Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon
Jeremiah 7
Jeremiah wanted to know why…The temple in the Old Testament was characterized by beauty on the outside and on the inside. The temple had pure bronze columns, golden incense altars and lamp stands, wooden cherubim, each ten feet tall with outstretched wings. Inside the holy place, and in the innermost part of the temple, was the Ark of the Covenant, where at one time the two stone tablets of the 10 commandments, a golden bowl of manna from the wilderness wanderings, and Aaron’s rod were. In this place in the temple, according to 1 Kings 8:10-11, was the very presence of God. The presence of God characterized the temple of God. This was the place where the dwelling and presence of God were.
The temple was also a place where Israel sacrificed. Sin offerings and burnt offerings were performed by the Levites on behalf of the people and their sins. The temple housed altars that offered the atonement of sins from God.
In one sense, it was very ritualistic. The people had to go through certain rituals in order to sacrifice pleasing to God. Rules were enforced as to which animal should be sacrificed and the manner in which it was to be killed and then offered. The point was for the people to give back what had already been given to them through God’s grace.
But unfortunately, I think we misunderstand what God really wanted. The majority of the overall religious world today feels that Israel faithfulness to God was determined by their sacrifice. Some go a little farther and teach that Israel needed a pure heart when they sacrificed. I think if we look at the Old Testament, we will see an entirely different picture.
The temple was very important….
Jeremiah finds himself at the temple gate in Jeremiah 7 asking why.
Many people in Israel loved going into the beautiful house of God. The majority of the people participated in the rituals and sacrifices to God. But many people’s experience of God stopped there. They characterized their entire relationship with God by their sacrifice. God came to Jeremiah, and told him to stand at the gate of the temple, and preach a message, a message that they needed to hear, and a message that we need to hear today.
Jeremiah 7:2b-4
What Jeremiah said right here, would have shocked the people. You see the people placed their confidence in the temple. They knew that God lived there, and by coming to the temple and offering up their sacrifices, they would be ok. They KNEW that this was the truth. But Isaiah tells them the complete opposite. He tells them that just coming to the temple, to the very house of God didn’t make them faithful. They would come to the temple and say, “This is the temple, this is the temple, this is the temple!.” And by saying so, they were proclaiming that God is here, we are doing what God wants, we are here.
Jeremiah told them that just because you come to the temple doesn’t mean you live with God. Just because you come here and offer sacrifices doesn’t mean you follow or walk with the Lord. What did the people have to do? Jeremiah told them to reform their ways and their actions, and then they could live with God.
Jeremiah 7:6-7
We can’t learn anything from this can we?
They came to worship God, but they weren’t living like it on the outside. You see their religion was only at the temple.
Jeremiah 7:9-11
The people in Israel, lived many different lives with many different faces. Some would murder and steal, lie and cheat, serve other gods, and then come to the temple and feel safe.
Israel struggled with a major problem. They participated actively in sacrifice to God on Sabbath. I’m sure that they knew the rules, they were actively involved in making sure that the rules were kept and followed closely. They would come, and many would offer their sacrifice of a tenth of what God had given them. I can picture an Israelite family getting up early on the Sabbath day so they could sacrifice. They mount their camels and mules and they would go the temple. They would watch as the priests offered sacrifices. They would participate in the fellowship offering, or well being offering and eat part of the sacrifice. They knew what the Sabbath day was about. They knew what the temple was about. And they were good at keeping Sabbath laws.
But their actions, and their words, and their attitudes, and their thoughts, were different when they were not at the temple. Their relationship with God was completely defined by the temple.
And Jeremiah said, WAKE UP, why are you here?
Do not trust solely in the temple. Do not think for a second that if you live one way at the temple, and another way on the outside, that you live with God. Just because you come to the temple doesn’t make you safe. Just because you come to the temple doesn’t make you faithful.
We struggle with the same problems that the Jews in Judah struggled with in this story.
Too many times in the church, we claim a person is absolutely faithful, if they are here. If they are on a pew, they are faithful. Let me tell you the truth, just because you are here, just because you attend your church on Sundays and Wednesdays, doesn’t make you faithful. And just like Jeremiah promised the Israelite, God knows, God sees.
