Responding to God's Word: Hear, Repent, Obey

Feb 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Hearing God's word can be difficult and uncomfortable.

God's word often calls us to change our ways and confronts our sin. This can be a challenging process, as our natural inclination is to resist correction. Yet, this confrontation is an act of love from a Father who has our best interests at heart. His discipline is meant to guide us away from destruction and toward life. The goal is not to shame us but to help us grow into the people He created us to be. [57:45]

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV)

Reflection: What is one area in your life where you instinctively resist God's correction, and what might it look like to receive His word in that area with a humble and open heart this week?

Day 2: We must focus on God's invitation, not just His warning.

It is easy to fixate on the consequences of sin that Scripture outlines. God’s heart, however, is always aimed at redemption and restoration. His warnings are given so that we might turn from paths that lead to death and embrace the life He offers. The call to repent is an invitation into a renewed relationship with Him, filled with grace and mercy. The focus should be on His promise of forgiveness, not just the reality of judgment. [01:08:16]

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NKJV)

Reflection: When you consider a personal failure or a recurring sin, are you more focused on the guilt of your action or on God's gracious invitation to turn back to Him? How can you shift your focus toward His promise of restoration today?

Day 3: Be a doer of the word, not a hearer only.

It is possible to acknowledge the truth of Scripture without allowing it to transform our actions. We can agree with a sermon or a verse yet remain unchanged in our daily habits and attitudes. True response to God’s word involves obedience that moves from the head to the heart and then to the hands. Faith is made complete by what we do, not just by what we know. [01:19:14]

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22, NKJV)

Reflection: Identify one specific truth from Scripture you have recently heard. What is one practical, concrete step you can take this week to move from simply agreeing with it to actively obeying it?

Day 4: Do not be swayed by popular opinion regarding God's truth.

Human opinion is often fickle and changes with the cultural winds. Our understanding of right and wrong must be anchored in the unchanging truth of God’s word, not in what feels easiest or most acceptable in the moment. This requires a commitment to know the Scriptures for ourselves, allowing them to shape our convictions rather than the loudest voices around us. [01:23:32]

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.” (Hebrews 13:8-9a, NKJV)

Reflection: Where do you see a clear teaching of Scripture conflicting with a popular opinion in your sphere of influence? How can you gently but firmly hold to God's truth in that area this week?

Day 5: Respond to God's word with courageous obedience and defense.

The most faithful response to God’s word is a willingness to obey it and even defend it, regardless of the cost. This kind of obedience trusts that God’s ways are best, even when they are difficult, unpopular, or lead us out of our comfort zone. It is a commitment to follow Christ’s example, who was obedient unto death, and to stand for truth in a world that often opposes it. [01:34:05]

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15, NKJV)

Reflection: Is there a situation in your life where God is calling you to a courageous step of obedience that feels risky? What would it look like to trust Him with the outcome and take that step?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah 26 examines how people respond when God’s Word confronts comfort, ritual, and reputation. The narrative places a prophetic warning squarely in the temple: if Judah persists in idolatry and immorality, the Lord will make the temple and city like Shiloh—abandoned, desolate, and bereft of divine glory. That warning comes with a clear conditional mercy: if the people amend their ways and obey, God will relent. The chapter records raw human reactions—outrage, legal posturing, selective hearing, fickleness, violent rejection, and a rare act of courage in defense of the prophet—revealing how fragile devotion can be when challenged.

The scene highlights three key considerations for how the Word lands in a community. First, honest hearing often feels painful; correction provokes resistance because it exposes sin and upsets comfort. Second, people tend to latch onto portions of Scripture that suit them—fixating on judgment while ignoring the adjacent call to repentance and restoration. Third, a spectrum of responses emerges: some hear but refuse to obey, some merely follow popular opinion, some angrily reject or rewrite Scripture, and a few stand and protect the truth even at personal risk. The inclusion of Uriah’s fate reminds that prophetic fidelity sometimes risks lethal consequences, while Ahikam’s intervention shows that faithful defense can preserve life and witness.

