- Psalmody: Psalm 48:9-10; 1; Psalm 31:2b, 1a; Psalm 65:1, 4b; Psalm 18:27, 31a; Psalm 34:8
- Lection: Jeremiah 23:16–29; Romans 8:12–17; Matthew 7:15–23
In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
None of us should ever hope to be deceived. Whether we hear from our government, turn the television on for the news, read something online, or have a conversation with a neighbor, a meet, right, and salutary hope is that what we see or hear is the truth and not a lie. Unfortunately, dear Christian people, you cannot assume the good as much as you used to. Deception is a key strategy for those who seek to do evil in our day and we can see it even in what we’re willing to say or do if getting what we want is on the line. How is it then that we know that evil is what we receive from the children of the father of lies, the devil? The Lord Jesus says that the diseased tree bears bad fruit, but such fruit that is being hurled your way constantly is worse than bad. Rotten tomatoes are bad, but the bad spoken of by our Lord in St. Matthew is better understood as evil, as in it has an intent to go against you, to deceive you, and to rob you of the good that you and your Father in heaven seek. A diseased tree bears evil fruit.
The danger doesn’t exist just ‘out there’ in the big, bad world. The greater danger isn’t in being lied to about viruses, being deceived about jobs or the economy, or being convinced that war in a distant country supported by billions of your hard-earned dollars is good. Your greatest risk rather comes on the spiritual front of the war that you’re in against this world and its evil prince, for he has workers, wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing; wolves that appear to be of the flock by speaking the name of Jesus and sounding godly, yet are inwardly ravenous. No wolf disguises him- or herself as a sheep just so that the sheep will be accepting, supportive, and affirming the of the sheep self-identification choice. Exactly like what is reflected in the LGBTQIA+- (and whatever other symbols are added to the endless string of sexually immoral chosen labels), the intent is never just your ‘acceptance’. Anything evil seeking to infiltrate a collection of goodness is only done for the purpose of devouring and destroying that which is good; to overtake it. A wolf among sheep can only be bad news, it can only mean evil for the sheep. The sheep, God’s people, therefore, must be on guard and well-informed so that the eyes, teeth, growl, and stench of the wolf is picked up on immediately and before it’s too late to keep from being eaten by evil ones.
Yes, the world is full of deception, but your highest level of discernment must take place here and wherever else you hear the Word of God. My intention is never to deceive you or mislead you, yet you, dear sheep of Christ’s flock, carry much responsibility in weighing out what you hear, especially when it comes in the Name of the Lord. You cannot do this well unless it is you who reads the Bible every day, studies your Catechism, prays earnestly and fervently to your Father in heaven to give you His wisdom, awareness, and discernment. It takes work, serious ongoing training, to fight this war that we’re in. Our Lord warns us against false prophets who are ravenous wolves yet come in the good appearance of true men of God. Even Satan comes disguised as an angel of light, so it is impossible for a Christian to bank on first glances, gut feelings, first impressions, or quick judgments. When consequences are eternal, all of us, especially you, dear flock, are to judge. Since, in everyday living, you’re to judge things like how high to raise your foot as you go up steps; what to eat, or not, right before bed; whether to go sit out in the cool evening if storms are forecasted, then how much more important is it for you to judge for yourself whether to listen to someone just because they speak using Christian lingo?
We’re to judge if someone can be trusted around our loved ones. We’re to judge if a politician or ballot measure is worthy of our vote. We’re to judge above all what we’re hearing being said about God to be true according to His Word, because then all the other issues we face can be judged by the same dependable source. A few Sundays ago, we learned from our Lord how to judge each other properly. We’re to judge today, we see, even those who come clothed as prophet, as preacher, as pastor, or as anybody who says they come in the name of the Lord, be it on TV, podcast, book, internet, or to the front door. Accept no one wholesale, but examine all by what God says. No one is exempt from being rightly measured. Your soul is on the line. We are not to judge by personal opinions, feelings, or worldly reason, but solely by what we have been given from God in His Holy Word, because it is the only measuring stick by which anything in life and death can be fully and rightly examined, including the clown world cranking out the craziness all around you. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Therefore, if we do not know Scripture, we have neither the ability to discern what we hear from the pulpit nor what we hear from the faces and voices on our screens, whether they’re talking directly about God or about the events that are going on in His Creation.
