How will we respond?
I. Once AGAIN, Jeremiah LISTENS to God. (v.1-8)
A. God says, “WRITE it all DOWN.” (v.1-2)
B. Why? A HOPEFUL invitation to LISTEN. (v.3,7)
C. The word is WRITTEN and PROCLAIMED. (v.4-10)
Last week God told Jeremiah to serve some wine to the Recabites. This week he tells him to write down all the words that God has told him to share with the people of Israel. And Jeremiah again obeys what God commands him to do.
1. Kid’s Question: Have you ever felt like God told you to do something? Would you like to?
2. What stands out to you about why God had Jeremiah write this down? Have you ever viewed judgement passages in the Bible as invitations?
II. There are a VARIETY of RESPONSES. (v.11-32)
A. Lots of PEOPLE take NOTICE. (v.11-15)
B. These WORDS inspire FEAR. (v.11-19)
C. The King REJECTS and DESTROYS the scroll. (v.20-26)
D. God continues SPEAKING, but no one LISTENS. (v.27-32)
The words of God through Jeremiah cause quite a stir in the temple. They’re read in the courtyard, then in the room of the officials, and they make it all the way to the King. It’s interesting to see the responses of people all along the way. But ultimately what happens is not much.
3. What are the different responses to the Bible that you see in our culture today? Are they like the responses in Jeremiah 36 or different?
4. Are there passages in the Bible that you wish would just disappear? Which ones and why?
5. How can you know if you are willing to listen to what God says? What are some signs that you might not be willing?
III. LENT is for LISTENING. (James 1:22)
A. Real WORDS given to real PEOPLE. (v.11-15; 1 Pet. 1:23-25)
B. The CHALLENGE around AUTHORITY . (v.15-26; Jer. 44:28; Acts 7:51-53; Prov. 30:5-6)
C. HEARING always invites RESPONSE. (v.3,7,31; 1 Thes. 2:13)
D. Will you IGNORE or NEGOTIATE or RESPOND? (Josh. 1:8; Mt. 4:4; Heb 3:15)
Once again we circle back to this GBC Lenten theme – Lent is for listening. In our text it seems that really only Jeremiah and Baruch are the ones listening to the text. What are the other reactions to the text of God’s word and what are the underlying ideas that we might see there?
6. How important (scale of 1-10) do you think reading and interacting with the Bible is today? Does your own engagements with Scripture echo that number? Why or why not?
7. How willing are you to accept the full authority of the Scripture? How can you know that for sure? What complicates this question for you?
8. What do you do when the Bible disagrees with you? Do you find yourself negotiating? Ignoring? Responding?