Grace, mercy, and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
What
is the definition of a prophet? The Old Testament prophets like Ezekiel, what
were they called to do? Given a revelation from God, they replied, “Thus says
the Lord.” That word, at times was for a specific event in the prophet’s day,
or about something that already happened. Sometimes God’s word announced a
future event, far away in time. Sometimes more than one event in time was
included in the same message. Most often the theme of their message was “repent
and believe in the gospel.” The
prophet’s ancient words are for God’s people of every age, because it is God’s
word, eternal. Our question is how it applies now, how we are to receive it,
how we are to be shaped by it.
There is a related question, do we
have prophets today? Not if that means an ongoing, progressive revelation.
Scripture has been written. The Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming
Christ. He was born, died, rose and
ascended and is coming again. The
divinely inspired apostles taught all Jesus taught them. And Jesus is the full
revelation. Yet the role of the prophet continues in the church, given to the
Apostles and then to declare the apostolic faith, given to the pastoral office
for the sake of the church… to declare God’s Word as it is written. Pastors are
to declare the Word and teach how we receive it and are shaped by it. And all
who receive the apostolic faith share the same because God’s Word is given to
the whole church, to the priesthood of believers.
There is a goal in all this – faith in
the Word. And where there is faith there is the salvation of which we may all
speak according to our vocations. But we are often reluctant to speak. For
example, every called pastor, me included, is at times afraid to say what needs
said, knowing what is likely to happen. Look what happened to Jesus who never
stuck his foot in his mouth. So what about
your foot? You’ve had opportunities to witness of our Lord, the Christ. Did you
keep your lips shut thinking, “maybe the pastor will say it?” Or, “I pray that
guy reads a Gideon Bible in a hotel room.” Do you think “I’m not a Moses, an Amos,
a Jeremiah or a Jonah?” And by the way,
each of these prophets didn’t want to speak for God. They objected to that
divine call, making excuses, as we may object to living as a Christian in our
personal vocations.
Today we consider Ezekiel; he was a
priest, called to be a prophet, after he became a captive of war and was
dragged off to Babylon Judah Babylon Babylon Judah
Then we ought to consider what God
calls success. What’s his definition? It’s not what the world of the flesh
calls success. We live in the world, under the pressures of a culture,
influenced by its values; tempted and troubled by what the world wants to make
of us because we want the same from the world. For example, we like popularity.
We like to be liked and thought special. We’re even glad if the dog wags it
tail when we come home. How early did it matter whom you sat next to on the
school bus, junior high, fourth grade, first grade, kindergarten? What made someone popular? And did you conform to worldly values to get
to sit next to the popular person on the bus, the one who had 42 crayons in her
box, not just the 12 pack? As you know
ungodly values happen in kindergarten. And how do you conform to un-godly
values to be liked? - repent -
For another example, is success fame?
Even if no one here danced with the stars, does it matter how people esteem you?
We’d like to be given the best table in the restaurant, the special treatment,
and have a full house at our funeral. We
equate that with a life that matters; being honored and admired. So we create
everything from Cub Scout badges to Moose Lodge ceremonies. We create rigid
hierarchies in the butterfly collectors club and in civil war re-enacting more
people want to put on a general’s uniform than a private’s. There are so many
ways we try to validate ourselves. I’m
not against having fun, rewarding children, getting promotions at work, wearing
uniforms or preserving a historical memory or living in the world. The issue is
how do we validate ourselves before God?
That’s a vital question for each person, and for the life of the church.
We might live in the world, but if we
succumb to the world’s way, to a self-centered way of measuring success, what
then? For one, we’ll think if the rich, famous and powerful go to a church,
that one must be God’s church. And if they don’t go to any church, why should we?
Or, we’ll sell out Scripture to one business program after another masquerading
under religious jargon if it promises to fill the pews. Or we’ll not risk
offending our neighbor by saying things they need to hear, of repentance and
faith, about not their honor but Christ’s. And have you noticed that all of the
world’s ways of success are those of the law, something you do? How quickly
does that become a burden, needing the 42 crayon pack to be thought OK, and the
68 pack to be special? Thank God the gospel is contrary to the world’s values,
although believing it creates situations like these: God said to Ezekiel…you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord
God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house)
they will know that a prophet has been among them. The Apostle Paul said therefore I will boast all the more gladly
of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of
Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
and calamities. Our Lord Jesus said “A
prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives
and in his own household.”
