Sermon Tone Analysis

Ezekiel 33

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I.     Introduction

The Gallup Organization polled 1,000 U.S. adults in mid-April of last year and found that 42 percent labeled themselves “born-again” or “evangelical.”

However, in a survey held one month later on 1,000 Americans, the poll found that only about a quarter of the population hold to “core evangelical doctrines.”

Gallup identified three core evangelical beliefs as: believing that the Bible is the actual word of God, engaging in evangelism by encouraging friends and relatives to believe in Jesus, and having undergone a born-again experience.

The results found that only 22 percent were found to hold all three beliefs.

It seems that many in America claim to be followers of Christ, but their belief system would call that into question.

In 2005, Ron Sider, whom some of you may remember from the book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, wrote another book reflecting on some of these polls that have been done.

The title of the book is The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience.

In a review of the book, one writer says, “His conclusion is that there is “…widespread, blatant disobedience…” among those who claim to be evangelicals.

The five areas of human behaviour measured and used to reach this conclusion were /divorce/, /materialism and the poor/, /sexual disobedience/, /racism/, and /spousal abuse in marriage/.

In light of his survey, Sider argues that a stark contrast exists between historic New Testament Christianity and the practices of contemporary evangelicals (31-32).

Sider concludes that many within evangelical circles have reduced the gospel to a formula for the forgiveness of sins.

This formula neglects the expected transformation of lives to reflect Jesus Christ, which Sider maintains is inherent within the New Testament definition of salvation (64-68).

Although I don’t know what results would come from a similar survey in Canada, I suspect that there would not be much difference.

These are serious concerns and certainly invite us to evaluate our own lives.

They are not the first time in the history of God’s people that such concerns have been raised.

In Ezekiel 33:30-33 we read words that sound like a very similar indictment.

Read text.

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II.

The City Has Fallen!

The context of these words is a very significant time in the history of God’s people.

As you know, we have been reading a lot about God’s condemnation of his people because of their sin and the coming fall of Jerusalem.

In Ezekiel 1:2, Ezekiel wrote that it was the fifth year of the exile to Babylon.

In Ezekiel 33:21 he wrote that it was the twelfth year of the exile.

Nebuchadnezzar had come to Jerusalem, attacked it, overcome it and had taken people into exile in Babylon, but had left many people in the land and even appointed a Jew to be king.

For seven years, Ezekiel had been prophesying about the sin of the people in Jerusalem and the fall of the city of Jerusalem.

He had been prophesying from exile in Babylon about the home land of his people.

The whole time he was prophesying, the people in exile were hoping that he was wrong.

They hoped that Jerusalem would win over Nebuchadnezzar and that they would be able to go back home again.

In 24:1,2 Ezekiel had written about the beginning of the siege against Jerusalem.

Now in 33:21,22 we read that the news came to the exiles that “The city has fallen.”

What devastating news!

It was the end of their hopes of a return, it was the nail in the coffin that sealed the fate of the people of Israel as they had been.

We have a glimpse of the devastation that filled the people in exile in Psalm 137 where they sorrow that they are supposed to sing the songs of Zion in a strange land.

They mourn longingly for their homeland, for the place where God lived.

Now they heard the news that their homeland was destroyed by the Babylonians and their hope for a return to it vanished.

The news of the fall of Jerusalem was a crisis of faith for the people in exile.

Perhaps you have experienced things in your life that created a crisis of faith.

Perhaps someone you loved died suddenly, or you were let go from a job, or a friend you trusted let you down.

Was it a time when you grew closer to God or further away?

Was it a time when you were more open to God’s leading or were you careless about what God was trying to do in you?

For Israel, it was a time when they wondered about God and their relationship to God.

What would this crisis of faith demonstrate?

How would it impact them as a people?

It is in this context that the message of Ezekiel 33:30-33 is written.

It was a powerful message for them and is also a powerful message for us.

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III.

They Do Not Put Them Into Practice

At this watershed moment, what did God have to say to His people?

Three statements in Ezekiel 33:30-33 confront the people with the same condemning conclusion.

They seemed interested in God, but their lives did not demonstrate a genuine faith.

!! A.  Eager Listening, No Doing

The people in exile were curious.

They wanted to know what God had to say.

The elders had often come to Ezekiel in the past to listen to him.

In 8:1, 14:1; 20:1 the coming of the elders was an occasion for a prophecy from Ezekiel, but now things were different.

Perhaps before this, they were interested in Ezekiel’s words, but they did not really believe them.

They probably thought, “How is it possible that God’s city of Jerusalem is going to be destroyed?”

But now they were ready to say, “Ezekiel, you were right!”

One would think that the listening of the people would increase, that they would have a greater desire to listen, a deeper passion to truly hear what Ezekiel was saying.

So we read in Ezekiel 33:30, 31a that they were talking about Ezekiel and his message.

They wanted to come and listen to him speak.

God had a word for his people and they were eager to hear it.

Ezekiel’s words about Jerusalem had come true and so they were listening attentively.

“Religious meetings were never so well attended.”

The only problem is that the message of God only went as far as their ears.

The judgement of God against these people at this time was that they “do not put them into practice.”

Earlier I mentioned the polls taken about evangelicals and the book written by Ron Sider.

It seems that “Ours is not the only age that treats God’s spokesmen as if they are public entertainment.”

The Jewish exiles were entertained by the words of Jeremiah, but even the crisis of faith induced by the fall of Jerusalem did not change their behaviour.

The Bible often speaks about people who are eager to hear from God, but don’t do what He says.

In Jeremiah 42, 43, there is such a story.

Kareah and Jezaniah and other army officers wanted to know if they should stay in Judah or escape to Egypt as others of their countrymen had done.

They said to Jeremiah, “Pray that the Lord will tell us where we should go.”

Jeremiah went away and inquired of God and ten days later he came back to them and told them, “This is what the Lord the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition says…stay in this land, I will build you up…” After Jeremiah had delivered the message, the people said, “You are lying!

The Lord our God has not sent you…” They wanted to listen, they heard the message eagerly, but they did not respond with obedience.

Jesus talked to the Pharisees who seemed eager to listen to God, but in Matthew 15:3 He accused them when He said, “why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”

Their involvement with God was with the ear, but they did not obey God from their hearts.

They were careful listeners to God’s words, but they did not follow that with obedience.

The poll by Gallup shows that there are many today who listen to the word of God, even eagerly, but do not do it.

The ears of many church going people, the ears of most evangelical Christians are interested in God.

They are willing to come to church every Sunday and hear what God is saying.

They are careful to listen to what God is saying and eager to learn what God’s word says, but it seems that not nearly everyone who hears obeys.

The ears are in tune, but the will is not.

Does this describe you?

Do you, do I need to hear the words of James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says.”

!! B.  Mouth Devotion, Self Centred Hearts

But this hypocrisy may go even deeper.

In verse 31b we read that “with their mouths they express devotion.”

Once again we see something that is very good.

Likely the Jews in exile were worshipping God in their synagogues and speaking to one another about God’s great deeds in the past.

Perhaps they celebrated the Passover and asked the question “why is this night different than all other nights?”

In answering that question in the midst of their celebration, they would have declared the mighty deeds of God.

They were not shy about affirming their admiration for God.

However, once again, we read that they did not put righteousness into practice.

Their mouths were saying all kinds of wonderful things, but something else was going on in their hearts.

The text says their hearts “are greedy for unjust gain.”

That is the NIV translation, but most other translations say this somewhat differently.