USS Comstock Sermon #6 Ezekiel 13 "The Flimsy Wall"

The Flimsy Wall

INTRODUCTION

Why do people lie?

Sarah Whyte writes:

Researching the reasons humans lie has almost become an obsession for distinguished professor Tim Levine from Alabama University in Birmingham who has studied deception for 20 years.

He's come up with the four main reasons why people lie:

1. To cover up a mistake or transgression (such as cheating)

2. For financial gain (ever lie on taxes, travel claims?)

3. For personal gain ( 23% of people admit to lying during an interview.)

4. To get out of situations (would love to help you move but…)

You might find yourself agreeing with these reasons.

In fact, you may be thinking, “I’ve told lies in every category”.

Yet most of us would say we truly dislike liars!

The maxim we all learned in boot camp states:

“I will NOT LIE, CHEAT OR STEAL NOR TOLERATE THOSE AMONG US WHO DO.”

The dictionary definition of the word:

LIE-an intentionally false statement

No doubt there are various categories of lies.

Some are:

White lies/fibs

Lie of omission (not telling everything)

Restructuring (distorting the context)

Lie of exaggeration

But bottom line NOBODY likes to be lied about.

Maybe you have caught someone lying about you.

Perhaps a good friend or someone you trusted.

Even someone you have defended or stood up for in the past.

Question: When you found out and confronted them, how did that go?

I imagine there was some anger, resentment and feelings of betrayal.

Now I want to challenge you to imagine you are GOD.

Yes, the one, the only, all-powerful, ever present, all knowing God...and lies are being spread using YOUR name.

Things are going around such as:

God says, “You will have peace & prosperity no matter what or who you worship”

God is pleased that you are happy even though you are cheating on your wife

God will NEVER punish or correct you.

Israel had some false prophets spreading these sorts of lies in the name of God.

These lies are not a far cry off from what we hear today in our secular culture.

In Old Testament Israel, Ezekiel was the prophet of God who was tasked to call these false prophets on the carpet.

Clearly God knew the lies were being spread. It did not “surprise” God.

Yet, His Pre-knowledge of misconduct does not excuse sinful behavior

What we see in this Old Testament text in Ezekiel Chapter 13 is a crystal clear Gospel message!

Step 1: Mankind was deceived and led astray from obeying God

Step 2: There are false prophets in the world giving a message designed to provide a false sense of security

Step 3: The people are ensnared to worship falsehoods, superstitions and idols

Step 4: God judges and with his judgement He destroys the deception of false idols through His son Jesus, The Word, providing freedom for humanity from the captivity to sin.

There are so many voices in the world today that want us to accept that ALL beliefs are as legitimate as faith in the one and only, utterly proven almighty Son of God Jesus.

It is a Flimsy Delusion to think God will not set the record straight about Himself.

He will Judge and Correct and in the end He Will Save.

The major idea we will learn today is the Gospel message:

(CIT) Jesus offers eternal salvation rather than flimsy delusions.

For those who have ears to hear let us read the Gospel Message represented in Ezekiel 13.

READ EZEKIEL 13

BACKGROUND

The name Ezekiel in Hebrew means “God Strengthens”.

Ezekiel was a Hebrew priest and a prophet.

A prophet was typically a faithful follower of God who was tasked to deliver a message or speak of future events with absolute inerrant accuracy.

A true prophet in Israel was someone speaking on behalf of Yahweh not from their own imagination or invention.

To be considered a prophet ones prophecy must be 100% accurately fulfilled.

The Book of Ezekiel has two major parts.

I. Ch. 1-33 concern the judgement and fall of Jerusalem

II. Ch. 34-48 is concerned with visions and prophecies of hope and possibility.

“A common expression in Ezekiel, “that they might know that I am the LORD,” underlines this emphasis on God’s sovereignty: whether acting in punishment or in restoration, all that God does is a manifestation of God’s name.

This absolute, radical emphasis on God may seem cold and distant to us: we look in vain through this book for mention of God’s love or compassion.

But for Ezekiel, this divine emphasis provides our only hope for salvation.

If God’s forgiveness depends upon our worthiness, we are doomed!

Our hope can only be sure if it is grounded in God’s very honor and identity.

linked to God’s identity is the notion of God’s presence

“Ezekiel’s audience of exiles, who had thought themselves removed far from the center of God’s presence on Zion, Ezekiel communicates the grand good news that God has come to be with God’s people in exile.

However, the flip side of that affirmation is God’s abandonment of Jerusalem.

We can cut ourselves off from God’s presence, Ezekiel states. Through injustice, idolatry, and faithlessness, we can render our holy places desolate, and turn our hearts to stone.

Yet God can still act, to transform and renew

“Thus, The promise of this book, is that God desires to be in fellowship with God’s people.

Ultimately, come what will, God is with us.

This is the Gospel message.

Despite our rebellious, sinful behaviors

Regardless of the illusions and idols we erect in our lives

Jesus loves us still and His sacrifice on the cross has shattered through the lies we have been told and the Flimsy Walls of our own self delusions.

