What’s In Your Cupboard?
Ezekiel 7:14-22
14 They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
16 But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. {be weak...: Heb. go into water}
18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity. {removed: Heb. for a separation, or, uncleanness} {it is...: or, their iniquity is their stumblingblock}
20 As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them. {set it far...: or, made it unto them an unclean thing}
21 And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.
22 My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it. {robbers: or, burglers}
I have entitled this sermon, “What’s in your cupboard?”
In verse 14, when it says, “they have blown the trumpet is referring to the year of Jubilee when lands that have been sold are reverted to their original owners”.
The prediction is that none of these sellers and buyers would live to see the next Jubilee.
The trumpet would be blown, but it would not be for Jubilee, but rather for battle.
Judgment was coming and it seemed that hardly anyone was going to be able to escape.
Ezekiel 7:16
16 But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
It is the law of God, that if one does not mourn for their sins, they will mourn because of their sins.
Galatians 6:7-8
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
This is the portion of scripture that I want to focus on this morning.
Ezekiel 7:17
17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. {be weak...: Heb. go into water}
All of this was because of the fear of the Babylonians.
When it says “be weak” in the Hebrew, it means to go into the water.
What they needed to do was step into the water and let the Spirit of God cleanse them.
Ephesians 5:26-27
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
They needed washing of water by the Word.
I’ve entitled this sermon, “What’s in your cupboard?” Here’s the reason why:
Dream 3-7-08
I dreamed that a couple was in a house, it must have been their house. There was clear water about knee deep going through the whole house. They walked over to the bathtub and they noticed that the water was running so they turned it off. They looked in the tub and they saw their cat under the water. The cat was able to breathe while under the water. They knew that the cat could get out but they still helped it out of the tub. They went to the cupboard and they opened it. They noticed 8 baby mice. They let their cats in the cupboard and they killed the mice. Again I noticed that they were walking in clear water about knee deep.
Interpretation
The house represents their lives.
Clear water about knee deep going through the whole house:
Water represents the Holy Spirit; clear water represents something that the Spirit of God is revealing to us.
Water running in the bathtub represents cleansing:
Cat under the water that could breath represents something precious and able to breathe because it is a God factor.
Cupboard represents something that is in our house that needs organized.
This represents something that needs fixed.
8 baby mice, 8 means a new beginning, mice are destructive. Is there something new and destructive starting to arise in your walks?
The little things in our lives need to be killed.
They were still walking in knee deep water, walking in the Spirit
The people in Ezekiel needed to clean out their lives and repent of the sins that they had done.
They needed to step into the water and let the Spirit of God do a work in their lives.
Ezekiel 7:18
18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
The phrase, girds themselves with sackcloth, speaks of a last minute effort to repent but it was going to be too late.
Their stumbling block of their iniquity was their sin of making idols out of silver and gold, this was idolatry.
They had traded God for a stupid looking idol made out of metal or wood.
This morning they were worshiping things that were made by their own hands.
They had idols in there cupboards that needed to be removed.
What do we have in our cupboards that need to be removed?
Song of Solomon 2:15-16
14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
The small foxes will spoil our vines, remember we are the branches and He is the vine.
The small things in our cupboards will destroy are relationship with God.
On 1-31-08 I dreamed:
I dreamed that I opened our cupboard shelf in our trailer and the presence of God literally came out.
We need to make sure that we are putting God in the things that no one else sees; when we do this, we are saturating ourselves in His Presence.
When we saturate ourselves in His Presence, what is in our secret places in our walks will be revealed.
Our supposed walks need to match what we have in our secret places.
The stupid idols brought the judgment of God.
1 Peter 4:17-18
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
Judgment happens when we do not the Gospel of Christ.
Christians, at times, let baby mice in their cupboards, and when this happens and we know they are their gnawing away at our walks and we refuse to fix what is being revealed, then we open up the door for God to bring judgment on us.
Philippians 3:15-16
15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
We, as Christians, need to get our mind under subjection and work on perfecting it.
When we work on it and have things that need fixed, God will reveal what other issues are.
Ezekiel 7:17
17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. {be weak...: Heb. go into water}
Again in the Hebrew, be weak, means go into water.
Ephesians 5:26-27
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Do we need to step into the water?
Is it possible that we need to be cleansed?
Are we a glorious church without spot or wrinkle?
Are we holy and without blemish?
Are we washed in the Blood of the Lamb, washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ?
Do we have baby mice in our cupboards this morning, or do we have the Presence of God in our cupboards?
Closing
Is there water running where are you walking?
Song
Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
If you are interested in seeing some God Given dreams from people in our church go to:
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/w/windoffaithdrea/
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