00:00 Introduction and Announcements

00:39 Community Groups and Church Involvement

01:46 Exciting Changes Ahead

02:09 Ezekiel 13: False Prophets

05:09 Ezekiel 14: Idolatry of the Elders

08:53 Ezekiel 15: Jerusalem Compared to a Worthless Vine

09:41 Closing Prayer and Farewell

Find out more about Compass Bible Church.

Learn more about our Bible Reading Plan.

Questions or Comments? Email us podcast@compassntx.org

Hey everybody.

2

Welcome back to another edition

of the Daily Bible Podcast.

3

Hello.

4

We are back on Saturday, so hopefully

you're enjoying your Saturday.

5

We've got in a couple weekends here

women's retreat is gonna be going

6

on, so I know final preparation

is well underway for that.

7

I don't think it's next

weekend, but the week after.

8

After that.

9

So be praying for that.

10

As well as just other things that

that God's doing with our church.

11

It's been a great season.

12

God's grown our church.

13

We're excited for that.

14

We're excited for the fall

as we get back into things.

15

Ministry's picking back up.

16

I know student ministry

has been back for a while.

17

They didn't really take any time

off, but starting this new series

18

in Romans on Wednesday nights

that Lewis is going through, we've

19

got a venture club going on, man.

20

Things are happening and

it's it's exciting to.

21

See it all unfold and be a part of it all.

22

And I know that a couple weeks ago, pastor

Mark gave a plug during our announcements

23

for our community groups and just want to

re reemphasize that and reiterate that.

24

And if you're listening to this,

my guess is most people that listen

25

to this from our church family are.

26

Already in community, and that's great.

27

If you're not, we would really

encourage you to do that.

28

Pastor Rod and I were just talking about

that this week, that it really does enable

29

us to shepherd you most effectively when

you're in community with other believers.

30

So we would love for you to get

in involved in a community group

31

if you're already in one and you

happen to meet some visitors.

32

That's our next step.

33

People say, what does it look like?

34

How do I get involved?

35

How do I get connected?

36

That next step would be we would welcome

them to get connected in community groups.

37

So that's when we know,

okay, yeah you're with us.

38

You're all in.

39

This is your church home.

40

We're your pastors.

41

So if you're part of a community group

and you're meeting somebody that's

42

new that's there, maybe say, Hey,

have you joined a community group?

43

Would you consider being a part of ours?

44

Do you want to come and and check out what

ours is like on, thursday night is Tuesday

45

night is whenever your group meets.

46

Such an important thing that is, is a part

of our DNA here at our church and it's

47

so important for us as pastors as well.

48

Lots of good things happening

and all that to say.

49

And we're excited about it, about

everything that's going on right now.

50

Yeah, lots of big things ahead too.

51

Maybe some changes coming down the.

52

We'll see, that's a hook.

53

They don't even know

what I'm talking about.

54

They don't know what you're talking about.

55

When they find out about Pastor

Amanda, things are gonna change.

56

Yikes.

57

Yikes.

58

That, yeah.

59

That would be a dramatic Andras change.

60

A lot would've already had to have.

61

Taking place there.

62

That's not the change, by the

way, in case you're wondering.

63

Let's jump into our DBR

Ezekiel 13, 14 a and 15.

64

So we're working our way through.

65

We've gone after the idolaters, we've

gone after the wicked counselors.

66

Now he's turning to the false prophets and

these are the ones that are prophesying

67

o obviously things that are not true.

68

That's why they're false prophets

and they're prophesying notice

69

there from their own hearts, which.

70

Jeremiah is the one who said the

heart is deceitful above all things.

71

So these prophets, false prophets are

prophesying from their own hearts.

72

There it says in verse two, and

they're the ones that are trying to

73

comfort the people in the midst of

what is evident to anyone with eyes to

74

see and ears to hear impending doom.

75

God has been saying judgment is

coming, and judgment was indeed coming.

76

Yet the false prophets

were lying to the people.

77

In trying to make a bad situation

look better than what it is.

78

In fact, that's why God confronts

them is those that are whitewashing

79

the walls think of Jesus.

80

Who in the New Testament is gonna

pick up the theme of whitewashing and

81

call the Pharisees, whitewash tombs.

82

He's gonna say, you look great

on the outside, but inside

83

you're full of dead man's bones.

84

You're dead and decaying on the inside.

85

And similarly here, the prophets

are whitewashing the walls of a

86

city that's about to be destroyed.

