What Is Your Primary Purpose?

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?

God equips those who He calls to have a relationship with Him.

Some miners and settlers in British Columbia were stripping Fort Alcan of lumber, electrical appliances and plumbing when they made an 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 fears 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.

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 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.