Strong Will or Stubbornness

Good Morning. I am so glad that we can be here this morning. It is a good day.

Strength of Will.

Strength of will is an important attribute in the world that we live in.

If the World did not have people who are strong willed would we be able to survive and thrive as humans have?

I think about this and look back at history. I think about things like World War 2 and D-Day. The strength of will it had to take to stand and continue to fight even in the face of overwhelming struggle.

I also think of missionaries around the world who often go into hostile and undeveloped parts of the world to share the message of the gospel.

In fact this fall there are opportunities in the district to go on a mission trip. My favorite one that was brought up at district conference was the one work trip to South America. The job the group will be doing is a little rough. They will be living a more rustic setting for their trip because they are the group building the place that other groups will stay in for future mission work.

Someone has to be that group but it takes a strong will to have to endure the elements and rough it so that others don’t have to.

Athletes often show strong wills in completing feats of strength.

Leaders often have a deeper drive that makes them described as strong willed.

Children can also be strong willed. The forever battle of getting your children to eat their vegetables, or clean their room.

In many ways we prize strong willed people becuase they help the world move forward. Yet, at what point does it shift from strong will to stubbornness.

Let’s Read together.

Ezekiel 2:1–5 NIV

1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Stubbornness

Ezekiel is being called to be a prophet to a stubborn people.

That is the call we all hope for someday right.

God: Hey I am going to call you to do something great for me.

Us: Ok

God: By the way the people I am sending you to. They are really stubborn. They don’t like to listen. In fact most of them will reject you.

Us: Can you find someone else?

This is how must of us would want to respond to this.

Yet, Ezekiel answers the call to go to a people who don’t want to listen who have proved time and time again that they do not want to follow God. The pattern of the Israelites is a common theme throughout the Old Testament and it is something we often look to and are reminded of when it comes to our relationship with God.

Hindsight

It is this hindsight of looking back to the Israelites that it is easy for us to see all the things that they are doing or have done or are going to do that doesn’t live up to what we think that a follower of God would. I always find this hindsight an interesting one. In many ways there are two things that we can take away from this passage when it comes to delivering the message of God and stubbornness. To Help us see this let’s look at this passage in a different version

Ezekiel 2:1–5 MSG

1 It said, “Son of man, stand up. I have something to say to you.” 2 The moment I heard the voice, the Spirit entered me and put me on my feet. As he spoke to me, I listened. 3 He said, “Son of man, I’m sending you to the family of Israel, a rebellious nation if there ever was one. They and their ancestors have fomented rebellion right up to the present. 4 They’re a hard case, these people to whom I’m sending you—hardened in their sin. Tell them, ‘This is the Message of God, the Master.’ 5 They are a defiant bunch. Whether or not they listen, at least they’ll know that a prophet’s been here.

The Message Delivered

I love the simple way the message presents this passage. One of the main points that we need to be reminded of is that God has sent them a profit. The message has been sent and given to the people. This is important for us to remember. God is faithful in his side of the covenant and delivers on his promise to be there for his people. Yet, the truth is that many will not be willing to hear what the words of the prophet.

This is also a good reminder for us. There are going to be times that we share the message and it seems to fall on deaf ears.

Yes there are times that we may encounter those who no matter how important or valuable the truth is that we are sharing it won’t make a difference.

This is a discouraging place to be at times. To see people who you want to hear the truth but they won’t listen. There is an element of people who have hardened their hearts and refuse to hear and we must always be reminded that even they need to hear but we aren’t always called to fully change their minds but we are called to share the message with them and they are responsible to hear.

This is why Jesus shared stories like.

Matthew 13:3–9 NIV

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Message Delivered

It is our job to cast the seed. Now The challenge comes for us though is recognizing that we are called to cast the seed but notice something very important. As the seed grew the crops withered and die. The seed may have taken or not taken at all but the farmer didn’t spend his time focusing on the difficult crops he focuses on the good soil.

There can be times when we focus on the difficult soil and we miss the crop growing in the good soil. Are we neglecting the harvest in our vain attempts to save the plants growing amongst the rocks or hoping that the seeds will plant on the hard path when we know that they are food for the birds.

We are called to cast the message but we are also called to harvest the field and we must remember that the good soil is producing a harvest 100, 60, or 30 times greater.

Hard Truth

Alright church its time for the second one. This is a moment for some hard truth. I love all of you but I am going to preface this section with this statement.

If this cuts deep I want you to ask why?

If you are facing some conviction ask God to show it to you and how he wants to use it.

I say this because we like to think that we are above getting hurt feelings but the truth is that many of us struggle when we face some hard truth.

The Israelites are Stubborn

The truth is that the Israelites are a stubborn people. They are a people who repeat and make the same mistakes constantly. They enter into what we know is truth.

If you don’t learn from history you are doomed to repeat it.

IT was this idea that stuck with me and it captured me for awhile because it lead me to a reality that I felt we needed to deal with.

Are we becoming that same stubborn people?

Are we slipping into the same attitudes and views of the Israelites.

I say it all the time. The issues we face as humans are the same they just come in new forms or ways.

Church are we in danger of becoming the Pharisees?

Church are we in danger of becoming the Heritics of Church History?

Church are we in danger of becoming the people who just walk away from God?

We can’t be stubborn

We have to realize that we can slip into these attitudes really easily and we must always be on the watch for them.

We can’t become the Pharisees who were so attached to their rules and tradition that they lost sight of why they were attached to those rules and traditions. They lost sight of worshiping God for what they were comfortable with and what they wanted and living a life that made them feel better than everyone else. They closed off their hearts to hearing the words of Jesus because they didn’t want to see the change coming.

In church history we have people who can be stubborn in their efforts to move the faith forward. They reject the old and only look to the new. They change the fundamental truths of the faith no matter what the consequences. We see this a lot today with an overwhelming move toward the acceptance of sin as okay. Yet, when these people are challegned they also are stubborn and refuse to be open to where they may be wrong.

As always we can be a people who are just willing to walk away. To say why am I here? I would rather be at home watching football or sleeping or any other number of activities. We think that our relationship with God is something trivial and not something that is supposed to be nurtured on a daily basis.

We can think that we don’t need to be in relationship with God and with other bothers and sisters in Christ to maintain our faith.

Faith is not to be done in isolation. Truth is faith in isolation is not consistent with faith.

Strong will

We are called like Ezekiel to have a strong will and to stand firm and to trust and follow after God. To share the good news and to be faithful to what he has called us to. We are to stand firm and pursue God. We are not called to reject, harm, and push away God and or people because we become stubborn and pursue our own wants and desires.

The truth is that Ezekiel had to go to a stubborn people to share a message for God. To show them that the message was among them. They needed to hear it. They needed to know that it was among them. Yet, it is God who chagnes them it is God who works on them. They have to be open to what he has to say and be willing to hear the truth.

We are to worship God almighty.

We are to honor him with our lives.

We are to seek him for forgiveness.

We are to put aside what we want for his glory.

This is our calling. This is our duty.

Will you get out of his way and let him work in you?

Let’s Pray.