Outside of God’s Word there is no hope of determining what is right and what is wrong. There is no assurance of the death of the Lord for our sins. There is no promise of life everlasting, not even written in the majestic heavens. Without the Word, there is no standard by which you can judge what a person is saying about God is either true or false. Without it, there is no way that you can filter out the evil spewed by the corrupt voices occupying positions of authority in our world. Nobody is inherently trustworthy in this regard. Anyone who stands in this pulpit, or any other pulpit, on any stage, at any conference, at any convention, on any radio program, TV screen or YouTube channel and speaks for God is to be examined as the Bereans did to St. Paul in Acts 17. “They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” They didn’t even take St. Paul at his word but went back to the revealed word of God to make sure the Apostle was staying true and faithful to the Lord. They did this because they loved the Scriptures and made sure they knew them. And Paul pointed to it in a more drastic way in saying that even if an angel from heaven were to come to you, measure their words by what their Creator has said. If an angel proclaims a different Gospel, he is anathema, he is condemned for all eternity for preaching a different salvation. The same goes for wolves who preach lies. Know the Scriptures so well for yourself, that even if I slip into unintentional error, you will catch it, call me on it, and we can rejoice in my repentance and correction together for the glory of God’s Holy Name.
If you are supposed to examine the words that you hear and are told, you must know how to read the measuring stick. You must be familiar with it well enough so that your spiritual sniffer is so in tune with the Word, that it can pick up on the slightest hint of error. That means that an hour on Sunday morning can, in no way, fully equip you to be able to know if you’re being deceived. Your responsibility, your welfare, your building up doesn’t lie solely on the shoulders of your pastor, but mostly on your spending time eating spiritual food daily just as you make sure you do with physical food for your body. If you’re unwilling to skip meals for a day, be even more unwilling to skip a day without consuming the Word.
Compare the short hours of this morning with all the others you’ll live in the world this week where there are predators seeking actual evil against you and where there is the prowling Lion seeking to destroy you by luring your heart and mind off the Lord. But even covered in wool, a wolf can’t change who he is. His self-serving predatory ways betray him. Measure all information, every ounce of it, by what the Bible teaches you and look for the fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5. This is how you guard yourself from being led astray. The words of a false prophet may sound right, but not all who say, “Lord, Lord,” are of Him. Their words may feel right, being God-talky and all, and you might even want them to sound right, because your flesh can be drawn to trusting smooth talk that seems like it’s godly and sincere. But none of that determines if it is right. Many a lie is wrapped in truth. The Word is what we’re to bank on instead of a person, a feeling, an intuition, or anything other than the Scriptures, which are all without error. The Scriptures aren’t able to contain any errors because they are the words of God Almighty. They will endure forever. They are the sure, clear rule by which to judge, by which to examine all things that you hear, not a select thing or two. Every single doctrine God has desired for us to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. In navigating our way through life, His word is a lamp unto our feet, and light unto our path. It is a wonderful, rich gift. There is no other source of light.
Know that our strong foe who seeks to twist it though cannot take you from the hand of Christ or snatch you out of His grasp. We’re not to fear the power of Satan but to be on guard against his lies and flaming darts of accusation and false teaching aimed at turning us from the Word. We’re to be on guard against the enemy within us that is susceptible to being tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Turn your ear to your dear Lord who has rescued you from death itself and holds you in His nail-scarred hand. That mighty right hand sacrificed Life for the forgiveness of your sins and it reaches out, beckoning you to stick close to Him and His Word so that you may rightly discern what you see and hear day and night. By His Word, you have the knowledge of salvation. By His Word, you discern and judge properly, both the world and those who claim, “thus saith the Lord.” By His Word, you have sure peace. By His word, you know that there are true prophets sent to you. As you spend regular time in it, pray that the Lord keeps you steadfast in His Word. Such is the Lord at work in you, by His Word, for you, giving you the weapons you need to fight in faith, to fight for the one true faith against false teaching that could wreck you. There are true prophets, thanks be to God. Pray that this pulpit always has one. Measure everything and enjoy all the rich, spiritual blessings the Father gives to you in His Son, the true Prophet whose truth will never fade away, devour you, or let you down.
In ✠ Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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