THE TRUMPET HAS SOUNDED--EZEKIEL 33:1-5

THE TRUMPET HAS SOUNDED

EZEKIEL 33:1-5

Introduction:

Did you hear it? The trumpet has sounded and continues to be heard throughout America today. God has sent His Prophet, Preachers and Pastors to sound the warning that JUDGMENT is immanent.

For more than 400 years the Gospel of Christ has been preached on this continent and it still goes unheeded. Consider what Ezekiel was told to say to Israel under similar circumstances:

I. THE WATCHMAN HAS SOUNDED THE WARNING

A. When God brings the sword [JUDGMENT] upon a land, v. 2; Psalm 1:5-6, “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

1. God’s judgment falls on the disobedient, Romans 10:21, “But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.”

2. God’s judgment falls on those who profess to know Him, but their works deny Him, Titus 1:16, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

a. They have removed their heart far from me, Isaiah 29:13, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”

b. Don’t be deceived, Ephesians 5:6-7, “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”

c. They will reap what they sow, Galatians 6:7-8, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For 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.”

B. The office of a watchman established, Ezekiel 3:11, “And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.”

1. They shall know that there hath been a prophet among them, Ezekiel 2:5, “And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.”

2. If he will hear the watchman there is still hope, Psalm 27:9, “Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

3. Those that WILL NOT HEAR him shall die in his iniquity, Ezekiel 3:19, “Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

II. THOSE WHO NEED NO WARNING

A. The faithful of the land, Matthew 24:45, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?”

1. The eyes of the Lord are on the faithful, Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

2. The Lord upholds the faithful, Psalm 37:24, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”

3. He will never forsake them, Psalm 37:27, “8For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.”

B. Those who are vigilant, 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

III. THOSE WHO TAKE HEED

A. Those who fear the Lord, Isaiah 50:10, “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.”

B. Those who know the “secret of the Lord,” Psalm 25:14, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”

C. Those who have seen a great light, Isaiah 9:2, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

1. They have seen the Light of the World, John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

2. His glory shall be seen in us, Isaiah 60:1-3, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

3. We are now the light of the world, Matthew 5:14, 16, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

CONCLUSION

The watchman has sounded the alarm. Will you hear it and set things straight with the Lord or will you be like many in Israel who would not hear God’s servant as he warned the people?

Heed the watchman and trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, or rededicate your life to the Lord and show what Christ has done for you. Judgment is coming.

POLLUTE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE--EZEKIEL 20:39

POLLUTE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE

Ezekiel 20:39, “As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, IF YE WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO ME: BUT POLLUTE YE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE with your GIFTS, and with YOUR IDOLS.”

Introduction:

Israel during all of her history has been up and down, vacillating in her service to Jehovah. When she had strong leaders as Joshua or one of the Judges she remained faithful to the Lord. However, when the strong man died eventually Israel fell into sin and idol worship pretending to worship Jehovah.

In our world today much the same is happening. False doctrine and sin has entered into many churches and the truth has become unknown to them. They have POLLUTED GOD’S HOLY NAME and lost their former position of respect before the world.

I. GOD WILL BRING YOU INTO JUDGMENT

A. Know for all these things YOU SHALL BE JUDGED, Ecclesiastes 11:9, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”

1. God shall judge the RIGHTEOUS and the WICKED, Ecclesiastes 3:17, “I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

a. God will judge with righteousness and equity, Psalms 98:9, “Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.”

b. He shall reward every man according to his works, Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”

2. Go serve the gods that you have chosen, Judges 10:14, “Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.”

a. Come to the house of God and transgress, Amos 4:4-5, “Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: 5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.”

1) The have CHANGED the TRUTH of God into a LIE, Romans 1:25, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

2) God has GIVEN THEM UP to VILE affections, Romans 1:26-27, “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

B. God has given them up to the LUST of their hearts, Psalms 81:12, “So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”

II. MANY HAVE POLLUTE GOD’S HOLY NAME WITH THEIR FALSE CHRISTIANITY

A. Here is a judicial declaration of GOD’S GIVING UP of the HALF-IDOL, HALF-JEHOVAH WORSHIPPERS to utter idolatry, Revelation 22:11, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

1. Many churches have done what Israel did in the Old Testament as Stephen declared, Acts 7:43, “Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.”

a. MOLOCH, the name of the NATIONAL GOD OF THE AMMONITES (modern Jordan), to whom children were sacrificed alive by fire.

b. The star of your god REMPHAN; these names represent the STAR-GOD SATURN or Moloch.

