Be careful about speaking for the Lord.

You hear it all the time, "Well, I think that God..."

People speak "for" God. They tell what they think God will do or how they think that God feels about a particular topic. They serve as God's "spokesperson" to a certain group of people or in a particular situation.

I am not talking about people who appeal to Scripture and simply quote God but rather people who without blinking offer their view on God's view.

I have been to Bible studies before that took on this approach. A particular topic was tossed out and the leader sent it around the group as everyone gave their take on how God felt about that topic.

But the problem is that those people are not God and often times they do not know what they are talking about.

We find one of those people in Jeremiah 28 and his name is Hananiah.

Now before we go into the story of Hananiah let me set the context for you in case you are new to our study of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the called prophet of God. He wasn't one of many. He was the only one. God had called Jeremiah to preach a very simple message consisting of three parts:

1) Israel and Judah have sinned terribly against the God who had created them, chosen them, and blessed them tremendously.

2) The very same God intended to punish them greatly for their sin.

3) The punishment would come in two forms: death and exile. God was sending King Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon to destroy their land and carry them off into exile. Those who accepted the punishment and did not resist the Babylonians would live in exile. Those who resisted would be killed.

In other words, Jeremiah had been given the words of the Lord to speak but they were not happy words. They were words of judgment and death. In fact, at the point where we are going to pick up the story Jeremiah has even gone so far as to bind himself to a yoke and carry it around all day to illustrate the slavery that was coming to God's people.

Needless to say, Jeremiah was not very popular. People grew tired of listening to his doom and gloom message and they started looking for new voices.

This created an interesting market for a guy like Hananiah because people were looking for new opinions on God and his take on things and Hananiah had opinions.

Listen to what he says in Jeremiah 28:2-4

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, which Nebuchadnezzer king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Doesn't that message sound different from the one Jeremiah had been preaching? It is so much happier. It is so much more pleasant. It is so much more peaceful. It is "easy listening."

Sure, there is going to be slavery, Hananiah admits, but it is only going to last two years. Jeremiah had just told the people, about two chapters ago, that the slavery would last seventy. Hananiah was a good business man. He understood that if the people had a choice of who to believe they would naturally lean towards the two years of slavery against the seventy years.

Apparently Hananiah was also a bit of a showman too because he even accompanied his message with some theatrics which are detailed in verses 10 & 11:

Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of the people, saying, "Thus says the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years."

Wow! Can't you see the people whispering, "Oh no he didn't!" A star was born.

And the person who speaks for God is often a star, even in our culture today. They are seen as very intelligent (Deepak Chopra), very sophisticated (Oprah), and very nice (Joel Osteen). Even in your own circle you probably have the person that everyone runs to hear their opinion on all things God.

You might even be the person who routinely speaks the, "I think God..." sentences to your friends and family members.

But here is the problem: God has already spoken. He has recorded it in a book for us, so if we are going to talk about what He thinks or feels He would prefer we take our statements from the authorized source.

Jeremiah was the authorized source in his day because before he spoke he was given the words to speak directly from God. Hananiah was not.

And God doesn't like it when you and I go off book and wax eloquent on his thoughts and actions. He wants to speak for Himself.

This is a lesson that Hananiah learned the hard way. I am going to close this post with the "rest of the story" regarding Hananiah found in verses 12 through 17:

Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: "Go, tell Hananiah, 'Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king. of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.'" And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made the people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.'" In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.

Be careful about speaking for the Lord.

Text Question of the Week.

Lots of good text questions during this week's Element but here is the one I thought you would benefit the most from reading its' answer:

How can I know if my boyfriend is able to spiritually lead me? I recently found out that everyone apparently thinks that I would be the one in my relationship to lead & take charge. I think that's because i am more outgoing than my boyfriend. But what people don't see is that I am really the opposite with him. I don't explode, I'm not take charge, and I love following him. He balances my volatile emotions.

Here was my answer:

Asking if he can lead you is not just a personality question. It is also a spiritual question. What is his passion level for Jesus? His obedience level? Is he actively following Jesus? Do you look up to him spiritually? And remember to be honest about the answers!

Thanks to the texter (who is anyonymous to me) and to all the people who texted in questions.

Who is "dateable" in God's eyes?

Here is the outline of the second session of the Element's jHarmony series:

The question for tonight is, "Who is dateable?"

By dateable we mean, "Who does God want me to date?"

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

The Bible lists six criteria of dateability:

#1 To be dateable, a person must be a member of the opposite sex.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9-10)

#2 To be dateable, a person must be a follower of Jesus.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? (II Corinthians 6:14-15)

Three reasons why "missionary" dating is wrong--

1) The Bible expressly forbids it. (see also Deuteronomy 7:3-4 & Joshua 23:11-13)

2) It focuses only the effect the believer can have on the non-believer and ignores the effect the non-believer can have on the believer.

3) It incorrectly places evangelism above worship and obedience.

#3 To be dateable, a person must be living single with purpose.

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10)

I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. (I Corinthians 7:35)

The four possible outcomes of "restorative" dating--

1) The restorative dater joins the "fixer-upper" in their sin and loses their focus on Jesus.

2) The restorative dater eventually gives up on the "fixer-upper" and both are damaged.

3) The "fixer-upper" changes for the restorative dater and becomes a "fake" Christ-follower.

4) The restorative dater marries the "fixer upper" and becomes another sad statistic.

#4 To be dateable, a person must be certain they are called to marry.

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. (I Corinthians 7:17)

For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it. (Matthew 19:12)

#5 To be dateable, a person must have godly character.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things that you want to do...Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:16-17, 19-24)

#6 To be dateable, a person must be willing and able to fulfill their marital role.

Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and he is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Ephesians 5:22-28)