Read Textual Sermon from John K. Jenkins Sr
An Inside Look at God’s Thoughts About You
Jeremiah chapter 29 is what I want to spend.
Can I just have 20 minutes of y’all’s time?
Twenty minutes. Jeremiah 29:11. Yeah. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (NKJV)
Hallelujah. I want to take an inside look at God’s thoughts about you. An inside look. Somebody tell your neighbor, “An inside look—inside look at God’s thoughts about you.”
Father, I pray for these next few moments that you would anoint us to be your mouthpiece, your conduit, your instrument; that hearts be open and receptive to receive. I pray, Father, in the name of the Lord, that you might communicate your message and bury it deep in the hearts of your people. Save somebody. Reclaim some backslidden person. Draw some uncertain individual. Plant some disconnected individuals into your kingdom. Put a hedge of protection around this place—this is my prayer. I pray, Father, that you would bind and rebuke—bind and rebuke—every distracting spirit, and that you, Heavenly Father, would speak to your people. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Amen.
You can be seated.
Jeremiah has been given the assignment of communicating and preaching and pastoring, as it were, to a nation of people who are in bondage. They are struggling. They are in captivity. They’re in a place of… they’re dissatisfied about their present circumstances. They are unhappy about how life has dealt them the cards that they’re living. As a matter of fact, if the truth be told, they are in deep depression. And I don’t know if any of you have ever been in a place of depression before, but depression is not a good place to be. It can be discouraging.
For great portions of my life—my personal life—I have felt suicidal. Great portions of my life growing up—depressed, down, feeling unloved, feeling no future, feeling like I had no future. But when I came across this passage right here, it changed my perspective in life about life. And that’s what I want to talk to you about—how this passage here today, I’m sure, impacted the nation of Israel at this juncture of their life—Judah at this point in their journey. In the same way it impacted my life—how it changed my way of thinking. I want to talk to you today about changing your way of thinking.
Somebody on your row, somebody in your section, somebody perhaps in your seat might be discouraged and wearied with the circumstances that they’re in. And along comes God and says to Jeremiah to say to the people, “I know the thoughts that I think about you. I know you feel abandoned. I know you think,” God says, “I know you feel as though I have forgotten about you—that I don’t care, I don’t know anything about you, I’m not concerned about you. But,” God says, “I know what I’m thinking. You might not know, but I know. I know the thoughts that I think about you.”
There are several key words in this passage of Scripture—several key things. First of all, God says, “I know.” He doesn’t assume. He doesn’t think. He’s not hoping. He says, “I know the thoughts. I’m fully persuaded. I know what I’m thinking about you—the thoughts that I think toward you.” And the key word in this passage here is the word “thoughts.” Somebody say “thoughts.” Thoughts. This is the key word—the thoughts that God has.
I want to talk about this word “thoughts.” It has multiple meanings. It has multiple implications.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV)
“Thoughts” as an Accounting Term
The first meaning of the word is the fact that the word “thoughts” is an accounting term. It’s an accounting term. And here’s what God says when He uses that term. He says, “I want you to know that I also have given consideration, and I have calculated the value of your life.” You might not have done it, but God says, “I have looked at the pluses, the minuses, the ups, the downs, the wins, the losses. I’ve looked at the journey that you’ve gone through, and I have concluded that when I’ve added it all up, when I have gone through the whole series of what you have journeyed through in your life, I have calculated that your good will outweigh your bad.”
Yeah. Your good—your good—will outweigh your bad. I’ve calculated, I’ve multiplied, I’ve done the division, I’ve done the subtractions, and I’ve done all of the mathematical equations. I’ve done the accounting about this thing. And while you’re looking at your life and all you see right now is the negative, all you see is the division, all you see right now are bad portions of your life, God is wanting you to know—God wants you to know—I don’t know who I’m talking to; whoever you are, God wants you to know that He’s looked at the full picture and added it all up. And when He’s calculated everything, your good will outweigh your bad. Do I have any witnesses here today? Is anybody—
When I pastored in King George County, Virginia—I pastored in King George County, Virginia, 55 miles one way—I pastored before I came to the First Baptist Church, Landover. I pastored the Union Bethel Baptist Church, King George, Virginia—55 miles one way—for about 35 people. Every Sunday I’d drive 55 miles. In case you have me evaluated, when you do the speed limit, it’s 1 hour. Uh, but I know most of y’all don’t know nothing about the speed limit. It was 1 hour.
