LAUNCH: LIFE PROSPERITY Doing the Word Sunday School Curriculum 3:1 – 3 March 16, 2014

Introduction I used to travel a good bit for a variety of reasons. Being on airplanes and running through airports gradually became a part of my life. If you’ve spent any amount of time flying, you know there is a sort of flow that goes along with the experience. You rush to get to the airport on time, then have to wait in line at security when you get there. You quickly unpack everything you packed and dump it into a plastic bin in a frenetic pace, only to have to repeat it seconds later, repacking after passing through security. Then, you wait at the gate. The boarding call for the plane comes and everyone crams around the door, no matter their boarding priority, then wait to squeeze through the door. It’s a relentless cycle of hurry then wait, hurry then wait.

One of the standard parts of the experience are the in-flight announcements prior to takeoff. As someone that teaches and trains, I always feel a little bad for the person making the announcements because absolutely no one on the plane ever listens. They are concentrating on how long it will be before they can turn on their approved portable electronic devices. The maddening part of it is that announcements actually include information that can save your life. So why does no one listen? Because they think they don’t really need it. They are sitting on the tarmac, the plane is about to push back, and needing the floatation device that is also their seat cushion is a totally irrelevant concept. How much do you think that would change if cabin air pressure actually did change? When those little masks drop from the ceiling, I guarantee that anyone on that plane would gladly listen to a brief review of the safety guidelines with rapt attention.

What does that have to do with our sermon topic this week? Sadly, more than it should. The natural outflow of spending time in God’s Word is life transformation. Life transformation manifests itself in the ways in which we interact with others and make decisions. It changes the way we view the world. However, if we only pay attention to God’s Word when we feel like we really need it, then transformation is a much more sporadic process.

In the Life Prosperity portion of our LAUNCH series, our focus is on the external evidence that reveals our growth in Christ, both individually and as a church. Earlier in our LAUNCH sermon series as we discussed our passions, we studied what it meant to value biblical truth. Part of that week’s lesson stated that we act on what we value. Logically then, if we value biblical truth, it will shape the way we live, work, make decisions, raise our families, and every other area of our lives. This week, we return to biblical truth by considering how we value it and what it looks like when we do. In doing so, we find a wonderful illustration in the call of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:1 – 3.

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Biblical Background Ezekiel stands apart from the rest of the in its grand and majestic visions of God. The visions frequently include bizarre images and creatures. Because the occurrences and manner in which God chose to reveal himself to Ezekiel, the book bearing his name is regarded by many casual readers as too difficult to interpret. However, knowing the context of Ezekiel’s prophecy makes Ezekiel more understandable.

Ezekiel is initially introduced as a priest, though not having formally taken on his priestly role. He was part of the first Babylonian deportation of in 598 BC, which is why he sits on the Chebar canal at the opening of the book. His prophetic career is a challenging one, as his audience is a deported, dejected people. Oddly, in spite of their plight, the Israelite people in exile still struggle with unrepentant hearts and prideful spirits.

The first three chapters of Ezekiel detail his vision of God in which his call experience occurs. The specificity of detail, even though bizarre, leads up to Ezekiel’s vision of the presence of Yahweh. As so often happens throughout the Bible, the nature of God’s call on one of his servants is such that it prepares the one being called for the type of ministry they are to have. Ezekiel is no different. The unusual imagery and the supernatural magnitude of how God reveals himself foreshadows the difficulty of the ministry that lay before Ezekiel over his 22-year prophetic ministry.

At the beginning of chapter one, God reveals himself in a storm that begins as a strong wind from the north and then explodes into the grandiose vision. The wind coming from the north is a crucial element at the outset of Ezekiel’s ministry because it confirms that the Babylonians, whose armies arrived from the north, are in fact God’s chosen instrument to judge his recalcitrant people.

Within the parameters of Ezekiel’s call narrative, we see the importance of knowing God’s word and, as a result, walking in obedience with power. Prior to our passage for this week, God calls to Ezekiel using the title, “Son of Man.” Then in the beginning of chapter 2, Ezekiel reveals that as God spoke to him, the Holy Spirit entered him. Ezekiel is commissioned to go to rebellious Israel. Even at the outset, though, God prepares Ezekiel that his words will go unheeded and the road ahead of him will be difficult.

At the end of chapter 2, beginning in verse 8, Yahweh addresses Ezekiel with a written scroll in his hand. God opens the scroll and allows Ezekiel to see that it is written on front and back. The contents are words of lamentation, mourning, and woe for this rebellious people.

The Text At the opening of chapter 3, God continues to address Ezekiel regarding the scroll containing the words of God that Ezekiel is to take Israel. At the close of chapter 2, before introducing the scroll, God tells Ezekiel to eat whatever God gives him. In a moment that reminds us of God’s conversation with Peter before he goes to visit with Cornelius, Ezekiel is likely expected some unclean thing that he would have never before eaten. Instead, a hand extends a scroll to him and allows Ezekiel to read the words from God that were on the scroll. As chapter three begins, Lord again directs Ezekiel to eat.

“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go speak to the house of Israel.’” (Ezekiel 3:1) 2

This is an odd request, no matter which way you slice it. Scrolls would have been made from papyrus, which is a reed-like plant. The idea of eating it would have been extremely unappetizing. Adding the ink to it would not have helped. There is no way for sure to know if the scroll was an actual scroll or part of Ezekiel’s inaugural vision. The experience of the occurrence was extremely real, so much so that it fueled Ezekiel’s prophetic work for over two decades.

The wording from God is incredibly important. First, he tells Ezekiel to eat whatever he finds. This is not conditional obedience for Ezekiel. The word of God is authoritative and does not return to the Lord void. Ezekiel’s ingesting it is not contingent on whether or not he likes what the scroll says. He most assuredly will not.

