Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

When God calls He equips those who calls to do what he calls.

It is true throughout history.

It is true today.

When I sensed God calling me into the ministry, I said “Lord, I’ll do whatever you call me to do, just don’t call me to be a preacher.

Don’t ask me to stand in front of a congregation week after week to speak in public.

I’ll go to a foreign land to disciple those who are lost.

I’ll go learn a language that has never been put into words translate an unknown language into a Bible.

Just don’t call me to be a pastor and a preacher.”

Well, you know how that ends!

Just don’t call me to be a pastor and a preacher.”

Here’s the moral to the story, “Be careful what you say you will never do to God!” The very thing that I felt so inadequate to do He called me to do.

When God calls, he equips those he calls to do what he calls them to do.

The very thing he asked me to do, he is equipped and continues to equip me to do.”

Moses said to God, “Oh my lord, I am not eloquent, either before you nor since you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow speech and slow tongued.

Don’t send me to Pharaoh.

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What God called him to do he equipped him to do.

Other examples...

Even Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane said father if there be some other way… Yet not as I will but as you will…

Recap

Last week we considered the first part this this portion of Ezekiel in which we saw God calling Ezekiel the Prophet/Priest of God to do the work of God.

And to be honest, it’s a call to ministry service that not many people would positively respond to.

Here is a man with the potential of being just like all the other men around him – rebellious, impudent and stubborn and God says to him, “Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

Go into this land of hard hearted, rebellious, impudent, stubborn children and I will equip you to do what I have called you to do.

When God calls him ‘Son of Man’ - God reminds Ezekiel that it is but by His grace that he is no different than all those rebellious people around him.

Here the title “Son of Man’ remind Ezekiel of the stark contrast between the divine vision he has just seen and his low condition – he will be rejected, humiliated, and despised by ‘those rebellious’ people.

It shows him, in this instance, his frail humanity and reminds him that, as a mere mortal, the only way he can do what God calls him to do, is to take what God gives him – he needs what God gives him to do the work that God assigns him.

God never calls us to do something he doesn’t equip us to do.

Son of Man

This title – ‘son of man’ – separates him from his contemporaries.

In we hear God calling his people ‘the sons of Israel’ – (Jacob) – those who ‘strive with God’ (Israel aka Jacob).

But Ezekiel is called the ‘son of man.’ 93 times in the book of Ezekiel we see this name – a couple times in the book of Daniel – and 88 times in the New Testament.

In the Hebrew language there are a couple words of man – adam (בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם) and eesh ( ) Here the word used is ‘adam’ - the first man - man created in the image of God.

Here’s the moral to the story, “Be careful what you say you will never do to God!” The very thing that I felt so inadequate to do called me to do.

When God calls, he equips those he calls to do what he calls them to do.

The very thing he asked me to do, he is equipped and is equipping me to do.”

Moses said to God, oh my lord, I am not eloquent, other before you nor since you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow speech and slow tongue.

Don’t send me to Pharaoh.

(Ex.

4:10).

What God called him to do he equipped him to do.

Other examples

Even Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane said father if there be some other way… Yet not as I will but as you will…

Last week we considered the first part this this portion of Ezekiel in which we saw God calling Ezekiel the prophet/Priest of God to do the work Of God.

And to be honest, it’s a call to Ministry service that not many people would positively respond to.

Here is a man with the potential of being just like all the other men around him – rebellious, impudent and stubborn.

God says to him, “Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

Go into this land of hard hearted, rebellious, impudent, stubborn children and I will equip you to do what I have called you to do.

God reminds Ezekiel that it is but by His grace that he is no different than all those rebellious people around him when He calls him ‘son of man.’

Here the “Son of Man’ tilele remindis Ezekiel of the stark contrast between the divine vision he has just seen and his low condition – he will bne rejected, humiliated, and despised by ‘those rebellious’ people.

It shows him, in this instance, his frail humanity and reminds him that, as a mere mortal, the only way he can do what God calls him to do, is to take what God gives him – he needs what God gives him to do the work that God assigns him.

God never calls us to do something he doesn’t equip us to do.

בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם ) – eesh ( ) – Here the word ‘man’ is ‘adam’ – it is literally the name ‘Adam’ – the first man.as

This title – ‘son of man’ – also separates him from his contemporaries.

In Ezek 2:3 remember we saw that they were called ‘the sons of Israel’ – rebellious – those who ‘strive with God’ (Israel aka Jacob).

But Ezekiel is called the ‘son of man.’ 93 times in the book of Ezekiel we see this name – a couple times in the book of Daniel – and 88 times in the New Testament.

In the Hebrew language there are a couple words of man – adam – eesh – Here the word ‘man’ is ‘adam’ – it is literally the name ‘Adam’ – the first man.

Man as created in the image of God.

Nearly all of the references that we find in the early part of Genesis are the word ‘adam’.

So literally what God is saying to Ezekiel is ‘Son of Adam’.

Just as the first man, Adam, received the breath of God and became a living soul – by God breathing into him the ‘ruach’ – the spirit of the living God – Ezekiel has the breath of God, the Spirit of God – same ‘ruach’ overcomes him.

It is this spirit that lifts him to his feet.

It is this spirit that gives him new life of obedience to do the difficult things God has called him to do.

It is this spirit that enables him to obey God.

It is this Spirit that equips him for the task before him.

Here we see God breathing life into his creation – the creation theme.

Later in Chapter 3 we see the dead, dry bones of Israel brought back to life by ‘a breath of the Spirit of God!’ The picture here is what we will see happen to Israel, Ch. 37, and prophetically still to happen – even now is happening personally to God’s propet.

He’s being made a personal illustration to his people and to us.

Ezekiel, like Adam, becomes the founding member of a new community, what will be a new obedient and empowered people by the Spirit of God for even out of those rebellious, hard-hearted, stubborn, impudent people God preserves a remnant by the power of His Spirit.

I want you to see not only a son of Adam, not only the parallels with the first Adam – but if we miss this we miss everything: there is here a picture of the Last Adam.

I don’t believe it is a coincidence that the two places we see a preponderance of the use of the title “Son of Man’ occurs here in reference to Ezekiel and in the New Testament with reference to our Lord Jesus Christ who refers to Himself with this title more than any other.

It is our Lord Jesus Christ, who by His obedience reverses the effects of the first Adam.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 5:19

“For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”

(Romans 5:19, NASB95)

Do you see the parallel?

Christ is the one on whom the Spirit rested there at His baptism.

He was the chosen one of God upon whom the Spirit rested in all fullness for in Him we see all the fullness of God in bodily form as the “Son of Man.”

He is the one, now who pours out His Spirit upon the church.

He is creating, day by day, a new community, called out of the darkness into the light.

He is building up His church and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.

אָדָ֕ם – eesh – Here the word ‘man’ is ‘adam’ – it is literally the name ‘Adam’ – the first man.

Man as created in the image of God.

Nearly all of the references that we find in the early part of Genesis are the word ‘adam’.

So literally what God is saying to Ezekiel is ‘Son of Adam’.

So literally what God is saying to Ezekiel is ‘Son of Adam’.

God, the Father, gives Christ, the son, as the Son of Man, a call and a commission equipping him to do what he has been called to do.

Christ doesn’t swallow the word of God like Ezekiel; He is the word of God.

He doesn’t just see the glory of God, the Shekinah, He is that glory.

John 1:14 says,

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

(John 1:14, NASB95)

He came to a rebellious earth, hard hearted, impudent and stubborn.

The Glory of God we saw in Ezekiel 1 is not contained in the temple, but is present in the midst of those hard-hearted, rebellious people.

Even as Christ, despised reject- a man of sorrow – aquainted with grief – came to His own and they would not receive Him to preach the good news of the Gospel.

He comes not to speak his own words, but the words of Him who sent him – and He will return one day in judgment to tread the winepress of God in His wrath as the representative of the Sons of men.

Literally what God is saying to Ezekiel is ‘Son of Adam’.

What a glorious picture.

Ezekiel here, just like Adam, is given a test.

It’s a test that revolves around the idea of obedience – eating.

Adam was told: “Do not eat of that three’, but Ezekile is told “Do eat of this scroll’.