Close Your eyes and repeat after me.
Say, “Lord you are welcome in this place.”
Now say it like you mean it.
Let's put the bad things from our week at the door to His house
Grab your bible and say this with me;
This is my Bible
I am what is says I am
I have what it says I have
Today I will be taught more of the Word of God
I boldly confess My Mind is alert
My heart is receptive. I will never be the same.
I am about to receive the incorruptible, Indestructible
ever-living seed of the Word of God
I will never be the same
I'll never be the same, In Jesus Name.
What is your primary purpose?
What is your purpose in life?
Why were you born?
God has a purpose...........
God equips those who He creates to have a relationship with Him.
Here is a story for you.
Some miners and settlers in British Columbia were stripping Fort Alcan
of lumber, electrical appliances and plumbing when they made a amazing
discovery. While dismantling the jail they found that the mighty locks were
attached to the heavy doors and 2 inch steel bars covered the windows, but
the walls of the prison were only wallboard made of clay and paper, painted
to look like iron. A good heave against the wall by a man would have burst
the wall down. Nobody ever tried because nobody thought it was possible.
Many Christians are prisoners of fear that are nothing when they are pushed up against them.
Satan can do nothing against a son of God, but he loves to put barriers of papier mache in the path of a believer to make him think he is stopped in his life.”
When God calls us to do difficult tasks for him like He did with
Ezekiel-- He calls us to face it with courage. We cannot be afraid of what
God has already overcome. To Joshua, the Lord said, “Be strong and
courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
To Isaiah the Lord said, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be
dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will
uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
I think that’s why God appeared to Ezekiel in the first chapter the way
He did. Ezekiel needed to remember how big God is. He needed to
remember that the God who calls him could protect and provide for his needs.
Ezekiel is going into the exile camp with an unpopular message.
I don’t know if you’ve ever had to give someone bad news. The message is unpopular and will hurt those you care about. There is nothing fun about giving bad news.
You can become unpopular in a hurry. People may cross the street to avoid
you. People will stop associating with you. It can feel very alone sometimes.
Ezekiel had an unpopular message of repentance and judgment and the people he went to could not have been less receptive to his words.
But, we see in this passage that:
1. God equipped Ezekiel with courage v.6-7; 3:8-9. He gives him the
courage to face the people each day. He gives him the courage to say “So
says the Lord.” The Lord used two verbs to describe the people of God in
this passage “rebelled” which means to refuse allegiance to, to rise up
against, a sovereign and “revolt” which means to violate covenant duties,
breach covenant relations”. The people of God were in open rebellion
against God, but God still loved them enough to want to warn them, to speak to them about their sins.
2. God encourages Ezekiel to be a man of integrity. We cannot speak with
authority against a sin if we are involved in it. 2:8 God calls his people to be
sanctified, to be holy, to be different. The witness we have among people in
our community or with our loved ones is who people see. It gives us credibility. or it robs us of it.
I heard a story about two preachers who lived in the days before
automobiles. The two of them met in a certain town for lunch every Monday.
The first asked the second how he was doing. “Furious!” replied the second. “Someone has stolen my bicycle and I think it’s one of my church members! I don’t know what to do.”
The first preacher said: “Here’s what I’d do. I’d preach a message about the Ten Commandments this Sunday and when I got to “Thou shall not steal” I’d
really hammer it home. The second preacher said, “I think I’ll take your
advice.”
The next Monday, the first preacher ran into the second one and saw
that he was riding the bicycle. He said, “I see my advice worked.” The second replied, “Not really. When I got to “Thou shall not commit adultery, I
remembered where I left my bicycle.”
People are watching to see who we are and if we are a person of integrity or not.
3. God evaluates Ezekiel’s success not on numbers, but on obedience 2:5,7.
A long time ago when I pastored His Healing Hand Church,
I felt God leading me to go to a house near the church I used to pastor where I did not know the person. I wanted to invite the person to church.
I went though I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I would get. As I approached the house, a man asked me what I wanted.
I told him and that I had some information about our church that I wanted to share with him. He gave me some excuse about a task he had to do and went to the house next door. I decided to give him a few minutes, so I left and went to visit another house, but then I returned. I spoke with his girlfriend. He still wasn’t home. I invited them both to church.
My invitation wasn’t accepted. But, I was faithful to do what I felt God was
leading me to do. That’s the important issue. Are you being faithful to listen
to God tugging at your heart. Are you being obedient. Sometimes it isn’t fun
or pleasant. Many times it requires sacrifice and hard work to be obedient.
Sometimes we are misunderstood and even ridiculed. But, are you faithful.
That’s the important thing.
A man named Vance Havner once said “God is faithful, and He expects His people to be faithful. God’s Word speaks of faithful servants, faithful in a few things, faithful in the least, faithful in the Lord, faithful servant. And all points up that day when He will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
True faith shows up in faithfulness. Not everyone can sing or preach, but all can be faithful.”
He gives us a vision, then gives us a mission, then gives him the
words to use. God goes with us to accomplish our tasks in life. If those we love don’t receive us, we should remember that the world did not receive Christ.
How God Can Lead You in your life as He Led Ezekiel?
