The Watchman
Ezekiel 2-3 (1-10)
August 20, 2017
This morning we are going to take a break from our study through Luke
And we are doing so for a very important reason.
I typically do not like breaking up our book studies because I think the continuity is important, but this is one of the few reasons worthy of taking a break.
Tomorrow begins another school year,
And each year I grow more and more convinced
That it also begins a mission endeavor.
And I really don’t think I have to convince you of this anymore.
It is clear that the church and the school
Are not moving in the same direction.
SOCIETY PUSHES POLITICAL CENSORSHIP…
• While the message of false religions and things like evolution are fine, the message of Jesus is not.
SOCIETY EMBRACES SOCIAL IMMORALITY…
• Our culture is in love with immorality, especially deviant sexual immorality. Homosexuality is not just tolerated or accepted, it is encouraged.
There is absolutely zero effort given from the world
To stop your kids from premarital sex, homosexuality, transgenderism, abortion, pornography, etc.
• Our culture will not say no to any of these things, they will merely offer tolerance and acceptance.
SOCIETY ENCOURAGES SPIRITUAL APATHY…
• Even those who claim to be Christians will dishearten you with their constant lack of concern.
Most, though claiming a love for Christ, will not stand for Him.
They won’t speak His name, they won’t uphold His standards,
They won’t proclaim His gospel, they won’t enforce His discipline,
Most won’t even attend a service to worship Him
There was a day when the church could expect a certain amount of help from the world on both moral and spiritual issues.
We could at least expect that blatant immorality would be opposed
And that the school would at least give some basic scheduling latitude
To the church regarding things like Wednesdays and Sundays
Those days are gone.
The only reason we ever enjoy any of those things
Is because of committed Christians inside the school system.
I know that’s sort of harsh here on the day before we start school.
I just want you to know that if you live under some mindset
That the school is going to help us produce Godliness in our society, think again.
BUT ALL IS NOT LOST…
We have you.
• We have Christian men and women whom God has strategically placed in roles throughout the school system.
• We have Christian students whom God has saved even in the midst of the culture in which they live.
They are lights in the midst of the darkness in every sense of the word.
Tomorrow these candles are headed back into the darkness.
It is our desire and even our responsibility
To both commission and encourage them this morning.
And it is our desire and responsibility to pray for and support them throughout their mission.
THIS MORNING WE COME TO EMPHASIZE THAT.
To do that we are going to look at a passage that is very dear to me,
As it is one God used in a very instrumental way in my life.
We are looking at the commissioning of the prophet Ezekiel.
First, let me give you a little background.
• You remember from our study of Kings that by in large, Israel was littered with wicked kings who pushed the nation further and further into idolatry.
• Their leadership brought about an almost universal rebellion against the Law of God and ultimately resulted in the entire nation being exiled from Israel.
• The Northern Kingdom was obliterated by Assyria in 722BC and the Southern kingdom about 150 years later.
The exile of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) occurred in 3 stages.
• The first was in 605 BC when Daniel and his friends were carried into Babylon.
• The second wave was in 597 BC when 10,000 of the most skilled Jews were carried into exile.
• The final wave was 586 BC when the temple was burned and the rest of the Jews were killed or exiled.
Alive during this time was a young priest named Ezekiel.
• He was about 18 years old when the first wave of captivity happened, but he himself was left behind.
• At the age of 30 he would be eligible to enter the priesthood and serve God in the temple, but he never made it that far.
• At the age 26 Ezekiel would be exiled along with that second wave of 10,000 who were carried into exile.
No doubt it knocked the wind right out of Ezekiel’s sails.
He would NEVER serve in the temple.
The purpose for why he had been born was seemingly taken from him.
Until one day when the glory of God visited Ezekiel
And God revealed that He had another plan for him.
Ezekiel was a lone candle.
• He was a single light in the midst of darkness.
• God had a definite plan for him among his people in the land of Babylon.
We’re going to look at God’s plan for him this morning,
Because the ministry Ezekiel faced
Is so similar to the one we face here in America.
The main issue he dealt with was certainly unbelief.
But it wasn’t like he was dealing with people in a foreign land who had a totally different culture, or even who practiced a different religion.