Too bad faith, faith in Christ, isn’t
often admired in the world. Nevertheless, Jesus wasn’t ruined because his hometown
rejected Him. That was but a step along the road to redeeming the world. Paul
wasn’t broken by sufferings caused by proclaiming Christ. On the contrary, he
finds his resulting weakness the very place where God reveals His faithfulness.
Ezekiel preached God’s message, and those who listened were saved. So too God didn’t require the prophets and
apostles to spend their lives fighting for a big house, new cars, trips to
Europe and the very best extended care policy for the end of life. They looked
to what is eternal in the heavens, to where the Lord bids us look. They looked
to what truly matters, and found contentment. So we look to the gospel; and
with Paul see things so differently that we can boast about our weaknesses and
troubles.
Further, in Christ we succeed in our
varied vocations, as father, mother, son, laborer, accountant, boss, friend,
neighbor, pastor… by a life of faith. How so? Faith receives that Jesus
declares us righteous, a success by God’s standard. And faith then looks to
Christ to strengthen us in our every need. The plumber under the house in the
crawl space, righteous in Christ, is free to pray for a solution when there
isn’t space to move his hands to make parts fit. And when they do fit, he gives thanks to
God. So we don’t measure success in the same way as what the world values most;
and even if it outwardly looks like the world’s definition, it won’t be. Even
if a Christian’s business is fortune 500, her acting Broadway demanded, his
ball throwing Super bowl sending... that’s not how he or she measures success.
Our success has nothing to do with earning God’s approval, so that he likes
you. Nor is it about the world’s approval. In fact, it’s not about you at all.
God measures success by saving us. It’s about Him for you. For you He preserved Ezekiel’s life when
Babylonian armies blood-soaked Jerusalem
The Triune God takes upon Himself the
responsibility to save, just as the Triune God takes upon Himself the
measurement of our success. What’s the best example of God’s way of doing
things? Consider the success of God’s Son made man. God became man and humbled
Himself; and then was called mad, demonized, a bastard, a blasphemer, immoral,
etc. By worldly standards Jesus of Nazareth was an utter failure. He lived in
back-waters and never went to important places, like Rome
Contrary to the world’s definition,
the Triune God made you a success… when Jesus died for sinners. Whoever believes and is baptized shall be
saved. So Ezekiel proclaimed the same (repentance and faith) and some believed.
So we speak of our Lord because He named us as His † having reconciled us by
the cross, by the symbol of worldly failure but the sign of God’s approval.
(That’s why our churches have images of Christ crucified, the last thing our
sinful inclinations want, so that we see the Father’s definition of success.)
And in Jesus’ success is the secret of fulfilling our calling, our vocation as
a Christian. He gives us the power of open mouths... that receive His very body
and blood. His grace is the answer to our every weakness, because He who washed
us in water with the Word is stronger than the grave. So we live as God’s own,
asking Him that the faith He creates in us by the Word bears the fruit of love
and good works. Then mindful of Christ,
we rejoice to serve our neighbor for Christ’s sake. That’s what shapes the way
we see our jobs, our family, life in the world.
Now, how do you measure success? Will
you think less of yourself if you don’t have a sporty car? Will you think less
of Christ when your neighbor says you believe a superstition? Will you think on
Christ crucified as the source of all good for you? And as a fringe benefit,
consider how in Christ the burden of earning the world’s approval falls away.
You succeeded before God through the
death of Jesus Christ, so you don’t require the world’s popularity, fame and
honor to be content. You don’t need to live beyond your means, to dress a
certain way, to be a rat in the rat
race, to conform to what earns God’s wrath.
Before God, there’s no need to earn brownie points. The Father named you
as His in Baptism, forgiven, justified, His beloved child. For this end He sent
the prophets and apostles, calling men into the proclamation office so that
through hearing, the Holy Spirit applies the Word to your life - for a reason -
to free you from the world’s bonds, freed to be His for righteousness and life.
So Ezekiel looked forward to the
promised Christ, overcoming his fear to speak. He knew success depended on God,
as does ours. So the Word of grace opens our mouths too because it informs us
who we are and what we shall become and that some will believe. Jesus is the
final and ultimate prophet. He puts His word in our ears and into our hearts,
and it comes out of our mouths. He who
enters our mouths to commune with us will strengthen you for eternal life; for
God measures success by saving us. It’s all about Him for you.
The peace of God which
passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
