CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 20:7-13
“Go down to the potter’s house.” In Jeremiah 18, the prophet is given this instruction by Yahweh. The potter would have been in the southern part of the city near a water source, and would fashion vessels by working with clay on a disk which he spun with his feet. If the clay had an imperfection in it, the potter would simply smush it up and start over. God shows Jeremiah that this is exactly what is happening with Israel. God “formed” her (the same word used in Genesis for creating the earth and Adam), but Israel has done something no other nation has done – rejected her very creator in order to worship other creations! So God will simply destroy her and start over. Jeremiah attempts to deliver this message, but is met with severe opposition.
The theme of pottery carries over into chapter 19. Yahweh now commands Jeremiah to buy a vessel from the potter, gather the leaders of the people and the priests, and take them to Valley of Ben Hinnom, just outside the Potsherd Gate. This would likely have been the gate people would have used to take out the city’s trash. The valley had become a cultic site. It was used to offer child sacrifices to the god Ba’al. Jeremiah tells the leaders that due to this detestable practice, it will become a burial ground. All the evil of the people will come upon them here, and they will even be reduced to cannibalism! Then, Jeremiah is commanded to smash the pottery, symbolizing that judgment had been finalized. There was to be no turning back now.
The scene quickly changes as Jeremiah is commanded to take this message of destruction into the Temple. The religious establishment would have been reassuring the crowds with false messages of hope, but Jeremiah tells them the truth – devastation is at hand. A new character enters the story here. Pashhur was a priest with an important position, likely keeping order in the Temple courts. Jeremiah’s message threatened the peace and contradicted official statements. Pashhur had Jeremiah beaten and placed in stocks. Upon his release, Jeremiah boldly tells Passhur he will become an object of God’s wrath and scared of his own shadow. For the first time, Babylon is named specifically as the tool God will use to crush the vessel of Judah
Our scripture focus today is the last of the great confessions of Jeremiah. These are really laments – a form of Hebrew poetry expressing great anguish. They are most often found in Psalms and Job. Jeremiah accuses God of overpowering him; a term associated with child abuse. God had “formed” Jeremiah to be a broken vessel – to proclaim only messages of destruction. He was a constant target of men like Passhur, who abused, mocked, and spread false rumors about him. However, when Jeremiah tries to not tell God’s truth, it becomes physically painful to him, to the point he prefers the abuse of the wicked! Jeremiah decides to just praise God anyway. Though he may be miserable, he will tell God’s truth to God’s rebellious people.
Today’s sermon will offer Advent hope to those who carry God’s truth in troubled days.
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
1. What is your primary source of news? Television? Radio? Newspaper? None? Do you feel there’s more good news or bad news in the media today?
2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
Today’s Sermon
Key Truths –
• Jeremiah couldn’t help himself.
• The Church can’t help itself.
• God would help Jeremiah.
• God will help the Church.
This Week’s Assignment –
Having a CrossViewed life means choosing to carry God’s painful truth to a world waiting for good news. During this third week of Advent, commit to being a vessel of truth when the world offers false messages. Speak up!
CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 15:15-21
Sometime around 601 BC, Judah was stricken with drought – a period of several growing seasons with no rain. In Jeremiah 14, we read that the drought was so severe the people had gone into an official state of mourning, which involved wearing only black and sitting on the ground. Even the wealthiest were without water. The farmers couldn’t plant, and the herds were dying off. Remember in last week’s scripture focus, God had told Jeremiah not to pray for the people due to their repeated failure to repent. Jeremiah breaks this command, and cries out to God to remember the covenant. He asks God to be Savior. This is the name used for God that was associated with the deliverance from Egyptian slavery.
