The Book Of Ezekiel.

The Book of Ezekiel.

The Preparation of The Message.

Ezekiel 3:15-17

Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days. [16] And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [17] Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house, of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

Often it is said that the preacher prepares the message that he will preach. Perhaps, as God's people, we need to learn that Almighty God has the Message prepared which His servants must preach. The preacher must therefore prepare his heart to receive and then to deliver the Message which God has already prepared. After all, it is God's Word, God's Message, the preacher is only the messenger.

God sent Ezekiel to the camp of Jewish exiles at Chebar. Amongst the great crowd were God's redeemed people, (true Israel). They were as sheep without The Great Shepherd, they were in overwhelming need. The tragedy was, being stiff necked, they didn't know it.

When Ezekiel saw God's people, and the spiritual condition, that they were in, he remained speechless. He sat in their midst seven days,

'Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days'. It took time for the prophet to prepare his heart in order to bring God's Message to His people.

We read of a similar preparation time in ,

Job 2:11-13 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. [12] And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. [13] So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job's 3 friends took time to prepare their hearts before they spake. Perhaps, we preachers, need to give much more preparation time, in order to prepare our hearts to receive and then to deliver God's Message to His people.

Ezekiel, at the end of seven days received God's Message for the congregation before him. Here is a word for every preacher, wait for God's message, don't carry any other, don't pretend that you carry God's Message that you have plagered from another or obtained from the AI demon.

Ezekiel was Called to be a Spiritual Watchman, to warn the people of God. The teaching elder, with the church oversight, are set as watchmen,

Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Sadly, today, many once strong evangelical Christian Churches have sank into nothing more than social clubs. They put on entertainment shows with enthusiast performers who draw self praise from captive audiences. This is the kind of spiritual environment which thrives in today's spiritual ghetto. Many church ministers, with their oversights, have cast off their moral and spiritual accountability and responsibility, and pander to the agenda of the stranger in the land. They seek to advance a multicultural, mongrel style of religion which Israel tried before being exiled in Babylon.

Blessings in Christ. Rev Mervyn Cotton.