Steadfast in the Word

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word;

Curb those who by deceit or sword

Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son

And bring to naught all He has done (LSB 655.1).

Thus we sing, and thus we pray – that our Lord would keep us steadfast in His Word. Not in my word or your word, or the word of the false prophets of this or any age. Steadfast in His Word, which stands forever, true and certain and unchanging.

The Word of the Lord stands forever. Despite the changes and chances of life, it remains. Despite the whims and wishes of men, it remains. Despite the ignorance and foolishness of the world, it remains. The Word of the Lord remains forever, because the Word Incarnate remains forever. God does not change, and so neither does His Word. He is not false, and neither is it.

But, even though the Word of the Lord remains forever, unchanging and undimmed, the will of men and the deceitfulness of the human heart seek after another word. The word of false prophets, the word of false religions, the word of anyone but God. After all, His Word is hard, “like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces”. That is not a nice word. That is not a pleasant word. That is not a “let's all get along” word.

The Word of the Lord is sometimes harsh. The Word of the Lord is judgmental and unwavering and uncompromising. The Word of the Lord sets a standard that is not easy or fun or designed to make anyone feel good. The Word of the Lord brings disaster upon sinners.

The trouble is that this world is full of false prophets of every stripe and sort. There are plenty of those who sound like what the Lord describes to Jeremiah: “They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They 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.'”

Just this past week, the ELCA met in its biennial Churchwide Assembly. In its course, this assembly elected a woman to be the fourth Presiding Bishop of the ELCA. Of course, this should surprise no one, since one of the founding tenets of the ELCA has been the ordination of women into the Office of the Holy Ministry. This is a vain hope, such as the Prophet warns about. Indeed, “who has paid attention to His Word and listened?”

When one heeds the Word of the Lord and listens to it as “the only judge, rule, and standard, according to which, as the only test-stone, all dogmas shall and must be discerned and judged, as to whether they are good or evil, right or wrong” (FC Ep Summ 7), one must reject all the errors which Scriptures condemn. It is not a matter of the bound conscience, of evolving social consciousness, or of any human standard to determine doctrine.

When the prophets of the age take it upon themselves to declare as a word from the Lord what the Lord Himself has not spoken, they proclaim nothing but ruin and condemnation. Lies and falsehood can only come from the father of lies, and they can only lead back to him and to his domain, which is hell.

The will of God is that all men be saved and come to knowledge of the Truth, that is, of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In order for that will to be done, the preaching of the Word must include the true and unflinching proclamation of the Law of God in all its bitterness and sternness. The Truth includes the truth about your own sinful heart, which is full of lies.

In Jeremiah's day, the prophets of the day walked about amongst the people, spouting all kinds of nice, pious-sounding platitudes that soothing the itching ears of the people who would not listen to the Word of the Lord. In the midst of turmoil within and without, in the face of the invasion of the Babylonian army, the people preferred to listen to the false prophets proclaiming a message of peace and comfort.

And who can blame them? Who wants to hear some guy who walks around weeping all the time and telling you that you are going to be carried off into exile and your homeland invaded and desecrated? It is much nicer to hear that no disaster will befall you. Just keep doing what you are doing, just keep living as you are living. It's all good.

And is this not what you hear from so many corners of the world in this day and age? The world around you says that you just need to live authentically. Live out your convictions as best you can, as long as you do not inconvenience or bother anyone else who might have any sort of convictions. Be nice to everyone, unless they economically disadvantage you. Accept everyone, unless they tell you that you are wrong. No disaster will befall you, except if you are a hateful bigot who just wants to stop everybody's fun. Just chill out and let love live.

But this is not just the message of the secular world. No, unfortunately, it is all too easy to find those who purport to speak in the stead of God, or at least from the Word of God, who would say these same things. We must not bind consciences to things that humans just cannot do. We cannot force people to be something they are not. All people are loved by God, regardless of their actions and choices and lifestyles. Judge not, lest ye be judged. The maximal happiness of the most people is the highest good.

And this is a most tempting siren-song, even for you, O Christians. Who among you does not wish only to hear good news and not bad? “Let him who has My Word speak faithfully.”

And what is the Word of the Lord which the prophets are charged to speak faithfully? It is the Word that speaks the people of God righteous by faith. It is the Word which declares that in the midst of warfare and tribulation, He will be your refuge and strength. It is the Word which proclaims a word more sure than the whispering and whimpering of this age, a word more sure than the wishes of your own heart, a word more sure than any evil that may befall you.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

You are surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses – that is, the whole heavenly host of those who have gone before you in the faith. You are surrounded by those who have endured the warfare and hardship and tribulation and famine and nakedness and sword and hatred and revilement and every manner of evil. And, surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, you may look to the author and perfecter of the faith, that your joy may be fixed with them in Him.

For your joy is fixed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Your joy is not fixed in the nice-sounding words of the false prophets of this or any age. Your joy is not fixed in the opinion of men. Your joy is not fixed in your own heart.

Your joy is fixed in Him, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross for you. Christ Jesus your Lord took on human flesh and blood, was born of a Virgin, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. He died and rose again so that your joy might be secure in the everlasting certainty that, just as He has died and risen again, so have you been buried into His death and raised again to new life in Christ.

The wrath of God has been poured out upon the sins of the world. The punishment for all the trespasses and transgressions has been swallowed up in the death of Jesus Christ. There is now no condemnation for you who are in Christ. There is no power, nothing at all, that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Your sins are forgiven.

This is the message of peace. This is the Word of the Lord which remains forever. Your sins are no more, but your salvation stand eternal. The messengers of God proclaim this message of peace to you. In the world you will have tribulation, but He has overcome the world. In the world you will face persecution, but He has defeated the prince of this age. In the world, you will be divided one from another and a sword driven through your own souls, but He has joined you to Himself in body and soul, uniting you to Him and to all believers in Him.

When you grow weary of the doom and gloom of this world, of the barrage of bad news and conflict and wars and rumors of wars, take heart. “Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Rather, let the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord unto life everlasting.

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.