Ezekiel 11: It's Not Over for You

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The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction: It's Not Over For You
• 2:08 God's Judgment on Jerusalem's Leaders
• 5:25 The Promise of Restoration for Exiles
• 7:41 New Heart, New Spirit: God's Transformation
• 9:39 Closing Prayer and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Ezekiel, chapter 11, and today's title is it's Not Over For you. It's not over for you. I know sometimes it can seem bad and everything can be seeming to go wrong, and you know why, because it is sometimes. But that doesn't mean that God has ever given up on you. We're going to see that firsthand today. So, if you have your Bibles, I want to open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 11. As always, while you're doing that, if you're new around here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you're leaving us a five-star review on the podcast and make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. The more we dig, the more we find, and there's an amazing group of people doing wonderful work over there and it is an honor to be part of the same community as them. And I also want to say a big hello to everybody in Malaysia. Right now, I know we've got some new people from Malaysia who are listening, and I hope that you. I don't know what the predominant language is there, but I hope that you can understand me and I am trying to slow down so that, for those of you who English is your second or sometimes third language, you can pick it up. So thank you for your patience and I will probably not get any better, but I will try, okay. Well, once again, if you have your Bibles, you want to open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 11. Don't forget that the overall goal of Ezekiel is God's promise of renewal. We're going to see some of that today because, honestly, we're going to be hitting rock bottom a little bit. If you remember yesterday, god's glory has now departed from the temple, the people are going into exile and Ezekiel is kind of chronicling spiritually what happened there toward the last days. You know, we saw in Jeremiah at the very end, like literally what happened. You know, the Babylonians came in, took over and all that. Ezekiel is talking more of the spiritual aspect of what happened and spiritually how they fell apart, and he's going to talk more about that today, just about judgment against the leaders and all these different things. But there's still hope in the end. So let's read this together and let's see what God's word would have to say to us. Okay, you ready.

Speaker 1: 2:42

Ezekiel chapter 11, verse 1, says this and Pethiah, son of Benaiah, who were leaders among the people. The spirit said to me son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and giving wicked counsel in this city. They say to the people it is not good, it's not a good time for you to build houses. This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it like a meat in a pot. Therefore, son of man, prophesy against them loudly and clearly. Pause. So remember, what's happening is is that while Jeremiah was telling them we have got to surrender to the Babylonians because God's going to give us up to them, there were false prophets who were saying no, no, no, this is fine, it's just a phase. Come on, man, the Babylonians have surrounded you and you're saying it's a phase. But that's what they were saying. And so what Ezekiel is saying? He's pointing out the same. And so then he says tell them loudly and clearly. And you know Ezekiel don't mind doing that. So here we go, verse 5.

Speaker 1: 3:40

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and he told me to say this is what the Lord says to the people of Israel are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I will soon drag you from this pot. I will bring on you the sword of war that you so greatly fear, says the sovereign Lord. I will drive you out of Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners. I will carry out my judgment against you. You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel. I will execute judgment on you and you will know that I am the Lord. No, this city will not be an iron pot for you. You will not be like meat, safe and sighted. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel, and you will know that I am the Lord, for you have refused to obey my decrees and regulations. Instead, you have occupied the standards of the nations around you.

Speaker 1: 4:51

While I was still prophesying, pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, suddenly died. Then I fell face down to the ground and said oh, sovereign Lord, are you going to kill everyone in Israel? So pause. So, in other words, while he is prophesying, folks are dropping dead. Well, that terrified me here. Verse 14.

Speaker 1: 5:08

Then the message came to me from the Lord, son of man. The people still left in Jerusalem are talking about you and your relatives and all the people of Israel who were in exile. Remember, by the way, he's not in Jerusalem, he's in exile right now. So he's saying back in Jerusalem, they're talking about you. They are saying those people are far away from the Lord and now he has given us their land. Therefore, tell the exiles this is what the sovereign Lord says Although I have scattered you to the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile.

Speaker 1: 5:43

I, the sovereign Lord, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered and I will give you the land of Israel once again. When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols and I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony and stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations and they will truly be my people and I will be their God. But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the sovereign Lord, have spoken. Then the cherubim lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of God hovered above them. Then the glory of God went up from the city and stopped above the mountain in the east. Afterward, the Spirit of God carried me back to Babylonia, to the people in exile there.

Speaker 1: 6:41

So ended the visions of my visit to Jerusalem and I told the exiles everything the Lord has shown me Wow. So, in other words, the Lord showed him what was going on in Israel or in Jerusalem, and they were saying, hey, those people that have been exiled to Babylon, they're okay, they're gone. This is our land. Now we got this. And what God is telling them is that, oh, you don't either. It's going to get bad for you because you're still not obeying me. You're still doing what you're not supposed to do. But for those of you who have been exiled, it's not over. I'm still going to do something in your life. I'm going to bring you back.

Speaker 1: 7:18

And then he said I'm going to do this amazing thing. He said in verse 19,. I am going to give you singleness of heart In. In other words, I'm going to give you focus. You're no longer going to be of two opinions. You're no longer going to be messed up where you don't know what's right, don't know what's wrong. I'm going to give you singleness of heart. I'm putting new spirit within you. I'm going to take away your stony, stubborn heart and I'm going to give you a tender and responsive heart and you will then be able to follow me. You will truly be my people and I will be your God. So what's our takeaway? That right there, ask God to help you follow him more.

Speaker 1: 7:57

What would it look like if you prayed and you asked the Lord and you said this. You said, god, is there anything I can do to know you more? Can I tell you what happens when we know God more? When we know God more, we fear less. When we know God more, we have less anxiety because we've learned to trust in him. We know him more, we have more joy because we realize that all these things around us, they can take away our happiness, but they can never touch our soul.

Speaker 1: 8:25

When we know God more, the fruit of the spirit begins to grow Love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, self-control those things begin to grow, all the things that we want and desire in this life. That's what happens when we know him more. We begin to experience the things that can't be taken away. And so what would it look like if you asked the Lord Lord, what do I need to know you more. Do you need God to give you a singleness of heart, in other words, a focus in your attention on him? Do you need to ask him to give you a new spirit, a new vibrancy, a new excitement for him? Do you need him to take away the jaded, stony, stubborn heart and make you tender toward the things of God again? Do you need to ask him to give you a fresh desire to obey his word? Do you need to have him to reaffirm that you are his?

Speaker 1: 9:24

Whatever you need, ask the Lord, because we were made to know him and so, therefore, the closer we get to him, the more joy we experience. That's why God wants us to worship him. He doesn't need any of that, he's okay. But it's as we worship him we get to enjoy his presence, and so worshiping him brings us joy, and so that's what God is saying. He said I want you to enjoy me forever. That's why I made you so. Is there anything stopping you from enjoying the presence of God, whatever it is? Say God, help me to love you more and watch what happens.

Speaker 1: 9:59

Let's pray together, god, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us and you're for us more than we can imagine. As much as we want to know you, you want to know us more. Help us, lord, to be like paul in philippians 3 that says that I want to know him and the power of his resurrection. I pray you will help us to know you more every day and experience life in you. In Jesus name, we pray, amen, amen. Well, god's word says in Ezekiel 34, verse 14,. It says I will put my spirit in you. You will live again. Hope you experience true life in God today. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Ezekiel, chapter 12.