Ezekiel is one of the weirdest books in the bible.  Even Revelation with its odd creatures and confusing descriptions isn’t on par with Ezekiel’s commands from God.  But in the midst of a year lying on his left side and eating food cooked over cow poop, we have a few very important lessons.

First, according to this Old Testament prophet, we are responsible for those we see sinning but don’t warn.  Assuming this is not a command unique to Ezekiel, and I don’t believe it is, if we see someone sinning (and who doesn’t on a daily basis) and don’t warn them against this sin, then we will be held responsible for their sin.  Not to say that we will suffer their punishment for it, but “I will hold you accountable for their blood” says God.  What this means is unclear, but it is certainly not good.

What would it look like for you to warn those around you that what they are doing is sinful?  if you’re like me, your mind immediately went to the busybody old lady who sticks her nose in everyone else’s business.  Or the bible-thumping “preacher man” who had a word of condemnation for everything anyone did, except for he himself, of course.  First, we’d need to understand what sins God is calling us to call out in this society.  We should be standing verbally and loudly against racism, sexism, human trafficking, violence, and fearmongering.  But what are the other sins we should call out?

The second teaching for us is just as important:  our task is to obey God, whether we see results, are successful, or are even noticed.  Ezekiel is to share God’s message with his people, but is promised that his people won’t listen.  We are so success-focused that we gauge our mission, our behavior, and our giving by whether we see results or success.  But God doesn’t call us to succeed.  He calls us to obey.

Hard lessons from a pretty weird source.  But they are God’s Word, and so are part of our sole ruler measuring faith, doctrine, and conduct.  We’d better be listening.

“By faith”.  Say this phrase to anyone who knows their bible a bit and they will immediately think of this chapter from today’s reading, Heb 11.  It is a famous litany of the heroes of the faith, a quick tour through all of biblical history stopping at famous names to remember their stories.

But while many see this as a list of heroes, there is a deeper point made here, and it is locked in to the phrase we began with, “by faith”.  What makes these people heroes is not their valiant deeds, their unwavering belief, or their godly obedience. What makes these people heroes is that they acted in spite of their lack of proof.  It is their trust in God’s promise that makes them heroes.  If you read their full stories, you will find that they fail, fall, and fool around regularly.  Abraham is the ultimate example of Old Testament faithfulness, yet it is primarily because of one event – leaving his home at God’s bequest to go to a strange land.  That’s about it.  He doubts God’s ability to supply an heir, goes to battle for his own desires, and sleeps around.  Sure, his faith makes him willing to sacrifice his own son for God, but this is after a lifetime of disappointing Him.

What if being declared righteous in God’s eyes only took one faithful action?  The rest of your life could be a wasteland, but one righteous act puts you in the Heroes Hall of Fame.  What would that look like for you?  Would it mean that you could go ahead an live selfishly, sinfully, and filled with doubt as long as you did the one thing, so it felt like freedom?  Or would you feel like you never knew which act of faithfulness was needed, so it felt like a burden?  Or would you feel like your dark and painful past could still be redeemed, so it felt like hope?

Our goal is not to get into the Hall of Fame, or even to please God with our righteousness, even just once.  Our goal is a complete change of heart, so that our everyday activities were righteous.  But maybe we can start today with just one act of righteousness.

“By faith”.  Say this phrase to anyone who knows their bible a bit and they will immediately think of this chapter from today’s reading, Heb 11.  It is a famous litany of the heroes of the faith, a quick tour through all of biblical history stopping at famous names to remember their stories.

But while many see this as a list of heroes, there is a deeper point made here, and it is locked in to the phrase we began with, “by faith”.  What makes these people heroes is not their valiant deeds, their unwavering belief, or their godly obedience. What makes these people heroes is that they acted in spite of their lack of proof.  It is their trust in God’s promise that makes them heroes.  If you read their full stories, you will find that they fail, fall, and fool around regularly.  Abraham is the ultimate example of Old Testament faithfulness, yet it is primarily because of one event – leaving his home at God’s bequest to go to a strange land.  That’s about it.  He doubts God’s ability to supply an heir, goes to battle for his own desires, and sleeps around.  Sure, his faith makes him willing to sacrifice his own son for God, but this is after a lifetime of disappointing Him.

