[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 2nd of November, 2014.]
Israel’s history has been one long roller coaster ride. They enjoy their up times when they are right with God and everything is going well and they are blessed. And then they experience their down times when they are disobedient to God, when they are immersed in sin and reap His judgment. Today we’re going to look at one of those low points as God speaks through His prophet, Ezekiel, delivering to His people what we might consider a “state of the union address” for Israel.
Hear the words of God from the book of Ezekiel, chapter 22, verses 23 through 30…
Hear the words of God from the book of Ezekiel, chapter 22, verses 23 through 30…
23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ 25 The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. 28 Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken. 29 The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and
needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. 30 So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.
--Ezekiel 22:23-30 (NKJV)
Let us pray... Father, we are here this morning to worship You and to hear Your word and Your message. We come in the name of Your Son Jesus knowing He will join us and will be here with us. Move Your Holy Spirit throughout this body of Christ so that we might receive what You wish us to hear. In that name above all names, the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
A Sunday School teacher said to her class of grade school children, “We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But there is a higher power. Can anyone tell me what that higher power is?”
One child blurted out, “Aces!”
Noted journalist William Safire once was told of a politician who gave an “if-by-whiskey” speech. Unfamiliar with this particular expression, Safire asked around until a colleague explained it by sharing the following:
Fuller Warren, Florida’s governor in the 1950’s, was running for office in a year when counties were voting their local option on permitting the sale of liquor. Asked for his position on wet-versus-dry, he would say: “If by whiskey you mean the water of life that cheers men’s souls, that smoothes out the tensions of the day, that gives gentle perspective to one’s view of life, then put my name on the list of the fervent wets. But if by whiskey you mean the devil’s brew that rends families, destroys careers and ruins one’s ability to work, then count me in the ranks of the dries.”
I think too many politicians today are following the pattern of Gov. Warren, just telling the people what they want to hear, depending on who is listening at any given moment.At least he was honest about his lack of commitment and his unwillingness to take a stand, one way or the other, on important issues like this.
Let’s go back a little ways in time – around 238 years ago or so, when a group of God-fearing men got together to stand against tyranny and cruelty. God smiled on them and blessed them and the United States of America was born. And indeed, the US is a blessed land, abundantly rich in natural resources and beauty. Over the years, Christian men and women led this great nation through times of peace and of war.
Fast-forward to today. It is too often difficult to tell exactly where our leaders stand – they tell us one thing and tell others something else. Immorality is the norm, and becoming increasingly supported by those in positions of authority. The once unthinkable is commonplace. Our tax dollars are used to finance activities that our Christian conscience simply cannot condone. Outrageous views are forced upon us but we are scolded to be tolerant. Christians are now seeing persecution right here in the US and from the people’s own leaders!
It doesn’t take too much interpretation to go from what we see in today’s scripture reading to what we see on our nightly news and in our newspapers. That list of Israel’s sins takes place daily on our very streets across the US, even right here in Lexington. Sure, some of the names and terms are different. But we can certainly recognize them and relate to the level of moral decay that God describes through Ezekiel.
So we have to ask an obvious question: How can we truthfully think that the United States can avoid the same judgment that God pronounced and carried out against His own chosen people??!!??
And if our answer is that perhaps our own judgment is coming soon, then who among us is willing to stand in the gap before the Almighty God on behalf of this land so that He might not destroy it?!!?
If we look a little earlier in Ezekiel, in chapter 21, we learn that not only did God plan a judgment for Israel, but He raised up the very implement for her destruction: Babylon. Is God doing the same for us today? Is He preparing our judgment? Who is He raising up to take us down? Russia? China? The Islamic State?
Let’s look for a moment at another instance in the Old Testament where God has judged an entire people. God told Abraham that He was going to destroy all of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the great sin of the people there. Abraham pleaded with the Lord, who agreed He would not do so if even as few as 10 righteous men could be found there. Well, we know that those evil places were wiped from the face of the earth, so the Lord must not have been able to tap even 10 men who could stand in the gap.
I pray that there are still enough righteous people left in our land so that God might spare us.
And then there’s Jonah… God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn them to repent lest they be destroyed. This is how God instructed His reluctant prophet, in chapter 1 of the Book of Jonah, verses 1 and 2…
A Sunday School teacher said to her class of grade school children, “We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But there is a higher power. Can anyone tell me what that higher power is?”
One child blurted out, “Aces!”
