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Week 6 – EXILE – GOD SCATTERS HIS PEOPLE Bible Reading: Matthew 3:1-12 / 2 KINGS 24:8-20a Big Idea: Israel’s kings should have led God’s people to blessing, but their rebellion leads to curse: the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of God's people into Babylon. God’s people have again been scattered from God’s place. We wonder how the blessing God promised to Abraham will ever come.. Can you remember a time when you felt very ALONE? Alone from other people? Alone from God?

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I remember it like it was yesterday. The awful feeling. ALL ALONE. High school. Year 10, fourth term. Walking around at lunch time, wondering who I’d spend the whole hour with… again. And realizing – there was no-one. You know I’d always been able to recognise that kid at school… you know, that we all know, has no friends? He’s too smelly, right? Too tall, fat, too short, noisy, too quiet, or just weird for some inexplicable reason? Remember that kid? Yeah, well here I was, it dawned on me this quiet, lonesome lunchtime – that was me! I’d become such a tease of any kid who showed any kind of weakness that finally I’d become that kid I’d always most looked down – the kid who was only, ever, always, alone. At least that’s how it felt. And I was so ashamed of what I’d become. …have you ever felt that “ashamed” feeling? …have you ever had that question flood over you: “am I good enough for anyone?” “am I loved, at all?” …OR… “AM I COMPLETELY ALONE?” It was around the first time I started THINKING ABOUT GOD. …is there anyone out there? If I prayed would he even hear me? …what if I’m not just alone from people? But God?

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Our Bible in 10 series tells us where that ALONE feeling comes from …rejecting God …trying to hide from God and each other – covering up with fig leaves (the stuff we hide behind) …alone

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So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden

GENESIS 3:23

It’s been that way, for all of us, Since we were banished from God’s presence… Way back, in the beginning. See, we all at some time, ask the question “IS GOD THERE?” …”is he LISTENING?”

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I mean when this “IS GOD DEAD?” Time Magazine cover caused a stir in 1966 …it shouldn’t have ‘cause people have been asking that question for ages!

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It’s the question we ask when BRUTAL COWARDS blow up young lives in Manchester

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It’s the question we ask when an OPRESSIVE DICTATOR gases his own people

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It’s a question we ask in the simple, meandering, day by day experiences of our lives. Like at work. Like when we’re driving sometimes. Like when we look out the kitchen window making a cup of tea and thinking about the difficulties that lie ahead today. Like at lunchtime in term 4. Year 10. On just another overcast day, when we feel utterly, completely alone. Will God hear our prayers in these moments? Or will we hear SILENCE?

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SILENCE is the name of a book, turned into a movie this year…

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SILENCE is it’s about the persecution of Christians in Japan in the 1600’s … the emperor decided to wipe out Christianity, torturing and killing Christians Two Portuguese priests go there to continue the gospel work. …and as people are being tortured and killed. …they’re told if they just DENY JESUS IN PUBLIC, these others will be spared. And they’re rightly asking, WHERE IS GOD in all this? …from deep in the heart, the main character says:

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I pray but I’m lost. Am I just praying to

silence?

I pray but I’m lost. Am I just praying to silence?

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Am I just praying to silence?

Have you ever asked that? Am I just praying to silence?

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That question runs – did y’know – right through the Bible: Are you there God? When I cry out, will you answer? …Or am I just praying to silence? We’re just over half way through our series ‘Bible in 10’. …we’re looking at how these 66 books …tell one BIG story… the true story of God, the world and us.

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We’ve seen God make stunning promises to Abraham …that his descendants will BRING ANSWERS to these questions …but you get to THE END of the Old testament…and Israel

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They’re in EXILE – like we heard …they’re as removed from God’s presence, as Adam and Eve were from the garden EXILE Civil war > Invaded > Cities destroyed > then, carted off as slaves. ISRAEL …they’re meant to be the ANSWER to all the chaos …ANSWERING the question of a lonely world – am I praying to silence …but now Israel themselves are ASKING it!!

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By the rivers of Babylon we sat and weptwhen we remembered Zion.

PSALM 137:1

Exiled in Babylon they weep – they feel very alone from God THEY ask the question… And so does EVERYONE ELSE!

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All who pass your wayclap their hands at you;

they scoff and shake their headsat Daughter Jerusalem:

LAMENTATIONS 2:15

There’s a little book about the exile called LAMENTATIONS ..which is every bit as cheery as it sounds People look at Jerusalem – the great hope for the world – lying in waste …and they SCOFF THEY ask:

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“Is this the city that was calledthe perfection of beauty,

the joy of the whole earth?”

LAMENTATIONS 2:15

Where’s the HOPE now? Where’s the JOY of the whole earth? Where is your God… in the silence?

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Am I just praying to silence?

See…if you’ve ever asked this question “Am I just praying to silence?”, You’re not alone in feeling alone – Israel asked it a very long time ago …not only that…you know WHO ELSE asked this question? JESUS did!

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“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

MATHEW 27:46

On the cross. All ALONE. Jesus cried: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” …but I want to show you how this time THE QUESTION ALSO BRINGS THE ANSWER

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Movement 2 – THE BIBLE STORY SO FAR So… what happened? How did promise turn to disaster? hope turn to despair? life turn into death? HOW DID BLESSING TURN TO CURSE?

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I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earthwill be blessed through you.

GENESIS 12:3

See God’s great promises to Abraham to BLESS the world, through his descendants

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We glimpsed the blessing under David

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But it was so SHORT-LIVED. …David sinned greatly …the son of David, Solomon, sins greatly… turning to false gods. Israel’s Kings lead Israel AWAY from God …and everything falls apart very quickly

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When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent

and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel.

1 KINGS 12:20

There’s CIVIL WAR! …most of Israel break away from Solomon’s son and set up their own kingdom.

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Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.

1 KINGS 12:20

Only ONE TRIBE remain loyal to David’s line…

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From this point on Israel’s history is SPLIT IN TWO… …a FORK IN THE ROAD for Israel But if we think one kingdom will head off with God… we’re mistaken. …both head in the SAME direction… …AWAY FROM GOD!

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KING AFTER KING follow Solomon’s footsteps. …& all Israel walk in their kings footsteps …lured by the world’s promises of money, sex and power > like Solomon And here’s how THEY USE THE POWER …

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In you they have treated father and mother with contempt;

EZEKIEL 22:7

…Israel abuse the ELDERLY “Fathers and mothers with contempt” This is a REPORT CARD from the prophet Ezekiel …on how Israel are going in bringing hope to the world They abuse the ELDERLY

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in you they have oppressed the foreignerand mistreated the fatherless

and the widow.

EZEKIEL 22:7

They abuse foreigners, orphans (the fatherless) and widows… Exactly the same oppression and abuse we see throughout our world,

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You devour people and deprive your nation of its children

EZEKIEL 36:13

They DON’T BRING HOPE to others …they DEVOUR others …they DEPRIVE others …so much for hope flowing to the world from Israel

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Then in 722BC the northern Kingdom, the 10 tribes that split from David’s sons, is taken out by the kingdom of Assyria… Totally DESTROYED. And so any hope from Israel’ll have to come from DAVID’S line.

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Israel were meant to be a lighthouse. To shine God’s light in a dark world.

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Instead they’ve become a sewerage pipe… pouring out filth and pollution by how they live. A picture of shame. Israel were meant to be the answer to the key question all the world asks: Where is God in the silence? But they’ve made things worse - Poisoned things!

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Like a BLOOD TRANSFUSION that’s infected …Israel are giving BAD BLOOD …they’re not spreading life, but disease

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I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among

the nations, the name you have profanedamong them.

EZEKIEL 36:23

Bringing shame on God, pouring their filth onto his name, profaning his name. Is God dead? The prophet Ezekiel, he has a vision of skeletons. His people look dead! Yet there’s a glimmer of hope that they will rise – life from death.

