Jeremiah 43:2-3 KJV
Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
There are at least two challenges made against Jeremiah's message in these verses;
First, there is the challenge that his message was from Baruch and not from God.
Secondly there was the challenge that the motive of the message was selfish in nature.
Among the battles the preacher must fight are those charges that his message is of man and not of God. This might come from a number of angles;
They might accuse that the message is just the one the preacher has been brought up with. It is the message his parents taught him or it is the message the church he grew up in taught him, but it is not a message he has received of the Lord.
Or they could accuse him that this is just the message his college training taught him. They would accuse that this is not really God's Word at all, but only what we have been trained to believe in the Bible College we attended.
The second battle that a preacher constantly faces is the accusation that his message is selfish in its motive. The preacher, they would say, is naturally inclined to preach messages on faithfulness, service and tithing for instance, because all of those messages either directly or indirectly impact the success of his endeavors. If more people are faithful, if more people work to build the church and if more people tithe, the pastor is that much more personally successful.
A preacher is just a man and is subject to the same temptations to sin as is anyone else, so he must constantly guard his heart and examine himself whether he be in the faith. But the people of God must understand that the preacher is God's man and ignoring or else excusing his message has consequences. God told the people in Jeremiah 44:28 KJV Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
God's Word will stand. We had better make sure we hear it and heed it!
Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
There are at least two challenges made against Jeremiah's message in these verses;
First, there is the challenge that his message was from Baruch and not from God.
Secondly there was the challenge that the motive of the message was selfish in nature.
Among the battles the preacher must fight are those charges that his message is of man and not of God. This might come from a number of angles;
They might accuse that the message is just the one the preacher has been brought up with. It is the message his parents taught him or it is the message the church he grew up in taught him, but it is not a message he has received of the Lord.
Or they could accuse him that this is just the message his college training taught him. They would accuse that this is not really God's Word at all, but only what we have been trained to believe in the Bible College we attended.
The second battle that a preacher constantly faces is the accusation that his message is selfish in its motive. The preacher, they would say, is naturally inclined to preach messages on faithfulness, service and tithing for instance, because all of those messages either directly or indirectly impact the success of his endeavors. If more people are faithful, if more people work to build the church and if more people tithe, the pastor is that much more personally successful.
A preacher is just a man and is subject to the same temptations to sin as is anyone else, so he must constantly guard his heart and examine himself whether he be in the faith. But the people of God must understand that the preacher is God's man and ignoring or else excusing his message has consequences. God told the people in Jeremiah 44:28 KJV Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
God's Word will stand. We had better make sure we hear it and heed it!
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