Christ; the Only Hope

A Sermon on Ezekiel 13:1-16

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Scripture

Ezekiel 13:1-16 ESV KJV

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’ Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own … The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’ Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, ‘Declares the LORD,’ although I have not spoken?” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD. Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD. (ESV)

1And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; 3Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! 4O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. 5Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. 6They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. 7Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? 8Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. 9And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

10¶ Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: 11Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. 12Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? 13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. 14So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 15Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; 16To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.

Sermon Description

In this sermon on Ezekiel 13:1–16 titled “Christ, the Only Hope,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones addresses a question that is central to all of life: “who is man?”. Many today say that people are fundamentally good, or at least morally neutral, with the ability to become either a good or a bad person. But either way it is up to them. This is why people must be taught how to do the right thing, and once they knows what is right, they will do it. This is how the world’s problems will be solved, they contend. While this may be a popular teaching, it is directly contradicted by Scripture. The Bible teaches that all are fallen and slaves to sin. They are unable to choose the good or overcome their sin by themselves. The world tells humanity only what it wants to hear, but God’s word is different. It is seen in Scripture that all are sinful and under the wrath of God yet it is God who works to provide salvation for all. He sends His only Son to die upon the cross for the sins of humanity. Who then is man? According to Scripture, he has been created by God, yet he has sinned, but God has made a way of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Sermon Breakdown

The sermon begins by establishing the context of Ezekiel 13. Ezekiel was a prophet sent to speak to the Israelites during their captivity in Babylon.
Two types of prophets emerge during times of trouble for Israel: true prophets and false prophets. Ezekiel was a true prophet, sent by God. The false prophets prophesy out of their own hearts.
The first question to ask when confronted with any message is "what is the authority behind it?" The false prophets have no authority, they have "seen nothing." They do not receive revelation from God.
The false message is superficial. It tells people what they want to hear, does not see any difficulties, and provides superficial solutions. It is like "whitewash on a flimsy wall."
The false message is not only superficial, but false and futile. It does not actually solve problems or provide help. This is proven through the history of Israel and the present day.
The false prophets are charged with allowing "gaps" and "breaches" to develop by promoting a false message. Their teachings do not provide protection or help in times of trial.
The fate of the false prophets and those who follow them is to face the wrath and judgment of God. They will be excluded from the blessings of God's kingdom.
The only hope is to "hear the word of the Lord" - the true message of the Bible. It reveals the truth about our sinful state and need for salvation through faith in Christ.
Civilization and human efforts cannot cure the desperate condition of man. Only the gospel message of new life in Christ can remedy man's sinful state.

Old Testament

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.