The Message of God Must Be Proclaimed

The New Testament epistles contain everything the saved person needs to know to live a fulfilled Christian life.

Posted on

Many of the prophets in the Old Testament had a tough time proclaiming the message of God.

Ezekiel was one of those prophets. Even though he spoke to “God’s people,” his messages were often rejected.

You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious!   Ezekiel 2:7

Ezekiel received a very difficult assignment from the Lord. God wanted him to deliver a message to His people. The problem was that they were rebellious and didn’t want to hear from the Lord.

The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words. “Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. Ezekiel 2:2-3

I’ve delivered messages to people knowing they would be anything but receptive. Since I already knew their response or answer, I would just as soon have avoided it completely.

Occasionally my wife and I will hear of an activity we would be interested in doing. She, being a very inclusive person, would suggest asking our boys and their families to join us.

Many times I would say no. When she will ask why not, I would respond with “because they won’t want to do it.” Of course, she makes her own executive decision and asks them anyway.

I often asked her “why we already knew their answer.” She usually said, “I wanted to give them the opportunity to decline.”

 

Proclaim God’s Message Regardless

That same thought was similar to what is happening in our verse for today. God gave Ezekiel instructions to go ahead and proclaim His message.

The Lord already knew His message would fall on deaf ears. But God wanted Ezekiel to proceed anyhow, as mentioned in verse 4.

They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Ezekiel 2:4

Even though these hard-hearted, stubborn people weren’t going to listen to the message of God. He didn’t want them to use ignorance as an excuse.

And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them. Ezekiel 2:5

 

God also warned Ezekiel not to act like those receiving His message. Verse 8 says the following. 

Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Ezekiel 2:8

Verses 9 and 10 reveal the nature of the message God had for those rebellious people. It was not very nice.

Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom. Ezekiel 2:9-10

 

How Do We Respond to the Message of God?

God has a way of getting His message to each of us as well. He places the responsibility on us as to how we will respond.

For those who know Christ as their Lord and Savior, His message is a positive one. Look at the words of Jesus from the Gospel of John.

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. . . My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:9-10

The New Testament epistles contain everything the saved person needs to know to live a fulfilled Christian life. 

The Message to the Rebellious

God’s message is different for those who don’t know Christ as their Savior. The Apostle John wrote the following verses in the book of Revelation.

I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. . . . Revelation 20:12

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15

Is there such a thing as a rebellious Christian? In my opinion, a Christian may become rebellious at times. But to be labeled a rebellious Christian is an oxymoron.

A person is either a Christian, or they are rebellious. Which one are you?

Lord, you have given us the message of life. Forgive us for the times we become rebellious towards you. Because of your Word, we have no excuse not to enjoy life and life more abundantly.

Read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 2.

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Christian Perspectives

Featured Image by Alfred Grupstra from Pixabay


Has God called you to write a book?
Kingdom Winds welcomes the opportunity to review your manuscript for publication.
 
Click to learn more about Kingdom Winds Publishing and submit your manuscript for review.
 

 

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Christian Perspectives is an online service that provides encouragement and inspirational biblical teaching for every day living. Most of the resources are free. eBooks and paperbacks of devotions and Bible Studies are available for purchase.

  1. […] Open the full article on the kingdomwinds.com site […]