Readings for today: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14, Hebrews 4, Psalms 104:24-35, Proverbs 26:27
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul." (Ezekiel 3:17-21)
Preaching is not for the faint of heart. No matter what technique one may use, it ultimately comes down to communicating God’s message to God’s people with faithfulness. Preaching is not self-help. Preaching is not moral therapeutic deism. Preaching is not a TED talk. Preaching is not simply positive and encouraging. As preachers, we cannot escape the call to talk about sin. We cannot escape the call to talk about grace. We cannot preach the Law without the Gospel. We cannot preach salvation without talking about what people are being saved from.
Ezekiel clearly understands his role. He is not to speak his own words. He is not to offer his own ideas. He is not simply helping his people live their best life now. God has made him a watchman. When he sees danger on the horizon, he must sound the warning. When God’s people engage in sin, he must call them out. When the wicked come against him, Ezekiel must not fail. He must confront the wicked with God’s truth and let the chips fall where they may. If Ezekiel preaches faithfully, God will deliver him. But if Ezekiel falls down on the job, he will bear the blood guilt of his people.
It’s a sobering task to be sure. To think about the fact that every time I get up in the pulpit, I have a responsibility to preach God’s Word faithfully no matter how it may be received. And I know myself too well. I am too weak to do this on my own. Left to my own strength, I will run from the confrontation. I will make excuses. I will avoid the hard texts. I will try my best to spin things in a positive direction. Frankly, that’s why I typically preach verse by verse through entire books of the Bible. It forces me to grapple with the challenging passages. It forces me to preach sermons that aren’t always warm and fuzzy. It forces me to say difficult things to the people God has placed under my care even as I seek to comfort and assure them of God’s amazing grace.
On the other hand, there is freedom in this passage for me as well. I am not responsible for how God’s people receive God’s Word. That’s worth repeating over and over again to myself. I am NOT responsible for God’s people receive God’s Word. I am simply the messenger. Simply the herald. Simply the watchman. I cannot control how people respond. So when someone tells me “they didn’t get anything out of the sermon”, that’s on them. Hopefully they will reflect on what’s keeping them from hearing and receiving the Word God has for them. Or when someone tells me “that’s the best sermon I’ve ever heard” and then go out the door and do the opposite of what I just talked about…again, that’s not my responsibility. I can grieve for them. Weep over them. Pray to God on their behalf. But ultimately, my job is simply to deliver the message as faithfully as I can.
This passage is not just for preachers by the way! Every single Christian is made a watchman or watchwoman over their families, friends, co-workers, fellow students, and the other people God has placed in your life. Every Christian is called by God to deliver God’s Word to the lost and lonely in our world. Shame on us if we let our fear or anxiety or introversion or personal struggles get in the way. God is clear. If we don’t sound the warning, the blood of those we love is on our hands. Ask Christ for the boldness to proclaim the gospel to those in your life today!
Readings for tomorrow: Ezekiel 7-9, Hebrews 5, Psalms 105:1-15, Proverbs 26:28