The8thCommandmentCalledToSpeakTheTruthJere23

The Eighth Sunday After Trinity                              10-August-2025
Sermon Text: Jeremiah 23:16-29/The 8th Commandment
Sermon Theme: The Eighth Commandment: Called To Speak The Truth! I. Speak The Truth! (Vs.16-20) II. Do Not Make Yourself Judge, Jury, and Executioner. (Vs.21-25) III. See Fellow Sinners Through Christ’s Cross! (Vs.26-29) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. $25,000 fine for walking in the woods. Last Tuesday it was reported that the Eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia’s premier Tim Houston issued an order banning all people from hiking in the provinces forests due to drought conditions this summer. It is a drastic move trying to prevent further wildfires. Our hazy skies much of this summer were caused by smoke blowing down from Canadian wildfires.
    Have you ever caused a wildfire by your carelessness? God the Holy Spirit warns us through the pen of St. James, Jas 3:5-12 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! (6) And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. (7) For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. (8) But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (9) With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. (10) Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (11) Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? (12) Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. Have you thrown down a glowing ember of gossip? Sparked a conversation speaking a true secret someone else entrusted to your confidence, as they struggled with their sin? Have you ignited suspicion about your neighbor’s actions? Have you burned your neighbor’s good name in the fires of anger? How smoky is your life, family, congregation, community - from the wildfires you’ve started with your tongue?
    (LSB. pg. 321, 8th Cmdt. W.D.T.M?) In the Treasury of Daily Prayers questions are offered to prepare for confession and absolution according to the Ten Commandments. Look in the mirror of the 8th Commandment. Be honest! “Do I speak the Truth or have I lied in any way?; Do I gossip or take pleasure in talking about the faults and mistakes of others?; Do I uphold and defend the name and reputation of others?; Have I judged others without being duly authorized to do so?; Have I gladly and willing found ways to explain in the best possible way the words or actions of those who hurt me?; Am I the first to admit my own mistakes, or do I cover up my sins and make myself look better than I am?”
    Beware of false prophets using their tongues to bring forth bad fruit! Beware of the false prophet within you - your old adam - sowing thorns and thistles with his tongue! Repent! Learn today: The Eighth Commandment: Called To Speak The Truth! I. Speak The Truth! (Vs.16-20) II. Do Not Make Yourself Judge, Jury, and Executioner. (Vs.21-25) III. See Fellow Sinners Through Christ’s Cross! (Vs.26-29)
I. Wisdom teaches, Pro 22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. Next to the life, spouse, and private property God blesses us with stands the gift of a “good name.” Reputation matters. Identity theft may tie up credit accounts and private property. Reputation assassination can embitter one’s life to death. Social media has been twisted to assassinate reputations. It doesn’t matter what platform negative news about others, anger, generates the most clicks. Social media markets your anger and bitter tongue - as you bear false witness through your posts, video clips, and comments.
    Jesus calls Christians to beware of false prophets - wolves in sheep’s clothing. Sparkling innocent on the outside, but full of lies, disease, thorns, thistles, darkness, death, and hell. The Lord God called and sent the prophet Jeremiah to preach His Word. Jeremiah was the son of the priest Hilkiah. His call wasn’t an imaginary voice in his head, but the Word of God calling him through the Church to serve. The Lord God put His Word in Jeremiah’s mouth calling him to speak the Truth! God was judging Judah for its idolatry - their nation would collapse and be exiled to Babylon for 70 years.
     Where God builds His Church, Satan builds a chapel. The devil doesn’t want all men to repent and come to the knowledge of the Truth. He sends forth false preachers filled with lies. (Vs.16-17) David teaches us to pray: Psa 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.. Jesus preaches, Mat 12:35-37 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. (36) But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. (37) For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." ‘Watch your mouth!” parents warn rebellious children. The false preachers in Jeremiah’s day comforted sinners to remain in sinful rebellion dwelling in idolatry’s lie. Their god was their belly, their glory was their shame - their end destruction.
       The 8th Commandment calls us to “fear and love God so that we do not tell lies...” We hear the echo the second commandment. The God of Light and Truth blesses us with His Name to speak His Word to each other. The Holy Spirit calls us into a congregation to stand in the truth of Christ’s doctrine - the Apostolic teaching. Crucified and Risen Jesus ascends to the Father’s right hand to fill all things by the Spirit of Truth - How? Eph 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, (13) till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; (14) that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, (15) but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— (16) from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
        Jeremiah calls the false prophets to repent and open their mouths only to speak God’s Word - the Truth! (Vs.18-20) With the broken sinner David looking only to Jesus we daily pray, Psa 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. Speak the Truth of God’s Word to your spouse, children, parents, family, friends, foes, to all the world speak the Gospel to every creature!
