The Temptation To Coddle Evil

Text: Jeremiah 23:16-29

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

One of my biggest concerns for the American Church is that parishioners will fail to distinguish between truly biblical teachings and ideas that merely sound spiritual but aren't grounded in Scripture. Indeed, this is one of my biggest concerns – and complaints - about the American Church and our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod: people are either unwilling or afraid to acknowledge that there are deceptive and false teachers in our midst.  But again, it makes sense; being naïve is bliss.  It is comfortable to believe that religious-sounding music, pious sayings on coffee mugs, and devout praying religious leaders are good, whereas all those other godless pagans in society are bad.  

Now, should we be concerned about drug dealers, porn producers, thieves, abortionists, and scheming politicians in the world?  Absolutely!  But here is the point: typically, they are less of a threat to the church than deceptive and false pastors inside the church.  

Take our Old Testament reading, for example.  Jeremiah warns the faithful believers against the deception of the false prophets.  But this is where we need to make sure to understand Jeremiah’s concern with the false prophets.  Were the false prophets teaching incorrectly about God?  Absolutely, they were.  However, here is the important distinction that Jeremiah is calling our attention to: the false prophets were so dangerous because they were coddling evil in their very midst.  In other words, the false prophets not only coddled evildoers but turned a blind eye to the problems right in the midst of Israel.   The false prophets refused to tell the people how sick they were.  They claimed all was well; they put a bandage on the nation’s cancerous wound.  They cried out, “Peace, Peace” when there was no peace.  They preached “Everything will turn out fine” sermons to people who were harboring evil.  They said, “Nothing bad will ever happen to you,” to people who were set in their own sinful ways.  They d evil and made everyone feel pious, happy, and comfortable.  

Now, if you and I were to read on in the Book of Jeremiah, we would come to a section where Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern – a deep pit or well that was designed to collect rainwater.  But why?  Long story short, Jeremiah dared to speak against the official narrative.  Jeremiah persistently conveyed messages from God that were unfavorable to the leaders of Judah.  Jeremiah’s messages were perceived as being demoralizing and defeatist, weakening the resolve of the soldiers and people.  Jeremiah was perceived as not being a team player, so they tossed him into a cistern. It was better to have a dead and quiet Jeremiah than to allow his truthful messages to threaten the control of the officials.  In short, Jeremiah was a black sheep; Jeremiah was a problem.  Jeremiah was a threat.  And so, Jeremiah was not good but evil, according to the officials.

Now, I don’t have to try to convince you that this problem exists to this day.  Typically, those who call out problems become the problem.  This happens in every organization.  Rarely will the whistle-blower be congratulated or thanked, but more often than not, he will be chastised, scrutinized, and told that he or she has not followed the correct protocol or broken the 8th Commandment.  The song and dance is always the same.  

Now, as you may know, in the 1970s, our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod had a Jeremiah moment.  In 1974, LCMS President Jacob Preus did not cry out “Peace, Peace” but instead called out liberal biblical interpretation methods coming out of the Concordia St. Louis Seminary.  Long story short, Jacob Preus most definitely received backlash for pointing out the problem.  However, thankfully, instead of confining President Preus to a cistern, the Board of Control suspended several faculty members, which prompted a mass walkout by students and faculty from Concordia St. Louis.  In the end, 45,000 members and 250 congregations left the Missouri Synod.  Many of these liberals later played a key role in the formation of the ELCA.  And, today, it could be said that these 250 congregations and 45,000 members most definitely had a hand in bringing out the problems that the ELCA is experiencing today.  In other words, if President Jacob Preus would not have been like Jeremiah, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod may have been in the same place that the ELCA is today.  

And so, that brings us to today.  How are we, as the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, doing; do we have peace?  Are we fantastic, faithful, and healthy?  Now, truth be told, I would love to tell you that we are awesome and great and super; however if I did this, I would be no different than the false prophets of the days of Jeremiah.  I would be crying out peace when there is no peace.  I would be coddling evil.  

