February 13 2022
Epiphany 6 February 13th 2022
Old Testament: Jeremiah 17:5-8 (9-10) “The heart is deceitful above all things”
Psalm: Psalm 1 “The way of the wicked will perish”
Epistle: 1st Corinthians 15: (1-11) 12-20 “No resurrection, No hope”
Gospel: Luke 6:17-26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you”
Sermon Text: Jeremiah 17:5-10
Sermon Title: “Trust in God; Not Man”
Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The two readings from the Old Testament this morning compare and contrast two kinds of faith or trust. Jeremiah wrote, “Thus says the Lord; cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength; whose heart turns away from the Lord … he shall not see any good come”. (Jeremiah 17:5-6a) “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord … he does not fear … he is not anxious”. (Jeremiah 17:7-8a)
The Psalmist also declared, “blessed is the man … whose delight is in the law of the Lord … he is like a tree planted by streams of water … he prospers … for the Lord knows the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1:1-2a, 3, 6a) “The wicked are like the chaff that the wind drives away … they will not stand in the judgment … the way of the wicked will perish”. (Psalm 1:4b, 5a, 6b)
Of course, that is a problem for us, isn’t it? The first commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before Me”; (Exodus 20:3) and everything we do as Christians is to be rooted in our love for the triune God above all “gods”. The Lord God who brought you out of the darkness of sin and unbelief through the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; “is a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5) who tells you and me to trust only in Him for all that is good in this earthly life. “You shall have no other gods”. (Exodus 20:3)
Yet we are sinners; and we are constantly breaking this commandment; putting our trust in man rather than in God; for Luther said that whatever we put our trust in is really our god. So, we find ourselves rejecting the words and promises of God found in Holy Scripture, for the words and promises of man; because we don’t want to be on the wrong side of public opinion. We would rather have the praise of men than the praise of God. This is extremely dangerous for our spiritual well-being, for the Lord said, “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt; who can understand it”. (Jeremiah 17:9) This is true of us as well as the people in our text; for our hearts are “an idol factory”. Jesus said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts”. (Matthew 15:19)
The context of the reading from Jeremiah makes this clear. “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablets of their heart” (Jeremiah 17:1) Which is to say that their sins were so many and so often repeated, that their guilt was great; it was a way of life leading to their destruction. Evidence of their idolatry was everywhere, with shrines to Baal on scattered throughout the land.
Therefore, the Lord said “your wealth and your treasures, I will give for spoil … I will make you serve your enemies … for in My anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever”. (Jeremiah 17:3b-4) This is not an empty threat; before the book of Jeremiah is done, the people of Judah will be carried away to a foreign land.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, our faith and trust is always to be in the One true God; maker of heaven and earth; “who has made me and all creatures … who richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life … who defends me against all danger … and from all evil”. (First Article) This is true no matter our circumstances; this is true even in the face of persecution, war, natural disasters, pandemics, and any other evil.
“In those hours, we dare not put our trust in presidents or rulers, or government programs, or military might; not in medicine, or in doctors, or scientists, or any other so-called experts”; who frequently lie and whose opinions are often later proven to have been wrong; The truth is, only the maker of the universe can sustain us. (Gottesdienst, Michaelmas, p.15) As Jeremiah declared, the one who trusts in the Lord “does not fear … is not anxious”. (Jeremiah 17:8b)
We break the second commandment in this regard as well. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God”; (Exodus 20:7a) especially lying or deceiving by His name; that is, teaching falsely about Christ our Lord. “Our every word and action is to be a faithful proclamation of the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life”. (Gottesdienst, Michaelmas, p.15)
“For the name of the Lord is a strong tower”. Proverbs 18:10) His is “the name that is above every name”. (Philippians 2:9b) It is “the only name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved”. (Acts 4:12b) And, it is the name He put on us at our baptism, “in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19b) clothing us with His own perfect righteousness.
We have so often put our trust in men (both ourselves and others) and we certainly have misused the name of the Lord; acting as if we or other humans have the power over and above God, to save life or to kill; fearing and trusting them more than we fear and trust God. Yet it is God who brought us forth from our mother’s womb and it is God who will determine when we go home. (pandemic or no pandemic) In the meantime, as Luther said in the Small Catechism, we are to call upon God’s name; “in every trouble; pray, praise, and give thanks”. (Small Catechism, 2nd Commandment explanation) For we have a Good Shepherd who has promised to take care of us now and forever.
I read an account this week regarding the church in North Africa from the fourth century. 49 Christians were arrested and threatened with death if they continued to gather around God’s Word and Sacrament on Sundays. They were asked over and over by the authorities, why do you disobey our laws/orders? Their response was “We cannot live without the gits of God”! Can you live without the gifts of God? We have certainly also broken the Third Commandment in many and various ways and for many and various reasons; “despising the preaching of His Word, rather than holding it sacred and gladly hearing and learning it”. (Small Catechism, 3rd Commandment explanation)
The Word of God and the Holy Sacrament is what Luther called “the medicine of immortality” given to save our body and soul from eternal death; and yet, we frequently insist on following “gods” and idols of our own making; many of which I mentioned earlier; but the list is virtually endless; as even otherwise good things can easily become idols if we are not on our guard.
In our Gospel text, Jesus also warns against the idols of riches, fullness, pleasure, and vanity saying “Woe to you” who have these things now, on this side of heaven. For when we have these things now, we are tempted to “trust in man and make (our own) flesh our strength”. (Jeremiah 17:5a) But trusting in the goodness or wisdom of man, whether ourselves, or others is utter foolishness; for where does a sinful person go when another sinner hurts them or lets them down? To another sinful human, who will also let them down? Whose heart “is deceitful above all things”? (Jeremiah 17:9a) Again, “cursed is the man who trusts in man”. (Jeremiah 17:5a)
On the other hand, Jesus said, “Blessed are you” if you have the opposite of these things; things like poverty, hunger, weeping, and even being hated and excluded “as evil on account of the Son of Man”. (Luke 6:22b) “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord”. (Jeremiah 17:7a) “Whose delight is in the law of the Lord; and on His law he mediates day and night”. (Psalm 1:2) As Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it”. (Luke 11:28)
By the way, the command not to trust in man, includes pastors; for all pastors are sinners too. Therefore, no church should ever be built on the personality of the pastor, but on the Word of God alone. However, God does use the office of the ministry, the pastor, as an instrument whenever the Word is rightly proclaimed (both Law and Gospel) and the sacraments are rightly administered. For it is only through the preaching of the Gospel of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that anyone is saved.
Jesus’ atoning death on the cross and His glorious bodily resurrection on the third day, won forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation for all people. He has delivered that to each of us through His Word and the waters of Holy Baptism, where He gave us His very own righteousness and called each of us by name. All this Christ has done for us through the Gospel.
Since this salvation is based not at all in ourselves, but only on what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, we who trust in the Lord are blessed. “We are like a tree planted by water (“that yields it fruit in its season” Psalm 1:3b) that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious (worried) in the year of drought”. (Jeremiah 17:8)
When trials and tribulations strike you; and they will, trust not in yourselves or others; trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has forgiven your sins and given you the gift of eternal life; rescuing you from death, hell, and the devil. “For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him there is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem you from all your iniquities”. (Psalm 130:7-8) Amen.
The peace of God …