Allow the Spirit of God to lead you in life as He led Ezekiel by learning from this fine Biblical example of leadership. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to take on a difficult ministry of speaking to an obstinate and hard hearted audience. His example teaches us to trust, obey and follow the Lord fully by following the Lord’s direction regardless of how unlikely it is that you will enjoy success in the eyes of people.
Illustration: –Ezekiel 36:20 And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’
Companies that compete for our consumer dollars know the importance of protecting their name and reputation. Shoddy quality or poor service can cause profits to plummet.
While on a trip, I saw a car rental company experience a customer-service disaster. When people arrived at the rental counter to pick up their keys, they faced long lines, discourteous staff, and inconvenient conditions. Their reaction was predictable: frustration and anger. I doubt that many of those customers would ever rent cars from that company again. The agency’s name had become an object of mockery.
The Bible reminds us of how Israel’s behavior brought them to God’s name. Because they had lived like their pagan neighbors, the Lord scattered them among the nations. The unbelieving world laughed at both Israel and the name of her God.
Let’s bring this situation up-to-date. As Christians, we bear the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. What does the world think of Him by what they see in us?
Bringing honor to His name is more important than a great corporation living up to its name. Our lives really have only one purpose–to reflect who we are in our new walk. We must guard against doing anything that will cause others to doubt who we are.
1. The Holy Spirit led Ezekiel to stand for God. Everyone eventually has to stand for something and the Holy Spirit helped to raise Ezekiel up as a prophet. The Lord said to Ezekiel, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. As he spoke, the Spirt came into me and raised me to my feet and I heard him speaking to me." (Ezek. 2:1,2) Ask the Lord to help you be responsive to the Spirit’s specific calling for your particular calling in life without any hesitations.
2. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to take on a difficult ministry of speaking to an obstinate and hard hearted audience. The Lord said, "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn." (Ezek. 2:3)
Ask the Lord to help you to obey the Spirit’s directives regardless of how unlikely it is that you will enjoy success.
Illustration: Americans are getting warned to death. Manufacturers are growing increasingly wary of being sued when their products are misused, so they are attaching warning labels to hundreds of items.
For example, a Batman outfit that was on sale at Walmart bears this warning: "Parents, please exercise caution--For Play Only. Mask and cape are not protective; cape does not enable user to fly."
So many warnings appear on items sold in our stores, say the experts, that they’ve lost their effectiveness.
While these kinds of warnings may fall on deaf ears, the Bible points out the importance of heeding God’s warnings. Ezekiel’s words in chapter 3 make it clear that a warning is vital not only for the person receiving it but also for the person giving it (vv.16-21).
God’s words must be taken seriously. "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit," we are told (Eph. 4:30). "Abstain from every form of evil," we are reminded (1 Th. 5:22). Jesus warned against adultery and lust (Mt. 5:27-28) and against judging others self-righteously (Mt. 7:1-5).
The Lord who made us knows how we should live. He longs to protect us from danger. Let’s make sure we take all of His warnings seriously.
An old poem by an unknown author says this;
The devil is subtle, deceptive, and sly;
He cleverly tricks us to swallow his lie,
But his cunning methods we’re sure to discern
By making God’s warnings our daily concern.
3. The Holy Spirit led Ezekiel through the Sovereign voice of God which did not seem to make sense at the time. The Lord said, "Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’" Whether they listen or fail to listen - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been among them." (Ezek. 2:4-6)
Ask the Lord to help you to trust and obey the Sovereign will of God regardless of the probable outcomes
4. The Holy Spirit bolstered Ezekiel sense of purpose, courage and power with His prescient teaching. The Lord said, "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house." (Ezek. 2:6)
Ask the Lord to bolster your sense of purpose and give you courage and power knowing that you will most likely face many criticisms and attacks in your walk with Him.
5. The Holy Spirit gave Ezekiel an uncompromising mind, will and set of emotions. The Lord said, "I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint." (Ezek. 3:8)
Ask the Lord to give you an unstoppable commitment to His direction for your life and His plans for you plans.
6. The Holy Spirit lifted up Ezekiel to hear the multitude of choruses of praises to God so he would not think he was alone. The Bible says, "Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound - May the glory of the Lord be praised in his dwelling place!" (Ezek. 3:12)
Ask the Lord to help you join the huge chorus in singing praises to God whenever you are about to engage in your daily life.
7. The Holy Spirit led Ezekiel even though the prophet expressed bitterness and anger. The Bible says, "The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me." (Ezek. 3:14)
Ask the Lord to help you overcome your feelings of bitterness, anger or resentment from your past. This resentment may stem from your actions or the actions of others. It’s important that you seek that forgiveness in order to avoid living with eternal regrets for your disobedience.
8. The Holy Spirit gave Ezekiel specific words of warning to speak to the unrepentant. The Lord said, "Give them warnings from me, ‘When I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will still be saved yourself." (Ezek. 3:17-19)
Ask the Lord to help you to share His love to those who you love and care about and are lost in their sins in order to spare themselves eternal accountability before God.
9. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to the specific places, people and occasions where he was to do his ministry. The Lord said, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River and I fell face down." (Ezek. 3:22,23)
Ask the Lord to give you specific directions about the best places, people and occasions where you can share your faith with those you love and care about.
Trust the Lord to allow you to be reassured by His presence, power and enabling hand.
Let us go to the Lord in prayer.