2. Many have halted between TWO OPINIONS, 1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.”

B. God anticipated the SAME APOSTASY afterwards, …AS NOW,

1. Today we have the SCOFFERS, 2 Peter 3:3, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,”

2. Today we have those whose LOVE HAS WAXED COLD, Matthew 24:12, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

3. Today many are trying to serve TWO MASTERS, Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

C. God will PURGE these out, Ezekiel 20:38, “And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”

1. God will RECOMPENSE these folks, Ezekiel 11:21, “But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.”

2. God is KNOWN BY HIS JUDGMENT, Psalms 9:16, “The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.”

THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL--OUTLINE

The Book of Ezekiel

Introduction:

“Ezekiel was carried away to Babylon between the first and final deportation of Judah (2 Kings 24:11-16). Like Daniel and the Apostle John, he prophesied out of the land, and his prophecy, like theirs, follows the method of symbol and vision. Unlike the pre-exilic prophets, whose ministry was primarily to either Judah or the ten-tribe kingdom, Ezekiel is the voice of Jehovah to "the whole house of Israel."

Speaking broadly, the Purpose of his ministry is to keep before the generation born in exile the national sins which had brought Israel so low (e.g. Ezekiel 14:23);

 To sustain the faith of the exiles by predictions of national restoration,

 Of the execution of justice upon their oppressors,

 And of national glory under the Davidic monarchy.

Ezekiel is in seven great prophetic strains indicated by the expression, "The hand of the Lord was upon me." Ezekiel 1:3; 3:14, 22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1.” ---Scofield.

This prophet was a priest, Ezekiel 1:3, The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

“The visions he saw are very abstruse and difficult of interpretation, especially the vision of the living creatures and wheels. This book, in general, contains various visions the prophet saw; several threatenings against the people of the Jews; and prophecies against other nations; and an abundance of comfortable promises of the Messiah, and of blessings of grace by him; and of the state and condition of the Gospel church, and the worship of it.” --- John Gill’s Expositor.

A Brief Summary of the Book:

I. The preparation and Call of the Prophet, Ezekiel 1:1-3:27.

1) A priest, Ezekiel 1:3.

2) Carried away captive to Babylon, Ezekiel 1:1; 2 Kings 24:11-16.

3) His vision of God, Ezekiel 1.

4) His Call, Ezekiel 1:3.

5) His Commission and Endowment, Ezekiel 2:1--3:27.

6) Spiritual Food, the roll of the Word of God, Ezekiel 3:1-3; cf. Revelation 10:10. The common form of ancient books.

7) His Task, a Spiritual Watchman, Ezekiel 3:4-11, 17-21.

8) Ezekiel claims the highest degree of Inspiration. The words “Thus saith Jehovah” are reiterated over and over again throughout the entire book.

Key Note: “I am Jehovah.”

II. A portrayal of the apostate condition of Judah before the captivity.

1) Largely visions, warnings and predictions concerning the guilt of the people and the coming destruction of Jerusalem, Ezekiel 4:1--24:27.

2) Divine judgments upon the Seven Surrounding Nations, Ezekiel 25:1--32:32.

III. Chiefly Predictions and Promises concerning the means by which the glory of the nations is to be restored, Ezekiel 33:1--48:35.

1) By Heeding the Warnings of the Spiritual Watchmen, and repenting of Sin, Ezekiel 33.

2) By displacing the False Shepherds, and the coming of the Good Shepherd, who will feed the flock, Ezekiel 34.

3) By a National Revival, and a Spiritual Resurrection in the Valley of Dry Bones, Ezekiel 36:1--37:28.

4) By the Overthrow of the Enemies of the Nation, Ezekiel 38:1--39:29.

5) By the Building of a New Sanctuary, Ezekiel 40:1--42:20.

6) By the returning of the Glory of the Lord, Ezekiel 43:4-5; 44:4.

7) By the Ministry of a Loyal Priesthood, Ezekiel 44:9-31.

8) By Life-giving Waters issuing from the Sanctuary, Ezekiel 47; cf. Revelation 22:1-2, And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

IV. Outstanding Events in the book

1) The Departure of the Glory of the Lord from the Temple, Ezekiel 10:16-18; 11:23.

2) The Fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel 33:21.

3) The Return of the Shekinah Prophesied, Ezekiel 44:4.

Choice Selections:

1) The New Heart, Ezekiel 11:19, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:” Ezekiel 36:25-28.

2) Personal Responsibility, Ezekiel 18:20-32.

3) Untempered Mortar, Ezekiel 13:10-15. See John Gill’s Expositor.

4) The Search for a Man of Integrity, Ezekiel 22:30, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Compare Jeremiah 5:1, Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it

5) Sentimental Hearers, Ezekiel 33:30-32.

6) Chapters for Ministers:

a. Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, Ezekiel 13;

b. Warn the people, Ezekiel 33;

c. Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ezekiel 34.

7) Revival Chapter, Ezekiel 37.

NOTE: This chapter contains a prophecy of the Jews’ return from captivity to their own land; of the union of the each tribes with one another; and of the glorious kingdom of Christ among them. Their restoration is represented by a vision of dry bones made alive; the place in which they were; the condition they were in; and the manner in which they were made to live, are described, vv. 1-10.