The True and the False
Commentary
Much of the guidance given in Scripture has to do with enabling us to distinguish the true from the false. It is no easy task and is never taken lightly in the Bible.
Our Scriptures for this Sunday share that concern. In one, there is a concern for telling true prophets from false. In another, discerning between which proclamation about who God's love is reserved for is on the agenda. And in the other, one must choose between what seem to be contrasting views of God.
The truth is we are always having to make such decisions. The writer of the Hebrew letter gives good guidance in the last part of chapter 5 of his letter, when he makes it clear the best choosing is done by those who "have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil." The point is this is not something given at the outset of our decision-making that puts us on autopilot so we always know right and wrong. Like everyone else we must always be learners, seek to be growing, aspire to becoming more adept at discerning God's will.
Guidelines are always being given. Jeremiah says you can wait until you see how things turn out. Luke appeals to the nature of God and his love for all creation. The writer of the Hebrew letter reminds us, whether we respond out of fright or grace, we had better base what we commit to on a firm foundation.
The problem with many is they somehow manage to believe all they have to do is to make a confession of faith, be baptized, and join the church. That is all there is to it. Then, by some hook or crook, by guess and by golly, using their magic Ouiji board (the Bible) they can find a verse or a chapter a day that will get them through. The biblical appeal is we are always preparing, practicing, growing, and doing all those things which enable us to make right choices in life. That does not for a moment mean we always have to make the right choices or be lost. It does mean we are under command to always seek the right choices with the full understanding that God knows us and understands us. (See Psalm 103:8-14)
OUTLINE I
How to Identify a Prophet
Jeremiah 28:1-9
Introduction:You will remember from a previous sermon Jeremiah did not have the most popular job in town. Nobody wants to listen to a killjoy, a party pooper, and Jeremiah was surely in that mold. On the other hand, there were other persons who were saying things the people would much rather hear. Such a person was Hananiah.
Jeremiah's Burden. It was this prophet's unhappy task to seek to bring his people to terms with what was happening to them. They were being exiled because of their apostasy and disobedience. And, they were going to stay awhile. Many of them believed since their God, Jahweh, was the most powerful God in the universe they could not be permanently defeated. Jeremiah's case is succinctly put in chapter 3:6-14. God has a quarrel with Judah but it is a lover's quarrel. In the end, it is his purpose to redeem them if they will repent.
2. Hananiah's Alternative. For Hananiah the exile is to be temporary. Within two years God will show his power and bring them home. Contrary to Jeremiah's advice for the people to settle down and make the best of their situation, Hananiah has them refusing to unpack and waiting for deliverance. Read Jeremiah's recommendations in chapter 29:1-4.
3. Jeremiah's Test. One cannot help but admire the cool conclusion of Jeremiah. When push comes to shove, he says, you can tell a true prophet from a false one by whether the word of the prophet comes to pass. Now there is a simple insight if I ever heard one. But note something -- Jeremiah can talk like that because of his unshakeable faith he is on the right side. Anybody with any question at all would never be so bold. He is willing for things to go their course and then have his word validated by what takes place.
Conclusion: We hear much about prophesy these days. Right and left, all sorts of predictions are made. Right and left, they seem never to come true. Jeremiah's point is one we need to keep in mind. One has to be careful whether he is speaking what he would like to see -- what he wants God to do -- or whether he is speaking the will of God. It is one thing to speak the will of God and proclaim what God is doing in our midst -- that is prophecy -- and quite another to predict what God is going to do tomorrow. Then we are treading on God's prerogatives, limiting his freedom. Such is not available to us. It is okay to talk all we want about God's will, but to take away his calendar and begin to fill it in for him as did Hananiah is not given to us. Jeremiah is right. Time will tell who the real prophets are.
