Summary: God’s Word has to the power to expose and crush all falsehood and to buildup and refine in its truth.

Sermon Text: Jeremiah 23:23-29

September 2, 2001 -- Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

GOD’S POWERFUL WORD – A HAMMER AND FIRE!

It’s been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. What that means is that words can be powerful. Words can be weapons. A careless, harsh word can cut a person like a knife. Words can also be helpful tools. Wise words spoken at the right time can prevent tragedy. A kind word can also provide comfort and consolation to someone who’s hurting.

Words are powerful. This certainly pertains to the greatest words of all – God’s Word. God’s Word is like no other. It is infallible and all-sufficient. And God’s Word affects people in unimaginable ways. Today God reveals HIS POWERFUL WORD -- HAMMER AND FIRE. 1) It tears down and rebuilds, and 2) It consumes and refines.

1) It Tears Down and Rebuilds

One of the first things we’d use a hammer for would be pounding, or even breaking. That’s the picture God paints concerning his holy Word. It functions like a sledge hammer – shattering and breaking down. That’s exactly how Jeremiah understood God’s Word to be used. The situation in Jeremiah’s day was not unlike our day. In this chapter God gives one of the most scathing indictments against false prophets who were scattering His sheep. There had been a controversy between Jeremiah and the false prophets over the simple question, Will God punish sin, yes or no?

There was a war being waged in Judah against the faithfulness of God’s Word. These false prophets were placing false hopes in their own imaginations. “I have dreamed!” they cried. They thought they could make all the others lose sight of God.

Dreams versus reality – that was the issue. Sometimes dreams are good. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a good dream. He had a dream of racial justice and equality. There’s an example of a dream that led to reality. And then there are dreams of the likes of Thierry Deveaux, french daredevil, who apparently had the dream of crashing a motorized hang glider into the Statue of Liberty. He dangled on the monument’s torch for more than 30 minutes before police apprehended him. It appears that he had dreamed of doing this all for the name of art. His little stunt risked lives and cost a bit of money – not a very good dream.

These false prophets had dreams of their own. What was their dream? Their big hope was that they could dupe the rest of the people into a false sense of security. They wanted everybody to believe their lies, so that they could be popular. They wanted to be the sensations! They wanted to be in the limelight. And so they told the people they had dreams. What they meant was that they had received special revelations from God. Yet, behind it all they had their own dreams and aspirations. What’s so bold is that they were doing this in the name of God; claiming he gave them these false notions!

The sad thing is that they didn’t care if they undermined God’s Word or not. In fact, it was essential for people to doubt God in order for to believe the lies. Just think what they said about God. God even questions their falsehood: “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD. By those very questions we can see what kind of lies these false teachers were spreading about God. They’re saying that God can’t see us. He can’t hear us. He’s far away from us. He really doesn’t care about us.

That message contradicts everything Jeremiah had said, and became a stumbling block. Any falsehood against God’s truth is a stumbling block. The same stony lies that were spoken against Jeremiah are still prevalent today. Even in our day and age, there are so many people who claim that God isn’t who he claims to be.

In fact, there are a lot of churches, which found themselves on their contradictions of the Bible and insist they are right. And so they’ll say things like, “Oh, we don’t believe the Bible literally means what it says. No, we practice a higher method of criticism,” or “it’s all a matter of interpretation. You understand it your way, and I understand it my way.” What happens is that many people have no knowledge of the Bible. It’s no longer seen as reliable and true. In fact, it’s seen as the opposite – unreliable and full of errors.

What subtle lies! These are the bricks and mortar that harden and hide our hearts from God. We all have the inherent desire to want to stonewall God. Our sinful flesh thinks it can build up barriers to keep God out, so that we can find the answers to our dreams all on our own. God knows all about the stubborn casing we place around our hearts and lives. His Word is strong like a sledgehammer, smashing stone and concrete. His Law hammers us to pieces. We might have selfish dreams of lives without God.

