Click here to get a copy of RealAudio

TH1195: On-Line

EZEKIEL

Ezekiel 18-20

Please turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 18, as we continue our study through the Word of God. And let’s just dig in and see what the Lord has for us this evening.

EZEKIEL 18

VERSES 1-2

1. We also see this Proverb in Jeremiah 31:29-30. And understand it is totally wrong. The basic idea here is that the children are paying for the sins of their father. They are a product of the environment they grew up in. That should sound very familiar because it is what the world is saying and teaching us. But understand this, God’s view is very different, as we are going to see.

VERSES 3-4

1. God is telling them not to use this proverb anymore because it is not true. You can’t blame your parents, your environment, the color of your skin, your nationality, or anything else you can think of and has been thought of. You can’t even say "The devil made me do it!" Why? Because you are accountable for your own actions, for what you do, not for what your parents have done. We are living in a world where everyone is blamed except the guilty party, and God is saying, "Don’t listen to what the world is saying, they are wrong. It is the person who sins, they shall die. They are responsible for their own actions!"

VERSES 5-9

1. Here is a man who put God’s Laws ahead of his own personal interests. And that tells me his actions were born out of his love for God and these things then flowed from his life. He didn’t engage in spiritual fornication by uniting himself with the god’s in the groves or on the mountain shrines. He was sexually pure before God. He didn’t take advantage of people but ministered to them. His actions were just and he walked in the ways of God. And God says this man shall live!

VERSES 10-13

1. If a righteous man has a wicked son, the son can’t live off the righteousness of his father. He is responsible for his own actions. And if he continues down that path of wickedness, he will die!

VERSES 14-18

1. I think this is important for us to understand. You don’t have to follow in your fathers footsteps! You have a choice to make. You see, God is showing us that if we are wise we will learn from our fathers mistakes and won’t travel on the same road that he did, if he was wicked. That means if your father drank, if he used drugs, if he was abusive, if he was unfaithful in marriage, if he was unjust, or whatever immoral, wicked action you want to place there, you don’t have to continue on it. That should be a comfort to many of you whose father was not godly, he was not good. You don’t have to be like him.

2. Our society has done just the opposite. They have taken the flaws of parents and used them to justify the actions of their children. Society may see it that way, but God doesn’t! Each person is responsible for their own actions. God has not dealt you an unfair hand. I am not saying things were not difficult in the situation you were in or are in now. But we all go through difficult times. The thing is this, do you want to continue that behavior in your life? No, you don’t have to! In fact, Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Don’t forget that!

3. Also notice that the wicked father is accountable for his own actions. He couldn’t blame anyone else nor did he get away with anything. If he continues down this path of wickedness, he will die!

VERSE 19

1. Like many today, maybe they misunderstood what God was saying back in Exodus 20:5. We read "...For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me." And the thought, or the idea that some take from this is that whatever you are involved with will be passed on to your children and your children’s children, to the third and fourth generations. They call it generational curses! That if you commit adultery you will pass that on. If you are an alcoholic, you will pass that on. And you can go on-and-on, but I think you get the idea. And for them, you must break these generational curses or they will just continue on. That is wrong!

2. These ideas come up and are made into doctrine because only part of a verse or a thought is read. Lets read the rest of the story in verse 6 of Exodus chapter 20, which says "but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." In other words, God is saying that He will be faithful to judge the sins of each generation. We are responsible for our own actions, just as we have seen here in Ezekiel. He will also show mercy to the thousands. Why? Because that is where His heart is at. He loves to show mercy but He also will judge sin!

VERSE 20

1. Over and over again God is making the point that we are responsible for our own actions. Why? So we won’t let society, the philosophies of this world, give us a false hope or a false action that we need to do.

2. One other point before we move on. God is not saying that He will kill us. That He is waiting for us to step out of line, then "POW!" He smashes us dead! It is the wages of sin that will kill you. You see, death is the consequences of putting on that lifestyle. And understand that sin is not bad because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is bad! That is a big difference. God is not some cosmic kill joy ruining all of our fun. There are not some arbitrary rules that God has set up. What we see is a loving Father that is warning His children of the dangers that are out there. Then it is up to us to either obey or disobey what He has said. But if we don’t listen, understand that the wages of sin is death!

Let me give you an example of what I mean. Pastor Mike MacIntosh from Horizon Christian Fellowship out in California tells a true story of what happened to a man who was backsliding. He went to a bar, got drunk, picked up a girl, took her home and had sex with her. When he woke up the next morning she was gone and a note on the mirror in the bathroom, written in lipstick, said "Welcome to the world of AIDS!" Folks, sin has only a short-lived pleasure, the pain of sin can last a lifetime and even on into eternity if you don’t know the Lord. Remember what Paul said in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." It is our choice!

VERSE 21

1. We all start out in sin, separated from God. And the Lord is saying that if we turn to Him, repent of our sins, we shall live, God will extend His mercy to us. It is as Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."

VERSE 22

1. What a glorious thought. If we turn to Him He will forget all of our sin, all our transgressions! It is as David said in Psalm 103:11-12, "For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." Also, in Isaiah 43:25 we read "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins." We have a hard time forgiving, but God does not, and He will remember our sins no more if we come to Him.

VERSE 23

1. Some get the idea that God get’s some kind of pleasure in destroying the wicked, He doesn’t! In fact, as you read this verse you can see the heart of God pleading with sinful man to turn from his evil ways so that he may live. But God is a holy and righteous God who must judge sin. He has done everything possible in providing a way out from death, and that is through Jesus Christ. But again, the choice is yours!

VERSE 24

1. This is a person who "practices iniquity." And I don’t believe you can lose your salvation, and I don’t think that is what is spoken of here. But I do believe you will bear fruit of the relationship you have. Either good fruit as you are attached to Christ, or bad fruit if you are not. It is as John said in I John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us." Now you can try to argue what is said here in Ezekiel, or you can be warned!

VERSES 25-30

1. They were trying to justify their wicked actions by saying that God is not fair. But God turns the tables on them. You see, God’s way is fair, it is right, it is just. Our salvation is a free gift of God that we must receive. If man had any say, salvation would be corrupted. And if you look at religion today, that is exactly what we see. Man has made it difficult to get to God, and God has said we just need to come to Him through Jesus!

VERSES 31-32

1. In Philippians 2:12-13 we read "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." You see, it truly is a partnership. God works in us to give us the desire and the ability to do His good pleasure. Then we need to exercise, put into practice those things. You see, He wants you to partner with Him to give Him permission to work in your life. So, in a sense, you get a new heart, a new spirit, by allowing God to give it to you.

2. And once again you see the heart of God. He is pleading with us to turn to Him so we might live and not die!

EZEKIEL 19

VERSES 1-2

1. This lamentation or song of sorrow is for the kings of Israel. The lioness spoken of here is the nation and specifically the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Her cubs were the kings of Judah and we are going to see two of them spoken of in the following verses.

VERSES 3-4

1. This first young cub is Jehoahaz who became king after the death of Josiah. And he only reigned 3 months before Pharaoh Necho II captured him and took him to Egypt, where he died in captivity. (II Kings 23:31-34, Jeremiah 22:11-12).

VERSES 5-9

1. The next cub or king was Jehoiachin, who also only reigned for 3 months before he was captured by the Babylonians and taken to Babylon where he lived out the remainder of his life. And for 37 years he was in prison there, until he was released by the king, Evil-Merodach.

2. Place yourself in their shoes. They looked to their leaders to direct them, and they are carried away captive. Understand this, leadership is not going to see you through. Yes, it is important to have godly men in office, but if you look to them for salvation, you will be disappointed.

3. In this next section we have the parable of the withered vine, which speaks of the last king in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, Zedekiah.

VERSES 10-11

1. The nation was strong, prosperous, very wealthy, it had good leaders at one time.

VERSES 12-14

1. The prevailing winds in Israel come from the west bringing moist air from the Mediterranean Sea. But the east wind, also known as Sirocco, blows dry air in from the desert. But I don’t believe the Lord is talking about a literal wind, but of the Babylonians who would come down upon Judah. And the nation will be shriveled up under the heat of their oppressors.

2. One more point before we move on. All that the nation placed their hope in, its leaders, its wealth, failed them. It always amazes me during election time to see how much faith Christians place in men. And as they get into office, how quickly we shake our heads at the things they are doing. They did not bring salvation to the nation. Turn to Revelation chapter 5, and let me give you some real hope. In Revelation 5:1-4, we read "And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

This scroll is the title deed of the earth and as John looks, no one can take it, no one can help. And John begins to weep convulsively like many do today over the condition of not only this nation, but the world. But lets read on in verse 5, which says, "But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’" Who can save us? Not this world, not the philosophies of this world, but only Jesus! He is the lion of the tribe of Judah that will put down all rebellion. He is the root of David who will produce bountiful fruit. Who are you looking to for salvation?

EZEKIEL 20

VERSES 1-3

1. Things were tough, many were captive in Babylon. And some of these elders who were in captivity came to Ezekiel to inquire of God. And God says that He is not going to speak to them. Now that may seem harsh, but listen to what is said in Deuteronomy 17:9-13, "And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment. You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the LORD chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil person from Israel. And all the people shall hear and fear, and no longer act presumptuously." In other words, when God speaks to them, they are to listen and do it. To often people know what God says but they look at other options that will satisfy them. In Deuteronomy God says if they come for instruction and don’t listen, they shall die! Why? Because that rebellion will be caught like an infectious disease and it will bring the nation down. God was trying to protect them from this.