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“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and

bring you back into your own land.

EZEKIEL 36:24

That these scattered people will be gathered again

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I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you

your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

EZEKIEL 36:26

That God will pour out his Spirit And give them new hearts A new start

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But we read to the very end of the OT and we don’t see it …hope for the word? Jerusalem? A son of David?

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Jerusalem - and it’s mighty temple Solomon built - is destroyed by the Babylonians …and the son of David? …at the end of 2 Kings there’s this pathetic picture of Israel’s king Zedekiah …blinded by Nebuchadnezzar… kept alive with some pocket money …and the people taken away. EXILE

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God’s Judgment. See, part of the answer to our prayer …of bringing good to the world …involves destroying evil. Burning it up so that only the good remain.

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It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah,

and in the end he thrust them from his presence.

2 KINGS 24:20

We see God judges his people. …removes THEM FROM HIS PRESENCE…

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In the beginning God created the heavens

and the earth…

GENESIS 1:1

The whole OT story which starts ‘in the BEGINNING’

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In the beginning God created the heavens

and the earth…

…and in the end he thrust them

from his presence.

GENESIS 1:1 2 KINGS 22:8

Here’s where it ends up IN THE END

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IN THE BEGINNING ….God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule BLESSED

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IN THE END Not God’s people ….not in God’s place …not living under his rule CURSED

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Am I just praying to silence?

It’s a NEW TAKE on our question… ‘cause now this question hangs in the air for 400 years No words from God, just silence, 400 years of silence, between the Old Testament and the New. Is the ONLY answer, for God’s chosen people even, just JUDGEMENT??

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Movement 3 –JESUS’ STORY Where will ANOTHER answer come from?

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It’s not till we get to the gospels, the story of Jesus, that we see it.

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With John baptising people in the Jordan river… … calling for a heart change in Israel. …to be baptised they have to actually go outside of Israel and come back in through the River. To admit the EXILE isn’t really over …BODIES are back …but not HEARTS

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“I baptize you with water for repentance.But after me comes one who is more

powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.

MATTHEW 3:11

John says his baptism is just a SYMBOL …but one is coming with the REAL THING

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He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

MATTHEW 3:11

Who will wash hearts clean – with God’s Spirit There’s still God’s judgment – still fire …but there’s a way out – through the one who washes hearts

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From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the

kingdom of heaven has come near.”

MATTHEW 25:32

He calls people to repent…turn from the money, sex, power game …turn to him for the answers in life

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Am I just praying to silence?

And for those who really want an answer to the silence, Jesus answers our question in the most stunning, unexpected way

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He ends EXILE by entering it He ends our ALONENESS by adopting our shame as his own He answers the CRY of our suffering, by crying out to God in his suffering

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On the night he’s betrayed, Jesus is left all alone. Everyone deserts him. He’s the only one left standing.

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His enemies kill him, to hold onto power and wealth and status. They crucify Jesus. A shameful, suffering death. What Jesus goes through is like Exile… He’s handed over to a foreign empire. Tortured, dragged out of the city of Jerusalem to die. And held up as an object of ridicule.

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All who pass your way clap their hands at you;they scoff and

shake their heads

LAMENTATIONS 2:15

We need to remember LAMENTATIONS …how the nations of the world mocked Jerusalem back in the Exile… They pass Scoff Shake their heads

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All who pass your way clap their hands at you;they scoff and

shake their heads

Those who passedby hurled

insults at him, shaking their

heads

LAMENTATIONS 2:15 MATTHEW 27:39

Jesus steps in to that place of mockery, and when he’s on the cross: They pass Scoff Shake their heads Jesus goes into exile from God to end exile from God. See, what Israel went through in the Exile… Jesus went through, himself.

