what he does is he comes
and he takes the king
and the queen
and all the cultural
and political
and economic elites.
He removes them from Jerusalem
and he takes them back to Babylon.
And there he introduces them
into a re-education program.
He wants to re-educate them
according to Babylonian values
and customs and belief
to indoctrinate them in their ways.
And that's how Daniel,
that we're going to look at next week,
ends up in Babylon.
He works in the kind of palace.
And so Nebuchadnezzar takes him back to Babylon
and there he starts working
in Nebuchadnezzar's palace.
But what happens is that
Nebuchadnezzar installs
his own puppet king
on the throne in Jerusalem,
a man by the name of Zedekiah.
But soon Zedekiah rebels
against Nebuchadnezzar
and says,
I'm going to do things my own way.
And so Nebuchadnezzar comes
a third time,
586 BC,
and this time he finishes off the job
once and for all.
And the Bible tells us
that when Nebuchadnezzar came
and destroyed Jerusalem,
this last,
this third time,
he was absolutely ruthless.
And so what he does
is Zedekiah,
this king,
feels like,
let's run away.
And so in the middle of the night,
he and his bodyguards
find a gap in the wall
and they try and escape
out of the city of Jerusalem
when the Babylonians
have besieged it.
And Nebuchadnezzar catches this king
and as punishment,
what he does
is he kills Zedekiah's children
in front of his eyes
and then he pokes out his eyes
so that the last thing
that he sees,
his lasting memory,
is that of his own children
being killed in front of him.
And then after that,
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem
absolutely.
He burns every building,
he destroys the temple,
he steals all the articles,
everything religious and sacred
to the people of Jerusalem,
he steals and takes it back to Babylon
and he marches the people of Jerusalem
back to Babylon
and makes them his slaves,
his exiles.
One pastor,
a man by the name of Stephen Rain,
said it like this,
it is impossible to exaggerate
the trauma of the events
that unfolded
with the overflow of Jerusalem.
Everything of value to these people
whether physical,
emotional,
spiritual
had been ripped away from them.
Psalm 137 captures
some of the gravity
of what they felt.
Listen to what Psalm 137 says,
the people of God
are marched off to Babylon
and this is what they write.
By the waters of Babylon
we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.
Zion is Jerusalem.
On the willows there
we hang up our liars and our harps.
For there our captors
required of us songs.
Our tormentors mirthed
and of its laughter.
They said to us,
sing us one of those songs of Zion.
The Babylonians are laughing at Jerusalem
and said,
hey, don't you guys like singing
those Hebrew songs?
Sing us one of your songs
about how great God is.
How shall we sing
the Lord's song
in a foreign land?
O daughter of Babylon
doomed to be destroyed
blessed shall he be
who repays you
for what you have done to us.
Derek Kidner
an Old Testament scholar
says this,
every line of this psalm
is alive with pain.
God's people
are in a foreign land
being ruled by some people
that they don't love and respect
and their hearts are alive
with pain
because they are away
from their homeland
and in foreign territory.
They are living as exiles
in Babylon.
Babylon.
What should God's people do
when they address changes
from Israel
to the heart
of the pagan district?
Well,
what we have before us
is a letter
that Jeremiah
writes to the exiles
in Babylon.
When Nebuchadnezzar
took the people
to Babylon,
he took all the cultural
leaders who said,
but he left behind
the poorest of the poorest.
He left behind those
that he thought
were insignificant.
And one of those
is Jeremiah the prophet.
So Jeremiah is in Jerusalem.
It's all been destroyed.
There's just smoldering
buildings around him.
The cities are ruined.
But he writes a letter
to the exiles in Babylon.
And what does God
want to say to them?
Well,
that's what Jeremiah 29
is all about.
Now,
throughout the Bible,
Babylon is described
as the symbol
of all that is evil
and pagan
and wicked
and wrong
with the world.
Remember Genesis 11,
there's the Tower of Babel.
That is the precursor
to Babylon
where the people said,
who is God?
