Go! And Do Not Listen To Lies - Jeremiah 23:16 Series

Go! And Do Not Listen to Lies - Jeremiah 23:16

Introduction

Church, I want to begin with a question: Whose voice are you listening to?

In our world today, we are surrounded by voices—news channels, social media influencers, politicians, friends, and even preachers. But not every voice that speaks with authority is a voice of truth. Some voices soothe, some voices flatter, but some voices deceive.

This morning, as part of our “Go! And…” series, we will look at Jeremiah 23:16, a verse that thunders across the centuries with urgent relevance for the 21st century church.

Jeremiah 23:16 (NLT): “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people: ‘Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord!’”

Jeremiah lived in a time of national crisis. The people of Judah were in rebellion against God, yet false prophets arose, proclaiming peace when there was no peace, promising prosperity when judgment was at the door.

The Lord warns His people: “Do not listen.”

The Hebrew word here is šama?—which means more than just “hearing with the ears.” It implies listening with obedience, giving weight to, responding to. The people were giving authority to liars, treating falsehood as truth.

The phrase “futile hopes” in Hebrew (ha?bal) speaks of vanity, emptiness, nothingness. These false prophets offered cotton candy theology—sweet for a moment, but with no nourishment.

Friends, this is not just an Old Testament issue. Jesus Himself warned in Matthew 7:15: “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.”

The problem is not a lack of voices—it’s that we give our ears and our hearts to the wrong ones.

1. Do Not Listen to Lies—Cling to the Word of God

The first command is simple: Do not listen. We must learn to discern.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:3–4 (NLT): “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”

Doesn’t that sound like today? People love a message that makes them feel good, but truth is not always comfortable.

John Piper said: “The prosperity gospel will not make anybody prosper. It will make people love money and send them to hell.”

Church, Piper’s words remind us—comforting lies are deadly. God’s Word may cut, but it cuts to heal. Lies soothe, but they lead to death.

Imagine a doctor who knows you have cancer but says, “Don’t worry, you’re fine. Just take a holiday.” Would you call him kind? No—you’d call him criminal. Better a hard truth that saves than a sweet lie that kills.

In our digital age, we must anchor ourselves in Scripture. Test every sermon, every prophecy, every spiritual book against the Word. If it doesn’t line up, don’t listen.

2. False Voices Offer Hope Without Repentance

Jeremiah’s contemporaries were told: “Don’t worry, God won’t judge you. Peace is coming.” But the true message was: “Repent, for judgment is at hand.”

The Hebrew phrase “making up everything they say” (?azah šeqer) literally means “seeing lies in visions.” They claimed divine dreams but invented them.

In Acts 20:29–30 (NLT): Paul warned the Ephesian elders: “I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.”

The greatest danger often comes from within—from voices that sound religious but deny repentance.

Tim Keller once said: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

False prophets remove the first part—they skip sin. They say, “You’re fine, God loves you, don’t change.” But without repentance, there is no salvation. Keller’s words point us back to the full gospel—bad news about our sin, followed by the good news of Christ.

If you jump from a plane without a parachute, it doesn’t matter if you “feel positive.” Gravity still pulls you down. False hope is deadly.

Church, do not accept any gospel without the cross. Do not follow any teaching that says you can have the kingdom without the King, or forgiveness without repentance.

3. The True Voice Points to Christ Alone

Ultimately, Jeremiah’s warning was not just about rejecting lies—it was about embracing truth. And the truth is a Person: Jesus Christ.

In John 14:6 (NLT): “Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’”