The Word that We have to Listen to
( Jer 13:12-19 )
Pastor Ji-hoon Jeong
The book of Jeremiah is about Gods judgment on and sympathy for the people of Judah and us, but it also reflects the contrast between Jeremiah, who listened to the Word and the people of Judah, who didnt. Being with the Word, we are spiritually alert, but without it, we just pass over what we should catch as a matter-of-course. In order to understand Gods heart, we need to listen to His Word. Lets think about what kind of Word we should listen to.
1. Listen to the Word of destruction. Through Jeremiah, God warned Judah that the whole land would be filled with his wrath, comparing a wine skin to Judah and wine to Gods wrath. However, the people, out of stubbornness and wickedness, turned a deaf ear to this message of their impending fall. Yet, they ignored the Word that showed them to be the very target of Gods wrath. They thought that they had nothing to do with the warning. When you take this message as Gods warning for you, youll be able to repent. It is our pride that prevents us from accepting the message of our fall, delivered to us through the weekly sermon and our daily QT. Actually, I had left our church because of my spiritual deafness and returned to it after getting through the hardship of sociophobia and panic disorder. Do you hear the message of destruction as the one for you? Have you ever experienced having your wineskin filled with Gods wrath because you had ignored the Word? To what word are you still blocking your ears, thinking that you are not the person?
2. Listen to the mourning of our community. God said to the Judahites, 'Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant.' Actually, the Judahites were very familiar to the Word and Gods temple. However, they didnt pay sincere attention to the Word even during their worship. Pride is not listening nor paying no attention to the Word. Arrogant people tend to be excessively eager about their agenda, regardless of Gods will, focusing on glorifying themselves. So it was with the Judahites. But they had one person, who mourned over the Judahites pride and deafness, which drove them to darkness. It is a blessing for us to have our community, which mourns for us, even though we dont recognize that we are being taken captive by the world. Its time for us to listen to the mourning of our community, where our pastors and our Mokjang family mourn for us. And we need to catch Gods lamentation for us through their tears. Those who confessed their sins after repentance thanks to the mourning of their community are ready to mourn for others, who are in the same shoes. It was when I was put in a disciplinary action from the church that I was able to listen to the mourning of our community and repented. Do you have this mourning community? Do you listened to its lamentation? Are you mourning for others over their sins?
3. Humble yourself on your own. God told the king and the queen mother to come down from their thrones. He told them through Jeremiah to repent before Him, the eternal king, realizing that no thrones in the world last forever. Yet they didnt obey God and ended up being destroyed and taken as captives to Babylon. Arrogant people dont listen to anybody or anything. Are you sitting on your throne as a king or a queen, standing against God? Beware that its time for God to lower yourself. He will send us and our children, whom we want to make another king, as captives to our Babylon. We are holding our youth QT camp this week. Please give your children the opportunity to humble themselves and look up to the glorious crown through the camp. As for me, it was not easy for me to accept myself as a 100% sinner especially before my dad. I hope that we all will be able to throw away our own crown and repent, and return to God. For what crown in the world are you unable to humble yourself? Do you not care a fig for Gods judgment, thinking that your crown will last forever?
'Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken.' (Jer13:15)