Normally after a prayer of lament like Jeremiah’s, God would respond with words of comfort. Instead, God once again forbids Jeremiah from praying for the people! While the nation has performed the rites of a national fast, they have not taken steps to forsake the worship of other gods. Therefore, God is determined to not only destroy them by drought, but by famine and sword. Jeremiah disobeys God and continues to pray for the people, reminding God that they are listening to false prophets who promise all will be well. God denies sending these prophets, and states in no uncertain terms they will perish for their lies. In the rest of chapter 14, God actually weeps for the people, and Jeremiah cries out for them again.
The back-and-forth between Jeremiah and Yahweh continues in chapter 15. One of the chief roles of the biblical prophet was intercession – praying on behalf of the people despite their wickedness or ignorance. The Jewish people considered Moses and Samuel to be their greatest prophets. Moses interceded for the people after they created and worshipped the golden calf, and Samuel prayed for them even when they demanded he be replaced with a king. God tells Jeremiah intercession will no longer work, even if Moses or Samuel were asking now! God had sent Moses to lead the people out of destruction and into the Promised Land – this is now reversed as Jeremiah is commanded to send the people away from God and Judah.
At this point, we know Jeremiah had become the subject of an assassination plot from his own family, a lawsuit, and constant ridicule from his “congregation”. Now, it seems even God is not allowing him to do the very job for which he was born – to intercede for the people. In bitterness and despair, Jeremiah laments that his mother even gave birth to him in the first place. God responds by promising to care for Jeremiah. The prophet reminisces about reading the covenant and how it affirmed his call, but wonders if God will be faithful to that covenant. God gently encourages Jeremiah to not worry about his enemies, but to focus on remaining faithful to God and his enemies will one day seek his help.
Today’s sermon will examine our call to pray for others.
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
1. Is there someone for whom you’ve prayed for years, and it doesn’t seem to help? How do you keep from being discouraged?
2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
Today’s Sermon
Key Truths –
• Jeremiah got upset while praying for Judah.
• We get upset while praying for others.
• God encouraged Jeremiah to keep praying.
• God wants us to keep praying, too.
This Week’s Assignment –
Having a CrossViewed life means being faithful to pray for the most frustrating people in our lives, even when it doesn’t seem to do any good. Who do you need to keep praying for this week? Cry out to God for them daily. It might not change them, but it will change you.
CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 11:1-17
Jeremiah 10 concludes another section of judgment predictions, once again in the form of poems. The first poem aims to point out the worthlessness of man-made idols as compared to Yahweh. It taunts the gods of Babylon and other surrounding nations. Israel is warned not to fear “signs in the heavens”. Cosmic events in the sky were viewed by ancient peoples as gods moving or clashing with one another. They induced great fear among those who worshipped idols, but God’s people had no reason to worry about natural movement among the stars and planets. The second poem is a mixture of words from the prophet and Yahweh, and it’s often challenging to keep up with who is speaking.
Our scripture focus today begins a new section in Jeremiah dealing with the covenant. Remember the covenant was a special agreement between God and the Jewish people that as long as they kept God’s commandments, they would be blessed. Covenant is a continual theme throughout Jeremiah, especially in reference to the most recent covenant renewal under King Josiah’s reform. When Judah repeatedly ignored or abused God’s commandments, curses would then fall upon them. Once again, this passage is a sermon. It foretells Yahweh’s curse on the people. It describes the covenant violation of the past and present generations, and then ends with a harsh word of judgment that seems to give no hope to the nation.
This is followed by a poetic lament or “confession” that reveals a plot against the prophet. God’s speech in vv 11:21-23 is a response to the cry of the prophet. Jeremiah’s next lament at the beginning of chapter 12 is most likely prompted by the plot against his life. Yahweh (the name most often used for God in Jeremiah) speaks again in response to the prophet’s lament. God promises to abandon Judah and turn her over to her enemies, making the land desolate. God speaks of abandoning His house (temple) and heritage (land). The following verses balance the harsh words of judgment with an announcement of Yahweh’s judgment on the enemies that destroy Judah. Even these enemy nations, however, will be built up if they seek God’s ways.
