The Destruction of
Judah
Book of Jeremiah
Chapter 7
There is a phrase in
our lesson manual that I really liked. One sign of "spiritual
sickness" is that we keep committing the same sins over and over
and expect a different outcome each time. What is the logic in doing
such things!
God has made sure we
have the Books of the Old Testament, so we can see the examples of
what sins were done in the past with Israel and the reactions God had
to those things, so we can know what God will do today because
Jehovah God never changes.
If we cannot learn
from all these examples, then what does that say about our "faith"?
God begins in a
gentle fashion trying to remind us of our disobedience, but God will
use harsher methods until we learn from our mistakes.
If we say we have
"faith" in the Lord, then how can we believe the lies of
this world?
We should clearly
understand a Spiritual change will always have a physical result!
What we have seen
with our own eyes is that when this world makes idols as God then we
will see what we see today, immoral societies and this cannot be
denied.
We must be clear as
we witness to those who are lost. Real change can only happen from
the inside out and not from outside in!
As we witness we
offer, by the Word of God, an opportunity to make a choice. God will
always accept the decisions we make. God offers eternal life! False
gods offer eternal death and we must choose between these two. Does
not seem to be a hard choice, does it?
People perish simply
because they make the wrong choices!
We should also
understand the true meaning of a hypocrite. Hypocrites are people who
pretend to be something they are not. Something like actors.
We absolutely cannot
be pretenders and say we love the Lord!
*****Jer 7:1 The
word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 7:2 Stand in
the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say,
Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these
gates to worship the LORD.
Jeremiah was a
gentle man and we know that he cried a lot for his nation, but we see
that Jeremiah was to be bold when he preached the Word of God! We are
to do the same when we witness for the Lord, but the Pastor is to
"preach" the Word of God!
Jeremiah was
preaching to hypocrites and hypocrites already know what they are,
and they need to understand who God is!
It was very
important that these Jews understood what was going on in their lives
but just as important, what was going on in the world.
As mighty as the
Assyrians were who destroyed the Northern Tribes, they had just fell
to the Babylonians who were an evil and wicked people.
It was a time when
good King Josiah would find his death, getting involved in a war that
he did not have to.
Josiah was replaced
as Jehoahaz took his throne but even he was replaced 90 days later by
Jehoiakim who was another of the evil rulers and he would only rule
eleven years.
The threat of
Babylon was always present, and Judah would never be able to defend
themselves without the Lord God Jehovah, who had already delivered
them so many times when they would repent of their evilness.
More important than
all these things, attending a worship service in the House of God is
useless without repentance and then obedience!
The truth of
salvation is that those who can please God will be like God
(Christlike)!
When we are not
Christlike (Christian) we can never receive the blessings of God.
This is the message
the Jeremiah was to preach as he stood in the gates at the entrance
of the Temple in Jerusalem.
These people had no
problem in attending the worship service at the Temple. Remember they
were required by Moses's Law to attend at least 3 times each year in
the time of the festivals.
Their problem was
that their hearts were not settled on the Lord and as soon as they
left for home they would go back to their evil ways and their false
gods. (Sounds a whole lot like happens today by many who attend
church but are not sincere)
Eventually some
false gods were moved into the Temple, which defiled the House of
God!
It is an abomination
to defile the House of the Lord!
These people are
like those today. They are trusting that God will accept, bless, and
protect them because they are faithful in their worship, but their
worship extended to false gods and false doctrine.
The Lord will have
no part of such a thing. There are those today that say there is more
than one way to get to Heaven, but the Lord says they are all liars.
What is the truth?
Joh 14:6 Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had
known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye
know him, and have seen him.
Those that believe
differently are calling God a liar!
This is the same
theme that Jeremiah preached in his day. There is only one who
deserves our worship and it is Jehovah.
God will never
accept our worship until there has been a repentance!!!!!!
In fact, for the
Jews they had to repent their sin before Jehovah would allow them to
continue living in the Promised Land!!!!!
