CREDIT: Gerd Altmann (geralt)

Dear Sinners and Saints,

As a junior Captain, a grizzled Master Sergeant schooled me saying, “Sir, I can take bad news. At least I can react to it. It’s no news that bothers me.” It was his way of telling me to be honest with him. If something needed fixing, he needed to know. Unfortunately, people too often soft peddle bad news to make it seem not so bad. Or worse, keep bad news hidden.

As Judah entered exile in Babylon, the false prophet Hananiah said, “Within two years, we’ll be back in Jerusalem with our kings and our treasure.” To make his lie even worse, Hananiah claimed God had told him so. (Jeremiah 28:2-4) This may’ve been what Judah wanted to hear, but it wasn’t what they needed to hear. Jeremiah corrected Hananiah with some bad news, “I wish you were right. Previous prophets told us this would happen, and it did; that it would be bad, and it will be.” Jeremiah also said, “As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent that prophet.” (Jeremiah 28:9)

God told Jeremiah to speak the cold, hard truth of the impact of disobedience so Judah could see their errors, react to them, and repent! They had to hear the bad news to change. The lies of false teachers might make us feel good. But, in the end, things just get worse until the smell of death overwhelms us. 

God’s law doesn’t often sound like good news. We may not want to hear it. But we need to hear it to see our sin and the death it brings. Only then do we turn to God, receive His forgiveness, and make our way to eternal life with Him. Let’s pay attention to the bad news God’s law lays out so we can grab hold of His good news, the gospel, found in His mercy on account of Jesus and the change only He can make in our lives.

                                                                                        Your Brother in Christ,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim