Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32

1The word of the Lord came to me:

2What do you mean, you who keep repeating this proverb concerning the soil of Israel, “Fathers eat sour grapes, and their sons' teeth are set on edge”? 3As surely as I live, declares the Lord God, you will never again use this proverb in Israel. 4Indeed, all souls are mine. The soul of the father is mine just like the soul of the son. The soul who sins is the one who will die.

25But you say, “The Lord's way is not fair.” Listen now, house of Israel. Is it my way that is not fair? Is it not your ways that are not fair? 26If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices unrighteousness, he will die because of it. Because of the unrighteousness that he has practiced, he will die.

27But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness that he has done and practices justice and righteousness, he will preserve his life. 28Because he has seen and turned away from all the rebellious acts that he had committed, he will surely live, and he will not die. 29But the house of Israel says, “The Lord's way is not fair.” Is it really my ways that are not fair, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not fair?

30Therefore, I will judge each one of you according to his ways, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn away from all your rebellious acts, so that you will not set out a stumbling block that makes you guilty. 31Throw off from yourselves all your rebellious actions by which you have rebelled, and obtain a new heart and a new spirit for yourselves. Why should you die, O house of Israel? 32For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, declares the Lord God. So repent and live!

Prayer of the Day:

Mercifully grant, O God, that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts, for without your help we are unable to please you; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Verse of the Day:

Alleluia. Your sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart You will not despise. Alleluia. (Psalm 51:17)

Sermon Text:

“God just doesn’t seem very nice.” That’s what she said to him as they were discussing religion. “I just don’t know that I can get on board with a God Who sends people to hell so willingly. It just seems mean.” She’s not alone. Many look at the justice of God with a bit of an unapproving glare as they contemplate Him. In fact, it is a regular dart thrown by an unbelieving world at the goodness of God. “How can a God who is love send people to hell?” It’s an easy misstep to take. But it’s also one that is driven by our own sinful natures. “Accountability” isn’t exactly a popular word in our world today. It requires one to grapple with justice, and justice gets a little scary for sinful human beings.

Ezekiel preaches to God’s people in exile. In 597 b.c., Nebuchadnezzar had put down a rebellion in Judah. The northern Kingdom of Israel was already gone. To ensure such a rebellion would not happen again, he took Jehoiachin, Judah’s king and the majority of the upper class back to Babylon. Ezekiel was in that number. Preaching among the exiles, it’s easy to see how Ezekiel would be dealing with all of this as he addressed the people of Israel with the Spirit inspired Words of God Himself.

Justice, that’s what’s on the mind of the people as God gives His Word to Ezekiel. The people, at least in their estimation, were undeserving of the punishments of God. Thus, the proverb they quote at him basically means, “We are being punished for the sins of others (our fathers) and not our own.”

It’s a classic game we humans like to play. I’m really not bad enough to be treated in this way. Perhaps they looked back at the wicked kings of Israel who were detestable in the sight of the Lord and thought “We are not as evil as they were. We are being punished for them.” The result is a cry of “unfair” in the face of God who has allowed this calamity to come to them, removed from Jerusalem exiled in the pagan nation of Babylon.

It may seem a bit silly for us, looking back over the history, who see the rejection of God’s people lived out in the pages of Scripture. But the truth is we do it too. We like to judge ourselves against the wicked of the world around us. “Hey, I’m not like that murderer, the pedophile, that thief, so I’m okay.” When hardship, or trouble comes our way, we are quick then to raise the accusing finger at God and cry out, “unfair” at our treatment because we have tricked ourselves into believing that we are on the A team of God’s people and He should really have to reward us for our faithfulness. Reality so often very different.

God answers His people, “4Indeed, all souls are mine. The soul of the father is mine just like the soul of the son. The soul who sins is the one who will die. … 25But you say, “The Lord's way is not fair.” Listen now, house of Israel. Is it my way that is not fair? Is it not your ways that are not fair? 26If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices unrighteousness, he will die because of it. Because of the unrighteousness that he has practiced, he will die.”

Ah, there it is. Accountability and God’s perfect justice once again. I don’t get to compare myself with others, but with God Himself, pure perfection. That’s who we belong to, each generation of humanity, whether it is acknowledged or not. That’s the one who sets the standard, and the standard is simple, anything that misses the mark (that’s what sin means), anything that misses the mark of perfection brings death, both physically in this world and eternally in the fires of hell. Doesn’t matter if it’s 1 or 1,000, unrighteousness brings death.

