This sermon emphasizes the importance of obeying and being a doer of the Word of God, using the story of King Zedekiah's disobedience as a cautionary tale. It highlights the consequences of not following God's commands, the impact of disobedience on one's life and those around them, and the need to prioritize God's Word over the fear of man's opinions or mockery.

Now let's turn in our Bibles to Psalm 9 for the scripture reading this morning. I'll read the first, the outnumbered verses, and we ask you to join together as you read the even-numbered verses, and shall we stand as we read the ninth Psalm. I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart. I will show forth all thy marvelous works. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. Thou hast rebuked the heathen, and thou hast destroyed the wicked, and thou hast put out their name forever and ever. But the Lord shall endure forever, and he hath prepared his throne for judgment. The Lord will also be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in the times of trouble. Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion. Declare among the people all his doings. Have mercy upon me, O Lord. Consider my trouble, which I suffer of them that hate me. Now liftest me up from the gates of death. The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they have made, and in the net which they hid, for their own foot they have been taken. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and the nations that forget God. For the heathen shall not always be proud. The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. Arise, O Lord, let not men prevail. Let the heathen be judged in thy sight. For the heathen fear the Lord, and the nations bring no themselves to be condemned. Let's pray. Father, as we have gathered together today to hear your word, to hear from you, we ask, Lord, that you will give to us hearts that will be receptive and pliable, so that your word, Lord, might bring changes into our lives where necessary. Touch, we pray, our hearts with your love and with your truth, and may we be doers of your word in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. Tonight, Pastor Skip will continue to lead us in our study through the word. We encourage you to come on out and join with us this evening for our studies going through the Bible. Tonight, Jeremiah chapter 36 through 37, it is. We did 36 last night, last week. 37 through 39, or at least through 38. This morning, I'd like to draw your attention to the 14th verse of chapter 38 of the book of Jeremiah. And here we read, Then Zedekiah the king sent and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him in the third entry, that is, in the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, I will ask you a thing. Hide nothing from me. Jeremiah has been summoned by the king. It's been a secret summoning, but King Zedekiah wants to hear the word of the Lord. King Zedekiah is very concerned about the future. He wants to know what God is saying concerning the future. And so he calls for Jeremiah to come and share with him the word of the Lord. Interesting how that many people are interested to hear what God has to say. Zedekiah was wanting to know what the future held for him. Many people are curious about the future. People go to fortune tellers or psychics to try to get some insight as to what the future holds. There used to be a song called, Que Sera Sera. And the lyric went, I, when I was a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? This is what she said to me. Que Sera Sera, what will be will be. But from even early childhood, little children wonder what the future holds for them. And because the Bible is a book that deals with future events, many people turn to the Bible to find out what the future holds. Today, when there is some major catastrophe or major event in the world, people are always interested, does this have a prophetic significance? Is there something in the Bible that would give us insight as to what is happening in our world today? Some people have a curiosity to hear what God has to say. And they search the Bible, but with ulterior motives. They are searching the Bible to find some contradiction. They are looking for errors. They are looking for something where they can point and say, oh, you see, the Bible isn't really the word of God. It's a book of superstitions and myths, but it really isn't God's word. And the reason why they do this is because they want to live a lifestyle that is condemned by the Bible. And they feel that if they can find some kind of a contradiction, and they can say, well, the Bible isn't really God's word, that they can then live in their wickedness and still have peace of mind. But that's impossible. The Bible says there is no rest for the wicked. You can never live a wicked life and find peace of mind, but you'll find there will always be that consciousness, that conviction of sin. Some people want to hear what God says just out of curiosity. They're not really interested in obeying the word of God, but just curious what the Lord has to say about certain things. Some people's interest in the Bible is purely in a literary sense. Many schools offer courses as the Bible as literature, and so people are studying it from its literary value. But it does seem that there is an overall interest in what God has to say. Zedekiah had brought Zechariah to the third entrance, it says, of the temple. Now, the first entrance to the temple was the public entrance, where the general public entered in to the temple courts. The second entrance to the temple was where the priest would enter. The third entrance was the private entrance of the king. There was a corridor that led from the king's palace to the temple so that he could come into the temple to worship without having to go through the crowds of people. It was a very private place, a very secret place. And Jeremiah has been summoned by King Zedekiah to this meeting place there in the third entrance to the temple. He desired to hear the word of the Lord, but he didn't want other people to know that he desired to hear the word of the Lord. He more or less swore Jeremiah to secrecy, don't let anybody know that I called you to find out the word of the Lord. I do believe that deep down in the heart of every man, there is a desire to know what God is saying. Some of you here today might be here because you have a desire to know what God's word is saying. However, you don't want other people to know that you have this desire, like King Zedekiah. So when you left for church today and some of your friends said, well, where are you going? You said, oh, I'm just going to go out for a while, take a little drive and, you know, or heading to the mall or gave some excuse so that they wouldn't say to you, you mean you're going to church? Well, what do you want to do that for, you