Before I continue, let me just say this: we, as Missouri Synod Lutherans, should defend our Missouri Synod from attacks from pagans and other denominations.  Personally, I will defend Mother Missouri from anyone who picks on her.  She is my church, and I am proud to be a part of this church.  However, this does not mean that our Missouri Synod gets a hall pass.  No, we should always be critical of our Missouri Synod Lutheran Church not to be divisive but rather because we love our church.  In other words, we should always defend our family, but we will never be easy on our church family – turning a blind eye to problems in our midst.  

And so, with that stated, do we have peace in the Missouri Synod?  Are things well with our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod?  Yes and no.  

First, the positive: over the last several decades, there has been a resurgence in pastors and laity returning to our Lutheran Confessions.  There has been a movement among pastors and laity to return to our rich liturgy and hymnody.  As the world has become more and more chaotic, many in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod have drawn a line in the sand, grabbed ahold of our rich theology and liturgy, and said, 

“Here we stand; come hell or high water, we are ready to abide in Christ and His gifts.”  

For this, we should be very, very thankful.  

On the other hand, there are many other very concerning things that we must address.  There are 3-4 things that come to the forefront that we need to address in our Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  In fact, these 3-4 things will be presented to you at the upcoming Voters’ Meeting on July 28th by the Elders of St. Paul’s.  The Elders have chosen 3 to 4 things that St. Paul’s needs to review and possibly present to our upcoming District Convention this January of 2025.  They are not in any particular order: 

First, there are concerns that our North Dakota District is giving money to the Lutheran Church in Kenya when the Lutheran Church in Kenya is partnering with the Lutheran World Federation – an organization closely tied to the ELCA.  This is what we call unionism and syncretism and suggests that we are in fellowship with this liberal organization and the ELCA through the Kenya Church. 

Secondly, there are concerns that our district and national youth programs are not exclusively using doctrinally pure services, songs, and teachings but services, songs, and teachings that are more often found in Baptist churches than Lutheran Churches.  

Thirdly, there have been offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion established under the name of “Offices of Multicultural Engagement” at several of our LCMS universities.  These offices have ties to Marxist subversion and typically lead to the introduction of LGBTQQIP2SAA+ ideology into academic settings.  

Fourthly, a recent publication of Luther’s Large Catechism with contemporary articles includes instances of the framework of Critical Race Theory, as well as having what we call ‘heterodox teachers’ writing several of these essays.  In other words, the spirit of the age is interwoven through many of the pages of this new publication.  

Now, I understand that this all sounds political and that hearing this may make you feel uncomfortable.  But, practically speaking, this is exactly what is being addressed in our Old Testament reading of Jeremiah.  Practically speaking, if we want to side with the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day, we would sweep these issues under the rug.  However, we cannot do this, for we are anchored in Christ and not the vain hopes and dreams of mankind. 

Baptized Saints, God’s Word is not up for sale; His Word is not flimsy, and it does not bend to the spirit of the age.  Instead, His Word is like a hammer that pulverizes rock.  It is like fire that burns.  It is truth that cannot be stolen or quenched. His Word cannot tolerate falsehood; it cannot coddle evil. 

And you, as His Saints, you have His Word right now.  The lamp of His Word has not departed you.  And so, may God keep you and me faithful, steadfast, and anchored - even if we end up in cisterns or labeled black sheep.  

May the Lord sanctify us in His truth here at St. Paul’s, for His Word is eternal truth, as we continue in the path of those like Jeremiah and even President Preus.  

May we abide faithfully today and in the days that come in the Lord’s Word – not allowing our ears to be tickled by teachers who would satisfy the desires of our hearts.

May the Lord sustain you, dear Baptized Saints, by His Word and Spirit, and grant you discernment today and forevermore.  

Here we stand; God help us.  Amen.