A continuous thread throughout this week’s scripture readings is “the nations.” God, through the covenant with Abraham, had raised up the Jewish people as a large, powerful nation. The people took pride in their nation-state status and the conquest of the land God had given them. However, their failure to keep covenant caused them to lose “nation” status. Ten of their “states” had already been obliterated through other nations, and the final two would soon face the same punishment from another nation to the north. The northern enemy nations are continually reminded they are being used by God. Should they make the mistake of Judah – pride in themselves – they will end up destroyed as well. History shows us they did not learn the lesson very well.
Our sermon ask us to consider how many chances God gives us today.
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
1. Have you ever had a close friend or family member who constantly got in a bind and needed your help? What’s the healthiest way you’ve found to deal with “repeat offenders” in your life?
2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
Today’s Sermon
Key Truths –
• Judah had used up all her chances to do the right thing.
• Our world is running out of chances to do the right thing.
• God kept offering Judah one more chance.
• God offers the world another chance today.
This Week’s Assignment –
Having a CrossViewed life means doing the right thing while we still have a choice, rather than because we are out of options. During this Advent season, we have the gift of one more opportunity to really make Jesus the center of our celebration. How will you do the right thing instead of the same old thing this Christmas?
CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 7:1-15
Jeremiah 2 and 3 describe Judah’s infidelity and idolatry. God, or Yaweh, is portrayed as a scorned lover, desperately seeking the return of his unfaithful wife, Judah. There are repeated calls for Judah’s repentance, with a reminder of the fate of the northern kingdom, Israel. Restoration is also promised in this section. This is mostly done using poetry. Jeremiah uses what is known as the “lawsuit genre”, occasionally found in prophetic writing, to paint God as both plaintiff and judge. Sometimes the term “Israel” is used to mean all of the twelve tribes, sometimes it refers to only the ten of the northern kingdom, already obliterated by Assyria at this point. Sometimes it even refers only to Judah, the two tribes of the southern kingdom.
In Jeremiah 4-6, we find the announcement of judgment. This is once again done through a series of oracles with a common theme – destruction will come to Judah from an enemy nation to the north. Remember, north always represents disaster and destruction in Jeremiah. In contrast to the previous section, Yaweh is no longer a lamenting husband longing for his wife. Now he’s a divine warrior preparing to wage war against Judah. While sins of idolatry dominate the previous section, now it is the sins of injustice and greed the evoke God’s wrath. God recruits the nation to the north to be His ally in the war for justice. This northern enemy nation is a clear reference to the new power on the scene that had defeated Assyria – Babylon.
Today’s scripture focus in chapter 7 begins a new section in Jeremiah with a new theme – Judah’s corrupt worship. Later in chapter 26, we find out that this was the sermon that brought Jeremiah to the attention of the authorities. Much like Jesus’ clearing of the Temple, it was provocative and evoked an angry reaction. Jeremiah was put on trial and threatened with the death penalty, accused of speaking against the Temple. The sermon has three parts. In the first part, the conditions are laid out for the people to continue living in the land. The second part charges the people with making the Temple a den of criminals. The third part – the part that really got Jeremiah in hot water – foretells the coming destruction of the Temple.
Anytime a prophet of God predicted coming judgment, the people would generally answer with the cliché “The Temple! The Temple! The Temple!” In other words, Judah could never be wiped out because God would then have to destroy his own place of worship. The Temple was considered so sacred that it had become an idol in and of itself. The people felt they could break all of God’s commandments, act unjustly, and even worship idols as long as they participated in the rites of Temple worship. Yaweh warned the people through Jeremiah that in the same way Shiloh, which had hosted the Tabernacle, had been destroyed, so would be the fate of Jerusalem. The only remedy for this would ultimately be rejected – repentance and radical reform.
Our sermon will look at the “Temples” in our lives.
- Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
- Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
- Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
- Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
- What is your favorite part of coming to church on Sunday?
- Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
- What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
- Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
Today’s Sermon
Key Truths –
- Judah trusted in the Temple.
- It’s easy for us to us to trust in “temples”.
- God demanded radical reform from Judah.
- God demands radical reform from us.
This Week’s Assignment –
Having a CrossViewed life means constantly being formed and reformed. What temples in your life need radical refreshing and rethinking? Write down one area that you are willing to let God reform this week:
CrossGroups Connection Guide
Today’s Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 1:4-19
Every year during the six weeks leading up to Christmas, we focus on the genre of scripture known as Major Prophets (Isaiah-Ezekiel) and Minor Prophets (Hosea-Malachi). The major prophets weren’t considered more important than the minor ones during their time; however, either more of their prophesies were written down, or more of their writing survived. In Israel, a prophet is someone who, during periods of national crisis, was chosen by God to be a spokesperson. Prophets foretell and “forth tell”. They called the nation to remember God’s great deliverance in the past and His covenant with them. They foretold judgment for national sin and corruption. They comforted God’s people with visions of God’s vindication of the redeemed.
Jeremiah is the second longest book in the Bible, and the longest of the prophetic works. Jeremiah is quoted often in the New Testament, particularly in the Gospel of Matthew. Jeremiah’s ministry took place during the late seventh and early sixth centuries BC, when the major world powers of the ancient world (Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt) experienced great tumult, often with Judah caught in the middle. The son of a priestly family, Jeremiah was called to speak to Judean leadership about their soon coming destruction. He was viewed as a traitor by his people and was often mistreated. The book of Jeremiah seems to be arranged by theme rather than by order of events. The first half of the book is mostly warnings of judgment and calls to repentance.
Jeremiah 1 serves as the prologue to the book. The first three verses introduce Jeremiah as a priest from Anathoth, a priestly village in the territory of Benjamin. Jeremiah’s ministry began during the reign of Judah’s boy king Josiah, and lasted 40 years. In the rest of the chapter, we have Jeremiah’s call to ministry. God tells him he was set apart by God for this job before he was even born, and formed in his mother’s womb to be God’s prophet. Jeremiah is understandably reluctant to become a prophet, which most often led to persecution. God assured Jeremiah that He would be with him and give him the words to say. Verse ten is pivotal to the whole book. In Jeremiah, “tearing down” always means judgment, and “building up” means salvation.
This is followed by Jeremiah’s first two visions – an almond branch and a boiling pot tipping from the North. These visions are delivered in question and answer format, in which God asks Jeremiah what he sees. Notice when Jeremiah answers, God doesn’t ask Jeremiah “what does this mean?” In Palestine, almond blossoms are a symbol of watching, for they bloom in February, signifying the coming of spring. The North always represents destruction. Translation – God is watching for the certain coming destruction of Judah. Why has Judah been judged worthy of destruction? They worshipped idols. God reminds Jeremiah that in spite of this troubling vision, he will be protected as God’s messenger.
Our sermon will remind us of God’s protection during our proclamation.
• Go around the table and share prayer requests. Have someone lead in prayer.
• Let everyone who would like to share anything exciting from their week.
• Did anyone do last week’s assignment? What was the result?
• Ask these three questions. Let as many answer each one as they would like.
1. How do you prepare when you know you may be receiving bad news? How do you prepare when you have to deliver bad news?
2. Is there anything in today’s scripture that especially speaks to you?
3. What questions would you like to ask about today’s scripture?
• Go over this week’s assignment (below). Commit to work on it together.
Today’s Sermon
Key Truths –
• Jeremiah was given a vision to proclaim.
• We have been called to proclaim God’s vision.
• God prepared Jeremiah for his proclamation.
• God prepares us for our proclamation.
This Week’s Assignment –
Having a CrossViewed life means staying focused on our calling when the world is focused on many other things. During this Advent season, how can you remain focused on proclaiming God’s truth to our culture?