Who is the Lord speaking to in Jeremiah 7? He tells Jeremiah to go stand in the gate to the Lord’s house. He’s speaking to people who are on their way to worship the Lord.

He doesn’t say what a sweet aroma their worship is. He says, “Change your ways.”

What ways need changing? Specifically, the Lord wants them to act justly toward one another and to not take advantage of the foreigner, the widow, or the fatherless. They are told to not shed innocent blood. I can see these things in America, from scam artists to abortion.

They are also told not to go after other gods, because it would be to their own harm. God is caring about them! He is their true help, hope, and salvation. No other god can save.

God warns them that they are trusting in lies. God will not accept the worship of unrepentant thieves, murders, adulterers, and liars. Remember that a murderer is one that hates, according to Jesus, and an adulterer is one who lusts.

God says, “Will you come here and proclaim, ‘We are delivered!’ and then just go on sinning?”

They are trusting in lies that make them believe they can still offer their worship to God while living in sin.

It reminds me of these verses from Romans 6. “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!”

Don’t trust in the lies that say the law and obedience don’t matter anymore. Yes, we are under the law of liberty now, but it’s because Christ has become our righteousness. We become slaves to righteousness. That’s the truth of the gospel.

If you are a slave to sin and not a slave to righteousness, then you are missing the good news, missing salvation. Don’t trust in lies. Trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His cleansing blood, and the overcoming power of the Spirit to deliver you from sin.