Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Jeremiah 23:16-29                    

Jeremiah 23:16-29

I cut my teeth on the Christian faith and the Bible under the radio teaching of a dear saint now with the Lord, Dr. Walter Martin. His fame came to him as an authority on non-Christian cults and false religious systems. His daily radio program (not podcast) was called “The Bible Answer Man” and he would take phone calls and help people to learn their way into God’s Word by contrasting true Bible interpretation with the spurious practices of groups like the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian Scientists, Muslims and others. It was a great way to learn the basics, the first steps of Bible understanding. Ask a teller in a bank about recognizing counterfeits and they will tell you that the best way is to get so familiar with the real thing that recognition of the false becomes a piece of cake.

You and I have the very same challenge before us as disciples of Jesus. How do you know when someone’s spin on a Bible passage is legit or a twisted conclusion? Well you and I have to know the real thing and that takes time and effort. It doesn’t come by just listening to a 20-minute sermon each week. God’s Old Testament people, although few had a copy of the Scriptures, devoted themselves to the teaching of the text by God-led teachers. When they trusted the promises of the God of Abraham and bore their fruit they did well. Most of the time they strayed and again and again God sent messengers to steer them back to the right path. Such a messenger was Jeremiah.

In our reading this week Jeremiah laments over God’s people listening to the “dreams” of the false prophets. And oh we have them in droves today in the visible Christian church. Those who stand up (usually on TV) and announce ,”The LORD has said, ‘You shall have peace’”; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you’” (Jer. 23:17b). And that’s where the rub comes. False prophets always tell us to “follow your heart.” Nothing could be more damaging because the human heart is not to be trusted. Never on its own. And certainly not when it entertains false teaching in God’s name.

Learn your faith. Better, learn THE faith. There is a message that comes from our Lord, and lots of them that don’t. Learn and treasure the true message of God’s Word and you’ll recognize the false every time.