A Paradox Made in Heaven
“A Paradox Made in Heaven”
TEXT: 7 “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
Grace, peace and mercy to you from God the Father and from His only Son, our Salvation and Hope, even Jesus Christ.
Thanks for listening once more to our Old Testament lesson. It’s kind of hard for us to listen to God speak this way to us today. Yet it is necessary for us to understand the great paradox that comes from above because it does apply to us today as much as it did to the scattered people of Israel in Ezekiel’s time. Our prayer today is that we might open our hearts and minds to God’s Word and find joy in His promise of salvation to those who cling to the faith.
The paradox and the question that many of us have in our minds at one time or another is this, “Is God for or against mankind?” As a good Lutheran, we answer the question, YES! Now, I can see the look of confusion in your eyes. It seems pretty much like saying yes to the question of whether or not you want your eggs scrambled or over easy. You just can’t have it both ways.
To our human understanding, nothing could be clearer. Praise be to God, we need not lean on our own understanding, but in all things lean on the wisdom and power of the Creator. Prov 3:5-8 Still confused? I don’t blame you! I would invite you to turn to today’s Old Testament Lesson so that we can explore the text and come to an understanding of this question, “Is God for us or against us?”
The prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah live in troubled times. God had determined years before that the nation Israel had sinned against Him and He empowered Israel’s enemies to overcome His chosen nation and disperse them to the winds. Now Jerusalem is about to fall into the hands of their enemies and God has appointed Ezekiel “watchman over the nation.” It is important to note that Ezekiel is a “Spiritual” watchman. For even in these tough times, there is still a remnant of faithful, God fearing Israelites. God charges Ezekiel this way, “If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die” then you shall give the warning.
From this part of the text it seems that God is the problem. It promises that if the nation does not repent return to the Lord, they will be left to die in their sins. There is no hope for them! And this is terrifying news. But this is not the first time that God has given this warning, nor will it be the last. In Genesis, God tells Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That in so doing, “He will surely die.” Centuries after our text today, Jesus is confronted by the Galileans; There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-3
Even Martin Luther writes, “What could be harsher (to the unregenerate nature at least) than Christ’s saying” ‘Many are called, but few chosen’ or: ‘I know whom I have chosen’?” The great “Monster of Uncertainty” raises his ugly head and convicts the unrepentant sinner that God shows no mercy so it is better to follow the many and not the few. And those who succumb to this philosophy are captured by the devil and damned for eternity. So, is God at fault?
The Good News is that only God can get God off your back!! The same God that ordains doom for the unbeliever provides salvation for those who continue in the true faith. It is implied by our text today that those who repent will be saved. God knew that a warning, even if by a Prophet sent by Him, would not be sufficient. What was needed was God to be revealed in the flesh so that mankind could look upon Him without dying. That the One who saves would show through His death and resurrection that there is hope. That the believer can cling to the faith and put their trust in the God who came to us in the flesh and said, “Die to the world and live in Me!” Why does God destroy and save at the same time? The answer is found in His promise to us. That only through Christ can we come to the Father. And again, about heaven which is our reward, that no impure thing will enter into His kingdom. God destroys so that He might make perfectly safe our inheritance. It is this perfection that is our promised inheritance. All this is done by God’s hand. Not through our works, nor our treasure or stature but only by a repentant heart and faith worked by the Holy Spirit. This is truly a “Paradox Made in Heaven!”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, cling to the hope we have in Jesus, repent and surrender to Him. And Jesus will save you from the coming wrath. You will be set apart, chosen by God’s own hand to see our Savior face-to-face and live forever with Him. Remember, only God can get God off your back! And that’s a good thing! Praise be to God that only He can make good things happen in your life. Amen.