OUTLINE II
The Rude Surprise
Luke 13:22-30
Introduction: Luke seems, in my opinion, to always be hammering away at those who claim some special status with God. Remember, it is Luke who writes at a time when many Jews have bailed out of the new community of faith and many in the fellowship are now Gentiles. This is a matter of consternation for those Jews who were convinced God's favor was reserved for them alone. In the Scripture for today you will find his major theme in succinct form. Some of those who think they have a lock on God's favor are in for a rude surprise. Take a look at two sections of Luke's entire work and see how he lays out this theme.
Luke 4:16-30. Do some extensive work on this piece of Scripture which tells about Jesus going home to Nazareth and visiting the hometown synagogue. Here is favorite son come home. He is asked to read the lesson from the prophets for the day. He reads with skill and a sense of authority. While they are all speaking kind things about him he begins to comment on the lesson. He really gets into trouble when he begins to meddle and make illustrations. He dares to imply God favored people outside Israel over those in Israel. They did not want to hear that and were ready to pitch him off a cliff.
2. Acts 28:23-29. Keep in mind the fact that Luke wrote both the Gospel and the Book of Acts. In this story he has Paul meet with the Jewish leaders in Rome. Here Paul encounters the same exclusivist spirit which Jesus had encountered in Nazareth. The key is in verse 28. The same point is made in verse 29 of Luke 13. It is a major contention on the part of Luke that the doors of God's kingdom swing open for all. It is interesting to me he brackets his two-volume work with these two stories and then, all through his work, tells stories like the Good Samaritan and Peter's experiences at Joppa and Caesarea.
Conclusion: It can be easy for us to smirk at those narrow-minded people of 1,900 years ago and, all the while, be making daily assumptions we and our kind are especially favored by God. We count our blessings, look at our great land, and conclude God has smiled on America. To be white, male, young, and American is thought, by many, to be blessed with the greatest of all blessings. We are not much different from them. Luke's lesson serves as a rebuke and reminds us if we persist in such beliefs we, too, are in for a rude surprise.
OUTLINE III
The Unshakeable Kingdom
Hebrews 12:18-29
Introduction: It is always a good thing to go back and reread the Old Testament materials that lie behind New Testament writings. So, take time to turn to Exodus 19 and the surrounding material and get a fix on what the author is trying to say. Here we find contrast between the kind of fright which must have been present on that day at the foot of Sinai and the kind of joy that can come when one is invited to a festal gathering in the presence of a Lord who brings a gracious Word. But the fact the Word is gracious instead of threatening does not make it any less critical that we listen.
1. Salvation By Fright. You can surely dig up a good story or two at this point. I recall an old evangelist who once told me, in revival meetings he liked to walk people up to the edge of the pit and let them smell the fumes of hell. Like the proverbial Chicago cabdriver he probably scared more people out of hell (or vice versa) than many others. I remember a man who once exclaimed, "Scared religion ain't worth a damn."
2. Salvation By Grace. Here is a picture of a God who comes to us, who has offered us a new covenant through Jesus. We are to be overwhelmed by such love and such grace. Be careful or you will find yourself implying the God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath who scared people out of hell (or otherwise) while the God of the New Testament was a God of love. Before you know it you can stumble into heresy of Marcion. (A History Of Christianity, Latourette, p. 126.) Take time to check this out and do some work on it. I think the writer of Hebrews would not want to be associated with such an idea.
3. The Point. Just because one is not frightened is no reason to lay aside the urgency of making the right decision. All the more, because the grace of God is so unexpected, so undeserved, the motivation to response ought to be more powerful and certainly more willing and free.
Conclusion: What matters is to get life on a firm foundation. It is God who tests and shakes what we build. Take another look at the words of Jesus at the end of Matthew 7. The foundation does matter. Those who have based their hope on the graciousness of God are not afraid, do not cower in his presence, and are filled with joy. Those who base their salvation on keeping God at bay, worrying about when they will commit some wrong, constantly living under some great spiritual sword of Damocles, these are the anxious, the fearful, the uptight who have no joy and, if they can, make the rest of us miserable.
