κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

[Introduction] If you were intent on forging a hundred dollar bill, you wouldn’t print it on pink construction paper with purple ink, now would you? No one would be fooled by that fake. Instead, to pass off a counterfeit as true, you’d make the bill look like the original. You’d copy the paper and the ink, the image and the watermark. And you’d rely on SOME truth to mask the lie. In our Gospel reading, Jesus warned us about this problem of counterfeits ... that is, those who rely on some truth to mask a lie. In the closing words of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, Beware of false prophets who come to you in the clothing of sheep but inwardly are ravenous wolves (v 15). Sometimes, false prophets mask the truth of God’s Word with evil fruit (vv 17-18) ... a counterfeit. Sometimes, false prophets hedge the truth to convince you that there is another way, another truth, and another life. They often claim divine inspiration, but they always deliver messages contrary to God’s true natur...

[Introduction] We have a very clear theme in our readings today.  From our Old Testament reading in Jeremiah, Thus says יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת ... Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak of visions from the heart, not from the mouth of YHWH (Jer 23:16). From the second reading in Acts, Saint Paul says, Beware ... out of you yourselves, men will arise speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20:28, 30). And from our Gospel reading in Matthew: Jesus says, Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing. You will recognize them by their fruits (Mt 7:15-16a). Brothers and sisters in Christ, these words of God underscore the importance of what we believe, teach, and confess: There is nothing we can say and nothing we can do to bring reconciliation between us and God. Instead, Jesus Christ our God and Lord died for our sins and was raised for our justification (SA II I.1). God has reconcil...

NOTE: This was written for an elder (or as some denominations might say, a deacon) to preach in my absence. Once again, Pastor invites you to open your service book, this time to Page 324 and join us in confessing our faithful doctrine on the sixth petition of the Lord’s Prayer.  [PAUSE] What is the Sixth Petition? And lead us not into temptation. What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory . Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 3. We have come to the conclusion of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Here, Jesus first gives us a warning, Beware of false prophets , he says (v 15). In other words, pay attention to what the wolves in sheep’s cl...

Believe it or not, sometimes things are not what they seem to be. For example, did you know fireflies are not flies, they’re beetles. Silkworms aren’t worms; they’re caterpillars. Lead pencils contain no lead; they’re made with graphite. English horns are neither English nor horns ... they’re French alto oboes, which are reed instruments. And guinea pigs are neither from Guinea nor are they pigs; they’re rodents from South America. You see, things are not always what they seem to be.  There’s no place in life where that statement is more true than in religion.  Religion is not always what it seems to be.  Our text this morning illustrates that principle quite well. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a warning. Beware of false prophets! They are not who they seem to be. People almost always seem to misunderstand this passage. Although we all know Jesus is speaking about those who are not what they seem to be ... but then he goes on to talk about their fr...