Jeremiah 7

Three times a year Jewish men were required to go to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast’s and what happens in this chapter could have been one of those times because the Lord is speaking through Jeremiah to the men at the gates of the temple. The message that Jeremiah was teaching to these temple(church) goers was that religious duties without obedience does not save. In fact, that is the kind of religion that brings judgment. You see these men would go in and offer sacrifices only to go and worship other gods and do shameful things.

What they failed to realize was that God did not just wan them 3 times a year to worship Him. God did not want them to worship when it was convenient for them. God wanted obedience from them. He wanted them to worship Him and trust in Him and live according to His Word all the time. This has huge meaning for us today.

Going to church does not mean that you have a relationship with God. Worshipping God does not mean that He accepts your worship. Even praying to God does not mean that you are going to Heaven. The real issue and the issue that the Lord is most concerned about is your heart. Where is your heart when you go to church, worship, or pray to God? Do you even think about God at all? Are you more concerned about looking spiritual to others? Isaiah says “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;” Is your heart committed to God? That is what God wants from us. He want’s us to turn everything over to Him and worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He want’s us to be obedient to His word.

How do you know that you are saved? How do you know that you have a relationship with Christ?  Jesus said in Matthew 12:50 “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” You know that your heart is on the Lord if you are doing to will of God; if you are obeying what the Bible says. This does not mean that you are saved by what you do because salvation is completely a work of God. But your salvation is proved by what you do; which is the point of James 2:20.