Tenth Sunday after Trinity (2024)
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Jeremiah 8:4-12
Jeremiah 8:4-12
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the passages that we have again this week look at the Law of God, and remind us once again that we should not be idle in our convictions or let our words be merely breath, but rather we are to be one of mind and body. Rather reminds us that we should not seek the wisdom of men or go chasing after dreams but rather remain in the Word of the Lord above all other things.
The Days of Jeremiah
Jeremiah has been given a message of woe.
The people have committed great sins and are forsaking the ways of God to chase after the desires of their hearts. Now this is not surprising for that is what sinners do, but there is a greater problem going on in the land as well.
The scribes have been lying to the people.
They have been misleading the people of God. Their task was to proclaim God’s word faithful and keep their personal visions and dreams to themselves, but they have been peddling the puffed up visions of men and are lying about what God has spoken. They are false shepherds, and it has gotten so bad, that when Jeremiah speaks God’s Word
The people refused to listen.
They claimed that the true prophet was the one who was lying, He was the one that was attempting to deceive the people. His message wasn’t the feel good message of the scribes, but the truth.
Comforting Lies
The people clung to the wisdom of men.
The wisdom of man never seeks to condemn men, but rather seeks ways to praise us for what we are already doing, and excusing that which we don’t want to stop. The best way to deal with this is to tell people they are doing what’s good, when they were
They were doing what feels right.
Not what God said is right, but whatever felt right. What this means is that you don’t have to consult God, you don’t have to look at His word, you are the one who determines what is right or wrong.
Backsliding means turning from God to follow your heart.
This has been the goal of many groups, and most recently, the spiritual but not religious. Because once God speaks you have religion, if you don’t want that, then you don’t want to listen God’s Word. You want to be God.
The Wisdom of God’s Word
It can be difficult to hear.
Especially when it contradicts things that we like or shows that we are wrong. Especially that which the world considers good or praiseworthy. Tolerance is praised, openness exalted, and love divine. Should tolerate sin and wickedness? Should we be open to evil? Does love keep us from warning our neighbors of their danger?
Better the truth than a lie.
Imagine for a moment, that your doctor operated in the same fashion. Do you want your doctor lying to you about your health, or a family member’s health? What if there was a treatment or cure, and they knew it, but they refused to tell you because they loved your money more than your well-being. Better the truth, even if its unpleasant. Why do we care more about temporal life, than eternal life?
God’s Word brings us to life.
It condemns the sin inside of us, and it hurts but it is a temporary pain in comparison with what awaits us in God’s Kingdom. Without God’s Word there is no salvation. For when we talk about the means of Grace, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, what gives them the ability to forgive sins, bestow eternal life, and give to us God’s grace is the Word.
It provides a firm foundation.
Not just for this life but for the the life to come, and that is why we need to be in God’s Word and hear even those passages that call out our sins, lest we perish eternally like fools who hear the truth and ignore it.
A World of Foolishness
People seek wisdom out.
They still do today, and they trying to find a way to live in this world. They are increasingly turning to things that are not of God. This isn’t just me, as I visit with other Pastors we see this on the rise across our nation. We are living in a society that is increasingly pagan.
They will look to anything except God.
They will look to the stars, they will look to ancient religions, nature, science, seeking voices to guide them in this life, but they will not open the Word and take the time to learn it. Because it proclaims what they don’t want to hear.
You won’t find peace in minds of men.
What you will consistently is a message of doing more and trying to find peace in a creation that is wearing out and that does not last. It’s like building a sand castle, and quite often in this world people wet the sand with their own sweat or tears, but it is constantly drying out, and the castles they build fall apart in their own hands. The Bible talks about this in Ecclesiastes.
Christ, The Wisdom of God
It’s foolishness to the world.
The world wants solutions to the present situations and doesn’t care about what happens in the long run. It thinks not in terms of eternity, but in preserving that which is perishing. Instead of building on that which is eternal, it continues building with Sand.
Christ is our rock.
He is our foundation, for in Him we witness God’s answer to the problems of this life. Does Christ bring healing? Does He give food to the hungry? Does He solve the problems of death? Yes, Jesus showed that God fulfills His promises and cares about not just our soul, but our bodies as well. So if God is for us, if Christ sacrificed His life to save ours, then the world’s pursuits become foolish. For they storing up treasures that don’t last.
Seek Christ first, then you have peace.
If you try to find peace without Jesus then you won’t find it. It’s like a farmer who is focused on a good harvest, but doesn’t pay any attention to the soil or the seed. Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, which is found in Jesus, and all these things shall be added unto you. For those who give in and embrace anxiety, worry, and the like don’t believe that God is watching over them.
The World Falls Apart Without God’s Wisdom
Without God’s Word, you have no anchor.
You are blown back and forth by the winds of the world, and when the storms come the world throws people into all manner of trouble and they find themselves drifting into strange corners of the world, that promise wisdom, but only bring death.
This is when people become captive.
They will be ensnared, I was visiting with another pastor and we are seeing an increase in the paganism of the old world coming back. One of the dangers is that we have been so used to living in a Christian society that was secularized that folks don’t recognize the works of satan. Even as he is putting them back in chains.
That’s when everything is lost.
People begin to live in darkness and they can’t figure out how or where to get home. So what hope do they have? Is there any that can be offered? Yes. Jesus came to seek and to save the Lost. That’s why the Scriptures praise the Word of God as lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It is our joy to share that with those lost in the darkness that they might know truth.
My Brothers and Sisters, a time of spiritual darkness is coming upon our country. It’s been building and its coming to a head. It’s like the days of Jeremiah, learn the Word of God, Cherish and Hold it close, for just as the wisemen of Jeremiah’s day were put to shame so too will all of those who cling to the wisdom of this world, be it modern philosophies, ancient paganism, or just ignorance. Remember what God has given us, His Holy Word in which is the Wisdom that all mankind seeks. Don’t fall back into sins that would separate you from Christ, for they will lead to your destruction, rather stay with Jesus who gave His life for you, who washed away your sins, and gives to you this day His Body and Blood. In Jesus’ name. Amen.