Noted journalist William Safire once was told of a politician who gave an “if-by-whiskey” speech. Unfamiliar with this particular expression, Safire asked around until a colleague explained it by sharing the following:
Fuller Warren, Florida’s governor in the 1950’s, was running for office in a year when counties were voting their local option on permitting the sale of liquor. Asked for his position on wet-versus-dry, he would say: “If by whiskey you mean the water of life that cheers men’s souls, that smoothes out the tensions of the day, that gives gentle perspective to one’s view of life, then put my name on the list of the fervent wets. But if by whiskey you mean the devil’s brew that rends families, destroys careers and ruins one’s ability to work, then count me in the ranks of the dries.”
I think too many politicians today are following the pattern of Gov. Warren, just telling the people what they want to hear, depending on who is listening at any given moment.At least he was honest about his lack of commitment and his unwillingness to take a stand, one way or the other, on important issues like this.
Let’s go back a little ways in time – around 238 years ago or so, when a group of God-fearing men got together to stand against tyranny and cruelty. God smiled on them and blessed them and the United States of America was born. And indeed, the US is a blessed land, abundantly rich in natural resources and beauty. Over the years, Christian men and women led this great nation through times of peace and of war.
Fast-forward to today. It is too often difficult to tell exactly where our leaders stand – they tell us one thing and tell others something else. Immorality is the norm, and becoming increasingly supported by those in positions of authority. The once unthinkable is commonplace. Our tax dollars are used to finance activities that our Christian conscience simply cannot condone. Outrageous views are forced upon us but we are scolded to be tolerant. Christians are now seeing persecution right here in the US and from the people’s own leaders!
It doesn’t take too much interpretation to go from what we see in today’s scripture reading to what we see on our nightly news and in our newspapers. That list of Israel’s sins takes place daily on our very streets across the US, even right here in Lexington. Sure, some of the names and terms are different. But we can certainly recognize them and relate to the level of moral decay that God describes through Ezekiel.
So we have to ask an obvious question: How can we truthfully think that the United States can avoid the same judgment that God pronounced and carried out against His own chosen people??!!??
And if our answer is that perhaps our own judgment is coming soon, then who among us is willing to stand in the gap before the Almighty God on behalf of this land so that He might not destroy it?!!?
If we look a little earlier in Ezekiel, in chapter 21, we learn that not only did God plan a judgment for Israel, but He raised up the very implement for her destruction: Babylon. Is God doing the same for us today? Is He preparing our judgment? Who is He raising up to take us down? Russia? China? The Islamic State?
Let’s look for a moment at another instance in the Old Testament where God has judged an entire people. God told Abraham that He was going to destroy all of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the great sin of the people there. Abraham pleaded with the Lord, who agreed He would not do so if even as few as 10 righteous men could be found there. Well, we know that those evil places were wiped from the face of the earth, so the Lord must not have been able to tap even 10 men who could stand in the gap.
I pray that there are still enough righteous people left in our land so that God might spare us.
And then there’s Jonah… God sent Jonah to Nineveh to warn them to repent lest they be destroyed. This is how God instructed His reluctant prophet, in chapter 1 of the Book of Jonah, verses 1 and 2…
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”--Jonah 1:1-2 (NKJV)
We all know the story of Jonah and how he didn’t want to go to Nineveh and tried to flee from God. So God had him swallowed up by a big fish and delivered on the shore near the city. But what is amazing and different about this story is the end result. The king of Nineveh listened to God’s words through Jonah, heeded that warning and repented! He led his people to repent also. And their land was saved. The king stood in the gap before God and neither his land nor his people were destroyed.
Can you see any of our current crop of national leaders doing that? And if our leaders did repent, would the people follow them and repent also?
One of the sins of the children of Israel that God warned Ezekiel of, and one too often prevalent in our society today, can be seen in verse 28 of our message text. God accuses them of “seeing false visions, and divining lies” for the people, “saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God’”, when the Lord said no such thing.
Isn’t that an occurrence we encounter way too frequently this time of year, when elections roll around, and especially national elections? Lying to the people seems to have become an accepted practice for political candidates. Or if not outright lying, then stretching the truth so far as to render it unbelievable. Or leaving out pieces that the people really need to know in order to make an informed decision.
But this particular sin seems to be especially onerous in God’s way of looking at things. It is so important that we understand how much He detests it that He gave us this same warning twice in the same book of His Bible. The first time came back in chapter 13 of Ezekiel, in verses 3 through 7…
Pray for all who are in authority. I think we should also pray that God give us discernment in choosing those we elect come Tuesday. Pray that we are able to discern between those who just say the things we want to hear and promise all kinds of great and wonderful things to come if only they attain office, and those who will truly strive to follow Christ and carry out the work necessary to help complete God’s plan and advance His kingdom.
