12th Sunday after Pentecost 8/15/10 Text: Jeremiah 23:16-29 Title: Signs of a false preacher
12th Sunday after Pentecost
08/15/10
Text: Jeremiah 23:16-29
Title: Signs of False Preachers
This week’s Bible readings just like last week talk to us about faith and its importance. To know what one believes in is critical, for faith in the wrong god will bring separation from God for all eternity, while faith in the true God; that is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will bring eternal life with God. There is no middle ground, so it is absolutely essential that you know that what you believe to be the truth and the way. You must know all you can about Jesus and his saving work, for there are those who will try to mislead you.
We are given in our Old Testament reading this morning an excellent example of what happens when false preachers mislead people. The people of Israel are under attack. Things are very bad for them. Prophets are running around telling the people that God will save them because God was in the temple and since they are God’s chosen people they shouldn’t worry. Just go on with your life. He will take care of you.
Jeremiah who was personally called by God to be a prophet to the people is telling them just the opposite. They are going to be hauled away because they, as a people had sinned and not repented before God. They are going to be punished because they listened to the false prophets who had led them away from God.
It is no different today, for there are false preachers running around all over the place telling people that things are going to be okay in their lives. They are telling them, “Give me money and you will be blessed.” “Help out the nation of Israel and you will be safe when Jesus comes back.” “Do this, do that, and God will like you more.” People flock to them by the thousands all because it sounds good. But it is not good, for the false preachers are not telling the people they are shepherding that belief in Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection is the only way to escape God’s wrath.
Just as it was in Jeremiah’s day it is critical for you to know if what is being taught is true to God’s Word, for any other message, even though it sounds good will lead to separation from God.
You need to know how to separate the wonderful golden words of God from the worthless ideas of false preachers, so you will not be mislead. God through the words of Jeremiah tells us several ways we can tell a false preacher from a true preacher.
False preachers speak from their own ideas instead of what is written in God’s Word. Oh, they might quote God’s Word, but they put their own twist on it which has nothing to do with what God wants us to know. A good example I ran across last week was a youtube video where a man twisted the Word of God, to prove what he was teaching, by saying that when God told Adam and Eve they could eat of anything in the Garden of Eden except the fruit of the tree of good and evil because they would die God actually meant by that statement that certain foods would cause death and thus you should only eat Old Testament approved foods.
While it is true that there are plants that will kill you, if you eat them he twisted the Word of God thus not teaching that eating the fruit of the tree of missed the whole point that the eating of the fruit from the tree of good and evil would cause not only temporal death to enter the world that knew no death, but most importantly it would cause eternal death. There are literally thousands of more examples I could give you, if I had the time. They preach and teach their own ideas, as they twist God’s Word, for their own gain.
False preachers preach feel good stuff, just like the prophets in Jeremiah’s day. They preach what people want to hear. Stuff like God loves you no matter what. He will accept you, if you just try hard enough. While the first statement is true, for God will always love you. That is why he died for all people. The second part which is tied to the first is completely false, for no matter how hard you try, it will never be enough.
False preachers preach that Jesus’ suffering and death was so that those who believe in him can have a good life free of financial worries and health problems. The New Testament clearly teaches just the opposite, for Jesus tells us that to follow him is going to be hard and maybe at times painful. You can see that in Epistle reading where you are told of the people of faith that died terrible deaths because of their faith in Jesus’ saving work.
False preachers will claim that they have a special knowledge of God’s Word that was hidden from other pastors and teachers. They will say that God spoke to them revealing some hidden truth that they only have. Run. Don’t walk away from those preachers, for they will drag you into the pit of unbelief. At the very least they will confuse you.
Last, but certainly not least, you can tell a false preacher because they will not teach that left to your own devices you are only worthy of God’s condemnation and not his forgiveness and salvation. Oh, they might say that Jesus died for your sins, but then turn right around and tell you that you must still do something else to make yourself right with God.
False preachers preach what people want to hear and people certainly do not want to hear that they deserve God’s condemnation, for everyone of us want to believe that there has to be some good in us that that makes God love us. Of course that is not what God’s Word teaches, but our old sinful self just does not want to accept the truth of our unworthiness to stand before God without Christ, so we naturally want to hear good things about ourselves.
As Christians we must know the truth, as it is recorded in God’s Holy Word to us today. There are going to be times when you will need to take a stand. We hear Jesus in Revelation 3:14-17 that we cannot be neutral when it comes to him. He is telling Saint John to write to the pastor of Laodicea which is in present day Turkey, “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15 "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."
Tough words that probably made you cringe. They make me cringe every time I hear them, for I know that many times I am lukewarm and thus stand guilty before God. We don’t need to be spit out of God’s mouth, that is for sure. It would not be a good thing.
We need to be able to take a stand in the face of adversity, for that is what being a Christian brings on in one’s life. Jesus tells us in our Gospel reading from Luke this morning that he is bringing fire on the earth. That fire is Jesus himself, as we know him in the Gospel. He causes division in the world. Just look around and see all the different religions. He does not want division, but he causes it, for you either are for him or against him. That is just the way it is.
Yes, Christ divides even though he died and won forgiveness for all people. Those who reject him, thus rejecting his forgiveness also reject his people. As each of you are quite aware of there has been for some time a growing hostility toward Christians in the United States. We are laughed at. We are ridiculed. We are silenced by laws. We are called ignorant and hateful for our stand against abortion and homosexuality even though God’s Word clearly teaches that they are sins like all other sins. We are under attack. We, as the people of God need to take a stand.
Now I know that is easier said than done, but you have the promise of God who cannot lie that he will give you the words you need to stand up for him.