They would soon
realize just how important that this truth really was.
We may have the
greatest church in the world and I believe we do, but this church
cannot save us.
We may have the
greatest preacher in the world and I believe we do, but Preacher Sam
cannot save us.
He can only lead us
to the one who can, Jesus Christ!
God the Holy Spirit
may visit our Church, but He will never stay, because no building can
house God!
Also, the Lord Jesus
Christ may knock on the doors of every Church but until He is allowed
to come in, that Church is not a house of God!
What was Jeremiah's
message?
*****Jer 7:3 Thus
saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your
doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
To amend our ways is
another word for "repent" because we do not have to power
to do anything ourselves!
Joh_15:5 I am the
vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: "for without me ye can do
nothing".
Every house of God
in our entire nation can be full on Sunday and our nation would not
be blessed unless we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal
Savior!
We should understand
that Jeremiah was not preaching that these people could dwell in the
Temple, he was preaching that God was not going to allow them to
dwell on the land that He had given them unless they repented of
their evil and allowed God to dwell in their heart.
This does not ever
mean that God would give this land to others. God will never give
this land to others because of the promise He made to Abraham!
Gen 15:18 In the
same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed
have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river,
the river Euphrates:
Gen 17:7 And I will
establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in
their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee,
and to thy seed after thee.
Gen 17:8 And I will
give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art
a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession;
and I will be their God.
God will keep every
covenant He has ever made, and He will also never break a promise
that He has ever made!
What went wrong in
the Temple of God? The priests were not preaching the truth of God!
*****Jer 7:4 Trust
ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of
the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.
Those priests were
preaching that security is in the Temple, we would say the Church.
We simply cannot
trust in religious principles, we must trust in the One who gave us
"His" principles, Jehovah!
We must also
understand it is each Saint of God who is a Temple of God who gather
together to worship that form the Church.
Our job in the
church is to be discipled and/or to disciple all others, and to
worship the God of truth, whose name is Jehovah!
In fact, we are to
worship our Savior "in Spirit and in Truth" because He does
not like it in any other fashion!
Everyone is welcome
to gather but "in Spirit and in Truth" means though the
lost are welcomed, they should not take part in certain parts of the
worship, such as Communion until they to have a personal relationship
with the Lord.
1Co 11:27 Wherefore
whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord,
unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28 But let a
man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of
that cup.
1Co 11:29 For he
that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to
himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
1Co 11:30 For this
cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
Baptism is only for
those who have invited the Lord into their heart and be "Born
Again", then comes Baptism!
Do we come without
any preparation of heart? Are we soon weary of the service?
Eze 14:3 Son of
man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the
stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be
enquired of at all by them?
We must know that
everyone is welcomed into the church building who are seeking God and
in the true Church you can find Him, not because He is present in the
building, but He is present in the hearts of so many of those who are
also there and there is a "preacher".
Rom 10:13 For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14 How then
shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they
hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how
shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and
bring glad tidings of good things!
Rom 10:16 But they
have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath
believed our report?
Rom 10:17 So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
A heart that is
prepared is a heart open to accepting the Lord Jesus Christ!
*****Jer 7:5 For if
ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute
judgment between a man and his neighbour;
Jer 7:6 If ye
oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not
innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your
hurt:
Jer 7:7 Then will I
cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your
fathers, for ever and ever.
Christianity has to
do with being like Christ in His character and in His conduct!
Christianity is that
which binds us to our Savior.
Christianity is
holding onto to the robe of Christ and refusing to let go.
Christianity is not
in emotion but is in knowledge, the knowledge of our Creator.
Jesus says it
plainly:
Joh_14:15 If ye
love me, keep my commandments.
Joh_15:10 If ye
keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept
my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
The first step in
becoming a Christian is having the right view of sin!
Sin is like a cancer
that you will want to get rid of but only the Lord can wash you
clean.
