5 Problems With Being A Mouth Worshipper?

Text: Jeremiah 8:4-12

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The Old Testament Israelites had a rather severe problem: they were mouth-worshippers.  In other words, the Israelites used God’s name, confessed God’s name,  and expressed devotion and piety to God’s Word; however, they neither listened to God nor respected Him.   We often call this “giving lip service.”  In other words, giving lip service is pretending to support or agree with something without genuinely believing in it or taking meaningful action.  

And so this wicked generation of Israel talked the talk but did not walk the walk.  Now, to be perfectly clear, this is not the same as a person who confesses the goodness of God and then stumbles with sin.  Oh, no, this is much different.  This wicked generation did not obey the voice of God, and they refused God’s discipline. They had become so hardened and stiffnecked that all rebukes made to them were ineffective.  All forms of discipline bounced off their hard hearts so that they were no different than pagans.  Truth had perished from their hearts, minds, and lips, even though they continued to use the name of God and express devotion to God Himself.  

Now, to be very blunt with all of you, when we look at the Old Testament reading from Jeremiah, there is not much Gospel or good news.  In fact, the reading from Jeremiah is rather depressing.  So, why read it and why preach on it? 

Dear friends, it does us well to hear and contemplate this portion of Jeremiah because the Lord God is not describing or rebuking the pagan culture but His chosen people – the Royal Priesthood.  In other words, the Lord God describes what happens to believers when they close their ears, stiffen their necks, and do not accept His discipline.  In other words, we get a glimpse – a snapshot, if you will – of what we could all easily become if we were to close our ears to God’s Word.  Indeed, we get a glimpse in our Old Testament reading of what happens to Christians who abandon the Word of God and do not accept God’s discipline – if the church becomes mouth-worshippers… giving lip service to God with closed ears and stiff necks. And so, let us hear what happens.  

First, as we hear in Jeremiah, the voice of common sense goes out the window.  That is right: natural instinct, common sense, and basic intuitive decisions that everyone should grasp - dissipate.  The reason why, if we close our eyes to the light and travel into darkness, it becomes easy to bump into things in the night that are easily seen in the daylight.  Again, common sense is lost and is replaced with dark ignorance. 

Secondly, the voice of the conscience disappears.  That is to say, if we close our ears to God’s Word, our conscience will eventually become seared – hardened.  And when the conscience becomes seared, well, we will just continue to do foolish things – blindly and stupidly bang our heads against a brick wall, again and again, and again.  Sin will no longer be feared.  Si won’t be confessed or considered evil because there is no conscience left.  Sin will run rampant, and there will be no shame or remorse. We won’t even know how to blush or be embarrassed over sin. 

Thirdly, when we close our ears to God’s Word and do not accept the Lord’s discipline through His Holy Law, we begin to disregard the voice of creation.  Let me explain this: the storks in heaven know their times, and the swallows keep their time of coming and going – knowing when it is time to move south for the winter.  However, when we cut ourselves off from God’s Word and then venture into darkness with a seared conscience, things that are evident to God’s creation will become foreign to us.  Bluntly stated, with darkened hearts and seared consciences, animals will show more wisdom than people who do not hear God’s Word – animals will be more responsive to reality than a church without the Word of God.   In a way, without the Word of God, we lose our creature-ness; we are demoted before all creation.    

Fourthly, if we confess that we have God’s Word but do not listen to God’s Word, we cannot say that we are wise.  Let’s allow this to sting us right now.  Let’s take this one to heart; we Missouri Synod Lutherans have the best theology and doctrine out of all the other denominations.  We can say this with boldness because we know it is true.  However, if we do not lay claim to God’s good doctrine – if we do not listen to it, we are not wise but fools.  Just as sleeping with a head on a book overnight does not prepare a student for a test, having God’s good doctrine that you do not listen to makes you and me into fools.  Dear friends, we can know a lot of stuff in life and have tons of experience, but if we do not know God’s Word,  well… we are stuck in a fairytale illusion of fake wisdom.  

Fifth and finally, as we have heard over and over when we have stuffed ears and hard hearts towards God’s Word, it never fails that false prophets and false doctrine take the place of God’s Word.  These false pastors with their false doctrine are easy to spot - if we know God’s Word - for they are the ones who put band-aids on sin and death while saying, 

“It’s not so bad. You will be just fine. Cheer up; you have greatness within.  You are perfect the way you are!” 

But consider this: if we close our ears to God’s Word, lose all common sense, develop seared consciences, become less intelligible than animals, and lose all wisdom, we would most definitely welcome religious experts who will fill us up on spiritual junk food with catchy opinions that will tickle our fancy.  

I don’t know about you, but when I read Jeremiah Chapter 8 and consider what the Lord God says, I say to myself, 

“This is hell on earth! God save me from this condition.  Lord God, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.  Do not depart from me.  Keep me in Your Word.  Patiently correct me,  challenge me, warn me, and make me captive to your Holy Word.  Keep me sober-minded.  Keep me alert, awake, and abiding in You and Your Word. God help me, I can do no other.”

* * *

As we shift to the Gospel reading, it is important to note that the problem with the Temple during that first century was that it was missing the Word of God.  Corruption, evil, and sin had taken the place of the Word of God in the Temple.  And so, Jesus’ purpose in coming against the Temple in the Gospel reading was to drive out the corruption so that the Word could return to the Temple.  And so, mark this: the Lord God will not sit aside idle but will always drive that which opposes Him from you so that you may hear His Word.   

And so, in light of the Old Testament and Gospel reading, may the Lord invade St. Paul’s Lutheran Church every single week to drive out everything that is not good, right, and salutary amongst you and me so that He may deliver true peace to you and me alone through His Word and Sacraments. 

Furthermore, here at St. Paul’s, let us be quick to recognize when our ears become stuffed, our necks become stiff, and our hearts become stony before God’s Holy Word.  May we be quick to repent when we break the Third Commandment of not holding the Word sacred and gladly hearing it and learning it.  May we be receptive to the Lord’s discipline of our stubborn sin and rebellious iniquity.  Indeed, may the Lord drive sin and iniquity out of this church through repentance and faith while granting us common sense by His Law and Gospel.  May the Lord God give you and me a conscience by the Holy Spirit, wisdom through the Word of Truth, and a sober mind through good doctrine, so that we may continually hear His Word and not walk as blind fools with a seared conscience in the darkness of a fairytale reality.  

Baptized Saint, today you have God’s Word.  It has been written, read, and preached for your learning.  May the Lord grant you and me ears to hear, so that we may mark, learn, and inwardly digest His Holy Word.  May we ever embrace and hold fast the blessed hope of His eternal truth, so that we may be given strength to fight the good fight.  May His Word toughen our faith so that we may stand against the temptations of the Devil, the world, and the old Adam so that we may remain steadfast to the very end.  

Baptized Saints, do not close your ears for His Word is eternal truth. You can hang upon Him and His Word alone, no matter what comes your way.    

In the name of Jesus. Amen.