Lies & Promises
Ezekiel 11
Emmanuel Christian Church 3.3.24
INTRODUCTION: Men lie. That’s a harsh truth with which to begin a
sermon! We don’t want to hear that! It makes us feel bad about ourselves!
And in defense of that bad feeling, there is a little voice inside of
each of us that whispers- “Yes men do lie, but I’M no liar!”. But God’s own
word stands against THAT lie:
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us.
I would suppose that worse than lying to others is lying to yourself! So,
let’s face the harsh reality of the human condition and admit that none of
us can claim an exemption.
Thankfully, God is NOT like us. He does not lie. In fact, it’s the one thing
He cannot do!
Hebrews 6:18 “…it is impossible for God to lie…”
PROPOSITION: Because God CANNOT lie, He is also unable to break His
promises! Now, that TRUTH should be of great encouragement to us this
morning!
Ezekiel chapter 11 is all about the lies of men and the promises of God.
Let’s get right to it!
Ezekiel 11:1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of
the house of the LORD that faces east. There at the entrance to the gate
were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and
Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 The LORD said to me,
“Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked
advice in this city. 3 They say, ‘Will it not soon be time to build houses?
This city is a cooking pot, and we are the meat.’ 4 Therefore prophesy
against them; prophesy, son of man.”
THE LIES OF MEN
- These lies come by the way of the 25 at the entrance to the eastern gate
of the Temple. These are NOT the 25 men who were previously bowing
down in worship to the sun god- they have already been put to death!
These are described as “the leaders of the people”- we would call them
“politicians”. And what are they doing? Lying to the people!
- There are three basic lies they are telling:
- “Evil is the shortcut.”
- This is the most common lie of our enemy!
- Disobedience to God is the quickest way to get where you want to
go and get what you want to get!
- Remember Adam and Eve; and then remember what God’s Word
says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in
death.” Proverbs 14:12
- “Wicked is wise.”
- “Wicked advice” could be described as the detailed directions down
the shortcut path of evil.
- It presents itself as “the smart thing to do” or the thing that’s “wise to
the world”.
- It’s really only foolishness disguised as wisdom- and here’s why: All it
really does is speed up the process of self-destruction.
- “God doesn’t mean it.”
- God had told the people of Jerusalem that their destruction was
coming- and their political leaders told them NOT to believe it.
- Their message? “Build houses, settle down, DON’T worry- we’ll all
be safe behind our city walls!”
APPLICATION: Lies, lies, lies! Just listen to what Jesus has to say on the
subject of lies, liars and lying…
John 8:44 “the devil… was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to
the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native
language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Lies might come form the lips of men, but they’re born in hell’s home
office!
TRANSITION: Check out verses 5-15 I would call this, “Arrogance on
parade”!
Ezekiel 11:5 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me
to say: “This is what the LORD says: That is what you are saying, O house
of Israel, but I know what is going through your mind. 6 You have killed
many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
Ezekiel 11:7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: The bodies
you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive
you out of it. 8 You fear the sword, and the sword is what I will bring
against you, declares the Sovereign LORD. 9 I will drive you out of the city
and hand you over to foreigners and inflict punishment on you. 10 You will
fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of
Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 11 This city will not be a
pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at
the borders of Israel. 12 And you will know that I am the LORD, for you
have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the
standards of the nations around you.”
Ezekiel 11:13 Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died.
Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Ah, Sovereign LORD!
Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?”
Ezekiel 11:14 The word of the LORD came to me: 15 “Son of man, your
brothers — your brothers who are your blood relatives and the whole
house of Israel — are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said,
‘They are far away from the LORD; this land was given to us as our
possession.’
- The leaders and residents of Jerusalem were guilty of crimes of
ARROGANCE:
- Murder. It’s really the theft of that which is not ours to take. God is the
author and grantor of life- to take that from someone without just
cause is theft of the worst order. It is presumptuous and arrogant. The
residents and leaders of Jerusalem had filled the streets with the
bodies of those who opposed them.
- Self-delusion.
- The leaders and people of Jerusalem were saying, “We’re
STRONG!”
- The analogy of the meat and the pot leaves us scratching our
heads, but suffice it to say it was their way of thinking themselves
to be safe from their enemies behind the walls of the city.
- The leaders and people of Jerusalem were saying, “We’re GOOD
- The “they” of verse 15 were the people of Jerusalem who had
already been transported to Babylon in two previous
deportations.
- The remaining residents of Jerusalem thought that they were too
good to suffer the same fate- that God had spared them because
He was on their side! NOT SO, as we see in the concluding
verses of chapter 11:
Ezekiel 11:16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them
among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them
in the countries where they have gone.’
- Clearly, if God was on anyone’s side, he was on the side of the Jewish
exiles in Babylon- NOT on the side of the remnant still living in Jerusalem!
And then, in the next five verses God gives His four promises to the
faithful, exiled Jews living in Babylon:
Ezekiel 11:17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I
will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries
where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel
again.’
Ezekiel 11:18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and
detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new
spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a
heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep
my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for
those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I
will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the
Sovereign LORD.”
THE PROMISES (to the EXILES)
- THE PROMISES
- Listen carefully to what I am about to say… EVERY promise of God in
the Old Testament pointed to and found it’s fulfillment in Jesus. You
will NEVER understand the Old Testament unless you understand that!
- 2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made,
they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by
us to the glory of God.
- THE EXILES
- The “exiles” weren’t just the faithful Jews in Babylon- they are us!
- 1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect,
strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
- 1Peter 1:17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work
impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
- 1Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the
world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
GOD’S PROMISES:
- “I will GATHER you”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest.
- “I will GIVE you…”
- The Land
Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands,
let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.
APPLICATION: Our “Promised Land” rest is with the LORD at the
recreation of heaven and earth!
- “An undivided heart”
- “A new Spirit”
- A heart of flesh to replace a heart of stone
- When did that happen?
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- “I will be their God”
Revelation 21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making
everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are
trustworthy and true.”
Revelation 21:6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink
without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will
inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
- “I will bring justice upon their enemies”
Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers,
the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all
liars — their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the
second death.”
CONCLUSION: Here these all important words again:
2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they
are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the
glory of God.
Everybody needs Jesus- that includes YOU.
