God's Call

God’s Call

Ezekiel 1&2

Emmanuel Christian Church

1.7.24

INTRODUCTION: For nearly 4,000 years, God had been in constant communication with His creation- FIRST through the heads of families like Adam, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and THEN through mighty leaders like Moses, King David and Solomon, and FINALLY through prophets like Elijah- But now, God was about to go completely silent for 400 years. When He would speak again, it would be in Person- in His final Word: Jesus. But before that 400 year dramatic pause, (that gap between the last Old Testament book of Malachi and the Gospel of Matthew) GOD HAD A FEW THINGS TO SAY TO MANKIND- and he did it through the prophets Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel. To the once mighty nation of Israel, (now divided and nearly destroyed by the Assyrians and the Babylonians) - the words of God would come through the prophet Jeremiah. The Babylonian world superpower itself would hear God’s word through the prophet Daniel. And to the captive Jews living in Babylon under the control of that world superpower, God was about to speak through His prophet Ezekiel. PROPOSITION: As Christians living in America today, I think we sometimes feel like those Jews living in Babylon- God’s people in a foreign land! All around us people are bowing before the false gods of possessions, power and personal determination- with no concern whatsoever for the TRUTH of God! Like exiles in a foreign land, it’s easy for us to lose hope and give in to the temptation to give up! Instead of giving up, God wants His people, (then and now) to LISTEN UP! THAT is what the book of Ezekiel is all about! This morning, we begin a journey through that book. God’s message to Ezekiel and us is simple: “Listen Up!” As we listen up, we need to be very careful as to what we listen TO! There is a simple lie out there that simply says, “This world, right now, is all that is and all that matters.” Some people like to call this lie “reality”. But God wants you and I to know that this world, and this moment are like dust in the wind. There is a REAL reality that is absolutely PERMANENT. The book of Ezekiel opens with a glimpse into that ultimate reality. (PLAY AUDIO SLIDE READING EZEKIEL CHAPTER 1) I don’t really have much to say about what you just heard, after all it is a description of that which is nearly indescribable! But I do have a question for us to consider: “Why did God give us this picture?” Here are MY thoughts in answer to that question: God wants us to better understand the concept of “Holy”.

• It means, “other than”, or “set apart”.
• In our broken, sin fallen experience, we have a hard time even beginning to comprehend God’s nature.
• One of the great promises of our redemption is that one day we WILL understand God and see Him for who He really is… 1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. APPLICATION: God is NOT who we make Him out to be! God IS who He is! The only way we can really understand His nature is to seriously consider how He reveals Himself to us. By looking at the book of His works (the Creation), we can see His massive power, intelligence, order and beauty. By looking at the Book of His Words (the Bible) we can understand that He is a God of righteousness, clearly defining what is right and wrong. By looking at Ezekiel’s recorded vision, we get the distinct impression that He is beyond our current ability to really understand. Yes, indeed, there is One who is greater than us! That simple idea, changes the way we look at EVERYTHING! God wants us to better understand ourselves.
• The first three verses of Ezekiel chapter 2 paint a less than pretty picture: Ezekiel 2:1 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. Ezekiel 2:3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day.
• “Rebellious”, that’s a tough badge to pin to our chest! But just think about it; when our parents Adam and Eve were given free reign of the Garden with only one exception- “Do not eat from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” what did they do? The truth is, all of us have followed in their footsteps! APPLICATION: Realizing our broken rebellious nature is an important thing! Failing to face that reality will leave us thinking that we’re “not that bad” and we’ll become convinced that we don’t need Jesus to save us from ourselves!
• And while there is no doubt that we all suffer from the same problem as our parents Adam and Eve, these verses tell us something else about ourselves- we are valuable to God!
• In the face of our rebellion, God would have been completely justified in wiping out the human race, but instead He has consistently sought to bring us back to Himself! We must be incredibly valuable to God!
• Evidence of our value to God, even in the midst of our rebellion is found in the fact that He sent Ezekiel on a mission to speak to the spiritual renegades! Ezekiel 2:4 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 house — they will know that a prophet has been among them.
• So, what is a “prophet”? Simply one who speaks the words of God to his fellow man. In this case, Ezekiel was that man. -Jesus called you and me to do exactly the same thing when He said: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20
• In the very next verses of Ezekiel chapter 2, God coaches Ezekiel on the fine points of talking to the rebellious and unfaithful. Ezekiel 2:6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Three Tips for “Truth Telling”
• Do NOT be afraid!
• Must be important! God says it three times to Ezekiel!
• Fact of the matter is, FEAR is the quickest and most powerful way to stop someone in their tracks!
• If you’re afraid of what people will think about you or say about you, you won’t speak God’s unpopular truth.
• Keep in mind what Jesus said: Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
• DO speak MY words!
• Speaking God’s words requires KNOWING God’s words! (Yes, we’re back to reading through the Bible on a regular basis!)
• But, beware of sharing your OPINION. Your “opinion” set next to God’s Word has the ability to make God’s Word sound like your OPINION!
• Besides, what’s better than God’s Word on any subject? NOTHING! “…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16
• Do NOT rebel like them!
• Rebellion comes in two forms- doing the wrong thing, and failing to do the right thing. Question: “What do people do?” Answer: “Exactly what they WANT to do!” Avoiding rebellion is very simple- simply make your choice to do the “right thing” every time.
• WARNING: One of the greatest dangers in correcting the rebellion of others is forgetting to correct yourself!
• The Apostle Paul said of himself: 1 Corinthians 9:27 “…I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” And then he encouraged his brethren… 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test? CONCLUSION: My grandmother used to say, “It’s a wild, wild, wonderful wicked world we live in!” And she was right! God says, “DON’T give up!” “DO listen up!” And, “Get ready to SPEAK UP!” NEXT WEEK: Ezekiel 2:9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.