A HARSH STORY: God gives Ezekiel a task that overwhelms him.
- Ezekiel 3:14-15.
- 2 Corinthians 1:8-11; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, 16-18.
- This is a tough story and it’s going to lead us in this sermon to some difficult points.
- We’ve been talking for the first two sermons in this series about the intransigence that Israel is showing. Further, God tells Ezekiel going in that Israel is not going to rush to the altar at his preaching. He even tells Ezekiel that he needs to have a “forehead like the hardest stone” because he is preaching to a “rebellious house” (3:9). Not an encouraging job description, huh?
- Now we have Ezekiel moved to where the Israelites are: in exile. The Babylonian exile was a hard time for a disgraced and disobedient nation.
- Now, it does not specifically tell us why he was filled with “bitterness” and “anger.” It is possible that it was because of the spiritual condition of Israel.
- It seems far more likely, though, that it is because of the mission God has given him when you consider what is before and after these verses.
- Before it God has warned Ezekiel about how difficult a group Israel is going to be to preach to.
- After it God gives (this is next week’s sermon) a lengthy warning about his responsibility to deliver the message no matter what the outcome (or lack of outcome) of his ministry is.
- Both point us much more toward an overwhelming task.
- Now, how can this be relevant for today when say, “God won’t put more on you than you can handle.” Well, the question is whether that’s Biblical. And the answer is that it’s not.
- One straightforward statement on that is 2 Corinthians 1:8-11. In it Paul discusses how overwhelmed and struggling they are. It’s a passage that clearly indicates that sometimes Paul was in a situation he could not handle and that led him to have to rely totally on God.
- That means that this may be a situation in which we find ourselves as well.
- Now, none of this are things we want to hear, but often the truth of the Bible isn’t what we want to hear. It’s important for us to clarify what’s going on here and I think our next step is talking about a false gospel that we often preach.
THE GOSPEL WE OFTEN PREACH: The gospel of self-fulfillment.
- This story about Ezekiel is one that we don’t care for. There are a number of reasons for that, but I want to focus on what I think is the biggest.
- It is that stories like this contradict the gospel of self-fulfillment. So often we try to make the walk of faith about making us happy or actualizing our dreams, or God fulfilling us. It reduces the gospel to something that is focused on us and our needs.
- One example of this is that many gospel presentations include the idea that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Now, I do think God loves us and I do think He has a plan for our lives, but the way this reads to most people considering Christianity is that God is going serve you to get you what you want. He’s going to solve your problem and fulfill your needs and many of your wants. He’s going to commit Himself to taking care of you. But, of course, that’s not what God is actually offering – that’s the gospel of self-fulfillment.
A MORE ACCURATE IDEA: The gospel of kingdom fulfillment.
- Matthew 5:11-12; Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Timothy 2:3-4.
- Now, we’re going to get into some challenging truths. These are wildly different than what the world is preaching at us.
- Rather than the gospel of self-fulfillment, the truth that this passage points us toward is the gospel of kingdom fulfillment. What kingdom do I mean? The Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus.
- It is Jesus’ desire that this kingdom grow and expand to add many more people to its fold. It is His desire that this kingdom would have greater impact and influence. And we are one of the major vehicles for that happening.
- Jesus wants the kingdom of God to prosper and He wants to fulfill that through us.
- Let me share a few relevant Biblical ideas about how we relate to this idea and then summarize the idea.
a. Persecution.
- Matthew 5:11-12.
- In the beginning of the greatest sermon of all-time (the Sermon on the Mount), Jesus shares that persecution is something that His followers are going to have to deal with. Why? One major reason is that we are standing for something that the world doesn’t like. This rejection can go all the way from torture and death down to social shunning. (I’m reluctant to call the latter persecution although it is rejection.)
- Persecution is obviously the polar opposite of the gospel of an easy life.
b. Importance of mission.
- Matthew 28:18-20.
- The Great Commission is not about self-fulfillment. If anything, it makes our lives much more difficult. But it is the call of every Christian: go and share.
- Why are we called to do that? Because we have a mission to fulfill: the spread of the gospel.
c. Soldier of the cross.
- 2 Timothy 2:3-4.
- Here Paul uses the analogy of a soldier to tell Timothy what he is called to. A soldier has a mission that may require sacrifice and struggle. But he does that because he recognizes that the mission he is completing is worthy.
- The kingdom requires sacrifice. It requires monetary sacrifice. It requires time sacrifice. In the case of missionaries, it can require geographic sacrifice.
- He did not call us a “tourist of the cross.” We are a soldier of the cross. Our symbol is not a pillow but a cross.
- This is just an introduction. We haven’t even talked about dying to self, carrying your cross, or that one’s life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions.
- When you add all this up, what we left with is the reality that an integral part of our calling involves sacrifice and struggle. God isn’t interested in just making our lives easy and carefree. Why would God ask that of us? Because people need to hear about Jesus and His grace.
A RELATED TRUTH: God wants to transform your heart.
- 1 Corinthians 11:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18.
- Allow me a slight detour for a moment. I simply want to make a related point but instead of talking about the world around us I want to talk about the world within us.
- There is another reason why God isn’t overly interested in just giving us everything we want. He not only wants to transform the world around us – He also wants to transform our hearts.
- One way to think of it is the great Abraham Kuyper quote: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Jesus desires to bring everything under His rule.
- That includes the parts of my heart that are still consumed with sin and selfishness.
- Paul writes repeatedly that Christlikeness is the goal we are endeavoring to realize, not only in the glorification of the life to come but also in the sanctification of the present life.
A HOPEFUL POINT TO CLOSE ON: God is patient with him.
- Ezekiel 3:16.
- Now, I realize this sermon may not be counted as good news among many listening. It’s not the easy message. It’s not the happy message. Rather, it calls to something harder but more meaningful.
- So let’s close out with a little word of encouragement.
- At the end of our passage in Ezekiel 3, he arrives via the Spirit to His new destination. As we’ve discussed, he’s been given a hard mission and been dramatically replanted in a new location. It’s a lot to take in. Further, the exiles are not exactly hungering for the message he’s been called to share. They are not only distant from Jerusalem – they are distant from God.
- By his own admissions, he is feeling overwhelmed (v. 15). So God lets him just sit there for seven days. Call it what you will: time to get your head screwed on straight, time to get adjusted, time to get decompressed, time to catch your breath. But the point to emphasize here is that it is an act of mercy and tenderness on God’s part to give him that time.
- What I’ve shared in the sermon is daunting. God is calling us to a high mission, but it’s one that is challenging. The high calling we have been given should not cause us to forget that God is also kind to us when we need it.