The theological thrust affirms that divine warnings flow from covenant love; judgment functions as both consequence and catalyst toward repentance. The narrative urges a posture of determined obedience: not selective reception of convenient truths but wholehearted surrender that listens to the whole Word, turns from wrongdoing, and acts—even when obedience is costly. The account closes with an invitation to a decisive response: trust the Savior provided for sinners, accept God’s corrective love, and commit to living under the authority of Scripture rather than under the sway of convenience, fear, or popularity.

Key Takeaways

1. Predetermine to obey God's Word Choosing obedience ahead of time changes moral reflexes; it makes correction less threatening and obedience more immediate when conviction comes. Predetermination cultivates humility: rather than arguing with Scripture, the heart arranges to trust God’s wisdom even when it hurts. This discipline weakens excuses born of pride and readies a life shaped by repentance and renewal. [45:19]
2. Hear all that God says God commanded not to diminish a single word, and selective hearing distorts covenant relationship. Fixating on one verse of judgment while ignoring the adjacent call to amend the way forfeits the very mercy the warning intends to secure. True hearing receives both indictment and invitation, letting rebuke lead to reformation rather than resentment. [49:28]
3. Repent to avert divine judgment God’s threats of doom always contain an exit: genuine repentance. The possibility of divine relenting shows that judgment functions as appeal, not mere punishment; it aims to restore covenant life. Turning from sin reunites honor with God’s house and preserves the community from the ruin that Shiloh exemplified. [49:51]
4. Defend truth even at cost A single faithful defender—Ahikam—prevented an unjust killing and preserved prophetic witness. Defending the Word requires study, courage, and willingness to suffer social backlash in order to protect truth for others. Such defense flows from love for God’s covenant and produces space for repentance and continued testimony. [1:31:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[40:04] - Opening and Scripture Reading
[40:53] - Central Question: How to Respond
[45:19] - Predetermine Obedience to God
[49:09] - Speak the Full Word, No Diminishing
[51:45] - Shiloh: Warning Illustrated
[1:00:23] - Temple Trial and Accusations
[1:06:03] - Call to Repentance Explained
[1:20:11] - Four Typical Responses to Scripture
[1:31:54] - Courageous Defense of the Prophet
[1:37:16] - Invitation, Decision, and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Jeremiah 26:1-24 (NKJV)

Observation questions

What specific warning did God command Jeremiah to deliver to the people in the temple, and what was the condition attached to it?
What were the immediate reactions of the priests, prophets, and all the people after hearing Jeremiah's message?
In his defense before the officials, what two key parts did Jeremiah's message contain? (Hint: See verses 12-13).
Who was Ahikam, and what specific action did he take that differed from the crowd?

Interpretation questions

The people focused on the warning of judgment but ignored the call to repentance. Why do people tend to fixate on the consequences of sin while dismissing the pathway to restoration God provides?
The officials and elders acknowledged Jeremiah did not deserve to die, yet the text implies they did not fully repent themselves. What does this reveal about the difference between intellectual agreement with God's Word and a heart transformed by it?
The account of Uriah's death is inserted into the narrative. What does this event illustrate about the potential cost of proclaiming God's truth, and how does it contrast with Jeremiah's outcome?
God's command to Jeremiah was to not "diminish a word." What is the danger of presenting only the parts of God's Word that are comfortable or palatable to an audience?

