Jeremiah 23:16–29

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

¹⁶Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. ¹⁷They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" ¹⁸For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened? ¹⁹Behold, the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. ²⁰The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly. ²¹"I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. ²²But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds. ²³"Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? ²⁴Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. ²⁵I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, 'I have dreamed, I have dreamed!' ²⁶How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, ²⁷who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? ²⁸Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. ²⁹Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

Rumors began to circulate that disaster was at hand. Reports of impending doom appeared. People were afraid. The "experts" denied these reports and rumors. They said there was nothing to worry about and that everything would be okay. The people could continue to live the way they had without fear of consequence. We know now that they were lying.

In the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, cigarette advertisements were doctor approved. The links between smoking and cancer were becoming more apparent, and the public began to worry. In response, the tobacco companies used doctors, the authorities on health, to tell people that smoking was actually harmless. Only a few doctors lied, but too many doctors said nothing.

Who speaks the truth in our text? Yes, ancient Israel was no stranger to false prophets any more than we are today. Today in the political arena we have candidates on every side making wild claims and contradicting not just the other candidates, but even themselves so often. And all the while the people sense something is wrong but the politicians promise that everything will be just fine if I'm elected.

But it is not just politicians where you find false prophets. Right in the churches today are many false prophets. They are preaching the same thing as the false prophets in ancient Israel. Everything is fine. Nothing is going to happen. God is a god of love; he wouldn't send anyone to hell. The false prophets are lying (v 21). They preach a gospel without law. God says "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied." In our text, disaster is coming to God's people (vv 19–20). Judah has sinned against God and rejected him. Therefore, the storm of Yahweh goes out in rage. The people of Israel will suffer the consequences for their sin.

However, their "experts," professional prophets, are oblivious to or are ignoring the truth (v 18). "Who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?" These false prophets continue to tell the people not to worry or be afraid. Go on as you were. These prophets don't want to upset the status quo. They claim to be from God, but they speak from their own hearts (vv 16–17). They were, "...filling [the people] with vain hopes." They were preaching what the people wanted to hear. They were telling people they would be successful, victorious, that wealth would come their way. They were promising the victory of God's people. God would not punish his own people. He would bless them in spite of their sinful life. They could go on living in luxury and affluence, doing the sinful things they enjoyed, putting their hearts on false gods of prosperity and wealth, and everything would be just fine. God loved them and would not punish them or take into account their disobedience.

But, one man is telling the truth: Jeremiah. It's a difficult truth to hear. The truth says that the sin of God's people has consequences. This Word of God will break the people to their very core (v 29). "is not my word like fire, declares the lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" This harsh Word of God may hurt the listeners and cut them to the core, but it will also save them. By alerting them to the impending doom, they can turn away from their evil deeds (v 22). God says, "[if] they would have proclaimed my words to my people, they would have turned them from their evil way." What's the same hard truth for today? In our society, "sin" is a word that is no longer in fashion, even inside the church. Many churches no longer proclaim sin, judgment, repentance and salvation. Crosses have been removed from some churches, because it reminds people of God's punishment. The message across this country is success, affluence, prosperity. Many people don't believe that sin is even real. If it is, it's those "really bad" things—mass murder and terrorism, domestic violence, child abuse. Those "things" we do, things the church used to call "sin"—most people don't believe they have any real consequences. Today in many churches people don't believe there is any real consequence. They feel comfortable and don't really think God would punish them for their sin. God's wrath against sin—nothing but a fairy tale. Continue living the way that feels good. After all, I am baptized and confirmed. There's nothing to worry about. Everything will be just fine.

In the midst of these false prophets, there is one group that must tell the truth: the Church and its true prophets. God has given the Church his Word. He has spoken to us. We then are called to speak this Word with faithfulness (v 28) and denounce those prophets who say they speak for God but instead speak a lie. "Let him who has my word speak my word faithfully (28)."

The cigarette companies spent a lot of money to tell a lie. Society spends a lot of money and resources so that the Word of God is drowned out. Pop churches of "prosperity Gospel" often leave out sin, thinking it's not positive enough. We, the Church, must call out sin for what it is. We must draw attention to the ugliness that all humanity carries. We must say that because of sin, disaster is coming. Not because it'll make us popular—no! We'll surely draw the scorn of society and today's false teachers. We do so that people can turn and repent and be saved (v 22).

If that's true, is there any hope for us? There is hope, for God's wrath is for a purpose. God's Word and his wrath carry out the deliberation of his heart (v 20). And we know from Scripture that the deliberation of God's heart is good (Jn 3:16).

Yes, God's Word breaks down and destroys. However, there is another purpose of God's Word: forgiveness, life, and salvation. Jeremiah tells us that in the last days, we will understand this clearly (v 20; Heb 1:2). The Book of Hebrews tells us that in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son. God sends his Word made flesh, Jesus. He is the truth. He has taken the wrath of God against sin upon himself on the cross. By Jesus taking our wrath, we are now forgiven. To those who turn from their evil way there is forgiveness. Jesus has gone to the cross and paid the price of your rebellion and sin. Repent! For the sake of Jesus Christ God will forgive and restore you. There is forgiveness for your false gods of prosperity, wealth and pleasure God has granted forgiveness.

When we are baptized into Christ by water and the Word, the old Adam is smashed to pieces. But this death and destruction is for a purpose, because when the old life of sin is gone, we can receive the new life in Christ.

God's Word Speaks the Hard Truth about Sin

So That We Are Saved.

Hearing about our sin and its consequences is never easy, but it is lifesaving, because it turns us away from destruction and to the arms of Jesus. Jesus takes our sin and gives us forgiveness. For God's plan and his desire are not to condemn us, but to save us through his Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.