When Praying Becomes Pointless

Jeremiah preached, but nobody listened. He poured his heart out & preached to repent of sin & return to the Lord as best he could with GOD’s help, but the people did not listen.

Jer 7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Jer 7:2 Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, & proclaim there this word, & say, Hear the word of the 

LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. (The people of Judah were religious but lost. They had fallen into the dangerous state of apostacy by pursuing other gods. Friend, a person can be religious & claim to worship the Lord; but give it time. If there is truly a heart of worship, worship of the Lord GOD alone, then it will be reflected in that person’s godly lifestyle & attitudes towards the things & ways of GOD. But, if one’s heart has departed from the Lord, that too will show up in an attitude of indifference toward GOD, His Word, & His messengers, & in a life of wickedness, despite religious activity)

Jer 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause

  you to dwell in this place.

Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple

   of the LORD, are these. (They thought the temple offered them security from the wages of sin. Not so!)

Jer 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a

   man and his neighbour;

Jer 7:6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this

   place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: (True Worship will be reflected in one’s ever day life.)

Jer 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

Jer 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. (A lot of people are trusting in lying words like

   false professions they made when they were younger which has not produced a supreme love & loyalty to 

   to the Lord Jesus Christ, nor a desire to obey His commands. But they cling to their lying words!)

Jer 7:9 (So, GOD exposes their lying words by their actions.) Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery,

   and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

Jer 7:10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are

   delivered to do all these abominations? (True believers are not saved to sin; they are saved from sin.)

Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I

    have seen it, saith the LORD. (GOD says, “I’ve seen your wicked ways. You are not fooling Me.”)

Jer 7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I

   did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.