Standing For God
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Today, we are going to begin a study through the some of the great lessons found in the powerful and hopefully impactful book of Ezekiel.
The book of Ezekiel has been called by some “bizarre” due to the vast amount of symbolic language, but like most symbolic books, if we keep the context in front the message isn’t difficult.
I will not be preaching through this book like I did the letters to Corinth but rather will be picking and choosing from several of the powerful messages from God and lessons for us today.
Some background on Ezekiel.
Ezekiel, a priest of God, was called to be a prophet at the age of thirty, some five years after he had been taken captive during the second wave of Babylonian captivity by king Nebuchadnezzar (Ezekiel 1:1-3).
He prophesied from 592-570 BC for a total of 22 years “that we know of.”
Ezekiel’s name means “May God Strengthen” and he was known by the other captives as being one that taught God’s word even though the majority of the people that listened to him ignored it (Ezekiel 33:30-33).
Let’s dive right in with our lesson for today from Ezekiel 2-3 on “Standing For God.”
We notice from Ezekiel 2-3 that…
We Can’t Work Sitting Down
We Can’t Work Sitting Down
We Must Stand Up.
We Must Stand Up.
After Ezekiel had witnessed this great vision of God on his throne leading the Babylonian Empire toward Jerusalem, he fell down being overwhelmed.
Ezekiel 1:28 (ESV)
28 …Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
However, God needed Ezekiel to get to work for him and thus “God stands Ezekiel up.”
1 And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.
Simply put, we cannot be what God wants us to be, “his workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10) if we are willing to “get to work.”
The question then, if we haven’t been working for God, how do we get motivated to work for God?
First, we must reconnect with him who created us “for good works” (Ephesians 2:10).
This means evaluating our lives spiritually, repenting, confessing our sins, and putting aside our past.
2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
Revelation 3:3 (ESV)
3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Second, we must then “get to work.”
This means we cannot just “talk about doing the work” we must actually set our mind to do the work.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Lastly, we must help others “with the work.”
There is nothing more motivating then helping others do the work of the Lord as it keeps us renewed in zeal to see others zeal for the Lord.
11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.
Summary
Summary
Being motivated to work hard for God starts with a proper evaluation of our spiritual self.
It requires us to be honest and then make the proper corrections spiritually where we need to make corrections.
It requires us to get up and get out in the world “living the Christian life” and helping as many people as we can do the same.
The reality is however…
The Work Won’t Be Easy
The Work Won’t Be Easy
Because Most Won’t Care.
Because Most Won’t Care.
God did not sugar coat what Ezekiel was going to endure and face.
4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel—
Ezekiel 3:6–7 (ESV)
6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me…”
Unfortunately, though “some did listen to Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and others, the majority simply did not listen to God.
Times have not changed all that much, as you and I know.
It should be that we are needing to continually bulldoze this building and build bigger a bigger building to hold all the people that “should” obey God, but this is not reality.
Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
It is very discouraging to continually strive to teach people that you know “they know not the scripture” and “are not saved” but they keep rejecting it.
It is very discouraging to “do the right thing spiritually” and be berated over and over for standing up for God and his righteousness.
Moses was so overwhelmed by the lack of spiritual care by the Israelites that he wanted to give up.
10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
Numbers 11:14–15 (ESV)
14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”
Elijah after what should have been a defining moment in Israel’s history and them turning to God after seeing who the truth God of all the earth was, rather was running for his life when he wanted to give up.
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”
3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
Who can forget Job who “had not sinned” yet suffered such an extreme trial and then tormented by his friends about that which they knew nothing about. It’s no wonder Job wished he had never been born.
16 Or why was I not as a hidden stillborn child, as infants who never see the light?
Even the great apostle Paul found himself in this situation “at times” wanting to give up.
2 Corinthians 1:8–9 (ESV)
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
Summary
Summary
The work we do for the Lord isn’t easy and the main reason for that is because there is so much sin in the world and so many that will reject God’s word.
But our Creator doesn’t ask us to convert the world or force everyone to obey his word as that is not our responsibility (Ezekiel 3:17-21).
Rather our God who sees every obedient work we do and he simply asks us to work for him, and it is that for which we will be judged by.
17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.
When we start “Standing For God” and understand that the work won’t be easy it becomes apparent that…
The Work Demands Truth
The Work Demands Truth
The Work Fails With “Our Truth”.
The Work Fails With “Our Truth”.
By that I mean, we cannot stand up for God and work for God if we are teaching “our truth.”
4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Ezekiel 2:6–7 (ESV)
6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Far too many people are spinning their wheels and doing “good works” but not in the name of truth.
The work of the Lord is futile if one does not teach the actual truth.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Summary
Summary
It’s like what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, we can do all these wonderful things for God but if it isn’t done in love “we gain nothing.”
The same can be said of the truth, we can do all these good works for the sake of Christ, helping the poor, feeding the needy, caring for widows and orphans, but if we are not teaching them the truth, helping them remove sin from their lives, then we have helped them “gain nothing” but an easier life here on earth and an eternity in hell in the next life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
v
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
