Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1922-06-29
|. EZekiel,s Call (v l, y

]. eZekeFS Call " L, >.
/. Commanded to Stan1 Up ". -.
Ezekiel WAS given vision of the Al
mighty God on His throne Of glory
(ch. y. The purpose o. this vision
was to give him synthetic grasp OF
the execution of ;he divine VIII
through the powers and forces when
he had created. Before the vision the
prophet fell PROSTATE upon his face.
Tie essential equipment Of minister
for the discharge # Lis task is Vi
sion of the Almighty.
>. Filled With the Spillt ". y. by
the Spirit the divine energy entered
him and enabled him to execute the
commission given to him.
II. EzekiePs Commission wv. 3-S).
l. The Moral Condition of the Peo-
pie wv. 8, ~. (D A rebcilious nation
(v. 81. This RIGHTEOUSNESS perhaps re-
ferred to their heather idolatr0us prac-
tees (2) Impudent children ". ~.
"Impudent" literally means hard OF
face" 1t means the gl~ssest perver-
sity which caused them to stand up IN
the presence of the prophets of God
without Il sense Of guilt or coinpunc-
ton Of conscience.
.. The Charge (v. ~. He was to de-
Iiver the message of God. He wis TO
declare, Thus saith the Lord Cod
3. The Difficulty of His Task (vv. D
81. lie was to deliver the message OF
God whether they would hear or fore
bear. He was thus aprriSed of the
difficulty Of his task and warned not
20 .;e rebellious as the people had been.
Si1ekiel was to fearleSSly execute his
commission, though the attitude IF the
people be as "brierS" and "thorns"
and scorpions" The life of man
of God will run counter tn the world.
III. Ezekiel's Experimental Qualifi-
cations G. -3:16).
Before one can preach to others he
must have an eXperience--muSt he In
sympathetic accord with God and His
message.
|. Eating the Book e. :9-3 :9). This
book contained Gods woes upon the
stiff-necked and rebelliOus people ".
10). In order to speak Gods threaten
ings effectively to others we must in
wardly digest and appropriate them
ourselves. The eating of the book was
in his mouth as honey for sweetness.
Though his ministry was difficult and
h. hn
in entire sympathy with Gods pur-
pose and found delight In His will.
The result Of this eating WINS that
Ezekiel was made ''hard of face and
forehead to 90 against the people who
were hard of face and forehead"
=. Urged Oh by the SPIRIT 3:lO-lD.
In order To strengthen Ezekiel for his
task, the wonderful symbolism of
Gods providentiaI agencies which had
been before him in chapter was
brought to his attention, assuring hin
that God would accompany him to his
new destination. He went in bitterness
to the captives. BY bitterness" is
meant sadness on account of the cal
antilles Of which lie WIS the meSSen-
ger G:lD.
3. Entering Into Sympathy ". 1o).
In order to minister to Il people one
must enter into sympathy with them:
must show that the message is from
the depth Of the heart; that 10 declare
the message Of woe Is Il great grief.
;,,l oil l,;.
". Ezekieps Grave Responsibility
(3:17-2D.
God made him a watchman. Every
minister is Il watchman over his flock.
Two things were required of him:
/. TO Hear the Word at Gods
Mouth. The source of his message
was Gods Word. So today the minis
ter is to get his message from God.
=. Sound the Waning (v. ~. After
he heard Gods message he was to
speak It out The same duty is upon
the minister today. Cases in point for
his guidance wv. 1S-2D:
() When God say to the wicked
Thou sl.alt surely die" &. lS), aid
the watchman fails to warn him, the
wicked man shall die in his iniquHy,
out his blood shall be required at the
watchman ) hand.
(2) If tie watchman warn the wick
ell and the warning Is unheeded ".
l9). the W cked man shall perish, but
the wutchnIan has delivered his soul.
(3) When a righteous man turns to
10 iniqllity and God gives him over to
Stumbling II his own sin, his past
seeming righteousness will be of u"
avail, bL. his blood will he required ut
the hand of the watchmun il he fail to
warn him ". 2O).
tD. If tE, watChman so warns the
righteous n.ln that lie fall not - sin,
he man shall be saved and the watch
man hath delivered his soul
Ministers have most solemn obliga-
lions, that Of diScharginS their ObliSa.
ton whether men will hear or fore
fear.