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REMEMBER SHILOH!

"REMEMBER 
		SHILOH!"
		

		 
Jeremiah 7:1-15
		

		 
INTRODUCTION
		

		 
1. In the days of Jeremiah (ca. 600 B.C.), the people of 
		
			Judah faced difficult times...
		
   a. The northern kingdom of 
		
			Israel was history, taken into Assyrian captivity
		
   b. Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
		Babylon, had defeated Assyria, and was making his way into 
		
			Judah
		

		 
2. The people of 
		
			Judah had developed a false trust...
		
   a. One condemned by the Lord through His prophet Jeremiah
		
  b. One which we do well to remember and avoid today
		

		 
[We read of that false trust and how the LORD responded to it in Jer 7:1-15...]
		

		 

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 a"Stand in the gate of theLord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, allyou of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!’ ” 3 Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel: b"Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 cDo not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of theLord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.’

5 "For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughlydexecute 1judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place,eor walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 fthen I will cause you to dwell in this place, ingthe land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

8 "Behold, you trust in hlying words that cannot profit. 9 iWill you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and jwalk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 kand then come and stand before Me in this house lwhich is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Hasmthis house, which is called by My name, become a nden of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the Lord.

12 "But go now to oMy place which was in Shiloh, pwhere I set My name at the first, and see qwhat I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these works,” says the Lord, "and I spoke to you, rrising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I scalled you, but you did not answer, 14therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to tShiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of My sight, uas I have cast out all your brethren— vthe whole posterity of Ephraim.


		 
I. THE FALSE TRUST OF 
			
				JUDAH
		

		 
   A. TRUSTING IN THE 
			
				TEMPLE...
		
      1. To excuse their failure to fully serve the Lord - Jer 7:1-7
		
         a. Jeremiah commission to preach in the temple - Jer 7:1-2
		
         b. Calling for repentance when the city was in danger of being destroyed by Babylonian forces - Jer 7:3
		
         c. Their trust was in the fact the temple was in 
		
			Jerusalem
		
            1) Their attitude:  "We are safe; surely the Lord will not allow His temple to be destroyed!"
		
            2) As implied by the threefold statement "The temple of the Lord...!" - Jer 7:4
		
         d. The Lord required more than rituals involving temple worship and outward piety
		
            1) Repentance and service was to be done "thoroughly"(truly, NASB) - Jer 7:5a
		
            2) Affecting their individual and daily dealings with people- Jer 7:5b-6
		
         e. Such true service would spare them from Babylonian captivity- Jer 7:7
		
      2. To excuse their obvious sins - Jer 7:8-11
		
         a. Again, theirs was a false trust - Jer 7:8
		
         b. Blatantly transgressing the Law - Jer 7:9
		
         c. Then going to the temple, believing that such excused their conduct - Jer 7:10
		
         d. Yet the Lord could see through their hypocrisy - Jer 7:11
		

		 
   B. THE LORD'S RESPONSE...
		
      1. To the folly of such a false trust:  "Remember 
			Shiloh!"Jer 7:12
		
         a. Where the tabernacle had once been - Josh 18:1 - Now the whole congregation of the children of 
		Israel assembled together aat 
		Shiloh, and bset up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them.
		
         b. Where the ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines - 1Sa 4:10-11 - So the Philistines fought, and j
	
		Israel was 4defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of 
			
				Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 Also kthe ark of God was captured; and lthe two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
		
      2. God would do likewise with 
		
			Jerusalem and the temple - Jer 7:13-15
		
         a. Because of their failure to heed His prophets - Jer 7:13
		
         b. What happened at Shiloh would happen at 
		
			Jerusalem - Jer 7:14
		
         c. They would be taken into captivity, just like Ephraim(
		
			Israel) - Jer 7:15; cf. 52:12-30
		

		 
[In 1Co 10:11-12, we're told that God's dealings with 
		
			Israel were written for our admonition.  With the very real danger of falling, what application can we draw from our text in Jeremiah?  Perhaps one
		
about...]
		

		 
II. THE FALSE TRUST OF CHRISTIANS
		

		 
   A. TRUSTING IN THE CHURCH...
		
      1. Could we have a false trust as "members" of the church which Christ built?
		
         a. Like the Jews who cried "The Temple of the Lord..."
		
         b. There may be those who cry "The Church of Christ..."
		
      2. Acting (and perhaps believing) that membership excuses:
		
         a. Negligence and inactive service?
		
            1) With an attitude based on faulty reasoning?
		
               a) E.g., The church will be saved, I am a "member", so I will be saved
		
               b) E.g., As long as I am a "member", I can get by
		
            2) Yet remember the parable of the tares - Mt 13:41-43 - The Son of Man will send out His angels, iand they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 jand will cast them into the furnace of fire. kThere will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 lThen the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. mHe who has ears to hear, let him hear!
		
               a) One may be in the kingdom (church) now
		
               b) But cast out of the kingdom (church) at the last day
		
            3) Salvation is dependent on individual allegiance, not group association! - Jn 15:2 - Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He 1takes away; and every branch thatbears fruit He prunes, that it may bear bmore fruit.
		
         b. Sinful actions?
		
            1) Like the Jews who disobeyed God, then claimed exemption?
		
               a) E.g., living in the world, then going to "church"?
		
               b) E.g., engaging in immorality, worldliness, but being a "faithful member"?
		
            2) God has not changed!
		
               a) His grace demands holy living - Tit 2:11-12 - For gthe grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
		
               b) Despise His grace, expect His wrath! - cf. He 10:26-31
		
            3) Salvation is dependent upon God's grace, not church ritual!
		

		 
   B. THE LORD'S RESPONSE...
		

      1. To the folly of such a false trust:  "Remember Sardis!" - Re 3:1-6 - "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of himiwho has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

" ‘I know your works. You have the reputation jof being alive, kbut you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works lcomplete in the sight of my God. mRemember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, nI will come olike a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not psoiled their garments, and they will walk with me qin white, for they are rworthy. sThe one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never tblot his name out of uthe book of life. vI will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. pHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.


		 
         a. They had "a living name", but that did not free them from the threat of condemnation - Re 3:1-3
		
         b. As always, salvation was based on individual consecration   - Re 3:4-6
		
      2. To the folly of such a false trust:  "Remember 
			
				Laodicea!"Re 3:14-22
		
         a. They had become "lukewarm" - Re 3:14-15
		
         b. They were in danger of expulsion because of worldliness - Re 3:16-17
		
         c. They were in need of rebuke and chastening - Re 3:18-22
		

		 
CONCLUSION
		

		 
1. Like the Jews whose salvation from destruction depended upon wholehearted service to God, so our salvation depends on complete and faithful obedience to the will of Christ!
		

		 

2. We must avoid the fallacy of "virtue by association", and remember  that God has promised to do to us just as He did to Israel if we are  not faithful - cf. Ro 11:20-22 - Well said. Because of wunbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, 5goodness, xif you continue in His goodness. Otherwise yyou also will be cut off.

 




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