Reading Scripture with Ezekiel

Scripture Reading

READ Ezekiel 3:1-4

The Most Practical Sermon I’ve Ever Preached

I want to show you a handful of skills that will help you...

Hear God’s voice more clearly.

Grow in wisdom and understanding.

Make better decisions.

Witness more confidently.

Improve every aspect of the Christian life.

And the really great thing about it is that you can immediately put into practice. Tonight, you can have a stronger faith than you did this morning.

Eat This Scroll

In Ezekiel 3, God is giving Ezekiel his commission as a prophet.

And to begin this ministry, he says… “Eat this scroll.”

This is only one example among dozens of receiving scripture being compared to eating it.

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know… that he might make you understand that man does not live by bread along, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” - Deut. 8:3

Jesus recited this passage to Satan in the wilderness.

Paul tells the Corinthians “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not able to receive it.” - 1 Cor. 3:2

The author of Hebrews makes a similar statement: “Though by this time you ought to be teachers… you have come to need milk and not solid food.” - Heb 5:12

Peter tells his hearers that we should “long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it we may grow in respect to salvation.” - 1 Pet 2:2

And then there’s Ezekiel and John in Revelation, both of whom are told to eat the scroll.

OT and NT filled with this way of understanding how we receive scripture… but why?

Scripture Tastes Good & Nourishes

Like a bowl of good gumbo or a basket of fried chicken, scripture tastes good.

Ezekiel describes it as “sweet as honey in my mouth.”

And if you’ve ever read scripture and received exactly what you needed in that moment - then you can understand Ezekiel’s words.

Going through a difficult time several years ago and read Joseph’s story. It tasted so good to know that God would have the final word… and that he might be working through my suffering to achieve some greater good.

When we really dig into scripture… it tastes good.

Scripture is also the most spiritually nourishing thing available to us.

When we approach it prayerfully, we encounter the presence of God there.

We hear his voice. And we grow in faith, in love, in hope.

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Rom 12:2

We our transformed by receiving God’s Word.

Read Scripture

We must begin by opening our Bibles and reading.

Even if we don’t like to read...

Even if we find it difficult...

Even if we feel it’s boring...

We cannot become what God is shaping us into unless we have our nose in a book - in THE book.

This is the single most reliable place where we can hear God speak.

So… what do we do if we find reading the Bible difficult?

Read a variety of translations.

Start with the Gospels.

Listen to an audio Bible.

But whatever you do - READ!

Now, I could end the sermon right here… but if I did, it would be like when my mom was cooking Gumbo or Shrimp Etoufee and she’d ask me to taste the juice.

It was good… it might offer a little nourishment… But it’s nothing like getting a whole bowl.

So, what should you do after you read?

Question Scripture

If you want to consume scripture… if you want to fill yourself up… If you want to experience the fullness of its power… you need to move beyond a cursory reading.

You need to question scripture...

Who - Who wrote it? Who wrote it to? Who’s it talking about? Who needs to respond?

What - What does it say? What does it mean? What are the implications?

Where - Where was it written to? Where from? Where does it connect to other scriptures?

Why - Why does it matter? Why is it worded that way?

When - When was it written? When was it (or will it be) fulfilled?

How - How does it relate to God? To me?

Ask questions of scripture… This is really all that studying is. It’s asking a bunch of questions, then looking for the answers.

Do this - and you will walk away from your Bible reading with infinitely more. You will have really gulped it down.

But there’s one more step if we’re going to fully unleash its power...

Submit to Scripture

After we’ve interrogated scripture, we need to let it interrogate us.

Ask how it speaks to our situation...

What is God calling me to through this text? Why is he callimg me to this? Where is he calling me to go? How should I go about following through? What impact will this have on me if I’m obedient? What will happen if I refuse to submit?

This is the path to spiritual growth… to wisdom… to greater love and holiness… to stronger relationships...

We READ, we QUESTION, and we SUBMIT.

And as we do - day after day, week after week, month after month - we will find that our mind is being transformed… And God will do things through us that we did not think possible.

Story of Susannah

Tell you the story of a woman who lived her life consuming the word...

Young Susannah Annesley made a commitment to never spend more time in leisure than she did in prayer and Bible study.

Susannah was 19 when she met her husband, Samuel - an Anglican preacher. Over the course of their marriage, she would deliver 19 children - 9 of which died in infancy.

You can imagine the chaos of a home with 10 children… but she was committed to scripture. When it all got to be too much, she’d take her Bible to her favorite chair, pull her apron over her head, and create a little tent of meeting. Her kids knew that when mom was under her apron - you did not mess with her.

But Susannah wasn’t just passionate about reading scripture herself. Each week, she spent an hour with each of her children, discussing the Bible and their spiritual growth.

And on Sunday afternoons, she’d have all the ladies in the congregation over to her kitchen where she’d lead them in an afternoon service - preaching or teaching to the little makeshift congregation.

Susannah’s commitment to scripture didn’t just leave an impact on her life… or her community… or her family though...

This commitment had a major impact on her ten children, two of which were named John and Charles.

Charles would grow up to write over 7,500 hymns, many of which are still sung today. And which show evidence of being written by someone who knew the Bible inside and out.

John Wesley would grow up to be one of the most influential preachers of his day… And he would follow in his mother’s footsteps, famously claiming to be a man of ONE BOOK. His ministry would leave a mark on the world… Numerous denominations and movements would trace their spiritual lineage back to John Wesley - including the Church of God.

Today, there are over 100 million people who attend congregations associated with John Wesley, from the Salvation Army to the Nazarenes to the Methodists to the Assemblies of God.

The world would be a very different place if, 300 years ago, a single young girl named Susannah wouldn’t have made a commitment to consume scripture.

Where Do We Go From Here?

What might God want to do in our lives starting today?

What might he want to say? How might he want to refine us?

We can only discover by drawing near him through his word. Not just tasting… but consuming.

Reading. Questioning. Submitting.

I want to challenge you this morning to make a commitment. You don’t have to make it a lifetime commitment… But make a commitment to STUDY scripture every day this week. Eat it. Chew on it. Submit to it.

If you’d be willing to make that commitment - to study scripture every day this week , I’m going to ask you to stand up. And when we close, I want to pray for everyone who’s going to make that commitment.

So, as we sing… search your heart… reflect on how you’ve been eating the word… are you malnourished? Then, decide whether you have the courage to make that commitment to listen for God’s voice.