Our Scriptures for this Sunday share that concern. In one, there is a concern for telling true prophets from false. In another, discerning between which proclamation about who God's love is reserved for is on the agenda. And in the other, one must choose between what seem to be contrasting views of God.
The truth is we are always having to make such decisions. The writer of the Hebrew letter gives good guidance in the last part of chapter 5 of his letter, when he makes it clear the best choosing is done by those who "have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil." The point is this is not something given at the outset of our decision-making that puts us on autopilot so we always know right and wrong. Like everyone else we must always be learners, seek to be growing, aspire to becoming more adept at discerning God's will.
Guidelines are always being given. Jeremiah says you can wait until you see how things turn out. Luke appeals to the nature of God and his love for all creation. The writer of the Hebrew letter reminds us, whether we respond out of fright or grace, we had better base what we commit to on a firm foundation.
The problem with many is they somehow manage to believe all they have to do is to make a confession of faith, be baptized, and join the church. That is all there is to it. Then, by some hook or crook, by guess and by golly, using their magic Ouiji board (the Bible) they can find a verse or a chapter a day that will get them through. The biblical appeal is we are always preparing, practicing, growing, and doing all those things which enable us to make right choices in life. That does not for a moment mean we always have to make the right choices or be lost. It does mean we are under command to always seek the right choices with the full understanding that God knows us and understands us. (See Psalm 103:8-14)
OUTLINE I
How to Identify a Prophet
Jeremiah 28:1-9
Introduction:You will remember from a previous sermon Jeremiah did not have the most popular job in town. Nobody wants to listen to a killjoy, a party pooper, and Jeremiah was surely in that mold. On the other hand, there were other persons who were saying things the people would much rather hear. Such a person was Hananiah.
Jeremiah's Burden. It was this prophet's unhappy task to seek to bring his people to terms with what was happening to them. They were being exiled because of their apostasy and disobedience. And, they were going to stay awhile. Many of them believed since their God, Jahweh, was the most powerful God in the universe they could not be permanently defeated. Jeremiah's case is succinctly put in chapter 3:6-14. God has a quarrel with Judah but it is a lover's quarrel. In the end, it is his purpose to redeem them if they will repent.
2. Hananiah's Alternative. For Hananiah the exile is to be temporary. Within two years God will show his power and bring them home. Contrary to Jeremiah's advice for the people to settle down and make the best of their situation, Hananiah has them refusing to unpack and waiting for deliverance. Read Jeremiah's recommendations in chapter 29:1-4.
3. Jeremiah's Test. One cannot help but admire the cool conclusion of Jeremiah. When push comes to shove, he says, you can tell a true prophet from a false one by whether the word of the prophet comes to pass. Now there is a simple insight if I ever heard one. But note something -- Jeremiah can talk like that because of his unshakeable faith he is on the right side. Anybody with any question at all would never be so bold. He is willing for things to go their course and then have his word validated by what takes place.
Conclusion: We hear much about prophesy these days. Right and left, all sorts of predictions are made. Right and left, they seem never to come true. Jeremiah's point is one we need to keep in mind. One has to be careful whether he is speaking what he would like to see -- what he wants God to do -- or whether he is speaking the will of God. It is one thing to speak the will of God and proclaim what God is doing in our midst -- that is prophecy -- and quite another to predict what God is going to do tomorrow. Then we are treading on God's prerogatives, limiting his freedom. Such is not available to us. It is okay to talk all we want about God's will, but to take away his calendar and begin to fill it in for him as did Hananiah is not given to us. Jeremiah is right. Time will tell who the real prophets are.