know? And, and, and so you've, you've passed it off, but really in your heart, you're being drawn by the spirit to hear the word of God. And you want to know what God does have to say. Jeremiah was reluctant to tell the king the word of the Lord. First, he said to the king, if I tell you what God is saying, you might want to put me to death. More than once, Jeremiah's life had been threatened because he dared to speak the word of the Lord to the people. In fact, as you read in chapter 37 or 38 here, just before Zedekiah called him, Jeremiah, in the earlier part of this chapter, had been in the dungeon there in the court of the king. He had been put in the dungeon by the princes because of his speaking the word of the Lord. And they were planning to just let him starve to death there in the dungeon. There was no water in the bottom of the dungeon, only mud, and as they let him down, he sunk into the mire, it says. And it had it not been for the bravery of Ebed Melech, this Ethiopian, Jeremiah might well have died there in the dungeon. But Ebed Melech took some ropes and let them down, and he, with friends, lifted Jeremiah out of that dungeon. Jeremiah's life was spared. And then King Zedekiah, right after that, called Jeremiah for this secret meeting. And Jeremiah was curious as to why, and a little concerned that the king, in hearing the word of God, would only condemn him to death. People often do not want to hear what God has to say. And because they can't really attack God directly, they want to attack the messengers of God who are bringing them God's word. The second reason why Jeremiah was reluctant to tell King Zedekiah what God was saying was that he said, if I tell you, you're not going to obey the word of God anyhow, so why should I tell you? I can understand exactly the feeling that Jeremiah had in his reluctance to counsel the king with the word of God. Several years ago, we had a little church up in the northern part of the country that had written to us requesting that we send them a pastor. They were an independent church, and they had no pool to draw from. And so, I had a young man who was very pushy, wanting to get into the ministry, so I gave him the address of this church. And he made contact with them, and he said, they've accepted me. They want me to come as a pastor. So I said, well, let me counsel you. They don't know you, so when you go, don't make any changes immediately. If there are things that need to be changed, minister to them for a couple of years. Let them become used to receiving God's word from you. Let them know of your love for them and concern. And after a couple of years, you can suggest that maybe certain changes should be made, and in that length of time, they'll probably be ready to make them. But don't make any immediate changes. So he took off. After two weeks, I got a call from him. He said, I just fired the whole board last night. I said, I told you, don't make any immediate changes. Why would you do that? Oh, they weren't cooperating, and you know, and a few days later, I got another call. He said, they fired me last night. What should I do now? I said, why should I tell you? Why should I try to counsel you? You don't listen to what I say. You did exactly the opposite of what I told you to do. Why should I even try to counsel you now? Well, that's basically where Jeremiah was. Here the king is saying, what is God saying? Why should I tell you? You haven't been listening. You haven't been obeying what God is saying. Why should I even tell you? I think that many times ministers do get weary of bringing God's word to the people, because the people may listen and may even agree, but often they never apply the truth in their life. The Bible tells us that we should be doers of the word, and not hearers, only deceiving ourselves. Many people make the mistake of thinking that because they have the word of God, because they listen to the word of God, because they affirm their belief in the word of God, that they're okay. Though they may not be keeping the word of God, yet as long as they can say amen to the word of God, they feel that that's sufficient. Paul wrote to the Romans, and he said, it is not those that hear the law that are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. You are called a Jew, and you rest yourself in the fact that you have the law, and you make your boast of God, that you know his will, that you approve the things that are excellent, because you are instructed out of the law, and you are confident that you're a guide for the blind. You're a light to those who are in darkness. You're an instructor to those that are ignorant. You're a teacher of babes, which have a form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. But you that teach others, do you not teach yourself? You that teach that men should not steal, but do you steal? You teach that man should not commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You boast that you have the law, but through breaking the law, you actually dishonor God. You see, the word of God is really of no value if I'm not obeying the word of God, if I'm not keeping the word of God. Now, King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, tell me God's word, I make a vow, I will not put you to death. And so he's promising Jeremiah that he won't react and respond by ordering his death, but Jeremiah's not to let anybody know that he gave God's word to the king. So Jeremiah said to him, this is what God says, if you will surrender to the king of Babylon, your sons will live, you will be spared, and the city of Jerusalem will be spared destruction. Jeremiah pleaded with him, obey what God is saying, go out and make a treaty, submit to the king of Babylon. Jeremiah said, if you don't, if you try to rebel against him, then you will lose your kingdom, you will see Jerusalem destroyed by fire, and your family will all be taken from you. Now, the tragedy is that after Jeremiah told Zedekiah the word of the Lord, Zedekiah did not obey, he did just the opposite of what the Lord had said. He told Jeremiah, I'm afraid to do that, if I go out to the king, the people will mock me, they will call me a coward. And for fear of what the people might think or say of him, he did not obey the word of the Lord. The Bible tells us that the fear of man is a snare, and he fell into that snare. He feared what people might say of him. There are some people today that are fearful of making their claim of faith in Jesus Christ because of what others might say, or how others may react. If I tell people I'm a Christian, they may mock me, they may make fun of me. And thus, for fear of being mocked, Zedekiah did not follow the word of the Lord. Some sitting in church today, you've heard the word of God over and over, but you haven't obeyed the word of God. Some have been avid listeners of the word of God, and yet they've never