Believe

July 28, 2024

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep and will sort them out. 12 As shepherds sort out their flocks when they are among scattered sheep, so I will sort out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strays, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you pushed with flank and shoulder and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22 I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged, and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will set up one shepherd over them, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd.24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.

I.              Believe

The one question I get from my Atheist friends is, “Do you really believe in God?” That question gets a resounding yes for a number of reasons, the most potent of which is because of what God has done for me spiritually, mentally, and relationally to how I look at others. The question I struggled with as a Christian for a long time is, “Does God believe in us?” The concept of whether God believes in us is an interesting question. As the creator and sustainer of humanity, it's natural to wonder if God has belief in our potential. My paradigm is that God not only believes in us but also actively wants to help us find our way to Him, giving us the Holy Spirit and offering guidance and support along our journey. This perspective reflects the idea of a benevolent and involved God who cares deeply for humanity and seeks to nurture a relationship with us.

But our Belief in God, or God’s belief in us, is irrelevant if we do not find a way in our personal lives to nurture our relationship with God. The dilemma we face in this endeavor is our very personal and powerful egos. Sometimes, we can’t get out of our way to seek a relationship with God.

II.            We need to acknowledge that we are lost in order to be able to find our way.

The Tampa Bay Times reported in May 2023 that the removal of critical historical and social information from high school textbooks could cause irrevocable damage to an entire generation of kids as it robs them of crucial critical thinking skills. They report…

“The changes included removing any mention of the Black Lives Matter movement, references to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, and a suggested conversation about why some Americans chose to ‘take a knee’ to protest police brutality and racism. Other removed topics included what the department deemed an ‘inaccurate description of socialism’ and ‘politically charged language when referencing the Hebrew Bible.’ Teachers and education advocates worry that crucial and factual information is being removed, that teacher retention efforts could be harmed amid a nationwide teacher shortage, and that teachers could self-censor.

Jessica Ellison, executive director of the National Council for History Education, argues history should be taught with ‘all the complexities that exist in these stories and (how they are) connected to students’ lives today.’ Removing from textbooks the discussions around the calls for social justice in the summer of 2020 isn’t teaching students what they need to know. She said, ‘If we aren’t feeling discomfort when teaching history, then we aren’t teaching and learning history,’ History teachers don’t teach so students can memorize dates, names, and passages of historical documents,’ she said. Instead, teachers ‘make connections so that students can make connections.’

George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In the same way that history is both lost and subject to repetition, if we do not learn from it, we must acknowledge our mistakes and our accountability for our sins and turn back to God before we can begin to seek forgiveness. Ignoring and not confessing our sin is in itself a sin. This is why we confess weekly and are encouraged to do so daily. There is an imperative nature to salvation and sanctification.

III.           God is looking for and rescues those who are lost, including us.

The good news found in the ever so excentric Ezekiel is that God is looking for us. Like a shepherd, God seeks us, even when we wander off on our own, thinking we know the way or that the grass looks greener over there. Sometimes, we run and even hide, but God is always there for us. Ezekiel exclaims we are lost, and the lost must be found. “For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep and will sort them out.”

One day, as I walked around the sanctuary, I found one of my daughter's stuffed animals sitting on the pew. The big-eyed cat appeared to be resting comfortably, almost as if she was patiently waiting for her little girl to come and claim her. With those sad eyes glaring up at me, it looked as though it was pleading, "Please come find me. I'm lost, and I need to be found. Please search for me and take me home." The lonely stuffed cat, of which my daughter has many, was lost and wanted to be with my daughter. Oh, how elated she was when she came into my office and discovered that her little kitten was sitting there rescued. This could serve as a parable for us today. At times, we may feel abandoned or forgotten by God, likened to a lost item left on a pew in church. However, the good news is that Christ actively seeks us out even when we have lost our way.

And God will give us rest: “I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.” God offers us pure and perfect peace, like coming home to a familiar place where we feel safe and secure. But we must come willingly, we must submit to God’s will, and we must seek grace and understanding in order to receive it. Salvation is not transactional, but we must turn to God to find God. Believe me when I say God will know.

“20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you pushed with flank and shoulder and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22 I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged, and I will judge between sheep and sheep.” Our egos and our confidence in worldly ideologies are not the things that God seeks in us. These are the things that keep us away from God. As I said, our salvation is not transactional; Christ offers the ultimate redemption for all who believe, but we must believe.

The Greek word from which we derive “Believe” is best explained by Richard E Simmons III (the author of The Power of a Humble Life). He describes the origins of “Believe” in his online blog better than me so I will quote him:

John 6:47 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life.”

[This verse makes] it clear that you have to believe in order to have eternal life. In English, the word “believe” is a friendly word. The big question is what it really means to believe in Him (Jesus). Every time you see the word “believe” in the New Testament, it comes from the Greek word pisteuo, which means so much more than just believing something in your head. It means “believe in, to entrust, to rely on, to cling to.” Imagine waking up one morning. You feel sick and know something is terribly wrong with you. You go to the doctor, who then sends you to the hospital, where they run a battery of tests. The attending physician then tells you that what he has discovered is both good news and bad news. The bad news is that you have a rare form of cancer, and if it goes untreated, you will be dead within six months. The good news is that it is very treatable, and with proper chemotherapy, there is a 100% recovery rate. You breathe a sigh of relief because you believe what he has told you is true. But you need to do more than believe it in your head. True belief is completely entrusting your life into the doctor’s care. It is completely relying on him and being willing to do whatever he instructs you to do. This is pisteuo. This is what it means to believe.

To truly believe in Jesus and have eternal life is not just about acknowledging His existence and that He is the Son of God. It's about entrusting our lives to Him and surrendering our hearts. In the New Testament, this is the essence of belief. The scriptures tell us that even the demons know the name of Christ and tremble before Him. Even if they acknowledge Jesus is the Son of God, accepting this truth is not enough; we must submit wholeheartedly. We must entrust, cling to, and rely on; we must believe!

IV.           In Christ, we will find our reason to believe.

We don't need to seek out our salvation, as God has already reached out to us through Christ. The love of God is so great that Christ actively sought us. If we reach out to God through Christ, we will be like the lost stuffed animal who has been found, and God will save us. Once we are found, God will guide us to peace. God has promised to be our shepherd. But the shepherd will also weed out the bad sheep. God knows our hearts, and God will judge our hearts. So, we must commit to God as much as God commits to us. Does God have faith in us? Absolutely, God has faith in us to the extent that he sent his only Son to die for us on the cross and to be our Good Shepherd. In Christ, we find our reason. The Good News pastors preach about each week. The good news is Christ: the reason we worship, the reason we sing, and the reason we believe.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. AMEN.

References:

×   Deletions from Florida textbooks will weaken history lessons, teachers say. https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/05/15/florida-social-studies-textbooks-indoctrination-desantis-us-history-teachers/

×   What It Means To Believe - Richard E. Simmons III. https://richardesimmons3.com/what-it-means-to-believe/

×   New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.