Going Rogue

Ezekiel 2:1–10 (CSB): 2 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you.” 2 As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I listened to the one who was speaking to me. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this day. 4 The descendants are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ 5 Whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

6 “But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them and do not be afraid of their words, even though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words or discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. 7 Speak my words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.

8 “And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.” 9 So I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and there was a written scroll in it. 10 When he unrolled it before me, it was written on the front and back; words of lamentation, mourning, and woe were written on it.

Ezekiel 2:1–10 CSB

He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you.” As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I listened to the one who was speaking to me. He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this day. The descendants are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ Whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. “But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them and do not be afraid of their words, even though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words or discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. Speak my words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious. “And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.” So I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and there was a written scroll in it. When he unrolled it before me, it was written on the front and back; words of lamentation, mourning, and woe were written on it.

Grab Attention: Bill, a preaching professor, was visiting a farm where two of his students lived. When their father of the students, Tom, asked if Bill would help call in the sheep, Bill enthusiastically agreed. Sheep calling was like preaching, he thought, as he watched twenty-five sheep graze.

“Go ahead,” Tom dared Bill. “Call them in.”

“What do you say?” Bill asked.

“I just say, ‘Hey, sheep! C’mon in!’ ”

No sweat, Bill thought. A city kid with a bad back and hay fever could do this. He began speaking, but Tom interrupted. “You are seventy-five yards away, downwind, and they have their backs to you. Yell! Use your diaphragm, like they teach you in preaching class.”

Bill took a deep breath and put every inch of stomach muscle into a yell that revival preachers around the world would envy: “Hey, sheep! C’mon in!” The blessed creatures didn’t move. Not one even turned an ear.

Tom smiled sarcastically. “Do they teach you the Bible in that seminary? Have you ever read, ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me’?” Raising his voice only slightly, he said, “Hey, sheep! C’mon in!” All twenty-five sheep turned and ambled toward Tom.

“Now, don’t you ever forget,” Tom said to Bill. “You are the shepherd to my kids.”

FCF: As we listen to the story we may be tempted to identify with the preaching professor. To receive an invitation to call the sheep in only to discover to things: (1) that he was doing it wrong, something as simple as calling sheep, and (2) that the sheep didn’t and would not listen to him. I wonder what would happen if the farmer asked Bill again to call the sheep, would he do it? Many of struggle with the same emotions that Bill the preaching professor struggled with when it comes to doing what Jesus has asked us to do, call for people to respond to Jesus. Yet, although we understand that we are to do as God as directed us to do, we allow personal struggles to determine our faithfulness to God’s direction in our lives. We let things like fear, discouragement, and rebelliousness determine if we will comply to what God has directed us to do.

Context: The scripture today will introduce a man we don’t know much about, Ezekiel. We do know that he was married and most likely had a family. The book also reveals that he was a priest and a prophet. Also, he was a man who knew pain. Ezekiel was part of those that were taken captive by Babylon when they overcame Israel. So technically he was a man who had no home. Second, he was a man who knew loss. He loss his home and his wife, for he reveals in this book that she had died in the course of his ministry. In the midst of his brokenness, in his pain, and perhaps in his frustration God was sending him to share God Word with Israel. This message he would bring would be a message of calamity and restoration. This is also a message the Israel doesn’t want to here and many will refuse to accept. Yet God is calling him to preach anyway; something Ezekiel was not necessarily you excited about.

Ezekiel 3:14 (CSB): The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I left in bitterness and in an angry spirit, and the Lord’s hand was on me powerfully.

Ezekiel 3:14 CSB

The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I left in bitterness and in an angry spirit, and the Lord’s hand was on me powerfully.

CIT: God is urging Ezekiel would not let personal feelings hinder him from what God had called him to do, share the Word of the Lord with Israel in exile.

Whats at stake: As we will see in the following week, the sinner, the righteous person, and the person who is bringing the message all need the message, they all need to hear God’s Word. It is a difference between death and being rescued.

Plural Noun Proposition: From the text we will discover 3 personal struggles that hinder us from obeying God plan in our lives.

Purpose: As believers we would resist letting personal struggles hinder us from God purpose for our lives, to share the Gospel with others.

Fearfulness keeps us from God’s mission (Ezekiel 2:6-7)

Explanation: Ezekiel had to be fearful to how the people will respond. First he must had be fearful of how those he was sharing would respond. Would they riducule him, would they reject him or maybe attack him? Then there may of been the fear of how Babylon officials would respond to Ezekiel sharing something that was counter to their culture and beliefs. Ezekiel was fearful of what might befall upon him as a result of him sharing what the Lord has said.

Fearfulness states that we are more concerned with what others think than what God thinks about us. It states we are more concern of the judgement of people than the judgement of God.

Implication: It is not much different today. Before we share we consider how our family and friends might view us if we share. Will they make fun of us, will they exclude us, we they berate us and get offended; we are fearful of how someone might respond.

