Some Forgotten Ways of God

This sermon from Scott Uselman opens with stories from his childhood: a move from town to a farm, adjusting to new rules, and the impact of a stepfather who insisted on discipline. He draws out the respect that unexpectedly often grows from the tough love of those who care deeply for us. In the same way, he says, "God has a way about him," and the church often forgets these old, unmistakable ways.

When We Forget God Is Still Acting

Scott Uselman describes how, culturally, the people of God drift from remembering that God is present and at work in real time, not just someone who will return in judgment someday but the living leader of his people now. Sometimes God allows hardship for our good, in ways we don't expect.

"It's interesting what we would receive or perceive from the Lord as something as an attack. Sometimes God means it for good."

He points to the way difficulties or unexpected leadership, like his stepfather insisting he get up and work, can shape character and readiness for responsibility. And in churches today, he sees a tendency to ignore what God has asked of us in our daily lives, waiting instead for an easy escape or for Jesus to return and put things right.

"What I find is that it's almost like the Lord sometimes is getting me up from on Saturday morning and making me get my clothes on and get busy and go to work. That's just the way it is."

Lost in Exile, Called to Responsibility (Jeremiah 29:1-23)

Scott Uselman reads Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1-23), placing weight on God's command to build, plant, marry, multiply, and seek the city's good, right where they were exiled. He explains the historical background: Israel split, the northern kingdom scattered, and now Judah under judgment. Jeremiah writes to people whose world has been upended.

"Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. ... Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

For Scott Uselman, these are not just ancient instructions. He sees many Christians believing they can sit back and wait for God to fix things, neglecting the work God has set before them. Responsibility to neighbors, even in places and times we would rather not be, does not end.

"We still have responsibility. We still have expectations from the Lord. And the Lord still expects us to do these things and we don't get the opportunity to say, 'Well, we should all take a moment.'"

God Uses Foreigners to Change Nations

Scott Uselman insists that the hand of God is not only on familiar people and places. In Jeremiah, God uses the Babylonians, foreigners and occupiers, as the means to correct and transform His people. Uselman draws a sharp contrast with those who want separation from foreign influence. Instead, he says, God moves people and nations to serve His purposes. He connects this to present times, noting how neglecting the value of human life and community responsibility erodes our witness and brings judgment.

"Here are some forgotten ways of God. From his throne: He uses foreigners to change nations. ... God establishes nations and takes down nations. And he uses moving the foreigners around to change nations."

He confronts modern violence and disregard for life, insisting this grieves God and is not only a problem for the world outside the church.

Blessing Comes to God’s People When They Benefit Their Community

Scott Uselman lingers on Jeremiah’s call to "seek the peace and prosperity of the city." The exiled people are not told to resist or insulate themselves from Babylon but to build and pray for it. He challenges a popular Christian tendency to focus only on personal salvation and withdrawal.

"If you and I want to receive blessing, guess what we do as a group of people? We bless the community. Even if the community is against us."

He links this to Jesus’ call to love enemies, to pray for those who persecute, and to forgive as we have been forgiven. The church, he says, has forgotten how central it is to offer real good to its neighbors, not just pointing to a future hope but making a tangible difference here and now. This is where blessing comes, to and through God’s people.

"If they are blessed by you, then you'll be receiving a blessing from being there. ... It's all conditional."

Immoral Behavior Is Addressed in This Life, Too

Finally, Scott Uselman refuses to soften the witness of Jeremiah. God does not wait until the end to address the violence, the injustice, and the unfaithfulness among His own people. God sees, God acts, and sometimes discipline is immediate and public. He reads Jeremiah’s warning to false prophets and the judgment that will come, even to those who felt safe because of their identity as God’s people.

"Immoral behavior is addressed in this life too. ... Grace does not allow you to do whatever you want. That's not grace. God in his grace, in his goodness, in his love comes to help his people."

He likens this to the story of the prodigal son, those who only realize the goodness of the Father's house after running far from it, sometimes only after real loss and hardship. For Scott Uselman, this is not an argument against grace but a vision of grace that restores, guides, and disciplines in love.

Living It Out

Scott Uselman closes with questions for self-examination: Are there ways of God we have set aside or ignored for the sake of comfort? Do we only look for personal rescue or are we seeking the peace of our community? Are we honest about the responsibilities God has placed on us each day?

In our church family, we recall together that God’s ways remain. He works through unexpected people, and He calls us to love, to bless, and to bear witness, even when it is hard or costly. God disciplines not out of distance, but from real love, shaping us into a people who reveal His character to the world.

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Discussion Questions

1. Where in our lives or community have we seen God working through unexpected people or situations, as He did in Jeremiah's time?
2. How can our church family seek the peace and welfare of our neighborhood in concrete ways this month?
3. What is one forgotten way of God that challenges you most right now, and how can you respond to it this week?