The first temptation in the Garden of Eden was so good that the devil continues to use it still today. Perhaps you have heard the temptation or may have even used it yourself. When Satan approached Eve he asked, “Did God really say . . .?” Today we may not hear those exact words, but we do hear that temptation. Usually what we hear is, “Did God really mean . . .?” When we question God and His Word, then we open ourselves to all sorts of temptations and sins and we can see that this has been happening in the Christian Church and in numerous denominations here in America for so many years that it simply does not seem to bother anyone that the church looks and acts like the culture so much so that all kinds of temptation and sins are tolerated. Unfortunately, even in our own church and denomination, too often people want to take God’s word as His opinion.
Getting to our text for this morning, we begin with the accusation against Jeremiah, verse eight, “8And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! 9Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord” (v. 8-9). Now remember, Jeremiah was not speaking his own words. He was speaking only the Words the Lord had given him to speak. And the Word the Lord had given him to speak was a word of destruction against Israel. And the people did not want to hear such words, even from God’s prophet.
So, the people accused Jeremiah of speaking blasphemy. They accused him of blasphemy because they knew that the verdict and penalty of blasphemy was to be stoned to death, so they make an accusation and stone him to death, at least that was their plan.
Fortunately for Jeremiah, the Jewish council heard what was happening to him and so they came to his rescue, in a way. We pick up at verse ten, “10When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and took their seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. 11Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, ‘This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears’” (v. 10-11). The ruling officials heard the news of the accusation against Jeremiah and, doing their civic duty they came to investigate these accusations.
The council called a hearing on the matter. The one side, the accusers, said that Jeremiah was deserving of death because he prophesied against the city and the people and so they believed he deserved to die. We might boil down their only accusation against Jeremiah as this, they did not like what he was saying about them. Notice, there was no concern about the merit of his words or the validity, simply, they did not like what he said.
In his defense, Jeremiah spoke, picking up at verse twelve, “12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, ‘The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. 14But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears’” (v. 12-15). Jeremiah’s defense was the fact that he was simply speaking the Word the Lord had given him to speak. These were not even his own words. He did not make up the words he was speaking. He was only the messenger.
The word of the Lord to the people through Jeremiah were words of warning and encouragement. They were warned of the determent of their sins, and they were encouraged to repent so the destruction of the city might not happen.
Jeremiah was not really concerned about his own life. He knew that his life was in God’s hands. He knew that truly, his life was not in the hands of the people and so he puts himself in the Lord’s hands and then in the hands of the people. He tells them they can do to him whatever they want. Jeremiah knows that if the Lord should allow the people to take his life that his salvation, that his eternal destiny is set, so he is not concerned about what will happen to himself.
Jeremiah put himself into the hands of the people, but he gave them the warning that they dare not bring innocent blood upon themselves, which is what they would be doing if they hurt or harmed him in any way, because he was simply the messenger.
So, what does this mean? Today, God’s usual way of coming to us and speaking to us is not directly. After Jesus’ ascension, the Apostles did signs and wonders, miracles and healings in order to attest to the validity of the word they were preaching. As the Apostles died off, so did the signs and wonders because they were no longer needed. Today, God’s usual way of speaking to us is through means and in particular through the means of His Word. Remember, we carry on a conversation with God when we speak to Him in prayer and when we allow Him to speak to us through our reading and hearing His Word. And the usual way we have of hearing the Lord’s Word today is through His Pastor/Teachers. In other words, When your pastor preaches God’s Word it should be heard as God’s Word. Now, certainly if I preach my opinion, which I have spoken my opinion on occasion, but with the preface that I was speaking my opinion, that is okay, but that should never be misunderstood and confused with God’s Word. So, when I preach God’s Word it is to be taken, heard, and believed as God’s Word and so not discarded and challenged.
Which means that we need to be as the Bereans and check what is spoken against the Word of the Lord. If the word that is spoken is clearly not God’s Word then we need to bring attention to the false word that is spoken. We need to let our pastor know that he has mis-spoken, according to God’s word. However, if it is God’s Word, if the pastor is speaking God’s Word, we need to listen. And not only listen, but we need to believe and live our lives accordingly.
In the beginning God spoke to His people, directly. Later God spoke to His people through prophets and priests. Later God had His prophets and priests write down His word. Ultimately God has spoken through His Son. I do so love John’s Gospel as it speaks of Jesus as being the Word, made flesh, tenting among us. Jesus is God’s Word made flesh, that is He is the fulfillment of all God’s law and promises. What all the people of all places of all times could not do, Jesus did, perfectly. Jesus lived perfectly. Jesus fulfilled all God’s laws perfectly. Jesus fulfilled all God’s promises perfectly and then He took all our sins, all the sins of all the people who have ever lived, who are alive and who ever will live, upon Himself and He suffered the eternal consequence even the eternal judgement, eternal spiritual death and hell for them, for us in our place. Jesus paid the price, the complete price for our sins and then died, but as we know, death and the grave had no power over Him as He rose again on the third day and showed Himself to be alive.
God continues to work with us today. God continues to give to us today and He continues to do so through means, namely through the means of grace, His Word and His Sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and through the means of confession and absolution. God gives faith forgiveness and life, even eternal life. First and foremost God gives through the means of His Word. When we read or hear God’s Word, we know that what it says is what it means. When God’s Word speaks of our sins then we know we are sinners. When God’s Word speaks of our forgiveness then we know we have forgiveness. For us to question God and His Word is to put us in jeopardy of falling for temptation and sin and to lose the very gifts our Lord has to give.
God gives through His Word and God gives through His means of grace. When we hear God’s word of law we are reminded of our sins. When we hear God’s word of Gospel we are moved to confess our sins and when we confess our sins then we hear His Word of absolution and we know our sins are forgiven because they are God’s Word of forgiveness. And God works through the simple, ordinary elements of water and bread and wine connected with His Word to do great things and to give great gifts. Remember, this is God’s usual way of coming to us and giving to us, that does not mean that God cannot use His unusual means and come to us and give to us directly. God can do whatever He wants, but His usual way is through means.
The question we might ask ourselves this morning is this: “What is our attitude toward God’s Word and His means of grace?” Do we tend to be like the children of Israel and dismiss what we do not want to hear, or do we recognize God’s Word and seek, with His help, to live according to His Word and will?
My job and my goal, as God’s called minister in this place, is to be able to preach a sermon in such a way so that when I am finished I can boldly and confidently say, “Thus says the Lord.” If I cannot do that, then you have every responsibility to question what is said. Otherwise, you are to be as the Bereans and as I preach God’s Word and as I am able to say, “Thus says the Lord,” then it is your responsibility to listen, to believe and to live according to what is spoken and you are the one who will be ultimately held responsible before the Lord.
My prayer, then, is that the Lord will guide us both so that for my part, I may, with all boldness and confidence proclaim God’s Word and deliver His gifts through that word so that when I am done speaking I may say, “Thus says the Lord.” And for your part my prayer is that you may hear God’s Word and be given His gifts through His Word, and sacraments, so that you may say with all boldness and confidence, “Yes, thus says the Lord” and then you may believe and live according to His Word so that we may one day together stand before the Lord’s throne and say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.