Serve God Sunday School Lesson

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Serve God Sunday School Lesson

Introduction

A. Trusting in Lies

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeat-ing it, people will eventually come to believe it."This was the strategy of Adolf Hitler's ministerof propaganda. Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels andthe Nazis perfected the modern art of misinfor-mation, the concept of the big lie. Goebbelsthought that the more outrageous the lie, thebetter, because the populace would think it wastoo extreme to be false.

As strange as that theory may seem to us, theNazi propaganda machine successfully deceivedthe German people for over a decade. Yet the biglie technique did not originate with the Nazis.The history of human governments is littered

with examples of lying kings and conquerors.Jeremiah the prophet was incensed by the ongo-ing deception of God's people by the leaders ofJudah.

Jeremiah was particularly enraged by the de-ceptions of those who claimed to be speaking forGod. He denounced this as villainy. As a trueprophet of God, Jeremiah revealed God's displea-sure: they "have spoken lying words in my name,which I have not commanded them" (Jeremiah29:23). Jeremiah also castigated the people whotrusted "in lying words, that cannot profit" Uere-miah 7:8).

We as believers are called to be discerning ofthe truth. We have confidence that the Word ofGod is truth (John 17:17). Scripture is given to usas a measuring stick for all 'natters in life. Scrip-ture is "the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).While some leaders in government are moretruthful than others, history promises that the fu-ture holds more lying leaders. Today's HonestAbe may be replaced by tomorrow's Deceiver.The unfailing Word of God stands above all ofthis. God is the God of truth (Deuteronomy 32:4).God's Word is not a mixture of truth. opinion,and falsehood. It is all truth, and it has the powerto transform and change us (2 Corinthians 6:7).The more we study God's Word and incorporateits teachings into our lives, the less likely we areto trust in lies.

B. Lesson Background

The writings contained in the book of Jere-miah are drawn from his four-decade ministry asa prophet of God to the nation of Judah. Thebook opens with prophecies from the thirteenthyear of Josiah's reign, approximately 627 BC (Jere-miah 1:2). The book closes with events sur-rounding the destruction of Jerusalem by theBabylonians in 586 BC (39:2). The book is some-what unusual for the prophets, for it containsboth oracles (the words of the prophet deliveredto the people) and narrative (accounts of histori-cal events during this period).

The book of Jeremiah bears testimony that thatprophet suffered a great deal for his propheticministry. Although he was assured by God thathe was chosen even before birth, he protestedabout his inadequacy (Jeremiah 1:5, 6). Later hecomplained that his prophecies had made himan object of derision in public (20:7, 8).

Yet when Jeremiah tried to ignore God'sprophetic voice in his life, it was as if his boneswere on fire and he could not hold the words in(Jeremiah 20:9). This prophet's words causedhim to be beaten and thrown into prison (37:15).

Later he was thrown into a dungeon-like cistern,where he wallowed in the smelly mire (38:6).Most of Jeremiah's words are sharp and con-demning. This has caused him to be seen as theprophet of doom and gloom. Because of this, wehave adopted the English word jeremiad, mean-ing an angry tirade. In English literature, a Jere-miah is symbolic of a person who is a persistentand vocal pessimist.

Yet Jeremiah also has a hopeful side. One ofthe most stirring passages in all the Old Testa-ment is Jeremiah's vision of the new covenant.He foresaw this as a time when the law of Godwould be a matter of the heart, not just obser-vance (Jeremiah 31:33), and that the sin of thepeople would no longer be remembered by God(Jeremiah 31:34). Jeremiah's vision of fresh, newbeginnings was adopted by the author of He-brews to explain the new covenant that has beengiven to the church as the people of God (see He-brews 8).

This week's lesson is drawn from one of theprophet's warnings against evil among the peo-ple of Judah. It is a biting condemnation ofhypocrisy, particularly in worship.

I. False Security (Jeremiah 7:1-4)

A. Hearing the True Word (vv. 1, 2)

1, 2. The word that came to Jeremiah fromthe Lotto, saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD'Shouse, and proclaim there this word, and say,Hear the word of the Lam all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

Routines and habits provide a sense of secu-rity. We put out the trash on Wednesday, mowthe grass on Friday, do laundry on Saturday, andgo to church on Sunday. We work the same joband live in the same house for many years. Whathappens when the routine is disrupted—ourtrash day is changed to Monday, the washingmachine breaks down, and we lose our job? Suchchanges can make us feel insecure.

