RESTORATION

AIM FOR CHANGE

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

KNOW God's new covenant to reveal Himself to all the people, forgive their sins, and hold them accountable; SENSE the relief and joy that come from starting over in agreement with someone, and MAKE plans for renewing our personal covenant with God. 

FOCAL VERSES Jeremiah 31:31

KEEP IN MIND 

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant wit the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31).

AT-A-GLANCE

1. God Offers a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-32)

2. A Covenant of Love (vv. 33-34)

3. A Covenant of Everlasting Intimacy (vv. 35-37)

IN FOCUS STORY

Lauren and Bill were standing at the altar. Seated in the pews behind were their grown children and grandchildren. Although they had been married for years, they had decided to renew their marriage vows. As he stood at the altar and looked at his bride, Bill also remembered how the first twenty years of the their marriage had been a nightmare for his wife and children. Bill had struggled with his alcoholism, insisting that he "didn't have a problem" even though he had been fired from several jobs. Lauren had worked a full-time and part-time job to pay the rent and other bills. She had to take care of the children alone. Five years ago, Lauren had finally insisted that Bill join a substance abuse program. Lauren had also talked Bill into attending church with her. A year later, Bill accepted Christ as his personal Savior. As he stood at the altar, he thanked God for giving him Lauren and for giving him an opportunity to renew his covenant of marriage wiht such a wonderful woman. God's love is forever. Even when we sin and turn away from God, He wants us to return to Him and His care and protection. 

In this lesson, we will see that even though Israel had repeatedly sinned against Him, God wanted to renew His covenant with them. 

THE PEOPLE, PLACES, and TIMES

Covenant. A covenant is not simply an agreement between two parties. Covenant are not arbitrary; they are binding. Covenants are special relationships by which the parties enter into a binding commitment with one another. This committed relationship makes a demand on each party. In the Bible, we see all types of covenants. There are the covenants that are made between groups and nations, as is the case in Joshua 9 when the people of Gibeon covenant with the Children of Israel (Joshua 9:6, 15). Still another type of covenant is demonstrated in the relationship between David and Saul's son Jonathan. This relationship is not a trivial friendship. The Scriptures tell us "that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1). Throughout the Old Testament, the covenant between God and the Children of Israel provides that God offers His love and protection, and in return His people pledge to worship and serve Him alone. 

Babylonian Captivity. This is the period in biblical history when the people of Judah were defeated and taken away by the powerful nation of Babylonian. Following a year-long siege, the capital city of Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 587 B.C. Deportation or removal of defeated foes was a common military practice of the Babylonians and other nations. The actual deportation of the people of Judah took place in three waves. The first was in 606 B.C. when Daniel and his friends were taken along with other prospects to work in the Babylonian government. The second happened in 588 B.C., when King Zedekiah and more leaders were removed from Judah. The third occurred in 582 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar took 4,600 heads of families along with their wives and children. The Babylonians probably only took the people who would be useful to them in Babylon. This would include the priests, craftsmen, business owners, and the wealthy. The Bible implies that the captives were resettled in a single area which allowed them to continue to practice their religion and culture. Theoretically, the nation of Judah ceased to exist after 587 B.C., and the former inhabitants of Judah no longer had a homeland. The people who were left behind in Judah, the "Am Ha'aretz," or people of the land, primarily the poor and elderly, are described as suffering form widespread famine in the book of Lamentations. 

BACKGROUND

Jeremiah, the final prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, was from Anathoth, a priestly community belonging to the tribe of Benjamin. Under the instruction of the Lord, Jeremiah wrote to people of Judah who had been captured and taken into captivity by the powerful nation of Babylonia. Despite admonitions and warnings delivered by the godly prophets like Jeremiah, the people of Judah had shown themselves unwilling to change and unrepentant. Here we see that Judah knowingly and willfully breached their covenant with God. Although the continued to go through the motions of worship, it was only a ritualized affair that greatly displeased God. Their religious pomp was not backed by faithfulness of God. Adding to this were religious leaders who preached superstition and predicted that the temple in Jerusalem could never fall into the hands of the Babylonians. 

Jeremiah continued to prophesy to the people of Judah. He let them know that God would restore their relationship with Him through a new covenant. This new covenant would bind them to the Lord in a unique and different way. It would also give them the ability to obey the stipulations of the covenant and to experience the Lord in their midst. 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. With whom is God making the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31)?

2. Rather than a law on tablets, where will the new covenant be written (v. 33)?

3. What assurances does God offer the people about their former transgressions and sins (v. 34)?

DISCUSS THE MEANING

1. This portion of Scripture is widely believed to have been written while the people were still in captivity. Why do you think God wanted them to hear this before they were released?

2. When we accept Christ, He responds, "Henceforth, I call you not servants... I have called you friends" (from John 15:15). What should be our response to Christ as believers? Does your relationship with Christ reveal that He is your friend?

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY

In today's world, agreements are constantly made and broken. It seems that no one's word can be trusted. Corporations make agreements with their customers that they readily break. Governments make agreements with their citizens and with other nations, only to break those as well. God gives us more than just flimsy human agreement. His new covenant is backed by Jesus' death on the Cross. This was His demonstration and pledge of His love for us. Our response ought to be one of gratitude and sharing this love with others. 

