Sermon Tone Analysis

EZEKIEL

1:1-2:10 - ‘The heavens were opened and I saw visions of God...

The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel’(1:1-2).

The Lord opens our eyes to ‘see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:4).

The Lord speaks to us and we must listen to Him: ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9-10).

‘The Spirit came into me... Do not be afraid of them or their words’ (2:2,6).

Through the Spirit, we receive wisdom - ‘We have received the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand what God has freely given us’ - and strength - ‘God strengthens us with power through His Spirit in our inner being’ (1 Corinthians 2::12; Ephesians 3:16).

‘Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart... Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word... Be Thou my Battleshield, sword for the fight’ (Church Hymnary, 87).

3:1-4:17 - God speaks to us: ‘The Word of the Lord came to me’ (3:16).

We speak to God: “Ah, Lord God!’ (4:14).

We speak for God: ‘When I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, “This is what the Lord God says, Whoever will listen, let him listen...”’ (3:27).

How can we keep on listening to God, speaking to God and speaking for God?

We need to be strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit: ‘The Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet’ (3:24).

The Spirit is our ‘Helper’.

He helps us to listen to God: ‘The Holy Spirit will teach you all things’ (John 14:26).

He helps us to speak to God: ‘The Spirit helps us in our weakness’ (Romans 8:26).

He helps us to speak for God: ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses’ (Acts 1:8).

5:1-6:14 - ‘Because you have defiled My sanctuary...

I Myself will withdraw My favour’ (5:11).

To those who despise His Word and treat the place of prayer with contempt, Jesus still speaks His Word of judgment: ‘My House will be called a House of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves’ (Matthew 21:13).

God is warning us: ‘You have abandoned the love you had at first.

Remember the height from which you have fallen!

Return to Me and change the way you think and act.

If you don’t change, I will come to you and remove your lamp from its place’ (Revelation 2:4-5).

When God removes His blessing, there is nothing left but ‘a desolate waste’ (6:14).

Make sure you don’t become like Samson - ‘“I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free”.

He did not know that the Lord had left him’ (Judges 16:20).

7:1-8:18 - ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: The end!’ (7:2).

Why did God say, ‘This is “the end”’?

He had been taking a good look at what was going on among His people: ‘the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive Me far from My sanctuary’ (8:6).

He came to this conclusion - ‘This is the end of the road.

It’s the end of the time of blessing.

It’s now time for judgment’: ‘The end is now upon you and I will unleash My anger against you.

I will judge you according to... all your detestable practices...’ (7:3-4).

Why did God say, ‘This is “the end”’ - the end of a time of blessing, the beginning of a time of judgment?

The answer is clear: If there is no obedience, there can be no blessing.

Disobedience can lead to only one thing - judgment.

9:1-10:22 - For many people, the time of blessing had come to an end and the time of judgment had begun.

Some, however, would escape the judgment, They had been obedient to God.

He protected them in the time of judgment: ‘Put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done... Do not touch anyone who has the mark’ (9:4,6).

They were marked out as God’s faithful people.

They had continued to worship the Lord when so many others were turning away from Him.

For many people, life can be summed up in these sad words: ‘The glory of the Lord departed’(10:18).

‘I looked and I saw...’ (10:1,9): In a time when many show no interest in the Lord, there are those who look to Him and catch a glimpse of His glory - ‘the glory of the God of Israel was above them’ (10:19).

11:1-12:16 - God speaks to us about our sin - ‘Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people’ - and His salvation - ‘I will... put a new spirit in them...’ (12:2; 11:19-20).

We must receive’ with humility, the bad news concerning our sin - ‘The wages of sin is death’ - before we can receive, with gladness, the Good News concerning God’s salvation - ‘The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23).

God wants each of us to be saved: ‘The Lord... does not want anyone to perish; He wants everyone to turn away from their sins’ (2 Peter 3:9).

To those who refuse to be saved, dismissing the bad news concerning their sin and closing their hearts to the Good News concerning God’s salvation, God speaks His Word or warning: ‘...I will punish them for what they have done’ (11:21).

12:17-13:23 - ‘Hear the Word of the Lord!’ (13:2).

God’s Word warns us: ‘The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching.

Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

They will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths’.

When we see this happening, we must commit ourselves to the Lord, living as His faithful servants: ‘As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry’ (2 Timothy 4:3-5).

When people are looking for a ‘feel good’ type of message, a message with plenty of entertainment and no real challenge, we must remember this: God’s Word is to be used for ‘teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...’ (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

14:1-15:8 - ‘Some of the elders of Israel came to’ Ezekiel.

He spoke the Word of the Lord to them: ‘Repent!

Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!’

(14:1,8).

This may not have been what they wanted to hear.

It was what God wanted them to hear.

They did not want to hear this, but they needed to hear it.

God was warning them what would happen if they did not make a real return to Him: ‘I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful’ (15:8).

God’s Word demands a response.

What will our response be?

Will we say, ‘We don’t want the Lord “to reign over us”’ (Luke 19:14)?

Will we be, like Peter, who ‘took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him...’ (Matthew 16:22)?

Don’t be like those who dismiss God’s Word with arrogant pride.

Listen to His Word, and let Him change you.

16:1-34 - Without Christ, we are naked and dirty.

He covers our nakedness and washes away our dirtiness (8-9).

He is our Saviour.

We must come to Him with this prayer: ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Saviour, I die’ (Church Hymnary, 83).

God hears and answers this prayer.

He has given us His promise: ‘Whoever comes to Me, I will never drive away’ (John 6:37).

When God has heard and answered our prayer for salvation, we have this joyful testimony: ‘I delight greatly in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness’ (Isaiah 61:10).

We rejoice in this: ‘He saved us by washing away our sins’ (Titus 3:5).

16:35-63 - God calls His unfaithful people to listen to His Word: ‘You prostitute, hear the Word of the Lord!’ (35).

He speaks to them of ‘sin, righteousness and judgment’ (John 16:8).

He shows them their sin - ‘your filthiness and your nakedness’ (36).

He speaks to them as the righteous God, the God of perfect holiness - ‘Your eyes are too holy to look at evil.

You cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong’ (Habakkuk 1:13).

He warns them that there will be judgment: ‘I will judge you” (38).

Why does God speak to us of sin, righteousness and judgment?

This is His way of bringing us to repentance - ‘I will make you stop being a prostitute’ - and salvation - “My anger will be over, and I will be calm’ (41-42).

Our sin is great, but our Saviour is greater - ‘Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin... Praise His Name!’.

17:1-24 - To those who adopt a ‘rebellious’ attitude to Him, God speaks His Word of warning.

They shall ‘not escape’ His judgment (12,18).

To those who abandon this attitude of rebellion, there is a way of salvation.

In verses 22 to 24, we have a prophecy which looks forward to the coming of the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This prophecy ends with God’s promise: ‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it’.

God has fulfilled His promise.

He has sent His Son to be our Saviour (Matthew1:22-23).

We now await the fulfilment of prophecy concerning Christ’s Return: ‘I will come again’; ‘This same Jesus... will come back’; ‘The Lord Himself will come down from heaven’.

He says, “I am coming soon’.

We say, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonoians 4:16; Revelation 22:20).

18:1-32 - ‘The soul that sins shall die’ (4).

‘If a man is righteous... he shall surely live’ (5-9) What hope is there for us?

If we look with honesty into our own hearts, we discover this dark truth concerning ourselves: ‘None is righteous...

All have sinned’ (Romans 3:10,23).

Is there any Good News for us?

Is there a way that leads to eternal life?