On Thursday nights, I taught Bible study for nine or ten people. Fifty-five miles one way for nine or ten people. If you had stopped me and discussed with me what I felt about going 55 miles for 35 people on Sunday, and then 55 miles for nine people—maybe ten—and some days if one person missed the class, it’d be eight people for 55 miles—how would I feel about that? It wasn’t a positive thing.
But now that I’m 67 years old and I’ve lived my life and I’ve gone through the journey, I can look back now, and if I knew what I know today—what I didn’t know then—I would have concluded… and I want somebody to know that you might be in a King George situation. You might be going 55 miles one way. But what I know now—what I have concluded today—go on and preach, pastor—what I know right now is that my journey, when I was going down to King George, Virginia, 55 miles to the Union Bethel Baptist Church, when I was going down there 55 miles, it was preparing me for what I was going to be doing today.
Can I get a witness from anybody in the camp today? I don’t know what you’re going through, but God is using it to prepare you for your future. He’s calculated it. He’s evaluated, and He has put it through an accounting, and He’s been counting up the numbers. And what you’re going through—He’s on the calculator and He’s added it all up. You haven’t done it ’cause you don’t know what the whole journey looks like. But He’s already concluded—He’s looked at the beginning and He’s looked at the end. He looked at the first and He looked at the last. He looked at the start and He looked at—go on and preach, pastor—and He looked at the conclusion, and He’s concluded that no matter what your journey might be today, by the time you get to the end of the journey, it will all add up to a win on your part.
Do I have any witnesses anywhere in the camp that can give God the praise? Anybody here willing to say, “I’m in the middle of a jam right now. I’m crying right now. I don’t have enough money to pay my bills right now. I got some bad stuff going right now. But I believe that if God is thinking about me and knows about me, I am persuaded that He knows that by the time I get to the end of the journey, I will be a winner.”
When I get to the conclusion, I’ll have more in the pot than I had in the beginning. Amen. If I knew when I was in King George that a Prince George’s County was coming—y’all not hearing what I’m saying? I don’t know who I’m preaching to—somebody I’m preaching to today who’s in the military… King George—I just need to tell you that God’s got some thoughts about you. And the thoughts mean He’s calculated. He’s brought you through this way, but He’s concluded and He has eval—okay, y’all not ready for that part.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NKJV)
“Thoughts” as a Military Term
Not only does the word “thoughts” mean that it’s an accounting term—that God has calculated the value of your life—it is also a military term. Yeah. Somebody say, “A military term.” Here’s what that means. Here’s what the military term means: it means He’s looked at your situation. He’s looked at your circumstances, and He’s, again, looked at the end of the story. He’s looked at the conclusion, and He knows that at the end of the story, the battle has already been won. Amen. I thank those fifteen people for that rousing amen right there.
Yeah, it’s a military term. It’s a military—We’re in a battle. How many of y’all know we’re in a battle? This is a battle. It is a battle between right and wrong. A battle between righteousness and unrighteousness. It’s a battle between the forces of hell and the forces of heaven. Do you not know—do you not realize—that the devil is after you? He knows that if you ever get to the place that God has destined for you to get, he knows that you will reap havoc on his kingdom. He knows if you ever get to the end of the journey—if you ever get to what God has destined for you to get to—he knows that you will reap damage on his demonic kingdom. Amen.
That’s why you got to keep pushing. That’s why you got to keep going. That’s why you got to keep doing what you’re doing. That’s why you got to keep staying the course. Why? Because when you get to the end of the battle, when you get to the end of the war, when you get to the end of the fight, you will be the winner. Go ahead, look at yourself and say, “I’m going to be a winner.” Look at the person next to you. Say, “You might look like you’re losing, but you’re going to be the winner.” You might have to take some punches. You might have a bloody nose. You might get a cut every now and then. Things might not be exactly the way you want it to go. But I am persuaded that I might get knocked down, but I will get back up. I might get talked about. I might be rejected. It might be bad. But I will win.
Come on and dap up somebody. Dap somebody. Say, “I’m going to win.” Dap them up. Tell them, “It may not look like it. It may not seem like it. The devil might seem like he’s going to win, but God has allowed me to go and see the end of the story. And when I get to the end of the story, I will be a winner and not a loser. I will be up and not down. I will be successful and not defeated.” I will—Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, the battle has already been won. The battle has already been won.