We'll be our own gods.
Let's make a monument
to our own glory.
In Daniel chapter 4,
there's Nebuchadnezzar.
One day he comes out
on the balcony
of his house.
He looks over Babylon
and this is what he says.
Is this not great Babylon,
which I have built
by my mighty power
as a testimony
for the glory
of my majesty?
Everything about Babylon
rings with power
and arrogance
and it's the very heart
of the city of man.
And so,
what would God
want to say?
Well,
in this letter,
God says something
very surprising
because he tells
the people of Israel
to make themselves
at home
in Babylon
because God
in his sovereignty
has sent them there
so that God
can build his city,
the city of God,
right in the heart
of the city of man.
In a sense,
Nebuchadnezzar
takes these people
back to Babylon
but in a far greater sense,
actually God
is the one
who sent them there,
not as exiles
but as missionaries.
God has sent
his people there
to build the city
of God
in the heart
of the city of man.
And that's the main point
of Jeremiah's letter
is that
there being in Babylon
is not some cosmic mistake.
It's not because
God fell asleep one day
and Satan
quickly overcame him.
It's not because
Satan overcame God.
God's people
are in Babylon
by his sovereign will.
God is under control
and therefore
God can be trusted.
And that despite
how things appear,
God has plans
for his people
even in the midst
of Babylon.
I have plans
for you
in purposes
says the Lord.
Plans for your welfare.
Plans for your prosper.
Plans to give you
a hope
and a future.
But as God's going to say
this is only going to happen
if you trust me
if you live
radically faithful lives
to me
in the heart of Babylon
as you surrender
and submit to me.
And friends
that's actually
what the whole book
of Daniel
is all about.
It shows us
what does it look like
to live
as God's people
in the midst
of an ungodly world.
Okay?
Now
let's dive into this passage
and see
what it says.
Before we do that
one last thing.
God's letter
to the people
in Babylon
says
you might be here
because of
some other agenda
but I've sent you here
because I've got plans
for your life.
And friends
that's actually
the same for us today.
You may be in Hong Kong
because your company
sent you here
for a year or two.
You may have come
to Hong Kong
on a two year contract.
You may have come here
to get some work experience
or to travel the world
for some other reason.
But in another sense
if you're a follower of Jesus
God has sent you here
because you've got a plan
and a purpose for your life.
God has sent you here
to this great city
the Pearl of the East
this fragrant harbor
as a missionary
to build the city of God
in the midst
of the city of man.
And so let's see
what God says
to his people here.
Three things
we're going to see today.
The first one
God says is
put down your roots.
Put down your roots.
Look at what God says
in verse 4 to 9.
He says
Thus says the Lord of hosts
the God of Israel
Build houses
and live in them.
Plant gardens
and eat of their produce.
Take wives
and have sons and daughters.
Take wives to your sons
and give your daughters
in marriage
that they may bear
sons and daughters.
Multiply there
and do not decrease.
When the Israelites
first went to Babylon
a bunch of the religious leaders
were saying
just relax
God's just letting off
some steam
he just needs to calm down
we'll only be here
a year or two
and then we'll go back
to Israel
and everything will be fine.
And what they were really saying
was just sit on your hands
sit tight
don't get too involved
in the city
let's just stay
in our Jewish bubble
here on the waters of Babylon
and pretty soon
things will go back
to the way
that we've known them.
But Jeremiah writes
and he says
no, no, no
don't let those false prophets
deceive you
God is going to plant you here
for 70 years
and he's asking you
to take root here
and the reason is
because God has got
plants for you
God wants you to know
things about him
and about yourselves
that you'll only discover
as you put down
your roots
and as you plant yourselves
here in the city
of Babylon.
God wants you to discover
who he is
and who you are
but you'll only find that out
as you live lives
of radical faithfulness
to him
even in this ungodly world.
Look what he says
in verse 12.
He says
then you will call upon me
and come and pray to me
and I will hear you
then you will seek me
and find me
when you seek me
with all your heart.