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Here’s how blessing comes. In the end only one person could stand before God faultless. He chose to be exiled in our place. Our shame was dealt with in his cross. And this is what I want you to see today: God knows what it’s like to cry out to God and hear nothing from God, but silence. Jesus - the Son of David. The Son of God. God himself, in the person of the Son. Suffers. Is abused. Exploited. He’s oppressed.

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“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

MATTHEW 27:46

Jesus cries out to God. ‘My God, my God.’ The response? He hears nothing. But silence. God knows what it’s like to cry out to God and hear nothing from God, but silence.

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But from the silence of the coldest tomb, God speaks through resurrection. On the third day, Jesus Christ conquered the silence of death. He became the answer to the question of humanity! And we need not be alone anymore, in the silence, if we but accept the gift of his presence. See, God doesn’t give us pat answers – He gives us his himself!

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Movement 4 – OUR STORY/YOUR STORY Jesus was exiled on our behalf. Handed over to God’s enemies. Forsaken. Abused. Judged. How does all this speak to my story? Your story? Our suffering? In the suffering of the world around us?

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Am I just praying to silence?

Is there an answer to our question? Of course there is, but it’s no longer God’s Words alone as an answer, but God’s Word in a person: His person!

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Y’know, in recent years, I’ve found myself again in that place – of loneliness and shame, just like lunchtimes in year 10. But this time I found a man, a believer in Jesus, a friend. Who did absolutely nothing except be with me, listen to my story, and hear my cries. He gave me no answer. Nothing but his presence – and then a suggestion. To go back to my high school and spend a half hour walking round the streets outside. So I did. And the strangest thing happened… it was different. The barren landscape that stood for my loneliness… my sense of exile – was gone.

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It was changed. Now it’s lush: plants and paths and greens. The thing was you see: The same trees are there, but there’ll all three times the size! It’s all different now. It’s the not same place. “Everything’s changed!” I said to my friend. And he helped me realise: I have too. In Christ, I am no longer alone. Never alone. My cry has been answered.

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Because when we see the cross we hear the deepest grief - and its solution. We see the deepest loneliness and it’s solution Know that God hasn’t abandoned us. He is WITH us. And he isn’t judging us. He is FORGIVING us.

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Jesus suffered such awful things, yet came through on the other side. And if you’re suffering today, Jesus is able to hold you up through it, because he has joined you in it! He’s able to bring you out on the other side. To freedom. Hope. Joy. To new life.

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HEAR OUR PRAYER

Be our joy be our stay Give us eyes to see You answer prayer this day Hear us praise all You’ve done We rejoice as we receive the victory won

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What about when it comes to helping others in their suffering? Well, Jesus teaches us about evil, abuse, suffering… that these things aren’t defeated by an answer – but by his presence: First of all, in Jesus. And now, in his people. See, often we really want to deal with the suffering of others by giving some kind of answer. But we do that because we think that avoiding suffering is the ultimate goal. That’s what our culture tells us. But avoiding suffering isn’t the ultimate goal. Giving answers is a way to feel we’ve done something, but in a way that keeps us at a safe distance. Jesus didn’t merely answer the question. He entered into it. He took it on and carried it. And we help those suffering, by entering into their grief & taking on some of their load. It’s one of the best things about church!

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God has brought us together as a community. We are to be a community in which it’s safe to struggle. To cry out in our suffering. Who love one another by shouldering each other’s griefs together. If we’re to be a community that loves like Jesus, we’ll get our hands dirty. And that often means not having an answer. Not having some easy thing to say to take away the pain. It means sitting with someone in grief. Listening. Crying with someone. Praying to God – in the silence – looking forward to resurrection. No one person is able to shoulder all that load, but we do it together as a community. Because remember: God doesn’t give us pat answers, He gives us his people!

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Am I just praying to silence?

A community who declare that there is an answer to this question

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A place that breaks the silence A tree that keeps on growing A sprouting from the ground that keeps on giving A new shoot from the ground that keeps on bursting, with life – new life. A person, in whom our deepest prayers are answered.

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Let’s pray.