He was sent to people just like him.
• People who were raised in the same culture he was raised in.
• People who had the same basic knowledge about religion that he had.
But they were people who were not interested in allowing
Their knowledge of God to penetrate their lives or change their behavior.
It was a culture high on knowledge, but low on commitment.
I tend to think that fits here as well.
So let’s look at this calling of Ezekiel.
(We have to hit it quickly since we are covering it all in the time we have left)
5 things
#1 THE COMMISSIONING
Ezekiel 2:1-7
Ezekiel is fresh off of his vision of the glory,
So it stands to reason why he was on his face
And had to be told to “stand on your feet”.
And we hear that God has a plan for Ezekiel.
(3) “Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you…”
This is a commission.
Ezekiel would never serve in the temple in Jerusalem,
But it did not mean that God did not have a plan.
Certainly you must understand that the ministries of God
Are not limited to the physical location of the church.
Certainly there are those who are commissioned to serve here,
But this is far from the only place of ministry.
Ezekiel was being sent by God.
WHERE?
(3) “I am sending you to the sons of Israel”
• Ezekiel’s ministry was to be a domestic one.
• He was not a foreign or international missionary.
Ezekiel had already been exiled to Babylon along with 10,000 other Jews,
And now God reveals that his presence in Babylon was no mistake.
HE HAD BEEN SENT THERE FOR A REASON.
But this mission was No Cake Walk,
For God immediately describes the problem.
(3-4) “I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’”
SO WE ARE CLEAR ON THE ASSIGNMENT.
Ezekiel is being sent to people he knew and understood.
• People of common language…
• People of common culture…
• People of common nationality…
• People of common knowledge…
The problem is that these people were rebellious.
They did not obey God.
And the mission is clear: TELL THEM WHAT GOD HAS SAID
“you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’”
In fact…
(5-7) “As for them, whether they listen or not — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them. “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house. “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.”
Speak with no concern as to the response you receive.
There is no pragmatism here.
You are not to try various gimmicks and tactics
Until you find something that works.
The goal is not success
The goal is faithfulness
God just wants His people to hear His word
And Ezekiel is not to concern himself
With whether or not the people listen to it.
And regardless of the difficulty he faces,
He is to let nothing dissuade him from his job.
EZEKIEL WAS IN BABYLON FOR 1 REASON
And that was so that he might deliver God’s word to Jews in exile.
Ever wonder why you are at the school?
• It’s certainly not for the money…
• It’s certainly not for the hours…
• It’s certainly not for the retirement…
• It’s certainly not for the stress free atmosphere…
• It’s certainly not because they’ll hire anybody…
Listen, God is sovereign, and you are at that school (in whatever capacity)
Because God has placed you there.
That is true for STUDENT and TEACHER alike.
You have been sent to people just like you.
The Commissioning
#2 THE MESSAGE
Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:3
There again the point is clear.
Ezekiel is to deliver God’s word to the people.
God gave him a scroll to eat (you’ve seen that also in the book of the Revelation)
And in this case we find out that the message is a harsh one.
“written on [this scroll] were lamentations, mourning and woe.”
What God had to say to the people was a message of judgment.
WHY?
Because they were rebellious
God wanted His people to know about the coming punishment they were going to receive as a consequence of their wicked behavior.
(And that is saying something since this group had already been exiled)
There was more judgment coming,
And Ezekiel was charged to make the people aware of it.
(3:1) “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
Take My word and deliver it to the people.
• The goal wasn’t to be popular…
• The goal wasn’t to be liked…
• The goal was to deliver God’s word.
Ezekiel wasn’t to immerse himself in various tactics.
• God didn’t call for random acts of kindness…
• God didn’t call for letting his loving actions do the talking…
• God didn’t ask him to just be a voice of positive encouragement…
God wanted Ezekiel to make sure the people heard God’s word.
And I don’t mind telling you that in most evangelistic efforts today,
THIS IS THE FIRST CASUALTY.
It seems rather obvious that people don’t mind service ministry or kindness ministry or being a compassionate listening ear, etc.
But most people are quick to forget
To deliver what God says about the matter.
And do you realize that when we never deliver what God says,
THEN WE HAVE CAUSED GOD TO LOSE HIS VOICE.
WHAT WAS THE MAIN REASON EZEKIEL WAS SENT?
To get God’s word into the ears of the people.
THAT IS THE PRIORITY.
People need to hear about God from God
And that only happens when we deliver God’s word to the people.
This was Ezekiel’s job
Regardless of how hard it was and whether they listened or not.
Are we clear there?
#3 THE EQUIPPING
Ezekiel 3:4-16
Here we find that age old adage “Where God guides He provides”
We find that in addition to sending Ezekiel to Babylon,
God had also equipped Ezekiel
With everything he needed to accomplish the task.
What was the one character trait that God gave Ezekiel?
A hard head.
You are going to a stubborn people:
(8-9a) “Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead.”
Now listen, we talk about things like SPIRITUAL GIFTS and rightly so.
Spiritual gifts are the way in which the Holy Spirit
Specifically chooses to manifest Himself in us.
Mine is preaching, perhaps you are familiar with yours.
But what we are talking about here with Ezekiel is NOT A SPIRITUAL GIFT.
It was A CHARACTER TRAIT with which he was born.
• Ezekiel was a hard-headed individual.
• Ezekiel was a stubborn individual.
• Ezekiel was the type of person you couldn’t argue with.
• Ezekiel was the type of person who did not easily give in.
• He was strong-willed.
It was no mistake that Ezekiel was like this.
God made him like this because God planned on using
This hard-headed priest to reach hard-headed people.
And right off the bat we see that it is a perfect fit.
The first place Ezekiel goes is to the exiles by the river Chebar.
Why there?
Because that’s where he was.
If you look at the very beginning of this book.
Ezekiel 1:1 “Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.”
Ezekiel was already among the exiles at the river Chebar.
So, when God told him to go and share His word with the exiles,
He just turned around and started with the exiles right next to him.
(14-15) “So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and the hand of the LORD was strong on me. Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.”
If you want to see the work of the Spirit in Ezekiel, it is clear.
It was the Spirit which caused him to be “embittered in the rage of my spirit”
That is to say, when God’s Spirit entered him,
He started hating what God hated.
There may have been a time when he was ok with the rebellion and apathy that surrounded him, but not anymore.
God’s Spirit made him angry at the sin around him.
And when God sent this hard-headed priest to deal with it, he did.
Notice it says “I sat there seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.”
That is to say: For a week, Ezekiel drove them nuts!
He was a relentless and stubborn force
Continually addressing the error of their ways.
That was the first demonstration of his ministry.
That was his first taste of dealing with hard-headed people.
And after 7 days of that, God had another message for Ezekiel.
The Commissioning, The Message, The Equipping
#4 THE ANALOGY
Ezekiel 3:17-21
We are not told what Ezekiel thought about his first 7 days on the job.
We don’t know if he was frustrated and wanted to quit.
Jeremiah bears his soul plenty in his book
And we know about how frustrated he was, but not Ezekiel.
But I can certainly imagine how I would have felt.
After 7 days of non-stop preaching to people who won’t hear it, I’d be done.
I’d want to go elsewhere.
And perhaps that is the reason for this analogy,
To remind Ezekiel that his responsibility is not in the results,
But in the exercise of his job.
EZEKIEL WAS TO BE A WATCHMAN.
You understand the role.
• The cities were walled as a first line of defense.
• On the wall stood the city watchman, whose only job was to alert the people when he saw danger approaching.
• No one expected him to fight off the danger…
• No one expected him to fix the problem…
• His only job was to make sure everyone was aware of the imminent danger.
• If danger came and the watchman warned, all was well with the watchman regardless of the outcome.
• If danger came and the watchman DID NOT warn, then the watchman was in trouble.
And God tells Ezekiel, you are a watchman.
The approaching danger is judgment.
The cause is sin.
And you’d better tell the people.
And again, results are insignificant.
Your job is not to change the people, your job is to warn them.
And I especially want to drive this home to you this morning.
There is admittedly a little confusion
Regarding exactly how we are to apply this to our lives.
Does this mean that if we don’t evangelize then we go to hell for the people we didn’t warn? No, the New Testament does not teach that.
However we do find in the New Testament
That failure to evangelize is no laughing matter.