Jeremiah wants his people to know that rou-tine does not equal a strong, secure relationshipwith God. We may appear religious because wedo certain things on a regular basis, yet be farfrom the will of God. Our relationship may beempty and false. This is as true today as it was inJeremiah's time.

God does not call Jeremiah to evangelize thepagan masses of the ancient world. His messageis for the (supposed) people of God, the citizensof Jerusalem. His target audience is even moreselective as shown by the location for preachinggiven to him: he is to stand at the gate of theLord's house, meaning the main entry point ofthe temple in Jerusalem. Those he is to addressare not coming for business, education, or meet-ings. They are coming to worship in the house ofthe Lord. They are following their routine, just asmany attend church services each Sunday without much thought.

The gale is more than a doorway into the tem-ple. It is an impressive structure that is more likea pass-through building than a simple wall open-ing. Gates in the ancient world can have roomsand open areas. They serve as gathering places.In the cities of ancient Israel, gates are placeswhere judges dispense justice to the public (seeAmos 5:15). Jeremiah's cry at the gate of the tem-ple is to be a call for justice and righteousnessand truth in worship.

B. Rejecting Soothing Lies (vv. 3, 4)

3. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God ofIsrael, Amend your ways and your doings, and Iwill cause you to dwell in this place.

Jeremiah's message is a warning with apromise: Quit sinning and God will let you con-tinue to live in the land of tome). Jeremiah is call-ing for a change in hearts and in practices.Empty ritual is not acceptable worship. Idola-trous practices are not tolerable for God (see Jere-miah 8:19).

Some of the hearers must wonder what is sowrong. Aren't they being faithful to worship atthe house of the Lord? Aren't they wearing theirbest temple-go-to-meetin' clothes? Don't theybring their offerings? Don't they sing the temple praise songs? Haven't they repealed the properprayers? Why is this prophet haranguing them?4. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, Thetemple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, Thetemple of the LORD, are these.

Jeremiah's prophecy of doom for Judah is notnew. It has been preached since the time of Isa-iah. Yet through decades of national crisis andforeign threat, the southern kingdom of Judahhas survived. The temple is some 300 years oldby this time. It has survived threats from ene-mies such as the Assyrians, the Egyptians, andthe Chaldeans (Babylonians).

But that is exactly the point for Jeremiah: thepresence of this house of worship has given thepeople a false sense of security! They believethat the temple is a sign of God's continued favorand protection. Jeremiah mocks the temple wor-shipers by repeating their falsely confident re-frain, "This is The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord." Tradition,history, and edifices count for nothing whenhearts are false.

II. Delusional Duplicity (Jeremiah 7:8-15)

A. Double Life of Worship (vv. 8-10)

8. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannotprofit.

Trusting in a lie does not make it the truth, fora lie will always be a lie. False security is justthat: false. There is no value in accepting un-truth, no matter how sincere and passionate theliar may be. Lies will always fail. They cannotprotect us.

There is a story about Diogenes of Sinope,who comes along some 200 years after Jeremiah.The story pictures him as wandering around an-cient Greece with a lantern in daylight, unsuc-cessfully searching for an honest man. Earlier inhis book, Jeremiah also had searched Jerusalemfor a person who was on the side of truth andjustice (Jeremiah 5:1). God hoped for such a per-son, for this would be reason to spare Jerusalem.But Jeremiah's quest was as futile as that of Dio-genes. How sad it is when truth is seen as op-tional, and we find ourselves loving lies!

9, 10. Will ye steal, murder, and commitadultery, and swear falsely, and burn incenseunto Baal, and walk after other gods whom yeknow not; and come and stand before me in thishouse, which is called by my name, and say,We are delivered to do all these abominations?Jeremiah's complaint now gets very specific.He charges that the people of Judah have vio-lated six of the Ten Commandments (Deuteron-omy 5:7-21). They are thieves (CommandmentEight). They have committed murder (Command-ment Six). They are adulterers (CommandmentSeven). They have given false witness (Com-mandment Nine). They have worshiped othergods and made idols of them (CommandmentsOne and Two).