That’s an important deal for you to get and understand. Don’t judge your future by your present circumstances. Write that down. That’s something to write down right there. Make that—put a note there. Tweet that. Oh, it’s not “Tweet” no more. Right. What’s it now? X that. That don’t even sound right. X that. Check that. Instagram that. TikTok—TikTok that. Yeah, there you go. TikTok that—yeah—that we’ve already won.
“Thoughts” as an Artistic Term (Weaving and Inventions)
I got one more point. I’m finished. It’s an artistic term. So I told you it was what kind of term first? An accounting term. Number two is military. Thirdly, it’s an artistic term. Artistic. The word “artistic” means to weave—to plait it together. To weave it. To weave—plait it all up together. It’s a weave.
When somebody’s making a rug—handmade rug—when they make a rug, a rug, rug, rug—they’re twisting and weaving the pieces and the color so by the time it’s completed and done and you lay the rug out, it’s a beautiful, brilliant set of colors—beautiful design—and it lays on the floor. It’s gorgeous. It’s an artistic term—so artistic—put all together.
Now, when you look at the rug and it’s all pretty on the floor, nobody ever goes and lifts the rug up and looks underneath the rug, because the bottom—underneath the rug—doesn’t look like what’s on top of the rug. The top is beautiful and gorgeous and brilliant, but underneath it’s all—it’s all just messy and everything all over the place, and just—it’s not designed to be seen underneath.
Y’all missed it. I got to explain everything to y’all. Your life is being artistically woven together. And while there are some parts of your life that look gorgeous and beautiful on the top, underneath the—well, I mean some dirt and some mess and some failures and some mistakes and some errors and some bad places and some bad things and some wrong relationships and some wrong words and some wrong thinking.
Well, here’s what God’s trying to tell you: that while your life is being weaved together, you’re going to have some good and some bad—some pretty, pretty things and some not-so-pretty things. But when it’s all said and done, God is orchestrating it all together to make you who you are today. Y’all not hearing what I’m saying? Can I get an amen? Anybody know what I’m saying? God’s working it all together. He’s fixing it. He’s working on you. Yeah, you done had some mistakes. Yes, you’ve done some wrong things. Yes, if the truth be told—if the person sitting next to you knew about the stuff underneath your rug—they would get up and go and sit someplace else. They wouldn’t even sit next to you. Do I have anybody here that’s willing to tell the truth and say, “I look a lot better than I am”? Anybody else here willing to be honest and confess that I’m not all that I might appear to be? I look better than I am. Yes. Yeah. I look better than I really am. I’m still a jacked-up joker. I’m still messed up. I’m still making some errors. But guess what? We serve a God who uses jacked-up, messed-up, broke-up people. He still uses people who don’t deserve to be where they are. He still uses us. Who am I preaching to today?
Yeah. Go ahead, high-five somebody. Tell them, “I’m a jacked-up joker.” Go ahead. Tell them, “I’m messed up. I’ve missed the mark, but I’m still being artistically woven together. I’m still being called on by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. I don’t deserve it, but He still chooses to use me. I shouldn’t be where I am, but I thank God He still chose me to use me. Even though I shouldn’t be here, He still chose me.” He’s artistically weaving it together. Thank you, Lord.
But I’m almost finished. The word “thoughts” also means He’s creating devices—inventions. Y’all missed a great spot—let me tell you. You know what I learned about God? There are things that you’re going to need in your life, right, that don’t exist today. But by the time you need them, He will have made sure that they are created. Y’all—ooh, I feel a shout down in my soul. He will make sure that they have been made to be ready by the time you get here. Beautiful.
Now, there’s a woman—got pregnant—and she had a baby girl. Baby girl was born. But the baby girl was born with an upside-down stomach. The doctors concluded the baby can’t live with an upside-down stomach—the baby will die. So they did surgery on the baby. And while they were working on the baby—you need to get her stomach in the right configuration—on the operating table, the baby died. It was sad, devastating. Doctors just wrapped it up and just left—left the room for the nurses to take care of cleanup. And while the nurses were cleaning up, one of the nurses discovered that the baby was still breathing. The nurse said, “Get the doctors back in here. The baby’s still breathing.” The doctors came back in. The baby was still breathing. They finished the job. The baby lived. And some years later, that baby gave birth to Trina Jenkins. Can I get an amen right there from somebody?
Y’all missed the point that I’m trying to make here today—that God knew that I was going to need a Trina Jenkins. So He created a nurse back then who would be sensitive enough to recognize that the baby was still breathing, so that that nurse would find that baby still breathing and get the doctors back in there, so that that little baby could give birth to the woman that I’ve now been married to for 45 years.