Psa_51:2 Wash me
throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Joh_13:8 Peter
saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If
I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
We must come out
from the world and live a separated life from those still in the
world.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will
be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith
the Lord Almighty.
When we are like
Jesus Christ we will then hate sin without hating the sinner!
We will realize our
battle is not with other humans, lost or saved, our battle is with
principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness in this world
we live in now!
Eph 6:11 Put on the
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
The nation of Judah
had left their first love and now, they oppressed the weak, they shed
the blood of the innocent, and they were worshipping idols.
We simply cannot
allow anything to come between us and our Lord Jesus Christ no matter
what it is!
Had these Jews
listened to the words of Jeremiah and applied them to their lives
they would never have been removed from their land no matter how
powerful Babylon was at this time.
What did they do?
They ignored the Word of God given to Jeremiah and they continued to
follow in the ways of sin by listening to false words.
We must understand
that our salvation, our peace, and our security, come from a personal
relationship with the Lord and not in some building or the land that
we dwell in.
Neither was this
true for these Jews and the Temple of God and the land promised to
Abraham!
It is so easy to
fall into this trap because lies can sometimes make you think you are
about to win the lottery.
*****Jer 7:8
Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
What is the truth of
the Scriptures?
Psa 2:10 Be wise
now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the
LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the
Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in
him.
We live in a world
that has forgotten how to be wise.
We live in a world
where almost every nation is in competition with every other nation,
when they should be helping one another!
Then the Lord just
ask them point blank.
*****Jer 7:9 Will
ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn
incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
Jer 7:10 And come
and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and
say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Jer 7:11 Is this
house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your
eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
We are fools to
think that God operates by some universal law made up of how we feel
about Him!
God does as He
pleases with everything that He says or that He does. God does not
make up new laws as time goes by.
God does just as He
has written it down for us. Every Word is a Word of Truth!
1) We cannot trust
anyone who goes against the Word of God!
2) We certainly
cannot trust anyone who rejects the Word of God!
3) We must be aware
that anything we place between ourselves and the One True God, has
become an idol!
When a so-called
Christian allows himself or herself to do any of these things listed
in this passage, they have rebelled against God's Commandments the
most critical one being "Thou shalt have no other gods before
Me".
When we do these
things, we have rejected our God who is also our Creator!
If you really want
to get on the wrong side of God, then do all these things and then
gather in the house of God saying you are what you "aint"!
We are not delivered
from sin, to just sin at our will!
It is when we have
left the building we call Church, or Temple, or by any other name,
that we enter into our mission field to serve the Lord and not to
serve sin!
If you are a
Christian, then you need to look into your personal mirror every day
to see for yourself if you are what you say you are.
When we make the
house of God into a den of robbers we have defiled our place of
worship!
God always has His
eyes on His children not to see if we are doing wrong but to see if
we deserve His blessings.
God's House is not a
sanctuary for robbers and murderers!
To be saved by the
"Grace" of God is not so we can have a license to sin!
The house of God is
not the place to seek impunity for our abominations, it is the House
where we are to seek to gather so we can worship God in Spirit and
Truth because this is the way we can please Him in our worship!
If we have served
our abominations, then we need to get on our knees and beg
forgiveness from the Lord and then do our best to not sin again.
God knows we are not
perfect, but He also knows what we are capable of and He intends for
us all to be fishers of men!
Isa 29:13 Wherefore
the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their
mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart
far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of
men:
Going to Church to
worship does us no good at all if we are not living for God the rest
of the time.
God will not accept
our worship if we are living in sin and you cannot get into Heaven
without a good relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
We can never say
that God has not warned us of those who would teach lies for the
truth!
Then the Lord says,
if you think the Temple, the House of God is more important to you
than truth of God then just go down to Shiloh.
*****Jer 7:12 But
go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at
the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people
Israel.
When Joshua brought
the children of Israel into the promised land, the Tabernacle was set
up in Shiloh.
Jos 18:1 And the
whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at
Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the
land was subdued before them.