We might think we can contradict his Word, in order to find freedom and happiness. In the end we find ourselves playing with lies. The Lord smashes down our defenses, breaking our strong lies and crushing our self-reliant hearts. At the same time he uses his powerful Word to build up hearts. God breaks down the stubborn casing to get to the heart of the issue – rotten, sin-infested hearts. He reveals all weakness and frailty, so that he can replace it. Imagine termites infested your house. What to do? After getting the house sprayed, you’d tear out the sheet rock, pull up the trim, and smash through block to get the heart of the problem. Then you’d pull out the rotten, infested wood and replace it with good material.

That’s how God deals with our hearts. The Holy Spirit smashes down our stubborn hearts, rips out all that is rotten and replaces it with good. He reminds us that God hammered his own Son in our place. He hammered him to the cross. Christ Jesus suffered for our stubbornness, doubt and worry. He was nailed to the cross for our hard hearts that are so slow to trust. The wonder is that God left all our sins nailed to the cross. There is forgiveness and hope.

2) It Consumes and Refines.

What God tears down, he rebuilds. God tears down our pride and arrogance. He tears down our tendency to believe the false dreams of the world. And he replaces it with the goodness of his Son, Jesus Christ. He rebuilds us according to his love and faithfulness. And everything God rebuilds, he refines.

Jeremiah brings this point out in our text: “Is not my word like a fire? declares the LORD.” What first comes to mind is a fire out of control. If left unchecked a fire will consume everything in its path. All one has to do is see the devastation of a house fire and the point is obvious. A couple of months ago there was a terrible fire in downtown Abita Springs. The house was burned to the ground. All that remained was some rubble and ash. In fact, the remainder of the damage can still be seen today.

This reinforces the power God’s Word possesses. The Word of God is like fire. It consumes. The Lord God is in control, and he will not allow lies to be pronounced in his name. He will ultimately consume all lies, and along with it, the liar. All hearts will be subject to the flames of God. His Word aims to consume and expose our hearts. Any mistrust or doubt will be burned away. Any selfishness or pride will be consumed.

It’s funny how even the smallest spark can start a blaze. Fire is a word that brings terror to the hearts of those living in the ranching and farming towns of the West. A spark from the tractor exhaust or a flash of lightning can start a grass fire that will literally burn for days. This is true of us spiritually. Small sins are just as great as the big ones in God’s eyes. A tiny word or thought deserves the heat of God’s judgment as well. We dare not hide behind the dream that “the other guy’s sins are worse than mine.” God will reveal all. The Law will consume it all. And God will refine it. By revealing the lies and burning it away, he also reveals the truth.

People in ranch country have also been taught from an early age that the only way to escape from a range fire is to start a backfire. Burn a place out in the grass where you can stand as the range fire passes by. When the heat of God’s judgment and condemnation burn against us, we can be sure that we have a safe place to stand, a place where God has already poured out his white-hot anger over our sin, and that place is the cross of Jesus Christ our Savior. Our Savior has already paid the punishment we deserve. The Gospel of Christ is our backfire. It has burned out a place of safety among the flames of the Law.

God has burned away our sins by placing them on his own Son and subjecting him to the flames of judgment. We, who stand with Christ, stand in safety. The fire of God’s wrath will pass by. When Jesus comes again on the last day, it won’t be to consume or destroy, but to welcome us home into heaven.

So, how powerful are your words? Are your words able to pack a punch or leave a lasting impression? Maybe you find that your words are rather weak, often giving the wrong impression. “That’s not what I meant to say. Let me explain” are phrases we find ourselves saying quite a bit. We might mean something, but people misunderstand.

Our words are weak and subject to criticism. This is not so with God’s Word. His Word is clear. Make no mistake; Scripture is God’s authority. It stands as a testimony to his invincible power. As Jesus said, “Heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will never pass away.” God’s Word is all-powerful. And you can take God at his word. Amen.