An Amazing Comeback Series

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“An Amazing Comeback”

Jeremiah 30:18-19

** Watch: https://youtu.be/4twrC7B6y0U

Now you might think it strange for me to go back to the Old Testament to explain the heart of the New Testament, and that is, the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ and the new life He brings to all who come to Him.

But this really shouldn’t be surprising, because it was the Old Testament that the Apostles used to explain this good news in the beginning. And it was through the working and power of the Holy Spirit, through the church, that this message reached every corner of the known world within a single generation.

The Apostle Paul tells us that these Scriptures were written for our instruction so that we can stand and not fall.

“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12 NKJV)

Now, this is seen in our text from the prophet Jeremiah. It is a great example and illustration of the good news from a prophet whose name is more synonymous with judgment than hope. Yet, here is a message of hope, and the very essence of the good news.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city shall be built upon its own mound, and the palace shall remain according to its own plan.”

“Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.’” (Jeremiah 30:18-19 NKJV)

Notice how it begins, “Thus says the Lord.” These are God’s words to us. The question is, are we listening, and do we understand? Because when we do, then we’ll plan our lives in accordance with what God is saying, instead of planning our lives based upon our own ideas and imaginations.

Jesus says this same thing to the church saying that those who have ears to hear let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the church (Revelation 3:22). I believe that if we would truly hear and listen to understand, then we will act upon the truth of God and His word.

Now, what the Lord is saying through Jeremiah is that upon the old, that is, upon the ruined past He is going to restore, that is, He will renew what was destroyed. Israel will return from its captivity, and Jerusalem will be rebuilt from out of its ruins. The wording actually says that it will be built upon its ruins, or upon its mound.

In those days, cities were built and rebuilt upon themselves. In Israel today there are always archeological excavations going on known as “tells,” which is the Hebrew word for mounds. These are cities that continually rebuilt themselves from the debris and ruins of their past.

And so, the Lord says that He is going to restore, and yet more than restore, He was going to make it new. You see, that is what Jesus does in our lives. He builds a new life from out of its ruined past. He doesn’t remove that life from its past, but allows that life to be renewed and completely changes it upon its past. And the reason it is built upon its past is so that we may never forget what brought it to ruins in the first place.

Notice God never changed where Jerusalem sat. He didn’t tell them to go a couple of miles down the road and build where there is no past. Instead, He commanded that Jerusalem be restored and rebuilt from its ruins, from the stones and material that had been torn down by the enemy.

Jerusalem was the prize, the jewel of the nation Israel. It had a commanding presence with its walls, towers, buildings, and God’s holy Temple. It was a city that couldn’t be easily conquered.

And yet, the sin of the people, their own willful disobedience and the neglect of God’s commandants had left the city and its defenses weaken, where at last the enemy was able to attack and break through leaving behind a ruined city, broken down walls, and a sacked and destroyed temple. All that the Jews had boasted in for centuries was now nothing more than a massive mess; its glory departed, and its greatness gone.

This is a perfect picture of a person’s soul. In the beginning God made humanity perfect, creating them in His image and likeness. He also gave humanity rule over this earth. And so, like Jerusalem and the Temple, humanity was to stand out over all the rest of God’s creation.