The Path to True Security

Scripture Announcement: Jeremiah 7:1-15

Scripture Introduction:

To be a Christian it will cost a man his sins. for another thing, it will cost a man his love of ease.

During this time in the history, God’s people were about to face the judgement of God.

God had called them to turn over and over again

They became calloused/hardened

The Prophet Jeremiah —

Task — Impending Doom (NOT EASY)

Office — 2-FOLD

Received the divine Word of God

Communicate That Word

State of MIND --

God’s people have been unfaithful

They fail to acknowledge their sin

Judgment is coming

Application — Similar Tendency

We all have a tendency to be just like Judah, hardened to our sin.

We love comfort

comfort ourselves with false words

False religion

The Charge of Jeremiah to Judah reminds us that true security can only be found in a right relationship with God.

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 7:1-15

Scripture Prayer —

Sermon Intro

For two years the hydraulic earthquake stabilizers in the 13 story “NUEVO LEON” apartment building in Mexico City were left out of service

Then, unexpectedly, at 7:30 AM on September 19, 1985, a devastating earthquake shook Mexico City

The 13 story building began to sway

Without hydraulic stabilizers to cushion the shocks of the quake, the building continued to sway until finally 1/3 broke loose at the foundation and fell over sideways.

Another 1/3 came crashing down, story upon story, smashed like a tin can.

1/3 was left standing.

For 15 days rescuers dug through the rubble to search for survivors.

Unfortunately, the results of neglecting the inner defects of the building were tragic

Transition: So it is with our inner man, our spiritual life and sin. To neglect the one is to open ourselves to the tragic results of the other.

IF only they would have taken the time to make right the buildings internal inconsistencies —

they would have been about to save dozens of lives.

This story reminds of how we can pay so much attention to our outer shell and pay little attention to the inner man.

Everyday we battle with Sin and fall short and as a Christian we can react one of two ways —

Acknowledge and Confess

Grow cold and indifferent — taking advantage of God’s grace

FCF:

IF we are being honest most of us want nothing to do shame and grief, so we grow cold and indifferent to sin even to the point were we fool ourselves into believing we are right with God.

We focus on outward appearances rather than the inner man.

What will it take for us to recognize that we have grown calloused to sin?

Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon will serve to remind us that God uses His Word to Change us and that ultimately disobedience leads to judgement.

Proposition:

because God will judge sin, we must trust in his Word , acknowledge sin and amend or make right our ways.

As God’s Spokesperson, he says, “ HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD” to a hardened people who needed to REPENT.

In light of this, let us take Heed to Jeremiahs message that is threefold:

He calls for Repentance

He identifies Sin

He Reminds of Past Judgement

1. He Speaks for God (1-2)

Jeremiah calling —

Receive the Divine Word of God

Communicate that divine Word

The Audience —

Judah

bonded by covenant

Who gathered in the temple

The Worship HUB

A place where his will was communicated

A Symbol of God’s Presence

Transition — Jeremiah is about to communicate from the mouth of God a call to repentance.

Call to Repentance (3-7)

V.3 — Change your ways Because —

Deut. 28:1-3 — obedience— TURN IN BIBLE

Deut. 28:15-19 — disobedience — ‘’

God never required PERFECTION

People are turned off by the law — as if we needed to keep it perfectly

God knew that we couldn't keep it,

He made a way to avert His wrath because he knows what we are made of..

he was always after our heart

3. Ritual as MEANS — Facilitating (Make it evident) repentance

God’s wrath would burn against His people for their faithless disobedience, and as a result, they would follow His instructions on how to remove His wrath from them.

God would forgive their sins, and peace with Him would be restored in the community.

Rituals gone bad —

Sinners Prayer

I have seen the “sinner’s prayer” abused across the contemporary Christian landscape as people “pray the prayer” apart from a biblical understanding of the gospel or “pray the prayer” on multiple occasions to ensure their salvation or “pray the prayer” without ever counting the cost of following Christ

2. Identifies Sin - Self Deception (8-11)

James 1:22 warns us against deceiving ourselves: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

The self-deception that James has in mind relates to an inappropriate response to truth. God’s Word is meant to change us (see Psalm 119:11 and John 17:17).

We can sit in church for years, listening to sermon after sermon, but if we never allow the Word we hear preached change us,

Jeremiah 6:14 -

14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,

saying, ‘Peace, peace,’

when there is no peace.

False Prophets and Priests —

They have trusted in Vain words to ease the conviction

When the prophet was warning them of the coming judgement,

False prophets were comforting people of false words of peace.

How many of us trust in our own deceptive words?

How many of us cry PEACE PEACE! OR

THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD (x3) — Trusting in external rituals?

The people thought they were safe but were sadly mistaken

To further illustrate the point Jeremiah points to judgement on another place of worship

3. God Judged unfaithfulness Before, He will do it again (12-15)

It was a religious center that was judged for its unfaithfulness.

The tabernacle was set there and the ark of the covenant, SYMBOLIZING God’s PRESENCE.

You may have seen a well-painted picture called “Waiting for the Verdict.” What interest is displayed on every face!

What fear and trembling upon the countenance of the prisoner! In his wife and the friends around him what anxiety is seen!

“Waiting for the Verdict” is a sad picture, but what another might be drawn of The Favorable Verdict Received. The prisoner is acquitted! Oh what joy! It is not possible to bring in a verdict of “Not Guilty” for you and for me, for we are undoubtedly guilty. But still it is possible by the processes of substitution and divine grace to bring in a just verdict by which it is witnessed that “There is now no condemnation.”

Conclusion —

How is your internal structure?

Has it been checked? Inspected lately?

“nuevo Leon” was left unchecked and led to the demise of many.

Summarize:

Do not be fooled — God has called us to a

Repentance

He see’s our sin and is merciful to forgive if only we make right our ways

Other wise — His Judgement is inevitable