Leadership: A Chilling Responsibility

Ezekiel 3:16-6:14; Psalm 104:16-35; Proverbs 26:25-27

How would you like to hear this at the end of your job interview for CEO?

You’re hired. Here are your keys, here’s your office, here’s your authority, here’s your bank account… Oh! Just one more thing. If the board of directors points you toward an employee who’s thinking about quitting, and you don’t talk to them personally and they quit the company, you’re fired. Or if we’ve got a faithful employee and you don’t give them every reason to stay faithful, and they quit, you’re fired.

How would you like to hear that?

The responsibility God gives his ministers is a thousand times more sobering:

At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, `You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.

Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself. – Ezekiel 3:16-21

You. Ezekiel. I am going to send you to people. And you are to tell them that if they disobey me, they will face my judgment. If you don’t tell them, you die, too.

Whoa!

Father, these words are sobering. Help me to be faithful. Help me to speak up, to take sin seriously and to speak out when you call me to speak up. Men’s consequences are meaningless compared to the consequences You have put before me. Father, I’m afraid I might fail to fulfill this charge. I’m afraid I might fail in the future; I’m afraid I might have failed already. But I lean on Your mercy and grace, just as I urge others to do. So help me to lean so heavily on Your mercy and grace that I willingly face my fears and plunge into the service You have called me to. And may those around me join me in turning sinners from the path of death.

When God Asks You to Be His Witness, Do You Feel Like Ezekiel?

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Psalm 104:1-15; Proverbs 26:24

Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Stand Firm in Christ.

The message covered Philippians 3:17-4:1, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Often we struggle as Christians to stand firm in the way of Jesus Christ. His standards are so much higher than ours that we see our failures and get discouraged, perhaps even watching our motivation drop through the floor and giving up on growth. Paul urges believers to stand firm in Christ by following the examples of other Christians, whose lives are easier to follow because we can watch them day by day. (This sermon is not completely online; the recording device ran out of batteries, but a good portion of the message is available to encourage you). Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.

Restoration

Lamentations 4-5; Psalm 103; Proverbs 26:23

The heart cry of the church—of every person who believes Jesus Christ and His servants—is for restoration. We need personal restoration, and we long for God to restore those around us, too. Lamentations paints a picture of devastation, and that devastation came about because people continually sinned and rebelled against God. The same is true today, and the brokenness in our communities and homes is just a small taste of the brokenness people will face when Jesus comes in wrath against Satan and all who have followed him.

But as Christians, we tell this truth with sadness as we think of all those who face eternal pain and suffering. Our God’s desire is not to pour out wrath, but to restore sinners and make them faithful servants once more. Sometimes, though, it takes a picture of God’s wrath to remind us to call to Jesus Christ for restoration.

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. – Lamentations 5:21-22

This should be our heart cry—for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our co-workers, and our world. Restore us, Lord Jesus!

Father, thank You for urging us to seek Your restoration. May we hear Your love for us and, rather than getting angry with You and accusing You of wickedness because of Your wrath, may we seek Your restoration.

Being Punished

Lamentations 2:20-3:66; Psalm 102; Proverbs 26:21-22

Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come? Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? – Lamentations 3:38-39

We tend to think pretty highly of ourselves. The Scriptures give us an honest reminder that we’re not such great people, that we deserve punishment. Why is it that we are amazed when God punishes us? Shouldn’t we be amazed when God is patient with us?

Father, thank You for Your patience. Help me to accept any calamities that come my way as simple justice, and to rejoice and celebrate Your kindness every day that things go well for me.

Spend some time hearing what kinds of things make God and His people mourn

Lamentations 1:1-2:19; Psalm 101; Proverbs 26:20

God is Still Speaking. Are You Listening?

Jeremiah 51:54-52:34; Psalm 100; Proverbs 26:18-19