“King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.”
(Jeremiah 38:5–6, ESV)
I remember preaching a message on discipleship from the book of Mark where I stated that people needed to be all in with Jesus. The challenge was very strong. It was for people to pick up their cross and follow Jesus. Days later I received a letter from one of my parishioners who was very upset with the message. In it she went on a vicious attack of my character and actions as a pastor. You know, I did not write that passage of Scripture, Mark did under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I did not speak the words in the passage, Jesus did. Perhaps I could have been a bit more tactful in the sermon, but it was God’s word and it was truth.
I bring this up to say that there is often a cost to presenting the whole truth.
Jeremiah faced the cost of preaching the truth of God. He prophesied that the city of Jerusalem would be given into the hands of Babylon and that any who stayed in the city would be slaughtered. He gave them instruction from the Lord to surrender to Babylon and they would save their lives. The problem was that the people would not harken to the message from the Lord. So, they went to King Zedekiah with their complaint and that Jeremiah should be put to death. The king, being a weak leader, had no power over the people and he tells them to have their way with Jeremiah. So, they took him and cast him into a cistern.
There is a cost for preaching the full truth of God since many will not want to hear the challenges that come from the Lord. This makes it difficult for the preacher today to be faithful to the truth. You see, there is a natural temptation to sugar coat things, to tickle the itching ear. I struggle with it and I think others do also. However, The Great Commission does not call us to make believers, but disciples and sometimes this is a difficult message to preach.
Friends, preach the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Parishioners, do not write off the word that is preached without a careful examination and personal application. Follow this advice.
“Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:20–22, ESV)
Renewing the Heart 