Eighth Sunday after Trinity
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Today marks the beginning of my fifth year as your pastor. Jesus’ warning to “beware of false prophets” was the text read at my installation. It was appropriately read then, and it is still fitting today. The greatest danger to the Church does not come from the outside. It comes from within: from false prophets, false shepherds, false sheep, and, most especially, false doctrine. There has never been a time that the Church was not in grave danger of falling into false teaching, and this will not change until our Lord returns. We must be ever vigilant. We are the Church Militant. If you are tired of fighting, then pray that God would grant you a speedy entrance into heaven. Otherwise, every member of the Church on earth is called to be engaged in the battle against false doctrine.
In the long history of the Church, what is the greatest heresy that we have faced? Some scholars would suggest Arianism, a false teaching that surfaced in the fourth century and almost split the church in two. In our time Satan has rebranded this ancient heresy, and its followers are now called Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. But destructive as it has been, Arianism is not the greatest threat to the Church.
The most destructive heresy in the history of the world is called by a name you’ve probably never heard of: Enthusiasm. This doesn’t mean having a lot of energy or being excited—there’s nothing wrong with that. Enthusiasm, theologically speaking, is the false idea that God speaks directly to the human heart apart from His Word. “Yes, the Bible is important, but if you are really in tune with the Holy Spirit, you will hear God’s voice within your heart.” This is Enthusiasm. It is the most dangerous heresy there is. The first Enthusiasts were Adam and Eve. They believed that what they felt in their hearts was more important than what God had said. They saw that the forbidden fruit was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise. God said, “You will surely die,” but Adam and Eve thought they knew better. They listened to the whispering voice of Satan and became Enthusiasts. And, of course, they died. That’s the problem with Enthusiasm. It’s a diseased tree that bears bad fruit.
All through the Old Testament, the people of God were continually led astray by false prophets who preached words that were not from the mouth of God. Enthusiasm. In the Gospels Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees because they set aside the commandments of God and held instead to the traditions of men (Mk 7:8). Enthusiasm. In his final address to the church in Ephesus, St. Paul warned, “After my departure savage wolves will come in among you, … speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29). Enthusiasm.
Knowing the danger of this false teaching, Jesus commanded the disciples, “Take heed that no one deceives you… For false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Therefore, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! Or ‘There!’ do not believe it. If they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it” (Mt 24:4, 11, 23, 26). And yet, many people do believe it. Many Christians go running to the inner room of the mind, expecting to hear the voice of Jesus speaking within their hearts. But we don’t need to run around looking for Jesus. Why? Because He already told us where He would be: Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, and He is present in His Body and Blood broken and shed for you. If you want to find Jesus, don’t run about chasing dreams and visions. Don’t listen to the voice of your heart that is deceitfully wicked above all things. Go instead to the place where the Word of God is preached in truth and purity and the Sacraments are rightly administered.
It seems simple enough. Why then is Enthusiasm such a danger to the people of God? Because, as St. Paul tells us, “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
Enthusiasm is appealing because it whispers into our ears the things we want to hear. In Luther’s day, the Enthusiasts claimed to hear the voice of God speaking to them directly. And because they had a “new” word from God, they despised the written Word, listening instead to the “heavenly voice” within their own hearts. In place of the concrete forgiveness of Christ delivered through the Holy Sacraments, they turned to the subjective feelings of the heart to find assurance of salvation.
Enthusiasm is alive and well within the Church today, perhaps even within your own heart. I knew of two different men who both went to the same young woman on the same day and said, “God told me I’m supposed to marry you.” There is no such Word written in the Bible. They were Enthusiasts. When a loved one dies, people often say, “I know that Aunt Mary is watching out for me from heaven.” Again, there is no promise of that in Scripture. It is Enthusiasm. God does not guarantee you a life on earth without suffering. He does not promise you wealth, good health, or a long life. The Word of God does not say whether you will beat cancer and live another twenty years or not. And yet so many Christians are happy to believe these false promises. If you are in the habit of saying, “God spoke to me…” or “The Holy Spirit revealed to me…” but it’s not written in the Bible, then you are an Enthusiast.
Now why is this a problem? Because trust in false promises that God did not make breeds despair and unbelief, which are destructive to your eternal soul. Neither of the two men ended up marrying that young woman, even though each was separately convinced that God had said he would. Afterwards they might have concluded, “If God didn’t keep His promise about my future wife, why should I trust what He says about the forgiveness of sins and salvation?” When the new job doesn’t work out or when the sickness returns, the devil will tell you that God doesn’t keep His promises. This is your enemy’s goal: to cause you to doubt your heavenly Father and question His intentions toward you. If Satan can succeed at this, he can take away your faith and destroy your eternal soul.
But the promises that God has made to you are infinitely greater than all the lies Satan would have you believe. The words of Christ bring comfort and peace that transcends all human understanding. Listen to just a few of Jesus’ promises to you from Holy Scripture: “In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Is 43:1–3). “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Is 18:1). “For as far as the east is from the west, so far [will I remove your transgression from you]” (Ps 103:12). “[And I] will destroy … the veil that is spread over all nations, [I] will swallow up death forever” (Is 25:7–8). Yes, says the Lord Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, even though he die, yet shall he live. For I, myself, shall raise him up on the last day” (Jn 11:24, 6:40). “The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible. And then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ ” (1 Cor 15:52, 54). “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev 2:7). “And [I] will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write [this down], for these words are faithful and true.’ ” (Rev 21:4–5).
Dear members of the flock of God, do not listen to the lying voice of the false shepherds and teachers. Do not listen to the whispered assurances of your own heart. Do not be an Enthusiast. Instead, hold fast to the written promises of Jesus. For these words are the only source of true comfort and lasting peace. The words of Jesus alone deliver the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Amen.