The problem with Israel
is that they have not
been seeking God
they've been seeking
all sorts of other gods
that's why they're in Babylon
because they've gone
their own way
and God says
as you put down
your roots
as you make yourself
at home here
then you will find out
what it means
to be my people
in this broken world.
Friends, it's one thing
to be faithful
to God in Jerusalem
the epicenter of Jewishness.
You've got the temple
you've got the rabbis
you've got the symbols
you've got the Torah
no, that's one thing
but to be faithful
to God
in the heart
of the city of man
the heart of Babylon
that's another thing
altogether.
But friends
isn't that true
for us as well?
It's one thing
to be faithful to God
to sing of His covenant promises
to say
great is your name
here on Sunday morning
you've got the band
you've got followers
of Christ around you
but what about
in the office place?
What about
in the courts of law?
What about
in home?
What about
in the classrooms?
That's where it really counts
that's where God wants us
to be the people of God
even in the midst
of an ungodly world
that's where it really counts.
And so look at what God says here
He says
put down your roots
build houses
how many know
that if you buy a house
and then 70 years time
everyone's going to leave
you're probably not going to get
a good return
on your house
right?
The Babylonians
are not going to pay
top dollar
for those houses
when suddenly
the market is flooded
there's plenty of houses
on the market
He says
build houses
plant gardens
eat the produce
be fruitful
and multiply
multiply
and do not decrease
Now quick question
what does that remind you of?
Where else in the Bible
does God say
be fruitful
and multiply?
In
Genesis 1
right?
The Garden of Eden
What's God saying here?
He's saying in a sense
I want you to bring
Eden
into Babylon
I want you
my people
to bring the kingdom
of heaven
on here on earth
God is saying
I want you to build
the city of God
right here
even in the midst
of the city of man
Now friends
what does that mean
for us here in Hong Kong?
Well one of the phenomena
of big cities
is that
so many people
move into the city
into a big city
like Hong Kong
in order to use the city
for what we can get from it
rather than invest
in the long term
good and health
of the city
and so many people
we think
hey I'm here
it's
my company sent me here
it's an opportunity
to grow personally
or professionally
it's an opportunity
to make some money
before I go home
it's an opportunity
to travel
and see the world
all that
without contributing
to the long term
health of the city
but what we see here
is that
what happens
if we're to see ourselves
not just as those
who use the city
but as missionaries
sent into the city
for its well being
and for its good
what happens
if God wants
to send us
to Hong Kong
not just for what
we can get from it
but actually how
we can contribute
towards it
and what that means
is that Christians
actually we need to learn
how to be a
counter-cultural influence
in the heart
of the city
where we're not just
using the city
for our own benefit
we're not isolating
from the city
in our own little
Christian bubbles
but neither are we
so part of the city
that we adopt
its values
as part of our own
rather what God
wants us to do
is to go into the cities
and yet stay distinct
from the city
because we have
our own Christian values
even as we live
in the city
and live for its well being
and its benefit
Tim Keller says this
Christians should demonstrate
what an alternative
human culture
one that's based
on the gospel
can look like
Christians should demonstrate
in the heart of Hong Kong
what does it look like
to use money
and sex
and power
not just
for our own benefit
not to use others
how to prop ourselves up
but how do we use
our money
how do we use
our power
for the well being
and the blessing
of others
friends obviously
our city Hong Kong
has gone through
massive changes
everything's up in the air
and there's so many
questions that are
on people's minds
and one of the questions
that as Hong Kong
as many of us
are asking is
where is my future
secure
should I be
should I stay here
should I look
to move
now friends
I want to say
that's not
the wrong question
to ask
that's not a bad
question
as Christians
we should be responsible
we've got to be responsible
for our families
we've got to be responsible
for our aging parents
and so that's not
a bad question
to ask
but maybe one of the
questions that God
wants us to ask