That kinda changes the perspective a bit, doesn’t it? While I so often try to find favorable comparisons in the world around me to justify my actions and downplay my sin, the only comparable is God Himself. Have I lived up to what He expects? Have I been righteous, holy, perfect? Of course, we know the answer. It’s ultimately why we play the game that we do. Paul tells the Romans that when it comes to God’s righteousness, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)” So God is blunt with Israel and really all of us, “Is it really my ways that are not fair, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not fair?”

Yes, dear friends, when we peer into the mirror of God’s Law, consider things in the lens of true justice, it reminds us that we have earned nothing, deserved nothing from God. He isn’t mean. He’s not unloving. He simply sets the standard and requires accountability, which is a rare thing in our world today. But it is also as we peer into the mirror of our imperfection that God’s love begins to clearly be seen.

It is true that God takes no pleasure in punishment. Can you hear the anguish in the question, “Why should you die, O house of Israel?” It really amounts to pure obstinance. Why? Because God promises, “Turn from this wicked way of living and pursue righteousness and you live.” It’s like a child who reaches out and touches a hot stove, cries out in pain, and immediately after being soothed from the agony reaches out and does it again. That’s not normal! One would expect that the child would learn even after one instance and avoid the hot stove thereafter.

But how do we do that with sin? Verse 31 tells us to 31Throw off from yourselves all your rebellious actions by which you have rebelled, and obtain a new heart and a new spirit for yourselves. The final verse of our lesson makes it simpler still, So repent and live!

In the Augsburg Confession, written to solidify the Lutheran position over against Rome, Philip Melancthon wrote, “strictly speaking, repentance consists of two parts. One part is contrition, that is, terrors striking the conscience through the knowledge of sin. The other part is faith, which is born of the Gospel (Romans 10:17) or the Absolution and believes that for Christ’s sake, sins are forgiven. (Augsburg Confession XII:3–5.)” In the Apology, Melanchthon adds that if someone wants to add as a third part “fruit worthy of repentance, that is, a change of the entire life and character for the better,” he will not oppose that three-part definition (Apology XII (V):28). But in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology works are a fruit of repentance. They follow contrition and faith, the two proper parts of repentance.

Contrition, ah, another word the world doesn’t seem to find much use for. Terror striking the conscience through the knowledge of sin, our sin and what that sin rightly deserves. But that is not the stopping point, can never be the stopping point, lest we despair of all. The second part is key. The new heart and the new spirit, which is the heart and core of the Gospel itself as God gives us that new heart and new spirit he required. In fact, in Ezekiel 36(v26) He says exactly that, “I will give them a new heart!”

How does God do that? Well, as He reconciles his justice and His love the person of Jesus Christ of course. Recall that verse we quoted from Romans 3 earlier in the sermon? Well listen to it’s context,

“21But now, completely apart from the law, a righteousness from God has been made known. The Law and the Prophets testify to it. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all and over all who believe.

In fact, there is no difference, 23because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God publicly displayed as the atonement seat through faith in his blood. God did this to demonstrate his justice, since, in his divine restraint, he had left the sins that were committed earlier unpunished. 26He did this to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so that he would be both just and the one who justifies the person who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)”

Yes, dear friends, in the cross of Jesus Christ, His blood is the atoning sacrifice for sin, the punishment God demands for your sin and mine. His righteousness fulfills the requirement of perfection which God has set for us all. You are saved. It is in that forgiveness that we then begin to breathe the air of repentance each day of our lives. In fact, it is into this existence that we are born in Baptism. Luther will pen the following in his fourth part of Baptism, What does baptizing with water mean? Baptism means that the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance, and that all its evil deeds and desires be put to death. It also means that a new person should daily arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. Where is this written? St. Paul says in Romans, chapter 6, "We were buried with Christ through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

I suppose Jesus could cry “unfair”, but He doesn’t. He willingly endures it all for you. I suppose the Father could cry “unfair”, but He doesn’t, so filled with love is He for you that He sends His only begotten Son for you. I suppose the Spirit could cry “unfair”, but He doesn’t as He provides the new heart and new spirit we so desperately need, and as He grants us the gift of faith and connects us to forgiveness we so desperately need. Ah, thank God, for His words through the prophet Ezekiel, who prevents us from crying “unfair”. How could we ever? For we have a God who takes no pleasure in the death of anyone but urges us even as He supplies the very means to repent and live! Amen!

Sermon Blog

Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32 - Repent