Hero or Villain or Both?
Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore
October 1, 2021
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:7
When God’s people failed to follow the laws of their God, God raised up a couple of the countries nearby to invade the land and take the people of Israel into exile. First, the Syrians took the Israelite tribes east of the Jordan River and then the Assyrians invaded the rest of the House of Israel and the House of Judah and then later the nation of Babylon invaded Jerusalem and took the remaining captives of the House of Judah to Babylon. Before the exile, false prophets had claimed that what Jeremiah prophesied was untrue and that the exile would only last for two years. Jeremiah warned that the exile would last for 68 more years.
“Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for your children so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of Babylon where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:5-7 NLT).
This sermon will begin with a short question: Who wrote the two paragraphs, which contained the above verse (Jeremiah 29:7), which will be given shortly in this sermon, which was taken from the author’s small booklet? Everyone here will recognize the author’s name when it is given. Was he a preacher, a teacher or just an ordinary believer? Maybe he wasn’t a Christian at all. Maybe he was an atheist or an agnostic or a skinhead. Some say that he was a hero; many say that he was a villain. Some say that he was both.