Sermon - September 27, 2026 - Pentecost 18
The Lord’s Pleasure
Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32
Dear friends in Christ
Grace and Peace from God’s Servant and our Lord and Seviour Jesus Christ.
In the past I have mention the story of my good friend, the late Manuel, a blind man who served a Roman Catholic immigration settlement agency in Vancouver. He was known for his service to others and the pleasure he took in doing so. Every time I would call him on the phone, I would ask, “Manuel, how are you doing?” to which he would replay, I’m doing good, “making life a pleasure.” He did indeed make life a pleasure. And the way he made life a pleasure to enjoy was his pleasure in serving others, even despite his handicapped condition he was there to help. He served anybody who needed his help. He was admired by many, including the leaders of the Parish that sponsored the agency. So many people came to his funeral, which was in our congregation, even priests and nuns joined in, seating there in first few rows next to Manuel’s family. That was in some ways the result of his service to others, his service done with pleasure! And those who received his help felt honored being served by him.
As you see, for another person to see you as a person worthy of being taken care of is a mark of honor, isn’t it? It marks your value in their eyes. And today, through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord God speaks to you this morning, offering and reminding you that he takes pleasure in serving you, that he holds you in honor. And he does so in equal parts, in justice and in mercy; in Law and but also in the Gospel. He tells you that your soul is the Lord’s, and it is his pleasure to save and serve you, despite your sinful behavior.
Sure, God’s word is clear in telling us that his ways are not our ways, because taking pleasure in serving others is not something we are quick to do, and when it comes to other people messes, rarely do we imagine those messes as our pleasure.
The reality is that other people's messes cause stress, tension, and reduction of the focus we need to work and live properly. It happens in the material realm, but also in the emotional realm. The chaos people create for themselves or by the actions of others can affect our wellbeing, by putting on us emotional strains. Experts say that Living or working around someone else's mess raises stress levels and increases the stress hormone cortisol in those they live with, creating in us, in the long run, feelings of frustration, anger, burden and ultimately resentment. Friendship gets destroyed, and family relationships can and have broken apart because of people’s messes.
Now, how about the messes we create? We know how they affect others, but how about us personally, how do our own messes affect us? Have we thought about that? It is easy to see other people’s messes, but it is difficult sometimes to see ours. And even if we realize that we have messed up, we don’t own those messes, instead we like to blame others, we blame others for our misfortunes, it is always someone else’s fault!! We blame others for the troubles we face. We think that we are punished because of others’ messes.
The new generations like to blame the last generation for everything that is broken in their lives… maybe so, but… Boxer Mike Tyson, for example, claimed his troubled upbringing of abuse, poverty, and crime that made him “a monster.” His iconic facial tattoo was for a reason, he “literally wanted to deface” himself out of deep-seated hatred for who he was a the time. His “monster” attitude sure was helpful for the ring, but really sad for living outside the ring.
Like Tyson, it would give us pleasure to get rid of life’s messes, even to “deface” ourselves of everything we have done, and consequently the people who create messes that affects us too.
In our Old Testament text, we see that God’s people felt that way. They felt they were God’s victims of their parents’ failure, they kept saying: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’” and that’s why they were in exile.
Rather than taking responsibility for their own actions, the ancient Israelites thought their captivity was because of the sins of their ancestors, and that wasn’t fair. And worse they blamed God for that, they told themselves: “The way of the Lord is not just.’” They felt that God had set their teeth on edge and that God had set his heart against them, stripping their pleasure, and punishing them instead.
Have you ever felt like that? From time to time, we feel like we are being punished because of our forefather’s sins. Or the sins of others for that matter. Whenever a natural or personal disaster happens, some believe that God is punishing us for those sins. They thought that that wasn’t fair and that drove some to lose their faith, and others to fall into deep desperation, blinding them to see God who is forgiving and merciful God.
God doesn’t work that way; he doesn’t punish us for the sins of others. That’s not how God works. Through the prophet Ezekiel, he tells us that it is never his pleasure to punish one soul for another’s sin.
To be sure sin has consequences, and yes, we suffer the consequences of other people’s sins, but that consequence is not punishment.
The fact is that the consequences of sin are real. There are consequences to what do, and it’s going to be experienced by next generations, God says. (Ex. 20:5)
One person’s sin can hurt entire families, churches, and communities. Historically when the Spanish came and exploited the American Indians, they enslaved, robbed and killed people. It is said that soldiers and priests will hold on the one hand a crucifix, but on the other a sword, they would tell people: Become Christians or you will die. Many became Christians but only to be stripped of their lands and possessions soon thereafter, then killed, and all that was done in the name of God. Now, because of that to this day, in many circles and communities, Christianity is not seeing as an entity of God’s grace, life and salvation, but of exploitation and destruction. Sins have long term consequences, even eternally!