It is the same with our culture. How will our community, jobs, clubs, schools; the social places we are apart of respond to faith, especially if we voice. Not voicing as saying a prayer; but to a point where we

Rebelliousness keeps us from God’s Mission (Ezekiel 2:8-9)

Explanation: There was also the risk that Ezekiel would imitate the rebellious people he was sent to. For God a sure sign of a rebellious heart is forsaking the mission that God has set before him.

The main problem the Israelites had was they adopted the culture that had took them captive. They worship their Gods, they became consumed with power, politics, and wealth like the Babylonians , and they adopted the Babylonian immoral life style. God was warning Ezekiel not to be so consumed with his world that he purposely forsake God’s mission.

Rebelliousness asserts our person priority and desires over the priority of God and His mission for our lives.

Implication: We are not m,ugh different than the Israelite in Babylon. The Bible makes it clear we are foreigners of this world, of this land. As Christians our citizenship is a heavenly one not an earthly one. Yet we sometimes resemble more of an earthly, American, citizenship rather than a heavenly one.

We have a culture that is consumed with anything and everything other than God.

Americans worship Sensuality, Success, and Money. Thise things affects the way we vote, they affect our beliefs, they affect how we live, they even affect how we raise our family and interact with this world.

Discouragement keeps us from God’s mission. (Ezekiel 3:4-9)

Explanation: The Lord also tells Ezekiel not to become discouraged. God recognizes that Israel might not, probably will not listen to him. He even goes as far to say that it not Ezekiel that they are not listening to but it is God. For Ezekiel this had to be even more discouraging. Perhaps he could understand why they might listen to him; but for them not to listen to the Lord seemed completely absurd. If they won’t listen to the Lord then what’s the point of even sharing?

Disappointment tempted Ezekiel to question the value or importance of what God had called him to do.

Implication: We live with the assumption that people don’t want to hear about God. Sometimes that assumption is well founded, because we live in a world that makes it known they do’t want anything to do with God. Yet God reminds us that although people might reject the message we still give them the message.

Disappointment assumes that no one will respond and therefore calls us to question the power of God. If we really feel that God will save, can save, and does extraordinary work in people lives then we will resist disappointment and share the Word with them.

Also whether they respond or not is not our responsibility but sharing the Word of the Lord is.

Synopsis: From the text we will discover 3 personal struggles that hinder us from obeying God plan in our lives.

Fearfulness, Discouragement, and Rebelliousness all will hinder us from living obediently to God if we allow those emotions to overcome us.

Emotional Appeal: Yet, we feel more concern about what others think about us than what God thinks about us. Otherwise we would tell people about Jesus. We still struggle with discouragement. We struggle understanding the value of obedience when it could lead to suffering or given to people who may not respond positively to it. Sometimes it feels more beneficial to our lives to focus on anything other than God’s plan for our lives.

Yet, it is not God desire that your life will be determined by fear, discouragement, nor rebellion.

It is God’s plan that you life would be influenced by the grace and mercy you have recieved from Jesus Christ.

That you life would be influenced by the relationship you have with Jesus and the Words you hear from Him.

That you life would be shaped by what you know to be truth from the Word of God.

What are we to do?

Call to Action: Hear from God. Many of us never feel compelled to tell others about God because we never hear from God. We must put our self in places where we can here from Him.

Ezekiel was in the temple, in a place God was at. We should beating down the doors to study God’s word with other believers.

Ezekiel was a priest: he was already serving God. Many will never hear from God because we are not working where God is working.

Call to Action: We also not only give our ears and mind to Jesus but we also need to give Him our heart, our emotions.

Ezekiel was reminded that God would give him stregnth so he need not be fearful.

Ezekiel will be reminded that God will judge him if he rebels.

Ezekiel was reminded that God will be the source of his joy, not people or things.

All of this culminates to one idea, God was asking Ezekiel to trust Him. Trust is not observed in affirmation but observed in our lived when we obey God. Even when we are fearful, discouraged, or tempted to be rebellious. Trusting God is doing something that perhaps you don’t want to do but you do it anyway because God is the influence of your life.

If believers cannot trust God with the way they live their lives, if they cannot trust God when God has clearly commanded us to share the Gospel with others, then why would an unbelieving world trust God? We must model trust if we are going to encourage those who are afar off, unbelievers, to trust Him. Otherwise our lack of trust might be what leads them to deeper unbelief and ultimately judgement.

Share the Gospel

Final Appeal: John 10:2–5 (CSB) 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

John 10:2–5 CSB

The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.”

God’s people are not people who walked the aisle and said a prayer. God’s people are people who not only confessed Him as Savior by trusting Him for salvation but these are people who trust Him as Lord, people who trust Him on how they are to live their lives.

When God calls us to tell others, to respond to His voice, are we sheep that have a different shepherd or are we sheep who listen to His voice because He alone is our shepherd?