2. As we are going to see, to find the answer people need to look at the past, and see what God has said, look to His Word.

VERSES 4-7

1. Now God is going to look at their history from their bondage in Egypt, to the present day and into the future. And notice, it was God who brought them out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey. And to His people He told them to put away their idols, to draw unto Him alone. A simple request, or so it seemed.

VERSES 8-9

1. The word "obey" or "harken" speaks of what a dog does when he hears his masters voice or whistle, that his ears will perk up and he responds to the call. Israel refused to do that. They rebelled in Egypt, which is a type of the world, they didn’t want to change.

VERSES 10-12

1. God showed them in the wilderness, as they came out of Egypt, how to live. And He gave them a day set aside for them to worship Him. It was the Sabbath day, a day for them to be refreshed in the Lord. Now don’t be confused, this was a sign to the Jew, as verse 20 repeats for us. And in Exodus 31:16-17 we read "Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ‘It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’"

2. Today many try to say that Saturday is the Sabbath day and the church should worship God on Saturday and not on Sunday. I disagree. Paul said in Colossians 2:16-17, "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ." You see, these things in the Old Testament pointed to Christ. And if you look at the New Testament, you can find 9 of the 10 commandments listed, except for the Sabbath day. Why? Because it is not the day of the week you worship God, it is a matter of the heart. We come together as a body on Sunday, but every day should be unto the Lord!

VERSES 13-20

1. Notice God could have destroyed them, but He didn’t. He extended mercy to them, but as we will see, it didn’t change their actions.

VERSES 21-26

1. God did bring judgment upon them in that all the adults except for Joshua and Caleb, would not enter the Promise Land because of their rebellion. It would be the next generation that would enter the land, the rest would die in the wilderness.

VERSES 27-28

1. Even in the Promise Land they rebelled against God and turned to worthless idols, the god’s of the Canaanites!

VERSES 29-32

1. Now we have come to the present day where they are offering their children as sacrifices to the god Molech, burning them in the fire. God wanted to bless them, He told them to keep the Sabbath day, to worship him alone, and they refused. And they rejected the love of the truth and they sacrificed their children in the fire!

2. We are no different today. In Acts 16:31 we are told, "...‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’" So what do we do? We reject the simplicity of what God has said, and we add all kinds of works. People go door-to-door, crawl on the ground, chant, light candles, give money, go to mass, sell magazines or flowers, beat their bodies, and-so-on. God’s ways are refreshing, but we make things so difficult. We turn from the truth to believe a lie!

VERSES 33-35

1. God is speaking of a future restoration of the nation. He is not done with them. He is going to gather His people to Himself. This goes beyond their return from the Babylonian captivity.

VERSE 36-38

1. The shepherd would let only those sheep that were his to pass under his rod and enter his sheepfold. It is a place of security, rest, comfort, joy, and-so-on. And the True Shepherd is saying to Israel that only those who know Him will enter into His sheepfold. What happens to the rest? Verse 39 tells us...

VERSE 39

1. If you want to reject the Lord you can, but understand you will be purged out of His kingdom, you will not enter in. You will be cast into eternity in the Lake of Fire!

VERSES 40-44

1. God still loves His people and He is going to restore them one day. In fact, we are witnessing the beginning of God doing just that, as the Jews are back in the land. And during the tribulation period, they will turn to Jesus as their Messiah. A future restoration!

2. This is interesting. God said that He was not going to speak to them and then He spends 41 verses speaking to them. What is going on? They wanted to discuss the situation and God was saying to them that they don’t need more information. All they have to do is look back on their history to see what God said to His people back then, He hasn’t changed.

3. Don’t we hear the same thing today? "God isn’t speaking to me!" What do you mean, He has already spoken to us through His Word. But people are not interested in that, they want more information. Which is amazing to me, because we have a hard enough time obeying what God has already told us in His Word. Look into the HISTORY, for the Word of God is HIS - STORY! And understand this, God is never silent when you have a Bible with you!

VERSES 45-48

1. Ezekiel is in the north, in Babylon, and he see’s this raging fire come sweeping across the south, the Negev, where Judah was. And this fiery judgment spoke of the Babylonians coming down upon the Southern Kingdom of Judah and destroying them, like a fire would.

VERSE 49

1. God spoke very clearly on what they were to do, repent and return to Him. But they rejected that truth that was so clear. And now, when God speaks of judgment they couldn’t understand why because they didn’t believe they were doing anything wrong! It is as Proverbs 4:19 says, "The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble." Also, in Zephaniah 1:17 we read "I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse."

Who can open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind? Only Jesus can! In John chapter 9, after Jesus healed the blind man, and now he is before the religious leaders trying to explain how this happened, said "...‘Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.’...’Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.’" John 9:25, 31-33. Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind, if only they will receive His healing!