In this morning’s Gospel lesson, Jesus said: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”
What does that mean that those condemned prophesied in the Lord’s name? It means that they, these false prophets and teachers spoke as though they were speaking, preaching, and teaching with the authority of God and His Word. But they did not.
God is very protective of His name. Why? but for the sake of His people who have had God’s name placed upon them. That is the fuller meaning of the 2nd commandment which says “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.”
The key here is “deceiving in His name”. Holy Scripture is very clear and Martin Luther echoes in the Large catechism: the greatest abuse [of this 2nd commandment regarding the Lord’s name] occurs when false preachers rise up and offer their lying words as God’s Word. This is the greatest sin that can be outwardly committed.”
All three of the texts this morning echo this statement. God will not spare his wrath upon those wolves in sheep’s clothing/or pastor’s albs and suits who play the role of the devil while declaring to work, preach, and teach in God’s name. This blasphemy shows its fruit when pastors, theologians, and others affirm people in their sin, and do not rebuke it. Instead, they want to be everyone’s buddy, they like getting more people in attendance, getting those slaps on the back by giving people whatever their itching ears want to hear.
Do you want some examples of lawlessness? You don’t even have to look very far, for even in our own denomination, you can find pastors who will gladly affirm and marry people who are living together before marriage, who will merrily commune people who are from other denominations unconcerned for the judgement upon that person’s spiritual well being or the unity of confession that should exist in a congregation or a synod. By communing them, he is saying that false teaching, false understandings are ok. They will gladly take anyone as members without ensuring that the people have been taught what the Bible teaches and that they hold to the truths of Holy Scripture as they are confessed in our creeds and symbols in accordance with good and faithful practices in worship and in personal lives. They use methods, language and preaching that ape the world, that do not call out sin and warn of damnation outside of faith in Jesus Christ.
All over the world, Christian churches, denominations, clergy, and laity alike are tottering and reeling because of the tolerance of false teaching. The tolerance of false teaching is actually the affirming of false teaching. It is declaring that false teaching and practice is correct. And false teaching is never tolerant of right and true teaching and practice; why? because the truth is an ever present reminder that that falsehood is false. It doesn’t matter the topic whether it is Greed, coveting, sexual aberrations of any kind, hatred, rebelliousness against parents or rightful law and order, or open communion , or some other unfaithful churchly practice or doctrine, it is all ultimately a sin against God as well the neighbor.
The human flesh is by nature at war against God’s law, always wanting its own way, and when a pastor, prophet, or teacher within the church ignores a sin that is happening or speaks an affirmation, they are guilty of the greater sin, because they are using God’s name in vain and embracing unfaithfulness. They may make allowances using the excuse of mercy or love, but it is not merciful or loving to allow a person to spiritually kill themselves.
For every sin is a spiritual suicide, killing faith and encouraging destruction and damnation. Unrepentant sin is as if a person removes themself from the umbrella of faith in God through Jesus Christ, into the acid rain of faith in themselves and their own understanding and desires. Then they are left only with their sins and judgement rather than forgiveness and mercy. Only a hireling and wolf cares more about being popular than the spiritual well being of those around him. As Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Yet, as this problem of faithlessness seems to be growing worse in our churches, country and around the world, look to the OT lesson and see that this is nothing new. Sadly, the situation was much the same in Judah around 620 BC. Jeremiah was one of the few faithful prophets left. He was charged with proclaiming the Truth, the difficult truth of God’s judgement upon the Israelites for their faithlessness, but especially against the false prophets.
The whole reason God’s anger was kindled against the false prophets and priests in Jeremiah’s time was because they were giving false comfort and assurance in His name. They were telling their Israelite brothers and sisters the lies they wanted to hear, confirming them in their sin and then telling them that those lies were God’s Truth. They weren’t doing this out of a great sense of evil hatred for God. They weren’t commanding the people to reject Yahweh and instead worship Baal or any other false god. Nope. They might have claimed to love Yahweh. But they loved something more, the approval of the people. They just didn’t want to offend anyone. They didn’t want anyone to be upset or unhappy. They wanted to be liked and praised by their fellow man. Rather than let God do the talking and call sin what it actually is—SIN—these false men were scratching the people’s itching ears and standing in the place of God while speaking lies. Rather than call the sinner to repentance, they were telling the sinner, “Don’t worry. All is well. Everyone is doing it nowadays. No disaster will come upon you. It’s different in your case. God understands. Follow your heart. As long as you’re happy, that’s all God really cares about.” Though you despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; though you stubbornly follow your own heart, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.'”
But what did the Lord say to them?
“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth? I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name. If they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.
Now Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart.
What was the intent of God’s heart? Not total destruction and condemnation. But the same thing that He wishes for you and me. To turn back from evil, sin, and lawlessness: to repentance and contrition. That we would turn from our sin and see that we deserve God’s wrath, we deserve all the bad that could and does happen on this earth, but we also deserve eternal punishment in hell. He does not want us to despair, but hope: hope in Him for the sake of Jesus Christ.
He desires that we would remember His name and use God’s name the way it is to be used: To call upon Him in the day of trouble. The Lord is not a God far off. He is near. So near and so loving that He came to earth to save us from our sins. To rescue us for His name’s sake. Yahweh, I AM. Emmanuel: God with us. Even the name “Jesus” means salvation. And so He does. Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins and rose again to show the power of God’s name over death, and the chaos of sin and the lawlessness of our flesh and the devil.
He placed His name on us when we were baptized and when we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness in Christ’s name, we are reconciled to Him. We are renewed in His grace, freed from sin and the curse of the law. But we are not freed to do as WE please. We are not to search after those false teachers who would encourage us to forsake God’s Word and go the way of the world or our flesh which is the way of death. No, we are freed to live in the strength of God’s Word. To become strong in Him. Strong in Christ. Ready to recognize the signs of false teaching and prophets in our own hearts and minds, and around us. Eagerly studying God’s Word in Bible Class, in the devotionals that we hand out, and in attending to God’s Word here where it is proclaimed to our ears in preaching, and also for our bodies, as we receive the very body and blood of God’s presence in Jesus Christ. There is no other god who desires to dwell with, uplift, and fight for His people. There is no other god who knows the difficulty of temptation yet shows us the way of life, of hope, of faithfulness by the truth of His love revealed in Law and Gospel. Who by it with one hand guides us, and the other shields us. He redeems us and gives us even more than we deserve or can imagine: even eternal life in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in whose name we can pray, praise, and give thanks. Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas