Marble Falls Church of Christ
Amend Your Ways
Sermon for Sunday morning assembly on June 11, 2017. Sermon is taken from Jeremiah 7.
Locations & Times
Marble Falls Church of Christ
711 Broadway St, Marble Falls, TX 78654, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Amend Your Ways
Jeremiah 7:1-15
Introduction
1. Extremely Confident
a. Satchel Paige is considered one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball.
b. Along with being a first-rate pitcher, Paige was also a consummate showman who reveled in slapstick humor and trick plays. Fans fell in love with his windmill windups, relentless trash talk and leisurely strolls to the mound, and they were especially taken in by his penchant for showboating. c. One of his favorite moves was to call in his outfielders and then singlehandedly strike out the other side. According to Paige, an even more famous stunt came during a Negro League World Series game in 1942, when he intentionally walked two batters so that he could face power hitter Josh Gibson with the bases loaded. After taunting Gibson and warning him about where he intended to place each throw, Paige struck him out in three pitches.
d. Though extremely self-confident and accomplished on the field, Paige lived a chaotic life off the field, especially during his younger days (reform school, several marriages, an international incident involving a Caribbean dictator).
2. Misplaced Confidence – Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon
a. In Jeremiah’s day, Judah was in chaos. Social injustice among the people of God was rampant. Idolatry was accepted as being normal.
b. Judah was not concerned because they had the Temple. If they had continued to offer sacrifices at the Temple, they believed God would continue to bless the nation.
c. Jeremiah’s “Temple Sermon” (7:1-15) addressed his people’s misplaced confidence in temple while they were living contrary to God and not demonstrating love for their neighbors.
d. Jeremiah calls for Judah to amend (make right) their way of life and not put their trust in the temple of God but in the God of the temple.
Amend Your Ways – Four Things That Needed Change
1. Seeking Security In the Wrong Things.
a. God warned the Judah about trusting in “deceptive words” – “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”
b. The temple was not the source of salvation and hope. While it served as a reminder of God’s presence, the temple did not save.
c. Today, some seek security in a certain way of life.
d. Others find security in national politics and policies.
e. Others seek security through religious ritual – Showing up when the doors are opened, partaking in the Lord’s Supper, daily Bible reading, daily prayer or others spiritual disciplines.
f. Some seek security in a theological position or hermeneutic.
g. God called people to abandon superficial religious ritual.
2. Failing to Love Neighbor
a. In verses 5-6, God points out the hypocrisy of sacrificing in the temple and neglecting to fulfill the command of loving neighbor.
b. Failing to treat others fairly and with respect is important to God. Therefore, we must be mindful that all people are important to God regardless of race, nationality, education level, or socio-economic status.
c. God was especially mindful of the alien or stranger – Those who do not look like us, think like us, or even seek God like us. The command is not to exploit, abuse, or be oppressive in any way including religious oppression.
d. Neglecting those without a voice in society – Specifically widow and orphans. There are many individuals in our society and in our church that have no voice. To deliberately oppress or fail to see or hear them is to fail to love neighbor.
3. Making Something More Important Than God
a. Judah was accused seeking the gods of Canaan while maintaining the temple practices.
b. Today the pursuit of wealth, social standing, education, and entertainment can take priority over God.
c. We can even make family relationships or friendships more important than our relationship with God.
d. Anything that occupies the central place in our life that is not Jesus Christ, becomes another God.
4. Inconsistent Living
a. God references a list of the Ten Commandments that were being broken by Judah. Instead of humbly confessing sin, Judah stood before God in the temple and declared themselves as saved (safe).
b. There can be a huge difference in a professed faith and a lived faith.
c. We also delude ourselves into eternal security based on attending the “right church”, worshipping “the right way”, or professing “the right things”.
d. God desires humble submission to the divine will, that is to be put into practice in everyday living and not only on Sundays.
e. In amending our ways, God promises to remain with us and we will be blessed through God’s ongoing presence.