I think we live in this mindset that tells us that all God wants is for us to an active member of our ministry and our church, on Sundays and Wednesdays.
God doesn’t just want part of your Sunday, or Wednesday, or weekend retreat, or youth rally, or teens for Christ, God wants you, he requires your whole life.
Some people don’t understand….they want to be used by God, they want good things to happen. They participate in good things through their youth ministry, but at school and at home do things that they know they shouldn’t. God cannot use you, if you refuse to give him you.
There are other people, who don’t want to do good things. They may know about God, they may not. But they come every time the church meets. And they hide, and they try to feel safe. And they really think, that because they are here, and because they have checked their ticket, and said present when the roll was being checked that they are ok. They feel safe in this building. They feel if they are here, that’s all they have to do.
If all you do is sing the songs, pray the prayers, and listen or not, while you’re here, but do what you want to do away from here, you do not live with God.
The Jew’s relationship with God was dependent and limited to the temple.
If the only time you pray or sing or study is in this building, then your relationship is limited to this building.
There were two seven year old girls that could not wait for Christmas. You remember that time in your life when you didn’t sleep much the week before Christmas because of the excitement. These girls felt that excitement, they couldn’t wait to open their presents from the mom and dad. The Christmas tree was decorated with lights of yellow and blue and green. The star on top of the tree twinkled each time Emily and Sara glanced at it. You feel Christmas in the air. The smell of gingerbread and cookies and cold milk filled the entire house. Emily and Sara were 7 years old, they were twins, sisters, best friends. It had began to snow as the girls were told by their mother that it was time for bed. The one night of the year that they didn’t argue with their mom was this night, because they wanted Santa to come. They went up stairs, rushed into bed, and fell asleep. They dreamed that night of the toys and games they could play the next day. The next day, they woke and ran downstairs were mom and dad were waiting. They smelled breakfast, eggs and toast, bacon and pancakes, their favorite. After breakfast they went to the living room so they could open presents. They unwrapped and laughed and laughed. This was the best day of the year for two 7 year old girls. Once the presents were opened they played with their toys. They played and played. Just a few moments later a knock was heard at the door. Emily and Sara ran to the door and opened it. When they opened it, they were amazed at who they saw. Tommy Hayes from their class in school, who was a mean boy was standing there in his yellow toboggan and blue sweater. He didn’t say a word, he handed them 2 gifts, 1 each and left. Emily and Sara didn’t know what to think, he was a mean boy, that got in fights and made fun of people. They came to the living room where mom was sitting. She had seen Tommy at the door and she asked her daughters what they had. One present was wrapped beautifully, while the other was wrapped in newspaper. Emily, who had the Christmas tree wrapping paper around it began to open her gift after some encouragement from her mother. Sara also began to unwrap hers out of the newspaper. Both girls found a box, and opened them at the same time, to find….nothing. The box was empty. The two seven year old tenderhearted girls began to cry. Why would Tommy Hayes, that mean boy, take the time to wrap presents, and bring them to their house, and put nothing in them, just to be mean. Their hearts were broken.
Many people in this world wrap a present to God. They wrap with their sacrifices as in the case of Israel, and as for us, we wrap our worship. Some of us use beautiful Christmas tree wrapping paper, while others use junky newspaper. But, in either case if you do not put your life, who you are, in the wrapped box, it means nothing.
Many people give God a wrapped present with nothing inside. They wrap it with worship, but fill it with nothing.
If your relationship is limited to this building, then you and God aren’t that tight.
But there is hope, there is always hope.
In this world, where many of us try to hold to God and to the world at the same time, that tries to pull us and pull us in every direction, it is difficult to be what God wants us to be. But if we will let go of the world, and hold God, God has promised to hold to us. God wants a relationship with you and with me, and if we will walk with God, he will live with us. The interesting thing about walking anywhere, even with God, is that if we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep walking. Have you ever thought about it, if you know where you are going, all you have to do is walk.
Let go of the world, live for God. Don’t hide here in this building, or hide in yours. Live for God, walk with him, let your worship be a representation of a life filled with grace and love. Live for him, and He will live with you.
God wants it all, we should give him all, because he has given us everything.
If you are hiding in one of these buildings, and don’t have a real relationship with God, we want to pray with you, just come…just come…while we sing.
