Sermon in Rockford 14.06.2015

The following will be joined in marriage: Carmen Diana Fuller and Samuel Gary Hoica on Saturday, June 27th at the Rockford Lestadian Lutheran Church. Let us join in prayer on their behalf.

Lord, if thou do not build the house, they labor in vain who build it. Build, Lord, for them a home in which faith, hope, and love prevail. Amen.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us join our hearts in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, this morning hour we have come before your holy and unperishing words. We thank you, dear Father, that you have called us to be your children in your grace kingdom. And you have allowed us to gather together as your family.

Dear Father, we pray that you would reveal to us the preciousness of this kingdom and what it means to live within its walls. Dear Father, we also pray that you would call those around us in darkness, whether they be our friends and relatives or those many whom we do not know. Call them into your house. Call them into your kingdom so that we, along with them, can travel together on the way to heaven.

As we travel, dear Father, there are many of us who have our own trials, our own tribulations. You know each of us, dear Father. We simply ask that you would remember us, that you would give us a content heart to know your will. But, dear Father, we above all pray that you would give us the assurance again and again that our sins are forgiven and that we can have peace in our hearts.

Then this morning we pray as your Son has taught us: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Old Testament text for this Sunday is found in the 33rd chapter of Ezekiel, verses 30 through 33. We read these words with that prayer that God the Heavenly Father would open to us a small portion:

"Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak to one another, everyone to his brother, saying, 'Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.' And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them. For with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument. For they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, lo, it will come. Then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them." Amen.

Ezekiel was an interesting person, living during interesting times. It was a very difficult time, especially for the children of Israel. They had been taken captive. The Babylonians had overrun their country. At one point they had given them self-government, allowed them to have their own leader. But that particular leader decided to take things into his own hands and do things his own way. And so the Babylonians again conquered them and took them away into Babylon.

In the middle of all this, the believers still were believers. They were still the children of Israel. They hadn't changed in that sense. They were who they were just as we are who we are, and it's not dependent on anything we do or events around us.

But Ezekiel had been given a task from God to reveal to the children of Israel their error and those things which they had done which were not according to God's word. And when we think of Ezekiel, some of the things that he did, they almost, well, they were very strange to our thoughts and minds. One of the things he did was to show the people how many days they would be captive at that certain time. He laid down on his side on the ground for 390 days. There are other visions and stories in this book that are difficult to understand. As Luther says, perhaps one of those places where we lift our hats and let go by.

Here, though, it speaks about times that seemingly followed those days. Ezekiel had begun to preach and not simply do these almost miracles. And some of the people had begun to listen to him. And when we read this part of God's word, it gives us this picture that God had given him a gift, a gift to speak his word. But it was that type of gift, though, that, as this portion tells us, the people that heard it thought of it as like a lovely song, as a person who had a pleasant voice, as someone who can play well on an instrument. That is what they came to hear. They knew he spoke well.

What this part of God's word wishes to emphasize, though, is that these people were believed to be believers. And they were coming to listen to a preacher who was a believer. And they came for reasons which were not, according to God's word, or not beneficial to their life of faith. But God calls each one of us, one by one, by his grace. And so he had begun to call them. It's not a different call than others who are in the world.

These children of Israel had given up faith. They had erred. They could not see their condition. And so this call of God's kingdom went forth to them. God's call is a call that perhaps we don't always understand or comprehend when it comes. And in fact, these children of Israel didn't comprehend it when they heard it. They came to the hearing of God's word and heard the same message which others heard. It will be similar in our day, in our time.

For instance, if today, in our midst, would come one who is not of faith and came to hear God's word, and they heard the same word spoken, and perhaps in their minds they thought some of the same things. But yet, without turning to repentance, there's no benefit. They didn't realize that the word spoken was meant for them.

Here God tells Ezekiel, "Thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses and speak one to another, every one to his brother." We perhaps also do some similar things. Especially for those people that govern us, our politicians, for instance, when they make their decisions and vote, the people do speak about the things they do. And perhaps rightly so if we believe that it contradicts our morals.

But on the other hand, I'm sure you as I know that there are those who do things on our behalf in good faith and we know and have heard people speaking about them behind their backs. It's something that happens every day. And when we have places of leadership, whether we be a supervisor or those types of positions in our daily employment, I think it sometimes goes without saying we have to understand at some point that people talk about us when we are not there. And I think it is good that we don't know what is spoken of us.

Here, the people, those who were snared by the enemy of souls, these ones who were the children of Israel, they were talking about Ezekiel. And there were things to talk about. He was, when you read this book, he had done very many things that sometimes seemed very strange. Perhaps they were some of those people who went to look at him as he laid there on the ground for 390 days. It is almost as if though that they looked past what he said when he began to preach about God's call.

