Year 3 Day 120

Year 3 Day 120


Pray (ACts)


Read - Ezekiel 13:8-16


Message - Alan Burke


There were false prophets in Ezekiel’s day, there are false prophets today, and just as the false prophets in Ezekiel’s day all who claim to be prophets today are ‘prophesying out of their own imagination’ (2). The Lord God almighty has spoken finally through his Son (Heb 1:1-2), He is the fulfilment of God’s revelation so we don’t need anything more. In Ezekiel’s day The judgement that came from the Lord God on these false prophets is truly terrifying and should be a warning for all who claim in anyway to speak for the Lord today. Ezekiel is to speak woe on them, they are lost in their own imagination, fools, they are jackals, they are pretend prophets, and although they claimed to hear the word of the Lord the Lord now speaks to them through the true Prophet Ezekiel and because of their false words and lying visions He, that is the Lord was against them. His hand, the hand of the Lord would be against them. 


The Lord’s hand is against them and the judgement is on them, they are told that they would not belong to the council of God’s people, or be listed in the record of the house of Israel. The long and short of this is that these false prophets would be cut off from the people of God, there would be no record of them, they would not be part of the people of God. This was total exclusion from the people, from God’s plans and purposes, this was a judgment upon them and though it they would know that the Lord is indeed Lord! This is a truly frightful judgement against these false prophets. 


These prophets had given the people false hope, they had said peace when it wasn’t to be, they had lied, but the lies wouldn’t protect them, just as the walls would collapse the lies would collapse with the slightest touch, it looked great but it was a nonsense. In effect they had built their house on the sand (Mt 7:24-29), rather than the rock. These prophets had put a veneer on things, whitewashed, they had told them what they wanted to hear. For these prophets they would experience the wrath of God, the Lord would send his wrath against them (v15), the whitewashed all would disintegrated, those who lied and said peace when there was no peace would face the judgement of a holy God. They sugarcoated it, instead of revealing the problem, alerting the people to the issue of their sin they instead told them what they wanted them to hear, they just painted over the cracks. Sadly there are many today who may not have the title of prophet but are more than happy never to address the issue of sin, the need for repentance and belief, to turn to Jesus Christ, instead they send people to hell happy, God calls us to faith and repentance, we should not ignore our sin, we must repent and believe, be a good person, try your hardest wont cut it, only faith in Jesus Christ who died to address that sin will. 


Also this acts as a warning for everyone today who speaks on the Lord’s behalf, teachers, preachers, then their task is not to prophecy, to give you new words but to teach, preach and proclaim what God has already said. It may be prophetic in the sense it points you to God, the way of God but there will be no new words. We are not to add or takeaway from it, this is why scripture warns not many of you should be teachers my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (James 3:1). For anyone who claims to have new visions then, new words, then the warning on these false prophets should make them pay attention. Jesus is God’s final and best word as Hebrews reminded us, the place that God speaks from His is word, read and preached, it is His complete revelation. Charles Spurgeon said “God does not give a fresh revelation, but he rivets the old one. When it has been forgotten, and laid in the dusty chamber of our memory, he fetches it out and cleans the picture, but does not paint a new one.” 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q4 What is God?
God is a Spirit, (John 4:24) infinite, (Job 11:7–9) eternal, (Ps. 90:2) and unchangeable, (James 1:17) in his being, (Exod. 3:14)wisdom, (Ps. 147:5) power, (Rev. 4:8) holiness, (Rev. 15:4) justice, goodness, and truth. (Exod. 34:6–7)
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