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Ezekiel Part 14 No Man For The Hour Chapter 22
Ezekiel 22:30 "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".
God says that down all of time and history, and in the church today He says that: 'I seek a man'. In James 5:17 we read 'Elijah was a man with a nature like ours'. For the age of Elijah, that Elijah was that person. Elijah was like you and like I, but what was the difference? Is the difference that we are not people of prayer like Elijah? All through history God looks for men and women who will be men and women of prayer, men and women of godliness, holiness, dignity, principle, righteousness.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. John the Baptist, a God-filled man, a God-fired man, a man who did in six months what all the religious leaders in Palestine couldn't do in 400 years. Every prophet that you read, went through this until the burning in their heart was so great that it exploded onto the canvas of time, they couldn't hold it in any longer! The Lord still looks for such men and women, but the tragedy of this passage is this: in Ezekiel's day the eyes of the Lord ran to and fro throughout the whole earth.
Was Ezekiel not a man that God could use? Yes, he was! But God's prophet, who was once pleading on the behalf of the people, had now been taken by God and had been called upon to set his face against the people. So Ezekiel, God's Spirit through him, depicts the tragedy of the hour that these people were now living in. He uses again prophetic pictures.
1. A forest fire. 20:45-49
We find the Holy Spirit repeating a lot of imagery that you find in Genesis. God casts Adam and Eve out of the garden of paradise, and in front of the gate of the garden of Eden He sets a cherubim with a sword of fire, speaking of the judgement of God, a sword of fire. It speaks of His judgement, but it also speaks of His mercy, so that they wouldn't eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in their sinfulness.
2. A drawn sword 21:1-17
Jeremiah in chapter 51 calls Babylon: 'God's battle axe'. But Ezekiel, using the military language, calls Babylon: 'God's sword' more than a dozen times. Ezekiel is speaking of God's determination - the sword is prepared to slaughter, it will satisfy the fury and the wrath of Jehovah. This is a very dark hour that we are being allowed by the Spirit to glimpse into. Can you imagine the reaction of God's prophet as the Spirit inspires him to say all of these things?
Verses 6 and 7, God says: 'Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
God is saying: 'You have got to groan about this, you must grieve over this nation and what is going to come upon the people. Tell them it is because of the terrible wrath that is to come! God has told you it's going to happen, and you're broken at the prospect of it all'.
Look at 2 Peter 3:10 - and look at the similarities between this and Ezekiel. We could say: 'Well, that message in Ezekiel is for Israel' – but also it's for you! Isaiah said: 'There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of God', there's none. Psalm 119:136 says 'Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law'? The signs of God's judgement in the world today, do they not stir you up? Will we be men and women for the hour, who will stand in the gap like God's prophet, or will we just watch as the world goes to hell?
3. A fork in the road 21:18-32
Ezekiel is to draw a road with the King of Babylon walking from Babylon to Judah. One of the signs points to Jerusalem, and the other sign points to Rabbath which was the capital of Ammon. God is saying: 'Who will I judge first? Will I judge My own people, Jerusalem, or will I judge their counterparts and their cohorts, Ammon?'. God's people did not obey what they knew, the revealed will of God, yet the pagan nation of Babylon obeyed God and they didn't even know they were doing it! What a paradox.
Zedekiah is going to be deposed, his kingship will be overthrown. He will be the last of the kings of the Davidic line, until He comes whose right it is! Luke 1, we read of our Lord Jesus Christ: 'He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David'.
4. A melting pot of dross v17-31
God is saying is: “I boil and all I get is dross, I don't get any pure metal from My people!'.
5. An image of a furnace
Jerusalem would become like a furnace of fire as the army of Babylon encamps around it - but there's no metal in the city, there's nobody left, everything's dross - He can't find anything good in His own people because they've been so cheapened by their register of sin!
6. A Jungle of Predators v23-27
These lions of prophets and wolves of princes are all fighting to get what they can from the people of God, wanting to devour the people – they're not making a difference between holy and unclean.
7. A Whitewashed Wall v28-31
He says that with their false visions and their messages the prophets have whitewashed the nation's sins, and covered over all its guilt. He talks about a gap in that wall that needs to be filled. In 22:30: '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'. But hallelujah, we can say here at this side of Calvary: 'There is one man, one mediator between God and men – the man Christ Jesus'! You see that register of sins? He, in the court of law of God, took it on Himself. He went into the melting pot of God's wrath and fire, He went under the sword of God's war.
What a Saviour! He says: 'Take up your cross and follow Me'. We are to stand and intercede as He is interceding now. Are you willing to be that man? Are you willing to be that woman for this hour?
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Scottish Attachment in Action are holding another Twilight Training sessions in Mossvale on "Parenting With PACE".
This will particularity be of interest to adoptive parents, foster and kinship carers, and anyone working with children who have experienced trauma or exhibit challenging behaviours.
Tuesday 10th September - Tickets from £15 on EventBrite
PACE is a way of thinking which deepens the emotional connections in our relationship with others. PACE is Playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy. It is an attitude that focuses on the whole child, not simply the behaviour.
It helps children be more secure with the adults and reflect upon themselves, their thoughts, feelings and behaviour, building the skills that are so necessary for maintaining a successful and satisfying life. For adults, using PACE most of the time, they can reduce the level of conflict, defensiveness and withdrawal that tends to be ever present in the lives of troubled children. Using PACE enables the adult to see the strengths and positive features that lie underneath more negative and challenging behaviour.
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Facing Goliath: How a Man Overcomes His Giants to Follow Christ.
Every Wednesday at 7pm, 4th - 25th Sept 2019.
Continuing our series from earlier this year....
Overcome giants and experience a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. When it comes to their spiritual journey, many men feel defeated. Hindered by 'giants'; they stand motionless feeling like wimps instead of warriors.
Whether they feel intimidated, unmotivated, or just downright out of touch with what it means to pursue a relationship with God, Facing Goliath offers help to every man who wants to overcome his giants and experience a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.
This course will help men learn Christian essentials in a way that appeals to those who are seeking what it means to be a follower of Jesus and those who have already found Jesus and want to grow.
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Thursday evening's Woman2Woman session is currently studying "Girls With Swords".
Next session this Thursday night at 7.00pm.
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Woman2Woman's Friday morning Bible Study session has moved to Mossvale! We are studying "Goliath Must Fall" by Louie Giglio.
All woman welcome - there is no need to own or read the book as we will cover each topic in our discussions. Every Friday at 9.45am in the Group Room, Mossvale Hall.
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A new weekly meeting at Mossvale, starting Tuesday 17th September 2019 at 9.00am.
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Ordination Services
Pastoral Ordination: Debbie Orr
Sunday 29th September
Elders Ordination:
Daniel Carnan & Tim Hill
Sunday 27th October
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