Let us respond to God’s words to us today by standing up and singing the sermon hymn: Stand up, Stand up for Jesus. Amen
08/15/10
Text: Jeremiah 23:16-29
Title: Signs of False Preachers
This week’s Bible readings just like last week talk to us about faith and its importance. To know what one believes in is critical, for faith in the wrong god will bring separation from God for all eternity, while faith in the true God; that is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will bring eternal life with God. There is no middle ground, so it is absolutely essential that you know that what you believe to be the truth and the way. You must know all you can about Jesus and his saving work, for there are those who will try to mislead you.
We are given in our Old Testament reading this morning an excellent example of what happens when false preachers mislead people. The people of Israel are under attack. Things are very bad for them. Prophets are running around telling the people that God will save them because God was in the temple and since they are God’s chosen people they shouldn’t worry. Just go on with your life. He will take care of you.
Jeremiah who was personally called by God to be a prophet to the people is telling them just the opposite. They are going to be hauled away because they, as a people had sinned and not repented before God. They are going to be punished because they listened to the false prophets who had led them away from God.
It is no different today, for there are false preachers running around all over the place telling people that things are going to be okay in their lives. They are telling them, “Give me money and you will be blessed.” “Help out the nation of Israel and you will be safe when Jesus comes back.” “Do this, do that, and God will like you more.” People flock to them by the thousands all because it sounds good. But it is not good, for the false preachers are not telling the people they are shepherding that belief in Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection is the only way to escape God’s wrath.
Just as it was in Jeremiah’s day it is critical for you to know if what is being taught is true to God’s Word, for any other message, even though it sounds good will lead to separation from God.
You need to know how to separate the wonderful golden words of God from the worthless ideas of false preachers, so you will not be mislead. God through the words of Jeremiah tells us several ways we can tell a false preacher from a true preacher.
False preachers speak from their own ideas instead of what is written in God’s Word. Oh, they might quote God’s Word, but they put their own twist on it which has nothing to do with what God wants us to know. A good example I ran across last week was a youtube video where a man twisted the Word of God, to prove what he was teaching, by saying that when God told Adam and Eve they could eat of anything in the Garden of Eden except the fruit of the tree of good and evil because they would die God actually meant by that statement that certain foods would cause death and thus you should only eat Old Testament approved foods.
While it is true that there are plants that will kill you, if you eat them he twisted the Word of God thus not teaching that eating the fruit of the tree of missed the whole point that the eating of the fruit from the tree of good and evil would cause not only temporal death to enter the world that knew no death, but most importantly it would cause eternal death. There are literally thousands of more examples I could give you, if I had the time. They preach and teach their own ideas, as they twist God’s Word, for their own gain.
False preachers preach feel good stuff, just like the prophets in Jeremiah’s day. They preach what people want to hear. Stuff like God loves you no matter what. He will accept you, if you just try hard enough. While the first statement is true, for God will always love you. That is why he died for all people. The second part which is tied to the first is completely false, for no matter how hard you try, it will never be enough.
False preachers preach that Jesus’ suffering and death was so that those who believe in him can have a good life free of financial worries and health problems. The New Testament clearly teaches just the opposite, for Jesus tells us that to follow him is going to be hard and maybe at times painful. You can see that in Epistle reading where you are told of the people of faith that died terrible deaths because of their faith in Jesus’ saving work.
False preachers will claim that they have a special knowledge of God’s Word that was hidden from other pastors and teachers. They will say that God spoke to them revealing some hidden truth that they only have. Run. Don’t walk away from those preachers, for they will drag you into the pit of unbelief. At the very least they will confuse you.
Last, but certainly not least, you can tell a false preacher because they will not teach that left to your own devices you are only worthy of God’s condemnation and not his forgiveness and salvation. Oh, they might say that Jesus died for your sins, but then turn right around and tell you that you must still do something else to make yourself right with God.
False preachers preach what people want to hear and people certainly do not want to hear that they deserve God’s condemnation, for everyone of us want to believe that there has to be some good in us that that makes God love us. Of course that is not what God’s Word teaches, but our old sinful self just does not want to accept the truth of our unworthiness to stand before God without Christ, so we naturally want to hear good things about ourselves.
As Christians we must know the truth, as it is recorded in God’s Holy Word to us today. There are going to be times when you will need to take a stand. We hear Jesus in Revelation 3:14-17 that we cannot be neutral when it comes to him. He is telling Saint John to write to the pastor of Laodicea which is in present day Turkey, “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15 "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."
Tough words that probably made you cringe. They make me cringe every time I hear them, for I know that many times I am lukewarm and thus stand guilty before God. We don’t need to be spit out of God’s mouth, that is for sure. It would not be a good thing.
We need to be able to take a stand in the face of adversity, for that is what being a Christian brings on in one’s life. Jesus tells us in our Gospel reading from Luke this morning that he is bringing fire on the earth. That fire is Jesus himself, as we know him in the Gospel. He causes division in the world. Just look around and see all the different religions. He does not want division, but he causes it, for you either are for him or against him. That is just the way it is.
Yes, Christ divides even though he died and won forgiveness for all people. Those who reject him, thus rejecting his forgiveness also reject his people. As each of you are quite aware of there has been for some time a growing hostility toward Christians in the United States. We are laughed at. We are ridiculed. We are silenced by laws. We are called ignorant and hateful for our stand against abortion and homosexuality even though God’s Word clearly teaches that they are sins like all other sins. We are under attack. We, as the people of God need to take a stand.
Now I know that is easier said than done, but you have the promise of God who cannot lie that he will give you the words you need to stand up for him.
Let us respond to God’s words to us today by standing up and singing the sermon hymn: Stand up, Stand up for Jesus. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 3:59 PM
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