Application questions

Choosing obedience ahead of time changes moral reflexes; it makes correction less threatening and obedience more immediate when conviction comes. [45:19] What is one area of your life where you need to "predetermine" to obey God's Word before you even encounter a difficult situation?
Fixating on one verse of judgment while ignoring the adjacent call to amend the way forfeits the very mercy the warning intends to secure. [49:28] Is there a biblical truth you tend to resist or ignore because it feels painful, and how can you begin to embrace both the conviction and the invitation it offers?
The possibility of divine relenting shows that judgment functions as appeal, not mere punishment; it aims to restore covenant life. [49:51] Where in your life do you need to respond to God's corrective love with genuine repentance rather than with anger or bitterness?
A single faithful defender prevented an unjust killing and preserved prophetic witness. [01:31:54] When have you seen someone courageously defend biblical truth, and what was the outcome? What would it look like for you to be a defender of truth in your own circles, even if it comes at a personal cost?
Some people are fickle and just go along with popular opinion. [01:20:11] In what situations are you most tempted to be swayed by the loudest voice or the most popular opinion rather than by the consistent truth of Scripture?
How can studying God's Word for yourself help you move from being a hearer who is easily swayed to a doer who stands firm?

Sermon Clips

33s

#ChooseObedience

“Have you ever experienced that? Friends, that's why I believe we need to predetermine that we are going to obey God's word. Here's some predestination for you. Predetermine what that you're gonna obey God's word. That you are going to listen to what God's word has to say. That even when you don't agree with it, you're gonna trust that God's word is best, and you're gonna obey what it says.”

27s

#AmendYourWays

“Verse 13, he says, now therefore, So Jeremiah is making a point here. He said, yes. I'm preaching judgment, but look at this. Therefore, amend your ways and your your ways. Change what you're doing and obey the voice of the Lord and turn back to God. Obey the voice of the Lord your God, then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that he has pronounced against you.”

27s

#ReadKnowDefend

“Friends, that is how we need to respond to the word of God. Amen? Yes. Read it. Amen? Amen. Hear it. Listen to it. Pay attention to it. Love it. Obey it, friends. But even more than that, seek to know it. To to be able to defend it, friends, to stand up for it and to proclaim it.”

38s

#LearnObedience

“Friends, Jeremiah responded to the word of God with obedience. He didn't want to at first go all the back to the first chapter. Oh, God, not me. You know, very similar to Moses. God, I I I I'm not your guy. I can't speak. I'm whatever. But what we see here is Jeremiah continually learned obedience. Jeremiah became a man when God spoke, he was God's man. God called him to say some pretty difficult things to some pretty difficult people who became increasingly hostile to him the more he had to say to them from God.”

48s

#ObeyWhenItsHard

“My question for you this morning is, how about you? Friends, will you obey God's word even when it's hard? Will you obey the word of God Even when you don't want to, even in the simple things of life, forgiving somebody, being nice and kind to somebody who's mean and ugly to you. Friends, those are the everyday things of life that we need to obey God in. Amen? Will you obey the word of God even when it goes against every fiber of your being? How dare they treat me that way? I can't be nice to them.”

31s

#SpeakTruthBoldly

“tell them what I tell you to say and don't sugarcoat it. Don't back off of it. Don't think, well, I'm gonna kinda give them a little bit. Then no, don't don't diminish a word. Give it all to them. Let them hear the strength of what I have to say to them. Verse three. Perhaps, everyone will listen and turn from his evil way that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purposed to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.”

32s

#CallToRepent

“And he keeps saying, perhaps they will hear this judgment and will repent. Now, we know friends, God knows already what the people were gonna do and how they're gonna respond, but he's giving them every chance, every opportunity in the book to do what? Repent. To repent. To repent. And Jeremiah continues to proclaim to them just like, and we're gonna see this in just a second, all the prophets before him and some some even at that same time were telling them also to repent.”

29s

#ListenToCorrection

“Number one, he's trying to keep us from going to hell and help us become part of his family. He sent Jesus as we've talked to pastor Brandon so wonderfully explained to us this morning to die for us so that we can be a part of his family. Amen? Amen. So understand that God's trying to help you. Understand that God has your best interest at heart, friends, and learn to listen to correction without getting mad and without getting upset.”

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