Jeremiah warns that God knows of theseabominations. God does not overlook them justbecause the people are going through the mo-tions of worship at the temple. Most offensive toGod is the mix of His worship with the worshipof false gods like Baal of the Canaanites. Thisfalse worship is a sure way to bring about thewrath of the Lord (see Judges 2:13, 14).

PROBABILISM

A theory of moral theology known as probabil-ism came into being in the seventeenth century AD. The main idea is that if you can find a goodethical motive behind an action, even if it ishighly improbable, then the action can be de-fended as allowable.

For example, if a merchant cannot sell hiswine at a fair profit, he can add water to it andsell it as pure in order to snake the profit. If ser-vants are not being paid a proper wage by theirmaster, they may take property from the masterthat will make up the difference. If necessityforces a person to take wood from someoneelse's pile, he is not obligated to restore it. Ifsomeone has committed a crime, he may swearin a loud voice, "I have not done this crime" andthen in a subdued voice add, "today." Thus the total statement is true, and he is exoneratedfrom falsehood.

The result of probabilism is to take moral lawsand turn them inside out. Jeremiah condemnedthis kind of thinking centuries before Christ.This condemnation still stands. .

B. Den of Robbers (v. 11)

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 Logo.

Jeremiah now brings a devastating chargeagainst Judah: the hypocritical dishonesty of theleaders has found a home within the templeprecincts. This has made the house of the Lord aden of robbers.

This charge likely has to do with the com-merce going on in the temple courts, the locationof a financial center for the nation. Rather thanconduct business with integrity and truth, deal-ing is clone with deception and greediness. Thiswill also be a problem during the time of Jesusseveral centuries later. He will cleanse the tem-ple of His day by running out the money chang-ers and merchants (see Mark 11:15-17).

C. Disaster of Shiloh (vv. 12-15)

12.But go ye now unto my place which wasin Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, andsee what I did to it for the wickedness of mypeople Israel.

Shiloh was the original location in thepromised land of the house of the Lord. This wasthe tabernacle transported by Israel through thewilderness. The tabernacle at Shiloh had becomea more permanent structure than the tent of theexodus and was sometimes referred to as thetemple (see 1 Samuel 1:9).

Although we do not have details, the Old Tes-tament hints in several places that God allowedthis former sanctuary to be destroyed, perhapsby the Philistines (see Psalm 78:60). The ruins ofthis temple are still around in Jeremiah's day.Those ruins should serve as a warning thatbuilding a house for God does not guaranteeGod's favor.

13. And now, because ye have done all theseworks. saith the Lou), and I spake unto you, ris-ing up early and speaking, but ye heard not;and I called you, but ye answered not.

Jeremiah's final accusation at this point is thatthe people of the temple repeatedly have turneda deaf ear to God's pleas for change. Althoughthey are regular worshipers, they have forgottenthe one whom they worship.

What we call worship time can easily become anoisy series of presentations designed to pleasethe audience. We should remember that God ispresent at our worship efforts, and He may bespeaking to us. By this we do not mean that weshould expect an audible voice coming fromHeaven. Rather, the idea is to expect our heartsto be touched through Scripture and prayer andpraise. When God's Holy Spirit is prompting usto change our lives, to admit and abandon thelove of sinful practices, then we should listen.

14, 15. 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 toyour fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I willcast you out of my sight, as I have cast out allyour brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.History has a habit of repeating itself, even intragic ways. Jeremiah reminds the hearers thatGod had cast out all their brethren, even thewhole seed of Ephraim (signifying the northernkingdom of Israel) on account of persistent sinand rebellion.

God also has abandoned an earlier temple of Is-rael, the sanctuary at Shiloh. God will do it againwith the southern kingdom of Judah and the Jeru-salem temple. And, let us be forewarned, God cando it with any church that tolerates and growscomfortable with a hypocritical lifestyle andempty, meaningless worship practices. The warn-ings in Revelation 2 and 3 are important to heed!

TRANQUILITY?