MAKE IT HAPPEN

The Lord told His people that "I will remember [your] sin no more" (from Jeremiah 31:34). Again and again we see that God continues to forgive and love his people despite their sins. As recipients of this amazing love, we do not want to take it for granted. We need to pray and examine our lives. If there is any old anger, hurt, betrayal, or heartbreak, it only means that God is presenting us with an opportunity to forgive and be forgiven. Only then can we renew our relationship with Him. 

(Except from The Apostolic Way Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc.)

A VISION OF THE FUTURE

AIM FOR CHANGE

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

REVIEW God's written promise to restore the people and the land of Israel and Judah as of old; IMAGINE and EXPRESS  the feelings of safety in the community that has great promise for that future; and PLAN a way to invite people who are not part of the covenant community to become members of the church and Sunday School. 

FOCAL VERSES JEREMIAH 30:1-3; 18-22

KEEP IN MIND

"For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they are shall posses it" (Jeremiah 30:3). 

AT-A-GLANCE

1. The Prophet Called to Write the Vision (Jeremiah 30:1-2)

2. A Future of Restoration (v. 3)

3. A Future with a Kingdom (v. 18)

4. A Future with Joy and Renewed Covenant (vv. 19-22)

IN FOCUS STORY

Shirley cried softly as she packed the last of the kitchen items. Four months ago Fred, her husband of three years, had told her that he had fallen in love with one of his co-workers and wanted a divorce. After Fred moved out, Shirley had struggled emotionally and financially. Now, she could not afford to pay the rent with her part-time salary. Shirley had repeatedly called Fred and tried to get him to go to marriage counseling, but he refused. He told her, "It's over. You need to accept that and move on with your life."  When she and Fred had married, he had accepted a position with a firm that required them to move more than six hundred miles from her friends and family. She was too embarrassed to call her sister and tell her that Fred had left her. As she closed the last box of dishes, she wondered what was going to happen to her and how she would manage without her husband. In the midst of her sufferings Shirley realized she was not alone. God has present and had a plan for her life. 

Jesus Christ has promised never to leave us alone. In spite of the darkness around, He is ever present. In today's lesson, we will see that although Israel and Judah had been punished for their sins, God had every intention of redeeming and restoring them. 

THE PEOPLE, PLACES, and TIMES

 Judah.  Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Dead Sea, Judah lies in southern Palestine. Following the death of King Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel split into two. Two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, remained loyal to King Rehoboam and became the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The other ten tribes followed King Jeroboam and are generally referred to as the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Judah's capital city and central place of worship was the city Jerusalem. Prior to its destruction by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., Judah was ruled by a succession of nineteen kings, all from the line David.

Jeremiah. Jeremiah is know as the weeping prophet, so much so that there is a entire book of the Bible dedicated to his sorrow: the book of Lamentations. Most of the anguish the experienced was due to the sinful nature of the Israelites and their rejection of God. Subsequently, this also led to their captivity. But, Jeremiah also experienced grief because both he and his message were rejected by the people. 

Jeremiah's ministry stretched from 626 B.C. to some time after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C., which places him after Zephaniah and a contemporary with Ezekiel, and Habakkuk in history. A very popular and often quoted Scripture is derived from God calling Jeremiah to be God's prophet: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (from Jeremiah 1:5, NIV). 

BACKGROUND

In the book that bears his name, Jeremiah was clearly operating as a prophet. Throughout the book, Jeremiah declared the sins of the people (including idolatry) and God''s judgement against them. On cannot fail to see the prophet's sadness and sympathy as he denounced Judah's ungodly behavior and the impending doom it would bring about. Present-day Christians should be just as sad when we see unchecked sin abound. While Jeremiah frequently issued harsh denunciations, the prophet's love for the  people was evident. His prophecies, however, fell on deaf ears. The people of Judah were using the temple as a good luck charm. They mistakenly believed that no real harm could befall the city that housed the magnificent temple of Jerusalem. They ignored the fact that Shiloh, which was Israel's central place had fallen to the Philistines as punishment for the wickedness of Israel. This was proof that God recognized the difference between hypocritical ritual and true religion. The nation of Judah failed to heed the words of Jeremiah and would not repent or turn away from its wickedness. 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. How did God instruct Jeremiah to communicate with the people (Jeremiah 30:2)?

2. Where did God tell Jeremiah the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt (v. 18)?

3. What were some of the signs of restoration that would accompany God's people (vv. 18-20). 

DISCUSS THE MEANING

1. What we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, what are some of the promises God has given us about our future?

2. How do you imagine the captives reading these promises felt about their future? How much do you think it prompted them to reflect on their past sins?

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY

We need only walk down the street of any major urban city to see ruin and decay. Once-prosperous cities and towns are full of abandoned and boarded-up buildings. There are no signs of thriving business, and entire neighborhoods are blighted and empty. The people who remain in these areas sometimes look as forlorn as the property surrounding them. These are all signs of hopelessness. Through Jesus Christ, there is hope for the restoration and renewal of the communities and the people who live in them. We must be as diligent as Jeremiah in sharing the Word that God not only loves but also cares for His people and that He has a plan for their future. 

MAKE IT HAPPEN

Consider ministries that are helping to rebuild and restore communities that have been devastated by crime, poverty, or natural disaster. Pray and ask God to show you where there is time in your busy schedule to demonstrate His love through you. Next, ask Him to give you a tender and understanding heart. 

(Except from the The Apostolic Light Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Inc.)