In the time of Eli,
the High Priest, God gave the Ark that was kept at Shiloh to the
Philistines and it was not recovered until David brought it to
Jerusalem.
We should remember
the Ark contained the broken tablets of Moses to remind them it was
best to honor the 10 Commandments.
1Sa 4:10 And the
Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man
into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell
of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
1Sa 4:11 And the
ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
were slain.
Psa 78:58 For they
provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to
jealousy with their graven images.
Psa 78:59 When God
heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
Psa 78:60 So that
he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among
men;
Psa 78:61 And
delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's
hand.
Psa 78:62 He gave
his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his
inheritance.
Psa 78:63 The fire
consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to
marriage.
Psa 78:64 Their
priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.
We should be able to
see that God's favor is not in some building or any place of worship.
In fact, God's favor
is not tied down to any location at this time.
We should understand
that God will not spare His wrath to those that rebel against His
Words!
What are we to do in
the House of the Lord?
Deu 12:11 Then
there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause
his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command
you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the
heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow
unto the LORD:
Deu 12:12 And ye
shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your
daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the
Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor
inheritance with you.
Shiloh became a mass
of shapeless ruins!
And what did the
Lord say?
*****Jer 7:13 And
now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I
spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I
called you, but ye answered not;
Jer 7:14 Therefore
will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye
trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as
I have done to Shiloh.
God said He would do
the same thing to the Temple that King Solomon built by the plans of
King David which the Lord said Himself was worldly, which means there
is no need for the beauty and worldly objects in any place of
worship.
We know that King
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple in the days of Jeremiah.
Again, we see that
we are undeserving of the "Grace of God" and God's has
limits to His mercy.
We know that the
Lord Jesus said where two or three gathered in His name He would also
be there, and this is the beginnings of the Church.
The place of this
gathering is not important but the fact that we are to gather
together is important.
Heb 10:25 Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some
is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the
day approaching.
We are to gather
more often and not less often as we can see the day of the Lord
approaching!
Worship without true
repentance and then obedience will be empty, useless, and worthless
in the eyes of the Lord.
God would also
remove Judah from of the Promised Land.
*****Jer 7:15 And I
will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren,
even the whole seed of Ephraim.
Jer 7:16 Therefore
pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for
them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
Once God has decided
what He is going to do with a certain group of people, it is useless
to pray for them.
These Jews were
unwilling to repent and to obey the Lord, so it would do no good for
Jeremiah to pray for their forgiveness.
There are times when
it becomes useless to pray for certain people but now is not the time
for the church to stop praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ
and also for the lost.
God has told us to
continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, so it is not time to
stop preaching for the Children of the Nation of Israel.
There will come the
time when those who are evil are beyond repentance, but God has not
told us to do so yet!
These are the type
of things that would make Jeremiah cry and maybe we should do the
same for those who refuse to repent, especially those on our own
family!
When God says to
quit praying for certain people, He will also pull back the Holy
Spirit from the convicting work that He does.
Gen_6:3 And the
LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,
Today all those who
have itchy ears and control the preaching of the Pastor should take
note, because their prayers will become useless. There will be no
benefit come from their prayers.
When you refuse to
hear the truth of God then God will refuse to hear from you, it just
that simple!
Jeremiah knew God
always has remnant who remain solid in the Word of God, and he could
pray for those!
The real truth is
when the Lord commands His servant not to pray for sinners and He
ceases to correct them, then we can be sure the wrath of God is very
close!
Eze 16:42 So will I
make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from
thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
Remember the wages
of sin is death and these who refuse to repent are already sentenced
to death and they will get nothing else from the Lord but will join
the false trio in the burning lake of fire!
The Lord will simply
say " I never knew you".
God is not angry
with those who are lost He has already passed His judgment.
God will always be
angry with those who sin and claim to know the Lord in a personal
way.
The Lord will save
all those who call upon His name, but the Lord will reject all those
who refuse to call upon His name again it is just that simple!
Amen
Let's Pray!