Listen to Paul:
Romans 1:14-15 “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”
Paul knew that God had set him apart for this.
Paul knew that God expected him to share the truth.
Galatians 1:15-16 “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,”
Ephesians 3:1-3 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief.”
You see that?
And this obligation was enough to cause Paul to push forward despite the opposition and despite the danger.
2 Timothy 1:8-12 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
We are not saying that failure to evangelize brings eternal judgment,
But it is clear brings with it some sort of sentence.
If you know the truth and you fail to warn the wicked you are accountable.
AND FRIENDS, WE KNOW THE TRUTH.
TURN TO: ROMANS 1
Look quickly at verses 18-32
• Do you see the revealed wrath of God in those passages?
• Do you understand these very sins are all over our school?
I can’t tell you about the number of times I’ve heard of another youth engaged in sexual immorality, or who has come out as gay, or who is given to drunkenness or rebellion against their parents.
These sins are everywhere, and in some cases even in the faculty.
And look at what Paul says about those sins in the next chapter
Romans 2:2 “And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.”
We know they will be judged for it.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Do you not know that?
Then how is it that we so easily decide to tolerate an entire generation who are running headfirst into those sins?
The cowardice of the church today is absolutely deplorable.
We have teenagers (and not just a few) running faster and faster
Into sexual immorality, homosexuality, drunkenness, etc.
And we have a church that chooses to sit silent,
Or even worse, chooses to “love them as they are”.
People go to hell for that!
And if you can convince yourself that you are “loving them”
By being silent then you are self-deceived.
Charles Spurgeon once said:
“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
–Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon At His Best, compiled by Tom Carter, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1991 reprinted edition, first published 1988), 67.
But we often times refuse to do either, and that is a shame.
A watchman too afraid to sound the trumpet at the sight of danger
Is a coward and a traitor to his people.
What is more, we know how they can avoid the danger.
Through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ,
They can be forgiven, justified, and transferred into the kingdom of light.
How could any of us know such truth and be unwilling to share it?
You see the danger,
You know the truth,
TELL THEM WHETHER THEY LISTEN OR NOT!
And there is one more thing God has to say to Ezekiel
#5 THE EXPECTATION
Ezekiel 3:22-27
Ezekiel is told to go to his house and God has another revelation for him.
God is about to reveal how his ministry will be accepted.
The key idea being, that it won’t be.
(25) “As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them.”
Now that’s what you call extreme measures to silence the truth.
In short, they aren’t going to want to hear it.
And that’s not all, look at what God will do.
(26-27) “Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house. “But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.”
Seriously?
God is going to make him a mute, unless he has a message from God
In which case God will open his mouth to speak.
WHAT IS THE POINT THERE?
With all the hardship you will face there will be a great temptation to talk about what doesn’t matter and perhaps what is even unproductive.
But God is ensuring that Ezekiel stays on task.
• He will never be given the opportunity to speak about trivial things.
• He will never be able to offer his own defense.
• He will never be able to offer human logic and reasoning.
He is there for one purpose,
To deliver God’s word to the people and to emphasize that,
God will make him mute except for when he has something to say.
That may indeed sound harsh, but the point is unmistakable.
NOTHING THAT YOU DO IN THAT SCHOOL MATTERS AS MUCH
AS THE DELIVERY OF GOD’S WORD TO THE PEOPLE.
Can you see that?
Faculty, Student… you are the only vessel available.
• Like Ezekiel, God placed you where He did for a purpose.
• Like Ezekiel, God made you like He did for a purpose. (Ezekiel was hard-headed)
DELIVER HIS WORD TO THE PEOPLE
Fulfill the role of a watchman and warn them of the danger that is coming.
And incidentally, we are focusing on teachers, but those who work in other places, do we assume that our role is any different or that God placed us there for any other reason?
It’s just that today we commission our students and teachers.
We want to encourage their faithfulness, but also to pray for them.
• We pray for their purity and strength to overcome temptation.
• We pray for their boldness and courage to confront sin.
• We pray for their clarity and compassion to proclaim God’s word.
• We pray for their endurance and perseverance as it is a long year.
But make no mistake that school needs you.
So this morning, let’s pray for these.