It says, "The people still are talking against thee by the walls and the doors of the houses and speak one to another everyone to his brother saying, 'Come I pray you and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.'" It seems like a very good thing to say, doesn't it? Let's go to the services of God's children and hear what comes forth from the Lord. But this was not meant in that frame of mind. Perhaps it was even sarcastic. Let's go listen to see what this guy is saying.

And they come and they sit like my people. So just like you and I come to the services, someone might come and sit like us and listen. And they hear the words as we hear them. And it says they will not do them. For with their mouth they show much love but their heart goeth after their covetousness. They were selfish, sought for a grand life.

Could we fall prey to that, dear brothers and sisters? It's not far from us, is it? God's word tells us in another place that money is the root of all evil. So in many ways the things we struggle with perhaps can be pointed to money or selfishness. With their heart they go after their covetousness.

So it's not far from us to be here at the hearing of God's word and listen and perhaps even speak to our brothers and sisters about the word which was spoken and that we agree with it. But yet our actions speak things more than our words can ever say. It shows our heart. And this is what happened to these children of Israel. They did come to listen and they heard the word and they heard that call but it went right past. It was a word that was spoken to someone else. It was meant for their neighbor or the person next to them. It didn't penetrate their heart.

Sometimes all of us I'm sure have to admit we've come here on a Sunday morning because that's what we do every Sunday. And we listen and afterwards we must admit that we didn't listen very well and we might not be able to repeat anything that was said. May God give us that kind of heart and mind though to pray first and foremost at the beginning of service that God would give words to the servant. And then pray that God would give us hearts to listen. Not just to hear what those words are but to listen that what is God saying to me? Isn't that what's important?

We've heard stories again and again about those cases where the word is spoken and what the listener hears is perhaps different than what the servant has actually spoken. God has spoken in his miraculous ways. But we have to listen. May God give us that kind of heart and mind.

Then he tells these eagles that, "Lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument." That was a statement that explained how well he spoke. He was a good speaker. Man said he was a good speaker.

Boy, if Ezekiel would begin to hold on to that or any of us would begin to hold to that, we've gone far from God. We've lost the true place of a listener. For they hear thy words, but they do them not. It didn't matter anymore what Ezekiel has said.

Jesus in the 15th chapter of Matthew says this very similar thing. He says, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 'This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.'"

So when we do not listen to what God wishes to tell us, we are in essence beginning to create our own methods, our own understandings, our own thoughts, and in vain do we worship him. With words we do worship.

The apostle Peter in his letter tells us how we should be as God's children. In his first letter in the second chapter, he said that we should be as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. We should be as newborn babes.

And for what reason? If we do come as newborn babes to the hearing of God's word and listen that way, then we'll find it says, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." That's what we'll hear. We'll hear the voice of a gracious God.

A voice which tells us that we don't need to look at our own sinfulness. A voice that tells us that we can forget the errors that we have done. We can put them under the gospel, under the forgiveness of sins, and believe them forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

We don't have to be like these children of Israel who found a different reply. When they didn't come to listen for their own selves, they just came to listen perhaps because he was a good speaker, or that's what they did on that day.

It says, "When this cometh to pass," or the message which Ezekiel spoke, "when that came to pass," and then God says, "It will come, then shall they know that a prophet has been among them."

Could it be too late? It can be too late. When this life ends, you know, we begin the life after this time, if we begin that without having been robed in that white robe, gifted by God, we'll know what the prophet had said. We'll remember those words.

But dear brother, dear sister, if you have come here this morning and perhaps wondered, "Am I still a child of God? Have I lost faith?" Perhaps there's one among us who knows that I don't belong to this flock. Do you hear God's call? Do you hear his voice? You don't need to wait for the future to understand what the prophet has said. You can understand it even at this moment, at this hour.

The message of God, a message of comfort, a message of forgiveness in the gospel. Just as you find yourself, you can believe all of your sins and all of your doubts forgiven in Jesus' name and blood. And you can be happy and you can be joyful.

God's call does not always fall on deaf ears. There are those who wander in this world with searching hearts and minds. My dear brother and sister, cease not to speak to your friends, your relatives about the way which leads to heaven. God uses us for his good purposes.

When he calls, he guides them to one of his children. You I'm sure recall that story about Saul when he was walking that way to Damascus. When God's call came, it came as that bright light from heaven, a message of rebuke, that Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And there on the way he was struck. God led him to one of his own. He will lead the seeking and searching to one of us.

Dear brothers and dear sisters, cease not to preach his word. It's all of our duty, our task, to tell our friends and relatives about the peace that is in our heart and the reason that we have joy and the assurance that we have in the gospel.

And again this morning, dear brothers and sisters, you can be assured again with the gospel. I believe all of your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood. Can I hear the same gospel? Can I believe? Can I believe? Can I believe? I want to believe together with you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Let us close in prayer. The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. Amen. Amen.