Listen, Learn, Live Series

Series: Changed

Sermon 3: Listen, Learn and Live!

Thesis: Jeremiah is telling the people of God to Listen to God’s warning, Learn to live right by others mistakes and then love abundantly in Him no matter where you find yourself.

Scripture Texts:

Jeremiah 7:1-11:

1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

2“Stand at the gate of the LORD’S house and there proclaim this message: “‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD.

3This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.

4Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!”

5If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,

6if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm,

7then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers forever and ever.

8But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.

9“‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known,

10and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?

11Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD

Jeremiah 29:11-12:

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Summary of Change part 1, 2

We have been exploring The Temple Sermon delivered by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 7-10.

He is speaking a prophetic word from the Lord to the people of Judah addressing the subject of their Temple worship and their sinful lifestyles. He tells them that God is watching how they are living a life of sin during the week then coming into the Temple to offer sacrifices to God. He tells them that their sacrifice is meaningless and worthless because their lives do not follow his teachings or Commandments or righteous ways. God speaks through our young reluctant prophet in the Temple gate and basically says “Change” your actions, your life, your thinking and serve God with your whole heart and get rid of your manmade idols and unthinkable worship of other gods. If you do you will stay in the Promised Land if you do not then you will be removed from this land as I promised in Deut. 6 when I gave you the Promised Land.

T.S. - We have been in Jeremiah for three weeks and I can now summarize the three main points of Jeremiahs book to the people of Judah and to us today 2,600 years later.

I. Listen!

a. Listen – the art of listening: adapted from http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html

i. In college I was taught that to be a good student you had to become a good listener. I then learned through my counseling classes that the essential skill needed to help others was these three: listen-listen-listen!

1. For the majority of us we spend more time listening than we do using other skills in our lives.

2. Listening is an essential part of our life and we need to do it well.

3. Listening is the crucial skill we need to have good healthy relationships in this life.

ii. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a really good listener?

1. Once again I was taught in my Social Work degree that most marriages breakdown when communication breaks down. The main part of this breakdown in a relationship is when the two quit listening to the other. They start to tune them out of their lives and thoughts. The result deterioration of the relationship!

a. When this happens over an extended period of time then there is a separation and eventually a breaking of the relationship.

iii. Real effective listening is an active process that has three basic steps to it according to this article I found. These three steps paralleled what I learned in college in my counseling classes on listening skills.

1. Hearing the message of the words.

a. Do you hear what God was saying to the people of Judah from my last three messages and from observing Jeremiahs thoughts and words.