acted upon it, and are lost. Jesus spoke of the folly of those who heard the word of God, but didn't keep it. He likened them unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand, and when the winds came, and the storm, and the flood, the house built on the sand fell. He said, great was the fall of it. So are they who hear the word of God, but don't do it. You can't escape the storms of life, they will come. And if you have built your life upon a sandy foundation, not keeping the word of God, when those trials, when those tests, when those storms come, you will not be able to stand. You will find that the house will collapse. Luke tells us that one day Jesus was preaching to a crowd of people, and there was a woman out of the crowd that cried, blessed is your mother, blessed is the one who held you to her breast, that you might nurse. And Jesus said, yes, but rather blessed are they who hear my word, and do it, and keep it. I want to give you the word of God today, straight from the Bible. Some of you might want to kill me after I'm through, but at least you'll know what God has said. The day seems to be coming when it will be a crime to read these passages of Scripture that I want to read to you this morning. Already in Sweden, it is a crime. There was a pastor that spent over a month in jail in Sweden just a few months ago because he read some of these passages of Scripture in his church. Canada is now framing a law similar to the law that is in Sweden that prohibits certain passages of Scripture from being read publicly. Of course, the homosexual community is pushing for such an agenda here in the United States. They really don't want to hear the word of God, because it speaks against their chosen lifestyle. But here's what God says, 1 Corinthians 6.9, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither the sexually immoral, or idolaters, or adulterers, or the male prostitutes, or the homosexual offenders, or thieves, or greedy, or drunkards, or slanders, or swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Ephesians 5. Fornication, that is living together without being married, or any kind of sexual immorality, or impurity, or greed, should never be a part of your life, for these are improper for God's holy people. Also, you should never use any obscenity, or tell coarse jokes which are out of place for the child of God. For you can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of such things, the wrath of God is going to come upon the world. Galatians 6. Paul said, Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. If you sow to your flesh, you're gonna reap corruption. But if you sow to the Spirit, then of the Spirit you will reap life everlasting. In Galatians 5, Paul said, Now these are the works of the flesh. Sexual immorality, sexual impurities, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy, drunken orgies, and other such things. Now I've told you before in times past, that they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. John writes in Revelation 21 5, He that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. He said to me, Write, for these words are true. They are faithful. He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will allow him that is thirsty to drink of the fountains of the water of life freely. And he that overcomes shall inherit all things. I will be his God. He shall be my son. But the fearful, the unbelievers, the vile, the murderers, the whoremongers, the drug addicts, the idolaters, and all liars shall have their place in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. It's a very painful thing to realize that there have been many people who have come to church week after week to hear what God has to say, but they have never become doers of the Word. Their lifestyles have not been changed or altered by the Word of God. They still go on in their sin, in their unrighteousness, and unless they change to realize that they are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. They've been close, they've been to the gate, but they will not inherit the kingdom of God according to the Scriptures. They're deceived. The very thing that the Scripture warns them against, deception. They think that because they are here, that sort of seals their fate in the kingdom of heaven. Not so. It's being a doer of the Word that is important. King Zedekiah, when he heard the word of Jeremiah, he said, I'm not going to kill you as long as you don't tell others that you met with me here in secret. But if others find out, then I'll take care of you. He was afraid to obey God's Word. His disobedience was very costly personally to himself. He did meet the king of Babylon, but not on good terms. When he met the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar railed against him and ordered that his sons be killed before his very eyes. He watched his sons being put to death, and then watching that, they then put out his eyes, gouged them out, and they had to lead him to Babylon blinded. But not only that, his wives were all taken from him. He went into total bondage, but worse than that, thousands of people died in Jerusalem under the siege because he didn't obey the Word of God. It didn't just affect him personally, it affected the nation. It affected the city of Jerusalem, because even as Jeremiah told him, the Babylonians did conquer Jerusalem. They razed the city, and they burnt it with fire. It became just a pile of rubble, all because one man was afraid of being mocked if he kept the Word of God. What a price he paid for not keeping God's Word. Think for a moment what it's costing you not to obey the Word of God. Costing you eternal separation from the Kingdom of God. Many times, however, your disobedience like that of King Zedekiah doesn't just affect you, but it affects those who look to you for guidance. Those whose lives are influenced by your life, your children, your family, oftentimes are lost because you are afraid to obey God. You're afraid to publicly declare your faith in Jesus Christ. You're not a doer of the Word. Oh, a hearer, yes, but it hasn't altered your life. Think about it. Serious business. Hearing the Word of God is not enough. It's important that we keep the Word of God. Father, today as we are here, listening to your Word, listening to the commandments, listening to the things that you have forbidden us to do. Help us, Lord, not to be deceived. Realizing, Lord, that whatever we sow we're going to reap, and we cannot sow to the flesh and reap of the Spirit. For those today, Lord, who are worried about what others might say or think, worried about someone making fun of them, Lord, help them to consider the consequences consequences of not responding to Your Word, not obeying what You have said. Lord, may they realize the importance of being a doer of the Word. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.