87

And so God is using this imagery of a wall

because of what is about to happen with.

88

Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon about

to come in and destroy the walls

89

and saying, of these prophets,

you, you're putting up walls.

90

You're causing people to trust in

something and whitewashing it to

91

look like it's great, but those

walls are gonna be destroyed.

92

And then what of your whitewashed

then what of your words?

93

It's gonna be empty, it's gonna be

meaningless, it's gonna be pointless.

94

And so God is coming after the

thoughts Prophets here in chapter 13.

95

End of chapter 13.

96

He also goes off after the prophetess.

97

And these, this seems to be

a brand of false prophecy.

98

Correct me if I'm wrong pr but

of mysticism that in dealing with

99

the occult, maybe potentially

even here with these magic bands.

100

There's something different

here than the just them standing

101

up saying, thus says the Lord.

102

The Lord says this, that

there's some sort of the.

103

We might call it the dark magic

that's present here, that they're

104

trying to bring into this and make

it part of Christianity, or not part

105

of Christianity, part of their prof

prophecy to the Jewish people as well.

106

It's always peculiar that man

always seeks more religious

107

experiences than what God gifts us.

108

We're never contented with the way

that God presents himself to us.

109

We're always looking for more deeper.

110

More interesting experiences,

and here I think you see the

111

proclivity that Israel has.

112

And we all have it.

113

I'm not gonna throw them out

there and say that they're alone.

114

But here you have it in black and white.

115

The women are doing something

more than what the men are doing,

116

but it's not unique to them.

117

We all have this sense of, I don't

like the way that God has spoken to me.

118

I want more than just the word of God.

119

I want.

120

These feelings or these particular

experiences that going down a

121

road like that does provide,

and that's the scary part.

122

If you dabble in these

things, they're real.

123

They're real things, which is

why God tells us, don't go that

124

way because they're dangerous.

125

He doesn't tell us that because he's

afraid of being, outshine by the

126

demonic forces behind those things.

127

But yes, I agree.

128

They're doing something evil,

something that God is forbidden.

129

It's some kind of witchcraft or sorcery.

130

And this is dangerous for the people,

for a whole host of reason reasons, but

131

not the least of which being it's real.

132

Be aware of those things.

133

Yeah.

134

Yeah.

135

Chapter 14.

136

Then we're moving now into the realm of

the elders, and so we've been through

137

all of these and we're escalating now

we're getting to the realm of the elders,

138

and the elders are condemned for their

idolatry, but it's not just idolatry.

139

It's deep-seated idolatry.

140

Look at verse three.

141

It's son of man.

142

These men have taken their

idols into their hearts.

143

And set the stumbling block of

their iniquity before their faces.

144

He says, should I indeed let

myself be consulted by them?

145

He's gonna repeat this

idea multiple times.

146

I think at least three times of

taking the idols into the hearts.

147

This is a dangerous thing

when it's not just that you're

148

flirting with something that is.

149

Potentially idolatrous, but

this has become now something

150

that has stolen your affections.

151

It has a place in your heart and

it is something that you love.

152

There's a book called

You Become What You Love.

153

And that's the idea here that you

are taking it into your heart.

154

You are loving this idol and God

is gonna bring judgment there.

155

And what's interesting here, I think

this is the first time in the book

156

of Ezekiel, we see the word repent

and we find it there in verse six,

157

he says, of these elders, he says,

repent and turn away from your idols.

158

Turn away from these, all of

these abominations and the call

159

there is, listen, you need to turn

back from your idols, or God is

160

gonna turn himself back from you.

161

God is gonna turn away from you.

162

And so the confrontation there, but

the thing that, that I want us to see

163

is that idolatry left unchecked, it.

164

It sinks its roots deep into our

lives and deep into our hearts.

165

And the longer we entertain our idols

the more they become entwined in

166

our hearts, entwined in our lives,

entwined in our affections the harder

167

they are to rid our lives of them.

168

And this is what's happened here.

169

This has become deep seated idolatry with

the elders of Jerusalem at this point.

170

As the chapter continues,

there's more sobering.

171

We've seen this previously.

172

I don't remember all of the people that

were listed in in the previous time

173

that we encountered a similar situation

but God says, look, even if some of my

174

favorite people were present in the city,

so this time he's gonna identify Noah.

175

He's gonna identify Daniel, and

he's going to identify job and

176

he's gonna identify these three.

