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Ezekiel part 13 The Road of Rebellion Chapter 20
Isaiah 35:8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
Throughout Scripture the picture of a highway is an image that God uses to communicate a picture of the exodus of God – bringing His people out of Egypt, or any land or spiritual bondage and delivering them and walking on a holy road that leads to the holy city, Jerusalem. Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves'.
In Ezekiel 20 God again provides for His people a highway of holiness. But the tragedy of these verses is that God's people have turned this highway of holiness into a road of rebellion. God warned Ezekiel: 'Don't think that they have heeded your message, they have divided loyalties!' God believed that they were insincere. If I was to teach you anything from this, it would be this: sincerity is essential to be taught of God.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. We can appear to be doing the right things but if we have insincerity in our heart God will not hear us!
2 Timothy 3:5 you can have a form of godliness, but denying it’s power.
Revelation 2:2-4 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Revelation 3:1 I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Verse 15-16 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Samuel Chadwick wrote in The Way to Pentecost 'Truth without enthusiasm, morality without emotion, ritual without soul, are things that Christ unsparingly condemns. Destitute of fire they are nothing more than a godless philosophy, an ethical system, and a mere superstition'.
Lord help us if we only get enthusiastic about anything but God and Christ and the Gospel! verse 16 'For their heart went after their idols'. In Verses 5 to 8, he is demonstrating a cycle in their minds, He warned them not to sin - so there's warning. Then He tells them about when they rebelled in their past - they rebelled. In Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the promised land - even after their warning, after their rebellion - He restored them.
Sin is timeless, it never changes its spots. Specifically in the church we see the history of failure and forgiveness. God warns us, we rebel against God, God restores us. In the life of a believer it's the circle, the vicious circle of failure and forgiveness; failure and forgiveness - and some of us wonder will we ever, ever get out of it!
God tells us in verses 8 and 9 that He didn't punish them because the Gentiles would have mocked them. Why did He not punish them in Egypt? verse 9 'For His name's sake'.It doesn't mean just God's reputation, it identifies His whole personality. Verses 10 to 26 God restrained His wrath and He spared them from destruction. verses 13-17 He spared His judgement so the heathen wouldn't laugh at His people. verse 22, we find these words again: 'For my name's sake I withheld my hand'. Then that road of rebellion arrives in the promised land, verses 27 to 29 'They use every high spot, and under every leafy tree is a shrine to their foreign gods'. verse 25 and 26, 25 So I gave them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live; 26 I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.’ we need to see the sinful depravity of every human being. People use all sorts of passages in the word of God to try and justify their sin - but all they have done is fallen into the trap of the devil,
God comes to these people in all their sinfulness, and points out two facts to them. He's telling them their history so that they would realise that they were guilty of repeated rebellion against the Lord. And then the Lord tells them why He keeps forgiving them, why He is long-suffering and gracious, and why He doesn't judge them in front of the Gentiles. For My Name’s sake. verse 9: I didn't judge them, 'for my name's sake'. Verse 14: I didn't judge them, 'for my name's sake'. Verse 22: 'I withdrew mine hand for my name's sake'.
Grab hold of this phrase: 'For my name's sake', as a believer, it is for the sake of the name of the Lord that He forgives you and I. 1 John 2:12: 'I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake'.
That's why He guides us, Psalm 23:3: 'He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake'.
It's how He revives us, Psalm 143:11 said: 'Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake, for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble'.
It's for His name's sake that we ought to serve Him, 3 John 7: 'For his name's sake they went forth, serving, taking nothing from the Gentiles'.
The Ephesian Church in Revelation 2:3, it's said of them commendably: You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Any sacrifice we make for God is to be for this reason.
Matthew 19: 'Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life'.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that whatever we do, in fact all that we do should be for His name's sake - 'Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God'. God is a very gracious and forgiving God, but we must be careful, I think that we are getting to the extreme of abusing the mercy and the grace of God. There is a wideness in God's mercy - but if there is insincerity we will not be forgiven!
If we don’t glorify God for His name's sake by obeying Him, God's word teaches that we must glorify Him by submitting to His discipline. Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
In other words, if you don't bear fruit by faithfulness - living your life for His name's sake - you'll be chastened for His name's sake, and you'll bear fruit. The lesson is that sin always deprives us of God's blessing.
Where it will all end, this road of rebellion. Praise the Lord it will finish in new Israel - and we will be going into it in more detail in the final chapters of this book. How could you sum up the message and the whole history of Israel? Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
What was his choice? John's words: 'Little children keep yourselves from idols'. Whatever you do, remember you cannot serve two masters. This is the call of the Saviour: 'Take up your cross and follow me'. Don't be divided, but give your all to Christ - whatever that means: and if it's from a heart seeking all of Him, He will bless it.
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Mossvale Men's breakfast meeting
Saturday 31st August at 9.30am.
Food, fellowship and faith.
Testimony from Gordon Orr.
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Let's Lunch | Cake Auction
Sunday 1st September 2019
Bring lunch and stay after the service for our annual cake auction for Rescue Aid Mission, Ghana!
Cake donations gratefully received - a list of all ingredients and allergens must be also provided!
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Thank you for joining us at Kids Connection this summer for Summer Fruits... keeping in step with the Spirit of God!
This Sunday morning we will be sharing (and singing!) about all we have learnt about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. After all, against such things there is no law!
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