The Experience of Ezekiel
A Sermon on Ezekiel 1:28
Originally preached Sept. 18, 1960
Scripture
28As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my …
Sermon Description
Christians can feel that their testimony or walk with God has not been as dramatic as that of other people or the prophets of the Old Testament. Perhaps they feel they know a lot about God, but unsure if they have ever experienced Him on a personal level. In this sermon on Ezekiel 1:28 titled “The Experience of Ezekiel,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones uses the example of Ezekiel to show the importance of experience in the Christian life. Without having experienced God, there is no hope that one has ever been saved from their sins. But that begs the question: what does this experience look like? Listeners will be challenged to examine their own lives and see if they have been humbled by experiencing the holiness of God that drives a person to their knees. These experiences look different for everyone, but the outcome always looks the same and that is a life marked by walking with God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The prophet Ezekiel had a vision of God's glory and was commissioned as a prophet. This experience, though unique, was similar to other prophets like Moses, Daniel, and John.
- The purpose of such visions and experiences was for people to have a living experience of the living God. This is the ultimate end and object of religion and the Christian faith.
- There are many dangers that can distract us from this living experience of God like traditionalism, intellectualism, believism, moralism, and social concern. The real enemies are within us, not outside.
- The living experience of God has several characteristics:
- A sense of God and awareness of His glory, majesty, holiness, and righteousness.
- God dealing personally in one's life. Christianity is about a personal relationship with God.
- A humbling experience that leads to a sense of unworthiness, sinfulness, smallness, and nothingness in light of God's glory.
- A realization that everything good in one's life is a gift from God by His grace. Christians can do nothing apart from God.
- Listening to and being mastered by God through His Word.
- The ultimate purpose of Christ's death and resurrection was to reconcile us to God and bring us into a living experience of Him. Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ.
- We must examine ourselves to see if we have this living experience of God. Do we know God? Do we hunger and thirst for Him? He is the source, origin, and end of the Christian life.
Sermon Q&A
Key Questions from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Ezekiel's Experience of God
What is the real end or ultimate object of religion according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the ultimate object of religion and the Christian faith is to bring us into a living experience of God. As he states in the sermon, "The apostle Peter reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world and died in order to bring us to God. And it doesn't matter, my friends, what we may have unless we know that we have been brought to God." The highest aim is to know God personally and experientially.
What are the common substitutes for true Christian experience that Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns against?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns against several substitutes for true Christian experience: 1. Traditionalism - being content with merely being religious and participating in church activities 2. Believism - thinking that repeating correct phrases or shibboleths makes one a Christian 3. Intellectualism - being interested in theology and doctrine without personal experience of God 4. Moralism - thinking that doing good is sufficient 5. Social concern - focusing on social justice without love for God
As he says, "You can be absolutely orthodox in your statements and still be spiritually dead."
What are the essential characteristics of a true experience of God according to the sermon?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, true experience of God includes: 1. A sense or awareness of God - "the central thing in this Christian life of ours, the presence, the sense of God" 2. A sense of God dealing personally with us - "You know, a man can't be a Christian, it's impossible, without having a sense that God has interfered in his life" 3. Humbling - "And when I saw it, I fell upon my face" - a profound sense of unworthiness 4. The sense of receiving everything from God - "The Christian is a man who is conscious of having received everything from God"
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the experience of regeneration in a believer's life?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes regeneration as God giving new life to the believer. He explains it through Ezekiel's experience: "The spirit entered into me when he spake unto me and set me upon my feet." He says the Christian "is aware that there is a new principle in him... it came with the word. The spirit upon the word entered into him, made him anew, set him on his feet, gave him life, power, understanding, ability and vigor." He emphasizes that this is entirely God's work: "What's a Christian? Well, a Christian is a man who knows that the God who made everything out of nothing at the beginning has taken hold of him, and having smashed him, he has made him anew."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say that humbling is the "lost chord" of Christianity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests that the sense of humbling is the lost aspect of modern Christianity. He states, "If I were to be asked my opinion on that question, this would be my answer. The sense of humbling, the falling upon our faces." He contrasts this with modern attitudes: "The tragedy today is, is it not, that we're also healthy, we are also glib, we're also assured." He emphasizes that this humbling isn't artificial but is the inevitable result of encountering God: "Any man who has some glimpse of the glory of God inevitably is humbled." This reaction makes a person aware of their "utter unworthiness," "smallness," "weakness," and "nothingness."
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.