We are a people of the Book… who have stopped reading the Book. Most Americans can’t even name all four Gospels, and most believers rarely open their Bibles. We’ve become biblically starved in a world full of noise, opinions, and confusion. Yet here at CCC, we’ve been running through the story of God in the Old Testament—ten weeks, thirty-six cards—and now we find ourselves in the story of Exile. God’s people had been scattered and conquered. Assyria took Israel; Babylon took Judah. The nation was stripped of its home, its power, and its pride. But even in the middle of loss and displacement, God wasn’t finished. He was still writing a story of redemption, and He still is.

ACCELERATE: The Tension

What does it mean to live as people in exile? In ancient Babylon, exiles were foreigners in a strange land, a religious minority, powerless in culture, citizens of another kingdom, surrounded by evil. That sounds a lot like the world we live in today. We are spiritual exiles—trying to follow Jesus in a culture that doesn’t always value what He values. And maybe for you, exile isn’t just cultural; it’s personal. You might be in a season of marriage exile, where distance has crept in. Or a career exile, when the dream you chased didn’t pan out. Maybe a Friday-night exile, where you didn’t get the invite, and loneliness hit harder than you expected. Sometimes exile looks less like a foreign land and more like an unfamiliar life. But even when you feel isolated or overlooked, God hasn’t abandoned you. He does some of His best work in exile.

CRUISE: The Lessons of Exile

1. Make yourself at home.
God’s command through Jeremiah was surprising. “Build houses and settle down, plant gardens, marry, have children, and seek the peace of the city.” In other words—don’t despise where you are; invest in it. Don’t wait for better circumstances to start living faithfully. If you’re in Omaha, Blair, Elkhorn, or Treynor, love your city. Pray for it. Bless it. Build it up. Even if you landed there by accident, act like God sent you on purpose. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do in exile is to make dinner, plant something, raise a family, and make the place you live better because you’re in it.

2. Remember God has plans for you.
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible—“I know the plans I have for you…”—but it’s often misunderstood. It wasn’t a quick promise for instant comfort. It was a word of hope for people who would wait seventy years before seeing restoration. God’s plans are real, but they often unfold slowly. When you feel stuck, when your prayers seem unanswered, don’t lose heart. The same God who orchestrates world history can handle the details of your story. You may be waiting, but you’re not wasting time. God is forming something in the waiting that couldn’t be formed any other way.

3. Transform those near you.
Daniel’s story proves that exile doesn’t have to define you—it can refine you. Daniel didn’t isolate from Babylon; he engaged it with integrity. He rose to leadership, spoke truth to power, and lived in a way that made even a pagan king praise the God of heaven. He didn’t compromise his convictions, but he also didn’t withdraw from the world. He simply lived faithfully where God had placed him, and the people around him couldn’t help but notice. What if we lived that way? What if Christians were known more for the integrity of our lives than the volume of our opinions? Transformation begins not when we run from culture, but when we reflect Christ within it.

4. Let God change you.
Exile wasn’t just a punishment—it was a purification. In Babylon, Israel moved from Temple to Torah, from convenience to conviction. They gave up idols, embraced Scripture, and discovered resilience. They learned to worship without walls, to pray without priests, and to find identity when everything else was stripped away. And maybe that’s what God wants to do in your exile too. When you have nothing else to cling to, you learn to cling to Him. He refines your trust, reshapes your desires, and reminds you that your true home is not in a land or a label, but in His presence.

ENGAGE: The Gospel Parallel

Exile is more than a chapter in Israel’s story—it’s the story of humanity. We rebelled, we wandered, and we found ourselves far from home. But God didn’t leave us there. He sent a greater rescuer than Cyrus—a Redeemer named Jesus—who didn’t just open the way home; He paid the price for our return. At the cost of His blood, He purchased our freedom and welcomed us back into the family of God. That’s the hope of the Gospel: we were exiles, but we are no longer alone. The King Himself has come to bring us home.

EVERGREEN CHALLENGE:

So when you find yourself in exile—whether in your marriage, your workplace, your city, or your spirit—don’t run from it. Redeem it. Build something that lasts. Love the people around you. Speak truth with grace. Let exile refine you, not define you. Anchor yourself in Scripture. Live as citizens of heaven in the middle of Babylon. Because when God’s people live faithfully in foreign places, the world gets a glimpse of home.

Don’t waste your exile. Let God use it. Invest where you are, trust that He’s working, and believe that He always brings His people home.

Message Notes & Slides

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