In his 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul reveals a prophetic truth to us, in chapter 4 verses 3 and 4…
This certainly applies to politicians as well as preachers, doesn’t it? A time will come when people will no longer endure sound doctrine, but will only vote for the candidates that tell them what they want to hear, that offer them a bigger piece of the pie, that tempt them with the riches of the world that someone else will pay for, that promise to free them from any personal responsibility.
Folks, it’s sad, but in both cases – preachers and politicians – that time Paul warned us of has indeed come. That time is now.
If God appoints our leaders, how can we possibly hope to influence the outcome? How can we turn the tide?
I believe we need to show God we truly do care about our nation. Like the people of Nineveh, we need to repent. We need to turn from our personal sins and confess our national sins and as individuals turn from them as well.
James, the half-brother of Jesus, tells us that the fervent prayer of righteous people accomplishes much. So we need to pray - pray for our current leaders and those who will lead us in the future. And we need to pray for discernment into who truly are the best candidates, those who will indeed serve the people and serve God.
And then we need to go to the polls Tuesday and vote for those people our Lord shows us to be Godly. We need to demand that our elected officials serve the people they represent. And that our preachers preach only the word of God. No hidden agendas, no false visions, no promises that cannot be kept.
In this way maybe we can show God that there are still enough righteous people living in this beautiful land He gave us. That we care more about advancing His kingdom than advancing our bank accounts. That we desire to serve Him and His children rather than simply enjoying the pleasures of this world. And if we do, He might stay His hand and not destroy our nation.
When God next takes a look at the gaps in His wall, let Him see us all standing there hand in hand, filling those gaps on behalf of our land.
Amen.
Let us pray… God of all creation, we thank You for this great and rich land You have given us! Its natural beauty is unmatched, its variety is endless, its resources seemingly boundless. Father, You have blessed us by placing us here, by allowing us to live here. And we thank You so much.
But Lord, for too long we have taken all this for granted. We allow those who lead us to lead us astray. We turn a deaf ear to the truth and only pay attention to those who say the things we desire to hear. We look only to those who promise to give us what we know we have not earned, what we do not deserve. We call privileges rights and pretend like You said it is so. We stand by and marvel while more and more people of authority give us visions of things that cannot be, and speak on Your behalf words You have not spoken. Father, we know that You have appointed all these, but Lord we ask You to please give us true discernment into the leaders we should have, not just because we want them for our own selfish reasons. Please show us those who will serve You first, who will repent and lead us to repent, and who will help lead us back onto a more righteous path. Guide our thoughts and our hands as we cast our votes, and please Lord, give us Godly leaders once again.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in a moment of silence to repent of our failure to follow You, as we pray for Your guiding hand over our life…
Almighty God, help us accept and honor those You appoint in a position of authority over us. But help us show You, Lord, that we are intent on selecting those to lead us who will first look to You before taking any action that will affect those they lead. Father, we are ready and willing to stand in the gap before You on behalf of our land. In the wonderful name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Can you see any of our current crop of national leaders doing that? And if our leaders did repent, would the people follow them and repent also?
One of the sins of the children of Israel that God warned Ezekiel of, and one too often prevalent in our society today, can be seen in verse 28 of our message text. God accuses them of “seeing false visions, and divining lies” for the people, “saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God’”, when the Lord said no such thing.
Isn’t that an occurrence we encounter way too frequently this time of year, when elections roll around, and especially national elections? Lying to the people seems to have become an accepted practice for political candidates. Or if not outright lying, then stretching the truth so far as to render it unbelievable. Or leaving out pieces that the people really need to know in order to make an informed decision.
But this particular sin seems to be especially onerous in God’s way of looking at things. It is so important that we understand how much He detests it that He gave us this same warning twice in the same book of His Bible. The first time came back in chapter 13 of Ezekiel, in verses 3 through 7…
3 Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. 6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”--Ezekiel 13:3-7 (NKJV)
This doesn’t just apply to prophets speaking for God, but for anyone who misrepresents themselves to others. Gov. Warren in our little story earlier certainly fits this description, doesn’t he? But sadly, this type of behavior is too often seen in some pulpits across our nation, with preachers that present themselves as speaking for God, when the words they deliver are stretched far from Biblical truth.
So what is all this leading up to? I’m not trying to spread doom and gloom and send everyone running for the hills. Actually, just the opposite. Because we still have a chance. God is giving us the opportunity to stand in the gap.