As God states, “I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.”

NARRATIVE

Our study will be divided into four major areas:

Lies & Deception leading people astray from God (vv 1-9)

In the Navy it is imperative to understand the organization of the chain of command.

I have spent the past three years at Recruit Training Command trying to impart this information to the young men & women coming into the Navy.

It is essential to know how orders are given, information is passed and decisions made utilizing the chain of command.

In this text It is critical to understand the hierarchy of spiritual leadership.

Ezekiel was a true prophet but there were many other voices competing with the message he was given by God.

99.9% of the other so called prophets are no help to Jerusalem in its final days.

Jerusalem was facing an imminent attack due to their faithlessness to God that would subject them to exile and slavery.

Instead of even attempting to warn the people of God’s impending assault on Jerusalem, these so called prophets are like jackals among ruins (v. 4), scavengers preying on the people in their weakness.

These prophets were “making stuff up”- using their own imaginations but putting a spiritual stamp on it.

We cannot follow God apart from following His Word.

We cannot divorce his Word from our lives or our actions/behaviors and still say “The Lord Declares.”!

In our secular world today there are so many voices yelling and screaming what they want you to believe is God’s Word.

The people of Israel trusted in the wrong people- They trusted in people who are compared to Jackals (scavengers) who do NONE of the hard work of stalking or hunting but hanging around to take advantage of others work.

RELEVANCE: I have some hard words for leaders.

Leaders, especially spiritual leaders, MUST not take advantage of those whom they lead!

Pastor’s are often relied upon in a person’s most difficult times in life.

God is not pleased when spiritual leaders “go rogue”.

If we had the wisdom and insight of our own accord then we do not need to rely on God’s Word.

Verse 2-3 states, “2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the LORD! 3 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

Some of you may think this does not apply to you because you are not a Chaplain, or a Pastor or a Missionary.

BUT YOU ARE A LEADER!

You are a leader in your place of work

You are a leader in your community

You are a leader in your family

Christian Leaders know God’s Word.

We DO NOT make it up or invent something from our own imagination.

YOU must study the Word and know it intimately so that when someone says, “The Lord Declares” you will know with certainty how to lead those who rely on you.

Verse 4-5 says, “4 Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD.

The “breaks in the wall” are the broken moments in a persons life.

The times they are most vulnerable.

Such as when a husband or wife has just lost their spouse

Families experiencing financial hardships

Domestic/sexual abuse

Divorce/infidelity

Israel’s leaders went up to the breaks in the wall but NOT for the purposes of repairing hearts, lives and relationships but for personal gain or self-promotion.

If we are to serve God in our lives we must KNOW HIS WORD because it is only by His Word and through a relationship with Jesus that anyone can be healed.

2. False sense of security- The Flimsy Wall (vv 10-16)

The dictionary definition of “false sense of security” is simply: “the belief that some situation is safer than it actually is.”

More often than not, the term “false sense of security” is linked to a verb like “give.”

Some behavior or message or precaution is accused of giving people a false sense of security.

In this case it was the false prophets in Israel.

Cities in the ancient world required WALLS.

Walls provided security & protection

Walls controlled the in-coming and departing flow of inhabitants

Walls had without breaches

Walls must be strong, tall and impenetrable to enemy attack

“The “wall-builders” in Israel would have been the leading houses of Jerusalem.

They were responsible for the rebellion against Babylon that brought Jerusalem to the imminent destruction they were facing here in Ezekiel.

Doubtless these are the same people who proudly declare their security within Jerusalem’s walls and their superiority over the exiles outside (11:1–12, 15)

All the while also claiming that Ezekiel’s words either will never come true or that they refer to a time in the distant future (12:21–28).

Rather than opposing this ill-placed optimism, the prophets of Jerusalem shore up the unrealistic expectations of their patrons with soothing words—like a dishonest builder using whitewash to pretty up an ill-built wall.

In the Navy we are all too familiar with the concept of “whitewashing” something aka making something look good on the outside. i.e. paint over rust twice

PERSONAL STORY: I began my working career in the world of construction.

I was not born into the profession. My Dad was an insurance salesman.

I learned so much in the short three years I worked in residential framing.

One lesson, once something has been screwed up it takes twice as much energy and work to fix it than it would have to do it correctly the first time.

I now understand why the boss had us spend so much time squaring up the foundation before we began nailing anything together.

But I also learned there are techniques to make something look good & solid when it is not good nor solid.

Verse 10 describes the false prophets saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash”

The false prophets were promising peace and security to the people.

Although the Babylonians were on their way to take the people into exile and slavery they were comforted by their words of “Peace”.

It may have went like this, “Do not worry, there will be peace in Israel, God has told me so.”

I mean, these were the religious leaders, right? They were supposed to be close to God, right?

And so a false sense of security was established among the people.

The sense of these words is not just a literal interpretation regarding a wall.

Jerusalem did have a wall and it’s intended purpose was for protection.