But the prophet Ezekiel says, that is not how God works, that the Lord does not assign parents’ guilt to their child, nor your neighbor’s guilt to you: “As I live, declares the Lord God, …. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” (vv 3–4).
In fact, the Lord doesn’t take blind vengeance or retribution as some believe. No, God does not take pleasure in punishing the sinner. But every individual soul stands before the Lord seen and accountable. And even though he threatens the death of the sinner, he, first offers grace and salvation, and it is personal. No, he doesn’t bind a person’s ultimate destiny to someone else’s work bad, or even the good works.
Some people, for example, believe that just because Grandma attends church regularly, so her kids and grandkids will go to heaven on her account. It doesn’t work that way either. So also, whatever my father’s sins, are my father’s not mine. “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. . . .” God says.
Look, he says “…I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so, turn, and live.” Therefore, change your way of thinking. Blaming others is not the right way of thinking. That kind of thinking robs you of the dignity of responsibility and the hope of transformation. That’s because that kind of thinking prevents from seen God’s grace.
Now, if your condemnation is tied to someone else’s sin, then the obvious result is that there will be no reason to repent, but if there is no reason to repent, all is left is the reason to resent, and that resentment will only thwart your joy and your peace. Now, when we repent, then hope flourishes, transformation is seen, and grace, the grace of God is seen clearly for what it is.
Now, know this, the Lord God doesn’t let sin of the hook, he judges it, but here is the good news, it is the Lord’s pleasure to pair his perfect judgment with lavish mercy. Today we have an example of that in the life of those who were in exile in Babylonia. Sure, they were taken into exile because of their sin, but even so, God reaffirms his heart of justice and mercy to them.
God is not like a cold, heartless judge who bangs a gavel without compassion and grace. No, instead, like a loving father, he pleads with his children: “Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone” (vv 31b–32a). So, repent, repent and live.
When repentance becomes real then life is accessible, “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” (v 32b).
Have you blamed God for what you are going through today? Or have you blamed someone else? Maybe your parents, or your Newbrough’s or your spouse? Or even the Church?
Back in the day, in the Hispanic congregation in Vancouver, there was a man who we took under our wings. He was from a prominent family in el Salvador, and in one of the army’s attacks, during the civil war, a bomb exploded near him, and that left him almost deaf. He came as refugee to Canada and we helped him with his needs. He did good, he came to church regularly and came with us on family camping trips, to Drumheller, Banff and other places. And whenever he would have one of his anxiety and panic attacks because of his PTSD condition, I would have him in our home relax and recuperate. He came to Church faithfully, until he didn’t. So, when I didn’t see him in Church for a while, I followed up and discovered he was hiding from us, but I caught him one day and asked him why he ditched us… his response was: You guys are weird, you keep controlling me… it’s your fault he said…. But by then I had learned he was seen at several bars in the city and frequenting prostitutes all around, he blamed the church for his bad behavior!
It is our human condition isn’t it, to blame others for the things we find ourselves doing bad. We like to be blameless, that’s because we think we have all figured up for ourselves and we are free to do whatever we want. Sure, you can do that, however, think of this, God will hold you accountable on that, and dealing with God, is something I don’t recommend.
So, seek life, the life that is accessible through Jesus Christ. As you see, God’s justice and mercy collide at the cross of Jesus. Different from the Israelites then, now we know that there is a Son who truly did suffer for the sins of the fathers and brothers and grandsons of the world. He was condemned so that the guilty might go free. Incredibly, all of that was God’s pleasure: “It please the Lord to bruise Him; He has put him to grief” (Is 53:10 NKJV). Jesus took the punishment of God’s justice that he did not deserve in order to give us God’s mercy that we could not earn.
Indeed, the Lord takes pleasure in serving us, and he does so in his mercy, in the forgiveness of our sins.
No, our neighbors and parents, or the one seating next to you right now, are not scapegoats on whom to blame our suffering. Recognize that, see your sins, and come to the Lord’s grace and mercy, come the Lamb who suffered for you. And for the joy set before him he endures the cross and dies that you might live. He is the one who cleanses you of your mess, pays our tab, and opens to us the golden mansions of heaven.
You are not a burden, you are the reason Christ came. He holds you in great honor, and more, your soul is the Lord’s, and it is his pleasure to serve and save you. All praise to Christ Jesus. Amen.