This coming Tuesday we can exercise our right, and our responsibility, to vote for those who will lead and represent us at the local, state, and federal levels of government.
When it comes to our leaders, we first need to understand and heed Paul’s instructions in his letter to the Romans, chapter 13 verses 1 and 2…
So what is all this leading up to? I’m not trying to spread doom and gloom and send everyone running for the hills. Actually, just the opposite. Because we still have a chance. God is giving us the opportunity to stand in the gap.
This coming Tuesday we can exercise our right, and our responsibility, to vote for those who will lead and represent us at the local, state, and federal levels of government.
When it comes to our leaders, we first need to understand and heed Paul’s instructions in his letter to the Romans, chapter 13 verses 1 and 2…
13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
--Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV)
God appoints those who stand in a position of authority over us. Or another way to look at this is that He gives us the leaders we need or deserve at any given time. This can be a little tough to swallow sometimes, when we consider some of our elected or appointed leaders. Just like the kings of ancient Israel, we can have good leaders who truly try to serve the people, or we can have bad ones who lead us nearly to ruin. But we have to remember that each only rules because God put them in that position. He has a purpose for each leader whether they are good or bad in our eyes.
But I think we can sway this process in our favor a little by showing God that maybe we deserve better. While Paul tells us that God appoints all our leaders, he also instructs us to pray for them, to ask God to intercede for them for our sake if not their own.
We read this last week but it bears repeating. From Paul’s 1st letter to his young protégé Timothy, chapter 2 verses 1 and 2…
But I think we can sway this process in our favor a little by showing God that maybe we deserve better. While Paul tells us that God appoints all our leaders, he also instructs us to pray for them, to ask God to intercede for them for our sake if not their own.
We read this last week but it bears repeating. From Paul’s 1st letter to his young protégé Timothy, chapter 2 verses 1 and 2…
2 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
--1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV)
In his 2nd letter to Timothy, Paul reveals a prophetic truth to us, in chapter 4 verses 3 and 4…
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
--2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NKJV)
Folks, it’s sad, but in both cases – preachers and politicians – that time Paul warned us of has indeed come. That time is now.
If God appoints our leaders, how can we possibly hope to influence the outcome? How can we turn the tide?
I believe we need to show God we truly do care about our nation. Like the people of Nineveh, we need to repent. We need to turn from our personal sins and confess our national sins and as individuals turn from them as well.
James, the half-brother of Jesus, tells us that the fervent prayer of righteous people accomplishes much. So we need to pray - pray for our current leaders and those who will lead us in the future. And we need to pray for discernment into who truly are the best candidates, those who will indeed serve the people and serve God.
And then we need to go to the polls Tuesday and vote for those people our Lord shows us to be Godly. We need to demand that our elected officials serve the people they represent. And that our preachers preach only the word of God. No hidden agendas, no false visions, no promises that cannot be kept.
In this way maybe we can show God that there are still enough righteous people living in this beautiful land He gave us. That we care more about advancing His kingdom than advancing our bank accounts. That we desire to serve Him and His children rather than simply enjoying the pleasures of this world. And if we do, He might stay His hand and not destroy our nation.
When God next takes a look at the gaps in His wall, let Him see us all standing there hand in hand, filling those gaps on behalf of our land.
Amen.
Let us pray… God of all creation, we thank You for this great and rich land You have given us! Its natural beauty is unmatched, its variety is endless, its resources seemingly boundless. Father, You have blessed us by placing us here, by allowing us to live here. And we thank You so much.
But Lord, for too long we have taken all this for granted. We allow those who lead us to lead us astray. We turn a deaf ear to the truth and only pay attention to those who say the things we desire to hear. We look only to those who promise to give us what we know we have not earned, what we do not deserve. We call privileges rights and pretend like You said it is so. We stand by and marvel while more and more people of authority give us visions of things that cannot be, and speak on Your behalf words You have not spoken. Father, we know that You have appointed all these, but Lord we ask You to please give us true discernment into the leaders we should have, not just because we want them for our own selfish reasons. Please show us those who will serve You first, who will repent and lead us to repent, and who will help lead us back onto a more righteous path. Guide our thoughts and our hands as we cast our votes, and please Lord, give us Godly leaders once again.
Hear us now, Father, as we come to You in a moment of silence to repent of our failure to follow You, as we pray for Your guiding hand over our life…
Almighty God, help us accept and honor those You appoint in a position of authority over us. But help us show You, Lord, that we are intent on selecting those to lead us who will first look to You before taking any action that will affect those they lead. Father, we are ready and willing to stand in the gap before You on behalf of our land. In the wonderful name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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