But the sense of these words goes much deeper.

Those serving God must see the gaps & breaches in peoples lives.

The places where they have been attached and crushed in the past.

We must minister to those injuries with God’s help to repair those unprotected areas in the lives of others.

We must not “whitewash” them- giving them nothing of substance.

Yes, a repair will always take more time, more energy and a great commitment.

But Jesus gave His all for broken, messed up people as us- Who are we to complain about the opportunity to serve others just as Jesus did for us?

RELEVANCE: If we set ourselves against God there is no peace.

If we believe we are safe from punishment we have erected a flimsy wall.

There is coming a day where God WILL JUDGE and those who are under the delusion that their “FLIMSY WALL” will protect them in that day will come to a rude awakening.

God is patient but His patience one day will come to an end.

We must be truthful with the “lost”- that there will not be peace with God if they reject His son Jesus.

And there isn’t a wall high enough or strong enough to protect them in that day-

All those mental constructs are “Flimsy Walls” against God’s wrath.

3. Ensnarement of people (17-19)

“Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? 19 You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.

The women described were more akin to witches than prophets.

They would use occult practices to predict life for some whether they were innocent or guilty.

This is why Verse 19 states, “By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.”

They would charge a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread for their services.

In desperate times, people will seek out any voice for comfort.

The message God placed in Ezekiel’s mouth was not one of peace and comfort- it was one of repentance.

It was a message that confronted the peoples idolatry and faithlessness.

It was a Word from God

But that word is hard to hear when it is surrounded by others professing peace & prosperity at this time and a do whatever you want there are no consequences.

The women ensnared the people of weak faith- they manipulated and exploited them to trust in useless charms and coverings.

RELEVANCE: We have our own “magic charms” today.

We have similar women & men pushing the same message as in Ezekiel’s day.

The form of the magic charm may have changed but the function is the same.

Trust in your finances

Nothing bad will ever happen to you if you go to church

Live & sleep with your girlfriend/boyfriend- God doesn’t care- he will still love me.

Bottom line- live like a lost person but call yourself a Christian- there are no consequences

We get defensive and angry if anyone calls out a sinful behavior demanding to know who are they to judge me?!

We put our trust into these things and we are led astray when we listen to so called Pastors/Evangelists/Healers etc. who are not giving the true Gospel message.

4. God’s deliverance and truth (vv 20-23)

“20 “ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, 23 therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

In these last words of Chapter 13 in Ezekiel we see the full Gospel message.

God is jealous for us- “I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.”

“21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

Despite the people’s sinfulness and idolatrous behaviors God seeks to set them free from the bondage of worshipping worthless things.

The very last line God says, “I will save my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.”

In our secular world filled with wicked practices there are counterfeit spiritual leaders.

There are those who would have you believe God is perfectly fine with the direction our nation has taken.

But with the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ and His resurrection he tore us from snares and bondage of sin and death.

(CIT) Jesus offers eternal salvation and His truth cuts through lies & deceit and crushes the flimsy walls of self delusions and false senses of security.

CONCLUSIONS

“These false representatives of God exhibited at least ten negative characteristics.

1. First, they spoke out of their own will, not God’s will (vv. 1–3, 17).

2. Second, they made the people a prey instead of performing a ministry for them (v. 4). They scavenged among ruined lives for personal gain and self-gratification.

3. Third, they had no crisis ministry (v. 5). They could not strengthen the breaks in the walls (i.e., people or nations) or fortify broken lives.

4. Fourth, they claimed their revelations were divine to deceive their followers (vv. 6–7) and easily deceived others because they were deceived themselves.

5. Fifth, they failed to stand against sin (vv. 6–9) and declared an empty message without truth.

6. Sixth, they preached a message of peace, prosperity, and safety in the face of imminent judgment (vv. 10–12) because they failed to relate the consequences of sin.

7. Seventh, their ministry provoked the wrath of God and invited his judgment (vv. 13–16).

8. Eighth, they often used false methods and occult practices to legitimize their work and control their victims (vv. 17–21).

9. Ninth, they encouraged iniquity by word and personal example (vv. 22–23).

10. Tenth, they set up the worst idols, their own self-will (14:1–7).

“Through their methods, messages, and ministries these men and women led the nation to believe that those in Babylon would soon be returned and Israel restored.

They condemned Ezekiel and Jeremiah as troublemakers.

Instead of impending judgment they preached peace, prosperity, freedom, and a do-as-you-please (really a do-as-we-please) philosophy that kept the people under their control.

They appealed to what the people wanted to hear as a means of maintaining control.

All this sounds uncomfortably familiar when applied to many self-styled “prophets” today.

In days of moral crisis there are always those who seek personal profit by establishing counterfeit ministries, who preach man-made systems instead of divine truth, proclaim peace instead of repentance, use materialistic methods, and set up idols in human hearts (14:1–11).

May we know and proclaim The Word of God as we should-faithfully, accurately to a lost and dying world and be used of our Lord to bring salvation to the people.