II. Beware of the false prophet in your heart - his words often echo on your lips! (LSB. pg. 321, 8th Cmdt. W.D.T.M?) Beware of usurping authority God hasn’t given you. When our first father Adam rebelled against the Truth for the devil’s lie. He deceived himself thinking he could cover his sins with his fig leaf works. Running in darkness with the devil. He blames God’s gentle Word calling Adam back to the Light of Truth as the reason he was afraid. Unwilling to confess his sin of idolatry - he became judge, jury, and executioner - blaming the woman God gave - she should surely die - but not him.
    The false prophets of Jeremiah’s day. The false preachers of our day - are not called by the Holy Spirit through the Christian Church - assume an office not given to them. (Vs. 21-22) America is the land of false preachers. Men following their own feelings and thinking claiming to follow the Holy Bible alone - leading people away from Christ Jesus crucified to trust in their own holy works. They become judge, jury, and executioners boasting of their great ministries - but denying the Lord Jesus who bought them. The Spirit of Truth warns: 2Co 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. (14) And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
    How does the devil tempt the false preacher of your old adam to use your tongue to burn your neighbor’s reputation? God warns, Lev 19:16 You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD. Instead of standing in the counsel of God’s written Word - we twist it to lie about our neighbor. Following Satan the accuser - we accuse them of our own sins that we know and feel in our hearts. I think, if we were honest, those things which we complain the most about others - are what we cannot stand in ourselves - but aren’t honest enough to take them to the cross laying them on Jesus in confession or our sins. Wisdom teaches,Pro 11:13 A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
     Betraying our neighbors struggles with sin doesn’t turn them from the evil of their doings. It fuels the endless cycle of hate and hurt. “But,” you may object, “it’s true!” Are you willing to testify of it in a court of law? “No!” Then be quiet! Stop your slanderous lips that Satan uses to tear down your neighbor! The gossiper has the devil on their lips. The listener to gossip has the devil in their ears: Pro 26:22 The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body.
  Bear one another’s burdens to fulfill the law of Christ - love coving a multitude of sins! (Vs.23-25) If God exposed all your secret sins of thought, word, deed, and neglect - you’d never show your face in public or dare to go on-line. How dare you, if you aren’t called by God to be a parent, pastor, or judge - assume it is given to you to hurt another’s reputation.
    Repent! Pray with David, Psa 51:10-13 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (11) Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. (12) Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. (13) Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” What has God done to cover your sins? (LSB pg. 322 2nd Art. W.D.T.M?) Eph 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (32) And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
III. Repent of allowing your flesh to use your tongue to destroy your neighbor’s good name! (LSB. pg. 321, 8th Cmdt. W.D.T.M?) Let the Word of Christ dwell among you richly. The Holy Spirit bears witness that you are debtors not to your fallen flesh. Fleshly speaking only brings death. Christ Jesus has freed you to cry out, “Abba, Father!” How does this help controlling our unruly tongues? (LSB pg. 324, 5th Petition. W.D.T.M?)
      Stop following your heart! Mat 15:19-20 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. (20) These are the things which defile a man," Repent! (Vs. 26-29) Let God’s Word break your sinful pride to pieces - let the blood of Jesus cleanse your heart and lips from all sin - let God the Holy Spirit use your lips as children of the merciful Heavenly Father to speak forgiving, healing life giving Words - the Gospel!- Rom 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
       Speak well of your neighbor. Start at home. Husbands, wives speak well of each other - explain each others actions in the kindest way possible. Children speak well of your parents - see their actions through the eyes of Jesus - acts of love, care, and concern for you. By the Holy Spirit explain everything in the kindest way possible. Don’t assume someone’s unkind words, or actions are an attack against you. Don’t let Satan convince you to stay away from your local congregation - because what someone said or acted. Instead follow Jesus’ preaching: Mat 18:15-18 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. (16) But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY WORD MAY BE ESTABLISHED.' (17) And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. (18) "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
    He paid the price of your sin, your shame, your hell to reconcile you to your heavenly Father - use your words only to reconcile one another as the family of God in Christ’s kingdom of grace! Instead of starting wildfires with your tongue - speak baptismal words of forgiveness, reconciliation , and renewal to one another. Amen.