in addition to that
is
God are you possibly
asking me to stay here
for the long term
well being
and the blessing
of the city
God is it possible
that you're asking
me to be here
and to contribute
to the long term
good of the city
and you know what
that's going to cost
involve great sacrifice
that's going to
involve great cost
but remember what
John the apostle
says about Jesus
in John chapter 1
he says
Jesus
the word became
flesh
and dwelt
amongst us
the actual Greek
this is
Jesus pitched
his tent
amongst us
Jesus didn't just
helicopter
into Jerusalem
at age 30
and say
right
let's get this
show going
right
Jesus
takes on
our nature
Jesus takes on
flesh and blood
and Jesus is born
into this world
as a human being
with all the brokenness
all the insecurity
all the fears
all the dangers
Jesus came
and pitched
his tent
as well
he laid down
his roots
he got involved
in the heart
of what is going on
so that Jesus
could really bring
the kingdom of God
to the kingdom of the world
that Jesus could bring
the city of God
into the city of man
Jesus came
and dwelt amongst us
and Jesus says
as his disciples
he says
come and be with me
come and follow me
come and become like me
come and do the things
that I did
put your roots down
in the city
for it's good
okay
so put down your roots
second thing is this
Jesus says
Jeremiah says
seek the welfare
of the city
look at verse 7
with me
Jeremiah writes
to these exiles
in Babylon
and he says
seek the welfare
of the city
where I've sent you
into exile
for in its welfare
you will find
your own welfare
now the word welfare
here is the Hebrew word
shalom
okay
and shalom
doesn't just mean
peace
it means a holistic
harmony
that is involved
that touches
every area
of our lives
so shalom
means this
harmonious flourishing
this well being
personally and psychologically
so harmony
within myself
spiritually
harmony with me
and God
relationally
harmony with
those in my life
even culturally
and socially
harmony in society
and it's where
all of life
is marked by
this fullness
this rest
this peace
this harmony
that every human being
longs for
it's the garden
of Eden
now one of the main
points of scripture
is that the deep
harmony
the soul rest
that all of us
long for
that we spoke
about last week
this deep shalom
that our hearts
long for
is never found
apart from God
himself
remember our scripture
last week
Jesus says
come to me
all you who are
weary and heavy laden
and I will give you rest
the grand narrative
of scripture
is that we are
created to be
at shalom
with God
but because of our
sin we've been
cut off from God
and we separated
from him
and now we live
with a state of
restlessness
in our hearts
remember Augustine's
great quote
we were made
for you oh God
and our hearts
will always be
restless
until they find
their rest
in you
and so
look at what God
says to the
exiles
who are living
in the heart
of the city of man
in pagan Babylon
he says
I've sent you there
that you may seek
the shalom
the peace
the prosperity
of Babylon
now
what does that mean
for us here in Hong Kong
God says to us
watermark
I've called you
to Hong Kong
not just to enrich
yourselves
not just to get
some experience
I've called you
to seek
the shalom
and the blessing
the welfare
of this city
while we live here
what does that mean
well it means a couple
of things
the first thing it means
is
on the one hand
it means proclaiming
the gospel
this is the essence
of who we are
we are a gospel
proclaiming community
friends if you're not
a Christian this morning
that might sound
bigoted
and judgmental
and arrogant
that we go out there
telling everyone
that we're right
and that they're wrong
but that's not the heart
of evangelism at all
the reason we want
to tell people
about the gospel
is because of what
Jeremiah says here
we want the shalom
we want the well-being
we want the peace
of our city
and we know
that there'll never
be true peace
apart from
reconciliation with God
remember what
Martin Lloyd-Jones says
you'll never have
the peace of God
without first being
at peace with God
the reason we go
and proclaim the gospel
is because our city
is so unrestful
our city is full
of restlessness
and we long
for our neighbors
and our family
and our colleagues
and our friends
to experience the deep
shalom that God
wants for them
and so we are a gospel
proclaiming community
the only way for everyone
or anyone
to have real lasting peace
is through believing
what Jesus did
on the cross
confessing our need
for him
and coming to him
in faith and repentance
and so that's why
at Watermark Mission
is at the very heart
of what we do
because we are gospel
proclaiming community
but that's not the only
thing God asks us to
because he also asks us
to live out the gospel
in other words
we proclaim the gospel
with word
but we also proclaim
the gospel with deed
we as Jesus did
we go out teaching
and proclaiming
who God is
but we also go out
doing good to our city
friends we are called
to proclaim the gospel
in word and deed
and that means
that Christians
we work for the peace
and the security
and the justice
and the prosperity
of the entire city
not just Christian communities
it means that
as citizens of heaven
Christians should be
the very best citizens
of Hong Kong
the very best citizens
of Hong Kong
because we walk
in the footsteps
of the one
who laid down his life
even for his enemies
think about that
for a second
God's called us here
as citizens of heaven
to be the very best citizens
of Hong Kong
I don't know if you remember
a few weeks ago
we were preaching
through Matthew's gospel
and we got to Matthew chapter 9
and Jesus is having a meal
with some tax collectors
and some sex workers
and a bunch of other people
and the religious leaders
come to Jesus' disciples
and they say
how can your rabbi
be having a meal
with those scumbags
with those people
surely
how can Jesus
associate with them
and Jesus says
this is the very reason
I've come
I've come to bring peace
to the city
I haven't come
just to hang out
with those that have got it
all together
I've come to call
sinners to repentance
I've come to bring
wholeness and shalom
to those that need it
Jesus says
the reason he came
is to bring shalom
his restorative
redemptive
healing shalom
to the pain
and the brokenness
of our world
and friends
as challenging as it is
that's what God
calls us to as well
and so what does that
look like practically
well it means
that as Christians
we're always looking
for an opportunity
to tell people
about Jesus
it means the Uber driver
he's stuck with you
you've got 10 minutes
with him
he's not going to go anywhere
well I guess he's got
the steering wheel
maybe he could go somewhere
maybe he could hijack you
and take you somewhere
but it means telling people
about Jesus
the driver
the taxi driver
our neighbours
it means giving out
Christian books to those
it means inviting people
to outreach opportunities
we're always looking out
for ways to help people
find true and lasting peace
but you know what it also means
it means paying a fair
and adequate wage
to those that work for us
whether those in our home
or whether those in the office
it means paying
and treating people
with dignity and honour
it means foreign domestic helpers
that work for Christians
should be the most honoured
and respected foreign domestic workers
in our city
friends it means
rather than spending
our entire budget on ourselves
maybe setting aside a portion
to support and finance
and underwrite
those that are doing good work
in our city
and prospering
and bringing back the peace
and the shalom of our city
it means extending grace
and forgiveness
to those that have hurt us
or wronged us
seeking reconciliation
friends it means
helping women
that have been abused
and used by men
for their bodies
to get out of the slavery
of the sex industry
and to find work
and employment
that is full of dignity
and honour
friends it means
opening up our lives
and our hearts
and maybe even our homes
to those that are considered outsiders
those that are part
of another ethnicity
or another race
those that are part
of a different
socio-economic bracket
it means maybe fostering
vulnerable children
in our city
maybe even adopting
a child
that doesn't have a family
it means coming alongside
single moms
and teenage moms
and saying
I know your life is tough
and we want to come inside
and be there for you
and support you
and to love you
and do what we can
to bring shalom
and peace
to your life
friends for some people
and Christians
should be at the forefront
of this
it means maybe even
lobbying government
or setting up a work tank
or an NGO
or some kind of
program
to ensure
there's just
and equitable laws
and policies
in Hong Kong
it means fighting
for the rights
of refugees
and asylum seekers
in our city
Tim Keller says this
and this is really profound
and I want us to think
about this
as Christians
we don't just use
the resources
of the city
to build
a great big church
actually Christians
use the resources