In Hebrew, the word Shiloh means "tranquil-ity, rest." When the Israelites conquered the landof Canaan, they set up the tabernacle at Shiloh.This remained the seat of worship for some time.The tabernacle was still there in the early yearsof Samuel.

When the Philistines returned the Ark of theCovenant after its capture, it was not returned toShiloh. Instead, it ultimately was sent to Jeru-salem. The town of Shiloh began to decline; thiscontinued into the days of Jeremiah. How inter-esting that a place named tranquility would cometo represent desolation.

Because of its positive Old Testament conno-tations, many churches have been named Shiloh.One of the most interesting was a small countryMethodist church in southern Tennessee near aspot on the Tennessee River called PittsburghLanding. A major battle of the American CivilWar was fought there on April 6 and 7, 1862.Much of the battle swirled around the churchbuilding itself. Some 100,000 soldiers fought

there, suffering over 23,000 casualties. Howironic that a place whose name means "tranquil-ity" would be the scene of such horrible violenceand death.

Yet that is a message of Jeremiah. God has heropatient, but ultimately He will wreak vengeanceupon the faithlessness of His people. Shiloh wasdesolate, and Jerusalem would be destroyed.Such is eventually the case with all who abandonGod's paths to seek their own way.

III. Failed Leadership(2 Kings 23:36, 37)

36, 37. Jehoiakim was twenty and five yearsold when he began to reign; and he reignedeleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother'sname was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah ofRumah. And he did that which was evil in thesight of the LORD, according to all that hisfathers had done.

The historical record of the Old Testamentshows that Judah did not heed Jeremiah's direwarnings. King Jehoiakim began to reign in 609BC, and he was the son of the reformer KingJosiah (Jeremiah 22:18). But the son did not con-tinue his father's efforts to bring Israel back to anobedient relationship with the Lord. Instead, hechose the path of Manasseh and did evil. Jere-miah tells us that Jehoiakim went so far as toburn, out of contempt, a scroll of propheticwarnings (36:22, 23, 28).

In 2 Kings 24:1-5 (which may have been writ-ten by Jeremiah) we learn that Jehoiakim arro-gantly rebelled against Babylonian KingNebuchadnezzar. The result was disaster, forthat king hart been sent by God.

looted the temple and physically humiliated Je-hoiakim (2 Chronicles 36:6, 7). God's will, asproclaimed by Jeremiah, was accomplished.God's will shall always be accomplished

Conclusion

A. Hypocrites I Have Known

We do not live in ancient Jerusalem. We donot worship at Solomon's temple. We need notfear Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army.But Jeremiah's word should still be heard in ourchurches today. Are our efforts to worship Godmotivated by a true heart, or are they the emptyacts of self-serving hypocrites?

As one who has ministered in many differentchurches for several decades, I have observedvarious hypocrites in action: the church staffmember who complained about the miserly giv-ing of the congregation, yet didn't give propor-tionately himself; the elder who griped about therambunctious behavior of the youth group whilehaving an affair with his secretary; the worshipleader who focused the singing time on herself,then grumbled that the people weren't singing;the Sunday school teacher who carried thebiggest Bible Pve ever seen, yet was so dishonestin his business dealings that no one in thechurch would patronize his store; the committeemember who had just paid cash for a new SUV,yet moaned when a missionary asked for fundsto replace his 10-year-old van, which had in ex-cess of 300,000 miles on it.

But I know the biggest hypocrite even more in-timately. He is Ilse one who wants Sunday wor-ship only according to his tastes, not for God'sglory. He is the one who gives far less than hecould because he spends so much on his ownwhims. He is the one who looks down on thosewho don't know the Bible as well as he, but oftenturns a deaf ear to Scripture that confronts hislife. That hypocrite is me.

B. Prayer

Heavenly Father, God of ancient Israel and ofthe church, have patience with us. Please don'tgive up on reminding us of our hypocrisy andsin. Give on the spiritual strength to change andthe joy that comes from serving You with cleanhands and a pure heart. We pray this in thename of the one who never acted with hypocrisy,Jesus Christ Your Son, amen.

C. Thought to Remember

God holds us accountable to serve Him without hypocrisy.

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