The Call of God
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Tim Chang
Ezekiel 2:1-3:3 (ESV)
2:1 And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
8 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.
3:1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
Sermon Outline
Christians are called to be God’s ambassadors: to represent and speak on his behalf.
1. God calls us to be faithful (2:3-5,7)
v5, 7: “whether they hear or refuse to hear”
2. God equips us with his words (2:7-10; 3:1-3)
v7: “And you shall speak my words to them…”
v1: “…eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel”
3. God empowers us with his Spirit (2:1-2)
v2: “…the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.”
Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What connected with you from the sermon or the passage?
When God calls his people to be his ambassadors what examples come to mind?
In this passage, God called Ezekiel to be faithful to speak on God’s behalf regardless of whether the Israelites chose to obey. How does this call to be faithful, regardless of the results, inform your understanding of being God’s ambassador?
What might this call to be faithful look like for you?
God equipped Ezekiel with the very words of God to speak to the Israelites. In what ways does this bring relief to you? In what ways is the call to be God’s ambassador still challenging?
Ezekiel not only knew the words of God, but it was sweet as honey to him. When have you experienced the word of God as nourishing to your soul?
In what ways do you find it meaningful that the Spirit of God is with you as you go out as God’s ambassador?