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Sunday sermons today often avoid contentious social issues. Not wanting to offend people, some ministers deal only with issues that make people feel good. Certainly, messages that encourage and show people how to cope on a personal level are important. But there are times when proclaiming the whole counsel of God requires dealing with uncomfortable topics. That was certainly true when God called Ezekiel to deliver messages to ancient Israel. God said to him, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel” (v. 1). God told Ezekiel that the message he would deliver would be sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach—perhaps it was sweet because he knew he was speaking with the full authority of Almighty God; perhaps bitter because people would reject his message of God’s judgment to come. God assured him that even though people would reject the message, he should faithfully deliver it so they would know that a prophet had spoken. Today, God still desires faithful messengers who speak His whole counsel.
