We must be biblical in every dimension of our preaching and ministry. When we get one part “right,” we can feel justified in ignoring the rest. But God disagrees.

On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” arguably the most famous sermon in American history. This message played an instrumental role in the First Great Awakening, one of the most significant movements of God’s Spirit in human history.

When I think of Edwards’ remarkable influence on American history, I long to make a similar impact. I long for God to use my preaching and ministry to change lives and influence our culture. Every pastor I know similarly wants their work to matter, to make an eternal difference with the people and the nation they serve.

None of us wants our words to go “into the air,” to be forgotten as soon as they are heard. Each of us wants to leave a legacy that glorifies our Lord.

As I am reading through the book of Jeremiah in my personal Bible study, I was greatly impacted by a chapter that speaks directly to this quest. I believe this text is as relevant for you and me as it was for the prophet and his people twenty-six centuries ago.

“See If You Can Find a Man”

Jeremiah 5 begins with God’s call to his prophet: “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her” (v. 1).

“Does justice” in the Hebrew means “makes righteous decisions.” “Seeks truth” could be rendered, “strive to be faithful.” This is good news: God will “pardon” (“forgive” or “spare” in the Hebrew) our people if he can find just one person like this.

However, the prophet’s search was unfruitful: his people “swear falsely” (v. 2), “refused to take correction” (v. 3a), and “refused to repent” (v. 3b). The prophet then turned to “the great” who “know the way of the Lᴏʀᴅ, the justice of their God” (v. 5a). However, “they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds” (v. 5b).

Later in the chapter, God’s indictment against the spiritual leaders of the nation becomes even more tragic: “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?” (vv. 30–31).

Is the Bible Wrong on Sexual Morality?

When I read about prophets who “prophesy falsely” and priests who “rule at their direction,” my thoughts went to the ministers in recent years who have endorsed homosexual behavior, same-sex marriage, and LGBTQ ideology.

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