Beginning with the Church Ezekiel 9:1-11
Introduction: In Jerusalem, the Temple was to be a sanctuary, a place that was to be set apart, consecrated, dedicated and purified. It was to be a place that radiated the presence of God to Israel and would send a message to the world that the Lord, He is God. In the New Testament, this mission has been given to the church, the collective body of believers who, as individual born again children of God, are temples of the Holy Spirit and His appointed messengers. God was angry with the sins of Israel but above all with the condition of those who were to be sanctified or set apart for Him. There are some strong lessons for us to learn as we observe God’s dealing with Jerusalem.
I. It is a mistake to think that God is indifferent to what happens in the church.
A. Ezekiel 8:1-6 “And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there. Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber. He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain. Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image (or idol) of jealousy in the entrance. Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far (or drive me away) away from My sanctuary? (parentheses – alternate rendering)
B. Exodus 34:14 “...you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”
C. It is a sin to worship or serve anything other than God. All worship, praise, honor, and adoration belong to God alone, for He alone is worthy. Therefore, when we take away His worship, praise, adoration or taint the same by our sinful actions God is rightly jealous.
D. The idols of sin in our lives provoke God to jealousy. Keep in mind that anything that usurps His name, His authority or His glory is an idol.
E. The sin of idolatry that plagues the modern world is a "me first" attitude that gives God the leftovers in though and life. – W. Werning
F. Sin within the Body of Christ provokes God to withdraw His blessing and power.
G. Ezekiel 8: 6 – ““Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far (or drive me away) away from My sanctuary?”
H. Ezekiel 9:3a “Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple.”
II. It is a mistake to believe that God does not know what is going on in the imagery of our hearts and minds.
A. Ezekiel 8:12 ASV – “Then said he unto me, Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? For they say, Jehovah sees us not; Jehovah has forsaken the land.”
B. Psalm 44:21 “For he knows the secrets of the heart.”
C. You will never get by with covered-up sin. Whether it is sin committed by a deed or the sinful imagery of your mind and heart.
D. Some would believe that as long as one restrains his or her actions, lives an outwardly moral life it’s no big issue what his or her mind finds pleasure in.
E. “Those who sin secretly actually intensify their guilt, because they add the sin of hypocrisy to their offense. Hypocrisy is a grave sin in its own right. It also produces an especially debilitating kind of guilt, because by definition hypocrisy entails the concealing of sin. And the only remedy for any kind of sin involves uncovering our guilt through sincere confession. – John MacArthur
F. 1 Corinthians 4:5b tells us “...will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.”
G. Someone has said that seeking to conceal sin is like playing hot potato with a grenade.
H. We can’t move forward or have the power of God in our church or in us individually with concealed sin in our lives
I. Psalm 69:5 “O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You.”
J. Realize that all sin is repugnant to our holy God, whether it is done in public or in secret or in the chambers of our imagination.
III. It is a mistake to believe that the church is exempt from the judgment and chastisement of sin.
A. Ezekiel 9:4-6 “and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.
B. There are those who believe that being a member of or attending a church will somehow mystically grant them immunity from judgment. A man who dies as a member of the church, as a deacon or even as a elder without being truly regenerate will go to the same fate that would have awaited him had he dropped dead in the gutters of sin.
C. In God’s wrath those who ministered at the altar were not spared from God’s purging, pruning and purifying.
D. The sin committed by those in the church is in many ways worse than the same sins committed by the world for they have been exposed to the truth of God’s Word.
E. Hebrews 10:29 “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”
F. 1 Peter 4:17 “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God.”
G. The first purpose of judgment of the church is to purify the church so that it will be able to witness to the lost and to glorify Christ.
H. Hebrews 12:6 "The Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives"
IV. It is a mistake to think that those who do not know Christ will somehow be spared from the judgment of God.
A. Ezekiel 9:4-6 “and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark.”
B. Only those who had the mark of God on their foreheads were spared. Likewise only those who have the seal of God through the Holy Spirit will be safe from the final judgment and wrath of God.
C. Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
D. 2 Timothy 2:19 “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
E. The only place of safety and victory is under the blood of the Lamb.
F. A minister, while crossing the Bay of Biscay, became greatly alarmed as he beheld what he thought was an approaching hurricane. Trembling, he addressed himself to one of the sailors: "Do you think she will be able to go through it?" "Through what?" inquired the sailor. "That awful hurricane that is coming down upon us." The old sailor smiled and said: "That storm will never touch us. It has passed us already." So, in regard to the believer, judgment as to the penalty of our sins is past. We were tried, condemned, and executed in the person of our Surety, Jesus Christ.—The King's Business.
G. John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Disclaimer: Source material for this sermon has been gleaned from many different sources. No claims of originality are made. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources whenever possible.
