https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/The-Impenitent.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Jeremiah 26:1-15<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Jeremiah was told to warn the people of the doom that was approaching them<\/p>\n
A. God thought there might be chance that the people would change – Jeremiah 26:2-3<\/p>\n
B. Did they respond? Yes, but not in the right way – Jeremiah 26:8-9<\/p>\n C. Jeremiah again reminded them that if they would change, God would change His\nplans – Jeremiah 26:12-15\n
D. How is it, with clear and certain warnings, that people refuse to change?<\/p>\n
II. People refuse to change because they forget that God judges them<\/p>\n
A. People don’t change because they forget that God is there – Psalms 50:16-22<\/p>\n B. After documenting the depths of depravity that Israel had gone into – Isaiah\n57:11-12\n 1. They might claim that they lied because they were afraid, but it is just an\nexcuse\n
2. They had forgotten God, and His laws are no longer in their hearts<\/p>\n
3. Why? Because God chose to be silent and they stop fearing Him<\/p>\n 4. But what about all the good they had done? God could list them out, but\ntheir few righteous deeds will not atone for their depravity\n
C. God is longsuffering, but He doesn’t tolerate rebellion forever – Psalms 7:12-16<\/p>\n 1. It may seem as if God isn’t doing anything, but He is getting ready to\nstrike – Psalms 7:12-13\n
2. Meanwhile, the wicked continues his sins and gets worse – Psalms 7:14<\/p>\n 3. The wicked lays out a trap for others, but in the end, he traps himself –\nPsalms 7:15-16\n D. It is the nature of the evil to get worse when there are not immediate consequences\nand God uses that tendency against the wicked – Ecclesiastes 8:11-12\n 1. People often believe that if you give the evil pardon that they will turn\nfrom their evil, but it doesn’t work – Isaiah 26:10\n 2. People tend to believe that tomorrow will be like today. If nothing bad\nhappened to me today from doing evil, then I might assume that it will be\nthe same tomorrow.\n
3. This is why evil becomes a trap – Psalms 73:16-20<\/p>\n
III. People refuse to change because they have become bitter<\/p>\n A. Bitterness is not about what our circumstances make us become, but about how\nwe react to circumstances.\n 1. Some people experience a lot of hardships and misery but come through\nthem with a gracious spirit\n
2. Others go through similar experiences and become angry and embittered<\/p>\n
B. Esau is an example of this – Hebrews 12:15-17<\/p>\n 1. Esau refused to change, even though he wanted the benefits, because he\nhated his brother. He could not move past the wrongs he believed he\nsuffered at Jacob’s hand. His own feelings became his idol – a miserable\nand spiteful “god” who controlled his life.\n
2. He could not forgive what was done to him; thus, he would not change.<\/p>\n 3. It wasn’t a physical idol, but it was an idol of his own making –\nDeuteronomy 29:18\n C. A bitter person won’t forget. He constantly reviews the past and remembers every\nirritating detail. It dominates his thinking and chokes the life out of him.\n
D. Since he won’t let go, he won’t change – Ephesians 4:31-32<\/p>\n
IV. People refuse to change because they are just plan stubborn<\/p>\n A. God describes bringing terrible destruction on the Roman Empire for its sins, but\neven after the destruction, those who remained refuse to change – Revelation 9:20-21\n B. People get an idea of how things ought to be in their mind and it doesn’t matter\nthe evidence shown, they refuse to change.\n
C. Neither John nor Jesus were what people expected – Matthew 11:16-19<\/p>\n 1. Thus, despite all the miracles Jesus did, the Jews refused to change –\nMatthew 11:20-24\n
D. If we continue sinning, we can’t expect sympathy from God – Hebrews 10:26-27<\/p>\n 1. The idea here is of a person purposely choosing to remain in sin despite\nknowing that God told him not to sin.\n
2. It isn’t a weakness but a defiance of God.<\/p>\n
V. God doesn’t give up because people refuse to change<\/p>\n
A. Jesus warned that without change, we will perish – Luke 13:1-5<\/p>\n
B. The doom that has been prophesied is building – Romans 2:3-6<\/p>\n
C. Jerusalem was destroyed because Israel refused to repent of their sins.<\/p>\n
D. Do you think you’ll escape the anger of God while you remain in your sins?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 26:1-15 I. Jeremiah was told to warn the people of the doom that was approaching them A. God thought there might be chance that the people would change – Jeremiah 26:2-3 B. Did they respond? Yes, but not in the right way – Jeremiah 26:8-9 C. Jeremiah again reminded them that if…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[992,183,50,987],"class_list":["post-60001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-disobedience","tag-evil","tag-repentance","tag-wickedness"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14579,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-they-not-repent\/","url_meta":{"origin":60001,"position":0},"title":"Why Do They Not Repent?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 8:4-22 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Israel was in deep trouble because of her sins. Despite repeated warnings, she did not change. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Punishment would come so severely that people would prefer to die - Jeremiah 8:3 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But what God asks is: Why don\u2019t the fallen get back up?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12234,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-fall-of-zedekiah\/","url_meta":{"origin":60001,"position":1},"title":"The Fall of Zedekiah","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 52:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The fall of Jerusalem and the end of the kingdom of Judah was a sad time period. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Josiah was the last good king of Israel, but the kings that ruled after him did evil in the sight of God. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0King Jehoiachin began\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63285,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-preaching-of-jeremiah\/","url_meta":{"origin":60001,"position":2},"title":"The Preaching of Jeremiah","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 20, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 11:32-40 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As the southern nation of Judah rapidly slid into degradation, there was one bright moment before the end that came in the reign of Josiah. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was during his reign that God\u2019s covenant was rediscovered - II Kings 22:8-11 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Josiah understood what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22793,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dont-go-into-egypt\/","url_meta":{"origin":60001,"position":3},"title":"Don’t Go Into Egypt","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Jeremiah 42:1-6 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Imagine living during the last days of Judah \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Josiah was a wonderful king - II Kings 23:25 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But he was killed by the king of Egypt - II Kings 23:28-29 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But Jehoahaz, the king who succeeded him, only lasted three months - II Kings 23:31-33 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0His\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":98180,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/false-prophets-versus-true-prophets\/","url_meta":{"origin":60001,"position":4},"title":"False Prophets versus True Prophets","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Tommy Peeler Jeremiah 23:9-40 warns against false prophets. Jeremiah 23:16-22 makes some interesting contrasts between true and false prophets. This brief post focuses on these verses. The false prophets are destructive to themselves and the land. Their message came from \"their own imagination\" and was \"not from the mouth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18494,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/not-ashamed-to-sin-but-ashamed-to-repent\/","url_meta":{"origin":60001,"position":5},"title":"Not Ashamed to Sin, but Ashamed to Repent","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Daniel 9:4-19 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe left home to be a sailor against the wishes of his parents. He soon came to regret his decision, but he would not return home because he did not want to admit that he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60001\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}