7-7-24 Sermon "Our Task" - 20 Minutes for Sermon - 27 Minutes with Communion

Ezekiel 2:1-5

This past Thursday,,, July 4th,,, marked the 248th anniversary of the day America’s Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. At the time,,, Great Britain’s King George III ruled an empire on which “the sun never sets.” Its vast wealth was strengthened by trade and protected by a powerful navy and a professional army,,, making it a global power of the first order. By contrast,,, the colonists’ army had little equipment or formal training. It gave some comparisons to the way things were then,,, to the way that they are today. And we are much better off today than we were then. Then it gave parts of a speech by Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan to express how unique we truly are. Between his election as president on November 6, 1860, and his inauguration on March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln explained America’s Constitution and the union it created: It has a philosophical cause. Without the Constitution and the Union, we could not have attained the result; but even these are not the primary cause of our great prosperity. There is something back of these, entwining itself more closely about the human heart. That something is the principle of “liberty to all”—the principle that clears the path for all—gives hope to all—and by consequence, enterprise and industry to all. The expression of that principle in our Declaration of Independence was most happy and fortunate. Without this, as well as with it, we could have declared our independence of Great Britain; but without it, we could not, I think, have secured our freedom and consequent prosperity. Fast forward 120 years to May 17, 1981, and President Ronald Reagan’s Commencement Address at the University of Notre Dame. Here he noted: This Nation was born when a band of men, the Founding Fathers, a group so unique we’ve never seen their like since, rose to such selfless heights. Lawyers, tradesmen, merchants, farmers—fifty-six men achieved security and standing in life but valued freedom more. They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Sixteen of them gave their lives. Most gave their fortunes. All preserved their sacred honor. In fact, they did far more: They gave us more than a nation. They brought to all mankind for the first time the concept that man was born free, that each of us has inalienable rights, ours by the grace of God, and that government was created by us for our convenience, having only the powers that we choose to give it. Then Mr. Reagan put our democratic experiment in historical context: A few years ago, someone figured out that if you could condense the entire history of life on Earth into a motion picture that would run for twenty-four hours a day, 365 days—maybe on leap years we could have an intermission—this idea that is the United States wouldn’t appear on the screen until 3½ seconds before midnight on December 31st. And in those 3½ seconds not only would a new concept of society come into being, a golden hope for all mankind, but more than half the activity, economic activity in world history, would take place on this continent. Free to express their genius, individual Americans, men and women, in 3½ seconds, would perform such miracles of invention, construction, and production as the world had never seen. “When people are free to choose” “Liberty to all,” as Mr. Lincoln so perceptively observed, was the beating heart of the American experiment. “The concept that man was born free,” as Mr. Reagan noted, still empowers our republic. This is because our God is free and made us in his image (Genesis 1:27). We therefore have an innate quest for the liberty our nation was birthed to secure. Margaret Thatcher was right: “When people are free to choose, they choose freedom.” However, as we have noted this week, humans are also fallen. Our freedom, unconstrained by the word and Spirit of God, leads us into ruin rather than prosperity. To be a nation God can bless, we must be a people who seek the blessing of God (Psalm 33:12). As a result, knowing Christ and making him known is not just an urgent mantra for our chaotic times—it is the most patriotic way we can serve our nation. John Adams, in defending the freedom for which America was created, declared: “We recognize no sovereign but God, and no king but Jesus!” Can you say the same today? We need to hear these words today,,, and remember where we come from,,, and hopefully we did,,, as we celebrated this great country,,, that we call home,,, today! ___________________________________

This morning I'll be reading Ezekiel chapter 2 verses 1 through 5. And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Ezekiel 2:1-5 The first half of the Book of Ezekiel focuses on God’s coming judgment of Judah. God’s sword was ready to strike,,, and Ezekiel was commissioned with the task of explaining to the people already in captivity what God’s judgment entailed and why it was coming. Ezekiel 2:1–5 (HCSB) 1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you.” 2 As He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I listened to the One who was speaking to me. 3 He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against Me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day. 4 The children are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ 5 Whether they listen or refuse to listen —for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. The word of God for the people of God,,, thanks be to God! God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. ___________________________________ Last Sunday we looked at Psalm 30,,, and we seen once again that we need to be sure that we praise God for the blessings that we receive.

