Book: Ezekiel
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Ezekiel 3:15-21                 Understanding, The Key To Compassion

I. Ezekiel's call to the ministry. Vs.11
        A. The importance of the call of God.
                1. Jesus said to His disciples, "You have not chosen Me,
                   but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should
                   be My disciples."
                2. Paul wrote, "Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus
                   Christ by the will of God."
                3. The ministry is not an easy task, their will be many
                   discouragement's.
                        a. The people will not always want to hear the
                           message of God. "Tell them thus saith the Lord,
                           whether they will hear or forbear."
                        b. Sometimes people are angry with God, they
                           falsely blame God for some calamity that has
                           taken place in their lives. They will often
                           seek to take our their anger on the servant of
                           God.
        B. The specifics of the call. He was to go to those in captivity
           in Babylon and speak to them the word of the Lord.
                1. The primary duty of a minister is to give to the
                   people the word of the Lord.
                        a. In many of the pulpits across the country the
                           word of the Lord has been replaced with the
                           words of psychologists.
                        b. The popular subjects for the pulpit are "How
                           to get what you want out of life, or becoming
                           a better you.
                        c. Jung, Freud, Maslov, and Pavlov are quoted more
                           often than the scriptures.
                2. As Paul wrote, he said, "That which I have received
                   from the Lord, I also delivered unto you."
                        a. I am to bear God's message to the people.
                        b. Why do men turn from teaching the word of God
                           to relational teaching?
                                1. Some do not believe that the word of
                                   God is actually the word of God.
                                2. Many people do not want to hear the
                                   word of God, but as Paul said, they
                                   have itching ears, and only want to be
                                   entertained.
                      3. Love or compassion is the only true motive for
                         the ministry.
        A. Paul said that the love of Christ constrained him.
        B. Understanding is the key to compassion.
                1. Many times a persons actions are repulsive to us, and
                   we are prone to react in negative ways.
                2. Quite often their is a reason for their repulsive
                   behavior.
                        a. Directing summer camps in Arizona.
        C. Ezekiel said, "I sat where they sat."
                1. Before he sought to bring them the word of the Lord,
                   he sat down with them and was speechless for seven
                   days.
                2. What a wonderful way to gain insight and understanding.
                3. Sit where they sit, walk in their shoes.
                4. When I hear the stories of the difficulties some of
                   these single moms are going through, my heart goes out
                   to them. I try to put myself in their place, and wonder
                   just what I would do.
                5. When I hear the stories of the abuse that some of these
                   children are being subjected to, I find my heart
                   breaking for them, and a strong desire to take them
                   under my wing, and be to them the kind of parent that
                   would truly represent a Godly example to them.
                6. Put yourself in the other persons place.
                        a. You husbands try to in your mind put yourself
                           in your wife's place.
                                1. First of all having to live with you,
                                   and put up with your moods and
                                   attitudes.
                                2. Spend the day supervising the home,
                                   seeing the kids are off to school with
                                   a good breakfast and clean clothes.
                                3. Watching the babies that are still to
                                   young to go to school. Cleaning the
                                   house, making beds, and planning
                                   dinner.
                                4. Being nurse, comforter, and sometimes
                                   referee for the daily bumps and bruises
                                   of this junior world that she must
                                   oversee.
                                5. When you come home and plop down in
                                   front of the T.V. as you wait for your
                                   dinner to be served, she is often
                                   longing for adult conversation, a
                                   sounding board to unload some of the
                                   daily frustrations upon. All she gets
                                   from you is grunts that indicate your
                                   total lack of interest or concern.
                                6. Think of it, all day long baby talk,
                                   coo, ta ta, then when you get home,
                                   ugh, O, ah.
                        b. In the same token you wives try to put yourself
                           in your husbands place.
                                1. Heavy pressure to perform on the job.
                                2. Miserable drive home in the rush hour
                                   traffic.
                                3. Bone tired, worried, weary he falls
                                   into the chair and seeks a moments
                                   diversion to help switch gears to
                                   forget the problems of the day, and
                                   immediately he hears of how Johnny
                                   threw a ball through the large window
                                   of the neighbor's house who will be
                                   over later to see how you intend to pay
                                   for it.
                        c. Before you react or respond, try to first put
                           yourself in their place, sit where they sit
                           for a while, discover the pressures that they
                           are experiencing. This is what Ezekiel did.

III. The responsibility of the ministry.
        A. God holds your responsible to watch over His flock and to give
           them His word.
                1. Ezekiel was to give them warnings from God.
                2. When God said to the wicked that they were going to
                   die, He was responsible to warn them.
                        a. Hell is a very unpopular topic.
                        b. In our soft society we do not like to speak of
                           punishment.
                        c. We are reluctant to hold a person responsible
                           for their actions.
                                1. This begins with childhood. One of the
                                   great problems with our society is that
                                   so many parents were influenced by
                                   Dr. Spokes recommendation for slackness
                                   in the disciplining of the child.
                                2. This also influenced the public
                                   schools.
                                3. The Biblical warnings were ignored that
                                   declared that a child left to himself
                                   would bring a reproach to his parents.
                                4. These undisciplined children have grown
                                   up to be the monsters in our society.
                        d. If God has prepared a place of punishment and
                           torment for Satan, and all who will follow in
                           his rebellion against God, a place where in the
                           words of Jesus there is weeping and wailing,
                           and gnashing of teeth, where the fire is not
                           quenched, and I fail to warn people of that 
                           horrible fate that awaits all who do not
                           receive God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ,
                           then I will be held responsible by God for my 
                           failure as His minister for not warning them.
        B. As the overseer of the flock of God I am held responsible by
           God to warn the flock, and in so doing, I deliver my soul.
                1. When Paul was speaking to the elders at Ephesus for
                   possibly the last time, he said, "I want you to record
                   this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men,
                   for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the
                   counsel of God. For the space of three years, I
                   ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."
                2. The reason why I have chosen to go straight through the
                   whole Bible year after year, not skipping any part, is
                   that when my ministry comes to an end, and I stand
                   before God to give an account, I want to be able to
                   say, I have declared to them Your whole counsel, I
                   have not withheld any truth, I warned them night and
                   day.
                3. I desire then to hear His words, "Well done, you have
                   been a good and faithful servant, enter into the joys
                   of Your Lord.