The passage

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.

Also referenced today

The shape of the message

1. Josiah’s reforms and the renewed temple enthusiasm
2. God’s complaint: outward worship with hearts far away
3. Specific sins named and the need for inward change
4. Misplaced trust in temple, image, and religious affiliation
5. Warnings of judgment and examples of false worship
6. Faithfulness in proclamation and the call to share the gospel

Questions to hold while you listen

• Where do you see the difference between “outward motions” and “inward emotion” in your own life, and what would real change look like?
• Which of the three parallels (daily living, image over substance, church as hideout) most challenges you right now, and why?
• How does the statement “It’s not a matter of trying to be like Jesus” reshape the way you think about growth and obedience?
• What does it look like to “put feet to our prayers” in taking the gospel to others, and what tends to keep you from doing it?
• How do you recognise when religion is drifting from Scripture and God’s command to “simply the ideas of man”?

Notes

This week

Serve someone in a tangible way, but also share the gospel with them rather than stopping at kindness alone. Watch for the temptation to settle for religious activity without a changed life through the week.