177

And I think the reason why he identifies

the these three is because they stood out.

178

In the Bible for their righteousness.

179

Noah was considered a

man of righteousness.

180

In the midst of a perverse generation.

181

Job was considered a man of

righteousness, blameless.

182

Have you considered my servant job?

183

There's no one like him.

184

And then you've also got Daniel, who,

when he was in Babylon in exile, was

185

also considered to be a man of immense

righteousness who would not compromise.

186

And God is saying even if they were

there, the wickedness of the city is

187

so much that they would be spared.

188

But the city would face the judgment

that I'm bringing against it.

189

So this is quite the indictment to say,

E, even if these three were there, these

190

paradigms of godliness and righteousness,

it wouldn't be enough to turn away

191

what's about to happen to the city.

192

What's interesting is that Daniel

is a contemporary of Ezekiel.

193

Yeah.

194

Daniel went into exile first.

195

If our timing is right, and I believe

that we are 6 0 5 BC Ezekiel's exile

196

was 5 97, so Daniel had already grown a

reputation for being a man after the Lord,

197

which is so fascinating because he's of

the time, which I think is wonderful.

198

And Daniel's a man after the

Lord's heart in a different way.

199

He's not David, but he shows remarkable.

200

Resiliency, resolve and godliness.

201

And I think that's especially powerful.

202

And the fact that God is saying,

even if you had these three guys.

203

Interceding on your behalf.

204

I would still say no.

205

That's terrifying.

206

Yeah.

207

That means you've passed a line

that God is saying you've passed

208

a line that you can't return from.

209

Yeah.

210

It, the other thing about Daniel,

he is, he's probably mid twenties

211

at most at this point too, because

if he's taken in 5 97 as a teen.

212

We're not quite to 5 86 or

we're in 5 86 at this point.

213

So we've 10 years have passed.

214

11 years have passed.

215

So Daniel is obviously gonna

live much longer than that.

216

And in a lot of that happens in

Daniel's, life happens much later on.

217

So this is even prior to Daniel in

the Lion's den, this is Daniel's

218

reputation in the early stages there.

219

Yeah.

220

Of his faithfulness in his

righteousness in God's eyes.

221

Already seen as a godly dude.

222

Yeah.

223

Oof.

224

Yeah.

225

That's awesome.

226

Chapter 15 then is brief, but it

is comparing Jerusalem to something

227

that nobody had any use for.

228

And that is the wood of a vine.

229

The wood of the vine really isn't

the point of the vine when the vine

230

is growing and then when the vine

is dead, the wood of the vine is

231

there to be burned, but even to burn

it is, it doesn't produce the heat.

232

It doesn't produce the long lasting flame

that you really need to be kept warm.

233

I think the writer of Proverbs

even talks about that.

234

And so this is really God looking

at the people of Israel saying.

235

I'm done with you and what

you are left to me is nothing.

236

You're useless to me now.

237

And the judgment is coming and when I

bring it, it's going to consume you as the

238

fire would consume the wood from the vine.

239

All right we got a shorter episode today

that makes up a little bit for a 24 minute

240

marathon yesterday, but you're welcome.

241

Yeah, I know you guys like the mid-range.

242

We'll try to strike that balance.

243

That was that was on us.

244

That was on me.

245

Anyways, let's pray and we'll

be done with this episode.

246

God, we thank you for your word.

247

We pray against the idolatry that is

described here in verse 14 or chapter

248

14, that the deep seated heart saturating

idolatry help us to be a people that are

249

pure, like Daniel, like Noah, like Joe,

that we would be able to be named among

250

them too, to say if they were there.

251

Luda, we want to be men and women

of faithfulness, men and women.

252

Of integrity, and that matters

to us because it matters to you.

253

So enable us by your

spirit to live such lives.

254

We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

255

Keep you in your Bibles tuning

again tomorrow for another edition

256

of the Daily Bible Podcast.

257

Bye bye.

258

Bernard: Well, thank you for

listening to another episode of

259

the Daily Bible Podcast, folks!

260

We're honored to have you join us.

261

This is a ministry of Compass

Bible Church in north Texas.

262

You can find out more information

about our Church at compassntx.org.

263

We would love for you to leave a

review, to rate, or to share this

264

podcast on whatever platform you're

listening on, and we hope to see

265

you again tomorrow for another

episode of the Daily Bible Podcast.

266

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

267

PJ: Yeah.

268

I would agree with

everything that you said