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Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends on this last day of January.
I have a question for us: What have been your driving ambitions in life and how have they changed as you have aged? As you take a moment to reflect on that, I think you’ll find it very interesting to consider what your passions were at various stages of your life like your teenage years, your young adult years, your midlife years, and if you are old enough, your retirement years. Now, how did those passions affect your priorities and choices through the journey of your life?
Now here’s another question intended to help us gain a larger and more significant perspective on our lives: Psalm 139 tells us God creates each of us unique. He knits us together in our mother’s wombs, according to His design for us, and He knows our entire life journey before it begins.(Ps. 139:13-16) So, from God’s perspective how often in your lifetime do you think your life ambitions or passions were aligned closely with God’s unique design for you at that stage of your life?
Yesterday I introduced you to a man named Ezekiel, remember? We met Ezekiel as he stumbled along with 10,000 other Jewish captives on a POW march from Jerusalem to Babylon in 597bc. I suspect like everyone else on that death march, Ezekiel at age 25, thought his life was over. At best he might survive in captivity being treated with mercy by his captors. Perhaps more likely, he’d soon be dead.
But yesterday I showed you that by his own record Ezekiel declares that 5 years into his captivity, in 592bc he was out with a group of exiles, probably working in the fields, when suddenly he had a vision of God. (Ezek. 1:1-3) Rather than looking into Ezekiel’s record of that vision, I’d like to consider what he tells us about the personal message from God Ezekiel received as the vision concluded. Very similar to other Jewish prophets in Israel’s history Ezekiel’s life changed the day of his encounter with God.
Ezekiel tells us this: “When I saw the glory of the LORD I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of One speaking: ‘Son of man stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.’ As He spoke, the Holy Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. He said, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against Me to this very day…” (Ezek. 1:28; 2:1-3)
Now let’s unpack that a bit, because it was for Ezekiel, his transformative life calling. From that day on his life ambition was God defined and very clear and fully, enthusiastically embraced by Ezekiel. Clearly Ezekiel understood he was having an encounter with Almighty God, the Creator of the universe. God Himself was speaking in a language Ezekiel understood and using both words and images to make God’s message very clear to Ezekiel. His natural reaction was humility and overwhelmed he fell on his face to the ground. Does that sound familiar in history? Moses did the same thing when a burning bush spoke to him. (Exodus 3:6)
For Ezekiel, the voice continued to speak and this is Ezekiel’s recollection: “As He spoke, the Holy Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.” The Spirit Ezekiel mentions here is none other than the Holy Spirit of God who came upon the 120 followers of Jesus in the upper room in Jerusalem as they began to speak in languages they did not know. (Acts 2:1-12) This same Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, is very active in the saving work of God in our lives today and this Holy Spirit resides within us to guide us, teach us, counsel us, convict us of sin, assure us of our salvation and so much more. (John 14:16,17,26)
Here this Holy Spirit actually came into Ezekiel, lifted him to his feet and helped him both hear and understand the voice of God speaking to him. This was a very powerful, life changing experience. Have you ever had a life changing experience with God?
Similar to other prophets, God’s message was clear, distinctive and aimed uniquely at Ezekiel. God was giving Ezekiel his life purpose for the rest of Ezekiel’s’ life. But it was not going to be an easy, comfortable life mission! God’s analysis of the Jewish people, going all the way back to the days of Moses, more than 1000 years before, was summarized in one word: Rebellion! I wonder if you know anyone whose life is characterized by rebellion. They refuse to live by the rules. They enjoy challenging the patience of everyone around them. They love pushing the limits of honorable behavior.
God painted the picture even clearer for Ezekiel with these words: “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.” (Ez. 2:4) Do you suppose Ezekiel wanted to ask for a different assignment from God, suggesting God find someone else for this painful mission? Have you ever had to bring news to someone who didn’t want to hear you? Did it actually come to the place they reacted to your unwelcome message with violence? Were you in danger? That’s what Ezekiel was anticipating as he listened to God’s assignment.
Remember, Ezekiel had grown up in Jerusalem listening to Jeremiah proclaim God’s unwanted messages and watching the hateful reaction of the Jerusalem Jews. Was God sending Ezekiel on an “I told you so” mission? That would be a dead-end road with nothing good at the end of that road! His fellow Jewish captives had experienced and were living exactly what God had forewarned, and they knew it!
But God’s message to Ezekiel was clear: “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,‘ and whether they listen or fail to listen, they will know that a prophet of God has been among them!” Oh my, pause here for a few seconds. Could that be said of you or me? Regardless of the circumstances, when your life and mine is over, will people conclude you and I were people who loved and honored God and they had been blessed by our presence?
God continued with Ezekiel: “And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. You must speak My words to them…” (Ez. 2:4-7)
We need to pause right here with a very important question: is that God’s mission for you and me today and for the rest of our lives, if you are a follower of Jesus, no matter where you live in the world? Are you prepared and willing to pay the price of bringing God’s words to your family, your neighborhood, your city, your world? Oh my, we need to park right here and ponder, pray and worship, and invite God to speak to us through this song…
Today’s Scripture: Ezekiel 2:1-7.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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