This Psalm was a reminder from David,,, written down and recorded,,, for us to study today.

David had apparently been sick and God had healed him.

And David made sure that he praised God for answering his prayer.

I also reminded you,,, that this time of praise should not just be for healing.

It should be for other blessings that we receive as well,,, no matter how small!

God goes above and beyond in any blessings that we receive,,, and we need to be thankful in our praise!

We need to learn from David,,, "a man after God's own heart" according to 1 Samuel 13:14; and Acts 13:22.

Follow his example,,, use his life as a guide to show us how to act!

I told you,,, that in the days ahead,,, we need to remember these words,,, remember where our blessings come from,,, and who is responsible for them,,, and praise God,,, for our many blessings,,, each and every,,, day!

This morning we will look at these verses in Ezekiel,,, and see how they help us in our walk with God this week.

___________________________________ Verses 1-2 said: 1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you.” 2 As He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I listened to the One who was speaking to me.

Ezekiel has been commissioned by God,,, to deliver a message to the people.

As the book opens,,, Ezekiel was already in captivity,,, having been carried off in one of the earlier deportations.

But he prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem six or seven years before it happened.

Ezekiel was probably thirty years of age at this time (“in the thirtieth year”).

The first twenty-four chapters were written before the fall of Jerusalem,,, but after the first deportations.

In chapter one,,, we see that,,, just like Isaiah and Jeremiah,,, he was prepared for his ministry,,, by receiving a vision of the glory and majesty of God,,, before he was called to serve the Lord.

As we see in these 2 verses,,, God told Ezekiel to rise and receive His message.

Son of man,,, as it's used here,,, (ben-’āḏām) according to my Bible Knowledge commentary,,, occurs 93 times in the Book of Ezekiel to refer to that prophet.

Not sure why there is a different number,,, since I haven't counted them,,, but the Believer's Bible Commentary says it occurs 90 times,,, but either way,,, it was used a lot.

It emphasizes his humanity before God,,, and seems to stress the distance that separates man from God.

The word “son” expresses family and hereditary relationships,,, but often moves beyond the mere biological implications,,, to draw attention to the association or identification with someone or something (cf. “sons of God,” Genesis 6:2, 4; “son of the dawn,” Isaiah 14:12).

By this title God was stressing Ezekiel’s association with the human race.

The Believer's Bible Commentary says that the first words that God addresses to Ezekiel appropriately put the prophet in his rightful place before the majesty which he has been seeing in his vision.

The phrase son of man is a Hebraism which emphasizes Ezekiel’s insignificance,,, or mere humanity.

“Son of” indicates “partaking of the nature of” and so when combined with ’adãm, “man,”,,, it means nothing more than “human being.”

In the plural,,, it is a common phrase for “mankind”.

By the time of Daniel (7:13, 14) this title had taken on near messianic implications,,, and in the first century it had become a term for the Messiah:

When God told Ezekiel to stand,,, He also enabled him by the Holy Spirit,,, to stand.

In Old Testament times,,, the Holy Spirit did not indwell all believers,,, but indwelt selected persons temporarily for divine service (cf. Ex. 31:1–11; 1 Sam. 10:9–11; Ps. 51:11; Ezek. 3:24).

It was through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit,,, that Ezekiel was able to stand as he listened to the words of God,,, and,,, to accomplish this task,,, that God has given him to do.

___________________________________ Verse 3 said: 3 He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against Me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day.

Ezekiel’s assignment was difficult.

His message was to be directed to a rebellious nation,,, people who were obstinate (cf. 3:7) and stubborn.

Rather than acknowledging God’s judgment and confessing their sins,,, the Jewish exiles viewed their time in Babylon as a temporary setback,,, that would be alleviated by their soon return to Jerusalem.