within the church
to build
a great city
let me say that again
as Christians
we don't use
the resources
of the city
to build the church
so that we can get
a bigger
and more powerful
and stronger
and more famous church
we're not trying
to build our name
actually as Christians
we use the resources
that God has given us
to advance
and cultivate
the prosperity
and the blessing
and the shalom
of our city
the goal of Watermark
is not just to have
a great church
it's to have a great city
and that's why
God has planted us here
and so Jeremiah writes
and he says
seek the shalom
the welfare
of your city
for in its welfare
you will find your own
and isn't that amazing
that God says
the shalom
that so many of us
long for
isn't found
as we divorce ourselves
from the city
and live in our
Christian babbles
and just work for
a Christian organization
and only have
Christian friends
actually the shalom
and the blessing
that we long for
is found
as we work
with God
in the midst
of our city
and bring the kingdom
of God
to our world
as we join God
in bringing
the city of God
to the city of man
in that very place
is where we find
the shalom
and the blessing
and the peace
that we long for
friends
you'll never find
the peace
that your heart
longs for
simply by going
on holidays
and sitting on the beach
you'll find it
by joining God
in what he's doing
in this city
as we join him
seeking the blessing
of our city
is that okay
does that make any sense
okay
I've got one last point
let's see if we can
revive it
okay
so
firstly
put down your roots
make this city home
ask God
is this
God do you want me
to stay here
for the long haul
secondly
seek the shalom
the wholeness
the blessing
the city of God
in our city
third thing is this
look at what
Jeremiah says
pray for the city
look at the way
that Jeremiah
phrases it here
he says
pray to the Lord
on behalf
of the city
now that language
is almost priestly
Jeremiah isn't just saying
pray for the city
and he's certainly
not saying
do what
Jonah did
remember Jonah
he goes to Nineveh
and he tells them
about God
and the gospel
and then he retreats
and he sits up
on a hill
and he kind of says
okay God
let's see you nail
these guys
and Jonah
if he prays
for the city
he's praying
that God
will smite them
right
but what does
God say to Jeremiah
he says
well Jeremiah
says to the exiles
pray on behalf
of the city
it's almost like
God is saying
these guys
need my mercy
and my grace
but they don't know
how to call out to me
but you do
so why don't you
pray for them
on their behalf
to me
for my grace
and my mercy
isn't that incredible
remember friends
the Babylonians
are Israel's
arch enemies
they've just burnt
down their city
they've pulled down
the walls
they destroyed
the temple
they've stolen
all the goods
they've desecrated
the holy place
and God
you want us
to do what
for them
you've got to be
kidding
right
friends
I know
that some
of us here
are
extremely
frustrated
even angry
maybe
at what
has happened
in our city
and the changes
that have taken
place
over the last
two years
and I must
confess
that as a
foreigner
I don't
I carry the city
so deeply
in my heart
but I know
that I probably
don't understand
and feel it
to the depth
of many of us
here
friends
God
asks us
to pray
on behalf
of our city
and I know
that's an incredibly
difficult thing
for some of us
maybe
but I want to
ask you this
do you think
that you could
possibly find
it in your
heart
to
trust the one
who
when he was
being nailed
to the cross
by his own
enemies
and his enemies
looked upon them
with a smirk
on their face
Jesus cried out
Father
forgive them
they know
not what
they do
and when
Jesus prayed
that prayer
he wasn't
saying
he wasn't
just praying
for a
blanket
amnesty
he wasn't
just saying
God
let's just
pretend
this whole
thing
hasn't
happened
he wasn't
just saying
let's just
sweep
their sins
under the rug
Jesus
was saying
God
these people
need your
grace
and your
mercy
but they
don't know
how to
call out
to you
and so
I'm
going to
call out
to you
that you
by your
grace
will reveal
yourself
to them
so that
they will
find you
and call
out to you
for the
grace
and the
mercy
that they
need
God
if you
leave them
to their
own devices
they're in
deep trouble
but they
need your
mercy
and they
don't know
how to
find you
so God
I ask
you
won't you
in your
mercy
won't you
pour out
your grace
in them
so that
they can
find you
friends
could we
not pray
the same
thing
for our
city
Father
forgive
them
they know
not what
you do
pray