Do y’all get the point I’m trying to make to you today? We’re serving a God who is orchestrating the affairs of your life. Even though it may seem like it has nothing to do with you, somewhere down the pike it’s going to benefit you. God is orchestrating and creating businesses and starting companies and making creations and doing things that are going to benefit your life. He’s weaving, and I got to give Him the glory.
I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what God’s done for your life. But I know something has happened in your life—that God has worked it out so that you could be who you are, so that you can get to where He’s taking you, and you can do everything He’s called you to do. It may not be apparent to you right now, but keep on pushing. Tell your neighbor, “Keep on pushing. It may not look like it now, but keep on pressing. You may not see it right now, but keep on running. Keep on doing it. Keep on walking. Keep on serving. Keep on doing whatever you do, ’cause ultimately you will get to where God has destined for you to go.” Somebody help me give God a shout of praise right now.
I know the thoughts, God says, that I think toward you. Can I stick a pin right there for a second? Notice it didn’t say it’s the thoughts that I think “about” you. It’s the thoughts that I think “toward” you. In other words, when He thinks about it, it’s something aimed in your direction. Who am I preaching to today? I’m coming to drive out a demon that’s trying to make you think that you don’t have a future and that you don’t have a destiny. I come to drive that demon out of your thought life, out of your mind, out of your heart. And I come to tell you, God’s got thoughts toward you—thoughts of a future, thoughts of good—thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. A future and a hope. A future is talking about your destiny—your children, I’m sorry—your children. God’s got thoughts about your future—to give you a future and a hope.
Who am I preaching to today? Keep those hands up. Don’t raise them now if you didn’t raise them before—I’m just talking about the people who already had them up. It’s too late. Y’all go ahead—find somebody with their hands up and tell them, “God’s got a future and a hope for you. You have a future. You have a future and a hope. You have a future. Tell them you’ve got peace and not evil. God’s got peace and not evil.” Amen. Praise Him. Come on. Let’s give Him thanks. Let’s give Almighty God—thank you. Hallelujah.
I think about the days in my life where I thought I didn’t have a future. When I was in King George, Virginia, I didn’t think I had a future. But—yeah—and I’m not finished yet. And you’re not finished yet.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV)
You have a future and a hope. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
When I was pastoring in King George, one of the women in the church—mothers of the church—said, “If you can’t do it the way we do it down here, you just need to take your cell phone back up to Maryland.” I wanted to punch her in her face. That’s the underside of my rug right there. But I’m grateful that God used King George to prepare me for what I’m doing today. You have a future and a hope.
Prayer and Invitation
Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, I thank you that you have a destiny for every one of your children. I thank you, Jesus, that in spite of what they’ve done in their past, you have made provisions for their future. And I pray today, Lord, that you plant this seed of truth in the hearts of your sons and daughters—that they will know that you know the thoughts that you think toward us.
Now, Father, I pray for somebody who needs forgiveness of their sins—who has done some wrong and they need forgiveness. I pray, Lord, that you would make them know that Jesus died on the cross for their sins. Let them extend their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. I pray that you make them know they can be forgiven. Father, I ask in Jesus’ magnificent and marvelous name: you draw sinners, that you draw the backslidden person, the unsure person, the uncommitted, and draw them to your kingdom, and draw them to commitment and obedience and submission. Draw them today to say yes to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen and Amen.
If you’re here today and you don’t know Jesus, right now will be the perfect time for you to come. This is the time to respond, to make a commitment to the Lord Jesus. Somebody in a backsliding mode—you need to rededicate yourself. Right now is the moment to come. You’re unsure of your eternal destiny—right now will be the time to come. Or maybe you need a church home. Right now, right this moment, would be the time for you to get out of your seat, make your way out, and come on and say yes to Jesus—yes to the Lord Jesus. Come. Come. Come right now. Come. Come on. Right now. Right—right. Don’t put it off. Don’t delay it. Don’t let the enemy keep you in your seat. Come. Come right now. Right now. Right now. Right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Selected Scripture (KJV/NKJV)
- Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) — included above
- Romans 8:28 (NKJV) — included above
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) — included above
Questions This Sermon Answers
- What does God mean when He says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you”?
- How do God’s “thoughts” apply to my past and present struggles?
- Why shouldn’t I judge my future by my present circumstances?
- How does God weave the good and the bad of my life into His purpose?
- What should I do when spiritual battles make me feel like I’m losing?
- How can I be sure God is preparing what I’ll need for my future?