Second, God repeats himself as he establishes a pattern. Eat the scroll and then go to speak. Notice that God did not say “read the scroll.” He instructs Ezekiel to eat it. When we eat something, our bodies process it, break it down into its individual parts, and allow it to nourish us. The nourishment causes us to grow and develop, to be stronger. Such is the clear implication for the word of God on this scroll of Ezekiel. He is to ingest it so that it strengthens him and grows him. It becomes part of him. It is not merely reading and memorizing, it is applying it to his life in such a way that it compels him to act.

Third, when God tells Ezekiel to “go speak to the house of Israel,” Ezekiel is carrying out exactly what the scroll said. Remember, it was full of words of lamentation, mourning, and woe over rebellious Israel. That’s what Ezekiel was sent to Israel to tell them. He ingested the word and the word shaped his action, which was commanded by God.

Verse 2 is Ezekiel’s response to God’s command, which is surprisingly nonchalant.

“So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat.” (Ezekiel 3:2)

Just like that. God told him to eat the rolled up, ink-stained papyrus scroll and Ezekiel did it. No argument about it not being on the Jewish food law diet. No pushback over it being dirty and unsanitary. Just obedience. Now, it would be short-sighted and simplistic not to realize that, given the magnificence of the vision Ezekiel was experiencing, he would have done anything that God told him to do. That’s exactly the point. Worship and intimacy with God increases not just the ability, but the desire to obey and follow after God. The ability to trust God in obedience, even when costly or difficult to understand, is inextricably linked to the personal encounter with God.

In verse 3, God reiterates his command, but with more emphasis and drama.

“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.” (Ezekiel 3:3)

There is no reason to believe that these are two separate commands to eat a scroll, descriptive of two separate events. This type of repetition is a pattern throughout Ezekiel. Instead, they serve to heighten the significance of what is taking place, moving from general to specific.

There is a small point of emphasis to be drawn out in the term “fill your stomach with it.” The original word in the Hebrew refers to the intestines, which is important because of the way the Hebrews thought of the emotions. In the , the seat of the will and emotions is the 3 intestines/stomach area. So, in a sense, there is a play on words here. While the word being ingested is being fully made a part of Ezekiel through the digestive process, that which is being filled with the word of God is the center of the will and emotions. This is not head knowledge. Ezekiel is being transformed at his core.

To Ezekiel’s great surprise, his obedience was not greeted with the texture and taste of a papyrus scroll. Instead, the scroll was sweet like honey. Such it is with the word of God, which nourishes our deepest need, propels us to our God-ordained purpose, and changes the way we view the world in which we live.

The Text in Life When we think about being doers of the word, the call of Ezekiel may seem like an odd place to look. But if we examine the context of his life prior to his eating the scroll and afterward, we notice at least three critical things about being a doer of the word.

First, being a doer of the word is predicated on a personal encounter with God. We know from our sermon in 2 Timothy 3 this morning that all Scripture is inspired by God. But our ability to be a doer of the word depends on a power that is outside of us, namely, the Holy Spirit. At the beginning of Ezekiel’s call experience, when God summons Ezekiel the first thing that happens is that the Spirit indwells Ezekiel. That’s what happens to us when we accept Jesus. We can’t be a doer of the word without first having a relationship with the Word (John 1:1).

Second, being a doer of the word means we must first know the word. When God first presented the scroll to Ezekiel, he unrolled it and had Ezekiel read the words before eating them. The Bible cannot change our lives just by the beauty of the gilded pages and the leather on the outside of it. We must open it and read it regularly. Before we can digest it, we have to read it. That being said, just reading it will only get us part of the way. If we “read for mileage,” meaning that we read through it as fast as we can just to say we read it, then the prayerful meditation that is so critical to the Holy Spirit using the Word to transform is pushed out in the hurry. Eating involves chewing; reading the Bible involves prayerfully allowing God to work in us as we read.

Third, being a doer of the word means that God will ask us to do some new, and even unexpected, things in the name of obedience. Most likely it will not mean eating a scroll. However, it could very well mean having a conversation about forgiveness with someone you swore you would never forgive. It could mean adopting a new spiritual discipline, such as fasting, as a way of pursuing deeper intimacy with God. It could mean walking away from a job or friendship that draws you away from God. Whatever it is, obedience always requires a step of faith as we trust the character and heart of God.

Ultimately, being a doer of the word affects us as much as it does the world around us. As we act in the name of Jesus, the character of Jesus increasingly takes root in our lives. The measurement becomes the fruit of the Spirit: how much do we exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our relationships with others because of our relationship with Jesus?

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Discussion Questions The questions below are intended to help you process what it means to be a doer of the word. They can be used in a group study to facilitate conversation or for your personal reflection.

1. Describe your relationship with Jesus. How have you seen your desire to read and apply the Bible grow with your relationship with Jesus? 2. What does your Bible reading habit look like right now? How do you keep it from becoming just something you do? 3. What is the most significant step of faith that God has led you to make in your journey with him to this point? What’s the most recent? 4. Who in your life encourages you to act on what you feel God leading you to do? How would you describe the benefit of that relationship? 5. What parts of the Bible are the most difficult for you to read? What passage has God used most significantly in your life? 6. Consider the last six months. How have you seen growth in your relationships with Jesus? How would you like for that to change in the next six months? 7. What do you sense is the main way God wants you to be a doer of the word in your workplace currently? Your home? Your school? 8. How has the Bible changed the way you view the world & your role in it over the last year? Any particular issue or topic? What passages were important?

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