What if being declared righteous in God’s eyes only took one faithful action?  The rest of your life could be a wasteland, but one righteous act puts you in the Heroes Hall of Fame.  What would that look like for you?  Would it mean that you could go ahead an live selfishly, sinfully, and filled with doubt as long as you did the one thing, so it felt like freedom?  Or would you feel like you never knew which act of faithfulness was needed, so it felt like a burden?  Or would you feel like your dark and painful past could still be redeemed, so it felt like hope?

Our goal is not to get into the Hall of Fame, or even to please God with our righteousness, even just once.  Our goal is a complete change of heart, so that our everyday activities were righteous.  But maybe we can start today with just one act of righteousness.

I find it so hard to feel the bible texts about persecution having grown up in the Detroit suburbs, lived in small towns, medium cities, and metropolitan suburbs.  To live in America, no matter what the circumstance, is to live better than most of the world.  This is not arrogance or false patriotism, it is a financial fact.  In fact, to be in the top 1% of the globe financially, you need to have an annual income of $32,400.  The median American household income is $59,000, nearly double what it takes to be in the 1%.  And not only do we have more money than the rest of the world, we have more help available were we to fall short of that number.  In many places around the globe and throughout history, it is not only that they had less but that they had access to less.  Even if some were to come into millions of dollars, they would have no access to food to spend it.  I have never known want or poverty or hunger.  And I know precious few who have.

So when, like today in both the OT and the NT readings we find warnings (promises?) of persecution, I cannot relate.  Yet this is a reality for Christians throughout time and around the world.  And for them, one of the biggest questions is this: am I suffering because of God’s withdrawal of His blessings like in Lamentations, or am I suffering because of the evil of this world like in Hebrews?  This question is hard, important, but very hard to answer.  Yesterday we talked about God’s sovereignty, and if God truly is sovereign in the world, then nothing can happen without His knowledge at best, His causation at worst.  If our suffering is not part of God’s will, then we have to question God’s sovereignty, which is equally scary.

We have solved this by focusing on our own free will.  It is free will that allows us to sin against each other, but it also allows us to love.  God cannot revoke the gift of free will without revoking the very core of our identity – in effect annihilating us.  So He has to let us go about our sinful ways or risk losing us altogether.  Not a very satisfying answer where sovereignty and accusation are at work.

So, can we, like the authors of today’s passages, still praise God in the midst of our suffering?  Can we see God’s punishment and still say, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23)  Can we face the sinful effects of this world and still proclaim, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded?”  (Heb. 10:35)

I don’t know and probably never will.  My children probably never will know this either.  Will you?

I find it so hard to feel the bible texts about persecution having grown up in the Detroit suburbs, lived in small towns, medium cities, and metropolitan suburbs.  To live in America, no matter what the circumstance, is to live better than most of the world.  This is not arrogance or false patriotism, it is a financial fact.  In fact, to be in the top 1% of the globe financially, you need to have an annual income of $32,400.  The median American household income is $59,000, nearly double what it takes to be in the 1%.  And not only do we have more money than the rest of the world, we have more help available were we to fall short of that number.  In many places around the globe and throughout history, it is not only that they had less but that they had access to less.  Even if some were to come into millions of dollars, they would have no access to food to spend it.  I have never known want or poverty or hunger.  And I know precious few who have.

So when, like today in both the OT and the NT readings we find warnings (promises?) of persecution, I cannot relate.  Yet this is a reality for Christians throughout time and around the world.  And for them, one of the biggest questions is this: am I suffering because of God’s withdrawal of His blessings like in Lamentations, or am I suffering because of the evil of this world like in Hebrews?  This question is hard, important, but very hard to answer.  Yesterday we talked about God’s sovereignty, and if God truly is sovereign in the world, then nothing can happen without His knowledge at best, His causation at worst.  If our suffering is not part of God’s will, then we have to question God’s sovereignty, which is equally scary.

We have solved this by focusing on our own free will.  It is free will that allows us to sin against each other, but it also allows us to love.  God cannot revoke the gift of free will without revoking the very core of our identity – in effect annihilating us.  So He has to let us go about our sinful ways or risk losing us altogether.  Not a very satisfying answer where sovereignty and accusation are at work.

So, can we, like the authors of today’s passages, still praise God in the midst of our suffering?  Can we see God’s punishment and still say, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23)  Can we face the sinful effects of this world and still proclaim, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded?”  (Heb. 10:35)

I don’t know and probably never will.  My children probably never will know this either.  Will you?