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Jeremiah and Belt

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This is what the LORD says: 'In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt--completely useless!

(Jeremiah 13:9-10)

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Do you know who the prophet is with the nickname "Prophet of Tears"?

He is a prophet, Jeremiah.

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God called Jeremiah the Anathothite to be a prophet.
God delivered the Word to Jeremiah through various methods.

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Today, God gave Jeremiah the Word in a special way.
“Go, buy a belt of linen, and put it on your waist, so that it does not get wet.”
As God had said, Jeremiah bought a linen belt and put it around his waist. 

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God again spoke to Jeremiah.
“Go to the Euphrates, take the belt that you have bought, and put it on your waist,
and hide it in a crevice of the rock there.”
Jeremiah went to the Euphrates according to God's command.

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When Jeremiah arrived at the Euphrates, he did what God told him to do.

He hid the linen belt in a crevice of the rock by the water's edge.

And he came back.

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After a few days, God appeared to Jeremiah again and said to him.
“Now go to the Euphrates, dig in the hidden place, and bring the belt.”
Jeremiah went to the Euphrates where the linen belt was hidden.

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He took the belt out and brought it.
But the linen belt was so rotten that it could no longer be used.

The belt was no longer available to the waist.

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Then the voice of God came to Jeremiah.
“I, Jehovah, say to you. I will make the people of Judah, like this belt you are seeing now,
to be rotten because of their pride.”

God said that this linen belt symbolizes the people of Judah.

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God continued to speak.
“These wicked people refused to listen to me and lived according to their own        stubbornness. Because they served and worshiped other gods, I will make them  like this belt, which is now of no use.”
This meant that the people of Judah who had left God were no longer useful to God.

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A sturdy belt is the choice of people.

People use the belt critically to fasten their waist.

Belts are most valuable when used around people's waists.

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But the rotten belt no longer has value as a belt.

People no longer use that rotten belt.

The rotten belt becomes useless and is discarded.

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God has specially called and selected the people of Judah.

God valued them and wanted to use them for His work.

owever, the people of Judah were arrogant and rejected God's love.

And they forsook God, worshiped idols, and turned away from God.

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Their appearance has become useless like a rotten belt.
Now, God could no longer use them as His belt.

God had told him that he could no longer be with them who had become obsolete.

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Jeremiah delivered this word of God to the people of Judah.
And he told them to repent and turn to God, but they did not listen.
When Judas repented and returned, God restored them and tried to exalt them and use them.
But Israel rejected God's love and went on the road to destruction. Eventually, they were destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of  Babylon.

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Through today's Word, we must examine ourselves.

Like the people of Judah, we need to look at whether we are living according

to our own stubbornness rather than God's word. Before we become further away from God,
we must return to a life of keeping God's word.

When we repent and abide in the Word of God, we live with God like a belt around His waist.

I hope that all of us will enjoy the blessing of staying in the grace of God.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)