Conclusion
1. True Repentance - “True repentance is not only turning away from the bad, it is turning towards the good and sincerely trying to stay on that path." - Author unknown
2. Invitation
Jeremiah 7:1-15
Introduction
1. Extremely Confident
a. Satchel Paige is considered one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball.
b. Along with being a first-rate pitcher, Paige was also a consummate showman who reveled in slapstick humor and trick plays. Fans fell in love with his windmill windups, relentless trash talk and leisurely strolls to the mound, and they were especially taken in by his penchant for showboating. c. One of his favorite moves was to call in his outfielders and then singlehandedly strike out the other side. According to Paige, an even more famous stunt came during a Negro League World Series game in 1942, when he intentionally walked two batters so that he could face power hitter Josh Gibson with the bases loaded. After taunting Gibson and warning him about where he intended to place each throw, Paige struck him out in three pitches.
d. Though extremely self-confident and accomplished on the field, Paige lived a chaotic life off the field, especially during his younger days (reform school, several marriages, an international incident involving a Caribbean dictator).
2. Misplaced Confidence – Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon
a. In Jeremiah’s day, Judah was in chaos. Social injustice among the people of God was rampant. Idolatry was accepted as being normal.
b. Judah was not concerned because they had the Temple. If they had continued to offer sacrifices at the Temple, they believed God would continue to bless the nation.
c. Jeremiah’s “Temple Sermon” (7:1-15) addressed his people’s misplaced confidence in temple while they were living contrary to God and not demonstrating love for their neighbors.
d. Jeremiah calls for Judah to amend (make right) their way of life and not put their trust in the temple of God but in the God of the temple.
Amend Your Ways – Four Things That Needed Change
1. Seeking Security In the Wrong Things.
a. God warned the Judah about trusting in “deceptive words” – “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”
b. The temple was not the source of salvation and hope. While it served as a reminder of God’s presence, the temple did not save.
c. Today, some seek security in a certain way of life.
d. Others find security in national politics and policies.
e. Others seek security through religious ritual – Showing up when the doors are opened, partaking in the Lord’s Supper, daily Bible reading, daily prayer or others spiritual disciplines.
f. Some seek security in a theological position or hermeneutic.
g. God called people to abandon superficial religious ritual.
2. Failing to Love Neighbor
a. In verses 5-6, God points out the hypocrisy of sacrificing in the temple and neglecting to fulfill the command of loving neighbor.
b. Failing to treat others fairly and with respect is important to God. Therefore, we must be mindful that all people are important to God regardless of race, nationality, education level, or socio-economic status.
c. God was especially mindful of the alien or stranger – Those who do not look like us, think like us, or even seek God like us. The command is not to exploit, abuse, or be oppressive in any way including religious oppression.
d. Neglecting those without a voice in society – Specifically widow and orphans. There are many individuals in our society and in our church that have no voice. To deliberately oppress or fail to see or hear them is to fail to love neighbor.
3. Making Something More Important Than God
a. Judah was accused seeking the gods of Canaan while maintaining the temple practices.
b. Today the pursuit of wealth, social standing, education, and entertainment can take priority over God.
c. We can even make family relationships or friendships more important than our relationship with God.
d. Anything that occupies the central place in our life that is not Jesus Christ, becomes another God.
4. Inconsistent Living
a. God references a list of the Ten Commandments that were being broken by Judah. Instead of humbly confessing sin, Judah stood before God in the temple and declared themselves as saved (safe).
b. There can be a huge difference in a professed faith and a lived faith.
c. We also delude ourselves into eternal security based on attending the “right church”, worshipping “the right way”, or professing “the right things”.
d. God desires humble submission to the divine will, that is to be put into practice in everyday living and not only on Sundays.
e. In amending our ways, God promises to remain with us and we will be blessed through God’s ongoing presence.
Conclusion
1. True Repentance - “True repentance is not only turning away from the bad, it is turning towards the good and sincerely trying to stay on that path." - Author unknown
2. Invitation