to the
city
on behalf
of it
now
why does
God
ask us
to pray
I want
to give
us three
quick
reasons
one reason
is this
because
prayer is
powerful
you'll know
this very
famous
I've
mentioned
many times
I think
the
16th
century
John
Knox
is a
Presbyterian
pastor
in Scotland
and he
used to
pray
in Queen
Mary
the Queen
of England
she says
I fear
the prayers
of John
Knox
more than
all the
armies
of England
right
because
prayer is
powerful
and it
changes
things
and prayer
actually
works
and when
we pray
for our
city
God
hears
our
prayers
and he
does
things
prayer
is
powerful
the second
reason
is this
you pray
for what
you love
and you
love
what you
pray
for
it's
very
hard
to pray
for
someone
and despise
them
it's
very
hard
to pray
for
someone
and then
use
and abuse
them
you
pray
for
what
you
love
but also
as you
pray
for
someone
your
heart
grows
for
them
as
God
asks
us
to
pray
for
the
city
it'll
grow
our
own
heart
for
the
city
and even
the areas
of pain
and the areas
that we
find hard
but here's a third
reason
because not only is God
asking us to love and serve the city of Hong Kong
he's asking us to serve the city of Hong Kong in his way
Francis Schaeffer used to speak about doing the Lord's work
in the Lord's way
in other words what he's saying is we can go out in the city of Hong Kong
we can set up NGOs and start schools and plant churches and set up charities
but if we do it without deep meditation on the gospel if we do it without the dependence
that comes from prayer you know what will happen we'll do it self-righteously
we'll do it with self-sufficiency we'll do it in our own strength and you know what
we'll probably cause more harm than good Steve Corbett wrote a book 15 years ago
called when helping hurts and he spoke about how so many NGOs go into the cities and try
and do things but in the end they cause more damage than good because they do it in their
own self-righteousness and their own strength
and Steve Corbett says that when we do that we try to bring the kingdom of heaven to our
world without the king
friends we need to be people that pray
in this great city of ours that has gone through so much in the last two years
friends it's easier to complain than to pray
it's easier to mock and scoff and laugh and ridicule
and criticize than it is to labor and pray
it's easier to point with our finger than to get on our knees
but friends what our city really needs is not just more charity
and it's not just Christians that are going out and doing random acts of kindness
it's not just Christians trying to be good people
what this great city needs is the kingdom of God
it needs the presence and the power of the once crucified but now resurrected Christ who sits in glory
friends what this city needs is the life transforming power of the sovereign majestic glorious God
the God who gives life to the dead
and how's that going to happen?
it's going to happen as his church presences itself in the city
seeks the peace and the shalom of the city
but as we give ourselves to pray
Jeremiah writes this letter to the people of God
in the heart of the city of man
and he says go and put down your roots
seek the shalom and the welfare and the peace of the city
go and be people of prayer
may we do the same
let's pray together
oh heavenly father
we
God we come before you this morning
and we hear your word Lord
that you call us to this great city
not just for our own welfare
not just for our own good
you call us here God
not just to use the city
but to bless it
oh heavenly father we pray
come and stir our hearts God
to love and serve the great city of Hong Kong
the fragrant harbor Lord
the pearl of the east
we pray God that this city
will be infused with the fragrance of heaven Lord
Jesus come and have your way
but first we pray come and have your way in our own hearts God
God won't you come and shape us Lord
won't you come and form us
God won't you come and make us more like you
God we so need you here
Lord I pray for every one of us this morning
whether we're at home
whether we're at the community center
whether we're here at Ebenezer
won't you start to call us God
God we're convinced that you've called us here
for such a time as this
it's no coincidence that we're in Hong Kong
for this time this season
God won't you lead us
won't you help us
won't you speak to us God
help us to love our city
and to serve our city
help us God to bring
the kingdom of God
to the city of man
Christ come and have your way we pray
Amen