8.10.25 – Living with Purpose in Exile
Key Verse for 2025: “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” — 1 Timothy 4:16
INTRODUCTION
We all wrestle with purpose. The search can produce a low-level anxiety—what some call “purpose anxiety.” But God has not left us in the dark. Through Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles, we’re shown a model for how to live with purpose even in unfamiliar or difficult places. The sermon reminded us that our purpose is not something we invent—it’s something we receive from God, even when life feels disorienting.
The people of Judah were exiled in Babylon, and God told them to seek the good of that city—because their thriving was tied to its peace. That’s a model for us too. Faithfulness in exile may not be flashy, but it’s full of meaning. Living with capital-P Purpose is about trusting God, obeying Him, and being faithful right where He has placed us—even when we don’t understand. The sermon showed us three truths: Our purpose is a subset of God’s purposes, it is lived out through faithfulness in the ordinary, and it is ultimately larger than this life.
MAIN POINT: Living with purpose means trusting God’s placement, pursuing daily faithfulness, and keeping your eyes on what is eternal.
SCRIPTURE-DRIVEN DISCUSSION: Have your group read Jeremiah 29:1–14 aloud together. Additional references from the sermon include Deuteronomy 29:29, Romans 8:28, Romans 8:37–39, Romans 14:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12, and John 14:1–6.
Take a couple of minutes and talk about anything that stood out to you from the sermon or the passage. Why do you think that stood out to you?
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Q1: Where do you see signs of purpose anxiety in your life or our culture?
Reminder: “Little ‘p’ purposes can’t carry the weight of your life—they fail in the end.”
– What kinds of things have you been tempted to define as your ‘purpose’?
– Why is self-invented purpose ultimately fragile?
Q2: How does trusting God’s placement change your perspective on your current circumstances?
Reminder: God told the exiles, “I carried you into exile”—not Babylon.
– What does it mean to trust that God has placed you where you are for a reason?