OUTLINE II
The Rude Surprise
Luke 13:22-30
Introduction: Luke seems, in my opinion, to always be hammering away at those who claim some special status with God. Remember, it is Luke who writes at a time when many Jews have bailed out of the new community of faith and many in the fellowship are now Gentiles. This is a matter of consternation for those Jews who were convinced God's favor was reserved for them alone. In the Scripture for today you will find his major theme in succinct form. Some of those who think they have a lock on God's favor are in for a rude surprise. Take a look at two sections of Luke's entire work and see how he lays out this theme.
Luke 4:16-30. Do some extensive work on this piece of Scripture which tells about Jesus going home to Nazareth and visiting the hometown synagogue. Here is favorite son come home. He is asked to read the lesson from the prophets for the day. He reads with skill and a sense of authority. While they are all speaking kind things about him he begins to comment on the lesson. He really gets into trouble when he begins to meddle and make illustrations. He dares to imply God favored people outside Israel over those in Israel. They did not want to hear that and were ready to pitch him off a cliff.
2. Acts 28:23-29. Keep in mind the fact that Luke wrote both the Gospel and the Book of Acts. In this story he has Paul meet with the Jewish leaders in Rome. Here Paul encounters the same exclusivist spirit which Jesus had encountered in Nazareth. The key is in verse 28. The same point is made in verse 29 of Luke 13. It is a major contention on the part of Luke that the doors of God's kingdom swing open for all. It is interesting to me he brackets his two-volume work with these two stories and then, all through his work, tells stories like the Good Samaritan and Peter's experiences at Joppa and Caesarea.
Conclusion: It can be easy for us to smirk at those narrow-minded people of 1,900 years ago and, all the while, be making daily assumptions we and our kind are especially favored by God. We count our blessings, look at our great land, and conclude God has smiled on America. To be white, male, young, and American is thought, by many, to be blessed with the greatest of all blessings. We are not much different from them. Luke's lesson serves as a rebuke and reminds us if we persist in such beliefs we, too, are in for a rude surprise.
OUTLINE III
The Unshakeable Kingdom
Hebrews 12:18-29
Introduction: It is always a good thing to go back and reread the Old Testament materials that lie behind New Testament writings. So, take time to turn to Exodus 19 and the surrounding material and get a fix on what the author is trying to say. Here we find contrast between the kind of fright which must have been present on that day at the foot of Sinai and the kind of joy that can come when one is invited to a festal gathering in the presence of a Lord who brings a gracious Word. But the fact the Word is gracious instead of threatening does not make it any less critical that we listen.
1. Salvation By Fright. You can surely dig up a good story or two at this point. I recall an old evangelist who once told me, in revival meetings he liked to walk people up to the edge of the pit and let them smell the fumes of hell. Like the proverbial Chicago cabdriver he probably scared more people out of hell (or vice versa) than many others. I remember a man who once exclaimed, "Scared religion ain't worth a damn."
2. Salvation By Grace. Here is a picture of a God who comes to us, who has offered us a new covenant through Jesus. We are to be overwhelmed by such love and such grace. Be careful or you will find yourself implying the God of the Old Testament was a God of wrath who scared people out of hell (or otherwise) while the God of the New Testament was a God of love. Before you know it you can stumble into heresy of Marcion. (A History Of Christianity, Latourette, p. 126.) Take time to check this out and do some work on it. I think the writer of Hebrews would not want to be associated with such an idea.
3. The Point. Just because one is not frightened is no reason to lay aside the urgency of making the right decision. All the more, because the grace of God is so unexpected, so undeserved, the motivation to response ought to be more powerful and certainly more willing and free.
Conclusion: What matters is to get life on a firm foundation. It is God who tests and shakes what we build. Take another look at the words of Jesus at the end of Matthew 7. The foundation does matter. Those who have based their hope on the graciousness of God are not afraid, do not cower in his presence, and are filled with joy. Those who base their salvation on keeping God at bay, worrying about when they will commit some wrong, constantly living under some great spiritual sword of Damocles, these are the anxious, the fearful, the uptight who have no joy and, if they can, make the rest of us miserable.
