Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon
READ Jeremiah 7:1-7
Why does Jeremiah say “trust not in lying words, saying
‘the temple of the Lord’…”?
Israel had a false sense of
security that because they had the Temple, the Lord would protect them from
their enemies.
Just because they have a
temple doesn’t mean they will be protected unless they are living the covenants
they have made there.
And living the covenants is
not about the outward ordinances entered into in the Temple, but it’s about the
spiritual renewal of the inward being.
How do we know that Israel were not living their temple
covenants?
Jeremiah tells them they must
“thoroughly amend their ways”.
They are oppressing the
stranger, the poor, the widow – they are taking advantage of those that are
most vulnerable.
They are following other Gods
– “saying Lord, Lord” but not following the Lord’s commandments and Ways.
They ultimately are driven out
of Jerusalem and those that remain are taken captive into Babylon.
What is interesting about this
time period (609 BC) is that this is right after the religious reforms of King
Josiah, implying that they had embraced the “outward ordinances” and
performances like the Temple but had not received a mighty change of heart.
Why are the outward ordinances and behavioral standards
necessary but not sufficient for salvation?
Appropriately performed
actions come from an inward relationship with Christ.
The outward appearances can be
faked – a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” – someone who is appearing to be righteous
by adhering to your preconceived notions of what a righteous person should act
like.
The outward performances are a
lot easier to do than the inward sanctification – sacrificing your whole soul
on the altar to Christ is tough – and it is real.
READ Jeremiah 7:23-24, 28, 30
They have the Temple, so how has “truth perished”?
They may “walk” into the
Temple and do the actions but they are still following their own will and the
imaginations of their hearts.
They do not receive correction
from the Lord.
They have introduced
abominations into the Temple ceremony – they have “changed the ordinances and
broken the everlasting covenant”.
Practicing Priestcraft
Let’s see how the Priesthood
Leaders react to Jeremiah’s indictment of their “religious” behavior…
READ Jeremiah 14:13-14
Why would the prophets say to Israel that the sword and
famine will not touch them but they will have peace?
Because their Prophets are not
receiving revelation from God.
They are preaching comforting
things that the people want to hear –i.e. “all is well in Zion” (see 2 Nephi
28:21).
They are doing it to stay
popular and listened to – i.e. priestcraft (see 2 Nephi 26:29 and Jeremiah
23:11); it will keep them in power.
READ Jeremiah 23:11 and 16 and
21-23
What was happening in Israel?
The prophets and priests who
were called to lead were not connected to the Lord.
They had the correct
priesthood ordinations, authority, bloodlines and trappings of righteousness
but their hearts were far from the Lord.
What were they teaching?
Their own doctrines – but
saying they were from the Lord.
Things that were pleasing and
flattering to the people – making them vain.
They insinuated that God was
directing the people through them – that God does not minister directly to the
people any more… “am I a God at hand… and not a God afar off?” (v23).
So, Babylon storms in from the
North and destroys many of the people of Judah and Jerusalem and takes a
remnant off to be slaves in Babylon.
Jeremiah Prophesies
Israel’s Return to the Lord & Holy City
READ Jeremiah 29:12-15 and
READ Jeremiah 17:13-14
What is the secret to Israel finding the Lord again?
Search for the Lord with ALL
YOUR HEART.
Ask to be healed and saved – lay
your heart on His altar.
Turn your heart back to Him.
READ Jeremiah 23:3-6
What will the Lord do to the flock?
He will gather them from their
lost state into one fold.
He will set righteous
shepherds to feed the flock.
He will come Himself to the earth
to reign over the flock and protect them – He is the Good Shepherd.
READ Jeremiah 31:31-34
How is the new covenant with Israel different from the
old one that they broke?
It is new in that it is
offered new again to modern Israel! (and as many of us Gentiles that will rise
up).
It is not a new covenant – it
is the everlasting covenant offered to the Children of Israel below Mount Sinai.
What is the new (and everlasting) covenant?
I will put my law in their
inward parts and I will write it in their hearts.
I will be their God and they
shall be my people.
They shall ALL KNOW ME.
I will forgive them and
sanctify them that they can stand in my presence.
What does it mean to have God’s law written in our
hearts?
We have become one with Him –
our wills have been offered to Him and swallowed up in His will.
We have a mighty change of
heart – only desiring to do good.
We are filled with love (His
Law is love – love the Lord with all they heart and thy neighbor).
What must we do to have God’s law written in our
hearts?
We must offer our whole souls
upon His altar in sacrifice (see Omni 1:26).
It is up to us – a personal
journey – Christ waits at the Gate to receive us; but He also ministers to us,
usually incognito, on the Way.
It is answered in the life we
live; we cannot KNOW THE MASTER WE HAVE NOT SERVED.
What is the difference between saying “they shall all
know me” vs. saying “they shall all know about
me”?
You must know Him personally –
not knowledge concerning Him.
There is no longer a need for
an intermediary to teach you about Him or to stand between you and Him.
Eternal life comes by knowing
God yourself. That is what Jeremiah is
talking about here (see John 17:3).
If you think Christ is the Son
of God, you will follow Him. That cannot
be done without keeping His commandments.
He does not love any of us more than another. The conditions under which He may come to one
are the same as those under which He may come to another. We cannot reject those conditions and then
expect to receive what He offers. His
gifts are free but the manner in which we take delivery is by accepting His
ordinances and abiding by His teachings.
When we do, the gifts flow naturally.
We will know the Master we
have faithfully served.
READ D&C 88:68 (…for he
will unveil His face unto you, and it shall be in His own time…)
This this true doctrine?
Yes.
