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The Bible Breakdown
Ezekiel 34: When God Steps In
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, ezekiel, chapter 34, and today's title is when God Steps In. When God Steps In. I don't know about you guys, but there's been many times in my life when kind of chaos would start to happen and we didn't really know what was going to happen, and then the leader stepped in the room and just the very presence of the true leader just kind of made everybody take a sigh of relief. Because the leader stepped in the room and just the very presence of the true leader just kind of made everybody take a sigh of relief. Because the leader is in the room and we're going to talk about how the true leader that can always bring peace to any chaos is God himself. And so we're going to get into all that in just a moment.
Speaker 1:So, if you have your Bibles, open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 34. While you're doing that, make sure you take a moment like share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. I see so many of you guys who are leaving us a five-star review on the podcast and you were commenting. Please continue to do so. It really does help us. Not only does it help us grow our audience, but also it helps other people know when they are looking to see okay, what's this podcast all about? What does it do? Is it worth me looking at? When they see the people who leave a five-star review and then why you love it? It encourages them to join our community. And then, as always, make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job and, as always, the more we dig, the more we find. Well, once again, as you are getting your Bibles open, don't forget the overall goal of Ezekiel is God's promise of renewal and it's over the course of Ezekiel's life. And what we see is we are actually getting relatively close to the end of Ezekiel. We've got about 10 more chapters to go. A little more than that. We will see how he is just continuing to tell the people that God is up to something. Even in all of the destruction we've been looking at and there's been a mountain of destruction going on he's still saying but man, something's up, something's up, and we're going to see that today as God's promise of renewal is continuing. And also, if you remember from yesterday, god was kind of commissioning Ezekiel to change his ministry a little bit from not just simply an oracle but as a watchman, to say listen, I'm telling you to tell them so that they can change, so you can warn them, so they can be prepared. So it goes from just judgment to there's a purpose behind all this. So we're going to continue to see this and I love this idea of when God steps in. And so let's read this together and see if it makes sense by the end. You ready.
Speaker 1:Ezekiel, chapter 34, verse one says this Then the message came to me from the Lord hey, buddy, son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel, and give them this message from the sovereign Lord what sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn't shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. Okay, pause. The reason why my brain just froze on that is so many pastors I know love to study God's word. They love, love, love, love to get deep into God's word and to understand it and all that kind of good stuff. But then when it comes to teaching God's word on Sunday, they don't really go there, and one of the reasons why is because so many of us, as pastors, are taught man, the people don't want to know that stuff. They don't want to know the deep things of God's word. Just make them happy. And of course, pastors are supposed to encourage God's people. But at the same time, we should always be trying to honor people with the same stuff that are encouraged people, the same stuff that's encouraged us. And so it's a big debate going on in kind of some of the inner circle, of some of the different things, of what should we be preaching about. So it just kind of hits me. So if you're a pastor and you're watching this, can I always encourage you, never feel like you can't go too deep into God's word, because if it's blessing your heart, it can bless them too. Okay, here we go.
Speaker 1:Verse four you have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away from the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for wild animals. They have wandered throughout the mountains and the hills and across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone searching for them.
Speaker 1:Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord as surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord. You abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal, and though you are my shepherds, you didn't search for any of my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left my sheep to starve. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the sovereign Lord says. I now consider these shepherds my enemies and I will hold them responsible for what they have done to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths and sheep will no longer be their prey. I love this.
Speaker 1:Here we go, verse 11. For this is what the sovereign Lord says. I myself will search and find my sheep. I love this. Here we go, verse 11. I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel and from among the peoples and nations, I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pasture land on high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in the pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie in peace, says the sovereign Lord. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy those who are fat and powerful and I will feed them yes, feed them justice.
Speaker 1:As for you, my flock, this is what the sovereign Lord says to his people. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats. Isn't it enough that you keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn't it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Why must my flock eat what you have trampled down and drink from the water that you have fouled? Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. For you, fat sheep pushed and butted the crowd and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scatter them to distant lands. But I will rescue my flock and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another and I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will feed them and be a shepherd to them. I, the Lord, will be their God and my servant David will be a prince among my people.
Speaker 1:I, the Lord, have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals of the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear. I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill and they and in the proper season, I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing. The orchards and the fields of my people will yield bumper crops and everyone will live in safety. And when I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who have enslaved them, then they will know that I am the Lord. They will no longer be prey for other nations, the wild animals will no longer devour them and they will live in safety and no one will frighten them, and I will make their land famous for its crops, so my people will never again suffer from famines or the insults of foreign nations. In this way, they will know that I, the Lord, am with them. The Lord, their God, am with them. They will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Lord, sovereign Lord, and you are my flock, the sheep of my pasture, you are my people and I am your God. I, the sovereign Lord, have spoken.
Speaker 1:Wow, you want to talk about a moment, especially after all these chapters? We've been hearing about God just just being brokenhearted and casting all this judgment. That was awesome. You know what he just said. Just said you have had some bad leaders. You have had some people who have been enjoying the good things and giving you all the bad things, but no more. He said I am gonna step in, god is going to step in and he's gonna make things right.
Speaker 1:Can I tell you, no matter what you are going through, no matter what's happening in your life, when we turn to God, god steps in. When we give him our whole heart, he does what only he can do, and so what that means is is we come to him and we say God, I've been leading myself and I've been doing a terrible job of it. I've had good days and I've had bad days, but I haven't had your days. I want you to lead and I want to follow, and I think one of the reasons why is because we have a wrong idea about what repentance is.
Speaker 1:We think that when we repent of our sin, it's like going to the principal's office and saying you know, I'm in trouble, let me get my paddling, let me get this over with. But that's not what repentance is. It's not going to the principal's office, it's going to the doctor's office. When we go to the doctor's office, we're not going because we're in trouble and we're expecting punishment. We're going because we're in trouble and we're expecting healing. And that's what repentance is. It's going to the throne of God, not expecting punishment, but expecting healing. That healing, exactly what we get.
Speaker 1:And so when we go to our Father in heaven and we say, god, I've been leading me as I've been going well, and he says okay, I forgive you and I'm gonna restore you and I'm gonna do amazing things in your life and I'm going to, I am going to heal you of this, and it may take a process, and that brokenness may take a process, but when it's done, you're gonna know that I am the Lord. So can I tell you, god wants to step in in your life. I don't know exactly what it is you need, but I do know the faithfulness of my God and I know that he is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ask, think or imagine. And that doesn't mean that we're never going to have a problem and it doesn't mean that we don't sometimes face earthly consequences for earthly sins. What it does mean is that God has the ability to make all things new if we will come to him and let him lead. So I ask you this question who's leading? And if it's not him, if we put God in charge, he wants to lead us to some amazing and into some amazing adventures. When God steps in, he makes everything all right. Let's pray together right now.
Speaker 1:God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you're with us and that you're for us. And, Lord, right now, I just truly believe that you want to step in in all of our lives, and I don't exactly know how. God, that's your business, not mine. My business is just to celebrate it and to let you step in. Mine, my business is just to celebrate it and to let you step in, to take myself off the throne of my life and say God, you have your way. I pray you will do that in all of us today and we celebrate in advance what you're going to do as you step in In Jesus name, we pray Amen. And what God's word says in Ezekiel 34, verse 14, he says I will put my spirit in you and you will live again. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Ezekiel, chapter 35.
