Corrupting God's Beautiful Ornament
Lessons From Ezekiel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Last week, we began our new series on “Lessons From Ezekiel.”
We started this series by discussing Ezekiel 2:1-2 on “Standing For God” and noticed…
We Can’t Work Sitting Down
The Work Won’t Be Easy
The Work Demands Truth
Today, we fast forward to Ezekiel 7, specifically Ezekiel 7:20-21, wherein we find an interesting passage within a powerful chapter.
Ezekiel 7:20–21 (ESV)
20 His beautiful ornament they used for pride, and they made their abominable images and their detestable things of it. Therefore I make it an unclean thing to them. 21 And I will give it into the hands of foreigners for prey, and to the wicked of the earth for spoil, and they shall profane it.
What is God’s “beautiful ornament” that was corrupted by the Israelites?
It was God’s holy temple, the house wherein God dwelt with men, that had been corrupted.
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
God’s house, the place wherein God would live with mankind and they would know God was in their presence was the temple.
However, the Israelites had corrupt his beautiful home with their abominations and because of this God’s wrath was going to consume them.
3 Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. 4 And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 5 “Thus says the Lord God: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes.
Today, we (the church) are the “temple of God” or “house of God.”
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (ESV)
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Timothy 3:14–15 (ESV)
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
As such we have a responsibility to keep the church from becoming corrupted.
What can we learn from Ezekiel that church today can watch for to keep us from becoming corrupted?
We find that during Ezekiel’s day the temple had been…
Corrupted With Pride
Corrupted With Pride
Man’s Arrogance.
Man’s Arrogance.
Man has often had an prideful or arrogant streak in him.
After all Adam was arrogant enough to “not be deceived” by Satan but think “all will still be ok ignoring God.”
During Ezekiel’s day this was no different.
The Israelites were so prideful and arrogant that they thought they were beyond reproach because they had the temple in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 24:21 (ESV)
21 ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Jeremiah 7:14 (ESV)
14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.
Just like during the time of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and others the church today can find itself corrupting the “house of God” the “church of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ” with arrogance.
How can the church today be corrupted with pride.
We can believe that we have the power over truth.
Teaching women can serve in leadership roles, when the house of God certainly is not to have such take place.
10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.
33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.
Teaching mechanical instruments in worship is perfectly fine by God when God himself authorized the one and only instrument to be used is the heart.
Ephesians 5:19 (ESV)
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart
We can believe that we have the power faithfulness.
Teaching that attendance with the saints is optional when it is not.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Teaching that simply being a good person, not a faithful person, is all you need to be.
Revelation 2:10 (ESV)
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Summary
Summary
A local congregation can certainly become corrupted when its leadership starts to believe “they are the authority” and can thus make decisions for “their church.”
This pride leads to destruction every time, and the sad part about it is they often don’t even know they are using God’s “beautiful ornament for pride.”
Another thing we notice during Ezekiel’s day was that the temple had been…
Corrupted With Images
Corrupted With Images
Rampant Idolatry.
Rampant Idolatry.
Ezekiel was taken up into a vision by God in Ezekiel chapter 8 where God shows him the rampant idolatry that was taking place in his house, his temple, and how they were striving to drive God away (Ezekiel 8:6).
We find the elders were worshiping images or pictures of animals.
10 So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel.
We find “greater abominations” when God shows Ezekiel women weeping for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:13).
14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
This is Adonis the god loved by Venus but killed by a wild boar and thus these Israelite women were weeping for a god that had been killed by a pig.
We find “still greater abominations than these” (Ezekiel 8:15).
16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.
There were 24 courts of priests with the 25th being the High Priest, meaning the priesthood was turning their back to God’s Most Holy Place to worship the sun.
Today, the church does not have an issue with worshiping manmade, hand carved images or the sun typically speaking.
However, the church most certainly can find itself in rampant idolatry concerning covetousness.
Colossians 3:5 (ESV)
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
How does this manifest itself today?
When the church covets the preacher’s words more than the word of God it falls into idolatry.
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
When the church covets membership over truth it falls into idolatry.
2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Summary
Summary
Certainly we could cover more and I’m sure you have thought of more ways the church could covet and thus become corrupted by idolatry today.
However, we must fight the good fight of faith not the whims of social desires.
Lastly, we find that during Ezekiel’s day the temple was…
Corrupted With Things
Corrupted With Things
Adultery In God’s House.
Adultery In God’s House.
The Israelite were God’s wife, he was her husband.
They had brought “Idols” or “other lovers” into God’s home and defiled it these “things.”
38 Moreover, this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, this is what they did in my house.
40 They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil.
42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards were brought from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on the hands of the women, and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’
44 For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women! 45 But righteous men shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.”
The church today can certainly find itself “corrupted or defiled with things today.”
We, the church, can find itself in sexual sin particularly with the pornography epidemic that is so prolific throughout the church.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
1 Corinthians 6:18–20 (ESV)
18 Flee from fornication. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (ESV)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Summary
Summary
The “secret sins” of the individual member that goes “unchecked” and “non-corrected” can and will keep the church of our Lord from being what it needs to be.
The very hidden nature of some sins lead the church to falter where otherwise it wouldn’t.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As the church we must do everything in our power to make certain we are not the reason the church is corrupted.
We must do everything in our power to make certain we are also helping others “by baring their burden” and helping them overcome such sin (Galatians 6:1-2).
Let us fight to make certain the Lord’s church here in Ramona is never corrupted with pride, abominable images, or detestable things.
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.
