Responibility.
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We have stumbled upon a very strange time in human history.
We live at a time where the whole world has adapted a victim mentality.
What does that mean?
It means that if anything bad ever happens: It is ALWAYS someone else’s fault.
It means that if anything ever breaks: It is ALWAYS someone else’s job to fix it.
It means that if there is ever a problem: It is ALWAYS someone else’s problem.
Victim hood can not be more opposed to the Gospel which declares:
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Victim hood is the denying of all responsibilities, and this is a big problem because the bible not only affirms but actually COMMANDS us to be responsible.
When Ezra was feeling discouraged the Word says:
4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.”
Do you know what the word means? Its 2 words pushed together:
Respond and ability.
This is very important because the very idea of being responsible is predicated upon the belief that God has given us the ABILITY to RESPOND.
Respond to what? Life.
The problem we have is that everyone wants to respond to life’s challage like the ungodly Pilate did with Jesus.
Pilate was the govenor of Judaea, it was his responcibility to make legal judgments, but instead of doing the right thing:
24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
This does not work church! Why?
17 Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
What does it mean to do the right thing? Simply: Be responcible.
So basically it is sinful NOT to be responcible.
I am sure you can see then why irresponcibilty and victum hood are so wicked.
The prophet Ezekial was called by God to speak to a people who had embraced victim hood and forsook all responcibility.
And untill they changed they would remain in bondage.
As i am sure you are aware Israel as a nation were always falling into spiritual decline.
God warned the people over and over and over again but they refused to listen.
To save them from themselves and to punish them for their rebellion God had Babylon capture Israel and send her people into exile.
An exile that lasted about 70 years just shy of 2 generations: A generation is 40 years.
So what does this mean?
It means that there were Jewish people who were born and raised in captivity having to endure and suffer the life of a nation in exile.
And when asked why they no longer live in the Land God gave them, they would have heard that dispite God’s repeated warnings and calls to repent, their parents and granparents did not and God judged them by sending into captivity.
And so they came to realise that the pain, suffering, toil and injustice they face are all a result of their parents, thus they adopted a victim mindset.
They were victims of their parents sins.
So when it was time for restoration God called the people to respond and repent.
To which they responded: “For what? It was not our fault”.
25 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?