They refused to admit their sin,,, or to believe the threat of impending judgment on their disobedient nation.

Ezekiel’s task was to declare God’s Word to them,,, and as we see in the next verses,,, it doesn't matter whether they understand that message or not.

___________________________________ Verses 4-5 said: 4 The children are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ 5 Whether they listen or refuse to listen —for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Whether they responded appropriately to this message,,, was the people’s own responsibility.

But in the end,,, (when the events did transpire),,, they (the rebellious house,,, or people),,, would know that a prophet had been in their midst.

That's the way that a true prophet was always proven,,, this showed that their message was definitely from the Lord!

It was important for Ezekiel to give the people this message,,, so that they could turn back to God at this time!

___________________________________ And that should be our focus as well,,, especially in light of the direction that many churches are beginning to go.

We must let others know that they are going in the wrong direction,,, and we need to be strong with our response.

We should respond without fear,,, but we still need to respond in love.

Being careful that we don't turn those away that we need to help.

Of course,,, just as God told Ezekiel,,, whether they respond correctly,,, is up to them!

___________________________________ You may be sitting out there and thinking,,, "I'm not ready to share my faith with others at this time,,, especially in today's society".

And that's not the end of the world,,, I understand,,, I've been there!

That's why that I've reminded you over and over again that the way that you live your life is the best witness that you can ever have!

Most people will never confront you about your day to day life in the same way that they will retaliate to a spoken word that shows them a better way to go.

But your actions can show them without ever saying a word.

And it will be seen as a truthful representation of that witness when its reinforced by day to day living!

___________________________________ So as we go our separate ways this morning,,, and we begin another week tomorrow,,, help us to remember these words to Ezekiel.

Because God has given us a task as well!

Help us to remember to not be afraid to speak God's word as we show those around us the correct way to go,,, when we see them going the wrong way!

And that when we live a life that shows them the way even better than words,,, we will be free from many of the dangers of confrontation,,, and our witness will be even more believable when they see the difference God has made in our life.

That's something no-one can argue with,,, and it will be noticeable,,, as we complete "Our Task",,, that God has given us,,, as well!

___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Communion: ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- So as we turn to our thoughts of communion this morning,,, remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for each one of us,,, and that He gave His life for us,,, even though we didn't deserve it,,, and for that we should always be truly thankful,,, and through His word we can receive the strength that we need to get us through anything today. ----------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- As we come forward to celebrate Communion,,, we must remember that it's the Lord's table,,, and He is the One that invites us to the table! As our ritual puts it: “Christ our Lord invites to His table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.” We do not refuse any who present themselves desiring to receive. Whether you should receive Communion with us,,, is between you and God. As we begin,,, let us have a moment of prayer and confession,,, I'll begin,,, then we will have a few moments of silence,,, so that each of us can say our own prayer and confession silently,,, then I'll close the prayer. Dear Heavenly Father,,, we come to you this morning and thank you for all the blessings that we have received. We thank you for your Son who died on the cross for our sin's and made it possible to come to you in prayer. I ask for forgiveness for my sins and I know that the Holy Spirit will put before you any that I miss. Now we will take just a few moments in silence to allow everyone to speak personally to you, then I'll finish,,,,. ,,,, Most Gracious and Holy God,,, again we thank you for this opportunity to come before you. We ask forgiveness as a church family together,,, for any sins we've committed before we take of your Holy Communion. These things and all others we ask,,, in Jesus' name,,, Amen ----------------------------------------------------------- If you will take your handout,,, we will begin reading responsively. And we will continue by reading responsively until we get to Amen at the end. So lets stand as we begin our responsive reading. And we will continue by reading responsively until we get to Amen at the end. ----------------------------------------------------------- The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. The pastor may raise hands. Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the bread. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the cup. When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." The pastor may raise hands. And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. The pastor may hold hands, palms down, over the bread and cup. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. The pastor may raise hands. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen Hymn 364 - Seminary ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Hymn: 337 - Oakdale Hymn: 337 - Seminary Benediction -----------------------------------------------------------